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A Short While Later
Dawn's POV
~Helllloooo HANDSOME!~ She thought when she laid eyes on Xander wearing a shirt that was probably meant to be concealing but only served to highlight some seriously chiseled muscles.
Definitely candy to her eyes.
"Careful honey. Don't scare him." Mom whispered in warning from her side a small grin on her face.
Shaking her head a bit to get what was probably a dopey look off she checked for drool and when that came up empty tried to look a little more like this was all nothing big to her. After all she'd known almost from the beginning that Xander wouldn't be interested in someone that hadn't even hit puberty yet either physically or mentally. Fortunately though Lady Luck must've been all for her making Xander her boyfriend because not only did she get a few years added to her body but she was fairly sure a little extra had been thrown in. After all she'd seen more than a few pictures of her mom when she was younger ranging from high school photos to when Buffy was still a toddler. Mom had been pretty but only averagely in the spots the magazine she'd read said guys tended to focus on.
Her on the other hand…well…after taking a moment to look at her reflection in a store window both with and without the leather long coat she could safely say she'd hit the jackpot in all the right areas.
Buffy was going to be SO jealous!
"Dawnie? Missus S!?" Xander asked clearly seeing the changes and feeling the associated surprise, "What the hell?!"
Turning to look at Cayde Bot she could tell that him and Xander would get along great.
And probably double the amount of trouble they'd wind up getting into.
"Language!" Mom warned before taking on a more friendly tone, "Dawn and I got caught up in the same strangeness as you. We ran into Cayde a little while go and when we found out he knew you two we decided to tag along for the ride."
"Well…um…you look like you came out of it okay." Xander said trying and failing to sound nonchalant about it.
She smiled at the compliment hidden between the metaphorical lines.
"You too." Mom said before casting her eyes about, "Where's Buffy? Cayde said she'd be with you."
"She…well…she got some leftovers from Halloween and they didn't agree with her when they popped up." Willow explained but she could tell something was up, "She's back at the school with Giles."
"Yeah. We were planning on seeing if there was anyone else that needed help before going there too." Xander said throwing in his two cents.
"It's nice to hear that you two are willing to help those in need but it'd probably be best to let the police and the paramedics handle the rest." Mom said with mild approval, "They have the proper training."
She couldn't help but frown mentally at that since it'd have been nice to show Xander her new moves and some of her cooler toys. She'd been a little worried when she got control of her body back that her automatic crossbow would go back to being a toy but a test shot had proven it to still be VERY real. Combine that with the memories of Gabrielle Helsing and she could've gotten quite a few 'wow' moments out of Xander.
Still maybe it was more prudent to get some safe practice in first so she wouldn't accidently screw up and look like a complete amateur.
"I guess you're right." Xander said with a reluctant nod, "We were only planning on doing it until the cops and medic arrived to take over anyhow. I guess we could duck out early if you wanted us to."
For a moment she wanted to argue that it wouldn't be right for them to leave people to die if they could prevent it but the look of consideration on her mom's face stopped her. She'd wait to see what words were spoken next and only if they weren't something she could agree to would she try to convince her mother to let them keep helping people.
"We'll head for the school but if we come across anyone who needs help along the way we'll stop to help them." Mom said sounding reasonable enough, "Good enough?"
"Good enough." Xander replied with a nod before as one the group began to move in the general direction of the high school.
Quick to place herself next to Xander she began to make casual small talk of the sort one might expect after being through a night where you turned into whatever or whoever it was you dressed up as. However she made sure to drop a few real questions about what he'd turned into and what sort of cool things he could do now. Oddly enough Xander didn't seem to remember a lot from what happened and denied possessing any new powers. Were they subtle? Did he simply not try to use them? Or had he just been the one in a billion oddball who hadn't kept anything from whatever had happened?
She talked with Willow who sounded like she'd been more in control of herself and while this proved a little more helpful she could tell that the redhead was keeping some info to herself. Understandable since it'd been fairly obvious from the day they'd first met that Willow had a serious crush on Xander even though her future husband was hopelessly oblivious to it. Naturally her sister had been all for encouraging the relationship though whether that was because of her inner romantic or because Buffy had sneaked a look at her diary and saw 'Dawn Harris-Summers' she didn't know. In either case Willow was officially a rival in her mind for the title of 'Xander's girlfriend' so whether it was intentional or not it was unsurprising that the redhead would keep certain bits of info to herself. She did get some information and managed to glean that the ability Xander'd gained was a transformation of some sort but what he transformed into was still mostly a mystery.
Mostly because she could feel the wolf, still inside her after the whatever it was had ended, and it was acting like Xander was one of its kind rather than something alien or of a different species.
If what Xander could turn into was something wolfy then it gave her an inside track for worming her way into his heart since they'd have something in common. She'd need to learn more before she could make any plans but experimenting with different smells and perhaps meat centered meals would probably be a good place to start. Wolves after all were like wild dogs so their senses of smell were potent and veggies were definitely not going to be looked kindly upon if set upon the dinner table. If she could find some way to combine the two it'd go a long way to taking her to the end goal she dreamed about at night.
They were only a few short blocks from the high school when they heard the familiar sirens of a fire truck but the odd thing about it was that it was coming towards them. With all the chaos going on in Sunnydale it'd be expected if the trucks were moving to the areas of the town where trick or treaters would go but that wasn't here. In less than a minute the truck sped past them and when she saw it turn to the left at the next intersection her mind leapt to a conclusion that worried her.
"It's heading towards the high school!" she exclaimed before breaking into a sprint.
With her superior new body and a bit of her inner wolf helping she managed to cover the remaining blocks to the high school in less than a minute. When she arrived though worry turned to fear when her eyes showed her a portion of the school engulfed in flames that looked like they'd burn everything down if allowed to spread unimpeded.
It was the portion of the high school where the library was located to be precise.
"Giles!" Willow exclaimed in fear.
"Buffy!" Mom exclaimed with motherly concern for her eldest daughter's safety.
Both were about to run into the high school to look for those they cared for but before even a step could be taken lights to their right blinked on then off before repeating themselves. As one they all looked towards the source to find Giles' old clunker of a car parked in the shadow of a large tree all but invisible in the darkness. Squinting a bit more she could make out people inside the car gesturing for them to approach in a manner that implied it was to be done as swiftly as possible. Happy that the two of them were alive and curious as to why they were lying in wait for them to arrive she walked swiftly up to the car.
