Alright, I have finally completed Season 3, and I hope that you'll like the fight with the Mayor. With that done, we have the finale of the Stargate Season 3 to look forward to as well, so there will be much more excitement still. About my little contest in the last chapter, perhaps I had made the hints too vague, but so far only one reviewer got it right. Congrats Dericof Diname, your char will appear in the next chapter. With that, all that's left is to say is read and enjoy.
Chapter 17
Several weeks had passed in frantic preparation, and the group felt that they had a good chance to bring down the Mayor. Of course, Buffy would have felt better about their odds if they had managed to intercept the last artifact the Mayor needed to complete the ritual. When she had heard that the Mayor was bringing in one last item, she posted almost the whole Order on patrol, and even though they brought down over two dozen vampires and several demons, none of the items they retrieved was the real one. It seemed that once again, the Mayor managed to trick them.
"...and the Jaffa should be..." Buffy was interrupted in her conversation with Maybourne when Dr. Novak entered the office.
"Pardon the interruption ma'am, but I have good news." The woman began.
"Well, the Emperor knows I could use some." Buffy smiled lightly. Once Dr. Novak sat down, she reached in her robe and pulled out a vial filled with a red and blue liquid.
"I finally figured out how to stabilize polymorphine. Until now, the drug broke down into its component chemicals in minutes. After careful analysis, I discovered that two of the components had traces of a third chemical that destabilized the mixture. Once I've managed to remove it, the drug came out properly." Dr. Novak reported proudly.
"It is perfectly stable and functional, correct?" Buffy asked.
"I have performed the full range of stress tests and have done some experiments with tissue samples. It works exactly as it should." Dr. Novak replied.
"Well, this certainly gives us a valuable asset. A few Callidus assassins will be very useful against the Goa'uld." Maybourne commented.
"No, we won't use them against the Goa'uld. They will be of much better use against human or Jaffa leaders that resist the Imperial Cult. How much of the drug can you make?" Buffy informed Maybourne and turned to Novak.
"Well, it is a very complex substance. I'd say enough for two, maybe three agents if they use it sparingly." Dr. Novak replied.
"Two Callidus assassins are a powerful weapon. I'll assign a few of the recruits coming in a few days to training. Anything else, Dr. Novak?" Buffy turned to the tech-priest.
"Just an update about Mr. Kemp. His body is reacting to the treatments at an incredible rate. It's like he was born to be an Eversor." Dr. Novak commented as she stood up.
"Who knows, you may be right. Thank you, Dr. Novak." Buffy smiled.
"It seems we're slowly establishing all assassin temples. I still wonder why you even need something like an Eversor." Maybourne spoke once they were alone again.
"I didn't expect to establish the Callidus temple so soon, but it will be most useful once your mission begins. As for the other temples, I do have in mind to establish the Vindicare temple later. As for the Culexus temple, there is neither the means or the need for them." Buffy shivered a bit at the thought of the psyker hunters. "As for Mr. Kemp, he's one of the tools that we'll use to bring the Jaffa into the Imperium."
"And how will we accomplish that?" Harry asked. Hearing Buffy's plots always put him in a good mood.
"Obviously, the Jaffa will not simply embrace the Imperial Cult. The Goa'uld have been indoctrinating them for generations. To bring them in the Imperium, we'll need several things. The first and most important is to eliminate their dependence on Goa'uld symbiotes. Once we get her some test subjects, I'm sure Dr. Novak will figure something out. The second is to get the Jaffa rebellion under our control or influence. If we direct the rebellion towards embracing the Imperium, once the Goa'uld are defeated, we will control the Jaffa. The last thing we need is to disprove the Goa'uld's divinity while at the same time, demonstrating the power of the Emperor. This is where the Eversor comes in. We'll use him to strike the most fanatical Jaffa and leave a few survivors to spread the tale. Of course, we'll have to be very careful with this whole operation. One mistake could undo the whole effort." Buffy explained.
"Well, if we cure their dependence on the Goa'uld, and perhaps supply them with weapons, it will go a long way to earn their trust. Of course, Teal'c is a major figure in this whole plan. If you win him over, you'll gain a powerful ally in the Jaffa rebellion." Maybourne added.
