Well, I finally got an update out. I apologize for the delay, but I recently had computer trouble that caused me to lose over 30 pages of prepared notes for my fics along with a whole mess of other things. Along with some RL issues, things got a little hectic. Anyway, a bit shorter than I'd like, but anything else I added would feel just tacked on. I hope that updates will become more frequent soon, and you can expect updates to my other fics to come within the next few days.
Chapter 10
Things had been progressing relatively well for Sunnydale lately, with deaths at an all-time low. The inhuman inhabitants of the town had managed to cobble a fragile truce with Buffy and her friends. She had let them know that as long as they left humans alone, they would be ignored. However, she also told them that for every human murdered in the city she would kill five demons to insure that the beasts themselves prevented anyone new from stirring trouble.
As for the mayor, at the moment both groups had limited their activities at espionage and misdirection. The Scoobies still had no idea what mayor Wilkins had planned, and were thus reluctant to take more direct action.
"Everything alright, Cordelia?" Willow noticed that her usually perky friend was rather somber today.
"It's Robert. He broke up with me." Cordelia sighed.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Are you going to be alright?"
"I just need some time alone. See you later Willow." Cordelia tried to smile, but it came out rather forced.
"You look troubled." Cordelia looked up from her seat on the high school's roof to see an unknown blond girl standing next to her.
"A little boy trouble. What are you doing up here?" Cordelia asked.
"Just enjoying the view. Mind if I join you?" The girl asked, and Cordelia gave a slight nod.
"Anya Emerson. I enrolled recently." The girl introduced herself.
"Cordelia Chase. Nice to meet you." Cordelia shrugged.
"Want to talk about it?" Anya asked.
"There's nothing to talk about. The asshole dumped me because I refused to sleep with him." Cordelia said briskly. "Then he had the nerve to imply that the whole breakup was my fault."
"Sounds like a real scumbag. Don't you wish something unpleasant happened to him?" Anya gave her a light grin.
"Yeah, I really want him to..." The door to the roof opened and cut off Cordelia.
"Is something wrong, Buffy?" Cordelia stood up, with Anya doing the same.
"I sensed a faint demonic presence from this area." Buffy said softly, shooting a pointed glance at Anya. The presence was indeed faint, but in a building full of humans, it was like ink in a pool of water.
"You tried to trick me, you bitch." Before Anya could speak, Cordelia swung around and planted a flawless right hook in her jaw, sending her stumbling back.
"Your judgment day has come, demon." Cordelia reached into her purse and pulled out her bolt pistol, and while Anya was still shaking off the punch, a bolt struck her chest, causing a small explosion and a burst of light. When the light cleared, the two girls saw that Anya had skidded almost to the edge of the roof.
"She still lives." Buffy commented as she noticed Anya's chest continue to move.
"Not for long." Cordelia raised her pistol and aimed at the unconscious woman before her.
"Wait. I no longer sense the demonic presence." Buffy knelt down and began examining the hole in Anya's shirt caused by the bolt, and noticed the remains of a pendant of some sort.
"She is human, then?" Cordelia asked.
"Yes. Help me carry her. We need to get out of here in case someone heard you shoot." Buffy pulled the girl up, and the two of them quickly walked down and towards the library.
Anya found herself awoken by a hard slap on her face, bringing into focus her already throbbing jaw, bruised back and the cracked chest bone from where the bolt struck her.
"You didn't have to hit so hard, you know." She protested.
"I do not show mercy to daemonhosts, for they deserve none." Buffy said coldly.
"I'm not a demonhost. I am a demon. Or was, thanks to your trigger-happy friend there." Anya snapped in reply.
"Explain." Buffy sat across her.
"Why should I?" Anya asked stubbornly.
"If you don't, we'll hang you by your arms and use you for target practice. I've been meaning to improve my knife throwing." Buffy grinned.
"And I would love to see how quickly my chainsword can cut through her. My bet is three seconds, but Giles said five." Cordelia patted the blade lovingly as she revved the blade.
"Well?" Buffy asked as Anya stared with mounting horror at the whirring string of jagged metal teeth spinning within the blade.
"Alright. It started over a thousand years ago, when I learned my boyfriend was cheating on me." Anya began her story, slowly explaining her role as a vengeance demon.
"I will make you a simple offer. You can work for our group and perform magic when we need it. In return, you'll get room and board and a reasonable stipend. If you refuse..." Here, Cordelia revved the blade again to accentuate the threat.
"You don't leave me much choice." Anya sighed.
"Good. I am needed elsewhere, but Giles here will bring you up to speed." Buffy pointed to the newly arrived Watcher before she walked out.
