One of many. That's all she was. None of the others had someone who cared enough to save them and she knew she was lucky. Knew that even when the ones with needles had her she had been lucky. Even when her mei mei couldn't get to her she had been lucky.
She remembered this but she didn't remember the why. This frustrated her. The why was important. In this moment it was the most important thing ever. Or at least that's what it seemed like to her.
But the thoughts were moving too quickly for her to latch onto and make sense of and she was cold. She felt as if she should know why she was cold, but she couldn't remember right now.
It was better to sleep, she decided. So that's what she did.
Planets away she could hear the musings of the one who she had grown so close to over her time at the academy. It had been a year since her doctor had come and taken her away to safety and even though the River was always moving she could still hear her, no matter how far she was. She knew she had been forgotten but she didn't blame her. They would see each other again soon, after all. They were very close now. She could feel it.
Shock bloomed in her mind and that was soon followed by pain which was centered in her abdominal area. Confusion followed soon after and the voices started filtering in.
"Can you move your feet? Kaylee. Stay with me. Can you move your feet?" This was the doctor the River was always speaking about, the one she loved.
"Are you asking me to dance...?" This one was confusing and hard to place but she found she knew exactly how to describe her. She was sunshine, the light that brightened the dark when it wanted to swallow you up, but she was fading too. Was this the source of the pain?
"She's going into shock." She found herself whispering the words as the doctor said them. She was becoming more conscious, she knew she would be able to open her eyes soon.
"Kaylee, mei-mei, you have to focus." This voice belonged to someone who was all elegance and grace and compassion.
"The Infirmary working?" The doctor said and she cringed inwardly as images of a sterile room flowed to her. Even though she knew that the River's doctor used the room for healing instead of mutilating it did nothing to calm her fear of the room.
"Yeah, we got it stocked." This one was hard to describe, but words soon formed in her mind. He was a soldier, but more than that he was Serenity. They were one and the same. He was loyal, and good though he liked to pretend otherwise. He hadn't forgiven himself. He was lost in the woods.
"Captain, we've been hailed by a Cruiser. Ordered to stay on course and dock for prisoner transfer. Mal and Simon look at each other." This one was free. A leaf on the wind.
"Change course. Run." The emotions were becoming too much for her and she gratefully let the noises fade to a hum as she once again centered on the River. She was so close.
She was safe for a time in the silence. It was calming, but she knew it wouldn't last. It couldn't. There was a crash and confusion and worry filtered in from the world outside her haven.
"I need to check her vitals." The River's doctor was the one who was worried.
"Oh, is that what they call it?" The one who was lost was saying. She let the noise fade out again until she heard a scream. Now it's time to fully wake up. The River needs her again. With that her eyes snapped open and reality flooded in again, more sharp, clear, and confusing then she had expected. She didn't know where she was or really who she was. She just knew that the River was out there and she was scared.
"River?" The River's doctor was tentative, but she trusted him with the River. "River. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay, I'm here. River..."
"Simon...?" The River's voice was the most clear and she found that it helped focus her. The River was also beginning to cry. "Simon... They-they talk to me, they want me-they want me to talk...and there's secrets."
"They're gone... they're gone. We're safe now. We're safe. we're safe, I'm here." The healer reassured. He's the only one who was not confused.
"What the hell is this?" The lost soldier demanded.
"This is my sister." The healer explained.
"Mal, there's another box like the one nekkid girl was in." The man the voice belonged to was...easy but hard to describe. He was willing to trade anything as long as the money was good enough, but he had a soft spot for his mother and funny hats. "Alliance man brought it."
Everything was silent and then suddenly she was cold and light was hovering over her eyelids. She was conscious but her body hadn't caught up yet. She was always conscious, always listening.
"Would you happen to know who this is, Doctor?" The lost one's voice was louder now. She could feel stares on her, but she didn't feel scared. She already knew that they were good people though their line of work wasn't honest. That part was inconsequential though.
She wanted to open her eyes, but she found she couldn't. Everything was getting muddled now, the longer she was in the light and the cold. It didn't make sense anymore. Something was wrong. There was too much, the thoughts were melding together, no longer individual. There was one she should be afraid of. He would turn her in. Her and the River. The River, she wasn't safe, she was confused. She was warm though. The graceful one had leant her an article to keep her warm. One to cover her entire body. It was yellow like the sun.
"He changed the cryobox. We can't move her." He was right.
Something was wrong. Everything was starting to hurt. The light on her eyes, the sounds she was hearing. The feeling of air in her throat was painful. She didn't know how to make it stop.
Carefully she started to curl into a tighter ball but pain exploded even more prominent than before through her and she froze.
"She's conscious. How is that even possible?" Simon was confused, but he was also concerned. He was kind.
"Are those needles?" The elegant one had horror in her voice. Slowly, she opened her eyes only to wish she hadn't. The light seared her sight orifices. She'd been in the dark so long, she could no longer tolerate the light. At least not yet. She heard a cry and a moment later she realized that it was her own as she recoiled from the source of the newest pain.
"You need to stop moving so that you don't hurt yourself while I figure out how to turn this off and remove the needles he has embedded in you." Simon said and she realized he was speaking to her. She wanted to look at him but upon realizing she had once again closed her eyes she found she did not want to open them again. However, she did know how to help him.
"On the side of the box." She whispered, her voice raspy because of how long she hadn't spoken. "The code is 14730."
She heard a few beeps and then she let out another softer cry as she felt the silver thorns pull themselves out of her skin. Once the pain had settled slightly, she pushed herself into the sitting position, pulling her knees to her chest as she kept her eyes closed. "The light hurts and the air is cold. Where am I?"
"You're safe." Simon said gently and she tilted her to the side slightly as she heard footsteps heading away. "Can you open your eyes?"
She shook her head. "The light hurts. Is she alright?"
"Is who alright?" Simon wondered.
She cringed away as she felt something on her sshoulders. It stung a little but she knew that it would bring her warmth so she carefully wrapped it around herself and pulled the arms of the robe on properly. "I don't remember. Things are...Confusion is setting in and...my head's too full." Carefully she opened her eyes, wincing at the pain, but instead of closing her eyes again she endured the sting, let it settle so that she could focus on Simon. "You're better than she described." Turning away from him she let her eyes settle on the girl who was her age and yet felt like a younger sister. "Thank you for helping her." Her eyes slowly closed as darkness settled around her and for the first time in a while she was no longer conscious. She no longer had to hear everything around her, feel everything everyone else felt.
It was peaceful.