Science Lab One, SGC, 0930 hours.
It had been a week since the disappearance of Colonel Carter from the SGC. Willow and Dr. Lee showed General Landry, General Cater and the rest of SG-1 the footage that was recorded the day the blonde officer vanished. That day, after Faith rushed in with her heavy duty headphone and parabolic microphone, Willow and her fellow scientist gave their theory on what happened based on what was recorded.
"Two Carters?" asked Colonel Mitchell as he took off the Sodan cloaking device and handed it to Willow so that she could use her powers from within the other dimension, in case the theory was just that…. A theory.
"Yes, sir" said Willow as she played the video back extremely slowly before stopping at one point in the video where the Colonel was stepping back while looking around confused, and to her left was another Samantha Carter with her mouth open in a scream, "there. It's there for just a few seconds. Two Samantha Carter's."
"What does this mean?" asked Vala as she walked to the monitor and bent over while looking at the frozen video.
"Honestly?" asked Willow as she looked at Vala, and then at the others, before looking at Dr. Lee.
"We have no idea" said Dr. Lee, "I mean not much of one right now, but given the presence of another Colonel Carter? Our theory is that she could be… well…"
"Major? Doctor?" asked General Carter.
"It's just a theory, sir" said Willow, "one of a few things could have happened. One, she could be stuck in another dimension, a dimension that the Sodan cloaking device cannot access."
"Second" said Dr. Lee, "and this is the second of the worst case scenarios; she could be in an alternate reality. I mean, if we were to assume that the other Colonel Carter is from another reality; then it would make sense that our Colonel Carter could have been sent to another reality."
"Third" said Willow as she looked at General Carter, "this is the worst case, sir. If that really was an alternate Colonel Carter, then that means that whatever happened in this reality within the force field? There'd be two Colonel Carter occupying the same place in space.. and…"
"That's not possible" said General Landry, "meaning…"
"Nothing, sirs" said Colonel Mitchell as he looked at the tow General's and then at Willow and Dr. Lee, "right?"
"It's just a theory, sir" said Willow as she walked towards General Carter, "I'll be using the Sodan device and using my powers in the other dimension. Maybe Colonel Carter was knocked unconscious.. or… yeah."
"And the best case scenario would be that" said Dr. Lee as he referred to what Willow just said about the Colonel being knocked unconscious, "or that our Colonel Carter was sent to the other reality, and that the explosion that led to the charring in the lab was caused by the other Colonel Carter being involved in an accident."
"Whatever the case is, sir" said Willow as she looked at Dr. Lee, and then at General Carter, "we'll try to figure out what happened. It could be that she's still down there looking at us from a whole different dimension. So I'd probably suggest…"
"Someone staying down there?" asked Faith as she raised her parabolic dish.
"Yea" replied Willow.
"I got first shift" said Faith as she dashed down to the lab.
"Major" said the General as he looked at Willow while she put on the cloaking device, "do what you have to do."
"Understood, sir" said Willow as she activated the clock, and vanished.
"I want the rest of you to continue your sweeps" said General Landry. The others then nodded before heading back to what they were doing before being called.
It was a week full of non-successes as the humans using the Sodan cloaking devices experienced no luck in finding any sign of Colonel Carter in the other dimension. Even Willow who had spent the most amount of time in the dimension that the Sodan cloaking device accessed found no luck in using her powers to locate the Major. Once all of that had been given up on, General Landry had an idea that he brought to Willow, who was still in Science Lab one while running a telepathic scan of the room. She knew that doing so would be unsuccessful, but she felt useless if she didn't try anything.
"Major" said General Landry, soon followed by General Carter, "a word, please?"
"Of course, sir" said Willow.
"Major" said General Landry, "in the event that Colonel Carter's been sent to another reality, is there any way you could locate her the same way you travelled to the other reality when you nearly died over Tegalus?"
