PHALANX - The series

Episode seven : A new goal in life.

 

A sleek black sports car races down the track at incredible speeds. The jaws of the onlookers hang open in sheer astonishment as the car reaches speeds that no vehicle on wheels, except maybe jet cars, has ever reached. The car takes the sharpest turns, flies over the straight lines, and generally humiliates every racing car ever built.

Then, as the car has concluded its tenth lap in less than 5 minutes, it slows down as it reaches the straight line. It is going at a slow pace of about 150 kilometers an hour, as energy sparkles fly over the body work. The general appearance of the car starts to change as the energy lines keep crossing its body work. The deep black color remains, but the sports car slowly changes into a van. Its back tires spin as the drives gives floors the pedal, and the van accelerates away. It reaches over 250 kilometers an hour when the next curve approaches. The van tailspins trough it, regains its momentum and launches towards the next curve.

Concluding ten laps like this, the van has no problems whatsoever. It again slows down to 150, and changes again. This time, the van gains two weird looking contraptions on both its sides. Two energy bolts launch from them, and destroy a dummy target posted at the end of the straight line, over one kilometer away! The van does its ten laps, destroys a few more dummies, and generally does what it's supposed to do: blow up things.

After its ten laps, the assault van slows to 150, and changes into a normal car. Its performance is like any other car. Nothing special or fancy, except the fact that it's able to turn 180° at maximum speed, without having to slow down, and without its tail spinning and even without one squeak of the tires! Suddenly, the transformation comes again. The front of the car curves some more, its body drops closer to the ground, and two large gizmos appear on the trunk. As blue flames blast out of them, the car blasts forward, and its speed nearing the sports car's performance.

After some more testing, the car reverts to normal, and stops in the pit lane. Only now it is visible that the normal mode resembles a BMW 750, but all exterior sings of its model and type has been removed, and the resemblance is only very faint. The car comes to a full stop, the door opens and Frederic steps out.

"Yep, this baby does exactly what it's supposed to do: everything we ask of it!" Frederic said, hugging Jennifer, and giving her a kiss.

"It certainly took us long enough to get that conversion grid operational. How do the rest of the systems behave?" Jennifer asked, after breaking the kiss.

"The virtual modes have yet to be tested. It's not dark enough, nor does it mist. The targeting computer works like a charm. Linda's systems are 100%, according to her own analysis. The autopilot and automatic transmission has yet to be tested. This thing drives so well, and it responds so good, that I just couldn't bring myself to let go," Frederic grins.

"Now that the testing is over, lets take her for a spin," Daphnix suggested.

"Sure. Hey, how about we go home, pack our bags, and go to see Buffy? You know she's been dying to hear from us since after we defeated the Ketari," Jennifer said. The warm feeling of Frederic's approval met her through the link before she heard him agree with her.

After beaming to the Ortega, they each packed one suitcase, and after putting it in the large trunk of the normal car, they set out for Sunnydale. The mid-Nevada desert test track was left quickly behind them.

The car's performance on the sand wasn't much lower than on asphalt. The extra-grip spikes that pop up from the tires makes sure of that. The spikes retreated back as soon as the car reached hard surface road, and from then on, the cruise has begun.

"Linda, take over. Destination: Sunnydale," Frederic said, releasing the wheel. A small indicator activated on the windshield, indicating 'Auto-cruise'. Inside the car, the entire dash had been altered. The midsection was one panel, completely covered with buttons. No readouts were visible. Everything was displayed directly where the driver would need them most: on the windshield, like in the fighters, a heads-up-display.

"Linda, please give us a display on our trip to Sunnydale," Jennifer asked. The windshield displayed a square, and inside, a map appeared. A yellow line indicated their route, and a red dot indicated their present location on that route. Next to the square, a small indicator gave their estimated time of arrival.

"Now, some music. Give us some road music," Daphnix asked. On top of the windshield 'Current selection: 'Hit the road, Jack by The Stampeders' appeared. The music started playing.

After changing drivers, so everyone had a chance to drive, they arrived at Sunnydale. First thing they did was checking into the hotel, and getting settled in.

