Stargate Command, 1340 hours.
Willow walked through the Stargate after having briefed Commander Adama and the others on New Kobol. As she walked down the ramp, Willow thought back to the time when the briefing was completed, and Talia had made her video tape. Then Willow asked that everyone leave the room so that she could do what she needed to do in relative peace. The redhead explained that the one being hypnotised, in this case it was going to be Talia, needed to be free from all distractions. So, Riley left with Dr. Burke, who handed the translator to Willow… before walking out the doors with the technicians, Commander Adama, Vice-President Hunt, and Roslin. Willow then pinned the translator on her blouse and watched as the doors closed before she turned to face Talia.
"You will hypnotise me now?" asked Talia as willow walked up to her left side. Willow told her that it was imperative that Talia keep her mind clear as she sat down in front of the woman.
"What I do is different from hypnosis," said Willow as she looked at Talia who was confused, "have you heard about telepathic abilities?"
"They're just a myth," said Talia, "a way for conmen to get…."
"You're thinking about the time your parents took you to a magic show at the Great Hall in Tauron City," said Willow as she looked at Talia who had her eyes wide open. The Colonial woman was about to say that she was thinking about it when Willow told her that she knew that Talia would be asking that exact same question. Willow told the stunned Talia that she had special abilities that went beyond the normal; and that to get into her mind and change things around, the redhead needed her permission.
"I… I don't understand," said Talia shaking her head while she wondered if she should call for help and inform the President.
"I need your permission for just this moment," said Willow, "it's my code of ethics; I'll be creating a delay for the new memories to take a hold, and I'll be creating a trigger for your old memories to return to you after your debriefing by Prior Cain. I need you to think about something… something important to you… maybe something in your apartment, or home, on Caprica."
"But…"
"The Commander said that you'll be interrogated in a military complex or the Pegasus," said Willow, "and then you'll be sent home to recuperate. Once you reach home and see this trigger, you'll have your real memories back. And the false memories will fade away. Once I'm done… I'll wipe this conversation from your memory. But to do what I need to do, I need your permission to continue."
"If what you say is true," said Talia as she looked suspiciously at Willow, "then you could have simply changed my mind and…"
"Not unless you want me to," said Willow shaking her head, "if you decide that you don't want me to do what I need to do, I'll tell the President that you chose not to continue, and you will remember you said 'no'. You won't know why you said 'no', but you'll know that you did."
"Will it hurt?" asked Talia.
"No," said Willow as she smiled, "I won't see any of your memories, it'll be over in a minute… or less."
Talia looked at Willow and imagined the possibilities of what she was saying was the truth. And then the Colonial remembered that she wouldn't remember a single thing and that thought made her feel excited, and frightened, at the same time. She then told Willow that it be like not knowing that a new discovery exists in the universe, that as a history teacher… the redhead was a discovery that could very well change human history.
"I'm not a change in human history," said Willow, "I'm just me. I can tell you that there are people with unique abilities where I come from, and maybe one day we'll show your people what I can do.. what some of the people I know can do. But for now? How about we just work on you getting to Caprica and surviving intact for the next two weeks before you begin your work of stopping the Ori army.
"Very well," said Talia as she looked at Willow and nodded her head, "I give you my consent."
"Just calm your mind," said the redhead as she gently lay her hands on the woman's temples, "show me what's important to you and…. Ah… there it is. Good luck, Talia Gallo."
"Thank you," said Talia as she closed her eyes.
Back in the SGC, Willow was thinking about how the technicians used the device to place the new memories in Talia's mind, which would take root a few seconds after the Jumper leaves the buffer planet that she will be left on for Caprica; and she would follow the Jumper a few seconds after it heads through the Stargate while cloaked. The redhead walked up the stairs to the control room and nodded at Walter and some of the other technicians before she headed up the stairs to the briefing room. Once at the top of the stairs, Willow walked up to General Landry's office where he was talking on the phone with the President following the meeting with the IOA, while General O'Neill was sitting right across from the base commander.
Willow knocked on the door, and walked in after General Landry signalled for her to get into the office. Willow waved at General O'Neill before silently closing the door behind her. She then headed to the chair next to General O'Neill and sat down just as General Landry put the phone down after telling the President that every step would be done to make sure that Cain would be taken care off, over the objections of the IOA; but only if they had the opportunity, and only if that opportunity did not place Earth at risk of being discovered when making an attempt on Prior Cain.
