Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Firefly/Serenity. They belong to others I'm sure I don't have to name for you. I'm not being paid, or gaining any sort of profit using these characters I do not own, except for the writing experience. (DoC: 11/15/07)
Eventual Serenity spoilers. Story based on the second season Supernatural episode 'Born Under a Bad Sign' but only basic spoilers for that. Definite spoilers for season one episode 'Nightmare' and it's attached concept. I don't think it's really required to know Supernatural (they're the definite AU part in this crossover) but some basic knowledge of the premise and the characters would probably go a long way. Set in the Firefly 'verse, so that knowledge is kind of mandatory.
TS
He won passage off of Tophos with money and a smile. When the Captain of the shady little Firefly named Serenity asked him his name he'd said 'Let's just keep it at Sam.'
He knew immediately it had been the right thing to say.
"Any particular reason for that? We don't want any Alliance trouble." The Captain responded, but he knew how to spin it now.
"Just local troubles, nothin' the Alliance would bother themselves with, 'specially way out here. All I need's passage, food, and a bunk, and I'll be gone 'fore you know it." He made sure he didn't speak like he was schooled. He made sure to speak like his brother and father, because even though he wasn't raised on Lawrence he spent enough time around both growing up to have picked up a rim accent, at least when he needed it.
"That seems fine to me. You stick to that and I don't see us having a problem."
"Good."
It was something like four days before he even realized the Tam siblings were on the same ship as he was. It was a disturbing realization, because it meant the girl was blocking her presence, and the doctor knew how to stay out of sight as well as Dean. What revealed them was a vision, a dream, of a conversation the doctor and the Sheppard were going to have with the Captain the next day. It was of a purely sadistic impulse that he let the conversation happen, and even eavesdropped. It certainly wasn't a tactically sound decision, but what was the fun in that?
"I don't like this guy, Captain. We need to get him off of this ship as soon as possible." The doctor was standing at the end of the kitchen table, shoulders set a little defensively, a little confrontational. He didn't pace.
"Look, Doctor, I know you're a mite fidgety 'bout passengers and the possibility of them findin' out about River, but this guy'll be off my boat before–"
"That's not good enough." The Captain stood across from the doctor at the other end, relaxed, easy, purposefully not responding to the doctor's body language.
"I agree with the doctor. Besides the fact that he and his sister are at risk with this passenger on board, the passenger himself is…unusual." The Sheppard looked a bit unsettled, sitting at the table between the two men. He figured it wasn't the seating arrangement that was the cause the Sheppard's distress, though. It was the subject of their conversation – him.
"How do you mean?"
"His accent is fake." The doctor put in immediately.
"How in the gorram hell can you–"
"He moves wrong." The Sheppard followed up, cutting his captain off.
"Moves wrong! Zhè shì fâ kuáng–"
"I say we space him. Anything to get him off of Serenity right now." The Captain fell silent in shock, staring at his – supposed to be – pacifist doctor.
"Jayne and Zoë ain't said nothing." The Captain said slowly, watching as his two most peaceful crew members didn't back down one inch. "Give me a bit to talk to them and think this over."
The Captain left. He thought maybe the Captain should be first, for safety's sake, but the girl was much more dangerous. So he shadowed the doctor.
She was easier to take down than he had thought. It helped that she wasn't as advanced as him, and wasn't triggered, but it was an effort to keep it quiet.
The doctor was a bit more of a challenge than he'd thought he would be. The man knew how to fight, even if he'd never been in a real one before. He still went down quick, quiet, and hard. He tied them both up in their quarters and knew they wouldn't be missed. They were, after all, hiding from him.
He went for the Companion next. She stayed in her shuttle most of the time and also wouldn't be missed for a while. Even though the door was open he knocked.
"Come in!" He stepped in and looked around, seemingly in interest but actually cataloging what he'd need for a fight. Companions were trained. Unless he took her completely by surprise, she'd fight back, hard and loud. "Sam, I believe? What can I do for you?" He smiled nervously and shifted uncomfortably.
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I guess I was just…"
"Curious?" And her eyes were lit up with humor.
"Yeah." He said, lamely. "If I'm bothering you I could leave."
"Not at all. It's good to have company that doesn't insult you on this ship." His mouth dropped open a little and he stared at her in surprise.
"They insult you? But– why? You're a Companion. It's an honor, 'specially out here on the rim." She smiled.
"Sadly, not everyone thinks like you do." The Companion turned to light a candle, and he hit her on the back of her head. She crumpled into his arms.