The trio dressed in casual clothes, and walked to the school. They hoped to catch Buffy and her friends there. Their timing was perfect. When they got there, the school was just over, and the people were leaving.

"I don't see her, or any of her friends. Do any of you see her?" Frederic asked, after looking around.

"Nothing. Maybe she's still at the library?" Daphnix suggested.

"That would explain why I don't see her either," Jennifer said.

"Ok, we'll wait until everyone's gone. If we haven't seen her by then, we'll go inside and take a peek in the library," Frederic said, his two companions nodding their heads in agreement.

After ten more minutes, it was clear that neither Buffy no her friends were seen, so they went inside. A casual look into the library revealed where their friend was.

"Hello everybody? Did I miss anything while we where saving the world?" Frederic joked as he stepped inside.

"Look who is back! It's team invisible!" Buffy joked, standing up and giving all three of them a hug as welcome.

"Hey, taking care of an alien race trying to destroy humanity tends to take up all your time. We barely found time for our wedding!" Jennifer defended herself.

As the rest of Buffy's friends had said their hellos, Buffy had to task the question:

"Married? How come I didn't know about this? And how come we weren't invited?"

"The ceremony itself was private. Only the two of us. The reception afterwards was held at central command, and it was thrown together in a hurry. There wasn't even enough time to get Barbara, Michelle and Sonya there," Frederic said, sitting down. The rest followed his example.

"So, tell us. What happened to you after you left here in a hurry? We know about the aliens when we contacted Barbara after the war, but no details were given." Willow wanted to know.

 

"…and after landing 750,000 mental warriors on the face of Ketaria, we managed to isolate the Dark Phalanx. I defeated him, and we returned to our ships, convinced that, now that their leader was dead, the Ketari would leave us alone. Unfortunately, they killed all the abducted people they had. It was clear there and then that the Ketari would never co-exist. We had to destroy the planet," Frederic concluded. His two friends had a sad look on their faces after what they were forced to do. Buffy and her friends listened with open mouths.

"But, that was 5 months ago. What happened afterwards?" Xander asked after digesting the info given to them.

"We finally had time for a vacation. Frederic and me finally had had the time for a decent honeymoon. The peace wouldn't last. After only 2 weeks, Captain Picard came for help. We reactivated the Ortega, and used the holo-crew to man it. We quite easily destroyed the Borg threatening the Federation, and we received the Medal of Honor and Valor, and the honor citizenship of the Federation as gratitude. The Ortega's been active ever since. We've started working on the APV a few weeks after that. It finished the tests this morning," Jennifer said.

"What is this APV you keep mentioning?" Giles finally asked. It was the first time he spoke since the revelations started.

"The APV, or All Purpose Vehicle, is a car. A greatly modified car. It's made from the same hull material as our ships, making it virtually indestructible. It is equipped with a conversion grid, allowing for a great variety of abilities for it. For now, we have a sports car, a van, an assault van, and a normal car. Any of them can be modified for the specific requirements of the situation," Daphnix said.

"Pardon me? I don't understand. Conversion grid? Sports car, assault van, normal car? What are you talking about?" Giles said.

"Allow us to demonstrate. Please follow us," Frederic said, standing up along with his friends. Buffy and her group followed. After walking to the hotel, they gathered around the vehicle in question.

"We can't use it in public unless it is absolutely necessary. You have to understand, it doesn't exist. Trying to trace it results in ending up in the presidential car park, or some other high-up vehicle park. This car is invisible to radar, and almost indestructible. This technology may not fall into the wrong hands. APV, please follow us." Frederic said, turning to the car. Its engine started and slowly followed Frederic and the rest of the group while they walked out of town.

"It's secluded enough here. APV, interceptor mode," Frederic ordered. The car transformed into the sleek sports car.

"Permit me to introduce: the interceptor. It's a two-seated sports car, with an estimated top speed of mach 1. Acceleration: 0 to 100 kph in 1.2 seconds. 0 to 200 in 2.4 . 0 to 300 in 3.6 . 0 to 400 in 4.8 and so on. It's invisible to all known detection methods except visual recognition and air displacement." Frederic turned to Buffy and her friends and noted their mouths, and the stunned statements on their faces.

