Author's Note: Aw, thank you, guest! That was very nice of you to say. I appreciated it.
Time to find out what Seo's been up to!
Enjoy!
"Plastic polymers," Seo muttered. She grinned, as she analyzed the data she'd gathered from her latest experiment with the melted clothing. "But very odd ones. Almost as if this kind of plastic was designed to be easy for some sort of higher sentience to inhabit."
She tilted her head.
Yes, it was beginning to come clear to her, now.
Just what sort of creature this had to be. Who'd decide to design something like this, and what that said about their existence as a whole.
"Telepathic gestalt," Seo guessed. "With some sort of affinity for plastics." She glanced at the structure surrounding her. "Course, this building looks like it's built mostly of steel, so it must have been built by humans. Then taken over, later. Either an invasion going on by stealth… or perhaps, since there's no one here, the invasion's already—"
The blast of the gun just barely missed her, as Seo rolled out of the way.
Sprung back to her feet, to find a whole group of plastic shopkeepers, their hands dropped down to reveal gun barrels, all advancing on her, steadily.
"So I was right," Seo said. Backed away across the changing rooms, hands in the air. "Ever notice that whenever you're really, really clever about something, people always start shooting at you? I'm beginning to think it's a universal law of the cosmos."
They responded by shooting at her, again, but Seo jerked the changing room mirror off the wall, and shoved it in front of her. The beams slammed off the surface of the mirror, reflecting back and striking two of the monsters in the chest, melting them instantly.
The others kept advancing on her.
"And… nowhere to run," Seo said, looking at the small alcove of changing rooms around her. "Note to self. From now on, perform all science experiments that might reveal evil monsters… in a place with a back-exit."
One of the shopkeepers tried to grab the mirror out of Seo's hands, but Seo used its grip as a lever, yanking the mirror up and whapping the shopkeeper on the head. Then leaping over it and sliding down the other side, to run in the opposite direction.
The other shopkeeper raised its hand to fire at Seo.
But that was when a thin man, blond with a boyish face and the most soulful, deep-looking eyes Seo had ever seen, stepped forwards. And blasted the shopkeeper apart.
The other shopkeeper had managed to drop the mirror, and turned.
But was blasted apart as well.
"Thank you," Seo said. "My name's Seo. Do you have any idea what those…?"
The man pointed the gun squarely at Seo. His lips in a thin line. His stance no less aggressive.
"You," the man growled. "Give me one good reason not to blast you into atoms right now."
"Listen, you don't understand!" Alison insisted, throwing up her hands. "Seo is organic. She's just dimensionally complicated. That's why your machines won't pick her up."
Timmo stared at them. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"Contact those other two guys," Dawn urged. "Tell them to stop shooting! Or just let us out to find her ourselves! We're good at surviving alien stuff like this."
"Good enough that you both needed to be rescued from a gruesome death," Timmo pointed out, "and almost caused the destruction of the human race!"
Alison stepped back. "All right. All right! So maybe we do need some help with this one. But so do you! Seo can help you defeat the Nestene Consciousness. Regain this whole planet. But if Seo dies, you'll have no hope."
Timmo sighed. "Ladies, I don't know just how delusional you are," he said, "but I know how this works. Trust me, your friend's already gone. No doubt about it."
"You've got till the count of three," said the man, gun still pointed in Seo's face. "One… two…"
Seo sprung at him, jerking his gun up so that he fired into the air.
Then shoved him over, and raced for the door.
Pushed her way out of the dressing room, and bolted for the exit to the shop. But before she could leave, there was a loud clang, and a steel bulkhead dropped, trapping Seo inside. Seo turned, and noticed the man with the gun coming closer to her.
"You know I'm not one of these plastic creatures," Seo told him, raising up her hands. "Or you'd have shot me without a second thought."
"I can see through your human disguise, alien," the man spat.
The venom in his voice on the word 'alien' told Seo all she needed to know about his attitude towards non-humans.
Right.
She had to throw herself out of the way of his shot at the last minute. Diving towards a bunch of display racks, hoping he wouldn't be able to hit her as she zipped through the store's hung-up clothing.
"Listen — whatever aliens you've dealt with before, I'm not like them!" Seo offered. "I'm part-human! I'm friendly, and—"
Seo stumbled, as the flash of his disintegrator gun encompassed rack after rack of clothing. Vaporizing the forest of dresses and shirts and blouses in order to get to her. She needed somewhere to hide. Needed some kind of plan. Needed…!
