Chapter 46
Harry had been waiting for a half an hour at the little nothing of an airport. There was a rusted out hanger large enough for maybe one large plane, a tower from the 1950's, and a windsock. The tarmac had seen better days. There wasn't even a waiting area for passengers. The potholes were filled with stones and sand so with nothing better to do Harry discreetly took out his wand and did his best to repair some of the larger more dangerous looking potholes so there wouldn't be any accidents of planes tipping forward on landings or take offs and damaging the landing gear. He heard the plane before he saw it. But it was only a small single engine plane. Not the one he expected over one hundred slayers to be on. He didn't pay much attention to it as it landed but he did when Jim and Blare jumped out of it a few seconds later calling his name in an urgent manner.
"Jim Blair what's going on, where are the slayers? Harry asked.
"They were on a second plane." Jim announced.
"But they were shot down we need to use your cell to call the G.C." Blair added.
"Oh my god, no! I'm sorry but I still don't have a cell. They haven't issued me one yet. But I can take you to Xander, he has one and if needed, and the portkey that gets us back and forth to G.C. England is back at the Congo compound." Harry said.
"Well let's go then." Blair said with urgency.
The trio went into the empty Hangar and never came out.
They arrived at the train station and ran out to find Xander. Xander nearly fell to his knees when he found out about losing so many of his friends and students but most of all, the first person he ever was intimate with. It was kind of confusing; he never thought he would feel like this about her death… no… they were just missing until proven otherwise no matter how bad Jim and Blair said it looked. They then started the process of informing the Guardian Council and the rest of the Scoobies.
/Scene Break/
Faith began to choke on the smoke wafting passed her. Her eyes fluttered open. She was still dazed from hitting her head on the seat in front of her but as she took stock of what was going on around her and her head cleared as she quickly unbuckled herself from her seat and jumped out. She quickly went from seat to seat to wake who she could. Rona and Andrew were behind her, Andrew was up as soon as his eyes opened and started to check on everyone. He told Rona to find a way out and that her second job was to look for a place to set up a triage for the wounded. He then went along the isles and checked the awoken slayers for injuries and how bad they were. He took a marker from his pocket that he used to mark the paper cups they were using for their drinks and was now using them to write there injuries on each of their left arms. As some of the lesser injured began to get up he told them to grab one of the wounded and help them out of the plane. Rona guided them out. On the outside the plane was halfway up an incline only being stopped by a few trees. Rona not only made a clear spot for the injured at the bottom of the incline but out of its way should it let loose and it began rolling or sliding down the hill. There wasn't any immediate danger of the plane burning as the engine had been the only thing on fire and that and the wing were burning about a half mile away. The slayers then started coming out, some walking, some being carried by the walking. Some looked worse than others mainly because of the blood but it was the ones with the injuries you couldn't see that were worrisome. In a case like this it was actually safer for one of the other slayers to knock-out the injured and hope that a healing sleep would repair any internal injuries. Andrew made his way up the isle to the front of the aircraft where Faith was down on one knee her arms rested on the other and her head resting on them.
"Faith, are you alright?" Andrew asked as he wondered if she had a head injury. Maybe she was feeling dizzy or sick. He then noticed the smell of vomit, and the pool under Faith.
Her head rose from her arms as she looked up to the person sitting in the seat at her side. Andrew looked in that direction too and saw two of his favorite Sunnydale slayers with a tree limb, two inches in diameter going through their chest. Not side by side but one behind the other, the same tree going through both of them. The slayers beside were in bad shape, one was dead, her face and head smashed against the wall in front of her leaving brain matter sliding down it. She either released her seat belt or it was defective. The other was trapped and in shock. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the slayer with a tree in her chest next to her.
"Come on Faith we need to get her and the rest of the wounded out of here." Andrew said.
Still looking a bit green she looked at the situation of how to get the small girl out but nothing was coming to her.
"We need a saw to cut the tree away and release her." Andrew explained.
"Now just where are we supposed to get a saw Andy?" Faith snapped.
"We can get one from the crates of weapons down in the luggage compartment below us." Andrew replied calmly.
