SIDE BY SIDE Chapter 3
Title: SIDE BY SIDE
Pairing: Spike/ Ori (OC). Spike/Angel (Liam)
AU (Well at least three of them)
Warnings. There will be violence, there will be sex. And adult themes. And techno babble.
Summary: Spike falls through a portal, into an alternate reality.
Ch 3
“Damned thing, just go IN!” Buffy was not claustrophobic, but she was beginning to think another hour of squeezing into a narrow inspection tube replacing circuit boards might quickly change that.
The board slipped and her elbow connected sharply with the wall.
“Shit!”
A dark head appeared at the inspection hatch a few metres from her feet.
“You OK in there Major?” Brown eyes set in a round oriental face surveyed her with concern.
“Yep, just fine, thanks Tiet. This stupid circuit is putting up a fight.”
“Try jiggling it to the left a bit. Those new boards are a bit thick on one side.”
“Ah, right.” Buffy removed the circuit and repositioned it, jiggling as instructed. Just then, a deep rumble vibrated through the tunnel.
“I don’t want to know how close they are,” she warned.
“I could tell you in Strozzi. Makes it sound a long way away. Or in any other measurement you’d like,” Tiet offered.
“Thank you, Engineer Khan, but I’ll stick to denial.” The board finally slid into position. “Got it!”
“Just as well. I don’t want to explain to Commander Tey how her favourite officer got fried in an inspection tunnel.”
“I am not her favourite officer. Tey does so not have favourites,” she protested.
“Sure Major. Whatever you say. How about you get out of there anyway.”
”Coming out now. A hand would be of the good. ”
“You know that makes no sense.” he stated, reaching in to help.
“Just get me out Tiet, before I’m all crispy.”
She was brushing off dust, and despairing of ever getting her uniform clean again, when the entire base rocked and shuddered. Nearby, ceiling panels crashed to the floor, crumpling on impact.
“Oh shit, that was close,” she breathed.
“The shields aren’t going to hold against that,” warned the engineer
Seconds later blue tinged fire began curling along the walls. The air filled with a sibilant hissing and the smell of burning plastic as the base shielding buckled under the attack.
The corridor was plunged into darkness, and the gentle whirring of the air conditioning stopped as life support crashed. The only light was the glow from Kahn’s data pad and the eldritch flames of plasma leakage. Even in the gloom, Buffy could see the engineer was worried.
“Major, we’ve lost all power on this level, although the backups are coming on line; most of the Command level is out and we’ve lost absolutely everything on Green 5.” He looked up sharply. “Haven’t you got someone in the infirmary down there?”
By the time the emergency lighting kicked in, she was halfway down the access shaft leading to the level below. Behind her, Damir, the first medic she could find, was struggling to keep up, his hand light bobbing and weaving in the gloom.
The entire wing on Green 5 was dark. Even the emergency lighting was still off. Which meant the infirmary was indeed without power.
‘Surely,’ she thought, as they slammed through the infirmary doors, ‘he hasn’t woken up yet. It‘s only been a few hours. Please, let him still be in bed.’
Damir’s light swept the room. Buffy was horrified when she realised the bed was empty. Then a small sound by the door had her swinging around in alarm.
There, slumped against the infirmary wall, was the young man they had pulled out of the rubble barely five hours ago. Even under the dirt and bruises, his beauty had shone through. Now that beauty was marred further by thick streaks of blood from nose and ears, liberally mixed with tears.
“Oh my god!” All she could think of was how much pain he must have endured when the medifield failed.
At the sound of her voice, his head came up sharply. Suddenly, eyes of the purest sapphire focused on her. They held amazement and hope and a large measure of disbelief.
“Buffy?”
“I’m sorry Citizen. Do I know you?”