"Impossible. That's impossible. How, what? Who do I have to kill to get one?" Giles exclaimed.

"You'd have to kill us, Giles. And as to how and what, all I can say is the conversion grid. Now, there's more. APV, transport mode," Frederic said with a grin.

The APV changed into the van.

"The transporter. A van, capable of transporting up to 12 people. It accelerates as fast as the normal car, but thanks to its larger bulk and weight, it turns slower and does tailspins that are unwanted," Frederic said, before ordering the assault version.

"The assault transporter. It is equipped with a double quantum pellet launcher on each side, capable of inflicting damage in excess to anything but a 20-megaton A-bomb. Per shot, this thing is capable firing 120 times per minute. So, it actually does 120 20-megaton, A-bombs of damage every minute. But, it has been altered like our quantum pistols, only destroying its target with collateral damage," Frederic grinned. Again, Buffy and her team looked at the car, that was first a normal car, then a sports car, then a van, and now a van that could destroy anything in its path.

 "APV, normal mode." The car turned back to the normal car they where seeing before.

"Any more trick in your bag, Fred?" Buffy laughed.

"Actually, yes," Frederic said. "APV, normal interceptor." The gizmos appeared on the trunk.

"The normal interceptor is the high-speed version of the normal car. The normal car has a top speed of 350 kilometers an hour, and takes its turns at 250 kilometers an hour, without its tail spinning, unless wanted, and without squeaking tires. This one has performance similar to the interceptor, but without having to sacrifice the back seat," Frederic said.

"APV, transporter. How about a ride?" Frederic said, stepping in the newly-formed van. On the inside too, Buffy and her friends had plenty to look at. The display-less dash, the heads-up display, and especially, the voice controlled interface.

The van roared off towards the town. After dropping off the rest of the team, Frederic dropped Buffy off at her home.

"So, we'll be going with you tonight, if you don't mind," Frederic said.

"The more the merrier. Maybe tonight's not going to be as hard as yesterday, now that I have you three to help me," Buffy said.

"What do you mean? Was yesterday that hard?"

"It was terrible. I wasted 15 vampires. I have the cuts and bruises to prove it. Something big is coming, and I fear what it might be. Now that I think about it, it's been busy since last week."

"Maybe we can stay in town a couple of more days. It could be interesting," Daphnix said. His two friends agreed.

"Thanks, guys. Let's say, tonight at eight in the library?"

"Sure. See you then."

"Bye." Buffy got out the van, closed the side door, and went inside. The van roared off, towards the hotel.

 

10 vampires had surrounded Buffy and her three companions. Much to Buffy's amazement, their eyes started glowing green.

"Standard attack. Those guys are dead before they know it," Frederic mumbled, and his two friends nodded. They each took three. The last one was for the lucky one, he/she who finished first.

Frederic's sword cut off the first vampire's head, while his boot kicked the second one, and his other fist broke the neck of the third vampire. Frederic's sword returned, and cut off the head of the vampire doubling over in pain because of the boot kick. Less than 2 seconds later, the vampire with the broken neck had also returned to dust.

Jennifer's vampires attacked en masse. Her sword did one 360° circle, and neatly severed the three vampire's heads from their bodies. Because of her early victory, she also took the last one. He tried to run, but she threw her sword after him, hitting him between the shoulder blades. She walked up to him, and cut off his head.

Daphnix re-sheathed his sword, and attacked the vampires by hand. The first and second vampire kept him busy while their pal tried to blind corner him. Daphnix's mental abilities warned him, and he turned around and ripped the vampire's head off with his bare hands. The first two, scared out of their wits, tried running, but Daphnix ran after them. His sword embedded itself in the first vampire's back, severing its spine. He drew the sword out of the first victim, and gutted the second vampire, which had had the stupid idea of turning around. The sword then beheaded the second vampire, switched to Daphnix's left hand, and beheaded the first vampire.

The green glow went out in their eyes.

"Damn, those guys offer NO resistance. HEY! Is there a vampire watching? Next time, make it a double!" Frederic shouted.

"How… how did you do that? It lasted barely 2 minutes! You killed 10 vampires in under three minutes!" Buffy's shaky voice managed to stammer.

