"That's where the Tectonic Defense System is?" Dawn said, peering down through the bottom of the elevator, into the dark chasm that seemed to stretch on forever. "Geeze."
"It's some ways down in the mantle," said Hrequor, as he attached safety clamps to the elevator cables. Then looked back at Raykins. "The climate control systems will be offline, you know. Due to the EM field. It'll be hot as hell down there."
"Won't be a problem," said Raykins, raising up three heat-suits. "IPSA issue. Can withstand the Neutron 5 Heat Ray; should be able to keep us alive down there."
Raykins tossed one to Hrequor, one to Dawn. Then began to step into her own heat suit.
Dawn looked down at the heat suit in her hands. Gulped.
This was starting to sound like she was throwing herself into a furnace, and hoping the universe wouldn't explode when she did.
Still…
Dawn put it on.
"Dawn goes first," said Raykins, as she did up the zip. Then, securing the helmet, added, "I trust you've shimmied down a cable before?"
"Occasionally," Dawn admitted.
"Then you'll be fine," said Raykins, helping her finish suiting up, and then guiding her down. "Strap yourself in and wait for the high speed tension mechanism to kick in."
"High speed…?" Dawn started.
Then Raykins hit a lever on the side of the mechanism.
And Dawn screamed, as she felt herself in free-fall. Sliding down the cable so fast, she thought she'd go splat any second! And still worse, that instability was acting up, again. Twisting and churning inside of her, making her stomach turn somersaults.
Sparks were shooting across the cable.
Through which she could see another two descending figures, just above her. The sparks outlining Raykins and Hrequor.
"You're fine — it's a controlled fall," Raykins said. Giving a wave. "And we've got a long way to go."
Dawn soon learned… Raykins was right about that.
Really right.
After a while, the queasiness faded, and the sparks disappeared. After another while, the acceleration stopped, and Dawn got used to her speed. After yet another while, Dawn started to realize this was pretty cool.
Dropping like this, surrounded by nothing but blackness, the heat suit keeping in any heat from the friction of the cable, it was almost like… floating in space.
Dawn was weightless.
Her hand barely registered it was holding the cable.
Through the heat suit, she felt no wind. No air resistance. Her oxygen levels were regulated and monitored. She felt suddenly free and exhilarated, like she could fly! Like she was no longer restrained by gravity or whatever, and could do whatever she wanted!
"Whee!" Dawn cried.
That lasted a little while.
Then the novelty of the whole thing wore off.
And Dawn… just felt bored.
"How much more of this is there?" Dawn shouted up to Raykins.
The world shook and groaned around them. But the elevator shaft didn't collapse or anything, which just enhanced the boredom.
"A lot," Raykins said. A pause. Then, "Destroy the multi-verse, you said. Want to explain that?"
Dawn hesitated. Looking up at the empty blackness where Raykins had to be.
"It's… complicated," Dawn said. Hoping this would get her out of it.
No such luck.
"Is your niece also unstable, when you two are separated?" Raykins asked. "Is that what makes her the kind of weapon the Daleks want to get their hands on?"
Dawn had been hoping Raykins wouldn't put the pieces together.
"No, Seo's… different from me," Dawn tried. Because if IPSA thought Seo was mega dangerous by default, there was no telling what they'd do to her. "She has the ability to kill gods. That's why she's considered a weapon. But she doesn't have to use it! She doesn't even want to! She's a really sweet person who wouldn't voluntarily harm anyone."
A long silence.
Then, from Hrequor, "She… can kill… God?"
Raykins swore, loudly.
"What? No!" Dawn insisted. "No — Seo isn't killing God or whatever. She's—"
"I guess that explains the connection between Sunglasses and Dawn's niece," said Raykins. "This whole thing with the Daleks must have been a trap."
"To get this… 'Seo' out of the way," Hrequor guessed, "before pursuing…?"