"Major? How'd it go?" asked General Landry as he nodded his head before signalling the young woman to debrief the both of them on what happened on New Kobol. Willow told the two Generals what she had done, and that everything was ready for Talia to take on the memories at the right time. She told the two General's that the delay would activate the new memories through the use of a trigger sentence.
"One of the guys on the team that'll head to Caprica from the buffer planer would say, 'Gate travel, the only way to fly'," said Willow as she leaned back while looking at General O'Neill, and then at General Landry, "they activate the gate after having Talia positioned near the DHD. One of them will say the phrase, and then Talia will faint for a few seconds. The Jumper would then go through the Stargate, and then a few seconds later, Talia will wake up with the new memories activated. She'll then run through the Stargate with one of our P90's, and then her memories will fade at the end of three weeks, or when she sees a trigger once she's allowed to go home after the debriefing with Cain and the other Priors. Then she's on her own."
"Good job," said General Landry, "let's hope that Miss Gallo's able to do what she needs to do."
"Yes, sir," replied the redhead.
"Good work, Red," said General O'Neill.
"Thank you, sir," replied Willow.
"Alright, Major," said General Landry nodding his head, "thanks for getting this thing done on New Kobol."
"You're supposed to be heading to Nairobi, right?" asked General O'Neill as the redhead nodded her head, "good luck."
"Yes, sir," said Willow as she stood up, as did the two Generals. It was then then Willow asked General Landry about the request that Wesley had to go off-world once Giles got back from his mission. The redhead smiled when General Landry said that it shouldn't be a problem, and that he'll talk with Giles and Dr. Gardner. Willow then thanked them before she went out of the office, and then turned right into the adjacent hallway. The redhead continued walking until she reached the elevator lobby, to which she then went up a few floor to the Mess Hall. Once there, she saw Faith and the others having coffee and cake while listening to Camille tell stories. Smiling, the redhead grabbed a sandwich and a cup of coffee before she walked over to the table, nodded at Kennedy, and then said hi to Camille while sitting next to Faith.
"Camille just finished telling us about the adventures she and her brother would go on in her village," said Tara as she ruffled Camille's hair while the young girl drank juice from a cup, "all to escape babysitting her sister."
"She was always crying," said Camille as Tara put her hand on Camille's back while Willow watched Kennedy, who was seated on the other side of Camille, put her hand on top of Camille's head gently. Willow saw the young girl look up at the older Slayer, and give a little smile before she drank another sip from her cup.
"So, how'd it go?" asked Faith as she looked at Willow who nodded her head before saying that her mission was done, and that she was ready to head to Nairobi to visit Sineya's grave. She then leaned in towards Faith and whispered in her ear that she'll tell her what happened later on.
"Hopefully when we're under the sun on the fantastic beaches of Fiji," whispered Willow into Faith's ear while the Slayer nodded her head. The redhead then took a bite out if her sandwich before asking Camille how she was doing. They talked for another thirty minutes before Willow, Faith, Wesley, and Buffy headed out of the Mess Hall doors while they let Kennedy, Camille, and Tara have some privacy. It was a few minutes later that Kennedy walked out of the Mess Hall with Tara and Camille, and met the rest of the group outside in the hallway. All of them then headed for the lab where the Puddle Jumper was being kept, with Kennedy holding on to Camille's hand, along with Tara… the little girl was in the middle of the two young women; it was something that made the others chuckle upon noticing the nervous look on Kennedy's face. It had taken a few minutes to reach the Jumper lab, but when they did, Camille looked at the ship excitedly as Faith opened the door while Willow walked in and then sat at the controls. Camille saw Buffy and the others wave at her, telling the little girl that they'll see her again soon. While Willow was preparing a fight plan and Faith was making sure that they had enough provisions, especially drinking water, just to be on the safe side, Kennedy kneeled on the lab floor and put her hand on top of Camille's; all the while Buffy and Wesley were taking a look at the newest Slayer and the little girl from the entrance to the Jumper.
"I… I'll be back soon, and maybe we could then sit down and talk?" asked Kennedy as she held on to Camille's hand, "and… and maybe I could tell you some more things about me? You can ask me any questions."
"Alright," said Camille as she nodded her head while looking at Kennedy, and then at Tara before looking at Kennedy once again, "I would like that."
