Author's Note: You know they would have killed Giles if Gardell hadn't done this. Gotta admire the guy for something.

Damn, Ria's sneaky, though. I love her in this story. This plan is just brilliant!

(By the way, anyone else notice the cool role reversal? Back in Sunnydale, people were always protecting Dawn for Buffy's sake. Now, Ria's protecting Buffy for Dawn's sake! Go Dawn!)

Enjoy!

Hiskaloph was waiting for him, when Gardell came back.

Her eyes glittering, a proud smile on her face.

"You watch TV, yet?" she asked him.

This time, Gardell really did turn off all the cameras. Sat down across from her.

"I know what you're doing," Gardell said, in a low voice. "And it isn't going to help."

Hiskaloph leaned across the table. "Oh, really? What am I doing?"

"You think the moment Summers steps back onto British soil, she'll be executed," Gardell replied. "So you've manipulated the media. Doctored the evidence. Turned Summers into some kind of hero, to force us into a position where we can't hand her over."

"Oh, is that what I'm doing?" Hiskaloph said. She mused it over. "You know, that would be really smart of me."

"Whatever your organization is trying to convince the American public, it won't work," said Gardell. "We're the FBI. We investigate forgeries, cover-ups, and faked documents all the time. It won't take us long to reveal the truth behind—"

"But what if it is the truth?" said Hiskaloph. "What if all those people telling all those stories actually do know her? And have been saved by her?" Her voice lowered. "What if she's not a terrorist — because she's a hero?"

Gardell was quiet for a long time.

Then, in a quiet voice, "Go on."

Hiskaloph smiled. "You've been looking into this, haven't you?" she asked. "You started investigating. You think I'm telling the truth. That there really is a conspiracy. Did you ask about Rupert Giles?"

Gardell steepled his hands against his chin. "He's alive," Gardell replied, at last. "In their custody. I've put a top priority on making sure he stays alive. You thought he was dead, didn't you?"

She clearly had.

Gardell didn't need a verbal confirmation to know that.

"I'm working on negotiating his release — on your behalf," Gardell continued. "I can have him out of there by the end of the week. But first, I want you to tell me what's going on."

His negotiations with Frobisher regarding Giles had given Gardell the intended effect.

Hiskaloph softened, at once.

"Are you telling the truth?" Hiskaloph verified.

"It's clear that whatever's going on with Torchwood, you're not involved," Gardell replied. "Neither is Rupert Giles. As far as I can tell, you, him, and Summers all met each other through the Slayer Institute, before Summers ever began working for Torchwood." He met her gaze, steadily, with his. "I don't have any reason to want him incarcerated."

Hiskaloph acknowledged this.

"Do you trust me to help you, now?" Gardell asked.

Hiskaloph considered. "Yes," she said, and it was the first time she'd sounded open and unguarded since this all began. "Actually, saving Giles makes all the difference."

Gardell had figured it would.

"So tell me," said Gardell. "What do you know about Torchwood? What do you know about Summers? And what do you know about our children?"

Hiskaloph thought a long moment. "I do trust you, Mr. Gardell," she said, at last. "But I think you're over-valuing your own importance." She folded her arms on the table. "If I were to tell you that I strongly suspect John Frobisher is making some kind of deal with an extra-terrestrial intelligence or demonic entity that wants to harm us or our children… what, exactly, would you do about that?"

Gardell blinked.

He honestly hadn't expected that.

"Just… accept I'm not insane, here, a minute," Hiskaloph continued, brushing aside his reaction. "Accept that aliens and demons and vampires are real, and Buffy and I handle them, and — this is the real reason why all your files on the Slayer Institute are vague and highly classified by a secret division of the military you probably haven't heard of."

"I am aware of aliens, Ms. Hiskaloph," Gardell cut in. "It's hard not to be, after the Sycorax, the Toclafane, and Harold Saxon."

"That makes my job easier," Hiskaloph replied. Crossed her legs. "So knowing that — my theory about Frobisher seems fairly standard, on the surface. Nothing out of the ordinary." She shrugged. "To be honest, it's the kind of thing I deal with all the time. But then—" Leaning forwards, pointing. "Then… there's Buffy. And that's where everything stops making sense."

"Go on," said Gardell.

"I don't think I can," Hiskaloph admitted. "I don't know what's going on. Aside from the obvious — you have Buffy's file, but you had no idea she was a monster-fighting hero. How's that possible?"

Gardell didn't know how to answer this.

"She was cleared to work for the Initiative," said Hiskaloph. "That's a top-level security clearance. You should know all about her."

"Some items from her file had been… misplaced," Gardell admitted. "Checking back dates and documents, it soon became clear that her file was incomplete."

