Betsy and Doc cross the threshold of the hidden memories locked within Betsy’s mind. Betsy gasps as she and Doc both duck out of the way instinctively. They have stepped right into the middle of a small village that has become an active warzone. Destruction rains from the sky all around them from an Armata of Star Destroyers and land-based TIE fighters. Modest huts made of stone, straw, and animal hide go up in flames as families flee from within. An army of Chiss march through the village, taking in prisoners; fathers were torn away from weeping wives and screaming children. Babies begin to wail in distress; they are dismissed by the merciless platoon that has invaded this otherwise peaceful village. As husbands are torn away from their 0families and lined up for brief interrogation followed by swift execution, wives are appraised and set aside to be used as slaves. Children who cry out for their parents are struck roughly upside the head and ordered into silence; they quietly sob as they fall into a terrified line before the emotionless Chiss army.



Betsy watches in silent horror as the women faint, forced to watch as their beloveds' throats get sliced open. Sons and daughters vomit in fear as they watch their families destroyed forever; tears stream unbidden down her face as Doc watches on in perfect silence. He follows on light feet behind her as some unknown familiarity grabs a hold of her and she walks through the village, turning away from the horror unfolding before them. Slipping between two of the burning homes, Betsy sneaks into the forest just beyond the village. She and Doc quietly make their way on a narrow dirt path through thick trees; the wood is smooth and white, carrying an ethereal glow. The leaves that spring from twisting branches blossom in vivid shades of orange and yellow. They stay on this path for several miles, the stench of death and destruction finally clearing from the air; the screams fade out, filling her with relief.



”Where are we, Impossible Traveler; what is it we’re witnessing right now?” His voice is thick with intrigue now as he stares at her in wonder.



Betsy turns to him and shrugs helplessly, her face revealing her confusion. “I have no idea... I know the race attacking this world, but there are so many humanoid races in the universe, it’s hard to pinpoint which one the natives could be... Still...” she turns her head to look at Doc, a disturbed expression crossing over her face. ”There’s something familiar about this world like I’ve been here before. Times like these are when Excellence comes in handy.”



They continue to trek the path; as they do so, it becomes narrower still and rougher to walk over. Soon, they are stumbling over rough terrain, holding each other up like a pair of drunks after a heavy night at the bar. They exchange a glance at one point, both of them casting a distrustful gaze into each other’s eyes before looking forward and pressing onward. It isn’t much longer than the efforts of their travels are rewarded: they reach a clearing that smooths out into soft soil again. As they take a moment to get their bearings, Betsy and Doc take a look around, neither of them spotting anything out of the ordinary at first. Walking in different directions, Betsy begins to study the trees while Doc observes the acid yellow sky above them. Running her hands over the smooth bark, she begins looking without having a clue what she was looking for. Doc turns his attention back to Betsy and watches her closely as she takes her time studying the trees. Making her way through the circle, she gets about three-quarters of the way through when she finally finds it; a rogue knob blended perfectly within the wood. Pushing it, a secret door springs open from the ground before them as a glass elevator rises from within and opens its doors to them.



Betsy turns to Doc, unable to suppress the satisfied smirk upon seeing the surprise on his face. ”Shall we?”



He narrows his eyes at her, clearly distrusting now, but follows her in all the same as intrigue hits like a shot. ”How did you know to do that?” he asks of her, his voice soft.



The expression she sends his way dissolves any distrust he’d felt the moment before. She shakes her head helplessly. ”We’re both seeing this for the first time, remember? I can’t explain it, I just feel something leading me where I need to go.”



Nodding, Doc allows her to lead them into the elevator. The descent underground goes by quickly as the elevator picks up speed; it isn’t long at all before there is a beep and the doors open to an exquisite lobby. Men and women in various states of dress are running around in a panic as alarms sound all around them; word of the attack on the surface had reached them. It seemed as though the Chiss army knew where this location was and was headed this way now. Frightened scientists and business people ran in no discernable direction, mad with fear. Betsy and Doc weave their way through the chaotic crowd, to where the main laboratories were located. Snatching up an abandoned ID badge, Betsy taps it to the door, allowing them access to the secrets within. Doc is absolutely lost within his own curiosity now; neither one of them has yet realized just how much the power between them has shifted. She reads the signs on every door, guiding them through the underground maze that acted as a business distract, science research facility, and homing for all the employees working therein.



