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crossoverficTitle: Welcome to the Rift
Part: 2/?
Author:![[info]](https://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
ladilae
Fandoms:BTVS/Torchwood
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. I'm just borrowing.
Character(s): Buffy, Andy, Torchwood’s team
Summary: Two years after Sunnydale collapsed, the Council decides to send someone in Cardiff, where strange things are happening. Seeing it as a retirement job, Buffy volunteers. She should have known better...
Notes: Set during the beginning of season 2 for Torchwood.
Response of a challenge Twisting the Hellmouth
Part one here
Buffy woke up early. Like every morning, she went out for an hour long jog. Being a Slayer meant she had to get a lot of exercise if she wanted to stay calm and relaxed. And if she wanted to sleep too. So she locked herself in a little routine, with the morning being dedicated to her physical health. She began by one-hour of jogging. At home, she would do another hour of exercise. Her spacious apartment allowed her the room to get in some Tai-Chi practice, and then some stomach exercises like crunches and sit ups. She would practice with swords too. And occasionally, she meditated. After all that, she would reward herself with a long, hot, bubble bath.
This morning was like every other. She did exactly the same things. But it was not a day like the others. Today, she planned to introduce herself to the Cardiff police force and she was nervous. She hated being nervous. Her past record with the government –be it the army or the police- was not that great. They had tried to kill her or had treated her like a killer. She tried to calm herself by repeating that it was Sunnydale and people there tended to be a bit dense, especially when the supernatural was involved. According to Giles, Cardiff people, and the British in general, were more open-minded. After all, it was hard to deny alien existence when one of their huge spaceships had crashed right into Big Ben.
Even now, she couldn’t believe none of them had been aware of these things. Okay, Sunnydale was a bit secluded, but come on… Aliens! How could they not have heard of aliens? She wondered what would be the people’s reaction if they learnt about vampires and demons…
Shaking her head to clear her mind, she focused on the task at hand: what was she going to wear? First impressions were really important. In this impromptu meeting, she had to prove that she knew what she was doing. She didn’t want to seem incompetent. It was important to her that they worked with her and liked to work with her. She wanted them as allies. She had to be authoritarian, but not too much. She wanted to make it clear that her job was important and dangerous and that she didn’t want anyone hurt, but she was ready to call for help if needed. Of course, she would never tell them what she was really doing and she would more than likely call other Slayers than policemen to help her, but they didn’t need to know that.
She opted for plain clothes in the end. She chose black, skin-tight jeans with a beige top. Then she added her favorite leather jacket, and boots that made her a little taller than she really was. She applied just a little mascara and a light gloss. At last, she put her hair in a high ponytail. Her mother used to say that when you tied your hair back, you seemed more confident. Right now, Buffy hoped she was right.
One last glance at herself in the mirror and she was out the door.
When she arrived in front of the police station, she took a deep breath to calm herself. God, she hated everything government-related. She entered with a serious but open expression on her face. Or at least she hoped that was the image she was giving. At the reception desk, she smiled at the middle-aged police man on duty.
“Hi. I’m Buffy Summers, from the INC. I would like to meet with your boss if it’s possible.”
The man eyed her suspiciously and she tried her best to keep her smile. He took her ID card and studied it for a long time.
“Do you have an appointment?”
She breathed out.
“No. I just moved in. Look, could you just call him and tell him I’m here? He should know who I am.”
Without letting her out of his sight, he picked up the phone. After a few words, he put the telephone down. He called one of his colleagues and asked him to escort Miss Summers to the Chiefs office. She thanked him and followed the young man.
“You’re new here?” he asked.
“Yeah. Just moved in last week.”
“American?”
“Californian.”
He smiled and it put her more at ease.
“What are you doing so far away from home?”
“I’m working, beginning a new life.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m working for the International New Council. You'll see more of me if you get any weird cases.”
She saw him grimace and she said:
“I’m not Torchwood. I’m here to help you.”
It was the right thing to say apparently because he relaxed immediately. They finally stopped in front of an office.
“I’m sorry. Torchwood isn’t really popular around here. So, here we are. It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Summers.”
“Call me Buffy.”
“I’m Andy by the way.”
“Nice meeting you Andy.”
He left her as the office door opened.
