AN: Okay I am so very sorry that it has taken me forever to update. A few things first 1) I have not forgotten about this story, law school is just a bitch 2) since it is finally summer now I will have more time to write (yeah! Does a small happy dance) 3)I know a lot of people follow this story and I am so appreciative of that, so I promise to try and give you guys more updates over the next few months.
Anyways…on with the show!
Chapter 38…X-Ecutioner Style
XXX
River's POV
She doesn't want to talk to either of them…she's attempting to avoid the inevitable headache that they will give her. But they are both persistent ben tiansheng de yidui rou.
As soon as the girl had finished discussing the price and drop of the med supplies from Ariel with the Captain, Riddick had pounced like the waiting beast that he is…He wanted to "talk," which she just wanted to avoid. She had no desire to discuss her familial relations at the moment…neither her brother…nor her long lost "mother."
The girl could have handled it two ways…the mature face things head on approach…or the other, which was to avoid it…which is what she picked.
As soon as she left the bridge…she ran.
"RIVER!" He bellowed after her, but she didn't stop.
She ran through the halls as fast as she could…trying to outrace the whispering threads that pulled at her. While Riddick may have had strength on her…she had speed…and knowledge of all the hidden crevices in Serenity.
XXX
Riddick's POV
"Gaoyang zhong de guying…he chusheng zajiao de zanghuo… nee ta ma duh. tyen-shia suoyo duh run doh gai si." He muttered under his breath as he stalked through the halls.
I nearly runs through Jayne as he proceeds down the hall. "Lose something Riddick?" Jayne says with a slight smirk.
"Not up for your crap right now Jayne." I say as continue searching for the slip of the girl.
I get to the mess hall and look around…and am not happy to find the girl's brother there…he rolls his eyes when he sees me…must be a family trait.
"So I take it that chasing my sister through the halls of the ship is a daily activity for you?" He says as he continues to read over part of the girl's file.
"Not in the mood Doc." I say.
"They say a man's love, till it has been chastened and fastened by the feeling of duty which marriage brings with it, is instigated mainly by the difficulty of pursuit." The Doc says under his breath.
"I told you…not in the mood…don't make me say it again." As I stalk over to the table he is sitting at.
"I'll do and say as I please…" He says as he stands from the table…the chair scraping the floor behind him.
"Ah the sounds of a brawl bout to break out." Mal says as he walks into the room followed by Jayne and Zoe. "Hate to break up the fun, but we're 'bout to go do the thing with the people Riddick."
I grit my teeth and turn back towards the Doc. "Well isn't this you're lucky day." I say as I shove the table and walk towards the cargo bay to grab my gear.
XXX
River's POV
She can hear their screaming voices…the daggers and scalpels…they claw at her head like razor blades… she squeezes her eyes shut to try and block them out. Silently screams in her head.
…Shut up…Shut up…Shut up when I'm talking to you
Shut up…Shut up…I'm about to br—
She feels it sweep over her…she hates that she can't control it…hates that her mind goes in and out…
…Reality Shifts…
"Wasn't that fun? Let's try something else…" He says with an almost gleeful smile.
She's looking at a memory…she sees herself strapped to a gurney, Dr. Mathias standing over her… a nurse holding dozens of different types of syringes next to him.
They're trying to break her…break that "defiant streak" she has… it's for her own good he says…She spits in his face.
…Forty-five caliber killa…
Smooth talking, fully automatic weapon concealer
Taste thriller, break thriller
Let's hit 'em with the bounce filler
Filthy stinking, standing on solid ground…
She's frustrated, she wants to scream…to run…to fight…but she can't…she's tied down and held so tightly she can barely breathe.
"Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret." Dr. Mathais says as he injects her with another syringe.
…In the back of the spine where my dawgs, they lie
Going to flip it straight up, ripping apart your squad
X-ecutioner style, cuts and blends like a syringe
Hanging you from each of your limbs……Shut up…Shut up…Shut up…she screams in her head over and over…
…Reality Shifts again…
XXX
Zoe is preparing one of Serenity's shuttles for take-off while the Captain and Riddick stow various weapons and the cargo.
"Lucrative as this stuff is, I'll be glad to see the last of it. Kinda makes us a target for every…" But Mal doesn't get the chance to finish as he is cut off by Zoe.
"Was someone in here messing around? The ignition sequence is all turned about. I can't even..."
"I can." Wash says as he walks in.
"Well get it set, would you, Wash? We gotta get moving."
"Here's a funny twist: no." He says as he crosses his arms in front of himself.
"No what?" Riddick asks.
Wash merely smiles. "No."
"Change the sequence?" Riddick asks.
"Didn't want you taking off without me. In fact, didn't want you taking off at all. Thought I might take this run instead with the boys instead of you Zoe."
