AN: I have to say the words are just pouring out of me now...and just when I was about finished with this chapter, another plot bunny came up and bit me...so I had to add more... I don't think you guys will mind that though. Thank you to Guin, Irishbrneyes, Ravhet, BooklvrAnnie, and Shenandoah76209 for the recent reviews. I think some of you will be especially happy with this chapter; especially if you like Tarantino films ;) I don't own any of these wonderful characters, I'm just borrowing them, so please don't sue me. Anyways, on with the show...
Chapter 44: Stuck in the Middle With You
XXX
The infirmary doors open. Simon steps in, with Early right behind him, his gun still held on the doctor.
"She wouldn't come in here anyway. She hates this room. You see, Early, the people you're planning to sell her to cut up her brain in a lab like this. Tortured her. Teen-age girl. Not some bandit on a murder run, just an innocent girl…"
Early interrupts before Simon can continue though. "You ever been shot?"
Simon blinks as if he's waking up out of a stuppor. "No." He says slowly.
Early looks a little disappointed. "You oughta be shot, or stabbed, lose a leg... to be a surgeon. You know? Know the kind of pain you're dealing with."
However, what seemed like a threat becomes more like a distant observation...not that Simon is particularly comforted by this.
"They make Psychiatrists get psychoanalyzed before they can get certified, but they don't make surgeons get cut on. That seem right to you?" Early asks.
Simon has no answer.
XXX
River's POV
She slips the space suit on as fast as she can…She can feel their minds approaching…she has to be quick. She skips quietly over to the inner doors for the cargo bay and put on her helmet as she initiates the sequence to unlock the outer hull doors. She feels their foot steps getting closer and predicts there is a 20 percent chance of being caught. It makes her pulse race.
XXX
Simon and Early the darkened cargo bay. Early pulls out a small, powerful flashlight, shines it about. The locker with the spacesuits is near him, and the door is ajar. He moves to it…swings it open, gun at the ready. But i't's empty…except for a couple of spacesuits.
Early steps into the middle of the room, looks about at it.
"Come on out, River, the nice man wants to kidnap you…" Simon says with sarcasm.
Early glares at him. "Shhh."
He looks at the walls, holds his arms out, moving them up parallel to the slanted walls. "I like the way the walls go out. Gives you an open feeling. Firefly's a good design."
He turns back to Simon and motions with his gun for him to go upstairs.
"People don't appreciate the substance of things. Objects in space. People miss out on what's solid." Early remarks more to himself than Simon.
They reach the landing as he speaks, and he looks out over the room. Simon stands by him, unnoticed. He could just give a little shove...and Early's gun is in his face, Early not even looking at him.
"It's not your moment, Doctor."
Simon takes a step back.
Early points his light at Inara's shuttle. "Companion lives there?"
Simon answers. "Yes."
"We'll pay her a visit." Early says as they begin heading towards the shuttle.
XXX
River's POV
She exhales a breath she was holding as she feel her brother and the man moving away. She now turns and begins to use various pieces of exterior metal bits to climb towards the cancerous like vessel attached to Serenity.
XXX
They get halfway to Inara's shuttle before Early halts Simon.
"Hold it." Early stops by one of the catwalk's support beams…looks very closely at it. Sticks out his tongue and touches the end of it to the pole. Pulls back thoughtfully, as though he has learned something profound. Simon just looks disgusted and confused. Early motions for Simon to go on.
XXX
Riddick's POV
I'm pacing…I hate waiting…I hate feeling trapped…caged…my blood is beginning to boil…I imagine all of the things I am going to do to this fucker the moment I get the chance….I'm itching to slice him…watch him to scream and beg for mercy…fucker won't be getting any mercy today.
"What the fuck is taking so long." I say to the air.
"Plan changed." River's voice coms over the com unit, which surprises the hell out of me.
"What the fuck are you doing girly, having fuckin tea with this guy?"
"Your sarcasm is not appreciated right now Richard."
"Well you're lagging little girl!"
"tzau ni daye!"
"Just get the gorram doors open River!"
XXX
…Elsewhere...
Inara is sitting up in bed. Simon stands near the entrance of the room, looking tense. Inara, vulnerable and more than a little confused, looks from him to Early, who is peeking in the back room, gun trained steadily on Inara.
"This is pointless, you know that." Inara spits out.
