2.0 Innocence

(A/N: this chapter came to me before I had seen the R. Tam Sessions, but it is very similar so I incorporated a little of it in here, forgive me.)

The Academy

Interview Room 2

Interviewee: R. Tam # 12

…"Where do you see yourself in ten years?"

River paused, a shy smile on her lips. "I want to work in a research laboratory, maybe at the Radisson Biotechnology Research Center. Last summer, Simon took me there for a tour. I liked all the beakers and test tubes, and it was fun watching them." she lowered her voice, "one of the researcher's equation was unbalanced. I helped him identify the miscalculation."

"Simon, your brother?"

River nodded eagerly. "Yes, he's a trauma surgeon. He's the best intern in Capital City." She brushed a curl behind her ear, trying not to appear too nervous.

"What interested you about our Academy, River?"

"The academics," she answered promptly. "School sometimes seems…slow. They try to meet my accommodations by giving me extra work, but… I want to be more challenged."

"Well as I'm sure you and your parents have seen from our brochure and tour, we have an extremely rigorous program for dedicated students with exceptional abilities."

River nodded again, her eyes alight. "Yes, both my parents and I agree this is an exciting opportunity for me."

"And you, River, are an exciting new prospect for us. We do expect our students to live in the dormitories here on campus, will that be a problem?"

"No," River replied, pulling on her dress a little. "My parents would very much like a reprieve from me for a little while," she joked.

"Good, good. I know you will make a wonderful addition to our Academy, and with our guidance, I am sure you will be the best biotech researcher."

River laughed a little, feeling a blush bloom on her cheeks. "Oh, I doubt that."

"Nonsense, the 'verse is always looking for bight young individuals with talents such as yours, River. In fact, you could even be working for the Alliance someday."

River jerked awake, her heart beating rapidly. For a moment she laid there, looking up at the ceiling. "We're dust in the wind. Floating…tiny speckles unaware of the larger motion."

Minutes later, she found herself in the dining area. Mal and Zoe had left earlier to get the cargo, and Simon and Kaylee were still sleeping in her bunk. That left Jayne grumpily awake and eating in the mess.

River sat down in front of him, her posture straight. "Are you enjoying your pieces in watery supplement?"

When Jayne didn't respond and just slurped his protein cereal, River blinked, perplexed. "Do you hear my sounds?"

Jayne gulped his drink, his eyes trained on his mushy breakfast.

She began muttering, "Her language is functioning properly, dialect recognizable, her visage—"

"Aw hell, can't ya go bother someone else…elsewheres?" Jayne grumbled, finally glancing up.

"Occupied," River spoke, relaxing now that she wasn't existing in a fifth dimension.

"Well, don't mean there ain't nothin' else for ya to do 'sides bug me, Moonbrain," Jayne snapped.

River's head tilted slightly as she crossed her legs. "We have not had intercourse since—"

"Ta ma de!" Jayne sputtered, spraying his drink. "What the ruttin' hell! We ain't never done inner-course!"

River reeled back, confounded. "We are engaging in intercourse in this moment as in previous moments. You often refer to the girl as 'Crazy' or other impertinent names."

"Ya mean talkin'?" Jayne asked, frowning.

"Correct, is there another meaning?" River questioned.

Jayne opened his mouth to explain, but thought better. Simon or Mal would probably get bent out of shape if he was the one to be talking to the girl about sexing.

River let out a knowing sound. "Thought the girl was speaking of sexual intercourse, an act which has never occurred between these two bodies."

"Ya is gorram right it never occurred 'tween us. I don't touch crazy girls who go killer-like on folk," Jayne asserted. "Now, git, I wanna finish eatin'."

"I do not mind the sound of your chewing," River deflected his request. "Chomp. Chomp. Chomp. Ape man always has foodstuffs."

Jayne shook his head, intent on eating. He couldn't ever remember the crazy girl talking this much.

A low whistling sigh escaped River's lips as she stared out the door, towards the bridge. "It is winter on this planet."

Jayne looked up again, focusing on the forlorn look on the girl's face. "Ya like snow?" He mustered.

"Tiny bits of ice with individualized patterns. At a distance they blur together and no one knows," she responded. "Sometimes."

"Where I'm from," Jayne began, "'s all dust and, well, more dust. Never seen snow 'till I left. Not even in captures."

"Tastes like tranquility," River murmured. "But stay away from yellow."

"Yellow?" Jayne's brow creased in confusion. "What is—" he stopped himself with a grimace. "Nevermind."

River gave him an attempt at a smile. "Persistently informative."

Jayne frowned at her creepy grin. Indulging the crazy girl was not high on his list of things to do. He pushed his bowl forward, and leaned back, crossing his arms.

River studied him intently for a second before imitating his stance. Her expression was a carbon copy of his, right down to the tiny lift on the edge of her lips.

As she moved her arms, Jayne's gaze caught sight of her dusky nipples not quite visible through the translucent white of her shift. That slight view jolted him, and he stood up quickly, taking the dirty bowl.

Unnerved, Jayne let the bowl clatter in the sink. That split-second notice of the girl as something other than a tiny nuisance with a talent for going crazy wasn't right.

Following his action, River, too, stood up, but far more gracefully. Her wide eyes slid to Jayne and caught his eyes for a slow instant.

Jayne almost thought she had Read his notice, and was about to call him on it, but instead she spoke in her distinct calm tone.

"Captain's back," River kept her voice level as she glanced down at her thin shift and bare feet with a frown. "Missing boots and proper garments for subzero climate."

"Be quick," Jayne told her pointedly as he slid back into his normal self. "Ain't nobody here wants to be sittin' on this ice ball for 'nother day."

"Mei-Quan-Xi," River nodded and then a blinding smile lit up her face. "Snowball fight!"

Not wanting to make the girl upset and chance her pitching a fit. Jayne nodded absently. "Yeah, after we git the cargo."

River spun happily, finishing in a ballet pose. "Certain steps must be initiated for this stimulating endeavor."

"Ya need winter stuff," Jayne told her.

River started to the exit, her smile still lingering. "Will Jayne be on my team?"

He paused. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Her grin turned confident. "We'll win. Simon is useless in combat, constantly loses his head."

Even Jayne had to crack a little smirk at that. "Ain't doubtin' that."

River darted out of the room her feet lightening-fast. Jayne could hear her still rambling on about geometric equations or some such and snowballs.

She may have killed a passel of Reavers, came at him with a butcher knife, and done more crazy things than Jayne liked to dwell on, but in that tiny, thin, white shirtdress River looked like any other innocent girl in the world.

Jayne's mind flashed back in the sight through her nightshirt.

Or maybe not.

(A/N: 1. Let me know what you think—it always helps:) 2. 5th dimension in my very limited way I'll try and explain the theory I read: a ghost would have to exist in a 5th dimension (4th-time) in order to be seen but not "physically" effecting its surroundings. Again, my understanding is from a paragraph of a book, so it's not exact. I will mention it again in this series, so I thought I'd explain it.)