Chapter 10
River slowly opened her eyes, still groggy from the drug that the man had pumped into her bloodstream. She stumbled to her feet, her eyes blurring with the throbbing pain from her head.
She pushed the pain aside, reminding herself once again that pain was obsolete. She stood in a metal room with no windows and no access panels. It was a shuttle from a Firefly class transport, like the one Inara lived in.
On the floor in front of her lay Simon, a smear of blood on his head where the man's fist had connected. His hands were bound with rope, which surprised her as she was unbound.
She took a quick analysis on his vitals and deduced that he was unconscious, though his heart rate indicated that he was quickly returning to consciousness.
Walking over, River settled herself down cross-legged on his chest and leaned over him, deliberately making her eyes unfocused and glassy.
Her flair of genius was awarded when Simon awoke less then two minutes later.
He let out a scream and struggled backwards, his eyes wide. River giggled and dropped off of him, sprawling gracefully on the floor.
Simon smiled back at her. "Brat." Then he sobered, his glance flitting around the room.
"River, where are we?" he asked. River shrugged.
"We're flying." As if to prove her right, the little room suddenly tilted, obviously caused by some movement on the controls.
"Where to?" asked Simon, struggling to be patient.
"We are now ten miles to the west of Kaylee's home, and we will be arriving at our destination in under a minute." Simon blinked.
"Help me get out of these." He said, gesturing to his rope tied hands. River shook her head.
They'll just retie them." She paused, tilting her head. "We're here." The shuttle banged as they landed, throwing Simon and River against a wall.
River emitted a small groan and stood up, then turned and helped Simon to his feet. They both turned when someone knocked loudly on the door, seconds before it creaked open. It was the man from the forest.
"How are my two little birdies?" he asked with an unpleasant leer.
Simon opened his mouth, but River beat him. "We're going home," she said with a rapt look on her face. "The birdies are going to be free." She giggled and grabbed the rope tied around Simon's hands, dragging him towards the door.
Simon stared at his sister in concern. "River, are you feeling okay?" he asked hesitantly. River looked over her shoulder, rolling her eyes.
"We're going home." She repeated, speaking loudly and slowly, acting like he was the one with the mental problem.
River gave him a dirty look and kicked him. "Bad thoughts." She snapped, "Need to be nicer." She released Simon, who was jumping around in agony, and ran over to the man at the door.
Simon slowly followed, favoring his right leg. River skipped ahead, feeling sorry for poor, simple Simon. He was such a boob. He never understood her, even when she spoke in plain English, not riddles.
She pulled open the doors of the shuttle eagerly, and stepped into the bright sunlight. Simon came out next, followed by the man she had nicknamed Ugly.
Simon blinked, and raised his bound hands in a futile attempt to shield his eyes from the sunlight.
They were in a large mansion, a far cry from Kaylee's simple country home. It was large and white, with cool green lawns and many sparkling windows.
Two people stood in front of the shuttle, six feet away from River and Simon. The woman was short and pretty, with brown eyes and long black hair. Worry wrinkles were etched permanently around her eyes.
Her male companion was tall and rather fat, with cold green eyes and a receding gray hairline.
Their faces were lit up with joy. With a scream, River threw herself into the woman's arms. The woman started crying, her arms tightening around River. Simon forced himself to meet the man's eyes.
"Mother, father." He said coldly, forcing himself to keep all emotion out of his voice. "I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you."