Chapter 8

In the spirit of the Saturday afternoon cliffhangers (and I’m giving away my age), a little recap...

Carl Kolchak, veteran newspaper hack and Xander wannabe, has been kidnapped by a newly returned Mayor Wilkins and given a message for Buffy and Company. Riley Finn is called from Sunnydale to Area 51 to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a scientist involved with genetic mutation and strange deaths due to “acute anemia”. Riley has arrived and found the situation at Area 51 much more serious than he had been led to believe. Buffy and company have met with a messenger of the Great Spirit who has given them the next piece of the puzzle. Riley heads up a team of STAAR operatives in three helicopters, and tries to find out if man can really fly. (It’s not the flying that hurts, it’s the landing that can really suck.)Finding only one survivor of the helicopter crash, Riley has a sidekick. If you can call a salty Marine Gunnery Sergeant a sidekick. (He’d probably kick your butt on general principles if you did. After all, he stands at the left hand of God.)

So with that in mind we join our plot in progress...

‘The stars are so bright out here, ‘ Buffy thought. For the first time in a long time, she was at peace within herself. After making camp for the night, she had excused herself to patrol around their campsite.

In actuality, she had climbed a slope that overlooked the camp to give herself time to think. Contrary to popular belief, Buffy was a lot more intelligent than the “ditzy blonde” persona she showed to the world. Part of the indwelling of the First Slayer was the deepening of her personality that encompassed not only the tactical planning for battle, but the more intense thinking to win the psychological warfare that precedes the physical battle. Stupid Slayers die very young.

‘If Oz is still alive, how will the trap be sprung? What alliances has Wilkins drummed up to confront us?’ Buffy wondered.

“Ho, Warrior,” Dot said softly behind Buffy.

‘CRAP! I never heard or sensed her approach! What the hell is this? She’s like a black hole on my spidey sense.’ Buffy jerked around to look at Dot.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Naabaahii,” Dot apologized. “I felt that you were greatly troubled tonight, and might need to talk about it.”

“Naabaahii – What does that mean?” Buffy asked. “And, speaking of being stressed, how did you move so quietly?”

Dot softly smiled, “Naabaahii means one who is constantly in battle. The Great Spirit showed me that since you were a child that you have been constantly the edge of the sword.

It is a lonely battle you face, for no matter how many people you have behind you, they are just that. They are behind you. You are the cutting edge, living always with the certainty that you must stop that which is evil before it can reach those you love. At times, you have lost that cutting edge before the enemy. Only to get it back in the face of battle and losing someone you loved.”

Buffy looked at the woman in amazement. “How could you know that? I’ve had to keep these fears from my friends at all times. They believe in me, that I’ll always keep the big bads from them.”

“You are not the first woman to feel that way, nor will you be the last. Western civilization says that we are the weaker sex and must be protected at all costs. That we are frail and easily injured.

Obviously, that belief was fostered by men who had never had to give birth, nor had to stand guard by the fire while the man was off doing ‘man-things’.

Woman is, by nature, a dichotomy – a contrast – between soft and hard. The ancient Chinese may very well have thought of us when they spoke of the yin-yang. The light and dark. That which is seen and that which is behind the scenes.”

“So, tell me, Naabaahii, what battles have you fought? And what fears do you face now?” Dot asked.

Emotions played across Buffy’s face as she debated on how much to tell this strange woman.

Staring intently at the Indian woman, Buffy decided to go with the unvarnished truth. She might be thought crazy, but somehow she knew that the older woman had her own store of secrets that no one else would understand.

Buffy started speaking, “I’m what is known as a Slayer. One girl in all the world gifted, or cursed, to fight the rising tide of the undead. I have no idea why I was chosen. I only know that when one Slayer dies, then another is called. It all began when the earth we know now was actually a Hell that was populated by demons that fed on humans.

In time, certain magicks arose, and man started fighting back against the demon hordes. As the last of the pure-blood demons left this dimension, it mixed its blood with a human and that started the breed that we call vampire.

Vampires started increasing in numbers and the humans started to lose the battle. In desperation, five shamans joined together and bound a warrior demonic essence into a warrior girl. Her name was Sineya, and she became the First Slayer.