Chapter 8
--
They retreated to the cargo deck after a sober, silent dinner to get themselves ready. Food, and medical treatment from Simon, had restored her watcher to almost normal. Now, he was getting himself into some body armor while Buffy assessed their stash of weapons. Zoe, Jayne and the captain were her best bets, fighter-wise. That made four, including herself---two for the distraction, to keep the vamps at bay while Kaylee did her booby trap in the engine room, and two to cover the young mechanic and get her in there in the first place. Zoe and Mal looked like they could handle hand-to-hand, but Jayne, with his love of guns, might be better on the cross-bow. And Giles---she still wasn't sure which team she wanted him on. Part of her was saying with her, as she would be facing more vamps than the other group. But would Kaylee's team be okay on their own, without a Sunnydale-trained tour guide?
She faced the row of them, Giles beside her. "This will be a different kind of fighting than you're used to," she said. "You're using small weapons here and aiming for direct contact---to the heart. So let's try it---Jayne, you first. Come at me, and take your best shot."
He picked up the stake, gripping it awkwardly. "How come you ain't wearing armor like he is?"
"Because I have better reflexes than he does. Better than any of you, actually. Come on., it's okay. You won't hurt me..."
He looked briefly doubtful, then lunged. She caught his wrist mere inches from her chest, flipped him underneath her, and had him pinned, stake flipped back toward him.
"Told ya I had good reflexes," she grinned. "You have to move faster than that. Zoe, you want to try?"
She had learned from Jayne's attempt and moved fast, ducking and weaving. The little display with Jayne had clearly impressed them, and Zoe moved deftly, not underestimating, as Jayne had, what she was up against. Once Buffy had handily disarmed her, she tried again with the captain, and then with Kaylee---who seemed to have more trouble than the rest of them putting her nerves aside.
"Okay," she said. "Good first try, everyone, and before you get down on yourselves, remember that I have super-powers and I wasn't really expecting any of you to beat me. These Reavers will be strong, so you'll have to get better---but most of you didn't do badly at all for a first try. Take a few minutes, practice on the dummy over there, then when you feel ready, go to Giles. He'll be an easier mark than I will, but he's tough enough to take you guys up a notch."
They began dispersing, and Buffy gently pulled Kaylee aside. "You want to work with me for a bit?"
Kaylee shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again, eyes tearing. "I'm sorry, Buffy, I'm real sorry. I'm not no account of a fighter. I...I get scared, then I can't do it right."
"Uh huh. Look, Kaylee, I'm not expecting you to be a warrior here. You understand that you'll have cover in there, right? I go in, I distract them, get 'em out of your way---then Zoe and the captain, maybe Giles too---they cover you. All you have to worry about is the engines."
"Uh huh."
"That said---I do want to feel like you can handle yourself a little better than you are. And I want to work with you on that. Okay?"
The young mechanic's face was tight with conflict. She clearly wanted to agree, wanted to say what she thought they wanted her to say. But if her heart wasn't it...
"Look, you aren't the first plan old human I've worked with," she said, trying another tack. "I've got friends who are just regular people, like you, and they've won their share of fights..."
"With Reavers?"
"Well, we call them something else where I'm from. But yes, with Reavers. Look, it's all in your head. I know you're scared. But you just need to find your inner tough girl..."
"What if...what if I don't have an inner tough girl?"
"Awww. Everyone has an inner tough girl, Kaylee. You just need to find out...what sets her off..."
She moved away for a second, slayer senses picking up an interloper. Simon and his sister had arrived to watch the training, and Buffy was struck by a sudden idea.
"Try again, Kaylee," she said, raising her guard.
The attack was weak and half-hearted, and Kaylee ended it pinned to the ground, lower lip trembling with the onslaught of tears. Buffy moved fast, snatching River from the shadows, pinning her in a rough but harmless head-lock. She locked hard eyes with Kaylee. "Again!"
Kaylee jumped dazedly to her feet, head spinning back and forth between Buffy's cold, warrior gaze and River's innocent, uncomprehending expression...
She tensed. She jumped. And there was power in her attack that time. Buffy let River go, then helped Kaylee to her feet. "Better," she said with an approving nod. "Not quite there yet. But better..."
She turned to River, who was stoically enduring a fuss-over from Simon, and said "Sorry about that."
River shrugged. "I was waiting. I saw it in my dreams."
"Um... okay..."
