Instigation
A/N many apologies for the hold up! I'm condemned to writing three papers a week for school, and I'm part of a drama production, so tech weekend is looking right around the corner which means I will be very sleep deprived for a while, and too busy to sneak away and write fan fiction. BUT don't lose hope in me! I still plan to continue writing.
Another reason this chapter took so long was because I was trying very hard to portray a believable interpretation of River. Not sure how well I succeeded, but I gave it my best shot. There may appear to be many POV (point of view) Violations in her snippet, but that's entirely intentional, because she hears the thoughts of those around her as acutely as she can her own...I kind of wanted to get that feel when I wrote it.
And I added some shameless fluff for Kaylee and Simon. Slow going, as ever. But what can you expect? Kaylee's a sentimental creature, and Simon is a dunce. Dynamics like that inevitably make for slow progress.
Anyway, Enjoy! R&R, too! I like feedback. :)
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. I just like pretending otherwise.
River cast her eyes squarely in Badger's direction. The echoes of his thoughts danced in and out along the edges of her mind, like shadows flickering through fire light. Flitting, and faint, but ever present. 'She doesn't look ...real danger...but it's not like...wrong before.' Badger maintained a safe distance, keeping his dagger poised in his hand, ready to hurl it at the girl if she did something unpredictable.
Her mind clicked into gear, instinctively analyzing his response from a detached perspective:Target acquired. Temporarily incapacitated due to stupefaction; phase one commencing due course. River rose slowly from her seat.
"I know you," Badger said, studying River carefully, his eyes guarded. "You were a passenger on Malcolm Reynolds' ship some time ago."
"Of a sort." She shrugged, mimicking his Dyton accent with careful accuracy. Spinning truth with lies...committing such an act had always given River a rather unfathomable thrill. It was a form of child play; of make believe. And she was good at it. Back at the academy, they had ensured that she would be.
It was only ever a game; nothing more. No harm, no repercussions. Not if you won the game. Prizes would be promised after wards: she could be free from the incessant headaches and from the invisible probing fingers...reaching, testing, pulling, demanding... back then, if she won the game, then freedom was attained. At least for a little while. The haunting image of said fingers plagued the back of her mind like an infectious shadow, reliving its actions in her brutal memories. Her vision clouded in the process.
No. Not now. Notoriously inconvenient timing...Manic tendencies must be suppressed... River closed her eyes, stifling the overpowering urge she had to fall victim to another of her episodes...She had a mission to work towards completion. Efficiency and consistency were crucial. She had to win the game.
She devoted her attention to burying herself in the part she created. Channeling her energy toward that train of thought seemed to successfully dissipate her looming antics. She reopened her eyes. Automatically, it was as if a new lens had been screened in front of her eyes; a new person in front of her own. River's mind whirred with an almost mechanic instinct, canvasing how she could best use the situation to her advantage. The game begins...
"Badger, i'nnit?" She asked casually, opening the conversation.
Badger eyed her warily, disquieted. Her swoon she had attempted to internalize apparently did not go unnoticed by him. "What do you want?"
He was not keen on talking conversationally, River noted. He was all about cutting to the chase. Ever the businessman. She could manage that for him.
"Your expertise," she responded cryptically, as was her wont. "And your assistance."
A skeptical smirk flitted across his face. "Right. And why would I be inclined to service you for either of those?"
"Because I know what holds both of your reputations at stake." River gave a wry smile, waiting for his reaction. Heart pace is accelerating; pupils dilating. Fear has been instilled. Incapacitation duly maintained.
His fist clenched anxiously around the hilt of his dagger. He gave a smile, attempting to mask his apprehension. " 'Reputations', ay?" he scoffed, covering his panic. "Are you implying that I'm leadin' some sort of double life, then? Can't say that merits my inclination to take you seriously, luv."
"No. I'm implying that my threats are not to be taken lightly." River countered, closing the distance between them, keeping her eyes level with Badger. He wouldn't take her seriously? Well, changing his mind shouldn't be a problem. Commence phase two.
