August 23: Inquisition: Vance
Title: Inquisition: Chapter 08: Vance
Author: 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions on TtH)
Crossover: BtVS / NCIS
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1,328
Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & NCIS: anytime after Ellie joined but before Abby left.
Disclaimer: Nothing copyrighted belongs to yours truly.
Summary: Vampires, witches, Slayers, and what goes bump in the night has been exposed to the public. The vampires have become media darlings while Slayers are being painted as evil. After four years of being hunted by law enforcement, Buffy has allowed herself to be captured. Major AU.
Author's Note: Written for Day 23 of the 2022 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N 2: By writing this chapter, I have reached my word count goal for the 2022 Get Your Words Out challenge! Whoo hoo!
Chapters: Gibbs - Torres - Bishop - Bishop Part II - Bishop Part III - Gibbs Part II - Mallard -
Agents Bishop and Gibbs went into another observation room while Buffy was led into the interrogation room next door since the last one was probably still full of glass shards and CSIs. Did NCIS have CSIs or someone else to do their forensic stuff? Not that it mattered.
When he entered the room she was greeted by even more beefcakes placed in each corner of the room, and an extra one by the door. The sharply-dressed black man from before was standing next to the table looking calm and collected if a little impatient.
"I'm NCIS Director Leon Vance. Please have a seat."
She followed his directions and got as comfortable as she could on the hard chair. "I didn't know directors did interrogations. I kind of assumed that you guys just did the paperwork and yelled at your employees whenever they misbehave."
He gave her a hard look, "Normally, yes that is what we do, but on occasion, we do fieldwork in order to remember what it is like on the other side."
Buffy nodded and Director Vance continued, "But I was under the impression you were a director of some kind in your organization. Is that wrong?"
"Yes and no. I don't really have an office job. That isn't how Slayers operate. We exist to fight and kill, not to write reports in triplicate. Add in that people like your minions have killed off so many of my people and we need all the help we can get just to handle all the new Slayers."
Giles had tried to make her do office work, using her short-lived job at Sunnydale High as an example that she could do it if she put her mind to it, but, yeah. Just like her job at the Doublemeat Palace it hadn't ended well, so she had gotten herself a job in the field, and did a minimum of paperwork and meetings when she had to do it because of whatever evil they had to deal with.
"No one exists merely to fight and kill, Miss Summers. The world doesn't work that way."
"You're thinking from a human, all people have a choice perspective, and while that is true for your average human being. Slayers were quite literally created for the sole purpose of fighting and killing demons of all kinds and keeping the human population safe. Being Chosen isn't actually a choice for us. The Slayer spirit ensures that not fighting isn't an option. You can't separate the Slayer from the woman, we are one."
"That sounds like a terrible way to live your entire life. Decade and after decade of just fighting and killing innocent citizens." Vance's sharp brown eyes were watching her every move and her every facial muscle as it moved.
"Truthfully, most Slayers don't make it past two years. Our world is a violent one, and with law enforcement joining in and killing us our lifespans are even shorter." She debated with herself for a brief moment and then went on, "And most demons are not innocent. They kill humans every single day. The few non-violent species are left to their own devices as long as they don't become a nuisance."
Vance's eyebrows went up slightly for a second. "You consider some demon species to be non-violent?"
"Of course. There are those who don't bother anyone any more than your average human does. They mostly live hidden or in places where no one thinks twice about someone looking a little off. Those who can pass for human can live wherever, same for the those who are part human."
The director stared, "There are people out there who are part human and part demon?"
Buffy smiled a little, "Yes, Director Vance."
"You mean vampires since they have taken human hosts? They're considered part human?"
Buffy shook her head. "No. While vampires are part human, they don't take hosts. Taking a host implies that the human is still in there and conscious, and also that they most likely share the body. They don't. The human who originally had the body is dead, and they no longer have anything to do with their body. It is completely occupied and controlled by the demon. They are two completely separate entities."
"Vampires have the same memories and personalities as the human they were before."
"They have the memories, yes. And they can mimic the human's personality, but they are not the same person. Once turned the human is gone. In their place is a demon."
Vance leaned forward a little. "I know people who have allowed themselves to be turned, and they are the same people as they were before. Same personality, same intelligence. They do the same things as before. There's no difference."
"Except for the parts where they drink blood and can no longer go out in the sunshine."
"Of course."
