FIC: Trinity's Child 4/?

[CDRERamius@xxxxxxx]

TITLE: Trinity's Child 4/?
AUTHOR: Tony McD
EMAIL: cdreramius@xxxxxxx
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whendon, Mutant Enemy, WB and 
others. This is for fun, not profit.
SUMMARY: Sequel to Terra Australis Incognito. 17 years on Buffy, Xander, 
Willow, and their child must face very different evils to save the world 
(again).
SPOILERS: None really. AU.
RATING: MA 15+ (Australian system).
AUTHORS NOTES: All places described in this part are real and accurately 
described except for: a. Sunnydale (obviously),
c. the vampire nest, and
b. those areas subject to the Official Secrets Act of 1914. 
(had to put that bit in, saves an unpleasant knock on my office door tomorrow 
morning by gents with dark glasses and unsmiling faces).

Trinity's Child 4/?

As the helicopter headed north, Buffy took the time to look out her 
window and to watch the land travel beneath her. To her west, as far as the 
eye could see, the land was mass of farm land and tree covered wilderness. To 
her east was the unbroken expanse of the ocean. She looked north east for a 
moment. Across the vast Pacific Ocean lay the land of her birth, where people 
were busy rebuilding the city of her birth after its destruction in a moment 
of mankind's madness. She shook off the sadness that she felt every time she 
thought of LA, and looked ahead towards her destination.
The spire that was Centrepoint Tower was the dominant feature from 
this distance. It stood like a watch tower, over looking the city in which it 
stood, keeping watch on distant horizons. Eternally vigilant.
As they flew closer, the sprawl of Sydney became evident. Here, almost 
6 million of the 22 million Australians, called the city home. Not one of the 
world's largest cities (there were several cities that had populations 
greater than the whole of Australia), it was never the less one of the most 
beautiful and pleasant cities in which to live (as far as any city is 
beautiful or pleasant to live in).
They started to overfly the out skirts of the city now. Below them was 
Botany Bay where 200 or so years ago a nation sent its unwanted convicts. 
Nowadays, Botany Bay was still the gateway that visitors passed through to 
get to Sydney via Kingsford Smith airport. But soon that would change as more 
and more people used the new hypersonic aircraft and its associated airport 
far to the west of Sydney.
She could see the harbour now and icons that were known the world 
over. It was this harbour that people flocked to if there was a celebration 
or fun to be had. At the entrance to the harbour lay her destination.
The naval base at Watsons Bay sat on the South Head of the entrance to 
Sydney Harbour. Here the navy taught officers and sailors warfare and mariner 
skills they needed to be an effective part of the fleet. The base itself was 
beautiful, in particular the naval chapel which stood on the sandstone cliffs 
over looking the Pacific Ocean. But it was the billion dollar view of the 
harbour that visitors gaped at.
Buffy and the sleeping Xander were not coming here for the views. 
Since white settlement, people had dug a massive network of tunnels, sewers, 
drains, subway tunnels, bunkers and storage areas into the sandstone the city 
stood on. Indeed, if one was to look at the earth beneath it, it would 
resemble Swiss cheese.
The helicopter flared over the pad and then touched down, jolting 
Xander out of his sleep. They unstrapped themselves and exited the helo, 
embarking on the short walk to their destination. As they walked they passed 
the Navigation School which, Xander had been amazed to learn on his first 
visit here, backed onto a nudist beach. Needless to say, occasionally 
students found the view more fascinating than their text books.
They entered a bunker like building and showed their passes to the 
guards. They then entered the elevator where they had their retinas scanned 
and entered a pin code. The elevator then descended deep into the earth.
The doors opened and they entered a small room where another guard 
checked their passes and they had a second retina scan. This last check done, 
the two of them entered the underground Headquarters.
"Xander! Buffy! Good you could make it." A middle aged man with a 
prothetic leg called out and went to greet them. Lieutenant Commander Tony 
McDonald was the unit intelligence officer and technical boffin responsible 
for a number of gadgets that the group used. Not a particularly tall or good 
looking man, he was well liked and Xander and Buffy considered him a close 
friend of the family. His constant tinkering with gadgets had earned him the 
nickname of 'Q'.
"Well, you know us Q, always keen for a spot of violence." Buffy said 
with a smile on her face. "Speaking of violence, where's Spike?" she enquired.
"He's out the back trying on a new combat arm. I've added a few tricks 
and refined the movement program. It should mean that his chip should be able 
to handle it a bit quicker." Tony informed the pair. The Defence Science Lab 
had a few years ago come up with a robotic arm for Spike to replace the one 
he had lost defending Buffy. It was controlled via the same chip in Spike's 
head that prevented him from feeding on people. According to Spike, 
controlling the arm was the only good thing that the chip had ever done for 
him. Spike emerged from the back room with his new updated arm. 
"Q, this arm's a marvel. I feel like Robo-Vamp." Spike said swinging 
his arm around.
"Try Swiss Army Knife Guy." Xander told the blonde vamp. Spike looked 
at him with distain.
"Funny, coming from a guy who'd have trouble using a knife and fork." 
replied Spike.
"Let's just get on with the brief and dust some vamps." Buffy 
interjected. The three of them when into the briefing room where the rest of 
the team was waiting. Q started the brief.
"At 0415 this morning, a number of vampires along with a number of 
demons, probably Li Tet demons, were seen entering a drain grate in this part 
of Rookwood cemetery." he circled an area on the displayed map.
"I don't need to remind you why the possibility that demons and 
vampires are working together is a bad thing. If at all possible, you are to 
determine why they are together before taking them out." Q said, looking 
directly at Spike. Spike merely grinned.
"Fine by me, just means I get to do a spot of torture in before 
Christmas." the blonde vamp told the gathered members. Rolling his eyes, Q 
continued.
"The area is fairly well mapped but I've sent out a unit to do some 
seismic mapping to give you the most up to date maps. They should meet you at 
the stadium to give you an update."
"This mean we are going in via the Olympic stadium?" one of the team 
members asked. Q nodded.
"That's correct. It is easier to keep it covert if you enter the 
tunnel system via the underground loading dock. You will also note that gas 
pipes run through most of the tunnels in the area. You may have to do this 
mission by hand." he informed the team. Eight years ago, a team went to take 
out a nest of vampires under a shopping centre. A stray match head round from 
one of the team member's gun hit a gas pipe. The resulting explosion killed 
the entire team and 37 unlucky shoppers. Doing it by hand meant doing it 
without using their submachine guns, which was fine by Buffy. She personally 
didn't use them.
"Questions?" Q asked. A hand was raised.
"Who's leading the team?" a soldier asked. Everyone looked over at 
Buffy and Xander, who in turn looked at each other.
"Xander can lead today." said Buffy. Xander nodded in acknowledgment. 
There were no further questions and the team started to kit up. Xander went 
up to Buffy.
"Thanks for letting me lead today." he said to his soulmate. She gave 
him a little impish grin.
"Don't thank me. I just didn't want to get stuck with the debriefing 
and post action paperwork." she told him. Xander grumped.
"Paperwork. We never had to do paperwork in high school." he muttered 
and joined the rest of the team.

