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On the Other Side by SinisterChic
 
Ch 6
 
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By the way, the two months ago is from Buffy’s point of view in reference to her experience. The dimension is over 100 yrs in the future regarding the Joss-verse.

Oh, and this chapter will give you some answers.

Chapter Six

Two Months Ago

The first thing Buffy did when she began to come to was let out a moan. Her entire body ached. She lifted her head and tried to control her dizziness. She felt zapped of energy. She slowly sat up and realized she was in a cell. She lay on a dirty mattress with a few holes, set in the back against the thick steel bars. She swung her feet over to the ground. They were bare and absorbed the iciness of the cement floor.

Buffy peered through the bars and saw that there were more cells outside her own. Most of them were empty but a few held captives like herself. They were all still knocked out.

Not good. Buffy touched the bump that held her child for strength. What had she done? This was all a mistake. She’d been so clouded in her judgment because of grief. She took in a deep breath and prepared to do the right thing. She wished she could stay and help the victims here but was afraid that if she stayed things would just get worse. She had a baby’s well being to think about.

She traced the scar that ran down her right palm. It was the link between this world and her own. Willow had a duplicate mark on her hand as well. They’d pressed the wounds together, mingling blood, binding life essences. She’d told her that all Buffy needed to do was close her eyes and tap into the connection, and then she could make her way back home.

Buffy did as she had been instructed. A sense of power washed over her. It was mixed with warmth, confidence, friendliness, love, worry, and a tiny pinprick of darkness. Willow, Buffy instantly thought. She took hold of the silver cord that tied their souls together. But suddenly there was a wall that prevented her to travel any further. Buffy pushed with all her might to break it. In a rush her spirit was thrown back into the cell. She slammed back into her body, making her fall back against the mattress out of breath.

It should have worked.

“Why?” Buffy whispered. She clutched her stomach and fought back the tears. I’m such a horrible mother, she thought. We’re stuck here? She shook her head.

“Why?” Buffy repeated louder.

“Because the Powers decided that you must stay.”

Buffy jumped up. Her expression hardened into anger when she saw who the voice belonged to. He was just as badly dressed as she remembered- maybe more so. This time he wore a bright red top-hat with an orange-striped silk shirt.

“Whistler!”

“You remember my name. I’m touched.”

Buffy scrambled to her feet. She marched over to the front of the cells and grabbed hold of the bars. “You little weasel! Come to piss on my life again!?”

The little man jumped back. He held his hands out in surrender. “Whoa, whoa, lay off, slayer! I only do what the Powers instruct me to do.”

“Well they are too lazy to show themselves. So my wrath is directed toward you!” Buffy spat. Her tiny hands slipped through the bars in a choking hold. Whistler pressed his back more into the wall behind him.

“How do I get back!?” Buffy demanded.

“You can’t. Not until you’ve fulfilled the Power’s bidding,” Whistler said.

Buffy’s hands went limp. “What? They want more from me? It isn’t like I haven’t done enough already or anything.”

“The Powers have countless worlds to look out for, not just your own. This one has been in trouble for a long time. Evil has managed to tip the balance and the Powers weren’t sure how to even the scale again. There was no hope until you came.”

Buffy pressed her forehead against the bars. Goodbye normal happy Rome.

“Your world has many slayers to look out for it. This one is defenseless. You see, The Buffy here has lost her path. We need you to fulfill her role.”

Buffy lifted her head. Her eyes widened. “The Buffy that belongs here is alive? How is that possible?”

“Long story, but I’ll make it short. Remember when you turned down the ancient Watchers’ offer for power to defeat the First?”

“The Shadowmen,” Buffy whispered. She nodded.

“Well, this Buffy didn’t. She accepted it even though she knew it would transform her into something else. . . And it did. It made her stronger, braver. . . darker.”

“Don’t forget kinkier,” Buffy added.

Buffy shuddered at the remembrance of the shabby bedroom she arrived in. How could this other her degrade herself so?

“She sure is one scrambled egg. She’s so clouded with darkness that the demons don’t even recognize her as slayer anymore. Even more so when her friends died,” Whistler said.

“Dead?”