The first floor below the lobby contained the housing; impressively large and swanky condos were fully furnished and finished for employees and their families to live comfortably. Betsy stops abruptly in the middle of this section, turning in a slow circle to observe each of the doors. As if on cue, a door to their right opens up and a young couple rushes out; the young mother is carrying her infant daughter in her arms while her nervous father carries a package in his own arms. They rush from their room and make their way quickly towards the elevator; upon following them inside, Betsy and Doc are surprised to find them going down instead of up. Following the couple and their peacefully sleeping baby girl, the pair find themselves in the midst of the scientific research center. A few hallways in, the young couple slips into one of the laboratories and locks the door securely behind them.



”We haven’t much time to spare, my love. Are you certain we should send her off with so much?”



The wife speaks to her husband softly as he collects a few seemingly trivial items and places them into a bag: a notebook bursting with extra pages, an old family locket, a futuristic-looking holodeck loaded with the planet's entire history, and a few other odd trinkets. They disappear into the deceptively small bag as he nods his head emphatically at his frightened wife. ”One day, her powers are going to surface and she’s going to need to know what’s happening to her. We can only hope that wherever... and whoever... she ends up with...” his voice cracks now, but he forces himself to continue. ”We can only hope that they keep these artifacts safe for her until the time is right for her to come into this knowledge. Until then, I’m going to put a memory damper on her; if nothing else, it will keep her mind safe against the Chiss. If they can’t track her knowledge of us, General Thrawn and his goons will never find her.”



Betsy’s breath catches in her throat at the name drop. Whoever these poor people were, they found themselves under the scrutiny of the man who would later become Grand Admiral to the Imperial Fleet. Doc watches her with morbid interest as her eyes widen, understanding starting to dawn on her as she steps closer to the bundle in her mother’s arms. Before she can take a clear look into the babes' face, a resounding crash from upstairs tells them all that this Chiss army had arrived. Wasting no time at all, the young husband ushers his wife through the door and they race quickly to the nearest escape pods. Punching the button, the husband pulls a blaster out from a hidden holster in his lab jacket as his weeping wife gently arranges the baby inside the escape pod. Handing her off the bag of items, she tucks it inside the child's blankets along with the note they painstakingly wrote out. As the army grows ever closer to discovering them, they seal the pod and punch in a certain sequence that would guarantee their child's safe escape. The doors of the laboratory begin to shake as the Chiss mark their arrival, demanding from outside to be let in. Holding on to one another and sobbing, they watch in quiet horror as the insistent banging on the door grows ever louder. As the image of the young couple begins to fade, Betsy can hear the noises of the door successfully coming down, at last. The Chiss soldiers selected to collect the young couple approach just as the launch sequence completes itself. Before anyone could stop it, the escape pod jettisons from its docking pad and hurdles into space. Despite several quick calls to their superiors in the ships, the escape pod manages to find a clear path and hits lightspeed before anyone could pull it back in.



Betsy and Doc are yanked from their feet and whipped through a tunnel of blurry images. Betsy is able to make out snatches of the time vortex and other worlds and stars before she and Doc land unceremoniously at their destination. Doc is the first to his feet and he looks around the serene farm, which is currently lush with a fresh crop. He turns his gaze to Betsy, waiting for her to react and it isn’t long before his patience is rewarded. Getting to her feet, Betsy brushes off the back of her pants and looks around; her eyes widen with surprise as she realizes where they landed.



”Home? How did we end up here?” Betsy muses this out loud as she stands next to Doc and looks carefully at the crops being tended to. ”This is my home... The family farm, it’s been in the family for generations. I’m confused, I don’t...” She’s cut off when a look towards the heavens answers her question.