"You heard Dawn," Raykins muttered. "Seo can kill God. What else do you expect from Sunglasses?"
Around them, the shaft walls were beginning to glow red hot. Even in her heat suit, Dawn could register it getting a little warm. Just a bit.
The air was now dully illuminated. And filled with heat-haze.
"Are you planning to explain what the hell you're talking about?" Dawn demanded. "Who's 'Sunglasses'?"
Raykins was quiet for a long while.
Then, with a sigh, she gave in.
"Tall woman, wearing heels and a sleek black dress," Raykins explained. "A pair of sunglasses perched on her head."
"Sunglasses that are actually disguised spy equipment, I figure," Hrequor added. "Judging by just how many things those sunglasses can do."
"When IPSA sent me here to investigate rumors of Dalek sightings," said Raykins, "I found her. Hrequor and his buddies aren't even sure when she showed up."
"We think she's been around as long as the Daleks, though," said Hrequor.
Dawn shuddered. "She's… working for them?"
"No," said Raykins. "But I think she brought them here."
"She seemed to be working on our side, for a while," said Hrequor. "Proved to us the extent of Dalek takeover. Promised to help rid our world of Daleks. At first, I trusted her, but Raykins told me… to be careful."
"She wouldn't tell us her name, or anything about herself," said Raykins.
Hence the nickname, Dawn guessed. 'Sunglasses'.
"Except a few cryptic comments like, 'glass pillars will bring the dawn', and other things hinting at your arrival," said Raykins. "And… what she called herself: 'God.'"
Dawn blinked.
"You don't mean…?" Dawn started.
"Creator of heaven and earth?" said Raykins. "Ruler of the afterlife and smiter of the unworthy? Big G, little O-D? That's what she said."
Oh.
Dawn felt her heart thud a little faster.
No wonder Raykins had been so intrigued by the idea that Seo could kill gods! If this 'Sunglasses' was some super angry vengeance-goddess from the beginning of the universe, or something…
Yeah.
Getting a god-killer like Seo out of the way would be the number one priority.
Geeze, Seo had better be okay, on that Dalek ship! All this, just for Drusilla?! If Buffy ever heard that Dawn let this kind of thing happen, Dawn was totally dead.
Please make Seo be all right…
Please… please…!
They were silent the rest of the way down.
The Dalek space ship where Seo wound up was dark and dreary. A space ship built purely for function, with no sense of aestheticism whatsoever.
The lights were kept low — well, naturally, if the Daleks could see just as well in light or dark — the ship was kept so cold that Seo's teeth kept chattering, as she rubbed her arms, and the only noise was that of the Daleks screaming orders… and the steady pulsing of their machinery.
"PRISONERS HAVE ARRIVED AT THE MAIN EXPERIMENT SHIP," the Dalek ushering them down the halls declared.
Another Dalek, already here, turned away from its work.
"THEY MUST BE RESTRAINED AND PREPARED FOR EXPERIMENTATION," it commanded.
"UNDERSTOOD."
Seo held Drusilla's hand, tightly. As a team of Daleks circled around them.
"THE FEMALE WILL SEPARATE FROM THE VAMPIRE," the Daleks demanded of Seo.
"No," Seo said.
She leveled her best threatening glare at them. And made sure she didn't let Drusilla's hand go.
Drusilla was just looking between Seo and the Daleks, fascinated.
"They've seen you as I have," Drusilla whispered. "So many faces, so many personas. All you. Different, yet the same person."
"THE VAMPIRE WILL BE SILENT!" the Daleks shouted.
Drusilla wasn't listening. Simply reflected. "My favorite is the you with the yo-yo," she decided. "She likes it when I kiss her."
"SILENCE!" shouted the Daleks. "SILENCE!"
"THE FEMALE SEOSYRAE WILL SEPARATE FROM THE VAMPIRE," commanded the Dalek who'd led them in, "OR SEOSYRAE WILL BE EXTERMINATED."
