Author's Note: Everyone catch who Dave is? If not, flip back to the last chapter of "A Scooby of Her Own". I've had at least one reader tell me they were interesting in finding out more about who David Walter Korjensky III was...

To answer Guest, nope, you didn't miss anything. That was an off-screen adventure. And I don't really know how humans and aliens have kids together, but the Whoverse makes it pretty clear that they did.

Enjoy!

The lift brought them most of the way down to the basement.

But halted, on the level just below the one they needed.

"How many you think are out there?" said Timmo, charging up his gun.

"Got to be a bunch," said Zed Square.

The doors pinged open.

Revealing a cluster of Autons, all waiting for them.

Alison and Dawn dove for cover.

As the shooting began.

Seo and Dave ran forwards, towards the noise. The blasts of the energy-pulse guns streaking across their eyes, making them blink and struggle to see.

"All the Autons are facing the other way," Seo said. "Shooting the other way."

Dave looked down at his projectile gun, disgusted. "And this won't do jack against Autons."

Seo didn't answer him.

Instead, she leapt forwards into the sea of Autons, waving her arms, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Yoo hoo! Hello! Autons! Over here! I have a ship, can get you all away!"

Dave shifted his aim.

"You, on the other hand…" Dave said, pointing it straight at Seo. His lips in a deep frown. He shook his head. "And I really thought I could trust you."

The Autons stopped shooting.

Swiveled around to turn to Seo, gun barrels all trained on her.

And, from just beyond her — Dave could hear the sounds of familiar voices. The shots of familiar energy guns.

"You're desperate to escape," said Seo, evenly, "but I won't help you unless you let my friends go. All of them."

Dave lowered his own pistol.

Still weary, but… maybe… willing to believe her just a little. Willing to think she might have something up her sleeve, to get them all out of this alive. Every single one of them.

Zed Square and Timmo gave angry shouts, as they were ushered forwards, stripped of guns and hostile-tech. Alison and Dawn just behind them.

Alison and Dawn seemed overjoyed to see Seo.

"See?" Alison said to Timmo and Zed Square. "What did I tell you? He worked out Seo wasn't an Auton, and was protecting her. That's all!"

"And turned us over to the Autons," Timmo said. Struggling to release himself from their grip. "What the hell have you done, Dave?!"

Seo gave a sharp whistle, to get all their attentions.

Everyone fell silent, around her.

"The man you've come to rescue," said Seo, turning to Timmo and Zed Square, "is Professor Gordon Trinch."

Dawn swore, loudly.

"You know him?" Alison asked.

"Yeah, he's a professor at the University of Total Psychopaths," Dawn muttered. "Major nutcase."

Alison snapped her fingers. "The UTP! That's the university I forgot to put on my wish list!"

"Don't care who he is," said Zed Square, as he kept struggling. "Just know he's gotta be worth something, if we're—"

"Seo's right," said Dave, stepping forwards. Gun lowered. "Trinch lured the Autons to this planet, wiping out everyone who lived here — in order to test out his latest weapon. A consciousness destroyer, which will burn out the minds of anyone who isn't a pure-blood human."

Zed Square and Timmo both stopped struggling.

"We all know what's been going on out there," said Dave. "On other planets. We all know what happens in the wake of the chevauchéers. Who the human settlers wind up settling down with, in the end."

"He's killing kids," said Timmo. "Everyone that nutcase is going to wipe out… they're all kids!"

"Hey, he's gonna wipe out the Nestene Consciousness, too," said Zed Square. "And any alien threat nearby."

"To hell with that!" shouted Timmo. "It's the Third Great Baby Boom, out there! And 58% of those kids are half-breeds. He's gonna slaughter half the kids in the Empire!"

Dave nodded. "Exactly."

Alison nodded, slowly. "So… when humanity starts colonizing outer space," she confirmed, "this is what we do? Get it on with aliens?"

"Judging by the number of weird alien fetish sites on the internet," said Dawn, "I believe it."

"Problem is," Seo interrupted, "when Dave and I discovered this, we wound up getting rid of most of the protective layers around Trinch's prison. The consciousness-destroying pulse has expanded past the faraday cage. The only thing holding it back, now, is a lash-up force field."

"One that's fading pretty quickly," Dave added.

"Baby booming with aliens," Alison muttered. "The human race needs a cold shower or something."

"You've met Jack," Dawn pointed out. "By his time, we massively get our flirt on. With anything and anyone."

Seo shushed Dawn and Alison, fiercely.

Then turned back to the Autons. "So… what are you waiting for?" Seo demanded. Hands on her hips. "We're your prisoners! Take us to your leader, already!"

They were all herded towards the Nestene Consciousness. A great big, oozing vat of plastic, twisting and writhing in a gigantic tub beneath their feet.

Alison made a disgusted face.

Seo stepped forwards, unafraid. Well, course she was unafraid — no way the Nestene Consciousness was more terrifying than the super-pulse-weapon that was about to fry her brain!

"Hello!" said Seo. "I'm Seo. I noticed you were in a bit of trouble, here."

The Nestene Consciousness writhed. Then began to speak, a rush of alien words pouring out of it. Seo frowned, unable to understand.

"Sorry," said Seo. "I don't speak… Consciousness-ese. Do you speak English?"

"The Consciousness," one of the shopkeepers translated, stepping forwards, "is aware that you were the one who released the organic prisoner in the first place. You are the enemy."

"Yes, I know we made a mistake," said Seo. "I'm trying to correct that, now." Shot the Nestene Consciousness a pointed look. "And if that pulse hits me, I'll be every bit as dead as you."

