Disclaimer: see Prologue

CHAPTER SIX

19:42 AUGUST 10

Although it was not yet dark, twilight had taken a firm hold on the evening, and the sun was dipping inevitably towards the mountainous horizon. It deepened in colour as it fell, a warm, rich orange hue that picked out the lengthening shadows in a soft glow. The sky was clear but for wisps of broken cloud that appeared to be interlaced with slowly diffusing aeroplane tails that shone with bright luminosity where they captured the fading light

A Shot in the Dark, was the name of a small café on Nevada Avenue between a Greek restaurant and an electrical store. It was fairly unobtrusive, without the normal holiday tourist trappings, and was popular with the locals for this reason, seeing regular traffic through its doors late into the night. The interior was divided into two distinct areas, separated by a central service bar opposite the kitchens. The front of the café was given over to large deep seated leather sofas, the sort that enveloped one whole once sat in and were very hard to leave. Between them stood low, broad wooden coffee tables stained dark and polished to reflect the soft lighting. The rear, and intended eating area, was predominantly occupied by tables and chairs, organised into booths partitioned by thin walls of loosely gathered bamboo canes.

Seated at a table in the farthest corner from the entrance, Buffy stopped nursing her flattening soda and twisted round to stare Dawn in surprise. Dawn had arrived moments earlier, and, after hooking her shoulder bag over the back of the chair beside Buffy, had set her overflowing cup down on the table with a loud clunk before sitting down with an audible sigh and regaling Buffy with her illegal exploits.

"Not Initiative?" For a moment Buffy had thought she'd misheard Dawn over the noise of the music, but her sister shook her head to confirm her statement.

"Not any part of the Initiative I could find, and I looked everywhere. Believe me." Dawn dipped her head to slurp the foam off the top of her steaming cappuccino then glanced ravenously over at the bar. "Do they do food here, right?"

"You hacked into the Initiative?" Buffy asked with not inconsiderable concern. "Tell me we're not going to have Federal Agents coming out of the woodwork…"

"Of course not!" Dawn rolled her eyes and leaned across Buffy to grab a laminated menu from the end of the table. "Willow showed me how to hide my location. You didn't think it was just research skills she was teaching me all those evenings. Well, that and math," she added with a nostalgic look, perusing the menu with hungry eyes.

"I had my fears, which, I might add, have just been realised," Buffy huffed and reached down under the table to take out her purse. Taking out her credit card she handed it over to Dawn with a stern glare. "You get arrested and I'm telling."

"I was doing you a favour." Dawn snatched the card from Buffy's fingers and rose quickly, her coffee slopping dangerously as her hip rocked the table. Buffy steadied it before spillage occurred and watched Dawn stalk purposefully to the bar and lean against the gleaming tiled counter, waiting to be served.

"I know you were, and thank you," she said when Dawn returned, clasping cutlery wrapped in a napkin in anticipation of her dinner. Buffy smiled apologetically. "It's just sometimes I forget you're all grown up now, and having your kid sister hack into top secret military records… well, it can be a little unnerving."

"Kid sister?" Dawn's scathing tone matched her indignant expression.

"Get over it," Buffy advised with a quick grin. "Seriously though Dawn, there's got to be a connection between the Colonel and the Initiative. Are you sure you looked everywhere?"

"Yes," Dawn confirmed emphatically, "and there was no record of any O'Neill – Colonel or otherwise – in their list of agents; I checked twice."

"We need Willow's help with this. Remind me to call Giles later."

Dawn pursed her lips in annoyance. "If you don't believe me then why don't you just 'ask' the Initiative – they helped you with Spike didn't they?"

"And this is where I point out that my method for contacting Riley is at the bottom of a rather large crater in Southern California," Buffy pointed out sardonically. "Plus, I hardly think they're going to give me the low-down on their latest Frankenstein project, even if I am the Slayer."

