Author: Steve711 - Steve Pantovich
E-mail Address:
Title: The Chronicles of Wanderer and the Slayer – Slayer Run
Part One: Libyan Assault
Part Two: War of the Sections
Copyrighted :
October 2000
Category: Crossover
Rating: For Mature Readers – Depictions of Violence,
Sexual Situations, Foul Language as well as Descriptions of Horrific Acts
Spoilers: A few, but who cares?
Keywords:
X-Files/Highlander/Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossover with many guest stars.
The following TV series have
been included in the story. Disclaimers
appear at the end with the cast list.
Pretender
A-Team
Star Trek the Next
Generation/Deep Space Nine/Voyager
Gargoyles
Xena, Warrior Princess
La Femme Nikita
Forever Knight
The following novel series have
been included in the story. Disclaimers
appear at the end with the character list
Casca - The Eternal Mercenary
The Executioner
Able Team
Bureau 13
The Destroyer
Conan the Barbarian
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
Red Sonja
Summary: A madman tries to
destroy the world, a Watcher wants revenge against the Slayerettes, a covert
government agency is out for blood, and a vampire army wants to kill the Slayer
and control the Hellmouth. All-in-all, it’s
just a typical, ho-hum workweek for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Wanderer, and
their crew.
All disclaimers appear at the
end of the story.
Any character
whose names and descriptions are used are the property of their original
owners, and no copyright infringement is intended or meant.
No money can be made from this
story. It can be distributed freely so
long as it is kept in its entirety, with all notices and copyright information
intact.
The characters Wanderer/Steven
St. Wolf, Frank Iverson, Brother Aaron, Robert McCallister, The
Knights of the Order of the Grail, Randi Jessup, Brian Jessup and this story
are Steve Pantovich’s. Anyone wishing to
use them, please contact the Wandererverse panel at
the Wandererverse Revival Yahoo Group.
The character, Robin Goodfellow
is the property of Mike Weyer and used with his permission.
Comments and criticisms are
appreciated; please post to the above referenced e-mail address.
Author's Note's: When Steve started to write this story, he
decided to change some things concerning several canon (characters from TV
series, movies, or novels) characters.
X-Files Mulder and Scully are married and Immortal - so Non-Relationshippers beware.
Highlander: It was Steve’s view that Richie Ryan
shouldn't have died at the end of the fifth season, so here he hasn't.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy is an Immortal and this series
splits from the second season show, Innocence.
Casca, the Eternal Mercenary:
Various of Casca's friends are Immortal including the
love of his life, Lida.
The Executioner: Mack Bolan is an Immortal. How else do you think he survived dying all
those times?
The Destroyer: Remo Williams is also an Immortal and the
Avatar of the Hindu God Shiva.
Steve's thanks:
I'd like to thank the people who
helped me in writing this story. It took
the better part of seven years to complete, but I think that it was worth
it. They stuck with me, helping and
encouraging me to complete it. They are:
Goblin214,
Doug Elder, Rebekah Sandell, Mark Safransky,
I'd also like to thank all those
great fan fiction writers out there, whose stories I've enjoyed. They showed me that I could let my
imagination run. (Where it went I don't
want to know :>))
Thanks and here's the
Story. Enjoy.
Relief Pitcher’s note:
In memoriam: It should go without saying that I would like to dedicate this story to a great writer, Steve Pantovich. Steve passed away in April 2007 due to complications from pneumonia. Since I worked with him over the years on his stories both as his editor and his friend, I’ve been asked to step in to finish this most-ambitious novel, the sequel to his crowning achievement, Calling Out the Clan, from his award-winning fan fiction universe, the Wandererverse. Steve wrote over 550 pages of this book…I’m just stepping in to bring it on home for the big guy. An additional note to mention is that you’ll find that the writing style in this story a bit different from Steve’s. He was married to the use of present tense in his writing. However, I never liked his use of present tense due to all the linguistic gyrations it requires when you write something this big. Thus, I have converted the prose to past tense. Although the gist of his story has not changed, it should be easier for you to read it. Another note is that there are some areas that have been enhanced by me that differ from Steve’s previous drafts. Some items were never completed by Steve and I tried to deal with them based on conversations we had when he was planning these unfinished scenes. Other changes have to do with making St. Wolf less of a ‘Gary Stu’ (a character that tends to completely overshadow canon characters) than he was in Steve’s previous works. Steve also had indicated that he wanted to change this aspect of the character and I tried to do that for him in a way in which it would have made Steve comfortable.
Anyway, here’s to you,
Steve. I hope you enjoy it! With fondest regards, from your friend, Jack.
Also, I would like to add my thanks to Ruth Longhurst, my fabulous beta reader who helped me tighten this work for your enjoyment. Thank you, love! Finally, I’d like to thank the Wandererverse Editorial Panel for its encouragement and support.
Now, on with Steve’s story!
Jack Caynon,
PART ONE
The
Chronicles of the Wanderer and the Slayer
Slayer Run
Libyan Assault
Prologue - Trains, Planes and Automobiles
(This Sure Isn’t a Steve Martin/John Candy Flick)
Bureau 13 Headquarters - July
14th
(One day after Calling Out the Clan)
Horace
Gordon glanced up from his reports and grimaced when he saw that Merlin waited at
Gordon’s office door. What now? he
thought, as Gordon clambered from his chair and uncoiled his lanky six and a
half foot frame to tower over the smaller wizard. “What do you want now, Merlin?”
Merlin
merely flashed a smile that reminded Gordon of a shark’s. “I just wanted to tell you that the Council
of Black Mages has been destroyed.” The
entire room went silent as various Bureau 13 agents literally dropped their
jaws in astonishment.
“What
about Morgan La Fey?” Gordon asked.
“She’s
dead. I killed her personally.” At that, the entire control room erupted with
cheers at the fall of one of humanity’s greatest foes.
“How
did you do it?” Horace asked in a hushed voice.
After Merlin gave him a complete report, everyone in the room applauded.
Horace
then gazed deeply into his father’s eyes and detected the sadness in them. “How many did you lose?”
“Surprisingly
few, but every life counts. Fourteen
Knights and a hundred and three Squires died when we stormed the Black
Council’s headquarters. However, we
managed to eradicate the entire Council, a hundred twenty five Black Mages and
several hundred apprentices. We also
rescued almost three thousand innocent people from their clutches.”
Gordon
shook his head in wonder. “Why aren’t
you celebrating?”
“I
need help for the people we rescued.
Most of them were seriously hurt by the Black Mages and their
apprentices before we could pull them out of that hell hole. We don’t have enough healers and healing
potions to save a lot of them. I came
here to ask for your help.”
Gordon’s
eyes grew moist as he began to snap out orders.
“I want every healer here as soon as possible! Break out the reserves of healing
potion! Anyone who wants to volunteer, can. Team
Angel is on standby for any emergencies!”
He then turned to his personal assistant. “Dimitri!”
The centaur snapped to attention. “Contact the Sons of Van Helsing, Spooky’s
Club House and every other agency we’re allied with and get them to help.” Without hesitation, Dimitri galloped off to
Communications. Then Gordon turned back
to Merlin and asked, “Anything else you need?”
“I
haven’t had a chance to check in on Steve and his friends. Are they all right?”
Gordon
gave his father a warm smile. “They did
all right, Father. No one died except
for the vampires and their demon allies.”
“Good,”
Merlin said with a small grin, “I was worried that he wouldn’t have enough
help.”
“Oh,
he definitely had help! In fact I want
to ask you what in the hell is Section Seven and what does it have to do with
Steve?”
“I
don’t know anything about a ‘Section Seven.’
Maybe Steve got in touch with some of his covert operations friends?”
“Even
so, that still doesn’t explain the incredible number of people there and the
weapons they brought to the fight.”
“What
sort of weapons?”
“They
had an advanced assault helicopter of unknown design. According to my field agent, it has
supersonic capabilities and a weapons package in the possible nuclear
range. He also observed another aircraft
that had supersonic capabilities and laser weapons.”
Merlin
whistles lowly. “Is that all or was
there more?”
“I’ll
say there’s more. He also had about
twenty men armed with laser rifles and pistols, a Gargoyle, a Werewolf and the
Avatar of Shiva, just to name a few.”
Merlin
grinned broadly. “Damn, that boy
certainly pulled this one off. I believe
I should pay him a visit and ask him how he did it.”
“Mind
if I tag along?”
“No. May I ask why?”
“I
want to find out if he’s willing to work for me once in a while.”
“I’m
sure something can be worked out. But
first, let’s get those medical supplies and healers to the Knights’
headquarters.”
*****
St. Wolf’s Home - July 15th
(Two Days After
Calling Out the Clan)
Intense
The taller
woman pursed her full and luscious lips as she waited for a connection. When her
companion finished her task, she shut off the faucet, turned, and asked, “Still
no answer?”
The red head
glanced at her battle mate and shrugged.
“Apparently, Heather and Janice still haven’t come home,
Gabrielle.”
The former
traveling companion of Xena the Warrior Princess offered the concerned elder
woman a tiny smile of comfort. “They’re
probably working at a remote site on their ranch, Sonja. You know Heather; once she’s involved in a
task, that girl always loses track of time!”
Sonja nodded
sullenly as she brushed an uncooperative lock of hair out of her left eye. After they had returned to Sunnydale from the
battle against the vampire queen and her horde, Gabrielle and Sonja had tried
to contact one of the Immortals they had taken in many years ago to tell her
the truth about both the Game and the Immortals’ destiny as revealed by the
Avatar of Shiva. They had tried to reach
Heather several times over the past few days, but had been unsuccessful.
Now, Sonja
squeezed her eyes shut for several beats before she cracked them open and
noticed the worried look on Gabby’s beloved face. Forcing a smile, she strode over to her
ancient lover, gently placed her fingertips under the bard’s chin, lifted it,
and tenderly plundered the blonde’s mouth with a soul-searing kiss. After she pulled away from the bard’s sweet
lips, Sonja gazed deeply into her lover’s eyes.
“You’re probably right, hon. I’ll
try again later.”
Still reveling
from the tingle of Sonja’s tender salute, Gabrielle nodded numbly and followed
the tall red head out of the kitchen. As
they strolled toward St. Wolf's gym, Sonja resorted to her normal practice of
surreptitiously falling behind the former Amazon queen to enjoy the enticing
sway of her forever love’s hips as she sashayed through the man’s home.
Then, when they
entered the exercise room for their daily work-out, Gabrielle shook her head, screeched
to a dead stop, and nearly caused Sonja to bowl her over.
“Hey!”
Sonja snapped.
“Can’t
you feel it?” Gabrielle said through
gritted teeth as she stared at the altar on the far side of the gym. “This place—i-it’s holy ground.”
“And
that’s a problem because…”
“It’s
holy ground that belongs to Artemis!”
Gabrielle snapped as she turned to face the tall man who’d just entered
the room behind them. “What in the hell
is this, St. Wolf!?”
The
male Immortal, taken aback by Gabrielle’s vehemence, asked, “What’s wrong,
Gabrielle?”
“That
shrine—it belongs to Artemis!”
“Yes,”
Steve confirmed as Cordelia,
No
one said a word for several moments as an uncomfortable silence permeated the
room. Suddenly, Gabrielle's face clouded
over with fury. "Sonja. . . we're leaving!"
Gabrielle stalked toward the gym door, but found her way blocked by the four
women. Gabrielle glared at the four
mortals and snapped, "Let me pass."
When none of the women moved aside, her eyes began to smolder. "I'm not looking for trouble, ladies. If you want to avoid a long and unpleasant
stay at the hospital, I'd suggest you get out of the way!"
"Gabrielle," Steve said in a low
growl, "I don't know what is your problem, nor do I care. But you WILL NOT
threaten my students in my home!"
Gabrielle turned to face Steve and he
shuddered despite himself. "I
don't make threats, St. Wolf," she said in a flat, controlled and
dangerous voice, “I make promises. And
if they don't move out of my way, they won't like how I keep my promises. And neither will you."
“Okay.
. .” he drawled, trying hard not to let it show that this small woman had actually
succeeded in intimidating even him, "let's try this again. Why are you so
angry?"
“I
have no need to explain myself either to them or you. All you need know is that I want to leave,
it's a free country, and I have every right to come and go as I please since I’m
not a criminal and you’re not a cop.
Now, if you please, instruct your students to step aside and let me
pass.”
At that moment, Jenny decided to intervene in the conversation to try and calm things down. “Gabrielle,” Jenny started in a soothing voice. “Please, don't leave like this. We aren't trying to restrain or harm you. We want to be your friends. We just want to know why you have a problem with our shrine and your reaction frankly frightened the girls.” At that, a flash of guilt raced through the blonde Immortal's eyes. Jenny smiled inwardly; she knew that had gotten to the ancient bard. “Please, talk to us.”
Gabrielle hugged
herself and glanced at Sonja. Then she drew
a deep breath, rolled her eyes, and snapped, “Fine. It all began before I became an Immortal. I was traveling with Xena---”
“No way!” Cordelia
angrily barked. “That would mean you're THE Gabrielle, the last Queen of the
Amazons.”
“Yes,
that's exactly what that would mean, Cordelia,” Gabrielle confirmed, “And
that's exactly why I'm leaving.”
“I
know I’d asked this earlier,” Steve said, “but why do you want to leave?”
“It’s
quite simple, really. You have a shrine
to Artemis here and I won't be in the same house with a shrine to that
traitorous bitch!”
“Say
what?!?” Cordelia snapped. “You’d better
take that back!”
Gabrielle's
eyes flashed as she regarded the teen Amazon.
“I shall do nothing of the kind, girl.
Now, do you want me to tell you my reasons, without further
interruptions, or do you want me to open an industrial strength can of
whoop-ass on your beauty queen behind?”
Cordelia
advanced toward Gabrielle, but Jenny stopped her with a firm hand to her
chest. “Cordelia,
let me handle this.” Then Jenny turned,
faced Gabrielle, and said, “Those are strong words…I hope you can back them
up.”
Gabrielle stared the younger woman down for a moment then tilted her head toward the exit. “It's stuffy in here,” she murmured and walked out toward the living room as the others followed closely behind her.
When everyone
was situated in the living room, Gabrielle related her story to the group. "Before I became an Immortal, I was made
a Queen of a tribe of Greek Amazons. I
was very proud of my title, but knew that I couldn't stay and be their leader;
you see my life, at that time, was with Xena. I chose someone else to rule for
me while Xena and I continued our journeys together."
Just
then, Cordelia snapped, "Why you copyright-infringing-ho! That's straight
from the damn TV show, Xena, Warrior Princess! Who in the hell do you
think you are, claiming to be Xena's gal pal?"
Gabrielle
glared at Cordelia and snarled.
"Little girl, you're just aching for that beating, aren't you? Let me put this in terms that even you can
understand. Who do you think sold Robert
Trebor Xena's story twenty years ago? He didn't start doing the show until his
Hercules series became popular. The
funny thing is that Hercules is actually playing himself." Gabrielle looked
at their faces and saw that no one seemed surprised by her revelation. "Wait
a minute…you guys already knew Kevin Sorbo is the real Hercules?"
"Yep,"
Steve said. "He's an old friend of mine."
Gabrielle
simply sighed. "Why am I not
surprised about that with you, St. Wolf?
You do get around."
"Kevin
saved my life when a mission went badly," St. Wolf said softly.
Gabrielle
stared into his eyes and saw the sadness in them. She nodded her head in understanding.
"I've been there. Kevin's always been a good friend. I'm glad he was there
for you, too."
"So
am I." Buffy whispered as she noticed the haunted look in her lover's
eyes. < Oh Goddess! It must have been wigsome to the max! >
"Okay,
okay," Cordelia drawled, "let's end this Hallmark moment and get to
the crux of the matter. Why do you hate
Artemis?"
Old
memories soured Gabrielle's face and she said, "Because She caused the
Amazon nation's downfall."
"I
don't believe it!!" Cordelia angrily retorted. She catapulted herself from the sofa and
stalked toward Gabrielle. Xander tried to hold her back, but Cordelia shook him
off and sent the boy flying across the room.
Then when she leaned over to grab Gabrielle, she found the little blonde
no longer seated on the couch where she had been a second before. Just then, she felt pressure behind her right
knee that forced her face down into the cushions while her right arm was
twisted behind her back in a steel-like grip.
"Cordelia,"
Gabrielle barked into the girl’s right ear as she held the struggling teen
down, “Behave! I don't want to hurt
you!"
"You
bitch!" Cordelia lashed out with her words as she struggled in Gabrielle's
Greco-Roman wrestling hold, “I won't stand for your lies about my
God--ouch!" she yelped as Gabrielle jerked her arm a bit harder.
A wicked smile then
crossed Gabrielle's face. "Now,
that I've regained your attention," she drawled, "I won't hurt you,
but I won't let you hurt me when I speak the truth."
At
that moment a husky, warm female voice intruded upon their battle. "Gabrielle, please don't harm
her." When the two women recognized
that Artemis was in their presence, they ceased their struggles.
"I
never intended to, Artemis," Gabrielle said. "Unlike you, I don't harm
innocents."
Artemis
avoided Gabrielle's hard glare for a moment before she crossed over to Cordelia. "Daughter," she said,
"Although I appreciate your devotion more than you know, you owe Gabrielle
an apology for attacking her without provocation."
A
stunned Cordelia balked at that.
"What?" she sputtered.
"She said some awful things about you and I wasn't going to let
her--"
"Enough!"
Artemis snapped, silencing Cordelia.
Then with a sad smile, the goddess drew the brunette Amazon into a
hug. "The hardest thing for both
mortal and god, dear Cordelia, is to face the truth. But as Amazons it is our duty to do so even
when it is painful."
Although
confused by Artemis' statement, Cordelia relented and stared at Gabrielle. "I'm sorry."
Gabrielle
nodded at Cordelia and smiled. "Apology accepted."
"Good,"
Artemis said. Then she turned to Gabrielle
and softly said, "Hello, Gabrielle.
It's been a long time. I'm happy
to see you're still alive and well."
"Sorry
I can't say the same for you, Moon Goddess," Gabrielle snapped. "What
have you done to these women?"
"They
are the first of my new Amazons," Artemis calmly said. "I enhanced
them with abilities and skills similar to my
"What!?" Gabrielle looked at the goddess as if the
deity had lost her mind. "Are you
fucking kidding me!?"
"No,”
Artemis answered softly while she glided over to Xander and helped him to his
feet. Xander gave her a quick grin and
brushed himself off as Artemis smiled and raised her glowing hands to his face.
The bruise that had formed on his cheek rapidly disappeared as she continued her
discussion with the Amazon queen. "I wanted to give them a chance to
survive and to have some happiness in their lives."
"Happiness!? A chance to survive!? Now I know you've
finally gone off the deep end. News
flash: they’re not fighting Romans, they’re fighting
vampires and demons! How in the hell
does that give them a chance at a long life!?"
"They
were already fighting vampires and demons for two years when Cordelia first
called to me. I witnessed her great
courage as she faced a dozen vampires armed only with a wooden knife and a
water gun filled with holy water to rescue a girl who they were going to kill.
She managed to destroy one of the Bacchae before they captured her. It was at
that moment I decided to make her the first of my new Amazons. Afterwards, she
asked that her three friends also be afforded the opportunity to become
Amazons. They agreed and I gave them my
blessing so they would have a better chance of survival."
Then
Gabrielle turned to Cordelia. "Why did you call Artemis?"
"Steve
was teaching us the basics of hand to hand combat and I sucked at it. I felt like such a failure and was crying my
eyes out when I saw Artemis' statue sitting on a book shelf. I picked it up and started to talk to
it. After a few minutes, I dried my eyes
and went home to cry some more. When I tried to rescue Harmony, Artemis pulled
my ass out of the frying pan and made me an offer that I couldn’t
refuse."
"And
what, pray tell, were you before you became an Amazon?" Gabrielle asked with
hooded eyes.
"I
was a cheerleader and a member of the 'in' crowd." Cordelia said with a
grin.
"I
don't believe this! You turned a
freaking cheerleader into an Amazon!?"
"Not just a cheerleader." Artemis said with a serene smile. "I made an Amazon of the meanest Bitch in the Valley."
Gabrielle stared
in shock as everyone began to laugh at Artemis' joke. "Okay, this just got weird,"
Gabrielle muttered. "Since when did you develop a sense of humor?"
"The
day I decided to take a major role in the lives of my Amazons, all of my
Amazons. . . I hope."
Gabrielle
snorted derisively at the goddess. "I can see how much effort you've put
into this ‘rebirth’; there're only four of them."
“Actually,
there are five. And I've also contacted
the descendants of the original tribes." Artemis said, “They're out there,
waiting for the Amazon Nation to be reformed."
Gabrielle
gave the goddess a harsh glare.
"You’re some piece of work, Artemis. What do you think? You can make up for all the misery and pain
you caused my sisters two thousand years ago by playing the concerned mother to
these women now? So what happens when
you grow tired of this game like you did before? What happens when these women are involved in
a battle against those who want to oppress them? Will you turn your back on them during their
hour of need, too?"
"No,"
Artemis said softly. "I can never make up for my past sins,
Gabrielle. I freely admit I was wrong. I know I had made some horrible
mistakes. All I can say is that I have
learned from what happened before and have changed. I will be there for my
Amazons. I will not turn my back on my
Amazons ever again. When other Gods try to use them for their own purposes, I
will protect them with my dying breath.
I will speak to them, and give them counsel when they ask, but I won't
govern their lives. They will have free will as to how they lead their lives
and with whom. I want my Amazons to have mates. Whether they're male or female
doesn't matter anymore, but I will expect them all to have children to carry on
the line of the Nation."
"What
about the men?" Sonja asked. “Will
they be mere consorts in this ‘brave new world’ of yours?"
"No,
Red Sonja, men will have a voice in Amazon society as equals. The old ways destroyed
the first Amazon nation, but the new Amazon nation will be stronger and more adaptable."
Gabrielle
rolled her eyes at that and began to applaud sarcastically. “Pretty words, Moon Goddess, pretty words! Yet, why do I find that I still doubt you?"
"I
do not deny that I betrayed your and your sisters' trust when the old Amazon
nation fell to the Romans," Artemis admitted softly.
Sonja
hugged Gabrielle from behind to offer comfort, but the blonde warrior shrugged
her off and angrily regarded the goddess.
"And you think you can make up for it now and regain my
trust?"
At
Gabrielle’s harsh words, a tear streaked down the goddess's cheek. "I don't know if I can ever regain your
trust, Gabrielle," Artemis said.
"But I'll never stop trying to show you that I have changed and am
worthy of you." Then the goddess
swallowed and thrust her chin forward proudly.
"However, no matter what you think of me at this moment, I am
willing to humble myself before you to beg a favor on behalf of these brave
women."
Gabrielle
nodded gravely, then straightened her back, taking on the regal air of the
proud queen she truly was.
"Speak."
"I
respectfully request that you help train my new Amazons. Steven is an excellent teacher…for a
man," she added with a small smile, "but you and Sonja know the old
Amazon fighting arts. I want my
daughters and their mates to learn them and pass them on to their future
sisters, brothers and children."
"I
shall consider your request, Goddess of the Hunt, and provide you my answer
shortly," she said as she examined each face of the four Amazons.
"Very well, then. Thank you, Gabrielle," Artemis murmured as she disappeared.
As Gabrielle continued to watch the spot where her one-time patron Goddess had stood, heavy sobs were torn from her heaving bosom. She turned with tears in her eyes and sought solace in the arms of her red haired warrior. As Sonja hugged Gabrielle close, Jenny motioned everyone out of the living room into the gym, leaving Gabrielle and Sonja some privacy to deal with the bard's grief.
****
“YOU!!”
Several minutes
after they had entered the gymnasium, everyone in the room whirled to find a
furious blonde Amazon stalking toward Cordelia.
As Gabrielle speared Cordelia with her glare, Cordelia gulped and pointed
to herself. “Yes, you! You’re the one who’s responsible for that
Bitch being here! Why in the hell
couldn’t you have kept your big mouth shut?”
Cordelia’s
back stiffened as she morphed into full, screaming-bitch mode. “Because I wanted to help my friends, you bitch! I don’t know how you were raised, but in my
world, that’s a good thing! Yeah, it
goes without saying that I may have thought of them as losers and nothings a
year ago, but they showed me what a few good people could do and I wanted to be
a part of that!”
Gabrielle
narrowed her eyes at the former cheerleader.
“Is that all?”
“Not
quite. I like Artemis. She wants to help humanity and I will worship
her no matter what you say!”
“Even
after I tell you that she’s a backstabbing Bitch who allowed her daughters to
be abused, enslaved and destroyed by the other gods?”
Cordelia
clenched her hands into fists as she struggled to rein in her anger. Meanwhile, a tiny smile dawned on Sonja’s
face as the young woman stood up to her ancient lover. < I think Artemis
chose well when she chose this one.
Let’s see if she can handle the Queen Bitch. >
Before
Cordelia could respond,
At
that, Gabrielle chuckled darkly. “I wouldn’t
do that if I were you, with you being a cheerleader and all. I don’t think you can afford the drop in IQ!”
Ignoring
the bard’s pun,
“Get
out of the way, kid,” Gabrielle said.
“If the beauty queen wants to tell me what she thinks, let her. It should be worth a laugh or two.”
“No!”
“Really?” Gabrielle said with an air of menace. “And what if I don’t want to stop,
“Then
you’ll have to deal with me,” Willow said as her hands began to glow with
mystical energy.
As the young
woman’s hands began to glow with eldritch might, Gabrielle cocked her right
eyebrow and wryly regarded the teenager.
“Nice parlor trick, Red. But
aren’t you barking up the wrong tree with Artemis as your patron goddess? Hecate might be more your speed.”
*****
Alarmed,
Sonja stepped forward to protect her companion.
However, before she could take another step, St. Wolf reached out and
grabbed her shoulder.
“Release
me!”
“I
will if you let them come to terms on their own.” Steve quietly said. “
“Do
you want to bet your life on that?” she growled.
“Yes,
because I know I can count on them,” Steve said. < I’m definitely going to
have
*****
Brian
and Randi gawked at the scene unfolding in front of them. “Uh, sis?”
“Yeah, Bri?”
“Think
that there’ll be a fight?”
“I
don’t know.” Randi whispered. < Oh God. What
have I gotten us into? >
*****
//
What do you want me to do, Steve? // Duke broadcasted
to Steve.
<
Stand down, Duke! Let them work this
out. >
//
All right. But you should know that
Arial and Patches are monitoring the situation and if Cordelia gets hurt,
Gabrielle won’t leave this town alive. //
<
Duke,> the Wanderer sighed inwardly, <don’t make threats you can’t
keep. This woman is one of the deadliest
warriors on the planet. The only other
person who’d stand a chance against her is her partner and she’s standing right
here. Those cats don’t have a prayer of
being able to defeat either of them.
Order the cats to stand down! >
//
Already did.
But Arial is already on her way here.
And Patches isn’t far behind. //
“Damnit!” Steve
muttered under his breath. < Tell
them if they attack without provocation, I’ll take them out myself! >
//
They said they’ll comply for the moment, but I can’t
guarantee anything if Cordelia is hurt. //
< Fine. > Steve beamed back as he turned his attention
back to the scene in the living room.
*****
Gabrielle
gazed into
“Do
you want all of us here or just the Amazons?”
Steve asked from the side of the room.
“No,
you may all stay.” Gabrielle said as she
sat on the couch. She studied each of
the new Amazons’ faces and wondered, < Why did we stay? We could have gone back with Casey and
Lida. But no, we had to stick around to
see what St. Wolf was doing with these kids.
Well, we made our bed, now we have to lie in it. By the gods, they’re all so young! >
“Okay, so tell me all about your plans.”
“Um…er…plans?”
Cordelia asked.
Gabrielle
sighed. “Tell me your plans for the
future. Are you going to reform the
tribes or are you just going to do what you’ve been doing?”
The
silence in the room was deafening as the four Amazons stared at one another
then at Jenny. In silent reply, Jenny
simply shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “Well,”
Gabrielle
squeezed her eyes shut in frustration at their naiveté. Then her eyes flashed open to reveal a look
of steely determination. “Very well,
then. We’ll begin training today.” Gabrielle quietly said as she rose to her
feet. “But if you thought St. Wolf was
bad, I’m a thousand times worse.”
“We
wouldn’t want it any other way.” Jenny said
with a smile as she stretched in preparation for the workout to come.
“Gabrielle,”
St. Wolf announced, “none of these kids is an Immortal, except for Randi and
Buffy. I don’t want any full contact
training until they’ve all been thoroughly taught the basics of whatever styles
you’re going to teach them.”
“Fair
enough—how long do they train each day?”
“They
train two hours when school’s in session and five hours when they’re on
vacation from school. And they also take
shifts patrolling the town during the week.”
“And
how are these shifts broken down?” Sonja
asked.
“It
depends on who’s doing the patrolling.”
Steve said. “Buffy and I are on
constant call, but we only patrol Thursday to Sunday as a team. The rest of the time, the others take turns
working in four to six man teams.”
“Why
are you two constantly on call?” Gabrielle asked but she already knew the answer.
“Because
I’m the Slayer and Steve is a highly trained warrior,” Buffy said simply. “It’s our responsibility to be there for our
friends.”
Gabrielle
sighed as she shook her head in wonder.
“Goddess,” she quietly murmured. < This child reminds me so much of Xena
in how she wants to protect the innocent. > She stared into Buffy’s eyes and
saw the same piercing look that the Warrior Princess had possessed when she had
fought the good fight so long ago. She
then stared into Steve’s eyes and also saw a familiar intense, but calm look.
“How long did you study with Darius,
“Three
years.” he said calmly. “I still miss
him.”
“Who’s
Darius?” Buffy asked.
“A
dear friend,” Sonja said sadly. “He’s
gone now, but we will always treasure our time with him.”
“Oh,”
Buffy softly said, realizing how good of a friend this Darius was to all three.
“I
know that this Darius guy was important to the three of you, but are you going
to moon over him all day?” Cordelia asked.
“Thank
you, Cordelia,” Steve said.
“For what?”
“For volunteering to be the practice dummy. The pads are in the storage locker,
Chase. Don’t keep us waiting.”
“Oh…and Cordelia?” Gabrielle added as she strolled past the
stunned girl. “We’ll perform each lesson
as many times as required to make certain each person gets it right.”
*****
July 15th
St. Wolf’s Home - Training Room
“Arrrrgggghhhh!”
Cordelia screamed
as she was sent crashing to the mat, again.
Rubbing her sore backside, she winced as
“That
was excellent, Willow.” Gabrielle said
from the side where she and the rest of the group watched the practice
session. “Try it once more and then
we’ll let Buffy have a try.”
“Oh Goddess!”
Cordelia cried out as
Gabrielle
turned to Steve and sweetly asked, “Think she’s had enough?”
“After that crack about Darius? No,” Steve replied.
******
//
Think we should get involved? // A multi-colored Calico cat asked the Regal Persian
sitting next to him.
//
No. // Arial said with a smug thought while her companion took another fall. //
Cordelia will remember this lesson for a long time; it’ll make her a better
person. //
//
I think Xander is about to get involved. // Patches said as Xander left the
group to go to Cordelia’s side.
*****
Xander
walked over to the fallen Cordelia and gently helped her to her feet. Then, after giving her a loving hug, he
stripped the pads off of her worn and tired body.
“Xander? What are you
doing?” Gabrielle asked with a small
smile. < Oh this boy definitely has it bad for this girl. >
“I’ll
take her place for a while.”
“Why?” Sonja asked with a smile.
“She
needs to rest. I know that she smarted
off earlier, but even Queen C has her limits.”
*****
Gabrielle stared at both Sonja and St. Wolf. They nodded at her and she turned back to Xander and Cordelia. “Xander, don’t bother putting the pads on. Training’s over for today.”
At that, Cordelia
sighed and nearly collapsed against Xander’s body.
*****
Patches
beamed to Arial, // Want to stick around? //
//
No. // Arial said as she stretched and nuzzled Patches’ throat. // Thanks for coming with me. //
//
You’re welcome, Kitten, // Patches said as he returned
her nuzzle with one of his own.
//
Walk me home? //
//
Of course, // Patches said with a contented purr.
*****
“Patrol will be Buffy, Sonja, Gabrielle, and me tonight,” Steve said. “The rest of you get the night off.”
Everyone
breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
“Cordelia, Xander,” Steve called out.
When the two teens turned to him, he said, “Cordelia, I’m not going to
apologize for making you the practice dummy today. That crack about Darius was uncalled for.”
“Steve,
exactly who was this Darius guy?” Xander asked.
“He
was one of my teachers. He also taught
Cordelia nodded in understanding. “Sorry I shot my mouth off like that, then, Steve. Friends again?” she chirped and thrust out her right hand toward him.
He chuckled
then reached out and shook her proffered hand.
“Friends again,” he said warmly.
Moments later, the couple took their leave and Steve turned to Gabrielle
and Sonja. “You two want dinner first or
do we grab a meal while on patrol?”
“Depends. What’ve you
got in the refrigerator?” Gabrielle asked.
“It’s
loaded for bear. I just went shopping
this morning.”
“I hope you don’t shop like most single men.” Sonja muttered.
“You tell me,” St. Wolf drawled.
Sonja opened
the appliance’s door and uncovered a proverbial cornucopia of fruit,
vegetables, fresh meats and cheeses.
“Hey, Gabby!” Sonja yelled as she grabbed a ten pound
package of steaks from the meat compartment.
“How about we go with meat and potatoes tonight?”
“That
sounds good, honey. Did you find anything
we could use to marinate the steaks?”
“Yep,
he’s got everything here for your famous Amazon Steak.”
“All
right, buddy, get your tight ass out of this kitchen!” Gabrielle announced as
she playfully shoved the male Immortal toward the great room. “Sonja and I are cooking tonight.”
“Just
make certain you make enough for six people and one pain in the ass.” Steve said as he walked toward the stairs.
“Who’s
the pain in the ass?” Sonja asked then jerked back as Duke jumped up onto the
island.
“Speak
of the devil,” Steve said with a smirk.
//
I’m going to get even for that crack. //
< Promises…promises. >
//
Screw you, // Duke beamed. Then he took
a big sniff and stared at the steaks.
Sonja
watched the dog as it stared at the meat with intelligent eyes. “Hi boy!” she said brightly. “Okay, if you’re a good boy and I’ll make
sure that you get something in your bowl.”
Duke barked twice, leapt from the counter and ran straight to
Brian. “Take him outside, Brian,” Sonja suggested. “Make sure that he gets some exercise.”
“You’ve got it, Miss Sonja.” Brian then grabbed his jacket and walked toward the door.
Gabrielle,
sensing something, stopped him and asked, “What’s wrong, Brian?”
“This
is all so new to me.” Brian said softly
as he put on his jacket. “Last week, we,
Randi and I, lived with my parents. Now,
we’re living here.”
“Where are your parents?”
“Vampires
killed them,” Brian said in a sad whisper.
Gabrielle
sat Brian down and took him into her arms.
“Why are you here, Brian?”
“Randi
is an Immortal like you, Miss Sonja, Mr. St. Wolf and Buffy are. Mr. St. Wolf explained to Randi what she was
and tried to find a teacher who’d take us both in, but no one wanted to take
her if I tagged along. Randi asked if we
could stay here and Mr. St. Wolf agreed to it.”
Gabrielle
sighed. “I know it hurts, Brian, but the
pain will ease with time.”
“Will it ever go away?”
She
regarded him with haunted eyes and shook her head. “No, it won’t. And you don’t want it to.” Brian stared up at her and Gabrielle continued. “You’ll miss your mom and dad for the rest of
your life, Brian. There’s nothing that can be done to erase that pain. And take it from me, you don’t want it to
totally go away because then, you’ve lost your parents forever.”
Brian
shuddered and nodded. “Randi really
wants to fight the vampires to get even for our parents,” he mumbled into her
chest.
“And
what did Steve say about this?”
“He
doesn’t want Randi to fight to get even.
He wants her to fight to protect people.
He said that it’s different.”
“He’s
right, it is different.”
“How?”
“It’s
different in the way she fights and how she thinks. When you fight for vengeance, you fight with
all of your emotions raw and usually alone.
You hate, you take chances that you shouldn’t and you get yourself, your
friends and innocents killed. When you
fight to protect, you work as part of a team or an extended family. Randi will have support, someone to talk to
her and someone to protect her back.” < And I’m going to make sure that she
doesn’t go Lone Wolf on us. > “Now,” she said brightly, “all
better?”
He
nodded shyly and said, “Thank you, Miss Gabrielle,” as he reluctantly pulled
himself from the comfort of her arms.
“Just call me, Gabrielle and Sonja, Sonja, Brian. No need for you to be so formal with us, young man. Just think of us as your young…and pretty aunts, all right?”
“Okay,”
he said as he peered around the room.
“Uhm, where’s the dog’s leash?”
“Duke
doesn’t need a leash, Brian.” Buffy said
as she and Randi entered the kitchen.
“Are
you sure that Brian will be safe outside with only that dog for protection?”
Randi asked as she stared out the window and saw the sun going down.
“I can practically guarantee it,” Buffy said as she regarded Duke. “Duke, be a honey and show them what you really are.”
Then at Buffy’s
command, Duke barked twice and converted into his true form. Four sets of mouths dropped open in shock as Randi,
Brian, Gabrielle, and Sonja stared at the massive wolf that stood in the middle
of the kitchen.
“Holy shit!” Sonja screamed as she grabbed for a large knife
on the counter while Sonja’s ancient battle-mate protectively shielded Brian
with her own body.
“What
in the hell is that thing!?” Gabrielle demanded.
“Steve’s
personal Guardian Spirit.” Buffy said
with a lopsided grin on her face.
“His what!?” Randi snapped as she stared at the five foot
tall wolf.
“Duke
guards Steve’s house and protects the people who live here. I have one at home, too. My Mom has one that goes with her wherever
she goes,
“What
do the cats turn into?” Gabrielle asked.
“Two
hundred, fifty pound saber-tooth tigers,” Buffy said with a smile.
“That’s
some cat,” Sonja breathed. Then she
relaxed as Duke changed back into his regular form.
“Brian,
with that dog, you’ll probably need a saddle instead of a leash,” Gabrielle wryly
observed as the dog crossed the floor toward the boy and sat down beside him.
“You
can’t be serious?” Randi asked while her little brother patted the puppy on its
head.
“Duke
will never hurt Brian, Randi,” Buffy explained.
“His job is to protect Steve’s family and that now includes Brian and
you.”
“You
have got to be kidding,” Randi muttered in disbelief as Brian and Duke waited
for her to make her decision. When Randi
resignedly nodded her head, Brian grinned and raced out of the house with Duke following
closely behind.
“Is
there anything else we should know about Steve?” Randi asked Buffy.
“Only
that he’s a Knight Lieutenant in the Order of the Grail,” Buffy said as both
Sonja and Gabrielle narrowed their eyes at each other in annoyance. “Ever hear of Merlin of Camelot?” Buffy asked.
Randi nodded her head dully.
“Well, Steve is his and his wife’s personal champion.”
“I
knew it!” Sonja snapped. “I told you this whole thing had the stench
of that old fart all over it!!”
“I
take it you’ve both met Merlin?” Buffy asked sweetly.
“Arrrgggghhhh!”
a frustrated Sonja yelled and glared down at her lover. “We just had to stay here, didn’t we?! Why didn’t you listen to me and go back with
Lida and me to make Casca’s life a living hell!?”
“I
guess that’s a ‘yes,’” Buffy noted as Gabrielle shook her head in disgust.
“Yes,
we know him. And the only reason he’s
still alive is because we like Niume,” Gabrielle muttered darkly. “That nosey-old-busybody is a royal pain in
the ass!”
“Still
want to make dinner?” Buffy asked as she reached for the phone.
“Yes,”
Sonja said in exasperation. “How does
Steve like his steak?”
“Well
done. I like mine medium rare,” Buffy said.
“Lightly well done for me.
Brian likes his medium,” Randi said while Sonja cleaved the steaks from
a ten pound piece of meat.
“And
Duke?”
“Rare,
of course,” Buffy said as Steve walked into the kitchen to a chorus of hard
stares from the elder Immortal women.
“What did I do
now?” he offered with a heavy sigh.
Gabrielle
and Sonja simply continued to glare at him.
“They know Merlin,” Buffy explained to him.
At that, Steve shook
his head in disgust and sat down next to Buffy.
“Steve?” Randi asked as Steve snaked his arm around
Buffy’s shoulders. “That, that dog—what is
he?”
“Duke’s
a Guardian Spirit. His job is to protect
this house and any family that I have.”
“Is
it safe for Brian to be alone with him?”
“Yes,
Brian is safe with Duke. He’ll give his
life to protect him.”
“How
do you know that?”
“Duke’s
job is to protect my home and my family of which you and Brian are now a part
of,” Steve said as Buffy snickered. “I
think Buffy has something to tell us.”
“Well,”
she said, fighting back her laughter, “the look on Randi’s face after Duke
changed was priceless!”
“I’m
glad this whole situation, my parents being murdered by those monsters, Brian
and I displaced from our home and our lives, is so amusing to you!” Randi snapped.
Buffy’s
face immediately clouded over in guilt.
“Randi, I’m so sorry. That’s not
at all what we feel. What I meant was
that it’s nice to see someone else go through what I went through the last few
months. All of the wonder and surprise
at finding out how things most people think are myths are actually real.” Then her face glowed with a sense of
wonder. “I’ve met actual Immortals
who’ve seen history unfold…met an actual Goddess, too!” At that, Gabrielle growled lowly, but Buffy
pressed onward. “And what makes it so
special is that I’m beginning to realize that I’m…we all are here for a
purpose.”
“A purpose!?” Randi screamed as she rose from her seat. “I’ve lost my parents and now I’m responsible
for my twelve year old brother. I have
no job, very little money and I’m living with a man who I only met when this
entire mess started!”
“Randi,
I know that you and Brian lost your parents, but you’re not alone,” Buffy
softly said. Randi stared into Buffy’s
sad eyes as the Slayer continued. “You
now have an extended family, Randi. I
know that you hardly know us, but we’re here for you and Brian. Through everything that has happened and will
happen, you can count on us.”
*****
“Damn,
but she’s good.” Sonja said softly as
she stood with Gabrielle in the kitchen.
“That
she is. I wonder if she and Steve are
the Two?”
“Only
time will tell, Gabrielle.” Sonja muttered
as she chopped some vegetables. “Think
that we’ll survive what’s to come?”
Sonja wondered.
Gabrielle
smiled gently at her lover. “Yes,” she
said simply.
“Good,” Sonja said with a growl, “because I want you sleeping beside me for…well…forever!”
Then as Sonja
nuzzled Gabrielle’s neck, the bard sighed and leaned back into the arms of her eternal
love. “The same goes for me, too,
Red.”
“Er…um…do
you two need to get a room or something?” Buffy asked from across the living
room.
The two glanced at the Slayer and they both gave her a saucy smile. “No need for that, sweetie, we mess around in the kitchen all the time. Want to join in on the fun?” Gabrielle drawled cheekily.
At that, the Slayer’s eyes shot comically wide open. Then she shot a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look at St. Wolf and stammered, “I-I…uh… Oh, man! I’ve got to go to the bathroom!” Then in a mad dash, Buffy raced up the flight of stairs to the second floor.
As the Slayer
fled the scene, Randi smiled at the Gabrielle and Sonja and purred,
“Now that was fun!”
*****
July 15th
St. Wolf’s Home - Living Room
“Sword,”
Steve said.
“Check,”
Buffy confirmed.
“Glock 21.”
“Check.”
“Silver ammunition.”
