Simon knelt down beside the Doctor, grasping his wrist, then started.
Cold. Much too cold!
He put his stethoscope on, and pulling the fancy shirt open, placed it in several places on the man's chest. He sat back hurriedly. "Jayne, help me get him over to the bed. Mal, " he said, glancing over at him in apology, "I need you to move over to the counter." Mal, seeing Simon's expression, complied.
As they laid him out, Zoe came over. "What's wrong?"
Simon quickly had the Doctor's shirt open, attached several electrodes to the heart monitor, wrapped a pressure cuff around his arm, and had pulled a syringe and bottle out of those remaining in the drawers. "Severe shock and arrhythmia," he said, plunging the syringe into the bottle and filling it. "Judging by his temperature and heartbeat, we may have- Zoe, get me the defibrillator from that cabinet over there- very little time." He finished filling the syringe with the dose, and placed it in a vein in his neck. He began to inject-
The Doctor's hand was suddenly snapped tight around his wrist, pulling the needle out, the solution spritzing from the end of the needle onto his neck. His eyes snapped open, staring into Simon's.
"I think I've had quite enough drugs for one evening, Doctor Tam," he said, his voice rough. He pressed Simon aside, even as he tried to hold him down, and sat up, shaking his head.
"Jayne, hold him, I need to-"
"I am fine, Simon!" The Doctor swung himself to a sitting position, then swayed a bit. "Well, perhaps less than fine. But I am in no danger of a heart attack." He pulled off the pressure cuff, then straightened up.
Simon grabbed his arm. "What? No temperature change, I don't feel any change in pulse..." The Doctor gently pried his hand off.
"Gallifreyan physiology. Don't worry about it."
"Galefre-"
"I'll explain later." He started to button up his shirt, then noted with dismay the missing buttons. "You could have been a little less harsh with my poor shirt."
"How'd you get up so fast if the moon brain just beat you?" said Jayne.
"She didn't beat me; she drugged me, then kept me occupied until it took effect," he said. He looked a little confused. "How she knew the correct dosage, or indeed what to give me, I have no idea. Even I don't know what she used." He paused and glanced about the room. The others were staring at him.
"A lot to process, I expect, for all of us." He turned to Simon. "Has River ever mentioned a 'burning dark' before?"
"Ah, no," said Simon, still watching the Doctor carefully, in case he collapsed. "That's- that's a new one on me. Are you sure you're..."
"Just fine," said the Doctor, "though Jayne here looks the worse for wear, and the Captain..." He pulled out his 'sonic screwdriver," walked over, and played it over Mal's jaw. "Yes, definitely a hairline fracture. Shouldn't even need wiring, but I'll defer to Doctor Tam in that department. However..." he paused, and Mal gave a yelp.
"What are you doing?" said Simon. He grabbed the Doctor's arm, but it was a bit too late; he was already putting the 'screwdriver' back into his pocket.
"Just increased his jaw's structural integrity so it can hold until this crisis is..." He trailed off as he saw the blank looks on the faces of most of them, except for Simon, whose look contained a mix of 'that's impossible!' and 'you untrained butcher.'
He straightened his coat, then turned back to the group. "If what she said means what I think it means, I may have missed a few important details."
"Meanin'?" said Mal. Talking hurt damnably, but not as much as not commandin' his ship.
"Meaning, things are going to have to be done, quickly," said the Doctor. "Mister Cobb and I will go to the engine room. Zoe, you join your husband on the bridge, and have him-"
"He's not on the bridge," said Zoe.
"Then where-"
"An' I d'n't r'm'br..." Mal grimaced. "I'm captain, damm.... Owww..." He clutched at his face. Simon walked over, gave him an injection at the base of his jaw. He didn't even wince.
"I'm very sorry, Captain," said the Doctor, who did indeed look so. "If this ...creature is not stopped, however, the fact of anyone commanding this ship becomes entirely moot." He turned back to Zoe. "Now, where did Wash go?"
"Someone locked the Shepherd in his room. He went to let him out."