"He's in the Haedo Hills in Tacuarembó, Uruguay, until the eighteenth – I looked him up," Dawn replied smugly, enjoying the look of surprise on Buffy's face. "You wouldn't believe what they're doing down there," she continued, pausing only to take a sip of her coffee. "Apparently a tribe in the Amazon started worshiping this Vicuña demon – it's supposed to be some sort of tiger god, lots of teeth and claws; very aggressive. Anyway, to cut a long, and rather disgusting, story short, they actually managed to raise the Vicuña and, after it had finished eating the shocked tribesmen, it travelled south, wiping out any isolated buffets in its path. What I want to know is how one 'accidentally' raises a demon?"

"You're talking to the wrong person," replied Buffy, "you want Xander for that one."

Dawn snorted, remembering Xanders's wish on a stolen charm from the Magic Box that had inadvertently turned the whole of Sunnydale into a deadly musical production. One of the later examples in a list of Xander Harris-induced demonic weirdness.

"Though, to be fair he was on the Hellmouth at the time," Buffy mused. "Did Riley kill it?"

"Dunno, didn't say," Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "Ooh, thank God, food!" she announced fervently as she caught sight of the barman bringing her a plate adorned with a well toasted panini surrounded by a mountain of salad and bordered with a sea of tortilla chips.

"Still," Buffy said, frowning, "I'd rather not involve Riley unless absolutely necessary, especially now he's married." The last thing she wanted was to see Riley swanning in with his perfect commando wife on his arm, even if her sentiments were childish. She reached over and stole a chip from the mound on Dawn's plate.

"Hey!" Dawn complained through a mouthful of cheesy bread.

"I paid for it, remember?" Buffy reminded her and stole another chip to prove her point.

Dawn gave a world weary sigh. "Maybe Willow will know wher… isn't that him?"

"Riley?" Buffy exclaimed foolishly. She followed Dawn's gaze and saw a tall grey-haired man pass into the café, his face turned momentarily away from them as he spoke to someone obscured behind him. She watched Colonel O'Neill walk stiffly towards them, halting at the bar. His eyes met hers, then rose upwards to inspect the menu board.

"Yeah, that's him," said Buffy. She glanced at her watch. "Bang on time too. And look," she added with an edge entering her voice, "he's brought a friend. How nice."

20:01 AUGUST 10

"Is she here yet?" His hands stuffed in his chino pockets, Daniel squinted around the café, his eyes taking their time getting used to the change in light.

"Corner table," Jack informed him without taking his eyes from the board. He'd spotted the blonde and her sister the moment he'd stepped through the door, picking them out instantly because, to his chagrin, she'd chosen the exact same table he would've in her situation. It provided an almost complete view of everyone in the café including the single entrance, and also meant that anyone joining the pair would have their back to the door.

"Coffee?"

"Thanks," said Daniel, staring openly across the bar at the two girls. He licked his lips nervously. "Um, Jack, just before we join them—?

"Daniel," Jack cut him off, "if this is another lecture on the art of being diplomatic you know that cluck like a dog, bark like a chicken stuff's not me: that's why you're here, okay."

"What? No tact, decorum and civility in the military?" Daniel murmured with false surprise, disregarding the glower Jack sent in his general direction. "Just try and play nicely…?"

His suggestion was either not heard or deliberately ignored and Daniel found himself suddenly with a handful of coffee and empty space beside him as Jack wound his way round the bar towards the two girls in the corner.

Daniel, Jack moaned in his head, slowing as he approached the table, had been gradually driving him insane all afternoon, trying to drill him on the best way to entice Summers to cooperate with the SGC. It was a complete waste of time. He knew how to be charming already. Really. It was just some times he chose not to be. Take the Tok'ra for example, he was cultivating a total lack of charm in their presence with great care and dedication to the task – especially where Freya and Anise were concerned…

If Daniel wanted charm: he'd damn well show him charm. Jack quickly wiped the scowl from his face and beamed down at the two girls.

"Good evening ladies." He shone them the winning smile he knew always worked with Carter. "May I say you both look particularly stunning tonight… Hey, what happened to your eye?" His voice trailed away as the brunette, a black eye blossoming nicely, barely took her eyes off her food, munching steadily through a small country of tortilla chips, and the elder Summers simply stared back up at him, her blue eyes coldly unimpressed. "Oy, tough crowd," Jack muttered under his breath.

