FF Witches Powder Chapter 28.
Title: Witches Powder
Author: Dark Wyldchilde (wyldchilde37@yahoo.com)
Rating: As always better NC-17 then sorry.
Pairing: Faith/Tara, Ziva/Abby
Setting: The Lock, an AU of my own creation that started it's own path in season 6 of Buffy, mixed in the end of Angel, and the current run of NCIS as well as healthy elements of the Mack Bolan/Stony Man Farm novels.
Summary: The Lock doesn't tend to societies ills, but the hot new party drug on the scene is looking like it will take their special expertise.
Spoilers: Anything Buffy/Angel/NCIS/Executioner may be used or referred to, read at your own risk.
Disclaimers: This is a non-profit work of fanfiction and is in no way a challenge to any existing copyrights.
Wyld's Notes: This is now the sixth fic in the Lock series. Starting with "Life on the Farm" and progressing through "Downtime". If you haven't read them I would suggest you do because while there are many familiar faces figuring out how they got where they are at could get confusing.
Chapter 28.
He motioned Mike to follow, and as the man did Gibbs spoke in a soft voice. "Mike, that was an eleven year old girl... we've titled them baby slayers... now imagine her having a tempter tantrum."
That brought Mike to a stop both physically and mentally as he looked to Gibbs. At first Gibbs just nodded. "At that age Mike all we do is teach them how to control their powers so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else..." Gibbs sighed. "And we teach them how to protect themselves from the threats that would target them."
It was a notion that injected steel into the old Marine's spine. "Who would target eleven year old girls?"
He continued in that same soft tone. "You have to understand Mike. When those girls grow into their power each and every one of them will be a super powered soldier with an instinctive drive to hunt supernatural threats."
Mike filled in the blank. "And if they can get to them before that point."
A saddened nod. "Some want to take out potential threats early. Some seem to just want to take out the frustration they feel over how well our trained slayers are doing... and others we think are trying to figure out a way to convert them."
They kept walking, speaking in hushed tones as Gibbs continued. "We think some supernatural elements are hoping to find slayers of their own that can be turned to fight on their behalf. In those cases we're lucky because so far it seems those slayer instincts are keeping it from working."
"Those cases?"
Gibbs sighed, Mike could always find those points Gibbs didn't want to address. "Yeah, we don't know of any confirmed incidents, but one of our girls here was smuggled out of Communist China. Partially to train her in how to use her powers, but also to keep her from being exploited by the Communist Government there."
Mike was skeptical. "So you're not exploiting them?"
"Mike, I don't know what picks slayers, but it damn sure ain't us. We are however committed to the same battle they were literally born for, but still we don't draft. We never have, we never will. Everyone here is a volunteer. In the case of the slayers we're just the support system that has added a decade plus to their projected life span."
"Huh?" Was Mike's reply.
"Before the Lock was established a slayer never seemed to survive past her teens. With our training, our support, and the fact that we've organized them into units for the most part their survival rates are on the rise. We've only here for just over a decade, and the slayers a few years less, but our projections are giving those girls better odds then they've ever had."
"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby ran up to as they were about to enter the control room. "I figured it out!"
Gibbs was smiling at the jubilant Goth. "What is it you figured out Abby?"
"The anti-vampire bullet! At least I think I figured it out. We have to get to the actual field testing, but they've worked on the firing range."
Mike hadn't even been noticed and he sought to rectify that. "Hello?"
Abby turned at the sound. "MIKE!" She pulled the now smiling man into a hug, and Mike happily returned it.
Pulling back the always smiling woman was smiling wider. "When did you get here?"
"Maybe an hour ago. I managed to dust a vampire down in Mexico, and looking into it I managed to find a pattern. I let Leroy here know and next thing I knew I was being asked up here to report in person."
She hugged him again. "It's so good to see you! It's also good to know you didn't get hurt."
Franks scoffed. "The thing just thought I was another old gringo. It didn't stand a chance."
While he was smiling at the exchange Gibbs was curious about the bullet in Abby's hand. "You mentioned an anti-vampire bullet?"
Abby held up the bullet, looking at it as if to confirm that was indeed what she had came there to talk about. "Yeah, right. Well I was remembering some of the slayer's war stories and more then once they talked about having to improvise stakes out of furniture."
