This Next Chapter's gonna test how well you've been paying attention! Hope you enjoy! I don't own Firefly or the characters from it but I do own Gavon and Ayme, oh and thanx for reading! Please Review!

What Is Human?

Chapter 7------The Truth About The Fluke

"I think we'll have a problem soon, Gavon," Ayme replied as she stood from the small heated tub, the blue water falling off of her body.

"You shouldn't be getting out yet," Gavon stated. "Stay in there."

"I don't know how long it'll be before the Captain comes calling," Ayme stated, "I'd like to be clothed for that time."

Gavon pulled out a thick, long towel and wrapped it around her middle, trying to hold the heat in her body.

"Why would that be?" Gavon asked. "He's got no quarrel with us."

"The young doctor came by looking for River," Ayme said quietly as Gavon grabbed a new black shirt and black pants for Ayme. "He saw me…and he'll know."

"Right," Gavon sighed, draping the clothes over his shoulder and placing his arms out for Ayme to hold onto. "How does your head feel?"

"Dizzy, but that's the way it always is after my warming," Ayme answered as she stepped out of the tub and against him, the towel still tight around her body. He grabbed the shirt and slipped it over her head like dressing a child, letting her slip her hands through the sleeves.

"Are you sure he saw?" Gavon questioned, kneeling down and letting her step into her pants.

"It would be hard not to notice for anyone, and he is a doctor," Ayme stated.

"Make sure you eat something," Gavon ordered. "I brought it down for you."

"I don't think I'm going to be able to eat," Ayme said nervously. Gavon stood back up as the towel fell, taking it from her and sighing heavily. "Jen dao mei."

"It'll be okay," Gavon said, leaning his fore head against hers to try and reassure her. "Just tell them, the whole truth."

"I wasn't expecting to tell them this soon," Ayme whispered her voice slightly frightened.

"I can do it," Gavon stated.

"No, no," Ayme replied, shaking her head. "It's my burden, mine alone."

"It doesn't have to be," Gavon whispered back. Ayme smiled slightly, but pushed her head from his and stepped towards her cloak, wrapping it around her shoulders again.

"Leave the tub for now, lets just get this over with," Ayme stated.

Simon had eaten with the rest as the world around them seemed to become dead quiet. Mal had seemed to be in deep thought as Inara walked passed him, Kaylee breathing in and out nervously but also in a small frustration. Wash kept his eyes on Zoe as Zoe was also quiet.

River glanced up as Shepherd Book stood to take his plate away, when Gavon entered, Ayme leaning on him as she stepped into the quiet room. Mal glanced up as well, straightening up at the sight of them and standing slowly.

"We got some things we gotta clear up," Mal said quietly.

"Hence why I've come," Ayme said simply, Gavon pulling out a chair and letting her settle herself.

"My doctor seems to think you weren't born," Mal replied.

"Your doctor is correct," Ayme stated as everyone else seemed to stay out of the conversation, only listening. "I wasn't born."

"Seems to think you might be Alliance product," Mal replied, walking over to her, her eyes changing to an eerie gold but she did not look away from him. Gavon leaned back against the doorway, knowing he couldn't fight this battle for her.

"I am," Ayme stated again.

"You told me you wouldn't give me any trouble," Mal replied coldly.

"I have not, and I said if I could help it I would not," Ayme said smartly but calmly.

"You got some explainin' to do," Mal replied. "If you've got Alliance on your tail, we gotta big problem."

"Mal," Inara slightly scolded.

"No Alliance is after us," Ayme stated, shaking her head slightly. "All that knew what I am besides Gavon and his brother, are dead."

"You can promise me that?" Mal questioned. "I ain't havin' my crew in any danger from you for any reason."

"I promise," Ayme said quietly. "If you'd sit down, I'll explain myself, to all of you."

Mal paced around the table slowly, before taking his seat again and leaning back to get a look at Ayme. Jayne hung with his mouth open, still munching down the rest of the cooked food like he was watching a movie. Ayme took in a great big breath, thinking of where to begin.

"I am not human," she stated. "Not like you or your crew. Not like anyone else in this 'verse. I wasn't born…I was grown, a tenth generation of A.E., and the only one left."