"We've been working out with monsters teen times stronger than we are. So, we've got experience. Now, let's finish this walk. It's interesting," Frederic said. The group started walking again.

 

"I'm telling you guys, those three took out ten vampires in less than two minutes! TWO fucking minutes! I've never seen anyone move like that," Buffy was ecstatic as she delivered her report on the activities to her friends. So ecstatic that she had forgotten all about manners.

 "Come on, don't exaggerate. You know as well as I do that it's impossible for three people to fight off ten vampires in less than 2 minutes," Giles said.

"Where are they anyway?" Xander wanted to know.

"They dropped me off here. They went back to the hotel, claiming that they needed some time to think. And, Giles, if you don't believe me, ask them tomorrow. See if I'm exaggerating after they give you a little demonstration," Buffy said, annoyed at her friends' disbelief.

"Maybe. And, from their last visit I gathered they are not exactly normal either. You're right, tomorrow they will probably answer our questions," Giles said, dismissing the meeting.

 

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Frederic greeted his wife when she finally got out of bed.

"It's not because you can survive without sleep, that I can as well," she said, smiling.

"I did sleep. For about 6 hours. So did Daphnix. We need a strategy for whatever this is bursts loose," Frederic said, turning back to his breakfast. Jennifer took a portion of scrambled eggs and a mug of black strong coffee, and ate as well.

"Where is Daphnix anyway?"

"He's on the Ortega, checking the sensors to determine whether or not it is possible to scan for vampires. They don't have life-signs, nor do they have heat signatures," Frederic said.

After breakfast, they spent the rest of the time installing the equipment of the mobile headquarters: fusion generators, computer link-up to the Ortega, shield generators and a level-1 and level-2 phase cloak.

By the time the equipment was plugged in, and all the diagnostics checked out fine, it was time to go the meeting at the library. After teaming up with Daphnix, they drove to the school, and go into the library.

 

Buffy's day didn't go as well. She couldn't keep her mind of the spectacle she had seen last night. Willow and Xander were mighty concerned, as they saw their friend dream off constantly. Giles spent the entire day searching his books for clues about the 'Oech-anya', or the powers they represent. His search was fruitless. Minute by minute, the day crept forward. Finally, it was time for the evening meeting at the library. 5 minutes after the final bell-sine, the entire group was present in the library. All except Frederic and his two friends.

"Hello, everybody! Sorry we're late, but we've got a very busy day behind us," Frederic said.

"So, would you mind telling these guys what we did yesterday?" Buffy asked Frederic, the edginess slipping into her voice.

"Of course. Ten vampires surrounded us, we took care of them. No fuss, no sweat. Anything I left out?" Frederic asked. He could just as well been telling the weather.

"How long did it take you?" Giles asked. "Buffy said 2 minutes. We know that that is almost impossible. We would like to know how long it really took."

"You're right. That is an impossible time. Linda, exact time of Oech-anya power drain yesterday?" Frederic asked the device clipped on his right lower arm.

Exactly 1 minute, 33.2 seconds .

"Thank you. Now, subtract the time we needed to engage targets, and time needed to deactivate the powers."

1 minute, 12.6 seconds. Targets where no match.

Giles, Willow, Xander and Cordelia where looking unbelievingly.

"You're kidding. That's impossible," Giles managed to stammer. Linda's voice responded before Frederic could open his mouth. It sounded angry and hurt at the same time.

Mister Giles, I am an artificial life form. I am not in the mood for playing games, and the day I lie has yet to be INVENTED! I think an apology is in order, don't you think?

"Sorry, miss, er, ma'am, er, Artificial life-form, er… how do we call you?" Giles stammered.

Just Linda will be fine. Apology accepted.

Frederic, Jennifer and Daphnix grinned. "Don't mess with Linda. Certainly not when in a situation like this. Now, what's on the agenda tonight? Have you found out anything?" Frederic asked.

"No, nothing." Giles sounded disappointed.

"We were unsuccessful to adapt our sensors to detect the undead. We are close, however, and we estimate that tomorrow, or the day after, we will be successful," Frederic said. "So, it's just like yesterday, huh? Another hunt. I do hope those guys took my advice, and sent a double order of those goons."