The 12 of them were assembled in the loading dock at the stadium and 
were going over the fresh seismic map.
"We've got readings of demon presence in this area here." one of the 
seismic team showed them. There were three rooms attached to a dead end 
tunnel. A gas pipe ran through two of them.
"OK people. These two rooms are no fire zones. The main tunnel and the 
other room are free fire. Understand?" Xander asked. After a few moments the 
team entered the tunnel system.
Just before they reached the particular tunnel, Xander employed a 
little trick to ensure the team had all the information they needed before 
rushing in. Opened up a box and pulled out of it a controller pad and robotic 
cockroach. The cockroach was the latest reconnaissance devices. They looked 
like a real cockroach but were fitted with camera and sensitive microphone. 
They roach would enter a room and relay what it saw and heard via its radio 
antennae. The beauty of them were that in an environment such as this, there 
were cockroaches everywhere and would generally be ignored.
The roach entered each room, revealing the first two rooms had 
sleeping vampires and demons while the other room had 2 vampires talking. The 
roach relayed their conversation.
"I don't like it." the taller of the two vamps said.
"Neither do I but we need them around in case the Slayer shows up. The 
Li Tet demons are outcasts and they need shelter. We need help in dealing 
with the Slayer. So they stay here and help us." the other said.
"Well I still don't like them. They smell funny." the first vamp told 
his sire.
"Looks like we've just got a case of one off opportunity here Buff." 
Xander whispered.
"I'll agree with that." she looked at Spike. "Looks like you miss out 
on torture today." she told the vamp.
"Soddin' spoil sports." was all Spike said. Xander divided them into 
three teams. Two teams were armed with stakes and axes while the third would 
go in with their guns. They took their positions and waited for Xander's 
signal. Xander looked around and saw that they were all in place.
"Go!"
The gun team smashed open the door and entered the room, firing as 
they as they went. In moments there was nothing left but smoke and ash. Buffy 
quickly dusted the two vamps they had listened to earlier. Buffy's team then 
went to help Spike and Xander's team.
Spike was having the time of his unlife. He grabbed the nearest vamp 
and extended a small metal tube from his arm and jammed it into the vampire. 
The tube injected holy water into the vamp who quickly turned to dust. A Li 
Tet demon attacked him and Spike proceeded to slash and stab it with a blade 
from his arm.
With the arrival of Buffy and her team the fight was over in a minute. 
Xander checked with everyone as they gathered. All the vamps and Li Tet 
demons were history for only a few cuts and bruises suffered in the hand to 
hand. Xander looked at the bodies of the Li Tet demons.
"I guess we had better remove the bodies before someone finds them." 
Xander told the team.
"No need, Chubs. This old dog has learnt a new trick." Spike said and 
started to pile the bodies together in the main tunnel. When the bodies were 
all piled up, Spike stood back and extended his robotic arm. The sound of 
several shots rang out and the bodies burst into brilliant flame, consuming 
them. Spike walked off singing 'I'm a hunk, a hunk, a hunk of burning love' 
in a bad Elvis impersonation. Buffy and Xander looked at each other a little 
shocked.
"I think we had better tell Tony about how bad it is for him to turn 
Elvis here into Robo-Vamp." Xander told the Slayer.
"Agreed. At least we know that if it all goes wrong with Spike, Jenny 
is the last person he'd use his toys on. She can stop him without the messy 
dusting." said Buffy.
"If it's Spike that get dusted, then I would welcome the mess." Xander 
replied and the team headed back for the post operation debriefing.