Isolation Room One, Avalon, an hour before meeting Colonial Fleet; 1810 hours.
Sharon was laid on the bed in her room as she just looked up at the ceiling. Slowly sitting up, she looked at the grey walls that surrounded her and sighed before she looked at the top of her hand where an I.V line was hooked in so that she would remain hydrated. She hung her head low and shook it when she thought about how she reacted when Satterfield came in with the doctor that had seen her earlier that day.
"No" said Sharon as she looked at the infusion machine and the liquid filled plastic bag that hung at the end of the pole, "please, I promised that I would give you intelligence… please, no more truth serums. I swear I'll tell you the truth, please… no more."
"Sharon" said Satterfield after she walked towards the humanoid Cylon with her hands up before she and the doctor looked at each other, "it's alright, this is just to keep you hydrated. The doctor said that you were dehydrated and malnourished… so this is to help with your dehydration."
"Please" said Sharon as she got up from the bed and walked into a corner of the room while putting her hands out in front of her, "no… no more… please."
"Doc" said Satterfield as she turned towards the female doctor, "could you wait outside for a minute? Take the medication with you."
"Sure" she said as she frowned at Sharon who was hugging her back on a corner of the wall, "the Marines will be outside as well. But Major, she needs to take this."
"Yeah" said Satterfield as she watched her walked out of the room with the machine and close the door. The Air Force officer then slowly walked towards her counterpart and stopped just a few steps away from her, "Sharon, you're severely dehydrated; I don't know if you realize it but…."
"They pumped something into me to tell them the truth" said Sharon as her hands trembled at the thought of that machine, "they used something like that to…"
"Sharon" said Satterfield, "we're not trying to harm you…. the doctor says that if you don't get hydrated quick… then your baby could be in danger."
"No!" shouted Sharon as she screamed at the top of her lungs, "no more needles, no more bags, no more!"
"Major" said one of the Marines as the both of them opened the door and stepped into the room with their weapons raised. This led to Satterfield immediately telling the two Marines to stand down, that the woman who looked like her had just come out from a traumatic experience, "Guys, I need you to leave. Please. I'll be alright."
After the Marines had nodded their heads, they slowly put down their weapons and cautiously backed away from the two women, all the while eying Sharon for any sudden moves. Once they left the room and closed the door behind them, Satterfield turned around and looked at Sharon who was now sitting on the floor.
"Sharon" said Satterfield as she walked up to the Cylon and sat down next to her as she closed her eyes and rocked forwards and backwards, "everything in this room gets recorded. Your reaction just now was recorded and will be reviewed by my superiors as part of your asylum claim. And I can tell you that I know it was real. Look, I'm trying to help you… I'm not going to harm you in any way, we won't do that unless you decide to harm us."
Satterfield then noticed very slight bruising around her neck. With a frown on her face, Satterfield gingerly reached for Sharon's hands and squeezed gently.
"Sharon" said Satterfield softly as Sharon kept her eyes closed, "how about I prove to you that we won't harm you? Feel up to eating something?"
"Your food could be laced with…. It could be laced with anything" said Sharon as she kept her eyes closed and hung her head, "they put something in my food…. I'd get dizzy… and…. me and the Six, they'd…"
Satterfield had an idea about what Sharon was trying to say but all she could do was breathe deeply in and then look at the camera at the top corner of the room. She then looked back at Sharon before letting go of her hand and she walked towards the door. Sharon looked up as she thought that Satterfield had given up on trying to get through to her, but was surprised when all she did was open the door and talk to someone outside in that unknown language. Sharon saw Satterfield nod her head and smile at the person before she stepped back and closed the door. Smiling at Sharon, Satterfield then sat down next to her as Sharon gave her twin a sad smile before hanging her head again.
It was about fifteen minutes later that the door opened and Sharon looked up to see Satterfield stand up and approached the doctor from earlier who walked in carrying a tray. Sharon looked on as an unique smell wafted into her nostrils which in turn made her stomach grumble. Hearing a sound from behind her, Satterfield couldn't help but smile as she saw Sharon look down at her own abdomen as she gingerly ran her hand over a small bump.
Satterfield then placed the tray on the floor and sat next to Sharon again. Looking at the tray, Sharon saw two plastic bottles, two plastic cups, three black bowls that had sealed plastic coverings on them with condensation already forming underneath the covers, and three sealed transparent cups of what seemed like multicoloured cubes in a liquid; along with two napkins and two plastic forks.
"Come on" said Satterfield as she grabbed one of the plastic bottles, black bowls and the cup of the multicoloured cubes and as she put them in front of her while pushing the remaining contents on the tray towards Sharon who looked up at Satterfield confused. As Satterfield slowly peeled away the plastic seal over the bowl, she brought it close to her nose and breathed in the aroma before she excitedly picked up a plastic fork and put it into the bowl. Sharon then saw her take a chunk of what looked like a small yellow-orange covered small elbow shapes and put it into her mouth.
"You know" said Satterfield turning to face Sharon after she made an exaggerated show of chewing the food, and then swallowing it, "I have to say that this is possibly the worst mac and cheese I've ever had, but then again… all the way out here… this is the best time of 'gourmet' military food you can get. It's not laced with anything. The plastic is sealed so that you'd know we didn't do anything to the food, so dig in. Two mac and cheese and two fruit cups for you and your baby."
"Mac and cheese" said Sharon as she leaned forwards and picked up one of the black bowls with the sealed plastic before peeling it off slowly, "we had something similar in Caprica; near my old…. Apartment."
"I thought you said you weren't involved in the fight on the planet?" asked Satterfield as she took another bite.
"All of us share the memories of each other" said Sharon as she picked at the food, "at least the basics. Its our personal experiences that makes each model different from the others."
"Ah" said Satterfield nodding her head as she saw Sharon hesitate slightly, "even the other Colonials are having the same things; hopefully no one has lactose intolerance… then it would be really bad."
"Yeah" said Sharon as she took a bite of the food and then looked at Satterfield with a raised eyebrow before she swallowed the food in her mouth, "you're right… this is horrible."
"See" said Satterfield as she took another bite, "I told you that I'd be honest with you; but at least you're alive… so that's a good thing."
"Yea" said Sharon as she quickly finished one of the bowls before reaching for another one and tearing off the plastic covering and ravaging the contents.
"Easy, there" said Satterfield as she finished her mac and cheese; and then picked up her fruit cup and a small plastic spoon.
"Thank you" said Sharon as she leaned her head back onto the wall after finishing two bowls of the food, "I feel embarrassed about what just happened. I just saw the machine… the plastic bag… and I just lost it."
"We really just want to help" saidSatterfield as she finished her fruit cup and took a sip of water, "I don't know what's going to happen; I can't say that I'm happy to have machine versions of myself out there running around and causing havoc, but then again… I know my people won't approve what happened to you. But I'll recommend in my report that you should be given asylum, you and your baby."
"Thanks" said Sharon softly as she looked at her hands, "I.. I think I'm ready for the…"
"It's just something to keep you hydrated" said Satterfield as Sharon nodded her head before picking up the tray of finished bowls, standing up and placing it in a small table near her bed, "I'll be here when the doctor hooks it up, is that alright?"