His two friends grinned, the rest just looked aghast.

"I do hope you're kidding, Frederic. Now, for another matter, how come I can not find anything connected to Oech-anya, their culture, or that necklace you mentioned?" Giles said.

"I am not kidding, Giles. And about the Oech-anya, how would any records about a civilization that perished 250 million years ago, on another planet, come here?"

"I see your point. So, is there anything left from that civilization, except the necklace?"

"I have all the knowledge of the Oech-anya, like I have of the Human race. Interesting people, those Oech-anya. All outwards signs point to 'warriors', but when inspecting closer, they have a beautiful relationship with each other and with nature, based on the honor principle and survival of the strongest and smartest. I admire that. It was unfortunate that nature was so cruel to them."

"What do you mean, cruel? What happened to them?" Willow wanted to know.

"Their planet, Mars, shifted orbit. It became the desolate wasteland you see know. Their technology was not that advanced. It was comparable to ours now, although further evolved in the field of weaponry and the martial arts. They never had a chance to escape, or to try to reach Earth, for example."

"Come on, that's enough about ancient cultures. What about all those vampires?" Buffy interjected.

"We'll stay until the matter is resolved. Until then, we will begin your training," Jennifer said.

"Training? What training?" Buffy wanted to know.

"Slayer training. You saw how easily we dealt with those vampires yesterday. We will teach you how to do that. If they want, Willow and Xander can learn it too. Unfortunately, we have discovered that above the age of 25, the mental and physical training required are unreachable for human, so Giles can't learn it," Daphnix finished.

"I'm in. It's time for payback!" Xander yelled.

"So am I. When do we start?" Willow put in.

"Can't stay behind. What do I need?" Buffy said, her eyes gleaming.

"All you'll need will be given to you. We'll start tomorrow. Come to our hotel room at seven hundred and thirty hours. It's a Saturday, so don't worry about missing school," Frederic said. The three students nodded.

"How long will this take?" a little disappointed Giles asked.

"About 2 weeks. The first day they will learn everything there is to know about demons, vampires, the reality of the universe and the martial arts. By the end of that first day, you will be able to stand up to any normal, look him in the eyes and kill him before he realizes it. The rest of the time, you will sharpen your abilities, and get the experience needed to stand up to any demon or vampire that dares to cross over. The last day, you will receive the rest of your gifts, if you pass of course." Frederic said, a smile decorating his lips.

"So we CAN fail?" Buffy wanted to know.

"The program has a 95% success rate among the Oech-anya. And THEY have taught Slayers for over ten thousand years. So, I wouldn't worry. And I know what your next question is going to be, and I will say nothing on that subject," Frederic laughed.

"Nothing about the gifts. Damn, I'm curious," Buffy said.

That night, another 25 vampires bit the dust. Or should I say turned to dust? The next morning, the three students showed up at exactly 7.30 at the hotel room.

"Good, you're on time. Come in, please," Frederic said, guiding the three inside. Their jaws dropped at the sight of all the equipment in it. Their eyes bulging out at the various pieces of machinery stored in the room.

"Don't loose those eyes, you'll need them. This is a fusion generator, this is our computer link-up, the Linda unit, the shield generator, and the level-1 and two-2 cloak," Frederic said, pointing out to various objects.

Buffy and her friends regained some dignity. "Now, please, follow me. We'll begin in the next room," Frederic said, guiding his three students to the adjacent room.

The room had been completely stripped of furniture, the walls were black, and a large circle of flickering candles was right in the middle of it. In the flickering of the candles, Daphnix and Jennifer were visible, sitting in mediation positions. Frederic sat down next to them, and signaled his new students to do the same, on the other side of the circle. They did as asked.

"We will begin with Buffy. Nobody be alarmed when neither of us responds, it is perfectly normal," Frederic said, and his powers entered Buffy's mind. It was for the first time since the calling of his army that he did this.

