![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
polgara-5.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tamingthemuseTitle: Door Number One
Fandom: BtVS/ST: IX (AOS)
Word Count: 1458
Prompt: #340 Kiln
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, settings, or fandoms. They are the property of their respective creators and companies.
Setting: Takes place at the end of Episode 3:01 - Anne.
Summary: "A few seconds later the edges glowed and all that remained was a solid metal floor, as if the portal had never existed. She stared at it for a few long moments in a futile hope that the portal would reappear just in case she needed it."
Buffy grunted as she lifted Lily into the air and through the inky portal above them. She waited until the other girl completely disappeared before bracing herself for the jump. A clang from down the corridor pulled her attention and her eyes searched the seemingly empty space before she decided that nothing was coming. Again, she crouched for the jump only to see the portal seal itself above her. Brick replaced the previously malleable surface and her stomach lurched with the realization that she was stuck.
Stuck in some crazy demon dimension where she just caused an uprising. Yeah, this was going to go down as one of the worst days ever. Right after Acathala and Angel... Definitely bad.
Going back the way they had come was not an option. She hadn't noticed any other portals or escape routes as they escaped the mines. Which only left going further down the corridor she currently found herself in. She hoped that Ken's death put the demons in enough of a disarray that it would cut down on how many of them she'd encounter.
After what seemed like hours she finally came across another portal in the ceiling above her. Only this one had a yellowish tint and sparks flickered across the surface. Buffy stopped to stare at it and wage her options.
There was no way that this one opened into the home that Ken had set up in L.A. Hell, it might not even open up in Los Angeles but another city altogether. However, there was no way that they were getting enough workers from that one little halfway house. There had to be other portals on Earth where they were pulling the lost and forgotten. She could only hope that it wasn't too far away for her to be able to buy bus fare back to her crappy little apartment.
She briefly thought about searching for another way out, but she was worried about how much longer the magic fueling the portal would last. It already looked like it was nearing the end. If she wasted time and never found another only to come back to find this one sealed up as well, then she would have lost her one chance for escape.
Resolutely she steeled herself for what possibly awaited her on the other side and she jumped. There was a brief sensation of static electricty dancing over her skin as she passed through and then a soft beeping noise reached her ears as she clung to the edge of the portal. The room seemed to be empty except for a bank of strange looking computers along one wall.
A near silent puff of breath escaped her lips as she fully levered herself out of the portal and onto the cool, metal floor. She pulled her feet free and got her bearings.
It was a long room with a single door at the end. The only light came from several monitors that lined the wall of computers. She frowned as they looked like nothing she had seen before. The beeping noise she had been hearing since arriving came from the computers and she hoped that they were not warning someone of her presence. There was no way she was going to be able to explain her arrival in a way that wasn't going to sound crazy.
Buffy walked quietly over to the door and looked through to window only to see a bare corridor stretching out either side.
“Great, more hallways,” she muttered to herself. She turned back to the portal in time for it to seal itself and her fate. A few seconds later the edges glowed and all that remained was a solid metal floor, as if the portal had never existed. She stared at it for a few long moments in a futile hope that the portal would reappear just in case she needed it.
“Well let's see what's behind door number one,” she said softly. She took a deep breath and opened the door to what lay beyond.
*************
Buffy casually immersed herself in the crowd as the shuttle landed nearby. From what she had gathered from the locals, it was carrying supplies from some sort of organization called The Federation and bringing some more colonists here on the planet Tarsus IV.
In the four months since she had arrived, Buffy Summers had managed to slowly incorporate herself into the colony so that no one questioned where she had come from. Thankfully the colony numbered in the thousands so it wasn't uncommon that she wasn't immediately recognized.
The first weeks had been terrifying. While escaping the compound of what she had later learned as belonging to the Governor she had overhead a conversation that she was fairly positive she shouldn't have. All she knew was that the leader was planning something and it was going to happen after the Federation's yearly drop off and that whatever it was, it wasn't of the friendly kind.
She knew that the only way she'd be able to help was to learn as much as possible about whatever this place was and then formulate a plan of attack. Giles would have been so proud of her restraint.
It had taken her a month's worth of snooping to discover what had happened. She hadn't jumped through the portal into another part of Earth. She hadn't even managed to jump into a hell dimension. That would have been way too easy.
No, she jumped through time.