The Nestene Consciousness seemed to think this over, a little.

Then gave another groan of alien language.

"You must bond with the Consciousness," the shopkeeper translated. "You will pilot your ship and take us away from here."

"Oh, don't merge with me!" said Seo. She pointed her thumb back at Dave. "Merge with him."

Dave had his gun out, again, instantly. And aimed it right at Seo.

He didn't shoot.

But his eyes were dark and glaring.

"Not the way you were intending, of course," Seo continued. "That'd be useless. But Trinch's machine was build based on Dave's brain patterns. His brainwaves. If we use his mind… we can cancel out the field."

"That wouldn't work," said the shopkeeper. "The pulse would be unaffected by a brain as small as his."

Seo waggled her finger at the shopkeeper. "Unless," she countered, "his brainwaves were part of a telepathic network projected across every plastic polymer on this planet."

The Nestene Consciousness went quiet.

So did the shopkeeper.

"What do you think?" said Seo.

"You are asking the Nestene Consciousness," the shopkeeper confirmed, "to… give up part of its own control… to this human mind?"

Seo shrugged. "That was the idea."

Dave lowered his gun.

But kept a firm grip on it. Not sure what to believe, or who to trust.

"He could destroy the Consciousness," said the shopkeeper.

"Yes, and you could also destroy him," Seo agreed. A sideways smile on her face. "But it's not really in either of your best interests to do that, is it? Both of you are needed to cancel out the weapon and protect your own kind."

"And the humans?" said the shopkeeper.

"Are needed to take down the force-field at exactly the right moment," Seo replied, "to cancel out the wave patterns. And deal with Professor Trinch and his machine. They're the only ones immune to the pulse, after all." She bounced on her toes. "So. What do you think?"

"No," said Dave.

Seo and the others turned to him.

"You said you wouldn't double-cross me," Dave said, his voice low, as he advanced on Seo. "Liar. Manipulator. You're as bad as all the—!"

Seo put a hand on Dave's arm.

Looked deep into his eyes.

"Trust me," she said, softly.

Dave didn't move. His stern, cold expression never wavering.

"I trust no one," said Dave. "That's why I've stayed alive."

"And why you've stayed alone," Seo countered.

Dave didn't answer.

"Please," Seo said. "You can save hundreds of lives. Maybe even thousands! Maybe more than that. But you have to take a risk. You have to trust somebody."

"Trust a monster like the Nestene Consciousness?" Dave scoffed. "It'd destroy humanity without a second thought. It's tried to do so before."

"Not it." Seo's eyes intensified. Sparkling. "Me."

He looked down at her for a long time.

Just the two of them, staring into one another's eyes, just the two of them in a whirlwind of time and terror and danger. Dave and Seo.

Then Dave stepped back.

And accepted his fate.

"Right, then!" said Seo, with a smile. "Aunt Dawn, Timmo, Zed Square, you're off to—"

The Autons surged forwards, grabbing back the humans and restraining them.

The Nestene Consciousness gurgled, below them.

"The Consciousness requires hostages," said the shopkeeper. "To make sure you don't trick it into killing itself. We do not trust the organic you call… 'Dave'."

"Well, looks like everyone's having trust issues, today," Seo muttered.

Timmo stopped struggling. Gave a sharp, slightly uneasy laugh. "Sounds like that's my cue."

The others looked at him.

"My mother wasn't exactly… human," said Timmo. "If you get my drift. If I went down to deal with Trinch, I wouldn't survive that pulse, either."

The Autons secured Timmo, carrying him off.

"Zed Square, D-man," said Timmo, nodding at them as he was led away. "Make humanity proud."

Then those restraining Alison began to leave, as well.

Alison shouting and struggling against the Autons, trying to get free.

"Him, and one other," the shopkeeper translated for the Nestene Consciousness. "One to ensure the cooperation of the organic 'Dave', and the other to ensure the cooperation of the organic 'Seo'."

"I need Alison with me," Seo argued. "To build the interface that'll allow the brainwaves to cancel out the pulse beam. She's the computer expert."

Alison looked at Seo, a little oddly.

Sure, she could program computers, back in the 21st century, but this was the future! Who knew what they programmed in at this point?

Seo shot her that familiar-Seo-smile that meant she had a plan up her sleeve.

And Alison grinned, back.

"Yep," said Alison. "Course Seo needs me. I'm more brilliant with numbers than the Count on Sesame Street."

"You can feel free to point weapons at her, though, while she's working," Seo offered.

"Oi!" snapped Alison.

The Nestene Consciousness calmed down, at this suggestion. The shopkeeper's gun-hand dropping, trained directly on Alison, as she was released.

"Thanks, Seo," Alison muttered, hands raised in the air. "Because I haven't been threatened with enough guns, today."

"And you can trust Aunt Dawn and Zed Square to disable the force-field," Seo continued. Tucking some hair behind her ear. "Zed Square's the one with the technical skills we need. And Dawn's my aunt. My family. She won't let me get killed."

The Nestene Consciousness seemed to consider this.

Then began to speak, again.

"The Consciousness recognizes the term 'aunt'," said the shopkeeper. "It knows the term as an indication of familial relation between two independent organic bodies. A protective bond. It agrees that these two organics will be the ones to take down the force field."

"Can you stop calling me 'organic'?" said Dawn. "I mean, geeze! You make me sound like a vegetable."

"In that case," said Seo, clapping her hands, "I think it's about time we got on with the plan. Don't you?"