"I'll see you soon, then." said the nervous Kennedy as she stood up and looked at the smiling Tara. The Slayer mouthed 'I love you' silently before she caressed the blonde witch's cheek, and then walked towards the grinning Buffy and Wesley who were looking at her, "not one word, guys."
"Maybe a little bit," said Buffy as she waved at Camille, and Tara, while Faith looked back and waved as well, as did Willow and Wesley before the redhead closed the rear door. Tara and Camille then stepped back as the ship rose off the floor and floated in the air while a panel in front of the ship, at the far end of the lab, opened. The two of them, as well as the other scientists, watched the ship then exit the lab before the panel closed again behind them. The ship then rose up the shaft as the doors at the top of the mountain opened up, and the Jumper flown by Willow cloaked and then rose out of the mountain, while the doors underneath it began to close once again.
"Next stop, Nairobi," said Willow as she pulled up a three dimensional HUD that showed a flight plan, "Jumper One to SGC Control, I am heading out to prearranged coordinates."
"Copy that, Jumper One," said Walter's voice, "you have permission to depart."
The Jumper shot up into the sky, the HUD showing that the skies above her were clear. It was soon that the connection switched from the SGC to the Prometheus station. Willow told the Prometheus to keep a transport lock on all of them since she wasn't sure what was going to happen when they reached Sineya's gravesite. The redhead told Colonel Prendergast that either she, or Faith, will check in every fifteen minutes.
"We'll stay there for an hour maximum, sir," said Willow as she spoke to Colonel Prendergast upon exiting the planet's atmosphere and into space, with the Prometheus station right in front of them. She then moved the ship in an arc and then headed back down towards the planet while the Colonel was telling her that he'll be expecting their call, and if he doesn't hear from them every fifteen minutes… the Jumper and the five of them would be beamed up to the Prometheus.
Willow said that she understood as they headed towards Africa.
The Plains, outside of Nairobi, few minutes after taking off from the SGC.
Willow circled the Jumper over a patch of land as a smile developed on her face. She was suddenly with the young Sineya by her side; just the two of them as she showed the young girl what the ship could do. The redhead looked at her right side and watched Sineya holding onto the edge of the console tightly as the young girl looked on worriedly while the entire ship seemed to roll until the view outside was upside down.
"Will?" asked Buffy as the redhead shook her head before she hovered above a small patch of grassland, "you ok?"
"Just thinking," said Willow as she slowly landed the ship while Wesley asked her what kind of person Sineya was like.
"I mean as a person," reiterated Wesley as he got off his seat and walked to Buffy's side, "not as the first Slayer. Our records showed that she was a primitive, she was uneducated and withdrawn. She needed to be kept safe, and… and the most important detail was that she knew her destiny and was proud to face it head on."
Willow got up from her seat after landing the ship while Faith pressed a button to lower the rear door. In the meantime, Kennedy and Buffy looked at each other, the both of them knowing the full story of what Willow had told them after getting back her memories as Athena. The redhead motioned towards the rear exit before telling Wesley that Sineya was a very smart young woman; that she never wanted to be the vessel for the Shadow Demon. As they walked out of the Jumper and into the hot sun, standing among the tall grass and looking all around them at the plains that stretched as far as the eyes could see; Willow told Wesley that all Sineya wanted to be was a normal girl… and that it was her mistake in not taking the little girl off the planet when she had the chance.
"Red's gonna tell you the whole story later, Wes," said Faith as she stood next to Willow while she scanned the area around her before looking at the redhead again, "this the place?"
"Yeah," said Willow as she walked forwards a few steps and pointed at a patch of land near a flowing river. She told them where her home used to be, where she placed the shield emitters and even told them that she would take baths in the river. Willow then told them that the Jumper was parked in the same spot the day she first encountered vampires that were chasing Sineya, and then she looked to the left when she heard a growl.
Buffy and the others looked at the animals running free in the distance before they too heard the growl and turned with Willow, and then they looked with concern in their eyes at a maned lion that was sitting under a white tree. They then looked at the other trees around them and noticed that this particular tress the lion was resting under was slightly more different, this tree was pale... paler than the other leafless trees surrounding it. The trunk and the branches were much thicker as well, and the braches sprouted bright green leaves. Willow felt a strange feeling go through her before she instinctively looked to her left and noticed that Buffy, Kennedy, and Faith were looking at each other. Willow then nudged Wesley as the three Slayers wordlessly looked at the tree again, and then they started walking towards it.
