River woke up alone in a dark room, void of all perception of time or space. She was strapped into a chair, her hands and feet still bound. Mercifully, the gag had been removed so she was able to breathe properly and without impediment. She tested her bonds systematically before she paused and listened to the unusual silence. There was something drastically wrong. She could not feel the thrum of an engine under her feet, which meant she was no longer on board a ship. River knew she was either on a planet or a moon but since she had no idea how long she had been unconscious, she could not calculate which planet she could be on.
She felt helpless.
"Hello, precious," a man's deep voice echoed through the room. It was the man that drugged her! River looked around on instinct, before she realized it was a futile effort. She couldn't see anything. The man chuckled and the low gravelly sound echoed in her ears. She felt the fear bubble up inside and focused on her breathing in an attempt to quell it.
In, out, in, out.
She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, trying to locate the dark voice that spoke to her.
Stay away from my mind!
The man pushed her psyche away with such a powerful force that it would have knocked her over, had she not been tied up in a chair. River felt as though someone had punched her in the gut and coughed, trying to regain her breath. Her eyes flew open and she almost expected to see him towering over her.
"Impressive," he said through the darkness. "But not nearly impressive enough."
Suddenly, a torrent of images flooded her mind and invaded her senses. She tried desperately but was unable to push them out.
Somewhere in the darkness, she thought she could hear Mal.
Hang on, bao bei.
Somewhere in the darkness, River screamed.
Mal awoke with a start. He flailed around for a moment, his mind confused and his sheets and body drenched with his sweat. He could feel the fear threaten to overwhelm him and he took a deep breath to calm himself.
In, out, in, out.
"River," he gasped. He had dreamt of her again. It was disturbing and so very, very real. She was in a room, tied to a chair and was screaming. It was a loud piercing shriek that cut right to his core.
Thoroughly shaken, Mal quickly climbed out of bed and reached over to grab a nearby towel to dry the sweat off his body. He glanced at the clock sitting on his nightstand and sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had been asleep less than an hour.
They had taken off from Beaumonde earlier that evening, joined by Peter Petrelli. Zoe had ordered to go to bed right away, saying he wouldn't be of any use to River if he were dead from exhaustion. He hated to admit that she was right, but he had fallen asleep the moment his head had hit the pillow and then the dream had started. God, it felt so real. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and pulled on his pants and a shirt. He doubted he'd be able to fall back asleep so he headed toward the dining room to make himself a cup of coffee.
Mal was surprised to see Jayne still sitting up, polishing his guns. He gave a quick nod as Mal entered, acknowledging his presence.
"What are you doing still up?" Mal inquired as he walked over to the stove and discovered a fresh pot of coffee had been recently brewed. Jayne barely gave him a glance as he continued to polish his weapons.
"Cleaning my guns, Mal," he replied. He picked up a rag and dipped it in some grease. He used long strokes and polished the barrel of a semi-automatic. Mal poured himself a cup of the protein based caffeinated sludge they called coffee.
"Want some coffee, Jayne?" he asked, lifting the coffeepot in his direction. Jayne nodded and Mal filled a mug for him.
"Why're you up cleaning your guns so late, Jayne?" Mal asked as he sat down and sipped at his hot beverage. Jayne paused slightly in his motions before he looked up at the Captain.
"I like having my guns in top condition, Captain," he replied as he resumed his polishing. "That way they're ready if'n I need 'em in a hurry. And I don't have to worry 'bout them in a fight. Sides, don't see that it matters when I clean 'em." Mal gave a wry grin.
"No, I don't suppose it does," he responded. He tipped his mug back and drank the last few drops of the muddy brown coffee flavored protein. Mal stood up and walked to the door, heading to the bridge to check their course. Before he exited, he paused and looked back at his mercenary.
"Hey Jayne," he said as he left. Jayne looked up at the Captain standing by the door.
"Try and get some sleep. We have a big fight ahead of us." He said as he exited.
On his way to the bridge, Mal paused for a moment to run his hands along the bulkhead. It was a movement he had often seen River do during her times of introspection. He smiled fondly at the memory of her movements.
