A/N: Thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapters. This Chapter is my take on the episode Gemini (SG1: S08xe11). PLease enjoy and remember to review. Reviews give me the pick me up needed to continue writing my stories. Have a great Thursday.
Faith's and Dawn's Room, BPRI, 0000 hours
It has been almost two hours since Willow was beamed away to her hotel room thanks to the Prometheus. As soon as she left, Faith had went back to her room after telling Dawn, Tara, Angel and Cordelia that she was tired and was going to bed. That's exactly what she did; but although she was tired, she couldn't sleep a wink. All she could do way lie down and just look at the ceiling. She knew that of all the people who heard Willow's story, it would be Dawn who would have the most trouble accepting all the new things that she had found out over the past twenty four hours.
Faith knew that Angel and Cordelia would take it well, Tara may take it well as well and she may be the only one who could help Dawn through this information overload. But then again, Faith was pissed with Dawn about her need to blame everything on Willow, she heard what was said between them at the SGC thanks to her own enhanced hearing which was why once the argument began, Faith ran towards the room before someone said something that they couldn't easily take away. But she was too late; she saw how defeated and hurt Willow looked when she told Dawn that she'd ask General O'Neill about her leaving after graduation.
"I hope you haven't asked him Red" thought Faith to herself as she heard the light sobs of Dawn who was sleeping in the bed right across from her.
She recalled how Buffy's younger sister had come back an hour earlier, and looked at Faith who still hadn't fallen asleep.
"Hey" said Dawn softly as she sat on her bed and took off her shoes and socks.
"Hey" replied Faith quietly.
"About what happened…." Said Dawn as Faith quickly interrupted her.
"You don't deserve her, you know" said Faith as she continued to look at the ceiling, "she did everything for you, she even took you in so that you don't go to jail… and then you treat her like crap…. And she still loves you….. despite everything you did to her… she still wanted to take care of you…. And then, what you said yesterday…. You hurt her deeply… she hoped you'd understand but you still hurt her deeply and I don't know if she'll recover from that."
"I…." said Dawn as she had her eyes wide open in surprise.
"When we go back to Colorado Springs at the end of the week" said Faith, "I'll take you to visit B, then you can proudly tell her how you hurt Willow even more"
"I…"
"And if you say that you didn't mean it" said Faith as she looked at the younger girl, "I'll come and throttle you"
"Faith" said Dawn as she started to tear up.
"Good night Dawn" said Faith as she turned away from her and brought up her blanket to cover her face.
That was almost an hour ago but no matter what she did, Faith simply could not fall asleep. But it wasn't because of the younger girl who was sobbing the entire time in the darkness of the room. It was because she was thinking about Willow; she was alone now in a hotel room at a time when she shouldn't be alone. Faith recalled how alone she felt when she was the one living in one of Sunnydale's finest motels all those years ago, the loneliness was enough to make someone go nuts and she didn't want that to happen to someone she loved.
Faith slowly got up from her bed and walked to her closet, and grabbed a decent pair of jeans that complemented the tank top she was already wearing, and her favorite blue jacket.
"Oh, cant forget Red's to-go bag" thought Faith to herself as she picked up the black bag and set it next to the door.
She then put on a pair of socks and her shoes before she walked over to Dawn and ran her hands through her hair.
"Hey Kiddo" whispered Faith as she saw tears coming down the sleeping girls face, "I'm going out for a little while, I'll be back later in the morning"
Seeing that Dawn was making no movement to stop her, Faith bent down and kissed her cheek.
"See you" whispered Faith, "I'll get Tara to stay with you so that you're not alone"
Still seeing no movement from Dawn, Faith stepped back and turned around. She picked up Willow's bag, and a bag with some morning clothes for herself before opening the door and stepping out. She turned to her right and walked a few doors down when she knocked on Tara's door.
"Faith?" said a groggy Kennedy who had opened her girlfriend's door, "do you know what time it is?"
"Yea" said Faith, "I need to talk to Tara"
"Now?" said Kennedy who had confusion etched on her face.
"Yea now" said Faith impatiently.
"Hold on" said Kennedy as she sleepily walked back into Tara's room.
"Hey" said Tara groggy as she came to the door alone, "is Dawnie alright?"
"She's crying and sleeping at the same time" said Faith, "listen, I need to go out for a while, can you sleep in our room?"
"Um…. Sure" said Tara, "just give me a second"
Faith waited as Tara told Kennedy that she would be keeping Dawn company while Faith was out, then she came out into the hallway and closed her door behind her.
"You're going to be with Willow" said Tara knowingly as Faith walked her to the room she shared with Dawn.
"Yes" said Dawn as she opened the door and let Tara in.
"Please tell her that I have no hard feelings" said Tara as Faith nodded and ran towards the elevators.
Once the elevators reached the lobby, she dashed out just as the doors opened and almost ran over Angel in the process.
"Faith?" said Angel as the petite slayer rushed past him, "don't you have a training session in seven hours?"
"Yea" said Faith as she took off running, "I'll be back with Red before that"
"Sure" said Angel as he smiled and walked into the elevator, "umm… I wonder what Cordy's up to?"
Faith ran to Willow's rental car that was slightly dented on the passenger's side door and went in. Taking out the key from her pocket, she started the car and drove off towards the hotel that Willow was staying in.
Hotel Sunnydale, 0045 hours
The ride from the BPRI to the hotel didn't take too long, all Faith had to do was park the car, get their bags and walk towards the hotel lobby.
"Great" said Faith to herself as she entered the lobby, "I don't even know her room number."
Then she approached the front desk and spoke with one of the employees.
"I'm looking for Captain Willow Rosenberg's room" said Faith.
"One moment"
Faith kept on waiting for what seemed like hours, when in reality it was only two minutes but the employee noticed that she was getting very impatient as she kept on tapping her fingers on the desk.
"Alright Miss" said the man, "Captain Rosenberg is in room 1041"
"Alright, thanks" said Faith as she turned at waved at the man before heading to the elevators.
"Ah, tenth floor" said Faith as she got off the elevator after a few seconds nad walked towards Willow's room, "here it is"
Willow was trying to sleep for the past two hours, sure she only managed thirty minutes of sleep but all the thoughts that were jumbled in her head refused to give her any peace. It was then she heard someone knocking on her door.
"It's almost one in the morning" Willow thought to herself, "who could it be this early in the morning?"