"I don't remember packing any saws Andrew." She said hotly.
"No, but there were survival knives with wire saws in them. Now I know your upset but we need to get our equipment so we can get her out. One of us is going to have to get one of the others to help and break in to the storage area and get some tools. I can stay here if you want." He explained.
"No, I'm okay and I'm sorry for snapping at you. You go get help and I'll stay here with her." Faith replied.
Andrew stood up and reached into the overhead compartment and grabbed two blankets.
"Here, one for her, and one for the body. She doesn't need to keep starting at it and nether do you." He said.
Faith just nodded as he covered the body and then did her best to keep the other girl warm as Andrew exited the plane. He went straight to Rona who was busy wrapping some cloth around an unconscious Queen Mousette's forehead.
"Rona, I need a slayer to help me get into the luggage compartment."
"Getting in won't be a problem there's a big hole in the thing and I've sent a few of the able bodied people to gather what they could find of the things that may have fallen out. That's some of the crates over there. Maybe there's something you can use in it." She said.
Andrew looked through some of the crates and found what he was looking for, two actually. He went back into the plane to get to Faith. She just closed the door to the pilot's compartment and shook her head indicating that the pilots were dead. He unscrewed one of the handles of the knives and pulled out a long wire and handed it to Faith. She looked at it as a foreign object as Andrew took another wire from the other knife.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.
"Just give me a moment and I'll show you." He replied.
Faith watched as he half rapped the wire around the tree limb and held onto the two ends as he began to slowly but firmly move it back and forth and saw that it was actually cutting through the limb.
"You should do the same on that part of the limb so we can remove it and the body, getting it out of the way so we can get to her."
"You know she had a name." Faith snapped again nearly sobbing.
"Yes, I know but we can't think of her like that right now. We have a job to do. Once we get the living out then we can work on the dead. And then we can remember them when we bury them. Do you understand?" He asked calmly.
Faith shook her head looking downwards in grief and sorrow as she whispered. "Yeah, I do. And I'm sorry for snapping at you again."
"I get it Faith. Apology accepted. Now let's get to work." He replied.
They began sawing through the limb and within a couple of minutes they had cut it away. Faith was impressed at how the wire was so effective at cutting like this. They were then able to remove the dead to get at the living. An hour later everyone was out of the plane as well as their equipment from the luggage compartment.
"How is she?" Faith inquired about the girl who was in shock?
"She's coming out of it now. This is really upsetting for her. Carron was one of the SunnyDale slayers that had a big heart and she treated little Jazz like she was her own sister. I could only imagine having that kind of closeness only to see her speared through the chest like that." Claire the slayer taking care of the wounded answered.
"Any sign of the boxes with the G.C. cell phones?" Faith wondered.
"Yes and no." Rona replied. "We didn't find them on the plane but you can see them if you look down in the ravine. The whole pallet they were on fell out of the plane from a long way up. There down there in pieces. It's times like this I wish Willow could have made them indestructible as well as able to call from anywhere, but no it either had to be one or the other because the spells or whatever wouldn't work together."
"Dam, the only reason they were in the cargo hold was so the slayers wouldn't be playing with them on the plane. We didn't want the pilots or flight attendants on our case every five minutes when one of the girls thought they could get away with it. Now I'm the one responsible for the lack of communication with the rest of the G.C." Faith said
"Actually, that was a group decision between you, Rona and myself even Willow said it was a good idea." Andrew pointed out.
"What the hell did happen, anyway?" Rona asked.
"The plane was shot down. I saw the missile come up at us." One of the other slayers said.
"What? Why?" Asked Rona shocked at the announcement.
"I'm only guessing but I think we may have accidentally violated someone's airspace." Andrew replied.
"How could we have done that? Don't the pilots know where their fighting." Rona asked angrily.
"I think it may have to do with the state of affairs. The land we crossed over may have been taken over by rouge Guerilla military and decided that aircraft didn't need a warning before blasting us out of the sky. Or maybe pilots were told to radio any terrorist movements they may see from the air." Andrew explained.
"Where the hell are you coming up with this stuff?" Rona said hotly not believing Andrew's stories.