"Two hundred thousand seems fairly pointed to me. Money like that, I could retire, not that I would. What's life without work?" Early remarks.
"Serenity is a smuggling ship. I've been here a year, I couldn't name all the places she might hide." Inara says in a haughty tone.
"I don't have a year."
Early now turns to Simon. "Your sister's becoming a real annoyance."
Simon is more than a little happy about this though. "I feel for you."
Early heads to the exit, herding Simon ahead of him, talking to Inara. "I'm not gonna waste my time threatening you, because I think you believe that I will kill people if someone upsets my plan. I'm gonna seal you in, though. You just sit."
"You can still walk away from this." Inara says a little hastily now. She's getting concerned now. "I know you're tired…"
Early violently pistol-whips her before she can continue. He goes back to pointing the gun back at Simon as she feels the blood on her lip.
"Don't go visiting in my intentions…Don't ever." He says with anger dripping from his voice.
He moves to the entrance. Before he shuts the door: "Man is stronger by far than woman. But only woman can create a child. That seem right to you?"
Her eyes widen as maternal fear sets in and he shuts the door on her.
XXX
River's POV
She slams her fists in frustration into the panel in front of her. He had to make it fuckin' difficult…he was quite a man…this Jubel Early…she would need someone to simultaneously run the containment sequence on Serenity while she was on his ship to complete get rid of the virus. She starts running the variables…and only one option yields optimal results.
XXX
…Serenity's Bridge...
Simon comes up the stairs from the front of the bridge while Early stands at the very front, looking down into the space, gun trained on Simon. He steps over to the middle with Simon, his manner tenser and the gun held with both hands at arms length.
Early yells out. "All right! That's all the hide and seek I got time for!"
XXX
Mal stirs in his bunk, the voice barely reaching him through the metal but its enough to bring him back to his senses.
XXX
Zoe also stirs in her bunk. Wash a moment after her.
XXX
Jayne is sleeping right through it. Too drunk from the inter-engine wine at dinner to really hear anything.
XXX
Riddick slams his hand into the wall when he hears the man's voice.
XXX
…Back on Serenity's Bridge…
"Now I know you're on this ship, little girl, so here's how this goes!"
He points the gun at Simon's temple. "You show yourself, and we finish this exchange, or your brother's brains'll be flying every which way."
He turns to Simon now. "You understand, I'm sort of on a clock here, it's frustrating…"
But River's voice interrupts him. "You're wrong, Early."
Early looks around, what the fuck…but realizes she's just coming over the com. He speaks in a more normal voice, knowing she can hear him. "I'm not wrong, dumpling. I will
shoot your brother dead if you don't…"
"Wrong about River. River's not on the ship. They didn't want her here, but she couldn't make herself leave, so she melted. Melted away."
XXX
Mal looks more than a little confused. "What the hell is she plain' at?"
River's voice interrupts his thoughts though. "They didn't know she could do that...but she did."
XXX
"Not sure I take your meaning there…" Early says.
Simon and Early exchanging glances.
River continues. "I'm not on the ship. I'm in the ship."
Simon looks almost as perturbed as Early now.
"I am the ship."
Simon rolls his eyes. "River…"
She interrupts him. "River's gone."
Early yells now. "Then who the fuck exactly are we talking to?"
"You're talking to Serenity. And Early... Serenity is very unhappy."
Early looks over at Simon, a bit nervous. Simon just shrugs.
XXX
…Back in the Engine room…
Kaylee is sitting in the corner, hands tied behind her back, legs tied together. She hasn't moved since Early left her, she's so scared.
After a moment River's voice can be heard.
"Kaylee?" The voice is quieter, more intimate - this is not being broadcast for the public. "Kaylee, can you hear me?"
"River…?" Kaylee asks the air.
"You're afraid." River says.
Kaylee is near tears now. "He tied me up... I don't know where he came from, he just…"
River tries to comfort her friend. "It's okay. Gonna be okay."
Kaylee sniffles. "Is he gone?" River doesn't answer her and she begins to panic. "Is he coming back?"
"He's not gonna hurt you, Kaylee; He's only visiting."
"I didn't know what…" Kaylee begins to cry.
"Sshhhh... I'm fine. Only I need you to do something for me. Gotta be brave."
