A/N: I want to warn that there's hints of abuse against a child in this chapter, because it fits the child in question. If that bothers anyone, well -- damn it, it should bother you! Thanks to my readers and reviewers. It's been good so far, yeah?
Enjoy this next chapter.
Yes, My Reflection, Suleiman does
have a crush. Cute ain't it?
I'm thrilled that the story (and changes I've
made to it) are still enjoyable, Basia Orci, even without prior
knowledge about the original plot. Makes my day to hear - or err -
read that.
And
ck16…Thanks, I think ;-)
It's 2517. Something in the past has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck has it that one ship is. It's a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have. 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 Twenty-Nine
Sanguine
They are all on high alert. How can they not be? Simon Tam has switched his hand lamp for his medical scanner, set to detect the local life-signs at maximum range. Or a bit beyond, thanks to the Doctor's fiddling. Something is allowing the bioraptors to track them. It's not their echo-location. The constant clicking and popping going on around them is even sweeps like the predators can't see the group but still know that they are there. And something is driving the hammerheads to attack like sharks on a blood trail. But what?
Rich's idea that it is a blood scent is a good one, but no injuries have been sustained and left untreated. Simon has made doubly sure of that. Both of the females in the party that might be menstruating are not. Is it Mr. Olgivie's expensive cologne? Is it the food rations? Have they overlooked something? "Incoming, from the left!" The Tam scion calls. Imam, Suleiman, and the Doctor face that way, pushing Ali more towards Jack. Fry picks off the lead with a well-placed shot. The Time Lord's sonic screwdriver lets off another jolt of sound and the creatures stop their charge and squeal in pain.
Without hesitation the Time Lord orders, "Go!" He gestures to the right, moving with them in such a way as to block the flank but not stress the fiber optic lead.
The all swerve to the right, dodge into a passage and follow a weaving path between short tunnels or long narrow pillars, ranks tight to protect the children in the center of the group. Something about the Jack and Ali is causing the hammerheads to brave the light again and again ignoring the intense pain and damage the illumination causes. The survivors make a left and then center out in their path toward the Doctor's ship. It seems like they might have shaken their determined followers for the moment.
"What did you do?" Riddick asks the Doctor as they jog. Now normally he'd ignore the strange twinges about someone's scent when in danger like this, but he's really very glad that the Doctor is next to him. He's not sure what he'd do if the man wasn't.
"Shattered the membranes in their olfactory glands. Took away their sense of smell."
Richard forces his mind away from the spicy sweet leather tinged odor and thinks about the behavior he's observed. "Goin' after the kids. Heading right for the center of the group every damn time."
The pale man next to Rich nods. He noticed that too, and for the most part the predators are targeting Jack. He sends the mental suggestion to Simon that perhaps the boy needs a medical scan when they stop next.
Abu and Paris are listening intently. Imam asks, "But why? We need to figure out why."
Riddick glances over his shoulder and says, "Oh… I'm starting to think I know why. Only, I'm not sure what to do about it." His eyes focus briefly back on Johns. Something tickles at his awareness about Olgivie, though. The man is intent on the words and seems overly concerned considering what he'd fought with Jack about before.
Behind them are the biggest, toughest bulls of the bioraptor lot. All they need to assure themselves a harem is some red blood. And they know it is there, in the same tunnels they inhabit when the fire is in the sky. It leads them like a sanguine ribbon wafting in the air. They ignore the harsh burn, the pain. Battle scars harden them to the fire. But something it fighting them back, leaving those in the lead scattered across the walls and floors of the passages. It's only a minor distraction.
They keep moving, scanning, anticipating another attack that doesn't come. Perhaps they have shaken off the group following them. One by one the bottles of alcohol burn out. They have been moving through the bioraptor tunnels for over half a day now. Switching back to hand lights as needed, they keep making their way through, slowly climbing now, following the path of the hills. Jack stumbles and Suleiman catches him. A wordless thanks is passed.
"We need to stop again. We should rest," Simon calls out, noticing that Ali is in about the same shape as Jack. They are in a fairly narrow, low passage now, in the bend of a turn. They decide to stop there, so that they can put the boys against the wall and protect them from two sides.
Jack sinks down to the floor gratefully. Ali settles next to his friend and stifles a yawn, "Feels like it's been days. Don't think I'll ever want to stay up past my bedtime again." Jack murmurs an agreement and shifts to get more comfortable. Off to the 'back' of the group Johns and Fry are reloading weapons and counting ammo. Over at the 'front' Simon and the Doctor are huddled with Richard and playing with the medical scanner. Jack has to fight the urge to wiggle in discomfort as those silver eyes glance at he and Ali. "You Okay, Jack?" the Arabic boy asks.