She struck her hand out, fast and snakelike as she attacked a pressure point at his wrist, rendering his arm useless. In the midst of his surprise, she quickly obtained his dagger. River angled the dagger at his neck, its point barely grazing against the bottom of his chin. Badger winced at the ferocity of her contact, and drew his head back to avoid the blade.
Stay in character, River reminded herself. You just gotta scare him.
"You may seem like a petty thief to many folk 'ere; but I know of yer involvement with the Alliance," River sneered. "Luckily for you: your connection to them pertains of some use to me."
Badger didn't budge. "How didja come ta know that about me?" He asked, giving up on his feigned ignorance. His voice was hushed; laced with fear and anger.
River tilted her head like a feline studying her prey. "Oh, I know all about'chu. You may 'ave recalled me sayin' so from our last encounter. "
The flashback resonated through the barriers of Badger's mind with meticulous accuracy, reflecting subconsciously into River's. "An innocent laugh interrupts Badger's sense of control...a mouse of a little lady approaches, whimsical and a novelty; A passing interest...'What's your story, love?' ...She has a glazed expression, then with the turn of her pretty head, a sudden authoritative arrogance takes over...'I got a secret. More th'n one...But you're talking loud enough for the both of us though, ain'tcha?'"
Badger's brows twitched with apprehension at the recollection of his memory. He was visibly unnerved. This was good. It meant that she had his complete and undivided attention. His refusal tactic has been rendered useless. He was now forced to take her seriously.
Badger narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Are you an agent from the Alliance, come to do me in?" He asked.
River's eyes flashed with sudden anger. Flicking her wrist, she jabbed the point of the dagger further against Badger's throat. He tilted his head back instinctively. "Never attribute me to the Alliance." She snarled venomously. She rotated the blade in a quarter turn, grazing the sharp edge of the dagger along the length of his throat.
"Awright, awright." Badger complied, leaning back as far as he dared to avoid the gorram dagger. He lifted his hands by way of surrender. "My mistake." he apologized ostensibly. "No need to be testy." He muttered an afterthought, " 'S not like you got a stranger bargin' unexpectedly inta your home." He paused, as though waiting her for her to snap at the comment. "Can I at least know your name?"
Her stance, while still aggressive, remained static. Complication. Warrants an impromptu solution. River softened her features and lowered the blade, lessening the tension. Badger gave a silent breath of relief.
River chewed the inside of her cheek, deliberating quietly. Why didn't she consider this sooner? Of course any reasonable individual would want to attribute a name to some one. But she obviously couldn't tell him her real name. Simon would be utterly beside himself if she revealed to Badger that she was a fugitive—worse off with the law than even he was. Her mind opened like an encyclopedia, quickly conjuring names that would best suit her. She would have to maintain a name of British heritage, to keep up her facade.
"Ophelia Dickens," River decided. "Friends call me Phee." Her mind wanted to elaborate further. She was tempted to orate her thoughts, but she instead held her tongue and silently put up with her uncontrollable fixation to explore logic at any given opportunity. Ophelia: Shakespearean maiden, condemned to her own fate—drowning herself in a river, prompted by her sudden, inexplicable madness. Dickens: The surname of a classic literary author from Earth-that-was. Known for his ability to write of moral uprightness for characters trapped in troubled circumstances. Symbolism imbedded in a subliminal fashion...As far as names went, they would work well enough for her.
"Glad I at least got that question out of the way." Badger deadpanned. "I'd be even more chipper if you'd be willin' to enlighten me some as to why you're here, though."
River rolled her eyes, throwing him a sarcastic look that may as well have said "Please. Don't be such an idiot." It was an exasperated expression she was fond of using on Simon regularly. Apparently Badger was equally qualified for it.
"Why else would I be here?" She sassed. She flipped the knife and handed it back to Badger, hilt first. He took it, grateful that he was no longer in imminent peril. Well, per se... He sheathed it, not wanting her to have easy access to it again. Just in case.