Kaylee looks frantic now. "I'm tied up, I can't…"
River interrupts. "Got tools. something sharp. Don't be scared. I'm right here."
XXX
…Serenity's Bridge...
Early and Simon are very still. After a moment Early speaks. "Where'd she go?"
"I can't keep track of her when she's NOT incorporeally possessing a spaceship, don't look at me." Simon remarks sharply.
"That's some nonsensical crap! Ain't nobody can do that." Early says waving his gun around.
He yells to the air now. "You're somewhere on this boat! Somewhere with a com, playing games."
River's laughter filters over the com. It's somewhat unsettling.
Early looks spooked. "That's somewhat unsettling."
XXX
River's POV
"Listen to me carefully Kaylee… She needs you to be strong…to be brave…When you are free, she needs you to go to the secondary electrical panel in the cargo bay…This man infected Serenity with a virus that is overriding the locking mechanisms. We need to contain the virus."
"I dunno River…I…"
She tries to reassure her friend again. "Shhh, it's going to be alright Kaylee…you can do this…she…I…know you can do this."
XXX
…Serenity's Bridge…
"Early, Mister Jubel Early, bounty hunter... can I call you Jubel?" River's voice asks.
Early is clearly getting more and more freaked out. "How'd she know that? Ain't nobody calls me that."
"Your mother does. I'm sorry. Did. She's gone now." River says with an acidic tone.
"That supposed to scare me? Bringing up my mother?" Early taunts.
"You're a liar. I don't think your intentions are honorable."
"Well, no, I'm a bounty hunter, it's not generally considered honorable so much as... I live by a code, though, which I think is worth…"
"You hurt people!"
"Only when the job requires it!" Early retorts.
"WRONG. You're a bad liar. You crawl inside me uninvited and you hurt my crew, I see everything that passes…"
"I only hurt people 'cause they keep getting in the way of finding you!" He turns to Simon now. "Tell her!"
Simon looks at him in disbelief. "What am I, your advocate?"
Early thrusts the gun at him. "You are starting now."
"He's really very gentle and fuzzy, we're becoming fast friends." Simon says with annoyance.
River giggles again.
"You folk are all insane!" Early remarks.
"Well, my sister's a ship, we had a complicated childhood." Simon says as he crosses his arms.
"Does anybody care that I have a finely crafted gun pointed at this boy's head?"
River answers him softly. "I care."
"Then are you gonna come out, stop me from doing what I don't want to? You gonna be smart here, River?"
But she doesn't answer him.
"River…Serenity?"
XXX
Riddick's POV
"What the fuck are you playing at River." I ask. She doesn't respond right away.
"Kaylee is almost free…once she engages the secondary panel I can contain the virus from his ship."
"What the FUCK are you talking about his ship!" I practically roar at her.
I can practically see the eye roll she is probably giving me right now.
"Plans changed…only way."
"Just get your fuckin' ass in gear and get me the fuck out of this room."
XXX
…In Mal's Bunk…
Mal's shaking off the beating he took, pulling himself up. He looks around a little groggy.
"What in the hell is going on here?"
"It will all be over soon Captain Daddy." River's voice says.
"There was a guy, he was very blurry. You gotta be careful... how come there's a guy on board and how come you're all of a sudden the ship?"
"I know you have questions…"
"Yeah, that would be why I just asked them…"
"But there isn't a lot of time. Captain, I need you to trust me."
"Am I dreaming?" Mal says as he shakes his head.
"We all are."
The captain rolls his eyes.
"Don't make faces."
XXX
…Meanwhile in the engine room...
Kaylee has cut her hands free, and is finishing cutting her feet free. Tentatively, she stands.
"Are you ready?" River asks.
"You sure about this Riv?" Kaylee asks.
"Affirmative."
The door opens slowly and Kaylee peers out, still very afraid. She takes a breath and then she starts down the hall, hugging the wall.
XXX
…Back on the bridge…
Early is getting a little more hyper. He moves to the computer screen, working it with one hand while keeping the gun loosely on Simon.
"Just gotta think here... These older models got locators at all?"
"Won't help…" Simon says absentmindedly.
Early turns and glares at Simon and then turns back to the screen. "You know, with the exception of one deadly and unpredictable midget this girl is the smallest cargo I have ever had to transport and yet by far the most troublesome. Does that seem right to you?"
