Child of the Ancients

November 3, 1981

Atlantic Coast, Florida

A scream and burst of flame tore from the form of a woman laying in a hammock stretched over the top of an RV. IT was very fortunate that she had set up the hammock above the vehicle instead of sleeping in it, otherwise she might have melted it to slag around her. Sitting up groggily she pressed her palms against her eyes and rubbed slightly then groaned when the pain refused to go away. 'Ugh, it's been at least a millenium since something like that happened last.'

Getting out of the hammock she stumbled over to the ladder on the back and managed to climb down then stumbled around to the door and into the RV looking for where she had put her painkillers and a water bottle. Grabbing both she heard a chiming sound and groaned as she reached up and pressed on a panel in the ceiling. “Yeah?”

A three dimensional image of an older man appeared in the middle of the vehicle. “I hope I'm not interrupting anything.”

The woman sat down and popped two pills then drank some water. “No Commander I think you called at just the right time since I was about to call you.” Shifting slightly she continued, “I take it you heard that one?”

The Commander snorted. “Elexa, I think everyone still on Terra who's even slightly psychic heard that birth scream. I think that even...” Someone walked over to the man and leaned over to tell him something. Nodding he waved the newcomer away. “That was Ulric telling me that even Tenreth heard that one, there apparently was an open portal between here and the Fall Court open when the scream went out.”

“Sir, even if there wasn't an open portal Tenreth would have heard that. He's just too damned good with telepathy to miss something that loud even in another universe.”

“True, he can also be a pain in the ass to keep anything from.” A voice called out off to the Commander's side. “Hold on a moment Elexa. Apparently Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana want in on this conversation as well for some reason.”

Three more figures flickered into view around the Commander's image. One was wearing a hooded robe and holding a staff with a long gray beard, another was wearing gleaming armor and had a sword on one side, the third was a woman in an alien looking dress that combined a toga with an Ancient Egyptian style outfit.

“Morgana, it's nice to see you again,” said Elexa who really was happy to see the woman.

Morgana smiled and replied, “It is good to see you as well Elexa. I hope you'll be able to come by and stay for a little while soon.”

“I will try to.” Looking at the other two Elexa seemed to deflate a little. “Hello Merlin and Arthur.”

Merlin looked a little disappointed at the reaction he received. “Am I not good enough for you anymore? After all that time you spent at my place wearing that nice little g-string last year. How could you just throw me aside like that?”

Elexa rolled her eye at Merlin's theatrics. “Easily, you have the wrong parts.”

Arthur bent over laughing at the look of shock on Merlin's face then started drooling as what she said caught up with him.

Morgana shared a look with Elexa and both rolled their eyes at the actions of Merlin and Arthur.

“It's nice to see what happens when your mind is trapped in a computer for almost two thousand years,” said Elexa. “Now what's so important that you three have decided that you have to talk to us about the scream we heard?”

Morgana sighed, “According to what we were able to pick up on scanners the origin of the birth scream was very near the Hellmouth on the west coast of North America. Or it could have come from near the Hellmouth in the middle of the Pacific.” Morgana saw the looks on the two living beings and shrugged. “Merlin and Arthur's facilities are in the Atlantic Ocean and I'm near Madagascar. With just the three of us there isn't enough of a sensor network to be more specific when it isn't around the Atlantic.”

“Alright,” said the Commander. “Elexa I want you to go check out Sunnydale since you're the closest to it. If the child is there I want you to get in contact with me immediately so we can figure out how to get it out of there. We do not need another Judas appearing.”