Again, the hall of cabinets appeared, and Frederic calmly walked through it. He reached the control center, and deactivated the mental shields around the mental cabinet. He gave Buffy some powers she'd need as Slayer, and then went back into the control room. He copied his complete knowledge of martial arts, weapons, and he gave her the abilities to handle them. She was now identical in knowledge and ability to the three warriors, except for the powers and the Oech-anya necklace. She would still need training to get to know her abilities, and she would need experience to get to use them well. Frederic didn't forget to include an instruction file as well, to make sure her abilities would not be misused.

Frederic did the same for Willow and Xander. The rest of the day was spent in explaining what their new abilities included, like healing and telekinesis.

For the next week, Frederic and his two companions trained and guided Buffy and her friends in their newfound powers and abilities. By now, they were able to fend for themselves in most situations, but Frederic insisted on one more week. Each night, they would all go out on a slaying round. The exercise did all of them good. Each night, more and more vampires fell to the relentless swords of the 6 slayers. (Frederic had given his students normal swords, like Jennifer and Daphnix wielded.)

Finally, the second week come to a close.

"You're all right on time. Good," Jennifer said, guiding the three students inside. There was something strange about her, they thought.

"Good, you're here. Tonight, your training comes to an end. Tonight, you will all become master Slayers, and you will be granted the ability and authority to train others. Please, accompany me," Frederic said. He walked outside, his two friends following him. Buffy shrugged at her friends, and they trailed their three friends.

Once outside, Frederic set course for the woods. Buffy and her friends followed. No one spoke a word. They all felt the importance of the moment. These would be their last minutes as normals. In a few minutes, they would be Slayers!

As they reached a large open field, Frederic began the incantation for their transport to Avalon. They were transported there immediately.

"Welcome to Avalon. Please follow me," Frederic said, guiding them to the large vault doors. They opened at his approach. Buffy and her friends were astonished at the sight. They stood at the threshold of the vault, looking in awe and wonder at the beauty of the vault.

"Are you going to stay there, or come in?" Frederic asked, accompanying it with a 'come in' sign. Buffy and her friends stepped inside. They jumped as the door closed.

Frederic solemnly walked to a specific alcove, opened it, and extracted three objects. None of them had a clear sight of what it was Frederic was taking, but Jennifer and Daphnix had a pretty good idea.

"Tonight, you have finished your training. Step forward and claim your rights as a Slayer. Buffy?" Frederic extended his arms, his hands turned upwards, and inside was a sheathed sword. Buffy solemnly took it, and unsheathed it. The blue gleam caught her eyes as the blade became visible.

"It's beautiful," she murmured.

"It's one of the nine swords of destiny. My two friends had numbers one and two. This is number three. It will serve you well," Frederic said, a smile visible on his face. "Now, Willow, would you please step forward?"

Willow claimed her sword as well, as did Xander. They all were looking at their swords with admiration, a look of happiness on their faces.

"Now, there is one more thing you need to do. Please, come with me," Frederic showed them to the back of the vault. He took the Holy Grail, and solemnly walked to the basis that held the water of Life. He once again knelt down, and offered a prayer. He submerged the Grail, and the blue-green ripple was once again visible. He stood up, and held the Holy Grail in front of him.

"Drink, my friends, from the Fountain of Youth, its water contained in the Holy Grail. Kneel, and take the immortality that is your destiny." Frederic stood before them, both hands holding the Grail. Jennifer and Daphnix smiled as they recognized the same words that had preceded their own immortality.

Buffy knelt down, and Frederic held the Grail at her lips. She took a sip, and felt her immortality take shape. As did Willow and Xander.

Frederic emptied the Grail in the basin, and put the cup back in its alcove.

"You are now full master Slayers, immortal to anything but beheading. Take these as the appreciation of the human race for your past, present and future efforts." Frederic held out six rings. Each of the now master Slayers took two of them.

"What are they?" Buffy asked, after the power of the rings had taken a hold of her body.

"You are now each carrying a ring of protection from magic, and one with protection from evil. With these, you will be able to accomplish great deeds. Now, let us return to the mortal plane," Frederic led them out the vaults, and they transported back to Earth. Buffy and her friends noticed that fact that time hadn't moved, so Frederic explained the time-stop the moment they left the mortal plane.