"Get in! Quickly!" a big horned demon ordered after partially exiting the car.
"Why? What's up G-man?" Xander asked immediately serious in both tone and body language.
This was Giles! Talk about a massive makeover! Still she had to say that it was an improvement over the tweed wearing British librarian look. She had to wonder though just how tight a fit it was for the man to get into never mind drive the old car.
"I'll explain when we're safely away." Giles replied making 'get in' gestures, "Please get into the car."
"Is there even enough room in there for all of us?" Cayde asked looking like he was doubtful the car would be able to move never mind take them anywhere.
"My car is fully capable of carrying five people." Giles replied sounding certain of his words, "Perhaps one more if that person sat in someone's lap for the duration of the trip."
Lap!
"Then let's go." She said siding with the Brit turned Big Red, "We kinda stand out as we are and there'll be police here soon enough."
The others seemed to think on this for a moment before choosing to side with her on the matter. It took some deft maneuvering to make sure that the others got in first with Xander being closest to the door. Once done however she wasted no time in plunking herself right in Xander's lap and had to restrain herself from pretending to 'get comfortable'. As much as she might not like it her mother had a point. If she came on too strong from the get go he'd only retreat behind the words 'Buffy's little sister' or 'just a kid' and it'd take a massive earthquake in his mind to flush him out.
She needed to warm him up to the idea of being her boyfriend first.
Let him gaze upon the more developed body she now had so he could see that she was no longer a mere girl that he'd get arrested for dating. She'd wear normal clothes mostly like she'd seen some of Buffy's classmates wear the few times she'd been with mom to pick her elder sister up that accentuated her new curves. However when the time came to show how useful she could be in a fight against monsters she'd be clad in an altered version of what she was wearing now. It might've been appropriate for the colder climates of northern Europe but in California as well as the southern American states it was a little too heat absorbing. The coat she'd keep since it was cool and maybe the hat but the rest would need to be changed to better suit the warmer climates.
Once she'd honed what she'd inherited from Gabrielle Helsing and made it her own she'd be able to kick butt with the best of them.
When all of this became clear to Xander she would convey her love for him and do her best to persuade him that the two of them were meant for each other.
This was now the truth more than ever before.
A Cottage Outside of Sunnydale
More Than Half An Hour Later
Giles' POV
"What's this all about G-Man?" Xander asked from his position in a dusty old chair.
"Not just yet Xander." He replied peeking through the crack between the curtains, "I sent both Buffy and Miss Calendar to gather the essentials. They should be back shortly."
He knew he was asking a lot of those present but it was necessary.
Time was not on their side.
"Can you at least tell us what this place is?" Xander asked looking about the interior of the building.
THAT he could do.
"When I first came to Sunnydale I only naturally put into place certain contingencies for certain possible scenarios. One of those was the possibility of needing a fall back position should it become untenable to remain in Sunnydale proper. It took a few weekends but I eventually found this cottage right at the edge of the Hellmouth's range of influence and the rental price of the owner was reasonable enough." He replied stepping away from the window to fully look at the assembled group, "As a matter of common sense I made sure to thoroughly cleanse the place of any Hellmouth taint along with any other malign forces that would render the cottage unsafe. Thus far it has seen no use but it should serve its purpose for the time being."
"Meaning you don't think it's safe to be in Sunnydale right now." Willow said with worry in her voice.
"What could possibly make Sunnydale any more dangerous now than it was before Halloween?" Xander asked sounding convinced that 'dangerous' was the norm for Sunnydale.
The lad didn't realize that there were degrees of dangerous and the level it was approaching was more than they could cope with given their current circumstances.
"Well for one thing if Missus Summers and Dawn are telling the truth then tonight they successfully eliminated a powerful warlock who had wormed his way into a position of power." He replied deciding to submit the SECOND reason for leaving the town, "With him now deceased it is almost certain that there will be a power struggle by the various demonic factions in Sunnydale as they try to fill the void left by the Mayor's demise. It is unlikely that they will be overly careful in keeping their activities away from the ignorant human populace. Some may make an effort of it in order to preserve the lie that there are no real monsters in the world but most will rely on 'Sunnydale Syndrome' as you called it to grant them the needed leeway."
"Then we should be there! Make it clear that the demons can kill each other all they like but humans are off limits." Xander exclaimed clearly opposed to staying safe while others came to harm.
A predictable response but one he had a counter to.
"I would wager we would only add to the chaos if we became involved." He said looking at each of them sternly in order to get his point across, "It is a constant of magical history that any power hastily gained then immediately used is doomed to failure sooner or later. None of us have a complete grasp of what we've become or how to control the abilities to go with our new forms. Indeed it is even possible that we might revert proportionally to how much energy we use and if we became too weak at a moment where strength is needed it could spell disaster for both us as well as any we might save."
Indeed while he was uncertain as to why they had each retained the altered bodies among other things belonging to their costumes when so many others had reverted to normal he knew it was risky to push their luck such as it was. He needed time to cast the necessary spells to determine the particulars before they could risk entering into a dangerous situation. As it was the motivation behind his relocating of those affected was the more immediate threat and they would be able to do little good until it was resolved.
Hearing the sound of approaching vehicles he felt some relief since only Miss Calendar and Buffy knew of this cottage as well as who could be found within.
CRSH!
He felt LESS relief when he looked out the window to see that Buffy had driven her mother's car through the fence rather than pull into the gravel driveway. Apparently the girl had not taken even a basic driving lesson AND was still shaken by the revelation that she still retained the changes done to her by Ethan's bloody spell. At least from this point onward it would likely be Missus Summers who would be driving her car so that should keep them number of accidents to an absolute minimum.
"I'll just say this once Buffy." Miss Calendar said as she came through the door with a full bag in her arms, "You are NEVER driving again."
One would expect that Buffy would now try to defend her driving ability but it spoke volumes about how her current state was affecting her when nothing was said at all. It was almost enough to make him keep the news he held to himself but they had all followed him here without any explanation so they deserved one now.
"How did you fare?" he asked hoping that they'd been able to get most of what he'd requested.
"We were able to pack about a week's worth of food for everyone along with most of the magic supplies you asked for." Miss Calendar replied putting down the bag that was full of food, "Unfortunately whoever's running the magic shop now abandoned the place when all the chaos started AND managed to put up some decent security wards to protect their inventory. We wouldn't have been able to get in with more time than I figured we have."