"Teal'c does figure prominently in my plans. Now, let's get back to our discussion." Buffy changed the topic back.
"Buffy, can I talk to you for a bit?" The next day, Cordelia had approached Buffy after the morning sermon.
"Sure, let's go to my office." Buffy replied. "What's on your mind, Cordelia?"
"Well, a few days ago, I found out that my parents were not paying any taxes. The IRS seized almost everything we had." Cordelia began. "At first, I was shocked that my father would do something like that, but looking back I realize I shouldn't have been so surprised. Well, once the shock wore off, I began arguing with them, until I finally got fed up with their stubbornness and stormed out of the house. So, do you think I can have a place here?"
"Do you even need to ask? Do you need anything else?" Buffy gave her a comforting grin.
"I hate to beg, but I have nothing but the clothes I am wearing right now." Cordelia's tone was a mix between angry and embarrassed at her situation.
"I'll allocate some funds for you. I'll even give you enough to buy yourself a nice prom dress." Buffy surprised her.
"You're the best, Buffy. You won't regret this." Cordelia stood up and gave Buffy a tight hug.
"I'd be a fool not to help one of the best Commissars I've seen. You really surprised a lot of people, Cordy." Buffy grinned once she was released from the hug.
"Well, I better go get that dress I've had my eye on before anyone else buys it. Thanks again, Buffy." Cordelia rushed out, leaving a chuckling Buffy behind. Dealing with something so normal for once certainly lifted Buffy's mood.
Since both sides were gearing up for the Ascension, the supernatural activity in the city was practically non-existent, so when Cordelia called a few hours later asking for the clean-up crew, more than one person in the Imperial complex was surprised.
"This damn thing dared to attack me while I was shopping for my prom dress." Cordelia informed them as Buffy, Xander and Giles were examining the corpse.
"Eight bolt rounds at point-blank range? That's one hell of a quick draw, Cordy." Xander grinned.
"Thanks, I've been practicing. So, what is this thing, anyway?" Cordelia turned to Giles as they examined the creature. It resembled a werewolf, but there were some differences in size and shape.
"My best guess is a Hellhound. They are demonic foot soldiers bred for war." Giles explained.
"So this thing wasn't acting on its own. Xander, think you can get something out of it?" Buffy turned to the Chaplain and gave him a knife.
"I'll try." With a few moves, Xander opened the creature's skull, cut out a chunk of its brain and proceeded to swallow it. "Hmm, doesn't taste that bad, actually." Xander took another piece of the brain. "Alright, I think I got it. Its brain is no more advanced than an animal's, but I managed to see its most recent memories. It and a few other Hellhounds were trained to go after people in formal wear by this man."
A face flashed before their eyes for a few moments, and Giles managed to recognize it. "That's Tucker Wells. I've seen him in the library a few times."
"Alright. Cordy, how about we go and pay Mr. Wells a visit?" Buffy smirked.
It didn't take long for the pair to reach the address Giles supplied them with, and after a little snooping around, they found their prey in the basement along with four caged Hellhounds.
"Well, isn't this an interesting sight?" Buffy's voice caused Tucker to turn around and gasp in surprise at the two girls aiming large caliber guns at him. "Walk over there. No sudden movements." Buffy gestured towards one of the basement walls.
"It's not much fun when they're caged, but I'll enjoy it anyway." Once she had a clear shot, Cordelia quickly emptied her clip in the four demons, splattering their heads all across the basement.
"How many did you have?" Buffy asked, holding Tucker tightly pressed against the wall by his throat with her gun pressed on his temple.
"Five." Tucker replied shortly. "Are you going to kill me now?"
"No. You won't get away with this so easily. I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself." Buffy smirked inwardly as she saw a spark of hope in his eyes.
"I hereby sentence you to arco-flagellation. You will serve in this fashion until your eventual death in combat." With that, Buffy slammed the butt of her gun on his head, knocking him out. He would never wake as Tucker again.
With that bit of unpleasantness done, the girls were determined to have a good time at the prom, even though neither had dates, but that wasn't a problem for them as they had received a number of dance requests. A surprise for Buffy was the arrival of Angel. While they had met now and then during patrol, Angel did not interact with the Imperials much lately as they all bore holy symbols with them, and he couldn't enter the factory since it was also holy ground.
