Something I'm kinda working on by voracity

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Carter walked into the Magic Box that night, staring at Buffy, handing over something. "Yours and your family's file from them. The base will be filled with concrete in the next year so it cannot be reused." Buffy smiled at her. "We've charged the higher ups with treason for starting it, because we found who ordered it started and when.

"The ones who followed along also got charged, and all the military people who helped it are now out of their job placement and in jail where they belonged. Can you tell the locals that so they can know they're actually being punished? We didn't like that they got off for that horseshit they did."

"I can do that. Thank you, Colonel. If you're looking for all the Xanders, Anya dragged them out for her sex needs."

"We saw," she said dryly. "Is she normal?"

"She was a vengeance demon."

"Hmm." Carter grimaced. "That sounds nasty."

"Sometimes." She nodded. "She was the one that women who got hurt by their boyfriends or husbands went to though."

"I can see why that's a good thing. Even with abuse laws they're not always enforced." She sat down. "How do we handle your male helpers? We'd like to make sure they don't tell everyone."

"The demon underground has already done that." Buffy grinned. "We did a search for you guys through the local information brokers. They were pleased you guys aren't like the ones we had here. And that you seem to be protective sorts but weird."

"We had one with us earlier at the base who cried on us for saving their holy relic," Sam said. "We don't mind that but we do what we can to protect everyone."

Buffy grinned. "I know that feeling!" She smiled. "But you still can't have Xander. Even if he is normal, and trips more now as the new ones get used to what he's been doing behind me for years, I still need the occasional backup. Even if they are normal."

Sam Carter nodded slowly. "We're not against that at all, Buffy. We know you need to do what you have to do to protect the few humans still living in this town."

"We stop apocalypse battles too," Buffy quipped. "Every year."

"Every year?" Carter demanded.

"Every spring." Carter slumped her shoulders, staring at her. "I can introduce you to one of the information people because clearly you guys didn't go looking at all." She pulled out her cellphone to call the bar. "It's me, Spike. Can you send the little purple guy here to talk to this nice Colonel? I know the general's looking for Xander. Anya got them all. Yup, for that. Thanks. Send him here too. It's safer." She hung up. "Spike'll bring them over. Before someone decides to adopt your general guy. He's kinda hotty and we'd hate to see him turned or something like being taken as a concubine."

"Other beings have tried and he ruined them," Carter said dryly, smiling some. "We're not weak military sorts, Buffy."

"That's always a good thing with what you guys do. Did they bring demons with them?"

"As far as I can tell by looking at the information we've gathered no, but we're told there used to be a treaty before Ba'al got stupid."

Buffy nodded. "Higher ups do that now and then. The PTB do sometimes too. Then we swear at Whistler."

"PTB?"

"Powers That Be. They're over the slayers and watchers and I guess other heros who do crazy, necessary stuff like we do."

"Huh. Are they Ori maybe?"

"Giles?" Buffy called. He came out of the office. "She had a question about the PTB and just spoke in tongues at me."

"What question?" he asked patiently.

"Are they maybe Ascended or Ori?"

"No. They predate all that," he said, finding a source for her to read. He went back to the office shaking his head. Buffy was playing airhead fairly well again tonight it seemed.

Daniel faded in with a grin for her. "Remember those weird symbols in the universal language that I couldn't figure out? They're from that race but they ascended long before the Ancients found out that it's possible. They remember Furlings being cave dwellers."

"So they're ascended of a different kind?"

"And on a different plane. They can only interact through ones that've been plugged into their plane of existence."

Buffy stared at him. "You're giving me wiggy feelings but not demon ones. Are you a ghost?"

"No, Buffy. I'm not a ghost. I'm ascended at the moment." He grinned. "I'm not allowed to interfere with anything but I got asked to provide some lubricant for the meeting of the two groups. Before your friend ends up doing something that could destroy our group."

"Xander doesn't like big weapons like that."

"Yes but some things are secret," he said dryly.

Buffy burst out giggling. "If you're sure." He groaned but faded out again. She smiled at Carter. "Like Whistler, I don't take orders from higher beings. I take hints, I take warnings, but I don't take orders. The PTB want balance, not humanity to survive. I'm not into that." She got up and went to get some water. "Want a drink, Colonel?"

"No thank you, Buffy." She went back to reading, handing the book to Jack when he got brought in.

He read it, frowning. "Who're these?"

"The higher beings over the girls like Miss Summers."

"Oh, great." He closed the book and put it onto the table. "We're apparently blown completely open if you're not human."

Buffy came back with her glass of ice water. She put the book back onto the shelf by long habit of getting scowled at if she didn't then sat down again. "They'd never tell most humans, General. They use that stuff to protect themselves from humans." She looked at the information broker. "Their higher ups think that Xander's going to destroy things. They're kinda stupid about that."