"Indeed. Now that we're all there I can explain our current situation." He said deciding he'd put it off for long enough.
"Wait! Where's Cordy?" Xander asked looking around at the occupied seats in the room but not finding the popular girl.
"She's here." He said remembering what'd happened after he'd escorted Miss Calendar, Buffy and Cordelia to the cottage, "MISS CHASE? IF YOU'D PLEASE JOIN US NOW."
"Yeah, yeah! I'm coming." Came Cordelia's voice from the kitchen area of the cottage.
When she came into view he was unsurprised to find out that the now light blue haired teenager had managed to find a bottle of liquor and had helped herself to it. When she had told him what she intended to get he had attempted to discourage her citing her changed physiology but her response had settled the matter.
"If I'm not human anymore then I don't need to follow human laws."
While he very much hoped that their present inhumanity was but a temporary thing and that all would be restored to normal or at least as normal as things had been prior to Halloween night he was not ignorant of the other side of the coin. It was entirely possible that what they'd been turned into, what they were right at that moment, would be permanent forcing them to drastically alter their lives in order to cope. One of those alterations would be to determine what sort of rules they would follow and where they would fit in human society. Would they be like the few benevolent demon clans who made their homes in the remote parts of the world? Would they attempt to hide in the shadows of civilization using glamours and disguises to keep the uninformed from realizing the truth?
He did not know.
The only thing he did know was that they needed to deal with their more immediate problems first.
"So now that we're all there G-Man what's going on?" Xander asked with the others looking on in interest, "Why'd you bring us here?"
"I brought you all here because our lives are in danger." He replied deciding to get the seriousness of the situation out of the way immediately, "Indeed it would be in our best interests to leave Sunnydale as soon as we are able to until such time as a resolution to our current 'predicament' can be obtained."
"What!? Why!?" Willow exclaimed clearly distressed at the idea of leaving all she knew behind.
"To understand that there is something that I must explain." He replied while mentally trying to condense untold years of Watcher history while also eliminating irrelevant information, "Since the day the Watcher's Council was formed for the purposes of guiding and aiding the Slayer efforts have been made to ensure that her Calling would succeed. One of those was the manufacture of small statues in pairs such as the one some of you might have seen in my library office."
"The creepy one with the two cavemen and the crystal balls?" Xander asked instantly recalling the item in question.
"Indeed. However their appearance is only secondary to their true purpose." He replied moving on to the more pertinent part, "It was always a concern from the earliest days of what might happen should the forces of darkness attempt to convert either a Slayer or her Watcher to their side of the fight. A Slayer turned into one of the undead or a Watcher transformed into a subservient demon minion could be used to devastating effect in the eternal struggle. As a result while one of the pair would remain forever in Watcher Council headquarters the other would be given to field Watchers who were assigned to locations deemed risky.
"The statues were enchanted so that should the Watcher lose their humanity the crystal sun would shatter and if the Slayer were to lose her humanity the crystal moon would shatter." He explained imagining how things must have occurred, "With the destruction of the crystals the corresponding one in Watcher headquarters statue will also shatter informing them of what happened."
"Where does the fire come into play?" Willow asked reminding him of the current state of his place of work.
"That…that is what happens when both crystals shatter. That is what happens when both Slayer and her assigned Watcher are lost to darkness. When both are lost the magic in the statue is released in a massive discharge of arcane fire intended to destroy all sensitive materials and potentially harmful relics." He replied remembering the moment he'd first laid eyes on the blaze engulfing the high school library, "By doing this it was believed that even if both Watcher and Slayer were turned they would have only themselves and their own memories to offer their new masters. However it is the other part of such a serious situation that is the reason why I gathered us all here. If a Watcher and Slayer are lost to the darkness at the same time the leaders of the Council are immediately notified and a heavily armed termination platoon will be dispatched to their last known location. Their orders will be to terminate both on sight as well as anyone that might be a threat to the Council as a result of what the two turncoats might've spoken about."
"Well then we can explain to them what happened. That you and Buffy are still good guys and that they've got nothing to worry about." Willow said looking tentatively relieved at her logical solution.
Oh to be young and naïve again.
"Were it so simple. For the magic imbued into the statue to activate in this manner Ethan's spell must have transformed us both on a spiritual and physical level. If we were merely changed physically but not spiritually an investigative team would have been dispatched with the platoon placed on standby. If both are deemed to be the same as they were prior to the event spiritually then it is likely an investigation would be initiated to determine how to return them to normal." He explained as he imagined how the next few days would go, "If they were deemed to be a threat then the termination platoon would be ordered to move in and kill them both with extreme prejudice. Given their in depth knowledge of the magic used on both statues they will likely have reached their own conclusions by now regard Buffy and myself. They will dismiss any efforts we make to exonerate ourselves as some sort of deception and devote all their efforts to killing us. All of us."
"All of us! Why?" Xander asked visibly disturbed by what he'd just been told, "I mean as shitty as it'd be for them to kill you and Buffy why would they come after the rest of us?"
"For one thing each of the rest of you are unique as I cannot recall ever reading of beings that look like each of you do now or exhibiting similar abilities. While some amongst the Council would wish to study each of you in order to learn more the faction currently in control has a much simpler response to 'unique' or 'new'." He replied remembering the times when he had encountered the faction in the past, "As with every organization there are various internal cliques who share similar points of view, beliefs and ideas of how things should be and the Watcher's Council is no exception. The one in control at the moment would be the Traditionalist faction and they shun new ideas believing that the old ways are best since they have proven to be effective and should be honored. The second is the Progressive faction believing that the Council must evolve with the times both in terms of methods as well as its view of the world. The last and weakest is the Modernizers who advocate abandonment of what came before as soon as a more scientific and logical replacement has been conceived.
"If the Progressives held the most power within the Council we might stand a chance of pleading our case or at least surviving long enough for trusted methods to exonerate us. Sadly that is not the case." He said momentarily wistful for the possibility of the group to which he belonged gaining control of the Council, "The Traditionalists, led by Quentin Travers, will push for the assassination of both Buffy and myself for certain with the rest of you being discovered during the course of their investigation of the events leading up to our 'conversion to darkness'. They will prey upon the potential 'what if' scenarios a group of unknowns will represent insisting that the chance cannot be taken that any one of you might spawn a new dangerous threat to humanity. Even if the Progressive faction attempts to temper Travers' efforts it is unlikely that they will be able to do more than slow him down. Eventually they will be forced to either follow the will of the Council leadership or be expelled from the Council altogether cutting them off from all connected resources."
