@@@@@

As her mind came back to wakefulness she did a quick assessment and realized that besides the pounding hammer in her brain, everything else was okay.  Arms check, legs check, the rest check, check and double check. Yes, all body parts accounted for.

Awareness returning, she heard the screams. Loud pain filled echoes of terror invaded her ears forcing her body to respond. Eyes snapping open she painfully rolled over and sat up. Chaos reigned all around her. People running, every which way, like their lives depended on it.  Head still hazy she stood shakily and prepared to fight. 

Gazing around her, she wondered, where in the hell was she?  The last thing she remembered was chasing the Lorock monks into the dimensional portal that was held open for her. This was the third time the monks appeared to wreak havoc and she was royally pissed off that she had to hunt them down again. She knew that the monks would foolishly return and in order to stave off another attack she needed to catch and destroy them.

As she quickly ran into the portal she knew she might not have a way to get back, but she was the one who had nothing to lose, so she volunteered for the suicide mission. Her need to keep earth safe forced her to run head long into the unknown. She wished her fellow Slayers good luck and knew that if she did not return, the city was safe in their capable hands. She had trained them to be skilled warriors and to carry on the fight if she were to die.

Her thoughts turned toward herself when she thought about all that she had sacrificed; she had sacrificed everything to fulfill her destiny. She assumed that when Willow casted the spell to call all Slayers, the balance for good would shift in their favor and evil would be defeated. She had hoped that she could step down, possibly retire. Well maybe not retire, so much as pass the torch on so to speak, to the next generation of Slayers. Because if that happened, then she could have what she most coveted.

She wanted a “normal life”, as normal as she could get. When she was young she would dream of the future but when you know you are going to die before that can happen, your dreams become a distant unobtainable fantasy. She had wanted to get married, have a family, a dog and the produce the standard 2.3 kids. But the horrific events that had happened that night, altered that most wanted reality.

Buffy, at twenty five, was the oldest Slayer in the history of the Council. She had lasted longer than any other and knew that one day her time would be up. She thought that she would be the first to go, Slayers rarely made it to their twentieth birthday, but that was not meant to be. All the original Scoobies were gone; her friends and family died and she was the only one left. The crater, that was Sunnydale is the only thing remaining, left to her as a reminder of all that had she lost.

Their passing created a huge hole in her heart; she filled it by living only for the fight. She wanted the chance to take down all evil, especially the evil that took her most loved family away from her. But oh well, things happen and this was it, this was her time to die, her time to join her friends and her beloved Dawn.

She may die, but with nothing to go back to on earth, she thought what a way to go. Protecting earth from the evils of the other world and going down fighting the good fight. But her end was not destined to be because she was obviously not dead and from what was going on around her she just might be in the demon dimension.

But where were the Lorack monks? Did they disappear in the town? Did they cause this uproar? All she saw was a town in chaos but not the cause. Overhead a loud whining noise came out of nowhere and the town erupted into even more panic. She tried to get someone’s attention but not one of the villagers would stop.

She grabbed the arm of the nearest man, stopping him she asked, “What is happening?” He looked at her with terrified eyes and told her to run. “The Wraith are here, the culling has started.” He pulled him arm free and continued on.

The Wraith? What are the Wraith? And who could they possibly be calling? The monks were the enemy not this Wraith. Suddenly she heard what sounded like gunshots. But how could that be? Normally in other demon dimensions they rarely used modern weapons and if they did they were hardly guns. They fought with long bows, huge shiny swords, and on occasion, mystical things that go boom, but never guns.  

She took off running, following the man, as she and the villagers headed towards the forest. If she could just find out what was happening she might be able to help eliminate the threat.  

She quickly reached the tree line and taking cover behind some bushes. Pulling away the branches for better visibility, she turned back to see what was causing the towns folk to run.

 

@@@@@

 

Ronon inwardly groaned. How could one person talk so much? Rodney McKay doctor extraordinaire, or so he keeps telling us, droned on and on about how all the incompetent scientists were going to kill us all with their stupidity.

“The panel on level 12 blew when they tried to repair it,” he complained, “if I hadn’t gotten there in time to fix the energy recoil, it could have overloaded the other circuits and the long range sensors would have been down for a couple days. Are they trying to give the Wraith an invitation? Sensors down, come, visit and have a bite to eat. How the knuckleheads ever made it to Atlantis is a mystery to me.”

“Rodney,” John smiled as he drawled, “not everyone can be as smart as you.”  “Yes, my superior intelligence is often amazing,” Rodney smirked.

-----

Shoveling food into his mouth, he let the sounds of the others wash around him. Silence, he was used to, only talking to get his point across. Even before the destruction of his planet his words were few. His wife was one of the few people who could get him to talk but then she knew him well enough to know that he was a man of actions not words.

The years after Sateda was destroyed, were spent in silence. He had to; with running and fighting for your life you needed to be as quiet as you could be. Silence had kept him alive. When the Wraith were near, the slightest sound would alert them to your presence, ending in your death.

Atlantis with its sights and sounds was amazing and sometimes overwhelming. With its population contained in a small area the noise could be deafening. He enjoyed company, but too much drove him to the sections of the city they had yet to explore. There he could relax and be content to sit in the silence.

The others on his team he could handle, they knew when to be silent. Teyla could communicate with just a nod, and John would talk but when Ronon needed the quiet he would just lean back and be happy to sit in silence. Or when he did not want to talk at all, they would politely leave him alone. But Rodney on the other hand, talked, just to listen to himself talk. He was getting used to his babbling, he could tune it out most times but it was always annoying.

These past few weeks have been rough on the team. The constant running for their lives, getting captured or worse yet getting hurt, have taken a toll. One more mission to look for trade, then Dr. Weir will let them have a few days of downtime to recharge. She needed her teams to be ready and able to perform, not exhausted. Major Lorne and the other SG teams can handle any upcoming missions and if nothing pressing comes up they can enjoy the time spent on Atlantis. This rarely happened but one could hope.

Teyla is looking forward to visiting her people on the mainland, she goes there when she can but she has not seen them for many weeks. John wants to spend time training his soldiers, teaching them some the new moves that he taught him. Rodney has several critical systems that need updating and repair, and according to him, he is the only one capable of those repairs.

One more mission then he can retreat into the city alone and enjoy himself. Ronon relished the thought. Peace and quiet would be most welcome right about now.

-----

“If they made it here they must have some experience, Rodney, the military does not recruit stupid people,” John returned.

“Yes well, they sometimes get things right, but I still need to keep an eye on them,” shoving food into his pockets Rodney hurried off to keep the city from disaster.

John shouted out, “Don’t forget the mission this afternoon.”

“How Atlantis survived all those years ago without Rodney is beyond me,” John laughed, “Teyla more juice?”  

“No thank you, I must to take my leave to prepare for the upcoming mission.” With a nod towards John and Ronon she left.

John turned and looked at him. Grunting he got up from the table. As he was leaving John called out, “See you at 2200 in the gate room.” With a wave he turned and left the mess hall. 

 

@@@@@

 

Nothing was visible. Maybe these Wraiths were invisible and the only way you could tell they were coming was with the weird whining noise they gave off?  She shivered, glancing around she thought she saw movement. A faint streak of white mist, like a trail of smoke, passed before her.  

Her senses went on instant alert. Something was not right. Her Spidey senses were tingling, tingling so strong they were almost painful, and she knew in her gut that there was something or someone there. She was sure of it but she could just not see it. The hairs on the back of her head stood up, and then realizing it was behind her she whirled around to attack and saw the thing.

White. Pale white. That was the only way she could describe it. Long stringy white hair, white shimmery skin as pale as the vamps she kills all the time. Ugh! And the teeth, vamps have horrible chompers but these teeth, she knew have never seen a dentist. Dressed in a way she can only describe as a Spike out on the town outfit. Can you say leather anyone?

But something was wrong. They felt wrong. The feeling was unlike anything she ever felt before, like big evil, bigger than she has ever encountered previously. Very, very sinister, more so than other demons she killed. The sensation was intense, way different than sensing earth demons; it was deeper inside, stronger.

Was this the Wraith the townsfolk were so terrified of? And from the looks of this thing they had a right to be.

It looked at her like it was starving and she was the number one entrée on the menu.

Shaking off the unusually strong feeling, she gave it the evil eye as she smirked, “Like what you see?” 

His eyes shone with delight. “A human who would like to play, lovely,” he sneered, “You will be my next meal”. She looked at him like he was insane, who did he think she was, someone who would run and not fight.

Curling her fists she challenged, “Maybe next time, seeing as how I could kick your ass anytime”. She pounced, fists flying, legs kicking. She would bring this thing to its knees, and show it that she was not an easy target. She summoned her Slayer energy to flow through her veins as she tried to flatten the enemy. She landed blow after blow, only to have the demon stagger backwards. The creature would not fall; it had a counter attack, for everything she threw at it.

She knew she was not one hundred percent yet but that did not stop her. Even on a bad day when she was depleted, killing vamps were a picnic compared to this thing. He was hard to subdue, all her attempts to pulverize it failed.

She could not believe it was still standing. Much stronger than vampires, she thought. Must be a new demon, one that she had yet come up against, or wait a minute, maybe this was the Wraith that had the entire town in panic?

She grabbed whatever weapon she could find, and even the huge branch she swung only stunned it. If she only had Mr. pointy, she would stake it through its heart, that is, if this demon had one. Tired from mystical travel and with her head continuing to pound, she fought hard, only to find herself on her back with the demon hunched over her.

 

@@@@@

 

His team was assembled in the gate room, they stood watching the gate while it was spinning; locking in the address for PSX 452, their next trade mission. They were to meet with the peaceful farmers in a village not far from the stargate. Teyla said they wonderful vegetables that were similar to those on earth and they had hoped to trade for basic medical care and supplies.

“Piece of cake”, as John would say. He hoped it would be. Elizabeth wished us good luck and god speed. We turned as a group and headed towards the gate. He heard Rodney mutter something, “Atlantis better be here when I get back or else there will be…” he never heard the end because he stepped through the wormhole.

Our feet landed planet side, and we were thrust into a scene full of chaos. With weapons ready we watched the smoke and dust rise from the small village that was located close to the gate. The destruction was obvious, but the cause was not. Then distinct sounds of the Wraith darts overhand alerted us to the exact nature of the attack.

The darts were already procuring their food, scooping up the humans with their beams. The other villagers were running towards the trees, desperately trying to avoid capture or contact with the Wraith. Ronon thought with a sigh, the piece of cake was smashed, so much for a peaceful trade mission.

“Ronon, Teyla; spread out, Rodney you’re with me,” John shouted, pissed off the Wraith were here, “keep me updated on your whereabouts, ok.”

With fire in his eyes, Ronon ran head long into the battle, not that there was much of one. The villagers were just simple farmers according to Teyla, and most likely unprepared to fight. But they were here now and will do all in their power to keep them from being killed or taken.

He had just reached the tree line, when he heard the distinct sounds of a fight. Maybe the villagers were more capable than he first thought.