“Check,
check and check,” Buffy said while she confirmed the presence of three extra
magazines.
“Wooden ammunition.”
“Check,
check, check and check.”
“Wood knives.”
“Check.”
“Plastique charges.”
“Check.”
“Grenades.”
“Check
for high explosive, check for holy water and check for silver pellet.”
While
Sonja approached from the kitchen after placing another unanswered telephone
call to Heather, Gabrielle, Randi, and Brian simply watched as the Wanderer and
the Slayer prepared to go on patrol.
“Damn, but those two look like they’re soldiers going to war!” Randi
breathed.
“That’s
precisely what they’re doing, Randi,” Gabrielle noted as she studied Buffy and
Steve closely. “And that’s how you
survive in this game. Be ready for
anything and everything and carry a hell of lot more firepower than your
enemy.”
Randi
shuddered despite herself. < Oh God!
What are these two? > As she reflected on that, Sonja and Gabrielle had
also begun their preparations.
Then
as the quartet prepared to leave, St. Wolf turned to his new ward and said, “Randi,
don’t open the door for anyone. The
house is warded against any demons or vampires, but that doesn’t mean they
can’t hire a mortal or an Immortal to try to kill everyone in the house.”
“What
happens if someone breaks in?” Randi asked
as she held Brian close to her.
“Let
Duke handle it. If it’s too much for
Duke, go into my office and break the crystal on the side table. That will call in a company of Knights and
White Mages. If they can’t handle it,
they’ll get you and Brian to safety and then call in the big guns.”
“Um…did
you say, knights?”
“They’re
the Knights of the Order of the Grail.
They’ve protected humanity for the last fifteen hundred years,” St. Wolf
explained.
“How
come I never heard of them?” Randi asked.
“What
can I say? We suck at public relations,”
St. Wolf noted with a low chuckle. Then he wriggled into his duster and said, “Let’s
go people. We have to patrol most of the
cemeteries before
“Right,
order us around, pup,” Sonja groused.
“Hey!”
Steve said with a grin. “I am not a
pup. According to Xander, I’m in the old
fart category.”
“Compared
to us, you’re a wet behind the ears pup, Steve,” Gabrielle shot back. “So watch it, pup, or I’ll call in a favor
that Aphrodite still owes me and make your love life a living hell.”
Buffy
smirked at the other blonde Immortal. “Too
late…we already know her. And she likes
us as a couple.”
Gabrielle glared at the young woman in front of her, shook her head in disgust, and stormed out the door, followed closely by a grinning couple and a bemused Sonja.
****
“What do you
want to watch on the TV, Randi?” Brian asked
as he turned on the television and used its remote to channel surf.
“Anything
you want, Brian,” Randi said as the strange dog that St. Wolf called Duke
snuggled against the boy’s side as they both sat on the couch. Then her eyes scanned around the
well-appointed yet comfortable fixtures and furniture in the house where she
was now living. “It’s nice…but so
different from our house,” she murmured under her breath.
“What
was that, Randi?” Brian asked absentmindedly then his attention was captured by
what had just appeared on the TV screen.
“Hey Randi!
Drew Carey’s on!”
“You
go ahead and watch, Bri. I’m going out
for a walk.” Randi said softly as she crossed
from the couch over to one of the hidden cabinets and drew out a sword and a
gun.
“Are
you sure, Randi?”
She
nearly jumped out of her skin when he surprised her with his voice. She turned and found him right behind her,
causing her to marvel at his stealth. “Yeah, I’m sure, Bri,” Randi said with a
smile. “Don’t worry about me, baby
brother. I’m Immortal; I can’t die.”
“Just
be careful, sis,” Brian muttered as he hugged her.
“I will, Brian,” Randi said. Then she walked out the side door.
****
“Can
you go after her?” Brian asked
Duke. Duke barked once and Brian sighed. “One means no?” Duke barked twice and Brian grinned. “You are a smart one, aren’t you?” Duke barked twice again and Brian turned back
to the TV. “I hope Randi knows what
she’s doing.”
// So do I, Brian. // Duke thought. // Steve! //
****
<
What is it, Duke? > Steve asked as he stopped dead in his tracks, causing
Gabrielle to bump into him and bounce back.
Then she quickly turned around and began to guard Steve’s rear.
//
Randi left with a sword and a gun.
She’s headed toward
<
Where’s Brian? >
//
Watching TV with me. //
<
Keep an eye on him and call me if he tries to leave. >
//
Will do. // Duke said as St. Wolf growled.
“Of
all of the dumb ass things to do,” Steve muttered as he drew his cell phone
from the clip on his belt.
“What’s
wrong, Steve?” Gabrielle asked as she
scanned the area with her intense blue eyes.
“Randi may be in danger,” he said and dialed a number on the phone.
St. Wolf’s call
was immediately answered. “It’s my night
off.”
“Randi
just left my home with a sword and a gun.
Apparently, she’s gone ‘Wild Bunch’ and you’re the closest.”
“Exactly
why is that my problem?”
St.
Wolf sighed. “Look, just get
moving. She’s headed to
“All
right, but you owe me, bro,” the man said before he disconnected the line.
When
he clipped the cell phone back onto his belt, Sonja asked him, “How did you
know about Randi?”
“Duke
told me,” St. Wolf said simply. Then he led
his team toward
*****
July 15th
Weatherly Park, Sunnydale, Ca
Randi
crept down the path that led to the center of the sprawling park with her hand
resting on the butt of her gun. She gulped
when she heard a noise off to her side.
She stopped, stared around, but saw nothing. She sighed with relief and started to walk
away when she felt a pain inside her head that made it seem like it was going
to split open. < Oh God! Steve! How did he find out that I’d left the
house? He must have called the house and
Brian told him. > Randi stared around
like a small child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. Then she spied a shape move out of the
shadows of a nearby grove of trees.
Randi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it wasn’t anyone she
knew. The man, a young Hispanic male, stood
a shade over six feet tall. He had dark
curly hair and a dark, olive skin. When
he entered the light cast by a nearby street light, Randi smiled winningly at
him. Then her good humor evaporated when
he exposed his glowing sword and growled, “I am Hector Vasquez Ramos of
At that, Randi
backed nervously away. “Uhmm, ahhh, I’m
Randi Jessup of
“Draw
your sword, woman!” Hector ordered. “I
challenge you to a duel.”
“But…why? I haven’t done anything to you! Why do you want to fight me?”
“Why?”
he asked. He seemed puzzled. “How long have you been an Immortal?”
“About
four days.”
“Do
you have a teacher?”
“Yes.”
“Then
he’s a fool to let you walk around by yourself,” Hector observed coldly. “First, I’ll have some fun with you then I’ll
take your head, little one. Then I’ll
take your teacher’s head as well.”
“Not
in this lifetime, asshole,” a harsh voice called from the darkness. Suddenly Hector froze as a large, African
American man stepped out of the darkness with a gun in one hand and a wooden
knife in the other. Randi gulped when
she noticed his six foot, six inch height.
Then her eyes widened when she saw the ridges on the man’s forehead.
< Ohmigod! He’s a vampire! >
When
Hector saw the ridges on the man’s face, he gasped. “Dear God in Heaven, what are you!?”
“Name’s
Charles,” he said simply then squeezed his trigger finger and fired a silenced
bullet that killed Hector on the spot. As
the other man lay dead at his feet, Charles shook his head and sighed. “What a waste—another idiot involved in the
‘Game’.” He turned back to Randi, ready
to escort her home when he saw that she had him covered with her own gun. “That’s not necessary, Miss Jessup.”
“H-how do you know my name?” Randi stammered as her hand began to tremble. Accidentally, her gun went off as a major ‘Buzz’ struck her. Luckily for Charles, the bullet missed him and he raced in to tear the gun away from the distracted girl.
Apparently
frightened out of her mind, Randi turned to flee but froze when she found St.
Wolf, Buffy, Gabrielle and Sonja standing behind her. Sonja and Gabrielle moved toward Charles,
swords ready, but St. Wolf held up his hand.
Both women halted and expected him to take out the vampire. Instead, St. Wolf peered at Randi and began
to dress her down.
“Care
to explain what in the hell you’re up to!?” he demanded as Randi cringed under
his glare. “You do realize that you
could have been killed by someone or something just by walking out here!? And I don’t mean temporarily, either!” Randi gulped as she wilted under his angry glare. “I don’t know how much clearer I could have
made it but when I tell you to stay inside for your own good, I mean it!!”
“But
they killed my parents!” Randi angrily retorted. “Don’t Brian and I deserve some justice?”
“Of
course you do. But leaving Brian to fend
for himself is not the way! “How could
you be so inconsiderate that you left your twelve year old brother alone, in a
house, with only a dog to keep him out of trouble? What would Brian do if I came home and told
him that you were dead!?” he shouted and caused her to flinch. “NO kid deserves to have so much ripped away from
him in such a short time!”
“I
want revenge!” Randi snapped.
St.
Wolf sighed and shook his head. He fixed
Randi with a glare that could’ve melted the armor from a battle tank. “If you want to continue as my student, you’ll
never mention that word to me again!”
“That’s easy for you to say!” she spat. “You and Buffy are out here every night killing those things, so why can’t I? Don’t you understand, you bastard, I want to kill them! For my parents, for the pain they caused Brian, for the pain they caused me—I want to see them all die!”
The anger ran
away from St. Wolf’s face to be replaced by a look of compassion and
understanding. However, before he could
respond, he was interrupted by the sudden ‘Buzz’ that filled all of the
Immortals’ heads.
*****
When
the young woman stood up to St. Wolf, Charlie grinned. < Little girl’s got
guts, a lot like that Buffy girl. But he’s
right. Vengeance can get you killed out
here. >
*****
When
the vampire leaned against a tree, a confused Sonja wondered, “Who in the hell
is the vamp and why does he still exist?”
“There’s
more here than meets the eye, Sonja.”
Gabrielle muttered softly. “Buffy
hasn’t tried to slay him and he’s not frightened of her. I’ve never seen a vampire this sure of
himself around a Slayer.”
“Never
mind that, who’s the stiff?” Sonja asked as the body jerked back to life. “Oh, hell…” Sonja muttered as the man rose
from the ground with his sword in hand.
“I’m
going to kill you, you piece of shit!” Hector screamed out to Charlie. Charlie regarded St. Wolf with his eyebrow
cocked wryly and when the Immortal gave him a nod, he snapped off another shot
at the angry Immortal. Hector’s face
registered his shock and surprise as Charlie’s bullet struck him in the chest
then he collapsed to the ground, dead again as Steve responded to Randi’s
diatribe.
*****
“Okay…by
the numbers, tell me what in the hell happened here.”
“I
was looking for vampires when this guy came out of the woods. When I felt the ‘Buzz,’ I thought it was you. Then, the next thing I knew, he challenged me
to a duel.”
“What
did you tell him?”
“That
I didn’t know how to use a sword,” Randi said softly. “I told him that I only became an Immortal
four days ago. He asked if I had a
teacher and when I said yes, he said you were stupid to let me go out alone at
night.”
“What
else?” St. Wolf asked with a sigh.
“He
said he was going to rape me then kill me.
And he said that he was going to kill you next.”
St. Wolf shot a look at Charlie and the vampire nodded, confirming Randi’s story. Then he strode over to the dead Immortal’s body, took away his gun and left him with his sword.
Before long, the
Immortal revived with a curse on his lips.
“You are dead!” he growled at Charlie.
“You are FUCKING DEAD!!”
“Too
late, asshole, I’m already dead,” Charles observed with a low chuckle. Hector glared and reached for his gun. When he found his firearm was missing, he glanced
around and finally recognized the powerful presences nearby.
“Holy
fuck…who in the hell are you!?”
“Methos,”
St. Wolf said lowly.
Hector
stared at St. Wolf like a viper. “No,
you’re not,” Hector said. “For one
thing, you wouldn’t advertise the fact.
Second, Methos is supposed to be over five thousand years old. You don’t live to be that old by being a guy
willing to take in a newbie. Only idiots
like the MacLeods or their types would do that.
And none of those fools live to be more than a thousand.”
“That’s
some reasoning, old son. So, who was
your teacher? Sherlock Holmes?”
“As
a matter of fact, he was,” Hector said easily.
“After he taught me everything he knew, I tried to take his head.”
“You’re
not a very nice person, are you?” Gabrielle observed.
Hector
stared at the four female Immortals and grinned lecherously. “Oh…yeah…I’m going to enjoy this town. After I kill you, I’m going to take your
girlfriends out, one by one.”
“And
what makes you think you’ll survive facing me?”
“This,”
Hector said simply as he drew out a glowing blade. “This sword is magical. It’ll beat any blade forged by a normal sword-smith. So, c’mon, big man! Why don’t you show these ladies how a real
hero buys the farm!”
“Do
we do this properly or do we just get down to business?” St. Wolf asked through gritted teeth.
“Oh
yeah, we’ll do this right,” Hector said.
“I am Hector Vasquez Ramos of
“I am Steven St. Wolf, former student of
Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod and Darius.”
Hector snorted but it turned into a choke when Demon Slayer appeared from
thin air, its blade aglow with a pale blue glow.
“Holy fuck! What in
the hell is that thing?”
Steve
ignored the other man and continued his introduction. “I hold the rank of Knight Lieutenant in the
Order of the Grail.” Hector gulped in
shock, but stood firm. “Champion to the
Order’s Patron, Merlin of Camelot and his wife, Lady Niume. Bearer of Hercules’
bracers, the Fangs of Tyr, and the Sword of Destiny known as Demon Slayer.”
“A Sword of Destiny!?
Oh Fuck! I choose the wrong place
to hunt,” Hector muttered. < I thought those blades were only a legend! What the fuck am I
supposed to do against one of those? >
“Oh,
honey!” Buffy announced. Hector then
faced the young girl and saw the broad smile on her face. “Don’t forget the rest.”
“There’s
more!?”
“Not
much—just a few small things.”
“Like
what?” Hector asked.
“Let’s see....I’m a former Green Beret and
Medal of Honor nominee. I’m also allied
with the Priest Warriors of the C'est Dei, the Sons of Asgard, High Priests and
Priestesses of Wicca, several of Oberon’s Children and Oberon himself and the
Council of Dragons.”
“Oh,
shit!” Hector said. “You can’t be him.
He’s only a freaking legend!”
“Who
am I?” St. Wolf asked.
“You’re
the Wanderer,” Hector said in a low voice.
At that moment, he realized that this wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d
thought now that he knew that he faced a man who was considered one of the four
most likely to win the ‘Game’.
“Yeah,
that’s what some people call me.”
“I
want to know something.”
St.
Wolf shot a puzzled look at the Spaniard.
“What?”
“Why
don’t you play the ‘Game’? With Demon
Slayer you could win without much difficulty.”
“The ‘Game’?” St.
Wolf spat. “The Game is the death of our
kind! I have better things to do than murder
my fellow Immortals.”
“Is
that why you’ve only killed a single Immortal and never killed anyone as part
of the ‘Game’?”
“How
did you know that?”
“I
took it from my Watcher. Poor bastard
didn’t last long after I got started on him.”
“You are some piece of work, Hector.”
“What about you, Amigo?” Hector drawled as he stalled for time. “You got four Immortal women at your beck and call. All I want to know is how long you intend to keep ‘em around before you take their heads and get a new harem?”
“Well,
that’s not going to be any concern of yours in a few moments, Hector.” St. Wolf quipped as he watched Hector
closely. “Before you die, care to tell
me where you found that sword?”
“A
guy in a black robe gave it to me. I
can’t believe he parted with a magical sword for nothing.”
“A
guy in a black robe simply gave you a magical sword, eh? And why did you happen to come here?”
“I
just go where the wind takes me.”
“So,
you just came here, because you felt like it?”
“Si.”
“You’re
an idiot. That sword is controlling you
and you don’t even realize it.”
“If
that’s true then I don’t care,” Hector said with a maniacal gleam in his
eyes. “And I’ve enjoyed my latest
hunt. I’m up eight heads this trip and
you and your girlfriends will make the trip from
“Then you die tonight,” Steve said simply as he moved forward to attack.
“Halt!”
At Sonja’s
command, both men immediately discontinued their attacks and stepped away from
each other. Then Hector eyed Sonja as
she strode toward him. “I want to know
something,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“I
tried to call a friend of mine this morning.
She lives north of here in
“Bitch
lived on
Sonja
growled so loud that Buffy and Randi nearly jumped out of their skins. “Stand back, St. Wolf! This bastard is mine!”
“Are
you sure, Sonja?” he asked then immediately closed his mouth when he saw the
fire in her eyes.
Then
Sonja turned to face Hector with her sword still in its scabbard on her back and
said, “Prepare to die, pup! Gabrielle
and I raised Heather from a small child. Her death shall be avenged.”
“No
wonder the bitch was a dyke,” Hector brayed. “She was raised by a pair of
fucking lesbians! Don’t worry,
bitch. I made a woman out of her and her
girlfriend right before I killed them.”
Gabrielle
then spoke in a quiet and deadly voice that was deeply disturbing to St. Wolf,
Buffy, Randi, Charlie, and particularly to Sonja. “Sonja, you’ve got two minutes to kill
him. After that, I’ll invoke the Amazon Rite
of Vengeance.”
At that, a frantic Sonja glanced at Gabrielle. The Rite of Vengeance! Beads of perspiration broke out on Sonja’s brow. Then she shook her head angrily. “Ain’t gonna happen,” she said under her breath. There was no way she was ever going to let Gabrielle torture this man to find all the people he ever cared about so Gabrielle could hunt them down and kill them. It would destroy Gabrielle’s soul and Sonja would never allow that to come to pass. So…
She regarded
Hector with cold, cruel eyes. “It’s time
to die, you bastard,” Sonja said as St. Wolf offered Demon Slayer to her. Confused, Sonja examined the blade and raised
her eyebrow questioningly at the Wanderer.
“His
blade’s cursed,” St. Wolf said. “Your
blade will be destroyed if you take him on with it.”
“Son
of a bitch!” she snapped. “So, you had
to cheat to defeat your victims? You’re nothing
but scum!” Suddenly, she tossed Demon
Slayer back to St. Wolf without looking and glared at Hector. “Thanks, but no thanks, St. Wolf,” she said,
“I don’t need a crutch. I’ve never used
magic to win my battles and I’m not about to start now.” Then she said to her opponent, “Since you
like doing this all nice and proper, asshole, you can call me Sonja.”
“That’s
it? Sonja?”
“Oh
please let me!” Buffy cried out and Hector
stared at the girl and began to salivate at the prospect of having her nubile,
young body.
“Go
ahead, Buffy, knock yourself out.”
“All
right, asshole,” Buffy drawled. “You’re
facing the woman that men have called the Red Vengeance, the Hyperborean
Terror, the Shield Maiden of Crom, and the Bringer of Death in a Stainless
Steel Bikini. Oh, and, you should also
know that she’s SO bad, Conan the Barbarian was HER
Boy Toy. May I introduce the one, the
only, Red Sonja!”
Hector
stared dumbly at the tall red head. “Is
she shitting me?”
“Afraid not,” Sonja said with a feral look in her eyes. “I’ve been kicking ass for over fifteen thousand years, ass-wipe. Now, let’s party!” And with that, the Battle Maiden of the Hykarian Steppes pounced.
Hector also moved toward her, confident in his sword and its powers. “Die, bitch!” he cried as he swung his sword at where he thought her neck would be. Unfortunately for him, Sonja seemed to have melted away and his blade passed harmlessly over her head. Then, before he knew it, his red headed opponent landed a crushing blow to his solar plexus with her right fist. As he stumbled forward, she followed her first blow with a strike from her left forearm into the center of his back. Hector nearly collapsed to the ground after two punches that rocked him as if he’d been hit by a pair of sledgehammers. He glared at her over his shoulder while she gave him a smile absent of any warmth. “There’s one thing you ought to know before you die, you pathetic piece of shit.”
“What?” he spat out.
“We’re bisexuals, not ‘fucking lesbians.’ I just wanted to clear that up for you so when you get to Hell, be sure to tell them who sent you!”
Upon hearing
her taunt, Hector was so angry all he could see was red. “Fuck you!” he screamed as he charged Sonja
with his sword held high. In response,
the ancient warrior surprised nearly everyone but her lover when she whirled
and jogged toward a large tree as the angered Immortal rapidly gained on
her. Then when he was only a few feet
behind her, she raced forward so fast she was able to run several steps up the
tree’s trunk. Then she sprang high into
the air while Hector skidded to a halt and tried to follow Sonja’s flight. In the meantime, the Shieldmaiden of Crom
drew her sword from its scabbard as she somersaulted in the air and when she
alighted on the ground behind Hector, Sonja swung her sword viciously and
cleaved the man’s head from his body. As
Hector’s head toppled from his severed neck, his body collapsed to the ground
like a puppet without its strings. As
Sonja lowered her blade to rest alongside her right leg, a mist suddenly emerged
from the body and caused St. Wolf to scream, “Charlie!! Move it or lose it!”
“You
don’t have to tell me twice!” Charlie called out as he raced away from the impending
Quickening.
*****
A stunned Randi saw Sonja stand her ground in the middle of a miniature lightning storm. She witnessed the older, red headed woman shudder uncontrollably as bolts of electricity struck Sonja’s body. Unable to watch helplessly any more, Randi started toward Sonja. However, both Buffy and Gabrielle were easily able to hold her back.
“Why don’t you
help her?” a frustrated Randi cried.
“She
doesn’t need our help,” Buffy yelled.
“What’s
happening to her?”
“That’s
a Quickening. That’s what happens when
an Immortal takes the head of another Immortal,” Gabrielle explained. “Sonja is absorbing his memories and the
memories of the people that he killed and the people that they killed as well.”
“How
can someone take in all of those memories?” an awestruck Randi whispered.
“Immortal
brains work differently than mortal ones.
We compartmentalize the memories and they just coexist with our
preexisting memories.”
Moments
later, after the Quickening slowly faded away, St. Wolf and Gabrielle ran over
to a now semi-comatose Sonja and helped her to her feet.
“Let’s
get out of here,” St. Wolf said as he picked up Hector’s blade with a silk
handkerchief.
“What
about the body?” Buffy asked.
“It’ll
be taken care of,” St. Wolf said as he escorted his charges away.
*****
Phillip
Jackson continued to spy on the sextet from the bushes as St. Wolf and his charges
fled the scene. < So the stories are true!
The world’s oldest Immortal is staying with St. Wolf. > He shuddered
when he recalled hearing the woman’s words. < Fifteen thousand years! How in the hell could she retain her sanity
after all that time? And she’s the REAL
Red Sonja from the Conan books. Oh
God! What in the hell have we walked
into? > When he was certain they had gone, he left the relative safety of
the foliage, crossed over to the dead man, stared down at the body, drew the cell
phone from his pocket, and dialed. “This
is Phillip. Ramos is dead.”
“Who
killed him? St. Wolf?”
“No. Red Sonja of Hyperborea.”
There
was dead silence on the line for a moment.
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“No,
Mike, I’m not. She actually admitted to
being over fifteen thousand years old.
You do know what this means?”
“Methos
isn’t the oldest Immortal. Phil, if
she’s telling the truth then who in the hell trained her?”
“We
may never know.” Phillip said as he scanned
the surrounding area for intruders. “How
soon before that cleanup crew gets here?”
“They
should be pulling up right about now,” Mike said. Then, almost as if it had been due to magic, a
hearse pulled up next to the two Watchers.
“They
made it.” Phillip said in relief as two
other Watchers get out of the car and pick up Ramos’ body. One of the men scanned the area and asked, “Where’s
the sword?”
“St.
Wolf took it. Said it was cursed. I wasn’t going to argue about it.”
“Right,”
the other Watcher said wryly. Then they
both climbed into the passenger compartment of the hearse.
*****
July 15th
Home of St. Wolf,
Brian
watched as St. Wolf, Buffy, Randi, Sonya, Gabrielle and a large African
American man entered the house. <
Who’s this guy? > Brian wondered as the black man entered the living room.
*****
St.
Wolf tossed the sword into a convenient umbrella stand and turned toward Randi,
intent on continuing their ‘little talk.’
However, Gabrielle motioned for him to be silent. “Please…it’s my turn now.” He shrugged and stepped back as Gabrielle got
into Randi’s face, literally. “You childish ingrate!
How in the hell could you do something that stupid! Were you born under a rock without the brains
that the Gods gave to an ant!?” Randi stood
dumbstruck as Gabrielle continued dressing her down. “You do realize that if someone dies tonight,
it’s your fault!?” Randi shook her head in
denial as Gabrielle continued to press.
“Yes, ‘Little-Miss-I-Want-Revenge,’ it’ll be all because of you! Understand this, you little idiot; you
screwed up our patrol because we had to drag your candy ass out of the fire tonight! Do you realize that we would have patrolled
all of the trouble spots in town in the time it took for us to save your sorry,
cheerleader ass!?” Randi began to quiver
as Gabrielle relentlessly pressed on. “Well,
what do you know? It finally seems the
truth has sunk into your pea-brain, eh, princess? Now do you see we may have left behind
innocents to die because we had to act to save your bony ass! Now get this through your thick skull: WE CARE ABOUT YOU!!!” Randi gaped at the blonde woman as Gabrielle angrily
whirled away from her. “Steve! Buffy!
We’re going back out on patrol!” Then
Gabrielle turned back to Randi and said in a low, threatening voice, “If you
leave this house after we go, I swear to the gods, I’ll take your sorry little
head myself! Do you understand!?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Randi answered immediately.
Gabrielle nodded
once and turned toward the door. Then she
noticed Charlie standing there, quietly watching her. “You!” Gabrielle barked, causing Charlie to snap to
attention. “How did you get into this
house without being invited?”
“I
work for Steve and Buffy,” Charlie said.
“You
work for them!?” Gabrielle shouted as she turned to St. Wolf. “Why in the hell do you have a vampire
working for you!?”
“Before
you stake Charlie, Gabrielle, I think you should know that he has his soul and
has never killed an innocent.”
“So
he’s never harmed a human being?” Randi asked.
“No. I’ve never killed an innocent,” Charlie said. “When I was in the Marines, I killed a lot of
people doing my duty.”
Gabrielle
glared at Randi for interrupting her and the girl immediately snapped her mouth
shut. “Let’s go, St. Wolf. I want a long, hot soak after we finish
patrol.”
“All
right, but Sonja should remain here, Gabrielle.
She’s not one hundred percent after absorbing such a massive
Quickening.”
“Like
hell I will!” Sonja angrily retorted, but Gabrielle held up her hand. Sonja then pouted at her lover. “But, Gabby!
I can’t just sit here with Heather’s memories haunting me!”
Gabrielle
regarded her with loving eyes. “Yes, you
can, love. Please,” the blonde begged,
“I can’t risk losing you. Please don’t
ask me to be that strong, Sonja. I-I
just can’t do it.”
“Oh…all
right,” the red head grumbled. “Who’ll
watch your back?”
“St.
Wolf and Buffy will.”
Sonja
glared at the young Immortals. “If
anything happens to her, you’ll beg me to take your heads before I’m done with
you.”
Both
Buffy and St. Wolf gave the red head an incredulous look for actually believing
that they could possibly survive a battle with something that could defeat
Gabrielle of Potaedeia. “Right,” Buffy drawled
as she playfully chanced a glimpse at her checklist, “make sure the ancient,
bisexual hottie is returned to her big, red headed girlfriend safe-and-sound—check!”
With that,
Sonja slumped onto the couch as Gabrielle took one look at her companion and smirked. “Watch some TV, honey. We’ll be home soon.”
“You’d
better bring me back something good!” Sonja shouted as the trio left. Then she glared at Charlie, who’s still stood
by the office. “What do you want,
Charles?”
“I
was just making sure that you and the kids will be all right before I leave.”
“We’re
fine,” Sonja said as she glared at Randi.
“But I know someone who’ll be experiencing a whole lot of pain in the
morning.” Randi gulped and tried to make
herself a whole lot smaller as she curled up in the large easy chair. Then Sonja turned back to Charlie and asked,
“So, how do you like being their spy?”
“It’s
a job,” Charlie observed with a shrug before he sat down across from Sonja,
near Randi. As the young blonde shrinks away
from him, Charlie sighed. “Miss Jessup, I’m
getting a little tired of your attitude.
Look…I’ve never killed an innocent human being, only vampires.”
“You
kill vampires?”
“As
many as I can. If there’re too many of
them, I call Steve, Buffy and the rest and they help me take out the nest.”
“What
about your family?” Sonja asked, as she
noticed the wedding band on Charlie’s hand.
“My
wife knows what happened to me and we’re still together. Debra’s a good woman. I’m lucky to have her.”
“How did you become a vampire?” Brian asked.
“Well,
it all started several months ago. I was
working the late shift at the mall and...”
*****
May 10th
Sunnydale Mall, Rear Parking Lot
Charles
Henderson wearily marched to his car while he shook his head in disgust. < I
can’t believe I have to take a second job to help pay for Mike’s braces! Why in the hell can’t Provincial give me
dental insurance with my benefits? Maybe
I should have stayed in the Marines? At
least then, the braces would have been covered under my medical plan. > He sighed again, stared up at the half
moon and wondered softly, “Will I ever make enough to give my family a good
life?” He shook his head resignedly and drew
his car keys from his pocket. Then, as he tried to unlock his car, an arm wrapped
around his throat. Rapidly recovering
from the unexpected attack, Charlie lunged forward and flipped his opponent
over his back. His attacker landed on
the ground hard; however he rose quickly.
Then Charles cringed as the man’s face contorted into the form of a
living nightmare. “My
God! What are you!?”
“Your
death, meat!” the thing exclaimed. Then
it rushed Charlie faster than was humanly possible, grabbed him by the neck and
began to choke him. Charlie tried to struggle
but he realized he fought a losing battle.
Then the monster bent his head back and bit down on his neck. Charlie felt the life drain from him and he
reacted instinctively when he bit into the hand that had covered his
mouth. He tasted blood as he began to slip
away. Then he felt his legs buckle as
the thing discarded his limp form to fall on the ground. The last thing he saw was an ethereal blue
blade thrust out of the thing’s chest with a light that seemed so beautiful…
*****
May 10th
St. Wolf’s Home,
Willow
Rosenberg glanced up from her book when she heard the rattle of the vampire’s
chains and grinned. “Naughty, naughty
boy,” she murmured. “I bet you want to kill us!” Then she smiled knowingly when
it tried to snap the chains but failed. At
that moment, everyone else in the room, her “weird sisters,” Jenny Calendar and
Amy Madison, along with her best friend Buffy and their new friend and
sometimes team leader, Steven St. Wolf awakened to find the vampire straining
against its chains. After it ceased its
struggles,
The
vampire froze at
“Oh…”
she purred, “I don’t know. So little
time, so many people to kill…,”
“Who
in the hell are you, girl!?”
“Why
little ole me?” she asked in faux innocence.
“I’m just your friendly, neighborhood, teenaged Amazon Witch.”
“You
don’t say? Well, I’m a vampire.”
“I
know.”
“You’re
into kinky sex?”
“You
could tell that just by looking at me? I
guess it must be my leather calf boots!”
“
“Ahh,
you’re no fun,”
“I
never said I was,” St. Wolf noted as he strode toward Charlie. “Care to talk, old son?”
“I’m going to kill her first then I’m going to kill you!” Charlie screamed as his visage contorted into his ‘Game’ face.
In response, St.
Wolf glanced down at Charlie’s chains and laughed. “Yeah, right. When you get out of those chains, give me a
call.”
“YOU
FUCKING BASTARD!!”
St.
Wolf shook his head then turned to address the four women in the room. “Anyone want breakfast?”
“Sure,”
“How
does bacon and eggs, minute steak, toast, bagels, orange juice, and coffee
sound?”
//
You’d better make me some bacon! // Duke added in from
the side of the room.
<
I made an extra pound. But you’ll have
to wait until the girls are done. >
//
I can wait. Just make sure that Buffy
isn’t a chow hound and eats it all! //
<
I can’t make any promises, boy. You know
how her Slayer metabolism is, > Steve said with a mental chuckle as he watched
Buffy’s behind sway from side-to-side as she climbed the stairs in front of
him. < Damn, but she looks mighty fine from here! >
*****
Duke
grinned wickedly as he beamed to Buffy’s guardian, // Hey, Sarah!! Steve’s ogling Buffy’s butt! //
//
Oh really? // Sarah said with a snicker of laughter
from her position on the couch. // Hey Buffy! //
<
Is anything wrong at home, Sarah? >
//
No. Everything’s fine. Duke just told me that Steve was scoping out
your butt. //
<
Hmm…you don’t say? > Buffy asked slyly.
Then she turned and glared at Steve.
“Enjoy the show, Demon Hunter-boy?”
“W-what…h-how!?” St.
Wolf stammered as Buffy’s glare turned into a wanton look and her mouth twisted
into a smirk just before she rushed upstairs.
//
Better make sure I get that bacon, or,// Duke reminded
Steve, // I’ll tell Sarah a whole lot more. //
<
You are SO dead, > Steve growled as he walked upstairs while he tossed mental
daggers Duke’s way.
*****
After
everyone had left, Charlie stared at the dog in the corner then grinned.
<Breakfast! > He quietly called the dog over, hoping to get him close
enough for a bite. He grinned when the
dog walked over and stood nearby. < Just a little more…just a little bit more. > “Nice
doggie…come here and let me lick your face.”
//
Ye gods. Is
this guy desperate or what? //
<
All new vampires are starving when they wake up, > Steve told Duke. <
That’s the main reason they go after their families, easy prey. >
//
Can I? //
<
Go ahead. >
//
Cool, // Duke said as he eased forward.
Charlie continued to watch the dog, waiting for his chance. Just as Duke got within biting distance,
Charlie tensed and prepared to snap forward.
However, just before he could move, the dog’s body shimmered and in its
place stood a huge wolf. Charlie, mouth
wide open, stared at the wolf for several beats then screamed.
<
We can hear him up here, > Steve said to Duke.
//
I certainly hope so, // Duke said with a laugh as he padded away. // I wish
Patches was here, he’d be laughing his tail off. //
The
demon inside Charlie’s body was relieved when the huge wolf strutted away and
changed back into the form of a German Shepard pup. “WHERE IN THE HELL AM I?” Charlie screamed out to the empty room.
A
short while later, five people entered the room and surrounded him. He watched them all closely and searched his
memories but came up empty. “What do you
want with me!? I have rights!”
Steve
smiled coldly. “Really? Somehow, I don’t think Congress made undead
Americans a protected class under the Civil Rights Act.”
“Who
are you people?”
“For
the moment, we’re your enemy,” Steve said as three of the young women began to
draw a circle around him. When they
completed the circle, they arranged various items around him: an old, leather
bound book, a glass orb and some herbs.
After the items were placed to the satisfaction of the eldest woman, the
three spread out and began to chant.
“Charles
Henderson, we curse thee,” the witches intoned. “We curse thee with thy soul,
for now and all time, never to be undone, never to be apart, mind, body or
soul. Thy soul is bonded to thy body, until such time as thy body is commended
to the Earth, at which time thy soul is commended to thy Patron, be it God or
Goddess, so that thou shalt be judged by thine own actions, and no other. This
is our curse upon thee, now and forever more.”
The
orb in Jenny’s hands pulsed then a glow surrounded Charlie for a few seconds
before it faded away. Suddenly,
Charlie’s body went limp. “Is that
it?” Steve asked.
“That’s
it,” Jenny announced as she sat down on a nearby couch. Then
“Do
you three need anything—coffee, juice?” Buffy asked.
“No
thanks, Buffy,”
“I
don’t know,” St. Wolf said as Charlie awoke with a scream. His eyes bulged out as he began to
hyperventilate. Then he stared wildly around
him and saw a large man standing next to a petite, pretty little blonde and three
girls resting on a couch. Then his
breathing began to slow as he broke out in a sweat.
“Where
am I!?” Charles demanded. “Who are you
people!?”
Steve
shot a questioning look at Jenny who nodded her answer. Then he bent down and began to unchain
Charlie. “Let’s get you out of these
chains, Mr. Henderson, and I’ll explain everything.”
“What
happened to the freak who tried to kill me?”
“He’s
dead and gone,” Buffy answered as she held a glowing blue sword ready.
Charlie
stared at her weapon and the determined look on the young woman’s face and gulped. He glanced at the three other women and saw
their hands were aglow with an eerie golden light. Memories of long nights playing Dungeons and
Dragons haunted him just then and he realized what he actually faced. “Oh Fuck!
I’m in the Twilight Zone.”
“Sorry,
old son, but no.”
“You
didn’t answer my question! Who are you
people!?”
“We
keep this town safe from certain monsters who think human beings are on the
dinner menu,” the tall man said.
“Like,
like the thing that attacked me?”
“Yeah,
like ‘the thing’ that attacked you. Now
we have a problem.”
“What
sort of problem?”
“Did
you drink any of that thing’s blood?”
Charlie’s
forehead scrunched up in thought. “Yes,
I bit its hand and drew blood. Oh my
God! Did it have rabies? Or, maybe AIDS!?”
“I’m
afraid that those diseases are the least of your concerns, Mr. Henderson.” Then the man turned to the women with the
mystical glow about them. “Any of you
have a compact?” A petite blonde,
slightly taller than the one who held the sword, dug into her pocket and handed
the man a small case. He then handed it
to Charlie. “Open it, look into the
mirror and tell me what you see.”
Charlie
took the compact and opened it. He stared
into the mirror and was unable to see his reflection. “Dear God in Heaven…what has
happened to me!?”
“Touch
your throat and feel for a pulse,” the other man quietly directed. Charlie did as he’s told and froze when he
felt the coldness of his skin and the absence of a pulse.
“What
happened to me?” Charlie hoarsely asked.
“A
vampire attacked and killed you. You drank
some of its blood and became a vampire in turn.”
Charlie
stared at Steve as if he were insane.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Charlie begged. However, no one was laughing. Dejected, he turned back to Steve. “What did you people do to me!?”
“We need to talk about what you’re going to do
with your life now, such as it is.”
“Such as it is!” Charlie growled as he glared at the man. “What the fuck are you talking about!?”
“You’re
a vampire now, Mr. Henderson. We’ll have
to explain to you what that means,” he said softly as he bent over to help
Charlie up. Charlie grabbed his hand and
inadvertently pulled the man off balance.
Then in an attempt to keep the large man from falling on top of him, Charlie
threw the man into the wall, hard. The
man crashed with a sickening thud and Charlie winced as the man’s body left a
blood trail as it slid down the wall to slump on the floor.
“Oh,
God, what have I done?”
“You’ve
just signed your death warrant!” a harsh voice said from the side. Charlie turned and saw the enmity on the face
of the pretty little blonde with the sword.
He gulped and raised his hands to ward her off. The girl then whirled to address her three
companions. “I thought you gave him back
his soul!?”
“We
did,” a raven-haired beauty said. “But
that won’t stop us from taking him out.”
Charlie
knew he didn’t like the sound of that.
“Please! I didn’t mean to do
it! I don’t know my own strength.”
“Don’t
kill him!” the man directed from his position on the floor. The three magical women stopped and glared at
Charlie while the blonde with the sword moved to help the man up. Charlie stared dumbly as the man shook off
the massive head wound and turned to him.
Then Charlie saw the bits of scalp and massive quantities of blood on
the wall and shuddered.
“No
one could survive that impact! What are
you!?”
The
man grimaced and shook his head. Charlie
saw the miniature lightning bolts flow across the man’s back and side of his
head. Then the man smiled at him. “I’m an Immortal, Mr. Henderson. Immortals are warriors chosen by the gods to
live the early part of our lives as normal human beings. When we die violently the first time, we
become Immortals.”
“What
are you going to do with me?”
“I
want to offer you a job, but if you refuse, I’ll understand.”
“What
sort of job?”
“Have
you ever heard of Sun Tzu?”
“You’re
not by any chance talking about chapter thirteen?” Charlie asked.
“Yep,”
the man said then cleaned himself with a damp towel that the sword-bearing blonde
had given him. At the sight of both
men’s grins, she glared at them and huffed.
Suddenly,
Charlie’s stomach rumbled at the sight of the blood and his fangs extended
while he morphed into his Game face. The
man saw this and quietly whispered, “Please forgive me, Mr. Henderson. I forgot that you’ll need some blood for
nourishment.” The man then glanced at
the willowy blonde girl standing next to the dark woman and the little red headed
girl. “Amy, go to the refrigerator and
get those two one quart tubs out of it.”
“Steve,
the blood should be heated,” the other blonde said as she moved toward the
stairs.
“Go
with her and warm it correctly.” She nodded
and left with the other blonde. Then Steve
turned back to Charlie and said, “While they’re gone, I’ll go over what I want
you to do for me.”
Charlie
chuckled. “I already figured out what
you want.”
Steve
grinned. “Special
Forces?”
“Worse,”
Charlie said with a wolfish grin. “Marine Force Recon. You?”
“Special Forces.”
“Anyone
I’ve have heard of?” Charlie asked.
“They
called me Cherokee. But these days I go
by the name, the Wanderer.”
“Fuck!”
Charlie hoarsely whispered, recalling stories of two of the most infamous
Special Forces operatives.
When
he heard the little red head say something, he glanced at her and asked, “Why
the kids?”
“They
were fighting here for two years before I came.
I’ve been giving them proper training, backup and equipment. I didn’t recruit them; basically, they
recruited me.”
“Oh,”
Charlie simply said. Moments later, the
other two girls returned carrying two large containers of blood and Charlie rose
to meet them. The blonde whose hair
color came from a bottle handed him the first container and Charlie’s Game face
formed. He then leaned his head back and
greedily drank down the first quart of warm blood. After he finished the first container, he took
the second one and downed that as well.
When he was done, his face had returned to normal. He turned back to Steve and asked, “You said
you restored my soul to me? Why?”
“If
we hadn’t, you’d be a monster. Then you
would have risen and gone after your family, probably murdering them all. That’s what most newborn vampires do.”
“My…God,”
Charlie muttered at the implications. “I
could have murdered my family?”
“They’re
an easy first meal,” the little blonde said simply. “You saw how hungry you were. Most vampires are like that when they rise
for the first time. The only thing
stopping you from trying to eat one of us is your soul.”
Charlie
stood there, stunned. < Debra, and the boys? I would have murdered them? > Then he asked
Steve, “Can I still do that?”
“No. Your soul has dominance over your body, Mr.
Henderson. It won’t allow the demon
inside you to control you.”
“Will
it ever gain control?”
“No. The spell we used permanently bound your soul
to your body. The only way for your soul
to leave is for your body to be destroyed,” the dark woman explained.
“What
about the hunger I felt earlier?”
“You’re
now able to control it,”
Charlie
stared at the young woman and saw the certainty in her eyes. “Kid, I don’t know who you are, but I was a
Force Recon Marine, we’re not pushovers.”
“I
have your Force Recon Marine and raise you three Amazon Witches and a Slayer
with a Sword of Destiny. All of whom
have been trained by a Green Beret and a Navy SEAL,”
“What
Navy SEAL?” Charlie asked.
“Frank
‘Two Step’ Scully,” Steve said as Charlie turned slightly green.
Charlie
simply shook his head in disbelief. “What
about my wife and kids? What will I tell
them?”
“I
don’t know.” Steve said truthfully. “If you wish, I’ll bring your wife here and
explain everything, but I think your kids shouldn’t know.”
“She’ll
never believe this,” Charlie said with conviction.
“I
think we can make her believe,” Steve said easily.
*****
“So
that’s how you came to work for St. Wolf?” Sonja asked. < That man is a
dangerous one. I’m glad he doesn’t play
the ‘Game’. >
“Yes. Debra learned what I was and the job that I
agreed to do. We’re still together.”
“What
about your kids? Do they know?” Randi asked.