"Oh" said Willow as she remembered the time she nearly died in the vacuum of space after disabling the weapons satellite that nearly destroyed the Prometheus, "I think that was pure luck, sir. I mean… when Faith came to me when I was stuck in another reality, that's because we have a psychic link between so.. so she had a guide to where I was. But for Colonel Carter? I… I'm guessing it would take some time and…. and I mean I could try it out. But the problem is that I won't have an anchor here in case I wander too far off and… and… well, I'd recommend Tara's magic combined with my link with Faith to hold a part of me here while I….. huh?"
"Major?" asked General Landry as he looked at a confused Willow as she stopped talking and looked around the lab, before looking at the two Generals.
"Get out… get out… get out now" shouted Willow as she ran out of the Science Lab, followed closely by General Landry and General Carter. As soon as they ran into the hallway outside, there was a buzzing sound followed by a bright flash of white light.
"Colonel!" shouted Willow as she ran back into the room after she had one thought to her head from the blonde woman, 'am I home?'.
Willow and the two Generals ran back into the Science Lab and saw Colonel Carter in a black dinner dress standing over the table, along with the rest of the equipment that they had seen in the video, while she disconnected the Phase Shifting device from the naquada generator and then turned, and smiling at Willow.
"HI" said the Colonel as she gave a little wave as Willow stood at the door in shock, before General Landry and General Carter walked through the door. General Carter grinning as he walked towards the Colonel, and then hugged her tight.
"Dad" said the Colonel while Willow walked over to the phone on the wall and called for the rest of SG-1, and Dr. Lee to meet her at Science Lab One. She then walked over to General Landry who just nodded at Colonel Carter before welcoming her back.
"Thank you, sir" said the Colonel as General Carter pulled out from the hug and then stood next to his daughter, "we have a lot to talk about."
"Starting with where you got that dress, ma'am" said Willow with a smile, "I'm guessing that you weren't stuck in another dimension?"
"No" said Colonel Carter, "alternate reality, I.. I can explain everything.. but.. but how long have I been gone?"
"A week, Colonel" said General Landry as Willow nodded her head, "I'd like for you to go get checked out, change clothes and then we'll have a briefing."
"Understood, sir" said Colonel Carter before she looked up at the doorway when she heard a whistle.
"Wow" said Faith as she walked into the room, followed by Vala, Teal'c, Colonel Mitchell, Daniel and then Dr. Lee, "looking good, Sam. I take it you were on a date, or something?"
"No" said Colonel Carter as Faith welcomed back the blonde officer with a hug, which was followed by a hug from Vala. Colonel Carter nodded at the SG-1 men as Vala was hugging her before turning to General Carter and asked him about Debbie.
"She's with Colonel Dixon's wife" said the General.
"And you'll be able to visit her once the briefing's been complete, Colonel" said the General before she left for the infirmary, while the others breathed a collective sign of relieve. It was an hour later that the Colonel met everyone in the briefing room where she described what happened. That the accident that shunted her into another reality had also led to the death of her counterpart in that reality, Major Samantha Carter.
"That's one of the theories that Willow and Dr. Lee had" said General Landry.
"However, we were uncertain of what really occurred" said Teal'c as Colonel Carter nodded her head.
The Colonel then told them that she had appeared at an alternate SGC where General Hammond was still the Base Commander. She told them that the Stargate was revealed to the world after Anubis' attack on the planet; that the chair was used to beat back the attack but the secret was out.
"What happened?" asked General Landry as he leaned in forward, wanting to know what went wrong in that reality after the Stargate was revealed.
Colonel Carter told him everything that happened; looting, riots, martial law, and the loss of personal freedoms. She then told them that eventually, the Earth had severed contact with all their alien allies.. including the Jaffa and the Asgard. She told General Landry that it was one nightmare after another, that it felt extremely surreal.
"Maybe that's the difference" said Colonel Mitchell, "we're taking it slow; but it happened so suddenly for them in the other reality that people didn't have time to absorb it all? I guess?"