"Yes" said Sharon with a small smile before Satterfield asked the doctor to come back into the room where she hooked up the machine to Sharon's arm. Once everything was done, Satterfield translated what the doctor had told Sharon; that she'll need to go through a few of these bags before she's re-hydrated to which the humanoid Cylon nodded her head.
Back in the present, still an hour away from the Colonial Fleet, Sharon couldn't help but smile at how crazy she had acted while still looking at the needle at the top of her hand. The doctor had come in a few minutes earlier to take some blood from her along with Dawn, who introduced herself and thanked Sharon for having saved her back the first time they were on Caprica.
After Dawn left the room, Sharon had looked at her hands and feet, and even brought her hands to her neck just to make sure that she wasn't dreaming; she expected to wake up with her hands and feet in chains, with the collar on her neck chained to a bolt on the Pegasus floor. Shaking her head, she put her hands on her lap and took in a few deep breaths to calm herself.
It was thirty minutes later that Sharon heard a knock on her door.
"Come in" said Sharon as she looked back up, only to see a smiling pony-tailed Dawn walk into the room with Helo behind her.
"He insisted on seeing you" said Dawn as she looked back at Helo, "Colonel Ronsen and Ferretti just gave permission."
"Thank you" smiled Sharon as Dawn nodded her head before telling the both of them that she'd be back in a while. Dawn then walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
"They treating you alright?" asked Helo as he held both of Sharon's hands in his and saw the bruises on her wrist, "no one told me you know…. I never knew how bad it was."
"It's just to get me hydrated" said Sharon, "and yea…. Balter said that you were asking to see me, that Cain promised you'd see me if I gave them more intel on Cylon movements. Even he was stopped from coming after I told Cain everything I knew."
"Even the Commander wasn't allowed to see you" said Helo softly as Sharon let go and stepped back when Helo mentioned Commander Adama's name. Seeing at how distraught Sharon was, Helo just stood there and tried to think of something meaningful to say… but his mind was a blank. Silence pervaded the room for a few minutes before Sharon spoke.
"I… I.. know" said Sharon as she shook her head, "I heard that Starbuck, and Apollo were not allowed to see me even though they were forced to serve on the Pegasus. You and the Chief were threatened with arrest if you even stepped on board the Pegasus. I heard it was the same with the Old Man; even the President had been given excuses about why I couldn't be seen by her."
"I've heard the rumours" said Helo as he took a few steps forward.
"I'm not chained here, Helo" said Sharon as she sat on her bed, "they didn't put me in chains when they found out I was a Cylon, they didn't…. they didn't do the same things that Cain authorised on the Pegasus. I saw what they had done to the Six in the cage."
Helo listened with eyes closed when Sharon told her about the Six in the same glass cage as her who looked as if she was tortured for months on end when Sharon started sharing the cage with her. The both of them talked for thirty more minutes, including what name they would give their baby. Sharon had even asked Helo to request asylum so that he could stay with her but he refused. Helo told Sharon that he believed that Commander Adama and the President would prevent Cain from going too far and executing him for some flimsy excuse. Sharon had tried convincing him but he refused to budge. He told her that unlike Starbuck who was still very wary of those aboard the Avalon, he believed that they could be the Thirteenth Tribe.
Mess Hall, Few minutes before contact with Colonial Fleet.
Starbuck and the other Colonial Officer were in the Mess Hall where they had some coffee and crackers while waiting to arrive at the coordinates. Some of them were getting restless, especially the resistance fighters among them who had rarely been cooped up in a spaceship for extended periods of time. As she looked in wonder at the blue and white that they were flying past, she wondered what type of FTL travel they were using.
'Definitely not instant' she thought to herself, 'but they can jump.. or whatever this is, to their final coordinate's even if they are a few hundred light years away without the need for a break in between. The people, or Cylons… whatever they are, are careful… they haven't let anyone of us near sensitive areas. The only thing I heard they have are energy weapons and energy shields… frak me…. energy shields. I thought Helo was joking, but if this is a battleship… and it has windows… gods, what battleship has windows for fraks-sake, anyway… it makes sense. In a science fiction movie kind of a way.'
Starbuck then turned away from the window and looked at the room that she and the others were in. She thought it looked human built, but she still couldn't be sure. Starbuck then looked around the room for the resistance leader she and Helo had met on Caprica, but she didn't find him alongside the survivors.
'Anders' thought Starbuck to herself, 'you better be on the Galactica.'
Just then Kara saw that the blue and white outside the window was replaced by normal space. Running to the window along with the rest of the survivors, she reached the window only to see the civilian ships jumping away as the Pegasus turned towards them.
"Captain Thrace" shouted Dawn as she ran into the room. Starbuck turned around and rushed over to where Dawn had picked up a phone receiver and pressed some numbers on the pad next to it before handing the blonde officer the phone, "you better talk to your people before they decide to fire on us."
Nodding her head and reaching for the receiver which Dawn told her had already been patched through to the communication system, Starbuck let the Galactica know that everything was alright and not to jump or open fire on the ship.
'Cain's a hot head' thought Starbuck to herself as she talked on the phone, 'she could still fire on this ship, I just hope if she does fire; will the shields hold out?'
CIC, Battlestar Galactica, 1915 hours.
Colonel Saul Tigh, the Executive Officer of the Battlestar Galactica, rushed into the CIC after every single alarm in the ship started to go off. Having a drink of ambrosia in his quarters didn't numb the reflexes f years of serving in the fleet about the dangers of a surprise Cylon attack against the remaining survivors of the Colonies. Once the alarms had gone off, he frowned… put down the drink onto the table in his quarters, the sounds of both the alarm and the glass waking up his wife. Saying his goodbye and putting on his uniform, he rushed out and reached the CIC in record time.
"Where's the Commander?" shouted Tigh as he walked down onto the floor of the CIC which was abuzz with personnel trying talk over each other, "Hey! Where is the Commander?"
"He'll be on board in a few seconds, sir" said Lt. Gaeta who was the Officer of the Watch, "most of the civilian ships have jumped away, Sir."
"Cylon?" asked Tigh.
"Unknown" said Lt. Gaeta, "it just showed up on DRADIS, it's…."
Lt. Gaeta looked closer on his screen and then looked back at the Colonel confused.
"Lieutenant?" said the Colonel, "well?"
"Sir" said Lt. Gaeta, "this ship's small… only about two hundred meters in length, but it's power output is unbelievable."
"Launch alert Vipers" said Colonel Tigh, "target ship with all batteries."
"The Pegasus is moving to do the same as well, sir" said Lt. Gaeta.
"Something we agree on" mumbled the Colonel hiding his anger, 'crazy woman.'
"Umm….. sir?" said the CIC communication Officer, Anastasia Duella or Dee as known to those close to her, "we're receiving a message. It's coming from the unknown ship."
"A message?" said the Colonel as he looked at Dee confused, "ok… on speaker."
Where the CIC had earlier been a buzz of activity, everyone suddenly turned quiet and looked at the speaker when Lauren mentioned the word 'Earth'.
