Chapter 31

Author's Note: I wanted to thank all of you who have hung in with this story and waited so patiently for me to update. Unfortunately, my workload for this semester made it impossible for me to update this fic (or any fic) regularly. However, I'm happy to say that I've finished Uni for the semester and now have five months of freedom in which to write.

Please Note: This chapter might leave you with some questions, especially if it seems like I've left out some information from previous chapters. This has been deliberate and will be addressed in future chapters.

Special thanks to Zephyrrs and Draconin for the beta on this extra long and rather complicated chapter.


Nope, not a dream.

Right before he opened his eyes Jack had allowed himself to entertain the idea that maybe, just maybe, all that had happened to him had been nothing but a bad dream. He would wake up back in Sunnydale and the only type of Hell he'd have to endure would be school...

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

He was still in this place. This, for lack of a better term, hell. He could still hear the screams, he could practically taste the fear, the oppression, the hopelessness. Jack wasn’t a religious man, he’d given up on that sort of thing a long time ago, but this place made him want to pray to any god, any higher beings listening and beg them to get him the hell – no pun intended – out of here.

"You won’t need to do that," the voice in his head told him. "They already know you’re here."

They did? Well, that was disturbing on SO many levels. "So, um, who knows I’m here?" Was it a god or Higher Beings? Frankly, either one freaked him out (especially since he hadn't been serious, well not really). Although, now that he thought about it, if a god knew he was here, then he had more chance of getting out than he would if they were higher beings. There were only one group of higher beings he knew of and they weren’t big with interfering when they were needed.

"Higher Beings," she clarified, much to his disappointment. "Gods don’t have a tendency to become involved in the world of mortals, well, not unless a world has something they need to use to get back to their Hell dimension... or unless they want to turn it back into the Hell it once was."

Jack just sat there and let the words wash over him because they made NO sense.

He heard her sigh in his mind. "I’m sorry," she said. "I know everything that’s happened to you since you met Dawn has been confusing, but there is an explanation for it."

"Well, it’s not like I’m going anywhere. I have time to hear it." He paused, frowning. "I do have time to hear it, don’t I?" It had been a while since he was attacked. Hours in fact. Every minute here was a minute where Dawn was on her own. Did they really have time to waste? Now that Jack thought about it, he decided that explanations could wait. Dawn was far more important...

"You have time," she promised him. "Only a few seconds have passed for Dawn since you disappeared. Not even half a minute."

"Excuse me?" Half a minute? No. That was impossible! Christ, it had felt like he slept for twelve hours. There was no way only a few seconds had passed for Dawn. Not unless they were near a black hole and that was imposs... Well, actually nothing was impossible. "We're not near a black hole are we?" It was a stupid question but, quite frankly, weirder things had happen. Hell, weirder things could happen!

"Not quite."

Not quite? Why didn't he like the sound of that?

"You're in a different dimension, Jack, " she admitted. "Time moves differently in different dimensions. In this dimension time moves considerably faster than it does back home. As if Earth was near a black hole."

Oh, now he REALLY wanted to know what was –

"One day on Earth is approximately one hundred years for you here. "

Once again, Jack let the words wash over him. As before they made no sense, but then nothing had made sense from the moment he had walked into the Bronze with Dawn, and he had a feeling things weren't going to get any better until he got some answers. REAL answers. The million and one questions he had before he fell asleep came back to the forefront of his mind and he wasn't going to move another inch until he knew the truth. He didn't care who was after him or what would happen to him if he was captured. Dawn was okay for the moment (at least he prayed she was) so that meant he had time to get some answers, to find out the truth. If the voice in his mind was telling him the truth, that meant that he would be dead before anyone had a chance to work out where he was. Not that anyone actually knew he was missing. Hell, he was pretty sure no one knew he and Dawn had been stuck between dimensions. Rescue was unlikely and since no one was going to save him, he was going to have to save himself and Dawn. But the only way he was going to do that was by learning the truth. As soon as he had the truth, he'd save Dawn.

"It's not going to be that easy," the voice warned him.

"That's never stopped me before."

And it wouldn't now.

"So am I going to get some answers now or what?"

~ * ~ * ~

Dawn stared at the intruder as his words sunk in. "A... Alien creation?" It was a mistake. She'd misheard. She had to have misheard. Jack wasn't a being of alien creation. Aliens didn't exist!

The intruder nodded, amusement marring his features as he watched her obvious confusion.

"That's... No. That's not right." It couldn't be right. Could it?

"When I began to prepare for the time when I would be able to remove you from the Slayer's protection, I knew your Powers That Be would send someone to protect you," he surprised her by saying. "I had taken great precautions to ensure that any beings powerful enough to protect you would be unable to reach you." He gestured to the room around him. "The Slayer, her Watcher and the witch cannot reach you here. They cannot – will not – be able to save you."

Those... those were words Dawn did not want to hear.

