Story by Dan Joslyn

Written by Dan Joslyn

Produced and Directed by CN Winters and Dan Joslyn

Edited by Sway

Sound by CSR

Art Direction by Robert Kidman

Artists – Robert Kidman, Zahir al Daoud, Sway Elif and Humaira

February 21 2006

8:15:02pm

"—are on their heels now as the Cavs are really taking it to Orlando." On the high-definition television screen, a tall, African-American basketball player caught a pass and launched a long three-point attempt.

Kennedy sat idly on the slayer rec room’s large couch, lackadaisically popping a potato chip into her mouth.

The announcer continued. "LeBron James having another great night for the—"

A page finished flipping and Rowena leaned forward in order to better read its contents. She scanned the page in approximately a second, finding nothing. She blew out a long breath and propped her head up with one hand, her elbow resting against the table.

"Slow night," she observed, and without hurry turned another page.

Breathing hard and sweating, Faith was in the midst of a seemingly endless series of crunches. She touched her right elbow to her left knee, then repeated the action with her left elbow and right knee. The slayer did this about seven times in the space of a couple of seconds, and showed no sign of slowing down.

The whine of a buzz saw filled the air as Xander cut a long plank of wood in half. Wood chips flew in every direction. The carpenter was wearing large plastic safety goggles. He lifted the two new pieces, ready to place them in a growing pile of similar pieces on the floor next to his workbench.

"—jutting out from its arms. Avoid them at all costs." Vi pointed to a particular feature in a demon anatomy diagram projected on the briefing room wall. Heli, Marie, Jaye, and Shannon were among those who sat around a large table, giving their attention to the red-haired woman. So was Lorinda, who seemed to be about as nervous as she could possibly be. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Morgan whispered something to Chamique at the far end of the table, and both girls smiled.

"Okay," Vi concluded, clapping her hands together once. "I think we’re ready. Patrol groups rendezvous in fifteen—"

Willow sat on a pillow in a lotus position, her eyes closed. The witch released a long, cleansing breath, then breathed in slowly. She appeared perfectly serene.

She opened her eyes. "Now you try."

Dawn sat across from Willow, folded into the same position on her own pillow. The younger woman closed her eyes.

Skye reached one wall of her cell and turned, paced the short distance to the opposite wall, and turned again. After a couple of these laps, the young vampire stopped, looking dejected. She collapsed on the cot in the back of the cell, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"—entitled to your opinion." Andrew leaned back in his chair behind the lobby reception desk, speaking into his phone headset. "I’m not saying Serenity was a bad movie, Tracey, just that the captain freaked me out." He waited a moment for the response before continuing. "I dunno… I think he reminded me of someone, I just can’t put my finger on…"

It was then that Andrew noticed a new blinking light on his phone console. "Could you hang on a sec, I’ve got another call coming in." He leaned forward and pressed a button on the desk. "Council of Watchers," he pronounced in a practiced phone voice, "how may I…"

"I don’t have much time," a low, desperate voice interrupted. The voice was strange, with a resonance that made it seem slightly inhuman. It spoke quickly. "Just listen. There’s a bomb…in Cleveland. A mystical bomb. We think it’s mystical." The caller paused a moment before continuing with renewed urgency.

"Thousands of people, perhaps hundreds of thousands, are going to die…You are going to die, if you don’t find it in the next hour. Do you understand what I am telling you?"

"Where is it?" Andrew asked, now fully attentive. "Where is the bomb?"

"It’s—" But then the voice was cut off. In the background, Andrew could hear a few words yelled in a strange melodic language. Then there was a moment of silence before he heard the click of the receiver being hung up followed by the sound of a dial-tone.

Stunned, Andrew didn’t move for a second. Then he pressed another button on the desk console.

"Tracey? Yeah, um…I think I’m gonna have to call you back Sweetie."