Coming in hot from its long trip is a tiny, silver pod that is moving with lightning speed to a collision course with the farm. She gasps loudly, frozen in terror, as she watches, knowing that if the impact was made, not only would the farm be destroyed; but the child inside would surely be killed as well? At that moment, an old Silverado pick-up truck was slowly picking its way up the road. The occupants inside were another young couple, also holding a baby girl of their own. As it passes, Betsy spots as clear as the day her parents: her father Joel was driving, one hand lay casually on the wheel while the other was thrown around the shoulders of his young bride. Elena Granger stared up at her new husband Joel with love in her eyes as an infant Adelaide attempted to fuss in her swaddling's. A lump begins to form in Betsy’s throat at the tranquil scene; it lasts only seconds when the little silver pod reaches its target. The impact isn’t quite as dramatic as Betsy had first feared: slowing down dramatically, the pod gently hovers above the ground for a moment before landing to rest. Joel and Elena had long since pulled off to the side to watch, wondering in horror if their truck with their newly born daughter inside would fall victim to hapless fate.



Joel is the first out of the car, followed closely by Elena who hands baby Addy close to her. ”Be careful darling, it didn’t look like a meteor. I could have sworn I saw it flash silver against the sun as it came down.”



”You just keep Addy safe; I’ll see if I can make sense of anything that happened here.” With that, Joel begins looking around the wreckage.



Betsy watches on in fascination as something else begins to creep through her fog of confusion: realization. She follows Joel over to the pod where he runs a finger down the smooth, cold metal as he studies the pod. Reaching out, she takes his hand, and together, they look for what Betsy knows is there; it isn’t long before Joel finds the button he was looking for. He lifts his hand to his face for a moment, an odd expression clouding his features as he looks at the exact spot Betsy was watching him from. She starts, wondering if he could see her before he looks back down at the pod and pushes the button. Gas and air hiss from the door as it finally opens after a long time; staring up at Joel and Betsy is a peacefully sleeping baby girl. In her tiny, chubby fist is a golden drawstring from the pouch of items that had been sent with her. Joel plucks the note from the top of her blankets and looks at the strange writing on the outside, utterly bewildered now. By now, Elena has joined them with a now sleeping Adelaide propped in one arm.



”It’s... a baby?” Elena sucks in a deep breath, taking an instinctive step backward as she stares down at the little bundle in disgust. Joel, on the other hand, says nothing as he reaches in and gently pulls the sleeping baby out; she stirs at last and blinks up at him. A tiny face twists in confusion before it wrinkles completely and a loud wail escapes her. Joel holds her close to him and gently begins rubbing her back, talking in soothing tones as he bounces on the spot. Unfortunately, her crying has reached Adelaide, who is now awake and also screaming from her blankets. Elena looks high annoyed at this point and pointedly turns to go back to the truck. ”Great, now it’s got Addy all worked up into a fuss, and I only just got her calmed down. Can we just go?”



Joel turns to his young wife, his face full of surprise at her sudden venom; her face is red and angry as she looks mistrustingly at the small bundle in Joel’s arms. In his free hand are the letter and the small bag, which hangs merrily from four fingers. ”We can’t just abandon this baby, Elena. We should at take her somewhere.”



”Fine by me; let's go dump it off at the nearest firehouse steps and on our way. I’m tired.” Elena’s voice is sharper than he’d ever heard it before.



Approaching his young wife, he can’t help but look down at the baby, who had finally settled down again. She stares up at him and as she does, he watches as her natural coffee brown eyes pass into his shade of emerald green. An inexplicable wave of love and attachment hit as the baby stares up at him, full of trust and wonder. Knowing there was no way he’d ever be able to give the child up, he looks appealingly at his wife. Recognizing his expression right away, Elena Granger begins to nod her head vehemently, pulling Addy to her again. Joel closes the gap between them with Betsy close in tow; her throat convulses rapidly as she listens to the fateful conversation play out before her.



”We can’t turn her in, El... Can’t you feel that? This child was sent to us for a reason; her very existence here is a miracle. She’s just a baby, she needs us.” His words are warm and thick with persuasion.