Later that day, they all went out vampire hunting. Frederic, Jennifer and Daphnix held back, allowing the new master Slayers to do their job. They did it well. 20 vampires bit the dust. After the patrol, they all gathered at the library.

"So, now that you're master Slayers, we're no longer needed. We will, however, give you one more gift," Frederic said.

"Hey, don't leave now, it's just getting interesting. And what gift? What could there be more than what you've just given us?" Buffy said. Her friends nodded in agreement.

"Ok, we'll stay to see this one to an end. And the gift we wanted you to have is the following: remember the equipment at our room? Well, it's tied into a satellite network, able to detect demons and vampires across the world. We want you to have that equipment, and the satellite network. We'll be leaving for another universe after this, and we need someone to take care of things here."

"Cool! Our own secret satellite network! But, how come no one knows about it? Radar should detect it," Willow said.

"The satellites are cloaked. 100% invisible and undetectable. Now, for the next question: where do you want your new headquarters? You can't have it here, it's still a public place, and you wouldn't want to explain where you got an artificial life-form, with a satellite up-link to anything in the world, and with the ability to hack into anything in existence, do you?"

"You're right, Fred. How about my place?" Buffy asked.

"You'll need to keep your mother and anybody else out. Don't let anyone inside unless your 250% sure they won't tell. Establishing a new identity on the other side of the world is not easy. Linda can get you through it, but it won't be easy if your cover's blown. No, I suggest an underground lair in Sunnydale forest. It can be ready in one day. Our replicators and transporters are able to handle that kind of job quite easily. We've done it before," Frederic suggested. Buffy looked at her friends. They all nodded.

"It's agreed then. By tomorrow evening, your new headquarters will be ready. Now, Linda, do you have anything else to show us about those vampires?" Frederic turned to his communicator.

Vampire levels are still rising. They are currently at 250. The bad news is that there are 10 demons there as well. It would be wise to dispatch of those as soon as possible. Black section is recommended.

Frederic looked around the circle. Everyone nodded.

"Ok, tomorrow evening, we'll take out the vampires and the demons, after we show you around your new HQ," Frederic said, standing up and ending the discussion. Everyone nodded goodnight as Frederic, Jennifer and Daphnix left to begin preparations for tomorrow.

 

"Ok, we've got the underground hole dug out, and the reinforced duranium plating makes it the best bomb shelter you could dream off. All we need now is the roof. Linda, please beam down the roof section," Frederic said, activating the lamp built into his communicator.

The roof appeared on top of the hole, and sealed it. Frederic and his two companions took a special device, and sealed the plating together. He then ordered the beam-in of the HQ equipment. After this was done, lighting was ordered to be beamed in. A few hours later, all the equipment was in place, and they were ready to power up the fusion generator. After connecting the batteries, the reactor was started, and the lights came on to full strength. The machinery started up, and the big viewer displayed the Phalanx symbol, the yellow circled lightning on the black background.

"Good. Everything seems to be in order. Linda, satellite link?" he asked. The viewer displayed the planet Earth, with red dots indicating where there was a dark presence. Frederic ordered a magnification of Sunnydale, and the holo-projector displayed a 3-d overview of Sunnydale, with red dots indicating vampires, and white ones indicating demons. A quick view of the demons indicated 8 level- 3's, with power levels that could obliterate a normal, and 2 level - 1 demons, with powers that rivaled the Slayers'.

Frederic and his two friends beamed out of the HQ, and walked to the library. He then showed Giles, Buffy, Xander, Willow and Cordelia the new HQ, and how to use it. He also showed them the transporter, the replicator, and the cloaked fighter in Earth orbit.

"Just in case you ever need us, or we ever need you, there is a dimensional communicator here. If you ever need to get to us in person, the fighter can get you there. It's called the Avenger. Ask Linda to beam you up there. It's, like the satellites, powered by solar panels when in orbit. You won't have to worry about a thing. All you have to do is get some seawater up there when you leave. It's the source of deuterium and tritium needed to power the fusion reactor," Frederic explained.