Indeed, if for no other reason than to preserve the Giles family reputation, he suspected that others of his family would make an effort to insist on an investigation prior to assassination but in the end they would not risk their positions within the Council. Better to remain a part of the organization and attempt to redeem it from within then be expelled thereby giving the Traditionalists one less opponent to worry about. The other Progressive faction families would likely also show resistance to any hasty decisions but again would have no reason beyond a possible usefulness to their agendas to take any risks on his or Buffy's behalf.
It would take the potential for a substantial gain to convince the Progressive faction to risk direct conflict with the Traditionalist faction.
Looking around the room to each of those present he could tell that they were none of them pleased that a group claiming to fight for the light was going to kill them simply for not being human anymore. He imagined it would be similar to seeing King Arthur and his knights lay waste to an entire village for no other reason than the inhabitants were employing magic of the same sort as Morgan Le Fey.
It was never a kind thing to see ones heroes become little better than the villains they fought against.
"How soon will this termination platoon get here?" Miss Calendar asked taking on an 'all business' tone of voice.
"I cannot say. For security's sake no field Watcher or Slayer is informed of the details of each platoon whether it is the identities of the members or where they are stationed prior to activation." He replied even as he tried to come up with an educated guess, "However it will be close, within the state of California for certain, and they will mobilize the moment they gain the particulars of their mission from Travers. At best we might have another hour or two before they arrive in Sunnydale."
Silence dominated the room as each of those changed by Ethan's chaotic spell considered what the future held for them all. Some were likely considering fighting off the platoon believing that their new inhuman abilities would be enough to make up for the mismatch of numbers. Others would suggest that they flee Sunnydale until such time as they convinced Janus to return them to normal not being as confident that what they'd become would be enough to win the potential fight to come. One or two might choose to hide believing that if they looked human and exhibit any sign of their inhuman nature they would be overlooked.
"So…what's the play Giles?" Buffy asked speaking up for the first time since the meeting had begun.
"I believe our best course of action is to leave Sunnydale until such time as we can return ourselves to normal. The termination platoon will be both armed and trained with killing inhuman beings in mind. Even if the weapons are not totally effective against us, even if we defeat them, Travers will simply send more next time." He replied laying out his best idea for survival, "If we can keep ahead of them long enough to make contact with Janus and convince him to undo his work the Traditionalists will likely reconsider the order to kill us."
"Then let's get going." Buffy said her voice devoid of emotion, "The more distance we put between us and Sunnydale the colder the trail'll be when they get here."
With solidarity born of blood, friendship and quite frankly a lack of a better idea the rest put their support behind the altered Slayer.
He just hoped that Fate chose to be kinder than it usually was to Slayers as well as those who chose to fight alongside them.
"Not just yet young Slayer." A voice unknown to him said from the far corner of the room, "There are a few things you would be better off knowing before venturing away from the Hellmouth."
Turning towards the voice he beheld a sight that was both instantly recognizable and at the same time something no one had seen in almost two thousand years.
"Janus." He gasped as his body stilled at the thought of what might happen next.
Janus' POV
"So nice to know that even after centuries I am still instantly recognizable." He said with a smile on both of his faces, "Still as much as I'd like to have a nice long chat with you time is of the essence."
"DAMN RIGHT IT IS!" Buffy roared before her right hand partially transformed and her fingers became tentacles that tried to ensnare him.
Tried being the important word because right when one might expect physical contact to be made the tentacles passed right through him proving to all present that he was as ethereal as smoke.
"An admirable attempt Slayer Summers and it is pleasing to see that you're adapting so nicely to Sara's gifts." he said feeling a bit smug at the fact that he could not be harmed, "You'll need them."
Looking at them all he could tell that the younger members of the group were fully willing to try themselves to either kill him or ensnare him but as he'd expected Rupert Giles stopped them with a gesture. Ever a man of facts and knowledge Giles met his expectations by desiring to fish for information before taking any serious action.
"What precisely do you mean by that Lord Janus?" Giles asked showing proper decorum in the use of official titles.
"Threats are coming Rupert Giles and a changing of certain…variables…was necessary in order to ensure the survival of planet Earth and its current inhabitants." He replied remembering well what his power over time had shown him.
"With all due respect my lord but both the Slayer and the Watchers Council have been fighting demonic threats for many centuries with our success being evident." Giles said pretending to show confidence but secretly probing for more information, "What could possibly have changed among the forces of hell to warrant altering so many lives?"
"The fact that the threat that is coming is not demonic in nature but rather extra terrestrial." He replied before with a wave of his hand an image manifested next to him, "Their race is called Yautja though the people of Central America call them 'El Diablo cazador de hombres' or 'the demon who makes trophies of men' and I imagine other parts of the world have their own name for the species."
"There have been…reports throughout the centuries of demonic mages who made sport of hunting the strongest warriors of various regions." Giles said referring to the various records the Watchers Council possessed, "However there has never been a firsthand account of an encounter with one of them. All any Watcher has found has been stories, statues and sudden changes in behavior in certain cultures."
"Explanations made using things they were familiar with rather than the truth. After all it hasn't been very long since science truly came into its own or the idea of beings from other worlds was considered a possibility." He said drawing the attention of the conversation return to him, "Their entire society is centered around the occupation of the hunter with the level of prestige and influence being determined by the quality as well as quantity of their hunted prey. When they mastered the science of space travel they broadened their horizons to include life forms on other worlds focusing on those that would represent challenges for them."
"They can't be too powerful if they think hunting humans is good sport." Slayer Summers said still stewing in her anger over not being able to vent some of it violently on him.
"Quite the contrary. In terms of physical strength they are quite capable of holding a human a few feet off the ground by the throat one handed or ripping your spine out of your body in one movement. Even an elite soldier such as a Green Beret would be outmatched in a solely physical fight." He said making it clear that these beings were not to be underestimated, "Amongst their people humans are less known for their physical prowess and more for their craftiness causing the wise hunters among them to consider them dangerous prey."
