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TITLE: The Initiative Files
AUTHOR: Phantom Chic
CATEGORY: C, X-Files/Buffy Crossover
KEYWORDS: M/S UST, mentions of X/A, B/R & B/A
RATINGS: PG-13
SPOILERS: X-Files--after "Closure"; assorted through "FPS"(and
most of the mythology); Buffy--Fourth Season up to "A New
Man", assorted season 3 spoilers.
ARCHIVE: Ephemeral, Spooky's, Gate_Philes, Slayer Fanfic Archive,
DISCLAIMER: Like anyone actually believes they're mine. Mulder,
Scully, the Lone Gunmen, etc. belong to Chris Carter, Ten
Thirteen, and their actors. Buffy, the Slayerettes, Initiative, etc.
belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and their actors. Lara and
this story are mine.
FEEDBACK: Ooh, please! I can not emphasize how much feedback
does not suck. Just make sure the subject line says "fic feedback"
or something similar so it will make it past my mail filters.
SUMMARY: Mulder & Scully head to Sunnydale to investigate the Initiative.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was started after "A New Man" and diverges
from the current Buffy season after that point (meaning Adam
never escaped). This story assumes that U.C. Sunnydale has a
normal college winter break w/ no J-term. Thanks to Sarah for
helping me iron it out in the beginning. Special thanks go out to my
great betas: Kate, Suja, Ashley, Becki, and Clover.
*****
Sunnydale
January 20, 2000
3 p.m.
"Hello, all," Giles said as he joined Buffy, Willow, Xander, and
Anya at the outdoor coffee shop on campus. He was holding a cup
of tea instead of the cappuccinos favored by the younger four. He
turned to Buffy and Willow as a chorus of 'HI's went up. "Are you
two, um, ready to start classes again?"
Buffy groaned. "Don't say the c-word."
"Oh, Giles. Is there something you'd like to tell us?" Willow asked
with a smile, holding up the course catalog. At his look of
confusion, Willow opened the catalog. "Here under the Occult
Studies department..."
"Wait. We have an Occult Studies Department?" Buffy
interrupted.
"Yeah, one of only three in the country. I think it's the Hellmouth-y
vibes. I'm thinking of picking it up as a minor."
"Where are the other two?" Buffy asked.
"There's one at UCLA and the other's in Cleveland."
"Really. I would've guessed New York." Xander spoke up.
"Yeah. But anyway, look at these two classes, Demonology I and
II. The Prof. is listed as Giles." Everyone turned to look at Giles.
"It isn't me," He protested, "although I may ...uh...look into that
department in the future."
"So you're saying that it's all a big coincidence that there's a class on
Demonology... at UC Sunnydale... being taught by someone named
Giles?" Buffy asked skeptically.
"As strange as it may seem...uh...yes." Giles said. "I don't know
who this...um...Professor Giles is, but it's not me."
Just then they heard a woman's voice call from across the
courtyard. "Ripper!" Turning, they saw a beautiful woman of about
thirty with short dark hair walking toward them, waving. She was
dressed fashionably in a long skirt, sweater, and boots. The four
teens looked at Giles and chorused "Ripper?"
"This isn't gonna be like Ethan again, is it?" Buffy asked.
"Hardly." Giles said, as the woman reached him and he hugged her.
"Hello, Ripper, it's been awhile. We've missed too many
Christmases." She said, in a crisp British accent. She turned to the
four who were staring at her. "You must be the 'Slayerettes' Rip
has told me about. Or what did you say they called themselves?
The Scooby Gang? I love that. Buffy... Willow... Xander... and...
I'm sorry, you are?" She pointed to each as she said their name, but
was stumped on Anya.
"Anya."
"Oh, yes. The former vengeance demon."
"And you are?" Buffy prompted.
"Oh. I'm sorry. Lara Giles."
Buffy looked at Giles in a mixture of shock and confusion. "You're
married?"
Lara and Giles looked at each other and laughed. It was Giles who
recovered first. "Lara is my, um, baby sister."
Taking in their shocked expressions, Lara asked incredulously,
"You never told them about me?"
"Well, uh...it never came up. So, when did you get into town?
How did you, um, know to find me here?"
"I got in this morning. Got settled in, and then headed over to your
place. There was a very nice vampire there who told me where to
find you," she said, as she pulled up a chair and sat down.
Buffy looked surprised. "You saw a vampire in your brother's
house and you didn't do anything?"
"What, did you think I would stake him? He was very polite and
was drinking blood from Rip's 'Kiss the Librarian' mug. Besides,
he's rather attractive." At the shocked expressions on the faces of
everyone but Giles, she added, "Well, Rip had told me that Spike
was staying with him and that he was harmless."
Confused, Anya looked at Giles. "I thought Spike moved into a
crypt."
"He did. But he...um, came over last night to return my car and
was...uh...caught by sunrise," Giles explained.
Willow smiled and asked Lara, curiously, "So, are you a Watcher?"
Lara smiled at the brief moment of panic that crossed Buffy's face.
"No. I learned just as much about demons, slayers, and the like, as
Rip did, it was required in our family. I find it fascinating so I
have continued to study it. But I never joined the council. That
destiny fell to Rip. After hearing about the problems that you two
have had with them, I'm rather glad I didn't. Although they have
approached me at various times. The most recent were after they
fired Rip, and when you quit. They thought I could persuade you
to come back."
"I almost wish you had become my watcher after they fired Giles.
You would have been much more helpful than Wesley." Buffy said,
skirting the issue of Faith.
