A new chapter done, and with it, the start of a new season. While this is mostly an intro chapter, it does set things for the future. I have also been watching Buffy again over the past few weeks and I found it strange to match the characters in the show with my fic. Also, Glory will cause a lot more trouble here, which will be necessary considering the opposition she faces. Anyway, read and enjoy.
Chapter 28
"Cordelia, it's been far too long." Buffy grinned as Cordelia walked in her office.
"Yeah, we haven't even talked in ages. Are you even reading my reports?" Cordelia sent a mock glare at her.
"I've got too much on my plate I'm afraid, and even with massive delegation I'm still swamped. So, if it's not end of the world, I just skim through. But, since you're here, why don't you give me the juicy details?" Buffy sighed.
"Well, as you probably know, we setup a detective agency as a front for our operations. I've recruited a local hunter group as more muscle, which is a good thing since they were a bunch of kids way over their heads. I have also made a certain arrangement with a local criminal ring that was organizing underground demon fights. We provide additional fighters and they have agreed to donate eighty percent of their profits to our cause, which I've used to ensure our financial independence from the primary group." Cordelia began.
"You didn't have to, but it is a good idea. How did you convince them to part with so much money?" Buffy knew such scum was usually very reluctant to part with their cash.
"When we caught their boss, I told him if he didn't accept, I would make his dick play with my pussy." Cordelia smirked evilly. "The boys were so cute, too. I've never seen anyone cross their legs so quickly."
"I bet he was very surprised when he met Kitty." Buffy laughed. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, this one's serious. There have been several incidents along with plenty of evidence to implicate the law firm Wolfram and Hart in major nastiness and we've uncovered ties to some rather unpleasant individuals." Cordelia replied.
"An evil law firm. What are the odds?" Buffy smiled. "Do we need to intervene?"
"It would draw far too much civilian attention at this time. We will keep an eye on them and try to head off any of their plans." Cordelia sighed.
"Alright. Well, that's enough business for one day. What do you say to a spar? With Faith away on New Cadia, I've had no decent partners lately." Buffy stood up with a smirk.
"You sure you want me to embarrass you in front of the novices?" Cordelia smirked as well.
"Milady, we have received urgent news from agent Spike." A Sister met them just as they walked out. "He says Dracula just arrived into town."
"How interesting." Buffy grinned. "We have a location?"
An hour later as the legendary vampire was busy redecorating his new home, he noticed a flash of light behind him and was surprised to see the Slayer he was after come to him.
"Well, this is an unexpected pleasure." Dracula smirked.
"Count Dracula. It is not everyday we get such distinguished guests as yourself in our humble town." Buffy gave a small bow as she watched three female vampires stand behind their master, ready to protect him.
"I am here to give you…" Buffy paused as more flashes of light erupted around her, and a dozen Celestians with heavy flamers appeared in a half circle before her, all aiming their deadly weapons at the shocked vampire. "…a very warm welcome to Sunnydale."
With that, the Sisters opened fire, bathing the quartet with blessed flames. Buffy let the conflagration continue for thirty seconds before she ordered them to stop. Once the flames cleared all that was left was a white-hot patch on the floor, however the group was surprised when a cloud of mist rose up and formed into Dracula again.
"Interesting. I didn't expect you to survive that." Buffy grinned.
"You will regret bringing servants to fight me." Dracula snarled as he turned his gaze at the nearest armored woman, but he was surprised when instead of obedience, he got an armored fist in the face.
"They are well trained to resist corruption, and their helmets are equipped with psy-occular filters. Your powers won't work on them." Buffy grinned at the downed vampire.
"And what about you?" Dracula tried one more time, but once again he found his powers failing him as he felt a powerful force slam into his mind, causing him to lose consciousness.
"Have him secured and brought to the factory. I think Magos Novak will like her new playmate." Buffy grinned as the Sisters grabbed the vampire and teleported away. While their mages worked on discovering the nature and source of the vampire's power, Magos Novak would spend time trying to determine if his abilities had a less mystical source. Either way, Dracula was facing some very uncomfortable months before they finally figured out how to kill him permanently.
Following that little bit of excitement, a few days later Buffy was on her way home, looking to spend some quality time with her mother as her work kept her at the base almost constantly.
"Hey mom." Buffy walked in the kitchen and saw a young girl helping her mother cook. "What is she doing here?"
"I live here now." The girl snapped with a smirk.
"It's been a while, Dawn. How are you, baby sister?" Buffy grinned, knowing it would annoy the girl.
"I'm not a baby anymore. I'm fourteen already." Dawn pouted.
