Mal decided from the sheer volume and lengthy string of Chinese swear words coming from the cargo bay he'd best see what had set his mercenary off. Leaving the common's area in a hurry, he stopped at the top of the stairs down to the floor of the bay.
Noticing Mal's arrival, Jayne looked up and redirected his anger at the Captain. "If'n it ain't bad 'nough we got lil' Crazy runnin' about, sneakin' up on folk, you gotta let her twin go and do more the same? It ain't right, Mal! I'm tellin' ya, it ain't right!"
"River you in here?" Mal called out.
An eerily similar voice to Rivers, speaking in a flat monotone emerged from somewhere in the cargo bay. "River is currently engaged in piloting Serenity."
"See, Mal! See what I'm tellin' ya! It's jes creepifyin', a fella tryin' to get his workout in and all. You can't spect me to do muh job if I ain't fit, now can you?"
"Cameron? Is that you?"
"Yes," was the simple answer.
"It is a bit creepifyin' the way she sounds like River but don't talk none like her," Mal muttered loud enough for Jayne to hear.
"Cameron, make yourself where I can see you. Don't much like talkin' to folk when I can't see 'em."
Footsteps on the grating caught Mal's attention as John joined him.
"Cameron, come on. Don't irritate Captain Reynolds. We are guests on the Serenity."
Seconds later, Cameron emerged from a service hatch. Standing up she directed her vision at Mal as she wiped dust off the sleeve of her purple leather jacket.
"We won't be guests for long unless Kaylee makes repairs soon to the life support system," Cameron monotoned. "I have a list of repairs to be made, divided into essential and secondary repairs."
John moaned softly at Cameron's words, his embarrassment evident on his face.
"Do not make a face John," Cameron warned. "I will not allow you to travel in a vessel as unsafe as Serenity."
"Whoa, now, little lady," Mal bristled. "Ain't no call for sayin' bad things like that about my boat."
Cameron's stare became more focused at the Captain's words, causing John to touch Mal on his arm.
"Captain, Cameron doesn't mean it the way it sounds."
"Well, it don't sound none too nice fer my way o' thinkin'."
"Don't provoke her," John whispered.
Mal looked at John, his eyebrows raised, asking John silently if he was serious.
"Cameron, just finish what you were doing," John told her. "Don't do anything to startle Jayne," he added as a precaution.
"River said to use my stealth," Cameron answered as she removed her leather jacket and carefully hung it on a crate.
"See what I mean," Jayne protested. "I ain't have Metal here gang up on me with Moonbrain! Do somethin' Mal!"
John motioned Mal to follow him. Frustrated, he followed the younger man back to the commons area.
"Had to get out of auditory range. Cameron can hear almost anything if it is within her sensor range."
Fuming, Mal ignored John's warning. "What is going on here? You think you 'n' yours is gonna steel my boat? Cause a mutiny? Cuz, if you are, there's an airlock not too far away!"
John waited for Mal to calm down before sitting down. "Please Captain, take a seat. I don't want this to be a problem."
Mal crossed his arms across his chest and glared at John. In his captainy voice he said firmly, "well, it is a problem. I ain't gonna have that metal girlfriend of yours causin' problems. Cuz if she is, first stop, you and yours is gettin' off my boat."
"Captain, if you'll give me a few minutes, I'll explain. You just can't take what Cameron says and does the same way you would a human." John smiled and shook his head. "There is a bit of truth to it when River says they're twins."
"You said she wasn't a reader."
"She isn't, I promise you." John ran his hand through his hair, stalling for time to determine the best way to explain things.
"Look, Captain, Cameron is not a machine. Well, she is, but she's a person too. Just different from us. Her purpose is to protect me. Anything that threatens my safety is something Cameron won't tolerate. The fact she hasn't commandeered control of the Serenity to make for the nearest planet actually shows restraint on her part."
"Restraint?"
"If what she says about the life support system is true, considerable restraint."
"Well, I don't like her sayin' things like that about my boat," Mal protested.
"I promise you, Cameron takes no pleasure from doing it," John answered diplomatically. "It has taken me ages to teach Cameron to be as diplomatic as she was in reporting what she has found. She just doesn't have the social skills she needs for every situation. When she identifies a threat to me, any social skills Cameron does have to right out the window."
"What are you tryin' to say?"
"Don't provoke Cameron by challenging her when she makes a statement like that, particularly the part about not tolerating me being on this vessel. If you challenge her directly, Cameron will view that as a threat to my safety."
"So she would try to harm me?"
"Truthfully, I'm not sure. She may terminate you, that's kill you. Or she may subdue you and force you to alter course to a planet where parts can be obtained to make repairs. Either way, it's likely to not be pleasant."
"You're gonna have to leave my boat," Mal said in response.
"Captain, please, reconsider. You handle River just fine. Once you know how to interact with Cameron, you'll see she's easier to deal with."
"Capt'n!"
Hearing Kaylee's voice bellowing caused Mal to slump and look about for a means to escape.
"See, this is what I been talkin' bout! Cameron done been kind 'nough to go and check the life support system. You should see the list of things about to go bust. All stuff I can't check with diagnostics either! Stuff like with the communications system mostly."
Mal looked at Kaylee, noting her red cheeks and wide eyes. His little sunshine of a mechanic was mad and that was puttin' it mildly.