"I'm guessing that the 'magic' they have is actually advanced technology?" Miss Rosenberg asked sounding like her brain was working a mile a minute.
"Indeed it is. I have not seen all that they possess but some pieces seem to be universal no matter what part of their culture the Yautja come from." He replied before indicating each piece in turn, "Their mask provides protection while also allowing for multiple vision modes, a language translator and some form of vocal mimicry. Their wrist gauntlets seem to be some form of combination of computer and remote control while at the same time housing a potent self-destruct mechanism capable of decimating everything within a five second sprinting distance. They also possess a method of rendering themselves almost invisible to the naked eye save for a slight distortion effect akin to ripples in the air. Put all this in the hands of a skilled hunter who has slain sentient prey for most of their lives and you have an adversary not to be underestimated."
Indeed while he had more information to convey to them about their opponents it would take too long to cover everything. Better to give them a taste of what they were being asked to confront rather than risk the Council's termination platoon surrounding them. Besides if his hunch was correct they would learn all they needed to about their foes in due time without him needing to say anything.
"You speak of them as hunters yet also label them as a threat against the planet and everything on it." Giles said narrowing his now golden iris eyes, "How could a race of hunters with a preference for dangerous prey represent such a monumental threat?"
"Simple. Unlike what one supposed expert on them believes the increase in their visits in recent decades is not because they wish to preserve the human species or at least not entirely. The simple fact of the matter is that they wish to make Earth their own and humanity is both an obstacle as well as a solution if not an unpleasant one." He replied recalling what he'd witness of the Yautja's activities, "Part of their plan for colonizing our world came in the form of instructing humans in the construction of various sorts of pyramids across the world. Theorized to be landing pads for ships they are in fact disguises for highly advanced terraforming technology deep underground as all as other unpleasant things. Essentially the changing climate that environmentalists are often clamoring about is not entirely the doing of mankind but in fact the result of Yautja technology.
"The other half of their plan seems to be focused on harnessing the genetic material found in their human trophies to graft some of our traits into themselves in order to better live on our world. As advanced as they seem to be complete terraforming to the level of rendering genetic alterations and technological support unnecessary is beyond them. The most they seem capable of managing is getting the planet in the same ballpark as what they require and then using genetics to take them the rest of the way." He explained while silently keeping to himself the holes in his position, "Given the increase in the rate of visits and their proximity to some of the pyramids world wide I believe that a change is coming in their approach that will throw subtlety right out the window."
"So what? They're gonna turn their planet transformers from simmer to full blast?" Xander asked sounding like he saw just how big a problem was coming their way.
"I don't know." He replied honestly even though he wished that he could see more, "While my connection to past and future allows me a measure of foresight I have been unable to see more than likely possibilities. Most of those do not end well for humanity."
While part of the reason why he couldn't lock down his visions of the future well enough was due to the fact that he did not have a complete picture of the Yautja the rest was due the steps the Powers had taken to counter the hostile takeover of Earth. Keeping track of the ripples of his own actions was hard enough but when combined with the steps the Powers had taken and it would take all the skill he had just to provide Slayer Summers and her crew some measure of warning.
"So what're we supposed to do? There's just nine of us and with you tellin' us to leave everything behind it's not like we've got a high tech secret lair to work out of." Cordelia said sounding like she wanted no part of the task being presented to her.
"I realize that I am asking a lot of you but this is not something that conventional human militaries can handle. Just one of the Yuatja killed an entire team of Green Berets and all but one member of an elite PMC search and rescue team. Both teams were heavily armed and well trained." He said trying to convey to them the scope of the threat, "If the Yuatja come in force people will die by thousands if not millions both on the ground as well as from orbital bombardment. There is but one chance to prevent this dire future: make them rethink the ease they think they will have in taking this planet. If they fight against you and you prove how much stronger you are then they will at the very least pause in their plans until they understand what all of you are. At most they will fear the possibility that there are more of you hiding on Earth and if provoked will rise to challenge them and possibly repel them."
He did not tell her that there was a secondary reason why he'd chosen the alternate forms he had for Buffy, Willow and Xander. While restrictive each of them had the potential to create more of their kind provided certain biological criteria was met and in doing so become progenitors for a group of defenders every bit as deadly as the Yuatja themselves. While the possibility existed that this might provoke them, the existence of prey more superior than they thought resided on Earth, it would still buy time for normal humans to grow stronger and for their technology to evolve. If the invasion could be delayed long enough it would become impossibly costly for the Yuatja and no wise leaders would condone a course of action where a large portion of their military would suffer destruction.
"And if we ask you to turn us all back to normal?" Buffy asked in a tone that clearly indicated that telling her something she wished to hear would be in his best interests.
"In order to facilitate such a request I would need for the appropriate mystical channels to be opened and for a spell to be constructed to achieve that end." He replied reluctantly choosing to be honest, "As Mister Giles could tell you for almost two millennia the pantheons of old have been required to obey a set of rules that control how much and to what degree we can interact with the mortal world. Almost all of the spells, ceremonies and magic known to mankind were created prior to those rules being put in place. Those that were invented afterwards were done with much trial and error with quite a few pioneers losing their lives in the effort. I am sorry to say that I cannot recall any mage creating a spell that tapped into my power for the purpose of returning nine altered humans to their original forms.
"In other words we'd need to find the Einstein of magic and convince him to draw up a spell for us. Not something done over the weekend I bet." Xander said with anger simmering below the surface even as his eyes began to take on a black tint.
"No. Assuming you could find such a mage, agree upon a price for his services and that he had all the materials he needed were at hand it would likely take half a decade at least." He said with a modicum of regret, "That's of course assuming that he devoted every waking hour to the task with zero distractions and didn't encounter more than the average number of dead ends along the way. Logically it would take longer if that wasn't the case."
The odds of those before him lasting that long while evading Council pursuit forces as well as others who would almost certainly come to learn of their existence were low.
It would be doubly difficult if the Yautja were to learn of them and grew interested enough to send a hunting party to learn more.
Xander's POV
"Even if you're right we don't know how to use these 'gifts' you gave us." He said pointing out something that could not be forgotten, "We've got…bits and pieces of memories. Instincts!"
"Then allow me to help with that." Janus said before snapping his fingers.
Nine flashes of light later books only a little thinner than your average phone book appeared in front of those changed before gravity caused them to fall into their laps. Looking down at the one that'd fallen into his lap he read the title 'Michael Corvin' and realized that he now had something akin to an instruction manual for what he now was.