"I thought you had left town." Buffy asked as they danced.
"I'll be leaving after the fight with the Mayor. I want to make sure you'll be alright." He replied.
"My offer stands. If you need anything in LA, all you need to do is call. We're already supporting several hunter groups. One more won't hurt us." She commented.
"I know. I will miss you, though." Angel sighed.
"Me too." With that, they broke apart and Angel vanished into the crowd. Just because they had decided to break things off between them didn't mean that even after all this time a part of her didn't wonder what could have been if she hadn't ended it.
The night ended on a high note when Buffy was awarded the Class Protector award, revealing that her classmates were aware what she had done to help them during the last three years.
"Alright, according to the info our mages have managed to uncover, the Ascension will take place tomorrow during the graduation ceremony. We calculated that there will be an eclipse coinciding with the event, which is also the final part of the ritual. Lastly, the Mayor is also the Commencement speaker. This gives us when and where he will transform. Willow, how many sets of powered armor do we have?" Buffy began the briefing for her senior staff.
"Two Celestian sets, eight Seraphim and twelve Battle Sister sets, not counting Faith's and Xander's." Willow replied.
"How many heavy weapons do we have, including heavy bolters, meltas and similar?" Buffy continued. As the Magos in charge of the facility, Willow knew their inventory better than anyone.
"We've delivered a lot of the heavy stuff to the SGC, but we are not completely devoid of heavy weaponry. I have completed construction of an assault cannon for Xander. We also have four heavy bolters, two meltas and one multi-melta. All our plasma rifles have been dispatched to Colorado." Willow reported.
"Alright, this is our battle plan. It is likely the Mayor will use the vampires and demons he had gathered to pen us so that he'll be able to slaughter us in peace." Based on her experience, all Greater Daemons required sacrifices to maintain their power, and from her talks with Giles, it was likely the same in this case. "We will move in with a three-pronged assault. The twelve Battle Sisters will come from the sides of the courtyard. Four of them will be armed with the heavy bolters. Xander will attack from the rear. Finally, the Seraphim will strike at the demons at the exit from the yard to allow the students to escape to safety. We'll have half of the remaining Sisters setup a safe place near the school."
"What about me and the Celestians?" Faith asked.
"You'll take the meltaguns. Once we've cleared the area of civilians, you'll move in and vaporize the bastard." Buffy smirked.
"I can hardly wait. I expect the rest of the Order will guard the complex?" Faith asked.
"Correct. While I don't expect any demons to attack it, certain people might have caught wind of recent developments and might decide to take advantage of the situation." Buffy replied.
"It is highly unlikely that the NID would make a move, but it is best not to take the risk." Maybourne added.
"You have your orders. Dismissed." One by one, they all left the briefing room and went to prepare for the upcoming battle.
The next day, Xander began the sermon much earlier, and it lasted longer than usual, but it was certainly one of his most inspiring ones. Everyone present was fired up and ready for battle. Giles and the rest of their mages had also contributed to the effort by creating amulets that would help the armored troops remain unseen until they struck. It was a good decision, since two dozen heavily armed and armored soldiers would certainly draw attention.
The next day proceeded normally until the graduation ceremony began. As the students, parents and teachers began to arrive, there was also a lot of movement in the shadows. The vampires and demons crept through the sewers, waiting for the eclipse to emerge into the streets, while at the same time, the armored forms of the Battle Sisters and Xander's massive form thundered through the streets, unseen due to their magical concealment. On the roof of the school, the eight Seraphim were busy inspecting their armor and their bolt pistols. Three of them had a short power sword to replace one of the two bolt pistols the Seraphim usually had.
The ceremony began, and from the way the Mayor was reading his speech, you'd never expect anything unusual to happen, that is until the coming of the eclipse. As soon as the sun was completely covered, the Mayor doubled over and his body began to twist and grow until he turned into a gigantic serpent which roared its triumph to the world. At the same time, groups of vampires and demons surrounded the students. The parents and teachers had fled the moment the Mayor began to change, and fortunately, they managed to get away before they were surrounded. The one exception was principal Snyder, who stood in the middle of the chaos with a confused look on his face. As for the students, Buffy had subtly spread the word for them to stick close and wait.