'It was telling the truth' though Colonel Tigh as he recalled hearing Sharon telling him, Commander Adama, Admiral Cain and President Roslin about meeting a double that she never knew existed, 'Lauren Satterfield really does exist?'
The Colonel shook his head and then turned around, "Where's the Commander?"
"He's on board, Sir" said Lt. Gaeta, "he just spoke to the President, now he's on the way to the CIC."
Just then, they heard Starbuck's voice over the speakers as she told everyone that she had found Earth.
In turn, that revelation led to cheers within the CIC's of the Galactica whereas the Pegasus CIC was more subdued as Admiral Cain watched her DRADIS screen suspiciously.
"To the vessel claiming to be the Avalon" said Admiral Cain, "my name is Admiral Helena Cain, the last Admiral of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, you are to surrender your ship and prepare to be boarded. As far as I am concerned, this could just be another Cylon trick. As far as I'm concerned, Captain Thrace and the others have already been compromised…. So, if you want to prove that you are not Cylons, surrender your vessel or you will be fired upon."
"What the frak is she doing?" said Colonel Tigh to himself as Commander Adama rushed into the CIC.
"X.O!" shouted the Commander as he ran down the stairs, "report."
"Admiral Cain just threatened to open fire on the ship unless they surrender" said Colonel Tigh as Satterfield's voice came over the speakers again.
"Admiral Cain" said Satterfield as she translated what Colonel Ronsen was telling her, "we are here on a mission of mercy. We have the people who were on Caprica on board, they would like to go home to their ships. IF you do not want any contact with us after that, then that is all well and good. We will, however, not surrender this ship.. or allow any of your people to come on board with hostile intent. If you open fire on us, we'll have no choice but to do the same."
"You are a Cylon" hissed Admiral Cain as Pegasus, Galactica and Colonial One listened in, "you will surrender your ship… and you Lauren Satterfield will surrender to the Colonies as a Cylon agent until we have definitive proof that you are not."
"My rank is Major, ma'am" said Satterfield after she translated what Cain had said to Colonel Ronsen who frowned while Colonel Ferretti and the others in SG2, minus Dawn, shook their heads, "and I am not a Cylon. I am a human being and I will not be surrendering to you, or to the Colonies that you represent. Now, Colonel Ronsen would like for me to relay to you coordinates of a nearby planet where we will leave the survivors of the rescue team you sent. You can pick them up at your leisure. You should know though…. This galaxy is at war, and you are right in the middle of it. Accept our help or not, that is the truth of things right now. Transmitting coordinates right….."
"Major Satterfield, Colonel Ronsen" saidanother female voice over the speakers as Admiral Cain looked in anger at the speakers while Commander Adama gave a small smile in the Galactica's CIC, "I am President Laura Roslin of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, Admiral Cain does not speak for the Colonies. I do. I request a meeting between the representatives of the Colonies and the Thirteenth Tribe of man."
Back in the Pegasus, the Admiral was seething in anger as she listened in to Roslin's request for a meeting. She was tempted to call a strike on Colonial One; she had reached for the phone next to her on the central console to call for a strike on Colonial One, to get rid of the President who, in her mind, was trying to make a deal with the enemy.
'She and her quest for Earth and the Thirteenth Tribe' thought the Admiral to herself, 'it'll be the death of us all.'
She then closed her eyes and pulled her hand back from the handset and hung her head while Colonel Fisk , the Admiral's Executive Officer, asked for her orders. Cain didn't hear anything; she knew that the Presidential election was in two months, and that she had been working behind the scenes to undermine Roslin at every turn. She finally realized that this could be a good thing. That if the Quorum found out that Roslin had let Cylons on board; then her career, and Adama's, would be officially over. She can then charge the both of them with providing comfort and aid to the enemy in a time of war, and leave the resulting mess to the politicians to deal with. In the meantime, she and the Pegasus would take everything of value from the fleet, and leave to freely hunt the Cylons once again.
"Sir" said Colonel Fisk as Cain's head snapped upwards towards him, "your orders, sir?"
It was then another message from the Avalon played through the speakers on board the Pegasus.
"To both the Galactica and the Pegasus" said Satterfield before she looked back at Colonel Ronsen who told her that the Galactica and the Pegasus were still targeting the Avalon, "do not take any action against this ship. If you do, it will be taken as a sign of hostile intent. Your people suffered immensely… I know… we were on Caprica…. We saw the devastation that was caused. We're here to help. If you don't want our help… then say so and like I said before, we'll leave the survivors on another planet and you won't hear from us. But… do not open fire at us."
"Sir" said another Lieutenant at a scanning station behind Colonel Ronsen, "I've run scans, and it's showing that the three ships don't have any shield generators, or any energy weapons."
"Major?" said Colonel Ronsen as Satterfield nodded her head.
"Admiral" said Satterfield, "if your ships fire on us, we will return fire with the full strength of this ship. If you want help… then we're here to help; if you don't… then we'll leave; but if you open fire, then there is every possibility that you and your ship will be damaged beyond repair. So please, do not fire. Pull back your fighters and release targeting lock on this vessel."
"Admiral?" said Colonel Fisk as he looked at her from across the center table in the CIC, "what are your orders?"
Back on the Avalon, the Captain seated next to Colonel Ronsen looked back at him and told him that both the Galactica and the Pegasus were standing down and that their fighters were returning to their respective ships. Nodding his head, the Colonel ordered that the Avalon stand down weapons but remain discretely scanning the ship for any form of hostile intent.
It was after all three ships had stood down that the President's voice came over the speaker in the Avalon again. She had invited a delegation, who would be accompanying the saved rescuers, to the Galactica where they could have a meet and greet session with her and the top military officials. At the same time, her vice-president would speak with their government representatives about what just occurred.
"Ma'am" said Satterfield after having discussed their response with Colonel Ronsen, "we'll send over your people by ship, but we will have to wait until our other ship meets us at these coordinates. They're the ones carrying the people authorized to participate in any talks between us. So, with your permission?"
"Very well" said the President before she put down her phone and leaned back on her chair. Taking a deep breath, she saw Billy rush in to tell her that the Galactica had given permission for Colonial One to dock in the flight pod so that she could board the Battlestar.
"Do you really think this could be the Thirteenth Tribe, Madam President?"asked Billy as she sat down across from the President's desk.
"I believe so"said Roslin,"if they're not, the Quorum and Cain are going to have a field day with this."
Excalibur, Hanger Bay, 2010 hours; ten minutes away from Colonial Fleet.
Willow was conducting pre-flight checks on the former time ship so that it could be ready for launch. The team at Area 51 had disassembled the time device and transferred it for storage at the Omega Site, the off-world storage facility for dangerous devices. The Jumper was only the second in the young fleet with the Jumper in the Avalon being the one from Atlantis; the same Jumper that General O'Neill and the others had used to leave the Ancient city after he was rescued by Dr. Weir and her team, Dawn and Satterfield.
As she was checking he console, Willow sat up and smiled when a warmth went through her body. Turning around on the seat, she saw Faith walk in before she sat down on the co-pilot's seat.
"Captain says we got another ten minutes before we drop out, and then another hour after that before meeting the Colonials" said Faith as she looked out the window, and then at Willow, "you told Big-G the truth about what happened with the clones?"