"You can read the finer details at your leisure later. Allow me to sum up the basics for each of you." Janus said looking directly at him, "You have been transformed into a hybrid of human, vampire and werewolf. His name was Michael Corvin and he lived in a world where such beings were the result of a virus rather than the mixing of human and demonic blood. As a hybrid between the vampires and lycans Michael possessed the strengths of both with the weaknesses of neither. You are now biologically immortal in the sense that you will not die of old age however dismemberment or physical damage beyond what your regenerative powers can handle will kill you."
Shock.
Shock that even a part of him was now the very thing he'd sworn to burn from the face of the Earth however he could for as long as he could. The fact that the monsters were brought into being by a virus rather than filthy demonic blood did little to dilute the disgust he felt throughout his entire body. Would he require blood like THEM in order to survive? Would he lose his human mind and act solely on instinct like the werewolves in the movies? Was he now a MONSTER? A threat to humanity?
"Do not look so offended. Both the vampires and the lycans of that world were still spiritually and mentally human. True centuries of life and the corruptive influence of their abilities caused many of them to think nothing of killing humans but not all were devoid of honor." Janus said firmly with unwavering belief in his information, "Michael had only been a hybrid for a few years and prior to that had been an intern seeking to earn his medical doctorate. He was drawn into the war between the lycans and the vampires against his will but found love in the arms of an elite member of the latter's forces. The Death Dealer Selene."
With that one word his mind became a tempest of memories, emotions and words.
A woman with shoulder length black hair dressed in tight leather bodysuit and trench coat sitting next to him in a car.
~Whether you like it or not, you are in middle of a war that has been raging for the better part of a thousand years. A blood feud between Vampires and Lycans. Werewolves.~
The woman looking out a window into the darkness of night looking like she was lost in memory.
~Something was in the stable, tearing our horses to pieces. I couldn't have saved my mother, or my sister; their screams woke me. My father died outside, trying to fend them off. I stood at my door, about to run to my nieces' room when... Twin girls, barely six years old, butchered like animals.~
More and more memories came until he could not deny that Michael Corvin was not a monster and that he truly loved Selene a warrior vampire hardened by battle but not soulless.
"You will need blood as part of your diet but whether it is human or animal is up to you. However as a compromise I have also made it so that you may ingest normal human food without being poisoned by it." Janus said as he began to turn his gaze elsewhere, "However only blood will fuel your vampire and lycan abilities. Should you go too long without it you will be no stronger or durable than any other human."
~I guess that's something at least.~ He thought feeling a bit of relief, ~Maybe if I just eat my meat rare it'll make it easier to drink blood.~
"You miss Rosenberg are now bonded with a member of an alien race known as the Klyntar. They are symbiotes, beings that require a bond with another life form in order to survive, and through yours you will have access primarily to the powers found in the one called Venom." Janus said looking at Willow with an unwavering gaze, "Normally this race subsists on a diet of phenethylamine a chemical found as a neurotransmitter in the human brain but also in processed chocolate. Most Klyntar drain their host's vital fluids and flesh from the inside out but the Venom symbiote took a liking to its host Eddie Brock thereby choosing not to harm him. What you will likely find most useful is that your 'partner' retains genetic imprints of its previous hosts allowing you access to both powers as well as knowledge. I would recommend taking it slow since devouring it too quickly would give even the Kraken indigestion."
Next to fall under the Roman god's gaze was Buffy who flinched no doubt dreading the summary of the inhumanity she now possessed.
"In your case Slayer Summers the entity I chose was named Sara and was the daughter of two alien/human hybrids. As you've not doubt discovered on your own she is capable of shifting from a completely human appearance to something embodying the other side of her heritage. Sara possessed impressive regenerative healing abilities, tentacles that can be used as weapons, increased intelligence and a high level of adaptability." Janus explained obviously focusing on the good points before dropping the bad, "However as with her parents Sara was genetically hardwired with a desire to procreate and upon reaching maturity would almost constantly be on the hunt for suitable mates. The version I paired you with was not pregnant at the time so you have nothing to worry about there and as for the urge you'll be able to handle it. In its original form it would've been akin to a professional case of subliminal programming where resistance would've been impossible without outside help. IN your case I had the foresight to tweak things a little. Now the urge will be more akin a particularly strong food craving where you know the food in question is not good for you but it's just so delicious that the metaphorical demon on your shoulder will prove to be quite convincing."
~So basically now Buffy will occasionally crave sex like I crave Twinkies.~ He thought imagining how hard a time his hero was going to have in the beginning, ~Guess I'll have to pass on some of my proven methods of resistance when it's just not possible to satisfy the craving.~
"Also in the interests of serving the greater good I have given you the conscious ability to decide whether or not you wish to become pregnant at all. Be aware though that you will have to be moderately clear headed for the ability to activate." Janus said sounding like he thought he'd done the Slayer a favor.
"Gee thanks! You turned me into a nympho alien FREAK!" Slayer Summers bit back with anger making it clear if he ever physically stood in front of her she wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
Not that she could without the proper weapon and a hefty amount of luck but he figured he'd let her figure that out on her own. Still if she was allowed to wallow in order self-loathing it'd only distract her from what was going on around her and that could lead to injury or death.
"That's not what I said and you know it Slayer Summers." Janus said before raising his right hand, "However if it will quell your anger a bit I present to you a gift."
SNAP!
"Aaaahhh! Wh-wha-what're you-" Ghost Sundance said as she manifested in the air above Cayde-6 before being engulfed in his power.
Then in the space between seconds a second Ghost materialized a few feet in the air to the left primarily black with an amber light at its core. As expected the mind in control of the second Ghost shell to gain coherency so he maintained control of the mechanical body until he felt coherence reach the needed level.
"Huh? Wha…where…where am I?" asked the soul of he who used to be the vampire with a soul Angel with his amber 'eye' blinking like a real eye would.
"Angel!" Slayer Summers exclaimed her body bringing her closer to the floating metal star, "Is that really you!?"
"I…I think so." Angel replied moving erratically as he probably tried to move his arms, legs and other things he used to have when he had a human body, "I feel…strange…"
"Explanation. PLEASE!" Cayde-6 insisted no doubt worried about what might've been done to his Ghost and wondering what the presence of a second one meant for him.