"I trust you had no trouble with the device." Buffy commented as she contacted the SGC using the vox unit that had been sent to the base with the last shipment of equipment. Xander had told her that general Hammond wanted to talk to her, so she rushed over to see what the man wanted.
"Your instructions were very useful. The reason I have contacted you is because certain elements in the government have expressed concern about your group. The president has requested a meeting with you in order to decide what the official policy of the US government will be." Hammond informed her.
"Very well. I will be in DC in two days time." Buffy sighed and turned off the vox. If there was one thing she hated, it was politics.
Buffy walked through the crowded airport with a slight scowl on her face. After the long trip, she was not looking forward to the upcoming meeting. Fortunately, she spotted her escort quickly, a man in an uniform holding a sign with her name.
"Ms. Summers, I am Major Davis. I have a car standing by outside." Buffy simply nodded and followed behind the man.
For the occasion, she wore a rather elegant business suit, and the only things that were out of place on her were the golden aquila necklace resting on her chest and the rosary with the barred I tied around her wrist.
"How soon before I meet with the president?" Buffy asked. When she had told her mother why she was going to DC, the woman nearly had a stroke from the surprise.
"Tomorrow morning. We hoped to allow you to rest after your long flight." The major replied.
"Your consideration is appreciated, but unnecessary. I have spent plenty of time on rest and meditation during my journey here. Still, there is no need to interrupt the president's schedule on my account. You have a hotel room set for me?" Buffy gave Davis a smile.
"Yes ma'am. We're headed there now." Davis nodded.
"This is rather nice." Buffy commented as she was shown to her room.
"The US government spares no expense for VIP visitors." Davis replied.
"Again, thank you, major. At what time should I be ready?" Buffy asked.
"I will arrive to pick you up at 0900 hours. Have a pleasant evening, ma'am." Davis replied and walked away.
The next morning, Buffy was led through the White House and into the Oval office.
"Lady Inquisitor Elizabeth Summers, Mr. President." Davis led her in.
"Thank you major." The president nodded.
"Ms. Summers, I trust you already know General Hammond. Also joining us for this meeting is Senator Robert Kinsey." The President introduced the rest of the people in the room.
"A pleasure. Now, may I ask why I have been dragged clear across the country for?" Buffy asked.
"I am merely concerned that there's a group in this country that possesses advanced technology..."
"That you do not control. I can assure you that our one and only agenda is ensuring the survival and dominance of humanity in this galaxy." Buffy cut him off.
"We have only your word on that." Kinsey joined in.
"I believe we have been very forthcoming towards the SGC. A rather sizable cashe of equipment has already been given to them, and much more will follow. Or is the problem perhaps that it is only they that benefit from us, senator?" Buffy grinned.
"That is not what I was saying." Kinsey snapped back.
"Please, your thoughts on the matter are painfully obvious." Buffy scoffed.
"You're reading my mind!" Kinsey jumped up in outrage.
"My control is not perfect, senator. I do pick up some surface thoughts from time to time. Trust me, if I wanted to read your mind, you'd know it." Buffy grinned.
"What do you mean by that?" Hammond asked to allow the senator to simmer down.
"To read a person's mind, I would have to devote a lot more energy and focus into the process. The target would feel my presence." Buffy replied.
"Tell me, can this ability be blocked?" Hammond was the first to ask the question they all wanted to know.
"Non-psykers cannot block the intrusion, merely delay it. Still, it is not something that is used often. It is unpleasant for myself as well. Now, let us return to the matter at hand. What exactly do you want from us?" Buffy replied.
"You have knowledge of all technology available to the Imperium?" The President asked.
"More or less. Our senior techpriest adds new info to our database on a daily basis." Buffy replied.
"You can build ships, perhaps? That is currently our biggest weakness." Hammond asked.
"We have the knowledge to construct every class in use in the Imperium, but actually constructing them is a different matter. Imperial ships are built in space and are quite large. We would need to radically modify certain aspects of the ships to allow us to build even the smallest class. We would also need to increase the size of our factory by a significant amount. If we increase the amount of raw materials and add a few more techpriests, we can provide you with several fighters within a year." Buffy replied.
"How effective are these fighters?" Kinsey asked.
"Compared to the Goa'uld Death Gliders, very. Of course, we won't know for certain until we have them built and tested, but we are confident that they will be more then adequate. We also have designs for a much larger and heavier fighter that would serve solely in space."
"What about FTL capability?" Hammond continued.
"That is a problem that we cannot solve on our own. Imperial ships use the Warp to travel between the stars. However, without the Astronomican and navigators, ships that enter the Warp will emerge at a completely random point in space and time." Buffy replied.