His eyes must be deceiving him for what he saw was a girl, a tiny girl, fighting the Wraith and holding her own. He knew how ruthless the Wraith could be and was amazed to see this girl matching it blow for blow. She circled the Wraith taunting it, daring it to strike. Sometimes her moves were so fast that they became a blur. The Wraith stumbled a few times and she managed to avoid most of its advances, but she looked tired and hurt and her body was starting to slow.

When the Wraith noticed this he took advantage of her weakness and flipped the girl over. She landed on her back with a thud and the Wraith knelt down by her side eager to lay his hand on her chest.                                   

Ronon watched impressed, that she had the speed and strength to battle the Wraith, and that she was able to fight as long as she had. He saw her fall and knew he needed to step in and help her out; he raised his arm, gun set on kill.

 

@@@@@

 

“See human, even fighting will not let you live any longer.”  His eyes bored into hers, “your energy is great, it will sustain me for a long while.”

Raising its hand the Wraith reached out to touch her chest; only to pull his hand back in shock when it touched her skin. She could feel where the demon left its prints on her body. A faint lingering of energy was all she felt.

He looked at her strangely, “What strong life force you have, yes very good.” His hand lowered again.

The hand burnt, burnt all the way to her core. The demon struggled to keep his hand in place. She could feel her body resisting the intrusion and her body continued to summon the power it needed to force the creature off her. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                  She felt her energy seeping out of her slowly, but just as swiftly a force inside her came alive and fought back. And it fought back hard. She could feel her power quickly returning back into her body, drawing large amounts of energy from the demon creature. Its eyes opened wide in disbelief, mouth opening it started to speak.

 

But instead the demon suddenly, fell on top of her dead. She shoved it off and scrambled backwards only to hit the nearest tree trunk. She looked around to see where the next attack would be coming from and her eyes landed on a man with a gun.

 

“The Wraith is dead,” he barked, “it is not safe, let us leave to find the others.”

He was huge from her place on the ground, all legs, leather and hair. Was he the monks minion or worse yet, a soldier of the Wraith trying to trick her? Or was he a rouge demon hunter like Wesley? She needed, wanted to know.

They stared at each other, accessing whether each one was going to strike. He started forward; instantly she was up on hands and knees ready to bolt towards the nearest escape route.

Slowing, he hands held up in surrender, Ronon cautiously approach the girl. “Don’t be afraid I am here to help.”

Eyes darting back and forth between freedom and the man, she still did not speak. Gunshots echoed through the forest.

“We must hurry; my team needs my help to fight the Wraith. I will get you to safety.” He turned to leave.

She had to decide quickly whether or not to trust this man. He was a soldier of some kind but she just did not know which side he was on, good or evil.

“Wait,” she called out, “Who are you?” 

“I am Ronon,” he said as he turned to run towards his team.

She watched him leave and decided that maybe he was one of the good guys. Her gut said to “trust him” but her head was still absorbing the situation.

She took off running to follow. Only time would tell if she made the right decision.

 

@@@@@

 

Boy he could run fast but with her Slayer abilities she was easily able to keep up. When they stopped she was only slightly winded, because she was depleted of energy from the fight. They dropped out of sight and tried to see around the rocks to where the gun shots where coming from.

He was surprised how easily she kept pace with him, even though she had just come from a fight. He noticed only light panting, which meant she was in excellent shape.

From their vantage point behind the rocks, he saw that John and Teyla were protecting a small group of villagers and were holding ground at the entrance of what looked like a small building.

His radio, which he was forced to wear as part of the team gear, crackled twice signaling that he needed to reply. He signaled back. John’s voice sounded over the radio, “Ronon what’s your position? Could use some help here.”

He radioed back, “Fifty yards behind and to your left.” “Great! Let’s get rid of these things so we can get out of here,” came the relieved reply.

Ronon raised his weapon and started to fire on the Wraith; they reacted to the new threat and acted accordingly. The fight was now more evenly matched.

Since she had no weapon of her own she could only watch. She studied his profile; intense concentration was what she saw. No shot was wasted. Shots, wait a minute he had some kind of laser gun that shot out bullets of light. She thought he had a regular gun, the kind she had on her world. She could have sworn she heard gunshots. He did have a gun just not one she had seen before.

Buffy turned back to watch the others, she noticed that they were protecting the townsfolk and were trying to do everything in their power to keep them from getting killed. Maybe these people were the good guys and she had chosen wisely to follow her instincts. Rarely did her gut let her down.

The fight continued until the immediate threat was eliminated. Ronon slowly stood to approach the others.

-----

Ronon knew there was still the chance there were more Wraith and with the darts overhead they were still in danger. He signaled to John to head back to the gate. They gathered together the survivors and headed back the way they came. The villagers were shaken up but a few recognized Teyla and followed her willingly.

“Who’s this Ronon?” she heard from the tall one. He pointed at her with an eyebrow raised.

“Buffy, my names Buffy.” She whispered. Why she whispered she didn’t know but with the threat still imminent she felt the need.

“No time, the Wraith may still be here let’s head back to the gate,” Ronon interrupted looking over head to see if he could see more darts.

“You’re right, everyone fall out,” John said. Signaling everyone to be quiet and follow them.

She noticed there was one more on the Ronon’s team. He had exited the building with some of the villagers. The others looked to be protecting him and he did not stop it. Rodney looked up and saw for the first time a small blonde girl. His mouth opened to start asking questions but one look from the tall one and he abruptly closed it.

“I’ll find out later,” she heard him mutter as he fell in line with townsfolk.

-----

The run to the gate had Ronon thinking about the girl. How was she able to fight the Wraith this way? She had the power of few others he had seen. The way she held her ground not backing down an inch from the threat was impressive. Seasoned battle soldiers had such skill but to see it in one so young was interesting. He needed to focus, the Wraith were still out there and he needed to stay sharp and ready to fight.

He watched her sprint ahead of him; he noticed that she was actively scanning the surroundings looking for threats. Maybe she has seen battle before, her body posture was poised for a fight and she held herself with confidence. And her clothes, they were the same as some of the people on Atlantis would wear when not in uniform. He had questions but they could wait until they got to safety.

-----

Running again to safety again, staying focused she let her mind wander. Buffy thought to herself, who are these people? They are obviously trying to help and have taken great pains to protect her and the townsfolk. They have to be the good guys, she hoped that were true.

She watched the one who she suspected was the leader, the tall one, as she called him; he covered the ground surefooted but was on the lookout for potential threats. The woman with them was also actively watching the surroundings in the same manner but she seemed uncomfortable in her clothes and in her choice of weapon.

They hurried towards the gate, knowing that the Wraith would send reinforcements any time.  Rodney rushed forward, and with John covering him, he started to dial the gate.

“Everyone as soon as the code is sent don’t dally, just go on through,” John told the assembled group.

“Rodney go first and let Elizabeth know what happened and tell her we have survivors,” John stated.

She was amazed to see that they had such control of the portal. They could just punch in codes and get a destination, incredible. No chanting or herbs needed she noticed. If Willow was here she would have loved this.

The whining noise of a dart was heard in the distance, “Ok, code sent; go, go, go!” John waved Rodney and all the villagers through until there was only the three of them left. 

“Let’s go, Ronon on my six,” he turned and vanished in to the portal.

 Ronon turned towards her, “You ready? Follow me,” he said as he pulled with her through the gate.

 

@@@@@

 

Buffy exited the portal and could not believe it, she was in OZ, the Emerald City in the land of OZ to be more precise, straight out of the movie she saw as a kid. With its towering spindles and shimmering lights, the room had a glow about it that was soothing, tranquil yet at the same time powerful and impressive.

The room was massive; it looked like the throne room of a palace where subjects would gather to see royalty and with its high cathedral ceilings and steps leading to the balcony above, it could easily hold hundreds of people. All it needed was flying monkeys. Amazing, she left a demonic dimension only to walk onto a movie set.Buffy felt welcome here. This place felt like home, which was weird because she had never been here before. It was like a sense of déjà vu where you know you have seen something some place before but don’t really remember it. And from what she has seen, she would have definitely remembered this place.

Senses on alert but not from danger, she shivered, and with arms wrapped around herself, she glanced around looking for what was causing the sensation, but it was the feeling  that it was the room itself not the people.

Two portals in one day, a record, but surely it was going to her head, she was so exhausted that her instincts were playing tricks on her. She desperately needed sleep and time to recharge her batteries. Oh, and she was also starving, food would be nice too.

She heard a voice from above; she looked up and the group was greeted by a lady with brown hair wearing the same uniforms as the others. She stood on the balcony and looked down upon us. Buffy stifled a hysterical giggle, Oh my god, if she starts singing Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, she really would think she had walked into movie land.

 “Welcome to Atlantis.” the brown haired lady said as she smiled, “Do not be scared you all have sanctuary here. I would like for you to go to the infirmary to get your injured cared for and do not worry we will find you a new home.”

She looked at the tall one, “Major Sheppard my office, the rest of you go see Dr. Becket.” She turned regally like a queen addressing the masses and left the throne room.

Ronon approached her, “Let us go the infirmary and attend to your wounds.” Without knowing where she was or who these people were, all she could do was follow.

 

@@@@@

 

With a relieved sigh, Elizabeth settled behind her desk, “John, thank god you all are ok, I was worried when Rodney came running through the gate babbling about the Wraith. Something about running, shooting, hiding in a hut like a girl with the women and children, what happened?”

“The Wraith is what happened,” he sighed, “we tried our best and got those out who were still alive.”

 She hated when this occurred, she sent her people off, expecting the planet to be peaceful; and all they had to do was establish trade with the local population. But nine times out of ten, the planet was unsafe, hostile and her people would barely make it out alive.

“I noticed there are only a handful of survivors left from the planet, and one of the women; she was dressed similar to us, was she one of the villagers and if not where did she come from?”

“Ronon found her; she has stuck close to him since he met back up with us. Where she is from? I am assuming from the planet. But I think the clothes say otherwise,” John replied. He just now realized that she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but at the time he wanted off the planet so the clothes didn’t register.

“Do you think she is going to be a problem?” Elizabeth asked trying not to sound worried.

“Can’t say, haven’t talked to her yet, not that she has said much. Quiet as a mouse she was, on the way back to the stargate. But that could be because we were still in danger, and she didn’t want to draw attention to us.” The girl was young and small; he didn’t think she would be that much of a problem.

“Well, I would like to meet her tomorrow after she has rested, and see for myself what we are dealing with.” Elizabeth rose ending the meeting.  “John could you please talk with her and let me know your opinion, ok.”

John was pleased that she would ask his opinion, but he was the military commander here on Atlantis and it was his job to protect them. Besides he was a good judge of character and was rarely influenced by a pretty face. Inwardly chuckling, he could hear Rodney’s snort in his head.

Turning back he said, “Sure thing ma’am, right away.”

TBC……

  

 

@@@@@

Together Buffy and Ronon left the gate room, walking slowly to their destination. His protective instinct kicked in and Ronon slowed his pace considerably in consideration of the girl by his side. She looked tired and worn out. Fighting the Wraith could do that to a person.

His mind went back to the scene he stumbled upon on the planet. How could one so small and so young fight the way she did? And some of those moves she used on the Wraith he had never seen before. She fought with strength and stamina like that of soldiers on his planet.

