"I'm not trying to screw up your war thingy!" shouted Dawn. "I'm just trying to save my niece. Okay? She's being pursued by a whole bunch of Virox, and it would really help if you shot them down for us!"

"The monsters chasing you?" said Private Mitchell. He scoffed. "They didn't seem too terrifying."

"Yeah, that's because the Virox are basically uninterested in me," said Dawn. "I've only traveled in time a little bit, so the guys they sent after me were lightweights. The big-guns… they're sending after Seo."

Private Mitchell seemed amused. "Guess the rebels'll get more than they expected in the battlefield, then."

Dawn gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "Listen, jerkface. Those Virox things don't care about Northerners or Southerners. In their books, you're all just humans. Humans who're harboring a fugitive slave. They've got mega laws about that."

Mitchell processed this. Thinking it all through, carefully.

"Oh, my God! You're supposed to be the North guys, fighting the Civil War!" shouted Dawn. "You're fighting to free the slaves!" She pointed back at the town. "So fight to free Seo, too!"

"We're not fighting to free the slaves," said Mitchell. "We're fighting to stop those Southern rebels from seceding from the Union."

"Seo and I are…" Dawn stopped. Blinked. "Wait, you're not fighting to… wait, huh?"

"If those monsters are gonna kill anyone harboring a slave," said Mitchell, "I say fine. The Union isn't harboring her. The rebels are. And I'm happy to let the Virox cut up as many rebels as possible."

Dawn's jaw dropped.

"She's a runaway?" said Solomon. He analyzed Seo, carefully. "Don't look like no runaway to me."

"It don't make one lick of sense, Joshua," Mary snapped. "Them monsters are from the pits of Hell! They're—"

"They ain't human," said Joshua. He shrugged. "Neither is she."

Seo smiled at him. This one was a bit clever, wasn't he?

"Ain't human?" said Solomon. He peered at her. "But she looks—"

"We don' look like white folk," Joshua argued. "They think that means we ain't like 'em, inside. But we are." He pointed his thumb to Seo. "She's the opposite. Look like the white folk. But it don' mean she's the same on the inside."

"He's right," said Seo. "I'm not human. I'm alien. And so are the Virox."

"Virox?" said Mary.

"The aliens chasing me," said Seo. "I'm a time traveler. And all time travelers are, by law, considered slaves the moment they arrive in the Virox Empire." She sighed. "I didn't know that, of course, when they dragged my ship in. But there you go."

"You travel in time?" said Joshua. He seemed intrigued. "How?"

"My ship," Seo said. Her eyes twinkled. "I can show it to you, if you want! Give you the grand tour and a demonstration of how it works and everything!" She grinned. "It's brilliant."

"And them Virox enslaved you to tell them their future?" Mary guessed.

Good guess.

"The Virox civilization runs off artron energy," Seo explained. Then, realizing they had no idea what she was talking about, added, "Artron's… the energy you get when you travel through time. Time radiation. Harmless, but powerful if you know how to harness it." They still seemed none the wiser, but Seo went on, regardless. "Problem is, the Virox can't travel through time, themselves. So they can't get the artron. Except from other time travelers. So that's what they do. Find and kidnap time travelers, turn them into factory slaves, make them work while draining the time energy from their bodies. Until they die."

"The Virox is drainin' the life from folk?" Solomon said.

"Yes, that's it," Seo agreed. She cringed. "Problem is… they noticed I didn't show up on machines. Worked out who I really am. And now… they want me for something else, entirely."

"For what?" asked Joshua.

Seo looked him right in the eye. "They want me to destroy worlds."

For a few moments, none of them said anything. Just stared at Seo, dumbstruck.

"Why?" asked Mary.

"Because I happen to be very good at it," said Seo. "And if I don't do what they want, they can threaten…" She stopped. Her eyes going unfocused. "My… aunt. They can threaten my aunt. She… was with me. We got split up on Earth, running away." Her lower lip shook. "I don't know if I'll ever see her again."

The others around her exchanged knowing looks. Then put a hand on her arm.

"We'll get 'er back," Joshua said. "Same way Mary and Solomon's gonna get their kids back."

Seo looked back at the couple. "Your children? Where…?"

"Sold down the river," Mary whispered.

It was too horrible to imagine. Too cruel to believe.

Seo opened her mouth to reply, but Joshua held up a hand to silence her. Listened.

They could hear the bark of dogs, in the distance. Coming closer.