"You'll always be my baby sister. So, what's for dinner?" Buffy turned to her mother.
"Don't they feed you at that fancy base of yours?" Joyce rolled her eyes at her daughter's antics.
"No one can cook as good as you can, and the cooks at the base go for quantity, not quality." Buffy replied as she sat down. The base cafeteria served nutritious, although somewhat bland selection and Buffy tried to get some home cooking whenever she could.
"What's this about a base? You joined the army or something?" Dawn turned to her sister.
"I'm working in the administrative department of a local facility. It's nothing fancy, but it's a living." Buffy shrugged. She didn't want to drag her sister into her life if she could help it, and her mother seemed to approve.
Dinner passed pleasantly enough, but there was still a slight nagging at the back of Buffy's mind that something was wrong, and over the next few days as she spent time with her family, the feeling intensified and she noticed that the sensation intensified around her sister. Still, before she did something drastic, she wanted to be sure of her decision.
"You asked to see me, Inquisitor?" Magos Novak walked in Buffy's office later that day.
"Yes. I need you to perform some tests for me. First, run a full analysis of this sample. I want to know everything you can tell me." Buffy handed her a vial containing several auburn hairs. "Second, I want you to run a comparison with this sample to determine any genetic connection." A vial of lighter colored hair followed.
"I will get on it right away." Lindsey stood up.
"And Lindsey, I want no records of this test. You record the results only on your implants and you report back to me in person. Understood?" Buffy's gaze hardened, and the Magos Biologis simply nodded.
"I ran the tests three times just to be redundant, and the results all came out the same. The first sample comes from a healthy human teenage female. I have detected no genetic indication of corruption, taint or foreign influence with the exception of one mutation. The sample comes from a psyker." Novak began her report.
"And the second test?" Buffy was shocked by the implications.
"I can say with absolute certainty that the two samples share the same parents. I heard your sister recently moved into town. Any reason you're investigating her?" Lindsey asked.
"Just a feeling I had. There's something about her that rings warning bells in my head." Buffy sighed.
"Well, if she is a latent psyker, we can't ignore her. You know better than anyone the risks involved." Novak warned her.
"The risks are not so great here, but it is still something that cannot be ignored. I'll have to think about how to explain this to her, as well as come up with a suitable training regime." Buffy sighed. She really didn't need this kind of complication in her life right now. Novak simply nodded and walked out, leaving her alone to ponder things.
For the next few days, Buffy kept herself busy, doing everything she could to keep herself from thinking about her sister, so when General Hammond called her to help with an unusual situation, she could hardly keep her sigh of relief in.
"You're sure you're not seeing things?" Buffy asked Major Carter after Hammond told her that the woman claimed a strange man named Orlin had appeared before her after she came home from their latest mission.
"I'm sure." Carter snapped, which was understandable, since no one seemed to believe her.
"I understand your frustration, but…" Buffy paused when she did feel something. It felt like a void in the warp, and her mind cringed from the sensation, remembering the phantom pain caused by Pariahs.
"Show yourself." Buffy commanded as the air in the room grew frigid. There was a yelp of pain and a man appeared out of thin air.
"Please stop what you're doing." The man let a sigh of relief when the glow in Buffy's eyes died.
"So that's what made me nervous about the boy. You don't exist in the Warp." Buffy finally recognized the strange sensations she felt around Shifu, but since the boy was in human form and concealing his nature, her senses caught only a vague impression of it.
"It is beyond our awareness. I didn't know it would hurt so to feel it." The man replied.
"This is most unexpected. May I ask what you're doing here, Orlin?" Carter had told her his name, and while the man's presence was not nearly as potent as the blanks in the Imperium, it was still enough to keep her unsettled.
"I've been alone on Velona for a very long time. I just wanted to spend time with Samantha." Orlin replied, causing Buffy to smile lightly.
"Nothing wrong with that. So, can you make yourself human?" Buffy asked.
"I can, but do you believe it to be wise? As a human I won't be able to hide or protect myself." Orlin frowned.
"Do you have the knowledge to repair a class 10 constructor?" Buffy asked, giving him the designation of the ancient device in their factory.
"It depends on what was damaged. Does it still work?" Orlin asked, while Carter was sitting next to them, trying to understand what they were talking about, since Buffy still hadn't told them about the constructor.
"Yes, but it can't make multi-part items." Buffy replied.
"It should be repairable then." Orlin nodded.
"Well, if you take a look at it, I will personally guarantee your safety." Buffy told him. For a few moments, Orlin simply sat still, then Buffy felt the horrible void in the Warp vanish.