"The short of it is that Angel's body got dusted saving Slayer Summers but him dying conflicted with certain plans belonging to certain people who could make life very unpleasant for me." Janus said looking like he was recalling an unpleasant memory, "So I plucked his soul before it could ascend into heaven and then with a bit of fancy spell work I restored your Ghost Sundance before using her excess storage space to act as a container. I was planning to wait until you all got more than a breather before doing this but Slayer Summers' anger needed a bucket of cold water dumped on it."
"So what? I've got two Ghosts now?" Cayde-Six asked even as Sundance eyed the new Ghost with suspicion.
"More or less." Janus replied with a shrug, "From what I saw there's a reason why Titan Zavala and Warlock Ikora don't let you out of the Tower very often. Also given how you 'died' back in your dimension I thought having a backup would help keep you alive."
"You mean I-?" Cayde-6 asked sounding rocked by the confirmation.
"Afraid so. Your body wasn't in good shape when the sniper took out Ghost Sundance and it didn't take much to finish the job. The 'prince' did it himself with your own Ace of Spades hand cannon before walking off with it." Janus replied with a solemn nod of confirmation, "You're lucky I happened to be looking in then and figured out a way to give you a second chance."
"Then this isn't MY body?" Cayde asked making it clear he found it as weird as it sounded.
"No. Originally it belonged to a local citizen of Sunnydale who cobbled together a costume out of a terminator costume, a Robocop costume and a few others including a cowboy costume. Unfortunately it looks like the soul was the mystical property of someone else and got yanked the moment my power touched the body." Janus replied looking curious for a moment, "ANYway this also means that the powers you're used to do not come from The Traveller but rather are substitutions I put into place using various items laying around Roman Olympus. It's sort of why there are certain usage restrictions on how long they can be used and in the case of your Ghost's resurrection ability how many times per day you can be brought back from death. The details are all in the book I gave you."
He could tell right then and there that Cayde was torn between wanting to open his book to learn more and setting the whole thing on fire. In the end though the EXO simply tucked it under his arm until he felt ready to learn more about his new circumstances.
"How long is Angel going to be stuck like this?" Buffy asked her eyes having never left the floating Ghost Angel.
"Damned if I know. My…well I guess you'd call them superiors…were quite displeased with the destruction of Angel's body since they had plans for him." Janus replied shrugging with his lack of a confirmed possibility, "Because of this I plucked his soul before it could ascend to heaven and put it someplace that'd allow it to remain in the mortal realm. Whether that means they'll make a new body for him or force me to do it I don't know. All I can say is that it's not an impossible task though it would take awhile."
Looking at Buffy he could tell that she was weighing her options, discerning her bargaining position where he was concerned, in order to get what she wanted while sacrificing as little as possible.
"Begin work on a body. If you do…I'll fight these hunters." Slayer Summers declared in a way that made him believe she meant every word, "I'll give it everything I've got. Live up to your end of the bargain and I'll live up to mine. Betray me…and you'll never see me coming."
"Very well. I will ply what resources are available to me to do as you ask and with any luck my superiors will use their influence to grease a few proverbial wheels." Janus said not sounding very surprised, "Even if everything goes smoothly it will take at least five years to make it. Can you wait that long?"
"I can learn to." She said with a commitment she'd never shown with regards to her Calling.
"Then it's a deal." Janus said with an honorable nod of his head before something unseen caught his attention, "Well now it seems as though Travers' trained team is more adept at overcoming mystical trickery than I'd thought. They've entered Sunnydale proper."
"Impossible! Even assuming the worst possible odds it should be another two to three hours before they could get here." Giles exclaimed sounding both shocked and afraid.
"Unless of course Travers always intended to eliminate you and Slayer Summers once a suitable excuse presented itself." Janus said disapprovingly, "Remember Mister Giles you have a…colorful past that hardly makes you the ideal Watcher to assign to a Slayer. As for Miss Summers it is well known that the Traditionalists prefer Council raised Slayers to those that have lived their own lives before being Called. All he would need is an excuse that would satisfy the majority of the governing members of the Council and use what leverage he had to silence those that might put up a fight."
"They'd go that far just to get rid of a Slayer and a Watcher they didn't like?" he asked scarcely able to conceive of the 'good guys' killing their own just because they didn't match some ideal image.
"Politics Harris. Politics and agendas." Janus replied showing his distaste for both things, "Travers and those with him are adamant in their beliefs. To him the Council needs to be efficient like a well oiled machine comprised of only the best parts in order to maximize their gains against the 'forces of darkness'. Any 'rusty gears' or parts that won't do as they're told would only hinder this grand objective. Something Travers finds unacceptable. Likely the only thing staying his hand until now has been a lack of enough rope to hang the two of you with."
Unbelievable.
The Watchers Council had been painted as an organization charged with fighting the good fight against monsters and had been doing so for centuries. Trainers and guides to the Slayers, real life superheroines, as they fought to keep the world spinning and evil from gaining any ground in the ages long struggle.
Now…now they sounded like they were motivated by personal self-interest and a cruel view of how things should be done.
"There is one last thing I can do for you before I depart." Janus said even as his image began to flicker and fade, "It should increase the odds of you leaving the area undetected. Farewell brave men and women. May Fortune favor you."
With that Janus vanished from sight but the moment the last of him vanished a bright flash of light lit up the area in front of the cottage. As one the group scrambled for the door both to see what'd happened and out of concern that the light might have given away their location to anyone on the look out for something odd.
What he saw when he stepped outside was not what he'd been expecting at all.
In the place of Giles' rust bucket of a car, Miss C's car and Missus S' car was a truck he'd only ever seen in cartoons and it looked like it'd been dusted off just for them.
It was the vehicle form for none other than the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, trailer and all.
Oh it didn't have the Autobot symbol on it anywhere but the rest of it was a dead match for how it'd looked in the cartoon if someone had taken the time to make a real life replica of it.
"Guess it's time to rollout." He said unable to help himself.
WHAP!
"Keep your inner nerd to yourself Dweeb!" Cordy exclaimed slapping him upside the head and nearly sending him face first to the ground.
~Definitely going to have to be more careful with these ladies.~ He thought rubbing the back of his head even as he moved to get into the driver's seat, ~Not human doesn't equal can't die and dying from slaps upside the idea is not my idea of a good way to die.~
Outside the Apartment Formerly Rented by Rupert Giles
Half an Hour Later
First Lieutenant Makarov's POV
"All squads report in." he ordered from the C&C van.