"Because of this, I knew the Powers That Be would send someone of power to protect you," he continued. "Of course no one they send will be able to protect you, but the Powers That Be are particularly protective of this world and they will not give it up without a fight. They would send someone to fight for them, even if that person was doomed to fail. I knew they would not stand back and let me take back this world."

Take back this world?

"I was not sure what creature – what weapon – they would create to exist in between dimensions, but I did not suspect they would send a human cloned by beings not from this world, especially one who has no power."

Dawn wanted to argue and say he was wrong, that Jack wasn't made by aliens, but his words had rendered her silent. The implication of what he was saying (the non-alien parts) caused a wave of horror to wash over her. Right now, she really couldn't care less if Jack had been cloned by little green men. What she cared about was the rest of the intruder's words...

The Powers That Be had seen this coming.

They had seen this coming and they had sent Jack to help her. She had known – both of them had known – that there were too many coincidences that had led them here. After all, what was the likeliness of another 'created' human arriving in Sunnydale in time for this? Hearing confirmation that Jack had been sent here to help made sense. What didn't make sense was that Jack had no power.

If what the intruder said was true, then why would the Powers That Be send her someone without the power to save her?

~ * ~ * ~

His demand was met by silence, but Jack really wasn't all that surprised. He was beginning to figure out that getting answers wasn't easy in this place (or Sunnydale).

"I'm not trying to avoid your questions, Colonel O'Neill," the voice told him. "I'm just trying to work out the best way to explain it to you without thinking you've gone insane."

Without thinking he was insane? That didn't sound good... Nor was it good that she knew his true identity, but that problem was low on Jack's ever growing list of priorities. Answers were more important than wanting to know exactly how she knew his true identity. Although, she was in his head; she probably had access to everything. "Just tell it to me straight." Hopefully without all the useless information Carter and Daniel used to bombard him with. "Just tell me what I need to know to save Dawn." That was his main priority. His only priority.

"Okay, she agreed. "Considering your origins, I assume that you're aware that the true history of Earth isn't the same as we're told in books?"

"Yeah."

"The truth is... No one living being – human, alien, clone or otherwise – knows the full truth about the origins of Earth. Most people know only a fraction of the Earth's history and the evolution of man – "

"Wait! Hold up! You're giving me a history lesson? Seriously?" This was not what he meant when he'd asked her to just tell him!

"Colonel, if you want to understand – and believe – exactly what is happening here then, yes, I'm giving you a 'history lesson'. If you want me to tell you everything, then I'm going to need you to listen and not interrupt every time I say something that doesn't make sense to you. When I said we had time, I meant Dawn has time. While we're safe for now, I can't guarantee we won't be interrupted and I'm not sure if we'll ever have a chance like this again. You have to understand everything if there is even a chance that you'll be able to save Dawn."

He sighed. "Okay." He didn't exactly like it, but he didn't have much choice.

"As I was saying, there is no one who knows the true history of Earth and the evolution of man. There are some people who know certain aspects. You're aware of some of the true history of Earth. Giles, Buffy and the Scooby Gang know other aspects."

Jack froze. Okay, since it was pretty clear the voice in his mind could read it completely, it wasn't all that surprising that she said Jack was aware of some of the true history of Earth (damn Snakes!), but it was sure as hell surprising that Buffy knew some of the true history of Earth – a different aspect! BUFFY! And what the hell did she mean by the Scooby Gang? A cartoon knew a true aspect of Earth's history?

Warm laughter filled his mind. "Buffy knowing a true aspect will make sense once I've finished explaining this to you," the voice surprised him by answering. "Dawn will explain all about the Scooby Gang and non-Scoobies when you save her. If I explain I explain it now..."

"We might not have time to get to the important stuff." He finished for her. "Okay, so, you were telling me that no one person knows the full story about Earth."

"Not until now.

Oh?

"It has been decided that, considering who you are and what you have to do, you need to know the entire truth."

Gee, didn't he feel special! "Okay, let's have it then."

"Jack, once you know the truth you won't be able to tell –"

Oh for crying out loud! "Yeah, I get it. It's a big secret. I won't say a word. Just tell me already!"

~ * ~ * ~

Dawn tried not to let the feeling of helplessness overwhelm her. Okay, so Jack was powerless. A human clone made by an alien (maybe!). Obviously the Powers That Be knew this. So that had to mean that the Powers That Be didn't see his lack of power as a weakness. Why else would they send him? Dawn had to believe that there was a way out of this.

"Jack will find a way to save me." She was a little bit surprised by the confidence she could hear in her voice.

The intruder smiled at her comment. "He will try."

Dawn swallowed nervously. "He'll kill you."

The intruder threw his head back and laughed.

Yeah, she figured that was a little hard to believe.

~ * ~ * ~

"All right," the voice agreed. "As I mentioned before the history of Earth is a lot different than any of us imagined. As you are aware, man did not evolve on Earth as we were taught in school. Humans, or beings of human physiology, lived on Earth millions of years before we supposedly evolved from apes."

