Mal looked back and forth between the Doc and the man on the screen. "I take it you know this fella, Doc," he asked.
"Yes I do," Simon replied. "He was the one that helped me free River from the Academy." River looked up sharply at this statement and watched as the man on the screen gave a little smirk. She didn't look much like he remembered. Of course, she was now conscious and standing. And she appeared to have filled out more. No doubt a result of regular eating and healthy work. She was actually quite pretty. He nodded his head slightly at her, acknowledging her presence on the bridge, then turned back to his conversation with Simon.
"Much as I enjoy this little chit chat, Simon, I have business I need to attend to. I was sending you a wave to tell you to meet me on Beaumonde in three days. I believe that's when you're scheduled to arrive. Isn't that so, Captain?" The man closely watched the interesting dynamic between the captain and his Reader, little River. Mal looked to River for any indication that he wasn't to be trusted. Much to her frustration, Peter didn't give her much to work with, but what he gave her was enough. River gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head, indicating it was safe to meet this man on Beaumonde. Mal nodded in return, indicating that was an acceptable plan.
"Alright Peter, I'll be there. Meet us at the Maidenhead," Simon replied. Peter gave a short nod, then the screen went black. Simon turned to face the Captain.
"Mind telling me what that was about, doc?" The Captain asked. Simon sighed, resting his hands on his hips.
"Peter Petrelli helped me free River from the Academy. He hates the Alliance almost as much as you do, Mal. Although, for different reasons. His past is a mystery to me, but one thing I can tell you is that without him, I wouldn't have been able to free my sister."
Mal shuddered when he though of what sort of torture that would have been for River. He didn't want to think about what they would have turned her into if her brother hadn't rescued her. It was things like that which made him hate the Alliance even more.
"Right, then," he said turning back to the console, "We land on Beaumonde in three days."
Those three days passed quickly for River. She had been quieter than usual and everyone had noticed. Kaylee had tried a few times to get her to talk.
"What's wrong, mei mei," she would ask. River couldn't give her an answer, so Kaylee eventually gave up and went back to her engines.
River curled up in the pilot's seat and gazed out at the stars, lost deep in thought. She grasped the idea that Peter had power beyond what any of them could imagine, even if she didn't know what that power was. It frightened her. Peter Petrelli was more powerful than she ever would be. He would be a powerful ally and a destructive enemy. River was interrupted a few moments later when Mal climbed into the cockpit and sat in the seat next to her.
"We'll reach orbit in 1 hour, 27 minutes, 19 seconds," she told him, anticipating his question. "Roughly." He smiled at this last part, then glanced over at her. Truth be told, he'd been kinda worried about her since they got that wave three days ago.
"You ok, albatross?" he asked. "You been kinda quiet past few days." He looked over at her intently. Her gaze shifted under the weight of his stare and she felt a blush begin to creep across her cheeks. She could read his thoughts clearly, even if she didn't mean to. She felt concern, tenderness, and something else she couldn't quite name. She picked up on a stray thought that was floating by.
She's so beautiful.
I'm heading to the special hell, aren't I?
"Nervous," she replied, looking away, trying not to hear his thoughts. It was a distraction, one she couldn't afford to have. No matter how tempting.
"'Spect you are, little one," Mal replied, seemingly oblivious to the effect he was having on her. "You gonna be okay when we land? I seem to remember you had a little run-in last time we were at the Maidenhead." He remembered her deadly dance in the bar. She moved with such grace; it was beautiful to watch, in a strange and deadly sort of way. He knew that was the moment when he stopped seeing her as a little girl, in need of protection, and started seeing her as a real woman. She was magnificent. River chuckled at his comment.
"I'll be okay, Captain. I just won't look at any Fruity Oat advertisements," she replied with an impish grin. He smiled back and they sat in companionable silence until they reached Beaumonde.