"Alright" said General Landry after Colonel Carter told Colonel Mitchell that it was possible, that so far.. the way they've done disclosure has caused some problems among allies who aren't part of the Stargate Program, but it was nothing that couldn't be handled. However, the General still wanted her to report personally to the President, and then to Home World Security at the Pentagon.
"I'll go with you, Sam" said General Carter, "you, me and Debbie can have some time together, of course if that's alright with General Landry."
"It is" said the man, "Colonel, you leave tomorrow. I'll inform General O'Neill that you'll be briefing the President and Home World about what you've seen in the other reality.
"Once thing I want to know though" said Vala as she leaned forward, "where was I?"
"Jail, Area 51" said the Colonel as everyone looked at Vala as she leaned back n her seat and pouted.
"Again?"
"How about us, ma'am?" asked Willow as she pointed to herself and Faith, who was also leaning forward.
"Yea" said the Colonel reluctantly, "I don't think you two really want to know."
"Oh, now I do" said Faith as Willow nodded her head, and gave a smile to the Colonel, "please."
"Faith" said Colonel Carter, "escaped felon, who joined some private security company. At least that's what I was told by General Hammond after I asked if you and Willow can help me get back here. I mean, eventually I asked the Rodney in that reality, told him about the reality bridge he designed on Atlantis and that's how he sent me back here. But, as for Willow…. well,.."
"Ma'am?" asked Willow.
"The General wasn't too keen on you since you, Buffy and the others were labelled as terrorists."
"Huh?" said Willow as she looked on with her mouth open, "huh?"
"Apparently, Buffy and the others in that reality were responsible for Sunnydale becoming a crater" said the Colonel as everyone looked at Willow, and then the Colonel again, before looking back at Willow whose mouth was opened wide like a goldfish, "I convinced the General that you were the smartest person I knew… and the one I could work with. In the end, they tried reaching out for your alternate but, I guess you must have gone underground. Based on what I've seen, I don't know if they even tried looking for you or….. a lot of things were different in that reality."
"Oh" said Willow, "great… in another reality… Sunnydale get's destroyed? Wow… that's… heavy… damn."
"And me?" asked Daniel.
"Taken by Adria" said the Colonel as everyone looked at him, "they hadn't heard from you for some time."
The Colonel then went to say that they never found Atlantis in the reality before explaining some of the other differences while Faith reached under the table and reached for Willow's hand. She could sense the redhead's feelings of despair over what her alternate may have done, so she squeezed her hand gently.
Faith: "That's not you, Red."
Willow: "That's what I could have been."
Faith: "Maybe, but that you in that reality never joined the Stargate Program. And I'm guessing we weren't like we are now, together. So yeah, that's not you."
Willow: "Terrorist though. I mean…. wonder what I did."
Faith: "It happened there, Red. Not here."
Willow then looked at Faith and smiled while Colonel Carter talked to Teal'c and Colonel Mitchell.
Willow: "You always know the perfect thing to say, don't you?"
Faith: "I try… but I mean it. That alternate you may have done something bad, but she's not you.. you know."
Willow: "I know, Faith."
Faith: "Good."
Willow smiled at Faith before squeezing her hand again just as Colonel Carter's briefing was finished. It was a few minutes later that General Landry dismissed everyone, but not reminding SG-1 that they'll be heading for the mission that was postponed after Colonel Carter went missing for the last week.
"Two days people" said General Landry as he stood up, followed by Willow, Colonel Carter and Colonel Mitchell. Then just before the General turned to leave for his office, he reminded Faith that she was expected at the BPRI; that Tara needed Faith to find the Scythe. Faith then nodded her head before smiling at Willow who would be staying at the SGC in preparation for their next mission.
BPRI, Sunnydale, 0900 hours; the next day.
Cordelia and Angel were checking on the Hellmouth using the scanners from the Sunnydale Outpost. The SGC had connected those scanners to a computer in their office so that any Hellmouth activity could be checked, but so far they were glad that it was relatively stable; they still had vampires and demons coming into town but they were quickly taken care off, and they hadn't seen anything that would indicate an oncoming apocalypse, at least not yet.