The demon sighed but nodded. "I doubt he could without being there, Slayer." He sat down beside her, going over what they knew about that group and what had happened to Harris by rumors. Buffy said the name 'Ba'al' and the information broker realized what happened and told the military people that. Buffy just nodded and sipped her water.

"So you guys know a lot about us," Jack decided. "And Atlantis."

"She is holy to some species."

"If any of them had things like plans or information on the city we'd love to copy it," Sam Carter told him. "They could use some things. They haven't gotten to explore most of the city thanks to the problems up there and the lack of power."

"I can pass that back to some of the ancients who keep histories. See if they could. I cannot speak for them."

"We get that," Jack O'Neill agreed. "We've set up negotiations with many peoples in the past thanks to traveling." The demon smiled at him. "We are worried about information getting out."

"Xander would only tell others who needed to know or if you guys turned evil," Buffy pointed out. "Not like anyone listens to him. We don't even listen to him about geek things." She shrugged. "Anya hates his comic book habit, Willow hates geek things for the most part anymore, and I was never a geek. Sorry." She smiled but shrugged. "I have a watcher to be my book geek for a reason."

"I can see how that'd help you," Carter agreed. "We still don't want information on what happened to him, or our project, getting out, Buffy."

She shrugged, looking at the information source. "Do we know everything or nearly there?"

"We know everything that they've done," the demon said smugly. "We wanted to make sure that they were not following in horrible examples. Since they have first traveled, we have had someone there to report to a few High Councils." Buffy smiled and waved a hand at him.

O'Neill groaned but nodded. "I would've done the same thing. But you know we're not the problems."

"Yes, but your people can change hands," the demon said, grimacing at him. "And we think it may happen soon. There's others who are thinking you're too powerful so they want you out of the way. There is talk about some general at Area 51. We were hoping to sic Harris on him." He looked at Buffy. "At least one of them?"

Xander, the original one, groaned as he walked in holding his head. He stared at O'Neill. "Kick Landry out."

"Sudden onset headache?" Carter guessed.

"Vision," Xander quipped. "Which suck ass. I agree with Cordelia." He looked at Buffy then at O'Neill. "If I join your people, I'll thoroughly make sure it's no longer under government control just by walking onto your city." He grinned. "And yeah, I'd drive off Landry before he takes over where the idiots here left off only on non-humanoid beings. Something about blue things and bug things and eating bugs and ...." He shook his head quickly. "And the wraith can't eat demons so ask some warriors to help instead?"

The demon smiled at him. "That is an excellent idea. There are many warrior species who are bored right now. We can see if they would help. Would you lead them, Knight?"

Xander grinned at him. "If I step foot on the city, it'll be too happy. But the vision said I could do that."

"Please don't cause us problems," Carter sighed.

Xander grinned at her. "They knew about demons." She slumped, shaking her head. "They hated demons." He frowned and called someone. "Cordy, put Wes on please. Yeah, researchy sort of question." She did that. "Wes, Xander. I got a vision of a city full of spires and a flash of the Sub Mariner, so I'm pretty sure it was showing me Atlantis. Then I got tablets. Like ancient stone thingies you see in museums with the funny chicken scratch writing?" He put the phone on speaker.

"I'm surprised Rupert didn't know about those."

"We didn't ask," Buffy admitted. "He's staring at Xander in horrified awe since he had his first vision."

"Tell Cordy I'm sorry I offered her aleeve for the headache," Xander quipped. "I didn't realize how sucky they are. I also got the flash of me walking onto the city, it all lighting up, and then having a hissy fit on the humans there. Then bug people."

"Well...." Wesley said then sighed. You could almost hear him taking off his glasses to clean them. "If it's the one that we have in the records, which most of the Council ignores, the city does know about hellmouths and you do carry an inordinate amount of the energy, Xander. Those tablets are translations of them talking about their origins. They're in Scotland in the old vault. Rupert should know where that is."

Buffy looked at him and he nodded. "Yes, I do. We were told that a being like them broke the very old treaty," he said, coming closer. "Mostly by wanting a warrior body to inhabit."

"So he made me twins," Xander quipped. "Three others actually."

"There's four of you?" Wesley demanded. "Dear God, lad, can't you stay out of trouble!"

"I got kidnaped from work," Xander complained. "Woke up there. Destroyed his hopes and dreams too," Xander quipped. "And broke a lot of his shit having a fit. So those tablets?"

"Yes, well, that treaty is fairly simple but if it's broken we could be in for some hell. I'll fax Rupert what I know on that. Anything else?"

"Why did I make the city so happy?" Xander asked. "She seemed happy."

