Cordelia frowned as she felt two people looming behind her. It would have been much more worrisome if not for the fact that the people on the ship wouldn't hurt her, but it still made her uncomfortable. "Did you want something?"
"Doctor Teirell and I have been conferring about possible treatments, and we had a few questions for you." That velvet voice could only belong to Alex Dane, currently impersonating a doctor. "Perhaps we could confer privately in the smaller viewing lounge?"
"Well, I had finished here." She rose to her feet, clenching her jaw against the sudden dizzy feeling that was part of the normal after effects of a strong vision. Placing her hand on Alex's arm, she tried to smile charmingly, hoping that it didn't look like a pained grimace. "Lead the way, doctors."
"I see the side effects are very much along the same lines as a Thermian would experience." Dr. Teirell's voice was calm, as if these 'side effects' were something perfectly ordinary. "I will have a few additional questions about those after we are seated again, Princess."
"This means that you've been doing more research on my…" Cordelia paused, reconsidering how to say things. If the whole idea was not to alarm the crew, it wouldn't do to say her condition, or to imply that the visions were dangerous. "On that question?"
They stepped into the viewing lounge, and a touch from Teirell's hand sent the door whooshing closed, followed by an odd squeak that she could only assume was the door locking. "This is about the visions, isn't it?"
"Indeed. You had already been informed that the cause of the pain is an imbalance in the neurotransmitters." He steepled his fingers together, looking very solemn.
"Right." She glanced from him to Alex, wondering where he was going with this. "That was covered, and unless a solution is found, I'm going to die. Probably in lots of pain."
"There is a possibility." Alex spoke, his words calm and slow, like a slow cascade of chocolate. "Unfortunately, it is something a bit extreme."
"Clarify 'extreme' for me." She settled onto one of the chairs, feeling more nervous than she wanted to reveal.
"It is our theory that we could build a device to regulate and adjust the rate at which your brain reabsorbs the neurotransmitters. The precise details… mmmm." Dr. Teirell frowned, and glanced at Alex. "Perhaps you'd prefer the general explanation instead of the technical one?"
"For now, short would be acceptable. What is this idea, and how much will I not like it?" Cordelia demanded, certain there would be some sort of catch. There was always a catch.
"The device would be small, similar in size to the last joint of one of your fingers. As I mentioned, it would monitor and adjust, by electromagnetic pulses, the reabsorption of the neurotransmitters. It would need to be implanted under the skull, next to the frontal lobe, near the area that the visions seem to originate." He watched her, dark eyes unblinking and unreadable.
"You want to open up my head and stick something inside my skull." Cordelia repeated, a knot of coldness inside her stomach. "Something that probably hasn't been tested."
"There have been similar conditions. Imbalances of the transmitting chemicals, sudden floods of the same chemicals after seizures… We have successfully treated those before, with devices of this sort." Dr. Teirell paused, and glanced for a moment at the stars before looking at her again. "I know that the technology works, on Thermians. We can think of no reason why it shouldn't also work on humans, and my associate suggested that a comparison with the transmitter levels from Lt. Madison and the Handmaiden might be useful to estimate a baseline."
"The idea is to save your life, Cordelia." Alex spoke gently, his eyes sorrowful. "I might not be anywhere near the medical expert of Dr. Teirell, but that is one goal that we both have in this situation – to get as many of the people here as possible out of this alive and healthy. None of us want to see these visions kill you."
Part of her wanted to object, to sneer that Teirell knew nothing about the way human bodies worked, and that Alex wasn't even a real doctor, just an actor. Another part wanted to curl up somewhere and hope that this wasn't true, that the visions weren't really there, that the pain wasn't getting worse and taking longer to fade. But she wasn't a frightened child, and she wasn't the spoiled Queen C from Sunnydale anymore. She didn't have to like what they were saying, but she should at least face the truth. "I don't like this. I don't like that they're going to kill me if something can't be figured out, and I'm a bit scared of the idea of brain surgery."
