August 20: Inquisition: Mallard
Title: Inquisition: Chapter 07: Mallard
Author: 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions on TtH)
Crossover: BtVS / NCIS
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2,097
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 20 of the 2022 August Fic-A-Day.
Chapters: Gibbs - Torres - Bishop - Bishop Part II - Bishop Part III - Gibbs Part II -
It had taken a hard argument before Buffy had been allowed to get her own private examination in the same room as Agent Bishop rather than getting one right there in autopsy in front of Agents Gibbs and Bishop, plus her team of beefcake guards. All the guards were male, so that was just not an option. In the end, Bishop volunteered herself as a guard since she was the only other woman present. Buffy didn't bother pointing out that it didn't matter, if she had wanted to harm or kill them she could've and nothing they did would've helped. At least not much, but these people were not rational at the moment.
"Well, now that we are mostly alone," he implicated the blonde Federal Agent who had placed herself a short distance away so as not to hinder the good doctor. "I am Doctor Donald Mallard and the Cheif Medical Examiner at the NCIS Headquarters. Obviously, I normally work on the deceased, but I occasionally treat living patients as well." He gave her a friendly smile, which was a welcome break from all the hostility she had experienced recently.
"Buffy Summers," she responded. Then added a little cheekily, "Queen Slayer and the world's most hated person for four years running." Dr. Mallard gave a startled chuckle but chose otherwise not to acknowledge her response.
"Now, let's see what we've got." He calmly and professionally began the examination as she obediently followed his instructions. A couple of minutes in, he gave Agent Bishop a guarded look. "Can I trust you to keep everything happening in this room in confidence, Eleanor?"
The woman's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would I need to? It's an examination, you will have to tell Gibbs what conclusions you get to no matter what."
"Ah, I didn't mean what I find about Miss Summers' health, I'm certain she is in perfect condition. I meant a conversation I want to have with her."
Both of the women suddenly paid much closer attention to the elderly man. "What conversation?"
"Your word, Eleanor. I do not intend any harm, I assure you, but I need some answers."
Confusion and curiosity fought for dominance on the woman's face before she reached a conclusion. "Okay. Against my better judgment, I'll keep quiet as long as it doesn't pose a danger to anyone." Dr. Mallard thanked her and then gave his full attention to Buffy again.
He continued the examination, but it was clear it was a formality and he wasn't expecting to find anything amiss.
"A long, long time ago, I was approached by the Watcher's Council and asked to join them as a field medic and to generally be an on-call doctor for the Council. I refused the first couple of times as I was in the Royal Army Medical Corps, a unit in the British Army." He gave her eye contact before he continued.
"I am certain you know how well that went over."
Buffy gave a small grimace. "Yeah, I just bet they loved that answer."
"Quite. I never joined them officially, but I worked with them regularly over a few years and even met a few Slayers during my time there. They gave me the speech, and explained the duty of the Slayer, the Watchers, and certain parts about vampires and demons. Thankfully, they dismissed me after three years as they had found someone else who was willing to work full time for them."
Buffy's eyes widened, "They let you go? The Council just let you cut contact and allowed you to go on your merry way without putting you on a leash? That doesn't sound like them."
"Not exactly. They kept in contact, and I was an emergency backup should the need arise, but for the most part, they kept out of my way. I did remain on friendly terms with a few of them and they kept me updated on what was going on. Including the names and locations of the new Slayers."
"Ah," his current patient replied. "You've been hearing about me for years, even before the curtain came down."
"I have," he gave her a smile. "You ruffled many feathers and gave them quite a few grey hairs. Well done, my dear. They deserved it."
She smiled back, "Thank you. I don't follow orders well, especially when the orders are stupid and the people giving them are on the other side of the planet. Also, appreciate that you didn't fall into their mindset."
"Their stance on the young girls who become Slayers, and the Potentials, are quite unfortunate. It is one of the reasons I didn't want to join, and why I left as soon as I was able."
