A/N: Thanks to RionaEire for reviewing. Yeah, she has done a lot and that will happen. I'm also thinking about doing a second continuation of this story because of a few things that I had in mind and some things that still need to be done. So, any views on that would be nice:
Reviews are love people, and love makes the world go round. :)
Eyes blinked. Vision blurred as white spots flew. Pain shot up his arm and he winced. He cried out in pain and struggled underneath the weight of a metal sheeting. He blinked his eyes even more, clearing his vision and finally seeing the true wreckage of the crash. More sparks flew from torn wires and controls flickered in front of his face.
'In front?' Sam knew they shouldn't be in front of him, but a second glance confirmed it. The shuttle had crashed upside down and he was staring up at what should be the floor. "Maya? C'mon answer me?" The voice dragged him from his thoughts as he turned his head.
Trent was stood over Maya's limp body, a large gash over the brow of his eye dripping blood in a thick trail down his cheek. Another groan echoed through the rubble from behind him. Sam winced. Another jolt shot through his arm. "Sam?" He saw the hesitation that Trent had for coming to him or trying to wake up his new girlfriend. He decided against the latter and shuffled through metal to lift the metal sheeting. "You alright?"
"Shiny. What happened?" His voice was groggy and slurred as he spoke.
"Alliance tagged us with anti-aircraft. Probably on their way as we speak." Sam's face drained of blood. Another groan. He knew that it wouldn't do well to get caught. Maya was supposedly dead to keep the feds from chasing her. His Dad was a well known criminal, and this gave the purple bellies every reason to lock him up for the rest of his life. The rest of them were affiliates with known wanted criminals. Lock up was their future if they didn't leave now.
Clutching his arm close to his chest he pulled himself up and took in another look at the sight. Trent was once again crouched over Maya, trying to coax back into the land of the conscious. Reid and his Dad were rubbing at limbs, painfully pulling themselves up and trying to stop themselves from falling over.
Trying to recall what had happened was fuzzy. Sam remembered they were being chased, explosions and then being blown back to where he landed and black. No…he wasn't blown back, he was pushed. His memory ran blank as to who pushed him. The only people who were in range to do such feat were Reid and Maya. He very much doubted it was Reid, leaving him with his sister. "Wake up baby, c'mon. I know you can hear me. Maya?"
She didn't look good. Her face was pale, but then again whose wasn't. What made her look worse was the puddle that leaked beneath her neck. If it was a head wound she was gone, if it was her back or shoulder she needed medical attention and fast. The Captain walked over and inspected her, putting two fingers to her neck to check for a pulse. "She's alive."
Whining engines sounded from outside. Sam listened to the slamming of doors and the pounding of fast footsteps.
They were caught.
Guns clicked and masks appeared in the shattered screen as the door to the shuttle was ripped open. "Hands where we can see them." Sam managed one hand, the other still closed to his chest. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Reid and Mal surrendering but Trent was still crouched over the still unconscious Maya. Several Alliance officers stepped into the small ruined space, guns levelled at everyone's bodies in case they attempted to make a break for it.
Moments later and a few more, higher level Alliance officers entered. Silence beseeched on the whole room as the Commanders took in the sight, "Take them to processing."
"What about her?" one of the officers asked, throwing his gun in the direction of a still unconscious Maya.
"I doubt she'll make it without medical attention. The rest however, broke the law and I do believe that you," the Commander strode up to meet Mal in the face, a smug grin in place. "Are one Malcolm Reynolds. So Captain, where's your ship?"
Mal kept quiet, eyes levelled to meet his in a silent standoff. A final order to take them away issued through the room and they had the old Captain had to fight with Trent to get him out of the room in one piece. The crew stood outside as one of the Commanders was called back inside. He emerged moments later muttering more instructions to his men. "Aiding and abetting a fugitive Captain, it doesn't surprise me. Unfortunately you won't get to see your daughter again."
