DEJA VU
Disclaimer: All characters and settings, 'ceptin' the ones I create are the property of Mutant Enemy and FOX. No infringement is intended, this is done out of pure love and respect for the genius of Firefly. Please read and review.
A/N: Forgot to mention I am writing in a three act format with a prologue and an epilog. This next installment is only one third of the second act, it's kind of short.
ACT TWO
INT- SERENITY COMMON AREA
The remaining crew, except Jayne, sits around the table. Inara and Kaylee sit beside Wash and comfort him. Book sits with his Bible open and seems to be praying. Simon and River sit quietly holding hands. Mal, who is at the head of the table, gets up and knocks his chair to the floor. Everyone looks up at him startled. Mal paces.
INARA: What are we going to do?
KAYLEE: You got a plan doncha' captain?
Mal starts to speak but he is interrupted by an agitated Jayne stomping his way into the room.
JAYNE: What the hell happened! I went to the store like you told and it looked like it was hit by reavers. I waited for over a gorram hour for you to come back.
Jayne looks around and for the first time notices everyone's expression.
JAYNE: What?!
No one looks at Jayne. Book stands up and approaches him.
BOOK: Someone took Zoe.
JAYNE: Ta mah duh hwan dan.
All at once everyone starts speaking over the other.
WASH: We got to go get her.
SIMON: No one knows who took her.
BOOK: Did anyone see their ship?
KAYLEE: No.
WASH: We gotta get her.
Inara grabs his hand and squeezes it gently.
INARA: We will.
JAYNE: Not ruttin' likely. You don't even who did the taking. It's a lost cause.
INARA: Jayne!
In the midst of this chatter, Mal picks up his chair and sits in it. Mal slams down the glass in front of him. This quiets the group.
MAL: It was Niska.
Wash looks at Mal for the first time. He can barely utter a coherent word.
WASH: Wha?
INARA: How do you know that?
MAL: The lead guy's accent and he said something 'bout Zoe impressing his boss. We got enemies a plenty, but none crazy enough to just take someone in broad daylight 'cept Niska.
KAYLEE: You think he'll torture her too?
Inara gives Kaylee a chastising look and begins to comfort Wash who has lapsed back into his silent sobs.
INARA: I'm sure she's fine.
River begins to ball herself up in her chair and rock back and forth.
RIVER: Hands.hands.a thousand hands reaching, touching. me.
Simon reaches out to his sister. She jumps out of the chair and huddles in a corner.
RIVER: Don't touch me! Stop.hands.hands. Don't look at me!
Simon kneels in front of River. Book comes over to help. Mal stares at the wall.
CUT TO:
INT- NISKA'S MANSION, HALLWAY
Several black gloved hands push Zoe down a long white, sterile looking hallway. About a half dozen guards flank her on both sides. Zoe stops walking, maybe realizing where she is heading, and tries to run back the other way. Once again black gloved hands grab Zoe and half drag her through a door at the end of the hallway.
CUT TO:
INT- SERNITY'S COMMON AREA
Simon and Kaylee escort River out of the common room. She still sputters seemingly nonsensical phrases.
RIVER: Got to keep away. hands.hands, if you stay away from the hands you'll be okay.
Wash heads to the bridge without looking back at the others. The remaining crew, Mal, Book, Jayne, and Inara regroup around the table. Mal picks up a glass and starts to heave it across the room. Inara grabs his wrist. Mal puts the glass down. No one speaks, they are too caught up in their own thoughts. Mal picks up the glass again and takes it to to sink. He turns around sharply and addresses the group.
MAL: You know what, this whole situation has an all too familiar taste.
BOOK: That is does, son.
INARA: What do we do?
JAYNE: That's easy. We just track Niska's skyplex like last time.
Mal walks back to the group and stands next to Inara.
MAL: Too easy. I think she's on his private planet, fourth moon of Tantalus.
INARA: Why there?
Mal looks back and makes sure the door to the bridge is closed.
MAL: Word is Niska has a harem of sorts.
Book sits down and clutches his Bible.
BOOK: Dear God.
Inara walks away from Mal and sits next to Book.
MAL: He collects women for his personal enjoyment. Some he buys, most he just steals.
INARA: I don't even want to think about what's going to happen to her.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT- NISKA'S MANSION - LARGE ROOM
Two large men, eunuchs, open the door and Zoe is pushed into the room. The room very ornate with oversized furniture and pillows strewn about. One man yells at her to undress. Zoe stands in the middle of the room staring past the guards. Perhaps this scenario has a familiar taste to her too. The other eunuch approaches her from behind and hits the back with a long thin stick. The blow knocks Zoe to the floor. She doesn't move.