“Miss Summers?”
She turned and shook the hand offered to her by the severe man in his fifties who introduced himself as Chief Cadogan. He was studying
her, on his guard. After her encounter with Andy, she could guess that he was a little annoyed to see another organization in his territory. He was very professional and offered her a coffee. They settled into chairs on opposite sides of his desk and engaged in small talk. After nearly ten minutes, he crossed his hands on the desk and spoke.
“Listen,” he said “Torchwood gives me enough to deal with without adding another secret organization to the list.”
'These Torchwood guys were really not appreciated around here,' she thought. She put her cup down and listened to the rest of his speech:
“But I have some really high up people calling me, telling me to do everything you ask. They don’t leave me with much choice. So I hope
you’re going to give me some good explanations because I’m beginning to feel very frustrated.”
When he finished, he stared at her. It was the moment she dreaded the most. She was playing with her future here. She could become an ally or their new enemy, depending on what she would say. What she needed, what she wanted, was an ally. 'Time to speak Buffy,' she thought.
“What I’m going to tell you can’t leave this office. I don’t want to mess with you or anger you. I want to work with you, not against you. So I’m going to share with you information you shouldn’t know. We need to trust each other. But you can’t say anything to anyone. Do you agree to that?”
She let him think but already knew she had him. He looked at her with a hint of respect in his eyes and she knew she had done the right thing. He leaned back in his chair as she confirmed she could trust him.
“You are aware of the extraterrestrial threat, right?”
She waited for his response and she continued after he nodded.
“What we hide from everyone is the sub-terrestrial threat.”
He frowned. She stopped his questions by raising a hand in front of her.
“Vampires, demons, spirits. If it’s supernatural, we deal with it. The Council was created hundreds of years ago. Recently, we restructured it. Now, we’re working with police forces and governments in the hot spots around the world.”
Cadogan was still frowning. He shook his head and smiled:
“Wait, you’re telling that the monsters are real? Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of American joke?”
“I’m not joking. Just a few years ago, would you have believed in aliens?”
“No, but we have had proof since then!”
“Because the higher authorities couldn’t hide the crash. It was too huge.”
“Are you telling me that they have been aware of aliens for a long time?”
“A very long time.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Tell me, did you have victims of murder with two puncture wounds in their neck and not a drop of blood left in their bodies? Did bodies
disappear after they had been put in their graves?”
She saw him pale as realization sunk in. She smiled reassuringly:
“I’m from a little town about two hours outside of Los Angeles. We had the highest violent crime rate in all of the United States but no one
seemed to realize it. The majority of people were dying of barbecue fork accidents, or being killed by gangs on PCP. They all closed their eyes because the truth was too incredible. For a few days, the entire town was speechless. There wasn’t a sound, not even a whisper… The official story was a laryngitis epidemic. And two years ago the town just collapsed, but all the inhabitants had already fled. If you ask them, they will say that they felt like it was the right thing to do, the only thing to do.”
“Vampires? And demons? Why not? I mean, we got aliens.”
With shaking hands, he refilled their cups. She let him have some time to digest what he had just learned. It was not something easily processed. The silence filled the room. He stared into nothing for a few minutes before composing himself.
“What are you doing here exactly?”
“Strange things are happening.”
“And each time, we’ve gotten Torchwood. They arrive on a crime scene and we have to leave. They deal with the weirdness.”
“Their weirdness, not mine. I want to make sure that they stay in their field. If you got something weird, call me. Think of me as a consultant. I will come, see if it’s my area or not. If it is, I’ll take the case, but I’ll keep in touch with you, keep you updated. If it’s not, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Torchwood is quick to respond.”
“So, I’ll have to be faster.”
“What are you calling weird?”
“Punctures marks. Wild animal attacks. Satanic crimes. If you got candles, incense, weird writings, call me. Strange things happening: voices, electrical interferences, objects that move by themselves. This kind of things.”
“I’ll do my best.”
She thanked him. That went well. Just one more little thing.
“I would appreciate if Torchwood doesn’t learn about me. I’d like to keep a low profile.”
A sudden smile appeared on his thin lips and his eyes lightened:
“You will be taking the weird cases and you want us to keep Torchwood in the dark when they ask questions?”