"Yea" said Willow as she leaned back and then looked at Faith, "we have twenty minutes before the General and the others get here."
"Red" grinned Faith, "I don't know what the others will say if they hear us screaming in here while we…"
"No" laughed Willow, "I didn't mean that…. I mean yeah, it was fun on the moon…. anyway…"
Faith looked on as Willow released the controls and the console darkened before she turned and looked at the Slayer.
"I know I haven't been open with you after I got my memories back" said Willow as she leaned forward after she telekinetically pressed the button that closed the rear ramp, "it's just that…. I feel all the emotions that come with the memories, Faith. All these emotions that I'm getting back all at once, it's just overwhelming."
"I understand, Red" said Faith as she reached for Willow's hand and squeezed gently.
"I know it's silly" said Willow, "but I really feel those emotions… I feel everything that's associated with those memories. I remember Hera murdered in front of me and I recall the anger. I remember how it felt to pull the trigger of the plasma weapon after I shoved it into the Wraith's mouth…. Cold, Faith… I was cold. I just stopped feeling anything when I pulled that trigger."
"You saw something that no-one should see" said Faith as she held both of Willow's hands softly, "you can take your time. You don't have to tell me everything now."
"That's just it, Faith. I don't know how to tell you" said Willow softly as she got onto her knees on the floor, "I don't know how I can tell you about this incredible guilt I have in my chest whenever I look at you. Whenever I think about what happened to Sineya, and the effect that powerful magic is continuing to have now, I get… I don't know how to describe it. I know the others said that it wasn't my fault… that I was tricked… but…. When I see you, when I see Buffy, when I see Kennedy; all I see is my mistake of not taking Sineya away. I see you chained to the floor… I see the demon, with the powers of all the clones inside it, going through you… I can see and hear you screaming… screaming so loud that my blood freezes."
"I never felt anything through our link" said Faith softly as she looked at her wife, at the anguish that was on her face. She then leaned forward and caressed the redhead's cheek as she slowly started to get an idea of what having ten thousand years worth of memories, and the emotions that come with those memories, was doing to the woman she loved.
"I'm trying to hide it" said Willow softly, "I'm doing everything I can, Faith….. all the memories, every single memory has an emotion for me, and because of our link; I'm scared you'll get overwhelmed. Faith, I remember my mother's rose scented shampoo… I can smell the water on Lantea, I can hear Hera's laughter… her laughter, Faith. Whenever I hear her laughter in my memories, it causes my heart to beat faster. I've always wanted to have a sister, and now I find out that I have one… but how do I tell her that I'm her sister. How do I tell her that mom died right after she was born? Do I tell her that every time we used to visit mom's grave, she picks up flowers from the side of a trail we take? Beautiful flowers, Faith; they would be purple, orange and blue. Hera would arrange it herself while walking towards the grave. Then when we got closer, sensors would pick up our presence and a hologram that my father created would appear and tell us a story. No matter how old we were, we would always sit down and listen to her story."
Faith could only lean in much closer to the redhead as her voice broke and she stopped talking while she wiped her eyes. The brunette Slayer then went and knelt in front of Willow and told her that the both of them would work through things together. She told Willow that she was slightly jealous that she got to see a lot of things with Hera, which made Willow give a little smile.
"Can I show you?" asked Willow, "can I show you my memories?"
"I thought you wanted to tell… well, whoever Hera became, that she's your sister? I mean before you do anything else" said Faith.
"I'll tell her today. I think if I don't, then I'll keep on thinking to myself that if I should do it in the first place, and I know that would break my heart" said Willow softly as she looked at Faith, "but I was wrong to hide this from you. I promised you no secrets between us; well other than birthday or anniversary stuff… so… what do you say?"
Faith smiled and then brought both of the redhead's hands to her temples.
"We have fifteen minutes" smiled the brunette Slayer as she closed her eyes, "show me whatever you're comfortable showing me."
Willow smiled and closed her eyes as she showed her wife ten thousand years of memories while she slowly opened their link once again. Faith watched as flashes of Willow's memories went through her mind as if she was watching a movie. She saw flashes of Athena's time with Melina until her death after Hera's birth, she saw how much love Athena had for Hera and her devastation and cutting herself off from her own emotions after Hera's death.
'No' thought Faith to herself, 'she didn't cut off her emotions; her rage… I can feel the rage… God so much rage…'
Faith then saw what happened after Athena came back to Atlantis after Hera's death where, in her rage and anguish, she broke each and everything in her lab. She watched as Athena threw vials of liquid at the wall, followed by crystals that were laying on a console which she smashed against another wall. In the end, the whole lab had shards of glass all over the floor, liquid on the walls and every monitor above the three consoles broken onto pieces as Athena sat in one dark corner of the room with her hands on her face sobbing.
"Red" said Faith as she crouched in front of Athena and tried to comfort her, only to have her hand pass right through the image. Then the scene changed again to the day that Athena submitted her request for the creation of biological weapons. The Slayer looked on as Athena was denied and she told Moros that he had no right to be her father, or Hera's. She saw the look of regret on Athena's face, and the anguish on Moros' face and her heart broke for the both of them. She then saw everything Athena did to destroy the Wraith until the day she returned to Earth.
Faith smiled as she saw Sineya, she watched as Athena protected her from the Furlings who would later be known in the Watcher Diaries as the Shadow Men. Faith laughed at the fun Willow and Sineya would have, and was amazed at how intelligent the girl, who would become the First Slayer, really was. She watched as Athena created the clones which were sent to Furlings. Faith watched as Athena went to investigate what happened to the last batch. She looked on in horror at the demon that eventually took over Sineya while Athena could only scream helplessly for them to stop their foolishness. She kept on watching as Athena admitted her crimes to the council before she was exiled from Earth, but not before she gave Sineya two weapons. Faith watched as Hera appeared to Athena on Kheb and told her that the redhead was only human, that she had made mistakes; and that she should forgive herself.
Faith saw the training that Athena had undergone under Oma's tutelage before she left Kheb again and returned to Earth. The Slayer saw the death of Sineya, and the creation of the lines that would connect every Potential Slayer, and every Chosen throughout time.
'It's the Earth' thought Faith to herself, 'that's what powers the lines. That's what goes through every Potential. It can never be broken, as long as the Earth exists… it can never be broken."
Faith watched on as Willow walked the Earth alone while she searched for someone to watch and protect the weapon. She didn't want it in the hands of the Furlings, the redhead believed that they weren't worthy after their betrayal. The Slayer watched as Willow returned to Ancient Egypt where she handed the weapon to the Guardians of the Ones right before she Ascended. Faith smiled when Athena explored galaxies with Hera before her final return to Earth thousands of years later where she was reborn as Willow. She saw the mysterious lights that had watched over the redhead throughout her lonely life in Sunnydale. Faith saw that the lights appeared periodically even after she met Buffy and the others.
After a few more flashes of memories, Faith opened her eyes to see a pair of green coloured eyes looking back at her. All the Slayer could do was hug Willow tightly as she rubbed her back.
"I saw everything" said Faith as she closed her eyes while hugging the redhead, "I never realized… I never realized how you felt about… I mean… everything that happened to you…. I felt everything. All your emotions, everything… I felt it."