"That's it, that's where I buried her," said Willow as she followed the three Slayers with Wesley while pointing at the tree with the lion resting underneath the shadows. Willow and Wesley could see that the lion was looking at the five of them approaching his resting spot before the redhead looked at the former Watcher and told him a surprising fact, "but I never told Faith, or Buffy, or Kennedy where she was buried."
"Interesting," said Wesley before he called out to the three Slayers, "guys, how do you do where to go if Willow hasn't told you much about where Sineya was actually buried?"
Buffy, Kennedy, and Faith stopped before turning around and looked at Willow and Wesley as a light breeze went by and rustled the leaves of the pale tree.
"It's weird, Red," said Faith as she brushed her fingers on her own arms, "I can feel a pull… I mean we got out of the jumper and… and we just knew that we needed to go to that tree."
"Me too," said Buffy as she looked at the lion licking its paws before it looked back at the women, and then slowly it got up and stood on all fours.
"We're here to pay our respects to Sineya, the first of us," said Kennedy as she turned towards the lion, together with Buffy and Faith. The lion then walked towards them for two steps before stopping. Willow and Wesley looked on amazed as the lion seemed to bow his head at the three Slayers before turning to the left and then walking away from the direction of Willow's former home. Once the lion was gone, a surprised Kennedy turned around to face the other Slayers before looking at Willow and Wesley, and asking in a nervous voice, "what the heck just happened?"
"You don't know?" asked Willow as she looked at Kennedy who shook her head. It was then that Willow felt goosebumbs on her arms as she walked past Kennedy, and headed towards the tree. The others followed Willow who, after a few seconds, crouched down near the thick roots after looking around at the ground. They saw her reach out, while they stood behind her, and wiped the dirt and dust off a dark metallic object that had an inscription on it. Wesley was the first one who noticed it after Willow cleared the dirt and he crouched down next to the redhead and asked what the inscription said.
"The plate itself is Naquada so that it remains forever, and I'm glad it did.. the writing itself is in Ancient," replied Willow as she spoke the inscription out in Ancient, before she told them what it said in English, "Here Lies Sineya of the Plains. The First of the Ones, the First of Many, May She Watch Over her Successors, and May She Guide them in their Mission. May She Find the Peace That Was Denied Her in Life."
The Slayers and Wesley watched as Willow wiped a tear off her face before she smiled at the metallic plate.
"It's been a long time, Sineya," said Willow as she nodded her head, "do you remember I told you that I foresaw a time when your successor would come to pay their respects to you? Well…. There are now three successors."
Willow then looked over her shoulders at the three girls standing behind her, and then back at the metallic plate.
"Three Slayers," said Willow as she wiped her eyes again.
"HI, I'm Buffy, and the one next to me is Kennedy, and next to her is Faith," said Buffy nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.
"I'm technically retired," said Faith, "but I still use my powers to help protect the planet from snakes, religious outer-space nutjobs, and space vampires."
"Space vampires?" asked Wesley as she looked at Faith, and then at Willow who told him that it was a long story. The redhead then told Wesley that Sineya wold most likely want to know who he was.
"Wesley Wyndham-Price," said the man as he looked at the metallic plague, "I'm a Watcher, or at least I was a watcher."
It was then that the metal started to glow red while the others just looked at it curiously. Wondering what they needed to do now, it was the three Slayers who took a few steps forward and crouched down next to Willow and Wesley before touching the metal. They then looked at Willow and Wesley, with Buffy saying that she felt compelled to touch it; and it was then that Faith looked directly at Willow with eyes that turned pure white while the redhead, and then Wesley, looked at the eyes of Buffy and Kennedy, which had also turned white. Willow and Wesley then heard the three Slayer speak in perfect unison.
"Athena, and the representative of the Shadow Men," said the voices of the three Slayers together, "place your hands in the sign of the resting place of the First of the Ones, the First of Many. You will see exactly what you have come to see… you have come to where it began, and where it ended. And now you will have to watch the Slayers prove their worth."
"What happens if they fail?" asked Wesley.
"The Slayer will take back what she has given," said the three of them together, "where is the other Shadow Man?"
