Madgella had curled up, in her house. Tail wrapped tightly around her body.

As she lay on her rock, in her bedroom. Unable to sleep.

Her whole body numb, and her mind not wanting to deal with anything.

A noise.

Like mammalian footsteps.

"Sunshine?" Madgella asked, poking up her head at the noise.

Except it wasn't Sunshine.

It was Grassdew, advancing towards Madgella with a kitchen knife, an unfamiliar expression on his face. He raised up the knife above his head — then sprung towards her.

Madgella's panic froze in the air.

BANG!

Before Grassdew had made it even half way to her rock, three figures had raced into the room, one holding a plank of wood — which she'd just slammed across Grassdew's head.

Grassdew dropped to the ground.

And Madgella discovered her three friends had returned.

"I… I thought… Sunshine had come back to—" Madgella said, crawling off her rock and peering at Grassdew.

"Sunshine's fine," said Pwouia.

At the same time as Jimmenila said, "Sunshine's an alien who can build impossible space ships."

And Callea said, "Sunshine's off trying to stop this madness."

Madgella tried to reconcile all the words in her head, but they just made everything spin even more than it had before. She couldn't tell what was real and what was just a dream — or had the entire time since her husband's death just been one long, unending nightmare she couldn't wake up from?

"Sunshine… builds…?" Madgella's tail twitched, in agitation. "I… I don't…"

Pwouia, Callea, and Jimmenila all looked at one another.

Not sure what to say.

Then launched into a rapid and insane story about their going to rescue Sunshine — and discovering that Sunshine could, indeed, talk. And was a hyper-intelligent alien being who had brought the three of them back here in her time machine — which could change shape, color, and texture — and was bigger inside than outside.

Madgella stopped trying to follow their story, as she latched onto the most important point.

"Sunshine's here?" Madgella said. She raced out the door, and towards the front door of her house. "She could be in trouble! We have to save her!"

"Madgella, stop!" said Jimmenila, chasing after her.

"I think Sunshine's trying to save us," Callea agreed. "She wants you out of the way."

Pwouia reached out and grabbed Madgella by the arm.

But Madgella punched and clawed and hit, eventually shoving Pwouia back.

"You don't understand," said Madgella, turning and racing out her front door. "Sunshine saved my life. Whatever she's done, whatever she is, whatever she's to blame for or not to blame for — I don't care. I have to save her. The same way she saved me!"

The three friends tried to race out to drag her back.

But Madgella was already gone.

Dave hissed through his teeth, as the pain continued to throb from his mutilated hand.

But he had bigger things to worry about.

"Communications hijacker," Lin said, stepping back from her work. "Build enough of these, and it gets almost as easy as printing a pair of shoes."

Dave struggled.

And the guy restraining him pressed down, harder, on the spot where his thumb used to be.

This time, he couldn't stop himself crying out. "You bastards!"

"Hey, we're not the goons who cut off your thumb in the first place," said Crayvor. He tested the microphone, and grinned as he heard it playing out on the local radio. "All right, you lizard freaks," he broadcast. "Here's how this is gonna work. We're a heavily armed military force from another planet. That means we've got enough guns and alien tech to blow this whole planet into rubble, if we choose."

Snickers from the other chevauchéers, amused by his bluff.

"So either you hand over that Seo girl," Crayvor continued, "or—"

"I'm here," came a voice to their right.

They turned their heads, to find a petite blond girl with sharp brown eyes standing on the top of a bunch of crates. She flipped through the air, landing right in front of them.

And raised up her hands over her head, to show she was unarmed.

Every chevauchéer nearby pointed their guns at her anyways — just to be prepared.

"You've got me," said Seo, her voice very low and bristling with anger. "Now, for the love of god — get off this planet!"

The chevauchéers all exchanged looks.

Not believing it for a second.

"That's it?" said one of them. "No conditions? No tricks? No trying to escape?"

"And what about Romeo, here?" said Crayvor, grabbing him from the other chevauchéer and restraining him with one hand, while holding a gun under his chin with the other. "Not even gonna bargain for his life?"

Seo stepped forwards. Her face even angrier. "I said," she answered, "get off this planet! Now!"

Dave struggled, a little more — mostly for show. He had to get himself moved into just the right position, so he could grab the gun and turn it on the bastards threatening Seo. Just a little bit further… to the right…

"Dave!" Seo hissed, furious.

Dave froze.

