Title: Catalysis
Summary: "An action between two or more persons or forces, initiated by an agent that itself remains unaffected by the action."
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters of 'Buffy' and 'Angel' or 'Sucker Punch'. The rights belong to Joss Whedon & Zack Snyder respectively. I do not use them for any means of fiscal gain.
Sweet Pea stretched in preparation for the morning's practice. Casting a glance in Rocket's direction, out of years of ingrained habit, before moving smoothly into her first position.
She began to glide through the motions that now came as second nature to her, after so long performing them night after night. She paid no attention to her surroundings, there was just the dance and the thrum of the music.
Her focus was broken by Madame Gorski's voice ringing out across the studio. "Girls, gather round,"
With a sigh of frustration, Sweet Pea stood and moved to join the cluster forming around the brothel's madame. She hung back, sticking to the edge of the group.
"We have a new arrival," she continued, stepping aside to reveal a girl standing behind her.
She seemed to be about sixteen, her long brown hair lay loose and lank over her shoulders. Her head was bowed; her shoulders slumped.
Like so many girls that washed-up here she had bourn the brunt of the worst the world had to offer and had shattered under the weight of it; another broken doll for Blue and his cronies to play with until they got bored and threw her away, Sweet Pea thought dismissively.
Almost as if she had her thoughts, the girl's head whipped up to stare at Sweet Pea.
She found herself taking an unconscious step back from the strange girl's intense gaze that was boring into her eyes.
There was a spark in there. Something that remained indomitable despite every trail it had been subjected to. Something that spoke of fury and barely restrained violence.
The air around her seemed to shimmer, as though looking through a heat haze. A multitude of images seemed to project over her. Intersecting and overlapping. The plain rags she was wearing shifted into a dirtied, loose hospital gown and back again. Red welts cut into her wrists as though tied with invisible restraints, before being wiped away just as suddenly. Blood dripped slowly onto the floor from her hands and the crude blade she carried.
With a start, Sweet Pea tore her gaze away from the girl; who now appeared to be studying her, an unnerving gleam in her eye. Of recognition?
There was a whisper against her mind. "Are you ready to be strong?"
She was so focused, she almost missed Madame Gorski's next words.
"Girls, this is Dana."
She needed to talk to Babydoll.