He looked down at her blonde head, he was easily two heads taller than she was, he felt that one so small should be protected, yet he knew she was able to fight and hold her own with the Wraith. She was very interesting but he could wait to find out the answers he wanted to know.

There was something else nagging at him. Her attire was not like the other villagers; she was wearing garments similar to what John would wear on his downtime. She had on torn blue rugged pants and dirty white shoes. I think John called them jeans, and the footwear were called sneakers. 

-----

Buffy kept stealing glances at Ronon. Her mind was spinning; all the questions she would like to ask would have to wait. She tried to hold them in, really she did, but they all came tumbling out.

“Where are we, what is this place, not that it’s not cool and all, but I still need to know where I am, did you see the monks, hopefully, maybe you killed them because that would save me a lot of trouble, and …” Buffy noticed Ronon was not by her side any more. She turned around to see a disgruntled look on his face, “Did I do something wrong, say something wrong, why are you looking at me like that?”

He blinked slowly, great, he thought, another talker; she was like the female version of Dr. McKay. Thinking he would like to drop her off at the infirmary to get checked out, hang around there until she was done, just in case she would need him, and then head back to his quarters for some quiet. He started walking again, with her falling into step beside him.

“Why do I have to see the doctor? I’m fine just tired from all the travel, just show me a place where I can rest and I will be all better tomorrow. Just get me a bed, a pillow, and I will sleep the sleep of the innocent, I promise I will be fine, I’m just tired,” she noticed she was babbling again and quickly shut her mouth.

Several more times she tried to make conversion, but all her attempts failed. He would just turn his head look at her, and then continue on like she had not spoken. She had to all but run to catch up and match his long strides. But oh, was he a quiet one. The strong and silent type, ooh she liked that.

She must be channeling Willow, because babbling was something she didn’t  normally  do but when she was weirded out, but she did tend to talk a lot. She was even babbling in her head. It was sometimes hard to keep quiet but she took great pains to do so.

And this place, this Atlantis was definitely part of the weird factor that made her babble. But Hell dimensions were always weird, not that she remembered many, partial amnesia is a typical after effect of any hell portal travel. But she remembered everything, every little thing, the village, the screams, the Wraith and the portal with a telephone, everything right down to what she didn’t have for breakfast.

Buffy followed Ronon down hall after hall, turning this way and that. She knew she would get lost if she had to find the infirmary on her own; this place was like a maze. He stopped abruptly turned and waved a hand across the wall, a panel slid open to reveal a very small room.

He pulled her into what appeared to be an elevator; she could feel a slight shift, off setting her balance for a moment, as she watched a panel, which appeared to be a map, tracing their ride to see the doctor.  And faster than any elevator ride she had ever been on, the door opened into a hallway that was right in front of their intended destination, the infirmary.

Boy was the place busy, medics rushing to and fro making sure the few surviving villagers got the medical attention they needed without scaring them.

Touching her shoulder Ronon pointed to bed and gave her a look that told her to stay, “Dr. Becket will take good care of you.” With a squeeze of his hand he went off to wait for her, out of the way, by one of the infirmary doors.

-----

John entered the infirmary a few minutes later, followed by Teyla; they walked over to where Ronon was watching the girl as she waited to get looked at by Dr. Becket’s staff.

“So Ronon, who’s your new friend?” John asked, as he watched her get up and walk to a different bed that was in the far corner.

Ronon watched in approval as she moved, her new location was a wise choice. She chose a spot in the corner away from the action, with her back to the wall she could assess the situation making it hard for someone to sneak up on her.

Her eyes were darting back and forth, trying to see everything at once. Her eyes lit on a metal cabinet. He saw she could see her reflection, because her hand went immediately to her hair. Grass, sticks and dust floated to the floor as she tried to tame the wild mane.

A medic dropped an instrument nearby, startled, she jumped up, with muscles tensing ready to fight. She looked to Ronon to make sure he was still there when she realized her mistake; she realized she had stopped paying to the things around her and so she resumed her surveillance of the room.

With no threat apparent she relaxed somewhat and climbed back upon the bed. Maybe, he thought, she was a warrior after all, a beautiful warrior at that.

 “All I know is what you do,” Ronon replied, “she said her name is Buffy, I found her fighting a Wraith, and then I killed it and brought her back with us.”

“She looks like she is mad at something,” John said seeing the disgruntled look on her face. He noticed what she was doing by switching the beds. John saw the same thing Ronon did, the surveillance, fighting stance, and the readiness to fight. He hoped he didn’t have a problem on his hands.

Ronon slightly smiled when he saw her push a hand away, “Yes, she insists she is fine and all she needs is rest.”

“Well, if I have to have a physical every time we return from a mission, then so does she,” John returned smirking.

-----

Along with the other villagers, she waited on the last bed for her turn to get checked out by the doctor. She knew she was fine but she heard the doctor tell the others that physicals were standard protocol for after any mission. All she needed was rest and she was not going to be able to do that here in the busy infirmary. She just needed a room and a bed, oh and some food would be nice. She rubbed her belly trying to remember when the last time she ate was.

The tall one named John appeared at the foot of her bed, along with Ronon and the woman from his team. They stood silently by John’s side, staring at her, waiting for him to speak.

“Welcome to Atlantis, we need to make introductions; running for your life tends to make those things seem trivial and unimportant. Hi, I’m Major Sheppard, this is Teyla, you already met Ronon and the loud one over there is Dr. Rodney McKay,” he pointed to one of the filled beds.

She looked over to see a very persistent man trying to get off the bed, and they kept pushing him back down. He tried several times to get up but from the looks of things that was not going to happen.

She heard Rodney furiously complain, “I’m fine, nothing wrong with me. Ouch! Damn it, that hurt.  Let me go, pleeeaassee! I have to go back to work and keep this place from ruin. John could you please tell them I’m not hurt.”

She laughed and turned back to Major Sheppard, only to see an indulgent smile on his face as he looked at Rodney. John turned back to her with a questioning eyebrow raised, the eye brow said, “What is your name?” He waited patiently for her reply.

Clearing her throat, she stood tall, well as tall as she could sitting on the bed, “Buffy Summers at your service,” he looked to be the leader so the saying fit.

Then it clicked. Major? Weren’t Majors in the military? She took a good look at him. His uniform was familiar; and there it was, right there on his shirt, a patch of the American flag. Wait a minute; the US military was here, here in OZ?

How could they be here in this dimension, if the military was here, did that mean they started up the program again. But then again maybe they weren’t the Initiative, they killed the demons, they did not even try to bring one back to their base. She did not trust the military after what happened with Adam, the super demon soldier that the Army created.

They recruited her to help with the capturing of demons and she found out after the fact that the military doctor used her to further exploit her absolutely insane cause. Buffy and her friends almost died that night, barely escaping the collapse of their underground base. She would just have to wait and be patient to find out what they are doing here.

“Major? As in US military? Obviously from the patch on your shirt, I know where you are from but what are you doing here in another dimension? So where are we? Is this some kind of secret base or a royal palace?” oh my god she was babbling again, head falling she groaned into her hands.

All three exchanged startled looks over her head. She looked up to find John staring at her.  She was so very close to the truth, that he was starting to get worried. He raked his gaze over her and narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but he recovered so quickly that he thought she would not notice.

Buffy’s mind reasoned. She was not the one at fault here; she was just doing her job of evil killing. When they decided to bring her back here, she could have stayed where she was but Ronon said she should follow. She could not help herself, her gut said to trust him, to follow him and so follow is what she did.

Staring her down John all but shouted, “Wait a minute, what do you know about the US military and who sent you, why are you here?”

“It’s there on your shirt, the flag and why wouldn’t I know about the US military if I am not from the United States, everybody in America knows about the military,” Buffy fired back, “and I am here because you brought me here.”

John huffed and looked ready to start again with the integration but looks from Ronon and Teyla stopped him cold. He would wait until they were at next morning’s briefing to find out what he needed to know. Elizabeth needed to know this information also and should be there for the questioning.

She’s from America, great another problem. They’re crazy time in this galaxy just keeps getting better and better.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ronon offering her silent support. His eyes said to trust them.

“Sorry, I apologize; we better wait until tomorrow when we meet with Dr. Weir, the expedition leader, to discuss this,” John grudgingly replied, “Ronon take Buffy to the west tower and find her some sleeping quarters. A marine will be posted at your door for your convenience, of course, should you need anything. Have a good night.”

Turning on his heel he left the infirmary with Teyla following.

“Well that was fun, let’s do it again, not,” Buffy grimaced. She hopped up off the table and started for the door. This time she made sure Ronon had no choice but to follow.

 

@@@@@

 

Ronon showed to her room and when they arrived there was a marine waiting with a tray of food in his hands. He nodded his head in greeting to Ronon as he handed off the tray and took up position, eyes front and center, just left of the door.

The door was a little larger than the door to the mini elevator, worked the same way too. He waved his hand and it opened, cool, kind of like the sensor doors on Star Trek.

He walked into the room and dropped the tray off on a small bedside table. He waited for her to enter behind him before speaking. “If you need assistance let the marine outside your door know,” Ronon informed her, as he took his leave.

Left to her own devices, she explored the room. Wait how do you open the door? Great she gest to figure it out all by herself. She grabbed a sandwich then walked over to the entrance, while taking a bite she waved her hand over the wall and the door opened immediately.

 Cool. Now if only she can find the bathroom, she hoped they have those here.

-----

The door chimes woke her up. She had slept soundly; she’d gotten more sleep this one night than she had had in awhile. The good kind of sleep, the dreamless, wakes you up refreshed, kind of sleep. After the day she had yesterday she needed it.

She opened the door to reveal the woman, named Teyla, from Ronon’s team. The brunette was small, the same in height and similar in build to Buffy’s own. She was dressed in beautiful homemade leather clothes that suited her body much better than the uncomfortable looking uniform she had worn yesterday on the planet.  She was caught staring and Teyla smiled.

Embarrassed Buffy gushed, “Good morning, Teyla. Yes, you have come to rescue me from boredom, and for that I thank you,” sounding way to chipper this early in the morning.

“Good morning to you too. Dr. Weir would like to see you and has asked that I escort you to the briefing room to meet with her,” Teyla’s laughing voice was pleasant, unlike the Majors from the night before and it was a most welcome change.

Since she was meeting the leader today, she wanted to be prepared, and ready to defend herself if need be. She had made herself as presentable as she could, even though she was wearing yesterday’s dirty and torn clothes.

Putting on her game face, she fingered combed her hair into some kind of style and grabbed what food was left on the tray. “Lead away,” she said with a wave and followed Teyla out the door of her temporary room.

-----

Earlier that morning John, Elizabeth, and Ronon met in the mess hall to discuss the girl before she was scheduled to appear. They wanted to have a game plan to prepare for her explanation just in case they had to act.

“John, you spoke with her last night, what did she say and what is your take on her,” Elizabeth asked while she sipped her coffee.

“She knows about us Elizabeth, she says she is from earth, the US to be exact, she doesn’t look like a threat but that does not mean that she isn’t,” John exclaimed, pointing his spoon at her almost flinging soggy oatmeal on her person. He was just pissed that he could think that this little girl could be that big of a threat.