“I
told them I took the nightshift for more money.
It allows me to sleep during the day.
That’s all that they know.”
“So,
does St. Wolf pay well?” Sonja asked.
“He
does. I’m not complaining about the pay
or the benefits that he got for me,” Charlie said with a smile as he rose from
his seat. “If that’s all, folks, I’ll be
heading home.”
“Thank
you for sharing your story with us, Charles,” Sonja said as she escorted him to
the front door. “Good night.”
“Good
night,” Charlie said as he walked into the night.
Sonja
watched Charlie walk down the front path onto the sidewalk. Then she heard a young voice cry, “Eww,” turned
to Randi and cocked an eyebrow at the girl.
“How can Steve
work with a vampire?”
“That
*MAN* has his soul, Randi,” Sonja testily observed. “He may be a vampire, but he’s fighting the
good fight. Don’t you EVER forget that!”
“I
still don’t like him,” Randi whined with a pout. “How Steve can work with him is beyond
me.”
Sonja sighed
and glared at the young Immortal.
“Little girl,” Sonja began softly, “your teacher may be a white warrior,
but he fights in the grey that divides the light and the shadows. Trust me, there are
a hell of a lot more shades of gray than shades of white and black.”
“What
does that mean?” Brian asked.
“Would
you care to explain it to your brother?” Sonja asked.
“I
can’t!” Randi angrily snapped.
“Why not?”
“Because
I don’t understand a single thing you’ve said!” Randi blurted out as she threw
up her hands. “Shadows, white, black,
and grays—none of it makes any sense!”
Sonja
leaned back on the couch and smiled demurely.
“Then sit and listen, grasshopper.”
“Grasshopper?”
“An
old friend of mine named
Randi
simply sighed. “Please, God, tell me
she’s not talking like a Chinese fortune cookie.”
Sonja
laughed lightly and grinned. “Sorry,
kid, but I learned a long time ago that people have to be taught at their own
speed. And some people are slower than
others.”
“Is
that an insult!?”
“No,
it’s not. It’s a statement of fact. You fucked up tonight and we had to bail your
ass out of a situation that you should have avoided. You heard that bastard, Hector. He’s killed dozens of Immortals; he killed
Heather. She was a fine warrior, her skills were easily the equal of Buffy’s. Even without his magical sword, Hector would
have taken your head without working up a sweat! So, you may not like what St. Wolf and
Gabrielle said, but if you’re smart and you want to live a longer life, I’d
listen, if I were you. Lives depend on
this group being able to do its job well.”
“And
just what is this ‘job’?”
“To
protect humanity and prevent what happened to you and Brian from happening to
another brother and sister.”
“That’s
what I want!” Randi yelled.
“No,”
Sonja said. “You want revenge for what
happened to your parents. And you want
it now.”
“Don’t
we deserve it? Doesn’t Brian deserve to
know that the monsters that killed our parents are gone?”
“Didn’t
we already destroy the vampires that killed your parents?”
Randi
shot a hard glare at Sonja before she lost her composure and began to sob. Sonja then reached out, took the girl’s hand,
and pulled her into a loving hug. As
Randi cried into Sonja’s shoulder, she admitted, “But I wanted to kill
them! Not Buffy and Steve and their all-mighty
‘Army of the Light!’ It should have been
me! Brian and I are alone because of
those ‘things’ and our parents are gone!” Then she glanced up at Sonja with
waterlogged eyes, searching for a lifeline.
“I don’t know which way to turn!”
Sonja
hugged Randi to herself and quietly murmured, “But you’re not alone,
Randi. I’m here, Gabrielle is here. Steve and Buffy are also here for you as are
their friends. You and Brian are not alone.”
“Why
do they care so much about two people who they didn’t even know until a few
days ago?”
“Because
they understand what loss is, Randi.
Steve lost his wife and his former life to evil men. Buffy and her friends have lost many of their
friends because of the Darkness. You can
talk to anyone here and they’ll understand what you’re going through. They’ll help you ease your pain and then,
when you’re ready, they’ll help you to move on.”
“When
will I be ready to help them?” Randi asked through her tears.
“When the time is right, Randi. When the time is right,” Sonja cooed softly and
lulled Randi into a sound sleep. When
Randi’s ragged breathing slowed and grew even, Sonja eased her down onto the
couch. She turned to Brian and asked,
“Is there anything I can do for you, Brian?”
“No. But thanks for helping Randi. I was worried about her.”
“You’re
more than welcome, Brian,” Sonja said as she stared at her watch. “Don’t you think you should be going to bed?”
Brian
nodded at her, rose from his seat, and walked toward a door near the workout
room. Then Sonja smiled as Duke followed
him inside. < A boy and his dog. How normal that looks until someone threatens
Brian. >
*****
The Bronze,
Gabrielle
crept through the back alley, flanked by Buffy with Steve following ten paces
behind. She spied two vampires standing
in the darkness, waiting for Buffy and her. < Poor bastards...I’m going to
enjoy this. > As Gabrielle reached them, the larger of the two stepped
forward and grabbed her right arm.
Gabrielle gave him a faux scream as Buffy also played the rabbit and drew
the smaller vampire to her. Then, before
either creature knew what hit them, both vampires flew headlong into the alley
walls. Just as the bloodsuckers managed
to regain their footing, two wooden stakes penetrated their hearts and sent
them on a one-way trip to oblivion. As
both women dusted themselves off, Buffy slyly remarked, “Relieving a little
tension, Gabby?”
“Can
you blame me? It’s been one of those
days,” Gabrielle said softly. “First
finding out that Artemis has resurrected the Amazons, then seeing that Bitch
after all these years, not to mention running across the man who’d murdered
Heather and threatened Randi. That was
the last straw.” Then without warning, she
choked up and tears began to fall from her blue eyes. “S-sonja and I will have to go and take care
of their remains,” she stammered. “I’ll book a flight to
Buffy
gave Gabrielle a look of sympathy. “I’m
so sorry about your friend.”
Gabrielle graced
the Slayer with a watery smile. “I know,
Buffy. Thank you. I think you’d have liked Heather. She was a lot like you. At least Sonja was able to receive her
Quickening. That way, she’ll always be
with us.”
Buffy nodded at
Gabrielle. Then a tiny smile crossed her
lips. “I think the perfect end to such a
crappy day calls for some ice cream.
Then we can follow the time-honored tradition of pigging out on a half
gallon of comfort food to deal with our misery!”
Gabrielle’s
smile grew at Buffy’s suggestion. “Yes…that
just might be what the doctor ordered. Are
we done with patrol, yet?”
“We’ll
just swing by Weatherly and
“Fine,
let’s go!”
“What’s nice
about this route, Gabby, is that the Scoop Shop is on the way home.”
“You
two want some ice cream?” St. Wolf asked as they headed toward
“That
sounds of the good to me,” Buffy said.
*****
July 16th
St. Wolf’s Home,
Sonja
and Randi glanced at the door as the ‘Buzz’ hit them both. “Thank Crom, she’s home,” Sonja breathed as
the front door swung open and Steve, Buffy and Gabrielle entered the
house. St. Wolf placed a large brown bag
on a nearby counter then Gabrielle quickly reached inside the package and removed
several items. She stared at Sonja and held
up a pair of two quart containers of ice cream and a can of whipped cream. “I hope you’ve got some chocolate ice cream
over there,” Sonja said.
“Actually,
it’s chocolate with black cherries,” Gabrielle noted, “the perfect food for a
pity party. Care to join us, Buffy?”
At the
appearance of chocolate, Buffy poured on Slayer speed and snatched one of the
cartons of ice cream out of the bard’s hands.
“Race ya!” she chirped and sped toward the kitchen with Gabrielle and
Sonja following closely behind.
*****
July 18th 22:35 PST - 01:35
Local
Broots’ Home, Blue Cove, DE
The
sound of someone pounding on his door awakened Broots from his fitful
sleep. Once again, he’d fallen asleep at
his computer and some of his drool had dripped onto his keyboard. Grimacing, he
muttered, “I’ve got to stop doing this.”
Then he noticed the time. < Who in the hell…? > Still out of
sorts, he stumbled to his baseball bat that stood ready nearby his desk,
grabbed it and went to answer the door.
He stared through the peep hole and spied an agitated
“Get
inside, Broots,”
“What’s
HE doing here?” Broots demanded. “If Mr.
Raines finds out that Angelo’s outside the Centre, we’re both dead!”
“It’s
far too late for you to concern yourself with that, Broots,”
“Oh God!” Broots muttered as he collapsed onto his sofa. “Why?”
“Mr.
Parker wants everyone who worked closely with Miss Parker, dead. He feels that we’re a risk to the Centre.”
“Shit!” Broots cursed as he glanced at his daughter’s
room. “What about Debbie?”
“Chances
are she’ll also be killed.”
“But
she’s just a kid!”
“She
was close to Miss Parker. That’s all the
reason they need.”
Broots
squeezed his eyes shut in frustration for several beats before he opened them
to peer up into
“Run,”
Angelo said. “Go to where you saw Miss
Parker die. Help is there.” Sidney and Broots both stare at Angelo as he began
to sing a strange song. “Fighting Soldiers from the Sky will save us. Fighting Soldiers from the Sky will save us.
“Can
these ‘soldiers’ be trusted?”
“Men
who mean just what they say,” Angelo answered in singsong.
“Will
they be able to protect us from the Centre?” Broots asked.
“Trained to live off nature's land. Trained in combat, hand to
hand. Men who fight by night and
day,” Angelo sang.
Broots
and Sidney exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders. Then Broots ran to wake up his daughter.
He
entered Debbie’s room and saw his twelve year old girl sleeping
peacefully. He sighed when he realized
that her childhood was about to end. Then
he leaned over her and gently shook her shoulder.
Debbie
awakened groggily. “D-dad, what’s
wrong?”
“Get
dressed, honey. Something’s happened and
we have to leave in a hurry.”
“What’s
going on, Dad?”
“Debbie,
we’ll explain on the road,”
“What’s
going on, Dr. Sidney?”
“Some
people want to hurt your father, Debbie.
We have to leave before they arrive.
Broots, give your daughter some privacy so she can get dressed and pack her
things.”
“Right,
Sid,” Broots muttered then he left Debbie’s room to go and pack his own bag.
Five
minutes later, Debbie exited her room and found Sidney, Angelo and her Dad
waiting for her in the living room. “Are
these the same people who killed Miss Parker?” Debbie asked as
“Yes,”
Then
Angelo sniffed the air like a hound.
“They come. The nasty woman is
with them,” Angelo whined.
“We
have to go…now!”
Broots
grabbed Debbie’s hand as they followed
“Oh
shit! It’s a Sweeper team!” Broots cried out as
“Jarod
left it for me in a garage in Millsboro,”
“What
if the Sweepers shoot at us?” Broots nervously asked.
“How
are we going to survive? It’s not like
we can stop at the bank and withdraw some cash.”
“Jarod
left fifty thousand dollars in cash in the trunk and new driver’s licenses for both
of us.” < There was also a license for Miss Parker as well, >
“I
guess Jarod thought of everything,” Broots murmured as the trees whizzed
by. When he saw a police car near the
intersection of
“This
car contains a device that makes the police think we’re Federal Agents
answering an emergency call.”
“Yep,
he did think of everything,” Broots drawled as the miles raced by.
*****
Bridget
glared at the dark colored sedan as it roared away from the Broots house. Then she saw Doctor Green behind the wheel
with the computer geek Broots sitting next to him. “Bloody! Fucking! Hell! That’s them!
Get them!” Bridget yelled out to
her driver. The driver quickly executed
a bootlegger’s turn and began to follow the car that had just sped past them. Then his sedan’s powerful engine whined as it
tried to catch the fleeing car.
“That
car is damned fast!” The driver muttered
as he pushed his engine to the limit.
“Can
we catch them!?”
“I’m
trying. But it doesn’t look good.”
“If
you lose them, you’ll answer to Raines!”
Bridget snapped. < How in the hell did the shrink know? >
As
they neared the fleeing car, Bridget heard a whine over her shoulder and when
she glanced out the rear window she saw the flashing lights of a Delaware State
Trooper right behind them. “Oh
Fuck! Now the constables are involved.”
“Should
I pull over or out race him?” the driver asked.
“Pull
over!” Bridget angrily barked. “We’ll
catch them later. There’s no place for
them to hide from the Centre.”
Part
1 – Jamboree
(Who Knew Sunnydale was the
Convention Capital of the World?)
Society of Watchers Meeting -
July 18th
Trial of Joe Dawson
Joe
Dawson stood before the reconvened Council of the Society of Watchers and awaited
its decision. Then Arthur Cambridge spoke
for the Council. “Joseph Dawson, you are
here on charges of Treason and Interference.
The Council’s Governing Body has met in a closed session and has made its
decision.”
Joe’s
hands clasped around the head of his cane, and he waited for what was most
likely a sentence of death as
Then
Moments
later,
“Yes?”
“Since
we now know what the Immortals’ purpose is, what do we do now?”
“Simple.
We continue to be Watchers. We send out copies of the tapes to every
Immortal out there. Those Immortals that
choose not to fight, we continue to watch them and record their lives as we did
before.”
“What
about those Immortals who chose to fight?” Anthony Watkins asked.
“We
give them whatever support we can. For
instance, Rupert Giles takes an active hand in the fight by researching the
monsters for his Immortals. Jenny
Calendar is a witch who helps by using her powers. They both have shown us the way.”
“How
exactly do we assist the other Immortals?”
“We
use our skills as historians and researchers to build a library of occult
books. When an Immortal is fighting
something, their Watcher should be able to tell them about what he’s fighting
and its weaknesses. St. Wolf has
promised me a steady supply of wooden and enchanted silver bullets for our
people to use. We, the Society of
Watchers, will no longer be sitting ducks for things that stalk the night.”
“Very
well,”
“Yes. We’ve witnessed the horrors those things committed. We got a taste of their evil and had to bury
one hundred twenty-seven of our friends and fellow Watchers. I want payback and by supporting the
Immortals in their fight, we get the payback that’s our due.”
After Joe’s stirring words, the
Society of Watchers erupted into cheers.
Then
*****
LAX - July 21st
(Ten Days after Calling Out the Clan)
Owen
Marshall and his fellow Watchers exited the jet airliner and move toward
customs. He stared over to his superior,
Mr. Quentin Travers and wondered about the report that Samuel Zabuto had
recently provided to the Council of Watchers.
After they’d cleared customs, Owen asked Travers, “Where to now, sir?”
“Sunnydale,”
the senior Watcher said simply.
Continental Flight 101 - July
21st
Somewhere over the
Mulder
peered out the window of his plane as it winged its way over the
“Of
course, he did. The Consortium loves it
when we’re on vacation. This way they
know we’re not interfering with any of their dastardly deeds.”
Scully
grinned. “I’ll bet Steve and Buffy will
be surprised to see us again so soon.”
“I
know. That’s why I didn’t bother to call
them.”
Scully
then regarded her man with a bemused look on her face before she shook her head
in silent amusement. “You’re evil,
Mulder, simply evil.”
July 21st
Apartment of Rupert Giles and
Jenny Calendar
Quentin
Travers quietly rapped on the door to Rupert Giles’ apartment but no one
appeared to be home. He glanced at his
three colleagues who stood nearby waiting for his next order. “Shall we go to the high school library? Perhaps he’s there.”
The
four men returned to their car and traveled to
Since
it was still daylight, the four Watchers relaxed as Quentin asked, “Could you
be so kind as to tell us where can we find Mr. Giles?”
In
response, the little man scowled at them.
“Do I look like the ‘lost and found’ to you? Apparently, he’s not where he should be!” the
man snapped then left.
While the Watchers
scratched their heads in confusion, a large young man, wearing a sweat suit
over his muscular body, strolled toward them.
Apparently after he’d overheard Travers’ question and the little man’s snide
comments, the young man said, “He went to his friend’s place on Bryant
Terrace.”
“Would
you happen to know the address?”
“No. But it’s the fourth house from the corner of Bryant
and
“Thank
you, young sir,” Quentin said. Then his
party turned to leave.
Larry
watched the four men as they walked away and particularly appreciated the young
dark haired man’s tantalizing sway of his hips.
*****
Wesley
Wyndham-Pryce chanced a glance over his shoulder and noted the young American
who watched him with predatory gaze. “My God! The way that
young man is looking at me, you’d think I was a piece of beef hanging in a
butcher’s shop window!”
Appearing
a tad annoyed, Travers glared at his young associate. “What was that, Wyndham-Pryce?”
“N-nothing,
sir,” Wesley stuttered nervously.
*****
A
few minutes later, after reaching Bryant Terrace, Owen spotted Giles’ ancient
Citroen and told Taylor Raleigh to park their rental car behind it. Then the four Watchers exited their vehicle and
approached the residence’s front door.
*****
July 21st
St. Wolf’s Home
A
sore
As she grabbed
the refrigerator door handle, a new twinge of pain worked its way through the
muscles of her forearm.
“Just like
Buffy or Heather,” Gabrielle had said, “you ladies have now joined the ranks of
the hunted. Being an Amazon in the world
of men makes you a target. Many of them
cannot bear the thought of a society of women who are capable of besting
them. Like an Immortal, there are those
who will hunt you down for simply being who you are. So, it’s our job to prepare you to turn those
hunters into the hunted!”
Before Gabby’s
‘cheery little pep-talk,’ Willow mused wryly, she’d never considered there
might be a downside to being an Amazon, or, for that matter, an Immortal, until
she had happened to overhear a conversation that Giles had had with Jenny
several days ago. At first, it seemed
the Watcher had been completely overjoyed when Buffy and Steve had told him
about their Immortality. To know that
his Slayer would outlive him had seemed to take an unbearable weight from the “Emotional
Marathon Man’s” shoulders. However, when Jenny’s Immortal cousin had
almost taken Buffy’s head earlier that year, not to mention the recent incident
with Hector, apparently, Giles had had second thoughts about the supposed benefits
of Immortality. Now he thought perhaps
it was more like a curse, particularly for a heroic person like Buffy to be
forced to kill someone who possessed a soul simply to preserve one’s own life,
a choice he’d hope that his Slayer would never have to face.
Then
“Yes,
young lady. We’re looking for Rupert
Giles. Would he be here at this time?”
“May
I ask who is looking for him?”
“Certainly,
miss. Please tell him that Quentin
Travers is here from
*****
Quentin
turned to his companions and muttered, “Apparently, the Colonials have failed
to impart proper manners on their descendants after they broke away from
*****
Giles
stiffened as Jenny asked, “Is he alone?”
“No. He’s got three more guys with him.”
"Bring
them into the house and escort them here," St. Wolf said.
"Why on Earth would you want to bring
them in here?" Giles asked.
"Have you ever tried to get blood out of
a carpet?"
"Steven, I hope you're not planning on harming
them."
"I won’t if they aren’t here to harm any
of us."
*****
The
four Watchers quietly entered the house and
Travers
glanced at the group and couldn’t believe his eyes. A rough and fit Giles sat on a weight bench with
a sly grin on his face. Moreover, he noticed
a large number of young people milling about and studying him as well. Travers then cleared his throat, turned to Giles
and said, "Rupert, this is not the proper venue to discuss our
business."
"I
vehemently disagree, Quentin. In fact, everyone
here knows about Slayers and the Council of Watchers."
Quentin
then spotted Brian and lost his temper.
"In heaven’s name, man, have you lost your mind? What on Earth could possess you to reveal our
secrets to these children?"
"It’s
quite simple, really. They deserve to
know who battles at their side. I have no
secrets that I will not share with my comrades-in-arms."
Quentin
did a double take; then it struck him.
This place, the weapons spread across the room, the young men and women
standing there in their exercise clothing.
"Bloody hell! Don't tell me you're training these children
to fight!?"
"Giles
isn’t the person conducting the training here," St. Wolf said. "Sonja, Gabrielle and I are."
Quentin
examined the young man who’d just spoke as well as the two women standing next to
him. Snorting back a laugh, he snidely said,
"Young man, you and these two ‘ladies’ certainly do not have the capability
to train a Slayer."
"Their
credentials speak for themselves, Quentin.
They are more than capable to teach Buffy how to fight." < They
have almost eighteen thousand years of experience between them, > Giles
mused.
"Are
you daft, man? These young people
couldn’t possibly have the training and experience to effectively prepare the
Slayer.”
"Careful,
‘Oh-Purveyor-of-Tweed—I wouldn't piss my honey off, if I were you," Buffy
warned Quentin. "He's liable to
kill you on the spot."
"I
wouldn't doubt it for a second. He looks
the type,” Wesley said, not liking the current situation whatsoever.
St.
Wolf then glared at the older man and shook his head. "When I first met Giles I thought he was
the typical Watcher, tough but obviously caring of his charge and her
friends. Then Zabuto tried to kill
Kendra and I thought he was the aberration, but I see now that he was the norm
while Giles is the aberration."
"Aberration
is an apt description for him, young man," Quentin snapped. Then he turned to the Slayer’s Watcher and said,
"Rupert Giles, you are hereby discharged from the Council of Watchers. Your Slayer and Kendra will be given to new
Watchers."
"Like
hell we will!" Buffy retorted.
"This is
"We
are your Watchers, young lady. You will
do what you are told or the consequences for you and your mother shall be most
dire."
"Oh? And what, pray tell, might those be?"
Steve asked, barely concealing the enmity he felt for this man. Hearing the hidden threat in his voice, Buffy
prepared to launch a preemptive strike.
"Recalcitrant
Slayers have been known to have short careers—rather short ones."
Unable
to hold back any longer, Cordelia Chase angrily stalked forward. "Tell me I *DIDN'T* just hear you
threaten Buffy's life."
Quentin
glared at the young woman with barely concealed distaste. "This is none of your concern, miss, so
don't get involved."
Cordelia
then hauled off with a right cross and decked Travers, knocking him to the
ground. She stared down at the stunned
man and said, "Get back up you piece of shit! I want to hit you again!"
Before
Quentin could say anything, Xander took Cordelia by the arm and escorted her
away from the downed Watcher. Safe for
the moment, Quentin rose from the floor and rubbed his sore jaw. < My God!
She hits as hard as a Slayer!
Could she be…no, it isn’t possible! > Then he spied a grinning Giles
and his blood boiled. "Are you
quite amused, Rupert? Laugh at this then. The Council will revoke your status as a
Watcher and have all of your teaching credentials lifted as well. The
"For
a supposedly intelligent man, you are stupendously stupid," an angry voice
said from behind the Watchers.
Turning
toward the sound, Quentin muttered, "Who in the bloody he—" Then his words
were cut-off by an armored fist that smashed into his face. Travers reeled from the massive blow down to
the gymnasium floor while the other three Watchers moved aside to allow a man
in black armor to stride into the room and stand over the fallen Watcher.
A
six-foot-six-inch tall Marc Le Chevalier softly said to the three Watchers, "Pick
that piece of shit up." The three
hastily complied and moved back to the side.
Marc then turned to the Wanderer and wryly said, "I can't leave you
alone for a minute, can I?"
St.
Wolf gave his old friend a chagrined smile.
"What's up, Marc? Why are
you here?"
"Can’t
I visit an old friend?"
"Marc,
you're the Knight General of the Order of the Grail. You don't just drop by for tea and cookies."
*****
Wesley
glanced at his friend Owen and quietly asked, "He’s the Knight General of
the Order of the Grail? It can't be! The Order's only a legend!"
"Perhaps
the legends are true," Owen observed as another half-dozen armored men
entered the gym.
A cowed Wesley saw
that each man proudly displayed the image of the Grail in gold relief on their
breastplates. Then after he shook
himself from his stupor, Wesley tried to reset Travers’s nose. Quentin glared at the younger Watcher and
angrily turned to face the so-called Knight General, but suddenly found himself
surrounded by six knights. Quentin took
one look at their grim faces and apparently acquiesced to the knights’ silent
command to follow both Giles’ and the Watchers’ groups into the living room.
*****
Stunned,
Steve's friends looked on as six more knights entered the gym and spread out
around the Watchers. St. Wolf glanced
around at the tightly-packed quarters and said, "Marc, let's take this out
into the great room. This place was
never built to hold so many people."
"Good
thinking. Besides, I don't think Merlin
would find sitting on a weight bench to his liking."
"Merlin's
here?”
"He
wants to ask about the mission he sent you on.
Merlin said your report was somewhat lacking in details. He also wants to ask you about the people you
called in to help," Marc explained as they left the gym. Then, he looked at one of his knights and said,
"Bring those four as well. Merlin
doesn't take kindly to people who threaten his friends." The four Watchers were escorted into the great
room where Merlin, dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans, work shirt, hiking
boots and holding a six-foot tall gold and crystal wizard’s staff sat alongside
a very tall, gray-haired man on the couch.
*****
"What's
going on, Merlin?” Steve asked. “You
didn't receive my report on the mission?"
“Oh,
I received it, all right. However, let’s
say it was a bit…lacking. In fact so
much so, I had to find out from other sources that you destroyed over 700
vampires!” Then he spotted Sonja and Gabrielle and shuddered. < Oh
Gods! Not those two! > They both grinned
nastily back at him and he shook his head in disbelief. < How in the hell
did Steve find them!? >
The
four Watchers gaped unabashedly at Merlin.
"Pardon me, sir,” Owen said.
“Did you just say that these young people were responsible for eradicating
700 vampires?"
"Not
to mention more than twenty demons, including Throlog, a first circle demon
lord," Giles added as if he was simply talking about the weather.
"How
could you do all of that? No Watcher or
Slayer should have been capable of doing that!" Travers sputtered.
"That
is exactly what I’m here to find out!" Merlin angrily barked as he noticed
that Sonja had just thrust her tongue out at him. < Remain calm, remain
calm. > "If you open your mouth once more, sir, I will shut it for you,
permanently!" < Or better yet, I’ll let Sonja and Gabby have you! > At
that, the four Watchers cringed as the man approached both the Slayer and her
male companion. Merlin held up a single
sheet of paper and shot a hard look at them both. "You call this a report?"
St.
Wolf took it, read it, and handed it back.
"Yes."
Merlin
balled the paper up into a wad and threw it into a trash basket. Not to waste the moment, a flippant Xander drawled,
"Merlin shoots, he scores and the crowd roars!" Several people chuckled while Merlin glared
at Xander. < Damn kids> Then, he turned to St. Wolf and said, "Steve,
a report should contain far more detail than a simple, ‘we won.'"
"Sorry,
I had other things on my mind at the time," Steve said evenly.
Buffy
turned to Steve and asked, "Was that what you were trying to do when I…" Buffy then let the rest hang as she turned a
pretty shade of red.
Merlin
turned to her with a broad grin.
"Young lady, you should allow your paramour a little time to draft
a report. If he had provided me with
one, I wouldn't have had to come here and receive it firsthand." Then Merlin spied Gabrielle flap the fingers
of her right hand in the form of a duck’s bill. < Oh, man,> he moaned
under his breath, <why in the hell did they have to show up here!? >
"You should have just asked me to expand
on it. I would've gotten around to
it."
"I’ll
bet," Merlin muttered. "Anyway,
we should return to the business at hand.
What are those four doing here?" Merlin asked as he pointed at the
four Watchers.
"They
have a problem with Giles and Buffy.
Giles can explain it better than I." Steve said as Buffy crossed over to her
Watcher to shield him from the other Watchers.
Merlin
noted the hidden fear in the girl’s eyes and said, “Mr. Giles, would you care
to enlighten me?”
“Yes, sir.” Then Giles
relayed to the wizard the details about what had happened between him, Zabuto
and the Council.
After
Giles finished his tale, Marc asked, “Is this the girl for whom you requested a
rotating guard?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll
have it,” Marc angrily decreed. Then he stalked
over to the four Watchers and coldly told them, “Understand this. That girl in the hospital, Mr. Giles, Ms.
Summers, their families and their friends are under my protection. Try and harm any of them and I will consider
it an attack against the Order of the Grail as a whole and as a personal attack
against me.”
“And
I will also consider it a personal attack,” Merlin added darkly. “Steve has served me for the last thirteen
years. He is like a son to me. I shall not countenance any action taken against
him or his loved ones in any way, shape, or form.”
The
four Watchers merely nodded. Merlin shook
his head in disgust and said to St. Wolf, “Give me that report now.”
*****
“Merlin
thinks of St. Wolf as a son!?” Sonja
noted under her breath to Gabrielle.
“Wow…gotta
admit, I didn’t see that coming,” Gabrielle whispered to her lover.
*****
“All
right, Merlin.” Steve then launched into
a detailed report on the assaults and their various outcomes. Merlin, Marc and their companions smiled as
they hear about the numbers of destroyed vampires and demons as the four
Watchers listened in muted awe.
When
St. Wolf finished his report, Merlin asked, “Who came to help you, Steve? I want a complete list of names and telephone
numbers.”
“Sorry,
Merlin, but I’m not giving it to you.
Those people are friends of mine and I won’t take advantage of their
good intentions by handing them over to you on a silver platter.”
“St.
Wolf?” The tall gray-haired stranger attracted Steve’s attention. “Listen to Merlin; he means well.”
“Excuse
me…who are you, sir?”
The
man grinned slightly. “I’m Horace
Gordon, Bureau 13.”
Steve nodded
once at the man. “I’ve heard of your
organization. It’s nice to finally meet
you.” Then he turned to Merlin and said,
“So, I’ve finally met your prodigal son, eh?”
Gordon grinned
at both St. Wolf’s comment and his father’s slight discomfiture. “I’m afraid that I couldn’t stay out of my
father’s fight. I’m now the Bureau’s
Director.”
“Why
are you here, Horace?” St. Wolf asked, suddenly suspicious.
“I’m
here to oversee the interests of the
“I’ll
ask them. If they want to talk to you, I’ll
provide their names and phone numbers.
If any of them say no, you won’t get anything from me. Do we have a deal?”
“We
have a deal, Steve. We don’t force
people to help us. If you ever need our
help, please call this number.” Horace gave
Steve a business card. “Please pass the
number to your friends who do volunteer to help and we’ll give them whatever
support they need.”
“Thanks,
Horace. I’m sure most of us here
appreciate the help,” Steve said as he glared at the four Watchers.
Gordon
then rose from the couch and walked over to the Watchers. “I’m certain that Merlin’s and the Knight
General’s promises are still fresh in you minds. Well add this to the mix. If you harm anyone here, their families or
their friends, I will make it my mission in life to hunt you down like dogs and
wipe you from the face of the Earth.”
At
that moment, Gordon’s vow was too much for Travers. “Now see here. The Slayer has been the Council of Watchers’ charge
for thousands of years! You can’t just
walk in and take her from us!!”
*****
All
at once, Buffy detected the flare of Giles anger behind her, causing her to
nearly swoon. She gasped as his heat
nearly overwhelmed her as Giles snapped, “And men like you have used them as
nothing more than tools! They’re taken
from their families and friends at a young age and expected to become living
weapons! No more, I tell you! Understand this! My Buffy is not grist for the Council’s mill
to grind up in hopeless battles against the monsters of the night!”
Buffy
chanced a glimpse at her Watcher when she heard his vulnerable slip of the
tongue, yet Travers was so angry he apparently didn’t notice it. “Rupert, that flies in the face of all
tradition and you know it! The Watchers
have guided and aided the Slayers for centuries; we know what’s best for them.”
“Oh
yes, you’ve guided them all right, right smack into early graves! The average life-span of a Slayer is little
less than a year! Many of those poor
girls die horribly. And what does the
Council do? They go out and find another
sacrifice to the idol of its all-mighty pride.
Well, I say it ends here and now!
Buffy and Kendra shall stay with me.
And believe you me, I won’t allow your short-sighted pride to get them
both killed!”
“You
have no right to do this, Giles! The Council
will take any and all measures to stop you!”
Travers barked, not realizing his mistake.
“I
warned you and you only get one warning from me!” Merlin decreed. Then he pointed a finger at Travers and a
beam of force streamed from it to impact against Travers’ body, changing him
where he stood. The three other Watchers
then watch in horror as Travers transformed into a gray- feathered duck. Merlin glared at the three young Watchers as
lightning bolts literally flash from his eyes.
“Take that piece of shit, leave now, and never darken this home’s
doorstep. Tell the so-called Council of
Watchers all that transpired here. Tell
them the next time, I will destroy anyone who threatens those under my
protection.” Then as Steve and Merlin
strolled across the floor to the foyer, several of the knights grabbed the duck
and the remaining three Watchers and hustled them to the door, where they were
unceremoniously dumped outside.
*****
Owen
lifted the grey feathered duck and raced after his friends back to their
waiting car. Then, the tires squealed as
the rental car sped off in a cloud of smoke from the burnt rubber.
*****
As the Watchers
drove away, a laughing St. Wolf asked the wizard, “Was
that really necessary?”
“Yes
it was. That bastard didn’t believe I
was really me. He thought that Giles had
hired some actors in an elaborate ruse so he could keep Buffy and Kendra to
himself.”
“I
think you’ll need to explain your actions to Giles and the others. I don’t want them to think that the man who’s
like a father to me is capricious and insane.”
Merlin
gave Steve’s shoulder a squeeze and they both walked into the great room to
face the younger man’s friends.
*****
Taylor
Raleigh glanced over his shoulder out the rear window then uttered a sigh of
relief. “I don’t think they’re following
us. Where are we going?”
“
“Then what?”
“I’m
going to get really pissed.”
“That’s
a capital idea, Wesley,” Owen agreed.
*****
Giles
was pacing the floor when Merlin and Steve returned. Then he turned to Merlin and demanded, “I
want to know why you did that!”
“Because
he thought I was an actor hired by you to protect your charges. He planned to murder you and take both girls
back to
The
look of wide-eyed fear on the Slayer’s young face nearly tore the heart out of
the old man. “No,” she whispered. “They wouldn’t do that, not to Giles, not to
me. They’re supposed to be the good
guys! If they kill Giles that would be the
same as if they killed me! I wouldn’t
last a week without him!”
In
response to his Slayer’s distress, Giles immediately hugged her close. “Buffy, I’m not going anywhere. Don’t be frightened, they’re gone. Please don’t worry, nothing shall happen to
me. I promise.”
Apparently, his
ministrations worked because his Slayer’s breathing began to return to normal. At that moment, the Watcher took the
opportunity to shoot an inquiring glance at the wizard. “How could you know all of that?”
“It’s
simple, Mr. Giles. I can read
minds. His surface thoughts were very
clear concerning you, Miss Summers and a girl called Kendra.”
Giles
flashed a skeptical glance at the elder man.
“If that’s true, then what am I thinking at this very moment?”
“You
are reflecting on the recipe for your mother’s tea cakes. If your memories are accurate, they appear to
be quite tasty. Would you mind terribly
if I gave the recipe to my chef?”
Giles
drew Buffy down beside him on the couch and muttered, “No, I don’t mind at all.” Then he whipped off his glasses and began to
furiously polish them with his handkerchief.
“Quentin really planned to murder me?
He wanted to kidnap Buffy and Kendra?”
When he saw the certainty in the elder man’s eyes, the Watcher shook his
head sorrowfully. “How can he be so
blind?”
“Unfortunately,
the man is a fanatic of the worst kind,” Merlin observed.
“So
what happens now? Does he remain a duck forever?”
Giles asked.
“Don’t
worry, Mr. Giles. He’ll change back in a
day. I’m not as evil as my biographers
make me out to be.”
“What
about the Council? What do we do if they
attempt to force the issue?”
“I
don’t think you need to worry about that, Mr. Giles. If the Council is smart, it won’t interfere
with how you and your Slayers work. If it
does, then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, I’ve been here for thirty minutes and no
one’s gotten me a beer.”
Merlin’s
comment caused the tension in the room to ease and provided everyone with a
hearty laugh before Xander entered the kitchen to retrieve sodas and beers for
the entire gathering.
Part 2 – THIS Is What Happens When You Take a Joke Too
Damn Far
(Mulder…You Have Some ‘Plaining To Do!)
July 21st -
Oak Street -
Just
as an automobile driving in the opposite direction nearly side-swiped their
rental car, Mulder suddenly jerked the wheel, managing to narrowly avoid an
accident. “Hey! Watch where you’re going, you idiots!” he
screamed. Then he turned to Scully and said,
“Damn fool! What in the hell is the
matter with him? He was on the wrong
side of the road!”
“They
must be British,” Scully observed with a smirk on her face.
Mulder
simply sighed at Scully’s remark. “Dana,
you’ve got to let that thing with Phoebe go.
I was over her even before we worked on that Firestarter case. Besides, just because some guy drives on the
wrong side of the road doesn’t make him British.”
“Mulder,
I never accused you of carrying a ‘flame’ for that home-wrecking hussy,” Scully
said with a sly smile at both her pun and her alliteration. “Remember when we were in
Mulder
grimaced and steered their car into the driveway in front of St. Wolf’s home. Then, after shutting off the ignition, the
two agents, removed their travel bags from the trunk of the car, approached the
front door and rang the door bell.
“We
need to talk to Steve about his friend Merlin.
Is the gang all here?” Mulder asked.
“Yeah,”
Mulder, then saw Xander holding a can of soda and drawled, “Everybody
freeze! This is the FBI and I demand
access to the beer in the fridge. Anyone
who gets in the way. . .” Suddenly, his comment
died on his lips when he surveyed the living room and found the knights standing
there in full armor. “So, Steve you’re
having a party and you forgot to invite us or something?”
Steve
glared at the FBI Special Agent and sighed.
“It seems that Merlin has decided to pay me a visit. He apparently believes that my report to him
concerning the little donnybrook we had two weeks ago was somewhat lacking.”
“Oh? What did you write?”
Before
Steve could respond, Xander reached into the garbage can and tossed a crumpled
piece of paper to Mulder. “Here you go
Mulder, see for yourself.”
Mulder
unwrinkled the paper and he and Scully reviewed it for a couple of
seconds. Scully stared up from the
report and observed, “I can see how Merlin felt that there might be something
missing.” Then both agents doubled over
with laughter. “Mulder, could you
imagine Skinner’s face if you ever handed in a report like that?”
“He’d
move my office to the lowest section he could find and then pour in enough
concrete to bury me in it.” Mulder said
between laughs. “Steve, how could you submit
a report like this?”
“I
had something better to do at the time.” Then in an attempt to change the
subject, St. Wolf asked, “By the way, what are you two doing back here? I thought your boss would have another case
for you?”
“We
had a long talk with a new friend. He
told us some interesting things about your friend Merlin that we wanted to share
with you. Since Merlin is already here,
why don’t we ask him directly?”
“May
I ask you the identity of your new friend?” Merlin queried.
“Does
the name Chaos sound familiar?”
Merlin
took a deep breath and shot a knowing glance at Horace. “Now I see why you consider them to be such
pains in the ass.”
“Who’s
the guy sitting next to Merlin?”
“Mulder,
meet Horace Gordon. Horace is the
Director of Bureau 13.”
Mulder
and Scully both gasped and shook their heads in awe. “Steve, you have got to stop having parties
like this.”
“You
said you had some information?”
“Did
you know that Merlin, Methos and various others lead a secret group called the
Illuminati?” Mulder asked.
St.
Wolf sat up at that. “You have my complete
attention, Mulder. Please, go on.” Gordon also looked interested.
“The
Illuminati has supposedly been around for the last four thousand years. Its stated goal, according to our new friend,
is the protection of humanity and its history.
Merlin and Methos are on the managing council. In fact Methos was supposed to have helped
form the group.” Mulder then stared at
Merlin and asked, “Did we leave anything out?”
“No,
that was quite accurate and should never be repeated again,” Merlin said as he
leaned threateningly forward. “Or the consequences
will be most dire.”
Mulder
and Scully each take a deep gulp and nodded their heads in agreement. Steve stared at his old mentor and angrily said,
“Don’t threaten my friends, Merlin. You
don’t want to make me choose sides.”
“Oh,
be quiet, Steve!” the wizard snapped.
“My statement wasn’t a threat.
Believe it or not, I’m trying to help them. You two,” he said, as he pointed toward the
FBI agents, “are sticking your noses into things that don’t concern you! May I ask how you and Chaos came to be on such
good terms? I thought you both hated
him.”
“Chaos
tends to be rather nosy himself. Did you
know that he had the entire situation here under surveillance?”
“No,
I didn’t know that,” Merlin said. < But I definitely will have a talk with him
about it. > “Go on.”
“Well
he put two and two together and discovered that we were keeping secret various
things that we, Buffy and Steve had done in Sunnydale. He suddenly found out that we were playing by
the same rules that he was. Since we
were playing by his rules, Chaos felt that he could tell us a few things. We, in turn agreed to continue and escalate
our fight against the Consortium.”
“What’s
the Consortium?” Horace asked.
“It’s
a group that runs a shadow government within our own and various other
governments. It’s responsible for hiding
all of the evidence of UFO’s and aliens that you read about in the
tabloids. They also try to run various
experiments on humanity to create some sort of hybrid with the Grays. After the hybrids are perfected, the Grays
want to invade and take over the planet and use the hybrids as slave
labor. However, the rest of humanity is
to be eradicated.”
Gordon
turned to Merlin and demanded, “Why wasn’t I informed about this group? Bureau 13 could destroy it overnight!”
“Because
then the invasion would immediately begin and we’d all lose. Chaos’ role is to buy the Earth more time to
prepare for that invasion and he’s done an excellent job. We’ve had forty years to develop weapons and
technology to rival the Grays and we’ve not wasted it. We’ll be ready for them in another fifteen
years.”
“Don’t
we have any aliens willing to help us?” Horace asked.
Merlin
sadly shook his head. “No. They’re all too afraid of the Grays.”
“I
wouldn’t make book on that,” St. Wolf said lowly with a mysterious smile on his
face.
Merlin’s
head snapped up. “Cough it up, boy! I know that look! The last time I saw it, you held a royal
flush and it cost me quite a bit of money.
What do you have up your sleeve?”
“Not
much…just a friend from…out there.”
Merlin
smiled warmly at the remembrance of an old friend. “Steve, the good Doctor is well meaning and a
great asset but even he couldn’t stop an invasion like the one that the Grays
are planning.”
Mulder
and Scully shared puzzled looks with Buffy and Steve. Merlin saw the confusion on their faces and said,
“Sorry, I thought you meant a dear friend of mine.”
Steve
shrugged then muttered, “And I thought that I had a Christmas card problem.”
“Reveal
the identity of this so-called ‘friend’ to me!” Merlin demanded.
“I’m
sorry Merlin, but I gave my word that I would protect his privacy.”
For
a few moments, Merlin’s face goes blank and then he whispered, “But they’re
only legend!! How could you have befriended
an entity like him!? Quinn could be the
greatest hope that humanity has to survive the Grays and their allies.”
Mulder
and Scully both chanced glances at the Wanderer. “How could he know?”
Steve
glared at his mentor. “Merlin can read
minds. He probably took it from one of
you.”
“Why
couldn’t he get the information from you, Steve?” Mulder asked.
“The
boy’s got a thick skull,” Merlin joked.
“It’s like trying to crack a safe with an ice pick. So tell me, will this ‘Quinn’ help humanity
when the chips are down?”
“He
will only if we help ourselves,” Mulder said.
“What
does that mean?” Gordon asked.
“He’ll
be there to give us advice and to help out once in a while. But he won’t do our fighting for us. He feels that’s humanity’s responsibility,
not his,” St. Wolf said.
Marc
quietly muttered, “Now that is a truly superior being. He understands that if humanity is going to
be worth anything, we must earn our position in the scheme of things. But he also understands that we may need guidance
from time to time and he is willing to freely offer it.”
A
chagrined Merlin glanced down at the floor before he raised his gaze to meet
Scully’s. “I’m sorry that I read your
minds without your permission. However, I’m
charged with the safety of the human race and sometimes I overstep my bounds.”
