As The Dust Settles
A/N: I went to see Prometheus at the cinema the other day, and I've got to say I found it a little disappointing. It raised way more questions about Alien than it answered, but on the plus side, it sparked a few ideas for fanfic (partly stemming from the need to right everything that was scientifically wrong with it) and partly because I've been wanting to write a sort of space-age Spike fic for a while now about how he goes travelling across the universe and takes on the identity of Captain John Hart from Torchwood. Because the way I saw it, that character was way too much like Spike for James Marsters not to be playing it with Spike in mind. So, this is the result of all those ideas. It's not comic book compatible, so is AU post Not Fade Away, but I've tried to explain what's changed to the best of my ability.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns the Buffy stuff, Ridley Scott and James Cameron own whatever Prometheus/Alien/Predator stuff comes up in this, and Russell T Davies owns the tiny bits of Doctor Who/Torchwood I may mention.
Prologue
The world has changed greatly in the seventy years since Buffy Summers' death. Technology has advanced rapidly. Mystical doctors have effectively blended magic and science, finding ways to make vampires resilient to sunlight and allowing their hearts to beat again. Robotics and AI technology have been refined to an almost perfect replica of the human form, and androids capable of blending seamlessly into society may soon be commonplace. Spacecraft capable of deep space travel have become available, and mankind is reaching for the stars.
One such spacecraft is the Prometheus, which departed Earth in 2187 on a journey to the far side of the galaxy, never to be seen again. The true nature of its mission remains elusive, but many speculate that the crew were in search of answers to the possible origin of the human race. With the ship having lost contact with Earth, its fate and purpose remain a mystery, but many companies such as the Weyland and Yutani corporations continue to finance research and voyages for humankind to delve further into the unexplored depths of the galaxy. Alongside controversy and adversity, progress is being made.
But for the one time friends of the Slayer, not all is well. Angel has fallen into a pit of depression following the deaths of all those he once cared about, and has long since lost the faith he had in the world that allowed him to keep fighting. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Charles Gunn have been long dead, and the Elder God Illyria wanders the Earth as a mere shadow of what she once was, unable to either comprehend or command the humans surrounding her. Evil has claimed back control of the law firm Wolfram and Hart after a failed apocalypse, and now its iron fist of corruption grips the puppet strings of humanity's leaders more tightly than ever. Willow Rosenberg has at last joined Tara Maclay in the grave, and Xander Harris followed her shortly after. Few of Buffy Summers' former allies or enemies remain, and those still alive suffer a lonely existence.
Spike, seeking a fresh start, signs up to an exploratory space crew heading for a mysterious planet in the depths of the galaxy, knowing little about the nature of the mission but desperate to escape the demons that haunt him on Earth. But on board the ship, not all is as it seems. Stolen identities, suspicious activity by certain crew members, and the mystery as to the true motives of the company financing the mission could spell out danger for all on board…