Immediately, Jack's mind went back to Ayiana (and to the unpleasant memories that stemmed from that meeting). She was a 'human' found frozen in ice Antarctica. She had been there for millions of years. She was one of the ancients who lived on Earth before a plague either killed them or forced them to ascend.

"That's right. The Ancients – or the Alterans as they originally called themselves – lived on Earth millions of years before a second evolution of man roamed the planet. The evolution of man of which we are a part. What you don't know, what no one knows, is how the Alterans came to Earth and what they did when they arrived."

"And this is relevant to me saving Dawn?"

"Yes."

"Okay, how did the Alterans come to Earth?"

"The Alterans were originally from another galaxy. Before coming to earth, the Alterans were on the path to ascension. However, there was a split in the Alterans society due to their philosophical beliefs. On one side were Alterans whose beliefs were more scientific, logical. On the other side were the Alterans – who later called themselves the Ori – who embraced a more religious philosophy. I don't have time to explain the split between the Alterans and the Ori in detail, but essentially the disagreements in their beliefs forced the scientific faction of Alterans, for lack of a better term, to leave their home galaxy. When the Alterans made the decision to split from the Ori, they sent a scout ship with thirteen hundred people to search for a new planet for them to call home."

"Earth." Jack finished for her.

"Not in the way you're thinking." she told him. "The Alteran scout ship didn't find Earth and choose to make it their home "

"I don't understand."

"The Alteran scout ship crashed on Earth after their engines malfunctioned. They had never planned to land on Earth or make it their home."

"Why not?"

"Because they had detected a considerable number of life signs. Too many for them to consider settling here. This planet belonged to another breed of creature."

Creature? Why didn't he like the sound of that. "What kind of creature?"

"They were beings of pure evil, like the Goa'uld. Over time, they would come to be called demons."

Demons? She was kidding, right?

"It's not a joke. But remember Jack, the term demon is just a title that evolved over time to describe these creatures. In different dimensions they are called different things. In our dimension, they are called demons. The type I'm specifically referring to were called the Old Ones. Pure demons. Before the Alterans made this world their own, the Earth was what the Scoobies would consider Hell. The world was overrun by creatures more evil than anything you could possibly imagine. Earth belonged to the Old Ones. They warred continuously and Earth was their battlefield."

There was so much wrong with what she was saying, but Jack couldn't bring himself to argue with her. At least... not here. Not when he was sitting in a place where all he could smell and hear was death. There was a part of him that was flat out refusing to believe a word she was saying. However, there was also a part screaming at him to listen. And honestly, fifteen years ago he would have sworn aliens weren't real either. "Wait! You said they were from another dimension?” His mind immediately went to a time when he had seen bug like creatures that existed out of phase with their dimension, creatures that he and SG-1 could only see due to an Ancient device. He wondered if this was a similar situation.

"Similar, but not exactly. The Old Ones originally came from a completely different dimension. A Hell Dimension, sent here by their... creator. They were sent to Earth eons before humans had begun to evolve. Even before the Alteran's first evolved."

That was, well, pretty freaking mind blowing. Jack sighed. It also... made a little sense. How many times had they come across people in the Universe who referred to the Goa'uld as gods... or demons? When she put it that way, he could accept that. "Go on."

"When the Alterans crashed they had no idea creatures like the Old Ones existed either. The damage to the ship from the crash was too substantial for them to fix themselves, so they had no choice but to send a team out to meet with the locals. A scout team of fifty Alterans set out to discover more about the planet. Their hopes were that they would be able to find the resources they needed to fix their engine and the rest of the damage to the ship. When the group first left the safety of the ship they approached the Old Ones they did encounter as they would any other being."

Jack's stomach dropped at the thought. Christ, he could imagine Daniel doing something like that on a mission. "They approached as friends."

"Only thirteen Alterans managed to make it back to the ship," she told him. "The ship was the only place they were safe. They couldn't repair the engines, but they could cloak the ship and use the shields, although the shields were only ever partially effective against demons. Still, the little protection they had was enough for a while. They only ventured off the ship when an Old One found them and at such times the Demons’ powers enabled them to get past the shield. It didn't take the Alterans long to realise what they were up against and how futile fighting would be. These creatures were stronger, faster and had abilities the Alteran's couldn't comprehend. Today, their powers would be called supernatural."

"Supernatural?" he repeated, unable to keep the doubt from plaguing his mind.

"It's another title, Colonel. A word to describe abilities that most humans aren't able to comprehend." she said, her voice gentle and not at all condescending like he would have expected. "You have seen 'supernatural' powers yourself. Don't you think some people would have called what Oma Desala did on Abydos magic? Or what Orlin did? Or Ayiana? What is that if not supernatural? You will find more than one person who thinks power like that is supernatural."

Okay, she had a point. Actually, he kind of wished Carter and Daniel explained things like this woman. What she was saying was insane, no doubt, but... be damned if she didn't have his full attention.