“Apology
accepted. So what’s next?” Mulder asked.
“All
right, why don’t you tell us what in the hell is Section Seven?” Gordon asked. In response, the entire Sunnydale contingent,
as well as Scully and Mulder, cracked up.
Horace, Merlin, Marc and the Knights looked at one another and wondered
what’s so funny.
St. Wolf said between laughs, “Mulder, Merlin wants to know what Section Seven is. Would you please tell him?” Then Steve began to laugh again.
Merlin and his
companions sighed and patiently waited for the laughter to die down. A few minutes later, Mulder regained enough
control to tell them the entire story.
Then Merlin and his men joined in on the laughter.
As
the room quieted down, Merlin stared directly at Buffy, Steve and their
friends. “I hope you realize that
Section Seven is now an active. Steve,
you and your friends will make up the core.
You’ll have access to assets from various groups and I’ll make sure you
get proper funding from the Illuminati.”
St.
Wolf stared dumbly at his mentor. “Say
what?! Section Seven was just a joke
that the Lone Gunmen played on the NRO.
You can’t form a covert operations group just like that!”
“I
didn’t,” Merlin observed with a roguish grin.
“You did. Now you have the
responsibility of running it. So enjoy.”
“If
you’d like,” Gordon offered, “I’ll help you establish your headquarters. My Technical Services people will be glad for
the work.”
At
that, St. Wolf turned to the male FBI agent in the room. “Mulder, what in the hell did we do to
deserve this?”
“What
do you mean ‘we,’ ki-mo-sa-be? Merlin
was talking to you and your little band of Slayerettes. Scully and I already work for the FBI; I
don’t think she wants another job.”
St.
Wolf’s eyes flashed in anger as he snapped, “Don’t give me that crap, Mulder! Who
was the one who started the whole ‘Section Seven’ story in the first place?”
“That
was Frohike. Blame him.”
St.
Wolf shook his head at Mulder. “No…I
mean who told those hostages in the supermarket who we were?” Mulder stared down on the floor and squirmed
in his seat. “Well?” Steve prompted.
“I
did,” Mulder quietly admitted. “But that
doesn’t make Scully and me responsible for your little group. You were the one who told your friend Jack
Gerber about Section Seven.”
“Who’s
Jack Gerber?” Gordon asked.
“Jack’s
an old friend of mine who’s now in charge of an Alien Retrieval and Termination
Unit or ART Unit as they’re called at Area 51."
“Why
in the hell was an ART Unit there?”
“They
just lent us a hand. Besides, it was
good to see my old friends Jack, Chavez and Bushido again.”
“I
don’t believe this!” Horace snapped.
“Next thing you’re going to tell me that you had the Knights of the
Round Table by your side during the battle.”
Horace stared around him as everyone simply stared back. “Please tell me that didn’t happen.”
“I
can’t lie to you, Horace.” St. Wolf noted
with a wicked grin on his face. “A few of them were there along with King
Arthur.”
“What
in the hell are you people trying to do to me?
Give me a coronary?”
“I’ll
tell you about it later,” St. Wolf offered.
“However, I want to get back to the matter at hand. Mulder why don’t you and Scully want to help
us on a full time basis? I can pay you a
lot more than the FBI ever could and I don’t care if you’re married or not.”
Mulder
looked at Scully and she nodded in silent agreement. Then Mulder turned back to Steve and said, “Although
we’d like to, Steve, we can’t do it, at least not now. Chaos needs us to run interference for him
with the Consortium. Every time we screw
them over, we save innocent lives. If we
leave, then those bastards will be able to do what they want, when they want.”
“You
know that we’ll be here for you, if you ever need us,” Buffy offered.
“Y-yes,
quite right,” Giles said in support of his Slayer.
“We
know. The same applies for us as
well. Chaos also promised to help as
much as he can by keeping the Consortium off your backs.”
“All
right, I suppose we don’t have any choice except to accept this arrangement,”
St. Wolf observed. “So, how are we going
to create an entire covert organization and keep its location secret?”
“That’s
easy. Let’s buy the Cybertonics building
and use it as a base. It’s just outside
of town and it’s for sale,” Xander said.
“What’s
going to be your cover?” Horace asked.
“What
about a PI and security firm? I used to
be a pretty good private eye.”
“Wouldn’t most
people nowadays call you a ‘private dick?’”
For several beats, St. Wolf had a horrified look on his face while the Slayerettes and Scully had bemused expressions on theirs. Then Buffy sang in a poor imitation of an African American female soul-singer’s accent, “Girl…shut your mouth!”
In sync, Buffy,
Amy, and Cordy sang, “Then we can dig it!”
For the hundredth time, St. Wolf rued the day that the girls had gotten into Giles’ old record collection. He shot an annoyed look at the Watcher and said, “I can’t believe you listened to seventies soundtracks!”
Giles gave him imperturbable look and shrugged. “I’m a complicated man.”
Then his statement was immediately followed by Jenny in song. “And no one understands him but his wo-man!”
In the meantime,
Horace Gordon counted to ten under his breath as the kids chortled at St.
Wolf’s discomfort. “Now that we’ve all
had our little fun,” he said, causing the Slayerettes to sober, “I think a PI
firm is a great idea. I have several
agents who run PI firms for their covers.”
“Very
good then, I’ll make arrangements to purchase the building and you’ll develop your
PI business as your cover,” Merlin said.
“Now, I’m thirsty. Who do I have
to cast a spell on to get drink around here?”
Part
3 – Once More Unto the Breach
(Or How
To Ruin General Stockwell’s Day?
Tell
Him the A-TEAM Is Back In Business.)
July 21st -
Long Neck Saloon,
A
young, Arabic woman glanced nervously over her shoulder and gulped when she spied
a pair of swarthy men storm into a building on the other side of the street.
< Allah! They’re still after me! Please let Melissa’s information be correct!
> The woman sprinted toward a seedy
looking establishment called the Long Neck Saloon. After she entered the place, she made her way
to the bar. She spared a moment to pray
for her college roommate, Melissa then tried to attract the bartender’s
attention.
“May I help
you, ma’am?”
“Mr. Lee sent
me. Do you know where can I find the
A-Team?”
Just
then the barkeep squinted at something over her shoulder. “Well, now, little lady, I don’t rightly know
where they are and I’m not sure if I would tell you if I did. You see, the A-Team don’t like set-ups!”
She
chanced a glance over her shoulder and gasped.
“They’ve found me! I’m dead!” she
cried as the two men who’d been after her moved to apprehend her. Then they drew their guns and motioned for
the bar’s patrons to give them some room.
The
girl froze when one of the men placed a gun to her head and decreed, “In the
name of the Swords of Allah, die, you traitorous bitch!!”
Before
the man could pull the trigger, a whiskey bottle smashed against his head,
causing him to slump to the floor. In a
flash, his partner pointed his gun at the barkeep but before he could pull the
trigger, a large, African American man with a Mohawk haircut grabbed him by the
collar of his jacket and smashed him head first into the bar.
The
barkeep muttered, “Scumbags!” then barked some orders. “Tie them up, BA. We’re taking them with us. Miss Armari?”
The woman turned to regard the barkeep to see he’d removed a fake mustache
and a hair piece. “You’ve just found the
A-Team.”
From
a side room, two more men entered and manhandled the pair of would-be assassins
outside into a dark van. Then after the
men, the assassins and Armari enter the van, it roared away in a cloud of dust.
*****
A
middle aged man, dressed in jeans and a sport coat monitored the fleeing van, raised
his communicator, and silently cursed under his breath. “Headquarters, this is
“Roger,
“Everything’s
gone to hell, Birkoff. The Armari woman
contacted some people who are now protecting her. They grabbed the two assassins that Corvo
sent after her and took them and her out of here.”
After
“I’ve
got nothing concrete, sir. However, I
was able to overhear her refer to the men as the A-Team.”
*****
In
response, for several moments, all Operations could do was stare at the speaker.
< It can’t be. They’re dead or too
old for something like this. But
something like this was exactly Smith’s style, damn it! > He glanced at Birkoff, who seemed to be busy
calibrating the communication board. With
a sigh, Operations opened the channel and ordered, “Find those men and collect
them as new material, if you can capture them alive and reasonably whole.”
“I
understand.
Operations
stared across the floor of Section One and saw Madeline. With a tilt of his head, he indicated that
she should follow him to his office. She
nodded and started for his office.
Meanwhile,
a young, blond haired woman with an Australian accent approached Birkoff with a
smile and asked, “What happened?”
“A
target being chased down by a pair of Sword of Allah assassins found her some
competent protection. They managed to
capture the assassins and whisk the girl and the assassins away from our
tracking teams.”
“Who
was able to accomplish that?” Nikita asked
then frowned. No one should have been
able to do that—no one.
“
Nikita
blinked twice. “They’re supposed to be
dead.” Nikita then turned and left the
room.
Moments
later, a confused Michael entered the room and quietly demanded of Birkoff, “What
in the hell did you say to her?”
Birkoff
told Michael about
“Sure. Just give me a second,” Birkoff said as he began
his search. Several moments later, he found
some information and opened the A-Team’s classified files. He and Michael skimmed through them and
Birkoff whistled lowly. “These four guys
were incredible. No wonder Operations is
frantic about them; these guys have screwed up more Section One business than
anyone alive.”
“So
what do these four men have to do with Nikita?” Michael murmured more to
himself than Birkoff.
*****
Operations
stormed into his office and nervously paced the floor as he awaited Madeline’s
arrival. When she entered the room, Operations
nodded at the door and she closed it behind her. He sat down behind his desk and activated the
view screen on his office wall. She watched
the emotions play across his normally neutral face and wondered what could have
caused this. Moments later, an elderly
man with a strong, commanding presence appeared on the screen and Operations began
his report on the latest intelligence for the Armari operation. Then he finished by saying, “George, I think
the A-Team is still alive.”
General
George Stockwell studied the face of his best operative. “Are you quite certain of that, Paul?”
“Not
entirely, but it doesn’t look good. The Armari
rescue operation was a classic Hannibal Smith op.”
“We
have to be dead right about this, Paul.
Continue digging into it and keep me informed,” Stockwell said then terminated
the connection.
Operations
glanced at Madeline and quietly muttered, “I don’t know how they did it, but
they’ve somehow returned from the dead.”
“
Operations
grinned broadly for the first time in years.
“Take down the Swords of Allah, of course.”
“I
agree, especially if he’s on ‘the Jazz’,” Madeline quipped. “What’s our next step?”
“We
take out the Swords of Allah before he does then capture Hannibal and his team
when they come to rescue the Armari family.”
“Can
I have them for a little while, Paul?” she cooed.
“We’ll
see,” Operations teased as Madeline pouted prettily at him.
Part
4 - Old Friends
(I’ve
Been Cursed. Cursed, I Tell You!)
July 21st - 12:00 PST - 15:00 PM
Local Time
Jack
Ryan hung up the phone then glared at the three men who stood in front of his
desk. “That was one of my
operatives. He just confirmed from two
NSA operatives who’d been in
“Are
you going to tell us how to get in touch with
“Sorry,
Bull, but like I told you a couple of days ago, I can’t give you that
information.”
“Don’t
hand me that bullshit, Ryan! Why don’t
you just call him and ask him if he’s Carson Jamieson?”
“I
don’t think that’s wise, John. Carson
Jamieson is still wanted for six counts of homicide in
“That’s
a mighty thin line, Jack,”
“It’s
a line I can stand on, Bull.”
“Nice
to see you haven’t changed, Jack,” Major Kevin ‘
“If
Governor Bush signs the pardon for
“Nope,”
Bull said with a satisfied smile on his face.
“Then
pack your bags;
*****
July 21st -
One
of the terrorists spat at
Both
men smiled wickedly at him. “They are being
held at our Libyan installation. Professor
Armari is there working for our leader, the mighty Corvo.”
“And
you’re just spoon-feeding us this…why?”
“So
that you may go there and die.”
“Listen,
pal, I don’t think we’re going to be the ones doing the dying,” Wally said.
“What
good are five against two hundred?” the loud-mouth asked.
“Who
said it’s going to be just the five of us?” Face asked.
“Because
you don’t have time to gather a large force, you fool! Corvo will release the plague before you can
do anything to stop him.”
“When?”
“We
missed our check-in time,” the loud-mouth explained. “Corvo’s orders were that we check in every 24
hours or he would release the plague 72 hours later.”
“You
know the Wanderer?” the loud- mouthed terrorist asked fearfully.
“Seems
like Wanderer’s reputation precedes him, again,” Wally noted.
Karen
Armari watched the members of the A-Team as they chuckled at the terrorists’ obvious
discomfort. “Who is the Wanderer?” she
asked.
“The
Devil incarnate!” the loud-mouth shrieked.
“He
is a demon from the pits of Hell!” the other muttered.
“Actually,”
“That
infidel is responsible for the death of many of our brothers,” the loud-mouth said. “He’s responsible for interfering in many of
our missions to right the wrongs foisted upon us by the Crusaders.”
After
Amy provided the number to
Moments later, Buffy
answered the phone. “St. Wolf residence,
can I help you?”
“Sure
can, sweetheart. Is St. Wolf around?”
“Depends
on who happens to be calling, ‘snookums,” Buffy drawled. < Just who in the
hell is this asshole? >
“Tell
him it’s Colonel Hannibal Smith from the A-Team. I have a major situation and I need his help.”
“One
minute, Colonel Smith,” Buffy, now all business, snapped into the
telephone. Then she waved St. Wolf over
to the phone.
“Who
is it, Buffy?”
“It’s
Colonel Smith from the A-Team. He said
he needs our help.”
*****
Gordon
overheard Buffy and stared at the Wanderer as he took the legendary Hannibal
Smith’s call. Then he turned to Merlin
and said, “Father, I thought Smith and the members of his team were dead.”
“I
guess they just got a whole lot better.”
*****
“What
can I do for you, Colonel?”
“Steve,
we were recently hired by an old friend to rescue his sister and her family
from a terrorist group called the Swords of Allah. You know anything about them?”
“I’ve
run into them a few times during the last twelve years, Colonel. Let’s just say that there’s no love lost between
us. What’s the situation?”
“We
captured two of their assassins as they tried to kill the girl we were hired to
protect. They told us that they’re
holding the rest of the family in some facility they have in
“What
does the girl’s father do?”
“He’s
a virologist who specializes in infectious diseases. You don’t have to have a PhD to figure out why
Corvo is using him.”
“Shit,”
the Wanderer muttered. “What else?”
“The
assassins just admitted that their leader is going to release some kind of disease
in less than 72 hours. Can you help us
take these scumbags out?”
“You
got it, Colonel. What is your current
position?”
“We’re
outside
“That’s
do-able,” Steve said as he stared at his watch.
“It’s now thirteen hundred hours.
Can you reach
“Not
a problem. Why?”
“When
you get there, go to Iverson Air Freight’s terminal and make sure you avoid any
of the Marine Corp personnel stationed there.
Iverson’s located in the cargo section of the airport. Ask for the operations manager and tell him
that Steven St. Wolf sent you and that you have to get to
“What
about our weapons and prisoners?”
“Let’s
just say that the operations manager and the crew at Iverson Air tend to have
blind spots when it comes to certain people and items.”
“Sounds
like my kind of airline.”
“Colonel,
don’t let the Marines make you when you get there. The Iverson people are good friends; I don’t
want anything happening to them.”
“We’ll
look after them like they’re our own.
See you soon, Steve.” Then
*****
“Damn
it!!!” St. Wolf shouted as he hung up the phone. Everyone in the room turned to regard him as
he walked over to the couch, sat, and took a long swig of his beer from his
bottle. Then he studied the expectant
faces around him and gave them a rundown on what Hannibal Smith had just told
him. He then turned to Marc Le Chevalier
and said, “Marc, I’ll need to use about two hundred knights.”
“You’ll
have them. I’ll arrange the deployment
in
“Good,
that’ll give me enough time to bring some specialists here to make sure
whatever poison they’re cooking is completely destroyed.”
Steve
then turned to Giles and said, “Contact Joe Dawson, see if he knows anyone who has
the requisite skill-set.”
Giles
nodded at him and went to Steve’s office to place the call.
“So…when
do we leave?” Buffy asked.
Steve
silently regarded her for several beats then sighed. “We
don’t. I go; you and the others stay.”
“What
in the hell are you saying?” Buffy demanded as the rest of the Slayerettes looked
on, hurt registered on their faces.
“We’re a team. You don’t leave
your team behind when you’re going into a major battle.”
“This
battle is different, Buffy. I’m not
going to kill monsters. I’m going to
kill a lot of very nasty people. These
people may be mass murderers, but they’re still human beings, they still have
souls. I don’t think you and the rest
are ready for something like this,” Steve said.
< And I hope to God, you never are. >
Unfortunately
for St. Wolf, Buffy didn’t buy it. She
shot a hard glare his way and said, “I don’t accept that! If they succeed in developing that plague,
millions will die. So give me one good
reason why you don’t want us to come with you.”
“Because
the knights are spell warded against all manner of diseases and poisons. We don’t have the time do it correctly for
our friends. When we attack, chances are
that Corvo is going to release whatever plague he’s cooked up in an attempt to
take us all to hell with him.”
“What
about the A-Team?” Xander asked.
“Colonel
Smith and his people are protected by the water from the Fountain of Youth that
they drank. Its magic protects them from
any disease and poison.”
Merlin
gasped at that. “Who gave Smith that
water?”
“A
friend of mine provided it to them.”
“Oberon’s
going to have a shit fit if he finds out that someone stole water from the
Fountain of Youth, again. He wanted to
blast you into atoms when you took some to save Frank’s life.”
“And
if the situation presented itself once more, I’d do it again to save a
friend. Besides, Coyote gave them the
water, and he’s a big boy, Merlin. He
can take care of himself.”
“Have
a care, Steve. You may be a favorite of
mine but that only goes so far. I hope
you had nothing to do with Coyote’s foolhardy decision. Oberon is not particular about who gets
caught in the fallout of his magic when he goes postal. You don’t want to get on Oberon’s bad side,
trust me on that. He is not a friend of
humanity…he may barely tolerate us, but don’t mistake his indifference as
friendship.”
“Hey,
old guys, excuse me!” Buffy snapped indignantly. “Slayer’s got the floor!” Then she stared straight at St. Wolf and said,
“I’m still coming with you.”
Steve
sighed and shook his head. “Buffy, I
don’t think Giles would approve. He
doesn’t want you to go out and have to kill a human being.”
“I
don’t need anyone’s approval. If I’m old
enough to go out and fight creatures that want to see me dead every night, I’m
old enough to make my own decisions about something like this.”
Jenny noisily
cleared her throat to gain Buffy’s attention.
“Buffy, I think you should listen to Steve about this. Slaying a human being is not the same as
slaying a demon.”
“I
know that, Jenny. When those assassins
came to Sunnydale, I killed a member of the Order of Teraka with a skate
blade. He was human. I wasn’t proud of it, but he was trying to
kill me. I was just lucky enough to get
him first.”
Jenny
grimaced at Buffy. “That’s not entirely
accurate, now, is it, Buffy? You’re
Immortal. Even if he had succeeded, you
would have come back. He didn’t,
though. So it wasn’t truly a ‘him or you’
scenario.” Jenny then walked over to a
Buffy that could no longer meet her gaze and said softly, “Look, I’m not trying
to pressure you into anything. I just
want to make sure you’re not pressing yourself to do something you might regret
later.”
Buffy
nodded and stared up into Jenny’s eyes.
“Thanks, Jenny, but…I’ve got to do this.
It’s important to me.”
Resigned
to the inevitable, Jenny smiled and regarded the Slayer with moist eyes. “Okay.
Then promise me that you’re going to be careful and come back to us, all
right?”
Buffy
smiled as she fought to hold back her own tears. “Hey, I’m like a bad penny, I always turn up,”
she chirped.
Steve, fighting
a wave of nausea that tore through his stomach, decided to bow to the
inevitable. “All right, you can come,
but no one else. Am I clear?”
“What
about us?” Sonja asked then pointed to herself and Gabrielle.
“You
two are welcome to join in as are Mulder and Scully,” Steve said.
“What
about me?” Randi asked.
“Sorry,
Randi, but you just don’t have the training.
You stay and patrol Sunnydale with the rest of our friends.
“So
much for our vacation,” Mulder muttered.
St.
Wolf began to bark out orders. “Xander,
Oz, break out six H&K G3 assault rifles, enough
armor-piercing ammunition for twenty magazines per rifle, body armor, grenades
and anything else you can think of.”
“Man…I
don’t know whether I should pity those terrorists or be angry at them because
of all the weight I’ll have to carry,” Mulder lamented.
*****
“You
know I hate to fly,
At
that,
B.A.
returned his grin. “So long as the
fool’s not flying the plane I can take it.”
“Hey! I resemble that remark,” Howling Mad Murdock
cried out and the team had a good laugh as the two terrorists and Karen looked on
and wondered what was so funny.
*****
July 21st
Joe’s Blues Bar,
When
the telephone rang, Joe Dawson placed his guitar down on the counter and shot
an annoyed look at the infernal device. < Damn, why does this thing always
interrupt me when I’m enjoying myself? > Then he lifted the receiver and said,
“Joe’s Blues Bar. Can I help you?”
“Hello,
Joe. This is Rupert Giles. I really need to talk to you.”
“Are
you giving me an advance on your weekly report?”
“No. I need to find an Immortal who has a working
knowledge of biological warfare. Can you
check the Watcher Database and find one?”
A
shiver ran up Joe’s spine and his mouth suddenly went dry. “Did the vampires get their hands on some
kind of bio-weapon?”
“No,
Joe,” Giles said then gave him a complete rundown on the situation.
Joe
leaned back in his chair and sadly shook his head. < The Society’s never
gonna believe that we have to act this soon. > He then flipped open the
screen of his laptop and entered a query in his computer’s database. Several names popped up and Joe said, “Giles,
I have several names and as luck would have it, one of them is a friend of
“That
would be preferable, Joe. Thank you for
arranging this. Goodbye.” Giles said then terminated the connection.
Joe
grunted as his stiff leg protested his movement toward the door. As he leaves, he called over to his bartender
and said, “Mike, I’m going over to
The
bartender nodded and continued to clean the bar glasses.
*****
Fifteen
minutes later, Joe entered DeSalvo’s Gym to see seven Immortals going through
their daily routines. He quietly sat
down and watched as six of the Immortals paired off under the critical eye of
Duncan Macleod for a rotating sparring session.
Joe noticed that the two newest Immortals, Jarod and Andrea were
advancing a lot faster than Justin. < Must be their background, > he mused.
“Joe,
what brings you here?”
“Rupert
Giles just called. St. Wolf needs some
help on a mission that was just dumped on his doorstep.” Joe then gave
Joe
grinned at his old friend. “I’m sure he
wouldn’t mind the company.”
“Good. You know, I think I like doing this type of
work.”
*****
Jarod
peeked over Andrea’s shoulder and saw his instructor having words with the
Watcher. “Andrea,” he whispered, “it looks
like Joe Dawson told something important to
“What
makes you say that?”
“He’s
here far too early for it to be a social call.
I wonder what it could be?”
“You
might not want to know, if you’re smart, Ratboy,” she drawled. “As they always say, curiosity killed the
cat.”
Jarod
looked puzzled. “It did? When?
I just saw
Instead
of answering him, Andrea knocked his sword to the side, grabbed him by his
shirt front, and pulled him in for a deep kiss.
Jarod wrapped his arms around her waist and Andrea melted against his
body. Richie, Amanda, Justin and Methos
then stopped sparring to watch the pair.
“Could someone please throw a bucket of cold water on those two?” Methos
complained with a mischievous grin on his face.
“Oh
shut up, old man. They’re young and in
love. Let them have their fun,” Amanda drawled.
Justin
and Richie look at each other and shake their heads. “Those two are worse than teenagers,” Richie
observed. “The next time Methos or
Duncan say something about us, I’ll remind them about this wonderful pair.”
“That’s
enough, everyone,”
Afterwards,
Jarod and Andrea immediately stepped forward.
“Duncan, Andrea and I have a working knowledge of those types of
laboratories. Can we lend a hand?”
“Of
course, you can. You two handled
yourselves well a few weeks ago,”
“
As
they gazed deeply into each others’ eyes, Methos simply groaned. As Duncan and Amanda reluctantly broke apart,
Richie asked, “Is this a trip for couples only or can the single guys join in on
all the fun?”
“Of
course, darling,” Amanda drawled. “Who
else is going to carry my luggage?”
*****
Moments
later,
“Certainly,
“Yes
Henry, they can be trusted.” Then
Henry
whistled lowly and asked, “Do you believe it?
That we’re fated to become the Champions of Humanity?”
“I
believe it more than I believe the ‘Game’ was our fate. Will you help us?”
Henry
stared at the pictures of his mortal wife and their adopted children then
imagined them dying of an unknown disease and life without them. “Yes, I’ll help you. Where shall we meet?”
“Yes,
he does. Have you heard of him?”
“Yes,
I have. The man’s reputation is one of
the best in the intelligence community.”
“Does
that make a difference to you?”
“Yes,
it does. I like knowing with whom I’m
dealing with. See you soon,” Henry said
then terminated the connection.
Part
5 - Telephone Conversations
(
July 21st
Marriott Hotel,
“This is Owen Marshall, I need to speak to the governors.”
“Where
is Mr. Travers?”
Owen
looked at Wesley who held the duck on the bed.
“I’m afraid he’s unable to speak at the moment.”
“I
shall place you on the intercom. Please
speak clearly and provide us with your report.”
Owen
waited for several moments before the voice said, “Report, Watcher Marshall.”
“Thank you, sir.” Then Owen gave them a complete report on the situation in Sunnydale.
The phone is
silent for several long moments before another voice instructed, “Ring us again
in three hours. We’ll have orders for
you then.”
The
three men stared at one another and wondered what their orders would be.
*****
July 21st
Council of
Watchers Headquarters - Somewhere in
The
governors dumbly regarded one another, astounded beyond belief. Then Lord Tanner shot a glare at Owen’s
father and asked, “Is your son drunk, Carter?”
Carter
Marshall, his jaw clenched, said, “My son doesn’t drink, Tanner. He sounded very fearful and can you blame
him? Merlin turned his mentor into a
duck and you expect him to be calm about it?”
Before
Tanner could respond, the Chairman, Sir William Appleby, snapped, “
“It’s
obviously a hoax of some kind perpetrated by Rupert Giles,” Antonio Carpelli opined. “Merlin? He’s probably an actor of some sort. The Knights of the Grail? They’re part of his deceit, of course. This Bureau 13 garbage—another fabrication by
Giles to protect that Summers girl. I
told you last year that he was too close to her; we should have replaced him
then. Now he’s created his own organization
and taken our Slayers for himself.”
Several
of the governors also agreed with Carpelli’s take on events and called for an
assault group to be sent to apprehend the rogue Watcher and his Slayer. Appleby called for order and the governors
quieted down. “Gentlemen, we cannot have
a pitched battle in the streets of an American city! That simply won’t do.”
“Let’s
use the Order of Teraka to get rid of our problem. We’ve done it before,” one Watcher recommended. Several seconded his idea and the Board voted
to send the Order against Giles, Buffy and their friends. Sighing as he was forced to do something
against his very nature, Sir William placed a call and was answered by a hissing
voice. Several of the governors who
voted against calling the Terakan Order looked on disapprovingly at this turn
of events. However, they remained silent.
“To
what do I owe the honor of receiving a call from the hallowed Council of Watchers?”
the voice asked.
“We
wish to eliminate a rogue Watcher and his Slayer,” Appleby said.
“Who,
pray tell, are the targets?”
“They
are Rupert Giles and the Slayer known as Buffy Summers.”
The
voice gasped then spat a curse into the telephone receiver. “You fools! The Order of Teraka does not accept suicide
missions!”
The
governors looked at one another with panic in their eyes. The Order was afraid of a single Watcher and
Slayer? “What do you mean?” Appleby asked.
“Your
precious little darling and her steadfast Watcher are protected by forces that
even we fear, old man.”
“What sort of forces?”
“That
information will cost you.”
“Name
your price.”
“Shall
we say…one hundred thousand pounds?”
“If
your information is accurate, we have an agreement,” Appleby bargained. Several of the governors gritted their teeth
at the cost but said nothing.
“The
Watcher Giles and his Slayer have joined forces with the demon hunter called
the Wanderer.”
“What? The man doesn’t exist; no Watcher has ever
seen him.”
“He
exists. He’s responsible for the death
of twenty three members of our Order.” the voice angrily said. At that, the jaws of several governors nearly
dropped on the table. “He also carries
the Sword of Destiny called Demon Slayer.”
“And…what
exactly is his interest in the Slayer and her Watcher?”
“She has become his student and lover. She also carries Demon Slayer’s mate, the
sword called Vampire Slayer. To attack
her is to attack him.”
The
governors silently digested the words and found them to be unsettling. “How can she carry Vampire Slayer? That sword was lost over two hundred years
ago. Where could she have found it?”
“A Dragon named Smaug gave it to her several months ago.”
Stunned,
Appleby simply shook his head. “What
about Rupert Giles? Can you kill him?”
“We
have not grown tired of breathing, you fool.
Rupert Giles has become the Wanderer’s Watcher.”
“What
does that mean? The Wanderer isn’t a
Slayer!”
“That
is what my sources tell me. I do not
understand the meaning of it myself.
Clearly, though, the Wanderer does not serve the Council. He serves but one being and is a friend to
many more. Attempt to harm him and they
will destroy you.”
“Who
are they?”
“He
is pledged in service to Merlin and his wife Niume as their personal
champion.” The Council members gasped at
that. “He can also call upon the aid of
the Knights of the Order of the Grail, several of Oberon’s Children, the
Council of Dragons, the American’s Central Intelligence Agency, the British
Secret Service and the French Security Service, just to name a few.”
Appleby
continued to press. “I have one more
question. What is Bureau 13?”
“How
do you know of it?” the voice snapped.
“The
Watcher Giles and the Slayers are also under its protection.”
“There
are stories of a covert agency of the United States Government, supposedly
equipped with powerful magic and weapons.
They hunt down paranormal threats to that nation’s safety. It is said that anyone who stands against
them falls. Members of our Order who
have faced them have never been seen again.”
A
shaken Appleby looked around the boardroom and realized the meeting was going
to be a long one. “Thank you for the
information. Your money will be
deposited in the usual account by the end of the week.”
“Some
free advice, for valued customers.”
“Yes?”
“Cut
your losses and leave the girl and her Watcher alone or your Council will be
dust in the wind,” the voice instructed.
Then the connection was terminated.
Appleby
shuddered. “Anyone else have a better
suggestion?”
The
other governors said nothing and simply bowed their heads in defeat. As Appleby was about to call the meeting to
an end, a young man approached from a side door. Appleby saw him and asked, “Yes, Smithers?”
“A
new Slayer has been found in the city of
Appleby
stared silently at the young man for a full minute, until he discovered his
voice. “Is she sure that the girl’s a
Slayer?”
“Yes,
Sir William. Miss Pryce conducted all of
the tests. It is confirmed.”
“Thank you, Smithers. You can go now.” After Smithers left the room, Appleby turned to the governors and said, “I move we cut our losses and leave Giles and his Slayers alone.”
The governors
hurriedly agreed with his motion.
Then Lord Tanner added, “We’ll also never tell this new Slayer about the other two Slayers.”
Tanner’s motion
was also rapidly approved.
Appleby
turned to his assistant and directed, “Call young
*****
Later, Owen Marshall received the call from the Council. He turned to his two companions and told them, “We’re going home. The governors want us back.”
Part
6 - Q & A
(Rummy’s GITMO Boys
Have Nothing on the Weird Amazon Sisters)
July 21st - 1600 - PST - 1600 -
Local
B.A.
nodded at
“Are you the
operations manager?” Smith asked.
“Yes,
I am. My name’s Tom Coventry.”
“Good
luck, sir,”
“You
might not remember me, Colonel Smith, but you pulled my unit out of a tight
spot in the Delta, back in 72.”
<
Damn, this kid couldn’t be that old? > Then it hit him. “You’re like Steve, aren’t you?”
“Told
the tower we had an organ delivery. That
gave us priority.”
*****
Moments
later, Operations asked, “Did you find them?”
“Check
every airport and train station. Have
your units keep an eye on the main roads leading out of
“Understood,
sir, anything else?”
“Don’t
fail me,
*****
Iverson Air Terminal -
Buffy,
St. Wolf and the rest of their friends entered the hanger that housed the
Sunnydale branch of Iverson Air. As the
waited for the plane’s arrival, the operations manager, seeing their grim demeanors,
raced over to them. “Mr. St. Wolf, I’ve
prepared everything per your orders. Do
you need anything else, sir?”
“Leave
the facility when the plane arrives.
None of you need to be here, understand?”
The Ops manager saluted then he and his crew left the area.
Mulder whistled
lowly. “I take it that they’ve worked
with you before?”
St.
Wolf cocked a wry eyebrow at him. “The
grapevine at Iverson Air has some ‘very’ interesting stories about me. Most of the people here tend to believe
them.”
At
that, Scully smiled slyly. “Fox,
honey. Let’s not talk about YOUR
reputation at the Bureau. How many
Agents and Assistant Directors have you torpedoed because of it?”
Mulder
began to protest, but the Wanderer cut him off.
“Face facts, Mulder. You’ll never
win an argument with Dana. You’re simply
out of your league.”
Mulder
grimaced at that. “I don’t exactly see
*you* winning any arguments with Buffy.”
“That’s
because I know better.”
“That’s
right, Mulder, ‘cause Homey don’t play that!” Buffy drawled.
At that moment,
the operations manager re-entered the hanger and said, “The plane has landed
and it’ll taxi here in about three minutes.
Do you need anything else?”
“Make
sure that we have that plane ready for
A
faint “Roger,” is heard from the man as he strode out of the hanger. A minute or so later, the hanger doors opened
to allow the Lear jet to roll inside.
The pilots parked it in the middle of the hangar and exited the plane
while exchanging greetings with St. Wolf.
Buffy
turned to her boyfriend and said, “I take it they also know your rep?”
He
raised an eyebrow at her and said, “You think?”
*****
The
pilot turned to
The
assassins peered out their windows and saw a small group of people waiting outside. Both took deep gulps and the loud one asked,
“Is that devil out there?”
As
“Give
us about ten minutes and we’ll be ready for them,” Jenny said as she started to
draw a circle on the floor.
“Then
we’ll keep our guests ‘entertained,’” he promised as the A-Team approached with
the assassins in tow.
“Hannibal,
the bearded gentleman next to me is my boss, Merlin.” The A-Team members nodded to the wizard. “The rather large man in the black armor is
Marc Le Chevalier, the Knight General of the Order of the Grail and six of his knights.”
Horace
extended his hand and
“If
Steve vouches for you, then we can talk.”
“Good. I can always use good men. There are never enough to go around,” Horace said. Then he turned to the two assassins. “I hope you enjoy your last hours of
freedom.”
“We
fear nothing, infidel!” the loud-mouthed terrorist screamed.
Gordon
gave him a merciless smile. “You’re
fools then.”
“We
fear no torture that you weak-willed American dogs can devise!”
Horace
chanced a glimpse toward Jenny,
Loud-mouth
studied the three young women and grinned sickly. “Those whores are only fit to accept the
seeds of dogs such as yourselves.”
At
that insult to her Amazon sisters, Cordelia fired her fist into the terrorist’s
face and snapped Loud-mouth’s head back, hard.
For several seconds, he saw only stars then shook his head and glared at
the girl. “Bitch! Is this an example of the American’s
so-called sense of fair-play to strike a man who is unable to defend himself?”
Cordelia
looked at St. Wolf, who said, “I want him alive and able to answer
questions. Other than that, all bets are
open.”
Cordelia
grinned and nodded to Gabrielle, who cut the assassin’s bonds with a
knife. The loud-mouthed assassin seemed
puzzled at why he’d been released. Then
he glared at St. Wolf. “You let women do
your fighting for you? Your lack of
respect for your own women astounds even me!
Well, do not expect me to show her any more respect than you, infidel. Watch as I teach this whore a lesson in
humility.” He carefully moved forward
and suddenly threw a punch at Cordelia’s face; however, Cordelia seemingly
melted to the side to avoid the blow which sent his fist harmlessly over her
shoulder. Now, close to his body, the
tall brunette beauty landed several devastating punches into his stomach and
upper groin, causing him to grunt and stumble from her blows. Then like a mongoose sizing up her prey, Cordelia
stared at him and waited for his next move.
He growled at her then charged and was surprised when he was thrown so
hard, his back bounced twice before he was laid out flat on the floor.
“What
happened?” he croaked.
“The
woman beat you down,” the other assassin whispered hoarsely.
“That
is not possible.”
“It
is when you fight an Amazon,” Gabrielle said to the pair in fluent Arabic.
They
both studied her for several beats before the quiet assassin muttered, “That is
impossible. The Amazon race died out
over two thousand years ago. Their last
queen, Gabrielle, disbanded the tribes herself.” He then stared at the lovely, doe-eyed woman
and suddenly recalled several images he’d seen at an archeological dig several
years ago. “It…it can’t be. It is not possible! Y-you would have to be over two thousand
years old!”
“Yousef?! What are
you saying?” Loud-mouth demanded.
Yousef
continued to watch her as if he’d seen a ghost.
“S-she is the last Queen of the Amazons!
I don’t know how, but she’s alive!”
“Fool! You’ve been tricked by these infidels. She’s no queen and I’ll prove it to you.” Then the loud-mouthed assassin scrambled to his feet and launched an attack on Gabrielle. Before he could even land the first punch, she managed to kick him four times in the face and chest and sent him crashing to the hangar floor once again.
“I
hope you didn’t damage him too badly,” St. Wolf said. “We still need him to talk.”
“We’ll
never talk, no matter what you do to us!”
Yousef exclaimed with a fanatical gleam in his eye.
St.
Wolf simply smiled a wicked smile at him and said, “Jenny, are you ready?”
Jenny
looked up from her work and said, “We’re ready.”
The
two assassins were dragged forward by several knights and tied down in a
mystical circle. After the knights
stepped away from the terrorists, Jenny cast a spell and both men gasped as a
demon appeared inside the circle with them.
The
demon peered at the pair and opened its mouth to reveal three rows of razor
sharp teeth. The assassins screamed in
fear as the demon moved toward them. The
men screamed even louder as the demon licked their exposed skin. Jenny then tapped her staff on the floor and
the demon looked at her and asked in a high pitched voice, “Are they treats for me?”
“Only
if they lie or refuse to answer any of our questions,” Jenny instructed.
The
demon turned back to the pair and pleaded salaciously, “Please, please lie!”
The
assassins stared at the demon in abject terror, their voices hoarse from their prior
screams. Yousef whipped his head
side-to-side, frightened out of his mind.
“W-what is the infernal thing saying?
What does it want?”
“It’s
simple, really,” St. Wolf explained.
“We’re going to question you. If
you lie or refuse to answer during that questioning, our little friend here
will take a bite out of you.”
“You
are truly the devil that Corvo said you were!” Loud-mouth angrily said.
“Yeah…ain’t
I, though!” St. Wolf drawled. “Where are
the Armaris being held?”
“They
are being held in an oil refinery north and west of the town of
“How
many men does he have?”
“Two hundred.”
“Do
you know the patrol patterns for the guards?”
“No. ARRRGGGGHHHH!”
Yousef screamed out as the demon took a bite out of him.
“Again. Do you know
the patrol patterns?”
“I
won’t tell you,” Yousef said through gritted teeth as the demon bit down again,
causing him to scream even louder this time.
Panting now, Yousef was weeping like a baby. “No!
Please, no more. The guards
patrol in three perimeters. Their schedules
are changed daily by Corvo or his security chief.”
St.
Wolf nearly laughed out loud as the demon turned and gave him a disappointed
look on its ugly face. “When is Corvo
set to release the plague?”
“In
60 hours,” Loud-mouth said quickly.
Steve
stared at Yousef before he asked him the same question. “Is the plague going to be released in less
than 60 hours?”
Yousef
remained quiet and the demon began to gnaw on him. After the third bite, Yousef screamed out,
“YES! Corvo plans on releasing the
plague in less than 36 hours.” The demon
finally stopped biting and Yousef slumped in his bonds.
“How
is he going to do it?”
Yousef
stared at the demon’s blood soaked mouth and shuddered. “He shall send our brave warriors. They will release the plague in various
airports in
“One
more question. Is there a cure?”
“Only
Corvo has it. He will give it to us when
the time is right.”
St.
Wolf shot a disgusted look at both men. “Gods above, how can you be so stupid?” The two assassins looked dumbly at him. “Corvo plans to kill everyone! This bastard’s got to die! I have enough Jenny, send our little friend
away.” Jenny nodded, quickly uttered an
incantation, and the demon disappeared with a wail. Yousef and his companion then looked at their
appendages in wonder as their flesh healed right before their very eyes. St. Wolf grinned at them. “The mind creates a person’s own most
effective torture,” he said. As the pair
stared dumbly at their intact limbs, Steve turned to Marc. “Marc, have the Knights meet us near the
Libyan border in
“It
shall be done,” Marc said as he pulled out his communicator and began to give his
subordinates orders.
Steve
then drew his cell phone and hit a speed dial button.
The
phone rang twice and was quickly answered by Captain John Randall, LAPD Major
Cases Unit. “Randall here; this had
better be important.”
“Hello,
John. It’s St. Wolf. Got a minute?”
*****
Randall
froze where he stood. < It hasn’t even been two fricking weeks! Doesn’t this guy ever take a vacation? >
“What can I do for you?”
“I
need a favor. I’m holding two men wanted
by the Israelis. I need you to turn them
over to the proper authorities. Can you
handle it?”
“Who
are they?”
“They’re
members of the terrorist group known as the Swords of Allah.”
John
gulped then quietly asked, “What did they do to get your attention?” <
Please don’t let it be another demon. >
Steve
gave him a run down on what the Swords of Allah were planning. “I’m leaving to take care of the situation in
<
At least it’s not another demon. But it
just as well could be. > “I’ll have the Rangers at your place in two hours.”
“Actually,
why don’t you send the Rangers tomorrow. I want these two kept under tight security
until we hit their base.”
“You’ve
got it. Oh, and Steve…good
luck and good hunting.”
“Thanks,
John. I’ll see you when we get
back.”
After
he hung up the telephone, Randall sat back in his chair, stared out the window
and silently offered a prayer. <God, let them succeed and stop this madness.
>
As
John gazed out his window, Tracy Vetter entered his office. “Are you ready for dinner, John?” She then noticed his slightly pale skin and asked,
“Are you all right?”
“I
just spoke with our friend, St. Wolf.”
“Is
something up?”
“Yes.
He’s taking care of it.” John said as he
turned back to the window and made a decision. < God, she’s so beautiful.
> “
“I
hope you’re not quitting?”
He
continued to stare out the window.
“No. But I’ve realized that I
shouldn’t put things off and that I should tell you that I love you.”
Stunned,
John,
misinterpreting her reaction, hung his head in defeat. <What have I
done? Have I ruined our friendship? >
Then
his thoughts were interrupted by
“Hell
if I know!” John quipped before he drew her to him for another tender salute.
*****
Steve
turned to his team and said, “Giles, you, Xander, Cordelia, Jenny, Amy and Oz
will guard these two at my place. Cody
and the Rangers will pick them up tomorrow.”
“Not
a problem. I’m sure that Cordy won’t
mind beating them senseless a few more times,” Xander said.
As
the two terrorists were being restrained, the operations manager entered the hangar
and reported, “The flight from
“Buffy, Mulder, Scully, Gabrielle, and Sonja, mount up!” St. Wolf barked. “Our ride’s ready.”