"I'm sorry" said Willow softly as she lay her head on Faith's shoulder.
"No" said Faith as she looked into Willow's eyes again, "thank you. Thank you for sharing with me.. despite what you think, it makes me love you even more. Everything that makes you is in your memories. You're both Athena and Willow, and you know what?"
"What?" asked Willow.
"I love you both" said Faith as Willow grinned, "and, it's kind like having a threesome… if you know what I mean."
All Willow could do was raise an eyebrow at the smiling Slayer before the both of them burst out laughing. As they were laughing, they heard a knock on the forward window. Looking up, they laughed even harder when they saw Vala grinning and waving at them. Getting up from the floor of the ship where the both of them were hugging while on their knees, they watched as Colonel Mitchell pulled Vala down, while General O'Neill and Colonel Carter were waving at then with grins plastered on their faces and Teal'c was just looking around the room nervously.
"I swear nothing happened, sir" said Willow as she shouted from inside the ship as Faith ran to the back and pressed the button to open the door.
"Well" said Faith as Colonel Mitchell walked in followed by the grinning Vala, "it could have.. but we were interrupted."
"Faith!" shouted Willow as the brunette burst out laughing while Colonel Mitchell looked at Vala and then at Willow.
"I really don't wanna know" said the Colonel shaking his head.
"But I do" said Vala as she pushed past Colonel Mitchell and sat on the Co-Pilot's seat and looked excitedly at Willow, "give me the juicy details."
"No" said Colonel Mitchell, Colonel Carter and General O'Neill together who walked in soon after Vala, followed then by Woolsey and Teal'c, "please no."
"No, what?" asked the confused IOA representative.
"Oh" said Vala pointing her finger at Willow, "Major Rosenberg was…."
"I was telling her about how the Puddle Jumpers inertial dampening systems work" said Willow as she interrupted Vala who could only grin at the redhead. She then leaned forward towards Vala and whispered, "we'll tell you later."
"Thanks" whispered Vala as she turned her seat and looked out the forward window and pointed to the closed hanger bay doors, "Number One, engage."
"Ok" said General O'Neill, "who let Vala watch Star Trek again?"
"Sorry" said Faith as she shrugged her shoulders.
Faith: "Red, you need to tell Dawn. I think she deserves to know that you're her sister too. I think she deserves to know that she has another sister."
Willow: "Part of me is still scared that she'll reject me."
Faith: "I think she'll be excited. You're not replacing Buffy and I think she's smart enough to realize that."
It was a few minutes later that the announcement came over the speakers that they had reached the coordinates of the Colonial Fleet, and the they've dropped out of hyperspace. The General then ordered the Excalibur to open its hanger bay doors before making the short trip to the Avalon.
"Captain" said General O'Neill as he spoke to the commander of the Excalibur just before entering the Avalon, "I'd like for you to remain here with the Avalon. We have no idea of how this first contact would turn out, so I'd like for you to keep a constant lock on our subcutaneous transmitters and the locator beacon on the Jumper. Prepare to beam us out at the first sign of trouble, and I don't want to leave any advanced tech with these people."
"Understood, General" said Captain Lewis, "we have a lock on the Jumper and SG1."
"Many thanks, O'Neill out" said the General as Willow took the Puddle Jumper into the Hanger Bay and landed it next to Avalon's own Jumper. After the hanger doors closed, Willow opened the rear door before walking out onto the deck of the Avalon as they were met by Satterfield, Colonel Ferretti and Colonel Ronsen.
"Colonels" said General O'Neill as he nodded at the commander of the Avalon and the leader of SG2.
"General" replied both of the Colonels.
"Report" said the General as Willow and the others got off the Jumper.
"Major Satterfield's already talked to their President who guaranteed your safety on board the Galactica, sir" said Colonel Ronsen, "but given what almost happened earlier…."
"I already talked to Captain Lewis" said the General, "and I know what you're gonna say. Keep a lock on the Avalon Jumper and on anyone who's coming with SG1 and us."
"Of course" said Colonel Ronsen nodding his head.
"How are the Colonial's on board?" asked Woolsey.
Colonel Ferretti told him that they were getting anxious to return to their ships; especially since they were being kept in the Mess Hall so that they don't stray into any secure area of the ship. Colonel Ronsen then told him that they were being well fed and taken care off. He told Woolsey that there were no injuries to the people who had come up from Caprica.
"Except for Sharon that is" said Colonel Ferretti as Colonel Ronsen nodded.
The General then took Colonel Ferretti to one side while Colonel Ronsen and Satterfield accompanied SG1 and Woolsey into the ship itself.
"Lou" said the General as the both of them remained in the hanger bay, "what do your instincts tell you about Sharon?"
"It's bad, Jack" said the Colonel as he shook his head, "she may be a machine, but all of our scans have shown she's still a living being. As close to human as anything I've ever seen since joining the Stargate Program."
"Her injuries?" asked the General.
"You should see for yourself, Jack" said Colonel Ferretti, "good news is that her baby is fine, but Sharon is…. Look, we tried to give her an I.V. drip to keep her hydrated, but she went postal until Satterfield calmed her down. She said that she was given that same thing on the Pegasus filled with some truth serum; even her food was laced with the stuff. Jack, we're talking about torture that's right up there with what happened to you when you were captured in Iraq. If these people had Goa'uld pain sticks…. Or what Ba'al had when…. Yeah."
The General remembered the torture he suffered under Ba'al as if it had happened yesterday. He knew that that was something that couldn't be easily forgotten, and he still had nightmares about dying and then being resurrected through the use of a sarcophagus. Shaking his head off the images, he looked seriously at the Colonel.
"So you recommend asylum?" asked the General.
"Talk to her, Jack" said Colonel Ferretti before he stepped back and got into military mode, "this way, General."
"Lead the way, Colonel" said the General as he followed the Colonel into the ship.
Sharon's Quarters, Isolation Room One; 2015 hours.
It was just not more than ten minutes ago that Sharon had another drip put into the connector on the top of her hand. As she sat up in bed, she suddenly heard footsteps and voices that were approaching her room. She was disappointed with herself that she still hadn't been able to pick up the language, or that she never asked Satterfield to teach her since being a machine it would be relatively easier for her to learn than a normal human being. Sighing, she knew that deep inside she was worried that they wouldn't let her stay… that even if she had asked Satterfield to teach her the language, that she wouldn't have an opportunity to use it.
"Sharon?" said Satterfield as she knock on her door, "may I come in?"
"Yes" said Sharon as she stood up as the door opened and Satterfield walked in with two other men. Confused, she looked at Satterfield and then at the men before looking at Satterfield again.
"It's alright" said Satterfield as she closed the door. She then walked over to the two men and introduced them to Sharon "this is Mr. Richard Woolsey from the International Oversight Advisory. He's part of a civilian run organization that oversees classified military program like the one that I am a part of."
Sharon saw Woolsey give her a small smile and a nod of the head before she turned to the grey haired man who was wearing a blue jacket. She immediately noticed the ribbons that were over his left breast and she knew instinctively that the man before her had not only fought in wars, but was a hero. It was then that her Colonial Military half took over and she stood at attention, much to the surprise of the grey haired man who, until now, was looking at her suspiciously.
