A/N: So, it's been a while, but in honor of DP Angst Day (insert squealing here) I present you with the next chapter of Outer Limits!
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The teen eyed the apple in his hand as he held his stomach with the other. He glanced down from apple to hand, pulling it away from the bloody wound and wincing.
He returned his gaze to the apple, asking, "Were you really worth it?" Then, he sighed, receiving no answer, and bit into the fruit. He had to admit, it tasted much better than the colored protein he'd gotten used to on his old world. It seemed… calmer here, and the food was real, tastier.
The teen sighed again, pushing off from the wall he'd been sitting on. A pain in his left bicep caused him to hiss and pause.
"Dammit," he whispered, "what now?"
A girl materialized before him. "Chillax, dipstick," she grinned, rolling her green eyes, "I'm not here on business." She hummed a tune, swiping her hand against her thigh.
"Then why are you here?"
"Can't I just hang wit' ya?"
He rolled his blue eyes. "Not if ya keep talkin' like that. It's the twenty-sixth century."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Lemme go grab my cowboy hat and my best Chinese dress."
"Ember…." the teen groaned.
Ember McLain laughed. "Danny, you need to relax! Vlad's not on your case at the moment, so why not enjoy life some?"
"Whaddaya think I was doin'?" He nodded at the apple.
"Yeah, asking the poor thing whether it was worth stealing."
"You heard that?"
"Y'know that kinda stuff just kills a young apple's self-esteem!"
"'Cause we all know how much you care about 'young apples'' self-esteems."
She shrugged. "C'mon, Dan, it's been a couple hundred years since…everything. You can allow yourself a few days' time of relaxation. Cool down."
"Easier said than done, Em."
"The least you can do is try."
"Mm. Maybe."
The two walked along the road, weaving in and out of the small crowds. Vibrant orange-and-black hair swinging from a long ponytail behind her, the girl giggled and danced around a bit. "So…I win?"
"This round."
"Yes!"
"Stop! Thief!"
The boy froze at the voice.
Ember looked at him, confused. Danny? C'mon, this isn't funny. You're actin' real suspicious." She poked him in the shoulder. "Danny?"
"Thief! Someone, help!"
Something sparked in the teen. He shot off down the street towards the crying vendor, leaving a worried Ember behind.
He pulled to a stop, asking the older woman, "What happened? What'd they look like?"
The woman scoffed. "Like you'll be any help! More likely you're part of the whole scheme!" The woman grabbed the boy's arm, squeezing harshly and dragging him from the center of attention. "Well, aren't you, boy? Just here as a distraction so they can get away?"
"Is this how you treat everyone who tries to help you?" he snarled.
She laughed bitterly. "Care a lot about you, now, don't they? Just leave you behind as damage control, huh? Most difficult job and whaddaya get for it, huh, boy? Nuthin'. You ain't getting' a gorram thing! Not if I have any say. I don't care if you're just a ruttin' kid, if you were any part of that thievin' ring—!"
"I'm not just some gorram kid! I have a name, and I didn't steal a ruttin' thing from you! Though it probably wouldn't be that difficult, seein' how you'll just choose the first person ya see as the culprit. Heh, not that I'd want any of this go-se."
"Shemma?!? What did you call my merchandise?"
"Go-se," he spat.
"That's it! I'm gonna make sure you never see the light a day again, boy! You're gonna be locked in prison so long, your parents'll forget you."
He grimaced. "Trust me, they already have."
But the woman wasn't listening. Instead, she had hailed an officer the boy know all too well. "Sir, arrest this boy!"
The man turned around, barely giving her a glance from behind his dark sunglasses. He looked to the boy and sighed. "What charges?"
"Thievery."
The officer turned to the boy. "You steal anythin' from this woman?"
"No."
"Alright, then." He looked back at the woman. "You can go now."
She huffed but left.
The boy sighed in relief. "Xie-xie, Walker."
"I can't keep doing this for ya, Danny."
"Jrdaule. Sorry."