Disclaimer: All characters and settings, 'ceptin' the ones I create are the property of Mutant Enemy and FOX. No infringement is intended, this is done out of pure love and respect for the genius of Firefly. Please read and review.
A/N: Forgot to mention I am writing in a three act format with a prologue and an epilog. This next installment is only one third of the second act, it's kind of short.
ACT TWO
INT- SERENITY COMMON AREA
The remaining crew, except Jayne, sits around the table. Inara and Kaylee sit beside Wash and comfort him. Book sits with his Bible open and seems to be praying. Simon and River sit quietly holding hands. Mal, who is at the head of the table, gets up and knocks his chair to the floor. Everyone looks up at him startled. Mal paces.
INARA: What are we going to do?
KAYLEE: You got a plan doncha' captain?
Mal starts to speak but he is interrupted by an agitated Jayne stomping his way into the room.
JAYNE: What the hell happened! I went to the store like you told and it looked like it was hit by reavers. I waited for over a gorram hour for you to come back.
Jayne looks around and for the first time notices everyone's expression.
JAYNE: What?!
No one looks at Jayne. Book stands up and approaches him.
BOOK: Someone took Zoe.
JAYNE: Ta mah duh hwan dan.
All at once everyone starts speaking over the other.
WASH: We got to go get her.
SIMON: No one knows who took her.
BOOK: Did anyone see their ship?
KAYLEE: No.
WASH: We gotta get her.
Inara grabs his hand and squeezes it gently.
INARA: We will.
JAYNE: Not ruttin' likely. You don't even who did the taking. It's a lost cause.
INARA: Jayne!
In the midst of this chatter, Mal picks up his chair and sits in it. Mal slams down the glass in front of him. This quiets the group.
MAL: It was Niska.
Wash looks at Mal for the first time. He can barely utter a coherent word.
WASH: Wha?
INARA: How do you know that?
MAL: The lead guy's accent and he said something 'bout Zoe impressing his boss. We got enemies a plenty, but none crazy enough to just take someone in broad daylight 'cept Niska.
KAYLEE: You think he'll torture her too?
Inara gives Kaylee a chastising look and begins to comfort Wash who has lapsed back into his silent sobs.
INARA: I'm sure she's fine.
River begins to ball herself up in her chair and rock back and forth.
RIVER: Hands.hands.a thousand hands reaching, touching. me.
Simon reaches out to his sister. She jumps out of the chair and huddles in a corner.
RIVER: Don't touch me! Stop.hands.hands. Don't look at me!
Simon kneels in front of River. Book comes over to help. Mal stares at the wall.
CUT TO:
INT- NISKA'S MANSION, HALLWAY
Several black gloved hands push Zoe down a long white, sterile looking hallway. About a half dozen guards flank her on both sides. Zoe stops walking, maybe realizing where she is heading, and tries to run back the other way. Once again black gloved hands grab Zoe and half drag her through a door at the end of the hallway.
CUT TO:
INT- SERNITY'S COMMON AREA
Simon and Kaylee escort River out of the common room. She still sputters seemingly nonsensical phrases.
RIVER: Got to keep away. hands.hands, if you stay away from the hands you'll be okay.
Wash heads to the bridge without looking back at the others. The remaining crew, Mal, Book, Jayne, and Inara regroup around the table. Mal picks up a glass and starts to heave it across the room. Inara grabs his wrist. Mal puts the glass down. No one speaks, they are too caught up in their own thoughts. Mal picks up the glass again and takes it to to sink. He turns around sharply and addresses the group.
MAL: You know what, this whole situation has an all too familiar taste.
BOOK: That is does, son.
INARA: What do we do?
JAYNE: That's easy. We just track Niska's skyplex like last time.
Mal walks back to the group and stands next to Inara.
MAL: Too easy. I think she's on his private planet, fourth moon of Tantalus.
INARA: Why there?
Mal looks back and makes sure the door to the bridge is closed.
MAL: Word is Niska has a harem of sorts.
Book sits down and clutches his Bible.
BOOK: Dear God.
Inara walks away from Mal and sits next to Book.
MAL: He collects women for his personal enjoyment. Some he buys, most he just steals.
INARA: I don't even want to think about what's going to happen to her.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT- NISKA'S MANSION - LARGE ROOM
Two large men, eunuchs, open the door and Zoe is pushed into the room. The room very ornate with oversized furniture and pillows strewn about. One man yells at her to undress. Zoe stands in the middle of the room staring past the guards. Perhaps this scenario has a familiar taste to her too. The other eunuch approaches her from behind and hits the back with a long thin stick. The blow knocks Zoe to the floor. She doesn't move.