"I've been listening to the BBC radio so I had some idea of what we were walking into. Africa isn't a nice place Rona." He replied.
Rona realized then that he wasn't making things up on the fly like he used to. Many of the Scoobies and Sunnydale slayers had that radio station playing in the background whenever she walked in on them and yes she caught a lot of scary details but she never sat down to listen at length. She felt put in her place as she apologized to Andrew. She then had a startling thought she voiced out loud.
"Do you think we are in any danger of those military guys coming along to look for survivors?"
"Damn, that's a thought. What do you think Andrew?" Faith asked.
Andrew was stunned at the idea as he said. "There is a good chance of that if they're looking for hostages from other countries for political gain, money and getting there cause known."
"Okay, it just became a bad idea to wait around here. How are we getting out of here? This jungle looks pretty dense." Faith said.
"We'll need to carry the injured on stretchers and do the same with the luggage and crates. It could be slow going if we don't want to leave anything behind." Andrew thought out loud.
"We can't leave the tools of our trade here; the G.C. will never forgive us. One of our trailers loaded with weapons was already stolen from the ship yard here in Africa." Faith said.
"Alright then, I need a show of hands for my next questions." Andrew yelled above everyone else. "How many of you passed the pathfinder test."
"Six hands went up in the air."
"When we leave you six will lead us out of here to some form of civilization. Confer among yourselves on the best way to do that. Take a machete with you. There should be a map of the area in the pilot's cabin so feel free to take what you need."
"How many of you took tracking and how to erase your tracks." Was Andrew's next question.
Nine hands went up.
"You nine will be at the end of the line covering our tracks so no one can follow us."
"Hiding our tracks will he hard if the people in front are hacking a trail with machetes." One of the trackers said.
"Just do the best you can. The rest of us need to make stretcher for carrying our stuff and our wounded. Everyone should carry a weapon." He said.
"And just how are we supposed to do that Andrew." Faith asked.
"Use your knife to cut the seat belts; we can use them for the luggage." He explained.
"And what are we going to use for the wounded?" Faith asked.
"We can make stretchers from our Para cord bracelets." Andrew answered.
"Say what now? What about our bracelets?" Faith asked looking at hers.
Andrew guessed Faith wasn't aware of why she was given a bracelet and never took one of the new courses on the versatility of Para cord, so he took his off and went into teaching mode.
"These bracelets are a survivalist's little friend, Faith. They were made as a convenient and stylish way to carry a long bit of rope. The bracelet is only its secondary job. The rope it's made from is the important part. It can save your life one day." He said as he began unweaving the bracelet to become a simple peace of rope again.
Again Faith was surprised as an eight inch bracelet became seven or eight feet of rope and since all the girls were wearing two or three that would be a lot of rope.
"Man, I'm the one celebrating the fact that I passed my GED and here I am feeling stupid." Faith replied.
"Don't feel bad Faith. The survival training started about nine months back. Between the long distance slaying and studying for your GED you must have missed the new classes being posted." Andrew replied.
"Well, I'm definitely going to have to sign up for those classes when we get back and we will get back." She said with determination. "Okay I guess this can work then. Let's get started and get out of here. We've already wasted enough time here and those Guerilla terrorists could be coming for us any time now."
"You speak the truth Faith. And we must hurry." Queen Mousette said fully coming to. She was in and out of consciousness at the beginning but now with only a slight headache she was fully awake and you could feel her presence as she stood up.
"Should you be up?" Andrew asked.
"I'm fine. Your concern is unwarranted. We need to leave this place immediately."
"We're going to, we just need to make a few stretchers first and get organized, Queenie." Faith informed her.
Queen Mousette waved her hand and bracelets disappeared from the slayers wrists. Using them and the cushions from the plane her magic fashioned them into comfortable stretchers for the wounded. Larger stretchers were made from the seat belts for the luggage and they had wheels on one end to make it easier. Not that it would be too much easier to get the stuff through the jungle with wheels."
"Can't you just magic us to where we need to go?"