"Run!" shouted Solomon, clutching Mary's hand, tightly, as they raced forwards.

"Get to the river!" said Joshua. "Mask the scent!"

But they weren't fast enough.

The dogs cornered them in a cornfield. Leapt on them, snapping jaws in their faces, growling and clawing. Mary shrieked, Solomon slamming the dog away from his wife, another leaping onto his back. A third clamped his jaws around Joshua's leg.

Seo gave a sharp, high-pitched whistle, through her teeth.

And the dogs, a little startled, looked up at her. And backed off.

"How…?" said Solomon.

"Trick I picked up a while ago," Seo replied. She shrugged. "I'm good with feral dogs."

The sound of a throat clearing cut them off.

They looked up.

Discovered they'd been encircled by four human white-men wielding guns. All looking on at them with severe distaste. Seo and the others held up their hands, slowly.

"Well, now," said one of the men. "Ain't she a smart one?"

Seo did her best to level a dark, defiant stare at the men surrounding them. "Let us go."

"Bet she ain't smart enough to avoid a lynching," said another one of the slave patrollers. "Abolitionist scum."

"I'm warning you," said Seo. "If you value your lives, let us go."

"You ain't in no position to make threats, Ma'am," said one of the patrollers. "Think you'll find you're under arrest for the theft—"

"You better listen 'o her, boy," said Solomon. He pointed at Seo. "You get 'er mad, and she'll destroy the world."

The others burst out laughing.

"I ain't fibbin'!" Solomon insisted. "She's bein' hunted by the devil 'imself, wantin' to corrupt her immortal soul, and make her do folk in."

They laughed even harder.

"Thick-headed humans," Seo muttered.

"Looks like they got 'emselves a guardian angel!" shouted one of the slave patrollers, through his laughter.

"If you're so dangerous, little lady," said another, as he pointed the gun at Solomon, "then prove it."

Seo said nothing for a few seconds. Just glaring at everyone around her.

"Fine," she said. Then, putting fingers in her mouth, gave another whistle.

The four dogs immediately raced forwards and jumped on her, tearing at her, biting and scratching and clawing. She sucked in her pain, banishing the thoughts of it from her mind, until the slave patrollers managed to get their dogs under control, and away from her.

"That was mighty stupid o' you," said one of the slave patrollers.

Seo looked up at him. Quirked an eyebrow.

"Actually," she said, "it was terribly clever." She got up off the ground. "You see… I've just signed all your death warrants."

The slave patroller nearest her frowned. Then screamed, as he was hit in the back by a burst of bright light, and disappeared into the air.

The other slave patrollers looked around, gasping, as they came face-to-face with a troop of ten alien monsters. They raised up their muskets, with shaking hands, but the Virox responded by raising up their own energy weapons, a snarl on their faces.

The Virox leader stepped forwards. "You have damaged the merchandise. We demand compensation."

The slave patrollers all looked at one another. "Now, look 'ere," one man said. "Them there's our merchandise. You ain't got no right to just walk in 'ere and steal—"

"You will pay compensation," the Virox leader cut in. "Or face retribution."

"Sir," said the smallest of the slave patrollers. "I… think they's talkin' bout her."

The other humans all turned to stare at Seo, shocked.

"The spilling of a Gallifreyan's blood depletes its artron reserves," snarled the Virox leader. "You will pay the difference in value."

Seo groaned. "I'm not Gallifreyan, and you know it," she retorted. "Your machines can't even pick up my artron, let alone drain it."

The Virox leader gave a hissing laugh. "No. Not a Gallifreyan. A… thing."

"She weren't born no 'thing'," Mary snapped. "She were born same as us, in God's—"

"This item was not 'born'," sneered the Virox leader. "She was manufactured. Created. A Weapon built for war." He turned to the human slave patrollers. "A Weapon you have damaged. And we demand compensation."

"Compensation," one of the human slave patrollers said. "Yeah. Course. How much d'ya reckon then? Little thing like 'er, couldn't be worth more than a buck or two—"

"You will surrender your planet, its work force, people, and mineral wealth, as appropriate compensation for the female slave's injuries," snarled the Virox leader.

Everyone froze. Staring, open-jawed.

"You's worth more than the world?" Joshua whispered to Seo.

"I was worth at least a star system, last time I checked," Seo said. Shrugged. "I didn't hang about to hear the grand total."