River paused and touched the bulkhead, closing her eyes as though in communion with the ship. Mal stopped walking and turned to look at her.
"Bao bei?" he questioned. He reached out and lightly brushed away the hair covering her face. River opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"She's speaking," she said to him. Mal smiled down and cupped her face in his hands.
"Yeah?" he replied. "What's she saying?"
"I love you."
Mal grinned as he leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the lips.
Taking a deep breath, Mal continued walking right onto the bridge. Peter sat at the controls, maneuvering his ship toward the planet's surface. Peter looked up and acknowledged his presence with a nod.
"We'll be landing in approximately 10 minutes, Captain," Peter said in a serious tone. Mal nodded, too tired to formulate a coherent answer. He sat down in the seat next to Peter and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"You look like you haven't slept in days," Peter commented. He adjusted a few switches and turned his chair around to face Mal. Mal looked up at him and Peter was struck by how haggard he looked. His hair was disheveled and he had dark rings under his eyes.
"I feel like I haven't," Mal replied. He picked up one of Wash's old dinosaur's which still sat in a place of honor up front, and turned it over in his hands.
"I've been having these intense dreams. They started right after River disappeared," he continued, placing the dinosaur back on the console next to his friends. What kind of dinosaur was it? River would know, he thought to himself. Peter regarded him silently for a moment.
"What have you dreamt about?" he inquired. He adjusted some switches and took the ship off auto-pilot. He took hold of the controls and began to pilot the ship downward toward the planet's surface.
"Mostly dreams of her," Mal replied as he leaned back in the chair and strapped himself in. "It's been the same dream every time I fall asleep. It's so real and life like. Almost as though I could reach out and touch her. But it always ends the same way and I wake up."
"Describe it to me," Peter said. He maneuvered the ship down toward the docking bay and extended the docking clamps. Mal closed his eyes and tried to remember the details of his dream.
"We're in a dark room," he began. "River is tied up to a chair. I tell her to hang on I'm coming. Then a man starts to laugh. River screams, and I wake up." Peter glanced over at him and was silent. He finished the landing sequence safely and the ship shuddered to a stop. Peter stared at Mal intently, silently probing him for an answer to the mystery behind the Captain's sleepless night.
"What if it's not a dream?" he asked after a moment. Mal nodded as he looked out the forward window.
"Thought crossed my mind," he replied after a moment. "River's psychic. We've bonded. Maybe there's some sort of psychic bond there that I don't know about."
"River is one of the most powerful psychics I've ever encountered," Peter said. "She may be sending you a message, consciously or subconsciously because she knows you're looking for her."
"So what do I do?" Mal asked as he unstrapped himself from the chair and slowly stood up. He reached out and grabbed the back of his chair to steady himself. The exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. It wasn't just physical, it was mental and emotional as well. River gave meaning to a life that had been defeated by Serenity Valley.
"I can't continue on like this. I don't choose to wake up, it just happens."
"I might be able to help you," Peter replied. They stood and left the bridge. "Tonight, with your permission, I'd like to guide you in a sort of psychic meditation. I would have to enter your dream with you, but if there's a psychic link, we might be able to strengthen it. Of course, there is the possibility that Sylar might pick up on it. It's a risk we'd have to take."
"I don't want to do anything that's gonna put River at more risk," Mal responded. "I can forgo a few hours of sleep if'n it means she stays alive a few more days."
"It's your decision, Mal," Peter answered. "But if it helps us locate River, then I think it's worth the risk." Mal considered the man's words before he answered.
"Let me think about it," he replied after a moment.
"Fair enough," Peter said as they walked toward the cargo bay. "Guess we have to handle this first anyway."
"Ready to do this, Sir?" Zoe questioned as they approached the ramp. Mal grimaced. Fact was, he didn't want to do this. Not one bit. In fact, he would rather be anywhere but here. Nevertheless, it needed to be done so he gave Zoe a curt nod.
She pushed a button and lowered the ramp. The three of them walked out into the beautiful oasis known as Sihnon and were met by someone Mal and Zoe had not seen in a very long time.
"Hello Inara," he said with a grimace.