End Game by Proxii Bleu
IV
"Good morning." Simon Tam slowly opened his eyes, and looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. He could tell just by the intensity of the soft yellow light filtering through the white muslin curtains on the window that it was about four hours after sunrise, but the events of the previous night were a mystery to him.
The last thing he remembered was finishing his shower, and then going downstairs to have some stew with River. The rest of the crew had arrived by then, and he recalled hearing Wash chide Mal about being yelled at by Marylin - that had been right after he had finished eating his last bowl. Another woman had come in shortly after that, Kaylee's mother, and asked him if he wanted some more to eat. He'd said yes, but after that his memory was a blank.
Stretching out, he looked around for whoever had welcomed him to the new day. In the corner of the room sat Marylin herself. Her long fingers skillfully knitting a sweater as she waited for the younger man to wake up. Cautiously, Simon sat up. He was dressed in a pair of soft white pajamas, the warmth beneath him the result of a heating pad that must have already been in the bed.
"How did you sleep?"
"Um, good. How did I get here?"
"You fell asleep at the table right after my sister asked you if you wanted more to eat. I must say, outside of my boys, you're the first guest I've had eat that much of my stew. Do you get enough on Serenity?"
"Yes, I guess I was hungrier than I thought." Simon climbed out of bed. A fresh change of clothes were on the chair next to bed, along with a tall glass of water on the nightstand. Marylin got up from her seat taking her yarn with her.
"The rest are already outside having a look around the farm, so I only have you and your sister left to feed."
"Where's Kaylee?"
"Kaylee? She was up before the chickens, she's off with her brothers in the river. I don't think she'll be back 'til afternoon. Come downstairs, I want to talk to you anyway." With that the older woman left, Simon standing there wondering about the dynamics of territory families. When she was younger, Lily Tam used to be just like Marylin with her children. She would sing songs, and tell jokes all for the benefit of her little ones.
But over the years after being married to her husband the light in her began to die until the point when she would mainly just sit by one of the windows of their house, and sip wine all day. Her green eyes almost glazed over as she kept to her thoughts, the only time she spoke was to inform Robert that someone important had called, and that his children had excelled once again.
Now that he was older, and had a little more insight into the character of his father Simon supposed her change in demeanor was due to the unreasonable demands for perfection from the man. He drove her and her children to the breaking point, which was why River probably agreed to go the the Academy anyway, even if she had picked up on some sort of danger. It wasn't a strange thought, Simon had left home as soon as possible as well.
Shaking his head, he pushed the unpleasant memories aside, and went downstairs. River was already sitting at the table dressed in an unfamiliar pair of pants, and sleeveless black top with pockets on the front. She was staring at her plate as if her food was alive, her fork poised above it ready to strike at any moment.
Looking over her shoulder, Simon noticed that she had poached eggs, and realised the situation. River had never liked her eggs cooked like that, her reason was that she never liked things that looked back at her when she was about to eat them. Keeping out of the range of her fork, Simon took her plate, and went over to the sink. She didn't like poached eggs, but he did.
Scraping them into a fresh dish, he set about scrambling some for her. Marylin reappeared through the door off the kitchen, and looked at Simon who was standing next to the stove trying to see if it was warm. The Frye's had some modern convieniences as a result of a self-contained generator on the property, but everything else was done the old-fashioned way. Grumbling, the doctor wondered if he would have to take his sister into town for breakfast.
"What are you doing?" asked Marylin as she joined Simon by the stove. "You don't like the way the eggs are cooked?"
"No, I'm just scrambling some." Marylin arched her eyebrows, her long arms folding over her chest as she stared at Tam.
"If you want me to do something fancy to them, all you have to do is ask."
"Really?" Simon could never really tell when he was rubbing someone the wrong way. Privately River supposed it was due to the fact that he'd lived his entire life in a society that was goverened by a set standard of personal and social conduct.
Plus he was a boob.
"Well actually it's for River, she likes her eggs scrambled." He picked up the plate with her original breakfast on it. "These are fine for me." Marylin shook her head. Reading was a skill that was taxing on the senses, as a result most of the time she went on visual cues. River sensed this, and spoke up.
"They look at me." she said matter-of-factly. Marylin looked over at the girl, and then back at her brother. Shooing him out of the way, she broke two more into a bowl, and set to scrambling them.