She grimaced: “Yeah. I know it’s delicate but…”
“No buts. Believe me, when I talk to my men and explain to them that it’ll piss off Torchwood, they will all work with you without asking any questions.”
Inwardly, she cringed. She hoped she would never have to work with Torchwood because she had a feeling they weren’t going to like her.
Everyone seemed to dislike them and she wondered what happened to make them feel that way. The Chief escorted her to the hall and left after assuring her she had their complete cooperation. She was left smiling. That went really well. She had a suspicion that it wouldn’t have went nearly as well if she hadn’t presented a way for them to royally piss off Torchwood.
She looked around for Andy. She would like to talk to him again. He seemed nice and it would be great to know someone in this city. She found him in the corridor, arguing with a dark-haired woman. He didn’t seem happy. She could have eavesdropped but it wouldn’t be fair. She went to the front desk and asked for a bit of paper. She wrote a quick note for Andy, asking him if he would like to meet her someday. She added her phone number.
“Could you give that to Andy, please?” she asked the receptionist. “He seems busy right now.”
The man took the paper and looked at Andy and his companion.
“Yeah. Gwen Cooper.”
She didn’t miss the contempt tone and her curiosity flared.
“Do you know her?”
“Everyone knows her. She used to work here, with us. She was Andy’s partner.”
“Used to? What happened?”
“She seems to think she’s too good for us now; she’s Torchwood.”
Torchwood again…
“You don’t like them.”
“They think they’re above us. They treat us like we’re idiots. You won’t find a cop here who likes them.”
She was going to ask more questions but she saw Andy yell at Gwen and turn away. The woman seemed sad and annoyed. Buffy knew it wouldn’t be safe to probe for more information. She thanked the policeman for taking the note and left quickly, before she was noticed by
this Gwen Cooper. At least now she had the name of one of the Torchwood members.
Her first task was accomplished. Now, she just had to wait until they called her. She would have to move fast, arrive and leave before Torchwood. She would have to be careful too, especially with the police force. She could use their scorn of Torchwood to her advantage.
And Giles had spoken of this job like it was an easy one… She should have known better.
¤ ¤ tbc ¤ ¤
Part: 2/?
Author:
ladilaeFandoms:BTVS/Torchwood
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. I'm just borrowing.
Character(s): Buffy, Andy, Torchwood’s team
Summary: Two years after Sunnydale collapsed, the Council decides to send someone in Cardiff, where strange things are happening. Seeing it as a retirement job, Buffy volunteers. She should have known better...
Notes: Set during the beginning of season 2 for Torchwood.
Response of a challenge Twisting the Hellmouth
Part one here
Buffy woke up early. Like every morning, she went out for an hour long jog. Being a Slayer meant she had to get a lot of exercise if she wanted to stay calm and relaxed. And if she wanted to sleep too. So she locked herself in a little routine, with the morning being dedicated to her physical health. She began by one-hour of jogging. At home, she would do another hour of exercise. Her spacious apartment allowed her the room to get in some Tai-Chi practice, and then some stomach exercises like crunches and sit ups. She would practice with swords too. And occasionally, she meditated. After all that, she would reward herself with a long, hot, bubble bath.
This morning was like every other. She did exactly the same things. But it was not a day like the others. Today, she planned to introduce herself to the Cardiff police force and she was nervous. She hated being nervous. Her past record with the government –be it the army or the police- was not that great. They had tried to kill her or had treated her like a killer. She tried to calm herself by repeating that it was Sunnydale and people there tended to be a bit dense, especially when the supernatural was involved. According to Giles, Cardiff people, and the British in general, were more open-minded. After all, it was hard to deny alien existence when one of their huge spaceships had crashed right into Big Ben.
Even now, she couldn’t believe none of them had been aware of these things. Okay, Sunnydale was a bit secluded, but come on… Aliens! How could they not have heard of aliens? She wondered what would be the people’s reaction if they learnt about vampires and demons…
Shaking her head to clear her mind, she focused on the task at hand: what was she going to wear? First impressions were really important. In this impromptu meeting, she had to prove that she knew what she was doing. She didn’t want to seem incompetent. It was important to her that they worked with her and liked to work with her. She wanted them as allies. She had to be authoritarian, but not too much. She wanted to make it clear that her job was important and dangerous and that she didn’t want anyone hurt, but she was ready to call for help if needed. Of course, she would never tell them what she was really doing and she would more than likely call other Slayers than policemen to help her, but they didn’t need to know that.