" As I was saying, the Alterans were no match for the Old Ones," she continued with her story. " When they managed to kill one of the Old Ones, which was an extremely rare occurrence, and if the Old One killed didn't rise again, there was another to take its place. It was a never ending battle, one that the Alterans knew they could never win. It also didn't take the Alterans long to realise that they were never going to leave Earth alive. They had no way to repair their ship and were using all their resources just to stay alive. Their weapons didn't work against the Old Ones. When they accepted that their fate was sealed, the Alterans focused their energies on maintaining the cloak and the shield for as long as possible so they could figure out how to ascend."

Jack let out a long breath. While his mind was still fighting to accept her words as truth, he wasn't quite willing to write them off either. The story was, well, it was far too detailed and not exactly awe inspiring. The Earth the voice in his head was describing kind of reminded Jack of this place. It made him wonder if the creatures after him were 'demons' and, if they were, how the hell was he going to survive this? Because if the Ancients couldn't, what chance did he stand? "What happened to them?" There just HAD to be a happy ending to this story and not the kind where the only escape was going all glowy.

"Surprisingly, the Alterans were able to hold the Old Ones at bay for some time. Most of that was due to the Old Ones warring between themselves than any specific skills. The Old Ones were never truly interested in the Alterans. They thought of them as insects as opposed to a being that pose a threat to them. Because of this, the Alterans were able to try for months to ascend, but they weren't ready. The existence of the Old Ones, what they could do and the horrors Earth presented to them, shook their belief system thoroughly. Most of them were scientists. When they realised ascension was beyond their grasp, they sent out a scout team to try to find some place for them to live before the ships cloaking device and shields failed. The thirteen Alterans, the survivors of the original scout team, offered to go. Partly because they knew the terrain and partly because they hated the Old Ones. Those in the original scout team were soldiers. They had witnessed their friends – their family – slaughtered by the Old Ones. They wanted nothing more than to destroy them all, but they couldn't. So they settled for hurting as many as they could, when they could."

Jack could understand that. "Did they kill any?"

She was silent for so long Jack didn't think she was going to answer. "Not... Not at that time. It was too risky. They swallowed their anger long enough to find a cavern in a mountain range and then returned to the ship with the good news."

Good news? "Even if they found a cavern to hide, they wouldn't have lasted long." Not if what she was implying was true.

"They didn't. When the scouts returned the ship the entire crew was dead. One of the Old Ones found them. The Alterans in the ship couldn’t stop the slaughter."

Okay, he had to know. "I'm not going to be running into any Old Ones any time soon, am I?" Because he just knew he wouldn't survive it. As it was, he was beginning to think there was no way out of this alive.

"Not Old Ones."

That answer didn't exactly make him feel better. There were all sorts of implication behind those words that Jack wasn't sure he wanted to contemplate. Before he had a chance to ask her to elaborate, she continued.

"The thirteen surviving Alterans were devastated. The deaths of their brothers and sisters had been... brutal. The thirteen buried the remains they could find and went to the cavern. The ship had been damaged in the battle. They were completely exposed."

He really didn't like this story. "How long did they last?" Again, he wondered why the voice in his head was telling him this story. Okay, he got that part of the reason was to explain about 'demons' and 'supernatural powers', but... the detail. As interesting as it was, Jack had a feeling there was more to what she was telling him than he understood.

"They never left the cavern alive."

Strangely, Jack felt a stab of grief for the thirteen survivors and the rest of the Alterans – Ancients.

"They never left the cavern alive, Colonel, but that's not the end."

Her words made him feel a little hopeful.

"The thirteen were devastated by the loss of the Alterans. It consumed them." She hesitated briefly, before changing the topic somewhat. "You're aware of the basic concepts of ascension."

It wasn't a question, but he answered it anyway. "Yeah. Releasing your burdens and all that crap."

His answer was met by an amused chuckle. "That's how the other Alterans ascended. It wasn't how the ascension was first achieved."

His eyebrows shot up. "You said the thirteen never left the cavern alive... but you didn't say they died. They ascended, didn't they?" And if he understood what she was implying, then they didn't ascend the usual way.

"You're right, on both counts. Like the other Alterans on Earth who tried to ascend, the thirteen found difficulty in ascending. However, it wasn't because their belief system had been shaken, but because they couldn't let go of their hatred of the Old Ones. After finding their friends, that hatred, the need for righteous revenge, consumed them. So, instead of releasing their burden's they embraced them – along with the power that was all around them. At that time, the Earth was full of power – both natural and supernatural – and in their desperation the thirteen embraced it. They let go of their preconceived notions and beliefs they had learned as Alterans, and embraced the power that be all around them."

They embraced the power that be all around them? Kind of a strange way to phrase that. "Since the thirteen were so pissed, I can't imagine them playing by the rules of the Others," Jack said.

"At this point in history, there were no Others and there were no rules they had to obey while they were ascended. That came later. The thirteen were the first to ascend and they held on to their human emotions, their ties. Kind of like your friend, Daniel Jackson. So, you're right. The thirteen did what you would expect."

"They went after the Old Ones."

"The day the thirteen ascended was the day the war between good and evil began."

Why did his blood run cold when she said that?