"Your ultimate price was nine billion Cairosiers, and the exchange of three star systems," reported the Virox leader. "As paid by the Emperor Welphor IV, your master."

"What? You continued the auction after I'd already escaped?" Seo cried. She raised an eyebrow at them. "You certainly are self-confident, aren't you?"

The slave patroller nearest Seo just kept staring at her. This smallish girl, who didn't look particularly useful or remarkable. "How… how are you worth that much?"

"Because she destroys worlds," Mary breathed.

The slave patrollers all gaped at Seo. Then lowered their guns, and moved slowly away from her.

As it all suddenly made sense.

So much sense.

"She destroys worlds," one of the slave patrollers whispered.

"'N she just tricked us into destroyin' ours," muttered another. "Givin' it up to them… monsters."

The third slave patroller pointed at Seo. "It ain't us done set the dogs on 'er!" he insisted. "It was her! She—"

The slave patroller was obliterated in a scream of white light.

"All right, that's enough!" shouted Seo. She stepped forwards. "Stop with the 'compensation' bit. These scratches will heal easily. And you know you can't take this world without violating inter-galactic law. So stop bluffing and—"

"The humans will hand over the fugitive slave," said the Virox, "or their world will be destroyed."

"What?" shouted Seo. "Why…?"

Joshua stepped forwards. "You can stop actin'," he told Seo. "They already knows." He stood in front of them, not looking afraid at all. "They says… God created man in His own image. But she…" Pointing back at Seo, "ain't created in your image. She's created in ours."

The Virox leader trained his gun on Joshua. But didn't fire.

"Thing is, you's been sellin' stolen merchandise," said Joshua. "Stolen from us. We created 'er. You know it's true. After all — we built 'er in our own image."

"She is still a time traveler," said the Virox. "All time travelers are property of—"

"But if we constructed 'er," Joshua continued, "that means we's her master. Not you. It means she'll always be loyal to us — and us alone. 'Less we give 'er to ya, all legal-like." He leveled them with his most confident stare. "But guess what? She ain't for sale."

The Virox leader lowered his gun.

"Says you!" shouted the smallest of the human slave patrollers, jumping up and grabbing Seo by the arm. "He's just a slave. I own this one. All mine. And you gotta pay me—"

He was incinerated on the spot.

"Pink-skinned scum," the Virox leader growled. The Virox leader turned back to Joshua. "You must be the ruler of the human race," he observed. "The one who owns the Weapon. For you are the one who demands her loyalty and allegiance, beyond all others."

"Every slave must obey their master," Joshua agreed.

The Virox leader growled. Then put back up his gun, charging it up and pointing it right at Joshua's head. "The girl is a time traveler, who has set foot in the Virox Empire. Therefore, you will surrender her to—"

"I said she ain't for sale!" Joshua shouted. Advancing forwards, finger pointed in the Virox leader's face. "And if you wanna see your world, again, you better get gone. Fore I send 'er after ya."

"Better do what he says," said Seo, in a soft, cold voice, as she stood beside Joshua. Placing an arm on his shoulder, protectively. "After all. I take my orders from one person, and one person alone. And you definitely don't want to make that person angry."

The Virox troops began edging back.

The Virox leader stood his ground, attempting to reassert control of the situation. "The recapture of the girl will result in ten percent—"

"And that's going to count for nothing," said Seo, "after I lay waste to your whole Empire. Isn't it?"

The Virox leader hesitated.

"Well?" said Seo. "What are you sticking around for?" Her voice dropped. "Want to test out just how much of a genocidal killing machine I actually am?"

Which was when the entire landscape exploded behind him. Mud splattering through the air, as the Virox shrieked, and scattered. The leader himself going magenta, as he stared at Seo. Unsure how she'd managed to do that, using no hidden electronics or triggering mechanisms, and standing so far away.

Then he turned and ran, too.

Seo took a breath of relief. A grin spreading across her face.

"About time!" she called out.

Dawn emerged from her hiding spot, hacking and coughing from the gunpowder. "Okay, you try stealing a bunch of gunpowder from those Union guys," she said, managing to steady herself. "They're super stingy with the mega artillery."

They both smiled at each other. Then ran over and wrapped one another in a tight embrace. Laughing in relief, as the Virox ship took off, in the sky, overhead, and disappeared.

They stopped laughing. As the metallic end of a musket touched the back of Dawn's neck.

"Don't move," said a Confederate soldier. "We overheard everything."