She opted for plain clothes in the end. She chose black, skin-tight jeans with a beige top. Then she added her favorite leather jacket, and boots that made her a little taller than she really was. She applied just a little mascara and a light gloss. At last, she put her hair in a high ponytail. Her mother used to say that when you tied your hair back, you seemed more confident. Right now, Buffy hoped she was right.
One last glance at herself in the mirror and she was out the door.
When she arrived in front of the police station, she took a deep breath to calm herself. God, she hated everything government-related. She entered with a serious but open expression on her face. Or at least she hoped that was the image she was giving. At the reception desk, she smiled at the middle-aged police man on duty.
“Hi. I’m Buffy Summers, from the INC. I would like to meet with your boss if it’s possible.”
The man eyed her suspiciously and she tried her best to keep her smile. He took her ID card and studied it for a long time.
“Do you have an appointment?”
She breathed out.
“No. I just moved in. Look, could you just call him and tell him I’m here? He should know who I am.”
Without letting her out of his sight, he picked up the phone. After a few words, he put the telephone down. He called one of his colleagues and asked him to escort Miss Summers to the Chiefs office. She thanked him and followed the young man.
“You’re new here?” he asked.
“Yeah. Just moved in last week.”
“American?”
“Californian.”
He smiled and it put her more at ease.
“What are you doing so far away from home?”
“I’m working, beginning a new life.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m working for the International New Council. You'll see more of me if you get any weird cases.”
She saw him grimace and she said:
“I’m not Torchwood. I’m here to help you.”
It was the right thing to say apparently because he relaxed immediately. They finally stopped in front of an office.
“I’m sorry. Torchwood isn’t really popular around here. So, here we are. It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Summers.”
“Call me Buffy.”
“I’m Andy by the way.”
“Nice meeting you Andy.”
He left her as the office door opened.
“Miss Summers?”
She turned and shook the hand offered to her by the severe man in his fifties who introduced himself as Chief Cadogan. He was studying
her, on his guard. After her encounter with Andy, she could guess that he was a little annoyed to see another organization in his territory. He was very professional and offered her a coffee. They settled into chairs on opposite sides of his desk and engaged in small talk. After nearly ten minutes, he crossed his hands on the desk and spoke.
“Listen,” he said “Torchwood gives me enough to deal with without adding another secret organization to the list.”
'These Torchwood guys were really not appreciated around here,' she thought. She put her cup down and listened to the rest of his speech:
“But I have some really high up people calling me, telling me to do everything you ask. They don’t leave me with much choice. So I hope
you’re going to give me some good explanations because I’m beginning to feel very frustrated.”
When he finished, he stared at her. It was the moment she dreaded the most. She was playing with her future here. She could become an ally or their new enemy, depending on what she would say. What she needed, what she wanted, was an ally. 'Time to speak Buffy,' she thought.
“What I’m going to tell you can’t leave this office. I don’t want to mess with you or anger you. I want to work with you, not against you. So I’m going to share with you information you shouldn’t know. We need to trust each other. But you can’t say anything to anyone. Do you agree to that?”
She let him think but already knew she had him. He looked at her with a hint of respect in his eyes and she knew she had done the right thing. He leaned back in his chair as she confirmed she could trust him.
“You are aware of the extraterrestrial threat, right?”
She waited for his response and she continued after he nodded.
“What we hide from everyone is the sub-terrestrial threat.”
He frowned. She stopped his questions by raising a hand in front of her.
“Vampires, demons, spirits. If it’s supernatural, we deal with it. The Council was created hundreds of years ago. Recently, we restructured it. Now, we’re working with police forces and governments in the hot spots around the world.”
Cadogan was still frowning. He shook his head and smiled:
“Wait, you’re telling that the monsters are real? Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of American joke?”
“I’m not joking. Just a few years ago, would you have believed in aliens?”
“No, but we have had proof since then!”
“Because the higher authorities couldn’t hide the crash. It was too huge.”