"Go sit down at the table. There's sausage in that covered dish." Helping himself to the meat, he neatly folded his napkin into his lap, and started in on his meal.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" River smiled as a clump of freshly scrambled eggs appeared in front of her. Done, Marylin sat down at the head of her table, and watched the pair. Barring her reasons for such insight, outside of her natural gifts, she could tell what was the cause of River's disjointed speech that she employed. After years of careful study she knew how to protect such secrets from others within her mind, but the knowledge that was buried within her was why a pang of guilt surged through her as she looked at the girl.
Cruelty of that level, would not have been possible if it had not been for her. It was the reason why even now she continued her work, to make a difference to those like River, but she knew that even until the day she died she would never feel as though it was enough. Turning her attentions away from such dark thoughts, she instead focused on Simon.
"Yes, I was talking to River earlier, and she told me that she was seeking a purpose."
"Ah yes. Um, my sister has been ill for sometime, and just recently started getting better, as a result she would like to have a job of sorts."
"The only thing is that Mal already has everything scheduled out to everyone who doesn't act crazy?" Simon almost choked on his sausage. Marylin just smiled as he tried to compose himself. There was no way he was ever going to get used to being around a person like her, especially since there were things that he was trying to keep from coming to light.
"Well Simon, there's nothing to be surprised about, I just wanted to know if it was all right with you if I showed her some of the finer points of being a Healer." River looked at Simon pleadingly. He could already tell that she had her heart set on it, and saying no might be more trouble than it was worth. What was the harm in it? It wasn't like it was real medicine. Marylin fought an urge to frown, while River just stared at her brother.
"Don't be obtuse Simon, can I or can I not?" Simon shook his head. There was something bothering him about Kaylee's aunt, but it was a subject best broached when River wasn't around.
"Sure, as long as you feel up to it." River gave out a squeal of delight, and hugged her brother tight.
"I have to ge tell Kaylee!" With that she bounded out of the door leaving him alone with Marylin who was calmly sipping her tea. Her fingers locked around the handle of the cup in an iron grip.
"How long was she with the Alliance?" Simon looked over at the older woman who was staring at him with a fixed gaze. One look into her blue eyes let him know that she expected nothing less than the truth.
"Almost four years, I was only recently able to free her from some sort of lab that was contained within her school."
"What was done to her, specifically?"
"I'm not sure-"
"Belive me Simon, I understand more than you give me credit for. Now tell me, what was done to her."
"They stipped her amygdala for some reason I'm not sure of. Many of her problems since have been the result of trauma, but she's been getting better."
"I know, I can tell that there has been some healing, but River is holding a part of herself back."
"Excuse me?" Marylin set down her cup.
"I'm saying Simon that as far as I can tell your sister is better, but she's stopping the last part of her recovery. All I can gather is that her reason for doing so is fear of losing control once she takes that final step, that is why I want to work with her." At this Simon balked.
"I think my sister has been 'handled' enough thank you."
"I'm not talking about handling her Simon, I am talking about teaching her simple skills that she can build onto what little control she already has. I think you already know that her condition isn't a disease. Just like a baby learns to walk, you sister has to control her mind. Do you really think I was born with the ability to read people?"
"From what I understand, yes."
"The ability is there, but the tools to use it aren't. I have taught almost every single Reader in this family how to control themselves since I was fourteen. Teaching is very different from handling." Simon looked down at his empty plate. He knew what she was saying, it was the same thing that he had heard from the mysterious Selma Ennes when she had been lying in his medbay after collapsing in her room. Marylin was right, River needed to learn control, but this was a subject that he had always believed to be nothing more than a tool employed by quacks who were out to earn an easy credit. He never believed that there really was such a thing as Readers, Seers, or the like, and now that he was faced with such a reality he was afraid to contfront it.
Marylin sensed his unease, and took one of his hands lightly in hers. He wasn't the first man she had come across who had a fear of sensitive people. That fear was the driving force behind the group that had done such a grievous harm to his sister, but again it was a train of thought best left for another time. Looking at Simon, she smiled warmly as she sorted through him.
The boy was an Intuitive, no where near the level of clarity found in Sensitives, Readers, or Seers like his sister, but capable nonetheless. It was most likely what enabled him to be such a good doctor, and why he had known that there was something wrong with his sister. His type always knew, before they saw.