“John calm down, maybe she is or maybe she isn’t a threat, I don’t know, we will have to wait and see,” she replied diplomatically trying to get him to relax. “I would like to hear her side of the story and make my own decision. Then we can determine what needs to be done after we talk with her.”

“If she does not want to go back to the planet, which by the way is hostile and would be a bad idea, we are going to have to tell her something. We might to have to tell her everything about us because we are stuck here and right now we have no way home. And if she really is from earth we need to protect her,” John grudgingly replied.

There was a snort from across the table. Both heads turned in that direction. Ronon sat there with a small smile. He was remembering the speed and the stamina of her fight with the Wraith, she would not like to be protected, he suspected.

“She needs no protection, she can fight, almost took down a Wraith with no weapon,” he said proudly, taking a huge bite of Althosian fruit.

He waited for Ronon to finish chewing. “What do you mean she took it down, and without a weapon, I thought you said you killed it?” John asked surprised.

“She fought hard and from the looks of it the battle lasted awhile. She got tired and the Wraith used that weakness to take advantage of her so I killed it,” shrugging his shoulders he sat back, “and if I was not there to kill it she would have eventually on her own, destroyed the Wraith.”

Elizabeth was surprised about two things, very few could fight the Wraith without weapons and live to tell about, Ronon and John were the only two that she knew about. And the other surprising thing was Ronon was very hard to impress and obviously this girl did just that.

“We will have to see what she says and go from there,” Elizabeth concluded that line of thought because they had other matters to talk about, like the relocation of the villagers, before they would meet this new mysterious girl, named Buffy.

“I am only trying to protect the city from potential threats, but I will support whatever you decide Dr. Weir,” John said knowing that he would have to follow what Elizabeth said because she was after all the leader of Atlantis.

-----

Buffy walked into the room, stiffening when she felt the tension, there was lots of it. The boys were seated at the table. John sat with a scowl on his face, looking like he wanted to yell again, and Ronon, sloughed in a relaxed manner was silent as usual. Wait did he just wink at her, she would have to pay better attention next time, she did not know if he did wink but she felt her shoulders relax a fraction. 

She looked to Dr. Weir, who stood when they entered, at least she didn’t look to hostile; she waved us over to the table. She could tell that they had already talked about her before she arrived and she had the feeling she had a lot of explaining to do.

“Welcome, have a seat and we will get started,” Dr. Weir said as she took her seat.

“I would like to talk to you and find out more about you, John told us some but I would like to hear it from you,” she asked politely, with a look to John that said, quiet and keep an open mind.

Where should she start, she did not want a repeat of the events of yesterday but with a story like hers, it probably could not be helped. Maybe she should just start at the beginning. She knew nothing about them and wondered how much she should tell them. If they were military then this place could be classified and they may not tell her anything.

Then her gut spoke loudly and told her to trust them. My but her gut has been talking a lot lately and as the saying goes, honesty is the best policy.

“Alright let’s get the formal introductions out of the way as we wait for Dr. McKay to join us. My name is Dr. Elizabeth Weir,” she pointed around the table, “and you have already met Major John Sheppard US Airforce, Teyla Emmagan leader of the Althosians, and your rescuer is Specialist Ronon Dex of the planet Sateda. We are here to find out more about you and what we can do about…” she was interrupted by the arrival of Dr. McKay.

He rushed into the room, arms full of papers, a laptop and what looked to be crystals, “So sorry I’m late, power drain again on level one, north tower, had to hook it back up. Those engineers masquerading as technicians forced the power lines together and several systems merged and voila no power…” he dumped his load onto the table and looked up and noticed the stares, “What you know only I can fix it so that is why I am late.”

“Glad you could join us,” smiling John drawled catching a rolling crystal to keep it from falling off the table, he sat it down in front of Buffy, “we are here to meet the new girl Buffy, not talk about you and your disasters.”

“Ok I knew that was just explaining to you why I was late, if everyone did their jobs correctly ---- Wait a minute my disasters, I’ll have you know…” he was silenced by the clearing John’s throat, and he received a pointed look which told him to be quiet.

“And this is Dr. Rodney McKay, the man solely responsible for keeping our city up and running.” John smiled at him. Rodney’s scowl was instantly transformed and he sat there beaming smugly.  John looked back towards Dr. Weir and nodded for her to begin again.

With an affectionate roll of her eyes Elizabeth continued, “Welcome to the city of Atlantis Buffy, as I was saying, we would like to know more about you and find out how you came to be here.”

The ball was in her court. She needed to decide what to say and decided that full disclosure was best. There it went again, her gut. But she couldn’t believe it, she heard it this time. Her gut was whispering to her, “Confide in them, they will not hurt you.”

Her gut trusted Ronon and Ronon trusted them, so she began her story with confidence, “My name, as you know is Buffy Summers, and I’m from what was known as Sunndydale, California, otherwise known as the hell mouth. I am called the Slayer, Vampire Slayer the Chosen One is my official title. In every generation a Slayer is chosen to fight evil. In my generation I was chosen to fight the vampires and demons of earth and keep their evil from spreading, and I am good at it too, I have special powers kinda like Super Girl, and no I can’t fly.”

Every eyebrow around the table was raised in surprise, she continued, “I was following the Lorack monks, who were trying to destroy the planet again, into a portal to their home world in another dimension. I needed to catch them to keep them from coming back and killing us all. I knew that I might not return to earth, so as the one with nothing to lose I volunteered to go. I was supposed wind up in the their dimension, but something must have happened in the portal because I ended up here, well not here on Atlantis, but in this dimension. I woke up on the planet in the middle of a battle, fought a very ugly new demon, that was how Ronon found me by the way, and then you guys brought me here.” She was babbling again, they must think she is crazy. Either she was going to be accepted or locked up under going psych evaluations. She sat back patiently waiting for the inevitable rantings of disbelief.

The expressions passing across their faces were varied, a mix of; vampires yah right who are you kidding, oh how sad she must be crazy, oh my god she didn’t take a breath, she’s lying she’s a spy, that’s why she can do what she did. That last look was from Ronon, and with a wink, he showed a look of acceptance like he finally knew what was going on with her, that he had somehow known that she was a fellow warrior.

 Everyone opened their mouths to speak at once. Rodney was the first one out of the gate and beat them to it, “So what you are saying is you are from the United States, you are the Slayer with super powers but you can’t fly and you kill vampires. Oh wait there’s no such thing because -- vampires -- don’t -- exist! Did you really think we are going to believe your story?”   

John momentarily speechless waved his hand in a circle, “Yah, what he said.” Elizabeth, Teyla and Ronon sat quietly absorbing this new information. All but Ronon stared at her daring her to retract her answer, she stared right back saying nothing.

“How can we not believe in these vampires? Are not vampires the same as the Wraith, they suck your life blood until your death, and do not the Wraith suck your life energy until one dies,” came the voice of reason from Teyla who remembered the movie, Dracula, from one of John’s movie nights.

With a resigned sigh, Elizabeth took back control of the conversation, “John, Rodney. Teyla’s right; vampires are similar to the Wraith and who are we to throw stones. We have our very own fantastic story to tell.”

John knew right then that Elizabeth was going to tell Buffy everything about Atlantis. They were cut off from earth and with no way home; they knew that Buffy would be in danger just like the rest of them. So maybe telling her would be a good idea.

Instead of a potential threat, she could be a welcomed asset. Also, if she does have these special Super Girl powers, that she says she has, they might just come in handy in the fight against our own vampires, the Wraith.

So he settled back into his chair and waited to see what her stunned expression would look like. It would probably be a mirror of his own.

TBC…

  

 

      

@@@@@

  

Buffy stood on a secluded balcony overlooking the north pier, letting her gaze wander towards the horizon, she saw nothing but blue for miles. Clutching the railing she tilted her head back and let the ocean breeze whip through her hair. With a sigh she closed her eyes and she let the warm air calm her nerves.

She let her thoughts run wild and tried to make sense of what they told her. She should not have been astonished with all that she has seen and all that she knows; but knowing that all the time she was battling evil on the ground, there was even a more sinister threat that could have come down from above.

 Breathing deeply while opening and closing her hands, she let the tension flow out of her fingers to drop into the water. Why should she be nervous, she wondered, this should be old hat to her but the idea that she was in her own dimension shook her.

 Yes, there were other dimensions, but they coexisted in time with her world but they were just a different reality, like two different planes of existence. The evil was someplace else, not so close.

Here she was on another planet, and in order to get to this planet you had to travel through the cosmos, through a portal no less. Today she found out where she was; she was in the lost city of Atlantis, in the Pegasus Galaxy.

 She was in space; the final frontier, to go where no one has gone before, kind of space; that she was here and the idea that earth has been traveling to other planets unnerved her.

Why was she not surprised? And their ridiculous idea that aliens were real, but who was she to judge, if she had vampires, why couldn’t they have aliens? They could be evil too.  She shivered recalling the Wraith she fought; yes, they were malicious, more dangerous and very, very, very alien.

She knew one day earth would make it to space, she just did not think it would be this soon.  Stuff like that only happened in movies. After she dropped her bomb shell at the meeting, she in turn was told another fantastical tale.

Not just any tale; but one of space, aliens and the ability to travel to different planets. She needed to escape for some much desired alone time to process everything. She sighed once more remembering the meeting.

 

@@@@@

 

With a resigned sigh, Elizabeth took back control of the conversation, “John, Rodney. Teyla’s right; vampires are similar to the Wraith and who are we to throw stones. We have our very own fantastic story to tell.”

 

-----

 

Buffy waited to hear their story. She was nervous, the silence was too thick and lasted too long, and it was bothering her more than she wanted them to know. She needed to get up and pace, all her nervous energy wanted to escape, but that would not be appropriate. She had to do something and the crystal was sitting right there.

 The look on Rodney’s face when she picked up the crystal that John placed in front of her was priceless. The rock glowed and blinked slightly as it started to burn her palm. Spluttering he stood pointing, “She has the gene, how come everyone here naturally has the ancient gene but me. Wait, John didn’t you touch it earlier, it didn’t do that when you touched it,” he said coming around the table and pulling from it from her hand. He shoved it at John, who took it and shrugged when nothing happened.

Rodney stood gaping at her, “How could you make the crystal glow, when John has the strongest gene on record.” Snapping his fingers in realization, “Maybe because you kill vampires you have a special gene. Wait that can’t be right because vampires don’t exist; so nope, no special vampire killing gene. I have more crystals in my lab, you need to come and touch them.” He moved to grab her arm.

Elizabeth cleared her throat and Rodney stopped in his tracks. She motioned to his seat, signaling that she wanted to resume the meeting.

“Oh sorry, you must stay and finish this, but you don’t need me here, you wouldn’t be able to understand anything I said anyway.” He clutched the crystal to his chest as he grabbed his stuff and hurried towards the door muttering aloud, “Super Man had crystals on the planet Krypton.” He stopped, turned and looked like he was going to ask a question but with a shake of his head he left the room.

Elizabeth dropped her face into her hands and inwardly groaned; she did not get paid enough to put up with this kind of torture, known as Rodney. Chuckling she raised her head looking at Buffy, “Please excuse Dr. McKay he tends to get carried away. Let’s begin again, why don’t I start with a history lesson.”

