New Year Drabble: Supermassive Black Hole
Title: Supermassive Black Hole
Fandom: Dollhouse/Buffy crossover
Characters: Topher/Dawn
Word Count: 1051
Prompt: unnatural selection
For elle_blessing who asked for one of my New Year drabbles
Author’s Note: Dawn is coming from the current timeline of Season 8, although I’m not sure how close to canon I am. All I know if that the Slayers need some help and Dawn is getting good at helping out those in need. If you haven’t read the graphic novel, you’re missing out!
Music blared from the high tech speakers, thumping its way along beams and walls to make a bass box out of the whole room. Topher was, for the most part, alone in this part of the Dollhouse. When he was given this type of opportunity, he scooped it up and ran.
“Glaciers melting in the dead of night,” he sang along in a squeaky falsetto, something he wouldn’t have done if anyone else had been around. A few dolls had looked up from their loungers but no one had come up to tell him to shut up. Not yet.
Just as the music swelled to a crescendo, he felt a fissure of awareness creeping along his hairline. Someone was behind him. He hadn’t heard anyone enter the room nor had he seen anyone out in the hall. With a flick of his wrist, in the bottom of the main computer screen, he brought up a small window that showed him the room over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a girl in the room with him. Not a doll. He knew them all as well as he knew his face in the mirror every morning.
“Who are you?” he whispered, the barest hint of his voice absorbed into the vibration of the music surrounding him. Even still, the girl acted like she heard him. With a shaky hands, Topher reached over to turn down the sound of the speakers.
“Who are you?” he asked again as he turned around. She was much younger than any of dolls but if she hadn’t been wearing a stretched and faded sweater and a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee, she could have blended in with the rest of the house.
She shook her head. “Not until I know who you are and where I am.”
“Are you with the DC office?”
Her eyes narrowed in irritation, her fingers tapping against her legs. “I told you I wouldn’t answer your questions until you gave me some answers first.”
“Fine.” Topher pointed to himself, slowing his words down as if he was talking to a slow child. “My name is Topher. You’re… well, I’d rather not answer that until you tell me who you are.”
“My name is Dawn.” She spoke even slower. “I was meant to find someone named Caroline.”
“You’re looking for Echo?” He spoke before he thought but it would have been stupid to try to take the words back now. If this girl could appear out of nowhere, it was likely she knew who she was looking for. A different name wouldn’t change anything. “Why?”
“It’s sort of a secret. If I told you-“
“You’d have to kill me?”
She returned a smile. “You wouldn’t happen to know Andrew, would you?”
“Who?”
“Never mind. Look, do you know where I can find her. I’m only going to be able to stay here for a few more minutes. I’d hate for Willow to have to exert this sort of power a second time. She’s already pretty tapped out as it is, trying to contain the energy of the black hole. So, is she here?”
He knew he shouldn’t be giving her information but what could it hurt. Besides, he wanted to know what exactly was going on. Maybe if he told her what she wanted to know, she’d answer some questions. He’d really like to know what kind of power was behind this girl’s appearance here.
“She’s out right now but this is the best place for finding her. This is the Dollhouse. She’s a Doll.”
“A what?” Dawn looked around at all the technology surrounding her with a look of a girl suddenly afraid of a predator she hadn’t expected to find. “You play with dolls?”
“Not action figures. It’s like…” he struggled to find a way to explain his situation without going into an hour long conversation that might have to include story boards and flow charts. The truth would have to work because he didn’t have time to come up with something better. “The Dolls are operatives.”
“Perfect. So, when is Caroline going to be back?” Sparks began to fly from her outline and the ends of each word came out soundling like a warped recording. “I really need to talk to her. My time’s almost up.”
With a tentative step forward, Topher reached out to make sure Dawn was solid and not just a strange manifestation. Star power or not, this could all just be something from inside his head. She was real enough, though, if a little hot under his fingertips.
“If you tell me how she can reach you, I’ll give her the message when she gets back.” His grin hid the tiny movement he made backwards, toward his computer. “I’m sure she’d love to help you.”
“Don’t have time. I can feel it pulling me back. I guess we’ll figure out what to do without her.” Just as the girl’s outline grew nearly transparent, Topher threw the strobe conductor at her. It struck and held, pulling her back toward his reality, away from hers. A surge of star power flowed through the wires, shorting out the computer it was connected to. Even still, it held fast to Dawn’s arm. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake it lose.
“What did you do to me?”
“I’m not sure exactly. But don’t worry. I’ve got your original coordinates in the computer. Once I’ve finished with you, you won’t need Echo.”
Instead of looking scared, Dawn looked intrigued. “Really?”
Topher nodded. “Really. Sit in that chair, Dawn, and I’ll make you whatever you need.”
“You can make me… strong? Fast? Smart? Indestructible?”
“Yep. All of that and more.”
“That was sure to rip one hell of a hole in that black hole of Willow’s.” She settled into the comfortable chair in the middle of the room. “What do I do now?”
“Just relax.” He settled back down in his chair before the computer. One was down but he had plenty more power in the rest. Now that he had a willing subject, he was going to make her… perfect. Dawn would be his finest creation. All his, though. He wouldn’t have to share her with anyone. “I’ll do the rest. Your life is in my hands.”