"Look, it isn't any different from any of your other senses. It is just the result of hyperactivity in the cerebral cortex of the brain, regulated by the amygdala." said Marylin. "It just takes a little more practice to use. Everyone has it, some more than others-" The older woman stopped, Simon was just staring at her. How could someone who professed to be a backwater Healer, know something like that? Marylin realized her mistake, and quickly covered.
"Well in theory that's what it is, but you see it's not a disease." Simon smiled, his hands removing the soiled napkin from his lap. He didn't buy it, something had been triggered in his mind about Marylin, and it wasn't willing to let it go. However, he wasn't sure how sensitive Marylin was so he just supressed his feelings as he had done so many times in his life.
"Well I've tried everything else so far, I don't see how this could hurt."
"She'll be fine. You'll see." Marylin looked over at the window, namely the sun shining through it. "Now, it's a nice day outside so why don't you go be out in it?" Simon politely thanked her for breakfast, and went upstairs to freshen up before going outside. Left to her thoughts, Marylin picked up the plates from the table, and took them over to the sink. She had to be careful about Simon, like most Intuitives he had the innate ability to inspire ease in people around him. If she had her defenses up, he would have never been able to coax such a lapse in judgement out of her, but if she had done so his sister would have tried to dig deeper to see the cause of alarm in her, and that would have been a disaster.
Leaning her head against the cabinet, she looked out the window over the sink, and frowned as she felt a pressure at the back of her head. The rest of her family wasn't there yet, so there was no reason for her to be feeling as if there was someone trying to scan her mind. She knew it wasn't Simon's sister, the sense was wrong. This was somebody trying to be sneaky, and underhanded. Raising her defenses she sighed as the feeling went away, but not the impression that there was something terribly wrong. In all of her years, Marylin Lee Frye had only felt that vibe three times, and each time it meant that there was a tragedy afoot.
If she had listened to that feeling when she had worked for the Alliance, there would not be so much innocent blood on her hands. Eyeing the shotgun she kept by the door she wondered if she was prepared for whoever had been scanning her mind.
Or what.
IV
"Good morning." Simon Tam slowly opened his eyes, and looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. He could tell just by the intensity of the soft yellow light filtering through the white muslin curtains on the window that it was about four hours after sunrise, but the events of the previous night were a mystery to him.
The last thing he remembered was finishing his shower, and then going downstairs to have some stew with River. The rest of the crew had arrived by then, and he recalled hearing Wash chide Mal about being yelled at by Marylin - that had been right after he had finished eating his last bowl. Another woman had come in shortly after that, Kaylee's mother, and asked him if he wanted some more to eat. He'd said yes, but after that his memory was a blank.
Stretching out, he looked around for whoever had welcomed him to the new day. In the corner of the room sat Marylin herself. Her long fingers skillfully knitting a sweater as she waited for the younger man to wake up. Cautiously, Simon sat up. He was dressed in a pair of soft white pajamas, the warmth beneath him the result of a heating pad that must have already been in the bed.
"How did you sleep?"
"Um, good. How did I get here?"
"You fell asleep at the table right after my sister asked you if you wanted more to eat. I must say, outside of my boys, you're the first guest I've had eat that much of my stew. Do you get enough on Serenity?"
"Yes, I guess I was hungrier than I thought." Simon climbed out of bed. A fresh change of clothes were on the chair next to bed, along with a tall glass of water on the nightstand. Marylin got up from her seat taking her yarn with her.
"The rest are already outside having a look around the farm, so I only have you and your sister left to feed."
"Where's Kaylee?"
"Kaylee? She was up before the chickens, she's off with her brothers in the river. I don't think she'll be back 'til afternoon. Come downstairs, I want to talk to you anyway." With that the older woman left, Simon standing there wondering about the dynamics of territory families. When she was younger, Lily Tam used to be just like Marylin with her children. She would sing songs, and tell jokes all for the benefit of her little ones.
But over the years after being married to her husband the light in her began to die until the point when she would mainly just sit by one of the windows of their house, and sip wine all day. Her green eyes almost glazed over as she kept to her thoughts, the only time she spoke was to inform Robert that someone important had called, and that his children had excelled once again.
