FIREFLY
– War Stories in Lace
[ Fade In ]
Malcolm traces the room with his foot, gauging his position.
"Mal? Are you still here?" Inara's voice is edged with panic.
"Right here, Inara; I ain't goin' nowhere." He moves toward her voice until he brushes up against her.
The two are blindfolded, hands tied tight behind their backs. She presses against him to find some calm, nestling her cheek into his shoulder.
"Nothin' to fret on here; been in plenty worse scrapes." Captain Reynolds does his best to ease the young woman's fear – and a little of his own.
A door slides open and the captives spin-blind to face the sound.
"No. I think this is worse scrape, worse than you imagine." The words split their darkness.
Malcolm recognizes the broken English instantly – a sinister parody of poorly cast movie villain. "Niska."
"You are underestimating me, perhaps, Mister Reynolds?"
"You got no call to be holdin' me or mine, Niska. We're five-by-five – you an' me." Light blinds him as the older man gently removes his blindfold.
"This is your opinion, is it?"
Malcolm makes a quick measure of the situation: small room – bright lights – an armed guard blocking the doorway. The equipment lining the walls looks almost… surgical. A thick beam holds the center of the room with vile purpose.
"I give your man back every cent on that train job – we're square." Malcolm looks Niska hard in the eye.
"Yes, this we will have much time to discuss. But first, let us get you two more… comfortable." Niska gives a slight wave of his finger and the guard moves into the room.
"Hold on!" Malcolm steps in front of Inara, shielding her from the guard.
"We will be doing this the hard way then." Niska feigns regret as he digs a live feed into Malcolm's back. Mal convulses violently, buckling to his knees.
The electricity arcs, hissing wildly. Inara cries out in blind-terror and struggles against her binds. She can feel static bending the air around her. Malcolm screams in agony. The smell of his burning flesh fills the room.
"Run-tse duh fwotzoo…" Inara whispers a prayer into her blindfold.
"I am not wanting to do this the hard way, Mister Reynolds." Niska steps back.
Malcolm chokes on his words, "I'm willin' to try some other way."
A gun butt slams the back of his head – drawing closed a curtain of darkness.
[ Cut to Black ]
[ Fade In ]
"Mister Reynolds…" Niska slaps Malcolm's cheeks lightly. "Wakey, wakey."
Mal rolls his head from side-to-side with a pained groan. Niska smiles. "Ahhh, there you are."
Malcolm's eyes shoot wide and quickly search the room. Inara meets his gaze with assurance, knowing it is her that he seeks. An understanding passes between them as the two hold eyes: They will need each other to live through the day.
"Welcome back, Mister Reynolds; you gave us a little scare there."
"I ain't been eating my vegetables," Mal coughs.
He is propped up vertically and cuffed tight to an aluminum stretcher; the rig has been fastened to the beam in the center of the room. Inara stands against the wall, her blindfold and binds have been removed.
"Tell me, Mister Reynolds, do you know the writings of Xiang Yu?
"I do," Inara interrupts.
"No she don't," Malcolm quickly cuts her off.
"Oh, how marvelous." Niska steeples his hands to his lips. "You both expect to save the other." He waves in his guard. The man moves up fast and takes Malcolm's shirt in his fist.
"Xiang Yu differs the psyche of a man from that of a woman." Niska plays the instructor.
He nods and the guard rips Malcolm's shirt off. He nods again and the guard tears down Malcolm's pants, leaving them heaped at the captive's feet. The guard steps back and delivers two brutal punches to Mal's gut. Then, like an obedient dog, the guard moves away.
"You are seeing now, who is in charge, Mister Reynolds?"
Malcolm wheezes noiselessly, trying to draw breath.
Niska pivots to face Inara. "Now, let us get you more comfortable, Bao bay."
Inara holds her arms defensively across her body.
Niska relishes the moment, still playing the teacher. "For you, Sweetheart, Xiang Yu writes…"
Inara steps forward, nearing the center of the room. She slips her crossed arms down the opposite sides of her body – her hands holding delicately on each hip. In one lithe motion she pulls her light silk dress over her head, and drops it at Niska's feet.
The room is still. Even Malcolm is stunned.
"Did I misunderstand?" Inara asks innocently. "Xiang Yu writes: To humiliate the man, you disrobe him by force; but to shame the woman, you watch her disrobe herself."
"Yes… you are knowing your Xiang Yu." Niska masks his frustration with a smile. "But, I wonder, will knowing his teachings help you resist his methods?" His smile turns bitter as he waves his guard over.
[ Fade to Black ]
[ Fade In ]
Malcolm and Inara are alone in the room now. Both are strapped tight to stretchers – leaning back-to-back against the center beam.
"Don't toy with this guy, Inara. He will kill us!" Malcolm warns her.
"Of course he will, Mal. But relax; he's going to kill me first."
