AN: Bet you didn't think this would be up so soon! That's the beauty of a day off to rest. Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 16: Destroyer of worlds
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The cold marble floor is the first thing to prick his senses as he starts to come out of his dreamlike trance. The smell of explosives invades his nostrils next. Slowly, the Joker sits up and looks around. He vaguely remembers being dragged here but those things. Thrown to the floor in front of some witch. She had barked at Waller… was that the broad's name? Next thing he knew he had passed out.
His consciousness and senses catch back up to him and he groans and staggers to his feet, looking around as he does. He sees the broad a few feet away from him and shrugs. Not his loss. But he also hears something… something coming from the other side of the room.
"Well what do we have here…" He says as he staggers towards the rest of the group.
They all turn towards him… startled by the unexpected voice he imagines since they all draw their weapons.
"Jeez… jumpy crowd."
"Puddin!" Harley yells as she practically flies towards him and wraps her arms around him.
He stumbles slightly as she catches him but rights himself before he falls. "Careful baby, Daddy feels like my heads been exploded one too many times."
It's then that the Joker sees the figure lying on the ground that Harley had been next to a moment before.
"What's wrong with kitty-cat?"
XXX
River's POV
It's a mirror image… standing here again… like a lifetime ago. But was it lifetime, or just a breath of time and space?
"Ahh… but you assume that time and space are indeed measurable." Enchantress says as she appears to read my thoughts and moves through the doors and into the cargo bay proper. "Even you… with all your gifts … should know better than that. No… even you should be able to see what this really is… who we really are."
I feel my head twitch to the side as I consider her words. And I feel the pieces click into place in my head. As they do, a smile creeps onto her lips.
"One consequence… one outcome out of many. There is no one universe. There is a multitude."
"And what happens when those multiple universes interact?" She goads me, like a villain goading a hero. Except I was never the hero in this story.
"A particle shift…explosive reaction… enough to create a new universe in its wake."
She smiles… a full smile that makes her seem less human and more snake…with razor like teeth on display. "Precisely."
My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach and I feel myself breaking in two. I was indeed her weapon. She had maneuvered me through time and space to be the intersecting point in each. Two atoms on a path of collision. "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
"River?"
My breath catches in my throat. I hadn't expected to hear the voice behind me, and it's effect on me is like plunging into icy water; my entire body goes into shock.
XXX
The squad stands around River's body lying on the floor, her head cradled in Digger's lap. The virus... or whatever it is, continues to spread along her body.
Then there is the unmistakable hiss of inhuman breathing and crack of electricity fill their ears. One by one, they turn and look towards the swirling black magic that they had ignored up until now.
"Guys…" Harley says as she takes a few steps back towards the squad.
It's then that the first Reaver seems to appear out of the swirling mass. No one knows what to think, but as the next one appears… seeming to be spit out of thin air… the squad snaps to action.
"Light'em up! Keep them away from them!" Flag screams as he scrambles from Dr. Moone's side to lay down heavy fire.
Deadshot and Katana are quick to join the fray, while Harley dashes forward to help Digger with Dr. Moone and Tam. Croc strides past her, an animalistic roar emanating from him, while Diablo starts letting loose a barage of fireballs.
"Puddin' help me with this one!" Harley says as she starts to scoop Dr. Moone's arm around her shoulder to drag her away.
The Joker does so without protest, and they drag Dr. Moone behind the downed pillar that Digger had carried Tam to.
"Don't let those things get close to them." Harley says to Digger before she turns to walk back towards the fight. Digger gives her a small nod as he once again positions Tam's head in his lap.
But before Harley can get back to the others to help, she feels her arm being yanked towards one of the doors that leads out of the main hall.
"PUDDIN!" She yells as she tries to wrench her arm out of the Joker's grasp.
"Yes, baby?"
"Where the hell do you think we're goin'?" Harley says as continues to try and head towards the squad.
"We're gettin' while the gettin's good hun. It's you and me." He doesn't even bother to look over his shoulder as he continues to drag her along.
And for once in Harley's life… she's utterly disgusted with him, her Puddin.
"NO!" She says as she finally yanks her arm free. "I ain't leavin'um like this."
XXX
…Back on Serenity…
River's POV
I turn and take in his disheveled form. The vestiges of sleep still linger on his face, and they mix together with genuine concern.
"Simon." His name falls from my lips in an almost pleading manner.
"What are you doing down here? I heard you get up, did you have another nightmare?"
Enchantress's laugh echoes through my mind and I feel like my mind is breaking apart.
I shake my head and try to keep tears from falling from my eyes. "No Simon. Not a nightmare." I close the distance between us and throw my arms around him. Embracing him a tight hug that it takes a minute for him to return.