Outside their room, the men kept shifting impatiently. "Not that I mind the trip down memory lane, Doctor Mallard, but they're getting restless out there. So you said you have questions?"
"Yes, sorry. Do you know why everyone believes vampires to be good and Slayers to be evil without any evidence? In general, people are more skeptical of new ideas and changes, but this belief appears to be shared by most people. No one questions why they believe the vampires, but they will become quite hostile if you speak up against vampires." He glanced toward the door, "Jethro is a reasonable man, quite opinionated and harsh at times, but the vitriol I have heard him spew over the last several years has been quite distressing."
She sighed. "Unfortunately not. We're relatively certain there's a large group of warlocks, or several large groups of them spread around the world, working together to achieve this, but we don't have any proof. The most logical reason for the sudden presumption about vampires and Slayers is some major magical mojo. Something that can change people's perceptions and opinions long-distance and over a longer period of time.
"If we can figure out where even one of these groups is, we can break the chain. If we can break the chain then people should get back to their real selves, and when that happens we can finally begin fixing this mess. Or at least that's the theory."
Dr. Mallard had finished his exam and had quietly gotten out of her personal space. "So you have no solutions to what is ailing everyone?"
"I'm sorry, Dr. Mallard. We're trying, but it's difficult when law enforcement and bounty hunters keep killing Slayers and anyone working with or for us. It makes it really difficult to get new recruits when even talking to us can get them the death penalty."
Suddenly there was a 'knock' on her mind, and she quickly gave the room and especially the door a wary look. Buffy caught the doctor's eyes, "Magical call, stall if they get too impatient." Then she closed her eyes, crossed her legs on the table Mallard had used as an improvised examination table, and placed her hands in her lap.
*This isn't really a good time, Willow.*
"I'm sorry, but I have news!* Her red-headed friend's enthusiasm was a welcome change from the depression she had suffered because of all the people she had failed to save in the last few years because they couldn't stop the current Big Bad. *Good news! Well, semi-good. A good lead so it could lead to very, very good news and -*
*WILLOW! We're on the clock. I have a few minutes at the most.*
Clearly one of the new people they had managed to join them hadn't gotten the memo that Willow was not to be given coffee, or at the very least only in very, very small dosages. Like, a tiny shot glass at most. Or maybe they were hoping it would make her more effective and now they were suffering for their bad judgment because Willow on a caffeine high was the kind of fun that wasn't.
*Sorry!* the witch replied cheerfully. *But we have a location. We know where they're going to be three days from now, and you need to be there to stop them.*
Outside the conversation with her friend, she could hear Agent Gibbs banging on the door, and then he was conversing with Dr. Mallard who was thankfully stonewalling Gibbs for her. They needed to end this inter-continental magical 'phone' call before the angry agent broke down the door. Or Agent Bishop decided it was time to interfere.
*Do you know what they're going to do, how many are going to be there, or anything else?*
*There are seven warlocks on each continent. They're going to perform a ritual to keep the spell net active so people keep believing that the fanged ones are just misunderstood people with a sun allergy. Um, we don't know if they have guards or not, but probably because bad guys always have minions, don't they? Someone to stand around and look menacing and out of place so they're easier to find and kill. That really is a bad move, isn't it? They should try to blend in and-*
*WILLOW!*
Buffy could almost hear Willow take a deep breath before she continued. *Sorry, Buff. I've had three cups of coffee in the last hour and now I'm really hyper. We haven't been able to find more details, but I'll contact you as soon as we do. So you need to get out of there pronto and save the world because I really, really don't like what the world has turned into and I don't want to pretend to be dead anymore, and please be careful. The federal agents have lots of guns.*
"Miss Summers!* She could hear Dr. Mallard trying to get her attention. *I'll be careful, Wills, and I'll get out of here as soon as I can, but I'd prefer if it wasn't with a big bang and a manhunt.*
*You don't have a lot of time.* Buffy got the sense her friend was reading over notes or a passage in whatever book they had gotten the information from before she continued. *12 hours and you need to be on your way, at the latest since you need the time to travel in disguise. And as soon as you have dealt with the bad guys you need to come here. I haven't seen you in a long time and I need to make sure you're okay.*
This time the elderly gentleman was shaking her and he urgently tried to get her to respond. *I'm sorry, Willow. Time's up. I'll contact you when I'm there.* Willow gave her the location and then Buffy cut the link between them.