"You must not let them use the weapon on Velona. The Others won't allow it." Orlin warned her.
"You have a secure line here Major?" Carter shook her head. "I'll go and speak with the general, then. In the meantime, why don't you show Orlin around town?"
"Any luck, Ms. Summers?" Hammond asked once Buffy appeared in his office and sat down.
"She was telling the truth, but I came to an agreement with her visitor. He's going to help me out with some things back in Sunnydale, and in return, he gets my protection. I want you to make that very clear to your superiors, especially those ticks at the NID. They touch him and they deal with me. Oh, and I also told him we would destroy the weapon you discovered." Buffy surprised him.
"Ms. Summers, that weapon could be very useful to us." Hammond countered.
"General, without the aid of the Mechanicus, how long is it going to take you to learn how to move it, let alone replicate it?" Buffy said, making him grow silent.
"The ships at Tollana are entering their final stages of construction as we speak. It's only a matter of weeks until they're done and there are four more currently being built. We don't need a stationary weapon we can't relocate or replicate quickly, and from what Orlin told me, we wouldn't be able to use it either way." Buffy shrugged.
"What do you mean?" Hammond frowned.
"When we met, he was a being of pure energy, and while I can only guess at his power, I have no doubt it was considerable. He warned me that if we tried to use it, the Others would stop us. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not provoke the wrath of such beings." This revelation did not sit well with her, since she knew nothing of these beings or even how to fight them if it proved necessary. Hopefully Orlin would be able to shed some light on the issue.
"I'll order my men to destroy it, then. So, the ships will be ready soon?" Hammond sighed.
"Yes. The recent influx of men from Optrisia really helped us fill up the crew roster. The Goa'uld are in for a rude surprise especially with four more ships already in construction. Now that they've figured out all the issues and expanded the shipyards, they'll be able to churn them out much faster." Buffy grinned. Soon, the Goa'uld would be gone, and the New Imperium would rise in their place to guide humanity out of the darkness.
Even after several weeks, Buffy was still hesitating from talking to her sister about her latent ability.
"Mom, Dawn, we need to talk about something." Seeing the serious look on her face, the pair nodded and sat down across her.
"Dawn, mom already knows all this, but I have no doubt this will shock you. You remember how I was expelled for burning the school gym?" Buffy asked, and Dawn nodded with a grin at the thought. Who knew her cheerleader of a sister could do something so badass? "Well, the real reason I did it was because there were a bunch of vampires in there."
"You're joking, right? Mom?" Dawn laughed a bit, but her mother's serious face quickly stopped that. "Vampires are real?"
"Yes, and a lot of other nasty things too. But don't worry, things aren't as bad as they sound." With that, Buffy explained her role as the Vampire Slayer and everything that had happened to her since she came to Sunnydale.
"You've actually been to space? And why are you telling me all this?" Dawn asked once the story was over.
"Yes, I've been into space. Maybe I'll take you as well some day. As to why I'm telling you all this, I've noticed a strange feeling when I'm around you. Now, call me paranoid but I took some of your hair and had it tested. Unfortunately, it said we're definitely related," Buffy grinned at her sister, "but it also showed you possess the psyker mutation."
"I'm psychic?" Dawn's tone was filled with disbelief.
"That is a part of your abilities. A psyker is capable of reading surface thoughts and minor telekinesis on their own, but their true power lies in their ability to draw power from the Warp." Buffy began.
"What's the difference?" Dawn asked.
"For example, on my own I can levitate a glass with minor effort. If I drew power from the Warp however, I'd be able to levitate an RV with the same ease." Buffy grinned at Dawn's shocked look.
"And I can learn to do that too?" Dawn exclaimed.
"That depends on what your level of ability is, but I want to make this very clear. This ability is not a toy. It is to be used with the highest discretion. There are dangers involved as well, and the best way to ensure you're not hurt is training you how to use this skill properly. Now, this training won't be easy and you will hate me for making you go through it, but you need to learn this for your own safety. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you because I wasn't there for you." Buffy gave her sister a gentle smile.
"So, when do we start?" Dawn asked, trying to break the mushy moment.
"Right away. I've cleared things with your school, and had you transferred out. Fortunately for us, a group of novices arrives today. You will be joining them in their training." Buffy suppressed the urge to laugh maniacally at that moment.
"…and finally, you are expected to attend the sermons unless given a duty to perform. Any questions?" The armored Celestian stood before a dozen nervous girl that had recently arrived in the complex.
"Yes, is there a room for one more?" Buffy walked in followed closely by Dawn.