A woodworker himself Gibbs took a closer look at the bullet Abby was holding. "Varnish."
Abby's smile grew excited. "EXACTLY! It's actually more of a super high-tech polymer, BUT it IS made of wood, and with the polymer it CAN keep it's shape in flight."
Mike's expression asked Abby for permission to hold the round, and as he handed it over he regarded it closer. "I know the one I took out turned to dust the second I sunk the stake in."
Abby pushed in closer, pointing at the round. "Uh huh, from all accounts as soon as wood meets heart the vampire's dust. This works on the theory that the bullet can punch through dust, or get turned to dust with the vamp, or whatever. As soon as the wood bullet meets vamp heart it should be all over."
Mike gave the woman a smile. "Should?"
Abby rolled her eyes. "Well you never know till it's tested in the field, but the way it would work is one slayer would carry a gun loaded with the bullets while 2-3 three of her friends would be carrying stakes. Either way the vampire would be dust, but hopefully they will be able to bring me back vast amounts of field testing data."
His tone then became more stern. "You don't go out there yourself do you?"
Abby looked down at her platform shoes. "No, Ziva made it clear that is NOT going to happen."
Gibbs realized what Abby had let slip before Abby did, and he saw it bring a twinkle to Mike's eye as the older man feigned confusion. "Ziva? What would she have to do with it?"
Abby's pale skin quickly turned blush before she looked up and saw both men grinning at her. Her response was to pout.
Mike's smile grew at the expression. "Don't worry about it darlin. I'm just glad you two finally realized your feelings for each other."
That was one of the bigger things the two men had in common, while they might both be old fashioned they both figured that as long as you weren't hurting any body what you did in your own life was your own damn business.
The fact that it was something that made Abby as obviously happy as she was just being all the more motivation to support their rights to live their lives as the women chose.
The happy Goth followed the men into the control room to find the normally bustling eye of the storm at one of it's moments of calm.
While Franks spotted McGee at one of the computers, and DiNozzo standing there he was talking to a familiar face that claimed all of Mike's attention even though she was someone he had never met before.
She was blonde, pretty, fair skinned with blue eyes. She was confined to a wheelchair and had a combination of bruises and bandages that not only told the combat veteran the woman had been through a rough time as of late, but filled him with an urge to find and kill those who did it.
No, while Mike had never met the woman before she was hauntingly familiar, and as he threw a glance over to Probie he knew that he wasn't imagining things. That woman was a blood relation of Gibbs late wife and daughter.
It was haunting for Franks because the only times he had seen the Gibbs women had been in family pictures at their home, and cold and dead at the crime scene or on ME tables. Yet the resemblance was unmistakable, looking over at Gibbs he knew it wasn't just physical.
There was something to Gibbs that Franks had never seen, but that wasn't true, not entirely. Franks had seen that light go out when he had brought the Marine to identify the bodies of his wife and daughter, seeing that there was no mistake, that his wife and daughter were dead.
After loosing his son he knew that nothing could take that pain away, but he also had his granddaughter, and he knew that could fill some of that hole left behind.
It amplified his urge to find and kill whoever had put the obviously gentle soul in a wheelchair, and that urge showed in his voice as he spoke. "Probie?" As Gibbs looked over Franks continued. "The ones who hurt her?"
Gibbs eyes darkened, as did his voice. "Dead."
Franks had his own one word response. "Good."
Abby had felt the change in the air between the two men, and while she probably agreed with their feelings on the matter she still quickly stepped forward to catch Tara's attention.
It worked and Tara rolled herself forward, scowling at Tony as he slipped in behind her to give her a push that short distance.
"Mister Franks? My name is Tara Maclay, though some here call me Witch Woman. Thank you for coming."
The end of Witches Powder.
Please stay tuned all. I have already started the next fic in the series "Blast from the Past" and plan on starting to post it Thursday September 1st. It's technically unfinished, but so was Witches Powder at the start. Still reader beware in that case.
By Thursday I plan on having enough of a lead built so I will always be able to follow my chapter a day postings, but if something ever happens to mess up that order I will post a note to my journal. Thank you.