"I like Kaylee. Don't let her die."
You and me both, thought Buffy. She gave her a smile, then turned her attention back to her student, readying her for the fight of her life.
--
Later, she retreated to her cabin. Giles had gone to bed---in his already questionable state, the training session had exhausted him. The others---she wasn't sure where they were. She had heard Zoe and Jayne mention plans to toast Kaylee's "inter-engine fermentation system," which she assumed referred to some sort of space moonshine. She was not sure what the mechanic herself was up to, but as long as it wasn't anywhere near her, she was happy. She liked the girl---but maybe a bit too much. The last picture she wanted in her mind as she drifted off to sleep was that innocent face, the fangs of a vampire sticking into it.
Her door chime sounded, and with a sigh, she kicked off the blanket and went to answer. It was Simon. She greeted him with a shy smile.
"Hey."
"Hey, just thought I'd check in with you and see how you were feeling. That's quite a workout you put yourself through today."
"I've had worse."
"Maybe so. But that doesn't mean you're not ever allowed to feel the lesser wounds..."
She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Look, I'm really sorry about the whole using your sister as bait thing. I..."
"You wanted to help Kaylee. River explained it to me."
"She...she did?"
"She has...-diyu- this is going to sound crazy..."
"I am a superhero from another dimension come to borrow your spaceship to track down my magic crystal."
"Okay, maybe not that crazy. River...River knows things. She...before things happen, she's..."
"She's psychic. Got it. So?"
"So, that's...well, it's...it doesn't freak you out a little?"
"Super-powers. Spaceship. Magic crystal."
"Oh. Well, I don't mind saying it does freak ME out! She...she wasn't always this way. And sometimes...I think she's getting better. I think I'm helping her. And then a stranger comes on board and she starts talking about green lights and seeing things and finding the monsters, and she doesn't seem the least bit alarmed when she's grabbed into a head-lock by a girl twice as strong..."
"God, Simon, I'm sorry about that. I would never have hurt River, I swear. I just...she was there, you know? And I thought...well, it's the same thing you did, saving her, isn't it? You can be too scared to fight for yourself, but for someone else..."
"You'd give up anything?"
She exhaled. "Yes. You'd give up the anything."
He studied her curiously. "Why do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience here?"
"Because I am. Simon, you aren't the only one with a sister who's special."
"And...and for yours? Just how far did you go?"
"I went all the way. I died, Simon. To save my sister, I died."
He stepped away from her, clearly floored. "But that's...I have never heard anything like... Buffy, that's..."
"That's not as painless, or as selfless as it might seem, and I'd really rather not go there. Simon, you and I---we can't. You know that, right?"
"I..."
"You---you need to remember which girl had your sister pinned, and which jumped in to save her. I have a mission here, Simon. I have to get to Antigone, I have to meet the shepherd's contact and I have to get that gem. If I have to use River again---to save my world, to save my sister---I'll do it."
"I know. I understand."
"Do you? Do you have movies is this dimension, Simon? Stories? Legends?"
"Yes..."
"Space stories are really popular where I'm from, and my friend Xander is quite a fan. I've seen my share of them, and okay, the reality is a bit different than what I imagined, but not by much. You get brained by a speck of space dust when you're detouring through an asteroid belt, and you lose a chunk of hull. Or a tiny gear in your massive, massive engine stops turning and the whole thing goes kablooey. There are a hundred ways to die. And that's not even counting the "hero concocts hair-brained suicide mission against overwhelming odds" ones. Do you know what happens in those? Somebody dies, Simon. Not everybody, not every time. But somebody."
His voice took on a harder edge. "And? What are you trying to tell me, Buffy?"
"I'm trying to tell you that the Reavers are less than a day away. And if you want to give that girl something to really fight for, you'll tell her how you feel about her. You'll tell her that when she does come out of that Reaver ship---alive---you'll be waiting."
He moved to leave, then turned back for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Buffy? What is her name?"
"Hmmm?"
"Your sister, the one you died to save...what is her name?"
She returned his smile. "Dawn. Her name is Dawn."
He nodded. "A good name. A...a hopeful name, isn't it?"
"Good night, Simon."
He was on his way. And it was mere minutes after that her words sunk into her own brain, and she was rooting on the floor for her shoes. Simon wasn't the only one who had unfinished business with someone on this ship. She had to talk to Giles.
--
to be continued...