As she opened her eyes she got immediate eye contact with the doctor. "I'm sorry, Doctor Mallard. Urgent call, couldn't be avoided." At least she hadn't been in the presence of Agent Gibbs or somewhere with a surveillance camera, that would've been catastrophic.
"Are Slayers telepathic?" Damn, she cursed silently, she had forgotten about the Federal Agent in the room.
"No, not on our own. But some witches have the ability and they can talk mind-to-mind with anyone regardless of that person's innate magical ability." Of course, due to Buffy's experience with accidentally gaining the ability temporarily, she had gotten some lingering abilities which meant she could do it if the other person was magical in some way.
A loud banging and shouting interrupted Bishop's attempt to get more information.
"Right, time to get back out there before Agent Gibbs actually breaks the door." And she unfolded her legs and got down from the table before walking over and opening the door.
"Ever heard of patience, Agent Gibbs? Dr. Mallard used more time with Agent Bishop than he did with me."
Steel blue eyes pierced hers. "Bishop isn't a Slayer, and I don't worry about her hurting my M.E."
That hurt, but she didn't show it. "I didn't harm either of them. Dr. Mallard and I were just talking while he was examining me. Agent Bishop stood guard, just like you ordered her to do."
While they had been talking the other two had gotten back into the main room as well. "Calm down, Jethro. Miss Summers was quite the exemplary patient. She is also remarkably healthy, and unharmed by whoever tried to kill her and Eleanor."
A tall man with glasses was standing behind the guards, looking mostly curious about her but also a little worried. She gave him a small smile and a nod of recognition that she had seen him, but then returned her attention to the two old guys.
Soon after they were escorted out of the morgue and back upstrairs.
Author: 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions on TtH)
Crossover: BtVS / NCIS
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 2,097
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 20 of the 2022 August Fic-A-Day.
Chapters: Gibbs - Torres - Bishop - Bishop Part II - Bishop Part III - Gibbs Part II -
It had taken a hard argument before Buffy had been allowed to get her own private examination in the same room as Agent Bishop rather than getting one right there in autopsy in front of Agents Gibbs and Bishop, plus her team of beefcake guards. All the guards were male, so that was just not an option. In the end, Bishop volunteered herself as a guard since she was the only other woman present. Buffy didn't bother pointing out that it didn't matter, if she had wanted to harm or kill them she could've and nothing they did would've helped. At least not much, but these people were not rational at the moment.
"Well, now that we are mostly alone," he implicated the blonde Federal Agent who had placed herself a short distance away so as not to hinder the good doctor. "I am Doctor Donald Mallard and the Cheif Medical Examiner at the NCIS Headquarters. Obviously, I normally work on the deceased, but I occasionally treat living patients as well." He gave her a friendly smile, which was a welcome break from all the hostility she had experienced recently.
"Buffy Summers," she responded. Then added a little cheekily, "Queen Slayer and the world's most hated person for four years running." Dr. Mallard gave a startled chuckle but chose otherwise not to acknowledge her response.
"Now, let's see what we've got." He calmly and professionally began the examination as she obediently followed his instructions. A couple of minutes in, he gave Agent Bishop a guarded look. "Can I trust you to keep everything happening in this room in confidence, Eleanor?"
The woman's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would I need to? It's an examination, you will have to tell Gibbs what conclusions you get to no matter what."
"Ah, I didn't mean what I find about Miss Summers' health, I'm certain she is in perfect condition. I meant a conversation I want to have with her."
Both of the women suddenly paid much closer attention to the elderly man. "What conversation?"
"Your word, Eleanor. I do not intend any harm, I assure you, but I need some answers."