So she slowly got up, turned on the lights and tied on the robe that the hotel provided and opened the door.
"Faith?" said Willow as the brunette Slayer walked into her room carrying two bags.
"You know you forgot your to-go bag right?" said Faith as she stared at Willow with her hands on her hips.
"Yea" said Willow as she scratched her head, "I kind of didn't think stuff through when I asked the General if I could leave for the hotel"
"Hey" said Faith smiling, "you got the express train here, I actually had to drive"
"Well" said Willow sheepishly, "Luckily, I forgot the car too"
"It's a good thing I'm here then" said Faith as she walked towards Willow.
"Yea, can you imagine getting a cab in Sunnydale?" said Willow smiling
"That's not exactly what I meant" said Faith as she pushed Willow, robe and all, onto the bed.
"Faith?" said Willow, "I thought we agreed that using your enhanced strength was an unfair advantage"
"I don't remember making such an agreement with you" said Faith as she moved on top of Willow and straddled her.
"I do" said Willow, "the day I went to Antarctica"
"Nope" said Faith with a smile as she untied Willow's robe, "I don't recall"
"I do" said Willow as she laced her fingers in between Faith's after she opened Willow's robe.
"I don't" said Faith as she held down Willow's hands down by the sides of her head.
"But" said Faith as she raised an eyebrow and smirked, "I do seem to recall you being in this same position the day you left for Antarctica"
"Well I do agree with that" said Willow as she looked up and down Faith's fully clothed body and then to the sides at where her hands were, "But that time both of us were dressed, its kinda unfair that I'm the only one without anything on now"
"So what'cha gonna do about that?" smiled Faith as she gave Willow a deep kiss before she started to kiss down her neck.
"You know" said Willow as she closed her eyes, "I could always use my telekinesis on you"
"Hey" said Faith as she stopped what she was doing and looked into Willow's emerald eyes, "That's unfair."
"How is that unfair?" laughed Willow as she raised her upper body up and gave Faith a quick peck on her lips, "you have your enhanced abilities, which I maintain you're using unfairly, and I have my own".
"It just is" laughed Faith when she suddenly stopped laughing and stared at Willow, "Wait…. What are you… don't tell me…."
"Yup" said Willow grinning
"You won't do it, you wouldn't dare" said Faith as she started to feel the sensation of hands all over her body. Faith looked at both her hands holding down Willow's, and then she knew she had lost this battle.
"Oh" said Willow grinning as she telekinetically explored Faith's body, "but I am, and I do dare"
"Oh, you're going to pay dearly for this" said Faith as she closed her eyes and leaned over Willow, enjoying the sensations her love was giving her.
"Then try and make me pay Slayer" hissed Willow into Faith's ear.
Willow's Room, Hotel Sunnydale, 0600 hours
If anyone had come into Willow's room, they would have thought they stepped into the aftermath of a tornado. Faith's clothes and underwear were strewn all over the room with Willow's robe somehow hanging precariously on the curtain rod.
Willow stirred awake at the sound of her phone alarm going off as she found herself laying her head on Faith's chest, with her hand wrapped around her naked waist.
Still groggy, Willow telekinetically reached out for the phone, pulled it to her outstretched hand and turned off the alarm.
"Faith" said Willow as she kissed the slayer's shoulder and neck, "it's time to get up, you have training with the potentials in an hour"
"You and your telekinesis won the battle this time" said Faith smiling as she kissed the top of Willow's head, "I can't feel my entire lower body".
"Well you could always tell Angel and Cordelia that you'll be starting the training session for the potentials a bit late" said Willow.
"Yea?" said Faith smiling, "and what would be a good reason?"
"How about.." said Willow deep in thought, "oh I know, 'Dear Angel and Cordelia, I had naughty, very, very naughty Slayer sex with my girlfriend and now I can't feel anything in my lower extremities. Would like to request that the training session start late, at least until my girlfriend and I relearn how to walk', well?"
"Oh hell no" said Faith laughing, "Can you imagine their faces?"
"Cordelia will be smirking" said Willow, "and Angel's face will be as red as a beet"
"Plus I don't think that he'll be able to look us in the eyes for months" said Faith.
"Months?" said Willow laughing, "I was thinking at least a year"
"Hey" said Willow after the two naked women stopped laughing, "thanks for coming"
"Which one? The first, second or third time" smirked Faith.
"You know what I mean" said Willow as she lightly punched Faith in the arm before kissing her deeply, "seriously, thanks for coming to stay with me. I don't think I could have stayed alone after what happened yesterday"
"I love ya Red" said Faith as she kissed the top of Willow's head.
"Love you too Faith" said Willow as she lay her head back down on Faith's chest and listened to the rhythmic beating of her heart.
BPRI, Training Room One, Slayer Basic training
Willow was on the side lines watching as Faith and Kennedy led the training sessions for a new batch of Potential slayers who had just come of age. She was amazed at how Faith handled the different situations she was put in; there was Faith the Slayer, Faith the Civilian Consultant at the SGC and Faith the woman.
"I love all three" thought Willow to herself as she looked at Faith bark instructions to the potentials and show them the basics on staking a vampire.
Willow had talked to Angel about these new potential slayers and where they would be staying and what she found out from him was interesting. The new potentials would be staying with families in the nearby neighbourhoods that have been vetted by the NID. Angel had told her that this was done so that the newest potentials would have an easier transition as, for many, they would be staying away from their own families for the first time.
"How about education?" asked Willow.
"The potentials who've already completed high school have been admitted to U.C. Sunnydale" said Angel, "the ones who've yet to finish High School will finish their last year at Sunnydale High, and then move on to U.C. Sunnydale"
"Sunnydale High huh?" said Willow, "Yay for the Hellmouth"
"We've got some people keeping a watch on the Hellmouth here and others across the world" said Angel, "Giles recommended a coven in Devon which the BPRI approached to assist us in watching out for any demonic spikes and such"
"I hope they know what they're getting into" said Willow as she looked at Angel, "I'm saying that as Willow, not as an Air Force officer. I remember the nightmares I used to have after patrolling with Buffy"
"Yea, they have to sign a consent form to participate in this Potential Slayer Program" said Angel, "they know what the deal is, they know about their possible destiny as a Slayer. They know that they have to train themselves just in case."
"I'm glad that almost every potential the BPRI approached has accepted the offer to participate" said Willow.