“There was a big epidemic. This dimension’s Buffy beat back the First, but the hellmouth unleashed a darkness that infected the world’s population. Less than a third survived. She, however, remained immune. Afterward she gave up the fight and gave into the new order. Vampires took over, giving the remaining humans positions: some are slaves, others breeders, cattle for food, and yes, prostitutes. The Buffy here figured her station wasn’t so bad and went with it.”

She could identify with her double. She couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t wave the white flag of surrender if everything she fought for was ripped away. It was bad enough being pulled from heaven. But to watch the others move on when she couldn’t . . .

“The demon power,” Buffy said weakly. “It made her immortal, didn’t it?”

Whistler pointed at her. “Bingo. . . Well, mostly. She might die someday, but her life is prolonged.”

“So, what? The Powers decided that since this Buffy wouldn’t do their dirty work I’m their candidate?”

It never ends. She was a fool to believe she could finally rest. She flexed her fingers. She wished she could scratch someone’s eyes out.

“I don’t blame her,” Buffy confessed. “There doesn’t seem to be much to fight for.”

“You have something.” Whistler’s gaze focused on her middle.

“How dare they?” Buffy continued. “How dare they give me this baby and then put it into jeopardy.”

“She’ll be protected. Don’t worry.”

She glared despite the slight comfort his words created.

“They’ll send you back after you right things. Hang in there, kid, you’ll get your happily ever after eventually. “

Buffy pursed her lips. “I have to turn the tables? How am I supposed to do that?”

Whistler stepped forward. “I can give you a hint.”

“A hint? Can’t make this easy.”

“Go underground.”

Buffy blinked. “Underground? But how am I supposed to get there when I’m locked up here?”

“Your stay here isn’t over yet. That’s all I can tell you at the moment.”

With that, Whistler disappeared. No smoke, no shimmer of light. Just one second he was there, the next he wasn’t.

Buffy made it over to the mattress. She fell upon it and curled into a ball. She begged for the darkness to wash the impending mission away. Finally it did. Waking came too soon.

She slowly opened her eyes. The room was blacker than before, the side lights dimmed. The first thing she was aware of was the smell. She covered her mouth and nose in attempt to block it out. Slayer enhanced senses weren’t always a plus. Her nose still inhaled the stench. The next thing she took in was the sound of sobbing. Buffy sat up and searched for its source. It came from the cell beside her. A girl huddled in the corner against the metal that separated the compartments. She appeared to be no more than fifteen. She had red hair that ran down her back. It was heavily tangled. She wore a beige outfit that looked like a styled nightgown from the eighteen hundreds.

The girl sensed movement. She whipped her head around. Her brown eyes swam with tears. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked.

Buffy noticed the pile in the shadows and she understood. Poor girl. Their captors were so cruel that they didn’t provide toilets.

Buffy nodded. “It’s okay.” Buffy got down on her knees to face her new acquaintance. “I’m Buffy. What’s your name?”

The girl’s tears slowed. “E-cho.”

“Echo?” Buffy’s eyes widened. “That’s an unusual name. I like it.”

Echo’s shoulders shook. “They wanted to call me Katie. But my real name is Echo.”

Buffy parted her lips. They? The vampires?

Echo glanced around. “I-I think the guy next to me is d-dead. I can’t tell for sure but . . .”

Buffy craned her neck. She could barely make out the prone form in the cell past Echo’s.

“He. . .” Echo sucked in a deep breath. “He thrashed and then. . .” She broke down again.

There was just enough space for Buffy to reach her arm through the bars. She gently laid her hand on Echo’s shoulder. The girl stiffened and then relaxed.

“We’ll get out of here. I promise,” Buffy vowed.

She raised her head and glared. She’d save this world. Not for the Powers, but for Echo and the others here.

Echo shook her head. “Even if we did, there’s nowhere to go.”

Underground, Buffy thought. Something must be down there.

At that moment Buffy’s stomach decided it couldn’t handle the stink anymore. She tried to stifle the bile that rose in her mouth.

“Are you okay?” Echo perked up.

She tried to reply, but there was just enough time to avert her head before she heaved. There wasn’t really anything to spill. It came out clear. She moaned and closed her eyes after the wave was over. Her stomach still did flip-flops.