"Sharon" said Satterfield, "I'd like for you to meet General Jack O'Neill, the director of Homeworld Security."
Satterfield then turned towards the General and Woolsey and introduced them to Sharon. She then translated for the General who asked her to remain at ease for the duration of the interview.
"Please" said Woolsey as he motioned towards the chair behind a table in the corner of the room while Satterfield translated for them, "have a seat."
The door opened again as Sharon saw a uniformed individual bring in two chairs for both the General and Woolsey, followed by another one for Satterfield. Eventually everyone took their seats, with Sharon sitting across from the both of them, and Satterfield sitting at one end of the small table between the two groups so that she could translate.
"Sharon" said Woolsey as he took out a voice recorder while Satterfield was translating everything he was saying, "this is a voice recorder. It's just to record everything said in this room, and it will only be made available to the IOA and Homeworld Security. All I ask if that you be completely honest with us. Do you understand?"
"Yes" said Sharon as Satterfield translated her acknowledgment.
"What's your rank, Sharon?" asked General O'Neill.
"I…." said Sharon as she thought about that question carefully, "the honest answer is that I have none…. Technically speaking I have none. Sharon… I mean the Sharon who nearly killed the Old Man on Galactica. She was a Lieutenant in the Colonial Fleet."
"Ok" said General O'Neill, "what happened to that Sharon?"
"She was shot" said Sharon, "she died, and I'm sure her consciousness downloaded somewhere."
"What role did you play in the attack on the Colonies?" asked Woolsey, "I have the reports from Major Satterfield, but I would like to hear it in your own words."
Nodding her head at Satterfield's translation, Sharon took in a deep breath before telling them that she had come to Caprica after the attack; she was then given a rebuilt apartment and a job. When further asked by Woolsey and the General, she told them that her job was to supervise some of the other models in burying the dead bodies that the Centurions had killed after the initial nuclear attack. She then went on to say that she was tapped for the mission to create a child with Helo, that her orders where to make the man stay with her on Caprica and have a child. That if he tried to leave, she had to kill him.
"But you didn't" said Woolsey as he nodded his head after confirming that everything matched with Satterfield's report.
"No" said Satterfield, "I fell in love with him. After I met Lauren, I…. I was absolutely certain that I had to leave. That there could be something out there for me, so I… I…."
"Sharon?" said Satterfield as Woolsey and General O'Neill looked on as the woman in front of them closed her eyes and tried to compose herself.
"We.. I mean the humanoid Cylons are grown" said Satterfield, "we're basically clones that have machines in our blood and silica pathways in our brain. We've been trying to have children naturally so that we could grow as a people… but nothing's worked. What we tried to do to Helo was one thing, another thing that we tried were Farms on Caprica. An experiment by the Number Four's to artificially inseminate women of child-bearing age without their consent. That produced no results as well. The Cylons came up with a theory, that the thing that was missing was love… and… I love Helo. I love him so much that…."
"You're having a girl with him" said General O'Neill as he looked at the young woman in front of him who was looking down at the floor, and nodding her head after Satterfield translated the General's words.
"We were going to ask you about these Farms that were mentioned in Major Satterfield's report" said Woolsey.
"You wanted honesty" said Sharon, "your people have treated me better than the Colonials; at least better than the ones on the Pegasus… I just don't know why."
"The fact that you're not a replicator helped your case" said General O'Neill as Satterfield translated his words, "and you are under the watch of Homeworld security as long as you remain on board this ship until we can get this asylum thing sorted out. We have rules, and one of them is we don't torture our guests. My personal views are changing on you as well, to be honest I've been looking at you as a machine… but a close friend of mine reminded me that if I'm unable to see you as a living breathing being, then that would mean that I don't see her as a human being either."
"Willow, sir?" asked Satterfield as she and Sharon looked at the General in surprise.
"Yea" said the General as he rubbed the back of his head, "she reminded me that she's a clone. I told her that she's not a machine."
"But sir" said Willow as the General recalled the conversation they had a few minutes before she started pre-flight checks on the Jumper in the Excalibur, "even though she's a machine.. she still has flesh and blood."
"She's got nanites, Red" said the General as the both of them talked to each other in the empty Mess Hall, "she's as close to a replicator as…."
"Sir" said Willow, "if I'm not wrong, her A.I is built off of Furling technology. Which means that she, and the rest of the Cylons, have the ability to evolve beyond their initial programming. If they can evolve, doesn't that make them living beings too?"
"Red.." said the General as Willow interrupted him.
"Do you see me as human, sir?" asked Willow, much to the surprise and shock of the General who immediately scolded Willow for even asking that question.
"Of course I do, Red" said the General, "what kind of question is that?"
"I was grown, sir" said Willow, "much like Sharon. If you don't see her as a living…."
"Red" said the General as he approached Willow, "you don't have nanites running through your body. You… whether it be Athena, or Willow… are a human being. Don't ever say that you aren't."
"Sir" said Willow softly, "Sharon was artificially grown too, yes she has nanites… but she's a living being. According to the doctor's report from the Avalon, her nanites are like a immune system… it regulates her body. It's just like Teal'c's symbiote. The only thing is that I don't think Tretonin can work on Sharon. But my argument is still valid, she's similar to both me and Teal'c."
Back in the present, the General shook off the memory as he looked up at Sharon who was looking back at him in shock.
"One of my closest friends happens to be a clone" said the General before he turned to Satterfield and told her not to mention Willow's name.
"Oh" said Sharon as Satterfield provided the translation.
"If you could continue about the Farms?" said Woolsey as Satterfield nodded before translating his request for Sharon's benefit.
"There are dozens of Farms on Caprica" said Sharon as she became more at ease, "each one could have up to a hundred women. But I can't tell you if they are still alive. Won't you be able to save them?"
"We're sorry, but the enemy that we're fighting may have taken over Caprica" said Woolsey before he looked at General O'Neill, "our first priority is to take the Colonials to a planet where they can settle down."
"They'll want to go to Earth" said Sharon, "Earth is the goal, I mean… you are the Thirteenth Tribe…. You have to take in your brothers and sisters. I mean, that's the right thing to do, right?"
"Earth is mentioned in this, 'Sacred Scrolls' that Captain Thrace was talking about?" asked Woolsey.
Sharon nodded her head and told them about how Kobol was the birthplace of humanity. She went on to talk about the Thirteenth Tribe leaving the planet for Earth, and then the remaining Twelve left Kobol years later only to found the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. She told them about the cycle of life and violence that was captured by words in the scrolls.
"All this has happened before" said Sharon, "and of this will happen again."
"O…. k" said General O'Neill as he leaned back on his seat, "we don't know anything about the Sacred Scrolls or anything like that.. fact is we've never even heard of it until now. We never even heard about Kobol until Major Satterfield and the others returned from Caprica."
"Your people forgot?" asked Sharon before she shook her head, "I can tell you that there are a lot of people in that fleet who believe wholeheartedly in the Sacred Scrolls. And…. look, I know the Old… I mean, Commander Adama doesn't really care much for all this religion stuff… but the President and most of the Quorum do. Particularly the Gemenese and the Sagitterons."
