A/N: Hey there readers, reviewers, fans… I
want to remind you that I love the feedback. Thanks to ck16, Robin Moto,
and My Reflection for the encouraging words.
Yes,
Carolyn sides against Johns. Is she on Riddick's side or just the
side Riddick seems to be on? Notice that she's not scared of him
from the start. She looks into his eyes and is fascinated like a
child looking at a panther (hey, some of us are not scared of that
kind of predator). Plus she promised to 'trust in him' in
exchange for that long look into his soul. Johns, on the other hand,
scares her.
This is
about were the point is that I start to really move off the beaten
path of the Pitch Black movie. I asked myself some 'What if'
questions when I went to write this. Some of these questions have
become major plot points. For this chapter I'll tell you one of the
'what if' things that became a major plot changer: What if the
Skiff's electrical couldn't 'convert' easily like it did in
the movie? So here, the skiff isn't just a "slap in some new
batteries and go" kinda deal. They have some serious work ahead of
them to make it operate. And they have the Doctor. Will they all
survive?
500 years in the future, something has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Some of those leaving Earth behind view the world as nearly a myth. Others know better. In fleeing Earth-that-Was humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Lets just imagine then that Blue Sun exists on the opposite side of this galactic arm from the rest of civilized space, and that one ship is taking a ghost run through the long route. Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two.
So what happens when a passenger by the name of Dr. Simon Tam and his cargo get on the wrong ship? And just how is this related to the TimeWar?
Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick X-over.
Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the cast of Pitch Black…
Doctor Who and the Great Eclipse
Part Nineteen
Discord
The Doctor had, as promised, gotten most of the survivors off to the crash site. Since Riddick had not known where Johns was, he'd opted to stay with Simon and River in the settlement, using the hydraulic lift to move crates, dressers, what-have-you, over to the Hanger while the 'cat and it's attendant trailers were otherwise occupied. The Time Lord had decided that it was wiser to not force the ex-ranger into going if he didn't want to go.
When he came into the Cafeteria he could hear Carolyn pacing in the office. She was more than agitated -- anxious actually seemed to fit her mood. The Time Lord didn't really view himself as an empath, but humans in general were fairly easy to read as far as emotions went. "Carolyn?" He called as he walked to the main room.
"In here, Doctor."
Well, yes. That much was quite established, thank you. He snagged a container of water, a package of dried fruit, and some glasses before entering the office. Closing the door he said, "You don't look well. Sit down."
The blonde made a half-aborted attempt to resist before collapsing into one of the side chairs closest to her. The water handed to her shortly thereafter managed to pull a thankful smile out; "You're a godsend." He then gives her the food as well.
"Ah, I wouldn't push things quite that far, but you're welcome." He poured his own glass and leaned against the wall near the window, studying the scene outside as River, Simon, and Richard pass between some distant buildings with another load of salvaged items. River is dancing in the sun as though there's nothing wrong with the world. He smiles slightly at the sight.
Silence sits between them for a few heartbeats as he looks outside and she watches him while she chews on a bit of dehydrated pineapple. Swallowing Fry says, "We have more than one major problem. As you've guessed, we won't all fit on that skiff." The man's intense blue eyes swing back to hers, but unlike Johns' eyes these she could fall into willingly. Blinking and glancing away before she forgets herself, Carolyn sips her water, "But there's more."
"Do tell?"
Fry fidgets, "Johns."
Something about the tone of her voice sends alarm bells off in the Time Lord's head. His first thought is that the man might have attacked her, or forced her into something. "Did he hurt you, Carolyn?"
It takes her a second to understand the nature of his question. Once she does a slow blush spreads over her face. She's really very glad that someone would care if Johns had tried something in the skiff. But that hadn't even occurred to her as a danger at the time. Perhaps it should have. Looking at the Doctor's face, she guesses that she's been acting like it did, actually. "No. He didn't touch me at all. Honest." She puts her glass down. He nods to tell her that he believes her. "I'm just not sure we should be trusting him. Something is not right about his entire situation."
"Have you just gotten that impression?"