Nobody saw the wild hard punch that Trent threw at the Commander. Mal and Reid both fought against the struggling pilot to hold him in place. That was not a good start to the long conversation that was going to take place.
A medical team carried Maya into the treatment room to patch up her wounds. Four officers were stationed inside the room whilst another three were stationed outside in case the fugitive attempted an escape. Two Alliance officials, both wearing blue gloves, walked past these guards and stood just to the side of the medical team. "It's her alright."
"It's been a long time Maya," the other recited as his hand withdrew a long silver chain from his pocket. It held two charred dog tags that once gleamed a shiny silver.
The first one looked up at the guards posted around the room. "We need some more security," he commented offhandedly. His partner agreed and another four guards were called to look over the detainment of one person. "Stop what you're doing."
No more words passed between them as the two blue handed people shooed everyone but the guards out of the room. They moved closer to Maya and peered closely at her features, than at the monitors wired up to her, and back to her face.
Her eyes flickered open the slightest bit before shutting tight again. Blue gloved hands stood out against the black of her lids. Trying to move her arm failed as it slumped heavily next to her side. More hands searched her body and she caught a whiff of disinfectant. The rich kind.
Panic struck her body and the needle in her arm pressed against the roof of her skin. She stretched her hand and felt a small thin tube. After lightly tugging on it she found out, from the pain, that it was going into her system. Judging from the grogginess she felt, Maya presumed it was drugs, so her hand stretched out just a little bit more and clasped tightly on a bend in the tube. Slowly, as the hands worked on her wounded areas, the grey spots fell away and sound hit her with full colour. "We need some more security." Her eyes cracked open slightly to assess how much security she already had. She managed to count four that she could see, probably more behind her.
"Stop what you're doing." Hands froze and moved away, the quiet pushing of the door told her that it was just her, the blue hands and whatever security was left in the room. Drugs still encompassed her body in a light blanket and she wished the remnant of the drugs away. Whatever grey and black spots were there before, soon disappeared as hot air grew near to her face. "Maya Reynolds, what a subject you are," hot air breathed on her face and before she knew it herself, a sudden throbbing echoed in the front of her head.
"Security," was heard from behind her, and swinging her leg up her ankle collided with the side of the blue hands face. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the bright light in the white room. The door opened and several armed guards encircled her, including the ones already in the room. The next thing that happened was a single spoken word and her mind went blank.
She watched through blank eyes as her body moved without instruction. Twisting, kicking, punching, stealing weapons, cutting and slicing, sending blood spraying up the walls. In her mind she heard the shouting for control that echoed numbly, fading away quickly from any senses.
Four dead, three unconscious, rest are walking wounded still fighting and blue hands hiding in corner. That was the quick assessment her mind conjured up before blinking out moves and defensive manoeuvres long since rammed into her mind. Each move and step was executed in perfect precision as more guards fell to the ground and fewer got up again each time.
Got you, her mind called out in a snarl. Mentally she willed her body to stop, shouting anything she could to slow it down enough to take control off. 'Stubborn' echoed through her mind, and this was why.
The two blue hands fell in crumpled heaps to the ground, her mind was satisfied but she wasn't.
A clicking of a door and her knees tucked in, scooping up a forgotten knife and swiping a loaded pistol from the floor. In one fluid motion, her body span in the direction of the door, her eyes catching her reflection in the two way mirror positioned in the room and she fired.
One shot echoed through the room, through the corridor and inside her mind a war raged with itself. Battle of Serenity, Shadow Ranch, Leaf on the wind. Nothing controlled the rage that filled her gut as one of the people who were stood at the door carefully spoke her name.
Another shot.
Behind the wall he ducked, his heart thumping at the near miss with death, again. Mal wasn't sure he wanted to chance his life, but something stirred in his mind as he peered around the corner to see her still stood there, gun outstretched and wavering slightly in the air from one side to the other. Her targets were picked out already; them. "Maya?!" He shouted into the room. It was a moment before another bullet sounded, echoing off the once clean walls.