Confusion and curiosity fought for dominance on the woman's face before she reached a conclusion. "Okay. Against my better judgment, I'll keep quiet as long as it doesn't pose a danger to anyone." Dr. Mallard thanked her and then gave his full attention to Buffy again.
He continued the examination, but it was clear it was a formality and he wasn't expecting to find anything amiss.
"A long, long time ago, I was approached by the Watcher's Council and asked to join them as a field medic and to generally be an on-call doctor for the Council. I refused the first couple of times as I was in the Royal Army Medical Corps, a unit in the British Army." He gave her eye contact before he continued.
"I am certain you know how well that went over."
Buffy gave a small grimace. "Yeah, I just bet they loved that answer."
"Quite. I never joined them officially, but I worked with them regularly over a few years and even met a few Slayers during my time there. They gave me the speech, and explained the duty of the Slayer, the Watchers, and certain parts about vampires and demons. Thankfully, they dismissed me after three years as they had found someone else who was willing to work full time for them."
Buffy's eyes widened, "They let you go? The Council just let you cut contact and allowed you to go on your merry way without putting you on a leash? That doesn't sound like them."
"Not exactly. They kept in contact, and I was an emergency backup should the need arise, but for the most part, they kept out of my way. I did remain on friendly terms with a few of them and they kept me updated on what was going on. Including the names and locations of the new Slayers."
"Ah," his current patient replied. "You've been hearing about me for years, even before the curtain came down."
"I have," he gave her a smile. "You ruffled many feathers and gave them quite a few grey hairs. Well done, my dear. They deserved it."
She smiled back, "Thank you. I don't follow orders well, especially when the orders are stupid and the people giving them are on the other side of the planet. Also, appreciate that you didn't fall into their mindset."
"Their stance on the young girls who become Slayers, and the Potentials, are quite unfortunate. It is one of the reasons I didn't want to join, and why I left as soon as I was able."
Outside their room, the men kept shifting impatiently. "Not that I mind the trip down memory lane, Doctor Mallard, but they're getting restless out there. So you said you have questions?"
"Yes, sorry. Do you know why everyone believes vampires to be good and Slayers to be evil without any evidence? In general, people are more skeptical of new ideas and changes, but this belief appears to be shared by most people. No one questions why they believe the vampires, but they will become quite hostile if you speak up against vampires." He glanced toward the door, "Jethro is a reasonable man, quite opinionated and harsh at times, but the vitriol I have heard him spew over the last several years has been quite distressing."
She sighed. "Unfortunately not. We're relatively certain there's a large group of warlocks, or several large groups of them spread around the world, working together to achieve this, but we don't have any proof. The most logical reason for the sudden presumption about vampires and Slayers is some major magical mojo. Something that can change people's perceptions and opinions long-distance and over a longer period of time.
"If we can figure out where even one of these groups is, we can break the chain. If we can break the chain then people should get back to their real selves, and when that happens we can finally begin fixing this mess. Or at least that's the theory."
Dr. Mallard had finished his exam and had quietly gotten out of her personal space. "So you have no solutions to what is ailing everyone?"
"I'm sorry, Dr. Mallard. We're trying, but it's difficult when law enforcement and bounty hunters keep killing Slayers and anyone working with or for us. It makes it really difficult to get new recruits when even talking to us can get them the death penalty."
Suddenly there was a 'knock' on her mind, and she quickly gave the room and especially the door a wary look. Buffy caught the doctor's eyes, "Magical call, stall if they get too impatient." Then she closed her eyes, crossed her legs on the table Mallard had used as an improvised examination table, and placed her hands in her lap.
*This isn't really a good time, Willow.*
"I'm sorry, but I have news!* Her red-headed friend's enthusiasm was a welcome change from the depression she had suffered because of all the people she had failed to save in the last few years because they couldn't stop the current Big Bad. *Good news! Well, semi-good. A good lead so it could lead to very, very good news and -*
*WILLOW! We're on the clock. I have a few minutes at the most.*
Clearly one of the new people they had managed to join them hadn't gotten the memo that Willow was not to be given coffee, or at the very least only in very, very small dosages. Like, a tiny shot glass at most. Or maybe they were hoping it would make her more effective and now they were suffering for their bad judgment because Willow on a caffeine high was the kind of fun that wasn't.