Once Cordelia pressed a button under her desk to return the monitor back to its recess in the wall, there was a bright flash of white light that deposited a grinning Faith into their office.
"Hey" said Faith as she nodded at both Angel and Cordelia.
"Faith" said Angel before he picked up the phone on his desk, "Harm, please send Tara up."
Nodding his head, Angel then put the phone down and motioned to Faith to take a seat while waiting for Tara to come up to the office so that they could begin the search for the weapon. As they sat across from Faith, Angel asked Faith to talk to Willow and stop what she was trying to do.
"What?" asked Faith confused.
"Angel" said Cordelia as she looked at the vampire, "I asked her to give it a try, just let her…. look.. you read the report that Willow wrote, the one that General Landry sent us. It's worth a try, Tara said that there's a chance that her plan could work."
"A very, very, very small chance" said Angel, "and that's not something I'm willing to risk. I know her heart is in the right place but…"
"Guys?" said Faith as she leaned forward, further confused about what Willow had to do with whatever it was that they were talking about, "what's going on?"
"She didn't tell you?" asked Angel as Faith raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me what" asked Faith. It was then that a surprised Faith heard about the report Willow wrote on possibly making Angel a cloned human body, the involvement of Tara, and the Asgard. Angel then told Faith that he knows that Willow's heart is in the right place, but that what she was proposing would lead to disappointment for her since it wasn't possible.
"You can't change a vampire's nature" said Faith as she rubbed her head, "Damn it, Red."
Faith: "Willow Danielle Rosenberg!"
Willow: "Faith? Umm… you kinda used my whole name and…"
Faith: "Did you go and write a report on the vampire rescue thingy? The cloning? After Angel and I specifically asked you not to?"
Willow: "Oh… I guess you…. right. I'm sorry I hid it from you, but…."
Faith: "We'll talk when I get back."
Willow: "Faith, I…."
Faith: "When I get back, Red. We'll talk about going behind our friend's back."
Faith closed her eyes and shook her head after Willow stopped speaking to her through their link. She then looked at Angel and Cordelia and told them that she'll talk to Willow about the report.
"Faith" said Cordelia, "I'm the one who asked Willow to try something, and to be honest with you… I'd like her to continue. I know that it may not work but, it's still worth a try."
"It's dangerous" said Angel as he looked at Cordelia, "even with my soul, I'm still a demon. That's the truth… you know its true Cordy."
"But…" said Cordelia as Angel interrupted what she wanted to say.
"Willow won't listen to me" said Angel as he looked at Cordelia, "maybe she'll listen to you, and to Faith."
"I'll talk to her. I'm sorry, Cordy… Angel's the one who helped me out when I was down, and I'll be the first person to come defends him and help him out but… but this is potential suicide. It's too dangerous" said Faith as she nodded her head just as the doors to Angel and Cordelia's office opened and in walked a smiling Tara.
"Tara" said Faith as she got up, "I'm here."
"We're ready" said Tara after she smiled and nodded at Angel and Cordelia, "hopefully this works and we find the Scythe."
"Good luck" said Cordelia as Tara nodded her head and led Faith out of the door.
After the doors had closed, Angel looked on as Cordelia sighed and got up from the couch and walked up to her desk. Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Angel then got up and walked up to Cordelia who had her back to him and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissed her in the shoulder and then rested his chin on her shoulder.
"I know why you asked Willow to try and do something, to try and create a clone that wouldn't carry the demon" whispered Angel into Cordelia's ear, "but the risks outweigh the benefits. Yea, maybe it could work… the clone could be fully human with my strength and everything, and maybe Tara will say that yes, the demon is gone… but this is magic we're talking about Cordy. Demons, and magic… it's an unstable mix. What happens if the clone me eventually becomes a murderous monster? You know that's something that could very well happen."
"But" said Cordelia as she turned around and looked at Angel's eyes, "I…."