Elizabeth thought, this certainly puts a new spin on things, Buffy has the gene. Not very many people naturally have the gene and for her to make to make that crystal glow when John had been unable, is very interesting. She was sure Rodney was already exploring why she was able to do that.

The need to tell her seemed even more important; for if she has the ancient gene that strong, her help might be required. No wait scratch that, her help will be required.

“Buffy thank you for telling us about yourself and we don’t think you are crazy, not with what we have seen here, we have demons of our own here in the Pegasus Galaxy. I will try to make it brief; you can get the mission reports and read up later to find out the rest.”

“Many years ago archeologists found an artifact buried in the Egyptian desert, it was unlike any that they had ever seen before. The artifact was enormous; an over ten feet tall circular ring covered in several symbols and made of a material that did not exist on earth. Through the years it passed through many hands, until it finally ended up at a US military base. Since we now have state of the art technology, and with the help of some talented scientists and archeologists, the secrets of the ring were unlocked. They finally were able to decipher the carvings; it was a stargate, a way to travel to different planets through a stable wormhole”

“We are a part of Stargate Command located in Colorado Springs. It is a top secret government project that sends teams to different planets through the stargate. And for the past six years they have been traveling to other worlds making friends and allies, of course they have made some enemies along the way. Earth’s greatest enemy is something we call a Gou’ld, they have became an enormous threat and trying to defend themselves from attack they had to find the lost city of Atlantis. It was their last hope.”

“The coordinates they found for the site in Antarctica revealed that it was just an outpost of the original city, but it housed a weapon of vast proportions. The weapon could only be used by those with the Ancient gene and the military used it to defeat the Gou’ld over the arctic ice.”

“Since the weapon was depleted from the fight, and they had the address for Atlantis, the higher ups in the government wanted to send a team in search of whether or not the lost city would have another weapon. When we came to Atlantis, we knew that we would not have a way back; it was a one way trip.” Buffy thought it was beginning to sound familiar, just like her portal jump.

“We sent as many supplies as we could through the wormhole to set up a base of operations. A small expedition, with a military escort was sent and since then we have been on our own. With the supplies running low we started traveling to other planets to establish trade with other cultures. We have been doing pretty well so far, but we found out we have accidently woken up an enemy, the Wraith.”

As the conversion carried on Buffy sat astonished; not really about the aliens but that Dr. Weir told her everything about Stargate Command and Atlantis.

Top secret, hah she knew it. It would take some time to absorb it, she’ll probably freak out and she hoped not to do it in front of them. Wide eyed her gaze traveled the room, she noticed that the Major was smiling, what he was smiling about, god only knows.

 

Arms behind his head, John sat there grinning at her; yep, he should have given her a mirror.

 

@@@@@

 

Ronon had taken Buffy back to her temporary rooms after the meeting; told her that he would be available later to take her to the mess hall for lunch and would return shortly. She looked tired and weary, she forced a smile, “Thank you for everything today, I felt comfortable with you there in the room with me, at least I knew you would not laugh or think I was crazy. It kept me calm and it helped me from doing something stupid.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” he bowed gallantly as he backed out of her door. So when he got the call on the way to her rooms, explaining that Buffy was missing and could not be found, he knew it was perfectly understandable that she would want to find solitude to help her come to grips with her situation. Besides he knew where she was, the internal sensors let him know.

Ronon stood noiseless watching her. Her body appeared relaxed but he knew that under that façade was a coiled and ready fighter, waiting to turn on you in an instant, either destroying or protecting.  Seeing her today during the briefing he could tell she was nervous that they were not going to believe her.

She hid it well, sitting unspeaking watching and waiting for the inevitable. He knew there was something different about her by the way she moved and reacted to dangerous situations. Her skill in battle was affirmed by her being the Chosen One.

To believe that one so young had seen so much made him feel a connection with her. He felt another connection with her also, she was beautiful, blonde hair and big bright eyes, she was a girl who looked like she needed protection and he wanted to wrap her up in soft cotton and keep her from harm, but she was a warrior just like him and she proved that when she fought the Wraith.

Maybe the tide has turned towards the better and they will have a chance to defeat the Wraith. Smiling he thought, she would wrap him up in cotton all right, then take a big stick and teach him that she did not need protection. Shuddering in anticipation, he could not wait to take her to the gym and have her show him those moves that he did not recognize.

 

-----

 

Buffy snorted, Super Girl, why did she have to say Super Girl? It was so close to the truth that it was laughable. And the gene, she did not know what it was but it got everyone excited. She would have to track down the Major to ask questions since he had it too, and find out why it is so special.

She had that too, the Ancient gene, oh why couldn’t the powers that be pick someone else; can’t they just leave a girl alone. Where are you my friends? I could use your help, your guidance, now more than ever.  She drew on the beautiful scenery to bathe her senses and cleanse away the desolation.

She sensed some behind her, she knew it was Ronon. Eyes still closed she spoke, “I can see that you have found me, I was just trying to absorb all the things I learned today. I needed some place quiet to think and the balcony and the ocean they called to me. You know can come closer Ronon, I don’t bite.”

Unsurprised she knew it was him, he replied, “You looked so peaceful standing there that I did not want to disturb you.” He moved to stand next to her. He heard her sigh and waited.

“I knew that I was in this place I just didn’t think that this place was here in my own reality,” she said softly. “When I ran through the portal I knew that I could die, would probably die, I accepted that or I would not have entered it; but knowing that I am so close to home, yet still so far away, is unsettling.”

She felt his hand on her shoulder offering her silent support, she took a deep breath of sadness and continued, “Back on earth I have nothing left. My friends and my family are all gone, I have nothing to go back to but it is still home and I feel guilty that I will not be there to protect it. There are other Slayers but I am the Chosen One, the one who needs, has to protect earth.” She shivered and felt an arm come around her; she leaned into the warmth of his body and let it wash away her sorrow.

Ronon knew all too well what she was going through. When he reluctantly spoke it was quiet, so quiet that she had to lean closer, “I lost everything too. My planet was destroyed by the Wraith and I have been on the run ever since. But when I met John and his people I felt a kinship, and have made a home here. Give it time to settle, you will be well.”

She had the impression that he had never told this to anyone before and felt honored that he would tell her. She reached up and gave his hand a squeeze. Stepping away from him, she shook off her melancholy and smiled, “You obviously needed to find me for something or you have left me alone, what do you need?”

“When you did not answer your comm they got worried and I volunteered to fetch you,” he returned her smile, “John said Rodney was in a, I believe the word is snit, because he could not contact you.”

She pulled her comm out of her pocket; holding it up she shrugged sheepishly, “Sorry needed some time to process. Well, we must not keep Rodney waiting; he seems to be a little high strung and is probably getting on peoples nerves, so show me where to find him so he can not be in a snit anymore.”

Ronon rolled his eyes, you have no idea. Hand on her lower back he followed her inside and escorted her to the labs.

 

-----

 

They entered the hallway near Rodney’s lab. The fancy elevator, oh excuse me transport chambers, remembering that Ronon was fast to correct her, will still take some getting used to. They were small like a chamber and could transport people so, duh, the name totally fit.

A bellowing voice, which brought her back from her thoughts, was coming from a few doors down; they both could hear him before they could see him. They paused, looked at each other smiling and peeked around the door.

He had two scientists backed into a corner, he was pointing at them with an energy bar, hollering, “How could you let that happen, you should know better than to connect those two systems. Where did you get your degrees, online, no doubt? Now I have to spend all day putting it all back together. Go; get out of my sight, before I fire you both.” The two fled out the door like their butts were on fire, almost knocking them over.

“Rodney just because we can’t find her doesn’t mean you can yell and bully all your staff. Ronon will be back and I’m sure Buffy will be with him,” John trying to placate the eating, I have to fix everything, I am way smarter than you, monster.

They waited by the door for him to notice them, Rodney started to open his mouth again, when he saw them he rushed over, “Well it’s about damn time I have been calling you for hours, why didn’t you answer, is your comm broken, where in the hell were you?”

She knew it had not been hours, geez, she thought, he sure is a whiner. He must be really important or they would have drop kicked him through the wormhole already.

With a wicked look she started towards him, “Ooooh soooo sooorry, I needed some time to think, absorb, mediate, and contemplate. What about, um, let’s see, I just found out today that I am on a different planet in my own galaxy, aliens are real, not that it’s not shocking, I have a silly gene and oh, I can’t go home. Yep, that’s why I had to get away,” she had backed him into the same corner that he used earlier.

He swallowed heavily looking penitent, “Um, yes, um thank you for coming so soon.” He winced, “I have found something that you must see. Can you come with me, um please?”

Buffy smiled, “All you had to do was ask nicely, I am a nice person after all,” and with a wink, she grabbed Ronon’s hand and pulled him out the door. Rodney hastily grabbed his laptop and crystal, spluttering, “Wait you can’t leave without me, I have to show you where it is,” rushing after them.

John’s mouth dropped to the floor, he had never seen anyone make Rodney react like that; it was absolutely astonishing. Sauntering out the door, he laughed, oh boy, he could not wait to see what she would do next. 

@@@@@

Rodney chattered a mile a minute on the way to wherever they were going. The crystal that she touched earlier had come from the V. R. Room he said. Wait, what room? He continued talking answering her thoughts, the room with the lecturing holograms, he said, they told about the history of Atlantis and how some of systems worked. He was excited that he might be able to figure out more of them and use that information to keep the city running.

He wanted her to touch the object in the room and see what would happen. He also wanted Dr. Weir to be there just in case anything interesting would turn up so he would not have to explain later. She stood waiting at the door for them, following the babbling doctor, they all entered together.

As soon as Buffy stepped over the threshold, her senses went on instant alert. Head, whipping back and forth, she searched for them. They were here, waiting, waiting for her. She instinctively knew what she had to do and in a trance like state walked over to the podium and unconsciously placed her hand on the console.

Without warning, a white beam came down from above and started to explore the room. If she had been aware, she would have sworn she was in a disco. It passed over every person and finally settled on her.

Traveling right to Buffy, the light scanned her body, from head to toe. She felt tingly, the strange sensation warming her and she knew right then, that she belonged here. A sense of home coming filled her body. She heard mutterings inside her head, whispering “at last”, “she has come home”, the voices surrounded her and she surrendered to them.

 

-----

 

Momentarily blinded, everyone halted and gaped, this had certainly not occurred before. This room only housed the holographic versions of lectures, showing them everything like the history of the city, Pegasus star maps and Atlantis’s systems. Never before had it interacted with a particular person.

The hologram came alive and remained motionless before them. They jumped when his booming voice echoed throughout the room. They stood stunned as they were told about the history of the Chosen One. Startled, they watched as Buffy seemed to be lit with an inner light, still as a statue, her body relaxed, her expression one of peace and acceptance.

 

-----

 

When she first arrived on Atlantis she felt like she had been here before. That feeling was even stronger now and she knew that the city was trying to tell her something. Closing her eyes, she opened her senses, and let her mind be free, she accepted the comfort and the knowledge that the beam offered.

When Buffy opened her eyes she found herself in the gate room; how she got there she did not know.  Can you say, beam me up Scotty, she giggled. The gate was active and the wormhole shimmered with an eerie light making the vast space seem ethereal.

