The conference room had been cleared of papers, researchers and empty cups and was now occupied by the Senior Watchers. They’d attended this meeting with some trepidation, being called together first thing in the morning could only mean that something had occurred over night, in their line of business it was unlikely to be good.
Having showered and changed, Giles now looked as immaculate as his more well-rested colleagues. He’d spent forty minutes on the roof, smoking, clearing his head and summoning up the energy to see the task through.
‘In a few moments Nihal, will be talking us through a prophecy that has come to light, requiring immediate action.’
He flashed a smile at the youthful researcher who was looking distinctly nervous in the presence of her superiors.
‘We will also be joined by Buffy Summers, ’ Giles hesitated, wondering if now that he had everyone’s attention, whether he was about to commit his last act as Head of The Watchers’ Council. ‘Before Miss Summers arrives t-there is something that you you all need to be told.’
********************
The room was silent as Buffy walked in. Giles was standing against the wall, arms folded and head down. Martin Stanger had his back to them all and was staring out of the window, the other Watchers looked solemn and shocked: clearly a monumental row had taken place.
‘Now that Buffy is here, Nihal will present what we know,’ said Giles quietly as he took a seat. He didn’t look at Buffy, but Martin did. He stared at her with an unreadable expression, went to speak, glanced at Giles, then sat down wordlessly.
‘Er, right,’ faltered Nihal as she turned off the lights and, after tapping at her laptop for a second, projected the prophecy on to a screen.
‘They shall come forth from the crater in a cursed land. The disguised Slayer and the demon drawn Watcher will reunite with a bond that is stronger than hate. The Scythe will cut the many down to one.’
‘Mr Giles has already made you aware of the meaning behind ‘disguised Slayer’ and ‘demon drawn Watcher’ and of the strength of the bond between them.’
She paused there, as if expecting to be interrupted. No one spoke.
‘The location is obviously Sunnydale and there is evidence to support that theory.
Nihal typed briefly at her laptop, the prophecy was replaced with an image.
‘We are dealing with a demon tribe known as The Khatojanan.’
‘That’s an angel,’ Buffy pointed out.
‘No,’ corrected Nihal. ‘They look superficially like angels, enough to dupe the unwary into getting close. They are most definitely demons and they infect their victims with hate. You only have to watch the news to know what a powerful, addictive and destructive force that is. Those contaminated die, but their bodies live on possessed by The Khatojanan who use their disguise to further spread the contamination.’
‘At least it isn’t an apocalypse, they are so over,’ said Buffy cockily.
‘It will be an apocalypse,’ insisted Nihal. ‘One that wouldn’t take hours, but years - decades even. Humanity will destroy itself in an orgy of atrocities, an existence entirely without hope.’
‘So we kill them.’
Giles tried and failed not to smile. Buffy’s direct approach was beginning to annoy some of the other Watchers, who doubtless would prefer endless meetings and plans. As the only one among them to have clocked any field time, Giles knew from experience that ultimately words had to be replaced by action. Usually a lot sooner than one would like.
‘That is where the Scythe comes in, hopefully it’ll be arriving soon,’ Nihal continued. ‘The Scythe will rip the demons from their hosts, making them appear as ‘angels’ once again. Cutting the many down to one, one species, one enemy, one target.’
Another burst of typing saw the screen flooded with tables and statistics.
‘In the last three weeks the crime rate in Sunnydale has skyrocketed. Destruction of property, assault, murder, the list goes on. All crimes which can be committed in a burst of rage and hate. Combined with its history, there can be no doubt that Sunnydale is the place where we should be mounting an attack.’
Knocking at the door, but not waiting for permission to enter, Mark bounded into the room and handed Giles a small box.
‘I did what you said, sir. Went to Primrose Hill, asked her to assume we’d win the auction, didn’t answer any questions and handed her money until she gave it to me.’
‘You did a very good job,’ said Giles softly. ‘Now get back to work.
Beaming happily at his boss, the young man ran off.
The Scythe of Pencarrow was twenty-two centuries old and looked it. The wooden handle was rotted away, heavy use had eroded most of the metal, leaving a rusting crescent barely bigger than Giles’ hand. He lightly ran a finger along its edge, then again applying much more force. No damage was done, the Scythe was hopelessly blunt.
‘It can’t be,’ Nihal’s voice became shrill with frustration. ‘The prophecy, it was so clear.’
‘May I?’ Asked Buffy.
To the concern of those watching, Giles threw the Scythe straight at Buffy knowing that his Slayer would easily catch it. Which she did.
Buffy tossed the Scythe from hand to hand then gave the table an experimental jab - cutting right through it. She put the Scythe down very carefully.
‘I think it likes me,’ she said to her astonished audience.
‘It certainly isn’t unusual for a weapon to only reveal its strength to a certain individual,’ stated Giles. ‘I see no reason to discount its relevance.’
‘Which concludes our findings,’ said Nihal in relief, flopping down into her chair.
‘What about the resolution?’ Someone asked. ‘Prophecies always have an ending.’
‘Not in this case,’ said Giles hurriedly. Glaring at Nihal, defying her to contradict him. ‘Regrettably that part has been lost.’
He was long used to others accepting his lies and no longer felt ashamed. However the calm, trusting look on Buffy’s face was almost too much to bear.
********************
Once the meeting was over, people began filing out. Martin stopped in front of Buffy.
‘I should have known,’ he said evenly. ‘Your friend Lee gave me a clue.’
‘He didn’t know, no one did.’
Buffy was anxious to assure the Head of Watcher Training that he hadn’t been left out of the loop.
‘Accepted. Still, after your study group’s little encounter in Brecon he told me you slayed that vampire ‘as if you’d been doing it for years.’’
He raised his eyebrows incredulously.
‘A bunch of novices on an adventure training exercise ought to have been slaughtered, not given extra credit.’
‘Lucky I was there.’
‘All this time I thought I was teaching you, when you have nothing to learn.’
Buffy shook her head.
‘You are wrong,’ she said. ‘I’m The Slayer - two words. You guys are fighters, spell-casters, teachers, researchers and a whole other bunch of complicated stuff. I don’t know how one person handles being so many things.’
Martin shrugged.
‘I go home every night. Jackie and the kids are my life, this is a job.’
‘Work/life balance. Sounds good, must try it sometime.’
He became concerned.
‘I accept that the prophecy concerns Rupert and yourself, but going it alone is a huge risk.’
‘If I need back-up, I’ll get it in L.A.’
Buffy knew that sounded dismissive, but carried on.
‘I need people I can rely on. We’re talking experience, not good intentions.’
‘Be careful,’ Martin implored her. ‘God knows he drives me mad, but Rupert is highly thought of around here. And as for you Miss Summers…’
‘Yes?’
He was smiling.
‘The very least you can do is come back in one piece and teach my trainees some of those nifty moves.’
Buffy grinned.
‘Can do. Slaying is what I’m all about and Giles has got my back. There is no one I trust more to get the job done.’
Listening, unseen in the corridor. Giles prayed that Buffy’s faith in him wouldn’t prove to be hopelessly misguided.
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