Disclaimer: I do not own The Lost World, Firefly, or any other TV show in the 'verse. And that's not shiny.
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The two groups stood opposite each other.
The strangers eyed their new surroundings suspiciously, not daring to lower their weapons.
It was Jayne who broke the silence…
"Who the hell are you?" the mercenary distrustfully grumbled; his hand crept to his gun, lifting it in preparation of fire. "How'dja even git onboard?"
"Jayne, put it down." Mal's voice was stern, yet somehow soft. Yes, he wasn't in a position to be too harsh. Jayne usually wasn't too keen on following orders—he actually took particular satisfaction in disobeying them… and if he chose this particular instance to scratch that itch… well, the crew just might not fare too well.
Thankfully, this was not the case.
"Hmh! Well they got theirs out." Jayne grumbled, shooting a disgruntled glance at Mal and unwillingly stuffing his gun back into its holster. It was still a bit unnerving-- his gun never seemed to stay there for long.
"ROXTON!" Until this point, the peculiarity and suddenness of the event had temporarily tranquilized Marguerite, but she wasted little time in remembering her rage. "I SWEAR—YOU--"
Veronica intervened, jerking Marguerite away from Roxton by her shoulders. "Now's not the time" the blonde admonished.
"What happened? Where the bloody hell are we?" Roxton growled under his breath, assessing the situation from behind his loaded rifle and hoping his brilliant scientific friend would have an explanation… but Challenger was not the one who answered.
"I'm Captain Malcolm Reynolds, and this here ship's Serenity… Now, we don't want no trouble." Mal raised his hands slowly, glancing at the weapons then meeting the eyes of each stranger directly. "Where do yall come from?"
Challenger took the floor, lowering his weapon. The others followed suit.
"I'm George Edward Challenger. These are my colleagues Lord John Roxton, Marguerite Krux, Veronica, and Finn…" He paused for a moment to scrutinize the predicament, and one could almost see the wheels in his head turning. "What year is--"
The scientist froze and gaped, distracted from his question by a sleek young woman; shadows danced beneath her eyes, and strands of chocolate spiraling hair framed her fine, pale features.
All eyes turned to center on River, who had just made her inevitable appearance.
The girl had fallen (or--more likely—jumped) from the top of the stairs, and she had landed soundlessly in the center of the two groups. She was crouching close to the ground, with one hand steadying her and the other slightly outstretched in front. She stood up innocently and looked confusedly around the room, as if she didn't know why they were staring at her.
Perhaps she didn't realize she had just flown down from a dizzying height of approximately two stories and landed gracefully without a scratch. Or maybe she did realize this. Maybe River merely didn't understand that this was not a common ability among most people.
She turned to the explorers, walking between them and examining each carefully. A ripple of discomfort spread through the visitors, and they kept fearfully still under the scrutiny of the strange girl.
"A hunter." She smiled loosely as she circled once around Roxton, who frowned with distrust. In a flash of movement, River closed the space between them, whispered something in his ear, and left him, gliding along her path in the dainty, coveted manner of a feline.
She hesitated momentarily to glance up and down at Veronica's attire. She cocked her head and scrunched up her face… The enigma radiating from her briefly shifted to be replaced with a childlike innocence.
"Where's the rest?" she inquired very candidly. Vee couldn't work out whether to laugh or frown at the girl's bluntness, so the two reactions twirled together on her face creating a somewhat odd expression. River moved on, obviously not expecting an answer.
Upon encountering Finn, she filled with a more adventurous personality. A smirk played upon her lips, but she dared not to approach too closely.
This one will not hesitate to shoot.
From a distance, River stared at the aching crossbow.
Moving only her eyes and never her head, River glanced up at Finn's face, down at the weapon, then back at Finn. "Nice crossbow."
"Thanks."
She approached Marguerite, who was still seething from the loss of her diamond. River's breathing thickened, threatening to become sporadic. She came within a few inches of Marguerite's cold face and penetrated deep into her icy stare.
River's eyes widened; her world spun.
"Is she ok?" Kaylee glanced nervously at Simon, her comment almost inaudible.
"I think she's seeing something"… Simon brows were furrowed in observation.
River staggered backward with anxiety and a hint of disgust written plainly across her face, and her body moved on, though her eyes stuck to Marguerite until they could not physically see her anymore.
What does she think I am, some sort of alien? Marguerite retorted mentally. Who does that little brat think she is…
She had acquired an immediate distaste for River, as well as an immediate sense of dread. Marguerite had been all too familiar with the expression clinging to the young girl's face…. Back on the streets of Paris, she had met faces upon faces… all painted with that same expression...
Next… Challenger.
River's hands flew to her forehead and she doubled over in pain (or perhaps it was just for the dramatic effect). Her voice filled the room, releasing indiscernible pangs of distress, but it was somehow all directed at the visionary.
A pause… silence…
She collapsed into a ball on the floor, her delicate limbs clamped together as they shivered with a cold fear. "Ta xiang yao wo di nao zi--" River's shallow yet labored breath came rapidly as she gasped out words of affliction… Panic swarmed her voice, and hot tears threatened to burn their way out of her eyes. "See how I work… but then I don't… "
Simon was at River's side in an instant, comforting her. "Shhhh, meimei. You're ok—" He held her firmly against his chest and stroked her temple with a brother's protectiveness. "Calm down… you're ok… Kaylee, help me get her to the infirmary." The young lady in the coveralls and grease sprung forward immediately, and the trio made their way to the medical room, leaving the others to blunder in bewilderment.
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Author's Note: I thought it would be interesting to see River's reaction to the explorers without the rest of the crew intervening or restraining her…(I'm really sorry if I butchered the Chinese! I used online translators so I'm not sure if it worked right or not…) Reviews are like oxygen… I can't live without them! (and you want me to live, right? so I can finish this story!)…
Ta xiang yao wo di nao zi—He wants my brain.
Meimei-- little sister