Now, Walker sighed. "If I didn't know you, kid, I'd almost have to call you ni."
"Thanks, Walker." The teen rolled his eyes.
"Behave. I can't hear any more about you gettin' into mischief again. Dong ma?"
"Sure, sure."
"Pichi, hwai dungsyi."
"Don't worry over me, Walker, I'll be fine."
"Remember, I hear one more thing—"
"And I get a thousand years, I get it."
"Watch out for yourself."
Danny grinned weakly. "Shemma bende ren? Mei gwansyi." He ran to find Ember again, leaving Walker to shake his head.
"Attitude like that, the next time I see you you'll already be dead…."
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Ember chuckled. "Man, Dan, you sure know how to piss off Walker!"
"All I said was it doesn't matter if I take care of myself or not." He ran a hand through his black hair, violet and orange streaks sliding through his fingers.
The girl sighed. "This is why Walker always says you'll kill yourself."
"I usually don't have a say in the matter," Danny grumbled, raising his right wrist and pointing at the cuffs on it and his opposite bicep.
"Oh, Dan…."
"He's already given me orders. I'm to find some… Niska guy. He'll tell me what I'm to do."
Ember blinked. "…Niska? You have to work for Niska?"
"Yeah." He exhaled sharply. "Before you even begin your tirade, yes, I know about Niska."
"And you're still goin'?"
"I have no choice thanks to these gorram cuffs." He blew a piece of hair from his face. "Vlad'll know if I don't obey. He'll kill me."
"Niska will kill you! Danny, you've heard the stories. He killed his wife's nephew for screwin' up a job!"
"It's a chance I have to take."
She grabbed his shoulder. "I don't wanna hear about you dyin'. You can't give up on me, Dan. Not now, not after so long."
His eyes turned hard. "There's no reason for me to live. My family's long gone, my friends are dead. No one remembers me. No one will miss me."
"I will."
He chuckled, barely smiling at her. "Well, that's one." He pulled her into a quick hug. "I'll miss you, too. I'd better be hearin' some old-fashioned rock from ya when I get back!"
For a split second, her disguise fell. Glowing eyes winked and flaming hair grew as she strummed a few notes. Then, the image was gone. She laughed, mock saluting. "Sir, yes, sir!"
He grinned, then ran off.
She dropped her hand, sighing. "Stay safe."
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Malcolm Reynolds—Mal—looked up and down the ship. It was Firefly class, old and ragged, but she still flew. "Almost ready to go, Kaylee?" he demanded of his mechanic.
"Almost, Cap'n," Kaylee responded, smiling as usual. "Just a day or two of work left."
"Wo zai qianshi yiding redao shenme ren le ba! A day or two?"
"Sorry, Cap'n. I'm workin' on her, though. That last job almost did her in."
"Kaylee…."
"Serenity'll be up an' runnin' soon enough."
"Soon enough better be yesterday."
"Yes, sir." She spun on her heel, brown hair fanning out behind her.
Mal turned instead to the black-haired, blue-eyed man beside him. "Jayne, go with Zoe and see if you two can find some work for us."
The man, Jayne Cobb, grumbled but obeyed. He moved off, a dark-skinned woman following behind him.
Mal sighed, running a hand through his brown hair.
A long-black-haired girl moved into a spot next to him. She glanced about, then looked up at Mal. "It won't move."
Mal huffed. "I don't have time to figure out your gobble-de-gook, River. Go find your brother."
"Simon said to stay outside while I could."
"Well, make sure to stay outta the way."
She nodded vaguely, then walked away. As Mal murmured something less-than-nice about the ship's engine, River stumbled into town, combat boots clunking.
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Not too far away, Danny was locked to a chair, cursing Vlad for unfusing magnets into the steel bands on his arms. The balding, wrinkled, spectacled man before him was chuckling.
"Vlad has told you of me, yes?" He spoke with a strong Russian accent.
Danny glared.
The man nodded to someone behind Danny, who tensed as electricity poured into the chair, through the bands, and into his veins. He ground his teeth together until it stopped.