"To some races, demons, and even humans, the Old Ones were sometimes mistaken for gods. They weren't real gods. They were more like demi-gods. They had weaknesses and they had bodies. They could bleed and be destroyed. The thirteen had no bodies, just power. The Old Ones were no match for the ascended thirteen in their physical forms, especially given that the thirteen had embraced the powers that be."

Jack frowned. There was that phrase again, 'the powers that be'. Why did he have the feeling that it meant something?

"Because not only did they embrace the powers that be, they became The Powers That Be."

~ * ~ *

Dawn really wished the Intruder would stop laughing. Annoyed, she crossed her arms and glared at him. "It's really not that funny. Jack will kill you. Buffy would too if she could be here."

"He cannot kill me."

Dawn didn't like how confident he sounded. "Oh no?"

"I am not like my dear sister, Key. I do not inhabit a human body."

All the blood fled from her face at his words. "Y-your sister?" No. No! He was not confirming her worst fear!

"Glorificus."

Even though she had suspected, even though deep in her gut she had known what the man in front of her was, it didn't stop the tidal wave of terror that washed over her when she her suspicions were confirmed. Dawn knew why he was so confident Jack couldn't kill him now.

You can't kill a god.

Well, not unless you were Belgarion.

~ * ~ * ~


"They became the Powers That Be?" Jack asked, not quite understanding.

"It is what they're called now. The Powers That Be."

Oh. Jack made a face. "Just for the record, I'm not going to be calling them The Powers That Be. I'm going to stick to the Thirteen." He couldn't call them the Powers That Be. It was a little too close to calling them gods. Jack didn't call anything 'god'.

"They're happy for you to call them that, Jack. In fact they prefer it. They don't like being thought of as gods, either."

And wasn't that disturbing? He wasn't sure he liked the fact that the Thirteen were watching him and listening to every word he was saying... or thinking, rather. Actually, he wasn't sure he hated the fact that they were watching him either. After all, they defeated the Old Ones which meant they could sure as hell save his ass. "They did defeat the Old Ones, didn't they? Otherwise the Earth would still belong to them."

"It's a little bit more complicated than simply the Powers – the Thirteen – simply defeating the Old Ones. The war between them and the Old Ones lasted for a decade. A relatively short time for a mystical war. The Thirteen were more than a match for them, but many of the Old Ones couldn't be killed in the way you're thinking. Some could, but others had to be banished. To the Thirteen, it didn't matter whether they had to be killed or banished from this dimension. They set out to strategically remove the Old Ones from Earth and they were successful. Some they sent back to their home dimension, others they 'buried' here on Earth. By the time the Thirteen were finished, they had not only removed the Old Ones from Earth, but they removed almost all physical evidence that the Old Ones had even existed on Earth. Earth was no longer hell. Which worked out well, because a few decades after the Thirteen finished exacting their revenge, the remainder of the like-minded Alterans arrived from the Ori galaxy. They found Earth and made it their home."

Well that was a crappy ending. Kind of, anyway. At least the good guys won.

"I wish it was that simple," the voice in his head said sadly.

Of course it wasn't that simple! Nothing ever was. "I imagine that wasn't the last they heard of the Old Ones?"

"No. When they ascended, the Thirteen obtained a great deal of knowledge. Like I mentioned before, the Old Ones were originally from another dimension. Upon ascension, the Thirteen learned about their creator, the one who sent them to Earth in the first place. That being was not like the Old Ones. He was a being the Thirteen would not be able to defeat, a being no one could defeat. A true god by our definition. All they could do was watch and wait to see if the Old Ones or their Master would return to Earth. For many years the Alterans lived on Earth in peace. None of them had any idea of what the Earth was like before they arrived, nor about their ascended brethren. The Thirteen simply watched over them and looked for any signs of the Old Ones return.

"According to the history of the Ancients, they lived their time on Earth peacefully and spread out throughout the galaxy. It is also said that the Ancients left Earth, possibly due to a plague that wiped out all life in the galaxy, and those who stayed behind either died or ascended."

"I take it that the Ancients history left out a few details?"

"Yes. It is true that the Ancients who spent so many years here did leave Earth but it had nothing to do with the plague, although there was a eventually a plague that destroyed all human life in the galaxy."

"Let me guess, the Old Ones came back?"

"Yes. The attack came as a surprise to the Thirteen. There had been no signs that the Old Ones would return, but they did and in force. Thousands of Ancients were killed by the Old Ones. Like last time, their weapons were no match for the Old Ones. Even with their greater numbers the Ancients were all but helpless against them. The only thing that stopped them from being completely wiped out were their shields."

"Hang on, where were the Thirteen? Couldn't they have just kicked the Old One's asses again?"

"They would have, if the Old Ones had come alone. Their Master returned with them."

"The Master you said was stronger than the Thirteen?" Jack was back to not liking this story.

"Yes. The Thirteen had just enough power to hold him at bay and prevent him from giving the Old Ones the edge that would have allowed them to reclaim Earth. So, like the first time, the Alterans were on their own fighting the Old Ones but, unlike before, they had evolved. Several of the Alterans were able to ascended."