Just before Buffy turned to leave, Giles took three long strides to stand in front of his Slayer. “Buffy, if your mother calls home from her buying trip, I’ll be sure to let her know what’s happened. Oh, and, please do be careful and return home soon. I simply couldn’t stand the enjoyment I’d have in my life if, for some reason, you aren’t around to tease me unmercifully about my ‘tweed-fetish.’”
She graced him with a watery smile, stole his heart away for the hundredth time, and launched herself into his waiting arms. “I’ll miss you, too,” she murmured into his chest. Then after several blissful moments, she reluctantly pulled herself away from the comfort of his arms and drawled, “See, you could’ve said what I said without all the big words!”
He flashed a glimpse of a smile meant only for her. “Well, as you’re so fond to note on numerous occasions, I can’t help myself. I’m British, after all.”
With
that, she smiled brightly, turned away, and rushed after the other Immortals.
*****
“Is
he available?” Gordon asked his
assistant, Dimitri, over his communicator.
“Yes. Where do you want him?”
“Have
him appear at my coordinates.” Then
before Gordon finished his sentence, a man appeared virtually out of nowhere
right beside him, wearing dark brown clothing with an oversized hat, leaving only
his icy blue eyes to show to the world.
Gordon turned to the man and said, “J.P. I know this is short notice,
but I would like you to go on this mission with these people.”
“Fine,
as long as I can kill something evil,” J.P. said with a hollow, raspy voice.
Gordon
gulped deeply then asked politely, “Do you have any questions?”
“Who
are they?”
“The
people you’ll be working with are from a group called Section Seven. They’re a lot like the Bureau.”
“Not
them. I couldn’t care less about them. Who am I going to kill?”
Horace
shuddered and said, “A terrorist group called the Swords of Allah.”
“Why?”
“It
plans on releasing an engineered plague that’ll wipe out most of humanity. That group must be stopped at any and all costs.”
“Fine,”
J.P. muttered then turned and left a trembling Gordon in his wake. He strode toward the waiting jet and crossed
paths with Sonja and Gabrielle. “Still
hanging around together I see.”
Both
women were startled by the man who was able to approach them without their
noticing his presence. “What in the hell
are you doing here!?” Sonja asked with a hint of mock annoyance in her voice
while Gabrielle simply stared at him, too unsettled to say anything.
J.P.
shot a thumb back at Gordon in response.
“I work for him and his Bureau.
Got to tell you, though, it’s nice to see the two of you still doing
some good in the world.”
At
that moment, St. Wolf noticed the stranger, walked up behind him and asked,
“Who are you and what are you doing here?”
J.P. turned and glared at the young Immortal.
St. Wolf simply glared back at the other man.
Gordon watched
the staring match in amazement. < Well,
I’ll be damned. St. Wolf’s not frightened
of J.P.! That poor, dumb bastard! >
Finally,
J.P. broke the impasse. “I work for
Gordon. He called. I came.
He wants me to help you on this mission,” J.P. said as a tiny smile tugged
at the corner of his mouth. < Punk has balls. This could be fun, ramming them down his
throat. >
Steve
turned to Gordon. “Horace, I don’t want
one of your agents on this mission. If
he becomes exposed to the disease, he could die.”
“J.P.’s an Immortal,” Gordon said.
Steve raised
his left eyebrow at that.
“It’s
true, St. Wolf,” Sonja said. “I’ve known
this ‘man’ for close to fifteen thousand years.
He never could turn down a good fight.”
Steve
sighed and relented. “Oh well, the more
the merrier.” Then he picked up his bag
and headed toward the door of the waiting airplane. Once there, he turned around and announced, “Well,
what are you all waiting for, an engraved invitation?”
J.P.
chuckled softly and said, “This mission actually might not manage to suck.”
“Now
I’ve seen everything,” Gordon muttered. “J.P. Withers actually laughed.” Then he turned to Merlin and asked, “Do you
think the world’s coming to an end?”
“Not
if that bunch has anything to say about it.”
*****
Once
onboard, St. Wolf addressed the pilot when he’d come aft to greet his
passengers. “Captain Matthews, what’s
our itinerary?”
“Sir,
our trip should take approximately six hours at Mach 1.7. We should reach the target area by 0800 local
time.”
“Are
the chutes loaded?”
“Yes, sir. We have
twenty chutes ready for you and your people.
May I ask what the mission is?”
“We’ll
go over it in the air, Captain,” St. Wolf said.
As the pilot returned to the cockpit, St. Wolf saw a grinning
“I
couldn’t resist after all the fun we had at your last party,” the dark haired
Scotsman said. “Allow me introduce you
to Henry Stamos. He’s the man that you asked
to join us.”
Steve
reached out and shook Stamos’ hand. “I’m
glad that you agreed to accompany us, Doctor.
I’ve heard about your work in fighting the AIDS virus.”
“The
pleasure is mine, Mr. St. Wolf. When
“We’ll
stop them, Doctor. I can practically
guarantee it.”
“Practically?”
“There
are no certain guarantees in life, Doctor,” the Wanderer said. “We can only hope to stack the deck in our
favor, the best we can.”
“How
well did you stack this deck?” .
“A
dozen aces, several hundred Jacks and six wild cards.”
“A
well-stacked deck indeed,” Stamos observed.
*****
Methos
studied St. Wolf while the younger man greeted the Highlander and Stamos. <
*****
J.P.
Withers’ gaze wandered among the crowd until he spied a youthful-looking blonde
girl with a pug nose and petite, yet attractive build who caused his heart to skip
several beats. < What the hell? Where
do I know her from? > Then he shrugged his shoulders and mused that he’d
recall who she might be, sooner or later.
Moments later, he saw another face, one who he immediately placed. < Why, even Death’s at this little
party. Damn, but I’m glad I didn’t kill
him 2,500 years ago. >J.P. picked up his pack, strolled down the aisle, and stood
in front of a young man seated next to his former prey. “Move, son. Your friend and I need to have a little chat.”
Justin
glared up at the man, but Methos’ hand on his shoulder stopped the young man’s
retort. “Justin, find another seat. Aderron and I need to talk.”
“You
know this guy?” Justin asked.
“We’re old…friends, very old friends.”
Justin grumbled,
stood up, and found a seat next to Richie.
Then
J.P. sat down and grinned. “Glad to see
you’ve learned your lesson, Methos.”
“What
are you doing here?” Methos demanded.
J.P.
removed a cigarette from his coat pocket, lit it by puffing on it then took it from
his mouth and exhaled a smoke ring. “Just lending a hand.
I work for your sister agency, Bureau 13.”
“Sister
agency? Who in
the hell do you think I work for?”
“Section
Seven, of course. My boss Horace Gordon
confirmed it.” Then J.P. pointed at St.
Wolf. “That guy runs the show. Merlin confirmed it, too.”
“Damnit! What in the
hell have those boy and girl scouts done to me now?”
J.P.
chuckled wickedly. “So, you got dragged
into this little mission by your friends?”
“No.”
Methos snapped as he held his aching head in both hands. “I was actually dumb enough to volunteer for
it.” He shook his head resignedly and
muttered, “I simply must get away from these people.”
“Why,
Methos! I do believe you’ve actually dredged
up a sense of responsibility. Hell must
have truly frozen over.”
“Oh,
don’t hand me that sanctimonious crap, old man.
I’m in a foul mood.”
“Like I care! It seems you’ve also managed to develop a sense of humor over the years, too,” J.P. drawled as he leaned his seat back and waited for the plane to depart.
After screwing up his courage, Methos chanced a glance at the ancient immortal and shuddered. < I don’t believe he’s actually here! What could we face that would require the help of this ancient demon hunter? >
It was that
thought which truly frightened Methos more than the presence of the ‘man’ who
sat beside him.
Part 7 - A Dark Night in the Desert
(The Hand of
July 21st
Chad/Libyan Border
From
his position on the dune, Lieutenant Pierre La Croix spied on the Chad/Libyan
border through his light intensifying binoculars. He whistled lowly at the sight of the black-clad
men and women who gathered in the valley below and muttered, “Whoever they are,
there are a lot of them.” Then he said
to his radio operator who stood behind him, “Tony, radio headquarters for me.”
“Sir…”
the radioman whispered ominously.
La
Croix turned to his radioman and asked, “Yes, Tony?” Then, all was forgotten when he saw two dozen
men and women dressed in the same black armor as the people in the valley below. They had surrounded his entire squad and
gotten the drop on his men. He managed
to ask, “What the hell is going on here?” just before several of the dark clad
people grabbed him, professionally searched his person, and stripped him of his
weapons. He glared at the largest man dressed
in black, a seven foot tall giant, who
“That
is none of your affair, Leftenant,” a sultry British voice crisply said from
the side.
Knight
Captain Jordan Smythe regarded him coolly.
“Forgive me, Leftenant; I’m afraid I must insist that you and your men must
be kept incommunicado for the next thirty-six hours. That is all I can say at the moment.”
“And
what happens after that?”
“You
shall be released and go home if everything goes as planned.”
“And
if it doesn’t ‘go as planned’?”
“Then
we shall die and you shall die with us,”
When
they entered the camp proper,
Sanchez
smiled at
When
they were alone,
“Very
little, sir,” Sergeant-Chef Brisby said.
“They took everything we had.
Hell, sir, they even took Rico’s weighted belt. These blokes are real pros.”
“Sit
tight and wait for the Jaguar to bail us out.
If these people have been monitoring us, chances are they missed the
thirty minute beep we have to transmit.”
Brisby
smiled mischievously at him. “I’d wager
you probably don’t think that anymore now, do you, sir?”
“Not
in the least. Now, what do we do when
the rest of the First DREP attacks?”
“We lie low, sir.” Brisby said.
*****
While
Sanchez inspected the perimeter,
Sanchez
sighed. “Then use any non-lethal method
at your disposal. Those men are
innocents; we don’t want them injured in any way, shape, or form.”
“Innocents? They’re
Legionnaires for God’s sakes! The only innocent
in that group seems to be their Leftenant.”
“Do
I sense something other than your usual cool detachment, Captain?” Sanchez teased.
“They
are a competent bunch,” Sanchez said evenly.
“If the mission goes well, perhaps we should make an offer to them.”
“And
if it doesn’t go well?”
“Then
we’ll bury them with honors.”
Part
8 - Road Trips
(You Know, Bob and
Bing Traveled on the Road to
Well, This Ain’t It)
July 21st
Somewhere over the
For
the hundredth time during the past hour, St. Wolf studied the young face of his
mate as she slept beside him. Then he
squeezed his eyes shut in frustration, shook his head and cursed himself for
failing to be strong enough to keep her from losing the last shred of innocence
she had left.
*****
*****
In
another section of the passenger section, Miss Parker turned from viewing the
twilight through her window to talk to the man seated beside her. “Jarod,” Andrea whispered, “what do you think of this mission?”
“If
we don’t stop these terrorists, they’ll unleash a disaster of global
proportions.”
Andrea
nodded solemnly then asked, “Does this work help you make up for what the
Centre did with your simulations?”
Jarod squeezed her hand warmly and looked deeply into her eyes. “In some small way, I suppose.” Then he hesitated for a moment, seeming to want to say something, yet he held back.
“Jarod…what?”
He regarded her shyly. “I-it’s nothing…really.”
Mildly exasperated, she gently gripped his jaw with her long fingers. “Tell me,” she said with a loving smile.
Finding his
courage, he whispered, “All right. This
may sound strange, Andrea. B-but I’m glad
you’re here…with me.”
Andrea
laid her head on his shoulder and chuckled.
“Funny, but that’s exactly what I was going to say about you.”
*****
Sonja
leaned over and said quietly to Gabrielle, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Gabrielle
sighed resignedly. “That’s what you
always say every time we face impossible odds and certain death.”
“This
time, it’s not about you and me, honey.
It’s about Buffy. I don’t think
she’s ready for this. Hell, if you and I
hadn’t have experienced all that we’ve been through, I wouldn’t want to expose
YOU to this, either. Killing something
that has no connection to humanity is one thing, but killing someone who’s
somebody’s child, father, or brother…” Instead of finishing her thought,
Sonja’s words simply faded away.
Gabrielle
stared deeply into her lover’s eyes. “Sweetie,
you know I prefer peaceful solutions, but, at times, I have come to accept that
taking a life may be justified to protect the lives of the innocent.”
“Yes…I
know.”
Something
in the way Sonja had said those three little words, made something inside
Gabrielle’s brain click into place. “Why
didn’t you let me be the one to take Hector’s head?”
The
Amazon Queen had seen this remarkable woman, the flame-haired love of her life,
fearlessly face demons and godlings in mortal combat on many occasions. Her bravery knew no bounds. Yet, Sonja’s fear, at that moment, was a
tangible thing that was so intense Gabrielle could almost taste it. “Sonja?”
“When
I lost my family, after I was raped…I became a killer. I deprived others of their lives, their
loved-ones, their reason for living.
Revenge drove me to become what had destroyed my life. For nearly twelve-thousand years, I was the
Angel of Death, a reaper of souls that killed at whim. There was no rhyme or reason to what I did,
Gabrielle.” Then Sonja smiled weakly at
the little blonde. “Then you came into
my life. It didn’t take me long to see
what Xena had seen in you, and every day, I thank Crom for you. You saved me, Gabrielle. You made me want to be a better person,
someone worthy of you. Before you, I was
only a warrior. Now, I-I’m a hero. I owe everything to you. And because of that…I cannot allow you to
lose your purity. I won’t let you kill
out of vengeance and risk becoming…hollow, a shell of yourself.” Then Sonja’s voice started to break as she
said, “They’d have to take my head first, before I’d let that happen. So please, honey, I would give you anything
except that one thi—”
Gabrielle didn’t give Sonja a chance to continue her babble. With tears in her
eyes, she cupped the redhead’s cheeks in her hands and drew Sonja to her for a
tender, soul-caressing kiss. Then when
oxygen became an issue, their lips parted and neither uttered a single
word. They simply studied each other’s
face, an exercise of which these primal lovers would never tire.
*****
Justin and Richie gawked brazenly at the mind-boggling kiss shared by the ancient bisexual lovers. “Wow,” Justin breathed, “that was so…so…”
“So smoking hot?!” Richie finished his friend’s observation for him.
“Yeah,” Justin
said with a goofy smile on his face.
“You know, the only thing that sucks about this is I really need to go
to the john but I don’t want to leave because I might miss something.”
Richie
nodded slowly as the two men continued to spy on the lovers who were lost in
their own little world. “Right there
with you, big guy…right there.”
Part
9 – Thanks for the Memories
(Hmmm…I
Detect Bob Hope’s Theme Song Rearing Its Ugly Head.)
For
the thousandth time since he answered the call from St. Wolf months ago, Methos
kicked himself. < I can’t believe
that I actually volunteered for this job.
What in the hell is wrong with me?
I was ‘Death’. I shouldn’t be
here with all of these boy and girl scouts.
I should be out there causing havoc, not preventing it. Damn you, Macleod! What in the hell have you done to me? >
“What’s
eating you, Methos?” J.P. asked from his
seat next to the ancient Immortal.
“Not
a god damn thing,” the Immortal groused.
J.P.
cracked a grin and muttered, “Oh…I see. You’re
angry at yourself for trying to make up for all of the shit that you pulled
when you were younger. Remember the
first time we met?”
Methos
nodded as his mind wandered back through the ages:
*****
Area that is now located in the
State of
August, 500 BC
He
came upon a large farm that was tucked inside a small valley below the forest. As he guided his horse down a rolling hill,
he saw six armed men standing below, waiting for him. When he was a hundred feet or so distant from
them, Methos calmly raised his empty right hand in the universal signal of
peace. At that, they appeared to relax
and lowered their arms as they waited for the lone traveler to come closer. Then he smiled as he considered how easy it
would be to kill them all.
When
he got within throwing range, he pulled out his two throwing axes that had been
tucked into his belt and hidden behind his back with both hands. Then he threw them and sent the axes spinning
through the air and into the chests of the two on either end of the group. As they went down, he drew his sword and attacked
the remaining four men. The first man he
simply gutted and left there to die with his intestines lying on the
ground. The second and third men got
their throats sliced with a single slash of his iron sword as they attempted to
draw their own swords. The fourth man,
however, leaped back from a blow that would have sliced open his chest and raised
his shield while he began his attack with his hand axe. As his opponent aimed a wild swing at the
Immortal, Methos grinned, stepped inside the man’s swing and tripped him,
causing the man to stumble over his leg and fall flat on his face. Then, Methos stabbed the fallen man in the
back, severing his vertebrae, and leaving the man paralyzed and dying.
After
he finished his dance of death, he turned his attention toward the simple farm
house and wondered if it had anything worth his trouble inside. Then he smiled warmly as he spied two young
girls looking at him in fear from a window of the house. < Oh yes. Now this has just become far more
interesting, > he thought.
*****
Aderron,
former Captain of the Imperial Guard of Atlantis, sought his prey through the
Another man brought up his axe and shield in response as he fearfully regarded the Atlantean. Aderron grinned and his sword was a blur as he cut apart the wooden shield and the arm that had held it. The rapist’s two other friends quickly moved apart and launched attacks against the stranger. He avoided a swing from the man on his right and snap kicked the man in the groin. As the injured man went down to his knees, he brought his foot back into a reverse sweep kick and took down the last unwounded man. Aderron then heard a twig snap and turned to the sound. He found the rapist trying to sneak up on him with his axe and responded by stabbing the man in the heart.
For several
moments, the man peered down at his chest.
Then he died with a look of wonder on his face. Aderron then turned to the three downed men
and killed them. Moments later, a sudden
noise made him spin around but all he found was a frightened, little girl. As Aderron slowly walked toward her, she
cringed from him. Uttering soothing sounds,
he reached out with his mind and began to comfort the frightened child.
After
a few minutes of this, the girl calmed down and asked, meekly, “Lord
Aderron? Is it really you?”
Aderron
squatted down and asked out loud, “How do you know me, young lass?”
“My
family met you at the last Festival. You
were speaking with the Jarl.” The girl said,
her legs barely holding her up. “Thank
you for saving me from those men.”
Aderron’s face grew wistful. “I once had a daughter. She looked a lot like you.”
The
girl nodded. “Could you help my
family? More of these men are at our
farm.”
“Where’re
you father and brothers, girl?”
The
girl looked over to the mountains. “They
went to the mountains to bring the animals back before the winter snows close
the passes.”
“Who
guarded your family while they’re gone?”
“My
grandfather,” the girl sobbed. “They hurt
him before they took over our farm. I
was in the field and ran. Those five men
followed me and hurt me.” The girl broke
down and began to sob uncontrollably.
Then Aderron took her into his arms and comforted her with a hug as he
mentally projected soothing thoughts into her mind.
Minutes
later, the girl settled down and whispered, “My lord, we have to go back and
save my sisters.”
Aderron
quietly nodded and followed the girl through the woods.
*****
Methos
took a close look at the two girls and found that’s exactly what they were, children.
< I’ve never raped children before; I won’t start now.> His eyes scanned the
farm and they spied the body of an old man on the ground near a lean-to. Methos strode over to the man and turned him
over. He found the old man was still
barely alive and when the old man looked up at him, Methos asked, “Is this your
farm, old man?”
“Aye,
my family works the land here. Who are
you and where are those bastards who shot me in the back?”
“They’re
dead, old man,” Methos said.
“Unfortunately, you’ll be dead soon as well.”
The
old man grinned at him. “Thank you…son,”
he said. “My family…is defenseless…will
you guard them until my son and his sons return?”
“Where’s
his wife?”
“She
died last winter.”
Methos
nodded. “My horse could use some rest.”
“Thank
you,” the old man said then died in Methos’s arms.
After
he closed the old man’s eyes, he noticed that the two girls watched him
warily. Methos stood up and said, “Find
me a shovel and show me where to put him.”
Both
girls nodded, headed off to a side building, and quickly brought back a wooden
shovel. He took the shovel from them and
grabbed an axe from the ground. Then he
followed both girls to a shady spot under an oak tree. He saw that there were two other mounds there
and began to dig to the right of the pair.
As the girls sat down nearby to watch, he began to dig.
*****
From
behind a grove of small trees, Aderron and the girl spied on the strange man who’d
begun to dig a hole by the oak tree. “Who
is that man? Why is he digging there?”
Aderron asked the young girl.
“My
mother and grandmother are buried under that oak tree,” the girl explained.
“Is he one of the men who attacked your farm?”
“No,
he’s dressed very differently from them.”
“Wait
here,” Aderron ordered and he moved stealthily to the other side of the
farm. He discovered the bodies of six dead
men in front of the main house and grinned.
Damn, he’s good, he thought. Then
he quietly returned to where the stranger was digging. As he approached, one of the girls who sat
near the digger yelled out and the stranger turned around, his sword held ready. Aderron held up his hand and called to his
little friend, “Come out girl! This man
appears to be a friend.” Then the girl came
out of some nearby bushes and raced toward her sisters.
Methos
glanced at the three girls then at the stranger. < That’s a damn fine sword
he has. I wonder if I can kill him for it? >
Aderron watched Methos closely. < Damn…the bastard’s actually trying to size me up. If he tries anything, it’ll be the last thing he ever does. > As Aderron finished his thought, Methos flashed a throwing axe from behind his back and flung it at Aderron. When it struck, the axe bit deeply into the Atlantean’s shoulder, causing Aderron to hiss.
However, when Aderron
calmly removed the axe and his shoulder healed instantaneously, Methos watched in
amazement. “What are you?!” Methos exclaimed as he raised his sword.
“Your death, whelp!” Aderron said. With that, Aderron attacked.
Methos attempted
to block the slash aimed at him, but Aderron’s sword powered through his
defenses and stabbed Methos in the heart.
Afterward, Methos fell to the ground, dead. The Atlantean just shook his head in disgust
and walked over to the three girls.
“What was he doing here?”
The
elder of the two girls pointed to the body of an old man. “He was going to bury
our grandpa.”
“Damn
him! Why the hell did he attack me?”
“Because
I want your sword,” a cold voice said from behind the Atlantean. Aderron turned and found Methos had risen
from the dead and now faced him with an axe in his hands. “What are you, old man? You’re no Immortal!”
“No,
but you are!” Aderron noted with a
bit of humor in his voice. “So tell me,
warrior, how exactly old are you?”
“I’ve
been around a long time, maybe two thousand years.”
Aderron
snorted at that. “Hah!” he barked. “You’re just a pup! Well, young fellow, allow me to introduce
myself. I am Aderron, former Captain of
the Guards to the Emperor of Atlantis.”
Methos
sullenly stared at the man as he dropped his axe down to his right side. “That’s impossible. Atlantis is just a myth, a child’s fable!”
Aderron
grinned and squatted on the ground. “Well,
to me, you are akin to a child, so while you’re digging, let me tell you my
story.”
Methos,
no longer wary about the man, dropped his weapon and picked up the shovel. Then, as he began to dig the old man’s grave,
the self-professed Atlantean said, “I was born in the city of
“At the age of
seventeen, I entered the
Then he grimaced. “One day, the Emperor ordered me to undertake
a mission to kill some evil sorcerers who called themselves the
“Soon
after that, my wife passed away of old age.
I went to the Emperor, not the same one mind you, but his grandson, and
asked to be allowed to leave his service.
He asked why and I told him that I didn’t want to see my family die
around me. The Emperor granted me
permission to leave his service. I left
Atlantis for the mainland a week later on a trading mission to travel the world
and try to forget all that I’d lost. Years
later, Atlantis was destroyed. I was in
a small fishing village then and I cried for my great-great grandchildren that
had stayed on the island when I left.
“Since
then, I’ve wandered the world. I have
known several other Immortals during that time, a red headed she-devil who
drove me to drink on many occasions and warmed my heart, Krevar, Methuselah,
others of your kind.”
“How
old are you?” Methos asked.
“Something
over fifteen thousand years old,” Aderron said.
“By
the gods, you are old! I’ve barely
reached two thousand and I feel the weight of the years on me. What do you do to keep from losing your mind?”
“I
live everyday one day at a time. I don’t
try to plan too far into the future, because if you do that, you’ll only live
for the future.”
“Good
advice, old man. Do you have any other
words of wisdom?”
“Yes,
learn to care about those around you.
Having friends, even if it is only for a brief time, will help the years
pass by quicker.”
Then
Methos grunted as he finished his task.
“Help me put the old man in so I can be done with it.” Aderron nodded and they picked up the old
man’s body and gently placed it inside the grave. When they had climbed from the grave, the
three girls stood together and uttered a small prayer to the gods while the two
strangers began to cover the body with dirt.
When they were finished, Methos turned to Aderron and asked, “I take it that
you’ll stay with the girls until their father comes home?”
“Yes,”
Aderron said simply.
“Good,
then I’ll take my leave of you, old man.
When next we meet, may we meet as friends.”
“Good travels to you as well, Methos. Don’t lose your head if you can help it.” With that, Methos untied his horse from a nearby fence rail, mounted his steed, and left without looking back.
As Methos
disappeared into the rising mists, Aderron quietly considered the decision he’d
made. < Perhaps I should have killed
you the moment that I saw you Death. But
the kindness you showed these children brought you a reprieve. Live your life in peace, Methos. But if you ride again, I will kill you and
the other horsemen. >
*****
“Would either of you care for a drink?”
The flight attendant’s voice shook the two men from their discussion of times long past. “Yes, a glass of merlot, please,” Methos said.
“Nothing for me, young lady. Thanks, anyway.”
When
she left to retrieve Methos’s drink, he asked, “What happened when the father
and sons came home?”
“The
girls explained what had happened and the father provided me with room and
board for a week after that. Then I took
my leave of them.”
“How
did you explain our Immortality to the girls?”
“I
told them that we were warriors chosen by the gods to protect the
innocent.”
Methos
chuckled ruefully. “Did they believe you?”
“Of
course, they did! They saw us both
recover from death wounds like they were nothing. Besides, it fit their religious beliefs. They hoped that their grandfather would also
be chosen.”
“What
did their father say about the pack of lies that you told the girls?”
“He
never found out while I was there. I
swore the girls to secrecy,” J.P. said with a grin.
“You
are one sneaky son of a bitch, Aderron.”
“Thank
you,” J.P. said as he put out his cigarette and pulled the brim of his hat down
to shield his eyes from the cabin light.
“I
hope they were able to have a decent life,” Methos muttered.
J.P.
burrowed down into his seat and tried to hide the grin on his face. < My how you have changed, Death. It’s good to know that even you are capable
of change. >
Part
10 - Visitors
(How Come My Teachers
Weren’t as Hot as a Certain Technopagan?)
July 22nd
Jack
Ryan removed his sunglasses, placed them in his suit jacket’s breast pocket,
glanced at his three companions, and asked, “Are you ready to meet an old
friend?”
“Yeah,
well, I’m going to tear him a new one for not telling us he was alive,” Colonel
Franklin groused as he pulled his lanky frame from the front passenger seat of
their rental car.
“You’ll
do no such thing, Bull,” Ryan ordered.
“I have a few questions to ask him about this group he’s working
with. After that, then, you can rip him
a new one.”
“Good.” Colonel Franklin said as he knocked on the
front door. However, when the door
opened, instead of finding their old comrade on the other side, they were
blessed with the vision of a lovely young woman. She wore a short skirt that flattered her
long, taut legs. She appeared to be a
little more than five and a half feet tall, fit and trim, with a dark, sensual
look that warred with the keen intellect he saw in her eyes. It was at that moment, a line from a Donald
Fagen song a few years back popped into Ryan’s mind: a beautiful survivor with dancer’s legs and laughing eyes.
“May
I help you?” she asked.
“I’d
like to speak with Steven St. Wolf. Is
he home?” Ryan asked.
She
froze for a second and stared at Ryan.
Then she regained her composure and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Ryan, but
Steve is out of town. Would you care to
leave a message for him?”
Jack
blinked twice at her. “You know who I
am?”
“Steve’s
told us about you, sir. If you’d wait
right here I’ll get a pad and pen for you.”
Ryan
was a bit suspicious about this well-informed young woman and decided to even
the playing field. Pouring on the charm,
he gave her his most disarming smile. “Before
you go, it seems you have me at a disadvantage.
What exactly is your connection to Steve?”
“I’m
just a friend.”
“Are
you a close friend?” he asked. If so,
Ryan wished he had more friends who looked like St. Wolf’s.
“Close
enough, Mr. Ryan,” she drawled
Slightly
taken aback by her evasion, he asked, “Is there any way for me to contact him?”
She
hesitated for a moment then said, “I’m afraid not, sir.”
“May
I use the phone in Steve’s office?”
“All
right, please follow me,” she said and allowed Jack and his three friends to enter
the house.
While
Ryan struggled not to study the sway of her “snake hips” and cursed the fact he
couldn’t get the words of Fagen’s song out of his mind, he pretended to notice
the home’s décor. “Steve certainly has a
good eye for decoration.”
“Not
really, Mr. Ryan,” she said smugly. “He
had help.”
As
they entered the home’s great room, Bull noticed all of the picture frames on
the mantel. He crossed the plush oriental rug and picked up one of the photographs. It had a picture of St. Wolf sitting on a
swing kissing a very youthful-looking blonde girl blessed with the classic
looks of a
“She’s
another friend of his.”
Bull
showed her the photo and said, “This girl can’t be a day over eighteen, if that. Is he dating her?”
Bull
actually gulped when he saw the fire in the woman’s eyes. "That's between the two of them! Just because you’re business associates of
his, doesn’t give you the right to ask personal questions about my friends!"
she angrily scolded. Then she turned
back to Ryan, apparently unaware that Bull had started toward her, and said, “Mr.
Ryan, if you’d wait here a moment…”
When
Bull stalked toward the woman to give her a piece of his mind, the sound of several
safeties being released filled the room.
Suddenly, all four men found themselves painted by laser sights. Each of them froze as the woman whirled on
the source of the deadly light show and exploded. “Damn it!
He wasn’t going to do anything to me!
I had the situation under control!”
“Sorry,
Jenny, but we couldn’t let him get his hands on you,” Lieutenant Cody Rodgers of
the Los Angeles Police Department said as he stepped out of a doorway. Then the rest of his Rangers followed suit as
they continued to cover Ryan and his three companions.
Ryan,
although stunned, quickly gathered his wits about him. He turned to the young lady that the SWAT
leader had called ‘Jenny’ and asked, “Care to tell us what’s going on here?”
“Let me make a phone call first,” she said and strode down the hallway.
****
Jenny
walked into St. Wolf’s office where Xander held the two terrorists. “Xander, take those two out of here and leave
them with Cody and his team in the great room.”
Xander nodded and ordered both men to their feet. Then he led them out while Jenny began to
place a telephone call. Meanwhile, two
of the Rangers quickly fell in behind Xander and escorted the prisoners to a
seat on the couch.
*****
Jack
studied the faces of the two men and asked, “Who are they?”
“They’re
just your average, run-of-the-mill terrorists,” a young man with brunette hair
said. “The Rangers were going to escort
them to LA for arraignment. But you
kinda put the kibosh on that plan.”
“Corvo
will kill you all for this,” Loud mouth said.
Jack
stared at the pair and asked, in a hushed voice, “You’re members of the Swords
of Allah?”
The
men glared back at him and said nothing while the young man chuckled
ruefully. “You still think that Corvo
has a chance of completing his plan?”
Loud
mouth said, “Corvo is the greatest leader in the whole world. He will not fail.”
*****
Jenny
studied the card that Horace Gordon had given them earlier that day and dialed
the phone number listed on it. After the
first ring, someone picked up the receiver.
“What can we do for you, Ms. Calendar?” a voice asked.
“Is
Mr. Gordon there?”
Jenny
heard the click as the call was transferred.
“Hello, this is Gordon.”
“Mr.
Gordon, Jenny Calendar here. Jack Ryan
walked in just as we were getting the prisoners ready for transfer to the
LAPD. I can’t reach Steve at this
time. Do you have any advice on how to
deal with Mr. Ryan?”
“Ryan’s a straight shooter. Tell him everything and he’ll help. If you need any backup, call back.”
“Will do, Mr. Gordon. Thanks.”
“Any time, Ms. Calendar, and I mean that. Goodbye,” he said then hung up the telephone.
Jenny hung up the
phone and walked out of the office. Moments
later, she found Ryan and his three companions staring at the two terrorists.
Ryan,
clearly not amused, asked her, “What’s going on here?”
“Just
a moment, Mr. Ryan,” Jenny said then turned to Cody. “Please take those two out into the garage
and detail several of your people to guard them.”
Rodgers
nodded and turned to his people. “Rodriguez,
Thompson, Jones, take them.” The two
terrorists were then hustled out of the room by the three SWAT troopers.
After
the terrorists were gone, Jenny sat down in a nearby easy chair across from
Ryan and said, “Those two men were sent by the Swords of Allah to kill a young
woman name Karen Armari. Her father,
Benjamin Armari, and the rest of his family were kidnapped by the Swords of
Allah.”
“Ben
Armari? The Nobel
laureate virologist? Dear
God!! Do you realize what that means?”
“Yes,”
Jenny said. Then she gave him a complete
rundown on St. Wolf’s mission.
Ryan
simply stared dumbly at her for several moments. Then he asked, “I take it that you and everybody
here works for Section Seven?”
“Not
all of us. The SWAT team is LAPD. They’re here to take those two to jail to
stand trial for their crimes.”
“Who
runs Section Seven?” Jack asked.
Her
eyes twinkled with good humor as she said, “I’m afraid that information is
classified, Mr. Ryan.”
Although
he should have been extremely annoyed at her, he couldn’t help but be disarmed
by her beauty and charm. “Jenny, if
that’s your real name, no more games, all right? Your group doesn’t legally exist. As far as the US Government is concerned you
could be classified as terrorists yourselves.”
“I suppose we could test that theory…Jack,” Jenny said with a sly smile.
Ryan kind of liked the way she said his Christian name.
“Who’s
the leader of your group?” Bull asked.
Jenny
glared at Bull and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I’m afraid that’s none of your business, Mister...?”
“I’m
Lt. Colonel John Franklin of the 82nd Airborne, the
two men with me are Major Ritter and Sergeant Sanchez of the 5th Special Forces
Group. The man you call Steven St. Wolf
served with us in the Army.”
“When
he served with you, you knew him as
“Yeah. We’re here to
make sure that he’s all right,” Major Ritter said.
Jenny
grinned at the major. “He’s doing all
right, sir. You have absolutely nothing
to worry about.”
“Pardon
me, ma’am, but our experience with groups like yours is that they tend to abuse
their people and not take care of them,” Ritter said.
“Not
this group, Major. We take care of our
own,” she said evenly. “We’re like family
to one another here.”
“That’s
all well and good, Jenny, but you’re still members of an illegal agency,” Ryan said.
“Like
anyone here cares about that,” Cody Rodgers said with a smirk as the rest of
his team laughed.
Jack
turned to the SWAT officer and asked, “Why are you here, Lieutenant?”
“St.
Wolf called my superior and gave him a rundown on what was going on and asked
that we take those two off his hands.
They’ll be read their rights and held.
The Israelis have been contacted and they’ve demanded extradition for
those two. Captain Randall is handling
that end of the matter with the district attorney.”
“State
is going to have a field day with this one,” Ryan muttered. Then he glanced at Jenny and asked, “One more
thing.”
“Yes?”
“Are
vampires real?” Ryan asked and grimaced as nearly everyone in the room started
to laugh. “Well?”
“They’re
real. May I ask how you know about
them?”
“You
people rescued one of my men when you raided an abandoned supermarket.” Bull said.
“When he reported for duty, he saw a picture of Cherokee hanging on the
wall in my office. He told me he saw
Cherokee alive and well, so I called
Ryan
took up the thread from there. “You
could imagine my surprise when I found out that one, no, make that two, of my
best operatives were working with a covert operations group that I had never
heard of before. So I ran some
background checks and made some arrangements, cleared up a few matters, and
decided to come and visit my old friend Steven St. Wolf for some answers.”
“Exactly
what sort of arrangements did you make, Jack?” Jenny asked.
“Well,
Jenny, did you know that
To her credit,
she didn’t react to the information at all.
However, the SWAT troopers tensed up.
“Who
did he kill?” Rodgers asked.
“He
killed the six men responsible for the rape and murder of his wife, Katherine,”
Bull said. “He let the cops have them,
but the bastards fixed the trial and they walked. Then Cherokee tracked them down and killed
them all. After that, he disappeared
without a trace. The last that we heard of
him was that he supposedly died saving a group of kids from a nutcase armed
with an AK-47. However, his body
disappeared from the morgue so we couldn’t be sure he really was dead.”
“Were
those men wanted for anything else?” Sergeant Bob Devlin of the LAPD asked.
“The Texas Rangers were able to track them and pin at least another dozen rape/murders on the group,” Ritter said.
When they heard
that, the troopers relaxed.
“Recently,
I contacted Governor Bush and convinced him to pardon Carson Jamieson,” Ryan said.
“Really,
Jack?” Jenny asked. “Why would you do
that for a dead man?”
“Steve
has done a lot of good for this country.
As far as I’m concerned, he’s more than repaid his debt to society, and
we all owe him a debt of gratitude. The
other reason was because of this.” Then
Ryan took out a small case and opened it.
“Is
that what I think it is?” Rodgers asked in a hushed voice, tinged with respect
and awe.
“It
is. Carson Jamieson was nominated for
the Medal of Honor for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. He deserved this and I wanted him to have
it.”
Part
11 - Old Friends
(Old
Friends Are Always There for You)
July 22nd - 01:30 PST - 11:30 - Local Time
Somewhere over the Chad/Libyan
border
St. Wolf studied the sand dunes that stretched to the horizon. To him, it looked like hell.
He didn’t want
to be here, particularly with her by his side because before the day was out,
he was afraid she would truly be horrified by what he would become to get the
job done. In reality, though, he was
terrified that she would want nothing to do with any of it, including him.
Then he chanced a glimpse at her and caught her eye. She beamed one of her thousand watt smiles at him and stole his breath away once again. Then he felt cold inside because he hoped she’d be able to smile at him like that when they returned to Sunnydale after this mission.
Then they heard
the intercom switch on and the captain spoke.
“This is your pilot speaking. We’re
thirty minutes from the drop point.
Everyone get ready.”
“Drop?” Buffy asked. “Did the Captain say drop?”
Steve grinned at her.
“He means out
of a perfectly good airplane? How
exactly am I supposed to do that? I’ve
never done it before,” she babbled.
“Buffy,
we’ll do this the proper way. I’ll help
you into your chute and then I’ll teach you everything you need to know about sky
diving.”
“And
you’re going to teach me this in the next thirty minutes?”
“Sure,”
Steve said with a goofy smile on his face.
“What
exactly are you going to teach me?”
“I’ll
teach you the locations of your main chute and auxiliary chute releases.”
“Is
that all?”
“Well,
no. There is the final lesson.”
“And
that is?”
“We throw you out of the plane and see if you land on your head,” Steve said with a straight face.
Buffy’s face turned beet red as the rest of her friends shared in his joke. Then she narrowed her eyes at him and pouted. “Oh, you are such a bastard!”
****
Steve
laughed at her pout and said, “Don’t worry, Buffy, you’re going down with me.”
“Hmm…somehow,
the way you just said that kind of sounds a little naughty,” she said with a
saucy look on her face. “Care to fill in
the blanks for me?” she asked as Steve began to strap the chute on her body.
“I’m
going to tie us together and we’ll jump out of the plane at the same time.”
Buffy
grinned. She certainly liked the sound
of that and thought it had a lot of possibilities. “So,” she drawled, “are we
going to be tied together face to face or what?”
“Actually,
we’re going to be facing the same direction,” Steve said with a wicked gleam in
his eye.
“Oh?”
Buffy said as Steve’s hands lingered over certain tantalizing parts of her body
as he adjusted her harness. “You know,
if you continue to touch me like that, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Steve
simply chuckled and said, “You’re all set!
Now, I’m going to tie you to me and we’ll jump together.”
“How are you going to do that?” Buffy asked as she turned around and felt him tighten her harness and strapped them both together.
“There. If I pull it any tighter, we’ll bump together
the whole way down.”
With her bottom
firmly pressed against her new lover’s crotch, she swiveled her head around and
pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth.
“Let’s
do this, so when it’s over, I can have my wicked way with you.”
He
grinned at that. “Okay, it’s a date!”
*****
J.P.
glared at the young couple and wondered why he suddenly felt like hitting the
boy. Then he shrugged and tried to shake
it off as a case of the boy reminding him of someone long forgotten that he’d
hated a long time ago.
*****
Mulder
and Scully finished checking each other’s straps and grinned at Steve’s and
Buffy’s antics. “Were we ever like
that?”
“Once, maybe. Not so
much now, but we still have our moments,” Scully observed. “I’m glad it didn’t take them five years to find
each other.”
“True
but I wouldn’t trade any of that time I spent getting to know you for anything
in the world,” Mulder said in a low whisper as he nuzzled her throat while she
reached up to gently and lovingly caress his face.
*****
Methos,
finally tired of watching several of the couples become intimate, said loudly, “Will
you people stop it already!? This damn
love-fest is a little much, don’t you think?”
“Shut
up, old man,” a grinning Amanda said.
“We’re just wishing each other luck.”
“The
battle’s not until tonight,” Richie said.
“When
you’re jumping out of an airplane, you need all the luck you can get,” Andrea said.
Methos
grew sullen as he prepared his chute. “Gods
preserve me from hormonally charged youngsters.”
J.P.
chuckled at Methos’ discomfort and said, “Just because you haven’t found anyone
for yourself, doesn’t mean that you won’t.”
Methos
regarded him with suspicion. “You’re not
trying to set me up with a friend of yours by chance?”
“Methos,
I wouldn’t set up my worst enemy with you.”
“Glad
to hear it, old man.”
*****
Captain
Matthews looked over his shoulder and saw the Wanderer strap himself to the
young lady. < So the high and mighty
Wanderer has a girlfriend. It’s good to
see him loosening up and not be such a morose SOB. > “Drop in five minutes,
people,” he said to his passengers. Then
he turned to his co-pilot. “Tony, you’re
the jump master, give everyone a final check.”
Tony nodded and headed for the main cabin.
Moments
later, Tony checked everyone’s chute.
Then he walked to the rear of the plane and strapped on a safety
harness. After he checked his harness,
he lowered the rear ramp. As the wind
whipped around him, Tony announced, “Mr. St. Wolf, we’re ready to drop you in
thirty seconds. Please come to the edge
of the ramp.”
As
the Immortals gathered in the rear of the plane, Tony said, “All right people,
the stick order calls for you to jump at 10,000 feet and release chutes at
7,000. That gives you, once you leave
the plane, roughly two minutes to orient yourselves and head to the landing
zone. Any questions?” No one said a word. Then Tony said, “All right, the green light
is on. Go!”
Buffy looked around the cabin, puzzled. “I don’t see a green light. The only thing that got turned on was the ‘No Smoking’ sign.”
Steve simply shook his head, calmly lifted her, and walked over to the edge of the ramp. Then he stepped out into thin air.
Buffy screamed something unintelligible at first then was heard to say, “You are SO dead, mister!”
Mulder then
jumped next and yelled out, “Geromino!” A
moment later, Tony admired a foxy red head who’d
strolled over and looked over the edge. Tony
then was surprised when the guy who called himself Methos shoved her over the
edge. Methos looked at his handiwork and
grinned then flung himself out into space.
Soon, the other people had all jumped from the plane and the last to go
was the five man group that referred to itself as the A-Team. Finally, when they were all gone, Tony closed
the ramp, unbuckled his harness, and returned to his co-pilot’s seat. As he sat down, he asked the pilot, “Are all
of these missions like this?”