"Yes, Rip told me he was, um, less than effective." Lara seemed
amused as she attempted to find a polite way to describe the former
watcher.
"Must you call me that?" Giles asked.
"Sister's prerogative," Lara said with a smile.
"Humph. So, what brings you to Sunnydale? Are you, uh, staying
long? Did you...um...have any luck finding information on the, uh,
Initiative?"
"Actually, I'm moving here. I'm the new Demonology professor
here at the university."
"That's you?" Willow interrupted, excitedly.
"Yes. Are you interested in taking my class? There are still some
openings. I could make sure you both get into it."
"That'd be great! What do you think, Buffy?" Willow exclaimed.
"Credit for Slayer-y knowledge and research? Sounds good.
Count me in." Buffy smiled.
"I hate to, um, interrupt." Giles said, doing just that. "But, the
Initiative? I did, em, tell you that Buffy found out that several of
the, uh, graduate students here are a part of it, yes?"
"Yes," Lara was suddenly all business. "I'll start putting out feelers
through the faculty. If there are graduate students involved, it
likely includes at least one faculty member as well."
"Actually, we...uh...recently found out that the Psychology
professor, em, Walsh, is the head of it."
Buffy interrupted the two, "Giles, I thought we talked about this. I
trust Riley." She turned to Lara. "My boyfriend, Riley, is a
member of the Initiative. He and Professor Walsh know I'm the
slayer and they're getting me access to the project."
Lara looked questioningly at her brother as he answered Buffy, "I
know you trust Riley. But I don't trust Walsh. I don't believe she's
being entirely, um, candid with you. It's quite possible that Riley is,
um, unaware of what is going on as well. I want to have the
Initiative investigated by someone more...em...more...impartial.
Forgive me for not being entirely...er...trusting of your military. If
everything is as you've been told, well, wonderful. If it's not, don't
you think it would be, um, better to find out now rather than later?"
Buffy looked around at her friends. It was clear that they had been
persuaded by Giles' arguments. "I'd like to go on record that I'm
doing this under protest. But, you could be right. They may not be
telling me everything. I guess an outside perspective wouldn't
hurt."
"Lara, you were saying?" Giles motioned for his sister to continue
filling them in on her efforts.
She nodded. "I talked to some friends of mine in Washington.
They're looking into it."
"Who are these...friends?" Giles asked, as the others watched the
back and forth exchange between the siblings.
"They're a sort of an extreme government watchdog group. They
publish a newsletter called the Lone Gunmen. They found a file on
the Initiative in the DOD database but they're having difficulty
hacking into it. It's apparently very top secret. And they suggested
I contact some friends of theirs in the FBI who have experience
with both the supernatural and government conspiracies."
"Who would that be?"
"Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. I got a hold of their files
after the Gunmen told me about them. They work on the X-Files,
cases involving the paranormal."
"And you think we should bring Feds here and tell them about the
Initiative? About me?" Buffy asked.
"Actually, yes. They're likely to be very open to it, at least Mulder,
from what the Gunmen tell me. And given their track record with
conspiracies, they should understand the need for secrecy."
Buffy glanced around at the group, gauging their responses. "All
right, make the call."
"Mulder...why does that name sound familiar?" Giles asked, trying
to place it.
"You two were at Oxford at the same time. He was doing
undergraduate work while you were doing your graduate studies.
Did you know him?" Lara supplied.
"Right. Mulder. He was supposed to be brilliant, but odd. I knew
of him, but didn't really know him. We didn't exactly run in the
same circles."
"Mulder wasn't interested in raising demons?" Buffy couldn't resist
heckling him.
"No, although he did date a woman named Phoebe Green. Horrid
woman." Giles said with a shudder. "Almost worse than a demon."
*****
Flight 925
In the air leaving Washington D.C.
Agent Dana Scully turned to her partner in the seat next to her as
she removed her seat belt. "All right, Mulder, we're in the air.
Now will you fill me in on why we're flying to southern California?"
"Are you saying you'd rather stay in the cold D.C. weather, Scully?"
Agent Fox Mulder asked with a smile.
"No, but somehow I doubt this is a vacation. So tell me about this
case."
"Well, it's not a case, per se." Mulder said finally, knowing she
wasn't likely to be happy with the reasons for their trip.
"Then what is it?" Scully asked suspiciously, picking up on his
reticence.
"We're going to a small town called Sunnydale, where there's a
history of strange occurrences. There's a top secret military
operation there that's been capturing and studying monsters."
Mulder braced himself for her reaction.
"A military monster squad? Mulder, where did you get this
information? Especially if it's top secret?" Scully raised an
eyebrow at him.
"The Gunmen..." Mulder started.
"The Gunmen!" Scully interrupted. "Mulder, the last time they
came up with a case I ended up in Las Vegas, without you, and was
drugged while helping Byers' girlfriend."
"Scully, this is different. They found files on this Initiative group in
the DOD database. They were asked to look into it by a friend of
theirs named Lara Giles, who just accepted a position as Professor
of Demonology at the University of California, Sunnydale." He
pleaded, giving her his puppy-dog face in an attempt to calm her
down.
Scully sighed. She never could resist that face. "All right, Mulder.
So, what did they find in the DOD files?"
"They haven't been able to get into them yet. Frohike said they're at
a level of security that rivals the files on Project Paper Clip."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Mulder watched as Scully's
eyebrow climbed toward her hair line.
"We're supposed to meet with Professor Giles at the University
when we get in and she'll fill us in."
Scully nodded, then something occurred to her. "Mulder, if this
isn't an official case, who's paying for everything? The plane, the
motel rooms, food, rental car?"