"Me too" said Angel as he glanced at Willow and whispered, "how are you doing?"
"I'm alright" said Willow as she saw Dawn participate in the training too.
"Dawn's a potential too?" asked Willow in surprise.
"No" said Angel, "but she has been very eager to participate during the training sessions, she even emailed me about it"
"Oh" said Willow.
"You didn't know?" asked Angel in surprise
"No" said Willow, "There are a lot of things I don't know about her, I don't think we have a relationship anymore"
"I'm sorry" said Angel, "she took Buffy's incarceration extremely hard"
"She's still taking it hard" said Willow, "I already asked General O'Neill if she can move in with Tara on a permanent basis after she graduates"
"What did he say?" asked Angel
"He denied my request" said Willow, "he said that if he approaches the President with that request, then I've lost all credibility where the Scoobies are concerned, he asked me to work harder at fixing up my relationship with Dawn"
"He's a smart man" said Angel
"He is" said Willow, "I've tried everything Angel, right now it seems that we're just strangers who happen to live in the same apartment together"
"Willow" said Angel
"Sorry to bother you with my problems" said Willow as she looked at Angel.
"You're no bother" said Angel as he lightly squeezed her shoulder.
"Hey looks like they're done" said Willow as she saw everyone pick up their stuff and head out.
"Hey Red" said Faith with a grin before looking at Angel, "Hey boss man, Where's boss lady?"
"She's discussing the living arrangements with Agent Reed for these new potentials" said Angel.
"Faith" said Dawn and Kennedy as they ran to the slayer, "we're going for lunch in twenty minutes"
"Sure, why not" said Faith as she smiled at Willow, "we'll all go"
"No, no, no" said Kennedy, "just the Slayer, the senior potential and Dawn"
"Kennedy?" said Angel
"Seriously" said Kennedy, "we just want to discuss some training techniques we could implement after Faith leaves"
"Willow could have some ideas about what training sessions you could use" said Angel, "her military training would complement whatever training session you may come up with"
"No thanks" said Kennedy laughing as she shook her head, "training by that Marine instructor would be better, when's that Colonel whatshisname coming again?"
"Nice" said Willow as she approached Kennedy, "you're willing to use Air Force transport but not the training huh?"
"Oh please" said Kennedy, "I meant I don't need any training tips from you"
"Kennedy" said Angel, his voice low.
"Angel" said Willow, "please, I'd like to hear this"
"So talk" said Willow as she stared at Kennedy.
"How about you and me go at it huh?" said Kennedy, "let's see how useful Air Force training is against a Slayer"
"Potential" said Willow as she stepped forward just inches away from Kennedy's face, "all you are is a potential Slayer, I know you have nowhere near the fighting skills as Faith or Buffy"
"I don't need the full Slayer abilities to beat a traitor like you" said Kennedy
As Kennedy winked at Dawn, she never saw the kick from Willow that connected to her torso and knocked her back a few steps.
"Oh" said Kennedy as she threw a punch that hit Willow's face even before she could step back, "looks like the 'Captain' here has got some guts"
"Willow! Kennedy!" barked Angel and Faith respectively as they tried to stop a full fledged fight between the Air Force officer and the potential Slayer.
Angel quickly moved to put his arms around Willow before pulling her back and stopping her from moving any further. At the same time, Faith grabbed Kennedy's arm and twisted it as she brought the potential slayer down onto the floor.
"What the fuck is the matter with you?" said Faith as she held Kennedy down.
"Come on Faith" said Kennedy as she stared at Willow who was being held back by Angel, "just wanted to see if the cowards got any balls on her"
"Get out of here" said Faith as she brought Kennedy forcibly onto her feet and pushed her away, "you're to stay in your room until I figure out what the hell to do with you"
"It was just a joke Faith" said Kennedy as she pointed at Willow, "if she can't take a joke then what good is she?"
"You never, ever call my girlfriend a traitor" said Faith as she stepped up to Kennedy and stopped just inches away from her face, "not when you have no idea all the sacrifices she's made for you, Dawn and all of us to be safe. Is that clear?"
"But…" said Kennedy
"Is. That. Clear?" said Faith
"Yeah, yeah" said Kennedy as she walked to her room.
"Red" said Faith as she looked at Willow follow Kennedy with what looked like an intent to kill in her eyes, "Red!"
"What?!" said Willow as she looked at Faith.
"Calm down Red" said Faith.
"I'm going to let go of you now Willow" said Angel as Willow nodded.
Angel slowly released his arms and stood in front of a panting Willow.
"Willow" said Dawn.
"Don't" said Willow as she turned to face Dawn in anger, "Just don't"
"Red" said Faith as she gently took her face in her hands and turned it towards her, "I'm here, look at me. You need to calm down, stay in control"
It was just at that inopportune moment that Willow's secure phone rang in her pocket. Making sure that only the ones who knew about the SGC were present, she answered the phone.
"Rosenberg" said Willow a bit angrily
"Willow?" said Colonel Carter
"HI Colonel" said Willow as she inwardly cursed herself.
"You alright?"
"Yes ma'am" said Willow, "sorry if I sounded a bit off"
As Angel and Faith were talking to each other, Dawn stole glances at Willow. What she saw next not only confused her, it actually frightened her slightly. She noticed how calmly Willow was talking to whoever it was on the other line when suddenly Dawn saw fear in her face and her hand holding the phone started to tremble slightly.
"Red?" asked Faith once she noticed that Willow was done talking on the phone.
Angel also had noticed the rapid heartbeat, the trembling and the increased sweat production that indicated a fear response and knew instantly something was wrong.
"Willow?" asked Angel
"That was the SGC" said Willow as she seemed in shock.
"What's going on?" asked Faith
"Replicators" said Willow as she looked into the wide eyes of Faith. Faith read the mission reports too, and she knew the dangers that a species of mechanical bugs that eat everything in their path could pose.
"What about the replicators?" said Faith.
"Dawn" said Angel, "I think we need to leave them alone. It doesn't concern us"
"But….." said Dawn as she looked at Willow, "Willow….."
"One replicator ship is heading to this galaxy as we speak" said Willow as she looked at Faith, Angel and Dawn.
"How do they know?" asked Faith as she held on to Willow's shoulders.
"A human form replicator contacted the SGC to warn them" said Willow
"What are replicators?" asked Dawn, "you mentioned only the Goa'uld to us, what are the replicators?"