"Squad one reporting. Negative contact at location one." Sergeant Rorke said over the com-earpiece, "Signs of a hasty departure. Spectre check points to the Fallen Valkyrie. Trace is at least an hour old."
"Squad two reporting. Negative Contact at location two." Sergeant Irons said with some crackling in the background, "Looks like Cain did its job. Comic shop is ash. Salvage impossible."
"Squad three reporting in. Looks like Mordred spooked easy and decided to evac ASAP." Sergeant Kotch said with his men apparently rifling through the apartment for clues.
Smart.
While it might've been a known fact amongst the librarians what usually happened when the field statue lost both crystals he'd always found demons to be a cocky bunch. He'd half expected the things walking around in Summers and Giles' skins to stick around and claim the broken crystals were a misfire caused by Hellmouth energy. At the very least he'd thought that whatever local demon big shot had converted the Council assets would keep them close to be put to use later on. The fact that both targets had bailed in a hurry either meant the ones that changed them hadn't known about the allegiance precaution or they were converted for an operation someplace else and time was crucial.
"Finish your sweeps then head for the residences of known associates. Standard cover story get ups." He ordered figuring that while it was slim there was a chance for a lead.
After all instead of adhering to Council rules and keeping his Slayer as isolated as possible Watcher Giles had let her have friends and a life outside of her Calling. Personally he wasn't all that opposed to such things as long as the girl knew when to get professional and accomplish the mission. However Travers and his bunch were pretty strict about operating by the time honored playbook no matter what. In any case it meant that there was a possibility that the converted might pay a visit to Summers and Giles' known associates either to hide or to 'have some fun'.
Either way it'd be useful and honestly he wished he was going to be doing that but he had a 'more important' job.
Briefing Travers and the governing members of the Council via their magic crystal hologram thingy.
Platoon leadership could be a real bitch sometimes.
Pricking his finger he let a drop of blood hit each of the crystals in turn before speaking the mumbo jumbo words PRECISELY since he had no desire to spend an hour waiting for the thing to reset for another try. When the crystals started glowing blue he knew he'd gotten it right and waited for the connection to stabilize and for Travers' mug to show up.
Sadly he didn't have to wait long.
"First Lieutenant Makarov report." Travers ordered with his usual Brit pompousness, "Have the targets been terminated?"
"Negative sir. All primary target locations are empty but there's evidence that someone left in a hurry with only what they could carry." He reported knowing he'd be getting the 'disappointed' look soon, "Squads are finishing their sweeps then moving onto known associates with the usual cover story and disguises. I submit that whoever's behind the steering wheels now had them evac immediately upon being alerted about the crystals."
"That would imply that the conversion either darkens the souls of the targets to make them more cooperative or have co-opted their bodies granting them access to their memories." Travers said sounding quite worried about how bad things could get, "This could seriously compromise the Council! First Lieutenant you have new orders. Leave squad three behind to follow up on known associates of the targets and relocate yourself along with the other squads to the city of Los Angeles."
Not an unreasonable order but he was curious about their reasoning.
"Would you mind explaining the reasoning sir?" he asked figuring that an answer would be more likely if he was all British and polite about it.
"Since the crystals shattered we have been working to deduce a list of possible culprits for this terrible blow to the Council. One of the closest who possess the resources for such an operation is the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart." Travers replied not sounding reluctant to share his info, "While there are others who would be inclined to attempt something the lawyers have inviolable agreements with them that require their approval for something of this magnitude. Any attempt to convert the targets to their side would be viewed as an attempt to alter the pecking order amongst them and would be opposed by those threatened with demotion."
And W&H didn't like the local clientele fighting amongst themselves while potentially drawing the wrong kind of attention.
The veil of secrecy when it came to the supernatural and demonic worked to their advantage after all.
"So we're to relocate to Los Angeles, put surveillance on primary W&H locations and sweep the city for the targets. Is that correct sir?" he asked just to make sure he knew what was being requested of him and his men.
"That is correct First Lieutenant." Travers said with a sage nod, "We will also be dispatching secondary assets to form a perimeter around the edges of the city. Not enough to draw Wolfram & Hart's attention but enough that we'll be able to cut off the targets' escape route the moment we know of it."
While he didn't like the slight to his platoon he understood that this was an important operation to the higher ups where no chances could be taken.
"Understood. Over and out." He said before terminating the connection from his end.
He had no desire to listen to the sound of Travers' voice any more than he needed to even with what he was paying him. The man might think of himself as a command tent general directing the actions of armies but the truth of the matter was that he was just a British aristocrat whose experience as a leader was limited to maps and little figurines spread out over them. From what he'd heard most of the big positions in the Council were hereditary amongst the founding families with only a handful being occupied by members that'd worked their way up the ranks.
He suspected that their appointments were only approved if they said and did the right things as far as the hereditary members were concerned making them puppets or true believers.
As far as he was concerned it was the quality of the grunts on the ground and in the field that were responsible for the successes the Watchers Council enjoyed over their long history.
People like him and his men.
"This is Arthur to all squads we've got new orders from Merlin." He said opening up a com-connection to every platoon member, "Squad three is to continue fishing locally until vacant lake is confirmed. Me and the rest of you will relocate to Sunny Wings for peeping tom and bloodhound duty. Any actionable intel pops up get sent to me ASAP. Do you copy?"
"Squad One copies." Sergeant Rorke said like a true professional.
"Squad Two copies." Sergeant Irons said showing no signs of having a problem with the orders.
"Squad Three copies." Sergeant Kotch said not liking being given shit duty but that was nothing new.
"You've got your jobs then. Over and out." He said before ending communications.
Even though he'd do his job and had a few tricks up his sleeve he wasn't looking forward to finding the targets in Los Angeles. Officially it had a population of over three and a half million but that didn't count the nonhuman residents so it was probably safer to say three and three quarters million spread out over five hundred square miles. He'd likely be spending the first day there evaluating places where the targets might hide ranging from places friendly to demons to locations that Fallen Valkyrie frequented before being relocated to Sunnydale.
If the targets were smart they'd hide in places no one else wanted to squat in to cut down on the number of people who saw them.
Then again cocky negated smarts or so he heard so maybe they'd get lucky.
Maybe.