"Locked him in..." the Doctor stroked his chin. "Yes, things are beginning to fall into place now. Oh dear." He pressed the intercom button. "Wash?"
A pause.
"Yeah?"
The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "This is the Doctor. Is the Shepherd with you?"
"Not yet, I'm on my way to get him. What's up?"
"As soon as you do, I need you both to return to the bridge, seal the door and prepare to activate the device we installed on my signal."
Another pause. "Are you kidding? Can anyone tell me what's really going on?"
Zoe leaned over and spoke. "None of us are sure, dear. The Doctor seems to have some notion, so it'd probably be a good idea to play along."
"If you say so." Wash's voice still seemed doubtful. "Wash out."
"What's this device?"
The Doctor turned to Zoe. Mal hadn't spoken, but he seemed equally curious.
"That's right, I was about to tell Captain Reynolds about it right before this whole mess happened. It's a sub-alpha wave generation-countergeneration unit," said the Doctor. "It acts as a necessary buffer against the psychic effects of warpspace. In this case, though, it can help us to..."
The rest were just staring at him with that glazed look in their eyes again, Simon included this time. He shook his head and sighed.
"Never mind." He thought for a moment, then turned to Simon. "If we find River, she may need a calm environment to recover; more than just medication, I think." He pressed the intercom button again. "Miss Serra?"
Silence.
"Inara?"
More silence.
He turned around. "She may be unconscious, or the intercom to her shuttle knocked out." He turned to each of them in turn.
"Doctor Tam, I need you and Zoe to go to Miss Serra's shuttle and make sure she's all right. Captain, Jayne, I think it would be wise if we took careful inventory of storage areas, both visible and clandestine, to make sure there are no more surprises. I'll get down to the engine room and see if there's anything I can do there." He paused. "If all is under control, we should all meet back in the mess area."
Mal motioned the Doctor over. "Jayne goes with you," he said, moving his jaw as little as possible. "I'll check the cargo myself."
The Doctor looked at him oddly, but nodded. "Very well." He raised his voice. "Jayne, there's a change of plans, I'll need you to come to the engine room with me. I might need backup if that thing still has a foothold there."
Jayne was already on his way out the door. The Doctor looked after him. "I'll meet up with you in the mess, or radio in," he said, before taking off.
Zoe finished reloading her gun, then looked over toward Simon, who was sifting through the pile of bottles, trying to salvage what he could. "Simon," she said, "You ready to go?"
"Just a second..." He added another roll of gauze and several ampules to his bag, then closed it. "Ready," he said, then followed her out.
Finally alone, Mal shook his head. The Doctor had a good head on his shoulders, but he was damn naive if he thought that he'd let Jayne know where all the smuggling hatches were.
Or just about anyone else on the boat, for that matter.
He walked over to one corner of the sick bay, reached up behind a wall panel, and pulled a hidden latch. The panel slid away, revealing a recess. A few wooden boxes were stacked neatly against one side.
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Simon and Zoe made their way down the passage, watching every doorway and turn. After a couple of minutes, Simon stopped.
Zoe looked back at him, and quirked an eyebrow.
"I know we need to keep moving," he whispered, "but there's something that's really bothering me." He set down his bag, pulled out a small bottle, and showed it to her.
"What's this?"
"Drahelaeprolane. It's for treating bone damage caused by extended space travel; it also has a mild sedative effect." He took another look at the bottle. "Never really had cause to use it on this ship, but apparently River found it useful in knocking the Doctor unconscious."
He paused. Zoe waited.
"The thing is... the dosage she used." He looked down, back up at her. "It was enough to kill a bull. I mean that literally; his circulatory system should have been half-calcified by the time we found him."
She raised an eyebrow. " More of that 'Gallifreyan' physiology he mentioned, I take it."
He nodded. "I-I'm beginning to think he's... no, not possible. There's got to be some..."
She grabbed his shoulder. "Come on, Simon," she said, "we can get our answers from him later. Not like he's got anywhere else to go."
"I... suppose you're right." He snatched up his bag, and resumed his steady, careful way down the passage behind her.