"Hey… hey. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. I'm here." He says as he rubs soothing circles on my back.
It feels so wonderful. To have him here in this moment with me. It is bittersweet, and I know this moment with Simon is one of the ones I will cherish for the rest of my life. "Simon…" I say as I start to pull away. "You take care of me, Simon. You've always taken care of me."
"Of course River, that's what I am here for." He says as he looks at me with a look of puzzlement on his face.
"But now it's my turn to take care of you."
His look of confusion continues to grow as the worry lines increase on his face. He's about to speak when the warning buzzers of Serenity's systems begin to blare throughout the space. "I don't understand."
I smile at him, as the tears begin to stream down my face. "I'm sorry…" I say before she punches him in the throat and then delivers a kick to his head.
XXX
…Back in Midway City…
The Joker is rarely surprised by the woman in front of him. Rarely did she do what he did not expect. She was completely devoted to him. He asked her to kill, she did so without batting an eye. But he was surprised by the fact that this was the moment she chose to defy him.
He looks as if she has backhanded him across the face. He does not like this new spine she seems to have grown. "Let's go home baby." The Joker growls at her.
"NO! I ain't leaving!"
He erupts in anger. "AFTER EVERYTHING I DID TO GET YOU OUTTA HERE? AFTER EVERYTHING SHE DID TO PUT YOU HERE!"
But Harley refuses to back down. "SHE DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE… AND I AIN'T LEAVING HER HERE WITH THEM!" She yells back at him.
It's at this moment that GQ and Frost come hobbling into the atrium, almost running straight into Harley and the Joker.
"BOSS!" Frost yells as he helps the kid hobble closer to the two of them.
"Where do you think you two are going?" GQ asks as he looks between the two. The unmistaken of gunfire and a battle is just beyond them in the other room.
"We're outta here." Joker says as he once again turns to leave while grabbing for Harley's arm. Except this time she pulls her gun on him.
"No… I'm not!" She says as she moves closer to support GQ. Frost moves towards his boss, and they are effectively squaring off.
"Boss?" Frost questions. His hand hovering over where his sidearm is holstered.
Neither Harley or Joker look away from each other. Nothin is said between the two, but it's the first time that the Joker realizes that she is just as unpredictable as he was.
"Let's go." He says to Frost as he turns and walks away.
Harley narrows her eyes at his retreating form out the door and blows a raspberry behind his back before turning and helping GQ back towards where the others are fighting. She quickly gets him situated near Digger and the two unconscious females. "Keep her safe." Is all she says to the two of them before she runs back to where the others are still fighting the onslaught of Reavers that keep appearing.
XXX
Malcolm Reynolds was never a heavy sleeper. Too many years spent working on his mama's ranch had taught him that things could go sideways at a moments notice and you had to be prepared. Which is why when the alarm sirens on Serenity started blaring, he was quick to fall into Captain mode.
"Kaylee, need you in the engine room!" He yells into Serenity's comm system before he climbs the ladder out of his bunk. As his bunk door slides open he sees her running towards the engine room.
Wash and Zoe emerge from their bunk almost right after Mal, and Wash doesn't even wait to be told he was needed on the bridge before darting there. Zoe stands at attention in front of Mal, falling back into her role as second in command with ease. "Sir?" She questions Mal.
"Need you on the bridge with Wash, report on whatever it is that is trippin' those alarms." He says quickly.
She nods and follows after her husband.
The next people Mal runs into are Shepherd Book and Jayne. "Captain? What's going on?" Book questions.
"It Reavers?" Jayne says with fear evident in his voice.
"Don't rightly know. But you two need to get down to the weapons lockers and pull enough for the crew. Don't know what we're dealin' with but don't want to be caught with our pants down."
They nod and quickly hurry to grab what they can. Mal walks down the hall to the common area and grabs the com to call into the bridge. "Zoe, talk to me."
"You're going to want to come to the bridge to see this Sir."
XXX
River's POV
I can feel all their minds. Awake, alert, and scared. It's suffocating, and I have to push through their fear to steady myself and not get swept away with it. I run to the nearest porthole to look outside.
"It's a tear… we're colliding and she's tearing the fragile veil that is time in two." I say to myself as I watch the inky magic begin to shot across the sky… electrical tendrils shooting out of the inside.
Her maniacal laughter resounds in my brain. "My spell is almost complete. Once our worlds have collided, my darkness will spread across both worlds. And it would be mine to rule."
I swallow the lump in my throat and again choke down the fear I feel emanating from everyone else on the ship. Her laughter continues in my mind. "For the last time ... join me…and we can rule over them together."