"Dawn" said Willow
"Please" said Dawn, "no more secrets, we already know about the Stargate, the Goa'uld and humans on other worlds. You said I've got no idea about what's going on in the galaxy; then tell me, please"
"You're right" said Willow as she looked at Dawn, "replicators are a race of mechanical bugs, they swarm through a galaxy going after races that have advanced technology and then they incorporate that technology into their own. Then, they eat everything else to replicate. All they need is one ship to start the infestation"
"Then they won't come after us right?" said Dawn, "I mean, we're not that technologically advanced"
"Think about it Dawn" said Willow, "they'll go after the Goa'uld first, then they'll come after us. We've got more advanced technology than the public are aware off"
"But….." said Dawn
"Remember Dawn" said Willow, "no one can know, not even Buffy or Xander; everything is covered under your NDA. Welcome to the 'Keeping Secrets from Your Loved Ones' club"
"Let's go then" said Faith, "just give me a few minutes to change"
Willow closed her eyes and stopped Faith from leaving the room as she held on to the Slayer's arm.
"What's going on?" asked Faith as she looked at Willow
"Colonel Carter just asked me to return to the SGC" said Willow, "those are my orders"
"But…." Said Faith
"Those are my orders Faith" said Willow as she looked at Faith as Dawn and Angel stood behind her, "the Colonel said it's just a meet and greet, the human form replicator is going to give us information on how to destroy the ship, and then we'll be destroying the Human form replicator after the ship is destroyed"
"Is it safe?" asked Angel
"I don't know" said Willow with a small smile, "our missions seldom go as planned"
"Screw the orders" said Faith as she pushed Willow aside, "I'm going"
"Faith" said Willow as she held on to her hand, "she told me that the NID Oversight has been making a lot of noise about not having a trainer for the Potential Slayers, at least until Buffy's out. And with the President unwilling to release her so soon; well, they've wanted you for a long time. Agent Reed has been pushing for you to permanently join the BPRI"
Upon hearing that, Faith stared at Angel surprised.
"I didn't know that" said Angel with his hands up, "I swear"
"General O'Neill has been trying his best to prevent a permanent transfer since you're important to the SGC as well" said Willow, "so he made a deal, you train the potentials for a week every month until Buffy's out on probation. That's why he arranged SG1's schedule so that you'd be able to go on missions when you're not at the BPRI"
"And if I leave right now?" asked Faith
"The civilian oversight branch of the NID that handles the BPRI can say that you haven't been made available to them as promised and because of that, you'll have to be permanently transferred to this place" said Willow.
"Why wasn't I told about that?" said Faith
"Neither was I Faith" said Willow, "until now, it was just need to know for me and you. The General has been protecting you from the BPRI because he knows that you're important to Stargate Command. So please, I'm asking you to stay. Keep training the girls, right now they need you"
"And you don't?" asked Faith as she stepped towards Willow.
Willow: "I need you, always"
"Faith" said Angel, "some of the newer girls need training when they go out on patrol, what they need to do, how they should fight. We need you too now"
"I'll be fine" said Willow, "I've got Colonel Carter and Teal'c with me, we've always watched each other's backs."
Willow: "I'll be fine Faith"
Faith: "You'd better be, I still owe you for this morning"
Willow: "Alright, I'll let you win the next round"
"I've gotta go" said Willow as she stepped back from Faith, "I've gotta go back to the hotel and get my stuff before the Prometheus transports me to the SGC"
"Goodbye" said Willow as she turned and ran towards the lobby as Faith, Dawn and Angel stood in the empty training room.
"I gotta go and talk to Andy" said Angel as he left the room looking for Agent Reed, leaving only Faith and Dawn in the room.
"Will she be alright?" asked Dawn
"Do you really care?" asked Faith as she walked away from Dawn and went to their shared room to silently prepare for that night's patrol.
Dawn stood alone in the room with mixed emotions coursing through her mind. She should hate Willow for what she did to the Scoobies, but now that she too shared her secrets, Dawn knew exactly how Willow must have felt not being able to tell anyone about how her work was, what she had to do everyday. In a way, this was the ultimate punishment for Dawn. She was now put into Willow's shoes, and had to think about how Willow must have felt when they took her and tried to torture her for information at the old Slayer Council.
She was confused, and the only other person she could talk to this about was Tara.
"Yes Tara" thought Dawn to herself as she left the training room, "she'll know what to do"
Briefing Room, SGC, Eight Hours later
"Woah" said Willow as she watched a recording of the conversation with the human form replicator who looked exactly like Colonel Carter. Standing next to her was General O'Neill, Colonel Carter, and Teal'c - the whole event felt surreal to Willow.
"That's what I said" said General O'Neill as he turned to look at Colonel Carter, "Carter, why is Fifth coming to this galaxy out of all the other ones out there?"
"I think it might be personal, Sir" she replied.
"Personal?" asked Willow
"Well" Colonel said, "Fifth may lead an army of incredible advanced machines but deep down he's emotionally immature, like an adolescent boy who just happens to have….. feelings….. for me"
"Oh" said Willow looking at the Colonel and then back to the recording.
"So that's why he created one in your image?" asked the General
"I'd guess so" Carter replied
"I don't know about anyone at this table" said Willow pointing down at the table while leaning back into her seat, "but that's just soo creepy"
"You got that right" whispered Colonel Carter looking away from the television at the end of the conference table before she leaned forward, her arms resting on the surface of the table.
"Replicators have never before attempted to impersonate a specific individual," said Teal'c as he looked at every member of SG-1 before turning his head towards O'Neill, "this represents a significant new threat to security."
"It could be a problem off world" said the Colonel nodding in agreement, "but our scans would detect them if they tried to come through the Gate."
"Ummmm…" Willow raised her hand to get everyone's attention. Once she had their attention, Willow put her hand down and leaned forwards, "Since she wants to die, and as Teal'c said she's a threat to security, why do we do just that. Why not just destroy her"
"Red's right" said the General, "we've got the distrupter, so we just give her what she wants"
"I think that might be a little hasty, Sir" the Colonel hurriedly said as she looked at the General and Willow.
"Carter?" asked the General, "you know she's a danger."
"I-I'm not saying we don't do it. I'm just suggesting that we talk to her first" the Colonel clarified, "If Fifth really is coming to this galaxy; she could provide us with valuable intelligence. I mean, it's pretty clear they've had some kind of falling out."