Daniel cleared his throat meaningfully; causing Jack to turn in confusion to look at the other man's impatiently raised eyebrows. What had he done wrong now?

"Who's your friend?" Summers asked bluntly, the welcoming tone in her voice patently false.

"Oh, sorry," Jack said, and quickly moved to correct his oversight, "can I introduce you to Doctor Daniel Jackson. Daniel, Miss Buffy Summers and her beautiful sister Dawn.

"It's a pleasure," Daniel said politely, stepping forward and holding out his hand.

Summers frowned curiously at Daniel, and Dawn raised her eyes and uttered a quick hello, but neither moved to reciprocate.

Sharing a grimace with Daniel, Jack pulled out the chair opposite Summers and sat himself down. He was dammed if he was going to wait for an invitation that clearly wasn't going to come. He wished the weather wasn't so hot; despite the air conditioning, it made him cranky and short tempered. Why on earth people still drank coffee in this weather was beyond him. What he really wanted, needed right now was a beer, preferably straight from the fridge. Instead he was stuck with a soda for which the only thing going was several teaspoons of sugar and a pathetic amount of caffeine. He ran his thumb around the cool neck of the bottle, wiping away the damp droplets of condensation that had gathered on its surface and stared across at the unreadable face before him. Jack glanced sideways at Daniel, whose eyes were flickering back and forth between him and Summers, a curious curl twisting his lips that looked suspiciously like amusement.

"So," said Jack, leaning back in his chair and trying to look more unconcerned that he was, wishing again that the conversation wasn't being recorded for later humiliation. "How are we going to do this?"

"How about my way?" Summers said, suddenly leaning forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Tell me if I get anything wrong: you've screwed up big time, your little 'science projects' have escaped and are running around town creating a rather embarrassing mess, and you've decided you want me to help with the cleanup operation."

"Something like that…" Jack glanced over at Daniel who was wide-eyed at the worryingly accurate summation of their state of affairs Summers had just given.

"Which only leaves the question," Summers continued, fixing Jack with a firm, no nonsense look. "Why me?"

"Given your evident understanding of the situation isn't that obvious?" Daniel asked.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Why the hell should I help you?"

Finally, thought Jack: an end to this silly beating around the bush, dancing round the subject, rubbish. "Because," he said evenly, "I think you're different from everyone else here, and, more importantly," he added, "I think you 'want' to help, or you wouldn't have summoned us here."

Jack grinned inwardly at the look of shock that flashed through Summers eyes. She hid the feeling quickly, but not before he'd seen it and relished the fact he'd somehow caught her off guard – never mind the fact that he didn't have a clue as to why his statement had resulted in her unexpected reaction. He picked up his drink and tilted it playfully to catch the light, tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide rushing haphazardly towards the surface.

"So, are you going to or not?"

"W-what?"

Jack looked quickly round the table, noting that Summers' sister looked just as confused at her loss of composure. Daniel was murmuring something helpful in his ear but Jack ignored him, wanting to follow up on his advantage.

"Are you going to help, or am I wasting my time?" he asked coldly.

"What Jack means—"

"I know what he meant," Summers snapped, cutting off Daniel's attempt at softening Jack's words. "And the answer's yes."

"That's yes to the helping part, not the wasting your time," Dawn interjected.

"But," Summers said, holding up a hand to stifle Jack's interruption, "we're doing it right this time."

Jack mouthed the words 'this time?' at Daniel, but the archaeologist shrugged his shoulders, returning his baffled expression.

"Dawn's drawn up some terms and conditions regarding our employment," Summers continued, nodding at her sister who delved in her pants pocket and pulled out a folded and slightly crumpled sheet of paper.

"I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement," Daniel said smoothly.

"No," Dawn said firmly, "these aren't requests, they're demands: non-negotiable."

"Or should we be talking to someone else, Jack?" Summers said pointedly.

She had a strangely triumphant look on her face, and Jack knew that whatever advantage he'd thought he'd had over her a moment before was completely gone. And it had been going so well…

"No…no…" Jack climbed to his feet and pulled out his cell phone. "I'll be back in a minute."