Alex nodded, "Entirely understandable. We didn't like some of the findings either. The question is not 'does the news make you happy,' the question is do you want the medical staff to prepare one of these devices to try to help you as best we… they can."
Sitting there, Cordelia considered his words. He was right, the question wasn't how happy the idea was, it was a matter of would she do this or not. They wanted to help her, and they had something that might solve the problem, which was more than anyone else had been able to offer. Willow had been trying, and that horrible stuff did help manage the pain, but there had to be more to life than managing the pain. She couldn't explain it to a normal doctor on earth, because then she'd need to explain about the visions, and they'd probably just declare her crazy. Magic hadn't gotten them anywhere. "I don't really have any other options. I can try this and hope it works, or I can keep on like this, and eventually die. These visions hurt, and dying is to be avoided, so start fixing up this device. I want my life back, without the blinding migraines."
"It will be done, your Highness." Dr. Teirell was smiling as he stood up. "With a bit of luck, this can be managed without the rest of the crew discovering that there is any difficulty. Without shattering their illusions of the crew of the Protector, the wisdom of the Princess Mirabanna, or the power of your handmaiden. As grave as the situation is, hope is very important."
"I hear you," Cordelia nodded. "We could all use a bit of hope when things look scary."
"I will go now to begin work on the device. Later, we will need you to come to the medical area so that we can get a few more precise measurements and scans of your head, both for the physical alignment and measurements and for the chemical balances." Pausing, Dr. Teirell looked as if he was performing a few mental calculations. "It should be between six and twelve hours before we are ready for those scans, feel free to try to rest and regain your strength."
As they left, Cordelia felt a bit more hopeful about the future. She didn't want to think too much on the reasons for it, or let herself wonder how much experience the Thermian doctor might have had. He was the best chance she had, and as he'd said himself, sometimes hope was a fragile thing.
End part 37.
The shuttle trip down to Earth had been tense, filled with nervous fidgeting as everyone contemplated what awaited them. Rebellious Thermians, at least one Dominionite, and vampires. Jason shivered, the very idea of vampires setting him on edge. None of this should be real, and a part of him wished that he still lived in blissful ignorance of it all. "What sort of thing can we expect? Angel, you're the expert on vampires…"
"We know they're in the tunnels." Angel glanced slowly around the shuttle, momentarily locking eyes with each member of the landing party. "Vampires are stronger and faster than humans. Stronger than Thermians, though they shouldn't be faster, assuming that the skills of the Security Consultant are typical for Thermian security guards."
Several of them made nervous chuckles, a few with slightly whistling or clicking undertones.
"Your blasters should be effective, though you might want to use a stronger setting than you would against Thermians. If a vampire is killed, they turn to dust, so any of them that are unmoving might move at any point to try to attack from behind. There will be no honorable surrender, even if they claim that they want to surrender. If they're typical minions, they probably won't try, some of them are pretty stupid. They'll expect you to be blind in the darkness, and will probably try to attack from behind." For a moment, Angel looked like he wanted to say something else, but he simply shrugged a little and fell silent.
The shuttle landed in a park, and after a few moments, Angel led them to a sewer access. Moving the manhole cover, he called out, "There's a ladder, but you might want your lights. I know where we are and where the Protector's scanners showed the engine, but I don't know where their soldiers are, or if they've left any traps."
Jason shivered again as Angel just stepped into the manhole, dropping down with apparent unconcern for the distance, the darkness, or whatever could be lurking down there. "Alligators, giant rats, vampires… This is going to be a nightmare."
There weren't any alligators, though he did see an assortment of rats as they followed Angel through the long tunnels. They'd thought to bring lights, and there were walkways along the sides, preventing them from having to wade in the… sludge oozing along in the middle. The smell was horrible, and the walls were dotted with assorted patches of fungus. It was enough to make Jason look forward to the fight, simply so he wouldn't have so much time to think about what was actually down here.