"I'm afraid that I am rubbish at traveling spells and only know the basics of healing triage spells. My main focus at school was defensive and offensive spell casting. I planned to go to war after school after all."
"Alright, everyone take a weapon and your bug-out bags. Don't eat any of your power bars until we find water. I don't want to hear about your bad case of dry mouth because you were too hungry to wait until we found water and when we find water don't forget to use your chlorine tablets." Andrew said.
"Faith was in awe maybe it was the traumatic situation they found themselves in but she remembered Andrew back in Sunnydale being kind of wimpy and geeky. Now he's turned out to be quite a leader and it looked good on him.
The pathfinders, using a compass and a map took their best guess at where they might be and set a course for the nearest civilization or road that might lead to civilization and everyone moved out.
/Scene Break/
Daniel Osbourne was in New York today on another rescue mission. He knew nothing of what was happening in Africa. He was taking a chance going it alone without Jim and Blair because there was still the danger of the Morog demon finding him. But he had Willow whip up a talisman to defuse his aura so he couldn't be found easily by the monster. He had no idea if it was working or not. He walked across central park to get to his destination. 'The Powers That Be' gave him very specific instructions on how to get to the entrance to where he was going but was told he would need to use his senses to get to the people he needed to talk to. He entered the large concrete pipe and walked through until he got to a intersection that was blocked by a gate made of steel bars he reach over and pulled a secret leaver that opened the door allowing him entrance to where his senses would play a big part in finding his targets. Once he walked down the line the first thing he noticed was the banging from the pipes which he figured was air in the lines but as he got to another intersection he noticed that the banging was getting more frantic as if it was some form of security system.
'That's ingenious.' He thought.
He used his nose to find a path that would lead him to the ones he sought. He was told to look for the being with the unusual scent that lived among the others.
It wasn't long before he found the sent and that was to be his primary target. More and more banging was heard as he went deeper into the tunnels. He was starting to find fresher scents, human and something else. Because of his superior hearing he was now close enough to hear humans whispering about the stranger in the tunnels. He also heard the sound of someone banging on the pipes with something metal.
'So, it wasn't air in the lines after all and probably more than a security system. It sounds more like code now that I can hear it tapped out individually.' He thought.
The people were so close he could have turned a corner and bumped right into them several times but he didn't want to spook anyone. He had a target in mind and soon realized that his target was now trying to keep ahead of him. His target must have realized that he had a way of tracking him. He had been in the tunnels for about half an hour as people hid from him. Now another fifteen minutes were being wasted as he was being lead around in what he suspected was circles. It was still easy to find his way back to the human population if he wanted so he yelled out to the one he sought.
"Listen this has been fun and all but I really need to talk to you. It's really important and needs to be discussed in private." He shouted but no answer came.
"Listen," Oz continued. "I'll just go back to where the people are and hang out where you sleep. Your scent was heavier back there so I know you have a place among them." with still no answer he shrugged and began walking away.
"Wait!" A voice echoed from somewhere. "Who are you and what are you? You do not smell…right. Are you a danger to my people?"
"I passed your people several times and they were within arm's length at the time. I have no wish to hurt anyone just the opposite really. I was told to find you. You are the Guardian aren't you?"
"I have been called that, yes." A dark cloaked figure with a hood said coming out of the shadows. The hood made it impossible to see his face. "Are you here to challenge me? I can sense something in you that does."
"I'm a moon wolf. I'm in full control and have a tight rein on my inner beast." Oz replied.
"I am not familiar with that term. What is a moon wolf?" The figure asked.
Are you familiar with what a werewolf is? Oz inquired.
"Yes, they are a fantasy written about in many book. They are supposed to be savage and violent. A person becomes one after being bitten by one." The figure said. The Guardian said.
"Not so much of a fantasy and with some meditation and charms a man can gain control by coming to an understanding with the inner werewolf. I'm in control of my beast and it helps me. It helped me find you." Oz explained.
"You expect me to believe in magic?" The Guardian asked
"Yes, I'm certain you've seen it before. And you can sense that there is something dangerous about me. You realized that I could track you. That's why you led me on this merry chase."