Chinese translation:
diyu (hell)
--
They retreated to the cargo deck after a sober, silent dinner to get themselves ready. Food, and medical treatment from Simon, had restored her watcher to almost normal. Now, he was getting himself into some body armor while Buffy assessed their stash of weapons. Zoe, Jayne and the captain were her best bets, fighter-wise. That made four, including herself---two for the distraction, to keep the vamps at bay while Kaylee did her booby trap in the engine room, and two to cover the young mechanic and get her in there in the first place. Zoe and Mal looked like they could handle hand-to-hand, but Jayne, with his love of guns, might be better on the cross-bow. And Giles---she still wasn't sure which team she wanted him on. Part of her was saying with her, as she would be facing more vamps than the other group. But would Kaylee's team be okay on their own, without a Sunnydale-trained tour guide?
She faced the row of them, Giles beside her. "This will be a different kind of fighting than you're used to," she said. "You're using small weapons here and aiming for direct contact---to the heart. So let's try it---Jayne, you first. Come at me, and take your best shot."
He picked up the stake, gripping it awkwardly. "How come you ain't wearing armor like he is?"
"Because I have better reflexes than he does. Better than any of you, actually. Come on., it's okay. You won't hurt me..."
He looked briefly doubtful, then lunged. She caught his wrist mere inches from her chest, flipped him underneath her, and had him pinned, stake flipped back toward him.
"Told ya I had good reflexes," she grinned. "You have to move faster than that. Zoe, you want to try?"
She had learned from Jayne's attempt and moved fast, ducking and weaving. The little display with Jayne had clearly impressed them, and Zoe moved deftly, not underestimating, as Jayne had, what she was up against. Once Buffy had handily disarmed her, she tried again with the captain, and then with Kaylee---who seemed to have more trouble than the rest of them putting her nerves aside.
"Okay," she said. "Good first try, everyone, and before you get down on yourselves, remember that I have super-powers and I wasn't really expecting any of you to beat me. These Reavers will be strong, so you'll have to get better---but most of you didn't do badly at all for a first try. Take a few minutes, practice on the dummy over there, then when you feel ready, go to Giles. He'll be an easier mark than I will, but he's tough enough to take you guys up a notch."
They began dispersing, and Buffy gently pulled Kaylee aside. "You want to work with me for a bit?"
Kaylee shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again, eyes tearing. "I'm sorry, Buffy, I'm real sorry. I'm not no account of a fighter. I...I get scared, then I can't do it right."
"Uh huh. Look, Kaylee, I'm not expecting you to be a warrior here. You understand that you'll have cover in there, right? I go in, I distract them, get 'em out of your way---then Zoe and the captain, maybe Giles too---they cover you. All you have to worry about is the engines."
"Uh huh."
"That said---I do want to feel like you can handle yourself a little better than you are. And I want to work with you on that. Okay?"
The young mechanic's face was tight with conflict. She clearly wanted to agree, wanted to say what she thought they wanted her to say. But if her heart wasn't it...
"Look, you aren't the first plan old human I've worked with," she said, trying another tack. "I've got friends who are just regular people, like you, and they've won their share of fights..."
"With Reavers?"
"Well, we call them something else where I'm from. But yes, with Reavers. Look, it's all in your head. I know you're scared. But you just need to find your inner tough girl..."
"What if...what if I don't have an inner tough girl?"
"Awww. Everyone has an inner tough girl, Kaylee. You just need to find out...what sets her off..."
She moved away for a second, slayer senses picking up an interloper. Simon and his sister had arrived to watch the training, and Buffy was struck by a sudden idea.
"Try again, Kaylee," she said, raising her guard.
The attack was weak and half-hearted, and Kaylee ended it pinned to the ground, lower lip trembling with the onslaught of tears. Buffy moved fast, snatching River from the shadows, pinning her in a rough but harmless head-lock. She locked hard eyes with Kaylee. "Again!"
Kaylee jumped dazedly to her feet, head spinning back and forth between Buffy's cold, warrior gaze and River's innocent, uncomprehending expression...
She tensed. She jumped. And there was power in her attack that time. Buffy let River go, then helped Kaylee to her feet. "Better," she said with an approving nod. "Not quite there yet. But better..."
She turned to River, who was stoically enduring a fuss-over from Simon, and said "Sorry about that."
River shrugged. "I was waiting. I saw it in my dreams."
"Um... okay..."