A surreal mist floated above the floor creating the impression that one was floating in the clouds. Looking around her she realized she was not in Kansas anymore, all she needed was Toto to come running and she was so out of here.

 

She felt a presence behind her, she whirled around to face the stargate, and standing before her where a group of elders. Looking elegant in their Roman style clothing, glowing with the light of the gate, they stared grinning at her, oh boy, she felt like she was at her first play trying no to be sick from the stage fright, she shifted awkwardly, waiting for them to do something, anything.

The oldest man with flowing white and blue robes stepped forward to address her, and he looked at her with a smile. The others that stood next to him were known to her, she thought she remembered a few from her dreams but she could not be sure. Dreams were funny like that; you only remember what you want to, she thought trying to place the faces in her dreams.

 

She was familiar with the concept of higher beings, even seen a few, but she was rarely comfortable in their presence. With a nod to her, he spoke with a booming melodic voice, “Welcome my child, you have come at last; do not be alarmed we only wish you well, and to tell you of your history and what is expected of you. You are the Chosen One, not just of earth but of all the planets in the universe, the ones in need of protection.”

“A millennia ago our race was dying from our arrogance that we thought ourselves invincible. Our most feared enemy used this knowledge to decimate our population. After the war our numbers were few and we prepared to flee, we knew our demise was near and decided to create a warrior that would later return, to protect and restore our dying city.”

“Your lineage was created by the last remaining scientists and your pregnant ancestor was sent to earth to be protected, and when your line was ready, you would be sent back to us to defend Atlantis from all that is evil. Your race was born of ancient DNA, to be passed on from generation to generation, with the hopes that one day you would return with the others to watch over Atlantis.”

“Your ancestors implore you; help our children defeat our most feared and powerful enemy. You are our last line of defense to keep our descendants alive. The others are in place, ready to battle by your side, and have only been waiting for you. The protectors of your planets have been watching and waiting for you all to find your way here, helping only when needed, and they believed you to be ready or you would not be here. Chosen One you have come to your place of origin; it is time to fulfill your destiny and lead your warriors.”

 

-------

 

The beam searched and the machines recognized her, Rodney thought dumbfounded, it knew who she was like it was preprogrammed to only work when she was near. This had never happened to any other on the expedition, not even John who had the strongest Ancient gene.

 

Still gaping at her still figure, Rodney heard sounds from the console behind him, turning to check them out. His earpiece beeped, “Rodney several zones in the east tower have become active, energy readings are through the roof. It’s not life threatening or over loading, it’s just that they came online,” came Radek’s voice over the comm.

“Yes, yes I know,” Rodney said quickly as he moved to a panel. He started a check of the systems and saw the same thing.

“But where is it coming from?” the slightly panicked voice replied.

“Hush, don’t bother me now, I’m busy,” his fingers flying over the console trying to find out where the energy was coming from. Several dormant sections became active and he suspected the cause was one Buffy Summers. Super Man had nothing on her; she did not even have to use the crystals to learn of her history.

 

It seemed Buffy had activated an older section of the city that they could not get into. When they arrived on Atlantis, the entire city was searched for safety reasons. This section was never used and he remembered that the teams checked the halls but were unable to enter any of the areas.

These areas where now open and suddenly they had access to a new region of the city. This was so cool. But where was the power coming from?

With the levels critical but stable, and the sensors spiking rapidly, he was afraid the energy was coming from their own earth made resources.  The Atlantis generators only had a limited life and they could not afford to have an excessive surge.

 But there was no drain; the power seemed to come from Atlantis itself, nope no drain on the systems at all.

 

-----

 

She remained still gawking at the man, what are you talking about? How can I be your Chosen One I’m not that old and wrinkly? Warriors, I don’t have any warriors. And place of origin, I was born in California, not another galaxy.  

She started to voice her questions but the hologram shifted and winked out. “All will be well, you have the knowledge,” she heard in her head, “you and your companions must seek the answers.”

Damn the powers that be, they were behind this, she felt it in her bones. That was why they looked so familiar; they had been guiding her, pushing her to her full potential. A light so bright filled the room, her brain filling her eyes rolled back in her head, body falling.

When the beam blinked out Buffy staggered, if Ronon had not been there to catch her she would have fallen. Like a fainting baby, can’t have that. Rubbing her forehead she moaned, “Well that was fun, did ya get the name of that bus driver, because I am so in the mood to pummel someone.”

With an arm wrapped around her waist Ronon helped her over to the wall and she sunk to the floor. She ran her fingers down his check and with a small smile gave him a silent thank you. Dropping her head back against the metal panel, she rested a bit willing her hammer to stop pounding, and opened her eyes to see everyone circling her gazing down.

Their stares were unsettling, getting annoyed she asked, “What? Do I have something in my nose?” hand rising, “Oh my god, I do don’t I?” she rubbed furiously.

“No, there is nothing in your nose,” squatting down John put a hand on her knee, “what happened to you, what do you remember?”

“Give me a minute, I need to think, my brain is on fire,” she closed her eyes again. What a rush. I am the Chosen One even here, great this just keeps getting better and better. Wow I can’t believe that the Slayer was created on another planet. Maybe I really am Super Girl, if the Scoobies were here they would probably roll their eyes but think that super powers were cool.

 

Sighing she peered through her lashes, “Can we go somewhere comfy so I can sit; I think this is going to take a while.”

Rodney and John looked ready to protest but Elizabeth stepped in and agreed, “We will meet back in the conference room in one hour to discuss what happened here. Ronon take Buffy back to the infirmary to make sure she is ok.”

“I’m fine, don’t need a doctor, I just need an aspirin for the hammer but can we just go now because everyone wants to know and Rodney looks very upset,” Buffy replied while getting helped up by Ronon, “Oh wait, I forgot something,” and started walking slowly towards the far wall, reaching for the panel.

Her hands rapidly moved over the console with no hesitation, she paused, pressed a button up high and a data crystal popped out of the wall, she moved to grab it handing over to Ronon, “Keep this so I won’t lose it, I will need it later. Ok I’m ready, let’s go.”

Rodney could not believe his eyes she knew the systems, “Ok, now how in the hell did you know to do that, I didn’t even know that slot was there?”

She knew this crystal was special, it contained information that she knew would be essential to assist Atlantis and she needed Rodney’s help to figure it out. But Rodney didn’t need to know that just yet. God she loved to get his goat, it was so much fun, “All in good time my friend, all in good time,” laughing as she moseyed out the door.

“But wait what is it, can I see it, I need to know….” He moved to chase her down but John grabbed his arm to stop him, “It can wait, leave her be.”

She did it again, I think I am really going to like this girl, John inwardly chuckled.

 

@@@@@

 

By the time she and Ronon got the conference room everyone was already there waiting, including Teyla. The room was noisy with questions when she entered; they all scrambled up, tried to help her to her seat but when Ronon growled and they immediately sat back down.

God they were like little children who could not wait to hear her bedtime story and what a bedtime story is was. Action, adventure, good vs. evil, all the things kids liked.

 

She settled comfortably in the chair, “Ok I’m ready, let her rip,” she left the sentence open, closing her eyes, bracing herself for the inquisition.

Silence, she waited when nothing came she thought, yes they were waiting for me; thank god this will make it so much easier if I don’t have to stop.

John spoke up when he noticed she did not talk, “Why don’t you tell us what happened, we heard all the hologram had to say but we want to hear your version of what you saw.”

“Ok here it goes; I had a vision, a cool dreamlike vision. I was back in the gate room and a bunch of glowy people were standing on the steps. I thought I recognized a few, but I don’t remember from where. Then the old one spoke to me, told me I am the Chosen One and that I would lead my warriors into battle with the Wraith, I think? And oh and a big bright light zapped my brain, it hurt real bad and then Ronon caught me,” it all came out in a rush.

John held up his palm, “Whoa, Buffy slow down, I think only Rodney caught that because his mind can think as fast as you can apparently talk. Why don’t you continue but slower so we all can understand.”

She took deep breaths calming herself, “Sorry, it was surreal and I am lost about half of what the old guy said. Some of the stuff made sense but I get the feeling that there are some things I am missing; he said I should know them, and that my companions and I will find them.”

“What things, where do we look, let me see the crystal, wait ... who are your companions?” Rodney asked all at once.

“That’s the thing, I just don’t know and it is beginning to piss me off,” she shot back.

She looked to Ronon, he gave her the crystal, which she handed over to Rodney, “This is for you, I don’t know what’s on it but I do know one thing, I know it will help us find whatever we are supposed to be looking for. So I need your help to figure out what is on it.”

He cradled the object lovingly, “How did you know how to use the computers? You only just got here and I have yet to show you how they work.”

She replied thoughtfully, “I just knew, my hands had a mind of their own and knew which buttons to press. I don’t know how or why? I knew just that I did, so don’t ask,” when she saw him ready to question why.

Dr. Weir spoke for the first time, “I think that is enough for today. Buffy have Ronon walk you to your quarters and get some rest, you have had a very long day and Rodney why don’t you discover …,” she noticed he was already out the door, “what is on the crystal,” she finished.

Fabulous we have another mystery on our hands, Elizabeth inwardly pondered, there are already too many to count here on Atlantis. But if Buffy is the Atlantis version of the Slayer, then the Wraith will have an enormous fight on their hands. She had to admit that sounded good right about now. 

 

 

TBC…..

 

  

The past few days have been a whirlwind. They gave her some downtime and now Buffy was bored, very bored. When they left her alone the next day, she had way too much time to think. She did not like to think, she liked to imagine she was more of an action person.

They did not know what to do with her, they wanted her to help them defeat the Wraith but at the same time they wanted her never to leave Atlantis so they could keep her safe. So she has not been approved for travel through the gate, they want her to go through combat training or some such nonsense; she was the Slayer for heaven’s sake and has been in training for the past ten years. But it was not Atlantis training, they told her, like killing the Wraith was any different than killing any other demon. So she had time to kill.

The Chosen One of the Universe; great, now she had even more responsibility thrust upon her. How she was ever going to live up to their expectations she’ll never know. She had always been told she was special, even as a little girl, her mom told her she was destined to do great things, like maybe a lawyer, doctor or even President, but being the Chosen One of the universe was probably not what they had in mind. If she could only see her now, would she be proud or horrified.

The only one she saw was Ronon. He was great, he helped fill her time with tours of the city, meals together in the mess hall, and he even took her running. It was fabulous to exercise the excess energy that had been building up in her since she learned of her new title. She had to take it easy with him, even running full steam ahead Buffy could still run circles around him. Not that she ever let him know that, she did not want to hurt his feelings.

He was an odd but cute one; and he was the closest thing she had to a friendship here. He has stood by her side through everything and has never let her fall. She liked that, he was a rock and she thought, rocks could be very appealing, especially rocks in the shape of Ronon. She tried not to think of him too much. He was starting to be very, very good friend, she felt a connection with him from the moment they met. She did not know where they were going but she was looking forward to finding out.

She needed to stop it, stop thinking about Ronon and start worrying about what she was supposed to do as the Chosen One of Atlantis. She had a sneaking suspicion that the companions were John and his team, definitely Ronon because of their strong connection. She needed Rodney to figure out what was on the crystal, because on it was where they find out what they had to do to defend the city from the Wraith.