Author: Dark Wyldchilde (wyldchilde37@yahoo.com)
Rating: As always better NC-17 then sorry.
Pairing: Faith/Tara, Ziva/Abby
Setting: The Lock, an AU of my own creation that started it's own path in season 6 of Buffy, mixed in the end of Angel, and the current run of NCIS as well as healthy elements of the Mack Bolan/Stony Man Farm novels.
Summary: The Lock doesn't tend to societies ills, but the hot new party drug on the scene is looking like it will take their special expertise.
Spoilers: Anything Buffy/Angel/NCIS/Executioner may be used or referred to, read at your own risk.
Disclaimers: This is a non-profit work of fanfiction and is in no way a challenge to any existing copyrights.
Wyld's Notes: This is now the sixth fic in the Lock series. Starting with "Life on the Farm" and progressing through "Downtime". If you haven't read them I would suggest you do because while there are many familiar faces figuring out how they got where they are at could get confusing.
Chapter 28.
He motioned Mike to follow, and as the man did Gibbs spoke in a soft voice. "Mike, that was an eleven year old girl... we've titled them baby slayers... now imagine her having a tempter tantrum."
That brought Mike to a stop both physically and mentally as he looked to Gibbs. At first Gibbs just nodded. "At that age Mike all we do is teach them how to control their powers so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else..." Gibbs sighed. "And we teach them how to protect themselves from the threats that would target them."
It was a notion that injected steel into the old Marine's spine. "Who would target eleven year old girls?"
He continued in that same soft tone. "You have to understand Mike. When those girls grow into their power each and every one of them will be a super powered soldier with an instinctive drive to hunt supernatural threats."
Mike filled in the blank. "And if they can get to them before that point."
A saddened nod. "Some want to take out potential threats early. Some seem to just want to take out the frustration they feel over how well our trained slayers are doing... and others we think are trying to figure out a way to convert them."
They kept walking, speaking in hushed tones as Gibbs continued. "We think some supernatural elements are hoping to find slayers of their own that can be turned to fight on their behalf. In those cases we're lucky because so far it seems those slayer instincts are keeping it from working."
"Those cases?"
Gibbs sighed, Mike could always find those points Gibbs didn't want to address. "Yeah, we don't know of any confirmed incidents, but one of our girls here was smuggled out of Communist China. Partially to train her in how to use her powers, but also to keep her from being exploited by the Communist Government there."
Mike was skeptical. "So you're not exploiting them?"
"Mike, I don't know what picks slayers, but it damn sure ain't us. We are however committed to the same battle they were literally born for, but still we don't draft. We never have, we never will. Everyone here is a volunteer. In the case of the slayers we're just the support system that has added a decade plus to their projected life span."
"Huh?" Was Mike's reply.
"Before the Lock was established a slayer never seemed to survive past her teens. With our training, our support, and the fact that we've organized them into units for the most part their survival rates are on the rise. We've only here for just over a decade, and the slayers a few years less, but our projections are giving those girls better odds then they've ever had."
"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby ran up to as they were about to enter the control room. "I figured it out!"
Gibbs was smiling at the jubilant Goth. "What is it you figured out Abby?"
"The anti-vampire bullet! At least I think I figured it out. We have to get to the actual field testing, but they've worked on the firing range."
Mike hadn't even been noticed and he sought to rectify that. "Hello?"
Abby turned at the sound. "MIKE!" She pulled the now smiling man into a hug, and Mike happily returned it.
Pulling back the always smiling woman was smiling wider. "When did you get here?"
"Maybe an hour ago. I managed to dust a vampire down in Mexico, and looking into it I managed to find a pattern. I let Leroy here know and next thing I knew I was being asked up here to report in person."
She hugged him again. "It's so good to see you! It's also good to know you didn't get hurt."
Franks scoffed. "The thing just thought I was another old gringo. It didn't stand a chance."
While he was smiling at the exchange Gibbs was curious about the bullet in Abby's hand. "You mentioned an anti-vampire bullet?"
Abby held up the bullet, looking at it as if to confirm that was indeed what she had came there to talk about. "Yeah, right. Well I was remembering some of the slayer's war stories and more then once they talked about having to improvise stakes out of furniture."