Ayme coughed deep within her body but stabled herself in her chair.

"There were ten thousand others on record, but they all died within the first year of life. The Alliance made us for one purpose, a small trait that they discovered on a small population some fifty years back. They wanted to harness the trait, and use it to their advantage. They manipulated the first generation of one thousand, none held the trait and died within the first year, the second was the same, living a small amount longer. The first generation to show the trait was the sixth, but again the one thousand died within the first thirteen months.

"It wasn't until us that the trait actually substantially showed, but after sixteen months of the incubation process, every single A.E. began to drop like flies, everyone—except for me."

"What is A.E.?" Simon questioned suddenly.

"Artificial Entity," Ayme answered. River wiggled in her chair, adjusting herself and smiling at Ayme. "That is what I am, completely artificial, not a drop of my blood is human, nor any of my skin. It was all made from a separate idea, a replica of a human genome…for the soul purpose of creating a single controlled being, a copy of true life."

"What kind of trait…were they trying to get?" Shepherd questioned.

"This," Ayme answered, lifting her hand up. The plate on the table rose, spinning in the air by itself. Everyone jumped back from the table as it moved, before Ayme's hand fell and the plate set back down on its own gently.

"Ai ya, wo mun wan luh," Wash exclaimed under his breath.

"That's some parlor trick you got there," Mal replied nervously.

"How…can…you…" Kaylee stuttered. Simon looked nervously to River, realizing how similar suddenly these two were in situation.

"I do understand your fear," Ayme replied. "And hesitation, but I reassure you that I cannot use it to its full potential, I am too weak…

"I have only been out into this air…this world for three weeks now, and have only been able to actually eat solid foods for a week or so...For the first fifteen years of my life I was inside my incubator, breathing liquid oxygen, eating nutrients through the liquid and not moving for any purpose. It was hard to breathe in air for the first time, my lungs barely took well to it, I couldn't walk due to the fact that I had never used my legs before, but the doctors, the scientists, they wanted to test me, take me out, train me, teach me…but I would return to the incubator after only a few hours, and rest there.

"After learning about the world…I realized that I wasn't in it, and I wanted to be…but the only time I was ever allowed outside was for more training or tests or medication. I learned how to use the trait to escape the incubator when I was left alone, and found a way to communicate with the outside world using a high-tech super computer that they had me use to learn, I used low frequencies and hidden feeds, and that is how I met Ted, Gavon's brother."

Gavon grunted disdainfully, still hiding in the darkness.

"He found my signal, and I explained to him my situation, what I wanted, for two years…before he plotted and explained that he had a way to get me out, and to take me to a place where no one would bother me or use me like the Alliance was," Ayme said quietly. "I was still sick, though, and getting out was…a hard decision knowing that I wouldn't survive outside for more than a few hours…but Ted reassured me his plan was full proof, and that he would have someone who was the best get me out and to him."

"This is where I s'pose you come in," Mal said to Gavon, who sighed in response.

"Gavon came in, and got me out, he is the only reason I'm alive now…but I was still extremely weak, and the air hurt my body, it was too cold, it was too strange in his little ship and we were being chased by Alliance fighters…then I lost control for the first time," Ayme whispered.

"Explain, loosing control," Shepherd Book inquired.

"Do you remember a set of Alliance cruisers that they claimed a fluke made them all explode simultaneously?" Ayme stated with a slight sighing noise.

Everyone waited in silence.

"I was the fluke," Ayme whispered. "I killed all those people…because I wanted to escape."

"You're tellin' me your little mind trick…blew up six Alliance cruisers?" Mal questioned quietly. "With that little parlor trick?"

"Don't believe everything you see, do you?" Gavon said for the first time, walking behind Ayme and standing close to her. "Well, I do."

"Well, I can't think that you, even though you ain't like us, could do that much damage," Mal laughed. Ayme smiled.

"That's a small comfort," Ayme said quietly. "I just wish it were true."

"You blew up an Alliance fleet and they're not looking for you?" Inara questioned nervously.

"That seems mighty…unlike the Alliance," Kaylee said with a nervous laugh.

"No one who knew I existed survived…no one would be looking for me if they didn't know I existed," Ayme replied.