"Only people dyin' here today, is them that's doin' the torturin'," Malcolm assures.
"Niska is about to do all manner of unseemly things to me, Mal."
"I ain't gonna let that happen."
"You have to – just close your mind to it."
"Not gonna happen."
"BAI-tuo, AN-jing-eedyen! For once, just listen, Mal. Niska is going to use me to break you."
The door pulls wide and Niska opens his arms into the room. "Are we ready, now, to meet the real Mister Reynolds?"
"Let her go, Niska; your quarrel is with me."
"Bizui," Inara warns under her breath.
"You can be sure, Mister Reynolds, I will be setting her free."
Niska's guard moves through the room as the equipment begins to whine to life. He hooks two leads to Malcom's chest and then he moves to Inara. She wears a rich silk brassiere fringed with lace.
Inara holds the young guard's eyes. "It's ok," she whispers. "It hooks in front."
The man fastens two leads to her chest. Inara never releases his gaze, she holds him with her warm brown eyes as he resumes his position beside Niska.
"Don't do this, Niska!" Malcolm shouts at the twisted little man.
"Come now, Mister Reynolds, be brave. This is just for the girl; your turn will come much later."
Inara's cry pierces the room. Electricity snaps and hisses, viciously shaking her against her bindings.
Malcolm's voice tears through the clamor, "Niska! Stop this! STOP NOW!"
The room stills and Inara falls limp; slowly, she pushes herself back up to her full height.
"I'll make us right, Niska; tell me what you want."
"Oh… Mister Reynolds," Niska laughs, leaning close to his face, "you are misunderstanding me. This is what I want."
Niska waves to his guard and Inara's harness explodes in a torrent of sparks. Her body snaps ridged and shakes with spasms.
Slip away from the scream, she coaches herself.
The static frenzy rattles the room, throwing mad shadows. Inara can hear a distance wailing that belongs only to her body now.
Malcolm twists against his leather bindings; calling to her, helplessly, as her body takes fitful gasps.
Breathe… breathe… She steadies her vision and finds the guard. Effortlessly, she touches him with her eyes.
Know his need. With her last bit of control, she looks deep into the young man.
The lights falter, and a generator throttles into a louder gear.
Inara's cries eclipse the chaos and then there is silence. She collapses, cradled in her restraints.
"Nothin' to it, Inara – we seen bug zappers with more pop than that, ain't we girl?" Malcolm strains the limits of his bindings trying to gauge her condition.
"You think maybe we are done with her, Mister Reynolds?"
"You best be!" Malcolm threatens. "Killin' a registered Companion is gonna bring a heap of Alliance attention your way."
"I think, this time, you are right. For a Companion, perhaps one of Xiang Yu's more… intimate methods is called for."
Inara stirs and forces herself to stand. "Wo shang mei er, mei xin, bian shi tou." She looks at Niska, taunting him.
"She's delusional, Niska; got no idea what she's sayin'."
Niska moves around the beam to face Inara. "You are thinking you know me?" He holds out a small blade and plays it under the light. "Perhaps you use your charms on a tired old man?"
"You got me all wired up here, Niska," Malcolm calls out. "Be a hun dan shame not to throw this switch."
Niska ignores him and continues tracing the back of his blade down Inara's bare midriff. He stops at the only piece of clothing she has left. With two tiny flips of the razor her panties fall to the floor, curling up delicately with her matching brassiere.
"Awful damn quiet over there – Inara, talk to me."
"A little privacy, Mister Reynolds – you will be spoiling our mood." Niska frees himself and steps in closer to Inara. "Where are your charms, Bao bay?"
Inara leans into him, as far as her binds will allow, brushing her lips against his ear.
"Oh, yes. Perhaps not so tired an old man after all?" Niska looks down at himself.
"Inara rests her chin on Niska's shoulder, and then she settles her gaze beyond – onto the guard. As Niska ruts closer, she focuses deep into the young man's eyes.
Know his need, she tells herself.
"I forgive you," Inara whispers, letting a single tear slip down her cheek.
"What?" Niska asks, breathlessly.
Inara looks at the young man, whispering again what he longs to hear, "I forgive you."
The young guard steps forward and buries the butt of his rifle into the small of Niska's back, shattering his spine. The sadistic old man lets out a tortured cry as he collapses at the Companion's feet.
[ Cut to Black ] . . .
"Inara… You ok… That was a good sound, right?" Mal questions the unseen.
Run-tse duh fwotzoo, ching DAIwuhtzo – Merciful Buddha, take me away
BAI-tuo, AN-jing-eedyen – We will enjoy your silence now
Bao bay – Sweetheart
Bizui – Shut up.
Wo shang mei er, mei xin, bian shi tou – I will close my ears and my heart and I will be a stone
Hun dan – Damn
- END