Title: About Time

Author: Jedi Buttercup

Rating: M

Category: B:tVS/DOOM

Summary: Buffy knew she probably shouldn't be pushing so hard, but her nerves were absolutely crawling. 400 words.

Disclaimer: The words are mine; the worlds are not. I claim nothing but the plot.

Spoilers: B:tVS way post-"Chosen"; DOOM (2005)

Notes: Movieverse.


"That's the last one?" Buffy asked, nodding at the disc in Sam's hand.

Sam stowed it in a pocket with the others she'd spent the last several minutes loading with data and nodded. "Yes. That's everything they asked for, all the encrypted data UAC couldn't download through the satellite links."

"Good," Buffy said, shouldering her weapon and pacing over to the controls for the nano-wall. "It's about time we got out of here, then."

"What? Why?" Sam asked. "Shouldn't we wait?"

"Wait for what?" Buffy's eyebrows went up. "One of those things to break through the airlock?"

"I don't know, man." Duke frowned at her. "Sarge said to stay here."

"Sarge doesn't get it yet," Buffy said, rounding on him. She knew she probably shouldn't be pushing so hard, but her nerves were absolutely crawling. "This isn't just some thing we're fighting. You saw-- it used to be human! It can think as well as we can, and it's stronger than us, and it's evil. You think it's going to be content playing hide and seek until we're ready to kill it? It's going to go for the Ark, and I want Sam out of here before that happens."

"Yeah, and how come you get it, then?" Duke asked suspiciously, slipping his own weapon into a ready position. "How'd you hold Carmack down when he was turning? He threw me off like I was nothing, but you... How'd you do that, man?"

Buffy winced. She'd been hoping no one had been paying that much attention to detail. "Look, it's complicated," she said. "Just trust me. We have to get out of here."

Sam shook her head, opening her mouth to add something to the conversation, then abruptly froze in horror, staring at the window separating med lab from morgue. Something struck the glass hard, and Sam screamed as though her life depended on it.

Buffy turned to look and felt her blood run cold. She automatically aimed her gun at the apparition, but couldn't bring herself to fire; she watched in sick dismay as the thing that used to be Goat beat its own head into a pulp. Every impact against the glass startled another shriek out of Sam, until it finally slumped and slid down the wall out of sight.

"Oh, shit," Duke said, reverently.

"Okay," Sam breathed, shakily. "I trust you. Let's get the hell out of here."

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