"You were traumatized by aliens and need to lash out," Seo tried. "I understand that! My mom is dying, and I want to lash out, too! But killing me won't be vengeance. It won't help you move on."
"Mind-reader, huh?" said the man, vaporizing another rack of clothing. "Telepath?"
He vaporized the rack right in front of Seo, revealing her in plain sight. Charged up his gun, again, for another blast.
"You are," Seo offered.
That made him falter. Just a bit.
"I mean, you can't read people's thoughts," Seo said. "But you found me without a life sign reader. You could tell I wasn't human. You've got a little bit of telepathic potential — enough to feel minds, even if you can't read them."
"Liar," the man growled.
Seo backed away, slowly. Watching, as he advanced towards her. "You don't really want to kill me," she said, stepping beneath a hat display, dangling with wire from the ceiling. She was far too short for her head to brush the top. "Or you'd have done it already."
Her back thudded against the steel of the bulkhead.
"I really do," said the man, stepping forwards so he was directly in front of her. His gun right in her face. "But I want to look into your eyes as I do it." His voice dropped even lower, as he took another step towards her. "You're going to feel fear, alien — the way my family felt fear before aliens murdered them. It's what you deserve."
Which was when the plastic-looking hat from the display that brushed against his hair sprung to life, and grabbed him up by the head.
He yelped.
His grip loosening on the gun.
Seo darted forwards, snatching it from his hands, and then raced away. Shifting around settings, and using it to blow a hole in the bulkhead.
"Sorry!" said Seo. "Got to go! Have friends to rescue, and a mom to…"
Seo stopped.
Watching, as the plastic hat seemed to melt across his body, rushing across him and absorbing him into a plastic death. His eyes still looking at her through the oozing plastic dripping down and trapping him there.
Beautiful eyes.
Terrified eyes.
"Why do I always fall for the homicidal maniac?" Seo chided herself, as she ripped apart the gun in her hands. "Why can't I just walk away and let someone who tried to kill me get what he deserves?"
She plucked out a vial from the gun.
Then raced forwards, towards the man, and smashed the vial against the plastic covering his arms.
The plastic suddenly howled out, as if in pain, receding back from the man and Seo as if by instinct. Seo grabbed up the man by his arm, and yanked him free.
"Time to go!" Seo shouted, as she turned and ran the other way.
They both piled out the hole in the bulkhead, and then began to run down the hallway of the mall. The man stumbling behind her, trying to catch his breath.
"You… you…" the man began.
"Just saved someone who wants me dead?" Seo filled in. "So I did. Really have to stop doing that. Gorgeous eyes or no, me and murderers never wind up working out."
"But you're an alien," the man protested. "Aliens hate humans!" His voice became dark, icy. "They live only to kill, conquer, and destroy! They don't…!"
Seo could already see the other shopkeepers emerging, their hands dropping to reveal gun barrels.
"I am human, thicko," Seo snapped at the man behind her. "Told you. Part human! Mom's whole side of the family is human, and I definitely don't want to kill, conquer, and destroy them!"
The shopkeepers began to run after them.
Opening fire.
Seo dragged them man with her towards the lift. Punched the button, the doors pinging open instantly. Then bundling him inside.
"Up!" Seo shouted, stabbing at buttons. "Up!"
The doors shut, just before the shopkeepers caught up with them.
And the lift began to ascend.
"Those Autons will catch up with us the moment we—" the man started.
Seo lunged for the control panel, then slammed her hand on the emergency stop.
The lift ground to a halt.
Seo panted, clutching the wood rail at the back of the lift, trying to catch her breath. "Metal floors, glue-down carpet, metal buttons," she explained. "Only place I could think of with no plastic whatsoever."
The man stared at her. Unsure what to say or do.
"So you've trapped yourself in an elevator," the man clarified, "with someone who wants you dead. Surrounded on all sides by Autons, who also want you dead."
Seo sighed, slumping against the wall. "It's really not my day, is it?"
The man said nothing.
Couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Look, if you're going to try to kill me, again, just get it over with!" Seo snapped. Preparing herself. "But I took away your nasty gun, and I'm stronger than I look."
The man coolly brought out another, smaller gun. "You took away one of them."
Seo froze.