Now that he was older, and had a little more insight into the character of his father Simon supposed her change in demeanor was due to the unreasonable demands for perfection from the man. He drove her and her children to the breaking point, which was why River probably agreed to go the the Academy anyway, even if she had picked up on some sort of danger. It wasn't a strange thought, Simon had left home as soon as possible as well.
Shaking his head, he pushed the unpleasant memories aside, and went downstairs. River was already sitting at the table dressed in an unfamiliar pair of pants, and sleeveless black top with pockets on the front. She was staring at her plate as if her food was alive, her fork poised above it ready to strike at any moment.
Looking over her shoulder, Simon noticed that she had poached eggs, and realised the situation. River had never liked her eggs cooked like that, her reason was that she never liked things that looked back at her when she was about to eat them. Keeping out of the range of her fork, Simon took her plate, and went over to the sink. She didn't like poached eggs, but he did.
Scraping them into a fresh dish, he set about scrambling some for her. Marylin reappeared through the door off the kitchen, and looked at Simon who was standing next to the stove trying to see if it was warm. The Frye's had some modern convieniences as a result of a self-contained generator on the property, but everything else was done the old-fashioned way. Grumbling, the doctor wondered if he would have to take his sister into town for breakfast.
"What are you doing?" asked Marylin as she joined Simon by the stove. "You don't like the way the eggs are cooked?"
"No, I'm just scrambling some." Marylin arched her eyebrows, her long arms folding over her chest as she stared at Tam.
"If you want me to do something fancy to them, all you have to do is ask."
"Really?" Simon could never really tell when he was rubbing someone the wrong way. Privately River supposed it was due to the fact that he'd lived his entire life in a society that was goverened by a set standard of personal and social conduct.
Plus he was a boob.
"Well actually it's for River, she likes her eggs scrambled." He picked up the plate with her original breakfast on it. "These are fine for me." Marylin shook her head. Reading was a skill that was taxing on the senses, as a result most of the time she went on visual cues. River sensed this, and spoke up.
"They look at me." she said matter-of-factly. Marylin looked over at the girl, and then back at her brother. Shooing him out of the way, she broke two more into a bowl, and set to scrambling them.
"Go sit down at the table. There's sausage in that covered dish." Helping himself to the meat, he neatly folded his napkin into his lap, and started in on his meal.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" River smiled as a clump of freshly scrambled eggs appeared in front of her. Done, Marylin sat down at the head of her table, and watched the pair. Barring her reasons for such insight, outside of her natural gifts, she could tell what was the cause of River's disjointed speech that she employed. After years of careful study she knew how to protect such secrets from others within her mind, but the knowledge that was buried within her was why a pang of guilt surged through her as she looked at the girl.
Cruelty of that level, would not have been possible if it had not been for her. It was the reason why even now she continued her work, to make a difference to those like River, but she knew that even until the day she died she would never feel as though it was enough. Turning her attentions away from such dark thoughts, she instead focused on Simon.
"Yes, I was talking to River earlier, and she told me that she was seeking a purpose."
"Ah yes. Um, my sister has been ill for sometime, and just recently started getting better, as a result she would like to have a job of sorts."
"The only thing is that Mal already has everything scheduled out to everyone who doesn't act crazy?" Simon almost choked on his sausage. Marylin just smiled as he tried to compose himself. There was no way he was ever going to get used to being around a person like her, especially since there were things that he was trying to keep from coming to light.
"Well Simon, there's nothing to be surprised about, I just wanted to know if it was all right with you if I showed her some of the finer points of being a Healer." River looked at Simon pleadingly. He could already tell that she had her heart set on it, and saying no might be more trouble than it was worth. What was the harm in it? It wasn't like it was real medicine. Marylin fought an urge to frown, while River just stared at her brother.
"Don't be obtuse Simon, can I or can I not?" Simon shook his head. There was something bothering him about Kaylee's aunt, but it was a subject best broached when River wasn't around.
"Sure, as long as you feel up to it." River gave out a squeal of delight, and hugged her brother tight.
"I have to ge tell Kaylee!" With that she bounded out of the door leaving him alone with Marylin who was calmly sipping her tea. Her fingers locked around the handle of the cup in an iron grip.