"And so The Others were born," he muttered to himself. "I bet they were real happy when they found out the Thirteen had ascended."

"You bet right. For the first and only time The Others interfered with the plight of man, their brothers. Like the Thirteen, they managed to banish or kill the Old Ones and when they were done, they fought alongside the Thirteen to banish their Master. They couldn't kill him, but they managed to create a portal and sent him to a dimension as far from ours as possible." She paused for a moment. "Sending their Master back to another dimension wasn't as easy as I make it sound. Even with The Others' help, the Thirteen were barely able to do it. In fact, the Thirteen were never really convinced they were successful. Some of them suspect they were able to banish the Old Ones' Master because he wanted to be banished. Of course, once the battle with the Master was over, the Thirteen had to face the wrath of the Others."

"They were pissed, huh?" Jack could imagine how very pissed they would be.

"The Thirteen were weakened by the constant war and the Others, at that moment, were stronger than them. They were furious. They blamed the Thirteen for everything."

"Wait a second! It's not like it was their fault! They didn't crash on Earth deliberately!" And why was he getting so worked up about this? Why did it matter so much that the Others were pissed with the Thirteen.

"The Others were angry because the Old Ones had returned with their Master because the Thirteen had banished them after they ascended. The Others felt that they should not have interfered. They were also angry at the Thirteen because, when the Others banished the last of the Old Ones in the recent battle, one of them bit an Alteran before they left that dimension."

The Old Ones did WHAT? "I take it biting a human is a bad thing?"

"Yes. When the Old One bit that Alteran, their blood mixed. The Alteran became infected by the demon's soul. The Alteran became a demon. Not a pure demon like the Old Ones, but a hybrid. A lesser demon. Not as strong as pure demons but much stronger than humans. And that hybrid bit another Alteran and another and another..."

Jack swallowed nervously at her words. Jesus. It was... It was that easy to become a demon? What if one of the demons here were a little peckish? "So, the Others were a little pissed because now there were demons on Earth again? Why didn't the Thirteen just destroy them?"

"Because the Others wouldn't let them. They felt that they needed to be taught a lesson for interfering. They forbade the Thirteen from direct interference. When they tried to interfere, when they attempted to fight the demons personally, The Others stepped in and stopped them. By this time, more and more Alterans were ascending, so when all the dust had settled The Others outnumbered the Thirteen ten-to-one. Had the Thirteen attempted to step out of line in their still weakened state The Others would have destroyed them and Earth would have been without any protection."

"I really don't like the Others!" Jack stated. What was so wrong with giving a little help every now and then? That's what he wanted to know! "Okay, so the Thirteen couldn't fight the hybrids personally, but they could recruit the non-ascended Alterans, right? Tell them how to defeat them? I mean, you just said they weren't as strong as the Old Ones. Maybe the Alterans' weapons would work on the lesser demons." Although, it could have been possible that recruiting the help of humans would have fallen under the Others' definition of interference.

"Another part of the Thirteen's punishment was that the Others forbade them from recruiting Alterans and all the direct descents of Alterans to fight demons," she told him, confirming his suspicions. "In fact, they were forbidden from ever contacting the Alterans or their descendants directly. The purpose of their punishment was to not only watch the world around them struggle against demons, but to never speak, touch or help any of their brothers, sisters or their descendants. The Others knew just how much the Thirteen loved their brethren, making them sit back and watch helplessly as they continuously struggled against demons, especially since more and more Alterans became demons, was torture for them.

"Of course the non-ascended Alterans themselves didn't sit back idly while the demon population grew. They could see the impending danger and they knew that if they weren't careful they would be overrun. So, being the scientists that they were they searched for a way to save themselves with science. And they succeeded, or at least they thought they had. They still didn't understand demons, and without the Thirteen's help they never would, so they tried to solve their problem like any other. Their sole purpose was to destroy the demons and since their traditional weapons weren't of use they tried biological ones."

"Biological ones? What kind of..." he trailed off, suddenly understanding. "They created a plague to kill the demons. But it didn't just kill demons, did it? If what Daniel told us was true, it killed everything."

"According to the history of the Ancients the plague appeared mysteriously. There were some rumours that it was from the Ori, but it wasn't. They created it to kill the demons. Unfortunately, it killed everything but the demons."

"The Alterans really didn't have a lot of luck against demons, did they?"

"No. Once the plague was released and the Alterans realised their mistake, they fled the galaxy. Those already infected, including those who left Earth to live on other planets, died. All life was destroyed except, as I said, demons. The reason the demons didn't die was because they weren't really alive, not in the traditional sense. Although, in a way the Alteran Plague did help. The destruction of their main food source meant that after that the demons ceased their continual increase and some even went to other dimensions. Others fought amongst themselves, as the Old Ones did for eons before them, while some demons simply went into a hibernation of sorts. Everything the Thirteen had fought so hard to preserve... and destroy was now beyond them. They could have left Earth, now that it was nothing but a barren wasteland, but they couldn't. Their hatred of the Old Ones and their Master made it impossible for them leave.