"She would be. You're a walking power source," he said dryly. "And proof that humanity won against the ancient Courts of demons." He sighed again. "Did you foresee a battle?"

"No. I saw it lighting up and getting happy lights flowing around me. Then the tablets."

"I'll fax up what we have. Any other good news beyond there's four of you?" They could faintly hear someone choking in the background. "It's fine, Angel. I'm sure Buffy can use the help."

"We're trying to decide which of us is the evil one," Xander quipped with a grin for the phone.

"Xander, I believe that's innate to you. You don't need to go more evil. Otherwise Cordelia wouldn't need a heimlich at the moment."

"Anya's trying to keep him from going totally evil," Buffy quipped.

"I wish her luck," Wesley shot back. "Let me get the books out. I'll send it in a bit, Rupert. Is that why we heard about military sorts being back up there? Angel wanted to know."

"They're cleaning up the mess and promised to seal that base," Buffy said, smiling at Carter. "The really smart colonel said they could."

"That's wonderful news," Wesley decided. "Let me look things up, people." He hung up but you could hear he was groaning.

Xander put his phone back in his pocket and grinned at the military sorts. "Anya said if I get to go fully evil I need to give her jewelry." He walked off. O'Neill went to stop him to talk to him but Xander had disappeared.

Xander Two leaned into the store. "Hey, if I ask nicely can I keep that ship?" he asked with a grin. He waved at the colonel. "I need the geek cred so I can out geek Andrew in a few weeks. They'll never believe how I came to be otherwise."

"Not a chance," Carter told him. "Sorry and you can't tell him."

"He went to school with us, Colonel, and he's known me since he was six. He knew there was only one of me. He thought maybe someone military was evil and wanted to know if he could take that group out now with his other evil overlords." He left again.

"One of them can build really great robots," Buffy said with a grin for her. "He built his girlfriend." She walked off. "I'm getting coffee before patrol tonight." The demon nodded, letting others know she was going out tonight by text message. Then he left to go back to the bar. The others were not going to believe that the Knight now had visions. It would make him more wanted than usual.

Rupert sighed as the fax machine kicked on, going to gather the notes Wesley had made for them. Carter took them to look over, groaning at what she saw. "Yes, we all feel that way about Xander sometimes," he said quietly, staring at her. "He can drive one nuts on occasion."

She smiled at him. "O'Neill does the same thing to our nerves. So does Daniel." He nodded he understood.

***

The four Xanders decided they needed to enact that part of the plan after reading the notes Wesley and Giles had made. And they had just the geek to help them with Jonathan, Andrew's buddy. He had the geek skills to pilot. The demon information broker had found out where Atlantis was. So they walked into Jonathan's garage while he was having a geek tv break with Andrew, walking him off with them. The ship had a remote control now. They had turned one on before they had come back to earth and found the military people. So they all disappeared.

Xander Three grinned at Jonathan, pointing at the screen. The interior shielding from being called or scanned was active again. Then he handed him the spatial address. "We need to be there then come back almost immediately."

Jonathan was staring at the pretty picture of earth. "What the heck?" he demanded, turning to stare at them.

"The bad guy that kidnaped us and made me clones was an alien," Xander One said with a grin for him. "Then we got a vision so we need to go do something good. Please? You can be Sulu. We barely know enough to set coordinates."

"I...Warren's a better Scotty."

Xander Four grinned. "I can play Scotty, Jonho. We just need Sulu. Then we'll get there, flirt a bit, then come back. And it's all classified. So you can only taunt Warren and 'Drew."

"They'd never believe this even if they came up with us," Jonathan complained. But he did look over the control panel. He finally managed to log in and got them sent toward their coordinates. They left, making Jonathan squeak when they went to light speed. "Where did this come from?" he demanded.

"Bad guy symbiotic aliens," Xander Three quipped. He took him to show him the ship. Jonathan knew what most of it was for, but the healing/killing sarcophagus freaked him out. He had seen a picture of one online somewhere. The cloning chambers got a weird look too. He wouldn't go near there in case it made him one too. They went back to wait on the trip to the alien city. Back on earth, a few demons were taking bets and doing memory spells on the military sorts. And Warren because he was throwing a fit about Jonathan being stolen by multiple Xanders. Especially when his robotic girlfriend was happy with the thought of four Xanders.

It was highly entertaining to watch for the locals.

***

Xander Two got onto the city first, going to clear a path for their original to the main room. They were presently being invaded by people who really needed a lot of bathing and clothing help but had automatic weapons. They could get around them. Two walked into the main room first and lights started to flow around him. He grinned up. "He's behind me, baby." The original Xander walked in and the whole city went spastic, lighting up, lights spinning around them, and the decking shivering.