"Well...I am." he said hesitantly.
"Mulder, I can pay for my own ticket and room. I don't want you
to have to pay for it."
"Well, this way you'll owe me one." He smirked as she shook her
head at the innuendo. "Seriously, just think of it as a vacation, my
treat. I'm just glad you're still willing to come with me."
"Yeah well, we are already in the air," she teased, then looked at his
slightly disappointed expression. "Mulder, you know I would've
come with you anyway. Besides it's southern California. Maybe
after we finish with the Initiative, we can take some time for fun.
It's been awhile since we got a vacation that wasn't sick leave."
They both smiled at that, then Mulder decided to change the subject
to something more enjoyable. "Yeah, you know you never did tell
me everything that happened in Vegas."
"The Gunmen didn't tell you?" Scully was surprised, she had
assumed that they would have enjoyed filling Mulder in on her
drugged behavior.
"No, Frohike said he was afraid you'd kick his ass if he told me.
Which means it must be pretty good. So come on, spill it." Mulder
begged. He smiled as she rolled her eyes, knowing she would give
in eventually.
*****
Stevenson Hall, rm. 214
11pm
Buffy twirled her stake 'Mr. Pointy' in her fingers as she and Willow
sat on their beds. "What do you think of all this, Will? The FBI,
314?" Buffy asked, warily. She was almost afraid of the answer,
but she felt the need to talk about it with her best friend before the
FBI agents arrived.
"I don't know. It worries me how little we know about the
Initiative's goals. You're worried about Riley." It was a statement,
not a question. Willow knew what had prompted Buffy's sudden
introspection.
"Yeah. It's just, I wanted it to be...I don't know...an island of
normality in my freaky world. I thought maybe we could have..."
"What you couldn't have with Angel." Willow finished when Buffy
trailed off.
"Yeah. Maybe it was too soon. I mean, Parker was a big rebound
mistake, maybe I threw myself into a relationship with Riley to
prove that it could be different. And to forget."
"Forget what? Angel?" Willow asked, confused.
"I've been having these dreams. They started about a week after I
got back from LA. They were pieces at first, but lately they've been
more of a narrative. Of Angel as a human. Of the two of us
walking on the beach and eating ice cream in bed. Then at the end
he says he has go back, that I have to forget. Then I wake up.
Ugh." Buffy fell back onto the bed in frustration. "How can I move
forward with Riley if I'm still dreaming about Angel?"
"How do you feel about Riley?" Willow asked, trying to
understand so that she could help Buffy.
"I care about him a lot. I think I love him..."
"But," Willow prompted.
"But it's not like it was with Angel. I spar with Riley and even
though I hold back I end up wiping the floor with him. And all I
can think is, 'Angel and I were equals.' I just don't feel the same
around Riley as I do around Angel. What do I do?" Buffy rolled
over to look at Willow.
"Just let things develop naturally, I guess. Riley's human, but that
doesn't mean it'll be easy." Willow said gently, trying to avoid the
idea that Riley--like the Initiative--might not be what he seemed.
*****
Professor Walsh's office
January 21, 2000
9:00 AM
Maggie Walsh, Psychology professor and head of the secret
Initiative project, smiled at the young slayer who stood in front of
her desk. "So, Buffy, you finally decided to pick it up."
"Well, I guess we both kinda forgot the last time I was here," Buffy
shrugged. "Grades come out next week, so there's not really any
reason to put it off."
"Here you are," Walsh said, extending the paper booklet to Buffy.
With a sigh, Buffy took it and flipped through it to the last page
with writing on it. "An A-? I got an A- on the final?" Buffy asked
incredulously as she looked from the red letter up to Walsh's
smiling face.
"You made some very good points in your essays. Incidentally, I
graded your test myself. Yours and Willow's. I wasn't sure Riley
could remain unbiased. And you should know that I graded them
before I knew you were the Slayer. You earned that grade."
Although it was true, Walsh knew that pointing out Buffy's
legitimate academic accomplishment was likely to garner her more
good will. She was fully aware of how much of an asset the Slayer
could be to the Initiative, both as an operative and as a case study.
It was only that value that had convinced her superior not to begin
an immediate physiological analysis of Buffy. "You might want to
consider majoring in psychology." She added, planting a seed. If
she proved loyal, Buffy would make a worthy protege.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in..." Buffy stopped and looked up as there
was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Walsh called out as Buffy turned to see the newcomer.
Both were surprised when a petite red-haired woman in suit and
tall, dark-haired man also in a suit, but with a bad tie, entered. The
woman walked slightly in front of the man, with his hand resting
lightly on the small of her back. Despite the distinct contrast in
their physical appearance, they walked in step. Their movements
carrying a synchrony that spoke of a close and enduring
relationship. Their attire stood in stark opposition to that of the
rest of the campus population, clearly marking them as outsiders.
Before Buffy had a chance to determine their identities, the woman
spoke.
"Excuse us, Professor, we were hoping you could tell us where we
can find the office of Professor Lara Giles?" Scully asked.
"I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with a Professor Giles." Walsh said,
shaking her head. Then she remembered hearing the name before
and turned to Buffy. "Wait, isn't Giles the name of that man you
know?" Walsh asked carefully, unsure of exactly how to word the
question so as not to reveal either of their identities to the
strangers.
"Yeah," Buffy replied quickly, her questions replaced with a
realization of who the two must be, "I know where to find
La...Professor Giles. I'll take you to her." She turned back to
Walsh, as Scully nodded. "Thank you, Professor, I'll talk to you
later." Buffy picked up her purse and test and followed Mulder and
Scully out the door, closing it behind her. Once in the hallway she
led them towards the exit. "My name is Buffy Summers. I assume
you're Agents Mulder and Scully?"