"Unless she's faking it," Willow added.
"Indeed" said Teal'c.
"Well, I'm not allowing her on base," said the General.
"We could use the Alpha site. Evacuate everyone except for a skeleton crew consisting of security personnel only," Colonel Carter suggested.
For about a minute, there was silence in the room as the General pressed his lips together before reluctantly saying, "Fine, but the first sign of something going wrong, we pull the trigger."
"Agreed," the Colonel nodded her head.
"Alright then" said the General as he stood up. At the same time, the others stood up as well before nodding their heads when the General added, "get ready, you leave in an hour."
"Willow Rosenberg… Colonel Carter," said Teal'c as he bowed towards the two women before turning around and moving towards the hallway that would leading out of the briefing room and past the General's office.
"Where's Daniel, ma'am?" asked Willow as she walked around the table before leaving for the hallway with Colonel Carter by her side.
"He's at home preparing for his trip on the Prometheus," Colonel carter responded, "they're preparing to travel to Atlantis in a few hours"
"Oh" said Willow as put her hands into her pockets. She needed to tell the Colonel what happened in Sunnydale; she wanted the news to come from her and not a possible letter of complaint from the BPRI, "ma'am, in Sunnydale, I did something that was out of character for me."
"What happened?" asked the Colonel as they strode through the hallway towards the elevator lobby.
"I lashed out at one of the Potentials today," Willow answered before the Colonel looked at her in surprise.
"Why?" the Colonel asked.
"She said some things" said Willow recalling her response to Kennedy's taunts, "and I simply just lashed out, I kicked out at her but Angel stopped me before I could do anything else. It as if I simply lost control of my emotions and got furious at her."
"You realize that I'll have to tell the General about this?" said the Colonel as she looked at Willow.
"Yes ma'am," Willow replied before adding, "I'll do better to control myself next time."
"I know," said the Colonel as she smiled at Willow.
"If it's alright with you and the General" said Willow, "I'd like to spend more time honing my emphatic abilities with the Nox while Faith is training the Potential Slayers."
"I'll bring it up with the General" said Colonel Carter, "you think you lashed out because of your emphatic abilities?"
"I really don't know ma'am" said Willow, "all I know is that I lost control of my emotions, and then I hit her. But then again, I can't really use that as an excuse. I know I did something wrong."
"I see" said the Colonel as they almost reached the elevator lobby, "I'll talk to the General after this mission is completed."
"Yes ma'am" said Willow just before the both of them noticed Teal'c holding the elevator door for them. They quickly jogged towards the opened doors. ENtering with nods to Teal'c the three of them headed for the male and female locker rooms on the twentieth floor.
SGC Alpha Site
The Stargate just activated at the Alpha Site with a full security detail including Teal'c who was armed with the Replicator Disruptor weapon that General O'Neill had built when he had the Ancient's knowledge downloaded into his head. Alongside Teal'c stood Willow, who was aiming a modified M16 rifle with a grenade launcher attachment at the gate.
Willow noticed Teal'c looking at her with an eyebrow raised and a smile.
"Hey" said Willow with a small smile while nodding at the weapon in her hands, "you get to handle the cool toys; so it's only fair I get to play with the big guns"
"Very well," replied Teal'c with a nod before the both of them faced the open wormhole once again as the event horizon rippled and the replicator version of Colonel Carter walked through the Stargate.
RepliCarter, as she was called, looked around and noticed Teal'c and Willow standing by the gate, both aiming weapons at her.
"I know you" said RepliCarter as she walked down to Teal'c and Willow. At the same time, the four additional SFs at the bottom of the stairs flanked the two members of SG-1 - all four SF's were also aiming their weapons at the Replicator.
"You are Teal'c" said RepliCarter after she glanced at the SF's after reaching the bottom step and then stepping onto the cold floor. She then turned her attention to both Teal'c and Willow before tilting her head at the latter and saying, "you are Willow, you have grown"
Willow stood her ground, her weapon remaining aimed at RepliCarter as she took a few more towards her before stopping, "do not be afraid, I have come here to be destroyed so that Fifth will not be able to use me"
"I'm not afraid" said Willow, "just cautious"
"You have Colonel Carter's memories" said Teal'c as he moved closer to Willow.
RepliCarter turned her head towards Teal'c and said "Yes" with a smile which had no warmth behind it.
"But you are not Samantha Carter" said Teal'c as he and Willow stepped to one side, their weapons never leaving RepliCarter's sight. He then nodded to a doorway to his right - a doorway that led into the base itself, "That way"
RepliCarter continued to look at Willow with a smile - a smile that creeped her - before looking away as she walked past the redhead.
"I have Sam's memories of you as well, Willow" said RepliCarter unsmiling as she stopped, "would it be so wrong to just congratulate you on your growth as a person since your 'unique' arrival." She the turned to face Willow and reached out with her left hand, "All I offer is a simple handshake"
"Ummmm… no" said Willow before glancing at the offered hand before looking back into the RepliCarter's cold eyes. She then nodded at the same doorway, "let's go"
Willow's blood froze at the stare that Colonel Carter's duplicate gave her as she slowly pulled back her hand. She then turned away and walked into the Alpha Site proper.
The group walked through the hallways until reaching a room with open doors where Willow stopped at the entryway and looked on as Teal'c and the four SF's led RepliCarter into the empty interrogation room which contained a monitor showing Colonel Carter, who was in another room. Willow listened as Colonel Carter interrogated her replicator duplicate. Amazingly, RepliCarter had all the memories and feelings of Colonel Carter. But there was something right under the surface that Willow couldn't touch, she knew that something was wrong but she couldn't put her finger on it. Willow frowned while wondering what could be putting her on edge, 'maybe its the fact this thing... a replicator copy of Colonel Carter... could kill us all?' But no, that wasn't it as Willow took a deep breath while setting her eyes on RepliCarter. She already reminded Teal'c, Colonel Carter, and General O'Neill before leaving the SGC that her emphatic abilities may not be able to read the emotions of a replicator - so there was no way to know if RepliCarter could be deceitful. Colonel Carter told them it was a risk, but a risk worth taking especially since they could be getting data on Fifth and the movements of the other Replicators.