Something was off about this, and that was what irked Mal the most. His head edged back around the corner to see her frozen in place, staring blankly towards where he stood. She was empty.
I've seen that before, he told himself. He gulped. He remembered that, and looking at the carnage of the room, he'd place a pretty good bet on that same idea. Hands shot up in front of him defensively. He didn't want to appear to be threatening in anyway, not that it mattered so much with River.
But something else was off about this. She hadn't shot him yet and she'd missed them three times. She hardly ever missed a shot with such an open target. Perhaps that was what gave him his confidence, he didn't know. Only that it was temporarily safe for him to be looking at her the way he was. "Maya?"
Another uncertain question answered with another round. He jumped and squeezed his eyes tight. It was a moment before he opened them again and twisted his head slightly. Two inches towards him and that would have been his head. Dead.
"Maya?" That was Trent's voice that quivered through the murky air, and another round sounded off, five inches away this time.
She was getting worse. Or better. He couldn't decide. Mal watched as Trent's mouth opened again to say something, but he never did. Never got the chance as Maya's body slumped to the ground in a heap. Nobody dared to move, still shocked that she had shot at them five times.
The gun and knife lay on the stained floor, her fingers were still and her breathing steady as Mal cautiously approached. She didn't move.
He kicked the gun and knife away just to be on the safe side, even if he knew she didn't need them. Tentatively, hands shot out to feel the slow rhythmic beat of a calmed pulse. It was steady and shallow against his fingers. His blue eyes flickered to her face, peaceful, soft and not a shred of hollowness he had just witnessed less than thirty seconds ago. 'Sleeping, safe word' jumped through his mind.
He gave Reid the order to carry her. Mal would have done it himself only with his age and growing tired limbs, he doubted he could carry her small frame by himself. Reid on the other hand wasn't. At first, the order remained un-followed, and he almost had to threaten the mercenary with bullets before he agreed.
Phoebe absently fingered one of the toy dinosaurs sat on the console. Her mind drifted to her friends who were late coming back from their job. Her eyes glanced to the window on the bridge, nothing but blue skies. "Think something went wrong?"
A shrug echoed back. "Perhaps it's just a delay," Ada tried to sound non chalant about the timing of the crew. She knew after a few weeks of working with the crew that things tended to go more on the rocky side of things rather than smooth. They just had to wait and come up with a possible plan B, or C just in case. "I'm sure there fine."
"Maybe," Phoebe sighed. The twins took that moment to approach the bridge.
"No word?" Cassie asked, her voice wavering slightly. Phoebe shook her head and went back to running her fingers over the dinosaurs.
Ada shuffled in her seat and pushed a few buttons, "What're ya doing?"
"Meeting at the rendezvous just in case," was the co-pilots response as the ship's engines kicked into life, lifting the ship into the air and over the land. "It's a safer spot than here anyways."
Phoebe had to agree. Now that they were seated in the middle of the hills. They were hidden behind hills on every side of the ship, ditched in a small dip that easily contained them. Tense silence filled the bridge.
When the radio crackled into life everyone jumped, "Ada, we're a little banged up here," it was Mal's voice filled the whole room. "We're gonna need ya to come in an' pick us up. Trent where are we?"
The sound of shuffling was heard as the radio was handed over to the pilot of Serenity, "Erm, where are you now?"
Ada's hands fumbled with their speaker before she managed to switch it on, "At the rendezvous spot."
"Right, erm," it was a moment as he mumbled to himself, obviously calculating a safe spot for both parties. "Nine clicks Southwest, I think, and there should be a bundle of trees with a clearing." Phoebe clicked on the map of the land, bringing up the spot that he was recalling from memory. She nodded over to the co-pilot and Ada relayed the affirmative to him, "Meet us there."
The engines kicked into life again and ten minutes later, Ada was landing the ship in the clearing with a little swaying of the ship.