Mulder and Scully exchanged a glance, by mutual agreement it was
Scully who answered. "That's right. How did you know that?"
"I'm part of the reason you're here. Do you have a cell phone?"
Buffy tossed over her shoulder as she held the door open for them.
She thanked Mulder when he handed her his phone and quickly
dialed the number. "Giles, it's me. They're here, have everyone
assemble at your house. I'll bring them there....Yeah, Spike too.
We should be there in about ten minutes." She hit the end button
without saying good-bye and handed the phone back to Mulder as
the agents shared another glance. "Do you want to walk, or do you
have a car?" she asked with a smile.
"Right this way," Mulder said with a smile as he directed her in the
direction of their rented red Ford Taurus.
*****
Giles' Flat
10 Minutes Later
Buffy stuck her head in the front door Giles' house. "Great,
everybody's here." She opened the door fully and led Scully and
Mulder into the room. Giles stood by the kitchen counter, Willow,
Xander, and Anya had turned around in their positions on the
couch, Spike was sitting on the steps, and Lara stood by Spike.
Had they looked, they would have seen the frustrated look on her
face. She had been attempting to question him for nearly twenty
minutes about the interior layout of the Initiative complex. Mulder
and Scully had seen Giles and the three teens on the couch when
they walked in and had walked to the center of the room in front of
Giles' desk. Buffy went to stand next Giles, fully expecting that
either he or Lara would begin the introductions.
"Wonderful. I'm glad you were willing to come out here," both
Mulder and Scully tensed when Lara's crisp British accent broke the
silence. The two of them exchanged a quick panicked look, as each
of their minds immediately shot to Phoebe Green. They turned as
one, Mulder's hand going protectively to the small of Scully's back,
as Lara stepped towards them. They both sighed when they saw
the confused expression of the woman standing before them. "Is
something wrong?"
"No. For a minute I thought you were someone we used to know,"
Mulder answered her, he could already see that this woman was
nothing like Phoebe.
"Let me hazard a guess," Lara said, amusement coloring her voice
as she exchanged a glance with her brother and realized the path of
their thoughts. "That would be your, uh, ex, Phoebe Green?"
Their shock showed on their faces before Mulder cautiously
answered, "How did you know that?"
"Rip mentioned that you dated her at Oxford," Lara explained,
gesturing to her brother. She decided that their reaction to her
voice was an indication of their current mutual dislike of the
woman. "He, uh, didn't have a high opinion of her. What did you
say, Rip? That she was worse a demon?"
"Quite." Giles said, as Scully stifled a laugh.
"Worse than a demon? I think I'd like to meet this woman." Spike
said, intrigued. There was a general rolling of eyes by the Scooby
Gang as Mulder and Scully registered his presence and appearance
for the first time.
"Lara, intros?" Buffy prompted, realizing that they were starting
off on the wrong track.
"Right. Thank you, Buffy. I suppose we should begin with
introductions and explanations. My name is Lara Giles. You've
met Buffy, and that is Willow, Xander, and Anya." Each of them
gave a slight wave at their names. "This is my brother Rupert."
Giles stepped forward and shook each of their hands, "We were at
Oxford at the same time, Agent Mulder, although I don't believe we
ever actually met."
"That explains why you know about Phoebe," Mulder replied.
"Yes, well, I knew enough to avoid her."
"Lucky you," Scully mumbled, with a slight smile as she shot a
glance at Mulder, before proceeding at a normal volume. "I could
have lived without that pleasure."
When they turned back to her, Lara gestured to the remaining
member of the group. "And that is Spike." Spike gave a slight nod,
but made no move to leave the steps. "Everyone, these are Agents
Fox Mulder and Dana Scully."
"Just Mulder and Scully is fine," Scully said, deciding to keep things
simple as she looked at the range of ages of the group. 'Not to
mention clothing styles,' she thought as she looked from Giles'
rather conservative look to Spike's basic black.
"As for explanations, well, that will take a while. You may want to
sit down." Lara looked at the group on the couch. Willow and
Xander quickly got the hint and stood up, freeing the seats for the
Agents.
"Why do we have to move?" Anya was half whining as Xander
pulled her to her feet and over to a chair. But she was appeased
when he let her sit on his lap. Willow settled herself on the floor as
Mulder and Scully moved over to sit on the couch. Buffy, Giles,
and Lara joined them in the central seating area.
"Spike," Lara called to the vampire, "would you come over here?
We may need your input." Spike reluctantly stood and walked
over, but refused to sit. Instead, he simply leaned against the wall
with his arms crossed, making it clear that he wasn't a part of the
Scooby Gang. When everyone was in place, Lara turned to the
agents. "The Gunmen tell me your cases deal with the paranormal
and the supernatural. Is that right?" she asked. They nodded, and
she pressed forward. "Then Sunnydale is the perfect place for you.
You see, this town was built over a Hellmouth." Mulder looked
intrigued, but Scully simply raised an eyebrow. Lara decided to
start at the beginning. "There are any number of different kinds of
evil here. And this group fights them. Buffy is the Slayer. From
time immemorial there have been vampires. And for as long as
there have been, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world
with the power to fight the forces of darkness." Scully rolled her
eyes at Lara's use of the traditional phrasing. "When one Slayer
dies, the next is called. Until a few years ago, that is. Buffy died,
but was revived. In the short time she was dead, a second Slayer
was called. So now there are two. But the second Slayer is
currently in a coma. My brother used to be part of a group called
the Watchers, who train and direct the Slayer. Both he and Buffy
have since ceased to work with the Council." Scully was looking
highly skeptical and even Mulder seemed doubtful as he looked at
Buffy. Lara sighed. "I thought you might require some proof.
