@@@@@

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.

-----

“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.

“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.

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 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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

 “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.

“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.”

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

TBC……