"I do sense something but I am unsure of what it is. It seems dangerous and feral." The figure confirmed.
"It could be but like I said I'm in control." Oz replied.
"That doesn't tell me if you are a good man."
"I can see your concern. You're worried for your people. It's very noble but I have no ill will against any of you. I'm here to deliver a message that will save you and your people."
"What massage, who is it from? Why are we in danger?" the figure asked getting agitated.
"Okay, first of all I will need you to open your mind to the possibility of magic. Umm, do you have a name?" Oz asked
"My name is Vincent it was the name of the church that I was found. And I may have seen some unexplainable things in my life that can be called magic. Some of the tunnels lead to caverns that seem magical in many ways." Vincent confirmed.
"Alright Vincent my friends call me Oz and magic is very real. I'm not a person that practices it but I know many who do. The people I represent found a prophecy. There are real prophecies out there. You just need to know where to look for real ones. Anyway one of the predictions is coming true. New York, the state not just the city is going down along with the other states." Oz explained
Vincent snorted in disbelief; he shook his head and began to walk away from him.
"You can walk away from me but I have a message to deliver and if I have to go to where your people are to deliver it, one way or another you'll hear me out." Oz said.
That may have seemed to be the wrong thing to say to the people's protector because Vincent turned around his hood fell away to reveal a lion like face and he began to charge toward Oz. However, Oz had anticipated this move. He had hoped Vincent would be more receptive and just hear him out but this would have to do. As soon as Vincent made contact with Oz's portkey glove he activated it. They ended up in the gym of the Guardian Council in Ohio. This was the place Oz told Willow to send him for this very reason. The Powers that be told him that Vincent wasn't exactly human and was very strong and could be temperamental. If Vincent thought Oz was a threat, it would be better to take him out of his element and bring him someplace where he was less likely to attack him or where there were people that could subdue him long enough for him to listen to reason. Once the wild ride stopped Vincent got up off the floor and took a defensive position. He was startled when he found himself surrounded by several young women who looked at him curiously. Some looked relaxed but suspected they were ready to strike should he make a move they didn't like. There was something else about these women that he couldn't exactly put his finger on. They've seen his face and weren't afraid, as a matter of fact they seemed like it was common place. They seemed confident in themselves and not because they were in a group. Vincent was distracted from his musing when Oz spoke.
"Sorry about the wild ride but I needed you to listen. I'll take you back afterwards."
"Where are we?" He growled.
"Would you believe the Guardian Council Academe for gifted girls in Cleveland Ohio?"
"Impossible, we were in New York. We couldn't travel that far in such a short amount of time."
Oz held up his glove and said. "The witches here can do that. It's has a spell put on it. It' called a portkey. It allows for instantaneous travel over great distances. There are a lot of people here that can do magic. These women around us are all mystical warriors known as slayers. They fight the things that go bump in the night that the average person doesn't believe in and think they are just stories."
"Such as?" Vincent asked
"Vampires and other demons." Oz replied.
Vincent gave pause as he thought about the possible existence of such creatures before he spoke. "And what of werewolves and creatures such as me?"
Don't worry you're safe here. In the past werewolves were seen as dangerous, in that time they were hunted by slayers but these days they're under new management. They give us aid. They protect us from other hunters. There have been some werewolves that have relished in their savageness and needed to be dealt with. Usually it becomes a fight between it and another werewolf so the slayers don't have to deal with the thought that they killed a human. They teach werewolves how to control the wolf and become moon-wolves."
"I have yet to see ether." Vincent replied as he observed that most of the women went back to what they were doing.
Oz sighed and asked. "If I show you will you drop the defensiveness and listen to what I have to say?"
Vincent was silent for a few seconds and finally said. "Agreed."
Oz thanked himself that he wore lose clothing. "Remember I'm in control of my beast. I won't hurt you or anyone." He explained and began to change. Vincent was shocked to see such a transformation. He watched as all the fur sprouted from his pores and his teeth and claws grew very large his eyes became golden and his snout grew.