As soon as the snake turned its attention down to the students, Buffy pressed a hand to the vox bead in her ear and said "Engage."
As soon as the word left her lips, the silence was broken by the loud roar of four heavy bolters which began raining death upon the massive serpent as the rest of the Sisters engaged the demons and vampires on the sides. A moment later, a much louder roar joined the bolters as Xander oppened fire with the massive assault cannon, releasing a stream of red-hot shells towards the demon.
Seeing their master in danger, the demons covering the rear began moving forward, but the loud whine of jet engines drowned out the sound of battle as the Seraphim crashed into their ranks, their bolt pistols raining death as they descended upon the demons as vengeful angels from heaven.
"Willow, Oz, Cordelia, escort everyone out of here." Buffy contacted them on their vox beads as soon as the Seraphim had cleared a path for them. Unfortunately, the battle against the serpent wasn't going quite so well. Buffy saw that while the bolters were hurting it, they were not doing nearly enough damage, even with the blessings that had been placed uppon the rounds, and the demon was not sitting idly while the Sisters fired upon it. The yard was a total wreck, and she saw two Sisters emerge with a stagger from a building where the demon had thrown them in with a flick of its tail.
"Damnation." Xander roared as his weapon depleted its ammo. He detached the ammo pack and discarded the weapon. Once it had hit the ground, he took the Crozius Arcanum hanging on his belt and checked the wrist-mounted bolter on his left arm. Behind his skull helmet, the young Chaplain smirked at his idea.
"For the Emperor." His roar managed to rise above the din of battle for a moment as he ran at the gigantic snake at full speed. When he was a few feet away, his run turned into a jump. As he heard the loud whine of protest from his suit from the strain of lifting its mass higher than it should, he simply ensured that he had a good reverse grip on his Crozius. Xander landed against the Mayor's serpentine body with the full weight of his Terminator armor, with the Crozius held forward, its energy field sparking at full power. The weapon, pushed by the sheer mass of Xander's armor burried itself almost completely in the snake causing it to release a deafening shriek of pain as the power weapon continued to spark with deadly energy inside it.
The impact nearly brought it down, but the Mayor managed to rise again and he began thrashing around, hoping to dislodge Xander who was hanging tightly, holding himself only by the handle of his weapon. Still, he was determined to do more damage, so he buried his left hand into the nearest wound and opened fire with his bolter. As they were not impeded by the serpent's resistant skin, the explosive rounds caused great damage to the already wounded demon.
Finally, the demon's blood on the Crozius made Xander's grip too treacherous to maintain, and he was thrown off the snake and into the nearest building.
"Buffy, we're clear." Cordelia's voice echoed in her ear. "Faith, move in. It's barbeque time."
Distracted as it was by the rain of bolter fire raining all over its body, the snake failed to notice the threat the three new arrivals represented until it felt tremendous heat and the lower third of its body simply vaporized or melted into a pile of goo. After this, the battle was pretty much over. Delirious with pain and weak from the countless wounds and blood loss, the Mayor finally collapsed on the ground. As his head slammed on the ground, he caught sight of Buffy, and in that brief moment their eyes had locked, she could see the sudden crushing revelation in his eyes that all his plans and dreams had been crushed by a petite blond girl. The irony and the indignity of it all burned him up just before Faith vaporized his head.
Only then did Buffy allow herself a sigh of relief. They had fought a powerful enemy, and with the Emperor's grace, triumphed. Now, she could deal with the aftermath. Snyder was rather easy to take care. The mere sight of the heavily armed soldiers that could easily crack him in half made the man obey what Buffy was telling him without question. As the clean-up crews dealt with the battlefield, Buffy went to talk with her classmates. Again, things went well on this front as well, especially when several of them asked to join up.
A week later, Buffy was finally finished dealing with the whole matter. Everything was covered up, all loose ends hunted down and taken care of, and all her plans were proceeding on schedule without the imminent threat of a rising Greater Daemon or anything else for that matter. So, it was with great satisfaction that she poured herself a glass of her finest brandy as a congratulation for a job well done. And just as she was about to take a sip, the form of Jack O'Neill shimmered into being before her.
"We have a big problem." The man said and suddenly, the glass of brandy had lost all its appeal.