"It's almost like another transportation system down here. Canals with…" One of the Thermians was speaking, and he paused, glancing at the sludge. "There might be some water in that."
"Their ship is just ahead a little bit, and one corner." Angel's voice betrayed anticipation. "That's probably where their minions will be waiting, and we'll need to fight them. Hopefully, someone has a plan for what happens after we kill the minions?"
They started to move faster, a wary jog that took them through the dry corridor. Angel had somehow ended up in the front, and the Thermians had formed a sort of teardrop shape behind, with Jason in the center. "Out first priority should be capturing the leaders. Then we can find out what their plan is and take measures to prevent them from achieving it."
The tunnel opened up into a large cavern. They could see several other tunnels leading in various directions, and a group of machines were set up a short distance from the scratched and slightly bent shape of a smaller spacecraft. A glowing hologram of the star system floated over the machinery, and there was a dark stone shape leaning against one of the machines.
"What's wrong with this picture?" Jason looked around the cavern, wondering where the bad guys were. "Where are they?"
That was the moment when figures attacked them from behind. Jason wasn't certain how many there were, but he knew that it was a lot more than six. He didn't have long to be nervous before he was desperately fighting for his life. These vampires were a lot stronger than he was, and faster. Snarling faces with fangs and yellow eyes, fists hitting like sledgehammers… He was certain that his ribs had cracked at that punch. The next one sent him flying back into a wall, and pain flared along his shoulders, radiating along bones and nerves.
Groaning, he staggered back to his feet, wondering how he was still alive. Even as the question crossed his mind, a vampire charged at him, teeth exposed in a vicious snarl.
Light flared as blasters were fired at the vampire.
He felt an odd prickling sensation, and every hair on his body stood on end. In the moment between heartbeats, he saw the energy crackling around him, almost but not touching his skin. The vampire glowed for a moment before crumbling to ash, leaving an afterimage. Crackles bled off from him, going to the floor and the wall.
Utterly confused, all he could whisper was, "What just happened?"
End part 38.
Angel was certain that he was enjoying himself far too much. A tough fight against enemies that he could kill, with the certainty that the people fighting alongside him wouldn't panic and look at him distrustfully… It was a good feeling. Simple violence – possibly not the best solution for problems, but it was a great form of stress relief.
One of the minions had been trying to use a blaster, and there had been this uncomfortable feeling of heat and pins as the beam had hit him in the chest, but other than a numb sensation and what had looked like a flare of golden sparkles that had nearly blinded him, nothing had happened. He wasn't disintegrated, or collapsed, or twitching in pain. Maybe those efforts of Willow's were paying off, or maybe the weapons didn't work as well against vampires.
Jason had been flung into a wall, but he was still there, still moving. Some of the Thermians had bruises forming, or scratches, and one of them was looking decidedly green, but Angel wasn't certain if that was nausea or his shape slipping.
There were several noises from the ship, some crashes and a few odd humming sounds, but it had clearly crashed. Angel didn't think it looked like it would fly, though he'd be among the first to admit that he could be wrong. He was certain that those deep gouges, exposing the darkness inside the ship were certainly not vacuum-tight.
"Destroy the attackers!" The voice sounded odd, deep and weirdly resonant, with faint clicks accompanying the words.
More minions attacked, charging ahead of an inhuman figure. The man was tall, with broad shoulders, his green body covered with chitinous armor, antennae writhing on his head as he glared at the brawling figures.
That could only be the Dominionite. He looked big, and tough, and hostile. Angel could feel his face changing, and he growled, "I've never liked bugs."
Evading the minions wasn't that hard as he charged the bug-man. Angel was confident that the security guys could handle the minions, they'd been doing a good job of it so far. But he wanted to squish that bug, and he couldn't do that unless he got close enough. "Come down here and fight like a warrior!"