Fandom: Dollhouse/Buffy crossover
Characters: Topher/Dawn
Word Count: 1051
Prompt: unnatural selection
For elle_blessing who asked for one of my New Year drabbles
Author’s Note: Dawn is coming from the current timeline of Season 8, although I’m not sure how close to canon I am. All I know if that the Slayers need some help and Dawn is getting good at helping out those in need. If you haven’t read the graphic novel, you’re missing out!
Music blared from the high tech speakers, thumping its way along beams and walls to make a bass box out of the whole room. Topher was, for the most part, alone in this part of the Dollhouse. When he was given this type of opportunity, he scooped it up and ran.
“Glaciers melting in the dead of night,” he sang along in a squeaky falsetto, something he wouldn’t have done if anyone else had been around. A few dolls had looked up from their loungers but no one had come up to tell him to shut up. Not yet.
Just as the music swelled to a crescendo, he felt a fissure of awareness creeping along his hairline. Someone was behind him. He hadn’t heard anyone enter the room nor had he seen anyone out in the hall. With a flick of his wrist, in the bottom of the main computer screen, he brought up a small window that showed him the room over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a girl in the room with him. Not a doll. He knew them all as well as he knew his face in the mirror every morning.
“Who are you?” he whispered, the barest hint of his voice absorbed into the vibration of the music surrounding him. Even still, the girl acted like she heard him. With a shaky hands, Topher reached over to turn down the sound of the speakers.
“Who are you?” he asked again as he turned around. She was much younger than any of dolls but if she hadn’t been wearing a stretched and faded sweater and a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee, she could have blended in with the rest of the house.
She shook her head. “Not until I know who you are and where I am.”
“Are you with the DC office?”
Her eyes narrowed in irritation, her fingers tapping against her legs. “I told you I wouldn’t answer your questions until you gave me some answers first.”
“Fine.” Topher pointed to himself, slowing his words down as if he was talking to a slow child. “My name is Topher. You’re… well, I’d rather not answer that until you tell me who you are.”
“My name is Dawn.” She spoke even slower. “I was meant to find someone named Caroline.”
“You’re looking for Echo?” He spoke before he thought but it would have been stupid to try to take the words back now. If this girl could appear out of nowhere, it was likely she knew who she was looking for. A different name wouldn’t change anything. “Why?”
“It’s sort of a secret. If I told you-“
“You’d have to kill me?”
She returned a smile. “You wouldn’t happen to know Andrew, would you?”
“Who?”
“Never mind. Look, do you know where I can find her. I’m only going to be able to stay here for a few more minutes. I’d hate for Willow to have to exert this sort of power a second time. She’s already pretty tapped out as it is, trying to contain the energy of the black hole. So, is she here?”
He knew he shouldn’t be giving her information but what could it hurt. Besides, he wanted to know what exactly was going on. Maybe if he told her what she wanted to know, she’d answer some questions. He’d really like to know what kind of power was behind this girl’s appearance here.
“She’s out right now but this is the best place for finding her. This is the Dollhouse. She’s a Doll.”
“A what?” Dawn looked around at all the technology surrounding her with a look of a girl suddenly afraid of a predator she hadn’t expected to find. “You play with dolls?”
“Not action figures. It’s like…” he struggled to find a way to explain his situation without going into an hour long conversation that might have to include story boards and flow charts. The truth would have to work because he didn’t have time to come up with something better. “The Dolls are operatives.”
“Perfect. So, when is Caroline going to be back?” Sparks began to fly from her outline and the ends of each word came out soundling like a warped recording. “I really need to talk to her. My time’s almost up.”
With a tentative step forward, Topher reached out to make sure Dawn was solid and not just a strange manifestation. Star power or not, this could all just be something from inside his head. She was real enough, though, if a little hot under his fingertips.
“If you tell me how she can reach you, I’ll give her the message when she gets back.” His grin hid the tiny movement he made backwards, toward his computer. “I’m sure she’d love to help you.”
“Don’t have time. I can feel it pulling me back. I guess we’ll figure out what to do without her.” Just as the girl’s outline grew nearly transparent, Topher threw the strobe conductor at her. It struck and held, pulling her back toward his reality, away from hers. A surge of star power flowed through the wires, shorting out the computer it was connected to. Even still, it held fast to Dawn’s arm. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake it lose.
“What did you do to me?”
“I’m not sure exactly. But don’t worry. I’ve got your original coordinates in the computer. Once I’ve finished with you, you won’t need Echo.”
Instead of looking scared, Dawn looked intrigued. “Really?”
Topher nodded. “Really. Sit in that chair, Dawn, and I’ll make you whatever you need.”
“You can make me… strong? Fast? Smart? Indestructible?”
“Yep. All of that and more.”
“That was sure to rip one hell of a hole in that black hole of Willow’s.” She settled into the comfortable chair in the middle of the room. “What do I do now?”
“Just relax.” He settled back down in his chair before the computer. One was down but he had plenty more power in the rest. Now that he had a willing subject, he was going to make her… perfect. Dawn would be his finest creation. All his, though. He wouldn’t have to share her with anyone. “I’ll do the rest. Your life is in my hands.”