River turned on her heel and ambled back towards the grungy leather couch. "I heard hear-tell that you're in cahoots with the Alliance's generous sponsor: Blue Sun Co." River said. Casually, she picked up Badger's spare brooch he had laying on the coffee table next to the chair. It glinted tiredly in the hazy light. Her fingers traced the pattern that was borne upon it: A silhouetted Dragon swooping past a heron, standing aright on one leg. She recognized this pin. It was the very pin that caught her eye when she first met him all those months ago. So many secrets of his were revealed to her with this little scrap of a beauty... her eyes remained mesmerized on the pin.
"Well, in a manner'a'speaking." Badger attested. 'She apparently knows enough about me already...What the hell. I'll just go with it. ' "Technically, I'm their mole. I agree to provide intel for them when they demand it of me. In return, I'm not bothered by them, and my prison sentence is completely removed from the picture. A pretty decent payroll in its own way, I suppose. Not that I ever expect those huen dahns to pay me, anyway."
River waved a hand dismissively. She knew he hadn't ratted out Mal quite yet, which was all that was important to her as far as his sniveling second career was concerned. Serenity was still an asset to Badger for his own business outside of his submissive cowardice. "In any case: It turns out you have a mess to clean up. Your foolish decision to deny Captain Reynolds his full wages has made him inclined to search for better job offers and leave Persephone immediately."
"So much the better, really," Badger scoffed. "Why should this concern me?"
"It would behoove you to know that there've been Federal officers eye-ballin' the Docks extra carefully these days. Since you've ratted out so many criminals within your vicinity lately, the Docks have become a new hotspot for them." River didn't bother to explain how she came upon such information. The thoughts of the Feds earlier that day had invaded River's mind so incessantly and arrogantly that it gave her a rather horrible headache. But telling that to Badger would not be in her best interest at this given point in time.
She continued, "Because of that fact, any quick landin' with an equally quick dispatch would smell funny to them. Especially given the infamous goings-on at Eavesdown." She threw Badger a pointed look. "Once they decide to hunt down Captain Reynolds, then his reasons for dockin' at Persephone would trace right back to you." She couldn't resist imbuing a quote from what he said to Mal earlier that day: "and participating in the illegal smuggling of Alliance merchandise wouldn't exactly bode well on that scrappy resume o'yours."
Badger paled, "...Alliance...merchandise? Not possible. Reynolds sent me something entirely freelance. The cargo had no Alliance stamp on it."
"Well, you got bamboozled this time 'round. And you were dumb enough to fall for it, too." River replied, raising her eyebrows at him mockingly. Badger still didn't seem to fully understand her meaning. She sighed, irritated. She'd have to spell it out to him... "Reynolds pulled a heist at Greenleaf; snagging goods from their Alliance export ships. Unlike the last time they robbed Alliance cargo for ya, no one managed to ID their ship. Not this time around. Therefore, no news bulletin could forewarn you of their criminal act against the Alliance. All it took for them afterward was a bit of logo-replacing and box-shuffling, and they managed to get the cargo looking as inconspicuous any smuggled piece of cargo from the border planets. As I said: You've been duped.
"The only problem is, a Firefly-model vessel remaining dirt-side for all of two hours before headin' out again catches the attention of the purple-bellies. May have been Mal's fault, but it was more indefinitely your fault for giving him motivation to leave sooner than he'd like. And even more so your fault for letting yourself fall for false cargo in the first place.
"Now, I'm sure you'd prefer to keep your reputation intact. Thing is, so do we. Unfortunately, the only way Reynolds can slip past the Feds is if you are present. Not to mention, it's the only way to keep the feds from nosing around your...burrow, as it were. I'm sure you wouldn't want them findin' any products of questionable legality now, wouldja?"
Badger frowned. Swapped the cargo boxes...duped him..."Wait a minute! You all planned to blackmail me from the start?"
"Well, it ain't like you've been routine about paying them fairly. Someone had to take action against you eventually." River explained.
"That someone being you," Badger deduced. He was smarter than he let on. River couldn't help being somewhat impressed. "Ta me duh. You barstids are no better than the Alliance themselves."