As Jack retreated to call General Hammond, Summers sat back with a satisfied expression, folding her arms across her stomach and fixed Daniel with an intense stare. Daniel could feel his left eye begin to twitch nervously under the scrutiny of her thousand yard stare. He broke eye contact with her with the excuse of stirring his coffee and did his best to disregard the smirk that crossed her lips. He picked up the cup and held it between his hands and attempted to think of some innocuous question that would qualify as small talk. 'Hurry up Jack,' Daniel prayed silently, shifting uncomfortable in his chair and glancing over his shoulder at the figure just visible through the café façade, pacing back and forth on the pavement outside.

"So…" said Daniel, returning his coffee to the table, "you're from Sunnydale?"

"Not originally," came Summers' short and uninformative reply.

Daniel felt an incomprehensible urge to fill the silence that followed. "Odd – what happened to the town, I mean."

"I guess," Summers replied without apparent interest, reaching over to take one of the few remaining chips off her sister's plate. She munched on it with a thoughtful look in her eyes, her gaze shifting between Daniel and the distant Colonel. She finished her soda. "You're not military."

It was more of a statement that a question, and bizarrely Daniel was actually pleased she'd been able to draw that distinction between himself and Jack despite his years with the SGC.

"No… I—" Daniel almost began to tell her about his role within the military before stopping himself with a mental slap. Buffy Summers may have known entirely too much about what was happening in the Springs, but Hammond would not be a happy General if he gave away more information than was entirely necessary.

The awkward silence returned. Daniel tapped his fingers against the warm side of his coffee cup and looked over his shoulder again. Jack was standing still now, facing away from the café and Daniel could tell nothing about what was happening. He turned back to the table.

"So, uh, can I get anyone another drink?"

"We're fine thanks," said Summers' sister. Her manner wasn't exactly hostile, but neither was it welcoming. He wondered if her glare would be as disconcerting as her elder sisters? What was her name? Dawn? It didn't really fit with Buffy – what 'had' their parents been thinking?

"First time in Colorado?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, whadaya need?" Jack said, sitting back down and leaning forward, all business.

Summers nodded at her sister and she slid the paper across to Daniel, her dark eyes watching him carefully as he unfolded the sheet and scanned the list she'd written. He raised his eyebrows and handed it to Jack with a funny look on his face.

It took about two seconds. Daniel counted.

"What! Are you NUTS!" Jack looked up at Summers then back down at the paper, his expression incredulous.

"Jack…" Daniel said warningly.

Summers grinned at Jack. "You know," she said conversationally, "apoplexy's a good look on you."

Daniel choked back a laugh, barely hiding it with an explosive cough.

"Is there a problem?" Dawn asked innocently.

"No problem," Daniel said quickly, "is there Jack?"

"Just a total breach of..." Jack caught Daniel's eye and saw the look the archaeologist was giving him. He took a deep breath. "No… no problem at all."

Jack stared down at the list in front of him and ran his eye over them again, hoping that somehow he'd misunderstood. Nope, they were just as bad the second time round…

"Good," Summers said meaningfully.

"Of course we'll have to clear this with the Base Commander," said Daniel.

"You back out on anything and the deal's off, capishe?" added Dawn.

"Even the…?" Jack pointed wordlessly at the fifth item on the list.

"Especially that," said Summers, her tone final.

Jack shook his head in disbelief.

"And you'll both be… helping?" Daniel asked.

"Just me for now, Dawn later 'if' you hold up your end of the bargain. Get back to us when you've talked to your boss – I believe you know where to find us…" she added with an ironic smile, rising to her feet along with her sister, hooking her bag over her shoulder.

"That's it?" Daniel said to the receding figures as they wove their way towards the exit. They didn't reply.

"General's not going to like this," Jack said glumly.

"No change there then," Daniel said with false cheerfulness. "Congratulations on keeping your temper by the way, I was really impressed."

"Why thank you," Jack replied sarcastically. "Anyway, what was so funny back there?" he added, remembering the amused look Daniel had borne through out most of the meeting.