"I like Kaylee. Don't let her die."
You and me both, thought Buffy. She gave her a smile, then turned her attention back to her student, readying her for the fight of her life.
--
Later, she retreated to her cabin. Giles had gone to bed---in his already questionable state, the training session had exhausted him. The others---she wasn't sure where they were. She had heard Zoe and Jayne mention plans to toast Kaylee's "inter-engine fermentation system," which she assumed referred to some sort of space moonshine. She was not sure what the mechanic herself was up to, but as long as it wasn't anywhere near her, she was happy. She liked the girl---but maybe a bit too much. The last picture she wanted in her mind as she drifted off to sleep was that innocent face, the fangs of a vampire sticking into it.
Her door chime sounded, and with a sigh, she kicked off the blanket and went to answer. It was Simon. She greeted him with a shy smile.
"Hey."
"Hey, just thought I'd check in with you and see how you were feeling. That's quite a workout you put yourself through today."
"I've had worse."
"Maybe so. But that doesn't mean you're not ever allowed to feel the lesser wounds..."
She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Look, I'm really sorry about the whole using your sister as bait thing. I..."
"You wanted to help Kaylee. River explained it to me."
"She...she did?"
"She has...-diyu- this is going to sound crazy..."
"I am a superhero from another dimension come to borrow your spaceship to track down my magic crystal."
"Okay, maybe not that crazy. River...River knows things. She...before things happen, she's..."
"She's psychic. Got it. So?"
"So, that's...well, it's...it doesn't freak you out a little?"
"Super-powers. Spaceship. Magic crystal."
"Oh. Well, I don't mind saying it does freak ME out! She...she wasn't always this way. And sometimes...I think she's getting better. I think I'm helping her. And then a stranger comes on board and she starts talking about green lights and seeing things and finding the monsters, and she doesn't seem the least bit alarmed when she's grabbed into a head-lock by a girl twice as strong..."
"God, Simon, I'm sorry about that. I would never have hurt River, I swear. I just...she was there, you know? And I thought...well, it's the same thing you did, saving her, isn't it? You can be too scared to fight for yourself, but for someone else..."
"You'd give up anything?"
She exhaled. "Yes. You'd give up the anything."
He studied her curiously. "Why do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience here?"
"Because I am. Simon, you aren't the only one with a sister who's special."
"And...and for yours? Just how far did you go?"
"I went all the way. I died, Simon. To save my sister, I died."
He stepped away from her, clearly floored. "But that's...I have never heard anything like... Buffy, that's..."
"That's not as painless, or as selfless as it might seem, and I'd really rather not go there. Simon, you and I---we can't. You know that, right?"
"I..."
"You---you need to remember which girl had your sister pinned, and which jumped in to save her. I have a mission here, Simon. I have to get to Antigone, I have to meet the shepherd's contact and I have to get that gem. If I have to use River again---to save my world, to save my sister---I'll do it."
"I know. I understand."
"Do you? Do you have movies is this dimension, Simon? Stories? Legends?"
"Yes..."
"Space stories are really popular where I'm from, and my friend Xander is quite a fan. I've seen my share of them, and okay, the reality is a bit different than what I imagined, but not by much. You get brained by a speck of space dust when you're detouring through an asteroid belt, and you lose a chunk of hull. Or a tiny gear in your massive, massive engine stops turning and the whole thing goes kablooey. There are a hundred ways to die. And that's not even counting the "hero concocts hair-brained suicide mission against overwhelming odds" ones. Do you know what happens in those? Somebody dies, Simon. Not everybody, not every time. But somebody."
His voice took on a harder edge. "And? What are you trying to tell me, Buffy?"
"I'm trying to tell you that the Reavers are less than a day away. And if you want to give that girl something to really fight for, you'll tell her how you feel about her. You'll tell her that when she does come out of that Reaver ship---alive---you'll be waiting."
He moved to leave, then turned back for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Buffy? What is her name?"
"Hmmm?"
"Your sister, the one you died to save...what is her name?"
She returned his smile. "Dawn. Her name is Dawn."
He nodded. "A good name. A...a hopeful name, isn't it?"
"Good night, Simon."
He was on his way. And it was mere minutes after that her words sunk into her own brain, and she was rooting on the floor for her shoes. Simon wasn't the only one who had unfinished business with someone on this ship. She had to talk to Giles.
--
to be continued...
Chinese translation:
diyu (hell)