"Ok" said General O'Neill, "so no mentioning of religion."
"General" said Sharon, "it will be brought up. They will demand to know why you won't let them near Earth. The people, especially the President, seem to be following a prophesy from what I've heard…. And they believe in it deeply. The vast majority of the fleet believes in the gods and that they are being guided by them towards Earth. You coming here would only solidify that believe."
"Sharon" said Woolsey, "there is something that needs to be discussed with you, but not until you answer a few more questions."
"Alright" said a confused Sharon as she nodded her head.
Woolsey and the General asked Sharon to recount her torture at the hands of the Colonials. Nodding her head, she closed her eyes as she told them that she was first kept prisoner on the Galactica and that she had provided them with a lot of good intelligence. But that all changed when they were found by the Pegasus. She recounted in graphic detail everything that was done to her from the attempted rape on the Galactica by the Pegasus personnel, to the near daily beatings even after the Pegasus crew was told that she was pregnant. She told Woolsey and the others that her medications would be laced with drugs, that she'd be given truth serum through her I.V for more information. She mentioned how her food would be drugged as well, and that she would get dizzy before she was abused again and again.
When asked if anyone tried to stop what was happening, Sharon told them that Commander Adama, Helo and Chief Tyrol were threatened with arrest if they even stepped onto Pegasus. She said that the President was given excuses on why she could not visit her, and that even the visits by the Vice-President were eventually stopped. Sharon told them that her hands and feet would be bound in chains, and that a collar on her neck would be chained to a bolt on the floor.
"She mentioned earlier that there was another person there, sirs" said Satterfield softly.
"Ask her please, Major" said General O'Neill as Satterfield translated the question. Satterfield watched General O'Neill and Woolsey flinch as she talked to them about the Number Six who shared the glass cage with her. Sharon detailed the torture that she would receive as well, which would be the same time as her.
It was ten minutes later that General O'Neill reached for the voice recorder and turned it off as everyone stayed quiet and tried to focus on everything that Sharon had been telling them. For her part, Sharon was hoping that she had managed to get enough done to at least warrant asylum.
"Ok" said General O'Neill as he nodded at Satterfield to continue her translation, "after everything that I've heard, I will be recommending that you be given asylum."
"As will I" said Woolsey as he leaned back on his seat and closed his notebook, "I'll be submitting a report to the President in Washington, and to the IOA to allow your asylum claim. This would apply to both you and your daughter."
Sharon could only open her eyes wide in surprise when Satterfield translated what the both of them had told her. She then looked with shock at the General and Woolsey looking for any signs of deception, but found none.
"I… I… don't know what to say, except for thank you" said Sharon who was still in shock.
"We'll have to talk to our allies and see if any of them will be willing to have you as a guest" said General O'Neill, "but whoever it is, you can stay with them if you wish, or we can find you another world. This is the same deal that we'll offer the Colonials as well; you'll be allowed to visit Earth one day…. But only after we've gotten to know each other."
"I… I accept those terms" said Sharon, "I… am I dreaming?"
"You had the mac and cheese, right?" asked the Colonel dryly as Sharon nodded her head, "do you really think the food in your dreams could be that bad?"
"Point taken" said Sharon as she gave Satterfield and the men across from her a smile.
"Sharon" said Woolsey, "you will be allowed to visit the infirmary, Mess Hall, and the gym. Just as long as you have escorts with you. You will not be allowed into the sensitive areas of the ship. Is that clear?"
"Yes" said Sharon after Satterfield translated for the two men.
"Alright" said Woolsey as General O'Neill nodded his head at the bald man, "Sharon, you said that Kobol was the birth place of humanity?"
"Yes" said Sharon, "a little more than four thousand years ago."
"What if I told you that we have archaeological, and historical evidence that humanity evolved on Earth millions of years ago?" said Woolsey as Satterfield translated every word while Sharon looked on with her eyebrows raised and her mouth open in shock.
Mess Hall, 2015 hours.
While General O'Neill and Woolsey had gone to interview Sharon in regards to her asylum claim, Willow and Faith were walking towards the Mess Hall while the others had gone down to the labs to talk with the doctor who had earlier examined Sharon.
"Everything alright?" asked Colonel Carter before they went their separate ways.
"Yes, ma'am" said Willow with a smile, "I just need to talk to Dawn about something urgent, something she definitely needs to know."
"Alright" nodded the Colonel, "we'll meet you in the lab then."
"Yes, ma'am" said Willow as the Colonel and the others went off one way, while Willow and Faith walked off another way.
"You gonna tell Dawn now?" asked Faith as she looked at Willow who nodded her head.
"You wanna do this alone?" continued Faith.
"Yeah" replied Willow, "could you just watch over the Colonials while I talk to Dawn?"
"Yep" said Faith with a grin on her face as she approached the Mess Hall and saw Dawn talking to two Colonial officers.
Dawn was talking with both Helo and Starbuck when she heard Willow calling for her. Turning around and smiling at the redhead, Dawn turned back again and asked Helo and Starbuck to excuse her and that she'll be right back. Nodding their heads, the both of them watched as Dawn ran towards the red haired woman before they walked down another hallway. In the meantime, the two Colonial Officers sat down and waited for their ride back to their ships.
As Dawn and Willow were walking down the hallway, she asked her all the usual mundane questions like how she was doing, how did she like being on SG2, and a few more that made the brown haired girl suspicious. Asking if there was something wrong, Willow pulled Dawn's hand and rushed towards a guest room.
Opening the door, Willow pulled Dawn inside before closing the door again. While Dawn looked at Willow in confusion, she noticed that the redhead had her eyes closed and was breathing very deeply.
"Willow" said Dawn as she approached the redhead, "everything alright?"
"Dawnie" said Willow as she opened her eyes and gently held onto Dawn's arm and sat her on the bed next to the window. Once she was seated, Willow sat beside her, and held on to her hand, "listen, there are some things I need to tell you. Important things about you."
"O…k" said a confused Dawn as she looked at the redhead who was seated next to her.
"Dawnie, you were right" said Willow as Dawn titled her head to the side in confusion, "do you remember what you told Faith that day before you went into that alternate reality?"
"You mean that I could be an Ascended being?" said Dawn confused, "that was just a joke.. I mean, I know I'm the Key… but… I mean… I wasn't serious or anything about being an ascended being. Maybe half serious but…."
"What if I told you that you were?" said Willow with her head hung low as the room became suddenly quiet while Dawn looked at her in shock, "what if I told you that you were born in Atlantis more than ten thousand years ago? What if I told you that your name then was Hera?"
"Willow" said Dawn shaking her head, "this isn't funny."
"I'm not kidding, Dawnie" said Willow as she looked at the brown haired girl through tear filled eyes, "your name was Hera. Your mother was named Melina."
"Willow" said Dawn shaking her head but made no move to leave Willow's side, "your memories… but… but how… I mean…."
"Melina died after you were born" said Willow as she held onto the young woman's hands tightly, "but you had an older sister and a father who loved and adored you. You and your sister were almost inseparable, she loved you so much that it's indescribable."