"Other Shadow Man?" asked Wesley as Willow looked on confused.
"Kennedy has had no Shadow Man," said the three Slayers in unison, "However, Buffy and Faith have had two.. where is Rupert Giles?"
"He's off-world," said Willow, "I can get him if…."
"He will come," said the three Slayers in unison as they closed their eyes and hung their heads while Willow and Wesley looked on in concern.
"Sineya," said Willow softly, "I can have the SGC send Giles here… it'll be only five minutes max for him to get here, and…"
"He will be here, Athena," said the three Slayer's in unison as the looked up at the redhead. It was then that Willow felt someone reading her mind, and she closed off access.. but it was too late, "I will bring him here…"
Control Room, SGC, at that same time.
Back at the SGC, Walter was leaning back on his seat while running a diagnostic on the Stargate as was protocol, when the Stargate started to dial on its own. At first the man thought it was an incoming wormhole, but was looking on confused when he realized that the Gate was dialling out instead. The technician then reached for the phone on his left side and asked General Landry to come to the Gateroom, that it was an emergency. It was just as he put the phone down and then heard footsteps rushing down the stairs behind him that he saw the Stargate activate. The man then, on instinct, placed his hand on the palm reader and closed the Iris, and then raised the Gate shield while General Landry and General O'Neill was asking him wat was going on.
"The Gate just dialled out, sir," said Walter shaking his head, "and I swear to you I didn't do anything There's no missions scheduled and I'm running a diagnostic on the dialling computer."
"Where did it dial to?" asked General Landry.
"Furling Earth, sir," said Walter as he ran another test for rogue signals that could be taking over the dialling computer. The man then leaned back and told the two General's that everything was fine… the dialling computer was clear and there were no bugs.
"What the heck is going on?" asked General O'Neill as he looked at the blue puddle.
"Walter," said General Landry, "call Colonel Carter to come in… it's an emergency."
"Understood, sir," said the technician.
Furling Earth, that same time.
The two Earth Airmen and the three Colonial officers in the cave on Furling Earth where the Stargate was located were surprised to see the Stargate activate since there were no scheduled arrivals or check-ins until a few days from now. One Earth Airman contacted Stargate Command and asked if there was a scheduled check in that they missed, while the other Airman contacted the main Earth Camp to inform them about this new development.
However, all that Walter told them was that they needed to stand-by for more information. But while they were speaking on the radios while the Colonial officers looked on confused, all of them felt a strange presence in the cave.. a presence that left them with goosebumbs on their arms while it seemed to rush past them, and out of the cave.
"What was that?" asked one of the Airmen, and one of the Colonial officers together in their own languages while looking at each other confused.
Giles was looking through some new artefacts that were discovered from a site just as Anna returned with a box of more artefacts she had found. The other Cylons and two Marines then left to move on much further in-land. They had taken some provisions with them after saying that they would be gone for about three days exploring the areas outside the zones that had already been established as archaeological dig sites. The two Marines who had headed out with them said that they would be out of radio range for the entire duration, and it was agreed that if they hadn't returned by the end of the third day, then a team would be sent to search for them. That was two days ago, with the team supposed to return at the end of the day. The team had already contacted the camp saying that they had found a lot of artefacts including clothes and bones, along with what they thought were pieces of vehicles.
Impressed Giles told them through the radio that he was looking forward to examining them.
"Me as well," said Anna as she smiled at Giles. The woman had sent her report on Triana to the Council back on Eden after they had requested it, and was now standing next to Giles sifting through their latest discoveries.
"Of course," replied Giles nodding his head at the woman who was just wearing a simple shirt and trousers as she leaned on the table and looked at the artefacts that were laid out. Giles watched her looking at the artefacts in deep concentration before she reached out for one, and then brought it close to her face. While he loved being a Watcher and studying the occult, Giles knew deep inside that he really missed this part about archaeology... making new discoveries every single day.
And they had made some discoveries about the lives of the people who lived here.
He knew that it was more emotional for the Cylons who were on the planet since, technically speaking, the Furlings who lived on this version of Earth were their ancestors.
'Anna's finding out more about her ancestors every day,' thought Giles to himself as he watched Anna put the artefact down before putting both of her hands on her hips, straightening up, and looking at the items spread out on the table in front of them.
Anna then smiled and looked at Giles with her eyebrows raised and asked point blank when he was going to ask her on a date.