"It probably won't seem like it for some time, but you will eventually understand that your friends are dead and that the demons who have taken over their bodies are playing a long game. The problem is, if we, meaning the Slayers, haven't managed to crack whatever's going on by then, it's not just going to be a coup but also a bloodbath."
Vance frowned, "What do you mean?"
"They have put a lot of effort into this scheme, a lot of time. While I'm sure they love the recognition and how easily fooled people are, there's an endgame. And that endgame won't be a happy one for humans or Slayers, or anyone else who is on the side of good."
"You are not good, Miss Summers. None of the Slayers are. We have gotten it confirmed by not just vampires, but also magicals who have been working closely with us that your kind is indeed evil. Their proof is indisputable."
Buffy couldn't help but give him a pitying look. "I'm sure it looks that way right now, and while I won't deny that there are Slayers who have done bad things, we are good."
"Slayers kill innocent citizens, for no other reason than their species. Some would call that racism."
She raised an eyebrow. "You were a field agent before you became the Director for NCIS, correct?"
"Yes."
"Did you ever kill anyone during that time?"
"Of course, it's an unfortunate part of our job."
"That you consider it to be obligatory to kill someone in the line of duty is disturbing, especially since you keep calling me evil, but I digress. Have you ever killed someone without being able to legally or morally justify the kill?"
He was full-on frowning at her now and his body had gone tense. "Where are you going with this?"
Buffy nodded, more to herself than him. "My point is, if you have a job or a destiny, things can and will go wrong. Nothing is perfect, things rarely if ever go according to plan. People die who shouldn't. The military and I guess the various law agencies, consider it to be collateral damage and then just try to either bury it or spin it in a way that makes whoever seem like a hero instead.
"You're a director, that means your dirty secrets are either safe, already in the open, or whoever knows about those secrets is just waiting in the shadows to use them against you."
"That's a lot of ifs and maybes. Nothing concrete."
"True. I didn't know you existed until I saw you on the other side of the two-way mirror, and I didn't know you were running this place until you told me. But there are a lot of eyes on us, and you have wasted a lot of time doing nothing. The suits on the other side of the glass are getting impatient."
Truthfully, so was she.
Director Vance did the 'sort-the-files-and-move-them-around to buy time. That was fine, she still had more than 11 hours before she had to be out of this building.
Author: 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions on TtH)
Crossover: BtVS / NCIS
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1,328
Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & NCIS: anytime after Ellie joined but before Abby left.
Disclaimer: Nothing copyrighted belongs to yours truly.
Summary: Vampires, witches, Slayers, and what goes bump in the night has been exposed to the public. The vampires have become media darlings while Slayers are being painted as evil. After four years of being hunted by law enforcement, Buffy has allowed herself to be captured. Major AU.
Author's Note: Written for Day 23 of the 2022 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N 2: By writing this chapter, I have reached my word count goal for the 2022 Get Your Words Out challenge! Whoo hoo!
Chapters: Gibbs - Torres - Bishop - Bishop Part II - Bishop Part III - Gibbs Part II - Mallard -
Agents Bishop and Gibbs went into another observation room while Buffy was led into the interrogation room next door since the last one was probably still full of glass shards and CSIs. Did NCIS have CSIs or someone else to do their forensic stuff? Not that it mattered.
When he entered the room she was greeted by even more beefcakes placed in each corner of the room, and an extra one by the door. The sharply-dressed black man from before was standing next to the table looking calm and collected if a little impatient.
"I'm NCIS Director Leon Vance. Please have a seat."
She followed his directions and got as comfortable as she could on the hard chair. "I didn't know directors did interrogations. I kind of assumed that you guys just did the paperwork and yelled at your employees whenever they misbehave."
He gave her a hard look, "Normally, yes that is what we do, but on occasion, we do fieldwork in order to remember what it is like on the other side."
Buffy nodded and Director Vance continued, "But I was under the impression you were a director of some kind in your organization. Is that wrong?"
"Yes and no. I don't really have an office job. That isn't how Slayers operate. We exist to fight and kill, not to write reports in triplicate. Add in that people like your minions have killed off so many of my people and we need all the help we can get just to handle all the new Slayers."
Giles had tried to make her do office work, using her short-lived job at Sunnydale High as an example that she could do it if she put her mind to it, but, yeah. Just like her job at the Doublemeat Palace it hadn't ended well, so she had gotten herself a job in the field, and did a minimum of paperwork and meetings when she had to do it because of whatever evil they had to deal with.