Apparently, the bug wasn't quite as evil over lord-ish as he looked, because he tried twice to shoot Angel before actually leaping down to fight. The blasts left small pits in the floor, but Angel was moving fast enough that they missed him.
Angel punched the bug man, the impact actually hurting as knuckles connected to the armored chitin.
"Puny, soft human," the taunt held a hint of wheeze, as if the blow was felt more than the Dominionite wanted to admit.
"I'm not so human, or so puny," Angel growled as he struck again. He didn't aim for the stomach this time, certain that the armor would probably protect the Dominionite far better than Kevlar. Instead, he struck at the elbow, knowing that it would hurt him almost as much, but hoping that he could damage the joint enough to impair the arm.
As the counter blow hit his stomach, Angel felt the air leaving his body. The bug was strong, and he hit hard. Much harder than the minions could manage. It was a good thing that he wasn't depending on that air to be able to keep fighting. Grabbing at the wrist to prevent himself from falling, Angel managed to hurl his opponent to the ground, grinning at the cracking sounds. Maybe there was more than one way to crack this guy's shell after all.
He ignored the rattling sounds from the ship, concentrating on the fight. The bug was stronger than he was used to, probably as strong or stronger than Angel, but he wasn't very nimble. Each blow that landed hurt, but each one only made him more determined to see the insect broken and dying at his feet. He was almost certain the urge came from his demon, but he saw no reason to fight it. Guys like this generally weren't that talkative anyhow.
There was a clacking noise as the Dominionite tackled him, and Angel grunted as he was slammed against the floor of the cavern. Pain flared from the back of his head, and he could smell his own blood. Growling, Angel could feel his face change as he reached up, one hand seizing a waving antennae. Gripping it, he yanked, and there was a tearing sound bare moments before the Dominionite keened, a distinctly pained sound.
They were rolling now, the Dominionite trying to bash Angel's skull against the stone floor. Angel hammered at the elbows, hoping to break the painful chokehold. It wasn't that he needed the air, but it hurt. He ripped away another antennae, and this time the pain was apparently intense enough that the Dominionite's grip loosened. Angel kicked, sending the alien staggering back, a trickle of something that smelled very unblood-like leaking from the top of his head.
Metal screamed against metal, and both Angel and the Dominionite winced in pain. It came again, and they staggered apart. Angel's hands went to his ears, futilely trying to keep out the sound. The Dominionite made some clicking noises that had to be curses in his native language, and lunged at Angel again.
The Thermian security guys were doing a wonderful job fighting against the vampire minions. Blaster fire illuminated the cavern in momentary flashes, almost like lightning. Jason was over there, crouched beside one of the Thermians, trying to cover each other's backs.
The stabbing pain as he connected to the ground yet again was becoming unfortunately familiar. Angel felt himself snarl, head ringing too much to hear the sound, and grabbed at the Dominionite's head. He forced his thumb into the eye socket, crushing the multifaceted orb.
That squeal of pain was all too clearly audible.
There was another metallic groan from the hulk of the ship, and something pinged, and a pair of big doors opened on the side.
"NO! They've got a shuttle operating in there!" Jason's bellow was frantic.
Angel had a moment where the sinking feeling of disappointment fought with a rising anger and frustration. Had they come so far, fought so hard, only to have the bad guys escape? He twisted at the Dominionite's head even as the alien slammed him against the floor again, his vision going dark. He felt like his arms were falling, with a heavy weight, and something knobbly and thin brushed against his temple, something damp spattered against his skin as awareness faded away.
They had failed.
End part 39.
Willow had placed herself into a light trance as she held the shield over the bits of everybody on the shuttle. She'd worked magics over bits of people before, and she'd held shields for several people for several hours before. But this was different. She'd never tried to hold so many shields fro so long with only the bits instead of proximity. For things like this, it wasn't quite the same. If she'd been trying to defend them against mind control, or ensorcellment, it would have been just fine. But she was trying to protect them against fists and blaster fire.