"Woah, why do I got the feelin' this isn't gonna end well?" Jayne mumbled. "First we got crazy migit and now some not human girl thing that can blow up ships with her gorramn mind."

Ayme's head fell, River standing up suddenly and standing next to her.

"River—"

River knelt down and set her head against Ayme's shoulder, staring towards Jayne and giving him such a glare he jerked his head back to his food.

"She's told you what you wanted to know," Gavon stated. "She's not a bad person—"

"She ain't no person," Jayne mumbled.

"Jayne, you need to keep that bulbous mouth shut," Inara growled.

"Don't get so worked up," Mal stated. "We ain't gonna kick you out or nothin'. We got a job to complete, we'll do it no matter what."

"Thank you," Ayme said quietly, touching River's hair lightly and sighing heavily.

"But no more secrets," Mal said. "You got anything else to tell us you tell us now."

"Nothing that you'd care to know," Ayme replied, smiling. "Unless you like ot hear a bunch of doctor mumbo-jumbo about how many disorders I have."

"No, not personally," Mal said trying not to laugh at her sarcasm.

"Have you eaten?" Inara questioned suddenly. Ayme shook her head as River stood up and ran into the kitchen with Inara.

"I'll make some more tea, and you should eat something," Inara said as Mal shifted his attention back to his food.

"I shall try," Ayme laughed, suddenly feeling a large weight off of her shoulders.

"You should do more than try," Shepherd said lightly. "We've got some good stuff this morning."

"Even for you non-human types," Wash joked. Zoe hit him and he flinched. "What? It's a compliment. You know you're the nicest non-human I've ever met, and speaking from experience I've met people who I'd consider non-human."

"Haven't we all," Zoe responded as well. "But you shouldn't be rude, husband."

"Well that's why I have you, to hit me when I am," Wash said playfully. She hit him again.

"What is…an incubator?" Simon suddenly questioned, staring at Ayme as Inara came from the kitchen with a cup of steaming tea, setting on a small saucer in front of Ayme.

"Its very much so like a long, tube fish tank," Ayme stated simply, "Kept at an exact temperature, with exact increments of oxygen, nutrients, in a giant, strange goo. It was pink I remember…"

"Sounds sick…" Jayne stated, suddenly leaning in closer.

"It was, but I do miss it," Ayme said quietly but took her tea and drank it thankfully.

"The white wolf," River began to whisper as Inara followed her way back into the kitchen.

"What's that sweet heart?" Inara questioned.

"The white wolf," River said a little louder just for Inara to hear. "She found a black wolf, but she wishes to be with the white sheep."

Inara glanced over at what River was watching with her eyes, Gavon settling next to Ayme in an empty seat.

"And…what does the black wolf want?" Inara questioned River, glancing back at her as River's eyes surveyed the strange scene.

"Her."

Inara glanced back over to Gavon, realizing then what she had known in her gut but it needed to come to the surface with River's help.

"Here," Shepherd Book said lightly, placing a small amount of food on a plate for Ayme and setting it in front of her as she set her cup down. Gavon took her cup and placed it on its saucer as Ayme seemed to be lost in the sight of food, letting her begin to eat it slowly. Simon glanced over to Kaylee who had been avoiding his eyes the whole ordeal, before glancing over to River and Inara and seeing them speaking to one another.

"We heard the Doctor here was playing peeping tom this morning," Shepherd Book said in a joking tone. Ayme almost choked on her food, Gavon's face turning to the doctor with a strange flustered countenance.

"No, he was looking for River," Ayme said lightly. "He didn't know…I was in my warming bath."

"Her temperature dropped, we had to warm it up," Gavon said before anyone could ask.

"Ah, from being in that incubator, it might be hard for your body to regulate its own temperature," Simon stated. Kaylee began to ignore the conversation, standing and leaving, Mal watching her with his eyes carefully knowing that she still seemed to be hurt.

"Very, actually," Ayme said quietly. Simon stood suddenly as well, following Kaylee out to figure out why she was so upset.

"I'm guessin' you're gonna want us to knock then, before goin' in your room," Mal replied with a simple look on his face. Ayme smiled as her cheeks flustered.

End Chapter 7