"No one exists merely to fight and kill, Miss Summers. The world doesn't work that way."
"You're thinking from a human, all people have a choice perspective, and while that is true for your average human being. Slayers were quite literally created for the sole purpose of fighting and killing demons of all kinds and keeping the human population safe. Being Chosen isn't actually a choice for us. The Slayer spirit ensures that not fighting isn't an option. You can't separate the Slayer from the woman, we are one."
"That sounds like a terrible way to live your entire life. Decade and after decade of just fighting and killing innocent citizens." Vance's sharp brown eyes were watching her every move and her every facial muscle as it moved.
"Truthfully, most Slayers don't make it past two years. Our world is a violent one, and with law enforcement joining in and killing us our lifespans are even shorter." She debated with herself for a brief moment and then went on, "And most demons are not innocent. They kill humans every single day. The few non-violent species are left to their own devices as long as they don't become a nuisance."
Vance's eyebrows went up slightly for a second. "You consider some demon species to be non-violent?"
"Of course. There are those who don't bother anyone any more than your average human does. They mostly live hidden or in places where no one thinks twice about someone looking a little off. Those who can pass for human can live wherever, same for the those who are part human."
The director stared, "There are people out there who are part human and part demon?"
Buffy smiled a little, "Yes, Director Vance."
"You mean vampires since they have taken human hosts? They're considered part human?"
Buffy shook her head. "No. While vampires are part human, they don't take hosts. Taking a host implies that the human is still in there and conscious, and also that they most likely share the body. They don't. The human who originally had the body is dead, and they no longer have anything to do with their body. It is completely occupied and controlled by the demon. They are two completely separate entities."
"Vampires have the same memories and personalities as the human they were before."
"They have the memories, yes. And they can mimic the human's personality, but they are not the same person. Once turned the human is gone. In their place is a demon."
Vance leaned forward a little. "I know people who have allowed themselves to be turned, and they are the same people as they were before. Same personality, same intelligence. They do the same things as before. There's no difference."
"Except for the parts where they drink blood and can no longer go out in the sunshine."
"Of course."
"It probably won't seem like it for some time, but you will eventually understand that your friends are dead and that the demons who have taken over their bodies are playing a long game. The problem is, if we, meaning the Slayers, haven't managed to crack whatever's going on by then, it's not just going to be a coup but also a bloodbath."
Vance frowned, "What do you mean?"
"They have put a lot of effort into this scheme, a lot of time. While I'm sure they love the recognition and how easily fooled people are, there's an endgame. And that endgame won't be a happy one for humans or Slayers, or anyone else who is on the side of good."
"You are not good, Miss Summers. None of the Slayers are. We have gotten it confirmed by not just vampires, but also magicals who have been working closely with us that your kind is indeed evil. Their proof is indisputable."
Buffy couldn't help but give him a pitying look. "I'm sure it looks that way right now, and while I won't deny that there are Slayers who have done bad things, we are good."
"Slayers kill innocent citizens, for no other reason than their species. Some would call that racism."
She raised an eyebrow. "You were a field agent before you became the Director for NCIS, correct?"
"Yes."
"Did you ever kill anyone during that time?"
"Of course, it's an unfortunate part of our job."
"That you consider it to be obligatory to kill someone in the line of duty is disturbing, especially since you keep calling me evil, but I digress. Have you ever killed someone without being able to legally or morally justify the kill?"
He was full-on frowning at her now and his body had gone tense. "Where are you going with this?"
Buffy nodded, more to herself than him. "My point is, if you have a job or a destiny, things can and will go wrong. Nothing is perfect, things rarely if ever go according to plan. People die who shouldn't. The military and I guess the various law agencies, consider it to be collateral damage and then just try to either bury it or spin it in a way that makes whoever seem like a hero instead.
"You're a director, that means your dirty secrets are either safe, already in the open, or whoever knows about those secrets is just waiting in the shadows to use them against you."
"That's a lot of ifs and maybes. Nothing concrete."
"True. I didn't know you existed until I saw you on the other side of the two-way mirror, and I didn't know you were running this place until you told me. But there are a lot of eyes on us, and you have wasted a lot of time doing nothing. The suits on the other side of the glass are getting impatient."
Truthfully, so was she.
Director Vance did the 'sort-the-files-and-move-them-around to buy time. That was fine, she still had more than 11 hours before she had to be out of this building.