“Don’t die,” Echo begged. “Please don’t die and leave me here alone like Mom.”

Buffy longed to tear the bars away so she could hug her. She reminded her of Dawn- the old Dawn. The Dawn that needed taken care of; before she was trained, making her sister confident and brave.

“I’m not going to die,” Buffy whispered soothingly. She ran her fingers over Echo’s long locks.

“Don’t get sick. They always get sick.”

“I’m not sick,” Buffy assured her. “I’m-“

Echo drew back. “Pregnant.”

Buffy was surprised. “How did you know?”

“I know the signs. I broke out of the breeding facility too. I couldn’t let them implant me. But I was there long enough to watch the others.”

“Breeding facility?” Buffy furrowed her brow. “Is that where the vampires force humans to mate?”

Echo gave Buffy a weird look. She scooted a little farther away.

“What did I say?” Buffy asked.

“Everyone knows. You must have been there too because you’re pregnant. It isn’t done that way anymore.” Echo spoke slowly.

“Huh? What isn’t?”

“Making babies, duh. We can’t anymore. They have to implant us.”

A chill ran over Buffy. She hugged herself.

“Implant? As in artificial insemination? Are we infertile?”

Echo laughed. “Did you hit your head or something?”

“Something like that,” Buffy said.

“We can’t reproduce naturally. Not after the disease came. The vampires decide who the healthiest vessels are for a baby.” Echo frowned. “They have to keep humans from extinction for food.”

The sound of footsteps pounded loudly toward them. Echo jumped up. She backed away until she hit the bars. She wildly shook her head.

“No, they’re here!” Echo cried.

Buffy got to her feet as well. “Echo, what are they going to do to us?”

“I don’t want it!” Echo screamed. Her whole body trembled.

“What!? What don’t you want?” Buffy grew impatient. She needed answers. “Answer me!”

“I should never have escaped. I knew, but I hoped-“

“Answer, damn it! What are they going to do to us, Echo!?”

The footsteps were almost there now.

“I was better off before. Oh God!” Echo hid her face in her hands.

Buffy felt a tingling pinprick on the back of her neck. Vampire. She stiffened.

He stopped for a moment at the cell next to Echo’s. He huffed and passed on. He came to stand before Echo’s door.

“It’s time,” he said.

“No!” Echo shrieked. “I’ll behave, I promise. Don’t do this to me!”

The vampire jiggled a key in the door. Buffy went to her own door. She mustered all the strength she could. She rammed against it. She hissed as the collision spread pain down her side. She grabbed the bars and tried to bend them, break them, anything. She let out a whimper. They must have administered a muscle relaxant like Giles had on her eighteenth Birthday.

“You should have thought of the consequences,” the vampire said. He slapped Echo across the cheek. Her head whipped to the side. “We can do this the hard way or easy way. It isn’t like we’re going to kill you. All you need to do is go beddy bye for a few hours while we tinker with your head.”

Buffy’s stomach twisted for another reason.

“We can’t trust you anymore. Your actions are too unpredictable. The only alternative is death. Now be a good girl, Katie,” the vampire went on.

“Her name is Echo!” Buffy said.

The vampire shifted his eyes to land on Buffy. He morphed his features into demon visage. A smirk played on his lips.

“You’re next, but I could always take you first.”

Buffy stepped back from the door. She straightened her stance and held her arms to the side, palms up. “Be my guest. You have a volunteer.”

“What are you doing!?” Echo said.

A small smile formed on Buffy’s face. The vampire slapped Echo again and then backed away from her. He locked the door and transferred his attention toward Buffy. His eyes ran over her from toes to head.

“You don’t say? I’ve read your record. I think you’re just eager for the examination before surgery. All those cold hands running over your flesh. Does it make you hot?” the vampire mocked.

Buffy let it go. She swallowed the fear fighting to rise. As she was dragged away, she snuck a peek at Echo. She’d done the right thing. Buffy had a chance to escape this, Echo didn’t. She held her head high as she was pulled toward the lion’s den.

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I will probably get to Spike in the one after next. Be patient, please.
 
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