"Ok, that's the end of our tour. Now, let's off some vamps and demons! Jen, you and Daphnix go to Avalon and get the black section. I'm going to the Ortega and get our friends some weapons," Frederic said. His two companions nod, and leave. They return in less than a second, with a large black chest. Frederic beamed up to the Ortega, and comes back down in a minute, with 6 rifles and 12 pistols.

"These are quantum pistols. They are deadly, but do no collateral damage. And when you're faced with an overwhelming amount of vampires, use these. They are neutron accelerators. They fire a steady beam of accelerated neutrons, destroying anything but immortals, except when they are hit in the neck; within a one-meter wide and 500 meter long strip; they last about 20 seconds. They're also good to get into something, because it destroys anything it comes in contact with," Frederic said, dumping the weapons on a table. Buffy, Xander, and Willow each take one quantum pistol, and one neutron accelerator. Giles and Cordelia stored the other weapons in the special weapons cabinets.

"Now, let's open the black section," Frederic said, walking towards the black chest. He shatters the holy bounds holding it tightly sealed. He then kneels next to it. His two friends kneel down on opposite sides. As soon as they are in place, three palm imprints appear. They all press their right hand in the imprint at the same time. With a hiss, the chest opens. Each takes out a smaller black box.

5 minutes later, Buffy and the others have their eyes bulging out again when they see the magical weapons Frederic and his two companions are carrying.

After the shock wears off, Frederic and the rest of the Slayers beam to the surface, directly next to the warehouse the vampires were using to raise more demons. A quick scan revealed 271 vampires, and 11 demons, of which three were strong enough to be a match for the Slayers.

<<Ok, switch to telepathy. Buffy, you and your friends do this alone. My friends and me will go with you inside, but we will only help when you need it. You need the training, and you won't have us around to bail you out every time you fight.>> Frederic sent. He got an acknowledgement back from Buffy and her friends. They knew their strengths, and they knew the evil scum inside had no idea they were coming.

Screaming, Buffy and her friends crashed through the door, their magical blades seeding death among the amassed vampires. Frederic shrugged, and he and his friends joined the fight anyway. They took drag, making sure none of the bastards escaped. After a raging battle of ten minutes, Buffy, Xander and Willow found themselves face-to-face with the remaining three level-one demons.

Buffy immediately attacked the demon that appeared to be the leader. She ducked under its razor-sharp claws, and opened its belly from front to back. The demon roared a statement.

"You are good mortal, and your blade is powerful. But you are no match for Kolath the Destroyer!"

Buffy jumped up, and her blade missed the demon's ducked form by only a few centimeters. It turned around, but she was just a little faster. Her blade penetrated the demon's side. It roared again, and struck at her. Three bloody lines indicated where the demon's claws had opened her skin. Buffy, enraged by the pain, launched at it. It fired magical attacks, one after the other, but her anti-magic ring and her anti-evil ring kept absorbing anything he threw at her. The demon, bewildered by the fact that his magic had no effect on her, forgot to block her incoming attack. The sword neatly severed the demon's head from his body.

Xander and Willow took on the others. They saw their boss loosing to a mere mortal, looked at each other, nodded, and tried to make a run for it.

Both teenagers looked at each other and smiled. They took the neutron accelerators, aimed, and blasted the demon's heads to bits. The weapons were re-holstered. Each Slayer then took his or her, own demon and performed the ritual of destruction on it, sending it back to the hell it came from.

"Well done! Great show! I knew you would do great when we begun the training!" Frederic said, congratulating them one by one. So did his friends.

 

"Too bad you have to go. It's been fun having you here," Buffy said, hugging Frederic, Daphnix and Jennifer.

"Yeah, and we're really grateful for everything you did for us. If you ever need help, give us a call. We'll be there," Willow said, hugging the three friends as well.

"Yeah, ditto. Don't hesitate to call. We're here for you, as you were there for us when we needed you," Xander said, giving Frederic and Daphnix a firm handshake, and hugging Jennifer.

"It was my pleasure helping you. Don't hesitate to call when you need help. Bye!" Frederic said.

"Yeah. So long. I'm sure we'll meet again," Daphnix said.

"Until we meet again, fellow Slayers," Jennifer said. Frederic called for transport, and in a shining blue, the three phalanx warriors disappeared in the vastness of space.