"So for thousands of years they simply existed without purpose, watching waiting... and then life began again, the beginning of the second evolution of man thanks to Ancient technology. They watched and waited once again for tens of thousands of years while man evolved. Of course, with this new evolution of man those demons that were still here focused their attention back on the humans and those in hibernation awoke... some even returned from other dimensions. This time, however, the Thirteen weren't powerless to stop them."

No, of course they weren't. "They weren't direct descendants of the Ancients."

"Right. So the Thirteen wasted no time taking steps to ensure that the demons would never rule the planet again. They knew that the odds of survival against demons were not in the favour of humans, so three of the Thirteen retook human form to create a weapon that would eternally protect the humans of Earth."

"Hey! Isn't that against the rule? Taking human forms and creating a weapon like that?" It had been for Orlin.

"No. The Others were quite specific in their punishment and the Powers That Be were more than happy to utilise any loopholes. They were forbidden from fighting demons themselves as well as recruiting any Alteran descendants to do their work for them."

Jack could imagine how well the Others would have taken the Thirteen exploiting their punishment... although, they certainly seemed happy enough to let Oma walk the line. "The Others didn't stop them?"

"By the time the second evolution of man took place, the Thirteen had more than returned to full strength. Don't forget, the Thirteen are different from other higher beings. While they are vastly outnumbered by the Others, the Thirteen have access to powers—and to powerful beings—that they don't. Neither side was willing to initiate a fight to see who was the strongest, so the Thirteen keep the peace by following the letter of their punishment and the Others left them alone. The Thirteen's only concern was – is – the people of Earth and ensuring that demons don't take over and destroy the planet or our dimension.

"But that's not to say that the Thirteen don't exploit every opportunity they can. Which was why three of them took human form. They knew that they needed a weapon that would forever protect the planet. "

"Please tell me that you know where this weapon is and that I can use it to kill that asshole who has Dawn?"

"The weapon the Thirteen created won't help you save Dawn," she told him, her voice sad. "Actually, you might be interested to know, that the weapon the Thirteen created is working to save you right now."

"It is?" Okay, Jack was back to being confused. "How exactly is the weapon working to save me?" They were talking about the same type of weapon, right? Specifically a big demon-killing ray gun or something like that?

Laughter filled his mind. "Not quite. The weapon or warrior, rather, the Thirteen created was – is – a human called The Slayer."

"Slayer?"

"A human, a girl, imbued with the power necessary to fight the forces of darkness. Demons."

"I'm sorry, they created a what now?"

"They needed a human powerful enough to fight the demons. The Slayer was created to protect those who didn't even know what demons were. The Thirteen have other warriors and champions that help their cause but none of them are as powerful as the Slayer. When one Slayer dies another is chosen to take her place. As long as there are demons walking the Earth, there are Slayers."

There was an inflection in her tone that made Jack frown. "So the Slayer is still around today? On Earth?"

"Yes. In fact, you've met her. Like I said, she's working to save you right now."

She was kidding, righ... Before Jack could finish the thought another one popped in mind. Actually, it was more of a memory than a thought. He was remembering something the voice in his head had said when she started explaining this. "Buffy knows part of the true history of Earth."

"Yes."

"She's the Slayer." Suddenly every comment, every declaration Dawn had made about her sister made sense. How many times had Dawn said that Buffy would save them? That Buffy would be able to protect him? Christ! Dawn knew... Dawn knew about all of this, the demons...

"She knows part of this and yes, Buffy is the Slayer, although in modern times they refer to her as the Vampire Slayer. "

Well, now Dawn's comment 'wild vampires couldn't drag it out of me' made sense. In fact... everything made sense. Frightening sense. Every strange phrase that seemed to stick out in his mind had new meaning now, especially what Dawn had said to him before he came here, about being the key and hell and demon dimensions...

Every cell in Jack's body froze as all the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fit together. He got it now. As insane as it seemed (and a part of him still didn't believe it) he understood everything. He understood what the voice in his head was telling him. He understood what Dawn had been trying to explain to him before the intruder interrupted them. Sweet Jesus, he even understood the implications of what the intruder was doing.

"Okay, just so I'm clear on this," Jack began. "What you're pretty much saying is that before humans the Earth belonged to the Old Ones, but that all changed when the Alterans – the Ancients – crashed landed on Earth and got their asses pretty much handed to them. They all died except thirteen, the Thirteen, who ascended by embracing 'the powers that be' all around them and became The Powers That Be – which is kind of a lame name for them, just thought I'd tell ya.