Cassie and Rocky sat in the cargo bay, the ramp open as they waited with a decreasing amount of patience for their friends to turn up. Every now and again one of them would get up and wonder on the fringes of the tree line for any sight. "Come on, where are you?" Cassie hissed through the air.
"Pro'ly hurt," Rocky's dry voice spoke out. A beat passed before she spoke again, head cocked to her sisters worried face, "Bet ya five credits someone's out cold."
Her twin turned to face her with a face of shock. She couldn't believe that her sister was gambling on the safety of their friends as if it were normal. The smirk that echoed back at her twisted her throat, "Rocky, they mays be hurt."
"Five on Maya," Rocky concluded, reconfiguring her wager.
"This isn't funny sis'."
Her hands shot up defensively, eyes closed in careful consideration, "I'm not saying it is. Jus' sayin', most likely Maya. I woulda said Captain but he was talkin' on the radio. So, it was either her or Reid. Possibly Sam, but I'd wager Maya."
The taunting eyes were back, a competition evident in blue eyes. Cassie turned away and stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips with her eyes scanning the trees for any sign of movement. "Fine, if'n your scared."
"Reid," that single word placed a smile on Rocky's lips.
"Deal." Cassie sighed to herself as she stepped forward. Voices sounded and leaves rustled. The corners of her lips twitched up in hope and she smiled at the sight of the Captain, followed by Trent. Following him was Sam and Reid, one arm of Maya's around each of their shoulders as they dragged her into the ship.
They were all banged up, cuts, bruises and gashes littered all of their bodies, all in varying capacity. "Go get the engine ready for full burn," Mal then turned to the buttons, punching the ramp closed and pressing the speaker, "Phoebe, we're gonna need your help." He ended the call and looked to Trent, "go help fly for full burn."
Trent nodded obediently and Cassie noticed the half vacant look that he wore. Something bad had definitely happened. Something probably terrible. "Captain?"
The question was left unanswered as he turned harshly in her direction, "Cassie, you an' Rocky go prep the engine for full burn. We're gonna need some distance on us and this planet fast. Now." It was a moment before she stumbled towards the engine room.
Rocky followed close behind and as they passed the infirmary she couldn't help but glance in through the window. Reid and Sam had managed to manoeuvre Maya onto the table and both sat with some form of cut or other being held by a decent hand. Phoebe passed them on the way down and Cassie stalled for a second. 'Where was the shuttle?' She wanted to ask but refrained herself and did as she was told to do.
Phoebe quickly took in the scene. Everyone was hurt and Maya was unconscious. She started with the cook of the ship, working out as to any reasons why she would be asleep. "What happened?" Phoebe drew out. Nobody answered and she looked up to see Mal and Sam stony faced.
Mal left promptly after that, telling her that he'd swing by later on. Sam excused himself with a small wince, managing to get himself to the common room and resting his eyes. Phoebe turned her gaze towards the mercenary, "What happened?" she repeated.
At first he remained silent, but after her intense gaze fixed on his he gave in. "Shuttle crashed. Alliance had tagged us with anti-aircraft. Woke up an' she was unconscious. Feds came, took us in an' patched her up."
"Why'd they do that?"
He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes flicking to the woman in question momentarily. "You're guess is as good as mine." He took a shaky breath before he retold the rest of the story, "Anyways, we get out, find the infirmary an' feds are lying dead left, right an' centre. She shoots at us and then just falls. Me and Sam dragged her back and we travelled 'cross the land an' here we are."
His eyes met with her unsteady ones, the slight panic in her eyes not going unnoticed by him. A spot of silence passed between them before Phoebe cleared her throat. "Err, erm, so the err, Alliance patched her up for me then?" she received a nod and she moved towards Reid. "Let's get started with you then."
"Where are you hurt?" Reid lifted his stained shirt in response, a patch of blood dribbling from a gash in his side. "shun-SHENG duh gao-WAHN," was her immediate outburst.