"I can't sense anything" whispered Willow after glancing at Teal'c standing next to her, "No thoughts, no feelings." Teal'c nodded his head while Willow's eyes returned to stare at RepliCarter who looked over her shoulder at the both of them. Willow could have sworn RepliCarter's lips formed into a smile before returning her gaze to the screen in front of her. Willow felt a chill travel up and down her spine when the human-form replicator said something that shocked everyone in the room. Even Colonel Carter who quickly leapt out of her chair in the other room. Willow heard a door open a few rooms down, followed by hurried footsteps coming towards her. She and Teal'c then stepped to one side as Colonel Carter ran into the room and faced her duplicate.
"What did you just say?" asked the Colonel, still in shock at the unexpected and horrifying revelation.
"Fifth made adjustments to himself and all the other Replicators except me" said RepliCarter, "They're now immune to your disrupter. They're coming…. and you can't stop them"
SGC Alpha Site, six hours later
Willow and Teal'c looked on as RepliCarter attempted to locate and download the cipher that Fifth created to make himself and the other replicators immune to the disruptor through a shared subspace connection shared by all replicators . What made Willow worried was that there was no way to determine if the replicator was telling the truth, she couldn't get a read on her no matter how hard she tried.
"Willow" said RepliCarter as she gently touched her arm while walking past her towards another computer, "I am really just trying to help, after I am done. I will die"
Willow watched as RepliCarter gave her a smile devoid of any warmth before she hurried away and rejoined Colonel Carter who was testing the unmodified disruptor so that they could analyse the energy output in order to create a modulation programme that would defeat the cipher created by Fifth. In the meantime, Willow and Teal'c requested General O'Neill to ask the Asgard for a disruptor satellite sent to them as soon as possible.
Two hours later, not only had the Asgard sent the satellite to the Alpha Site, Teal'c had taken it inside a F-302 and placed it in orbit around the planet on which the Alpha Site was located since Fifth was heading to that particular location to recapture RepliCarter. While Teal'c was in orbit placing the satellite in orbit, Willow held the disruptor weapon at RepliCarter. It was minutes later when Colonel Carter rushed into the lab to get a status update from her duplicate, that they discovered RepliCarter had found the cipher and was downloading it into her memory banks.
"I have it" she said smiling
"We need to load it into the base mainframe" said Colonel Carter as RepliCarter nodded and melded her hands into the computer keyboard so that she could input the data directly.
"Whoa" said the Colonel as she watched her double.
It was soon after Teal'c returned from orbit - about twenty minutes later - that all hell broke loose at the Alpha Site. The long range scanners showed that the replicator ship had come out of hyperspace early before they could upload the modulated energy output calculations to the satellite. It was approaching the Alpha Site. Immediately Colonel Carter initiated evacuation protocols and had every intention of bringing the duplicate to Stargate Command, which was against the wishes of General O'Neill.
As Colonel Carter was trying to convince Teal'c of the benefits that the SGC could have with the duplicate coming along, especially if Fifth somehow found a way to defeat the new modulated wave, Willow was staring at RepliCarter who had her back to Willow. She walked over to the replicator and watched over her shoulder at the screen. Immediately Willow stepped back after having seen the unusual readings and yelled "Hey!" as she raised her weapon at RepliCarter, which led to Teal'c raising the disruptor weapon at RepliCarter as well. Willow fired her weapon first, but there was no effect as RepliCarter stood still while her hands were immersed into the keyboard.
"Colonel Carter" said the Technician on the other side of the room, "the satellite just fired"
"What?" said the Colonel as she ran to a nearby display showing the disruptor wave from the satellite impacting the replicator ship, "the ship's breaking up"
The Colonel then turned to RepliCarter who has just pulled her hand out of the keyboard, "What did you do?"
"What I came here to do" said RepliCarter after she calmly turned around and stared coolly at the Colonel, "you were right about one thing, Colonel. I was never working with Fifth, though he didn't know it."
"No" said the Colonel as she ran to another computer and started to check some data.
Willow looked on in shock as Teal'c fired the disrupter at Replicarter. But instead of disintegrating her, the beam simply washed over her without any effect. He then ran towards her, swinging the disrupter as a club, but she grabbed it with one hand and Teal'c with the other hand before easily throwing him across the room. The technician stood up and ran at her but she threw him to the floor as well.
"Hey!" Willow exclaimed as she started to fire her weapon at RepliCarter once again to no luck. In such a confined space, she didn't want to risk the grenade launcher. She kept on firing and emptied a full clip into RepliCarter while she simply stood there looking at Willow. Once Willow used up all her ammo, she was preparing to put in a fresh clip just as a silver wave washed over RepliCarter. Willow stared in shock as all the bullet wounds on the human form replicator's body simply vanished.
Willow pushed the clip into the weapon and then aimed it at RepliCarter who rushed towards her. Before Willow could pull the trigger, the replicator grabbed the barrel and swiftly pulled the weapon out of Willow's grip. At the same time, RepliCarter rushed forward and swung a backhanded fist at the side of Willow's head before the latter knew what was happening. The fist made contact with the side of Willow's head which made her turn around slightly dazed. Replicarter took advantage of the dazed Willow as she put her arm around her neck, holding her in place before turning her around to face Colonel Carter and Teal'c who was slowly getting up off the floor.
"What are you doing?" asked the Colonel as she noticed the cold smile on her duplicate.
"I have all your memories Sam" said Replicarter while Willow was trying to find her balance, "I know what you really think about her, I know you fear her. I also know the plans you had once you saw her use her powers when you went to Hala, what she did to Ronon when you went to Praclarush Taonas"
"What?" said the Colonel, "What are you…?"
Replicarter then whispered into Willow's ear, "I was telling you the truth when I said you've grown, the problem is that you have the potential to be the crucial link that can defeat me and my bretheren. And I can't allow that to happen"
Willow slowly brought her hands to the arm that was around her neck. Even it her dazed state, she was trying to grip the arm with her hands and then pull it away. But the arm was stuck to her like a steel vice. She even tried to push through her dazed state and telekinetically push RepliCarter away from her, but she couldn't.
"What's going on?" thought Willow to herself, "What happened to my telekinesis, why cant I hear anyone's thoughts?" She knew she wasn't able to hear RepliCarter's thoughts, but now she couldn't hear the thoughts of the people around her. Nor could she feel their emotions.
"Shhhh" said Replicarter, "I'll make this as painless as possible."