"As I was saying, the Old Ones pretty much kicked ass until the Thirteen ascended and got rid of the Old Ones just before the rest of the science-geek Alterans came to Earth. They lived here peacefully, without knowing about the war or the Thirteen, but then the Old Ones and their Creator returned. Once again, the Old Ones kicked ass, but the Alterans ended up ascending and took care of them – all the while the Thirteen were trying to stop the Creator from helping the Old Ones. After the Old Ones and the Creator were taken care of the Others and the Thirteen had a little disagreement and demon hybrids started roaming the Earth. The Thirteen were punished, the Alterans created a plague and pretty much everything but the demons died. The Alterans not affected by the plague got the hell out of dodge, and the Thirteen ended up watching over a dead Earth.

"After a while, life started evolving again, the Thirteen had their recruits and created a Slayer and the rest is pretty much history. How am I doing so far? Have I got it?"

"Yes."

"All right, now I just have one question." He actually had more, but for the moment this was the only one that mattered. "Who is the intruder, the guy that sent me here. Is he an Old One?"

"No."

Jack closed his eyes and silently cursed. "So Daddy Dearest, the Creator – the Intruder – has decided to take one more crack at trying to reclaim Earth?" He idly remembered what the voice in his head said about gods interfering in Earth and wished he hadn't. He did not want the Creator to be a god. He didn't believe in gods and he refused to start now.

"Yes."

"And Dawn is a mystical key that opens doors between dimensions?"

"Yes."

"And Dawn is with Daddy Dearest right now?"

"Yes."

"And the Thirteen can't defeat Daddy Dearest, can they?"

"No."

"And if the Thirteen can't defeat them, the Slayer and their other Champions can't defeat Daddy Dearest, either. Right?"

"Right."

"And we can't expect the Others to pitch in and lend a hand, huh?"

"No."

"So what you're pretty much saying is that there's no way in Hell we're going to be able to stop Daddy Dearest?"

"Yes."

"So why the hell did you even bother telling me this? If the Thirteen can't stand up against Daddy Dearest, how the Hell do they expect me to do it? Christ, how the hell do they expect me to save Dawn? They know I'm human right? Hell! I'm not even that! I'm a clone! Why did they want me to know the truth? What do they want me to do?"

"This was never about you stopping the Creator, Jack."

"Then what is this about? What do they want me to do?"

"They want you to stop the Key."

He froze. "No." It was the first word he had said out loud in hours. "No. I'm not stopping the key." And they should have known that! They should have known that he would NEVER hurt Dawn. He couldn't. She... She was just a kid. He couldn't do it. No matter how much it meant to the world. It was impossible. He'd never be able to –

"NO!" the voice shouted in his mind, horrified. Pained even.

The horror and pain in her voice struck Jack as weird because why would a messenger for the Thirteen care so much about Dawn? It... It almost sounded as though she knew Dawn... that she cared for her.

”I would never ask you to hurt Dawnie and neither would the Thirteen.

Dawnie?

" You're right. They knew you would never agree to harm Dawn. This isn't even about Dawn. It's about the Key, the energy inside her. You're here to stop the energy from ever being released. She hesitated then, and Jack wished he could be inside HER head. "Jack, there's more that you need to know; Why the Powers chose you. Why they've been waiting for you for so long. Why you can save Dawn. Why the Old One's creator thinks you’re her weapon."

Wait! "Daddy Dearest thinks I'm her weapon? You mean I'm not?" He paused, then asked an equally disturbing and impossible question. "The thirteen have been waiting for me?"

She ignored his first two questions and focused on the last. "Yes. One of the Thirteen is precognitive. But that's not important right now. What's important is that you can save Dawn by – "

Jack almost cried out in fury when her words broke off before telling him what he DESPERATELY wanted to know, but before his mind could form words the voice in his head gasped.

"Oh God, they demons have found you!"

Oh shit. He jumped to his feet. "Which way do I run?" He still couldn't see anything much.

"You don't," she told him, her voice full of pain. "They're coming in every direction. No matter where you run, they'll capture you."

No. NO! He refused to believe that there wasn't a way out. How the hell was he supposed to save Dawn?

"Jack, I need you to listen to me very carefully. No matter what they do to you... It's not permanent. You will be returned to Dawn. The Thirteen won't let you die here, but they can't remove your physical form from this plane. Not yet. They can access and shield your mind here, which is how I'm able to talk to you, but they're still working to break through the barriers in this dimension to get you out. Daddy Dearest knows this, that's why there are so many demons coming. He sent you here to break you, to break Dawn. He knows we need to get you out and he knows the Thirteen will heal you, so he's keeping the Thirteen out of here as long as possible in order to destroy your mind and return you to Dawn himself. If he does that, he'll win. He's relying on it. If you go insane it will break Dawn. We can't let that happen. You will be sane when you return to her. The Thirteen – I – will make sure of it. I'm not going to leave you, Jack. You will survive this. You have to. Dawn needs you. You just have to hold on."

Jack shuddered at the words and for the first time since in a long time he felt truly scared. What she was saying – what she wasn't saying – reminded Jack of his time with Ba'al. Instead of Daniel, who had feared for his sanity as well, this time he had a voice in his head trying to keep him safe. Keep him sane. "Tell me what I need to do to get out of here alive?"

"You need to be strong. Strong like an Amazon."