The Brown Man's Aura leaks determined irritation into the ship's atmosphere. He walks purposefully into the Blue Medical area, dimming it's pale glow just by standing within proximity.
"Doc, let's go."
Simon turns from standing over River, who now lays like a sunflower child from the Earth that was, staring giddily at the ceiling.
"I don't trust her by herself. I want to stay here." Simon says.
"Aint about want, it's about need. I need you to come with me."
River looks over at her brother, a white grin threatening to peel over her face, and says with a sing - song voice, "Go with the angry man. He'll walk, walk, walk you right down into hell."
"Fine," He relents, and in a few moments they are walking purposefully down Serenity's grey hallways, "So where are we going?"
"Jayne's room."
"No, I'm a Doctor, I don't think I can go in there with a clean conscience."
Malcolm opens the door, it slides open and he steps through, "What's that hippo oath you guys have to take?"
"It's the Hippocratic oath."
"I'm going to need you to be breakin' that." He yanks the brown sheet with the deft move of a magician out from in front of Jayne's gun collection.
"I'm not a fighter. I'm nearly useless with a gun."
"Yea, noticed. Now I realize you don't want to be the one slingin' the lead, but as I said, it aint about wants right now. In about two minutes this ship will be loaded with alliance crew members. Aint no time to hide. So you are going to go back into the blue room and you're gonna sit tight. I'd expect you to have company soon, when you get word from me, you shoot." He hands Simon a gun.
Simon is overflowing with information and his face betrays his perplexity. Malcolm sees this and says, "You pull that little trigger thingy and outsprings a tiny little ball of lead. Aint like cuttin' people open and fixin'em. You got anymore questions you ask Jayne there."
Jayne walks into the room muttering a woman's name beneath his breath as Malcolm stalks out. He grabs his item of obsession, a gun named Vera, from his rack. Simon is still standing, adjusting to the situation and Jayne feels moved to straighten him up, "Hey Doc?"
"Yeah?"
"You know that thing that happens to people when you shoot'em and they don't die? You know, that lead sickening thing with the vomiting and the funny colored skin? You know what I'm talkin' about, right?"
"You mean Led poisoning."
"Yeah...We don't want that to happen." He gives Simon two quick taps on the back and leaves. Simon, now adjusted, walks frantically back to River.
The Strawberry woman sits covered in grease, slumped against the wall of the machine room. She holds a wrench loosely in one hand and her frayed hair and slumped shoulders betray her exhaustion.
"Kaylee!"
"Yeah Cap?"
"What're you doing?"
"Nothin' Cap." Her tired voice undulates up and down, lackadaisically allowing thoughts to escape in words not toned, "Just got finished checkin' the engine for damage. Went over the whole thing. You know how many parts are actually in Serenity? A damn many. Kinda wears you out."
"So is everything ok?"
"Keen as a peach...I don't really understand that phrase. Keen, clear? Or is it good? And a peach is fuzzy and I know for sure keen doesn't mean fuzzy. Or does it?"
"Right."
Zoe enters, "Don't worry cap, I'll get her up and ready; I know what we're doin'."
Malcolm is reassured, "Good." He leaves the room without another worry for Zoe or Kaylee. He makes his way back up to the cockpit.