Willow arched her back and opened her mouth wide as she felt something sharp go through her body very slowly. She could even feel the edges of whatever weapon was being used against her. She looked at Colonel Carter and Teal'c as they looked on in shock.
"What's going on?" thought Willow to herself, "How come I don't feel anything? Colonel? Teal'c? What's wrong?"
Willow then looked down and saw what looked like the blade of a broadsword sticking out of her abdomen covered in blood.
"Oh" said Willow as she looked at Colonel Carter and Teal'c.
Willow then felt the sword being pulled back through her before feeling another thrust through her torso and another thrust near the site of the first injury. A few seconds later she tasted blood in her mouth.
"Oh crap" thought Willow to herself as she saw Teal'c running towards her before RepliCarter pushed her off the sword. After Willow fell onto her side on the hard floor, she saw RepliCarter step over her body as the blood covered sword morphed back into RepliCarter's hand. The human-form replicator then grabbed a hold of Teal'c and threw him to one side like he was nothing.
Willow couldn't see what was happening to Colonel Carter as she found she couldn't move her head because it was just too painful.
"I'll heal" rasped Willow as she brought her hands to her wounds but noticed that the wounds weren't closing as they should be, "why? Why aren't I healing? It never took this long."
She heard a commotion behind her as computers and equipment crashed onto the floor before all the lights went off, resulting in the emergency lighting coming on.
"Why can't I sense anyone? Where are everyone's thoughts? Colonel? Teal'c? Faith? Where are you Faith? Why can't I see you? Why can't I hear you?" thought Willow to herself as she looked at her own hands that were covered in her own blood.
"Willow Rosenberg… Willow Rosenberg"
"Teal'c?" whispered Willow softly. She could feel pain all over her body. It hurt.
"Colonel Carter will return, she has gone after the replicator", then he looked up and shouted, "where is the Doctor?"
"Sorry Sir" said the Technician, "we just have a small security contingent here, basic skeleton crew and since the power just got out, we can't access the dialling computer"
"Help her, Teal'c" said Willow as she started to lose focus in her eyes, "help her…. get that bitch"
"Sergeant" said Teal'c, "do you have field medical training?"
"Yes sir, but…."
"Do what you can" said Teal'c, "ask someone to get whatever you need from the infirmary, do not leave her side or else you answer to me"
"Yes sir"
Willow then saw something she thought she would never see, Teal'c angry.
"Huh" thought Willow to herself as she closed her eyes, "would wonders ever cease?"
Control Room, SGC, 15 minutes later
"Unscheduled off world activation" said Walter as the Stargate activated behind the safety of the iris and the shield.
"What's going on?" asked General as he ran down the stairs
"It's the Alpha Site sir" said Walter, "it's Colonel Carter, on video and audio"
"Put her on" said the General. Before long, he saw the Colonel facing him through the screen. "Carter?"
"Sir" said the Colonel, "we have an emergency medical situation, we need Dr. Brightman and Dr. Warner ready at the gate room. We're coming in now, please deactivate the Iris and the shield."
The General and Walter looked at each other in concern.
"Carter" said the General, "what happened?"
"No time Sir" said the Colonel, "It's Willow, please get the medical team ready"
"Five minutes" said the General as he grabbed the microphone.
"Sir" said Colonel Carter, "we don't have five minutes, we're coming through now"
"Deactivate the iris and the shield" the General ordered.
"Deactivated Sir" said Walter as the Iris opened and the shield deactivated.
"Attention" he said, "Dr. Brightman, Dr. Warner and medical teams one and two, report to the Gateroom for emergency medical assistance. I need all of you here yesterday!"
"Carter" said the General as he turned and looked at the commander of SG1, "you're safe to come through"
"Yes Sir" said Colonel Carter as the video feed was cut off.
General O'Neill and the others in the control room looked on as Colonel Carter and one of the Marines stationed at the Alpha Site came through the Gate carrying something between them. His eyes widened when he saw that it was a bloodied Willow lying on her side with a small canister of Oxygen right behind her that was connected to an oxygen mask that covered her face.
"Carter?" said the General in shock
"I'm sorry sir, I'm so sorry" said the Colonel as she ran past him until she met with the medical team who were, by that time, only a few seconds away from the gate room.
"Doc" said the Colonel with tears in her eyes, "she's got three stab wounds, I think she's lost a lot of blood, I… I…. don't know what else to do… she's supposed to be healing but….."
"We'll take it from here Colonel" said Dr. Warner as he turned to his team, "get her to OR1 now! Move it!"
"Colonel?" said Dr. Brightman as she ran past the gurney that was now carrying Willow and looked on in shock before turning to the Colonel again, who seemed to be dazed, "Colonel? Are you injured anywhere? Colonel?"
"Carter?" said the General as he stood beside her and lay his hand gently on her shoulder, "Carter?"
"It's my fault Sir" said the Colonel as she watched the team push the gurney away, "I should have destroyed her when I had the chance"
"Sir" said Dr. Brightman while gently pulling away Colonel Carter, "I need to get her to the infirmary"
"Do it" said the General as the Colonel just looked at him dazed.
"Colonel" said Dr. Brightman, "please lie down on the gurney."
"No" said the Colonel as she slowly regained her senses, "I'm alright"
"Carter" said the General
"With permission Sir" said the Colonel, "I'd like to watch over Willow at the OR1 observation deck"
"After I check you out Colonel" said Dr. Brightman, "and that's an order"
"Yes ma'am" said the Colonel quietly as she lay down on the gurney.
"Carter" said the General, "It's not your fault. Red's a fighter, she'll pull through."
"Sir?" said Dr. Brightman.
"Go Doc" said the General as Dr. Brightman and her team pushed the gurney towards the infirmary as Colonel Carter lay down with her arm over her eyes.
The General turned around expecting to see Teal'c standing next to him but looking around he couldn't find him. He then ran towards the Gateroom where he saw the Jaffa sitting at the end of the ramp with his head down, carrying some sort of bag in his hand that contained a greyish substance.
"T?" said the General, "What happened?"
"We were betrayed O'Neill" said Teal'c calmly, "the replicator betrayed us."
"Report to the infirmary, T" said the General, "then I need a briefing about what happened"
"Very well O'Neill" said Teal'c as he stood up and walked towards the Gateroom exit before suddenly stopping.
"T?" said the General.