Then it was the Sheppard, the mechanic, and the pilot. After that, the mercenary, and after that, the first officer. She hadn't been as easy as the others, and she got word to the Captain so that in the end he fought both at the same time. The Captain kept getting up, over and over again.
It was still easy. So easy. Hardly a challenge, really.
When it was said and done, he dragged them all into the cargo hold and sat on a crate watching them. By then, most of them were awake and watching him back.
"So what now?" The Captain asked. "You kill us all and take my ship?"
"No, bú." He said, twirling a knife in his hands. "Nothing so xì jù xìng. Now we wait for Dean." He paused and watched the flicker of the doctor's eyes. "Maybe some violence to occupy us. It could be a while before he gets here. After all, last time I saw him he wasn't doing so good." The doctor flinched. He stood, swift and lethal, and stalked over.
"Hey doc, you seem to know who I'm talking about." All eyes in the room turned to the doctor. "Rán ér zé, I shouldn't be surprised. He did work with you, didn't he? Eh, Doctor Simon Tam?" He swooped down and cut the doctor's bindings. The man twisted, grabbing his wrist, turning it and snatching the knife from him. The doctor then scrambled away.
"Smooth." He grinned, anticipating fun. "I though you would know how to use a knife, the way you fought earlier. I wonder, how good are you really? Rich boy training? Or a bit more than that? I bet Dean taught you a trick or two. Zâng ones." He started to circle, watching as the doctor matched him step for step. "Maybe I should wake up your sister. She could help you out. You two would make a lethal pair, wouldn't you." The doctor flinched. He didn't take the opening. He still had time to kill, after all.
"You told the Captain your name was Sam."
"I did."
"So you're Sam? Dean's Sam?"
"I think you already know the answer to that, Doctor Tam."
"Have you informed them of her whereabouts yet?" The doctor asked him, continuing to hold his guard.
"Of course not. While I'm sure the bosses would want me to carry out your execution, and Dean's too, I'd rather stay off their radar for as long as possible. Having to take orders is a bitch. It's much more fun to hurt whoever I want."
"Which means Dean? He saved your life."
"No." He corrected. "Dean saved Sam's life. I'm not Sam." The doctor faltered.
"Ni shì fú?"
"Of course not. Sam's a sap. Besides, he has absolutely no control. Kind of like your sister, actually." The doctor went white. He grinned, leaning forward a bit and lowering his voice like he was telling a secret. "I could say it. I know the words. Then she'd be like me, she'd have control, and you wouldn't have to worry about kuáng mei-mei again."
"No!" The knife came flying at his head. He ducked, spun, and kicked it out of the free hand of the Captain.
"Please." He said, seizing the man by the throat and lifting him so that his feet were barely on the ground. "I saw that coming ten minutes ago. And you don't have to be a reader to know something's up when the resident doctor and fugitive reveals things he probably should have told you a long time ago – but didn't because he's smarter than you give him credit for – and no one says a word." He didn't let up squeezing even as the man began to turn purple.
"Cap'in!" The mechanic shouted in alarm. He tilted his head as he sensed something, and then smiled.
"It's your lucky day, Captain. Dean's here to save you."
Zhè shì fâ kuáng means 'This is crazy' (note: the 'a' in fâ is shown in the pinyin dictionary I use as having a strait line accent, but that accent isn't available in Microsoft that I'm aware of, so here I've used 'â' with an angular accent.)
bú means 'no'
xì jù xìng means 'dramatic'
Rán ér zé means 'But then'
Zângmeans 'Dirty' (note: the 'a' in this should also have a strait line accent.)
Ni shì fú mean 'you are not' or 'you're not' (note: the 'i' in ni should have an inverted 'carrot' or angular accent like the one I'm using in place of the line, with the point down. This one also isn't available to me that I know of.)
kuáng mei-mei means, as far as I can tell, 'crazy little sister' but I can't find sister, let alone little sister, in my dictionary. Mei-mei is Firefly cannon for little sister.
Sorry if I went a little overboard with the Chinese. Tell me if I did and I'll tone it down. But from what I gather from Firefly cannon the regular and common use of Chinese, while used everywhere, is mostly with the educated class. Thus, Simon and 'Sam,' and Sam's general attachment to the language because of school and what it means to him. He only uses it after he's 'found out' because it's a little harder to fake an accent when you've never really heard that accent – in that language at least.
As always, reviews are loved, from the 'good job' right up to the 'okay, this sucked and this is why . . .'
TS