Rodney sent several of his scientists to check out the areas that she opened and he would let them know what he found. She knew some of the areas were still locked and they could not gain access, but she figured he would call her when they wanted to gain entrance, cause she was the only who could open the doors. He also spent the past few days going over the data from the crystal himself, he would not let anyone else touch, he no one else was qualified.

So when she got the call that his report was done, she was practically dancing for joy, yes something to do, no more boredom. She had the briefing this evening to find out what was on the crystal, so she had better stop thinking or she was going to be late.

-----

Buffy entered the room late and a little breathless from running, because she got lost again, she should have asked Ronon to escort her here, it would have been so much easier. She plopped into her seat, and with arms folded on the table she put on her, I can be serious about stuff, face.

“Ok I have some good news and some bad news, well it’s all good depending on how you look at it,” Rodney started the meeting.

“Ok, the data crystal has five different addresses on it, something about getting the power,” he rummaged through his papers on the table, pulling one out, compared the paper with his laptop, “Ah yes here it is, “With these five, the one must find the power”, see we need to go to each one, maybe there will be a power source for Atlantis, on the planet for us to find,” Rodney rubbed his hands together with glee.

“With our resources limited and equipment down, I can’t risk sending the team onto an unknown planet,” Elizabeth reasoned.

“But we have to go, if there is a chance to increase the energy potential here, our earth equipment won’t be needed because we will have access to Atlantis’s equipment, you know, the ones in sitting in storage because we don’t have the ability to run them,” he reasoned right back.

“That’s the good but you said something about the bad,” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes the bad, um it does not say where the power source is on the planet,” Rodney shrugged sheepishly, “See we have to find it, that’s the bad, but when we do Atlantis could be back at full capacity, and see, that will be good.”

She looked over at Buffy, “You have something to add to the discussion.”

“No I don’t, I only know what Rodney just told us, besides I just found the thing, he’s the one who can read it, but I know one thing, you can’t pass up the chance to get new batteries for Atlantis,” she spoke in her best, I am the Slayer you do what you’re told, voice. She hoped it would work.

Rodney and John were flashing those sad puppy dog eyes at Elizabeth and she had to be strong. She could not, no wait, would not send them into unknown danger, they were much too valuable to Atlantis to risk. But on the other hand, if they don’t get a new power source soon there will be no Atlantis.

“I can see your point and I have no choice but to say,” holding off to see if the puppy eyes would mist over in disappointment, “Yes, you have a go for the first address, we will wait and see for the others, you can go tomorrow,” she ended the meeting, signaling to John for him to stay.

The rest of them all followed a very happy Rodney out the door, John sat thinking, how come every time I have to stay after like I’m in trouble, being the military commander was a rough job but somebody has to do it.

“I am still leery about sending you to an unknown planet, but Rodney seems so sure there is a power source there,” Elizabeth frowned still unsure of her choice.

“Rodney knows his stuff and I believe him, besides he is almost always right but don’t tell him I said that or we will not be able to fit his head through the stargate. If he says it’s there then it probably is,” John’s reply had full faith in Rodney, “I would also like to have Buffy go with us; she is the one who got us the addresses so she should go too.”

“No, I can’t authorize it, you know that, we already discussed this matter, she has to go through training protocols, I can’t send her out without her being able to defend herself,” she restated her earlier decision.

“Oh, I think she is perfectly capable of defending herself and Ronon said she could probably kick my ass, well not so much said but he did grunt when I joked with him about it,” John said thinking back to Ronon’s incredulous look when he asked if Buffy could fight.

“I will think about it after she has passed everything, and when you get back from the planet in one piece,” she waved him out of the room because she had to get back to paperwork.

 

@@@@@

 

They were geared up and ready to go to the planet, the first one on Buffy’s list. Rodney was practically dancing, he could not wait to get his hands on a possible power source for Atlantis, “Come on gate dial faster we need to go,” he was imitating River Dance in his impatience.

The wormhole was established, they were going in blind, with their equipment down and the urgent need for more power, they had to take a chance that all will go well. Elizabeth waited on the balcony to say good luck, when Buffy came rushing into the room, fixing the straps on her new uniform.

“Hold up, I’m ready to go when you are,” Buffy said a little breathless adjusting the knives strapped to her legs. Strapped on her back was a sword, it was huge but it seemed to fit Buffy and she was very comfortable wearing it.

John just shook his head, he looked at Ronon, who shrugged, “Yes it is mine, she needed a weapon but do not worry, she can handle it.”

“Ok Buffy, just don’t point that thing at me,” John replied knowing that she could probably handle herself.

“Wait a minute you can’t go yet you have not been authorized for off world travel,” Rodney complained upset they were not leaving.

“Oh I forgot to tell you I’m the only one who can get the power thingy, only the Chosen One can find it, the old man said so,” Buffy smiled smugly, knowing that they would have to let her go.

John looked to Elizabeth; she gave him a look that said what can you do, and we will discuss this when you return safely. With a nod and a wave of her hand she sent her team through the stargate.

-----

They stepped on to the planet; what a rush, that was so cool, Buffy thought, she did not pay attention to the last ride, she had better things to think of like staying alive. The woods surrounding the stargate were serine, beautiful, trying to lull the newcomers into a sense of comfort. Buffy knew this to be not so, there was danger, from what she did not know, only that her gut was rumbling again.

“Stay sharp, I feel danger, where I don’t know but it is there,” she started to scan the forest.

“Rodney what have you got, anything?” John asked.

Checking his scanner, “Faint energy readings that way,” he pointed to the darkest path between the trees.

“You would have to point that way, Rodney. Ok everyone, stay alert for well, anything, fan out let’s go see where the trail leads,” John started walking towards the dark trees, taking point with Ronon bringing up the rear, everyone else fell in between.

The path was dark, the leafy overhang from the trees created a cocoon and with the temperature as hot as it was, the cocoon was a sauna, where no breeze could penetrate the walls to cool their sweat drenched bodies. The bugs were merciless, the gigantic insects were eating them alive, no matter how many times they slapped them dead, there were hundreds more swarming overhead, waiting.

“One more bite, and I will need an entire bathtub of calamine lotion, just to stop itching,” Buffy complained as she killed another blood sucker. If they kept this up no one will have any blood left when they get back. They kept trudging on, the readings were getting closer.

They walked for what seemed like hours, “God did they have to make it so far away, every time I think we are close the readings grow in length. When are we going to be there, I am starting to get really hungry,” Rodney whined.

“We are almost there; I can feel it,” Buffy replied, “just a few more minutes, maybe.” If he was going to complain like this every time, she will do something, she did not know what but it will good.

 

-----

The trees parted to reveal an opening in the side of the mountain, if they had not been looking for any unusual they would have missed it. It was strange how there did not seem to be any mountains in the distance but they were here now and Buffy could feel the power coming from within.

They stood at the entrance of the cave; this is it they finally made it. Buffy knew the power source was inside, her Slayer vibes were sending her feelings of, oh ya almost there. The caves tunnels were dark, so dark, that one could not see the hand in front of their face. The hike would be treacherous but they were so close, and with so much at stake, they had to take the chance.

Single file they followed the passageway through several twists and turns, five flashlights leading the way. It took some time so their eyes adjusted to the darkness, so when they stumbled into the vast cavern, they were momentarily blinded by the intensity of the sudden brightness. An unnatural light seemed to glow from the walls, making it shine like the sun, once again lulling them into a sense of safety; the cavern was not as dark as one would think.

“Ok, this is unusual, there are no readings of any power source in this cave, maybe there is a shield of some kind blocking the signal,” Rodney looked at his device, hitting it on the side to trying to make it work, “Glowing rocks should give off a reading, maybe the battery is dead,” hitting it one more time for good measure.

They spread out to look for anything that resembled something that would conceal a power source, like a secret panel or an object that would open a secret panel.

A booming voice was heard echoing throughout the room, “Who dares to enter my domain, I am the guardian keeper of the relic of power and only the Chosen One, after they alone have proven themselves, can retrieve it.”

Jumping, they positioned themselves into a circle, to defend each other from all sides. The team waited to see what would happen.

It stepped away from the wall, into the path of light, looking right at Ronon, “Chosen One prove you are worthy.” Ronon snorted and pointed to his left.

Buffy confidently walked up to the keeper, “Nope wrong answer, I am the Chosen One, you get me.”

Boy, he was a beasty looking creature, all scales and claws, “You don’t scare me. I have seen demons even uglier than you, let me see whatcha got.”

The guardian laughed, “A girl, they sent a girl, only ones so arrogant as the Ancients would send one such as you,” he smirked.

“Don’tcha know the saying, big bad ass things come in small bad ass packages,” sassing right back.          

John interrupted, “Ah, Buffy maybe if you, um … make nice with the big monster, he will just give you the relic and we can go home.” He was sick of this godforsaken planet.

“Do you really think he is going to hand over the doohickey that easy, nope he’s spoiling for a fight and I am just the one to give it to him, so bring it on, bucko,” Buffy handed off her pack to Ronon, “Be ready,” she whispered and looked into his eyes with an unspoken message, as she shoved her sword at him. He nodded in response.

Her body tensed and coiled, she was ready for whatever the demon would throw at her. She knew not to underestimate her opponent, this was the Pegasus galaxy and she vividly learned her lesson from her fight with the Wraith. This would be a fight to the death, he sounded real serious about his guardianship of the power thing.

After that mental note she flung herself at the creature. The beast moved in blur and appeared behind her, for as big as he was he sure moved fast, she thought, as it howled and spun its tail whipping Buffy in the ribs. Pain shot through her as she hit the wall of the cavern and falling to the floor flopping like a rag doll. She pulled herself up, shock off the fall, turning she noticed a niche in the wall.

As the beast moved in for another attack Buffy jumped onto the small ledge, breathing hard she summoned her Slayer instincts to kick in and with her new found Ancient gene she had oodles of energy waiting to be unleashed. She somersaulted off the ledge and brought her feet down on the beast’s shoulders, and when she vaulted off his body, the force of both genes caused her to land some feet away.

The creature was on its hands and knees stunned, but only for a moment, it slowly rose to its feet; Buffy noticed this little weakness and without mercy laid an onslaught of powerful, human bone crushing, blows to the creature.

She jumped away after the flurry of fists, hands on her hips, laughing she shouted, “I thought the guardian of the power thingy was supposed to be a challenge, oh poor baby, you’re getting your butt beat by an itty bitty, teeny weenie girl!”

The creatures eyes bulged and its nostrils flared with rage. How dare one so small mock the keeper, he channeled his fury into one final charge. Buffy dove forward and somersaulted to bring her ankles around the creature’s neck, she held on with all her might. When her ankles were locked tightly she flipped the creature over her head and it hit the cavern floor with a loud thud. But just as fast he was on his feet again.

Scrambling up, she yelled, “Ronon, now,” she caught the hilt of the sword, and with the momentum of the blade she swung in a circle and plunged the sword into his neck, almost decapitating his head. The beast fell onto his back and she kneeled down next to him, ready to get the information she needed, any way she had to.