I will everything I around me to slow down.. time… space… and for the briefest of moments I feel like it does. Feel the weight and suffocation of their fear list from me, and it's in that moment I know what I have to do. I was never meant to be more than a weapon… and a weapon can never be the sum of its parts.
"I'll never let you win." I whisper.
I steal one more glance at Simon's crumpled form on the cargo bay floor before I take off in a run through the rest of Serenity.
XXX
Jayne and Book think nothing River running past them through the hall of Serenity.
"Watch it moon-brain." Jayne says as he moves swiftly to avoid her running into him.
But when they move past her and into the cargo bay, they both immediately question why she was running.
"Doc?" Jayne says as he approaches the crumpled heap on the floor. "You check him, I am going to get the guns." Jayne says to Shepherd Book before turning and moving towards the weapons lockers.
Book roles Simon over and checks his pulse. It's steady and Simon begins to groan. "Where is she?" Simon says as he starts to come to.
"It's alright son, take it easy. What happened?" Book questions as he helps Simon sit up.
XXX
…Midway City…
GQ continues to provide cover for Boomerang, Dr. Moone, and Tam. He fires at a few of the Reavers that have made it past the others or that come in from the back entrance before stealing glances back at the unconscious form of Tam.
"Come on doll, you got this." Digger says as he strokes the side of River's face, which was now almost entirely black.
"What happened?" Dr. Moone says as she starts to come to. GQ and Boomerang turn and look at her. Quickly appraising if it's her or Enchantress.
"That witch caused a whole lotta trouble." GQ says as he fires at another Reaver coming through the back entrance. He was starting to run low on bullets and was getting anxious.
As Dr. Moone sits up and locks at the still unconscious form of River next to her, a horrible feeling settles over her.
"Oh no… she's in her." Dr. Moone says as she moves closer and starts to examine her. "Where is her heart?" She asks.
GQ motions behind him as he continues to hold off the Reavers. "In that case."
Dr. Moone scrambles over to the case and quickly tries to open it.
XXX
River's POV
I won't have much time… I never had much time before Simon found me… he always found me. Just like an older brother should. But what I need to do… where I need to go… there will be no following me there.
"Your resistance is futile little girl… you cannot undo what has begun." Enchantress taunts.
"I will not be your catalyst I will not be the fuse to this deadly collision." I say as I quickly enter the medical bay and seal the door behind me. I quickly punch in Kaylee's override code… the one that can lock any door on Serenity and make it impossible to open. I kick the keypad and smash it for good measure.
I then turn my attention to finding what I need. I need to be quick… I start collecting all the parts I need. Laying them out on the table in front of me. Simon may have been scrimped for more advanced supplies out in the black… but he always made sure he had enough of the basics. And the basics would work just fine.
The ship rocks as if it has been hit… and I know her tear is getting worse outside. If I wait much longer it will be too late.
I hear them… running up the hall. Hear the questions in their heads about what the crazy girl is up to now. When they start banging on the glass to the med bay… I do my best to block them out.
"River, this isn't funny!" Simon says as he yells through the glass.
"Come on Moon brain! QUIT PLAYING GAMES!"
I stare at the syringe and small vial in front of me. It's nothing I have not seen before… not wished for… or welcomed. This time… I greet this as an old friend… on my terms and as a choice.
The ship rocks again and there is a hiss of electricity around the ship. I don't have much longer.
I wrap the tourniquet around my arm and flex my fingers and palm to make my vein more prominent. Once it's visible, I pick up the syringe and plunge it into the vein. AS the plunger is depressed completely, I draw the syringe away and undo the tourniquet. I slump to the floor as I feel the drugs enter my bloodstream.
It's funny in a way. The joke was on me…
I'm still vaguely aware of the screaming and glass breaking behind me as I finally feel it taking hold. I look at the heartbroken face of my brother as my last few moments creep up on me. I smile at him and will myself to mouth one last goodbye.
"Till I finally died which started the whole world living."
XXX
As Dr. Moone frantically opens the case holding Enchantress's heart, she reaches over and grabs one of the karambits on Tam's side.
"WOAH, what do you think you are doing!" Boomerang yells as he tries to move Tam's head out of his lap and get to Dr. Moone before she can bring the blade down to pierce the Witch's heart.
But he's too late, and the blade connects and emits a ghastly sound.
XXX
Croc throws the grenades at the portal, Deadshot swears he hears Tam's voice inside his head. "Till I finally died which started the whole world living."
The bullet connects… and the fiery explosion that ensues knocks everyone back on their asses.
XXX
AN: Okay, so I fully admit I cried writing this chapter. Because I always knew it would come to this. I hope you don't hate me too much for this update. But don't worry, we aren't done yet. What do they say about cats? ;)