"I wish to have dibs on the destruction of the replicator who impersonated Colonel Carter" said Teal'c
"I have a feeling everyone on this base wants that" said the General as he led his friend to the infirmary.
BPRI, Sunnydale, 0600 hrs
"Ok" said Faith as she walked into Cordelia's office with a yawning Dawn, "what the hell is going on? I was in the middle of a sweet dream when Angel calls me and tells me to come to your office and to bring Dawn along"
"He called me too" said Tara
"Look" said Cordelia, "I just received a call from General O'Neill asking to see all of you"
"Big-G?" said Faith suddenly, "Something happen to Red?"
"I don't know Faith" said Cordelia.
"Look Andy" said Angel as he came in arguing about something with Agent Reed, "I'm not the one you should be explaining yourself to"
"Hey" said Angel as he looked at Faith, "I heard patrol was interesting?"
"Yea" said Faith, "one of the girls puked after dusting a vamp, but what else is new. Now, what are we doing here at six in the morning?"
Just then two columns of light shone brightly and before vanishing leaving behind General O'Neill and Mr. Woolsey.
"Big-G?" said Faith as she noticed him looking at her.
"Faith" said the General as he walked up to her, "I need to see you alone please"
"Yeah sure, this way" said Faith as they walked out to the empty hallway.
"Woolsey" said the General as he started to walk with Faith, "let them know what happened"
"Of course" said Mr. Woolsey.
"Thanks" replied the General.
"What happened?" asked Dawn as Faith opened the door to Cordelia's office to let them out into the hallway.
"Faith, I know you and Red are in a relationship" said the General to a surprised Slayer once they reached the confines of the empty hallway outside Cordelia's office.
"Ok" said Faith a little confused, "Red said we should keep it professional while at the SGC and I think we've done that so I don't see…"
"It's not that" said the General as he interrupted her, "it just makes it harder for what I have to tell you"
"What happened?" asked Faith.
"Something happened at the Alpha Site" said the General, "Red suffered from massive blood loss due to three stab wounds and she may be paralysed from the waist down, but we won't know anything until she wakes up"
"What?!" said Faith, "Is she…. How?"
"No" said the General, "But she's not out of the woods yet, she's been put into a medically induced coma to protect her but the blood loss has been stopped after a few transfusions and hours of surgery"
"Her healing powers?" said Faith still in shock
"It's not working for some reason" said the General
"The Asgard? The Tok'ra?" asked Faith
"We can't get through to them" said the General, "we left messages but no responses yet"
"I want to see her" said Faith with tears in her eyes, "let this place be damned to hell, I want to see her"
"That's why we're here" said the General as he opened the door to Cordelia's office again.
"Faith" said Dawn with tears in her eyes as the Slayer came back into the room with the General.
Faith walked past Dawn and the others on her way to Agent Reed and gave him a punch.
"Faith" said Angel as he pulled her back before she could punch him again.
'You" said Faith as she stared and pointed at the NID agent, "from now on, you stay away from me and Red. If it wasn't for you, I would have been able to go and provide extra back-up for Red and the others"
"Sorry" said Agent Reed as he nursed his jaw, "but the BPRI was promised your services for a week every month, you can't unilaterally break out of that without the permission of NID Oversight"
"Actually she can" said the General, "Woolsey?"
"This is a letter from the President himself ordering the BPRI to cease and desist all recruiting activities in regards to Miss Lehane and Captain Rosenberg. In return, the BPRI will be able to recruit the services of Miss Buffy Summers as the full time trainer of the Potentials; as long as she and the BPRI comply with the conditions laid out in this letter. If I'm not mistaken, the deal that enabled the BPRI to have Miss Lehane as temporary trainer for the Potentials is contingent on the availability of Miss Summers. Since she has been made available, the deal regarding Miss Lehane has been voided"
"Buffy's out?" asked Dawn
"Early probation" said the General as he looked at Faith, "that's why I couldn't come earlier; I wanted to get this done before coming here. Had a hell of a time trying to convince the President to release Buffy early, and he's not happy."
"You know Red won't like it either" said Faith
"Maybe" said the General, "but she needs you by her side now"
"Can we go now?" said Faith
"But…." Said Agent Reed before he was shut down by General O'Neill.
"No buts" said the General, "that is a Presidential Order, Agent Barret has been given a copy of that. He can explain the ins-and-outs to you. As of this morning, both Faith and Captain Rosenberg have been placed under the direct protection of the Pentagon's Department of Home World Security, instead of NORAD. I dare you to even attempt to recruit them without the express permission of HWS."
"General" said Angel as he tried to calm everyone down, "Can we do anything to help Willow?"
"I was hoping you'd ask" smiled the General, "I was hoping to recruit the services of Miss Maclay here for the day. Faith said in her report that she was able to heal the wounds that she received after her fight with Captain Rosenberg's doppelganger from the other reality"
"Of course" said Cordelia, "as long as she agrees to it"
"Yes" said Tara
"Can I come too?" said Dawn quietly
"Yes" said General O'Neill
"Tara" said Angel, "please do everything you can to help her"
"Of course" replied Tara
"Ready?" said the General
"One moment" said Faith as she walked towards Agent Reed and gave him another punch before she turned around and stood next to the General, "Ok, now I'm ready"
Smiling General O'Neill pressed a button as five beams of light engulfed them as they vanished after a few seconds.
"Well" said Angel as he glared at Agent Reed, "you got your Slayer"
"I know" said Agent Reed as he nursed his jaw.
"But if you ever go to the oversight committee, especially without consulting us" said Cordelia as she glared at Agent Reed, "I'll ask Angel to dumb your body into the Hellmouth. Is that clear?"
"Yeah… sure" said Agent Reed nervously.
"Now get out of my sight" said Cordelia as she sat down on her chair.
"I sure hope Willow will be alright" said Cordelia as she looked at Angel after Agent Reed left her office.
"I'm sure Tara will be able to fix her up in no time" said Angel
"So… Buffy huh?" said Cordelia with a nervous smile.
"Yeah….." said Angel, "this is going to be interesting, her taking orders from you"
"Hundred bucks say that she'll scream at me first" said Cordelia.
"I'll take that bet" said Angel as he kissed the top of Cordelia's head, "I gotta go set up the next patrol for tonight and check with the Coven about Cleveland, some of my sources say demonic activity could be spiking there"
"Alright" said Cordelia, "I'll see you later then"