"Don't act all delusional on me. It's not like you haven't had your own share of blackmail against folk. It's undoubtedly the only reason the Alliance still tolerates you. Makes me wonder what kind of dirt you got on them to get them to put up with you." River had her suspicions, but Badger was remarkably good at keeping such thoughts out of his radar—He was surprisingly better at it than Mal was. He must have been involved in some sort of Alliance training. It's the only way she would have been unable to find that thought.
"I'm still mighty interested in knowing how you figured out that tid-bit about me." Badger grouched.
"All in due time," She replied, tossing his pin at him. He caught it on reflex.
Badger glanced down at the pendent, and his eyes suddenly grew soft. River observed carefully. Whatever else had plagued his mind about the pin, he was desperately tucking it into the furthest reaches of his mind. And bizarrely, he was succeeding. No thoughts bombarded her own. Interesting. His inner strength warranted admiration. He was rather gifted at suppressing important thoughts. Too bad the Feds on Persephone were absolutely horrible at it in comparison. Their knowledge about Badger's influence may as well have ricocheted between the walls of Serenity. Gorram fools.
To Badger's credit though, he still held a trump card, despite the unknowing betrayal his employers sent to River. She was still one move behind on the game. Recalibration on her wavelength sensitivity would have to become a necessity in order to bid for the highest card. She needed to determine what plagued his mind where she couldn't reach. There was still plays to be made.
"So," River said "it's down to this: You either accept my request for assistance, and leave as a free man, no longer blackmailed with the crime of carrying Alliance Cargo; Or, you refuse and I ensure that both Mal and your Blue Sun employers have an excuse to eliminate you permanently. It's your choice."
"Some choice." Badger muttered. He huffed, "I'm all yours, sweetheart." His tone was begrudging.
"A wise decision."
Badger cleared his throat, uncomfortable with being in a position where he wasn't in power. "What exactly is your game plan? You've got me completely bottle-necked, so tell me what needs doing."
"Our ride out of here doesn't depart until morning. You'd best be gettin' some sleep before then." River replied. "You're going to need it."
"What about you?" Badger inquired. He may have had an expansive house...but it didn't mean he was exactly in a position to afford more than one bed. Either he'd have to grab the floor or she would.
"I don't sleep." River said by way of answer. In truth, sleep terrified her. The vulnerability, the inevitable nightmares that plagued her innermost fears...No. Staying awake would be no problem for her.
Badger arched his eyebrows, "Ah." No sleep, aye? For some reason, he didn't doubt her on that. "Very well, then. Wouldja care for something to eat or drink, then? Bide your time while you loiter around?"
"Attempts to poison me would be futile." River warned, recognizing his intentions. "I've a friend who studies pharmaceuticals extensively. Don't think I haven't picked up a thing or two." The said 'friend' being her brother; not that she'd be inclined to tell Badger as much.
"Poison wasn't my intent," Badger lied. 'Damn, is there any angle she hasn't considered?'
River smiled smugly at his irritation. She pointed in the direction of the stairs that led to his chamber. "Go. Sleep. I'm not going anywhere."
Badger frowned. Like he would submit to her orders that easily. They were still under his roof, after all. "I don't think so. I'll only trust you as far as I can see you." he said.
River sighed. "Very well. You asked for it." Then, quick as lightening, she kicked him in the face, sending him into instant unconsciousness. She stood over his collapsed form, making sure he had truly been knocked out.
"Buhn dahn." She muttered, finally dropping her Dyton accent.
"She'll be fine, Simon. No need to worry none. Cap's got hisself right-sure that she's all right. That's gotta mean she's okay." Kaylee had seated herself on counter, hugging one of the infirmary pillows against her chest. Her eyes compassionately followed Simon as he paced the room restlessly.
"The problem is, I seem to struggle trusting the captain's judgment when it comes to my sister." Simon seethed, fretfully running his fingers through his dark hair. He was unraveling. Kaylee had never seen him act like such a train wreck before. It had her a mite unsettled. Her heart ached for him, and not just because she thought he looked so gorram rugged when his hair was in disarray. She tugged at her bottom lip, feeling odd about how to go about comforting him. She'd been restating the same basic reassurances to him for the past hour and a half, yet her efforts had proved to no avail. She decided to attempt her last resort: "C'mon, Simon...You should try and sleep some. Stayin' awake for longer than you ought ain't going to bring River back any faster."
