Tell 'Em, Soldier Boy
Captain Riley Finn lead his men back into the underground bunker the Initiative had set up for their base of operations. Admittedly he was pissed that his team of highly trained Army Rangers had been taken out by a group of civilians, though Buffy Summers and the other female were clearly more than just human. "Sergeant Gates! Make sure everyone gets their gear squared away, let the squad rest until twelve hundred hours tomorrow."
"Yes, Sir!" Gates complied, snapping to attention. The African-American turned to the rest of the five man squad, "Alright men, you heard the captain. Get your weapons checked, check your gear, get checked out by medical if you need it, then get some chow, be ready for orders by twelve hundred tomorrow! Dismissed!"
Riley Finn made his way to Maggie Walsh's office, still wondering why the hell the pentagon had placed a damned civilian in charge of them. He knocked on the door then was told to come in. Seated behind an overloaded desk was the brilliant and somewhat obsessed scientist who's cover was UC Sunnydale's psychology professor. Captain Finn took a seat across from her without waiting for permission and went right into giving his report of what his team had encountered. As was usually Maggie Walsh was too enthralled with whatever her work was to worry about Riley's report, she dismissed him, though showed enough reasoning to remind him to keep tabs on Buffy Summers.
The high ranking soldier left Professor Walsh's office more irritated than he had been before. He skipped the chow line and went directly to his quarter where he thought and paced for nearly an hour. Finally he realized that, although he did not really feel threatened by the Summers girl and her friends, he knew they were a group that should demand some sort of special treatment and would probably be a help to the battalion. He stormed out of his quarters toward the command center, he knew as the highest ranking soldier present any mistakes would fall back to him, it was time he made sure his ass was covered, the Captain had some calls to make.
Meanwhile across town Giles had just gotten off the phone with Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, the new head of the Watcher's Council. At the same time Xander had finished speaking with his own contacts, both men recommending that Riley Finn and his soldiers be given until the next morning to make their decision before the shit hit the fan. "Well, I dare say our part in this is done." Giles said with a relieved sigh.
"Yep, G-man, everyone's safe for the night and our calls have been made. I think it's time for us go home and get some sleep." Xander replied, he had followed Giles to the watcher's apartment after dropping Willow off at her parents' house.
Giles gave the young man an exasperated glare at hearing the nickname as he put his freshly cleaned glasses back on, "I think I'd have to agree with you on that my boy. I could use a bit of sleep right now. We'll know how all this played out soon enough anyway."
"Alright, later Giles." Xander said as he left the building, stifling a yawn.
Back at the Initiative base Riley had just finished sending emails to several key officers and was expecting a reply, and most likely a video conference call with some very angry Army officers and politicians. "I wonder if that Buffy's sister, Dawn I think her names is, knows how right she was. The shit's hitting the fan, no matter, what by 0800 hours tomorrow." He said to himself.
The thirty year old soldier ran his hand threw his short-cropped hair and let out a sigh, hoping he had truly done the right thing. Riley shrugged and left the command center and decided it was a good time to get himself some chow and then hit his bunk after a hot shower. I hope for Walsh's sake that her experiments are all sanctioned. I wondered what dumbass put her, a civilian, in charge of a combat military unit in the first place? He wondered as he made his way through the cafeteria.
The next day at Slayer Headquarters, the Summers house, Dawn stumbled her way sleepily downstairs, seeing the door to Faith's, formerly Buffy's room still closed and light snoring coming from within. When she reached the kitchen she saw Joyce, as per usual, already awake and ready for the day sipping on her second, or maybe third cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. Dawn, much to her mother's surprise went to the cupboard and poured her own cup of the caffeinated brew. She sat next to her mother, who was watching her youngest out of the corner of her eye, and took a sip of her coffee. Joyce couldn't contain a small burst of laughter at the face Dawn made when she tasted the bitter liquid. "Good God mom! How can you guys drink this stuff?" She asked with a frown.
Faith walked in at that moment quickly pouring herself a cup. She stopped at the refrigerator before taking a seat across from her adopted family, "Try some of this Dawnie." She said, offering the younger girl a bottle of flavored creamer, "Some people can drink their coffee black, but I prefer at least a bit of sweetener."
The other two women looked at the slayer a bit curiously, "What?" She asked, "I got sum'n in ma teeth?" Her Boston accent showing through and making Dawn's heart beat a bit faster.
"Oh nothing." Dawn said, "Just, you called me Dawnie and, I at least, have never heard you use a nickname for someone that everyone else uses. I'm always D to you, then there's B, X or Xman, Red, G or Gman, and Mrs. S. The only person you don't have a nickname for is Anya…" She continued.
"I have one for her, just haven't been brave enough to use it. Anya would be Old Lady." Faith said, interrupting Dawn's long-winded speech.
"Oh I would be would I?" Asked a menacing voice from behind Faith.
No one had heard the former demon come in, but Joyce and Dawn had notice her standing behind Faith. The slayers eyes bugged out when she heard Anya's question and she turned slowly in her seat. Faith's eyes were slow to make contact, but when they did Anya just could not keep her face angry, giving the slayer a bright smile. "I'm kidding Faith, just glad to know I rate to be considered one of your friends." She said sincerely before walking over and kissing Joyce on the cheek, "Any coffee left?" She then asked.
"Here, have mine." Dawn offered, "I'll just stop by Starbucks on the way to school."
"Thanks kiddo."
"I am not a kid!" Dawns squealed.
Anya just smiled at her, "Honey, I'm over twelve hundred years old. You cut my age in half and you're all still children to me. Yes, that statement partially includes you Joyce."