Her glare told him that she'd already worked out his plan.

And didn't like it.

The chevauchéers took one look at Dave, now frozen with a single word from Seo, and howled with laughter.

"Completely whipped!" one cracked up.

"Wuss," said another.

Dave only just stopped himself from taking the provocation. He could see, in Seo's eyes, that she had a plan — and would never forgive him if he messed it up just because some chevauchéers had called him names.

Then again, given what he'd started on this planet, he wasn't sure she'd forgive him, anyways.

"Come on," said Crayvor. "What's to stop us killing Romeo, just like we killed that other one — what was his name?"

"Jack," Dave muttered. He couldn't meet Seo's eyes. Knowing how she'd take the news. "I tried to stop them."

Oddly, though — the news didn't seem to upset Seo.

Or even make her pause.

"Two things," Seo replied, to Crayvor. "First — you won't kill Dave, because you need him for leverage over me." She quirked an eyebrow. "And, second — because there's a revolver aimed right at your head."

Crayvor blinked.

Then spun around, to discover Jack Harkness standing on a cluster of crates behind them, a twentieth century revolver in his hands.

"Hand him over," Jack said, "and no one gets hurt."

Crayvor's jaw dropped.

So did everyone else's — as they saw the man who'd been stone dead, a short time ago, now alive and breathing.

"Laser proof vest," Lin muttered. "Has to be."

Dave saw his advantage, as Crayvor's grip slackened just a hair.

He pivoted around, smacking Crayvor in the jaw and shoving him back. Crayvor stumbled, reaching out to regain his balance…

Dave grabbed his arm, twisting it around, trying to get the gun.

The tussle sent everyone else around them into action — some shooting at Jack, some at Dave, some at Seo.

She dove forwards, striking at those around Dave. One grabbed her by her arm, to tug her away — but she gripped the man by the wrist and threw him over her shoulder. Then spun around and kicked out at another, who was trying to sneak up from behind.

Just barely managing to dodge a shot from a high-powered gun.

As it seared past her cheek.

"Stop, or we kill your lover," one of the chevauchéers said, aiming directly at Dave. "We weren't kidd—"

Dave ducked down, then used his left hand to punch the chevauchéer hard in the jaw. "You can try," he said. Giving a punch in the stomach with his right hand, and only remembering the pain it'd cause himself after the guy was doubled up.

Seo ducked another shot to her head, and kicked at a chevauchéer to her right.

As Dave, gritting his teeth and sucking up the pain, grabbed the gun from the chevauchéer he'd struck, and… unable to aim it… resorted to bashing the chevauchéer over the back of the head with its butt.

Jack, meanwhile, was already advancing on Dave from the other side.

And it wouldn't be long before Seo and Jack managed to get to him and grab him out of this mess.

"Sunshine!"

Seo stopped reaching for Dave, as she turned towards the voice.

There, racing forwards towards the skirmish, armed only with a large wooden plank — was Madgella.

Her clothes torn and her tail dirty, but her emotions swirling around her with desperation and courage, as she tried to whack her way through to rescue Seo.

"Madgella, get back!" Seo shouted, seeing a group of possessed human pets already advancing on her from behind.

Madgella's friends raced after her, armed with their own makeshift weapons, trying to clobber as many human pets as they could, to protect Madgella. But the emotions of the scuffle Seo, Dave, and Jack were fighting was full of unfocused aggression, and the pets were picking it up on that as if it were their own.

There'd be no controlling them. And no stopping them.

Lin, from the perimeter of the fight, noticed Seo's reaction to Madgella. She pivoted on her feet, and with one expert shot, hit Jimmenila in the heart. Jimmenila's pain punctured the air, as she fell against the ground.

Then Lin turned the gun on Madgella, blasting the wooden board in Madgella's hands to pieces, and halting the lizard in her tracks.

"That's right, you know what this can do, now," Lin told Madgella. "So just keep still, and I won't have to use it on you."

"You… you killed Jimmenila!" said Madgella. "You—!"

Lin ignored her.

Instead calling out, across the skirmish — "Surrender, Weapon. Or your lizard friend gets roasted."

Madgella tried to surge forwards, but Lin shot directly in front of Madgella.

Who stumbled to a halt.

Terrified.

Seo, her eyes fixed on Madgella, dropped her fists. "Jack," she said, "Dave." Shook her head, as she raised her hands up in surrender. "Give up. It's over."