Jayne and the Doctor made their way down the corridor, eying each corner and doorway. Jayne kept his pistol pointed ahead of him, the safety off.
The Doctor looked over at the weapon, clearly disapproving. "Jayne, I thought I told you before- you should put that away. It's useless against that creature."
" 'S not for that thing," Jayne said.
"Then what-"
"Nothin'!"
The Doctor stopped and eyed him. "Not for me, is it? I assure you I had no part in that creature's..." He shook his head, and continued on.
After a couple of minutes, they reached hall leading to the engine room. Jayne scanned ahead, and noted that the Doctor was also studying the ceiling. He remembered how agile that gorram girl was, and suppressed a shudder.
They were making their way down the corridor, when a scream made them both start, then charge into the room, weapons/gizmos at the ready.
A small boy was sitting up in Kaylee's hammock, looking around in fright, while River stood before him, pointing the Doctor's box-remote at him. Kaylee was pressed up against the wall next to the engine, brandishing a hypo spray.
Before Jayne's eyes, the tableau abruptly changed as River's legs gave way, the device falling from her hands, and she fell to her knees. He looked quickly at the kid, who had fallen out of the hammock and was scrambling to put his back to the wall. He looked scared, but completely normal. He noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye, and spun around.
Kaylee had run to River's side, and put her arms around her. River was clutching at the sides of her head, eyes squeezed shut.
The Doctor was stepping quickly around the room, playing his sonic device over everything, searching every corner. His gaze snapped back to River as she began to speak in a hysterical, broken voice.
"Was too late too late laughing, laughing loud loud LOUD, everywhere ever' where rage fear pain pain pain..."
The Doctor stepped forward, scooping up the box and punching in something on it. "Mister Cobb," he said, without looking up, "you can either put a bullet in my head, or put that thing away."
Jayne, who had been covering River, jerked, but complied. Kaylee looked up as well.
"Wha...? But-"
"It's not here," said the Doctor. "It seems she had some kind of plan to keep it in stasis, but it looks like it backfired." He studied the box again. "It's been weakened by what we did, but it's somehow escaped... in the direction of the bridge."
"That- that covers the whole rest o' the ship!" said Kaylee.
"Well, the calibration isn't quite up to par anymore, and you have to admit, it's a rather small ship!" said the Doctor, a little defensive.
Kaylee frowned at him a moment, before going back to trying to comfort River.
"Jayne," he said, "what was that word that Simon spoke if in the infirmary? The one that would 'knock her out?' "
Jayne thought that over a moment, then told him. In Kaylee's arms, River suddenly went limp, and the Doctor stooped to help hold her up, before crouching, picking her up, and placing her in the hammock. He then turned back to kaylee."She just needs to sleep this out," he said. He turned and looked at her again. "All this must have been an awful strain."
Jayne eyed the scene with suspicion, then shot his hand out to catch the kid trying to make a break for it out the door. He lifted him, one-handed, to eye level. THe kid struggled briefly, then stopped when Jayne's glower filled most of his vision.
"Well, well..." he growled. "Tell me, Doc, we gotta keep this li'l 野生狗 alive?"
"Doctor," said the Doctor. "And yes, we 'keep him alive.' Really Mister Cobb," he said, "I never thought you one for child abuse."
"Never thought a gorram freeloadin' brat would damn near take the ship apart around me!" snapped Jayne. He looked back into the kid's eyes, menace etched on his face. "It wasn't in your head, Doctor. You have no idea what it was like." He flipped the safety off his pistol-
then felt it shift and shiver in his hand, the parts shuddering and falling though his fingers like wet sand, the high-pitched humming of the sonic screwdriver in his ears. He gawped his now empty fist, then up into the full force of the Doctor's glare.
The Doctor stepped in front of him, and pulled the child away. "You will not do that again, Mister Cobb. Ever." He set the child down near Kaylee, who put her arms around him.
"But..."
"That child is not at fault; he likely has been through the same, if not worse, than you have." He stepped forward, looking into Jayne's eyes. "As have I."
"Kinda doubt that," said Jayne, though a little shakily. My gorram gun! he thought. "You seen Reavers up close an' personal, Doc?"
The Doctor gave a flat and terrible smile. "When you have faced the lions, Mister Cobb, you find that locusts are the least of your worries."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zoe rounded the last bend before the shuttle door came into view, pistol at the ready. It was a good thing they'd passed by her and Wash's room on the way; the ship's corridors were far too restrictive for her rifle. She glanced back and motioned.
Simon came forward, then stopped opposite the door to Inara's shuttle. He frowned. "It seems to be in good condition..." He turned to Zoe. "So what do we do now? Knock?"
"I suppose," said Zoe. "Just the same, be ready to duck." She dropped her gun hand to her side, but in a loose and ready pose. "Go ahead."