"Umm, since I am the Captain and standing right here I can tell you that's not gonna happen?"
"Well, it's a dangerous mission, sir. I can't stand the thought of something happening that might cause you to come back with another thrilling tale of bonding and adventure. I just can't take that right now."
"Okay, um, I'm lost. Uh, I'm angry, and I'm armed, so if you two have something that you need to work out…"
"It's all right, sir. We've deal with Bolles before. Shouldn't be a problem. And I wouldn't mind sitting this one out."
"Oh, this is a fine fang-tzang fong-kwong duh zie but I don't have time to unwind it. Wash. Get her started. Zoe, ship is yours. Better to leave it to you then Jayne."
Zoe grabs her guns and begins to walk out of the shuttle.
"Bye, hon! We promise not to stop for beers with the fellas!" Wash says as he sits down and starts the engines.
"So, are we gonna sing army songs, or something?"
Both Mal and Riddick just look beyond annoyed at this point.
The shuttle detaches and flies away from Serenity.
Wash is in the driver's seat, Mal riding shotgun, while Riddick leans up against the back wall.
After a few minutes Mal breaks the silence. "Look, this thing with you and Zoe..." Mal starts.
"Really not looking to talk on that topic." Wash answers tersely.
"Hey. I let that niou-se trick of yours slide because this is a milk run. But when I go on a mission, I'm taking Zoe and that's the drill. You know that. I mean, what happens if we get into a situation here?
"Hey, I've been in a firefight before!"
"Really little man?" Riddick asks in disbelief.
"Well, I was in a fire…Actually, I was fired from a fry-cook opportunity…I can handle myself."
Riddick rolls his eyes behind his thick goggles. "Oh this is going to be tons of fun."
XXX
Mal walks easily across the sand, Wash trailing behind him. Riddick is perched on top of a hill nearby. After burying the bounty he is taking up a sniping position. Three armed bandity guys approach from the other direction.
Mal digs into his pocket and produces the sample of the drugs and flips it over to the main bandit.
"Nice to know you're still trustworthy."
"I'm not so trustworthy I don't want to see the money we were promised."
The man holds up his hand. Another guy puts a bag of coin into it. The main guy then tosses it to Mal, who opens up the bag to take a look.
The main guy hooks his thumbs into his belt, feelin' chatty. "Man, can't believe you guys knocked over an Alliance hospital. The pair you have.
Wash smiles, but Mal's still all business.
"Yeah, the stuff legends are made of..."
Mal looks up and sees a red dot on the bandit's forehead…It's a laser sight.
"Oh, shit!"
A shot is fired. It hits the guy square between the eyes and he goes down, dead.
XXX
Riddick's POV
"Taikong suoyou de xingqiu saijin wo de pigu…" I say as I try and pick off the swarm of guys that are now surrounding the Captain and Wash.
They've got at least four snipers on another hill and have me pegged down after I took out three of their guys.
Before I can get to a better position they are gone though…fast burn rocket shuttle…great, this is just great.
I walk towards where the shuttle is located when the entire thing explodes in front of me. Fucking great…this is just not my day.
XXX
"Jayne, grab your weapon." Zoe says as she enters the common room where Jayne and Book are playing cards.
He looks up a little confused. "Why? What's goin' on?"
"Maybe nothing. Maybe trouble."
"The drop?" Book asks.
"They're late. They should've been back more'n an hour ago…We go by ground. We'll take the mule."
Jayne merely nods and gets up from the table.
"I'll go with you." Book says.
This startles Jayne and Zoe a little. "No offense, Shepherd, but I sure as hell hope they don't need a preacher."
"Three sets of eyes are better than two. Might see something you don't."
Zoe considers this. "Let's move. I'll get River too."
Jayne and Book head to the cargo bay as Zoe heads to the infirmary.
XXX
River's POV
The lights blind her eyes when she wakes up. She stares up at the infirmary lights confused as to how she got here.
"We found you unresponsive in one of the air vents. Your arm was sticking out." Simon says as he cleans some of the infirmary equipment.
"It's a side effect." The girl says as she sits up.
"From the injections?" Simon asks as he turns towards her.
"She isn't sure…she can never tell what was the cause and effect of what they did to her."
Simon places the instrument he was cleaning on the counter and walks towards her now.
The girl can hear the music of his mind…full of questions; looking for answers…it's time to face the music.
"I finished going over your files." He says with seriousness in his voice.
"Hope abides; therefore I abide, Countless frustrations have not cowed me. I am still alive, vibrant with life…The black cloud will disappear, The morning sun will appear once again…In all its supernal glory." She recites.
She begins to run her fingers through her hair…idle hands…
"I'm sorry." Simon says.