He lay there bleeding, barely able to speak, “You have the strength Chosen One, you may have the relic, serve your ancestors well,” he took his last breath. The cave was silent, save for her labored breathing. This was it, the victory, she did it; she defeated the beast, this was her first kill as the Chosen One. She should feel bad, but ya know the saying, kill or be killed applied here.

She struggled to stand, god she hurt, he was strong, holding her ribs she sensed it and her gut clenched with the feeling of impending doom. A low rumble came from the back of the cavern, the walls started to shake, the vibration of sound crumbling the ceiling, making it hard to see through the dust and debris.

Oh crap, she knew it could not be that simple. “The sky is falling, everyone make like chicken little and run,” Buffy screamed over the noise.

“Look, over there, a piece of the wall fell, there’s something in there,” John said running to the hole as he yelled over the noise. He knew some thing was there but the image was distorted. He did not have time to think about it, he just reached out to take the item, but pulled his hand back when he was shocked by some kind of invisible force.

“Wait, only I can get the relic, no one else,” Buffy yelled back, going to stand by his side. With confidence she pushed her hand through the force field and grabbed the relic, shoving into her vest, “Ok got it, now everyone run the cave is collapsing.”    

They took off down the passageway, trying to keep their balance as they ran as if the devil was on their tail. The shaking grew stronger, louder, signaling the cavern behind them was fully down. One minute longer and they would have been toast, squished toast, Buffy thought as she ran. Not much further down the passageway, she could see it, see the light, the group increased their speed.

Stumbling out into the light, they ran clear of the opening and turned around to look, just as the last of the ceiling fell to seal off the entrance of the cave, which flattened into itself and left no trace of it ever being there.

“That just did not happen, did it; there was a cave there, right?” Rodney asked unable to believe his eyes.

“You’re right that did not just happen because that was close, too close, one more second and we would have been pancakes,” Buffy said as she dusted off her shirt, “OK that was fun, everyone ok, any one hurt, if not let’s forget about the disappearing cave and get out of here, so I can take a shower to wash off the icky juice from the beast.”

“I think were fine, and your right let’s head back, it’s been a long and bizarre day,” John replied after looking everyone over.

The walk back, for some reason, seemed much shorter; the bugs must be sleeping too, for not one person got bitten. They reached the edge of the forest happy to be a few steps away from home. When they marched into the clearing, the gate was in sight but still over a mile away.

“Does anyone think this was too easy,” Rodney said, knowing the other shoe was about to drop, “And why is the gate in a different place, this field was not here before, at least I don’t remember there being a field this big.”

“Ah Rodney why did you have to go and say that, now that we are almost there, you probably just jinxed us,” John moaned knowing they were now in for it, “You’re right this is different, let’s hurry, this does not look good.” And with that last comment, howling was heard behind them in the forest.

Buffy shivered, the noise sounded way too familiar, “That does not sound good, it sounds just like the werewolves that I used to know, and that was the rumblings of hunger,” oh boy so not cool, we got to get out of here, black mounds of fur, snapping jaws and really big teeth came to mind, “Everybody RUN, the wolves are probably hungry and our bodies just scream, steak,” she shouted taking off running towards the gate. Dark shadows darted out of the tree line and started to give chase.

They took off, running full speed to the stargate, they were getting closer, but the wolves were catching up fast. John turned firing his P90 at the onslaught. A few were hit, a few were startled, but it did not slow them down one bit.

“Rodney, no matter what you do don’t look back, just dial the gate as fast as you can,” he yelled firing at the wolves; he could see more coming from the forest.

They were gaining ground, with legs burning they raced to the gate, Rodney reached the DHD, dialing he prayed for them to be saved. Buffy saw a black wolf ready to jump on John; she reached up, grabbed her sword and ran towards him. Slicing through the air and with a pain filled yelp, she stopped the wolf from the attack. John looked relieved, he didn’t even see it coming; he turned back and continued to fire. Countless more shadows were seen leaving the woods.

“Ok ready code sent, let’s get the hell out of here,” Rodney stood waving us into the wormhole.

They ran jumping, one, two, three, four, five, through the wormhole and they landed in Atlantis, as one they yelled, “Close the shield”. Several thumps were heard behind the shield, several wolves died trying to eat them, motivation was a good thing, it kept one alive.

They lay panting staring up at the ceiling of the gate room, “Yes! We made it and we were not dog food,” John said, pumping a fist in the air, while thinking over what just happened on the planet.

Elizabeth ran into the room, “Major, you guys ok? We were expecting you later, what happened?”

“Buffy is so on my team, I want her, pretty please,” John begged, trying to catch his breath from his position on the floor. He groaned rolling over to sit up, hands dangling off his knees, he started to explain, “We walked, went spelunking, watched a beast get it’s butt kicked, grabbed the power source and ran for the gate, with the hounds on our heels, literally.”

She looked to Rodney, “Nope nothing to add, he summarized it quite nicely.” She looked at them strangely, “Well everyone infirmary, then the conference room in one hour.” She walked away thinking, I can’t wait to hear this story, it sounds very fascinating.

-----

Everyone gathered together in the conference room, anticipation was high trying to figure out what they brought back. Buffy did not let anyone see the relic, she kept it a secret, the only one who saw it was John and he would not budge no matter how much Rodney persisted. He sat glaring at them both and when Dr. Weir entered the room he relaxed he would find out now, but his patience was wearing thin.

“Ok everyone before we start I want to say that I am happy everyone made it back, for that I am grateful. We are here to see if the trip was worthwhile. We need to know if the other addresses will be something to pursue,” Elizabeth said.

“We got something on the planet, I don’t know what because only Buffy could grab it,” Rodney stated eager to learn what they got.

“Yeah the shock was surprising, it hurt, so I guess she had to go because she grabbed it with no problem,” John recalled the intensity of the force field.

“So Buffy, what did ya get?” Rodney asked excitedly, he was almost rubbing his hands together like mad scientist.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver disc, it was small only about five inches in diameter; it had markings on it, kind of a mix of ancient and demon design, she surmised. She recognized the demon language, but the Ancient was new to her, her brain download made her assume that was what it was.

The disc shimmered in the light; it felt heavy in her hands and gave off a strong power vibe. The carving on it was one she had never seen before, a sword was in the middle and in a semi circle underneath were four other symbols, kind of like hieroglyphs but possibly of Ancient design. They were going to have to find out what they meant, but God she hated research, that’s why she has to hang around smart people, they can do the work for you.

“This is what I found; only I could grab it before the cave collapsed. I have no idea what it is but the power coming from it is amazing,” Buffy said, “I am surprised you all can’t feel it.”

She placed the object on the table, John reached out to grab beating Rodney to the punch. The disc hummed loudly under his fingers, he was so startled that he almost dropped it. “I can feel it alright, my body is practically vibrating from it, so much power,” John agreed.

“That doesn’t look like power source to me but if there is energy coming off it maybe we should test it see if it is compatible with Atlantis’s systems,” Rodney saw the look of awe on John’s face, “Is there that much energy in that disc or you just happy to see it?” laughing when John abruptly dropped it on the table.

Buffy picked the object up again, “No sex vibes Rodney just plain old, I am happy to be home vibes, I think we need to go to the V.R. room and ask the old man, I have a sneaking suspicion he knows exactly what this is.”

“You’re right we need to see if Atlantis recognizes the disc,” Rodney said excitedly, “We can hook up a conduit to the disc to funnel the power to the systems to see if they will be affected, and if this does work then we have go to the other planets to find more.”

“The ball is in your court Rodney, do what you think is best,” Dr. Weir would leave all of the scientific stuff to him because that is what he does best, besides he won’t do anything else until this mystery is solved, “Might as well get started.”

“Ok, let’s go right now, I have time to mess with the systems,” he rushed over to Buffy to take the relic but John beat him again, darn it.

John took the disc from Buffy, “Wait, we did not even talk about what happened on the planet, it could be important.”

“Was it bad, yes, did anyone get hurt, no, did we live to see another day, yes, see there is nothing to discuss,” Rodney said very, very impatiently, he glared at John, “We need to find out what the relic is and what it can do, we don’t have time for briefings right now, we need power badly, the Wraith are a real threat and if you want to write a report we all can read later, then by all means go ahead and do it, the rest of you let’s go!”

John held the disc tightly, his eyes widened, and then he moved it from hand to hand, “Well I’ll be damned, he’s right you know, I feel the urgency from the relic, it’s like it is trying to tell us something.”

@@@@@

 

Buffy and Ronon walked side by side following Rodney, the others were pretending to listen to him, she knew she would be; half of what he said was way more complicated and difficult to understand than what her limited knowledge could comprehend. She was not stupid by any means but the stuff coming out of his mouth was making her brain hurt. So she tuned him out and focused on Ronon instead.

“I bet you that they don’t understand one thing Rodney is saying, they just act like they do,” Buffy smiled.

“You would be surprised at how much they do understand, John likes to pretend he is not intelligent but that is just a front to have others underestimate him, and Elizabeth reads and speaks Ancient so she can follow the Ancient parts, and run most systems. Teyla, now she is a mystery, she does not know the technology but she can learn on the fly and is very intuitive,” Ronon summed up his team quite nicely he thought, “and then there is Rodney, he just talks to hear himself talk, he likes to impress people, but then does not care if he does not.”

“Wow, you have your team pretty much figured out but do they know you that well?” Buffy knew he did not talk that much; he was more of an observer. She thought he liked to keep things to himself, rarely letting people get to close. She was not surprised, with the loss of his planet; everything he knew and loved was gone, so keeping people at bay would be a good defense mechanism.

“I like to watch those around me to find out how they react or interact with others, it helps figuring out who is good or bad. I let them see what they want to see, it is better that way,” Ronon replied saying more than he usually did, he felt very comfortable with Buffy and wanted to tell her more then he has ever told anyone.

“I would like to learn more about your planet and your people, I think I would have liked them, they were warriors just like us,” Buffy left it open, if he wanted not to respond that was ok, she would understand.

“That is a conversation for another time when we do not have very important matters to attend to, but I would like that, so yes,” he would be happy to tell her about his world and he could learn more about hers.

They caught up with the others at the door, “Why are you all waiting out here, shouldn’t we go inside?” Buffy asked when everyone stopped outside of the room.

“We were waiting for you, we want you to go in first to see if the hologram will come on again without the relic, because I think that when we bring it in it will trigger something,” John said knowing the power from the relic would somehow start up systems.

Buffy walked carefully through the door, when nothing happened, she waved them in. John came into the room last with the relic, as soon as he crossed the threshold the room started to hum, the same hum as the item in his hand. Buffy took it from him and approached the podium, she placed it on the top, and instantly the old man appeared.

“Chosen One you and your companions have returned successful, this will help better guide you on your path, the power you seek is yours to find, the challenges will be great but the rewards many and Atlantis and her people will benefit from your leadership.” He winked out, but on the ceiling was a map of the city, and in the newly opened section, one of the rooms that the scientists were unable to open was blinking rapidly. Yep, she knew he would know, but why can’t they just say what they mean, she hated riddles.

“Cryptic much old man, ok guys I guess he wants us to go there or it would not be blinking, right,” the disc on the podium hummed even louder, letting Buffy know she was right. She snatched it up and headed for the door.

 

 

TBC...