Reid just chuckled at the language light-heartedly, "That bad huh?" He heard her mumble something and then moments later felt her start work of his injured side. A few minutes passed and she was busy taping gauze over his injured area. "Thanks," he told her as soon as she finished, replacing his stained shirt over his side.
"No problem, just remember, no heavy lifting, or strenuous movements. I want you resting for 2 weeks," she ordered. He only smiled in response, agreeing to her terms and conditions. "Good."
He nodded with a smile, making his way towards the door. A sudden thought occurred to the man and he paused, turning in the door. Reid watched as Phoebe checked Maya's vitals to make sure she wasn't too badly injured, red hair tumbling down over her shoulder in curls of locks. "Hey Phoebe?" She merely hummed as a sign of acknowledgment, her gaze fixed on the read outs. "Next planet we hit, you erm, you want to go grab some food. Ya'know, together."
Phoebe's face turned towards him with a stunned expression. Now he cursed himself for even asking her. "Sure, that's be nice," that sunny smile he so often saw was back and he gave a goofy grin back, nodding.
Mal jogged up to the bridge, ignoring the pain screaming through his leg. "I want us under every radar to Shadow." It was a simple order with the authority to not be disobeyed. He stood, watching as the two pilots debated a safe and appropriate course with one pit stop along the way to refuel. The Captain had no choice but to agree.
His blue eyes jumped to Trent's form, unusually stiff in the pilots seat and eerily quiet. "Trent ya hurt?"
"No, shiny Captain." It was short, quick and filled with no joke. So, un-Trent like. The twinge in his leg caught his attention and he squeezed his eyes tight to minimise the pain.
He looked back to the two pilots and noticed Ada shifting uncomfortably in her seat, "Ada, you ever cooked before?"
"I've done a little, not the best."
"You wanna go prepare some food for us? Been a while since we ate."
He left no room for argument, an order more than a question he offered her in a softer tone of authority. Even with the crappy mood he was in and the crappy situation, she didn't need him being too grouchy in her first couple of weeks. Ada nodded and he stood aside to let her pass. His eyes followed her movement before coming back to Trent.
Ignoring the twinge in his leg he limped over to the free seat and studied his pilot carefully. "Ya alright?" Silence and a nod was his answer. Fingers were twiddling idly with a dinosaur, eyes concentrating on a certain spot with a far away gaze. Mal sighed and turned his head towards the window of black, "What's wrong?"
"I'll be in my bunk," he did not expect that answer from him. Trent made it to the door before Mal spoke out. "What?"
"You can talk to me," he watched as Trent measured the idea in his mind, calculating with his eyes. The offer was declined when the pilot turned and left Mal sat on the bridge in silence.
"Trip'll take the better part of the week," was thrown back over his shoulder and Mal sighed at the words. He settled back in the seat, eyes blankly staring out of the window. His leg twinged again and he rubbed at in an attempt to ease the pain. When it persisted in remaining he decided to go ask Phoebe to take a look at it.
It ached, the walk to the infirmary, but he managed it, sighing with delight at being able to rest for days. Reaching the bottom he looked through the window and saw that Maya's face was twitching slightly, close to waking up. His eyes than travelled to Sam and Phoebe, both camped out in the common area with Sam protesting to pain every now and again.
Phoebe's gaze caught him standing there, "Captain," she spoke, ditching Sam and helping him to sit down. He was thankful that she did, pretty sure he would have collapsed in a heap if she hadn't. "You shoulda' let me look at ya earlier." She fussed over him for the next ten minutes and it was the slowest ten minutes in his life as any pain killers she gave him made him dreary and light headed.
"Trent an' Ada's got us on a course for Shadow, be there near a week," he mumbled through the haze of drugs. He was aware of a vague response before he passed out on the couch.
When he woke up he didn't quite recognise the ceiling above him. Stretching, he pulled his legs over the side of the bed and what had happened yesterday came back to mind, along with the pain in his leg. Hobbling over to the door he pulled it open and found himself in the passenger dorm.