First, vampires. Spike, if you don't mind terribly?"
Spike rolled his eyes, "All right." He stepped over in front of the
couch and his features changed to those of a vampire. "Satisfied?"
"Yes, thank you," Lara said, as Spike's face returned to his human
visage and he went back to his previous position by the wall. She
turned to Scully, who looked pale as she tried to find a context for
what she had seen, and Mulder, who was nodding slightly. "As you
can see, Spike is a vampire. But due to the experimentation of the
Initiative, he can no longer harm anything living. As for the
Slayer..." Lara picked up a steel rod she had placed by the window
for this purpose and handed it to Buffy, who promptly bent it in
two. "You should also know that Willow is a witch and Anya used
to be a demon, although she is now human."
"Wait. A witch? You mean you practice Wicca?" Mulder said
looking at the young redhead on the floor.
"Not really. I do magic: spells, incantations, conjuring, the
occasional curse." Willow replied, and floated a pencil from Giles'
coffee table into the air to demonstrate.
Mulder looked at Scully, expecting some sort of rational
explanation, or at least some questions. Instead she just shook her
head. "I've got nothing, Mulder." She said quietly. Mildly
disappointed, he turned to Anya.
"And you're a demon? What kind?"
"I *was* a vengeance demon. For over a thousand years I used the
power of the wish to punish unfaithful men. I lost my powers when
Giles destroyed my power source." Anya explained, shooting a
slightly annoyed look at Giles.
"Where were you a year ago?" Scully muttered quietly. Mulder
glanced at her and made his panic face as he recalled his mistakes of
the previous year and the subsequent strain on his relationship with
Scully.
"Here, granting my final wish." Anya looked down at Xander, who
smiled at her and shrugged as she rolled her eyes.
"Shall we get back to the business at hand?" Lara asked, drawing
everyone's attention back to the subject of the Initiative.
"Right. The Gunmen weren't able to tell me much about this
Initiative." Mulder said. "They thought you'd be able to fill us in on
why we're here."
"Yes, there have been some developments since I last spoke to
Byers. Rip?" Lara looked to her brother to fill them in.
"Yes. The Initiative is a, um, military operation consisting of
soldiers and scientists. The capture the, uh, demons and vampires
and such and apparently perform, um, experiments on them. In
Spike's case, it, well, effectively rendered him harmless to humans.
What we don't know is their, uh, ultimate objective. Buffy, will you
fill them in on what you've, um, found out?" He looked at his
surrogate daughter, who was looking particularly unenthusiastic at
the discussion of the Initiative.
Buffy sighed and nodded. "The Initiative works out of an
underground complex. It's at least partially positioned under
Lowell House, which is where a number of the commandos live.
They capture hostile sub-terrestrials using a number of high tech
weapons, including shock guns. There are a number of hidden
entrances which are used for transferring equipment and by the
soldiers on assignment. I don't know the exact locations. The
Initiative is run by Maggie Walsh."
Mulder and Scully exchanged a glance. "Walsh?" Scully questioned,
"as in..."
"Yes, the woman you met when you were looking for Lara." Buffy
confirmed.
"How did you find out all this?" Mulder asked.
"My boyfriend is an Initiative agent. We encountered each other
while hunting a group of demons and discovered each others
identities. Riley took me to see Maggie to discuss the Initiative and
slaying. They're working on getting me clearance to join." Buffy
hesitated. "You should know that I'm not as convinced of the
necessity of this investigation as everyone else. But some of the
things we've heard about the Initiative, the lack of understanding of
what they do and plan do with the HSTs...I guess it would be good
to have an independent opinion. There are some gaping holes in
what I've been told about them, and Maggie doesn't seem
particularly interested in filling them in." She looked over to Giles
to pick up the planning.
"Right. Lara and I have been working on some ideas. I'm told that
you, Scully, have a, uh, medical background?" Giles looked to her
for confirmation.
"Yes. I'm a doctor, a forensic pathologist." Scully affirmed.
"We want to get the two of you into the, um, compound to get the
records on their...projects. Particularly on something called 314.
We, uh, don't know what it is, but...well...I've heard some less than
encouraging things about it." Giles looked over at Lara.
"Did the Gunmen send the equipment with you?" Lara directed her
question at Mulder.
"They sent a road case. It's in the trunk." Mulder replied.
"Xander," Lara said, "could you go get it?" Xander nodded and
shifted Anya off his lap so he could get up.
Mulder tossed him the keys, "It's the Taurus."
When Xander returned with the silver road case, he set it on the
table and the group left their seats to gather around. Mulder
unlocked the case and flipped it open.
"Wow," Willow gasped, reaching into the case and sorting through
the various pieces inside. "This is some high tech stuff!
Communicators, security bypass equipment...with this stuff it
shouldn't take much for to bypass their security system, at least
temporarily."
"I recognize this stuff," Mulder said, as he looked at the pieces
Willow was pulling out. "This is what they used to get me into the
clinic in Allentown. Newer models, though."
"Willow, do you think you can get them in and out without tripping
the security systems?" Lara asked.
"Yeah, but it won't do anything for the people inside. There're
bound to be guards in that high of a security compound." Willow
replied. She looked at Scully's red hair and added, "No offense, but
you're not exactly inconspicuous."