"You were both staring at each other with the exact same look on your faces. Incredible."

"That's so the last time I buy you coffee," Jack growled.

22:16 AUGUST 10

The large grey elevator doors on level 27 slid apart smoothly and the Airman waiting patiently in the corridor had the good sense to step backwards as Colonel Jack O'Neill, complete with personal thundercloud, stormed out closely followed by Daniel Jackson, who bore an amused, if slightly strained, expression.

"No Daniel, I think it's an insane idea," Jack barked, not pausing for Daniel, who had to trot to catch up with him, sore knee ignored as he swept down the corridor towards General Hammond's office.

It was fortunate that this late at night, with no large missions scheduled in or out of the Stargate until Wednesday, the base had only a bare minimum of personnel on duty and the corridors were practically empty. Despite this, Daniel still had to gesture apologetically at an unobservant scientist who was nearly run down by the seething Colonel.

"Well, it's not like there isn't a precedent for bringing civilians into the SGC when they're needed," Daniel argued, trying to get Jack so slow down.

Jack rolled his eyes. He'd explained to Daniel three times already, twice in the car and again in the lift, why this was not the same situation. No way in hell was this the same situation – it was hardly comparable under any light. For starters, each and every person, civilian or military, underwent thorough background checks before even being allowed to step foot within the mountain. Anything even slightly suspicious in their personal history and the candidate was dropped faster than… faster than really hot things got dropped.

Under any other circumstance Buffy Summers wouldn't have been touched with two barge poles strapped together and attached to a M.A.L.P., possibly with the remote controlled from the other side of a wormhole to a very distant planet. Even taking the current circumstances into consideration there was no way Summers was going to get away with the little stunt she and her sister had just tried to pull. Daniel didn't understand the implications of what Summers was trying to do because he was primarily a civilian, Jack reasoned. General Hammond would see it his way. There was simply no chance he'd hand the SGC over to an unknown quantity on a plate, even in the most dire of state of affairs.

"Daniel, it would be li–"

"I'm a prime example," Daniel continued doggedly, determined to get his point across. "Then there was Dr Harlow, Doctor MacLaren, not to mention most of the scientists on this base!"

"And what if they're alien?"

"Um, Teal'c, Nyan?"

Jack stopped dead. "Neither of whom is demanding operational command in the field!" he surprised himself by practically shouting at Daniel who raised his eyebrows quizzically at the outburst.

"You're right Jack: what was I thinking?" Daniel replied softly, his tone demure though his eyes spoke differently.

Jack nearly answered his rhetorical question with a tart retort until he noticed they had reached the General's office and were being watched by both General Hammond and Major Paul Davis, the latter attired in full dress blues and peering curiously over his shoulder at the sudden interruption.

"Colonel, Doctor," General Hammond asked, closing the file that lay open on his desk and rising to his feet. "How did it go?"

As if he had to ask after that little display, Jack thought, grimacing. If he carried on like this in front of his Commanding Officer, especially after his slip up over procedure the previous week, then losing command to a small, blonde, manipulative, scheming… well, it would be the least of his worries.

"She made demands," Daniel volunteered, sounding altogether too cheerful.

"A whole list of them," Jack added, passing the controversial, and now heavily crumpled, sheet to the General, whose eyes widened perceptibly as he studied its contents.

"Are they serious?"

"Oh yes," replied Jack, "deadly, it would seem."

"This is one tall order, Colonel," continued General Hammond, shaking his head. "Miss Summers is aware this is a military installation?"

"Hence condition numero five, Sir," said Jack, rocking back on his heels. Perversely pleased that the General was looking as put out as he himself felt.

Which one was that again?" Daniel asked lightly.

Major Davis rose from his chair and squinted slightly as he peered over at the list General Hammond held out for him. "'In combat scenarios against hostiles that fall under the jurisdiction of Buffy Summers' expertise she, or any person or persons she so delegates, will assume command at her discretion,'" he read out. He glanced up at General Hammond with an unreadable expression on his face.

Daniel nodded slowly, "oh, that one."