“They
are when the Wanderer’s involved,” Matthews said as he banked the plane in the
direction of
Part 12 - Free Fall
(Nothing Gets the Adrenalin Pumping Like a Jump)
July 22nd 02:30 PST - 12:30
Local
Libyan/Chad Border - Drop Zone
Alpha
Steve
grinned as Buffy thrashed below him.
“Buffy if you don’t stop doing that I’m going to have to change my pants,”
he yelled.
She
playfully jabbed his ribs with her left elbow.
“It’d serve you right for making me wig like this!”
“Just
relax, honey. Raise both of your arms
above your head like you’re doing jumping jacks. It’ll slow our fall a little and help you to
relax and enjoy the view.”
Moments
later, a somewhat calm Slayer began to enjoy the experience. Indeed, she reveled in the sensation of floating
on a cushion of air.
*****
Above
the two lovers, the other members of their group began to sort themselves out.
Richie
and Justin did several loops and moments later were joined by Mulder. Meanwhile, Scully shot dagger-like glares at
Methos who glided on the air currents next to
At
that moment,
In the meantime, Jarod and Andrea were performing an aerial ballet and as the dancers met, they kissed each other, pirouetted away, only to rejoin for another kiss. Then, as Methos passed them, he yelled, “Get a room already!”
In response, Jarod
simply grinned at the elder Immortal, turned, and kissed Andrea again.
*****
J.P.
Withers enjoyed the younger Immortals’ antics and wondered if his life was
going to be any different now that he had a chance to build some permanent
relationships. < Who knows? Maybe
I’ll find someone to call ‘friend’ here.
Maybe I won’t be such an insufferable bastard.> Then he snorted at
himself. <Yeah and Hell will freeze
over and Satan himself will sell cookies door to door while wearing a girl
scout’s uniform. > Suddenly he had a wicked gleam in his eye. < Damn. I should make
that buggerer wear one! That’d teach him
a lesson! >
*****
Several
feet above Withers,
*****
Knight
Captain Jordan Smythe grinned as she witnessed the Immortals’ aerial
performances. Then, a minute or so
later, when they were almost on the ground, she motioned to the rest of her knights
to help the jumpers out of their chutes.
*****
Buffy
saw the ground approaching rapidly and heard Steve grunt as his legs took most
of the landing’s impact. Although his
knees slightly buckled, he righted both Buffy and himself and started to gather
in the chute. A split second later, several
knights moved in and began to cut away the chute with knives while Buffy and
Steve unbuckled their harnesses. When
they were done, a tall, blonde woman approached them and said, “Hello, I’m
Knight Captain Jordan Smythe. May I ask
who’s in charge here?”
“That would be
me, Captain. I’m Knight Lieutenant Steve
St. Wolf.”
< Merlin’s personal Champion? Oh God!
It’s going to be a hot one. > “Glad to see that you could make it so
quickly, Lieutenant. Colonel Sanchez is
back at base camp,”
St.
Wolf returned her salute with one of his own.
“Good, I’ll meet with him there.
Anything happen while we were in transit?”
“We
caught a patrol of Legionnaires from the 1st DREP. The Colonel’s orders are to keep them under
wraps until we’re finished here.”
“Good,”
he said as the rest of his team joined them.
Jarod
smiled at her. “Hello,
She
smiled at the man she had known a year or so ago. Then, he was a constable with the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta who’d helped her track down an English noble
family’s little girl and her kidnapper. “I
believe we’re both here for the same reason, Mountie.” Suddenly,
Andrea
shot an ice-cold smirk at the blonde who’d helped protect Jarod from her when
she, Sidney, and Broots had tracked him to
St.
Wolf nodded. “Yep. Let’s go.” Then as they strode away from the
drop site, Steve asked, “Did you bring the extra armor?”
“I’m an Immortal,” Buffy said simply.
*****
July 22nd 04:00 PST - 14:00
Local
Air Traffic Control Tower
The man known to most of the air traffic controllers as Old Hamed screamed.
The major in charge of the airfield rushed over to Hamed and asked, “What is the matter with you?”
Hamed turned and speared the man with the haunted look in his eyes. “It has returned,” he said simply. “And it is not alone.”
The major
fought to swallow the lump in his throat.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. There are six of them, moving in rapidly from
the south. I estimate their speed at
Mach 1.2. In approximately four minutes,
they will cross the border.”
“Allah preserve us,” the major muttered. Then he snapped out orders to the rest of his air traffic controllers. “Order every military plane and helicopter down and under cover. NOW!!!”
As the
controllers rapidly issued orders on the military frequencies, the major walked
on stiff legs to his office and closed the door. Then he picked up the phone, took a deep breath
and said to the operator, “This is Major Benmari at the airfield. I must speak to the Colonel immediately!”
His
call was quickly routed through to the head of state of
“What is it?”
“It
has returned, sir,” the major said.
The
phone was silent for an entire minute before the Colonel asked, “Benmari, have
you recalled all of our aircraft?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You
should have ordered them to attack, Major.”
“Sir,
it’s not alone this time. There are six
of them now.”
There
was another pause before Benmari heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the
phone. “You did well,” the Colonel said
then terminated the call.
At
that moment, the major slumped in his chair and was relieved to have heard those
three simple words.
*****
July 22nd 04:15 PST - 14:15
Local
Order Base Camp, Libyan/Chad
Border
Sanchez nodded. “Very good, Captain. Also, you may have noticed we’ve run across
another squad of Legionnaires. We should
expect a swarm of them soon,” he muttered.
“One missing patrol could be due to defective equipment. Two means trouble.”
*****
After
the mysterious soldiers in black had left their tent, La Croix approached his
friend, Lieutenant Andre Selon, the other squad leader. “Andre, what do you make of the group that captured
us?”
Andre
shrugged. “I don’t know but a lot of
them carry swords!”
*****
St.
Wolf approached the medium-height Spaniard who was the field commander and
said, “Colonel, I’m Knight Lieutenant St. Wolf. Thank you for arriving so quickly.”
Sanchez
smiled and shook St. Wolf’s hand. “The
pleasure is all mine, Sir Steven. Your reputation and that of your friends
precedes you. That was a damn fine
victory you had in
“I
had good people, Colonel. They made all the
difference. Merlin told me about your
raid on the Black Mage Council. That was
good work as well.”
Colonel
Sanchez smiled. “Thank you, Sir Steven. The
Council’s destruction was a great victory for us.”
“Who
are the men under guard?”
“Two
Legion patrols we captured as they were observing us. We’ll let them go as soon as we complete our
mission.”
“Did
you tell them what we were doing here?”
“No.”
“All
right, let me talk to them.”
******
St.
Wolf entered the tent with Sanchez and approached the two Legion officers. “May
I speak with you and your men?” St. Wolf asked.
St.
Wolf smirked at the young Lieutenant and said, “Don’t be a smart ass,
Lieutenant. Some people might take
offense.”
“Offending
the enemy is not a concern of mine, I’m afraid,”
St.
Wolf sighed. “Fine, Lieutenant, let’s do
this by the numbers. I’m going to tell
you why we’re here and once you understand what our mission is, I hope I can
trust you and your men to act accordingly.”
“Very
well, Monsieur…?”
“St.
Wolf.” Then he gave the men a full
report concerning the last twelve hours.
Pierre
and Andre digested the unbelievable news and
“We’re
a covert operations group called Section Seven.”
“Are
you American or British?”
“I
can’t tell you that, Lieutenant. Let’s
just say that our agents come from all over the world. We claim no country as our own, but help
everyone as we can.”
“All
well and good Monsieur St. Wolf, but if you cross the border here, you’ll be
opening
St.
Wolf grinned at him. “I wouldn’t worry
about the Libyans. They won’t do anything. We’ll be in and out of there in a matter of
hours.”
“How
can you be so certain of that? The
Libyan Air Force constantly patrols this area.”
Steve
smirked at him then looked up at the sky.
Just then, six shadows passed over them.
“The Libyan Air Force won’t be a problem, Lieutenant.”
The
Legionnaires looked up and saw a sight they simply couldn’t believe. Six huge dragons flew over the hot sands of
the Sahara toward
“They’re
old friends of mine, Lieutenant, here to do me a favor.”
“And
that favor is?”
“Their
purpose is to keep the Libyan Air Force on the ground. Last time the Libyans faced only one of my
friends and he destroyed a major portion of their air force in less than two
hours.”
“Who
are you people?”
“We
are the latest incarnation of a force that has existed since the dawn of
humanity. We exist for one purpose only,
to protect humanity from the ‘Darkness,’ whether the threat concerns demons or
vampires or even a megalomaniac like Corvo.
Is that what you want to know?”
“Are
you mad?”
“Or dragons, Lieutenant?” St. Wolf added with a sly smile. “I imagine I am asking too much of you to believe your own eyes!”
St.
Wolf smirked and said, “Well, you’ll have a lot of time to sit and try to come
up with that explanation, son of
“No,
but I trained for a while with the 1st DREP.
It’s been a good twenty years since I worked with Legionnaires.”
Stunned,
Steve looked at the Lieutenant and said, “I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but I don’t
know you, do I?”
St.
Wolf held out his hand about hip level.
“Little
“Section
Seven faked my death,
“Who’s
in charge of this group?”
“I’m
running this operation,
Steve
nodded toward one of the knights and a radio was brought to
After
a few seconds, a voice said, “This is
“Clarify.”
“Negative. I require a face off at third quarter, fifth
period, seventh inning.”
“Confirmed;
will reach you in two halves.”
“Confirmed;
touchdown in two halves. Out.”
Steve
shook his head and grinned. “Still using
the code that Jaguar, Sean and I cooked up?”
“It’s
never been broken. So what will we call
you, Cherokee or St. Wolf?”
“Cherokee
died a long time ago my friend. I’m St.
Wolf now.”
“I
understand, old friend,”
“May
I ask a personal question?” St. Wolf said.
“Certainly.”
“I
thought
“I’ll
bet! Did she try to kill the officer who
swore you in?”
“Yes,
but Uncle Anton had O’Rourke there to fend her off.”
*****
Legion Headquarter,
“Do
you swear to uphold the Constitution and Government of France to the best of
your abilities?” Anton asked the young man in front of him.
“I
do,” the young man, broad shouldered and earnest said formally.
Anton
smiled and drew the young man into a manly hug.
“Then I welcome you into the Legion E’stranger, Pierre. Your father would’ve been proud.”
Before
the young man could respond, a female whirlwind flew into Anton’s office. Both men turned and saw a sight that would
haunt them to their graves. Constance La
Croix, broken table leg in hand, had knocked both of the Legionnaires who’d guarded
the door out cold. “My God!!
She glared at
him with the flames of righteousness burning hotly in her eyes. “How DARE you, Anton!? Time and again, I’ve told you that
“Mother!! I’m an
adult! You have no right to make my
decisions for me,”
“
“He’s
already sworn the oath,
“Oath? What
oath? I think you’re going to swear to
all that’s holy that he never swore any oath, Anton,”
“I
can’t do that!”
“Well…enjoy
your stay in the hospital, Anton!” Then she rushed forward to attack the Legion
Major and said, “Genevieve will forgive me sooner or later for doing this to
you!”
Before
the table leg could connect, a pair of large, hairy arms grabbed the determined
woman, forced her arms down, and snatched the make-shift weapon away from her
grip.
“Let
go of me, you ugly ape!!”
“Now,
darlin’, you know I can’t let you kill the major,” a large man said to
her. “After all, who’s going to protect this
sorry Irishman when he’s gone?”
“Is
that all we are to you, Constance?” Anton asked quietly. “What about Robert? He was a Legion officer when you married
him.”
“He
was different!” she screamed. “He was
kind and gentle and caring! He was
forced to join this unit because he refused to follow an illegal order!”
“We
all know that, darlin’,” Sean O’Rourke said as he held
“We kno—Ugh!” Sean cried out as she stamped on his foot with
the heel of her pump. Although his foot
hurt like hell, he was still able to maintain his hold on the woman. “
“What
the hell are you saying, Sean?” she scoffed.
“Those animals never cared for my Robert! They all thought he was a stuffy Parisian peacock!”
“That’s
not true, woman! His men loved him!”
Sean barked while Anton nodded in agreement.
“In fact, several of his men died trying to save him! They were ordered by Robert’s aide to retreat
and to a man they refused to leave without their commander!”
“Is
this true, Anton!?”
“It’s
true,” the major said.
“Why
didn’t you tell me this before?”
Anton
sighed. “You were distraught over Robert,
so much so, that we were seriously considered sending you to a mental health
facility. You wouldn’t listen to anyone for
a long time and when you got better, we thought it best to let sleeping dogs
lie.”
Quiet
for the moment,
*****
“
*****
July 22nd 04:30 PST - 14:30
Local
1st DREP Headquarters
Town of
Colonel Anton ‘The Jaguar’ Dumas paced back and forth in his office
as he awaited news about his missing nephew. He glared at Sergeant-Chef O’Rourke and the
Irishman said, “Maybe it’s just equipment failure.”
Colonel
Dumas stopped pacing and straightened to his full six foot one inch height. “I sincerely hope so, my friend, for both our
sakes. Would you want to tell Constance
that
The
six foot eight inch tall giant of a man shuddered and shook his head. “The only way I’d want to tell her something
like that is if I ever got tired of breathing.”
Then their conversation was interrupted by a young corporal who rushed into the office. The young man handed the colonel a message and Anton read it. Moments later, Anton grabbed the microphone to the radio transmitter from his desk and spoke into it. After several cryptic sentences, he placed the microphone back on his desk and glared at O’Rourke. “Sergeant-Chef, prepare the men. We leave in one hour.”
O’Rourke nodded
and rushed out the door, taking the corporal with him.
As
the pair of non-commissioned officers strode to communications room, the corporal
asked, “Where are we going?”
“We’re
going to the border,” a grim-faced Sergeant-Chef O’Rourke said.
*****
As
St. Wolf and La Croix marched out of the camp toward the rendezvous point, the
Frenchman glanced at the other man’s black armor and asked, “Aren’t you hot in
that thing?”
“No. It has an air conditioning unit built into
the back and legs.”
“That’s
classified,” St. Wolf said with a sly grin. < Magic isn’t for everyone. >
“Can
you talk about your work?”
“Sorry,
“Understood,
mon ami,” the Legionnaire said as they continued to walk.
*****
“Dana, have you seen where Steve went off to?”
Buffy entered the tent that she and her lover shared with Mulder and Scully after she’d taken a stroll around the camp. Seeing all of these hardened and experienced warriors being so professional and so resolute had made her feel like a fish out of water. When it was your own life on the line every night, the punning helped keep her from totally wigging out from the tragedy that was her life. Yet, when others depended on you to lead them and send them into situations where they could die if you screwed up, you had to be serious about everything. So she searched for Steve so they could talk about how she might try to deal with it.
Scully smiled
warmly at the younger Immortal and said, “He left with that French Lieutenant
about twenty minutes ago. Why?”
Buffy’s
face broke out in a sad pout. “But I
told him I’d go with him.” She glanced
at the equipment she’d previously left on her cot, found her radio and picked
it up. As she switched it to Steve’s
personal code, she sent a quick beep. When
Mulder, Scully, and she’d heard the answering beep come from the radio on
Steve’s cot, Buffy snapped, “That idiot didn’t even take his radio with him?”
Mulder
placed his hand on Buffy’s shoulder and said, “He didn’t want you to go with
him in case the meeting went sour. He
also felt it would be better if he left the radio behind.”
Scully
muttered, “Of all of the lame brained ideas!
What the hell was he thinking?”
Mulder shrugged. “Although it’s stupid considering that you’re the Slayer and stronger than he is, he doesn’t want you to get hurt, Buffy. That’s why he didn’t take you with him.”
Buffy
glared at Mulder and said, “I think a certain someone needs an attitude
adjustment and I’ve got just the right size foot to kick his butt and make it
happen!”
Part
13 - A Gathering of Old Friends
(Usually
Means Tons of Trouble)
July 22nd 06:30 PST - 16:30
Local
Chad/Libyan Border
The
Jaguar studied the sands in front of his Hussar half track and wondered about
A
minute or so later, Anton and O’Rourke jumped down from the back of the Hussar
and approached Pierre and the stranger.
As they finally came face to face with the two men, O’Rourke gasped then
grabbed up the stranger in a bear hug.
“You’re still alive! Damn
it! Where the hell have you been,
St.
Wolf grinned. “Let me down, you
overgrown ox and I’ll tell you.”
O’Rourke placed him gently on the ground and St. Wolf offered his hand in
friendship to Anton. “Damn it’s good to
see you still alive, Anton. How are Genevieve
and the kids?”
“Genevieve
is fine and she’s missed you these last fifteen years, mon
ami. And my youngest son would have
liked to have met the man for whom he was named. Where have you been?”
“Working
for a covert operations group called Section Seven.”
“Have
they treated you well?”
“Yes
they have,” Steve said with a sly smile.
Seconds later, though, he was all business. “Anton, I’d like to catch up on old times,
but I’m here on business.”
“I
thought as much. What are you going to
be doing and how will it affect me and my men?”
St.
Wolf gave Anton complete report on the situation as it was. “One of my teams captured two of Corvo’s
assassins a day or so ago. After we
questioned them, we discovered they were planning to release a mutated strain
of the Ebola virus on the world.
According to them, it has an almost one hundred percent death rate.”
“And
you and your people are here to stop them?”
“Yes,”
St. Wolf confirmed.
“How
many people do you have?”
“We
have two hundred and twenty. We’re
fairly well armed with small arms, mounted machine guns, and rocket
launchers. We can take out Corvo and his
Swords of Allah, but we’re not going to fight the Legion.”
Anton
nodded. “What do you need us to do?”
“Watch
our backs and allow us to escape across the border when we’re done.”
“You
don’t ask for much. What about the
Libyan Air Force? Recently, they’ve been
keeping a close eye on the border.”
“The
Libyans have been taken care of. None of
their planes or helicopters will be in the air for the next twelve hours.”
“May
I ask how you arranged this?”
“Some friends of mine are paying the Libyans a little visit. Khadaffi’s keeping his planes well away from them.”
“Very
well, then. Where are we to deploy?”
“Let’s return to my camp. I’ve outlined our insertion points and escape vectors on several maps. We can go over them together and work from there.”
“Good. Do you need a lift?”
“We walked here. It would speed things up,” St. Wolf said as they walked toward the Hussar.
Once
aboard, Anton asked, “Where shall we go?”
“That
way,” St. Wolf said and pointed in a direction with his right index finger.
“You
heard the man, Henry. Let’s get this
monster moving,” Anton ordered as the driver shifted the Hussar into gear.
“So,
is there anyone in your life?” Anton asked.
Steve
grinned and his complexion turned slightly red.
“Yes, there is.”
“Is
she beautiful?” O’Rourke asked.
“Yes,
she is. Why the third
degree, fellas?”
“Because,
mon ami, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do and when we arrive at your base,
we’ll be too busy to ask,” Anton said.
“Does she know what you do for a living?”
“I’d
say so…she’s my second in command.”
Then
a flustered
Anton
turned to the young Lieutenant and asked, “Who is this ‘
“She’s
one of my officers. I do believe that she’s
caught young
“Is
she a looker?” Anton asked.
“Thank
you, but I choose not to incriminate myself at this time,”
“He’s
got it bad!” O’Rourke observed. “She
must be something to have such a hold on him this fast.”
As
“Too much,” Sean O’Rourke added, causing the young Legionnaire to groan.
“But
we must do the honorable thing and warn her about your mother,” Anton slyly said. Then as
“Good living and a job that agrees with me,” St. Wolf said noncommittally.
*****
Buffy
paced in front of the command tent and constantly looked to the south, in the
direction he’d gone. Then she strode
back to her tent and found the FBI agents sitting outside. Scully obviously noticed the concerned look
on her young friend’s face because she asked, “Still worried about Steve?”
“It’s
been two and half hours, Dana. What’s keeping
them?”
“The meeting wasn’t for two hours, Buffy; they could still be talking,” Mulder said. “Look, Steve didn’t want to do anything to irritate the Legion any further. After all, we’re in their country about to crossover the border to attack a group of terrorists in another country that these people have been in a state of semi-war with for the last six years.”
Then Buffy
turned toward a sound from the south that her Slayer hearing detected before
anyone else could. Thirty seconds later,
Mulder heard it, too, and saw the Hussar as it approached the camp. “Never underestimate Steve, Buffy. He’ll constantly surprise you every time!”
“Single
Legion Hussar to the south!” the camp guard called out. In response, everyone in the camp moved to
their ready positions. Buffy watched as
the knights performed a choreographed ballet as they prepared missile launchers
and heavy machine guns for a possible attack.
Then she whirled in the nick of time to catch her assault rifle that Scully
had just thrown to her. She caught it
and automatically checked the rifle, pulled the action back then chambered a
round of the armor piercing .308 ammunition loaded in her magazine. Finally, she took her place in the center of
the compound and waited with the rest of the Immortals.
*****
Lieutenant
Selon and his men watched in amazement as the quiet camp suddenly sprang into
action. “Mon Dieu, these people are well
disciplined.”
“I
noticed that as well, Lieutenant. Makes
you wonder who to cheer for if this goes bad.”
“That
it does, Sergeant-Chef. That it does.”
*****
Anton’s
driver’s radar detector sounded its alarm as the vehicle neared the top of a
rise. The man examined the panel and
hissed. “Oh, Shit!” Then he turned to look at his commanding officer. “Colonel, we’ve got multiple targets. The board is going crazy!”
St.
Wolf shot Anton with a wry look. “So
those new radar detectors that Xanatos’ Corp developed for the French Military
have been issued to the 1st DREP?”
Anton’s
eyes opened wide at that. “How in the
hell do you know about that!? They’re
supposed to be top secret!”
The
man he’d known as
“You’ve
come up in the world, my friend,” Anton noted with a shake of his head. “Tell me, is his wife
as beautiful as they say?”
“Fox
is a killer, both literally and figuratively, old friend. You don’t ever want to get on her bad side,
particularly if she considers you a threat to her children.”
“She
sounds a lot like
“Perhaps,
except for the fact that
“You’re
joking!” Anton said in awe. Then it
struck him. This wasn’t the same boy
that he’d known all those years ago.
This man had seen and done things that would probably haunt most people
for eternity.
“Sir,
what do I do?” the driver asked.
“Pull
up in front of the first tent, turn off the engine, and climb out,”
“Do
as he says, Henry. We’re not here to
fight,” Anton said.
Henry nodded and halted the Hussar about twenty feet from the first tent. He then shut down the engine and climbed out of the cab followed by his door gunner. St. Wolf, Anton, Sean and Pierre then jump down from the back of the Hussar and walked toward the camp. As St. Wolf and his three companions enter into the camp, a tiny, blonde dervish approached them with fire in her eyes and confronted the “leader” of Section Seven.
“Here’s your
radio!” she yelled as she flung the device at his chest. “You left it on your bed. Next time, would you like me to shove it
where the sun doesn’t shine to make sure you’re never out of contact with the
team!?”
Anton
and Sean grinned at the discomfort of their old friend while he profusely
apologized to the tiny woman. “I’m
sorry, Buffy, really! I just thought it
would be best to meet them on neutral ground.
There was no way Anton would come into an armed camp of people he didn’t
know.”
“Save
it!” she snapped. “Don’t do it again or
I will kill you myself…at least twice! Catch
my drift?”
“Yes, dear,” Steve said, somewhat cowed.
“Idiot,” she grumbled. Then her face broke into one of her patented thousand watt smiles right before she grabbed the front of his armor and drew his face down to hers to steal a kiss.
*****
*****
Meanwhile,
Sean O’Rourke had just stepped into a slice of his own private hell. <
What in the hell are THEY doing here? > As the memories of his loss took
control of him, he quietly reached for his pistol. As he drew his sidearm,
A
split second later, Sean targeted the man who he thought was the commander of
his enemy and fired. His round was
accurate as it struck Colonel Sanchez in the heart, felling the old man.
“Sean,
what the hell are you doing?” Anton cried.
“I’m sorry, sir, but these bastards must die!”
“Sargent-Chef!!” Anton barked as he drew his own gun and aimed
it at O’Rourke’s head. “Sean! Drop the gun, now! Don’t make me kill you, Sean…please!”
“I’m
sorry, sir. They have to die. My family’s honor demands it!” Then through tear filled eyes, he locked his
sights on Jordan Smythe and started to squeeze the trigger…
But
before he could fire,
When O’Rourke
seemed resigned to his capture, Anton glared at his oldest friend. “What the hell were you thinking? We’re in the middle of a heavily armed camp
and you go and start shooting people!?
Why Sean!? Give me one damned
good reason for doing what you just did!” Anton asked with tears in his eyes.
“These
bastards murdered my Da and uncle twenty three years ago, Anton. I swore I’d seek vengeance over their graves,”
Sean said with a hard glare. Then he
turned to face
St.
Wolf looked O’Rourke straight in the eye.
“I hold the rank of Knight Lieutenant in the Order, Sean.” The Irishman stiffened at that. “I’ve served with the knights for the last
twelve years. I’ve found them to be people worthy of my allegiance and
loyalty. They’ve helped me when I asked
for it and I’ve helped them when they’ve asked.
I don’t know who or what killed your father and uncle, but I can swear
to you that these people did nothing of the sort.”
“Liar!!” Sean shouted as he surged forward to attack his old
friend. Suddenly, though, his friend, at
the last second, was inconceivably shoved aside by the tiny girl who’d shared
an intimate moment with
Buffy simply stared down at the unconscious man for several moments until she heard the deafening silence around her. Then she looked around and noticed that everyone was unabashedly gawking at her.
Buffy gulped and muttered under her breath, “Gosh, Rocky, I guess I don’t know my own strength!”
Anton,
for several moments, too shaken to do anything considering that he’d just seen
Sean O’Rourke, the toughest man he’d ever known, a virtual giant, knocked cold
by a tiny slip of a girl, had finally gathered his wits, and walked over to apologize
to Carson while giving that girl a wide berth.
“
St.
Wolf glanced over to where one of Sanchez’s men was helping the colonel
up. “No harm done,
Anton. The Colonel is fine.”
Anton
then followed his friend’s gaze and saw Colonel Sanchez brush himself off. “How?”
“It’s simply standard operating procedure while in a hostile area. Always wear your armor.”
Anton
nodded. “Good policy. I’ll have to remember that one.” < Especially, if I have to kill these people. >
Just then Sean moaned as he lay at their feet. “Whoever hit me with the two by four, you ought to know, I’m going to kill you.”
Buffy scoffed loudly at that. “Yeah, right…as if!”
Sean opened his
eyes to find the tiny blonde smirking down at him. “Oh, fuck.
It wasn’t a dream,” Sean softly said as he’s lifted up by several
Legionnaires. “That was a wicked punch, miss. Who taught you how to hit like that?”
“My
mom,” Buffy noted with a quirky smile.
“Had enough?”
Sean
held up his hands in surrender. “Yes, ma’am! Care to
introduce me to your lady, Carson?”
“Buffy
Summers, allow me to introduce you to two of my best friends and comrades,
Colonel Anton Dumas and Sergeant-Chef Sean Patrick O’Rourke of the First
Parachute Division, French Foreign Legion.”
Buffy
offered her right hand to Anton who flinched momentarily. Then he bowed graciously, took her hand gently
and kissed it. “I am honored to make your
acquaintance, My Lady. I am also pleased
Buffy grinned and offered her hand to Sean who said with a roguish grin, “I’m afraid that I’ve had the not-quite-so honorable pleasure of having your fist meet my jaw, so I’m still a little sore and it’s hard to pucker up at the moment.”
After several people chuckled at Sean’s comment, St. Wolf asked him, “Sean, what can you tell me about how your father and uncle died?”
“My
Da and Uncle Connor were going to blow up the statue of Admiral Nelson located
in the Square in front of the Parliament in
Steve
turned to Colonel Sanchez and saw his grim face. “What’s under the statue, Colonel?”
Colonel
Sanchez crossed himself. “The Third
Horseman, Famine.” Everyone was silent
as Sanchez said, “During the Potato Famine of the middle 1800's or the ‘Blight’
as the Irish called it, the Order found out that Famine had somehow been
released into the mortal world. It took
close to three hundred knights and a thousand Squires to put him down and bind
him. In the end only a handful survived
the battle and we bound him into the base of what would become the statue of
Admiral Nelson. The IRA was informed
about the statue and that’s why they’ve never touched it. Not even they want Famine released into the
world again. Your father and uncle were
acting against orders when they were killed by the guardians of the
statue. I’m sorry for your loss, but the
lives of millions of people mattered more to us than two stubborn men who
couldn’t see past their prejudices.”
Sean
looked on in disbelief. “Famine? The Third Horseman?
You people are insane! There is
no such thing!”
“Uncle
Sean,”
“Has
the sun played havoc with your senses,
“We
all saw them, Sergeant-Chef,” Lieutenant Anton said.
Sean
looked at the two squads and every man nodded their agreement. “I don’t know what you’ve been drinking, but
there are no such things as dragons.”
“Then…what
am I?” a deep voice boomed out from above as a huge shadow landed nearby.
Sean turned around and looked up. Then he cringed as he stared at the huge golden dragon that calmly sat on the warm sand.
Anton saw it,
too and muttered, “Mon Dieu. Is that
what I think it is?”
*****
Major
Benton gaped in horror as a huge shape dropped from the sky and landed next to
his commanding officer. “Merde!! What the
hell is that thing?”
“A
dragon?” his radioman said. Moments
later, he received a series of fearful requests. “Our ground units want permission to attack, sir.”
*****
Corporal-Chef
Charlie ‘
“Who,
“Are you sure it’s her, mate?”
“Yeah. I’ll never
forget the day she saved my life.”
*****
St.
Wolf grinned warmly and said, “Hello, Smaug.
I thought you and Fragnar were keeping the Libyans busy?”
“They
hid their military vehicles and are cowering in their buildings. Fragnar must have frightened them when he was
here last time,” Smaug said with a chuckle.
Then he glared down at Sean. “So
tell me, Irish. Do I look real enough to
you?”
Sean
took a deep gulp and stared back open-mouthed at Smaug. “
Smaug
snorted. “Control? Foolish mortal, the only reason that I and my
kind are here is because our friend asked us to help save mankind from a
madman.”
“Who
is this man that you call friend?”
“That
would be me, Sean,” St. Wolf said as he walked over and stood next to Smaug’s
now lowered head. Buffy then joined the
man and the dragon and gave Smaug a hug around his neck and a quick kiss on his
jaw.
Sean
and the rest of the Legionnaires looked on in disbelief as the huge dragon’s
face split into a grin and he softly hissed in pleasure at Buffy’s touch. “My God, but he’s a magnificent beast,” Sean
softly muttered.
“He’s
no beast, Sargent-Chef,”
“As have the Knights of the Grail earned Dragon kind’s respect and
friendship. When we have needed
help, you and your Order have never hesitated to aid us.” Smaug told the awed Legionnaires as
Sean
shook his head and shuddered. < Da and Uncle Connor were the most stubborn
men in the world. If they got it into
their heads to do something, come hell or high water, they’d do it and nobody
would be able to talk them out of it.
God, what am I to say to Ma and Aunt Mary? Damn it! >
As
the emotions played across his old friend’s face, St. Wolf asked, “Sean, are
you all right?”
“No
damn it! I’m not all right. This is too much for me to take in, all at
once.” He glanced at Anton and asked,
“Permission to withdraw, sir?”
“Of
course, Sean,” Anton said. Then he
turned to Lieutenant Selon. “Lieutenant
Selon, you and Sergeant-Chef Brisby will escort Sergeant-Chef O’Rourke to my
Hussar and keep him there. Make sure
that he is comfortable, but remains restrained.”
“Yes,
sir,” both men said then took Sean away.
Anton
turned back to Steve and Colonel Sanchez and asked, “Now, what are your plans
to stop this madman?”
“The
plans are laid out in the command tent,” Colonel Sanchez said as he led them away.
*****
After
the three commanders had gone,
Afterwards,
a nearly breathless
“W-was
I?”
“I
think before I know for sure, I need to conduct more…research,” she tossed over
her shoulder as she entered a nearby tent.
Behind
her,
“I think I’m
going to have to marry that woman,” he murmured.
*****
Steve
escorted Anton into the command center and Anton whistled in awe. < Most of
this equipment is so far beyond what we have in the Legion that it’s scares me.
> He looked
around and noted the advanced computers and holographic projectors. “Where the hell did you get this equipment
from?”
“We
got them from various supporters and friends.
The Order has saved many lives over the last fifteen hundred years that
it’s been in existence. Many of the
people we saved have donated money, equipment and sometimes themselves to the
cause.”
“And
what exactly is this ‘cause’ that you speak of?”
“The
Order of the Holy Grail was formed by the last of the knights of King Arthur’s
Round Table to continue the fight for humanity that Arthur had begun. Merlin, who was still alive, became their
leader and the Order has been fighting a constant war to protect humanity. Many knights have fallen in a silent war that
began centuries ago by the powers of Darkness that want to destroy humanity and
bring back the demons that once walked the Earth. The Order has many allies and friends who
often help us. Smaug and his kin are
just some those friends.”
Anton
simply shook his head and asked, “How can such noble and selfless people
exist?”
“Believe
me when I say that there are never enough to fill the ranks, Anton.” Steve softly said.
Anton
nodded and bent over the 3 dimensional map laid out before him. < My God, their
technology is incredible!>
He saw the people who manned the equipment and noted that they
were of different races and creeds, working together for a common cause. “Is this the route you planned to take to the
refinery?”
“The
red line is our primary route and the secondary one is in blue. The yellow lines are the bailout routes.”
Anton
shook his head in disbelief. “How long
have you been planning this raid?”
“Less
than twelve hours,” Colonel Sanchez said.
“You’ve managed to plan all of this in less than a day?”
Sanchez merely
shrugged. “Sir Steve once assaulted a
group of Slavers near
Anton
stared at Steve as if he’d grown a second head.
“YOU were the madman that led that raid?” Steve grinned and nodded his head. “Merde!! You had the entire region in an uproar! The Libyans were blaming everyone and their
grandmother for that mess!! What the
hell was worth so much aggravation?”
“Four hundred and thirty seven children. Most of whom were between the ages of eight
to twelve,” Steve quietly said.
Anton
peered into his old friend’s eyes and saw only grim truth in them. “
“We’ll
need your men spread out in this valley here.”
Steve then pointed to a valley just across the border and Anton grinned.
“So,
we are doing one of the classics?” Both
Steve and Colonel Sanchez grinned back at him.
“My friends, if the Libyans cross the border, they’ll
be slaughtered.”
“How
long before the 1st DREP can be here?”
Colonel Sanchez asked. Both Steve
and Anton smile as Colonel Sanchez realized just how close the men of the 1st
DREP were. Then Sanchez called out to
one of the knights who manned the satellite system. “Peter, scan the area around the camp.”
“Yes,
sir!” the man yelled out. “How far do
you want me to go out?”
“Start
just outside the camp, check for body heat signatures and go out to four miles
and check for engine heat.”
Several
minutes later the man loudly cursed. “Sir! The camp’s
surrounded by at least two thousand troops and we’re within the range of a 155
mm artillery unit stationed approximately six miles out.” The knight paused, not believing what he saw. “There are at least thirty Hussar and twenty
Chausseur Class AFVs and--My God! At
least twelve AMX 10 light attack tanks!
How the hell did they sneak up on us like that?”
Colonel
Sanchez turned to Anton. “May I ask you
of your intentions, Colonel Dumas?”
Anton clapped Sanchez on the shoulder and gave him a warm smile. “Why, to do exactly as my old friend asked and honor demands.”
Sanchez nodded
and offered his hand to Anton, who took it.
Anton then turned to the tent entrance, walked outside, and continued to
the perimeter of the camp. Then he
called out, “Ollie, ollie oxen free.” He
then turned around and walked back to Steve and Sanchez.
“What
was that all about?” Sanchez asked.
“Those
were the code words that told my men not to attack. If you’ll tell your people not to fire on
them, I’ll order them to show themselves.”
Sanchez
nodded and raised his voice. “All units
stand down. We have allies approaching
the camp. All weapons are to have their
safeties on.”
“I
see that you didn’t order your people to completely stand down,” Anton said.
“Would
you?” Sanchez asked with a smile.
“No
mon ami, I wouldn’t either.” Anton said
just before he screams out, “AVEC, AVEC.
THE CAKE IS GETTING COLD.”
“That’s
your all clear code?” Sanchez asked.
“It
is for today,” Anton said as several thousand Legionnaires reveal themselves from
the tops of the dunes that they had hidden behind.
*****
Major
Benton relaxed as he heard the standby code. < They never expected the
Colonel to have a bug on his person. > “Order the units to stand down.”
The
radioman relayed the major’s orders and reported, “All units have reported in, sir. They are on standby.”
“Very
good,”
“Including
the reserves?” the radioman asked.
“No. They’re to stay hidden.” <
First rule of warfare. Always
expect the unexpected and keep a ready reserve, just in case. >
*****
St.
Wolf turned to Sanchez and asked, “I take it that we’ll be ready to leave at
nightfall?”
Colonel
Sanchez nodded in agreement. “We will,
Sir Steven. Do you have any orders?”
“No,
Colonel. You and your people have pretty
much done everything. Now comes the hard
part.”
“I
have one question,” Anton asked.
“What
is it, Anton?” Steve asked.
“Who’s
in command here, the Colonel or you, Carson?”
“I
am. Even though the Colonel out ranks me,
I’m in command because of my status.”
“Your status?”
“Sir
Steven is Merlin’s personal champion.
Being Merlin’s personal champion makes him the equal of the
Knight-General himself,” Sanchez said.
“Merlin
is still alive?” Anton asked, his voice tinge with
awe. Both Steve and Sanchez nodded at
him. “Mon Dieu,” Anton softly muttered. “Well, I had better get my men in order. Colonel, my command staff is approaching and
I think it would be a good idea if I were to introduce them to you.”
Moments
later, his staff arrived and he introduced Colonel Sanchez to his officers. They nod their greetings and awaited their
orders. Anton gave them a run down on
current events and the plans for that night.
Most
of the officers trusted their Colonel’s judgment but one fresh faced Lieutenant
asked, “Sir, how do we know this isn’t a hoax of some kind?”
Anton
shook his head in disbelief. “Haven’t
you been paying attention? This is not a
joke of some kind. You have your orders. Follow them!”
“They
all get to be like that sometimes,” Sanchez quietly muttered as the Lieutenant
turned and scurried away.
“I
know Juan, but we’ll get them through it.”
“Just
like our superior officers got us through,” Sanchez said with a knowing smile.
“The
circle continues to spin, mon ami. Just be glad that it isn’t going too fast,”
Anton said.
Part
(Night
Time Conversations)
July 22nd
Chad/Libyan Border
St.
Wolf barked a command to his knights, “Mount up and move out!” In response his people ran to their vehicles,
climbed aboard, and moved out as the sun set in the west. Then the Legionnaires of the 1st DREP watched
as the fifty vehicles raced into the darkness on their all-or-nothing mission.
*****
*****
Anton
and Sean witnessed their old comrade disappear into the night with his
people. “Think they’ll make it
back?” Sean asked.
“Based
on what
“That’s
good to know. What do you think of our
old friend and what he’s become?”
Anton
smiled. “I always knew he was destined
for greatness, but this?” Anton waves his hand at the empty camp. “It’s a bit much.”
“But
he wears it well,” Sean said softly.
“Like
he was born to it,” Anton answered.
*****
Buffy
saw the darkened desert as it whizzed by outside her window while their driver
followed the HUMVEE in front of them.
She glanced over to where Steve sat in the shotgun seat and wished she
could join him there. Then she chanced a glance at Dana and Fox and saw that
they were busy comforting each other. When
they happened to notice that she was looking their way, she gave them a weak
grin and a shy little wave of her hand.
*****
St.
Wolf scanned the GPS and starlight system in front of the HUMVEE as they raced
toward the oil refinery located northwest of the town of
*****
Methos,
who was in another Humvee, turned to his companion in the brown trench coat and
asked, “Did you ever think we’d be working together?”
J.P.
shook his head wryly. “Not in this
lifetime, Methos. I’d always thought
that I would hunt you down and kill you and your three friends.”
“You
know about my being ‘Death’?”
“Why
do you think we met that first time? I
was hunting you.”
“Why
didn’t you kill me when you had the chance?”
“By
saving those kids, you earned another chance at life. Don’t think I’m soft. If I had heard that four horsemen rode after
that, I’d have hunted you down and killed you all.”
“Are
you so sure that you could have taken us all?”
“Without
a doubt youngster, without a doubt,” J.P. said with a merciless grin that lacked
any semblance of humor or remorse.
Methos
shuddered as though someone had just walked over his grave. “Old man, you can be down right terrifying
sometimes.”
“I
know.”
“So
what are you doing after we’re completed this mission?”
“There’s
this psycho that’s been terrorizing the northeast. He hunts small children, kills them and
leaves them in their family’s living rooms for their parents and siblings to
find.”
“I’ve
heard of him. The media’s calling him
the ‘The Sculptor’. Do you want an extra
set of hands on the case?”
“Why,
Methos, whatever happened to the cold, callous bastard known as ‘Death’?”
“I’ve
been hanging around the boy and girl scouts far too long,” Methos spat. Then he calmed himself and said, “I think
they’ve polluted me with their behavior.
I need to hang out with an evil, twisted son of a bitch to get back to
where I was when you’d first met me.”
“Compliments
will get you nowhere,” J.P. cracked.
“I’ll
buy the beer.”
“Now,
that will get you someplace.”
*****
Back in Buffy’s Humvee, Mulder saw Buffy shrink down into her seat. He leaned closer to his wife and whispered, “Think we should talk to Buffy? Offer her some comfort?”
Dana
shook her head. “No. She’s going into a firefight for the first
time in her life. She needs to sort this
out for herself.”
*****
In
his Humvee, Jarod felt Andrea move beside him.
He wrapped her in his arms and nuzzled her neck as he quietly murmured,
“Don’t worry, we’ll get through this.”
Andrea
sighed softly as she relaxed into Jarod’s arms.
“I know, but so much depends on us and our success in this mission.”
“We’ll
succeed.”
“I
hope to God we do.” Andrea murmured.
*****
The
leader of the A-Team glanced at the young man who drove his HUMVEE and asked, “How
do you stay on the road, kid, without using headlights?”
The
driver grinned and pointed to the pair of goggles he wore. “These have night vision, plus a built in
range finder/GPS system, sir. The
HUMVEE’s headlights are also giving off light in the ultra-violet range which
is invisible to human beings. By the
way, the name’s Terry Dennison, not kid.”
“Impressive, Terry.
Where do you people get your toys?”
“From
various sources,” he noted cryptically. “If
you want a complete list, talk to the Knight General. I’m sure he’ll provide it to you.”
Terry
grinned. “Four of the knights who serve
bodyguard duty with the General volunteered for this mission and the rumor mill
already started in regards to you and your men, Colonel Smith.”
“You’ve
heard about us?”
“Who
hasn’t, sir? You and your men are
legends. Glad to have you with us on
this one, Colonel.”
“The Wanderer?”
“So
you know about Immortals?”
“Sure
do. Several of the knights here are
Immortals and thank God for them. They
often take on the riskiest missions and come back alive, most of the time. They’ve saved my life on at least three
occasions.” Terry then asked, “Sir, were
you in
“Sure
was, Terry. I never saw so many selfless
people in my life and it was one of the greatest moments of our lives when we
stood with them against those vampires and demons.”
“Amen
to that Colonel,” Murdock said.