Scully agreed. "You're right, even if we're dressed appropriately,
someone is bound to notice the two of us."
"Three." Buffy interrupted, and they all turned to look at her.
"You're going to need someone to cover you. I'm going with you."
Giles smiled at her, "You're right, Buffy. Willow, can you get into
the, um, system and get the plans? Find an entrance and the, em,
records room?"
"It might take me a little while, but if these are really hacking
programs like they say, I should be able to. There's also a spell I've
read about that should allow them to appear inconspicuous. Since,
Buffy knows some of the guys, if they see her..." Willow trailed off.
They all realized what the consequences would be if they were
caught. "But I can't do it alone, it takes a coven to complete and
maintain that spell. At least three." She looked at Lara.
"I can do it," Lara agreed.
"I'll help, too," Anya volunteered suddenly. The Slayerettes looked
at her in surprise. "What? I can't be useful?," Her tone went from
sarcastic to defensive. "I have the experience and I want to help. I
don't like the sound of the Initiative." Xander put his arm around
her proudly.
"Great. The three of us go in. Willow takes down the security,
then our three witches keep us from being spotted. Giles, you
coordinate the mission. Xander and Spike, you'll stand guard."
Everyone nodded in agreement as Buffy took charge, except Spike.
"Wait a minute, blondie, no one said anything about me going on
this mission. I'm not going to just help you out of the evilness of
my heart. If those commando boys see me, it's back to lab table for
Spike. I don't want to think about what your boy toy and his
friends would do to me this time." He started backing toward the
door.
"Spike, we've got to keep them from cutting us off from behind if a
group of the operatives are coming in. You two will keep watch.
You're not going to fight them, you're just going to warn us if they
come. We also don't want to find any demons waiting for us when
we come out. Those you can kill. So if you want us to deal with
the Initiative, you are going to help us." Buffy's tone was so
commanding that it caused Mulder and Scully to exchange a glance.
Spike grumbled a little more, but eventually gave in, realizing he
had little choice. They stayed there for several hours planning the
operation in detail. They ordered pizza for dinner and ate while
Buffy, Xander, Giles, Mulder, and Scully figured out all of the
equipment they would need. Lara and Anya worked out the details
of the necessary spell, while Willow went on-line with Lara's laptop
to work on accessing the plans for the compound. Spike offered
occasional tidbits of information about the parts of the compound
he had seen and generally annoyed them. Eventually they broke
apart. Mulder and Scully left for their motel and Spike for his
crypt. Xander and Anya went back to his place. Buffy stayed to
talk to Giles and Lara, since Willow was still working on hacking
the Initiative's system.
*****
Sunnydale Motorlodge
Rm. 7 (Scully's room)
10 PM
Scully sat on the bed in her motel room with copies of the plans
Willow had managed to download before she and Mulder had left
spread out in front of her. When she heard a knock at the door, she
glanced at the clock and realized she hadn't moved in almost an
hour. She hadn't made it past the first page of printouts, having
been lost in her own thoughts. A repeat of the knock shook her out
of her revelry. She was about to call out for the person to come in
when she remembered a warning that Buffy had given her: 'A
vampire can only come in if you invite it.' She stood up and
walked to the peephole on the door. Mulder. She sighed and
opened the door, allowing him to come in. Mulder looked at the
papers spread out on the bed and waited as Scully closed the door
and returned to her place on the bed. When she motioned for him
to join her on the bed, he realized that he was going to have to be
the one to speak first.
"So, what do you think, Scully," he asked gently. He knew that
learning so much so fast would be shocking to her. It had shocked
him to meet a group that spoke about vampires and demons in such
a blase fashion. Much less, to meet them.
"Think, Mulder? I don't know what to think. It's just too much
information to take in. It's like a mental overload." She wasn't
looking at him, but down, fingering her cross necklace. He didn't
respond, realizing that for once Scully needed to talk and just have
him listen. "This has to be a dream come true for you. I can't even
begin to explain with what we saw tonight. You know that if I
hadn't seen Buffy and Spike and Willow with my own eyes, I
wouldn't believe it. But I did. I saw a teenage girl bend a steel bar
and another make a pencil fly and plan huge spells. I saw a man's
face physically change in front of me. Do you know what that boy,
Xander, told me? He said that Willow's ex-boyfriend is a werewolf.
That he left town last fall because he couldn't deal with having
killed a female werewolf who was trying to kill Willow."
"And I thought we had cornered the market on having demons try
to kill us." Mulder quipped, desperately trying to lighten the mood.
He was rewarded by Scully meeting his eyes for the first time since
he had entered her room.
"That's just it. These are kids who have no trouble in dealing with
the forces of darkness. I checked some records on this town. They
have an average of between a five to twenty percent mortality rate
in the local high school's graduating class every year. At least once
a week they have a death due to 'blood loss from neck trauma,'
which I assume means vampire attacks. This isn't like Chaney,
Texas or any of the other cases we've seen in the last few years."
She was obviously struggling to reconcile everything she had been
asked to take in within such a short period of time.
"Thinking back over Chaney, now, I realize some things. It was
cloudy the whole time we were there, there was no direct sunlight.
And I told Ronnie to come in with the pizza while I got my
money." Mulder had obviously spent some of the time since they
had returned to the motel reviewing their previous encounter with
vampires.
"But Ronnie Strickland's teeth were fake and we never saw his face
or Sheriff Hartwell's change like Spike's did. And Ronnie didn't
turn to dust the way Buffy described when you staked him," Scully
objected.