"I… ah…" said Giles, taken slightly aback while he rubbed the back of his head, "I… umm… date?"
"That is the word you use to describe a social event when a man and a woman goes out, or spends time together as a couple, is it not?" asked Anna as she smirked while facing Giles as he started to blubber and fix his glasses, "or am I mistaken in my assumptions that you find me attractive?"
"Well, yes.." said Giles, "and I…. I… oh my…"
"Rupert?" asked Anna worriedly as she watched the man sway while rubbing his head, "Rupert?"
"Buffy," said Giles as he stumbled onto the ground while Anna turned and screamed for help while she got onto the ground and cradled Giles body which was trembling. The Marine who was guarding the base heard the scream and ran into the tent where he saw Anna looking up at him and then down at Giles who was deathly still. The Marine didn't know what the Cylon was saying, but he could only take a wild guess as she looked up at him with tear stained eyes. The man then quickly signalled her to put Giles in the hard ground before he leaned forward and checked his pulse. Relieved that the pulse was steady, the man looked at Anna and pointed at Giles' chest before giving her a thumbs-up sign, hoping that she would understand that it meant he wasn't dead. He then pointed to his radio as Anna nodded her head before he called for Webb, the pilot on the Jumper that was on the way to the camp with fresh supplies of drinking water and MRE's.
As the Marine was telling Webb to hurry it up, and that they needed to get Giles back to Earth… the older man's eyes snapped open with both the Marine and Anna looking down at shock; his eyes were pure white in colour, and then he turned his head and looked directly at the Marine before speaking in a deep voice.
"He is where it began," said Giles as the Marine looked on after stopping his call to Webb mid-way, "his spirit will be returned once the Chosen have proved their worth. He will be doing what he has done for the majority of his adult life… he will be a Watcher."
"Who are you?" asked the Marine.
"I am the First of the Ones," said Giles before he closed his eyes, and released a sigh. The Marine and Anna looked at each other, and with the Marine himself not knowing exactly what was going on.. or how to describe it to Anna; all he could do was repeat what the older man had said to Webb, who the Marine asked to relay the message to the Earth Camp.
SGC, Earth, a few minutes later.
The Control Room was in organized chaos as teams tried to figure out what was going on. They had tried to close the Stargate by physically disconnecting it from the power sources around the ring, but nothing they did seemed to work. Walter said that the device seemed to be powered somehow since the wormhole was still active. It was then that they received another message from Colonel Reynolds on Furling Earth that Giles had fainted, and that he was sending a doctor and Dawn to his location to examine him before sending him back to Earth.
General Landry was about to respond when he heard a voice from his right side. He and Walter looked at Tara who was looking at them from the flight of stairs that looked up to the Control Room. General Landry and General O'Neill then looked at each other, and then back at Tara and a nervous looking Camille who said that they were in their room when the blonde witch suddenly stood up, and without a word held Camille's hand and walked to the Control Room. Camille said that at first she was frightened when she noticed that Tara's eyes had turned pure white.
"Tara then told me not to be frightened," said Camille as the white eyed Tara looked at General Landry and General O'Neill as she walked up the stairs to the control room, "and… and I should be but.. but I am not."
"Who are you?" asked General Landry as the other teams stopped what they were doing and watched what was happening.
"I am the First of the Ones," said Tara, "forgive me for taking control of the Stargate, I require the soul of the one known as Rupert Giles, the one who is connected in name to the Men of Shadow, the one who is connected in spirit to my successors. He is needed for the test; a test to determine the worth of those who seek my weapon and my power."
"You've taken control of the Stargate," said General O'Neill, "how?"
"My power is rooted in the Earth itself," said Tara, "my power is rooted in magic, I am forever, General. The device is being powered by magical energy from the Earth itself, I apologize for what I am doing but do not return Rupert Giles to Earth… his soul will return to where his physical body was last.. if it is moved, then he may never awaken."
"Walter," said General Landry tapping Walter's shoulder while General O'Neill was frowning at the white eyed woman, "tell them not to move Rupert Giles' body… that he is to remain where he is."
"Understood," said Walter as he contacted Colonel Reynolds on Furling Earth, while General Landry looked at Tara again.
"What now?" asked General Landry, "that Gate can only remain open for thirty-eight minutes."