At least, she assumed she did. It was the only way to explain the leaps forward in all of the technology she had seen since arriving but still keep it grounded in something she knew and understood. What Ken had been doing with this place she had no idea, but it didn't bode well.
The people here were mostly farmers and artisans and while they had some amazing technology in their homes, they seemed to revel in using what even to her looked like rustic tools in the field. She had seen little in the way of tractors, only rakes and hoes to work the dirt around the plants.
So she forced herself to become good at undercover work. She helped out where she could, letting the locals become familiar with her and eventually gaining a circle of friends. Or rather, people who thought they knew who she was but would probably freak out if they learned the truth. Through these semi-friends she set out to learn everything she could about the colony here on Tarsus IV and prepare herself for the coming battle.
Yet, she was no closer to figuring out what Kodos, the Governor, had planned than she was when she started investigating. And now the Federation had arrived and he was going to implement his plan the moment they left.
If only her friends from Sunnydale could see her now, they probably wouldn't recognize her. She had changed so much from being practically a child there to the adult she had been forced to become in the last seven months. Now she was able to truly appreciate what Whistler had been trying to tell her, in the end all she had was herself, and that was all she needed. She was more than capable of analyzing the situation and creating a plan all on her own.
Killing Angel had started her down this path. One that stripped away distractions and left her free to do what the slayer inside her needed to get done. She had been given the power to protect people, whether from vampires, demons, magic, or just evil people in general. No longer was her attention divided between friends, her family, school, and a boyfried; now she was free to focus her energies on the mission. She had walked through the fires of heartache, abandonment, and this strange world only to emerge stronger than before.
She was Buffy Summers, the Slayer, and she wasn't going to get distracted again.
The scant few colonists emerged from the boxy shuttle and she carefully studied each of the newcomers to see if any of them possibly held clues as to what Kodos was planning. Perhaps he had to wait for a specific someone to arrive to complete his preparations.
“James Kirk,” yelled the man running through roll call.
“Here.”
Buffy looked at the man, no boy, who answered. Sullen blue eyes peered out from a fringe of blond hair. He appeared to be about her age and was clearly not happy to be there. Something deep inside of her acknowledged his attractive looks, but the stronger slayer part dismissed him as being a participant in Kodos plan and moved on to the next colonist.
She had work to do.
Fandom: BtVS/ST: IX (AOS)
Word Count: 1458
Prompt: #340 Kiln
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, settings, or fandoms. They are the property of their respective creators and companies.
Setting: Takes place at the end of Episode 3:01 - Anne.
Summary: "A few seconds later the edges glowed and all that remained was a solid metal floor, as if the portal had never existed. She stared at it for a few long moments in a futile hope that the portal would reappear just in case she needed it."
Buffy grunted as she lifted Lily into the air and through the inky portal above them. She waited until the other girl completely disappeared before bracing herself for the jump. A clang from down the corridor pulled her attention and her eyes searched the seemingly empty space before she decided that nothing was coming. Again, she crouched for the jump only to see the portal seal itself above her. Brick replaced the previously malleable surface and her stomach lurched with the realization that she was stuck.
Stuck in some crazy demon dimension where she just caused an uprising. Yeah, this was going to go down as one of the worst days ever. Right after Acathala and Angel... Definitely bad.
Going back the way they had come was not an option. She hadn't noticed any other portals or escape routes as they escaped the mines. Which only left going further down the corridor she currently found herself in. She hoped that Ken's death put the demons in enough of a disarray that it would cut down on how many of them she'd encounter.
After what seemed like hours she finally came across another portal in the ceiling above her. Only this one had a yellowish tint and sparks flickered across the surface. Buffy stopped to stare at it and wage her options.
There was no way that this one opened into the home that Ken had set up in L.A. Hell, it might not even open up in Los Angeles but another city altogether. However, there was no way that they were getting enough workers from that one little halfway house. There had to be other portals on Earth where they were pulling the lost and forgotten. She could only hope that it wasn't too far away for her to be able to buy bus fare back to her crappy little apartment.
She briefly thought about searching for another way out, but she was worried about how much longer the magic fueling the portal would last. It already looked like it was nearing the end. If she wasted time and never found another only to come back to find this one sealed up as well, then she would have lost her one chance for escape.
Resolutely she steeled herself for what possibly awaited her on the other side and she jumped. There was a brief sensation of static electricty dancing over her skin as she passed through and then a soft beeping noise reached her ears as she clung to the edge of the portal. The room seemed to be empty except for a bank of strange looking computers along one wall.