Vincent dropped to his knees as he stared into Oz's golden eyes and said. "I submit I will listen to you now." Truth was he felt sorry for Oz that he had been cursed in this way. He knew it must have been difficult to learn control. He considered himself a beast and had started to learn control at a young age. He was sure that to have such a curse put upon someone had to be more difficult to gain control. Vincent was relieved that magic existed but also scared that it did. It would mean that what Oz said earlier might be true.
Oz transformed back to the man he was and helped Vincent get to his feet. "It's alright man, it's not that bad anymore. I use my wolf half and its senses to help people. I'm in demand when it comes to finding lost children in the woods. It's a great feeling to reunite a child with its parents."
"Yes it can be. I know the feeling well." Vincent agreed.
"Well, while we're here I'd like to show you a few things if you're up for it and you don't have to hide yourself here. The girls have seen all manner of creatures, magical and otherwise."
"Is that what I am… a magical creature?"
Oz looked at Vincent for a moment surprised he didn't know what he was, not that Oz knew for sure. "I'm not sure Vincent but I'm sure we can try to help you find out. There's a large library with all manner of creatures in its books. Come on there are people that I'd like you to meet."
Vincent followed Oz up the stairs to the top floor of the building. He felt somewhat out of place as he walked through the halls with its plush carpeting, even more so when he entered an office with a male secretary.
"Hey, Ianto, is Giles in?"
"Yes, there's a Scoobie meeting going on but I'm sure they would want you in there for this. Just a moment." Ianto Jones said as he used the intercom to announce Oz and his guest.
The door opened to reveal Willow. He knew something was wrong as she flung herself into his arms and sniffed like she had been crying.
"Willow what's wrong, what happened?"
"Maybe you should come into the office so we can tell you in private. It hasn't been made public yet. Giles will be making the announcement shortly to everyone else in about fifteen minutes."
"Willow, I have a guest this is Vincent, Vincent this is Willow Rosenberg."
Willow looked to Vincent and he was surprised when she didn't even hesitate to walk over and put out her hand in friendship.
It's a pleasure to meet you Vincent welcome to the school. Why don't you come in too? There's actually an old friend who wishes to see you." She said.
Vincent looked at her curiously as she turned to lead the way back into the office.
Ianto, ever the professional asked Vincent if he could get him a beverage. Vincent was so far out of his element it was surreal and he found himself pausing to actually think about the question before declining and walked into the office.
Once they walked in Vincent was introduced to what he assumed were the Scoobies. It was then Giles turned to Oz and told him of the tragedy of their friends and students that had been shot down in South Africa. Vincent actually felt Oz's pain as Oz fell into the chair behind him. When Vincent first walked in he had been surprised that no one gave a second thought or even flinch at the way he looked now he was seeing the free emotions of these people. The hurt over their loss was palatable. He wondered why they let him into the office. This wasn't his business but it did show him how much they care for their own people. It was very much like his people, (at least once upon a time.) They were more than a simple school they were a community. The other Scoobies broke away to meet in the auditorium where the rest of the school had been called to. It was the one called Dawn that broke away from the group to speak with him.
"We're sorry, you were brought into this but Oz needed to know as soon as possible and we didn't want to leave you sitting out in the waiting room. We know how Protectors can get antsy. Most of the people here are Protectors or like Oz who having a predator spirit. We felt it best for you to come in. Sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable. I don't know how far Oz got in telling you why your here but it's our desire that we can bring our two people together. I mean that's why you're here."
"He didn't get to tell me much. I attacked him before he got too far so, he brought me here. In light of your tragedy perhaps it would have been better had I listened. I feel that I'm intruding. But now that I'm here perhaps someone can explain what Oz started to."
"Well, the way we've been explaining it to everyone else is to show them this DVD recording. Please forgive the cartoony way Charlie frost put this presentation together. I will say this, the government knows about this. It is happening. People have died at the governments hands for spreading this information. The governments of the world can't save everyone but they have made arrangements to save themselves and select people, mostly the rich who gave the money to build the ships that is hoped to save them."
With that Dawn pushed play on the DVD player as Vincent watched. As he watched the minute and a half video he wasn't sure what to make of it. This was something so terrifying that he didn't want to believe it. A cartoon was a little hard to take seriously. He looked to Dawn.
