A/N: Chapter thirty eight of the series.

Disclaimer: All belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in airing the shows. Original characters are mine.

Feedback: Sure, if you want to.

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London, England

The Watcher's Council

December 2017

"I don't really like where this is going."

Buffy turned to look at Giles and laughed.

"Well, duh." She chuckled. Next to her, slayers and watchers were running into the safety of SL1, some of them carrying weapons and most of them carrying food or water, necessary for their made up base camp.

"What are they waiting for?" Dawn whispered, noting how the turok hans had completely surrounded the building but were not making any attempt of getting inside.

"Damned if I know." Buffy whispered back. "Maybe since we're bunking inside, the building has become a living quarter and they need an invitation to get in. Who knows?"

"That would seem plausible, yes." Giles appeared behind them, carrying two broad swords and handing one two Buffy. "Willow, on the other hand, thinks it has more to do with the protection barriers erected years ago around the building."

Both Dawn and Buffy blushed and nodded.

"Already knew that." Dawn said.

"Oh yeah, totally. Completely aware of that."

"Yes, indeed, how many slayers and watchers still to get inside?" Giles asked, looking at the constant flow of people.

"We should all be inside in the next five minutes." Buffy replied. "Have you contacted Wesley?"

"Not yet." Giles admitted. "Plus, I think they wouldn't be quite able to get inside, would them?" The head watcher pointed at the army of primitive vampires gathered outside.

"That would be difficult, yes." Dawn grimaced. "But we should at least warn them."

Giles nodded and handed her his cell phone before heading back and going inside SL1. Dawn looked at the device in her hand and scoffed.

"I meant you should call him!" She shouted after him before sighing and opening the phone.

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Wesley didn't like what he was feeling and he turned to look at Illyria. The goddess returned his gaze and he found the same uncertainty in her eyes. At least he thought that look meant uncertainty, for the creature walking next to him was hardly fazed by anything.

"Connor, wait." Wesley spoke. "I don't think the Council is the safest place to go right now."

Connor stopped and turned to look at the both of them.

"You just said we had to get back." The young man replied.

"I know what I said." Wesley huffed. "But I believe the turok hans have finally focused their attack there."

"Which is precisely why we should hurry up and get there!"

Wesley was about to reply when his cell began ringing. He sighed and rubbed his forehead before answering.

"What."

"Wesley? Dawn here, where are you?"

Wesley frowned and checked the number ID on his screen.

"Why are you calling me from Giles' number?" He asked.

"He gave it to me, why else do you think?" Dawn hissed. "Look, it doesn't matter. You shouldn't get too close to the Council right now. It's completely surrounded by turok hans."

"Exactly the way we wanted." Wesley said. "All slayers inside?"

"Yes, but..."

"No time." Wesley interrupted. "Activate the defense protocols and have half the slayers attack..."
"Wait! Wait!" Now Dawn interrupted. "Before you go Rambo on us, an earthquake hit the Council a couple of minutes ago, did you feel it?"

Wesley looked at Illyria and at Connor, who he knew could hear Dawn's voice.

"No, we didn't feel any tremor." Wesley sighed. "How much damage did we take?"

"Heavy stuff. We doubt electricity will hold up much longer. We think the power station was damaged." Dawn replied.

"You're heading towards one of the Sublevels, right?"

"Yeah, but there's more."

"Oh, great."

"Yup. The earthquake seems to have opened a rift on the floor of SL4." Dawn said.

"That's impossible. Sl4's floor is pure rock and granite." Wesley replied.

"That's impossible for you." Dawn countered. "But a dozen slayers saw the hole and Xander says there is something down there."

"Something?"

"Yeah, like a gazillion turok hans."

"Shit." Wesley covered the mouthpiece of his cell and looked at his companions.

"The Council's been hit." He said. "There are turok hans surrounding it and there are countless others striking from beneath."

"Thought that couldn't be done." Connor stated.

"Thought so as well." Wesley said. "They're going to hide in most likely SL1."

He took his hand off the mouthpiece and spoke into the phone again.

"You are planning on hiding on SL1, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, what happened?"

"Spoke to Illyria and Connor." Wesley paused. "Look, we're going to try to get as close as possible and assess the situation from a higher point. I'll call you when we get to our positions."
"Cool. Oh, by the way, the higher point thing? Not advisable." Dawn said.

"Why?"

"The army is two minutes from spraying the city with napalm."

Wesley's eyes widened and he closed the cell without replying. He looked at his two companions and then up in the sky.

"Napalm, huh?" Connor asked and also looked up.

"What is that device?" Illyria asked, her head cocked to the side. "And why has it you two looking up into the skies? Is it a weather condition?"

"It's fire." Connor replied. "Quite hot. It burns everything, even the things that are not prone to catch fire."

"Fire doesn't harm me." Illyria stated. "Or Wesley, for that matter."

"Uh, but I'm not fireproof." Connor said. "Sucks to be me, then?"

"No." Wesley replied. "But we'll have to find a practical fox hole to..."

Wesley shut up and quickly turned around, the motion mimicked by his two companions.

"I've heard that noise before." Illyria said, clearly bothered. "It is produced by your fuel propelled airborne vehicles."

"Does she talk like this all the time?" Connor suddenly asked.

"You have no idea." Wesley replied, not taking his eyes from the sky. "But she's right."

"Huh?"

"She meant the RAF."

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All slayers and watchers were inside the safety of SL1 when Buffy heard Xander's voice shouting from inside the room.

"Buffy, Dawn! Get inside right now!"

"What? Why?"

"They lied, Buffy!" Now Giles' voice was heard. "We didn't have the time we were promised!"

"What?" Buffy and Dawn looked at each other and then at the turok hans outside, who had suddenly begun to make much noise.

"Something's bothering them." Dawn noted.

"That's because they can hear something we can't." Buffy said, and then something clicked in her head. "So does Xander, get inside!"

All next movements were a cacophony of confusion, as both Buffy and Dawn made a mad dash for the stairs leading them to SL1 the moment they finally heard what had gotten Xander and the vampires so agitated.

"Airplanes." Dawn huffed, trying not to fall. Buffy nodded and managed one look behind, the streets still visible.

The Royal Air Force, or RAF, as one of the largest air forces in the whole world, possessed over 900 aircraft and had a manpower exceeding the 40, 000 mark, sent ten Eurofighters Typhoons to circle over the city, empowering rubber bullets to spray over the city in order to incapacitate whatever assailants had stormed the now ablaze city.

Flying over the city, the twin engines of the planes roared and sent the 34, 000 lbs. attack weapon to engage speed and used its 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon to spray rubber all over, hitting many turok hans and the unsuspecting civilian hurt or abandoned on the streets.

Dawn also turned around the moment she heard the turok hans screaming and growling over the massive impacts delivered by the planes, and her mind immediately let her know no human would survive such an onslaught, even if they were using rubber bullets.

Buffy cursed silently in her mind, as her thoughts went out immediately to those civilians and innocents still outside, and felt for the first time in her life the very same emotion she had fought so hard against.

Hate.