A near silent puff of breath escaped her lips as she fully levered herself out of the portal and onto the cool, metal floor. She pulled her feet free and got her bearings.
It was a long room with a single door at the end. The only light came from several monitors that lined the wall of computers. She frowned as they looked like nothing she had seen before. The beeping noise she had been hearing since arriving came from the computers and she hoped that they were not warning someone of her presence. There was no way she was going to be able to explain her arrival in a way that wasn't going to sound crazy.
Buffy walked quietly over to the door and looked through to window only to see a bare corridor stretching out either side.
“Great, more hallways,” she muttered to herself. She turned back to the portal in time for it to seal itself and her fate. A few seconds later the edges glowed and all that remained was a solid metal floor, as if the portal had never existed. She stared at it for a few long moments in a futile hope that the portal would reappear just in case she needed it.
“Well let's see what's behind door number one,” she said softly. She took a deep breath and opened the door to what lay beyond.
*************
Buffy casually immersed herself in the crowd as the shuttle landed nearby. From what she had gathered from the locals, it was carrying supplies from some sort of organization called The Federation and bringing some more colonists here on the planet Tarsus IV.
In the four months since she had arrived, Buffy Summers had managed to slowly incorporate herself into the colony so that no one questioned where she had come from. Thankfully the colony numbered in the thousands so it wasn't uncommon that she wasn't immediately recognized.
The first weeks had been terrifying. While escaping the compound of what she had later learned as belonging to the Governor she had overhead a conversation that she was fairly positive she shouldn't have. All she knew was that the leader was planning something and it was going to happen after the Federation's yearly drop off and that whatever it was, it wasn't of the friendly kind.
She knew that the only way she'd be able to help was to learn as much as possible about whatever this place was and then formulate a plan of attack. Giles would have been so proud of her restraint.
It had taken her a month's worth of snooping to discover what had happened. She hadn't jumped through the portal into another part of Earth. She hadn't even managed to jump into a hell dimension. That would have been way too easy.
No, she jumped through time.
At least, she assumed she did. It was the only way to explain the leaps forward in all of the technology she had seen since arriving but still keep it grounded in something she knew and understood. What Ken had been doing with this place she had no idea, but it didn't bode well.
The people here were mostly farmers and artisans and while they had some amazing technology in their homes, they seemed to revel in using what even to her looked like rustic tools in the field. She had seen little in the way of tractors, only rakes and hoes to work the dirt around the plants.
So she forced herself to become good at undercover work. She helped out where she could, letting the locals become familiar with her and eventually gaining a circle of friends. Or rather, people who thought they knew who she was but would probably freak out if they learned the truth. Through these semi-friends she set out to learn everything she could about the colony here on Tarsus IV and prepare herself for the coming battle.
Yet, she was no closer to figuring out what Kodos, the Governor, had planned than she was when she started investigating. And now the Federation had arrived and he was going to implement his plan the moment they left.
If only her friends from Sunnydale could see her now, they probably wouldn't recognize her. She had changed so much from being practically a child there to the adult she had been forced to become in the last seven months. Now she was able to truly appreciate what Whistler had been trying to tell her, in the end all she had was herself, and that was all she needed. She was more than capable of analyzing the situation and creating a plan all on her own.
Killing Angel had started her down this path. One that stripped away distractions and left her free to do what the slayer inside her needed to get done. She had been given the power to protect people, whether from vampires, demons, magic, or just evil people in general. No longer was her attention divided between friends, her family, school, and a boyfried; now she was free to focus her energies on the mission. She had walked through the fires of heartache, abandonment, and this strange world only to emerge stronger than before.
She was Buffy Summers, the Slayer, and she wasn't going to get distracted again.
The scant few colonists emerged from the boxy shuttle and she carefully studied each of the newcomers to see if any of them possibly held clues as to what Kodos was planning. Perhaps he had to wait for a specific someone to arrive to complete his preparations.
“James Kirk,” yelled the man running through roll call.
“Here.”
Buffy looked at the man, no boy, who answered. Sullen blue eyes peered out from a fringe of blond hair. He appeared to be about her age and was clearly not happy to be there. Something deep inside of her acknowledged his attractive looks, but the stronger slayer part dismissed him as being a participant in Kodos plan and moved on to the next colonist.
She had work to do.