Elena doesn’t budge. ”Adelaide is a miracle; this is just a nuisance that came from a world that’s not even ours. Why should we take on the responsibility for some... freak?”



Joel covers that baby’s ears as though protecting her from Elena’s harsh words. ”She won’t grow up a freak if we raise her as our own. She was clearly meant to land here, in front of us. Babies don’t just fall from the sky every day, after all.



Betsy stares at her father, eyes warm and full of her undying love and admiration for this finest of men. Elena continues to stare at the bundle in his arms as though it were a swarm of hornets. They stand across from one another, both determined in their course; finally, Elena, her face thunderous, backs down first and slinks back towards the truck. ”Fine Joel, keep your pet. But she’s yours: I want nothing to do with that little weirdo, ever. That’s your daughter.”



Getting into the truck, Elena sits in her bucket seat fuming as Joel gather’s what little belongings of the child are left and takes his place back behind the wheel. Now Elena is slid all the way over away from him, huddled against the window fussing over the sleeping Addy. When Joel attempts to put his large hand over his wife's, she yanks it away quickly and turns her head to look out of the window. Sighing heavily, Joel carefully arranges the baby in his lap, and in silence, the young couple makes their way up the rest of the road towards the farmhouse Betsy knew so well...



For a long time, she and Doc stand in silence in the now empty field. Betsy stares long and hard at the pod where the child had just been residing; now she looks up at Doc, who has been burning holes into her with his gaze the entire time. An evil grin lights up his face when their eyes meet as he nods his head encouragingly.



”Speak it, Miss Granger; acknowledge what you now know to be the truth of your existence.”



”I’m... not human.” she stammers, earning her gleeful, rapid applause from the Doc. ”I wasn’t born on Earth and I’m... I’m not...” the words get caught in her throat as she attempts to continue her train of thought. ”I’m not the natural-born daughter of Joel and Elena Granger... I’m not even technically adopted...” This, above all else, seemed to sting the worst and explain the most in unison. Her words begin to tumble from her lips before she can stop them. ”I always knew something was off about me. Papa made it a point to raise me as normal as possible while nurturing the traits that had always stood out. Mostly my advanced mind and knack for being able to pick up almost anything on the first try. But mother... She always made her disdain for me clear and I never understood what it was I had done to her that made her hate me so much.” a strangled sob leaves her as everything begins to add up quickly.



Once again, she and Doc are yanked off their feet on the spot and whipped through another fast-forward of Betsy’s memories. They land roughly in the kitchen of the Granger home; Elena and Joel have clearly aged a few years as they sit together at the table. The girls are currently sitting at their work table, which is covered in newspaper, as they work on finger paintings. Elena watches them quietly, her full rosy lips pursed as she eyes Betsy in open disapproval.”She literally glows in her sleep, Joel; it’s the darndest thing I ever saw.” Her voice is clipped with fear, and quiet as she recounts what she’d walked into that morning. ”She was so bright, I had to leave and get the eclipse glasses from the office. I didn‘t know what to do, I was afraid to go near her to wake her up. I think she must have sensed I was there, though; she woke up not long after and the glow went away. But Joel,” Elena sets down the cup of tea she had been worrying over and leans in close to whisper with her husband. ”We can’t keep her here if she’s going to continue doing that. Imagine what everyone would say if they saw her doing that bullshit?”



Joel shakes his head vehemently as he recalls what that strange letter hand entailed to him those short, a few years ago. ”She isn’t ready to know the truth yet, Elena; she’s still only a child. All we can do at this point is keep an eye on her and hope we can help her keep these powers under control for as long as possible. The later she discovers who and what she is and what she’s capable of, the better.” he turns a severe look up to his troubled wife. ”I do wish you’d try a little harder to be motherly towards her; she could use the positive female reinforcement.”



Elena’s entire face scrunches as though Joel had just fed her something disgusting. ”I told you then what I’m going to remind you now, dear: that girl is all yours. You and Pappy can have a blast trying to keep that dangerous little creature in check.”