Simon stopped his pacing and swerved towards her, his eyes wild with vexation. "How can I sleep at a time like this!" He exploded. Kaylee cringed at his tone. She knew he weren't angry at her none. But still...She hated it when people yelled.
"I didn't mean no harm by it, Si. I was just sayin..." Kaylee lifted her shoulder guiltily, attempting to vouch for her comment.
Simon, in a moment of clarity, remembered himself and attempted to simmer down his anger. "I...I'm sorry, Kaylee..." He rubbed his hand wearily against his forehead. "I can't help but worry...River has always been my prime concern, and I allowed myself to get comfortable enough here to lose my acuity as an older brother. There are a multitude of horrible things the Alliance will do to her if they have her in their custody. And as long as she's out on her own, getting caught is a grave and horrifying possibility for her." Simon's voice had slowly been rekindling its angry edge as he spoke. "It's just...so aggravating that Mal has the audacity to treat the situation like it's no big deal..."
Kaylee dropped her gaze in shame for him. She drew the pillow ever closer to her. Why'd he have to go talkin' trash 'bout the captain like that? It weren't his fault that River left. At least, she didn't think so...
Simon gave a sigh, weary with himself and the stress that had wholly disquieted him. He plopped down at the foot of the infirmary bed, burying his head in his hands. "But at the same time, I can't deny that Mal is right: River is my responsibility. The fact that she left is no one's fault but my own...God, I'm such a despicable brother. How could I have let this happen? I promised to look out for her; that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. I would do everything in my power to keep her safe." Distressed, he raked his fingers through his hair once more "...Some stellar job I did." he muttered bitterly.
He looked so exhausted...so tormented. Kaylee felt an urge to cuddle up next to him and smooth that beautiful hair of his...to consolingly caress his baby-smooth skin. Anything to try and provide a sense of comfort for him. But he was still undeniably tense, so she maintained a safe distance, just in case he blew a gasket again.
Kaylee sometimes struggled to remind herself that people didn't always function quite like machinery. There wasn't always a cause-and-effect to explain the reasons for certain behaviors. And being able to fix them when they were feeling broken wasn't exactly a possibility all the time, neither. Much as she wanted to help, she knew it wouldn't add up to much in the end. No matter how fixed up someone would appear on the outside, they'd still be damaged and broken on the inside.
"She'll turn up, Simon." Kaylee reassured him. He didn't look entirely convinced, but at least he seemed to appreciate Kaylee's sentiment. He gave her a half-hearted smile by way of thanks, and Kaylee's heart flipped a little. He always looked so charming...She wondered how he managed to pull it off so well all the time?
Simon awkwardly broke his eye contact with Kaylee, apparently uncomfortable. Kaylee bristled slightly, annoyed that he caved on her yet again, but she forced herself to remain patient with him. Now was certainly not an appropriate time to try and woo him. Misery loves company, sure. But if she was going to set things in motion between them, she'd best do it for his benefit, and not for her own. It'd be selfish it was just to appease her own desire. Mutuality was important, and as far as she could tell, neither of them had quite reached that bridge yet. Simon didn't seem quite willing yet at least.
"Oh no..." Simon breathed. He was staring hard at the far counter across the room.
Kaylee frowned, confused. "What?"
Not answering, Simon got up from his seat and hastened to the empty counter, frantically searching each of the cupboards that surrounded the area.
Oh, for the love of all that's good in the universe...What's got him so riled up now? She had justgotten him to settle down some, for crying out loud! "What's wrong, Simon?"
"I can't...seem to find...the smoothers..." Simon said erratically as he checked the upper cupboards. "they're not where I left them..."
"The smoothers...you mean, for River?"
Simon slowed to a stop and went stiff. He turned to face Kaylee, his expression taut with concern. "You don't think Jayne would stoop so low as to steal my supplies, do you?"