"I do not know what to say or how to take this. You say the government is building ships do you have a way to get on board?" he asked
"No, did Oz tell you anything about what we do here."
"All he said was that I didn't need to hide my face here and that the girls I've seen downstairs were warriors and witches but I must admit to not knowing what their purpose is."
"The worriers are called Slayers." Dawn explained as well as giving him the world is older than you know speech as well as the slayer spiel.
"So your people fight vampires and demons?" He asked disbelievingly.
"You live in New York, from what I understand one of the entrances is in central park. Surely you've seen some strange unexplained thing attacking people?"
"There have been some unexplainable stories by people who spoke of people whose face would change and begin to attack them but my people have very good hiding skills." He replied.
"Well, that's a skill that my people would like to learn but what they saw were vampires. There were only ever two vampires that were any good. One was cursed with his soul the other fought for it. It's the soul that kept them good and they worked to help us defeat some pretty bad big bads. They are both gone now, so if you see any don't hesitate to stake them through the heart with wood. Just hold your breath when you do. They have a tendency to explode into ash."
"You say that so casually." Vincent replied.
"You have no idea how many vamps I've seen staked over the years." She said.
"What about demons?" He wondered.
"They usually stick to cemeteries. It's best to call us if you find them. Besides some of them are good and just want to be out of the hell they came from to live free here. I know that sounds odd but it's true."
"How did your people find out about the entrance to the tunnels?" Vincent asked.
"The Powers that be sent a messenger to tell us that they wanted you and your people saved."
"Who are The Powers that be?" he asked.
"They are the ones that keep the world balanced between not being too good or too evil. They are a mixture of both and will either keep the earth in balance or destroy it with a war to end all wars mystical and otherwise."
"Have you any proof." Vincent wondered,
"Actually that's why you're here." Dawn said as she walked to the special chair in Giles office. "This chair was made to bridge the gap between this world and the next. This is the place where the messenger comes with information on people or groups they want saved." They know better than to ask us to save evil people. Dawn then called out. "Elise… Elise Davies!" She called.
It didn't take long for Elise to show up.
"Hello Dawn, ah, I see Vincent has arrived. Dawn could you leave us for a few minutes."
"Umm, okay I'll be outside with Ianto. Just call if you need me."
Vincent turned back to Elise and. asked. "Why should I believe a Specter who plays messenger to beings who play games with the living?"
"Trust should never be given without knowing the others intention. Half of the powers (the good half) have been sneaking people like you and your people here to get the information into your hands. There are many coming together to help each other. The good gathered will be needed where you are all being sent because it's not a very safe place."
"Then there is a place we can survive?" Vincent asked.
"Yes, and the union of your two people can build a utopian society amidst adversity and chaos." Elise replied
"This place is in Africa, where OZ's friends were shot down isn't it?" Vincent said putting the clues together.
It is. But if you wish to save yourself and your people it will be the only land still standing and you already have friends there that wish to help you."
Vincent turned from Elise as he began speaking with venom in his voice. "Friends; I don't know if I know what that word means anymore. I thought I did but the tunnels are filled with people that betray one another. They steal and bare false witness about the good and create chaos among the rest. I have no control. These people may not be worth saving anymore."
"I know you don't believe that." Vincent's eyes widened as he heard that voice. A voice he longed to hear for so long. He then felt the connection of love he once felt. He whipped around so fast he nearly lost his balance as he said. "Katherine!"
There sitting in the chair that Elise had occupied seconds ago now sat his long lost love Katherine.
"Hello my love, I have missed you so much." She said
"Katherine… how?"
"You know how, Vincent, I died."
"I know, but how are you here now?
"Vincent, please listen to me. What you're asking is a conversation for another time and time is precious at the moment. Rules are being broken for me to be here and you need to know that these people can be trusted. You need to save our friends."
"But our son…"
"I'm aware of our son Vincent, I've been watching him grow up. You've done a wonderful job and I really wish I was there to help raise him. He is the reason I'm here but we need to stay on topic."