”Wow, that woman really despises you, doesn’t she?” He watches Elena with fascination, sitting at the table next to the phantom memory of Betsy’s... what?



The woman certainly wasn’t her mother, that much was clear.



”At least now I have an actual answer as to why...” Betsy says softly, following Doc’s gaze.



Before they could be privy to more of the conversation, both she and Doc are pushed abruptly backward. They fly through the halls of her mind, finally crash landing back at what Betsy could only assume was the forefront of her mind. She couldn’t help but notice that it looked similar to the engine room of Excellence, but she could still Doc’s heavy influence in every corner of her thoughts. Making his way slowly beside her, Doc finally stands before her once more and stares deeply at her.



”You truly are a fascinating creature, Miss Granger; and as I understand it, one of the few that honors your word. I believe we may end our session today; and on that note, you have your end of our deal to uphold. Although... how can I resist the urge to see more when I’ve got the opportunity?”



Frightened now, Betsy backs away in fear as Doc advances on her, hands outstretched to rest on her temples. ”No... NO MORE!” she screams at him, pushing out her own hands to hold him off.



There is a flash of blinding white light as she and Doc are both pushed from the depths of her mind...



****



”This is the part where I come in and retaliate against the drivel that’s been said about and against me, right? I suppose I could do that. I could once again remind the world that Jenny Myst remains my bitch and will do so until her final days in the XWF. Perhaps it would do to serve as a reminder to anyone that Lycana’s win over me was merely a fluke that she couldn’t have managed without the help of her beloved Marf. Perhaps I could go on about how men like Sil, Mickey Kinkade, Reggie Estrada, and the Mystery Entrant should watch their asses when they step up to the likes of me. They think they’re ready for what I’m bringing to this contest, but they just aren’t. That’s not to say none of the folks I’ve mentioned yet can’t get the job done; we’ve seen some of them do amazing things. They just need to remember that at this point in time... I’m undeniably better, even on my worst days. Moving right along, I could always fall back and go on about the ways Barney Greene has no business in this contest and attempt to make the point that he’s only here to guarantee Miss Fury’s own victory. But what would that felonious villainess need with muscle when she’s got everything she needs to steal the victory out from under anyone? Perhaps she should focus more on attempting to soften Robert Main and Demos up for Page; oh sure, some might bring up the point that Demos has no bearing in this contest, but let's be real here. We all know he’s going to find a way to show up and his history in battle royals speaks for itself. I’m going to have my hands full either way, and that’s not even including the drive of Robert Main, who wants to win this badly to get his hands around Chris Pages’ neck.



I could go in to more detail about the obvious... But I won’t, at least not yet. I figure that while everyone goes around trying to tear each other apart, I’ll spend this time to have a little one on one time with my viewers. Help you and anyone else who happens to see this little transmission relay to understand where my head has been at lately. It’s true: I’ve suffered some rather high-profile losses, starting back at March Madness, and it does seem as though my star has started to fade a bit. At least, it is if you ask people like Atara Themis, Jenny Myst, or even Roxy Cotton. Bitches like them would do or say anything to try to demoralize better women than themselves; that’s why it’s up to women like me to put those trifling hoes back in their place. Then you have those that are worthy of my time and attention, like Corey Smith, who defeated me fair and square after one fuck of a fight. That guy has Universal Champion written all over him: Congratulations on the win, Corey, but now I’m looking forward to seeing who climbs their way to the top of the mountain first. It’s not a direct challenge, more like a friendly competition, I swear. Corey, unlike Lycana, managed to earn his win on his own merit; a win he himself wanted to claim by his own admission.