"I've lost a lot of people" said Angel as he gently held on to Cordelia's arms, "and I can't take it if I lose everything and kill the people around me if I… well, the clone version of me, ends up killing people… or ends up killing you."
Cordelia could only look down on the carpet as she leaned onto her desk.
"Even Faith thinks it's a bad idea" said Angel gently, "I knew it was a bad idea when we got the proposal from General Landry, and… I know it's a hard thing to hear. I know talking to Willow would be difficult, I know that she wants to help me… but it's too risky. You've heard what Faith said, even she thinks it's a bad idea… and I'm guessing that Willow will listen to her."
"But…."
"And she'll listen to you too" said Angel, "I needed to talk to you and Faith together, that's why I waited. I know why you're doing this, and I can tell you that my feelings for you won't change."
Cordelia wiped her eyes as she placed her hands on the vampire's chest, and nodded her head.
"And… and even if Willow's right about my DNA or… stuff changing… because of the demon" said Angel, "even if you take out the supernatural parts of this whole Vampire thing… the demon's already in this body. It'll just be cloning the demon again, and again."
"I'm sure that Willow…."
"She wants to help me" said Angel, "you've known her far longer than me. When she puts her mind to something…. I'm afraid that she'll overlook something and she'll be disappointed. Talk to her, Cordy."
It was then that a defeated Cordelia nodded her head before Angel pulled her in and hugged her.
"We'll adopt" said the vampire as he ran his hand through Cordelia's hair, "I know you want kid's so… we'll adopt."
Cordelia could only nod her head on Angel's chest before she pulled away slowly, while wiping her eyes before turning around and picking up the phone.
While Cordelia had called Willow to ask her to abandon the project, Faith had followed Tara down to one of the rooms in the basement. As they were walking to the door, Tara sensed that Faith's mind wasn't in the here and now.
"You alright, Faith?" asked Tara as Faith looked at her, and then nodded her head, "you sure?"
"Yea" replied Faith as she thought about Willow going behind her, and Angel's back, to do something so risky; especially when Angel asked her specifically not to attempt it since it would have been too dangerous.
It was a few minutes later that Faith and Tara reached the room, and opened the door only to find Buffy and Kennedy already waiting for them, while Fred… the researcher in charge while Giles was spending time on Eden, stood to one side as she looked over a few books of spells. Looking up at Tara, the excited woman approached her and said that everything was ready.
IT didn't take too long for Tara to tell Faith, Buffy and Kennedy to sit around her while she sat in the middle. After a quick briefing on what could happen, the Slayers nodded their heads before Tara smiled and asked the three Vampire Slayers to hold hands.
"We're ready, Tara" said Buffy as Faith and Kennedy nodded their heads.
"I need everyone to clear their minds" said Tara as she looked at Faith who gave a little smile before nodding her head, "and then close your eyes. Don't open until I tell you to, and… honestly, I'm not sure what's going to happen. We'll be tapping into very, very primal forces; I'm not sure how Sineya will feel about this incursion so…."
"We'll be fine" said Faith as Buffy nodded her head.
"Are you sure you have this, Tara?" asked Kennedy as she looked at her girlfriend.
"Yes" replied the blonde witch before she looked over her shoulder at Fred, and asked her to lock the doors. That they couldn't have anyone coming in while the spell was being cast. Fred then nodded her head and walked out of the room before locking the door behind her; Tara had already told her to stay outside as well earlier that day.
"Here we go" said Tara as she nodded at everyone to close their eyes, and breathe normally. She then watched as the three Slayers took each other's hands before closing their eyes. Tara then started to chant as she cast her spell. She felt the temperature drop inside the room until she could see the condensation from her own breathe being blown into the air as she breathed.
"Tara" said Kennedy as she started to shiver, "are you…".
"Shh" said Tara as she looked at the younger slayer just as Faith, Buffy and finally Kennedy snapped open their eyes to Tara's surprise. She looked around at Kennedy first, noticing the white eyes before she looked at Buffy, and then she looked over her shoulder at Faith. All of their eyes were pure white as they looked at her.