Silently, Cameron entered the common area and sat down next to John. Mal watched as the she focused all of her attention on the young man who reached and took her hand in his own, placing it on the table.
From various directions of Serenity, the sound of footsteps approaching further irritated Mal.
"Cameron, you need to apologize to the Captain."
Mal watched as the pretty cyborg's eyes got bigger, dreamy even like River's at times, as she tilted her head to the right.
"Why? River suggested I check the ship systems and prepare lists of necessary repairs for Kaylee. I started with life support as it is the most critical system for your safety." Cameron paused then added, "and for the safety of the other's aboard Serenity."
"I know the Captain doesn't mind that. It was the way you threatened him about handling the situation if my well being wasn't, well made certain I guess is what I'm trying to say."
To Mal's surprise, Cameron's head remained tilted, almost as if she was thinking. She straightened her head and looked down at the table before speaking in a soft voice. "Thank you for explaining, John."
Cameron raised her eyes to meet Mal's. "I apologize if I offended you Captain Reynolds. My John's safety is my priority. I will not tolerate threats to my John. It was not personal. I only wish for the life support system to function within design parameters so John's health and safety will be assured."
A loud sigh came from behind Mal. Turning to look for the source, he saw a frustrated Sarah standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at Cameron.
"Tin Miss, what did I say about being a guest on Captain Reynold's boat?"
"To behave in an appropriate manner," Cameron answered in her monotone.
"Clearly, John, you are going to have to talk to Cameron about this, and explain to her what appropriate is," Sarah ordered. "Now go! Scoot. Both of you."
Not wanting to be on the receiving end of a lecture from his mother, John stood and still holding Cameron's hand, led her towards the living quarters and the bunk he'd been assigned.
"I apologize, Captain," Sarah said. "We truly don't mean to cause trouble. John will have a talk with Cameron."
"I ain't gonna tolerate no disrespectin' of my bein' captain," Mal threatened.
"Well, I never thought I'd tolerate some of Tin Miss's crap either," Sarah laughed. "She meant well. It's just the terminator in her comes out, particularly when it comes to John."
"I'm startin' to see that," Mal responded, noticing Simon and Inara had joined the crowd.
"No, I don't think you are," Sarah answered, sighing in frustration.
"You see Captain, once a terminator is locked in on something, they will not stop, they will not give up and under no circumstances can they be reasoned with. I overheard what the exchange was about. To be honest, Cameron was incredibly restrained, particularly if your life support system is shot."
"Cap'n, the life support system is shot," Kaylee announced. "Other stuff we can get by on not fixin', but the engines and life support? Please, Cap'n, you gotta let me fix it."
xxxxxxxxxx
"Angry Captain Daddy is. Embarrassed."
Mal dropped into the pilot's seat, not glancing towards River who sat with her knees pulled up to her chest in the co-pilot's seat.
"Don't be angry with Twin. Twin must learn a lot to fit in. Always has to learn."
"What, you can read Cameron now?"
"No, we talked last sleepy time. The girl has a better comprehension of her twin's challenges now. Cameron was broken is some ways the day her evil master built her. Loves her John she does. Like the broken twin before you, does not always know the best way to engage in social interaction with other individuals."
"So I just should ignore what she did today?"
"No. Captain must be captain. Twin takes orders. Understands chain of command. Bring her John with you and have him order the girl's twin to show respect, follow chain of command. Twin obeys her John. Obeys Mother Sarah usually, sometimes the ape-man Derek."
Mal sat in silence, stewing over being embarrassed while at the same time concerned about the state of his boat.
"Twin means well. Blame River too. The girl posed the idea for the twin's neural net to consider."
"Like you did telling Cameron to spook Jayne?"
"It is possible the girl may have included that in the suggested idea," River giggled.
Worried about his boat and the safety of his crew, Mal fell into silence, looking out into the black and River let him.
As mealtime approached, Mal heard River setting the autopilot and the warning system.
"You like Cameron don't you," he asked.
River nodded. "The girl likes conversation where she does not know the answer before it is given. Likes having a girl her own age, even if the girl looks like her."
"You want them to stay?"
"They are lost sheep, like Simon and the girl were, like everyone on Serenity before they find her. Good fighters they are, will let us take on bigger jobs, get bigger cuts. Pay for the repairs to Serenity."
xxxxxxxxxx
River watched Cameron undress and place her dirty clothes and undergarments in a neat pile in the corner of their shared quarters. Fascinated by Cameron, River watched closely as Cameron put on tattered by clean underwear before slipping an equally worn long sleeved man's dress shirt.
"That was your John's?"
"Yes," Cameron answered as she rolled the sleeves up. "I must spend a period of time in a maintenance cycle this sleep period. I will appear as if I am asleep. When it is necessary for me to do this, I like to wear sleepwear like a human. This dress shirt was my John's before I claimed it."
"You claimed him you mean," River stated.
"Yes, partially. It was not an uncommon custom from the time period we came from on Earth That Was before what we call Judgment Day. When bonding between a male and a female was starting to take place, the female often took clothing belonging to the male to sleep in. It was a way for her to claim her male and for the male to have a sense of possessing the female as his own."
"Captain Mal was angry with you today."
"I know," Cameron answered. "It was not my intention to cause trouble. I like it here. Serenity could be a good place for John. Sarah would have less stress and Derek would have purpose."
"Then the girl will do everything to help her twin stay."