The fact is, people once looked to Corey Smith as the measuring stick of talent in this place, but there has been a transition happening. It’s been a silent one, but impactful in ways that are only just starting to show themselves. It wasn’t long ago that I was the eager rookie, looking for seemingly impossible challenges to overcome in order to pad my resume. That quest has proven success because, in recent weeks, it's become clear that I’ve become the bar that sets the talent standards around here. People are now coming out of the woodwork to get a shot at Betsy Granger, and I’m more than happy to accept all comers. For the Sil’s and Mickey Kinkade’s, this opportunity in the ring with me is one that both of them should be looking to capitalize on; take a good, hard look at me boys. I, besides Robert Main and possibly Demos, am the most difficult challenge you’re going to face on MAYDAY. Even you, Reggie, should be looking to make me one of your prime targets for elimination. Why am I willingly painting such a target onto my own back, you ask? Easy: I want them to come after me. I want them all to turn to Betsy Granger in that ring and realize that the only direction they’ll be going in that night is up and over.



Papa didn’t raise a fool, however, and I’d be foolish to count out any of the competition. Just because I single out Mickey and Sil as the most likely to find themselves eliminated first, doesn’t mean either of them can’t come from beneath and steal the win. I may give Reggie Estrada shit for not being able to get the job done against my own good friend Alias, but I know damn well how dangerous he can be when he puts his mind to the task at hand. As it happens, no number of clever rhymes or sick beats is going to get you out of the top-rope flight you’ll be taking at my hands. You can throw all the mixtapes you want at us, friend, it’s not going to get you any closer to that Universal Title shot you were hoping to walk away with.



So much for talking about myself first; I really do need to figure out a way to keep on track better when I begin one of these little rambles. I was trying to get to why I wanted to be a part of this little shindig and got stuck again on the ‘who’ that I was going to be involved with. Although, I should think that my reasons for wanting in on this are clear; for those of you who haven’t figured it out, it’s simple really. I need this win; I need to bounce back in a major way. Sure, I haven’t been acting phased by my losing streak recently, but please believe that it weighs heavier on me than I let on. I’ll allow myself to be candid for a moment: coming up as short as I did at March Madness still stings. Yeah, I defeated Jenny Myst soundly in that ladder match, but to be put down by the Doctor within fingers reach of the finals? That’s a wound that won’t mend itself; where is the joy in facing Jenny Myst once again when I’ve already proven my dominance over her again and again? I could also turn to Lycana on the other side, Jenny’s dark sister in many ways, and lament on how she needed to use her usual lowball tricks and schemes to pull one over on me. Instead, I can only turn my anger inward as I reflect with no surprise and much frustration, knowing that I should have seen such shenanigans coming.



I’m in a bit of a rut and the only person who can pull me out of it is myself, for as cliché and contrived as that line has become. I’m ready to reclaim my spot in the pecking order and possibly move my way up the line a bit. I know Robert Main and I have an... understanding, you could say, in the works; but he’s also a man that understands business and passion tend to clash at the worst times. Nothing that happens in this battle royal is going to take away the respect I have towards that man and my own aspirations and hopes that we’ll soon find ourselves standing side by side to take down the likes of Chris Page and Miss Fury. Whether one of us moves forward to claim the Universal Championship or not, the fight against BoB is far from over. I just wonder if Robert’s focus in this Battle Royal is as sharp as mine; I can’t help but notice that he’s so hyper-focused on Page that perhaps he needs to look around him a bit more. Let’s not lose track of the BoB members that we have to pick off in order to move forward; you know they’ll be sticking together until the bitter end to secure a BoB victory. I ask of you, my new friend, to stay with me until we polish off the rest of them. Demos, I’m going to make the same appeal to you; I don’t know what your intentions are, but I’d be remiss to count you out just because Page believes in his own reality that you’ll abide by his stipulations. Loopholes are found every day and I’d be happy to help you find one when the time is right.



There’s nothing that’s stopping me from walking out of MAYDAY with my shot at the Universal Title secured, so here’s a message to Chris Page: If you happen to get past RL Edgar, you’d better be fully prepared for what follows after. You’ve built yourself an impressive army that you’ve proven time and again that you don’t need an assist from in that ring. You’re the Universal Champion for a reason and if you should remain so by Leap of Faith, good on you. I fully intend to see you there, one way or another.



And RL, if come Leap of Faith, I find you staring back at me from across the ring with the Universal Championship at stake... Good luck. You’re going to need it, buddy, but I believe in you. Always.