"Maybe they just had the control not to change in our presence. Or
maybe they were some sub-breed of vampire. That would explain
why they displayed the obsessive compulsive characteristics that
Spike and the vampire's around here obviously don't. And as for
the dust, I probably missed his heart, that would explain why he
woke up later. Mulder smiled as he added, "If they were a different
breed of vampires, it would also explain why the sheriff had buck
teeth."
"He did not have buck teeth, Mulder." Scully hovered on the verge
of a smile before the events of the day came crashing in on her
again. "God, Mulder, this town, the Hellmouth, it's too much.
With everything else we've seen, I just don't know what to believe
anymore."
"You can believe in me," Mulder was almost whispering as he
reached over and took her hands in his.
"I do, Mulder. I may not always buy your theories, but I have
always and will always believe IN you." She looked up at him and
he could see that there were tears in her eyes. He kissed her
forehead and she leaned into him, putting her cheek against his
shoulder. He held her, knowing that she needed the reassurance
that some things hadn't changed. That they still had each other, no
matter how much their world was turned around.
*****
Outside the Initiative
24 Hours Later
The black-clad group of two teens, two FBI agents, and a vampire
stopped as they reached the hidden door to the Initiative. Willow
had located an entrance less than a quarter mile from where Spike
had exited during his escape two months earlier, in an area
understandably devoid of vampiric and demonic activity. Buffy,
Scully, and Mulder quickly pulled white lab coats out of the bag
Buffy carried. They put them on as Xander called into their
operation's base at Giles' house.
"Base, come in. We're in position."
/All right. Um, everyone check in if you can hear me./ Giles' voice
crackled over the head sets.
When they had all responded that their earpieces and microphones
were working probably, Willow came over the frequency. /I'm
going to set up the loop in the security system, now./ There was a
pause as she completed the necessary hacking. /You're clear now.
We're going to perform the spell now, then Giles will tell you when
it's in place./ The group could hear the faint sound of chanting and
were able to picture the three witches sitting around the candles as
they set the incantation.
Finally Giles came over the headset, /You're, uh, good to go. Be
careful./
"Aren't I always?" Buffy replied. Spike opened the door as Xander
pulled out one of his residual soldier rifles and the two took up their
positions on either side of the door.
Buffy led the way into the facility, with Mulder and Scully right
behind her. The three had taken pains to appear to be research
scientists so that they wouldn't stand out on the security cameras,
which wouldn't be affected by the spell to cloud the minds of the
people they passed. Following the blueprints Willow had found,
Buffy led them toward the records room. They were tense at first,
but as they passed the first few people without being given a second
glance, they began to relax. "God, I can't believe how many of
these soldier guys I've seen around campus," Buffy whispered as
they rounded the last corner into the corridor that housed the
records center.
"Yeah, a couple of these doctors look vaguely familiar," Scully
answered, "but I can't place where I've seen them. It could've been
a hospital--God knows we've spent enough time in them--or a
military base or..." she trailed off as she and Mulder exchanged a
glance. They both knew that she was thinking of her abduction, but
neither had seen reason to go into the Consortium with the
Slayerettes. Buffy looked at them when Scully stopped, but by that
time had reached the door of the records facility. Mulder pulled out
the security bypass equipment Willow had given him and was able
to open the door in a matter of moments. Securing the door behind
them, they pulled out the equipment the Lone Gunmen had
provided to make copies.
"Try to get as much as you can, but remember 314 is the most
important." Buffy instructed them as they spread out over the filing
cabinets that lined the walls. She activated her transmitter, "We're
in the records room."
After more than ten minutes of copying what they thought looked
important, Scully hit the jackpot. "Here, I have the reports and
authorizations on the project Code Named 314."
Buffy and Mulder rushed over to her as she pulled everything on
the project and divided the files into three groups for them to work
their way through. They had no time to look over them, and were
only beginning to copy them when Giles came over their earpieces.
/Buffy, have you found them?/
"Yeah, Giles, we just found them." Buffy responded.
/Willow says you've almost reached the, uh, window on her security
bypass. And they don't think they'll be able to maintain the spell
much longer. You'll just have to, um, grab them and bring them
with you./ Giles instructed. The three of them quickly grabbed their
files and headed for the door. They had almost reached the last
corner before the exit when they heard a shout.
"Hey!" Glancing behind them they saw a pair of soldiers break into
a run headed for them.
"I'd say the spell just wore off. Run!" Buffy said, then into her
microphone as she led the way. "We've been spotted. Xander,
Spike, we're on our way." The three rounded the corner and ran
flat out for the door. They heard the security alarms going off, and
Buffy had a fleeting thought of how impressively Scully could run
in her three inch heels. A shot ricocheted over Scully's head as they
reached the door. Once outside, they stuck their files into the bag
Spike was carrying, followed by the lab coats as they ran into the
forest. Buffy and Spike led the way and they eventually lost their
pursuers as they entered the residential area. They slowed to a
walk so as not to draw attention as they entered the courtyard of
Giles' housing complex.
*****
Giles' Flat
2 hours later
The entire main room of Giles' flat looked as though it had been hit
by a tornado. Papers were strewn everywhere, Willow sat at Giles'
computer and Mulder was on Scully's laptop. Both were cross-
referencing names as the group came across them in the files.
What they were finding was painting a bleak picture.
"I can't believe this. They're not just working to control vampires
and demons, they're engineering them." Buffy's voice shook with a
barely controlled combination of anger and confusion as she set
down another in a long line of files detailing one of the Initiative's
attempts at genetically engineering some sort of demon hybrid.