"Milady, this is an unexpected honor. I apologize for their lack of decorum, they are still untrained." Several novices cringed at that. The Celestian certainly came off as very strict.
"There's nothing to apologize. I have one more recruit to add to this bunch, actually. This is my sister Dawn." Buffy pushed her sister forward, and the girl managed to mumble an unintelligible greeting to the armored woman.
"Nice to meet you too. She's in good hands with me, milady." The Celestian grinned.
"She is to be excused from afternoon and evening training three days a week for special training with me. I also expect you to hold her performance to a higher standard than the others." Dawn turned to her sister with surprise.
"You're my sister. You have it in you to be the best, and I expect nothing less." Buffy replied calmly. "Carry on, Sister."
It took Dawn over a week to learn how to consciously tap into the Warp, after which Buffy pushed her into an endless repetition of exercises designed to refine her control and enhance her resistance to mental attacks. With the emergence of Dawn's gift, Buffy was able to classify her as a low Epsilon rank psyker which was a rather rare level of ability.
"That's it, focus on the energy, command it to go where you want it to. Do not allow it to follow its own path. Now, try to…" Buffy was interrupted when her door was opened.
"Milady, you need to come to the hospital immediately." A Sister burst in. It was obvious the girl was shocked when she saw Dawn's glowing eyes as she began to close her mind to the Warp. Very few people knew Dawn was a psyker.
"We're done for today, Dawn." Buffy rushed out.
"A patrol came in via emergency teleport. Two of their members were injured, and they had a badly hurt monk with them. He insisted to speak with you." The Sister explained as they rushed through the building.
"I need the Slayer." Buffy heard a weak voice echo from the room as she walked in.
"I am the Slayer. What do you need of me?" Buffy approached the man.
"The Key. You must protect it from the Beast." The man began but had to stop as he began to cough blood.
"His injuries are too severe, ma'am. I've given him painkillers and stimulants, but it's only a matter of time." The medicae informed her as she helped the man regain his breath.
"What is this Key and where do I find it?" Buffy asked.
"It is energy. We kept it safe, but the Beast found us. We sent it to you for protection. Changed its shape to hide it. Made it human." The monk began to cough again as she realized the full scope of what he had said. Her sister was not her born sibling.
"You altered my memories and that of my family." Buffy stated.
"We had no choice. Please, keep her safe." The monk pleaded.
"She is my sister, after all." Buffy smiled sadly and watched the monk expire with a smile on his face.
"You heard nothing. The man died before he could say anything." Buffy turned to the few people present to hear the man's confession. "Who found him?"
"Sister Samantha, milady." One Sister managed to shake off her shock and reply.
"Milady, I hope the man we rescued gave you some useful info." The red-headed Celestian greeted her outside the hospital. A Seraphim was standing next to her.
"Where did you find him?" Buffy asked.
"We were patrolling the warehouse district where we found this." Samantha handed her a small glowing ball. "Our auspexes detected life forms in one of the warehouses and we moved in to investigate. The monk was inside, tied to a chair. We moved to aid him, but we were assaulted by a blond woman. She managed to throw Julie over ten feet with a single punch." This surprised Buffy. While the girls didn't weigh that much, their armor was easily several hundred pounds.
"That's when I ordered my team to attack her, but our assault had no effect. Laura's bolt rounds only ruined her dress, and Miranda's flamer only burned it off. She didn't like that because her next punch completely crushed her chest plate. The medicae say if she hadn't been wearing her armor, the blow would have shattered her ribcage. Milady, I hit her with my melta at point-blank and her skin only had a couple of blisters from the hit." The Celestian was visibly shook from the experience. "I gave the evac order after that. We managed to grab Miranda and the monk and teleported away."
"You did the right thing, Sister. Point-blank you say?" Buffy frowned. Even Land Raider armor wouldn't be able to emerge undamaged from such an attack. The Celestian simply nodded in reply.
"Contact Pylea. Tell Xander I need to speak with him at once." Buffy turned to the Seraphim who nodded and rushed away.
"You and your team are a credit to the Imperium. Convey my commendations to your squad mates." Buffy gave the Celestian a soft smile.
"Thank you milady. They will be pleased to hear that." Samantha smiled back and walked inside the hospital. While one of the Sisters only had a cracked jaw, the other was injured much more severely as pieces of her armor dug in her flesh and one of her broken ribs pierced her lung. Fortunately, the medicae told her that she would make a full recovery.
Meanwhile, Buffy was busy making plans to counter her latest enemy as well as trying to come to grips with the sudden revelation of her sister's true nature and origins.