In her trance, Willow could feel the shields being tested. The prickling of blaster fire made her skin quiver, and she could feel the protests as there were more physical attacks. She grit her teeth against he pain, knowing that this was nothing compared to what they'd feel without the protections. It wasn't real injuries to her, there would be no burns or bruises later. She tried not to think how simple it would be to drop the protections – the pain would stop for her, but they could all be killed down there.
She could do this. It was a matter of persistence and willpower. A question of resolve. Resolve was something that Willow knew all about. This time, the resolve wasn't being directed outwards, against someone else's will, but inwards, against pain and the gradual loss of energy from maintaining the spells.
She could feel a Thermian aura, not quite close enough for her to reach him. There was something vaguely familiar, and she murmured, "Malthesar?"
"Is the bowl supposed to be glowing?" He sounded fascinated and faintly disturbed, peering at the bowl with the locks of hair.
"Yes. I'm trying to help the landing party, in case the pirates have blasters." She blinked, focusing on the physical world, enough that she could see Malthesar as a pale skinned human-looking man instead of a low swirl of colors. "This will work as a defense for them."
"But how?" The question might not have even been spoken, it could have just been a very strong thought.
"Magic. Manipulating the power that flows through all living things. In us and through us, making us luminous beings, not simply these shells of crude matter… It's everywhere." Willow smiled, remembering when she'd watched Master Yoda explaining the Force to Luke. She'd watched it over and over, hoping that the Jedi sections of the movies could help her learn to control her budding magic. She'd forgotten to listen to one of the key points – fear leads to anger, which leads to suffering, which was of the dark side. Okay, she wasn't getting the quote exactly right, but close enough. She'd missed that in Sunnydale, fallen astray, wandered where she shouldn't… "It's complicated. Don't worry too much about it."
"This is what makes you the Handmaiden." His words were uncertain, and his aura showed that confusion far more than his face.
"Yes…" For a moment, Willow lost track of time and Malthesar, feeling the pain flare thought her body. Someone was getting hammered, and she could feel it, pain radiating though her back, her shoulders, from the base of her skull. It made her arms tingle and her fingers went numb.
He felt worried. Malthesar was worried, that was the first thing Willow re-noticed. "Sorry, they're just running into some problems down on Earth. I don't know what's happening in specific, but they're in a big mess."
"Then do what you can to keep them safe, Handmaiden Willow." Malthesar's voice betrayed his worry.
Slowly, Malthesar made his way towards one of the lifts. Things were getting much stranger than he'd anticipated, even remembering the events from the last time they'd sought help from the people of Earth. He didn't know if things would keep getting stranger, and while it could have been disaster, he was fairly certain that things would have been much simpler if Willow and Mirabanna had been as much a lie as Commander Taggert had been.
He nodded towards the navigator and the junior science officer as he stepped onto the bridge. "Carry on, monitor the whole system for activity. Let me know if there is anything to report."
"Sir?" The science officer spoke, stepping a little closer. "Security reports a shuttle requesting an emergency docking. They claim to have injured, and a request has been made for medical and technical assistance. There is also indications that a shuttle has launched from the pirate's ship. We are awaiting further information on both matters."
His stomach suddenly felt very cold as he listened to those words. What had the Princess said? A shuttle with invaders, and another Thermian in a command uniform, blasting him? A shudder went though him, and he could feel his body rippling. "I will be in the antechamber. Do not disturb me unless it is important."
Malthesar could feel the fear surging like tides inside him as he entered the room. This was the place from her vision. This was the place where he might die, move on to the afterlife. In a moment of dark doubt, Malthesar wondered if the afterlife was as much a lie as the adventures of Commander Taggert of the Protector. If things went badly, he would be learning the truth very soon.
Odd how reluctant he was to learn that particular truth.
End part 40.