It was then that goosebumbs on her arms started to erupt as soon as she heard a growl travel throughout the room. The growl continued to get louder, and closer, as black mist rose out of the bodies of all three slayers and coalesced into what Tara could only describe as a formless shape that was flying around the room. It was unable to get out because of the barrier spells, and every type of protective spell that Tara could think off due to the unstable nature of what she was attempting to do.
Tara watched as the shape flew around, and above their heads, before stopping over hers. She looked up as it rose, seeming as if it was preparing to strike.
"I call on Sineya" said Tara as she looked at the shape that was preparing to strike, "I call on the first of the ones. The First Slayer, the first of many. These three are the successors of Sineya, these are the descendents of the First Slayer. The ones who deserve the weapon that will drive out the darkness, the weapon that is meant to bring the light to this world; the weapon that was placed under the guard of the Guardians; the weapon forged by the one known as Athena for Sineya and her successors."
It was then that Tara felt a breeze in the room; a breeze that flowed through her hair as the temperature slowly started to rise.
"Sineya!" said Tara as she looked up at the black shape that rippled as if it were just a liquid, "your successors are asking for what is rightfully theirs. They ask for aid in finding this great gift, a gift that was given to you; a gift that was meant for the Slayer. Show us where the weapon can be found, show us where the Chosen can receive what is rightfully theirs."
It was then that the breeze suddenly stopped. Tara narrowed her eyes at the formless being as it split into three and rushed back into the three Slayers. They then looked at Tara, and growled before speaking all at once.
"The Chosen must prove themselves worthy" said all three Slayers as they stared at Tara, "in the beginning, the beginning lies the end. They must face the end, and only then can they be worthy."
"The three Chosen have proven themselves worthy" said Tara as she looked at Buffy, Faith and then Kennedy, "they have saved this planet…."
"They have not faced me" said the voice as it took on a sinister tone, "I am the First of the ones. The First of the Chosen… The weapon you speak of was created for me. They have not shown themselves worthy of it, if they so choose to prove themselves to me; they must come to the place it all began, there they must face the end. Only then will I accept them; now… do not call upon me again… witch."
"Sineya" said Tara as the three Slayers were all simultaneously pushed hard until they hit the walls, and then slid back down onto the floor. Tara quickly got up and ran to where Kennedy was moaning on the floor as her eyes returned to their normal shade of brown. It was as Tara was kneeling on the floor next to Kennedy while she felt for a pulse, that she felt a cold breeze go up her back. Feeling a presence behind her, Tara stood up with magical energy crackling in the palms of her hand to protect the three Slayers. She had no idea if what she could do would work against as something as powerful as the full power of the First Slayer, but she knew that something had to be done to protect them.
Turning around, she put her hands up, ready to fire the gathered magical energy when she looked on surprised at a little girl who could not be more than ten years old. Confusion etched on her face, the witch placed her hands down slowly as the girl took a step towards her.
"Who are you?" asked Tara as she looked at the girl who was wearing a simple tanned dress.
"I am she who once was" said the girl in a gentle voice, "the one before the one ever existed."
"Sineya?" said Tara as she looked over her own shoulder and saw movement from Kennedy. She then looked at Buffy, and Faith, and was relieved when they started to move their hands and feet. Tara then looked towards the girl in front of her, and took a step forward.
"I was once called that" said Sineya, "I am the innocence before there was the Slayer."
"Why did you do this?" asked Tara as she motioned towards the three Slayers.
"I did not" said Sineya, "the wellspring of the Slayer's power is vast. As is the power of the weapon they seek. The Slayer seeks to protect the successors, the Chosen, who have been passed the mantle to protect the world from the darkness. They must prove themselves worthy to be Slayers, they must prove themselves worthy to wield the weapon."
"What do you mean?" asked Tara as she heard Kennedy calling out for her. Tara turned around and kneeled next to the fallen Slayer as Sineya continued to talk.
"The weapon they seek has been made for a time when it is required of them" said Sineya, "it carries great power…"
"And great responsibility?" said Tara who couldn't help but smirk.