"Willow" said Dawn as the redhead looked up and noticed the shock in her eyes, "m… my… m… mom died?"
"Just before she died" said Willow as she tried her best not to break down, "she asked your sister to protect you, but she failed."
"What?" said Dawn as she stood up and backed away from Willow.
"Your sister would tell people that you were her light" said Willow as she let her hand fall onto her lap while Dawn slowly walked backwards away from the redhead, "and that was so true. She knew how bad the war was getting but you stopped her from doing some stupid things. When you were younger, she promised you that she would find a way to cure the Wraith; she loved you so much that she made that promise… and she tried. She and a team of geneticists tried so hard to find a cure for them. Then one day… it was a few days before your birthday, you travelled to retrieve some ZPM's with a retrieval team. I don't know what you told the team but all I know is that your father didn't want you to go. He wanted to keep you safe, that's all he was thinking about. You were so sure that you could convince the Wraith to stop fighting that you…. you went with the team."
"What… what happened?" asked Dawn as she leaned against the far wall with her hands covering her mouth.
"You and the other members of your team were captured" said Willow, "your father and your sister launched a retrieval mission for you at the only two locations that were viable. Your sister went to the right location but she, and six out of ten members of her team, was captured. She saw you when she regained consciousness looking scared in a pod, she did everything she could to get out of the pod that she was stuck in… she did everything she could, Dawnie… everything she could to get to you despite an injury to her arm and shoulder. So that you could be freed, and so that you could be brought back home to Atlantis."
"She didn't succeed?" asked Dawn.
"No" said Willow, "she failed…. Two Wraith were in front of her, one had already taken the life force of your sister… but she was important to the Wraith. They were forced to return her life force before the other one turned to you. Your sister begged, Dawnie… she begged them to spare your life. You were so brave Dawnie… you wanted to save your sister. You suspected that they were going to feed on her so you told them to feed on you instead of on her. But your sister told you to stop it, she told you to keep quiet and begged them to take her… to release you, and take her instead."
"No… no" said Dawn as she stared at Willow who stood up and rushed towards the brown haired young woman as she started sobbing, "Willow…. don't tell me I…."
"You said goodbye to her" said Willow as she hugged Dawn tight, "and you smiled; she screamed so loud that…. She screamed so much… but you smiled at your sister. You smiled so that your sister would know how brave you were as the Wraith killed you."
Willow knelt down on the floor of the Avalon as Dawn sobbed into the redhead's shoulder, while Willow tried her best not to cry as well.
"Your sister's team managed to create some explosions. The Wraith released her from the pod so that he could take her to his queen. He pulled her by the hair but another explosion made him release her" said Willow, "after that she lost it, Dawnie… the explosion made the Wraith stumble and she had her chance. She stomped her boot onto that Wraith's head again and again, again and again. She kept on doing it until the rest of her team arrived. She took their plasma weapon and ordered him to wait for her while she knelt onto the floor and whispered into the Wraith's ear."
"What.. what did she say?" said Dawn who was still crying on Willow's shoulder.
"You monsters took away my light in the darkness" said Willow as she recalled what she told the Wraith, "now you will all pay, each and every one of you will pay. You are correct, your people do not deserve to be cured….. I made a promise to my sister that I will continue as long as she was here with me always. You took her away from me, now there is nothing keeping me from annihilating each and every one of you abominations. I will see your race dead, if not by my hand… then I will ensure that my research is improved upon so that you all may die."
"Willow" said Dawn as she opened her eyes wide at the rage that Willow's voice was tinged with. She leaned back and looked into Willow's eyes while holding on to both of the redhead's cheeks, "who was my sister?"
"She would have destroyed everything, you know" said Willow, "she proposed that Atlantis leave Pegasus so that she could use a device she created that would not only destroy every single man, woman and child.. but every Wraith as well. The device would ensure that no life could grow again in that galaxy. She was obsessed with revenge, but she was stopped at that thanks to the Council. There were other weapons she created too, but all failed in the eyes of the Council. Dawn, innocents died and she didn't care. All she was thinking about was you.. she saw you die, Dawnie; she saw you die right in front of her."
"Willow" said Dawn as she continued to look into the redhead's eyes, "who is my sister?"
"She loved you so much" said Willow as she held on to both of Dawn's cheeks, "you loved to sing, you loved going out to the mainland… you became one of the best anthropologists and linguists in the city. You were a prankster too… always joking around. You were kind, everyone wanted to be with you…. your sister even had to chase away some of the boys since they weren't good enough for you. But you showed your sister the error of her ways by putting a sticky substance in her bath soap. You were so adventurous… even more than your sister."
Dawn looked on as Willow closed her eyes, as if she was recalling events in her mind that occurred all those years ago. She then saw Willow open her eyes again and smiled at the young brunette.
"She went back to Earth after the exodus" said Willow, "there your sister met a wonderful young girl. They became fast friends, but she lost her eventually."
"Did she die?" asked Dawn.
"No" said Willow, not wanting to tell Dawn everything yet. She wanted to show everyone together in regards to what happened to Sineya, but in the here and now… she wanted to be with her sister, "but your sister did something, Dawnie. She was responsible for the deaths of people….. she was responsible for the deaths of thirty thousand people."
"What?" said Dawn as she looked at Willow in surprise, "Willow, that's… why?"
Willow told Dawn that her sister created weapons for a group of people to use; she did it to protect that same young girl. Dawn listened in surprise at how her sister was betrayed by this same group; that they had taken the girl away anyway.
"She broke again" said Willow as she looked at Dawn, "later she admitted what she did to the Council, and was exiled for ten years."
"It wasn't her fault" said Dawn, "none of that was her fault."
"The Council told her not to do it in Atlantis to avenge her sister's death" said Willow, "but even though it was for a completely different reason, she's still responsible since she went against the Council's orders."
"Willow" said Dawn, "did you know her? Did you know my sister?"
"Yes" said Willow nodding her head, "your sister went to Kheb, were she met you. You Ascended and you told her that she had to make the mistakes on her own. That you couldn't interfere."
"I caused her suffering" said Dawn as Willow looked into her eyes and caressed her cheeks.
"No" said Willow shaking her head, "she needed to experience loss. She needed to see that there was another way. Your sister died the same day you died, Dawnie. When she met the girl on Earth…. She was alive again and wanted to do things differently. And she did, even though she still made a huge mistake. Seeing you again, seeing that you were safe gave her the confidence she needed.. the push she needed to forgive herself. Eventually, your sister ascended as well. The both of you travelled through galaxies together for thousands of years. Two immortal sisters in competition on who gains the most knowledge, but still taught each other and learned from each other. After thousands of years, the both of you came to Sunnydale. You saw the darkness pouring out of the Hellmouth and your sister made the decision to descend and help fight whatever was coming. You and your mother promised to watch over your sister, and you did. You were always there for her, even when she was all alone."
"Willow?" said Dawn.
"Your sister's name is Athena" said Willow as she looked at the stunned look on Dawn's face.
"Willow" said Dawn, "Ath.. Athena… that… wait, that means…"
"It's me, Dawn" said Willow as she looked at the wide eyed Dawn, "I'm your sister."
TBC