A woodworker himself Gibbs took a closer look at the bullet Abby was holding. "Varnish."
Abby's smile grew excited. "EXACTLY! It's actually more of a super high-tech polymer, BUT it IS made of wood, and with the polymer it CAN keep it's shape in flight."
Mike's expression asked Abby for permission to hold the round, and as he handed it over he regarded it closer. "I know the one I took out turned to dust the second I sunk the stake in."
Abby pushed in closer, pointing at the round. "Uh huh, from all accounts as soon as wood meets heart the vampire's dust. This works on the theory that the bullet can punch through dust, or get turned to dust with the vamp, or whatever. As soon as the wood bullet meets vamp heart it should be all over."
Mike gave the woman a smile. "Should?"
Abby rolled her eyes. "Well you never know till it's tested in the field, but the way it would work is one slayer would carry a gun loaded with the bullets while 2-3 three of her friends would be carrying stakes. Either way the vampire would be dust, but hopefully they will be able to bring me back vast amounts of field testing data."
His tone then became more stern. "You don't go out there yourself do you?"
Abby looked down at her platform shoes. "No, Ziva made it clear that is NOT going to happen."
Gibbs realized what Abby had let slip before Abby did, and he saw it bring a twinkle to Mike's eye as the older man feigned confusion. "Ziva? What would she have to do with it?"
Abby's pale skin quickly turned blush before she looked up and saw both men grinning at her. Her response was to pout.
Mike's smile grew at the expression. "Don't worry about it darlin. I'm just glad you two finally realized your feelings for each other."
That was one of the bigger things the two men had in common, while they might both be old fashioned they both figured that as long as you weren't hurting any body what you did in your own life was your own damn business.
The fact that it was something that made Abby as obviously happy as she was just being all the more motivation to support their rights to live their lives as the women chose.
The happy Goth followed the men into the control room to find the normally bustling eye of the storm at one of it's moments of calm.
While Franks spotted McGee at one of the computers, and DiNozzo standing there he was talking to a familiar face that claimed all of Mike's attention even though she was someone he had never met before.
She was blonde, pretty, fair skinned with blue eyes. She was confined to a wheelchair and had a combination of bruises and bandages that not only told the combat veteran the woman had been through a rough time as of late, but filled him with an urge to find and kill those who did it.
No, while Mike had never met the woman before she was hauntingly familiar, and as he threw a glance over to Probie he knew that he wasn't imagining things. That woman was a blood relation of Gibbs late wife and daughter.
It was haunting for Franks because the only times he had seen the Gibbs women had been in family pictures at their home, and cold and dead at the crime scene or on ME tables. Yet the resemblance was unmistakable, looking over at Gibbs he knew it wasn't just physical.
There was something to Gibbs that Franks had never seen, but that wasn't true, not entirely. Franks had seen that light go out when he had brought the Marine to identify the bodies of his wife and daughter, seeing that there was no mistake, that his wife and daughter were dead.
After loosing his son he knew that nothing could take that pain away, but he also had his granddaughter, and he knew that could fill some of that hole left behind.
It amplified his urge to find and kill whoever had put the obviously gentle soul in a wheelchair, and that urge showed in his voice as he spoke. "Probie?" As Gibbs looked over Franks continued. "The ones who hurt her?"
Gibbs eyes darkened, as did his voice. "Dead."
Franks had his own one word response. "Good."
Abby had felt the change in the air between the two men, and while she probably agreed with their feelings on the matter she still quickly stepped forward to catch Tara's attention.
It worked and Tara rolled herself forward, scowling at Tony as he slipped in behind her to give her a push that short distance.
"Mister Franks? My name is Tara Maclay, though some here call me Witch Woman. Thank you for coming."
The end of Witches Powder.
Please stay tuned all. I have already started the next fic in the series "Blast from the Past" and plan on starting to post it Thursday September 1st. It's technically unfinished, but so was Witches Powder at the start. Still reader beware in that case.
By Thursday I plan on having enough of a lead built so I will always be able to follow my chapter a day postings, but if something ever happens to mess up that order I will post a note to my journal. Thank you.