The man knelt down to Danny's eye level. "Vlad has told you of me?"
"Yes," Danny ground out, "of course he spoke of you. You're his protégé, Niska."
Adelei Niska chuckled. "He spoke of you to me, as well. He said you should've been protégé, too."
"Well, people don't always get what they want."
"He told me you've been out in the worlds for longer than even him. Is true?"
"Of course. He sent me out here."
"How long?"
Danny's eyes turned cold. "Five hundred years."
Niska blinked. Then, he recovered and laughed. "My, my, you are worlds' first traveler!" His mood sombered. "Now, I have job for you. Things go solid, I see what I can do about those…annoyances Vlad give you." He eyed the steel bands. "Things not go solid, it's not Vlad you worry about." He nodded once more to the person behind Danny, and the electricity poured through the teen again. "Dong ma?"
Danny groaned out an "Understood."
"Alright. My job for you. Infiltrate a ship. Simple, no?"
"Depends on the ship."
"See, Vlad said you're smart. Ship is Firefly class. Serenity. Captain Reynolds. Find ship. Find captain. Kill him."
Danny coughed in shock. "Vlad may not have told you, but I'm not a mercenary!"
"Jrdaule. That is why I give you options. Kill Malcolm Reynolds, or bring the ship here so I can do job. In return, I rid you of those cuffs. Burn them off, perhaps?" He smirked, eerily alike to Vlad. "You take job?"
Danny knew what would happen to him if he didn't say yes. "…I'll take it."
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River wandered the town, alone for once. Easily amused, she watched the people as they moved about. One boy in particular caught her interest.
He walked with a limp and carried his left arm close to his body. Unlike most of the men on the streets, he went sleeveless, causing two silver bands to catch and throw the sunlight in strange patterns.
River found herself following the boy, hoping to figure out what the shiny bands were.
However, the boy seemed to notice her. Suddenly, he went from just walking to weaving through the people. He moved with ease, much like River herself could.
Rather than become discouraged, River chased after the boy with determination. The boy, too, sped up, trying hard to leave her behind.
Soon, both were shoving past people and causing a ruckus. River remembered Mal's order to stay out of the way, but just as she debated turning around, the boy stopped and spun to face her.
"Whaddaya want?" he snarled.
"Your bands. They're shiny," River said with all the innocence brought about by the damage done to her brain.
The boy looked at her, incredulous. "You chase me halfway across town because my gorram bands are shiny?"
The girl nodded. "May I see them?" She held out a hand.
The boy bit his lip. "They don't come off."
She grabbed his right hand, examining his wrist. "The technology is ancient, but they haven't aged. How do you keep them in such condition?"
"I don't. They just stay that way."
She blinked at him. "Why do you wear them if you don't like them?"
"I didn't have a choice."
"…Do you like it here?"
"Shemma?"
"I didn't like where I was. My brother saved me."
"Lucky you," the boy grumbled, rolling his blue eyes.
"Can I save you?"
The boy paused, surprised.
River's wide blue eyes pleaded with him. They held the innocence and sincerity of a child.
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I—I dunno. I mean, I have a job, but…I really don't wanna…do it."
"You don't have to stay. Just come with us to the next world. You can leave then." She rubbed a hand along the band, and the boy shivered as though he'd been touched. "Let me save you."
"…Alright. But I'm gone come the next world."
River grinned. "You can come aboard like I did."
"Hm?"
"We'll play hide and seek. You hide, and I'll find you when we've taken off."
The boy chuckled. "You sure are a strange girl."
"River."
He half-smiled. "Danny."
"C'mon, Danny, you'll love Serenity!"
The boy blinked, then grinned. "Serenity, huh…?"
He allowed himself to be dragged away.
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A/N: So I hope to get character redesigns posted on deviantart soon for Danny and Ember. They were fun to draw. If anyone has any questions on the Firefly parts or something, let me know, and I'll answer them the best I can without giving up the plot!HH