Hiskaloph leaned over the table. "And that's what doesn't make sense," she agreed. "Frobisher doesn't have access to your files. So who edited them? Who misplaced all those documents about Buffy?"

Gardell didn't know.

It suggested that Hiskaloph had been right to be wary of divulging her secrets to the FBI. That this conspiracy might go further than he'd thought.

"And then there's the children," said Hiskaloph. She leveled her gaze steadily at Gardell. "Do you know why this is the first time you've had to deal with this kind of thing? It's because usually, we make sure you don't have to. UNIT. The Slayers. Torchwood. Buffy. But this time… everyone's away. And those who aren't are being quietly arrested or killed."

"I don't understand," said Gardell. "I thought Torchwood was—"

"I'm betting that's why Buffy and I haven't been taken out of your hands, and transferred to the alien-fighting division of the government," said Hiskaloph. "Because all your alien-fighters are conveniently away. Somewhere… at a guess… where you can't contact them. Or you'd have done it by now."

Gardell didn't know what to say to this.

Hiskaloph pursed her lips, thinking it through. "And then… there's Buffy. The one thread connecting all of this together. Connecting all the coincidences."

"You think so?" Gardell confirmed.

Hiskaloph looked glum. "It's worrying," she muttered. "Because it's something she'd never purposely cause. So… it's being done to her. And I don't know why."

As Gardell had hypothesized.

Hiskaloph was protecting Summers because she was certain Summers was being used and abused by some kind of terrorist plot.

It had just never occurred to him… that aliens might be part of this, as well.

"What's being done to her?" said Gardell. "Who's doing it?"

Hiskaloph sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "I've got a theory, but…"

"What theory?"

"Well… I think this is just like with Harold Saxon," said Hiskaloph. "Someone's been planning this for a while. Going behind the scenes. Quietly making sure anyone who could stop it is out of the way before things really start. I think Frobisher's being set up as the fall-guy. And I think Buffy…" She paused. Frowned. "…actually, I don't really know where Buffy fits into this."

"I… see," said Gardell.

"But she's important, somehow," said Hiskaloph. "Whatever's happening to her, it's connected to everything else. She's the one who'll solve this for us. And… I…" Hiskaloph hesitated. Then, in a whisper, added, "I think she knows more than she knows she knows, if that makes sense."

It didn't.

But Gardell figured he'd mull it over. Check up on some facts. See how Hiskaloph's story fit together with everything else he'd worked out.

Hiskaloph smiled, broadly. "There," she said, in a much louder voice. "Now I've told you what I know. Not that you'll be able to use any of it against Buffy, of course."

Which was when it struck Gardell.

The only reason Hiskaloph was talking, now, was because she'd already used her media strategy to put Summers in the public eye. Make sure the FBI was placed in the position where they couldn't use any of it against Summers.

"Very clever," Gardell said. "And I'm guessing you have your Institute on standby to disclose that we're holding Summers under suspicion of terrorism, if we do use anything you've said against her?"

Hiskaloph leaned back in her chair. "They don't have to be," she said. "Think of it this way. All the kids in the world are talking in unison, giving out threats, and freaking everyone out. But I've helped you. Quelled mass panic, by giving the people someone they can believe in. Someone they know can save them. The only catch is—"

"—if we do anything to Summers," Gardell finished, "we lose our hero. And the people get scared, again."

"And lose all faith in the government's ability to protect them," Hiskaloph agreed. "Since you handed her over."

Meaning… if they did anything to Summers…

A nation-wide riot would break out.

Yes. Whatever else Hiskaloph was, she was definitely smart. There was no doubting that.

"Is there any way we can negotiate this?" Gardell asked. "Stop your media campaign? You, yourself, admitted that you don't know what Summers' role is in this whole thing. She might be involved — we might still need to move against her in order to stop this."

Hiskaloph gave a small shrug. "Except she's innocent. A victim, not an instigator." She shook her head. "So… no. I think I'll let this media campaign play out. Call it… my insurance. Something up my sleeve, just to make sure she's all right."

Gardell stood up, at the table. "I know you're just trying to protect your friend, Hiskaloph," he said. "But other people might not see it that way. To some, it could look like you're trying to incite mass panic. Making the American people believe only a terrorist can save them."

Hiskaloph didn't seem concerned. "People believe all kinds of things."

"I'm only trying to help you," Gardell told her.

Hiskaloph smiled. "Yes, I think you are." Then shook her head. "But that's the thing. I'm not the one who needs it." Her mirth fell away. And she met Gardell's eyes, steadily. "Help her. She's the important one."