"Yes" replied Sineya, "if they seek the weapon, they must come to the beginning. There they must face the Slayer, the full power of the First Slayer. They must prove their worth."
"What do you mean?" asked Tara as she helped Kennedy sit up, before she went on to help Buffy and Faith sit up while they rubbed their heads.
"If they prove not to be worthy in this search for the weapon" said Sineya, "then they will pay the price. However, if they choose not to search for it, then they will go on with their lives as they have been. The next Slayer will be chosen after the previous has fallen in battle."
"Si.. Sineya" said Faith as she slowly stood up while leaning against the wall.
"Tell Athena I have said hello" said Sineya with a smile as she looked at Faith, "I would very much like to see her once more where it all began. Farewell."
Suddenly, the four people in the room saw the little girl replaced with a woman who had manacles attached to her wrists and feet, and her clothes were raggedy while her face was covered in white paint. As Faith, and now Buffy, and Kennedy looked on… she was also holding two Scythes in her hands.
"My successors" growled Sineya as she crouched while holding out both scythes out to her sides, and glaring at them, "show me your worth."
Suddenly, there was a bright flash.. followed by the sound of thunder as Sineya simply vanished.
"Tara?" said Buffy, as she was helped up by Faith, as she looked at the witch, "what just happened?"
"I… I'm not sure" said Tara as she looked at Buffy who was rubbing her forehead while helping Kennedy stand up, "but… but I think she want the three of you to perform a ritual of some sort. She said that if you want the location of the weapon, you have to prove your worth."
"Our worth?" asked Kennedy, "but.. I mean I think we've already proved we're worthy of the Scythe… I mean…. come on. We've saved the world enough times."
"Maybe there's more than that" said Buffy softly.
"She said that if you want to prove your worth, you need to go to where it all began" said Tara as she walked towards the door, and knocked on it. She heard the sound of it being unlocked from the outside before Fred swung the doors open and looked at the four tired women inside. Tara asked Fred to call for the medical staff to examine Buffy and the others since they may have injuries. Once Fred left, Tara turned around and smiled at the three Slayers, "Buffy?"
Tara called for the oldest Slayer as the blonde witch noticed her looking out into the distance.
"Hey, B?" said Faith, "penny for your thoughts?"
"Yea, Buffy" said Kennedy as she leaned on one of the tables that was placed against the wall.
"Where it all began?" asked Buffy as she looked at Tara who nodded her head, "that's what she said, we need to go back to where it all began?"
"Yes"
"B?"
"I can think of two places" said Buffy as she leaned next to Kennedy while Faith was leaning on the wall, "where the first Slayer was created, or the Hellmouth."
"Red said that that chamber was destroyed" said Faith, "I saw her memories… it was definitely destroyed. Cave in."
"Then the Hellmouth" said Kennedy.
"Makes sense" said Buffy, "all hell started after it was opened."
"Don't tell me we have to open the seal of Dan.. whatever and go inside again" said Kennedy sighing as she remembered the nightmare, and the numbers of witches and Potentials killed when they fought with the demon lord known as Balthazar years ago.
Buffy shuddered at the thought of that battle; the aftermath of which she told Willow about the day she first met up with the redhead in Colorado Springs. Sunnydale High was destroyed again, twenty Potentials were killed, as well as six witches, but the demon lord was defeated together with his army; and the Hellmouth sealed again.
"Let's not consider opening that can of worms" said Faith with a shake of her head, "there's one more thing we haven't considered; something else that could mean the beginning."
"Which is?" asked Kennedy.
"The day Willow… or Athena… met Sineya" said Tara as Faith nodded her head, "but… but she would have still become the Slayer. I mean, Willow said that the Shadow Men believed in that prophesy and…"
"Maybe it wouldn't have been that powerful" said Faith, "think about it, the demon that created the Slayer was made even more powerful after taking the life forces of the clones. That power couldn't have been available without Athena there creating the clones. And she was the one who created the Scythe, so… all I'm saying is that before we even think about opening the seal again, we talk to Red and find out where she met Sineya. Then we go from there."