"Rupert Giles' soul will be returned long before that," said Tara as she looked at Genera Landry with her white eyes and then at General O'Neill before bowing her head slightly, "farewell, Generals. I promise you that this will be the one and only time I will interfere in Stargate operations."
The Generals then nodded their head before Tara's eyes returned to their normal colour, and then she looked around confused.
"Ummmm…," said Tara as she narrowed her eyes at her surroundings, including everyone who was looking at her, and then at Camille, followed by General Landry and O'Neill once again, "Generals? How'd I get here?"
"You don't remember?" asked General O'Neill as Tara shook her head.
"I was in my room with Camille," said Tara, "and now… now I'm here. What happened?"
"We need to talk," said General Landry before he looked at Walter and asked him to contact Willow. However, no matter how much Walter tried to connect to Willow's radio, he couldn't get through. The General then had Walter contact the Prometheus station and he had them scan the surface where Willow and Faith's transmitters had pinged earlier; it was a few seconds later that Colonel Prendergast told the SGC that the ship couldn't find them. The stunned Generals, Tara, and the others were listening in as the Colonel on the space station was saying that they scanned the last area where Willow and Faith's transmitters were.. but they found nothing. He said that since the Jumper was cloaked to prevent any locals who happened to stumble upon the area from seeing it, there was no way to detect the small ship.
"What the hell is going on?" asked General O'Neill.
The Plains, outside of Nairobi, at that same time.
The three white eyed Slayers looked at Wesley and Willow before smiling and then speaking in unison.
"It is done," said the three of them together, "Wesley Wyndham-Price, Athena, touch the metal… prepare for the tests."
Willow and Wesley looked at each other before they leaned forward and touched the red glowing piece of Naquada. Once the two of them touched the metal, there was a bright flash of light and Willow found herself crouching under the tree by herself. She looked around confused as she slowly stood up and looked at the tree in front of her. It didn't seem to be any different, but there was a buzzing feeling she had that went up her spine.. causing goosebumps to form on her arms. Slowly turning around, Willow looked stunned at the structure in front of her; her home as it used to be ten thousand years ago.
The redhead walked towards it cautiously when she suddenly stopped upon hearing humming from her left side. Turning around, her eyes teared up when she looked at a ten-year-old girl who was simply standing still, smiling at her.
"Hello, Athena," said the little girl as she ran towards the red head who opened her arms wide and got down on one knee. The little girl then wrapped her arms around the back of the redhead's neck, while Willow wrapped her hands around the little girl's back and stood up while spinning her around, and laughing in joy while tears went down both of their faces.
"I missed you, Sineya… my daughter," said Willow as her voice broke while she hugged the little girl.
"And I you, mother," said Sineya before she screamed in joy.
While Willow was giggling as she spun Sineya around in her arms, Kennedy, Buffy, and Faith were woken up by Wesley and Giles who were tapping their cheeks.
"I'm up, I'm up," said Faith as she groaned before opening her eyes to see Giles looking down at her, "G-man?"
"Don't ask," Giles as Kennedy got up while Wesley helped Buffy get on her feet, "the last thing I remember I was on…. I mean, I was in Tahiti and.."
"Wes knows the truth," said Faith as Giles helped her to her feet while he looked at Wesley in surprise, "something happened back on Earth."
"What?" asked Giles in concern.
"Giles?" asked Buffy with a look of confusion in her face.
"Hello, Buffy," said Giles as the blonde Slayer hugged him, all the while Kennedy narrowed her eyes and a cold feeling went up her spine.
"Guys," said Kennedy as she looked to her left and tapped Buffy's shoulder before gently grabbing it after the blonde stepped back from the hug she was giving Giles. Before Buffy could say anything, Kennedy then turned her towards the sight that she was seeing; and then Faith and the others looked at the dark-skinned woman who was staring at them from a crouching position. They could see that she was wearing grey cloth around her body, her hands and feet had manacles with broken pieces of a chain hanging down, and her face was painted with some kind of a white paste. Buffy and the others could feel the hairs on the back of their necks stand up while they looked at the eyes of the woman who was looking back at them.
They felt as if she was a predator, and they were her prey.
Buffy and the others looked at the growling woman and noticed that her hands were held out to her sides, and in each hand was a curved bladed weapon.
The Scythes.
"My successors," said the woman as she stared at the Slayers, "show me your worth."
TBC.