"The tunnels aren't like what it was when we were together, Katherine. There are elements that have collected among the good people and have ether converted them to their ways or chased off the one that won't bend. I've protected who I could but there aren't many left." Vincent met Katherine's eyes and said. "Drugs have come to the tunnels, Katherine and it's taken over. I just wish I could still seek Fathers Counsel"
"He's here Vincent, he can't come through but he's here and he's very proud of you. The things that have happened in the tunnels you couldn't have stopped he's very surprised it hadn't happed when he was still alive. We both agree that you need to round up who you can. You still have loyal friends among them you know? You don't have to save everyone, Vincent, Father says it will be the hardest decision you will ever make but even this Academe knows it can't save everyone. That plane that went down had the handful of people that they were going to save. None of the students you've seen here were to go to Africa as the Academe had no way to support so many. Now with the tragedy that has befallen those in the crash some of these women have a new chance. You can ask how they decide but it comes down to one thing. Save the loved ones. Don't wait, gather them and begin packing to start a new life in the sun. Tell the council you wish to go to Africa before the end starts. So you can get them away from the bad elements and begin building your new lives." Just then Katherine looked to the corner of the room and nodded.
"I'm out of time my love. I can't stay any longer."
"Will I ever see you again?" he wondered.
"We just don't know what the future will bring, but I sincerely hope so. Goodbye my love." She said
"Until we meet once more. I will always love you Katherine." Vincent replied.
"And I you, Vincent." Katherine replied before she disappeared.
Vincent waited to see if anyone else would appear. As the glow around the chair vanished he suspected that the experience was over. He sighed and went to the door to see Dawn only to find the rest of the Scoobies waiting. They had obviously finished their announcement.
"Are you Okay?" Dawn asked Vincent as he looked forlorn.
Vincent straightened himself and said" I will be." He looked at the people before him and said "This may not be a good time as you are all in mourning but at some time in the near future I and my people will need your help."
"I can help right now. I deal with my feeling better when I have something to do. What do you need?" Buffy said.
"Are you sure? I can tell they weren't just students to any of you. They were a type of family."
"I can tell we share an inner desire to protect your friends. Tell me, what did you do the last time you lost loved ones?" Buffy asked.
Vincent thought for a moment and with no small bit of shame he said. "I tore a room apart. I destroyed furniture. I demolished a wall in the tunnels."
"I can guarantee I'm stronger than you. Please give me something to do before I put so many holes in this building it would be cheaper to demolish it and start over that to repair it" she said.
Vincent looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.
Buffy picked up a chair with metal legs and began to bend them into knots easily.
"Not the same as a solid steel bar but you get the idea." Buffy explained.
"Buffy office equipment like that chair cost money." Giles sighed.
"You know I think your office door would look rather sheik with a few holes through it. The bottom line is I'm upset and it would be better to find me something to do than leave me to dwell and the rest of you need to watch the rest of the girls before they get the same idea. This is why I wanted to do my job today then wait a day before opening my door for counseling."
"You are a Counselor?" Vincent asked.
"Yeah, and teacher and head slayer. I'm responsible for all these girls and I just lost a bunch of them today." She said her voice wavering.
"Perhaps it would be better if you come to my home where we can get away from your troubles for a time as you can try to help me where you can." Vincent paused as he thought of something. Is there a way back? He asked looking towards Oz.
"The glove portkey I used only had a destination of the G.C. on it before I activated it. The moment I did the place we left became the starting point. That glove will now only take you to ether place so, it will take you back to where we left. The activation word is jinkies." Oz said passing the glove to Vincent.
"Giles, start the evacuation of the California school I don't want to hear of any more deaths so soon after this. We all know that will probably be the first state to go down. The slayers there don't deserve all the rocking and rolling."
"Yes, of course you're too right. It'll be done Buffy. I'll get on it immediately." He said.
Buffy and Vincent held the glove and Buffy activated it. They suddenly flew upward and disappeared.
"Something tells me Vincent will be the one playing Counselor today." Dawn commented and the other Scoobies agreed.
A.N. (Reviews can make a story even better.)