*****
In another HUMVEE, Justin and Richie grumpily watched as Gabrielle and Sonja calmly slept during the trip to the refinery.
“How can they
sleep at a time like this?” Justin asked
as he nervously shifted in his seat.
“They’ve
done this before,” the knight who drove said over his shoulder. “They know you have to sleep whenever you
can.”
“So
how come you’re not sleeping?” Justin asked.
“I’m
the one driving the car, kid,” the knight said with a soft chuckle. “You’re your first firefight?”
Justin
nodded. “Yeah. I’m barely twenty and I’m fighting to save
the world for a second time in less than a month.”
“Son,” the knight began in a fatherly tone, “fear
is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s
natural to be scared before a battle.
Every man and woman here is scared to one degree or another. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“But
you’re Knights of the Grail. According
to Methos, you people are fearless.”
The
knight chuckled darkly. “Don’t let the
stories fool you. We’re just better able
to hide our fear more than most.”
Justin
and Richie simply stared at the back of the driver’s head and pondered his
words as the miles passed quickly.
*****
July 22nd 13:30 PST - 23:30
Local
Ma’tan as Sarah Oil Refinery,
“Options?” St. Wolf asked.
“Why
don’t we make it simple?”
St.
Wolf glanced at his other commanders.
“Anyone got a better plan?”
“Just
a modification, sir,”
“Not
a bad idea,”
“Oh
damn.
“Yep
and loving it,”
“All
right, people. Let’s do this! All of the Immortals will attack the refinery
directly. We’ll use six HUMVEEs, all of
them, but one, equipped with machine guns.
We’ll go in, in a column of twos.
The TOW launcher will be in the first two and will take out any
barricades. The middle two will cover
the sides with the machine guns, the last two will be
rear guard. Rear guard will limit its
fire to identified targets. We don’t
want to hit our follow up team.
“Colonel
Sanchez will command the knights on the perimeter, with a force of twenty
HUMVEES, fifteen equipped with TOWs, the rest with machine guns. Colonel, you’ll move your people in a double
crescent, overlapping our assault force and forcing the terrorists into a
crossfire.
“What
are cloaking spells?”
“Magical spells that cloak us so no one can see or hear us, until it’s too late. Why do you think we’ve been able to move around so much without the Libyans and the terrorists seeing us?”
“When
do we start?”
“In one hour. Everyone check weapons and loads now and then we disperse for the assault in.”
Then St. Wolf
checked his watch and set the countdown for one hour. “Synchronize your watches on the hour on my
mark in five seconds, four, three, two, one, mark!” Everyone clicked off their timers and broke
up into smaller groups to go over their particular phase of the plan.
*****
“Why
are you leading the charge, Colonel?
You’re not an Immortal like Sir Steven.”
Terry asked.
Mickey
grinned. “Colonel Smith. Have you and the rest of your team considered
joining the Order on a permanent basis?”
“I’ll
talk to Colonel Sanchez and the Knight General when we get back. It’ll be good to have decent support again,”
*****
St.
Wolf finished checking his H&K G3 and glanced at Buffy. She was looking down into the valley where
the refinery sat in a pool of light. He walked
up behind her and softly asked, “It’s not too late to go with Colonel Sanchez
or Jordan.”
Buffy
shook her head. “No. I can’t go with them. I have to stay with you.”
“Buffy,
you have nothing to prove to me or anyone here.
Don’t do this to yourself.”
Buffy
turned around and stared up into his eyes.
“No, if I’m going to be your partner, I have to do this.”
He
rested his chin on the top of her head and asked, “Are you sure about
this? It’s not like hunting vampires and
demons. Even though they may be killers,
they’re still people. They have souls.”
She
responded by giving him a reassuring hug.
“I know. Don’t worry about me, I’ll
be fine.”
“All
right then. Check your weapons. We leave in twenty minutes. You’re with me in the lead HUMVEE.”
Steve
walked over to his other commanders and passed Mulder and Scully. Mulder glanced at Scully and she nodded at
him. Then they both got up and walked to
Buffy’s side.
As Buffy finished checking her sidearm, Dana asked, “Buffy, how are you…really?”
Buffy
looked up from her task and grimaced.
“Did Steve send you over here?”
“No,”
Scully said. “The look on his face told
the whole story.”
“Buffy,
you don’t have to do this,” Mulder said.
Quietly, the Slayer regarded her two friends and sullenly shook her head.
“Steve doesn’t
want you to do something that you don’t want to do,” Dana added.
“I
know.”
“Then
why are you here?” Dana asked.
“Steve’s
been there for me and my friends, Dana.
He’s stood by me when I’ve faced horrors that most normal guys would run
away from. I want to be here for him
when he has to face his monsters. I know
it sounds silly, but that’s why I’m here.”
Dana
squeezed Buffy’s shoulder and gently smiled.
“No,” she chanced a glance at Mulder and flashed a sad smile as she
remembered all the times he’d wanted to protect her from danger and she’d
refused to leave his side. “No, it doesn’t
sound silly at all.”
*****
Meanwhile,
*****
Colonel
Sanchez peered out over the sand at the oil refinery and felt his anger build.
< I’ve faced demons, vampires and every monster known to mankind. Each of
those times I’ve known my duty and done it.
I’ve always had respect for them as enemies, but you scum are trying to
destroy the world that we all have to live on.
How can mankind be so foolish? > Sanchez shuddered and then turned to
his team leaders. “Mount up and get
moving. You have your orders, we attack
in thirty minutes.” The knights nodded
silently and moved to carry out their orders.
*****
St.
Wolf glanced at his watch and said, “We leave in five minutes people. Mount up and prepare to move out!”
*****
Corvo,
the terrorist leader of the Swords of Allah stared up at the sky and grinned.
< Soon, most of Earth will be cleansed of the Infidels. Allah is truly great,> he mused then shook
his head in amusement. If only those
fools who’d taunted him in his youth could see him now. After he had left his backward home behind
and had fought the Soviets in
A
dark haired man, in a lab coat, stepped forward and fearfully said, “We are, Great
Corvo. Thank you for asking.”
“That
is well because this is your last night on Earth, my good doctor. We release the plague tomorrow.”
“But
you said that you would first offer the world a chance to bend to your will,”
Dr. Armari sputtered.
“Those
plans have changed. Your daughter and
the men who I’ve sent to retrieve her have disappeared. I must, therefore, assume the worst and proceed
ahead of schedule, before the Infidels can stop me.”
“But what about the rest of faithful of Islam? Without the cure, most, if not all of the
people who follow the Faith will also die.”
Corvo
laughed hysterically at the professor with a maniacal gleam in his eye. “Allah will watch over his children. Those that die are not worthy of the new
world that I shall forge in His name.
Those that survive will follow me into a new world that blessed Allah
has revealed to me.”
“What
about my family?”
“If any survive the plague, then they shall live with the rest of us in the new world; those that don’t, I shall bury.” Then the madman turned and left the room.
****
Ben
Armari stared at his wife and three children and prostrated himself on the
floor in prayer. He knelt down on his
prayer rug, faced
Part
15 - Night Assault
(Who
Says Prayers Are Never Answered?)
July 22nd
Ma’tan as Sarah Oil Refinery,
St.
Wolf glanced at his watch and counted the seconds down. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five—then he raised
his hand, four, three, two, one! His hand came down and the first wave of
HUMVEEs raced out and down into the valley as their guns scanned for targets.
*****
Colonel
Sanchez watched as his timer clicked on zero.
He glanced at his TOW operator and nodded his head. The operator grinned as he spied a Land Rover
and blew it out of existence. The rest
of his unit also began to fire into the Land Rovers that speeded toward the doomed
Land Rover.
*****
St. Wolf pointed his rifle toward the oil complex and said into his radio transmitter, “Let’s move out, people!” The HUMVEEs under his command sped toward the complex. Moments later, he grinned at Buffy as three Range Rovers filled with terrorists careened toward them. Then he ordered the machine gunners to open fire. “Beta Team, take them out.”
Buffy saw two of the HUMVEEs located off to her side let loose with their fifty caliber machine guns, effectively shooting the three carloads of terrorists to pieces before any of them could raise a gun to defend themselves. She gasped and whispered, “Isn’t that unfair?” In response, her lover looked down at her with a satisfied smirk on his face.
“Alls fair in love and war, Buffy,” he murmured.
At that moment,
she suddenly realized the man she’d fallen in love with could be a cold and
callous killer. < Oh God, THIS was what he didn’t want me to see! >
Heedless
of the horror that plainly showed on the Slayer’s face, St. Wolf continued to
press the attack. “Alpha Two,” he
snapped. “There are a group of
terrorists by that grey out building marked K12; blow them away!” Almost immediately, the HUMVEE to their left fired
a TOW and shortly thereafter, a small building exploded nearby, tossing several
bodies like rag dolls from an angry child’s bed.
Buffy’s eyes shot wide open at the grim spectacle of shattered bodies flying through the air. Then she shuddered when St. Wolf raised his rifle and fired a short burst. Her superhuman eyesight followed his line of tracers as they bored into a man’s chest, causing him to fall from some scaffolding to the ground. Blinking rapidly, she witnessed her friends, Mulder and Scully, as they fired short bursts from their rifles into the night. Following the path of Dana’s tracers, she saw a terrorist who Dana had missed, aim his rifle in the direction of the female FBI agent. Without thinking, Buffy aimed and fired a short burst that struck the man’s head, causing it to explode like a ripe melon smashed against the pavement.
When she realized that she’d just brutally slaughtered a man, Buffy’s lunch almost clawed its way up her esophagus from her lurching stomach. “Oh…my…God. I killed him,” she murmured. She had just taken a human life. Not only that, she reflected, she’d made his corpse unrecognizable to anyone who might have grieved for him. She had destroyed someone’s son, or father, or brother, just like the infernal things that she fought every night in Sunnydale had tried to do to the humans that she protected. Now, she was like them and the only thing that she was glad of was that her dear Watcher had not seen what she’d become.
“Oh, Giles,”
she sobbed, “what have I done?”
For several heartbeats, she nearly shut down. Then she shook her head and scolded herself. Steve had warned her about this and he’d been right. But now, there was no time for recriminations. He’d helped her with her horrors and she was going to help him with his come hell or high water! So she fought down the queasiness and steadied herself as she spotted another terrorist. She fired once more and gunned him down just before she felt the HUMVEE skid to a stop. As St. Wolf leapt from the vehicle, Buffy sprang after him and the pair raced toward a doorway.
*****
*****
Methos
lifted his rifle and squeezed off a three round burst, catching a terrorist in
the face. Then he looked up at the moon
and howled. He glanced back at J.P.,
Jarod and Andrea and ordered, “Move forward and show no mercy!”
J.P.
grinned. “Death truly rides again,” he
muttered as he placed a four round burst into a terrorist’s center mass. The terrorist fell back into his friends and
J.P. followed up by firing his battle rifle to cut the rest down as well.
Both
Jarod and Andrea stared at the carnage caused by the two men and shuddered. “And I thought the Centre had all of the cold-blooded
killers on its payroll,” Jarod observed under his breath. Andrea silently nodded as she snapped off a
two round burst and killed a terrorist on a gangway who’d pointed a gun at
Methos. Then as the man’s body tumbled
into the railing and dangled overhead, Methos saw it, then turned to her and
gave her a devil- may-care grin.
Andrea
shuddered at that. “Dear God, he’s enjoying
himself!”
“He
was ‘Death,’ you know,” Jarod said.
“I
know, but it frightens me to no end to know that the guy who gets you and me
drunk off our ass can be such a cold-blooded psycho,” Andrea said. < I
wonder if he would take our heads if the opportunity presented itself? >
*****
“What
in Allah’s name is going on?” Corvo snapped as he heard the gunfire.
One
of his guards rushed in and said, “Master, the Infidels are attacking! They have destroyed the exterior security
lines and are directly attacking the complex.”
“How
could this happen?” Corvo demanded.
“We
don’t know Master, but they are unstoppable!
All fall before them.”
Corvo
glared at the man standing in front of him.
“Get out there and hold them at all cost! I must release the plague before they destroy
it.”
“Yes,
Master,” the man said and ran out the door.
*****
St. Wolf, Summers, Mulder, Scully, Gabrielle and Sonja had formed an assault phalanx that had penetrated deeply into the main building of the complex. Buffy was slightly behind St. Wolf, covering their left side, while he covered their right. The team leapfrogged from one area of concealment to another in twos. Then when they broke cover, several terrorists rushed out of a side room and began to fire at them.
Buffy fell back and flinched as she waited for the pain of the bullets to rip into her. However, it never came as the rounds struck a nearby wall several inches above her head. “Whew!” she expressed in an outpouring of relief and brushed an errant strand of bottle-blond hair from her left eye. For the first time in her life, being little had finally turned into an advantage! She glanced at St. Wolf who stood his ground nearby. He fired back at the terrorists for a few seconds then slowly retreated, providing the tiny blonde with a modicum of cover. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Buffy scooted back toward the hallway with Steve now sprinting behind her. When the terrorists brought up an RPG-7 to fire down the hallway after the Wanderer and the Slayer, they were surprised to find that their targets had dropped to the floor, allowing Mulder and the others the opportunity to fire their weapons at the hapless terrorists.
*****
Outside on the grounds surrounding
the main building, Abula Acheed was apoplectic as he saw his friends and fellow
freedom fighters cut down by the withering fire of two men. The first, a tall man, dressed in brown from
head to foot, and the other, his face painted in different colors, moved
forward, effortlessly dealing death to anyone who dared face them. Abula gulped and raised his rifle to fire on
them. Suddenly, he felt a burning
sensation in the pit of his stomach. He
looked down and found a hole where a bullet had just passed through him. Abula dropped his rifle from unfeeling hands
as his scream traveled through the night.
He fell to his knees and spied the man with the painted face raise his
gun to his shoulder. He only had time to
flash upon the image of his sister
*****
Methos
stared at the dead lying all around him.
J.P. walked up to him and he grinned.
“Now this is a battle worthy of us, wouldn’t you agree,
old timer?”
“Yeah,
well, it ain’t over until it’s over, Methos!” J.P. growled as a spray of
bullets struck him in the back. He whirled
around and saw the terrorist that had shot him had just run behind a
building. J.P. growled as he drew his
Thunder Pistol and blew a hole through both the building and the terrorist who’d
hid behind it. Then he holstered his sidearm
and glared at Methos, Jarod, and Andrea.
“What the hell are you waiting for?
Kill them all!” Then he turned
and revealed his back to them. Moments
later, they saw his bullet holes had already healed as the slugs fell out and
plummeted to the sand like morbid rain drops.
Jarod
and Andrea held each other for a moment, stunned by what they’d just witnessed. Then as several terrorists began to shoot at
them, they were shaken from their stupor.
Richie took a bullet in his left leg and cried out as most of the
bullets harmlessly ricocheted off their armor.
The terrorists, shaken by the mostly ineffectual attack they had just
unleashed, stood dumbly with their weapons in hand. Then they died blissfully unaware of their
mistake as Jarod, Andrea, Justin, and Methos returned fire.
*****
“Absolutely, darling.
Those two are positively terrifying.”
Shortly,
the lovers were joined by Richie and Justin.
“I can’t believe that’s Methos out there,” Richie said in awe as he
tested his newly healed leg.
“Neither can I,” Justin said. He shook his head and simply couldn’t believe that the man who’d taken him in and trained him was such a cold blooded killer.
*****
St. Wolf and his team continued to press on into the heart of the facility. Then, when they approached an area that had ten or more terrorists fortified behind sandbags in front of a secure door, Buffy’s attention was caught by an unseen threat. With her Slayer hearing, she heard the scampering of many footsteps from an adjacent hallway behind them.
She grabbed her new lover’s elbow and said, “Steve, there’s some more of them down the corridor behind us to our right!”
Sonja grunted. “Gabrielle and I will handle them. Press on! We’ll join you shortly.”
*****
Frantic
now, Corvo rushed to the laboratory and found the deadly plague vials. He clumsily gathered most of the deadly
capsules and exited the laboratory. He
entered the hallway and heard the approaching sounds of gunfire. Then, regaining some of his usual swagger due
to his invulnerability to the deadly virus, his lips parted into a death’s head
grin and he shattered the vials on the floor. < These infidels will die a
horrible death.> he mused. He then
slammed through the door into the room where the scientist and his family were
being held. “Armari, who are they? Who would dare to attack me?”
Ben Armari stared up at the madman from his prayer rug as Corvo stalked across the floor and grabbed his youngest son.
“I do not know
how you did it, but I am under attack. I
demand that you order them to stop!”
Ben
looked into his youngest son’s eyes and sadly shook his head. “I cannot stop them.”
“Then
your entire family shall die!” He shattered a vial on the floor and a mist rose
from the remnants of the broken vial to permeate the room. The entire family began to cough, shake and
sweat blood. Corvo grinned as he tossed
the young boy toward his father. Then as
he turned to leave, Corvo felt a sudden pain in the pit of his stomach that
caused him to double over. His entire
body began to shake and shiver and he leaned against a wall to support
himself. He glared at Armari and demanded,
“How is this possible? I am the chosen
of Allah! I cannot die like this! Didn’t you inject me with the cure?”
Ben
Armari grimaced then glared at the madman.
“You poor, demented fool! There was no cure! I couldn’t find one in the little time that
you gave me!”
“The injection…what was it?”
“Dyed water, you bastard.
I hope you enjoy your s-stay…in H-hell,” Armari stammered then died as
his blood dripped from his dissolving tear ducts to mingle with the blood of
the man who’d murdered both him and his family.
*****
The assault teams rapidly cleared out the rest of the defenders and they began an extensive search of the main building.
“Over here!”
St. Wolf, Summers, Mulder, and Scully rushed toward the voice and
found a knight standing outside a door.
“I found Corvo and the Armaris,” he said just before Gabrielle and Sonja
had called out from a nearby hallway that they were approaching.
“Where?” St. Wolf demanded.
“In
here,” came the cryptic response.
“They’re all dead from the plague.
We’ve sealed off the room and started to sterilize the area.”
St.
Wolf nodded and entered the room to find several knights spraying various
chemicals to kill as many of the plague germs as possible. He walked over to Henry Stamos and asked,
“What’s the situation?”
“The
entire Armari family is dead, but so is a man one of the knights identified as
Corvo.”
“How
did he die?” Steve asked.
“From
the disease…I guess God really has a sense of humor.”
“More
like black irony,”
“Yes,”
Henry Stamos said. “What are we going to
do?”
“We’re
going to burn this building to the ground.
One of the buildings contains a large supply of gasoline in
barrels. We’re going to move in as many
as we can and detonate them with a series charge of plastique. Will that destroy any of the remaining germs?”
Henry
thought for a moment and slowly nodded.
“Yes, it should do. What about
the remaining vials and Armari’s notes?”
“Transfer
all of the files to several disks and we’ll destroy everything else,” St. Wolf
ordered.
“I’ll
need ten minutes or so,” Henry said
“You’ve
got it. It’ll take us that long to rig
the explosives.”
“What
about the vials?”
“Destroy
them.”
“I
agree,” Henry said as he dropped the vials into a bucket of chemicals and placed
the notes inside a sealed container.
“Will
the notes need to be sterilized?”
“Yes,
but not here. I’ll take them to CDC for
sterilization and copying. Then we’ll
destroy them. When will we destroy this
complex?”
“Now,”
Steve said as he touched his throat microphone and issued his orders. “Colonel Sanchez, leave ten of your vehicles
on patrol, the rest are to park by the main building to receive new orders.”
“It
shall be done, Sir Steven,” Colonel Sanchez said.
*****
July 22nd
Ma’tan as Sarah Oil Refinery,
An
hour later, Buffy stared sullenly at the Ma’tan as Sarah oil refinery while the
fire that had been started by several blasts of plastique and gasoline
destroyed all of the buildings. “They
never had a chance,” she noted with a hard edge in her voice. “You just had to kill them all, didn’t you?”
He regarded her defensively. “They didn’t offer us any choice in the matter, Buffy. I would rather kill every member of the Swords of Allah, than lose any of my people or an innocent.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t offer them a choice, either, Steve. We just shot them down like dogs! None of us even tried to take any prisoners!”
He grimaced at her. “We don’t have the capability of processing prisoners when you conduct a raid. We are supposed to be in and out. We’ve been in…now it’s time for us to get out.”
Buffy’s stomach
tensed as she recognized the tone of his voice that indicated that the
discussion was over. Burying her
resentment for the moment, she asked quietly, “How many wounded do we have?”
“Eleven. Thank the Gods, none of the injuries were
serious,” Steve noted as he started for the lead HUMVEE.
“Where are you going?”
“To tell Colonel Sanchez that we’re leaving.”
“Fine,” she snapped and trudged after him. “You do that!”
*****
July 22nd
Town of
Twenty
miles away in the town of
“What
about the orders from
“It’s
obviously an emergency, Sergeant. We
need to move, now!”
The
Senior Sergeant shrugged and bellowed out, “You heard the Colonel, you sons of
dogs! Get moving! We leave in five minutes!”
*****
Buffy
struggled to push down her anger as she peered out the HUMVEE’s window at the
night-shrouded terrain. She blinked
hard, fighting back her tears, as she inwardly grieved for her lost
innocence. “Now I know why he didn’t
want me or our friends here,” she said lowly to herself. Then she rested her head on the back of her
seat and moments later fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the HUMVEE’s
suspension as they drove south back toward the Chad/Libyan border.
*****
July 22nd
Town of
Colonel
Hakim ordered the driver to stop his BMP3 Command Vehicle as the scout quickly
drove his motorcycle over to him. Hakim stared
the man down and asked, “Corporal, what’s the situation?”
The
man stuttered and said, “T-the oil refinery…it’s gone, sir.”
“Gone? What do you mean gone?”
“The
refinery was destroyed, Colonel. Every
building is on fire.”
“Any survivors?”
“Just two, sir.”
“Did
they say what happened?”
“Yes,
sir…it was attacked by a large group of soldiers. Corvo and nearly all of his followers are
dead.”
Oh,
well, Colonel Hakim mused, that’s one less fanatic in the world. Then he
returned his attention to the scout. “Where
did they go?”
“Tire
tracks point to the south, sir.”
“
However,
the scout shook his head. “Whatever
they’re driving, it’s not Hussars, Chussars or Panhards. The tread marks are like those of a
Landrover’s, but they are spaced too widely and the tread is all wrong for the
French vehicles.”
“Americans?” Colonel
Hakim asked.
“Possibly. The two
survivors heard the attacking soldiers speak English, however, they didn’t have
English accents.”
<
Damnation! > “How long ago did they leave?”
“Less than an hour ago.”
The scout said pointing east, southeast.
“We can catch them if we head southeast on the main road.”
Hakim
nodded. < Do I really want to fight these soldiers? Their sole crime was killing Corvo and the
world is surely better off without that bastard. > However, Hakim’s sense of duty won
out. < They did destroy the oil
refinery. I have to punish them for
that. > Then
Hakim pointed to the southeast. “Move
the convoy out. We must catch the
invaders before they cross the border.”
*****
July 22nd
Bedouin Path South to
Chad/Libyan Border
An
hour later, Buffy woke with a start as she’s roused out of her sleep. “Where are we? What happened?”
“We
just hit some roughs in the road. As to our
location, we’re two miles north of the border.”
Steve said as he looked out the window.
“Did you sleep well?”
Buffy
shuddered and hugged herself tightly. “I
had a bad nightmare.”
“I
know. I was holding you when it hit.”
At
that, Buffy felt chagrined. She had been
such a royal bitch to him after the attack yet he’d still tried to comfort
her. “Thanks,
honey,” Buffy said as she burrowed into his side. In response, Steve wrapped a protective arm
around her and kissed the top of her head.
*****
Mulder
and Scully watched Steve and Buffy and shared a secret grin. Mulder leaned in and whispered, “Think
Steve’s gotten over Buffy being in the line of fire with him?”
“I
think so, but he’ll always remain protective of her. Reminds me of someone else I know,” Dana noted
with a smile.
“Anyone
I know?”
“Yeah…Connor,” Dana said with a twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes.
At first, Mulder’s
face clouded over with jealousy, but a moment later he grinned when he realized
that she had been teasing him. Then he
leaned toward her and kissed her deeply.
*****
While
the Mulders stole a moment of intimacy, Jarod sighed wistfully as Andrea
snuggled up to him. “My God, Jarod. That was the most intense four hours of my
life.” Andrea muttered.
“I
don’t think
“But
we succeeded. The world goes on and no
one will ever know how close it came to ending.”
“We’ll
know. That’s all that matters,” Jarod said
then held her even tighter.
*****
Meanwhile,
Methos tried to clean the paint off of his face and discovered that some of the
paint didn’t want to come out. “You
should use cold cream to remove that stuff,” J.P. Withers said.
Methos
glanced over to the ancient demon hunter and grimaced. “How the hell do you keep your clothes
clean?”
J.P.
grinned. “Magic.”
“Figures,”
Methos said as they neared the border.
“Think we got away with it?”
J.P.
glared at Methos. “What are you trying
to do Methos? Jinx the mission?”
“Oh
come on, old man. There’s nothing out
her--” Then
before he could complete his sentence, a machine gun opened up on the
convoy. “What the hell was that?”
“Murphy
being an Irish fuck!” J.P. snapped as he drew his
Masterson Assault Cannon and began to fire into the darkness.
Methos
stared at the 20 mm cannon and shouted above the noise, “Where the hell did you
get that thing from?”
J.P.
grinned as he exited the HUMVEE. “That’s
none of your business, punk! Now, why
don’t you pick up that rifle and lay down some cover fire for those Knights in
the first HUMVEE!”
“You
got it, old timer,” Methos yelled back over the roar of the Masterson.
*****
July 22nd
Bedouin Path South to
Chad/Libyan Border
Yousef
ben Mohammed grinned as the invaders entered the trap that he and his scouts
had set up. < Allah is great. Now let
the Infidels come a little closer and we’ll delay them for the Colonel to
attack. The sides of this river bed are perfect for our ambush. > As the first vehicle
passed the point of no return, they opened up with their light machine
guns. Yousef grinned as the vehicle is
peppered with the armor piercing rounds.
Then he aimed his rifle at the next vehicle and prepared to pull the
trigger. Suddenly he heard a loud
noise. He turned toward it and saw a
horrible sight. Someone was cutting his
unit apart with some kind of hand-held cannon!
*****
Sir
Greg Bernard looked on in horror as his windshield is almost shattered by the
concentrated fire of at least four light machine guns. He glanced over to his friend and long time
partner, Mike Donnelly, and screamed, “Shit!!
Mike, it looks like we’re going to buy it this time!!”
“Not
yet!” Mike snapped as the support fire from the second HUMVEE began to tear into
the men who’d ambushed them. Mike saw
two of the Immortals calmly walking forward, one of them equipped with an
H&K G3 Battle rifle, the other armed with, for the lack of a better word,
cannon, shooting all the way. “Where in the
hell do I get one of those things!?” Mike muttered in awe as the brown suited
man passed him with a glowing cigarette in his mouth and a maniacal grin
plastered on his face. “Oh Shit! Where the hell did the Wanderer get this guy
from!?”
“Who
cares?” Greg cried out as he climbed out of the driver’s side. “Let’s get the fuck out of here! This HUMVEE’s gonna blow!”
Mike
quickly followed his partner’s lead, grabbed his rifle and joined Methos and
J.P. in attacking the scouts.
*****
“Allah
Forfend!” Yousef muttered as the firing
increased in tempo. He stared as the
invaders began to lay down highly accurate fire on his men and positions. Finally, realizing that he couldn’t hold his
position, he ordered, “Retreat!! They
are too strong for us!”
His
men moved back in order and rapidly abandoned the hills surrounding the
pass. Yousef watched as the last of his
men moved out. Then he quickly joined
them, leading the rear guard. The scouts
left behind their heavy weapons and jumped onto their motorcycles and Zil scout
cars. Then Yousef looked back as his men
made their escape and said, “Allah be merciful!
What kind of demons are we facing?”
“Sir,
the Colonel’s on the radio,” Yousef’s radioman said.
< Damn. I hope
this doesn’t destroy my career. > “Sir! We weren’t able to hold them.”
“How
bad was it?”
“I’ve
lost sixty-three men, sir, forty percent of my force, including the light
machine guns.”
“How
long were you able to hold?”
“Barely
two minutes! These infidels are devils
incarnate! I have never seen men and
women who reacted so swiftly to an ambush.”
The
silence on the radio was palpable as Colonel Hakim digested the news. “Did you say men AND women, Lieutenant?”
Yousef
gulped. “I did, sir. There were women firing at us as well as
men.”
“How many?”
“I
estimate about two hundred, maybe two hundred fifty.”
“Did
you recognize their uniforms?”
“No, sir. They wore
black fatigues with some sort of golden emblem over their hearts.”
*****
Hakim
stared at his aide and he nodded soberly.
Hakim turned back to the radio and asked, “Is the emblem shaped like a
cup?”
*****
Yousef
stared at his radio and nervously said, “Yes, that’s correct. Do you know who they are?”
“Get
out of there immediately!” Hakim ordered.
“Yes, sir!” Yousef snapped as he turned to his radio
operator. “Get on the unit net and order
the men to retreat as fast as they can.”
*****
Hakim
turned to his aide and said simply, “He’s back.”
The
Sergeant nodded and bellowed to the radioman, “Order the regiment to increase
speed. We’re going to WAR!!!”
*****
St.
Wolf examined the damaged HUMVEE then issued his orders. “Strip it and roll it off to the side.” Several knights moved in and began to take
critical components out of the HUMVEE. Meanwhile,
Steve walked over to Methos and J.P. and said, “Good job covering the knights
when their HUMVEE was ambushed, guys.”
“Always
nice to be appreciated,” J.P. quipped. “I
hope you plan on buying the beer when we get back.”
“Why
do I have a feeling that I’m going to regret agreeing to that?” the Wanderer said
with a laugh.
“Because
the two of us can drink a brewery dry,” Methos offered with a chuckle.
St.
Wolf shook his head resignedly as he turned from the two Immortals to watch his
knights finish stripping the HUMVEE and moving it out of the way. Then he turned toward Colonel Sanchez and
said, “Move them out, Colonel. Buffy and
I will command the rear guard.”
Colonel Sanchez nodded and announced, “Mount up and let’s get out of here.”
St.
Wolf sighed as he watched the other HUMVEEs leave then he called out to the
rear guard. “Keep a sharp eye out. Where there’s one set of bandits, there could
be more.”
“Roger
that,” Sonja said from her HUMVEE a short distance away.
*****
Hakim
stared up at the stars and silently thanked Allah. < The bastard that
destroyed my career has returned. Now I shall
avenge my dishonor! > He looked around at his men and said to his senior
Sergeant, “Ibrahim, make sure that we catch up with the bastard.”
“May
Allah deliver all of them to our righteous vengeance,” Ibrahim said softly.
When
the Russian and East German made BMPs and APCs rushed forward at their maximum
speed, Hakim said, “I hope we can catch up to the invaders before they cross
the border.”
“And
if they cross the border?”
Hakim
grinned. “We follow them. It won’t be the first or last time that we or
the French have ‘accidentally’ crossed over.”
“Understood,
sir!” the Senior Sergeant said with a grin and began to issue orders over the
unit channel. Several of the faster
vehicles then moved off and sped toward the
*****
Colonel
Sanchez breathed a sigh of relief as his GPS signaled that they were closing on
the one mile marker to the border. He glanced
back at
“True,
Colonel.”
“Good
point,
*****
Major
Fasheel grinned as his six wheeled armored personal carriers sped past the main
body of his regiment. “Allah Akbah!” he
screamed out as they passed Colonel Hakim’s command car.
Hakim
gave him a salute and a silent prayer. < May you survive this coming battle,
old friend. Better men have fallen
against those that you rush to face. >
*****
July 22nd
Bedouin path South to
Chad/Libyan Border
“There’s
nothing but sand out there.”
St.
Wolf grunted at Buffy’s comment. “There’s
always something out there.” Then,
almost a heartbeat after he had finished his statement, a bullet struck their
vehicle. The vehicle’s occupants turned
toward the northeast and saw several armored cars rushing toward them. St. Wolf cursed softly and ordered into his
throat mike, “All TOW operators. Take
out those BMPs!”
Then
at his command, a dozen rockets streaked through the night and into the pursuing
BMPs.
*****
Major
Fasheel’s smile rapidly faded away as a half dozen of his lead armored cars are
blown into the desert sky. “Merciful Allah! Who
are these people?!” he muttered. Then he
gasped when a body landed on the front of his command BMP. He opened a channel on his radio and screamed
into it. “Colonel Hakim! I need support immediately! These demons are tearing us apart with
anti-tank missiles.”
*****
Hakim
listened to his subordinate then turned toward his Sergeant and ordered, “Swing
wide of Fasheel’s attack. We’ll trap the
enemy at the border and force them back onto Fasheel.”
“What
about Fasheel? Shouldn’t we send him
some support?”
“No,
Ibrahim. Fasheel stands or dies,” Hakim
sadly said.
Ibrahim
nodded and ordered the rest of the convoy to top speed and to the border. They sped forward and completed a wide circle
around Fasheel’s ambush. Meanwhile, Hakim
looked down at his hands and found that they were shaking. < There were only
nine of them seven years ago, now I face two hundred of them. Allah save us all if
this move fails. >
*****
St.
Wolf noted that the lead BMPs were stopped and had blocked the others from
entering the pass. He ordered the TOW
operators to blow the last car in the column, and when it was destroyed, it
served to block the entire force from retreating and gaining maneuvering
room. “Open fire with the machine guns!”
he bellowed. In response, the heavy
fifty caliber machine guns opened up and peppered the skin of the BMPs. Moments later, he grinned. “That’s enough!” The guns ceased firing and he said, “Let’s
get the hell out of here.” The HUMVEEs then
sped toward the south at top speed.
*****
Fasheel
reached for his radio with a bloody hand, coughed up some phlegm from his
collapsed lung, and reported, “Colonel Hakim.
This is Fasheel. The invaders
have bottled up my men and vehicles.
They’re headed south at top speed.”
*****
Hakim
listened to Fasheel’s report and sadly shook his head. “That’s another one I owe you, you bastard!” he
snarled. Then Hakim glanced at Ibrahim. “I don’t think your son-in-law will die from
his wounds, old friend.”
Ibrahim
nodded sadly. “He’s a tough one. He’ll pull through just to spite that bastard!”
“Are
we in position?” Hakim asked.
“Yes,
sir, we are. Whenever you give the
order, we’ll cut cross-country and cut off their escape route.”
“Do
it now!”
“Yes, sir!” Ibrahim snapped as he turned to the radio man
sitting next to him. “Pass the word, cut
to the west, NOW!!” The radio man repeated
the order on the regimental frequency and almost immediately, the entire column
changed direction and headed west.
*****
St.
Wolf and Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as the armored personnel carriers ceased
all movement. Then St. Wolf turned to
the driver and said, “Put the pedal to the metal, old son. We’re getting the fuck out of Dodge as fast
as we can.”
The
knight grinned. “You got it,
Kemosabbe. Hi yo Silver!!”
St.
Wolf chuckled as a confused Buffy looked on.
“I’ll explain it later,” he told her.
Buffy nodded and pointed her rifle out of the open window. Mulder and Scully quickly followed suit as a
bullet ‘pinged’ off the rear window.
Mulder
raised his rifle and fired a short burst.
He grinned when he heard a distant scream in response.
*****
Colonel
Sanchez glanced to the right side of his vehicle as his HUMVEE sped down the river
bed. “
“Aye,
Colonel,”
*****
Hakim
watched as his four T-72 tanks veered from the road to the edge of the river
bed. < The tanks will stop those bastards cold,> he mused.
*****
Donald
Harris scanned the high banks of the river bed, his TOW launcher ready for
anything. Suddenly, he saw the familiar and
frightening shape of a T-72. “Holy
crap,” he yelled into his mike, “we got…four T-fucking-72s on the ridge above
us. Blow those fucks away!!” Before his voice died down, a dozen TOWs
streaked into the night and smashed into the tanks, knocking them back at least
twenty feet.
*****
Hakim
couldn’t believe his eyes when multiple explosions rocked his tanks
backwards. “How in Allah’s name can
these infidels be this dangerous?” He
muttered as he called out to his radioman.
“Order the men forward!!” The
radioman nodded and began to issue Hakim’s orders.
*****
Ali
Fajil gulped down his horror as he saw the four tanks destroyed in a matter of
seconds. “Who are we fighting? The Legion?”
“It’s
not the Legion,” the Sergeant said as he pushed his men forward to the lip of
the river bed.
“Then
who are we fighting?” Ali asked just before the Sergeant was ripped in half by
a concentrated burst of machine gun fire coming up from below. < Allah save
us! > Ali turned to run, but the gun barrel of his commanding officer’s
Skorpion submachine gun stopped him.
“Move
forward you sons of dogs or I’ll shoot you down,” the Lieutenant said with
murder in his eyes.
Ali
grimly nodded and turned back. He fell onto
his stomach as he drew near the river bank and slowly crawled forward. When he reached the edge, he glanced over for
a second, but yanked his head back as bullets began to chew up the ground where
his head had been. < Allah protect me! > He looked
back toward his Lieutenant and gulped when he saw the man raise his machine
pistol toward Ali. Then, without
thinking, Ali turned back to the edge and began to fire blindly into the river
bed.
*****
Methos
looked up at the edge of the river bed, lifted his rifle, and fired along the
top of the river bed. His accurate fire
forced the Libyans away from the edge. Then
he noticed one foolish soldier had risen to his knees to spray the column with
his AK-47. Methos grinned as several
fifty caliber bullets shatter the man’s skull.
As the man’s body fell backward, his AK-47 fired up into the night sky.
< That’ll keep their heads down. > Methos thought grimly.
*****
As
his men are forced back from the edge of the river bed, Hakim muttered to his
Sergeant, “How is this possible?”
“The
bastards are firing as they pass this section of the river bed. The men are cut down as soon as they near the
edge. None of the men can reach the edge
and the BMPs and Tanks are destroyed as soon as they are seen,” Ibrahim said.
“Damn
them to whatever Hell that spawned them!” Hakim screamed into the night
sky. He whirled toward his radio man and
said, “Order the men to pull back and have the mortars brought up and sighted
on the river bed!”
Ibrahim
nodded and began to issue the proper orders.
The infantry men retreated while the 88mm and 120mm mortars were rolled into
position. Ibrahim glanced at Colonel
Hakim and waited for his superior officer’s order. Hakim nodded and Ibrahim relayed the order to
fire. Shortly after that, the mortars
began to sound their familiar ‘CHUNG’, ‘CHUNG’ sound.
<
Let that bastard stop this, > Hakim thought as the mortar bombs rained down
on the river bed.
*****
When
the first mortar bomb struck nearby,
Several cars
back, St. Wolf saw the explosions and spoke into his mike. “Move all of the cars to the east side of the
bank.”
*****
When
Colonel Sanchez heard St. Wolf’s order, he said over his radio mike, “What the hell is going on back there!?”
“Sir,
the Libyans are using mortars on the river bed.
We can’t fire back at them.” A knight
reported.
“Roger,”
Sanchez said then switched channels.
“Artillery, this is Knight 0-0-7.
Over.”
“0-0-7,
this is Artillery. What are your orders? Over.”
“The
Libyans have sighted in mortars on our column in the river bed. Take them out!”
“Roger
that 0-0-7. We have them locked in via
satellite. We are firing for effect,
over.”
*****
July 22nd
Order Base Camp, Chad/Libyan
Border
Lieutenant
Selon spied several of Section Seven’s support personnel unfurl two of their
tents. Shortly after that, the barrel of an artillery piece lit the night sky
as the covert unit fired the weapon. <
Oh my God!> he thought, <they have rocket assisted artillery!?> “Get me the
Jaguar,” he snapped to his radioman.
“I
have the 1st DREP on the radio now, sir!”
“Colonel,
this is Selon. Section Seven has just
opened fire on the enemy with rocket assisted artillery. Do you have any orders for me, sir?”
The
response he received was very cryptic. “Sit
tight and observe.”
“Understood. Patrol Delta, out.”
*****
July 22nd
Valley of Broken Spears
Colonel
Anton ‘The Jaguar’ Dumas’ reverie was broken by a radioman who rushed toward
him. “Sir, the patrol unit watching
Section Seven’s camp have reported that several of the tents were pulled back,
exposing some sort of artillery pieces.”
Then the radioman handed Anton his transmitter/receiver.
Anton
spoke into the device and said, “Report.”
“This
is Selon,” he heard over the receiver.
“Section Seven has rocket assisted artillery firing into
Anton
grinned. < Rocket assisted
artillery? Trust
“Yes, sir! Long range
reconnaissance has sighted the head of the column and we’ve been eavesdropping
on the Libyan’s radio traffic. The Third
Border Guards are hot on their trail.
Colonel Hakim is royally pissed off at these people for some reason.”
Anton
laughed at the perplexed look on the young Corporal’s face. “Son, Hakim is angry because the man leading
Section Seven is the same man who destroyed his career.”
“How
do you know that, sir?”
“Remember
hearing about that little problem the Libyans had with their Air Force, seven
years ago?”
“Yes, sir. The
newspapers said the
“That
part was true, however, two weeks before the American
raid, Section Seven destroyed the Libyan’s Air Forces.”
“Oh
Shit!! And this
Colonel Hakim?”
“Had
the foul luck to run into our ‘friends’ on the ground. He had a company at his disposal, but nine of
Section Seven’s personnel, supported by a single Mi-8 fought them to a stand
still and forced Hakim to retreat with his tail between his legs. Now there are two hundred and twenty of them
and he faces them with only a regiment.”
“Sweet
Mother of God,” the Corporal muttered.
“Then why are we here if these people are so good?”
“The
Legion helps its friends, Corporal,” Anton said with a shark’s grin. “Besides, anytime I can give the Libyans a
bloody nose is a good day for me.”
The
Corporal suddenly shared his commander’s predatory grin. “Yes, sir! Do you have any further orders for Lieutenant
Seton?”
“No,
that will be all, Corporal,” Anton said with a smile as the younger man rushed off.
*****
Hakim
smiled grimly as his mortar men pounded the river bed. “That should soften those bastards up quite
nicely,” he muttered. Then he barked, “Ibrahim,
move the men forward on the double!”
“Aye,
Sir!” Ibrahim said. “Move forward you sons of dogs!”
The men stared at Ibrahim as if he was a madman. One of the troopers scoffed at him and said, “You are a fool if you think I’m going over there to get killed.”
In response, Ibrahim
simply raised his machine pistol and gunned the trooper down.
“Anyone
else care to disobey orders?” Ibrahim asked as the gun smoke rose from his barrel. The men all nodded fearfully and trudged to
the edge of the river bed. As one of the
men leaned over to check out the river bed, a heavy machine gun round took his
head off.
As
the mass of troops began to inch forward, the men heard a whistling sound. “INCOMING!!!” someone screamed, which caused
the men to rush away from the edge of the river bed just as artillery shells began
to pound their vehicles and the mortars.
Hakim
stood dumbfounded when a dozen shells fell on his regiment in less than twenty
seconds. “NO!!!!” he screamed to the
world that seemed to conspire against him.
“This cannot be happening!!!”
*****
While
Hakim was busy screaming into the night, St. Wolf was dealing with his own
troubles. Two of his HUMVEEs had been
struck by the enemy’s mortar fire and were badly damaged. When he was given respite from the mortars by
his artillery, St. Wolf yelled out to his people, “Let’s move! We need to get those people out of those
vehicles! Buffy, you and Dana cover
us.” Then he and several other men
wrestled with the twisted metal of one of the vehicles. As he concentrated on the door in front of
him no one noticed that his wrist bands had begun to glow with a pale white
light. Suddenly the metal fell apart and
he tore the door from the HUMVEE’s chassis.