As to the rest of you... I just don’t give a fuck about the rest of you right now. Much love, but my vision is clear and I’m ready to dust off my shoulders. Redemption is mine come MAYDAY.”



****



Betsy lands hard on a steel cold surface and realizes quickly that she’s somehow landed on a makeshift operating table. With a gasp, she gets quickly to her feet and stumbles backward for a moment; her hair falls into her face, impeding the view before her. From the corner of her eyes, she spots the quick movement of someone taken by surprise. Recovering quickly now, she pushes her hair out of her face as she locks eyes on the young man she’d intruded upon. As they stare at one another, shock fills both their faces for the briefest of moments. Betsy sucks in her breath as she realizes quickly who she’s staring at. ”You? But how?” she stumbles over her words, taking an involuntary step towards the young man, whose shock has switched to pure rage.



”You don’t belong here, Betsy Granger.” Despite his youth, the voice that leaves him is the same low, silky voice of the Doc.



”Wait, is this... your mind?” a pang of excitement mingles with the cold dread that fills her as she takes a careful look around. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary about the room itself: set up as an old-fashioned doctor's office, it’s clear to her that it’s set up somewhere below ground. Stone walls surround the dirt floor they stand on; shelves from ground to ceiling are filled with vials of strange liquids, specimens, and instruments used for operating.



”That’s quite enough... It’s time for you to leave.” His voice is seething with quiet fury as he bears down on Betsy.



She watches in increasing horror as his height seems to dwarf her, growing with his rage at her unintentional intrusion. As he towers over her, a flicker over his shoulder catches her eye; no more than a shadow, Betsy couldn’t help but notice a dark face form for the briefest of moments. Opening her mouth, she attempts to warn Doc of this unworldly visitor, but she never gets the chance. Pain forms in her stomach and spreads like an electric jolt as she’s cast from Doc’s mind violently. For a moment, the pain is almost excruciating as she manages one last gaze at the angry face of Young Doc before she crashes to the outside.



Rolling out onto the floor, she looks around and relief sweeps through her as she realizes that she and Doc are now back in his office in the arena where they’d started. Doc is staring down at her, his eyes almost glowing red with the rage he was feeling. Grabbing her by the arm, he yanks her to her feet and shakes her roughly. Her head wobbles on her neck as she’s violently jerked around, now subject fully to Doc D’Ville’s fury. ”You would dare travel through the depths of my own mind, foolish girl? I’ll teach you the price for your trespassing.” As quickly as his rage consumes him, it dies out. One look at the terror in her eyes relieves him of his anger all of a sudden. Releasing her, he takes a step back and gives her his most becoming smile. Forgive me, Miss Granger, that was a bit rude of me for an act that was purely accidental.



”Yeah, great. Can’t wait to see what you do to someone when the intrusion is intentional.” Rubbing the spot she’d felt the initial pain, she lifts her shirt and notices the red mark spreading across her belly. ”Was all of this actually necessary? What the fuck was that, anyway?”



The charming smile fades as Betsy begins asking more questions instead of acknowledging his apology. ”That merely marks the end of this session, Miss Granger; which I hope proves to be the first of many.” Now his demeanor turns to that of business and he looks towards the Impossible Traveler expectantly. ”And on that note, Miss Granger, I do believe you have your end of the bargain to uphold.”



Ignoring this, Betsy continues to stare at Doc in awe. ”What was that shadow I saw lurking about in your mind? Did you even notice it was there... Is it an it, though? I swear I saw face form for just a moment before... she cuts herself off as Doc’s fury returns to him in force.



”No more questions, Miss Granger; now is the moment where you bend the knee to me, as you said you would.”



But Betsy is lost in her own train of thought to register Doc’s demand. ”I’ve seen you before, your youthful self. I thought it was a dream, but that was you... And it was you in Midnight, as well... But how?”



Without realizing it, Betsy nods towards Doc and makes her way out of his office, still mumbling. Doc watches her in silence; it’s not lost on him that the Impossible Traveler had yet to bend the knee to him as he listened to her confused mutters fade from the other side of the door...

FORMER