"You guys have a mission coming up?" asked Buffy.
"Tomorrow" said Faith nodding her head, "we can go to Nairobi at the end of this week, I mean if you guys have no missions."
"Yeah" said Buffy as she motioned towards Kennedy as Freed came back with two doctors, "we'll talk to Angel and Cordy. Check in with them and see what they say."
"I'll talk with Big K, and Red, before confirming anything" said Faith as the others nodded their heads before the doctors started to examine them.
Orbit over planet soon to be designated as New Kobol, 0900 hours.
Over the planet below, there was a small but bright flash of light that appeared out of nowhere. Once the blinding light was gone, all that remained was a small ship that stayed in orbit over the planet as the crew inside took a look at what was going to be their new home.
"By the Gods" said Starbuck, who was seated on the Co-Pilot's seat next to Racetrack, as she looked at the planet. She could see the clouds over the four continents that were visible to her, as well as the oceans.
"That was my first reaction as well, Captain Thrace" said the Vice-President as he walked up from the rear and stood between the two of them, "our new home."
"How's the weather?" asked Billy who stood next to the vice-president.
"The woman in charge of refugee's said that the weather patterns are stable" replied the Vice-President, "but…"
"We need to expect anything?"
"Remember the heavy winds on Picon?"
"True" said Starbuck as she watched mesmerized at the planet before telling Racetrack that she wanted to take over. Nodding her head, Racetrack transferred control of the ship to Starbuck before getting on the radio.
"This is Lt. Edmondson on Raptor One carrying the Vice-President of the Twelve colonies calling base camp" said Racetrack as she pressed on the button that was set to transmit the message to the Earth base on the refugee camp on the planet's surface.
"Lt. Edmondson" came Dr. Burke's response through the radio, "welcome back."
"Requesting permission to land" said Racetrack when she noticed Starbuck shocking her head vigorously before telling her that she wanted to do a flyby. Nodding her head, Racetrack told Dr. Burke that Starbuck wanted to take a quick look around before landing the Raptor, "we'll be going low, just warning."
"Understood, I'll inform the base commander" said Dr. Burke, "and the other Colonial's on the surface about your arrival."
Racetrack then told her that they've begun their decent. Turning back to look over her shoulder, she told everyone to strap into their seats, that they were going into the atmosphere. As Starbuck flew the small craft, the entire ship started to shake as it went through the atmosphere, and then it flew through the clouds as Starbuck screamed in joy at having seen clouds after so spending so long in a metal box. Putting the thrusters on full power, Starbuck buzzed over the camp as everyone, except for Balter who was sitting in one corner, looked out the front window as they saw more refugee units, as well as what looked like crystalline towers in the distance.
"What's that?" asked Billy as he stood next to one of the Quorum members.
"No idea" said the Vice-President, "they weren't there the first time we met these people."
"He's right" said the quorum member from Leonis, "they're new. The design is… alien."
"Could be living quarters" said Starbuck as she flew around the group of four towers before heading towards a lake in the distance, "finally! Skinny dipping!"
Billy could only look at the Vice-President shaking his head before looking out the window as Starbuck banked to the port side. She went low as she entered a river way, staring in amazement at the birds that flew off from the banks as the Raptor screamed by before she pulled up into the sky. Coming about, they headed back to the camp where she noticed the activation of the Stargate in the distance.
"Is that…" said Starbuck as she pointed at the unstable vortex that formed as she flew over the stone ring. She saw a group of five people gathered looking up at the ship, before they walked through, "by the gods."
"It's strange the first time walking through it, sir" said Racetrack as Starbuck looked back at her and grinned. The blonde officer then looked back at the blue event horizon before it disengaged.
It was then that the Vice-President told Starbuck to land the ship, that it was time to settle on their new home.
"Yes, sir" said Starbuck as she headed back to the camp.
TBC.