Author's Note: Action scenes are hard….


Chapter 10

Rey lunged forward, igniting her lightsaber again. "Why do you want to kill me?" The crackling blade sizzled at the woman's neck. "Why do you hate me so much that you'll chase me all the way to the basement just to put my own lightsaber in my heart?"

"We don't hate you." Dr. Rodrin stepped up behind Dr. Maryn. His voice was cool and impassive. "It's only a continuation of the experiment. We need to test a new update I've made to my machine—"

"Your machine?" Irena's voice was sharp. "You didn't make that machine or do a single update on it any more than I did!"

Rey blinked.

He—hadn't made the Imagination Machine?

Then who did?

Maryn crossed her arms, her eyes flashing fire. "Liar," she snapped. "You're just a secretary, how would you know? Careful or you might be the next one in line for testing."

"Oh, I'm quite sure that won't happen." Irena stepped forward as if to push past the pair. "Now if you'll let us go, maybe I won't file a report on you for unethical practices."

Maryn didn't move. "No."

Rey released the lightsaber blade again, narrowing her eyes and meeting the woman's gaze. "What if we leave anyway?"

She took a step forward, her mind racing. She wasn't going to kill the woman. The image of the blade slicing through her heart and leaving a sizzling hole flashed through her mind. She remembered the sizzle of the dalek's blaster, the black burn on the raider's back.

A shiver cut through her. She couldn't kill her. She couldn't.

So what was she going to do?

She took a step forward, blade crackling. She could cut off her hand, her arm, leave her unable to move and then push past her—

She saw the severed arm falling to the floor, heard the sickening plop.

She couldn't do it.

Her finger moved for the button. She could always use the hilt as a blunt-force weapon anyway.

Maryn lunged.

Her fingers closed around Rey's wrist, twisting her arm behind her back with a sharp jerk. In a flash of a second, Rey saw what she planned to do. The blade would go up, and go straight through Rey's heart from behind.

She moved a finger, just slightly, and pressed the button. The blade retracted just as the hilt slammed into her back, her shoulder twisted painfully.

Maryn cursed. Her fingers tightened around Rey's hand, searching for the button again. Rey strained against her grip, drawing back to jab an elbow into her stomach—

A giant crash echoed through the room.

Maryn's grip loosened and Rey whirled to see the Doctor standing by a shattered window, the droid's giant hand hefted in his arms.

"You idiot!" Maryn's voice shot fire. "Do you realize what you've done? You've—"

The Doctor grinned a wild, almost crazy grin. "Yep! I've broken the airlock! Now run!"

For a flash of a second both scientists just stood there, gaping as if they couldn't believe it. And then—

"Run," Maryn hissed.

Rey turned and ran. The Doctor shoved something in his coat, grabbed Irena by the hand and they turned and took off down the hallway, the Doctor kicking the door closed behind them with a slam.

"This whole level's gonna implode any minute!" he shouted. "Steps! Elevator! Anything!" Irena's heels clacked on the metal floors and BB8 skittered and bounced along behind them, their footsteps echoing off the walls and ceiling. She thought she heard the cracking of broken metal and cold air seeped along the floor.

The Doctor grabbed her around the waist and shoved her through a door, slamming it behind him. He paused for a flash of a second, tinkering with the lock, and then started up the stairs at a run.

"I've reset the airlock, we're safe to get up the stairs!" he shouted behind him. "But they're still coming after us!"

BB8 clunked up onto the first step and stopped, tilting his head to the side with a frustrated beep. Rey huffed and stopped, staring at him as if she could pull him up the steps with her mind. "BB8! Come on!"

BB8 bumped up another step.

Something cracked on the other side of the door, and she heard the shouts of the scientists.

"We've got to get into the upstairs airlock!" Irena stopped at the next landing, her hands clenching the bannister. "Leave the droid behind and go!"

Rey leveled a glare at Irena. She wasn't leaving BB8 behind. "Doctor—"

The Doctor darted back down and leaned down, looping his arms around the round droid. Hefting him up in his arms, he took off up the steps again.

Rey stared.

"Come on," Irena snapped. "You can stare at your husband later. Run!"

Rey blinked, processing her words—and then ran, turning corner after corner until she was dizzy from the twists and turns of the stairs. Crashing and shouting echoed behind them and she pushed herself faster, faster, slamming into the Doctor as he shoved open a door and they tumbled into a small white room. The Doctor dropped BB8 rather unceremoniously and his fingers flashed over the lock, the wobble and blue glow of the sonic screwdriver echoing through the room. BB8 let out a rather disgruntled beep and rolled for the far door.

The Doctor jumped to his feet and threw open the door. BB8 nearly tripped him as he flew out into the hallway and Rey was a step behind. The Doctor sprinted past them and slammed the door behind them, and they stood gasping in a hospital-white hallway.

BB8 shook himself like an offended cat and looked up at the Doctor. If the single eye could glare, it did. He let out a beep that was somehow both indignant and grateful, and probably telling the Doctor never to do that again.

The Doctor rubbed his arms. "Phew," he gasped. "That droid's heavy."

BB8 beeped again.

Rey glared at the Doctor. "You've offended him," she said.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's—"

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and nearly before the four of them could turn, the two scientists were upon them. Rodrin had his arms around Rey's waist and was hauling her down the hallway before she could even open her mouth to protest, and Maryn snatched her lightsaber , her lips twitching in a satisfied grin.

BB8 screeched and took off after them.

Rey kicked and struggled but Rodrin only tightened his grip, his arm digging into the bruises on her ribs. She bit her lip and shoved a foot backward, aiming for his shins—

He slammed her face-forward into a door. She let out an oof and scrambled to get free, but he had reached around her, unlocked the door, and shoved her into the lab before she could protest. He flung the door shut and locked it before grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to face Maryn.

"Finally," she said, a cold smile spreading across her face. "Now that we've gotten the imposter out of the way, let's finish this."