"You... know my name?" said Seo.
A chill ran down her spine. As she realized… what Drusilla had meant.
"You've… met other incarnations of me before," Seo realized. "Both the Daleks and Drusilla." She turned back to Drusilla. "Bisexual incarnations of me!"
Drusilla gave a crafty grin, put a finger to her lips. "Shhhh…"
"THE DALEKS ARE AWARE OF YOU," one of the Daleks reported.
"YOUR TRIPS TO JARODIN HAVE BEEN OBSERVED," another one said.
"THEIR PURPOSE HAS BEEN DEDUCED," a third remarked.
Which meant the Daleks only knew Drusilla was there… because of Seo.
She had put her friend's life at risk.
Stupid!
"So many facets, all converging," Drusilla said. "So many pretty shiny ones, about to unite. So many Seos! Coming together, as your life and your time-stream unravel upon the wind!"
"SEOSYRAE AND THE VAMPIRE WILL SEPARATE!" shouted a Dalek to Seo's right. "OR SEOSYRAE WILL BE EXTERMINATED!"
Seo swallowed, hard.
Putting aside Drusilla's prophecies, so she could think through her options with the Daleks. Did she dare…? Could she dare…? Yes. She could. The Slitheen had told her as much, hadn't they?
She fixed a determined look on her face, and stood closer to Drusilla. Her eyes glaring into the nearest Dalek's eyestalk.
"I don't think so," Seo challenged. "Exterminate me, and you destroy the super-weapon you've been hunting through the universe to find. You wouldn't risk doing that."
A Dalek beam shot out, and struck Seo full on. Not killing her, but making her whole body sear with pain forcing a scream from her throat.
Next thing Seo knew, Drusilla's hand had fallen away from hers.
And Drusilla had stepped back.
Seo looked up. Her breath still coming too heavily. Her eyes falling on Drusilla, as she realized… for the first time… that she wasn't important in and of herself.
Never had been.
"THE VAMPIRE WILL OBEY," the Daleks commanded Drusilla, herding her away from Seo. "THE VAMPIRE WILL OBEY THE DALEKS!"
Drusilla's eyes met Seo's. A small smile touching her lips. "My shiny little pretty one," she whispered, so softly that Seo almost didn't hear it.
Then she let the Daleks lead her away.
Drusilla.
Who'd scraped and scratched and torn at Seo, last time Seo had let herself past the energy barrier. Who'd rejoiced and delighted in hearing Seo scream, and had reveled in the thought of driving Seo mad with pain and torment.
And here Drusilla was… obeying the Daleks to save Seo's life.
Why?
WHY?!
One of the Daleks drifted over to Seo. Eyestalk glaring down at her. "YOU WILL STAND," it demanded.
Seo tried, but she couldn't feel her legs after the last attack, and promptly fell over, again. Smacking down hard onto the ground.
"STAND!" the Dalek screamed. "STAND! OR YOU WILL BE EX—"
"You don't want me as a weapon," Seo said. Managing to make it to her hands and knees. "Everyone else wants me as a genocide-causing super-weapon, but you..." She shook her head, trying to figure it out. "Why?"
The Dalek slid closer to her. Its eyestalk blazing, blinding her with its blue light. "THE DALEKS ARE THE ULTIMATE GENOCIDE SUPER-WEAPON," it told her. "NEXT TO US, YOU ARE USELESS."
Seo could hear the sound of its weapon charging up, ready to fire. Twitching, eagerly, to actually do the job and kill her for good, this time.
And couldn't help but think… maybe… the Daleks were right.
"YOU WILL STAND!" the Dalek shrieked. "OR YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!"
Seo stood.
Realizing… for the first time, she wasn't special. Wasn't important. Not unique or exceptional or anything the Daleks even needed to fear. No.
In their eyes… she was nothing.
Just a bargaining chip to ensure the cooperation of a vampire who wanted to torture her.
That terrified her.