Xander grinned up at the ceiling. "Hey, Atlantis. I got the vision you had sent that you needed me. What can I do to help you, dear?" The fighting suddenly stopped and everyone stared at him. The city's image appeared and bowed so he bowed back with a grin. "You sent for me?"

"You can heal us."

"I can sure try. How do I do that?" She took him to her power chamber and he tested stuff. "Hey, me, go home," he called. "She needs some extra hellmouth energy to get home and we'll be there in about a week after you."

"Okay," he agreed, running off before anyone could catch him. They made it onto the ship before anyone nearly grabbed him and the ship took off once they were on. They sped off back to earth. The invading ones got ran off the city by her projecting some noise at them. Then she lifted off and took off at top speed to follow her other idiot humans home. She was sucking off the energy he contained to refill her power chambers. She would be whole once she got back there.

The rest of the city was horrified, having a fit, or shouting at others to figure out what was going on and to get their three teams back before they were too far away. She allowed their people back, she liked her people. She told them to calm down. It'd be fine. She had a way of fixing things so she could fight the wraith better. They were going to fix her. That's why she had someone summon that one.

Though she wouldn't tell them anything else. She had thought those energy rips her people had caused had been healed before they left. Thankfully she found out it wasn't so thanks to a new human who had shown up months ago. He had proven to her that the need for the treaty was over with so she could go home and heal and be whole again.

In one of the rooms, a Marine was laughing himself sick on his room floor. He had recognized that one. The SGC was going to have fits of McKay proportion for *years* about Sunnydale. Finally they came looking for him since he wasn't with the others. He let the colonel in but kept the rest out. "Sir, Harris is just a problem fixing idiot," he said with a grin. "This happening doesn't really surprise me a ton since he had to help defeat a hundred yard demon at their graduation with Summers. I have the feeling this is related to something in Sunnydale."

"First, what?" Colonel Sheppard demanded. "What's this about demons, who was he, what is a Sunnydale, and what's happening? You seem to know something, private."

"Yes, sir. I graduated with that lucky fool. Had totally no skills at anything and managed to survive our demon underground and a lot of problems they solved for us. That's why we had one of the biggest graduating classes since Sunnydale started."

Colonel Sheppard glared at him. "I want more detail than that. Don't make me get McKay to come question you."

"He's going to hate this, sir. We're going where there's an energy rip and there's demons."

"Demons?" Sheppard snorted.

"Yeah. We have two up here." He sent a message to two people to show up in his room. They came in and saluted then locked the door again. "I recognized Harris from high school."

"As did I," one agreed. "The Knight is well known. As is his propensity for finding weird trouble. Why there were two and one read as a clone..... I'm almost scared to note."

The private grinned at him. "If anyone could get cloned it'd be Harris." The two demons nodded.

"Tell me what's going on," Colonel Sheppard demanded. "Without the stupid, the fantasy stuff, or anything else."

"Can't do that, sir," the two demons said.

"Sunnydale's just like that," the private agreed.

One of the demons took off his image generator, making Sheppard flinch. "Peace, Colonel. My people are from some of the top intelligence gathering sorts. Once we're closer to earth I can contact my people for a report. As of right now, we're clearly heading to Earth for some reason. She seemed happy to welcome him."

The other demon nodded. "She was happier than when the first ATA gene carrier stepped onto her again," that one agreed. He looked at him. "There's rumors about hellmouths."

"They were started by some ancients screwing up by the records in the Ancient Libraries," he agreed. "It's possible that Harris activated it in her so she's going to suck up some of it."

Sheppard stared at them. "Hellmouth?"

"Rip in the fabric of reality?"

"All we know is it's under my former high school's library. We all noticed something weird went on in there. Especially after the day of them cleaning up ichor looking goo and tentacles."

"The hellmouth has a kraken guardian," the second demon said with a smile. "Someone had to try to summon it."

The intelligence demon smiled. "By the reports, they sent Harris away that night and he saved them from someone blowing them up while they were busy." The other two just nodded at that. "Things like that happen around Harris," he told his boss.

"So what did he do to my city?" Sheppard demanded.

"He made her happy by those lights," the second demon quipped. "So she's happy with the chaos source that we all watch to take bets on. He does draw many weird things."

The private looked at them. "That girl he took to the prom. What was she?"

"The former vengeance demon for women scorned," the intelligence one said with a smile. "It's said he's made her fully human but a bit warped with the slayer's help." He checked his watch. "We should be within range within a day and a half. I'll contact my people as soon as we can, Colonel. For now, she's got him in stasis so she can suck off him. We can ask when she lets him out." He left, going to start that message. It sent earlier than he thought it should be able to so she was getting happy to get back to earth. He got back a report and went to hand it to Sheppard, shaking his head but smiling as he walked off. Yes, that figured of the Chaos Knight.

***

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