And this astonishes her. Her brother rarely surprises her…but he has right now.
"…For not being there…when you needed me…" His unspoken words bring tears welling in her eyes.
The girl opens her mouth to speak just as Zoe walks into the room.
"River, we need you…something is wrong."
"They aren't back?"
"Nope, Jayne, Book, and I are head to the drop point to find out what happened."
"Okay." The girl says as she swings her legs off the table.
Zoe walks out of the room and towards the cargo bay.
"River, I…" Simon starts.
"She knows." She says as she offers her brother a small smile, hops of the table, and then walks out the door.
XXX
…At the drop site…
When they finally get to the drop site they can see the billowing smoke of the shuttle.
"Took you all long enough." Riddick says as he gets up from sitting on a piece of the wreckage.
"What the hell happened?"
"Who did this?"
River doesn't say anything though…she's processing…taking in everything that the fragments in the air are telling her…tracing them back to their origin…
"This is precision work: sharpshooters. From the look of these wounds, I'd say a 54-R sniper rifle, laser sights." Book says as he examines the bodies.
"You do a lot of shooting at the abbey there, Shepherd?" Jayne asks skeptically.
Riddick has a small smile…privy to how the preacher would know this.
"Rabbits." Book replies dryly.
"For stew, sure." Jayne says.
Jayne harvests some guns off the corpses and sticks them in his gun belt.
"They weren't here for the goods were they?" Zoe asks Riddick.
"No… they came on a fast burn rocket shuttle. They were here for us. Had me pinned down I couldn't get any return fire. At least twenty men."
"Craft like that not commonly part of a ship. More likely we're looking at…"
"Space station."
And there is a dead silence as it hits them all…all except River who has been silent the entire time…
"Niska."
XXX
…Niska's Space Station…
Wash and Mal are blindfolded with their hands bound behind their backs..they are herded into a dark room by two guards. The two guards shut the door behind them. Mal slowly begins casing the joint, blindly feeling his way around the room to assess its dimensions and dangers.
"You okay?" Mal asks
"I think I've been kidnapped." Wash replies in a panicky voice.
"Yeah."
"You see where we are?"
"No."
"Mal, what the hell is going on?"
"Ain't rightly sure." Mal says as he begins to feel along the edge of the room.
"But you've got some theories." Wash says still panicky.
Mal works his way towards the middle of the room now and begins feeling around the construct in the center. "Still working it through."
"I don't want you to spare me, Mal. If you think you know what's happening, then you tell me. You wouldn't spare Zoe if she were in this situation with you, would you? You would be planning, and plotting and... possibly scheming. So whatever Zoe would do in this instance
is what I wanna do. Do you know why? No matter how ugly it gets, you two always come back with the stories. So... I'm Zoe. Now, what do I do?"
"Probably not talk quite so much."
"Right. Less talking…." He's still panicky. "She's terse. I can be terse…Once in flight school, I was laconic." Wash keeps the silence for a couple of seconds, then blurts, "If I'm not gonna talk then you have to. What else?"
"We just gotta keep our heads."
"Right. "Keep our heads." That way we'll be able to... you know... keep our heads…You and Zoe have been in plenty of situations like this before, right?"
Mal lies. "Many a time…Once we know who it was took us…"
"Zoe and you together in a tricky...hey, wait…Mal, she's my wife!"
"Huh?" Mal says confused as he turns towards the direction of Wash's voice.
"What gives you the right to put her in a dangerous situation like this?"
"I didn't!"
"You did!" Wash yells.
"She ain't here, Wash."
"No, but she would have been!"
He's got Mal beat there. "Okay."
"I mean, I'm the one she swore to love, honor and obey." Wash waxes on.
"Listen... wait, She swore to obey?"
"Well, no, not...But that's just my point! You she obeys! She obeys you! There's obeying going on right under my nose!"
"Look, Zoe and I have a history. She trusts me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't mean a thing, but you're making out like she blindly follows my every word. That ain't true!"
"Sure it is!"
Mal's getting irritated now. "Not so. There's plenty orders of mine that she didn't obey."
"Name one!" Wash yells.
"She married you!" Mal yells.
Jest then the door screeches open, breaking the tense moment. Mal feels someone taking off the blindfold from his face. But the face he is greeted with is not who he wants to see… On the list of all the faces Mal doesn't want to see..this takes the cake.
"Tah-mah-duh huun-dan."
"What?" Wash asks, still blindfolded.
XXX
AN: Don't hate me for leaving it with a cliffy! (Hides behind something as I say this) I mean let's face it you knew it was coming. Some of you may say that I flipped Simon quite fast, BUT, I want to assure you all that Simon and River will not have the relationship they had in the series/movie, think of it as two steps forward…one step back. Till next time ;)