"You mean you can travel through time as well in this manner?" Hammond frowned.
"Time has no meaning in the Warp. There are cases where entire fleets arrived to protect systems that were not under threat yet, or emerge from the Warp to discover they are centuries too late. But like I said, without navigators, it is pointless to construct a warp drive. We would have to adapt the technology in use in this galaxy." Buffy replied.
"I have been reading a bit on what the Imperium has at their disposal, and I was curious about some of the technologies in question. Perhaps you could shed more light on the subjects?" Kinsey joined in.
"I'll do my best." Buffy nodded.
"Do you have the means to produce Space Marines?"
"It would be difficult to produce the necessary implants, but not impossible. However, the process needs to start before the subject enters puberty and takes years to complete. The casualty rate is also quite high." Buffy replied.
"That is not something I am willing to approve, no matter how desperate matters become." The President cut in.
"What about other types of enhanced soldiers?" Kinsey pressed on.
"We intend to form an Order of the Adepta Sororitas soon. They use powered armor and heavier weapons. Once their numbers grow sufficiently, we can assign several squads to support the SGC, as well as any other organization, should the need arise." Buffy replied.
"I have only one last question, then. What about cyclonic torpedoes?" Kinsey continued.
"That is a weapon of planetary destruction. I will not authorize their construction or use without unquestionable proof of their need." Buffy replied coldly.
"What can you tell me of the threat in Sunnydale?" The President decided to change the subject.
"We have it well under control, and we are well prepared for any emergencies that might arise in the future." Buffy replied.
"That is still one city. What about the rest of the country?" The President pressed on.
"We have established a support network that allows all groups that combat demonic forces easier access to information and supplies. Thanks to this, the overall success of these groups has increased considerably. There is one matter however. Some of the hunter groups have recently come under the investigation from the ATF considering illegal procurement of weapons. Would it be possible to halt these investigations?" Buffy asked.
"I'm not sure." The President frowned.
"They are not a threat to anyone but the demons they hunt, Mr. President. The ATF simply does not have all the information, and even if they did, I doubt they would believe it."
"I will discuss it with the relevant departments. I have only two more topics I would like to discuss with you at this time." The President acquiesced on her demand. "Would it be possible to produce components for the technologies you use at other sites?"
"I have discussed the matter with my senior techpriest. We intend to manufacture special components that can be used to construct smelters capable of creating the alloys we use. If we provide other facilities with these machines, they will be able to create hulls, armor plates and equipment casings, allowing our facility to focus on the more complex components. This way, provided we rework the technology somewhat, we expect Earth to have at least one fully functional spaceship and a fleet of fighters within two to three years." Buffy replied.
"That is excellent news. My last cause for concern is the religion you practice." The President's tone shifted to a more cautious note.
"Faith is our greatest shield as well as weapon against the demonic forces we face. Through our devotion to the God-Emperor we protect His children." Buffy grinned.
"That's exactly what we're talking about. This zealotry of yours is the issue here." Kinsey joined in.
"The God-Emperor is the master of humanity. Whether or not you believe it, that is your decision."
"Your Emperor is nothing more than a fictional character." Kinsey snapped.
"I will warn you only once. Never speak ill of the God-Emperor in the presence of His faithful." Buffy's tone was frigid as she leveled a glare at the older man, making him shiver.
"Ms. Summers, I am merely worried about you forcing this religion on people unwilling to follow it." The President moved in to defuse the situation.
"We force no one, Mr. President. Those who have accepted the Imperial Cult have done so on their own volition." Buffy assured him.
"What about all the iconography that has been placed on the equipment you have provided to the SGC?" The President asked.
"That is merely the standard manufacturing pattern, and our machines have been configured to produce them as such. As I have told general Hammond, the images serve a purpose, and even if that was not the case, we would need to halt production for several weeks to retool the equipment to produce items without the images on them." Buffy replied.
"Very well, then. I believe that your group can be a valuable asset to not only this country, but the entire planet, so I offer you a formal recognition as a branch of the government. A suitable budget and other matters can be discussed at a later date." The President gave her a small smile. Meanwhile, Kinsey seemed like he wanted to say something, but seemed to reconsider it.
"General Hammond, I have one request for you, if I may." Buffy turned to the general who nodded in agreement. "We require a skilled translator for some ancient texts we procured. Would it be possible for Dr. Jackson to come to Sunnydale for a few days?"
"I will speak with him as soon as I return to the SGC." Hammond replied.
"I guess this is where we part ways. Ms. Summers, it was a pleasure talking to you." The President stood up and held out his hand to Buffy.
"Likewise, Mr. President. Until we meet again." Buffy grinned and turned to walk away.