"No. I'm not. We got monsters with razor sharp teeth trying to eat us, Ali. I'm definitely not 'OK'. I'm scared shitless. And I don't want to hurt you, but Hassan is dead. How many more of us will die before this is over?"
Ali claps a hand onto Jack's shoulder. "God will protect us. You just need faith in that."
"He sure as shit didn't protect Hassan, did He?" Jack snaps. Then seeing the pain on the other boy's face, "I'm sorry. I don't mean that. I'm sure God had plans for your brother and that was meant to be his place to go, if it makes it any easier for you, Ali. I'm just – tired. And my feet hurt."
At this point Dr. Tam settles down in front of the two children, "Ali, would you please go over to Imam and Suleiman? I believe they are praying, and you should be as well." The child nods and moves. Jack starts to get up as well, but Simon stops the youth, "Jack. I need to scan you."
"No! There ain't no reason. Leave me alone."
The Tam scion catches the child before he can flee. "Jack! Listen here, if you are injured someplace that is not visible I need to treat it. I'm not going to hurt you."
"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."
Simon gives Jack a look; "If that is so then I won't find anything, will I?" Jack slumps back to the floor and pouts. Slowly the medical scanner makes it's way over the child, with the ebony-haired man getting a deeper frown as he tabulates the information that he is getting. "Alright, Jack. I can fix this." He reaches out to touch the child's chin and lift his face. Jack is silently crying. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Who'd believe me?" the boy sobs out. Jack finds himself surrounded by warm arms in a hug that is all comfort.
"I do," Simon whispers into the child's ear. "Come on, I've got a shot that will solve this problem." He wants to know who did this to the boy so he can do similar to them; he's so angered. But Jack doesn't need the cold fury so Simon pushes it aside. He's grateful to the Doctor insisting that they take a sheet with them, as he uses it and some spears to make a screen to give them some privacy. "I'll need to get a look at how bad it is, Jack."
Shaking now, Jack struggled out of the backpack and lifted his layered shirts to reveal old burns, like someone took a cigar and put it out against his skin. Simon keeps his face neutral even though the boy is not looking at him. None of the marks are new enough to be the cause of the blood trail. Keeping his eyes on the floor Jack drops his pants to let Simon see the cause of the fresh injury. "It was my fault. Don't go blamin' anyone."
"Where?"
"Bathrooms. I shouldn't have invited it. It -- "
Dr. Tam placed a light hand on the boy's thin back, "Never. Jack this is never your fault. If I ask you 'who' will you tell me?" At the same time he pulls an antiseptic wipe and begins cleaning the area around the wound and carefully checking how bad it is. Jack shakes his head and doesn't even flinch as he automatically moves to make it more accessible.
"Back home that would've been getting off easy. Not the first time, you know? I didn't think much of it. It happened and I didn't get burned, so…"
Simon is silent as he works, and Jack only hisses slightly when the topical medicine is applied. The shot doesn't even garner a reaction. Once the actual weeping of blood stops he quietly asks, "Are you positive that this has not happened to anyone else? Like Ali, for example?"
Jack twists to look at him with scared green eyes. "Please, no. He promised." Then with a resigned slump, "I – don't know."
He provides the boy with clean underclothes and helps him dress. But Simon can't just leave the boy without trying at least once asking, "Who did this, Jack."
The green-eyed boy shakes his head and starts to sob.
Simon emerges from the screen to find that the adults are all focused on one tunnel or another, and that River, Suleiman, and Ali are watching the white sheet with worry at the quiet sobs still coming out from behind it. He glares at a few backs, only one of which actually deserves it, trying to get his anger back under control. Jack refused to say who had done the deed, breaking into tears instead. Riddick is watching, out of the corner of his eye. Simon glowers at the ex-ranger too, only to his face.
Rich walks over, "Well?"
"It was Jack they were following." He holds up a sealed pouch with the child's underclothes. "And if I find out who did this to the boy they are going to be in a world of trouble."
"So, Jack's not a girl?" Riddick seems puzzled. He was sure that Jack's cover concealed the fact that there was a girl under the bravado.
The smaller dark-haired man's jaw clenches. The con takes half a step back, surprised by the raw anger there. "Jack is male. As male as you or I. Can you swear you never touched the boy?"
There's an undercurrent in the words that makes the bronze skinned man shiver. Someone's been hurting Jack and the kid just sucked up and kept quiet. No wonder he'd settled down and started being all silent and respectful like. But who? He knows his suspects, but he isn't sure it's a wise idea to just blurt them out. He's never seen the Doc so pissed off. It's like the shadow of fury he's felt in the alien, like given time it could be just as powerful. "I never laid a finger on him to hurt him, Simon. I don't swing to the young. But --" He glances over at the merc, "There are others who might."
"If you are lying to me I'll castrate you."