Kaylee was taken aback at the severity of Simon's expression. That seemed a rather rash assumption. To hell with comforting him; there weren't no way she was going put up with him acting like he had a pole stuck up his ass. "What in the hell would make you think Jayne would want to steal meds?" Kaylee argued, vying for Jayne's defense.
"Yeah...I didn't think so either." Simon agreed.
Kaylee frowned at his response. So he wasn't pointing fingers...he was just eliminating possibilities. "Then who—?"
"It had to have been River. But I don't know why she would be motivated to do such a thing...she hates being around anything medical in nature. Why would she..." Simon left his sentence hanging.
"Maybe she was just bein' resourceful?" Kaylee asked. "Or tryin' to trash them. She's been prone to do that occasionally."
"Or she has something else in mind. River's actions have always been...enigmatic at best since her return from the Academy. I don't think I could accurately guess what she would have in mind with a bunch of sedatives. Primal instinct for survival while she's on her own? Bartering for more money? I don't rightly know...whatever her intentions, I have a feeling that she's left Serenity for something a little more dangerous than a simple moonlighting trip."
"Now don't you go assuming the worst of things, Simon." Kaylee chastised crossly. "She may not be exactly normal; but that doesn't make her any less smart. She can handle herself out there. And I'm sure she has good intentions with the smoothers. She's the smartest girl I've ever met. Whatever she's doing, I'm sure it's for the best."
"That's a dangerous philosophy, Kaylee. Not everything necessarily turns out for the best. River's condition should be evidence of that."
Kaylee raised her chin indignantly "For the best or not, Simon. What I said is still true. River is an all out genius, and she's brave and strong. Strong enough to handle the fact that the government messed her brain up, and brave enough to put up with people who don't completely understand what she's goin' through. Give the girl some credit. Chances are real good that she brought meds along to appease you, Simon. If you knew she'd be going on an adventure away from you, you'd be shoving meds her direction for just in case. She's gotta recognize that those sedatives will help her blend in at the very least. And I'm sure you'd prefer she blend in rather than give herself away with another of her episodes."
Simon closed his eyes and groaned. "I've been blowing this way out of proportion." He exclaimed. Promptly, he kissed Kaylee on the forehead. "Kaylee, you're a genius. Why didn't I consider that?"
"Because it makes the most sense." Kaylee griped irritably. She wouldn't show it, but she was tickled pink at Simon's compliment, and the unexpected kiss on her forehead had left her a mite woozy with elation. Truth of the matter was, Simon was still being a complete dunce about River and needed to be called out on it.
"I suppose that's true." Simon agreed. "God, I'm such an idiot."
Yep. He was at that. Kaylee reverted back to comfort-mode, and made one last attempt to get Simon to realize that he needed to recover and get some rest. "No, you're not a complete idiot," she amended. "But your lack of sleep is definitely making your reason go fuzzy. I'm telling you, you need sleep if you want to have a clear head tomorrow when figurin' what's gonna be done about River."
He hesitated. Then, he finally gave in: "You're right. I'm well overdue for sleep."
Kaylee nodded "You better believe I'm right. Now go get some shut eye before you change your mind."
Simon smiled wanly. "Thank you, Kaylee. Even though I've been an ass about everything, I appreciate your efforts to get me to see reason. I guess I needed to hear it from you."
Her heart swelled with pride. "Thank me later." She said shaking her head. "Sleep first." She allowed a smile to dance across her face in spite of her bossy demeanor.
Simon's eyes still harbored sadness, but they gleamed with gratefulness. He bent down and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Thank you," He repeated softly. Then, before Kaylee's mind could think to reactivate itself, Simon vacated the room.
Kaylee stood wearing a stupid grin on her face. Damned if she hadn't fallen hard for him already. That doctor sure knew how to make a girl feel twitter-pated. She hoped his sleep wouldn't be restless...She liked it when Simon was in his right mind, and not over-thinking things. Made him less stuffy.
*TRANSLATIONS*
huhn dahns - bastards
buhn dahn - idiot/moron