Mal closed it behind him as he walked towards the infirmary, empty. 'Maya must've been moved.' He had been moved so it was the only logical idea. The smell of hot food drifted down the stairs and he inhaled the aromatic smell. His legs followed it to the galley and found lightly simmering food cooking in a pot.
That was definitely it. He didn't realise how hungry he was until his stomach gave a low growl of protest. A bowl in hand he spooned a few spoons of the mixture into the bowl and sat at the table with a groan.
He sat and fed his hungry stomach and looked up as people slowly entered the room and filled in the seats. Sam sat down next to him, emitting a small groan himself and Phoebe and Reid sat on is other side discussing some sort of 'date'. Mal told himself he'd need to remember that for later. Cassie and Rocky were the next to come in, talking about the engine until they sat down. Ada strolled in afterwards with a warm smile aimed to everyone.
With no appearance from his last two members, he vaguely wondered if things were back on track with them. But those thoughts were shattered as Trent walked in with an empty bowl, washing it and depositing on the side before walking out, not saying a single word to anyone except Phoebe who had said 'Hi' first.
Minutes passed as food was ate and people talked. It was when Mal had finished his second bowl of food and had slouched back in his chair that Maya stumbled in. He noticed that she tried to look cheery, but a look around the table told him that he was probably the only one looking at her without any second thoughts. Sadly, his eyes watched as she filled a bowl with some of the food and picked up a fork, making her way back out of the galley. "Why don't ya sit down?"
She froze and he kicked out the chair nearest to him, in between him and Phoebe. He thanked whoever was listening that she obediently sat and tried for a friendly smile to him. "Sleep well?" She nodded back and he smiled at the sight.
"I'm still a little bit sore but, it'll pass." Mal's eyes caught sight of shifting happening further up the table. Conversation died down as eyes glanced conspicuously towards his end of the table.
The rest of the meal continued in the same way, silence and whispers that irritated his nerves. There were the odd strands of conversation that were easy to hear and he as glad that not everyone was left out of it.
When people started clearing out he held Maya back and sat her down at the table. "What happened yesterday?" He caught the guilty expression she wore as her eyes fell to stare at the top of the table. "Look, I'm not gonna pin you out on it or disregard you for it. I just want some answers. So…what happened?"
It was a moment before she opened her mouth and he knew she was struggling to find the right words, "Erm, they found a erm, found a way to trigger me I guess." The shrug of her shoulders told him that she was still trying to figure it out herself.
Six days later, Serenity landed on Shadow and the ramp lowered down onto the ground. Trent turned the controls off and slowly trailed his way towards the ramp to meet everyone again. He tried to pull on a happy face, but as soon as he approached his parents his mother saw through it, "What's happened honey?"
He tried to brush it off, "Nothing mom, I'm fine. I'm A okay." She wasn't buying it and once his mum was on to him, his dad was too.
"Trent, what's happened?" his dad whined and he stopped himself from rolling his eyes.
"Nothing, why would you think something's happened?"
It wasn't often his mouth moved of its own accord to his parents, and he knew that they wouldn't let it drop. Not yet anyway. They'd keep badgering him until they got some sort of answer. So instead of waiting around to be questioned he made his way towards the house, claiming he wanted to see his brothers.
He would have said sister too but she was on Osiris in flight school. She'd gone there two months ago and wasn't going to come back for a long time.
"Mal, what's happened?" Zoë turned her accusing tone on the old Captain, one eyebrow raised in a serious manner that told you not to mess with her.
"Bad job Zo'." She still wasn't biting, the look she gave him just getting deeper.
"My son wouldn't act like that over a bad job. So what happened?"
How could he tell her he didn't know, and she would believe him? He didn't think it was possible and the piercing accusing gaze she left him with was his belief to that fact. This trip was going to get very interesting.
Shun-SHENG duh gao-WAHN - - - - holy testicle Tuesday