She looks at her hands, "We've all done or seen things that we're not happy about, I imagine. Who am I to condemn anyone? I've been giving him the benefit of the doubt, trusting him to do the right thing because he's got a badge. But there's more to being a good guy than following the law, isn't there?"
The tall man moves away from the wall and settles his pale form into the other chair in the room. Surrounded by all the papers with the sunlight filtering in and backlighting him he almost looks like he could be a ghost of one of the settlers, not one of the living. "Not all laws are good or just. Sometimes those laws must be broken. It's the moral code that a person lives by that dictates good from bad, not the laws they operate in."
"He means to turn Riddick in, once he gets them both off planet, Doctor. And I think the rest of us are inferior to his concern. We could all die and it wouldn't bother Johns in the least."
The Doctor surprised her with his next statement, "Yes, I know." It's all she needs to spill the entire conversation, nearly word for word, that she and Johns had over the power cells.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Abu pulled the 'cat up to the crash ship, "Ali, Jack – gather the fiber optics, every strand. Hassan, Suleiman – come with me. We need to load the power cells into the back. Mr. Olgivie? Here's the locker card. Please open all the remaining lockers and load the items therein into the trailer."
"My Scotch?"
"Anything, sir." They had been given just a few short hours to load everything up that they could pry loose. Imam got everyone started then headed over to the computers to see if anything could be salvaged from the Cryo-system. He was happy to find that in addition to the eight lockers that had survived in the passenger bay that two crew lockers were undamaged. That meant that they did have ten lockers, total.
He however didn't have the skill to disconnect them. Instead he concentrated on locating the backup life-support generators and the emergency power supply for the lights. Those he could remove. Once the last of the batteries were removed from the battery bay, Abu set the two pilgrims to work striping wires. Now that there was no power running through them there was no danger in causing them to short out by carelessness. However, the main systems, both Cryo and computer, he left alone for Carolyn and perhaps the Doctor to deal with on the next trip.
Jack and Ali worked to gather up lights then moved off to help Paris. By the dual sunset, they were heading back with a train of trailers loaded full with everything they could find, even what might be useless junk. They had no way of knowing if the disconnected consoles had useful parts or not, so they loaded them up. Abu use salvaged cable to re-enforce the hitches to keep the load from coming apart on the way back.
The Hunter-Gratzner looked nearly stripped bare.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Simon and Rich watched the Doctor as he took apart several toys and put them back together in an odd miss-match that was part solar powered etch-a-sketch and part half a dozen other whirling thing-a-bobs with a camera. They were taking an ordered break, because Fry had brought them out water and insisted that they rest for a while. "What's he doin'?" Riddick asks the Tam scion.
"Don't have any idea, actually," Simon admitted.
River looked at them both and gave them a look that said 'you are both so stupid' before speaking, "He wants to know the sky."
"And he needs some funny way of doin' it? What's wrong with his eyes?" Riddick asks her.
"Too much brilliance," the girl tells him. "Must see past it to descry the aegis."
The con is confused until the Doc poses another question, "So the Doctor is making a filter?"
"Yes."
Fry has caught the last bit of the conversation; "He's trying to see the planets that are going to cause the eclipse?" She walks back to them and takes up a spot in the shade. River nods.
Simon smiles, "That's brilliant. If we can observe the planets over the course of a few days then we can figure out exactly how much time we have."
The Doctor glances back at them, "Don't just stand there. Carolyn you have a timepiece?" Fry nods. "Then this is ready, we don't have time to waste, remember. River do you want to measure?"
"Rich is more precise," she pulls out a notebook and a stubby pencil.
The ex-ranger finds himself tugged over to the contraption, "What do you need me to do?"
Carolyn wants to know that as well, as she looks at the negative image forming on the screen. There is a horizon line and the camera seems exactly matched to it, and showing on the etch-a-sketch is the large, ringed planet. She looks at the Doctor. "Carolyn will time, River will make notations, and you will calculate the arc degree off horizon of one point here, so we can track movement. Normally this would take place over several days but we don't know if we have several days."