"If you say so Miss Jenkins." Joyce said in a sultry voice and a mischievous smile.
Oh, don't call me that when I can't do anything about it!" Anya said, her eyes fluttering closed briefly.
"Hey, what do ya know, I can hear the school bell ringing. Let's go Faith, don't wanna be late for class." Dawn said as she scrambled to get out the door, "Oh, and I almost forgot, EWWWW!"
Riley Finn had just made his way back to the command center after being rudely awoken by blaring alarms and red flashing lights. When he arrived on location he was greeted by the sight of Maggie Walsh with a large puncture wound to her abdomen with a smaller hole in her neck. He immediately recognized it as a wound caused by the forearm skewer of hst designation Polgara. There were no there casualties on base and no panicked 911 calls from town. After spending several hours with the bases two military police officers he stumbled his way to command at almost 0800.
He walked in, his lack of sleep evident in his bloodshot eyes, "This situation is getting all fucked up." He mumbled to himself.
"I'll say it is Captain Finn. I'm Colonel McKnight, sent here by the Pentagon to get this shit-storm back under control. Let's continue this conversation in the conference room." Ordered a short, stocky man in his early forties.
Once they were in the secure room the colonel turned to the captain and said, "You look like you could use a rest, soldier" He gestured to an open chair as he sat himself at the head of the table, "I understand you had a security issue this morning, let's discuss that first."
An hour later Colonel Danny McKnight had been brought up to speed on the events of the past two days that had caused Captain Finn to contact Washington. "I'm glad to see you've got a head on your shoulders Finn. I am, as of now, shutting down all external operations, aside from reconnaissance. There are some things you and the men need to be brought up to speed on and you are going to accompany me on a visit to the group you encountered last night. And yes, before you ask, the short blonde, Buffy Summers, and the black haired girl, Faith Lehane-Summers, adopted, are much more than human. If all goes well I hope we'll be able to work with them in the future. Pass down the order for ceasing operations and before we leave I'm going to do a walk-through of your "hst" containment cells and I want no arguments from anyone when I give an order, whether it be releasing them, or killing them. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!" Riley answered.
"That's all for now. I'll call for you before I do my walk-through. You're dismissed."
At 1330 hours Colonel McKnight and Captain Finn began their walk-through of the cells. Most of the "hsts" the colonel ordered to be eliminated, and with one near disaster with a vampire that his Captain Finn emptied his entire pistol magazine into, McKnight realized how fortunate they all were that things had progressed the way they had with so few casualties. He took it on himself from that point to do the eliminating from that point on. Aside from vampires the rest were mostly low, warrior class demons with a couple werewolves scattered in the mix, those he noted on a clipboard to call a contact in Tibet. The last cell had no information associated with it, inside was a creature with pink skin that hung off his frame in large folds, he had large pointed ears that turned and moved, much like a deer's. "Can you speak? In English?" Asked McKnight.
"Yesh." Replied the demon with a lisp, displaying his sharp teeth.
"What's your name and what type of demon are you?" McKnight asked, earning a curious glance from Finn when he used the term demon.
"My namesss Clem. And sssimply put I'm a loossse sshkinned demon. I feed on emotions, but I can eat other typessss of food too. Before you ashk, when I conssume emotionss it doesssn't harm whoever I feed off." Was the reply.
"I have no real information about you, do you have anyone for me who can verify you aren't evil?"
"Well when I firsht got into town I found out there wasss a sslayer here. Not wanting to find mysself on the receiving end of her shtake, I got in touch with her Watcher, Rupert Gilesss ish hisssss name." Clem replied.
"Alright Clem, let me make a call, then I'll get back to you."
Twenty minutes later Captain Finn came back down and released Clem from his cell, "Sorry about the inconvenience." Riley said, "I'm just a soldier following orders, I still don't know what's going on, but I have a feeling I will either have everything sorted out, or have a fuckload more questions by the end of the day."
Clem smile, "It'ss okay, just glad it worked out for me. Good luck sssoldier." He added as he walked away into the woods and back to his cave.
"This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their...their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magic, certain creatures." Giles explained, going through a speech he hadn't used in a few years, his only interested audience being Tara and Riley.
"So, let me get this right sir, you're telling me the myths and most of the fairy tales are true?" Riley asked, a little disbelieving.
"Finn, were you not paying attention when I killed those vampires this afternoon?" Asked McKnight.
Riley frowned at this point, then leaned back in his seat rubbing his face with his hand, "Shit, why couldn't I have stayed a regular soldier? Excuse my language ma'am. He said glancing at Joyce. "Okay, so what about magic?" He asked.
Giles nodded to Willow. The red head smiled and pointed at Riley, "Elevabis." She said and the soldier rose from his chair, lifted by an unseen force.
The muscular soldier quickly grabbed the arm of the chair and Willow released the spell. "Wow, so all this is real…Colonel, what is our job gonna be here? I don't see how we could really help them at this point, unless they're willing to train us." He said.
At his soldier's words Danny looked at Giles with a raised eyebrow, "Well, what do you say Mr. Giles? Would you and your people be willing to properly train my soldiers?"
Giles looked around the room at his growing family and then turned back to the two soldiers, "I think we could all agree to that."
Colonel McKnight stood from his chair, followed by Captain Finn. "Thank you all for meeting with us and thank you Mrs. Summers, for your hospitality. I apologize again for the units past mistakes. We'll be in touch soon to hash out a schedule for training…" He was interrupted by his cellphone buzzing. He looked back up and continued, "Sorry, about that, that message was regarding the former Captain Finn here. You're my new Executive Officer Major Finn."