Untitled Unfinished Buffy/SeaQuest
Cross
Buffy rolled over the table and was on her feet in
an instant. The only thing within reach was a mop. She broke it over her knee
like it was a twig. Before either vampire could react, she drove both broken ends
into their chests. They burst into two clouds of dust and vanished.
Unsure of what may happen next, she still stood in
her fighting stance. She looked around and saw The Bronze in the mess it
usually is in after she has an encounter with vampires. Upside
down tables, broken chairs, glass pieces, and the normal group of oblivious
people. She was just about to ease up when she heard applause coming
from behind her. She quickly turned and saw a lone man.
He was wearing all black with an abnormally large belt
buckle. If he hadn’t had stepped out of the shadows, and the light reflecting
off that belt buckle hadn’t practically blinded her, she wouldn’t have seen
him.
"And you are...?" she asked, squinting
away the brightness.
"A fan... I’ve been watching The Slayer
throughout the ages. All the other girls... they’ve been pretty boring. Wooden
stake here, wooden stake there... you have more creativity, like that mop you
just used. And the decapitations... beautiful!"
"Point...?"
"I’ve been waiting for the right moment to
make my appearance."
"And this is it."
"This is it!"
She made an amused laugh and before he could blink,
she had him pinned up against the wall.
"Listen. This has been a really long night and
I am really tired. You are so annoying me and I will have no problem making
your annoyance go away. So, if you don't tell me why you’ve decided to keep me
from becoming Rip Van Winkle... well, I think you know what I can do..."
A look of fright passed over his eyes. "Yes,
yes I know but please be careful. Any more sudden
moves, and who knows where we’ll end up!"
She increased her hold on him. "What are you
talking about?"
Before he had a chance to answer she was bumped
into him by a couple of guys having a private argument. Something in his pocket
beeped and a swirl of color appeared on the wall. He and Buffy fell through.
"Buffy!"
"Xander!"
Willow and Cordelia shouted. But before they could
move the portal shut. The three stood there, dumbfounded.
"What just happened?" Oz asked.
***************
Scientists and military personnel were everywhere
throughout the boat but there were vacant corridors here and there. A dolphin
was in the water-filled tubes that stretched the length of the boat. A matronly
scientist studied intently the specimens on her slide through a microscope. A
teenage boy hacked his way through the Internex in
his broom-closet of a room. A very distinguished looking man wearing a UEO
uniform and the rank of Captain sat in his chair, verifying the course to their
destination. Taking a moment to look around, he observed his crew hard at work.
He reminisced back to a time when his boat was just a dream. And now, here he was,
commanding the seaQuest. He had been reluctant, at
first, but now he loved every minute of it. He loved the open sea, he loved...
"Captain!" said a voice, interrupting his
thoughts.
Shaking his head back to the present, he answered
his PAL, "Go ahead."
"Captain, we’ve, uh, we’ve got a situation
here. B Deck"
"On my way."
He got up, left the bridge and made his way to the
Maglev. In just a few short moments, he would be there, to handle the
situation.
***************
Buffy and the stranger in black fell to the ground,
as they would have in The Bronze had a wall not been there. The stranger
whacked his head against the grating that was the floor, and had the wind
knocked out of him as Buffy fell on top of him. Xander,
having flung himself through the portal, shot through, bounced off the wall on
the opposite side, and landed on the floor.
Buffy was the first on her feet, but she didn’t
stay there for long. The jump through had made her a little dizzy. She quickly
recovered and went to Xander.
"Xander? God, are
you all right?"
He blinked, looked up, and realized the pain.
"Someone better call the zoo, there’s a heard of elephants on the
loose."
She smiled, "Yeah, but you got the best of
them. I still think a doctor should take a look at you..." she was about
to say something else but the mumbling of the stranger stopped her.
"What was that, MiB?"
she said as she stood above him.
Raising himself to his elbows, "I said, this
is what I was talking about..."
"Vague much!"
"Look around! You’re not in Kansas
anymore!"
"No, you’re aboard the seaQuest..."
During their confusion, they hadn’t noticed a small
audience around them, pointing what must be weapons at them. In front stood a
man who commanded authority and respect.
"... I am Captain Nathan Hale Bridger. Who are
you and what are you doing on my boat?"
***************
Bridger stood there staring at the two guys and the
girl. These three had appeared out of no where, literally. One moment, the
hallway was empty, the next, they tumbled out... of the wall!
One guy, who appeared to be in his twenties, was
dressed in black with an abnormally large belt buckle. The other guy and the
girl couldn’t have been more than eighteen, and wore the typical clothes of
teenagers. Both guys were on the ground, in obvious pain. The girl was on her
feet, and looked like she was ready to take on the whole security team.
Bridger didn’t know if she was actually capable of
it, but he did see the determination in her eyes. He didn’t see any fear, more
like an "I’m ready for anything" look. She must have been through
some things, he thought. But he would have to ponder those things later. Right
now, he had to figure out what was going on.
He motioned for the security team to lower their
guns. He was about to say something to the three, when the girl eased up and
spoke.
"I’m Buffy, he’s Xander,
and he... is still a mystery. He didn’t introduce himself to us. As for why
we’re here... we didn’t even know what here was until you said something. What
is seaQuest anyway? Sounds like something out of Star
Trek... and is there someone who could look at my friend here? He was whacked
against the wall and landed pretty hard."
Bridger looked at her hard for a moment, trying to
figure out what she might be up to. Finally, he spoke into his PAL.
"Doctor? Could you send a Med.Unit
to B Deck? We’ve got two men here who are in need of medical assistance."
"What is their condition?" said the
British voice on the other side.
"One was thrown against the side and landed on
the floor... the other..."
"He landed hard on the floor, too, with me on
top of him," Buffy supplied.
"Did you get that?" Bridger asked.
"I’ll be right there. Don’t move them, they
may have spinal injuries."
"They’ve already moved on their own..."
said Buffy.
"Doctor? What do you suggest?"
"I’ll come anyway and bring two stretchers...
they may still have concussions."
"Very well." He clicked it off.
"You still haven’t told me what seaQuest is," Buffy said.
Bridger looked at her. She’s worse than Lucas.
"SeaQuest is the
most advanced submarine in the 21st century..."
"Submarine?! 21st century?!" She walked
over to the man in black, "all right, spill it. Who are you? What are you?
How did we go from The Bronze in the 20th century to a submarine in 21st?"
The Bronze? 20th century? What is she talking
about?
***************
Bridger had questions. Buffy had questions. And he
had answers. But he wasn’t sure how much anyone would believe or where to even
begin. Usually, stories were invented, ones that were believable for that
situation, but this is the first time that someone had traveled through the
gateway, let alone two someones, besides the
designated traveler. He didn’t know what would happen, or why they were where
they were. But maybe three heads were better than just his. He decided to tell
the whole truth, and began at the beginning, with his name.
"My name is Jason. I am a Traveler."
"And what exactly is a Traveler?" Buffy
asked.
"If you could just be patient for a minute,
I’ll tell you!"
But he didn’t get the chance. The doctor arrived
with two stretchers.
***************