The trio nods.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Johns came to, noticing that it was slightly dimmer than it had been when he'd closed his eyes. He swallowed and blinked. The light filtering in was blue, not yellow. The single sun must be in the air, not the double one. No Eclipse, not yet, he thinks with relief. He reached over to his box of red shells gripping it to assure himself that they are still there. Must've been out for a couple of hours, didn't mean to pass out.
He slowly gathered himself together and picked up his pack. He put the red box back into it and ambled out as the 'cat rattled back into the settlement with Imam driving. William squints. There are a number of filled carts attached to the back of the cat, piled high. Fry must've not listened to him.
Well then, he's going to just have to keep a tighter yoke on his bounty. Starting now. He headed over to the Hanger where the 'cat was parked. The front trailer had already been detached and moved inside. Johns slipped into the Hanger and noticed that there was a high level of activity there, with the lights being hung, power generators being examined, parts being moved, and power cells being placed into storage crates. He narrowed his eyes. "What is going on?"
The Doctor speaks up, "I've been informed of your concerns and the captain's as well. The solution is to place the cells we don't immediately need into a storage crate and seal it closed. I trust that is an acceptable compromise?"
"And who has access?"
"Oh, I thought we'd give keys to Abu and Paris, " the pale fellow sounds flippant. Johns clinches his jaw. The Doctor has chosen the neutral individuals, the ones that haven't butted heads overly much with anyone else.
"Right. Lovely."
"Good. All settled then."
William feels his blood pressure rising into that 'need to shoot someone' level and then spots Riddick watching him with a look that says, 'do it and die'. It deflates his temper right quick. He notes that the Hanger has been turned into a decent camp, with an inner set of walls being erected and defenses put into place in case the creatures manage to break the outer walls. The lights are being put into places where they can act as both illumination and deterrents. The supplies and cooking surface has already been installed into a central location as well. He turns and finds the holy man, "What needs to be done?"
"Unloading trailers. You can help Suleiman," he says before turning to the younger boys who are carrying in loads that look like they came from the bushwhacker's storage area. "Ali, let's put the spare bedding inside the secure area."
After dropping his gear off on a cot, he walks outside and helps the older pilgrims muscle a console from the crash ship onto the hand truck before taking a stroll around the Hanger proper. He's surprised to find Richard walking next to him, "Carolyn said that you would point out weak spots. I'm supposed to move crates to secure the walls. I've already gotten the seams and stacked over the windows. If we have time I'm considering stripping off the siding from some of the other buildings to re-enforce the roof." Johns looked over at the con with narrowed eyes, "You are planning on leaving folks behind, aren't you, Billy?"
"Not my choice, Rich. You know that."
"Sure it is. You have the gauge."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
River pauses in her stacking of warmer clothing into a dresser. The violent black and red shards dancing in the air spiked and she looked around to see that the redheaded marshal just re-entered the Hanger. He has managed to taint all his interactions with everyone. There's no privacy here, no way to avoid brushing against his mental state. She doesn't like what she sees. There's a hole of darkness that it filled with demons and rage. The man is just teetering on the brink of falling in. Problem is, he's got weapons and could take them all with him when he goes.
Paris strides past her line of sight with his misters and fans. He defuses the shards with a layer of peach and amber mist. No anger really, but lots of near panic in that one, if he pauses long enough to actually think about the situation. Now that they have water he sees no reason to not make the Hanger as comfortable as possible. Because the devices work on battery power however, Imam has insisted that they be converted over to the solar sources to save the batteries for the lights. The pilgrims have promised to do this once the lines are in place and thus the art dealer is taking them off the umbrellas and putting them around selected locations, like the eating, lounging, and sleeping areas. The outlined plan is to move one or several of the larger solar units over and run lines to hook up everything. They can save battery power until they need it, should it happen that the sun is blocked before they skiff is ready.
Hassan finishes unloading the last of the salvaged items from the last trailer, setting everything into piles for others to sort. "Let's get the solar units now, aye, Suleiman?" he calls. Abu replies that it is a good idea and the three head out with the hydraulic lift. 'Odd,' River thinks, 'They don't speak English. I don't speak Arabic, I don't think. Or do I? Don't remember learning it.'
