Author's Note: Thank you all for being so patient and for continuing to read and review The Biological Imperative: CyberAngelOne, falcon-rider, Polly, ForgottonByLove, Rashaka, Skelington, Deep Red, promise, G. Zan, Flyer, Nanashi, Mandi, Nikki, laniew1, Anne-Marie, Sarah, Bolo, Elenhiril, sibling, Randi, Jill, Lady Dragoness, Panda Eyes, Alexander the God, Saxxmann5000, and Deb. The next couple of chapters are to set up the story for…I ain't tellin'…if you recognize some of the dialogue, it's probably from BtVS…some I wrote down and was like, 'wait, they did this on the show'…and some, I just had to add…you'll see why. I mostly write in third person, but I do also like adding the POVs of some of the characters. Most especially Buffy and Charlemange Bolivar, trust me, you'll like it. To all those questioning Buffy's 'possibles'…all will be revealed in due time…begin evil laugh…Muhhahahahahahahahah… *cough*cough* …hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…yes, I am disturbed
Chapter 8
On the Observation Deck 2hrs later…
"Look at that," observed Tyr, indicating the large Neitzschean fleet outside, "so much fire power. Bolivar and his people are back safely on board their ships; the Sabra-Jaguar could easily seize this vessel and leave us as so much fodder floating in space. But they don't…what is wrong with them?"
"I don't know," Dylan said exasperatedly, "maybe all Neitzscheans aren't as ruthless as you Tyr."
"Not ruthless Dylan…practical. Why create an alliance with you when they could simply take the Andromeda and kill us all. I don't like it. Mark my words, they are up to something."
Rommie marches onto the Observation Deck, one Seamus Harper in tow. Looking on in amusement, Dylan and Tyr take in the sight of Rommie leading the young man around by his ear.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Dylan, tell her to let me go."
"What did he do now Rommie," he responded instead, grinning.
"He was accessing my optical sensors in Trance's quarters." She gave Harper's ear a vicious yank.
"Ow, damn it Rommie," retorted Harper, "I didn't access anything." He grimaces as she tugs down harder. "Uh, ow. Well, I didn't. I was trying to access your optical sensors in Trance's quarters. You sent a power surge through the control panel before I could finish." Harper grins unrepentantly, while Rommie rolls her eyes at his gall.
"It's a good thing that I did," she said, turning them both around to face Dylan, "He was trying…"
"I believe we all know what Harper was trying to do. Thank you Rommie, but I think that it's safe to let him go now."
Reluctantly, she obeys his orders.
"Thank you. Jeez, she doesn't know her own strength," he joked, gesturing to Rommie as she takes up her position beside Dylan.
"I think that you've finally lost whatever little brain capacity you had," commented Tyr. "There is no telling what damage prolonged exposure to your Magog infestation has done to your delicate chromosomes. You've become a sad, horny little man. A sorry example to the human gene pool. I strongly recommend that you never breed."
"Oh yeah…look whose talking. Mr. 'You are brave and strong for a human.' Mr. 'Isn't she extraordinary.' Like you wouldn't try to take a peek at her software if you could."
Belligerently tossing his head, Tyr snorts his response.
Dylan hid his smile by turning to Rommie. "How are the Neitzscheans doing?"
"Charlemange Bolivar is currently conducting an inspection of his damaged ships accompanied by Beka, they should be back shortly. I've been informed that the Matriarch and heir remain on board and are resting…heavily guarded. The Sabra-Jaguar wounded will be transferred to my Medical Deck within the hour. While Guderian reluctantly requests that our resident medic has a look at his wounded. He adamantly refuses to allow his people on board with Tyr present"
"Good, make sure that the Orcas are unarmed. All I need is for them to try and commandeer you again."
"Dooley noted sir."
"Foolish man," rumbled Tyr, "setting aside the health and well-being of his Pride before…"
"…his pride," Harper interjects insolently.
"Yes, well, that is his prerogative," Dylan answered. "And how is our other guest. I hear she was awake for the…festivities."
"Was she ever," Harper enthused. "I mean, she was all over the place, punching and kicking and flipping… She did this one punch that made this Magog fly ten feet into the air…and talk about gorgeous…"
"She sounds fantastic…and I'm sure she's a very nice girl…but do we know where she came from, who she is, how she could just appear out of…whatever that thing was?"
"You'll have the opportunity to question her personally in a moment," Rommie informed Dylan. "Trance and she are on their way to the Observation Deck now."
"Sweet…do I look alright?" Harper slicks back his hair and tries to look casual. Dylan wishes himself, far, far away from here.