"If I'm lying, I'll castrate myself. With a dull, rusty pin." Richard is trembling now, from the wash of rage that ignites his own. If Johns did this he'll strangle the blue-eye devil with his own intestines. "Can I see him? Think he'll want someone there?"
"Yes. Try to move him, I need to scan Ali." The professional detachment is back in place, making Simon seem mild mannered and the perfectly soothing medical professional.
Richard clenches his fist and rocks on the balls of his feet before nodding. Someone is going to pay. He takes a deep breath and steps behind the makeshift screen "Why, Jack? Why didn't you say anything?"
The boy doesn't react until he feels the large warm hand on his shoulder that he knows is safe. Then he throws himself at the big muscled man and cries harder. The same question is rattling around in his own brain. He doesn't know why, but he can't, not yet.
The ex-ranger enfolds the thin child in his arms and carries him out from behind the screen. He can't take the boy over to the Doctor, because River is moving over there. He doesn't trust Paris or Johns. The only one he does trust is Imam. Telling the holy man that one of his charges might have been abused isn't going to be fun. He sure hope Ali comes back unharmed.
River slinks back to the Doctor, working her way under his leather jacket. She needs to hide in the face of the rage her brother is radiating like sharp spikes of bright sunlight and the golden mini-fireworks of fury and worry from Rich that are like the sparks from metal as it is being forged. Jack's brown is so dark it's almost black. The contrast hurts. The Time Lord pulls her in, trying to protect both Simon and River at the same time and from each other. She whimpers. He strokes her hair.
Carolyn moves away from Johns and over to Jack and Riddick while Simon escorts Ali off behind the screen, meeting them as they reach Abu. "Rich? Jack?" She puts a hand on the boy's head, gently soothing her fingers through his honey brown hair. "What did Simon find?" She addresses her question to the goggled man.
Imam feels sick to his stomach. Just looking at the way Jack clings to Mr. Riddick is enough for him to make some guesses as to what has happened, but that means someone in this group is capable of great cruelty. "Let us wait until we know if Ali has also fallen prey to events."
Rich looks at Fry, "Enough to threaten to castrate whoever did this."
Imam pales even further, hoping beyond hope that nothing has happened to Ali. He'd assumed that they were safe in the Hanger that the threat was all from without. Now it appeared that someone inside the group was as much of a predator as the natives here. If he were not on Hajj he'd kill the person responsible.
Carolyn looks at the holy man, "Imam? Are you OK?"
"No. Captain," he bites out.
She looks at Riddick, "Well, you were right about the ripping apart thing. But we don't have evidence of guilt, do we?"
"Never needed it in my case, why do we need it now?" The con rumbles. She winces. Jack clings harder as if he fears being put down. Fry places a light hand on the kid's back and rubs little circles. Between the two they manage to get Jack to calm slightly.
Ali and Simon walk back out from behind the screen a few moments later. The boy looks surprised that something might have upset his friend so badly, but he has no idea what it could be.
"He's fine, Imam. Sorry about the alarm," Dr. Tam says. "I just feel better having checked, is all." The holy man nods and gathers Ali into his arms, hugging the boy tightly. "Jack, we're going to have to keep moving." Jack slowly untangles from Riddick, gaining his feet as the large man puts him down. "We will protect you, Jack. It would help to know who to protect you from, but none the less we will protect you." Simon hands the boy back his pack then heads over to repack the screen.
In that touch of Jack's hand with his own he sees a flash of orange, deep and coppery. But he can't tell if it's an aura or something physical he seeing. He knows though that the cause of that orange is the cause of the boy's distress. Simon pauses as he folds the sheet and he looks around. Olgivie has that color of orange in his shirt. But Johns has hair that shade. And he can't see auras. He could describe the color to River he supposed, but his sister was distraught enough as it is. His eyes meet the blue ones so like his own, and he feels the connection between them simmering, I'm going to do the most horrific things I can to the person that has hurt Jack, he thinks.
There's a ripple of dark amusement, If Richard doesn't beat you to it, comes the flow of thoughts behind it.
He thinks that is very true, As long as I can watch, I won't mind much. Think of how inventive Rich must be at that sort of thing.
You are scaring River.
He glances up at the Doctor and his sister and notices that he can only see the back of her head and her legs from inside the Time Lord's jacket. Sorry, Mei-Mei.
Comprehendible, considering the circumstances, that you would apperceive vehemence. Her face lifts up from the black shirt she was huddled against, and she looks at him with large dark eyes.
Big words meant she was hiding from him. He sucked his emotions back in, sending to her a wave of regret. She responded by sending back warmth and love, but remained mentally hidden, the whisper of her mind only a faint muffled buzz. I'd feel the same if it were you.
I know. He gets a slight smile now. But there's something in her eyes that is dark, similar to what he can see in the Doctor's eyes. Like she's becoming something else. I know because you do feel that way about what was done to me.