But before she can puzzle it out further, Carolyn settles down near her and runs a hand over her back. "Here are more sweaters from the crash site. Are you ok, hon?"
Interesting question, that. Is she? No. She'll never be 'Okay' again, really. Not like she was before anyhow. She takes the stack, "Red is acrimonious." The statement is followed by a tired sigh. "Disseminates off on all."
Carolyn makes a face and looks around. Her eyes settle on Johns who is helping remove some of the heavier pieces of the crash ship from the hand truck. "Do you mean Johns?" She gets a blank look. "Is 'Red' the marshal?" River glances past the docking pilot and lets her eyes settle on the man in question. She makes a slow nod. Fry squeezes River's hand. "He's got a pissed-off attitude, I agree." The blonde regains her feet. "Try not to let him get to you."
Ali and Jack carry in several crates of toys and other diversions. Some of them are for the Doctor to take apart for whatever use he might have, others are for play. They boys intend to haggle over the better items, since they lost the etch-a-sketch earlier. "What do you need that crap for?" Johns questions.
"Johns! Leave the boys alone. It's better for them to have something to distract themselves then for them to be underfoot all the time." Carolyn jumps in. Behind her Jack make a rude gesture at the redhead.
"You tell that kid that I'm gonna bust his ass if he keeps up, Fry," Johns starts to walk out. "Why does it look like you're setting to go back to the crash site already?"
"Because we are, actually. There's the Cryo system and the computer still to salvage. You can come with the Doctor and I, or you can stay. Simon, River, Abu and the boys are staying. Riddick is coming with us to help with the lifting."
River was quite relieved that he decided to go.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The 'cat pulled up neatly to the Hunter-Gratzner. Riddick moved around to the back and pulled out the hand truck from one trailer. "I'll disconnect the lockers," said the Doctor, "then come up and start on the Cryo-systems."
"That's fine. I can get the computer. Would it be better to take it apart or to move it in one piece."
Johns made a face, "Wouldn't it be less likely to get filled with dust if you move the entire thing in one go?"
"It doesn't matter. Carolyn, don't attempt to move it in larger chunks than you can carry," the sparsely haired gent suggests.
The blonde nods, "Want to help me or Rich, Johns?"
Johns moves off to help Fry. They set to work, pulling apart systems and loading trailers. Many of the cryo-tanks that the Doctor finds look full. He also locates enough tubing to connect each of the lockers back to the drug feeders. Riddick sets up four lockers to a trailer and then two in a third. Fry and Johns find that the computer systems fit into the space left over.
As they finish up, the marshal and his bounty catch each other's eyes. The look exchanged in a significant one, but Johns finds he can't maintain it as a flu-like shiver caused him to nearly retch as he fights doubling over. Richard shows no sympathy, "Bad sign. Shakin' like that in this heat."
Johns snarls at him. Fry and the Doctor emerge from the hulk that is left of the crash ship, where not even a lighted switch remains, "Are you all right, marshal? You look a little pallid," William glances over at both the speaker and the docking pilot. They look rather concerned.
"I'm fine. Let's get this load back to the settlement."
By the time they return the pilgrims have hooked up the solar panels to the roof and run lines for the various items inside. They are gathered at the eating area enjoying lunch. Abu calls for the newcomers to join them but Johns mumbles something about needing to take a nap. When Simon starts to come over to check him he practically darts away, leaving the doctor totally mystified.
Riddick smirks, "Not a medical problem, Doc."
Simon gives the bronze man a questioning look but before he can say anything Fry speaks up, "He told me that he'd picked up the flu at Conga." She sets down filled plates for herself, Riddick and the Doctor next to Paris at one of the tables
The Doctor settles into a seat and raises an eyebrow, "Did he now?"
"Funny, he said it was Swamp Fever, to me," Paris countered between bites.
The con looks at all of them as he sits down, "Not my right to say, but if I were you I'd be wondering about the truth of the matter."
"Red is flying." They all stare at the ebony-haired girl who is gazing off into space.