"Buffy," Lara spoke up, "I think you'd better take a look at this
file." Lara's voice carried a compassionate tone of concern that
only served to set Buffy further on edge.
"What is it?"
"This file is on test subject #24601. Riley Finn." Lara handed the
file to Buffy, whose hand shook slightly in accepting it.
"This can't be. Riley's a soldier, not a test subject. I don't
understand, what kind of tests are these?" Buffy slammed the file to
the floor in frustration. Willow picked up the file and flipped
through it.
"I've seen some of these tests referenced in other files but there's
nothing to say what any of them are." She handed the file to Scully,
who had been concentrating on the 314 files to that point.
"Unfortunately I recognize this first test. But I don't know anything
about the others. Actually, it's not a test per se. It's an
identification code." She glanced quickly at Mulder.
"What kind of an identification code?" Lara asked, curious as to
why Scully would recognize it.
"It's from small pox vaccination. A tracking code. We've seen it
before." Scully handed the folder to Mulder who quickly glanced at
the code and nodded in understanding, checking some of the other
files for the same information. "You'll probably find a similar
code for each subject. It's a long story, and probably not terribly
relevant to this investigation."
"It involves our investigations into the international governmental
conspiracy to conceal the existence of extraterrestrial life." Mulder
added in answer to the Scooby Gang's unspoken questions.
That was a can of worms they didn't feel the need to open at that
moment, so they all silently agreed to let the matter drop. They
worked in silence for some time until Buffy couldn't take it any
longer. "Has anyone figured out what 314 is yet?"
"I think I may have something," Scully spoke up as she turned the
page of the latest report in her hands. "This seems to be a progress
report written by Maggie Walsh. It says that she believes that when
completed 314 will fulfill the Initiative's primary objective."
"Which is?" Lara urged. Scully turned the page and gasped,
looking up to meet the eight pairs of eyes that were trained on her.
"The creation of a prototype of a biomechanical demonoid."
"Why would they do that? What could they want with a better
breed of demon?" Willow asked, finally giving voice to a question
that had been plaguing her since she found out about Spike's chip.
"Oh, come on, Red, it's obvious. They're trying to control us.
They're building a better breed of soldiers. The question you
should be asking is 'who do they plan to attack?' Figure that out
and you'll know everything about them." Spike spoke up from his
position on the steps where he had been flipping through files for
information on his chip. A series of glances were exchanged by the
rest of the group as they realized that Spike was right.
"Well, they must be planning on using them against different
demons, right? That's why you can only attack them." Buffy
replied, still struggling for a justification that wouldn't incriminate
Riley.
"Oh my God!" Scully's exclamation drew everyone's attention.
"Mulder, there's an acknowledgment of receipt of this status report
in here. From the person behind the whole project."
"Who is it, Scully?" Mulder asked, dreading the answer he knew
instinctively would come.
"It's signed 'CGBS'. It matches the signature on Samantha's
records. Mulder, Spender is behind this. The Initiative is
controlled by the Consortium." She looked up and met his gaze,
hating that she was being forced to reopen, even slightly, a wound
that was so recently closed. She hand the file to him and watched
as his eyes closed at the reminder. He opened them again and
acknowledged her concern with a nod before they both realized that
they were the subject of seven very confused stares. As Mulder
began attempting to explain their discoveries of the past seven
years, Scully began flipping through more of the 314 files looking
for anything she was familiar with from prior encounters with the
Consortium's projects.
"What we've discovered over the last seven years is essentially that
an alien race has been on earth for millions of years..."
*****
Somewhere in Washington D.C.
The man known to a handful of people by the name C.G.B.
Spender picked up the ringing phone. He took a drag on his
omnipresent Morley as he listened with growing dismay to the
verbal report he was being given. His health had deteriorated since
the operations performed on his cerebrum months before in an
attempt to gain the mental abilities which at that time had been
plaguing Fox Mulder nearly to madness. However, he was still well
enough to maintain control of the remaining elements of the
Consortium in North America.
"Colonel Walsh, I'm sure you realize how disturbed I am by the
news that your security has been breached at this crucial juncture.
Do you have an identification on the intruders or how they
managed to get in without detection?" He exhaled a small cloud of
smoke as Walsh reported that they had security footage of only two
of the three spies. "A tall dark-haired man and a short red-headed
woman. Colonel, it seems you have been visited FBI Agents
Mulder and Scully. Do you know what they saw? Did they take
anything?" The smoking man's agitation mounted as Walsh
recounted what the Initiative had concluded about their visitors'
activities. "So Mulder and Scully have the files on 314. Colonel, I
am very disappointed at this turn of events. The research is too
close to fruition to stop now. You will have to keep your
operations even lower profile for the time being and find out how
they got in so we can prevent a repeat of these events. Find out
who helped them get in and attempt to establish plausible denial.
First you discover a Slayer in your midst, and now Mulder and
Scully are investigating you. I suggest you reestablish control in
Sunnydale quickly or I will be forced to bring in a replacement for
you." He paused to stamp out the butt of the cigarette as he
listened to Walsh's reassurances that the project would continue
unimpeded. "No, elimination of Mulder and Scully is not an option
at this point. I will work on distracting them from moving forward
with this information until the project is complete. When I receive
your full report, I will decide whether you stay with the project."
He hung up the phone before Walsh had the chance to offer any
more excuses. As he lit another cigarette, he pondered the
possibilities to divert the Agents' attention. Perhaps it was time to
concentrate his efforts on Dana Scully rather than on his son.
*****
Part 2
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