"Do you really think that this is okay," Buffy asked self consciously, gesturing to the black leather pants and white lace top. They had just raided the crew's stores, looking for suitable clothing to fit Buffy's petite stature. There was little of anything small enough to fit her. Some of Trance's stuff would have, but it was purple. And not the good purple…but Trance said that they used to match her skin. Trance had told her that the shirt was supposed to be worn as an undergarment, but her only alternatives had been more sleep ware or leather tops. And too much leather is never good. Don't any of these people wear normal clothes…cause they seem to be lovin' the leather…give me a pair of jeans any day.
"Sure, you look fine," she said entering the Observation Deck.
Buffy looked up to see four people, all-staring at her. Oh, yeah…no pressure, she thought, tugging at her top. Okay, there's robot lady, skeez, and Kodak guy…hey, who's the hottie…Buffy took in the tall and broad shouldered blond guy. Is almost everyone here an advertisement for Bally Total Fitness?
"Welcome," said Dylan, striding forward, arm outstretched. "I'm Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant."
"Uh, Buffy Summers of Sunnydale, California," she responded in a slightly questioning voice.
"California," Harper queried, "wasn't that like a place on earth, post Commonwealth? Does that mean…damn it! I knew it, I knew it! That thing was a time thingy. I think that the Andromeda is cursed…or the focal point of some time/space glitch that causes really weird things to happen…it's probably a hold over from that black hole. There's no telling what exposure to its radiation has down to An…"
"Harper," Trance soothed, patting his back, "calm down. You're going to give your self an aneurysm if you don't start relaxing."
"I'm okay. Hey," he said, doing a one-eighty and turning toward Buffy, "my name's Seamus Harper. Engineer, entrepreneur, and fix-it-man extraordinaire." He grabbed her hand and gave it a kiss.
"Okay," she said, shaking him off gently. She focuses on the rest of the crew. "I've been talking to Trance and she thinks she knows what happened to me"
"Yes, apparently, Buffy is from another time…and possibly another dimension. She was trying to save her world by sacrificing herself to the portal. It seems that a…Glory?…had opened the portals to all realms and dimensions, and the only way to seal them and to keep her world from being destroyed was to jump into the portal."
"So I did, but I didn't die. I just got transferred to your world for some reason."
"What's a glory, and how come you had to be the one to save the world. I mean, no offense, but your just a girl," Harper asked perplexed.
"A very strong and skilled girl," Rommie interposed.
Buffy acknowledged her with a sad smile.
"It's a long story, but basically, Glory was a hell god stuck in my dimension. She wanted back, but the only way to do that was to use the Key, which just happened to be my little sister. And before you ask, let's just say that the Key used to be pure energy, but poof, some magic and monks, and you got my little sister, Dawn. Anyway, Glory had to spill Dawn's blood to open the portals, which wouldn't close until the blood stopped. Until she died. Glory didn't care that Dawn would die, or that all sorts of hell would break loose in the meantime. So, she had the ceremony going and I defeated her, but it was too late. The blood flowed." Her voice drops down to a whisper, "I couldn't let my sister die…even if she hadn't really been mine, in my heart she was. She was made out of me…like I used to be before…so I jumped, saved the world, and ended up here."
The group stares at her in wonder and disbelief.
"But your just a girl," Harper quavered.
"No. I'm not. I'm the Slayer. I haven't been just a girl in such a long time," she said forlornly.
"What's a Slayer," Tyr asked, finally shaking himself from his stupor.
"Slayer. The Chosen One. The one girl in all the world with the strength and ability to defeat the vampires, blah, blah, blah. Giles could have told you more, he was my Watcher. What it all means is that I've got super strength and agility…and I have extrasensory perception when it comes to evil. Or at least I did until the portal. I actually think that it juiced me up. I'm way stronger, faster, and my senses…I'm like a supped up Slayer now."
Tyr gazes at her speculatively.
"That's how Trance knew that this was a different dimension from my own. You guys don't have magic or Slayers…or vampires."
"Vampires! As in 'I want to suck your blood, bleh!' But they're just old earth lore…like the Boogie Man or Santa Claus," Harper said.
"I've met the Boogie Man…way over rated. Hey, and Santa Claus…he was really a monster who liked to eat children," she said cheerily.
Harper looks a little green. The big guys are still dumbfounded. And Rommie, I think I fried her circuits. She turns to Trance, who is worriedly examining her friends. "The only thing I don't understand is how Spike got here. I really don't think that he'd jump in after me, even if he did think that he loved me…" she trails off uncertainly.
"Who," asked Trance, finally turning her attention from her friends.
"Spike, you know, the bleached guy who was with us in the fight."
"Bleach," Dylan croaks.
Brilliant analyst that she is, Rommie figures it out first. "Charlemange Bolivar?"
"Yes," Charlemange responded, entering onto the Observation Deck led by an annoyed Beka. "Did you require something of me?"