“Are you telling me that they have been aware of aliens for a long time?”
“A very long time.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Tell me, did you have victims of murder with two puncture wounds in their neck and not a drop of blood left in their bodies? Did bodies
disappear after they had been put in their graves?”
She saw him pale as realization sunk in. She smiled reassuringly:
“I’m from a little town about two hours outside of Los Angeles. We had the highest violent crime rate in all of the United States but no one
seemed to realize it. The majority of people were dying of barbecue fork accidents, or being killed by gangs on PCP. They all closed their eyes because the truth was too incredible. For a few days, the entire town was speechless. There wasn’t a sound, not even a whisper… The official story was a laryngitis epidemic. And two years ago the town just collapsed, but all the inhabitants had already fled. If you ask them, they will say that they felt like it was the right thing to do, the only thing to do.”
“Vampires? And demons? Why not? I mean, we got aliens.”
With shaking hands, he refilled their cups. She let him have some time to digest what he had just learned. It was not something easily processed. The silence filled the room. He stared into nothing for a few minutes before composing himself.
“What are you doing here exactly?”
“Strange things are happening.”
“And each time, we’ve gotten Torchwood. They arrive on a crime scene and we have to leave. They deal with the weirdness.”
“Their weirdness, not mine. I want to make sure that they stay in their field. If you got something weird, call me. Think of me as a consultant. I will come, see if it’s my area or not. If it is, I’ll take the case, but I’ll keep in touch with you, keep you updated. If it’s not, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Torchwood is quick to respond.”
“So, I’ll have to be faster.”
“What are you calling weird?”
“Punctures marks. Wild animal attacks. Satanic crimes. If you got candles, incense, weird writings, call me. Strange things happening: voices, electrical interferences, objects that move by themselves. This kind of things.”
“I’ll do my best.”
She thanked him. That went well. Just one more little thing.
“I would appreciate if Torchwood doesn’t learn about me. I’d like to keep a low profile.”
A sudden smile appeared on his thin lips and his eyes lightened:
“You will be taking the weird cases and you want us to keep Torchwood in the dark when they ask questions?”
She grimaced: “Yeah. I know it’s delicate but…”
“No buts. Believe me, when I talk to my men and explain to them that it’ll piss off Torchwood, they will all work with you without asking any questions.”
Inwardly, she cringed. She hoped she would never have to work with Torchwood because she had a feeling they weren’t going to like her.
Everyone seemed to dislike them and she wondered what happened to make them feel that way. The Chief escorted her to the hall and left after assuring her she had their complete cooperation. She was left smiling. That went really well. She had a suspicion that it wouldn’t have went nearly as well if she hadn’t presented a way for them to royally piss off Torchwood.
She looked around for Andy. She would like to talk to him again. He seemed nice and it would be great to know someone in this city. She found him in the corridor, arguing with a dark-haired woman. He didn’t seem happy. She could have eavesdropped but it wouldn’t be fair. She went to the front desk and asked for a bit of paper. She wrote a quick note for Andy, asking him if he would like to meet her someday. She added her phone number.
“Could you give that to Andy, please?” she asked the receptionist. “He seems busy right now.”
The man took the paper and looked at Andy and his companion.
“Yeah. Gwen Cooper.”
She didn’t miss the contempt tone and her curiosity flared.
“Do you know her?”
“Everyone knows her. She used to work here, with us. She was Andy’s partner.”
“Used to? What happened?”
“She seems to think she’s too good for us now; she’s Torchwood.”
Torchwood again…
“You don’t like them.”
“They think they’re above us. They treat us like we’re idiots. You won’t find a cop here who likes them.”
She was going to ask more questions but she saw Andy yell at Gwen and turn away. The woman seemed sad and annoyed. Buffy knew it wouldn’t be safe to probe for more information. She thanked the policeman for taking the note and left quickly, before she was noticed by
this Gwen Cooper. At least now she had the name of one of the Torchwood members.
Her first task was accomplished. Now, she just had to wait until they called her. She would have to move fast, arrive and leave before Torchwood. She would have to be careful too, especially with the police force. She could use their scorn of Torchwood to her advantage.
And Giles had spoken of this job like it was an easy one… She should have known better.
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