Then, he reached inside and tore out the steering column. Then as St. Wolf scrambled out of the way and
began to work on ripping off the roof to free Sonja and Gabrielle, Mulder and
Richie quickly reached in and pulled the knight out of the driver’s seat.
When St. Wolf had uncovered the two Immortal lovers, he tried to reach the second HUMVEE, however, bullets began to rain down on him. In response, Buffy, Dana, and a half dozen HUMVEEs returned fire and tried to cover him. St. Wolf crouched down and scuttled over to the other vehicle. When he reached the driver’s side, he ripped the door from its hinges and cursed loudly when he saw that the steering wheel had been forced into the Knight’s chest, causing the man’s body armor to fail.
He looked into
the face of the dying man and began to tear up.
“Dammit! Francois, don’t you die
on me!”
The man’s eyes fluttered open and he hoarsely said, “It’s too late for me, mon ami. Take care of my men, Steven. B-bury…me…next…to…Yvonne.”
Then, the man drew another breath, gasped, and fell silent as his eyes stared into eternity.
“Francois!!”
St. Wolf screamed. The tears began to
fall and for several moments he was aware of nothing but the pain of his
loss. Then he felt a gentle yet
insistent hand on his shoulder. He
glanced back through tear-streaked eyes and found Mulder standing behind him.
“I’ll take care of him, Steve. Rescue the others.”
St. Wolf nodded
and numbly went to the rear of the HUMVEE.
Then he ripped off the warped roof to allow Richie, Justin, Jarod,
Andrea and Dana to remove the wounded knights from the wrecked HUMVEE into
awaiting vehicles.
After
everyone else had mounted up and began to move off, St. Wolf still stood
silently next to his HUMVEE. He turned
toward the river bank and stared up at the top edge for several moments before
a small but firm hand reached out and held his arm tight. “Let’s go, honey,” Buffy whispered. For several seconds, he ignored her and
continued to stare at the river bank.
Then he tried to take a step but was unable to advance because his
Slayer held him fast. “Steve,” Buffy said
softly, “if you go up there, I go up there.
Remember, we’re a team. Is it
worth it?”
Buffy’s
words sliced through the fog of rage that clouded his mind and he sighed
deeply. Then he took her into his arms
and hugged her desperately. “Thanks.”
He
felt her nod in response then she gently extricated herself from his
embrace. “Let’s go home,” she said
simply.
Moments later, with Francois’ body in the back of their HUMVEE, St. Wolf sat quietly as his vehicle raced into the night to catch up with the rest of their column. Meanwhile, the shattered hulks of the two lost HUMVEEs were a brutal reminder that the Order engaged in a very nasty business, even for an Immortal.
*****
Hakim
stared at the wreckage of what was once the pride of the Libyan southern army.
< The Colonel shall never forgive me for this. > “How bad is it?” Hakim forlornly asked
his sergeant.
“Almost four hundred dead, another two hundred
fifty wounded. We’ve lost four tanks,
twenty seven BMPs and the mortars.”
Hakim winced then swore under his breath. Suddenly the anger at the unfairness of it all consumed him. He whirled on Lieutenant ben Mohammed and asked, “Where does this river bed lead?”
Yousef thought
for several seconds before he said, “The Valley of Broken Spears, sir.”
“Will
we be able to catch them before they scatter?”
“Yes, sir! But the
Hakim
snorted. “The Jaguar is sitting in his
home in Lac Yora with his wife and children.
He would not be in league with these animals.” He then turned to Ibrahim. “Ibrahim, move the able men into the river
bed with all of the still operating vehicles.”
“What about the wounded, sir?” Ibrahim asked.
“Signal
our reserves in Ma’tan as Sarah and have them send out ambulances for them.”
“Very good, sir. I’ll
make all of the arrangements.”
“Just
get us on the road in the next five minutes,” Hakim muttered while he stared
down into the dry river bed. <Whoever you are, I will kill you, you
bastard. You destroyed my family name
and ruined my career. Before this night
is out, I will have my revenge!! >
*****
Part
16 - Comes a Dark Horseman
(Yea, I Walk
Into the
Because
I’m the Baddest Mother Fucker There)
July 22nd
Hakim
stared out into the night as his regiment pushed after the invaders. Then he turned to Lieutenant ben Mohammed and asked, “Do those bastards have any
alternate routes available to them?”
“Only
if they want to leave their vehicles behind, sir,” ben Mohammed said.
“What
do you mean by that, Lieutenant?”
“The
Valley of the Broken Spears is full of broken sandstone arches and spires. Legend says four of the ancient Gods fought a
small army of demons and defeated them in the valley. The smaller spires are supposed to be the
remains of the demons turned to stone by the gods as punishment.”
Hakim
snorted. “What kind of childish fairy
tale is that? Ancient gods, demons! As the Americans would say, ‘that’s bullshit’!”
“They’re
only stories,” Yousef said stiffly.
“Will
we be able to catch them?”
Yousef
looked at the cloud of dust in front of them.
“I believe so, sir. When they
enter the valley, it bottlenecks down and makes for a very slow crawl. If even one of their
vehicles break down, the others will be trapped behind it.”
Hakim nodded at him and spoke into his mike. “We must make all possible speed, men! I want those bastards’ heads on a platter!” After he closed the channel, Hakim muttered under his breath and said, “Where is my air support?”
*****
July 22nd
National Air
Base -
Major
Benmari gazed out his window and shuddered as a huge dragon flew overhead. He noted how its golden scales shimmered and
reflected the moonlight and sighed wistfully despite himself. < Allah forgive
me, but it is a magnificent beast.>
Old
Hamed walked up to the major, his old eyes also scrutinizing the magnificent
creature. “Why have they been here for
such a long time this time?”
“I
don’t know,” Benmari said in wonder.
“What
did the ‘Colonel’ say when you told him that there were six of them?”
“He
said that we did a good job getting the planes and helicopters down. I wonder what’s going to happen next.”
“What
makes you think something’s going to happen?” Hamed asked.
“You
don’t know?” the major asked. Hamed shook
his head in response. “The last time one
of those dragons harassed us like this, a group of mercenaries attacked an
auction that dealt in children fifty miles south of here. They killed everyone there and escaped with
the children.”
Hamed
stared back at the dragons. “Is that why
the dragon had come, to protect some mercenaries? I find that extremely hard to believe.”
“It’s
true. Our agents in
Hamed
snickered and nodded toward the dragons.
“If this man can command those creatures, who would dare to face him?”
“Who
indeed,” Benmari said as a young clerk rushed over to him to hand Benmari a
communique. After the major had read it,
he scoffed. “That impetuous
fool! Didn’t he learn anything from
the last time?”
“What’s
going on?” Hamed asked.
“Colonel
Hakim is attacking a group of invaders south of Ma’tan as Sarah. He reports that they’ve destroyed Corvo and
his ‘Swords of Allah’ fanatics. Now
they’ve beaten him back and they’re headed south to the border. I have to inform the ‘Colonel’ about this.”
“The
‘Colonel’ won’t do anything to you, sir,” Hamed said. “Colonel Hakim violated his orders. You bear no fault in this, whatsoever.”
“I
know, but the ‘Colonel’ sometimes shoots the bearers of bad tidings,” the major
said as he walked toward his office.
When he arrives at his desk, he picked up his telephone and dialed the
‘Colonel’s’ personal number.
It
rang twice before the ‘Colonel’ answered.
“What now, Benmari?”
Benmari
swallowed his fear and said, “I’m sorry to disturb you, sir. But I just had a request for air support from
the 3rd Border Guards.”
“What?”
the ‘Colonel’ barked. “Why? Has Ma’tan as Sarah been attacked?”
“Only the oil refinery, sir.
According to the partial report that I have in front of me, Corvo and
all of his men are dead and the oil refinery is completely destroyed.”
“Then
why does Hakim need air support?”
“He’s
attacking the group that destroyed Corvo, his men and the refinery.”
“IS
HAKIM INSANE??!!!” Khadaffi screamed.
“I’m afraid it appears to be so, sir,” Benmari said.
Khadaffi actually growled loudly over the telephone. “Order that idiot to withdraw! Oh, and Benmari, I want you to place him under arrest and have him here by tomorrow morning!” Then Khadaffi terminated the line.
Major
Benmari walked out of his office and to the radio room. He glared at the clerk and ordered, “Get me
Colonel Hakim on the line! Now!” The radioman
scrambled to comply and was able to raise the Third Border Guards on the
radio. He handed over transmitter to Major
Benmari who opened the channel and said, “Put Hakim on the radio, right now!”
*****
“Sir!” Hakim’s
radioman announced inside his BMP. “It’s
Hakim
glared at the young Corporal and took the receiver from the man. “This is Hakim. Where in the hell is my air support?!”
“It’s
not coming,” Benmari answered tersely. “The
‘Colonel’ has ordered that you cease all hostilities and return to Ma’tan as
Sarah!”
“I
can’t do that!” Hakim shouted. “These foreign invaders have caused too much
damage to let them go free without a fight!!”
“You
don’t seem to understand the situation, Hakim.
The ‘Colonel’ personally ordered you to retreat and return to base. I strongly suggest that you follow his orders
immediately.”
In
response, Hakim snarled, closed the channel, and snapped to his radioman,
“Switch them off!” As the radioman looked
upon him in shock, Hakim asked, “Can we still communicate on the unit
channels?”
“Y-yes,
sir!” the radioman sputtered.
“Very good,” Hakim said. “Order the regiment to increase speed.”
*****
July 22nd
Valley of Broken Spears
As
Colonel Sanchez’s HUMVEE entered the
“I
hope they’ve prepared a *VERY* warm reception for those bastards,”
As
they drove past a squad of AMX-15 tanks, Sanchez grinned at her. “I do believe they have,
*****
Fifteen
minutes after Sanchez’s comments to
“How
long before we return to base camp?” Buffy asked.
“A
short while, if we’re lucky and they don’t follow us across the border.” Steve said as he turned and saw the Libyans
coming down the river bed.
“Why
haven’t they fired on us?” Mulder asked.
“They
probably hope to catch us in the
“What’s
going to happen when we get there?” Dana asked.
“Ever
heard of
“Isn’t
that some kind of hotel chain?” Buffy asked, now totally confused.
Steve
kissed her on her forehead. “No, it’s
not a hotel chain, Buffy. It was a
battle that took place during the Hundred Years War between
“Ohmigod!” Dana exclaimed.
“You’re leading them to be slaughtered!”
“I
certainly hope so,” Steve muttered as he glanced over at Francois’ body.
Buffy
glared harshly at him and snapped, “You hope so? What in the hell do you mean by that? Those men’s only crime was protecting their
country from invaders like us! They
aren’t terrorists and they weren’t trying to poison anybody!”
Steve
sighed resignedly at her. “This is why I
didn’t want you with me, Buffy. I didn’t
want to you feel guilty over what I had to do to complete the mission.”
“But
you’re going to kill all those men for no reason!” Buffy blurted out.
“I’m
not the fool who led them to their deaths, Buffy. They’re going to kill themselves by entering
Buffy
shook her head and struggled to hold back her tears. “You’re not the man that I’ve known for the
last six months! How could you do this? They’re innocents!” Buffy demanded.
“No one out here tonight is innocent.”
At his simple
but cold statement, Buffy stared at him, not believing what she’d just
heard. Before she could say another
word, St. Wolf said, “Before you try to justify why they’re after us, let’s go
over the facts of the situation. One,
Corvo and his group had the Libyan government’s permission to use the oil
refinery. That makes the Libyans just as
guilty as Corvo and his terrorists. Two,
the only people who I consider to be ‘innocent’ are the five and a half billion
people who would have died because of that madman. Three, those Libyans are following us into a
foreign country. As far as I’m
concerned, they’re invading
“B-but…”
Buffy stammered in an attempt to form a coherent argument. Then she turned to Scully and Mulder, her
eyes pleading for help. However, the two
FBI agents both shook their heads in resignation, causing Buffy to slump in her
chair as her eyes filled with tears.
When
he saw her begin to cry, St. Wolf began to reach out to her, then held back,
closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them to reveal a cold, icy
stare. Then he turned back to his driver
and asked, “How long before we reach the Valley?”
“Approximately
ten minutes, Sir Steven.”
“Not
soon enough,” Steve muttered under his breath.
Then as his lover wept quietly in her seat, his heart melted at her
distress and he found himself muttering under his breath as he watched the
approaching armored column chase them, “Turn around, turn around, damn
you!” Then he looked down dejectedly and
murmured, “Don’t make me kill you in front of her.”
*****
Ten
minutes later, their HUMVEE entered the
“Ohmigod!” Buffy said.
She saw at least a hundred heavy armored vehicles in the twilight. She turned to St. Wolf and asked, “Where the
hell did you get so many weapons?”
“From the Legion, my dear.
From the Legion.”
“But why? And how?”
“Old
friends, my lady,” St. Wolf said quietly as their HUMVEE rolled to a stop. Moments later Steve dismounted and hugged
Anton. “I see you planned a classic, old
friend,” Steve said with a grin. “The
Light Brigade meets
“But
of course, mon ami,” Anton said grandly.
“What else is better for the tutelage of an ignorant commander than two
of the classics merged into one grand battle?”
Buffy
dismounted and ran up to Anton. “I hope
you’ll give them a chance to surrender!”
Anton
turned to Buffy and was confused by the concern in her eyes. “I shall after I destroy their front line, ma
petite.”
“But
that’ll be murder!!” Buffy exclaimed.
Anton
turned to St. Wolf and asked, “
“It
is Anton,” St. Wolf said softly. “She’s
a great fighter, but she’s never seen action like this before tonight. She doesn’t understand how things like this
are done in the real world.”
“
“She’s
seventeen.”
Anton
glared at his old friend. “
“I’m
not a child!” Buffy angrily snapped. “I
face things that would freeze your soul every night, Colonel. Just because I don’t see the need to kill men
whose only crime is that they are trying to protect their home, does not mean
that I ‘don’t understand how things are done in the real world.’ And I will not be dismissed by either of you,
do you catch my drift!”
Anton
saw the fire in the girl’s eye practically dance in the moon light and shuddered
for his friend. <My God, does
*****
July 22nd
Valley of Broken Spears
The
sun began to rise over the horizon as the gorge opened into a wider valley in
front of Hakim’s vehicle. He grinned in
anticipation as he spied the long line of HUMVEEs. < The bastards are stuck
in the valley. Good! > He turned to
the radioman and ordered, “Have the BMPs open fire!!”
Before
the radioman could relay the message, a barrage of cannon fire echoed all
around the valley. Hakim was stunned
when his entire front line and several of the taller spires that surrounded the
entrance to the valley were shattered by the heavy gunfire. “Allah save
us!! It’s the Legion!!” Hakim hoarsely whispered. “What the hell are they doing here?”
“I
believe they’re shooting at us, sir,” the radioman said with a hint of sarcasm. As Hakim glared at him, the man continued his
report. “The rearmost units report that
the valley walls have been destroyed; we can’t back out of here. We’ll have to fight our way out, through the
Legio—” The man
never completed his sentence because an explosion hit their vehicle dead center
and sent the Command BMP3 airborne.
*****
Captain
Jarhem saw Colonel Hakim’s BMP3 blasted into the sky. Moments later, his superior’s vehicle flipped
over and landed on its roof. Jarhem
closed his eyes for a moment before he flashed them open and turned to his
aide. “Hakim’s dead. Who’s in charge?”
“Major
Fasheel is wounded and out of the action.
That means you are, sir!”
“We’re
not going to survive this battle if we don’t do something quick and decisive.”
“What
are your orders, sir?”
“Order
the men to surrender. The Jaguar may be
a bastard Legionnaire, but at least, he’s honorable.”
The
Corporal manning the radio quickly switched on the unit channel and handed the
microphone to Captain Jarhem. However, before
the captain can order his men to surrender, a weak voice was heard over the
net.
“This is Colonel Hakim. Press on, men. Attack!”
Jarhem’s face
lost its color as several of his APCs and tanks began to fire on the Legion and
their mysterious allies.
*****
Anton,
St. Wolf and their friends watched sullenly as the Libyans returned fire on the
Legion’s positions. Anton then turned to
his radioman. “Order the units to open
fire on the guns that are firing at us.”
“What
about the one’s not firing, sir?” the radioman asked.
“Target
them, but do not fire,” Anton said as he raised his binoculars and scanned the Libyan
Regiment. “I wonder what that fool Hakim
thought he was doing?”
“Anton?”
St. Wolf asked as he remembered his last two times in
Anton
glanced at his old friend and nodded. “His
name is Colonel Ahmed Hakim, formerly of the Tripoli Garrison, now exiled to
the Chadian border. You were the one
responsible for him being sent here.”
Moments
later, after the Libyans’ guns fell silent, their vehicles had come to a halt,
and their complement of men dismounted with their hands held high into the air,
Anton called to one of his officers. “Go
out under a white flag and offer them an honorable surrender.”
“Are
you certain about this,
“Oui,
Uncle Sean,”
“Bon
Chance, Pierre,” Sean softly said as
*****
Captain
Jarhem saw the Legionnaire officer as the man approached his position bearing a
white flag. Jarhem then calmly strolled
away from his BMP3 and met the young man.
“Who is in command here?” the Frenchman asked.
“Colonel
Hakim and Major Fasheel are both unable to command. I am Captain Jarhem.”
“What
are your terms?”
“All
of your men are to walk away from their vehicles and leave all weapons inside
them. None of the surviving vehicles are
to be booby trapped or destroyed. You
and your men will be processed and transported back to the border. Once you arrive at the border, we shall release
you to the custody of your government.
Any of your wounded will be immediately treated by your medics and
ours. We’ve already set up a mobile
field hospital for any serious injuries.
If the doctors require that the wounded man cannot be moved, then he
will be returned to your country at a later date by ambulance when his condition
has been stabilized. Do you agree to
these terms, Captain?”
“What
about our dead?” < Allah, but he is being merciful! Why!? >
“They
will be returned in several days,”
<
The Jaguar is truly a man worthy of his command. Too bad my commander couldn’t be like him.
> Jarhem thought. “I accept the terms
as you’ve outlined them, Lieutenant. But
I respectfully request to know about the group that we were fighting. Were they Legion?”
“When you and your men formally surrender, we’ll talk more of that.”
“The
Jaguar has taught you well, young man,” Jarhem said. Then he spun on his heal after a quick salute
and strolled to his lines. Moments later,
he arrived at the side of his Lieutenant and repeated Colonel Dumas’ terms of
surrender.
The
lieutenant whistled lowly and awaited Jarhem’s orders. Jarhem cleared his throat and said, “Tell the
men to leave their guns in their vehicles and walk out with their hands up in
the air. The Legion will then take them
prisoner and transport us back to
“What
about Colonel Hakim?”
“If
he’s still alive, we’ll take him back with us.
I’m sure that the ‘Colonel’ would love to have a few words with him.”
“Understood,
sir!” the lieutenant said and took several men to the Colonel’s wrecked BMP3
command vehicle to search for any survivors.
Finding none, the Lieutenant shook his head and rushed away with his squad
to carry out the rest of the captain’s orders.
*****
Meanwhile,
as the Libyans prepared to surrender to the Legion, Anton turned to St. Wolf
and asked, “What are we to do with them?”
“Just
as you told your
“You
know, Hakim must be dead for them to surrender like this,” Sean said
softly. “While that’s a good thing for
the world at large, I wonder how that’s going to play in
“When
I get done talking to whomever’s in charge, Hakim or his family won’t matter,”
St. Wolf said as the last of the Libyans surrendered to Anton’s men. Moments later,
“Sir,
allow me to introduce Captain Jarhem and Lieutenant Manqush of the Libyan
Border Guards, Third Regiment.”
Anton
nodded at the two men and introduced himself.
“I am Colonel Anton Dumas, Captain Jarhem. May I ask why the Third Border Guards crossed
into
“We
were chasing a group of invaders who had destroyed the Ma’tan as Sarah oil
refinery. Colonel Hakim felt that they
were a threat to our country,” Jarhem said as he glared directly at the
Wanderer and the Slayer. “But I see that
you already have them in your custody.
May I ask for their release to us on behalf of my government?”
Anton
laughed lightly at Jarhem’s request. “My
God, but you’ve got balls, Jarhem. It’ll
be a pleasure to match wits with you when this is all over. But I can’t arrest people who don’t exist,
officially.”
“They
are Covert Operations? I thought you
French were above that sort of thing?”
“Who
said that they’re French?” Anton asked with a smile.
“Then who are they?”
“Old
friend,” Anton asked as St. Wolf stepped forward. “Would you care to introduce yourself?”
Jarhem studied both the ebony-clad man and woman and frowned. < Allah, but they’re only children. >
“Captain
Jarhem?” St. Wolf asked as the Libyan stared at him. “Are you all right?”
Jarhem
snapped out of his reverie and demanded, “Why did you invade my country?”
“We
had to do it to save the world,” St. Wolf said.
“To save the world, you say? What sort of merde is that?!”
St. Wolf sighed and explained about their mission to stop Corvo. After he finished his report, Jarhem shook his head.
“Was Corvo insane?!”
“Probably,
but it really didn’t matter. Either we
took him out before he could spread the plague or watch the world die.”
“Who
are you people?”
“We’re
a black operations group called Section Seven.”
“Who’s
in command here?”
“I
am,” St. Wolf said and pointed to Buffy.
“She’s my second.”
Jarhem
snickered at that. “Why, you’re only
children! Tell me, why does your leader not
come forward and show himself to a defeated enemy?”
“He
is the commander, Jarhem,” Anton confirmed to the Libyan captain. “If any of your men served in the late
seventies and in the battle of Four Palms, they may have met him when he served
with the First DREP.”
Jarhem glanced at Manqush and asked, “Can you find a sergeant named Mustafa?”
“Yes, sir,” the
lieutenant answered. Then he rushed off
in the custody of one of the Legionnaire lieutenants. A few minutes later, the pair brought back a
battered old sergeant. Jarhem then
turned to the sergeant and asked, “Do you recognize this man?”
Mustafa
stared at St. Wolf and growled, “Shouldn’t you be rotting away in some
Christian Hell?”
“Mustafa!?” Jarhem snapped. “Do
you know this man?”
“I
wish that I didn’t, but I do. This
bastard led the patrol of Legionnaires that raided Four Palms back in
1979. He cost me my officer’s rank and
got me busted down to private.”
St.
Wolf grinned at the man. “I remember
you. Sorry that I had to take out most
of your men, but I wasn’t going to leave my friends behind.”
“You’re
a miserable bastard,” Mustafa growled.
“But you left most of my men alive when another would have killed them
when they were helpless.”
Jarhem
gulped as he recalled stories about the American soldier who’d worked with the
Legion in the early days of the border war with
Anton nodded
and glanced at Sean. “Escort them to
their men. And take them to the
border. Also give them a working radio
to contact their base for transport.”
Jarhem , Mustafa and Manqush then crisply saluted the
colonel before they turned to leave.
When
they reached the Legion truck, a Libyan corporal asked Jarhem, “What will
happen to us when we return to
“Nothing,”
Mustafa answered for his officers. “‘The
Colonel’ would have punished Colonel Hakim, if he had lived. Since he’s dead, ‘the Colonel’ will blame the
entire affair on Hakim. It should end
there.”
The
men sighed in relief. Mustafa then shot
a questioning look at Captain Jarhem. “Sir,
what happened back there? Did you find
out who those devils were?”
Jarhem
sighed. “We got involved with a matter
that wasn’t any of our business.”
Mustafa
stared into the young Captain’s eyes and saw that the man was haunted by
something that the invaders had told him.
“The man they call Cherokee--he told you something that won’t sit well
with ‘The Colonel’?”
Jarhem
grimaced. “Don’t worry about yourself or
the men, Sergeant. I’ll personally
report what happened to ‘The Colonel.’ If
he wants to kill anyone, it’ll be me.”
The
men silently nodded and several sent up silent prayers for their brave
commander.
Part
17 Travel Plans
(Ever
Wait For The #10 Bus?)
July 22nd
Valley of Broken Spears
After
the healthy Libyans began their trek to the border and the seriously wounded
ones their transport to his field hospital, Anton turned to St. Wolf and asked,
“What now, mon ami?”
Steve
couldn’t look at Anton at the moment because he only had eyes for the litter
that contained Francois’ body. “What
now? There’s nothing to do but to take
our wounded home and bury our dead.”
Anton
pursed his lips and said, “Indeed, that’s the sad duty of every good commander
since the dawn of time. Where will you bury
your friend?”
“Beside
his wife in
“I
know it is not much, mon ami,” Anton said, “however, I
would like to offer you an honor guard of Legionnaires for him.”
“Anton,
Francois wasn’t a Legionnaire.”
“He
was a Frenchman who died fighting for
St.
Wolf gave his friend a tiny smile. “All right, you old scoundrel. Where can I land a small jet around here?”
“At
our home base at Lac Yora,” Anton said.
“How are the rest of your people leaving?”
Steve
grinned at him. “They have their own
transport. The jet is for my group and
Francois.”
“Will you have enough room for everyone?”
“I
think so. If I have to, I’ll send some
of my people along with Colonel Sanchez.”
“Very good then. Will
you stay and see Genieve and the children?”
“Of
course, I’ll visit for a short while,” Steve said. “It’ll take two hours or so for my jet to arrive.”
Anton
smiled. “Good, I’m sure that
“Who’s
going to oversee the disposition of the battle debris?”
“That’s
what Executive officers are for,” Anton noted with a chuckle. “Major Benton?” he called out to a
middle-aged officer who stood ten feet away from Dumas and St. Wolf.
When
the officer approached them, the man smiled at Anton. “I know, sir.
Once again it’s my job to cleanup your mess.”
“Major,”
Anton began with a mock frown. “The
surest way not to get promoted out of my unit is to insult me in front of my
friends.” Then he grinned. “Of course, most of the men don’t seem to want
to leave.”
“That
is true, Anton,” Major Benton said with a smile.
“Get
to work, Claude,” Anton said with a laugh.
Then he escorted St. Wolf and the Slayer to his personal vehicle.
When
they neared the Jaguar’s command vehicle, they met with Sanchez. “Colonel Sanchez,” the Wanderer said, “my group will accompany Colonel Dumas and meet my plane at
Lac Yora.”
Sanchez
nodded. “Very good,
Sir Steven. Will you be taking
Francois…home?”
“Yes, Colonel. He was
a friend of mine; I’ll personally take him back home.”
“I
understand, Sir Steven,” Sanchez softly said.
“When is the funeral?”
“I’ll
try to arrange it for the day after tomorrow, after I talk to Mindy, Jacques,
Terry, and Marie.”
Sanchez
nodded again and added, “Let me be the one to personally inform Sir Jacques
about his father.”
Then
at that moment Hannibal Smith approached the two commanders. “Just a minute, Colonel,” Smith said. “Steve, we’re going back with Sanchez. The
Colonel offered us a place in ‘The Order’ and we’re taking it.”
Steve smiled at Smith and said, “Colonel, please relay my commendations for the performance of Smith and his men to the Knight General for me.”
“Of
course, Sir Steven,” Sanchez said with a broad smile. “It’ll be good to have the A-Team in ‘The
Order’, Colonel Smith.”
Anton
stared at the youthful-looking group of battle-hardened veterans and crossed
himself. “Sacre bleu! I heard that the members of the A-Team were
all dead. I saw the recording of your
execution myself.”
“We
got better,”
As
Dumas watched the two men go, he shook his head and muttered, “God help me, but
I’ve missed you, Carson. No one else has
ever managed to turn my world upside so quickly with the possible exception of Constance
La Croix!”
Just
then J.P. Withers strolled over to St. Wolf with Methos at his side. “We’ll be leaving as well.”
St.
Wolf looked at the pair of Immortals and noticed the predatory gleam in each
man’s eyes. “So, may I ask where the two of you are going?” < And who’s
going to die when you get there? >
J.P.’s
gave him a merciless grin that’s shared by Methos. “We’re going hunting.”
“What?” Steve asked as his stomach lurched.
“A
serial killer called ‘The Sculptor.’ He preys
on small children, mostly in
The
Wanderer stared at the spot where the two Immortals had stood and shuddered. “Although he probably doesn’t deserve my
pity, I still feel very sorry for that poor bastard.”
“
Steve
sighed. “It’s magic.”
“That’s
all you’re going to tell me?” Anton asked.
“I
swear it’s the truth, Anton. J.P. can
magically transport himself anywhere in the world and beyond that he wishes to
go.”
“Is
he a wizard?”
“No, he’s a demon hunter.”
In response, Anton
gulped deeply.
“He
hunts actual demons?” Sean whispered in a hushed, frightened voice. < God help me. But I saw and talked to a dragon a short
while ago, why not demons? >
“He’s
hunted demons for over eighteen thousand years,” Sonja confirmed. St. Wolf glared at her; however, Sonja simply
chose to ignore him. “He’s been one of
humanity’s guardians for a long time.”
“Eighteen thousand years!? That’s impossible!” Anton snapped.
She smiled slyly at him and simply shrugged. “But true. Welcome to my world!” she announced brightly.
Anton was
stunned by her earnestness. He shook his
head and said, “Even if what you say is true, why has he continued to do it for
so long?”
“Well,
under that hard-as-a-diamond-exterior still beats the heart of a man who was
once a human being. He still cares, but
you’d have to torture it out of him to get him to admit it.”
“Do
you happen to have that torture thing on good authority, Sonja?” Gabrielle asked
with a smirk.
Sonja grinned at her lover. “The best kind of authority, Gabrielle, I have personal experience to bank on. You know, Aderron can be quite stubborn when he puts his mind to it.”
“Perhaps,”
Gabrielle said with a knowing smile, “but you can be quite…persuasive.”
Anton stared at the youthful-looking titaness and simply couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “How do you know he’s not lying to you?”
Sonja
shrugged. “Well, I’ve known him for at
least fifteen thousand years, give or take a hundred or so, and he’s never
given me any reason to doubt him.”
Anton’s
heart nearly seized up inside his chest.
“Y-you can’t be! That’s
impossible!” Then he turned to St. Wolf, his eyes desperately searching his
friend’s for a life-line. “Isn’t it?”
At that moment, St. Wolf glared at Sonja, who simply smiled sweetly at him. “Do you get your jollies from shocking people like that?”
Her smile grew wider at his anger. “Actually, yes, I do.”
St. Wolf shook
his head and said to Dumas, “I’m afraid it’s all true, Anton. Except for your Legionnaires, all of the
people who are directly assigned to me are Immortals.”
“You’re
one, too?” Sean asked.
“Yes,
I ’m one, too. You see, I really died in
“Who…or
what made you an Immortal?” Anton asked.
“I
was born that way,” St. Wolf explained.
“The Gods made us to become Immortal, after we die for the first
time. Afterwards, we found that we had become
humanity’s champions, defending mankind from the monsters and demons that
wanted to destroy humanity.”
“How
long has this ‘war’ been going on?”
“Since
humanity first walked on two legs.”
“How
many ‘Immortals’ exist on the Earth?” Sean asked.
“I’d
say there are nine to eleven thousand Immortals at any given moment,” St. Wolf
said. “However, ‘Immortality’ is a
relative term. It is possible for one of
us to die when the injury is extremely grave.
When that happens, another is born and takes that individual’s place in
the ranks.”
Anton
shook his head in disbelief. He chanced
a glance around, thinking that he might see Rod Serling standing nearby and
would know from the legendary writer’s presence that both he and Sean had just
taken a trip to the ‘Twilight Zone.’
However, when he didn’t detect any sign of nattily attired television
producer nearby, he finally determined that all that his friend had told him
was probably true. “Is that why you’re
such a formidable warrior, Carson? Is it
because you were destined to fight in this war?”
“I’m
afraid so.”
Anton
shrugged then grinned at his old friend.
“Good. Now I can die and not feel
so bad about having you knock me on my ass so many times during hand to hand
practice. I mean, holding my own against
one of humanity’s chosen defenders is something to be
proud of, is it not?”
Steve
clasped his old friend on his shoulder and smiled. “That’s true.”
“Shall
we go?” Anton asked as he led the way to his command vehicle. Then everyone mounted up while
****
Anton
and Sean settled down and noticed that some of the Immortals had paired off as
snuggling couples. Anton grinned and
asked, “So which of you are married to the other?” Mulder and Scully and Gabrielle and Sonja held
up their hands. “Engaged?” Jarod and Andrea held up their hands. “Just living together?” Although no one had raised their hands,
St. Wolf told Anton about the couple’s first adventure together.
“That was Steve’s idea of a first date,” Buffy muttered.
“Wait a minute,” Sean snapped. “You mean to tell me vampires are also real?”
Buffy nodded. “Yep. They’re human corpses that are animated by demons who pass from the blood of the vampire who killed the human just before the vampire killed the person.”
While Sean
shuddered from Buffy’s explanation, St. Wolf, Summers,
Mulder and Scully then told the Legionnaires about their recent battles in
“Saints
preserve us!” Sean muttered. “You
destroyed seven hundred vampires AND twenty demons? How many people did you lose?”
St.
Wolf said, “We lucked out and had surprise on our side the first night. We didn’t lose a single person, but several
Immortals were badly hurt during the battles.
Their enhanced healing saved their lives. The second night, we had over sixty Immortals
with us. We conducted most of the hand-to-hand
fighting and many of us were badly injured.
To protect those who were hurt, our friends pulled us to the side to
allow the injured to heal.”
“What
about your ‘normal’ friends?” Sean asked.
“We
had two LAPD Officers severely wounded and a friend of ours named Kendra was in
critical condition,” Buffy said softly.
“All three are still in the hospital, but they should be all right in a
few more weeks.”
Anton
took Buffy’s right hand into his and gently squeezed it. “Don’t blame yourself, ma petite. You led and they followed. You succeeded and brought them home safe and
alive. You were very lucky, my friends,”
Anton said as the driver knocked on the partition. Anton then opened it and asked, “What is it?”
“We’re
less than five minutes from Lac Yora, sir.”
“Very good, sergeant.
Drive us to the headquarters building and we’ll dismount there,” Anton
ordered and closed the partition. Then he
turned to St. Wolf and said, “Well, my friend, I hope Genevieve can take the
shock of seeing you still alive.”
St.
Wolf grinned at his friend. “She’s a
strong woman, Anton. After all, she’s
had to put up with both you and Sean for the last twenty years.”
“That’s
true. If she can deal with us, she
should find that accepting your resurrection is a piece of cake.”
*****
Time and Place Unknown
Pain.
It was the first thing that Hakim felt in what had seemed to be a very long time. The pain was so bad, he screamed for what seemed like an hour before he was able to push past the agony and managed to open his eyes and felt the searing heat dry them both almost immediately.
“Allah have mercy!” Hakim softly whimpered as the heat intensified.
“Never
say that name in the place ever again, worm!” a voice boomed all around
Hakim. Hakim nervously glanced around
the area and saw a being that appeared to be composed of flame standing nearby. When Hakim cringed at its sight, the being
leaned toward him and said, “Yes, it is good that you show me the proper
respect, worm!”
“Who. . .who are you?”
“Be
grateful I have a need of you, worm.
Speaking out of turn usually garners my awesome wrath.” Hakim gulped and waited for the being to
continue. The being seemed to peer at
him for several moments before it chuckled mirthlessly. “Naked
in birth, naked in death—I’ve never reasoned out why that is. But it is of no matter to
Even
though he was surrounded by flames, all Hakim could feel was cold inside upon
hearing the being’s words. “I’m…dead?”
It
leaned toward him and laughed maniacally.
“Of course, you are, you hairless monkey! Why else would you be here?”
“But,
I’ve been a good man, a devout Muslim!
What did I do that warranted me to be sent to this place!?”
“Hmm…perhaps
it is due to the fact that you murdered nine hundred of your own men by sending
them to their deaths for your own selfish desires. Would you like to know the rest?”
“But
I never murdered any of my men! I may
have had a few shot for cowardice, yes.
But I never murdered anyone!”
The
thing simply laughed in Hakim’s face. “You
are quite amusing, you know that? I must
say, I like the way you think, mortal. I
really do. Now I have an offer for
you. Are you interested?”
Hakim
nodded.
“I
need generals for my Army, mortal. And I
think you could be one. Indeed, you
already hate one of generals on the other side.
In fact, I think you’ll be a good match for him.”
“Who
is this general?” Hakim asked.
“Take
a look at this man,” the creature said and it showed Hakim an image of St. Wolf. Hakim stiffened at the sight of the image and
his anger rose to a fever pitch. The
creature felt the man’s rage and nearly swooned from it. “Yes, you will do.”
“I
want to destroy this man!” Hakim angrily snapped. “I want to destroy everything that he loves, his
family, his mate, his dog, everything and everyone!”
The
creature smiled wickedly at him. “Then we
have an agreement? You will serve me
when the final battle comes as one of my generals?”
“With
everything that I am, yes, I will serve you!” Hakim vowed. “I will serve you without question and
without any hesitation!”
“Then
the Bargain is struck,” the creature said as it passed what appeared to be its
hand over Hakim. “You will be my newest
Hell Spawn.” Then Hakim’s spiritual body
underwent a change thanks to the creature’s magic while the creature smiled as
the man’s screams were heard throughout its little corner of Hell.
Part
18 – Hey Pal, Here’s a Cigar!
(Congratulations
- You’re A Daddy!)
July 22nd
Location Unknown
(Do You Really Wanna Know Where
J.P. Withers Lives? Not me, I Enjoy
Living!)
After
the color had returned to Methos face and he felt well enough to scan his
surroundings, he stared up at the stalactite-covered ceiling of the large
cavern and wondered, “What in the hell is this place?”
Aderron
crossed over to a cabinet, pulled out a white bath sheet, and tossed it to
Methos. “You could use a shower and a
change of clothes before we begin to hunt.”
Methos
did a slow turn and spied a mint 1957 Gullwing Mercedes Benz parked next to a
Roman chariot. “Is this some kind of
unknown Nazi vault from World War II, old man?”
“It’s
nothing so extraordinary, Methos. It’s
simply my home,” Aderron said. “You
might be interested to know that you’re one of eight people who’ve actually
seen it.”
Methos
stared at the ancient Immortal almost at a loss for words. “Thank you.”
Aderron
grinned wickedly. “Don’t thank me
yet. The water heater isn’t working.”
“You
are such a rat-bastard!” Methos snapped in response.
“Thank
you,” Aderron said with an easy grin as he directed Methos to the shower. “Don’t get your knickers in a bunch,
Methos. The water’s heated by a hot
spring.”
“Then
I take it back, old man,” Methos said with a sly smile as he began to strip off
his clothes. “You’re merely a bastard.”
*****
A few minutes later, a refreshed Methos stepped from Aderron’s shower and found a pile of clean clothes waiting for him. He dried himself off and dressed himself then exited the bathroom. He wandered around the cavern and spotted several pictures hanging on a nearby wall. As he approached them, he whistled lowly when he recognized Da Vinci’s name on an unknown painting. Then, unbelievably, hanging next to the unknown Da Vinci, he found an original Michelangelo. < I wonder how long these have been buried here? > He moved down the line of paintings and tripped over a device on the floor. Suddenly Methos was blinded as an image lit up the area. When his eyes cleared, he stared at what appeared to be a hologram suspended in mid-air right in front of him. It was the image of a lovely, petite-looking, blonde girl with a thousand watt smile and a cute pug nose. Methos then blinked twice and gasped. < Damn! She could pass for Buffy Summers’ twin sister! >
“Methos? Where are
you?”
“I’m
over here, Aderron,” Methos called out to his friend.
“What
in Hell’s name are you doing over here?” Aderron demanded. “I haven’t been in this section in a very long
time.”
Methos
stared at the dust on the floor and chuckled.
“I could see that due to the lack of housekeeping here, Aderron. Anyway, who’s the girl in the hologram and
what’s she saying?”
Aderron
stared at the hologram for several moments and his heart nearly froze as the
girl’s words touched his soul. Then after he shook himself from his stupor, he said
hoarsely, “It’s a hologram of my youngest daughter, Adrianna. She’s saying that she loves me and will miss
me. I had this made just before I left
Atlantis almost eighteen thousand years ago.”
“She
could be Buffy’s twin,” Methos noted innocently.
Then
something from the corner of Aderron’s mind seemed to tug at his memory. What was it?
It was something an
‘Oh, hell,” he
thought. Then he turned to Methos and
said, “I need to check something out.
I’ll be right back.”
Methos
nodded and continued to stare at the hologram.
< Damn, she’s even got the same mannerisms and Buffy’s smile.
>
*****
The
Archangel Michael stood at the edge of Heaven and smiled as he bore witness to the
remains of the Ma’tan as Sarah oil refinery as it burned to the ground and took
the mutated strain of Ebola with it. < Humanity is safe again, but for how
long? > Then he felt a presence behind him and said over his shoulder, “What
can I do for you, Aderron?”
“I
need to know something.”
Michael
smiled. “She is indeed, old friend.”
“How?”
“The world needs her in these perilous times. And you know her both courage and compassion. She never hesitated, never faltered, and never shirked her destiny. She is truly among the greatest gifts He has ever graced upon mankind.”
“What
about the Immortals and their damned ‘Game’?” Aderron asked. “Can I be there for her? Am I allowed to protect her?”
“The
‘Game’ has ended. A few still play out
of desperation, but the majority of her brothers and sisters will stand with
her as the champions of humanity.”
At
Michael’s news, Aderron fully smiled for the first time in almost a thousand
years. “Will I be able to reveal to her
that I’m her Father?”
“In
time, it will become obvious to her and she’ll know.”
Aderron,
still smiling, disappeared and a faint, “Thank you, my friend,” was heard by
Michael. After the demon hunter had
departed, the archangel looked to the Heavenly Father and smiled as He laughed
softly.
“Poor
St. Wolf,” Michael said. “Won’t he be
interested to know that the young lady he now loves madly has an extremely over-protective
father?”
*****
A
heartbeat later, Aderron reappeared beside Methos. “I’ve found out what I needed to know. Let’s go.”
“What
did you find out?” Methos asked. Then he
noticed the cat-that-had-eaten-the-canary smile on Aderron’s face. “Holy shit! The Summers girl is YOUR daughter?”
The
demon hunter nodded. “Michael confirmed
it.”
Methos
sputtered at that. “T-the
‘
Aderron nodded again.
Methos gulped
and asked, “What are you going to do about this situation?”
Aderron
grinned. “Nothing at the moment, but I’m
going to be keeping an eye out for her.”
Methos
smirked at him. “Imagine that. What about St. Wolf?”
Aderron
narrowed his eyes when he pictured St. Wolf cuddling with his daughter in his
mind. “Boy had better treat my baby girl
right if he wants to keep breathing,” he growled.
Methos
nearly doubled over in laughter at that.
“By the Gods!
Now this is rich. I wonder what
he’s going to say when you keep on popping up in their lives.”
“Humph! Like I care about what he thinks or says.”
“Sooner
or later, he’s going to suspect something’s rotten in
“Let
him. Doesn’t mean I’m going to tell him
anything. Besides, it’s none of his
business. This is between me and my
Adrianna. If she wants him to know after
she knows the truth then so be it. Until
then, though, he learns nothing, capiche?” he asked and fixed Methos with an
icy glare.
Methos chuckled and said, “I’ll agree to your edict on one condition, old man. I want to be there when you let the cat out of the bag just to see the look on his face.”
Aderron nodded, grinned and noted, “Methos, you know, you can be a miserable bastard when you want to be!”
“It takes one to know one, Aderron,” he said smoothly. “However, I do appreciate the compliment!”
###