*Sorry!* the witch replied cheerfully. *But we have a location. We know where they're going to be three days from now, and you need to be there to stop them.*
Outside the conversation with her friend, she could hear Agent Gibbs banging on the door, and then he was conversing with Dr. Mallard who was thankfully stonewalling Gibbs for her. They needed to end this inter-continental magical 'phone' call before the angry agent broke down the door. Or Agent Bishop decided it was time to interfere.
*Do you know what they're going to do, how many are going to be there, or anything else?*
*There are seven warlocks on each continent. They're going to perform a ritual to keep the spell net active so people keep believing that the fanged ones are just misunderstood people with a sun allergy. Um, we don't know if they have guards or not, but probably because bad guys always have minions, don't they? Someone to stand around and look menacing and out of place so they're easier to find and kill. That really is a bad move, isn't it? They should try to blend in and-*
*WILLOW!*
Buffy could almost hear Willow take a deep breath before she continued. *Sorry, Buff. I've had three cups of coffee in the last hour and now I'm really hyper. We haven't been able to find more details, but I'll contact you as soon as we do. So you need to get out of there pronto and save the world because I really, really don't like what the world has turned into and I don't want to pretend to be dead anymore, and please be careful. The federal agents have lots of guns.*
"Miss Summers!* She could hear Dr. Mallard trying to get her attention. *I'll be careful, Wills, and I'll get out of here as soon as I can, but I'd prefer if it wasn't with a big bang and a manhunt.*
*You don't have a lot of time.* Buffy got the sense her friend was reading over notes or a passage in whatever book they had gotten the information from before she continued. *12 hours and you need to be on your way, at the latest since you need the time to travel in disguise. And as soon as you have dealt with the bad guys you need to come here. I haven't seen you in a long time and I need to make sure you're okay.*
This time the elderly gentleman was shaking her and he urgently tried to get her to respond. *I'm sorry, Willow. Time's up. I'll contact you when I'm there.* Willow gave her the location and then Buffy cut the link between them.
As she opened her eyes she got immediate eye contact with the doctor. "I'm sorry, Doctor Mallard. Urgent call, couldn't be avoided." At least she hadn't been in the presence of Agent Gibbs or somewhere with a surveillance camera, that would've been catastrophic.
"Are Slayers telepathic?" Damn, she cursed silently, she had forgotten about the Federal Agent in the room.
"No, not on our own. But some witches have the ability and they can talk mind-to-mind with anyone regardless of that person's innate magical ability." Of course, due to Buffy's experience with accidentally gaining the ability temporarily, she had gotten some lingering abilities which meant she could do it if the other person was magical in some way.
A loud banging and shouting interrupted Bishop's attempt to get more information.
"Right, time to get back out there before Agent Gibbs actually breaks the door." And she unfolded her legs and got down from the table before walking over and opening the door.
"Ever heard of patience, Agent Gibbs? Dr. Mallard used more time with Agent Bishop than he did with me."
Steel blue eyes pierced hers. "Bishop isn't a Slayer, and I don't worry about her hurting my M.E."
That hurt, but she didn't show it. "I didn't harm either of them. Dr. Mallard and I were just talking while he was examining me. Agent Bishop stood guard, just like you ordered her to do."
While they had been talking the other two had gotten back into the main room as well. "Calm down, Jethro. Miss Summers was quite the exemplary patient. She is also remarkably healthy, and unharmed by whoever tried to kill her and Eleanor."
A tall man with glasses was standing behind the guards, looking mostly curious about her but also a little worried. She gave him a small smile and a nod of recognition that she had seen him, but then returned her attention to the two old guys.
Soon after they were escorted out of the morgue and back upstrairs.