"How long was she with the Alliance?" Simon looked over at the older woman who was staring at him with a fixed gaze. One look into her blue eyes let him know that she expected nothing less than the truth.
"Almost four years, I was only recently able to free her from some sort of lab that was contained within her school."
"What was done to her, specifically?"
"I'm not sure-"
"Belive me Simon, I understand more than you give me credit for. Now tell me, what was done to her."
"They stipped her amygdala for some reason I'm not sure of. Many of her problems since have been the result of trauma, but she's been getting better."
"I know, I can tell that there has been some healing, but River is holding a part of herself back."
"Excuse me?" Marylin set down her cup.
"I'm saying Simon that as far as I can tell your sister is better, but she's stopping the last part of her recovery. All I can gather is that her reason for doing so is fear of losing control once she takes that final step, that is why I want to work with her." At this Simon balked.
"I think my sister has been 'handled' enough thank you."
"I'm not talking about handling her Simon, I am talking about teaching her simple skills that she can build onto what little control she already has. I think you already know that her condition isn't a disease. Just like a baby learns to walk, you sister has to control her mind. Do you really think I was born with the ability to read people?"
"From what I understand, yes."
"The ability is there, but the tools to use it aren't. I have taught almost every single Reader in this family how to control themselves since I was fourteen. Teaching is very different from handling." Simon looked down at his empty plate. He knew what she was saying, it was the same thing that he had heard from the mysterious Selma Ennes when she had been lying in his medbay after collapsing in her room. Marylin was right, River needed to learn control, but this was a subject that he had always believed to be nothing more than a tool employed by quacks who were out to earn an easy credit. He never believed that there really was such a thing as Readers, Seers, or the like, and now that he was faced with such a reality he was afraid to contfront it.
Marylin sensed his unease, and took one of his hands lightly in hers. He wasn't the first man she had come across who had a fear of sensitive people. That fear was the driving force behind the group that had done such a grievous harm to his sister, but again it was a train of thought best left for another time. Looking at Simon, she smiled warmly as she sorted through him.
The boy was an Intuitive, no where near the level of clarity found in Sensitives, Readers, or Seers like his sister, but capable nonetheless. It was most likely what enabled him to be such a good doctor, and why he had known that there was something wrong with his sister. His type always knew, before they saw.
"Look, it isn't any different from any of your other senses. It is just the result of hyperactivity in the cerebral cortex of the brain, regulated by the amygdala." said Marylin. "It just takes a little more practice to use. Everyone has it, some more than others-" The older woman stopped, Simon was just staring at her. How could someone who professed to be a backwater Healer, know something like that? Marylin realized her mistake, and quickly covered.
"Well in theory that's what it is, but you see it's not a disease." Simon smiled, his hands removing the soiled napkin from his lap. He didn't buy it, something had been triggered in his mind about Marylin, and it wasn't willing to let it go. However, he wasn't sure how sensitive Marylin was so he just supressed his feelings as he had done so many times in his life.
"Well I've tried everything else so far, I don't see how this could hurt."
"She'll be fine. You'll see." Marylin looked over at the window, namely the sun shining through it. "Now, it's a nice day outside so why don't you go be out in it?" Simon politely thanked her for breakfast, and went upstairs to freshen up before going outside. Left to her thoughts, Marylin picked up the plates from the table, and took them over to the sink. She had to be careful about Simon, like most Intuitives he had the innate ability to inspire ease in people around him. If she had her defenses up, he would have never been able to coax such a lapse in judgement out of her, but if she had done so his sister would have tried to dig deeper to see the cause of alarm in her, and that would have been a disaster.
Leaning her head against the cabinet, she looked out the window over the sink, and frowned as she felt a pressure at the back of her head. The rest of her family wasn't there yet, so there was no reason for her to be feeling as if there was someone trying to scan her mind. She knew it wasn't Simon's sister, the sense was wrong. This was somebody trying to be sneaky, and underhanded. Raising her defenses she sighed as the feeling went away, but not the impression that there was something terribly wrong. In all of her years, Marylin Lee Frye had only felt that vibe three times, and each time it meant that there was a tragedy afoot.
If she had listened to that feeling when she had worked for the Alliance, there would not be so much innocent blood on her hands. Eyeing the shotgun she kept by the door she wondered if she was prepared for whoever had been scanning her mind.
Or what.