"Yes, that one," Jack said evenly. There was no chance in hell Daniel had forgotten that little piece of information. He'd been very wrong about Daniel not fully comprehending the implications of what the Summers girls were demanding: he'd understood altogether too well, and, was finding it incredibly amusing to watch the fallout. Damn him.

"My personal favourite was the clause about honesty and openness," Daniel said with a gentle smile, "how about you, Paul?"

Major Davis scanned the document quickly, then looked up to meet Daniel's gaze. "Summers wrote this?" he asked with surprise.

"Her sister, I think," Daniel corrected.

"Well, she knows what she's doing all right," he concluded wryly.

"Yup, could have used her input on the treaty with the Tok'ra," Daniel agreed.

"But hey, at least she's not demanding the return of Alaska."

"Am I the only one taking this seriously?" Jack snapped, not getting the reference and irritated by the mutual grins the two men shared. As an Air Force officer he had at least expected better of Major Davis; instead the Major was joining in the levity that was overtaking what should have been a very grave discussion.

"No Colonel, you're not," said General Hammond. "Condition three, did they specify how the money was to be paid?"

"General, you're not actually considering agreeing to this?" Jack gaped.

"Erm, sorry to interrupt," said Major Davis, holding up a hand, "but this is precisely what General Hammond and I were conferring about just now." The General nodded for Major Davis to continue, and Davis took a deep breath. "The President wishes to advise the SGC that if Miss Summers feels her services would be beneficial all requests made by her should be granted wherever possible. Obviously all effort should be made to limit her exposure to sensitive areas of the Project and to keep her within the legitimate bounds of need-to-know–"

"How about the President stops sending us cryptic messages and tells us what's really going on?" Jack interrupted angrily.

"Colonel O–"

"I happen to agree with Colonel O'Neill," General Hammond cut Major Davis off. "I'd like to hear what the President knows about Buffy Summers that makes her so indispensable."

Major Davis shook his head, his expression apologetic. "I can't do that, General. I'm sorry, but it's not up to me. All I can say is that if the current situation is as you say then Buffy Summers may be ideally suited to preventing the alien incursion getting out of hand. She is, the President gathers, currently without employment and more than capable, as you yourself saw Colonel. Whether or not she is employed by this Command is up to you, General, but if I were you…" he shrugged.

"Oh for crying out loud," Jack sighed.

"Jack–"

"No Daniel, this is completely nuts! Summers turns up, makes all sorts of LUDICROUS demands, our Commander in Chief is suddenly playing twenty questions, and we're expected just to roll over and take it? Why the heck should we?"

"Because," Daniel replied, keeping his voice level, "we need her. You said yourself that she knows what she's dealing with, and after meeting her today I'd say only too well. Most of what's on that list," he gestured at the paper General Hammond still held, "is just common sense: she's protecting her interests and those of her sister. Yes, she wants control when we're in the field, but if she's good enough to save your butt from Captain Samuels then that's probably a good thing. Most of the other conditions can be worked around as we see fit without them being any the wiser if we do it right. They'll both be bound by all the same gag orders as the rest of us are, and given that she comes personally recommended and cleared by the President, I can't see the problem, can you?"

"I… yes," Jack insisted lamely, knowing he'd just lost the argument, but knowing and admitting were two entirely different things.

"You think we should bring them both in and cede to their terms?" General Hammond asked.

"In my opinion, yes," nodded Daniel.

"But–"

"Colonel?" General Hammond inquired.

"You just know she's going to be nothing but trouble," Jack muttered, but indicated his reluctant agreement with his team member.

"Yes, but she's worth all of it," Major Davis said too quietly for anyone else to hear.

"Doctor Jackson, if you'd be so kind as to oversee the drawing up of suitable contracts for Miss Summers and her sister, then we can start to do something about getting this situation under control, because as far as I'm concerned, we are responsible for each and every missing person in this morning's paper until I hear otherwise, understood?" General Hammond, said fixing Jack with a stern look. "I will not have this Command putting the residents of Colorado Springs in danger through ineptitude or an inability to adapt to what is required of us."