Simon nodded, then stepped forward and rapped tentatively at the plating. "Inara?" There was no answer. He rapped harder, then looked over at Zoe. She shrugged. He grasped and turned the wheel, then pulled. The door opened, to a scene of some disarray. Simon shook his head at what the turbulence must have been like in here, then stepped carefully into the room, brushing aside silk and brocade curtains. Zoe followed him in, checking behind them as well.
"Inara? You all right? I..." He saw her stretched out on a pile of cushions, looking for all the world as if she had just dropped peacefully off to sleep.
Zoe holstered her pistol but kept her hand close. She stepped up to stand beside Simon.
"I don't get it," whispered Simon. "How could she have slept through this whole mess? That's even less likely than..."
"She's waking up," said Zoe.
Inara stretched' then blinked as she woke, then sat bolt upright. "Simon,"she said, a clear look of displeasure across her face, "I trust you can explain yourself." She drew the flimsy sleep gown closer around her.
"Well. You, uh, we, that is..." he sputtered.
"There's been trouble," said Zoe. Inara looked at her in surprise, as if seeing her for the first time,
She stood up, belting the robe firmly shut. "Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
"A stowaway almost hijacked the ship," said Zoe. Simon nodded agreement. "People got hurt, the Captain's out of commission for the moment. The Doctor thinks something's loose on the ship worse than a regular stowaway, though."
Inara nodded slowly. "And you think that they may have holed up here? "She shook her head and smiled. "I'm afraid not, I haven't noticed anything since..." She checked a timepiece, then nodded."Since several hours ago, when I retired."
"Your intercom seemed to be out, so we came to check," said Simon. "There's been a very eventful... well... Book was locked in his room, among other things."
"Really? That is serious," said Inara.
Zoe glanced around the shuttle; the normally meticulous housekeeping was in complete disarray, but somehow Inara hadn't-
She looked up sharply. Inara was moving smoothly toward Simon, who was backing away a step.
"Look, if I could just make sure you're all right, you might have sustained a er, bump to the head..." his voice trailed off. A blush was beginning to creep across his face.
Zoe noticed that she'd let her robe slip just a bit , and was bringing one hand up to his face, while her other hand-
She grabbed Simon's shoulder with one hand, yanking him back, while whipping the gun out of her holster with the other. Inara's hand lashed out, only to be knocked aside, then caught at the wrist by the Zoe, who pressed the muzzle of the pistol into her jaw.
"Zoe, what is the meaning of this?" said Inara, far too smoothly angry. "Unhand me!"
"Simon, get out of here," said Zoe. "Get the Doctor. GO!" Inara twisted, but Zoe twisted right back, making her drop the slim dagger.
Simon backed away, confused, then turned and left at top speed.
'Inara' struggled. "Zoe, you're..." Her mouth suddenly stretched into a horrible smile. "I suppose the game is up," she said in a suddenly hazy, feral voice. Her eyes flared red. "For you!"
Her other hand flashed up and across, knocking the gun aside, while she suddenly shoved Zoe, knocking her down amongst the pillows. She dove down after, pinning her wrists. "Now I will have you as well. Hold still!"
Zoe didn't bother with banter. She swung her legs up and back, slamming Inara into the wall of the shuttle, then rolled and, before she could recover, got her own grip on her wrists, pinning her.
"Poor choice, 邪魔," she grunted. " 'Nara may be fast, but she's not a fighter." She slammed her wrists into the wall again. "Now YOU hold still."
'Inara' just laughed. "I'll have you instead then!"
"You would have already, if you really could-" She grunted. She was, slowly,but surely, being forced back!
She struggled to force the hands back, then looked up... to find the reddish mist starting to come from Inara's eyes! She tried to leap back, but suddenly found her own wrists held! In desperation she yanked back, and abruptly fell backward in a roll as Inara leaped to her feet, spun, and grasped Simon by the throat!
She reached over and knocked a syringe from his hand. "One time, one Tam," she said, and snickered at Simon's struggle to remove her hand, to breathe...
There was a sound of running, booted feet from down the corridor. 'Inara' turned toward the sound, then back to Simon. "Reinforcements? Perhaps I should go-"
WHUD
She dropped like a stone, Simon falling to his knees at the same time, gasping and rubbing at his throat.
Zoe tossed aside the small statue without a second glance, then stepped over to the doorway, where Jayne, control box in hand, suddenly skidded to a halt. He looked over the scene, eyebrows raised.
"Guess I'm a li'l late for the nick o' time," he said.
Zoe just glared, then snatched the box from his hand. "Blue switch, right?"
"Nah, red slide halfway, then blue and yellow-"
WHOOOM. The mist was being drawn out of Inara, who was thrashing about. Finally she stopped, and the mist was fully drawn into the box.
Zoe gave it a look, then dropped her hand to her side. Jayne extended his hand, but she just gave him a look.
"I'll be returning this myself," she said. "Then, he's got some things to explain. I aim to get some real answers."
She stalked out of the room.