"What'd he do?" Simon asks mildly curious.
"Who?"
"The midget."
"Arson...Little man loooved fire."
XXX
…Just down the hall…
Kaylee peeks out around the corner. She can just see a piece of Early. She ducks her head back, steadies herself, and then braves it. Kaylee bolts down toward the cargo bay.
XXX
…In Zoe and Wash's Bunk…
"I can take this guy out." Zoe says as she pulls on her boots.
"He's faster than you. And he's wearing armor."
"What about his face? Is his face wearing armor?" Wash says as he moves to grab one of Zoe's guns.
"No touching guns. You just have to sit and be good."
Wash looks at Zoe. "This is all very surreal. I hate surreal." He sits down and pouts like a child.
XXX
Riddick's POV
"Anytime now."
I'm standing underneath the hatch to the hallway, waiting.
"It's soon now. Are you ready?"
"Been ready…"
"Go now!"
XXX
…On the Bridge…
The lights go completely out in the bridge and the hall. On cue Riddick manages to get into the hall and around the corner before the lights flicker back on. Simon and Early both do not see him. Now Early's very freaked out.
"You're not welcome here anymore, Early."
"And you think I'm gonna leave here empty handed?" He yells back.
"I know it."
"Yeah, you know me real well."
"Wish I didn't. You like to hurt folk."
"It's part of the job."
"It's why you TOOK the job. Not the chase, not the money... Power. Control. Pain. Your mother knew. Sadness in her when she waved goodbye, but she's relieved. Saw darkness in you…and your brother. You're both not well."
"You'll be wanting to shut up now."
"Big golden retriever, sitting on the lawn. Never took to you. Smell on you, the neighbors pets, you did things to 'em... cleaned up after. Shined and polished. Everything in here gleams."
Just then realization dawns on Early. "Well I'll be a son of a whore. You're not in my gorram mind. You're on my gorram SHIP!"
XXX
River's POV
She's laughing uncontrollably now. His paranoia makes stomaching all the hurtful memories much more worth it.
"It's very interesting. All these buttons…" She says as she adjusts things.
XXX
…Back on the Bridge...
"Okay, we're not touching those, okay?" Early says frantically. He turns to Simon. "How the hell did she get on my ship?"
"At this point, I'm as lost as you." Simon says dismissively.
"Can see everyone from here. Wave to mommy... Put the gun away."
Early looks panicked, but doesn't put the gun away. "Okay, I'm putting it away…"
"No he's not." Simon says.
Early glares at Simon and then puts it away.
"I'm putting it away 'cause we're all reasonable people, don't want to be doing anything rash, fiddling with any dials."
"You're not right, Early. You're not righteous. Got issues."
"No! Or, yes, I could have that, you might have me figured out, that... good job, I'm not a hundred percent ...Are we gonna be reasonable?"
"Talk too much."
"I'm flawed in that way, I sometimes go on, it's been said…"
"It's okay, Early. I'm going with you."
Now both Early and Simon look equally surprised. Simon can barely believe his ears. "River, what are you…"
"Don't belong. Dangerous. Like you…Can't be controlled. Can't be trusted. Everybody could just go on without me, not have to worry…People could be who they wanted to be, could be with the people they wanted... could live simple. No secrets."
The realization of what she's saying truly hits Simon now. "No…" Simon whispers.
"And I'll be fine. I'll be your bounty, Jubel Early. And then I'll just fade away."
Early smiles. Heads for the door. "Well, finally something goes according to…"
Simon throws himself at him, they clatter to the ground, tussling…Early throws him off, pulls out his gun - and fires. Simon's eyes go wide. Early stands, looking at Simon, who's shot in the upper thigh. He holds his hand over the spilling wound, face blanching.
"See? That's what it feels like." early says as he turns and takes off.
"You just hang tight, Darlin'...Early's on the move." As he heads down the hall.
Early comes to the hatch. that he entered through. he reaches for his helmet to put it on and leave.
"You made the right move, darlin'. Best for you to go with old Early." He says to himself as he begins to climb up the ladder.
"You think so? Some of us feel differently." A voice says behind Early.
Before early can turn around he is yanked backwards and Riddick starts to violently beat the man. Riddick cracks one of Early's ribs with one of the kicks he delivers to him. It's only when Riddick hears Mal screaming at him that he stops his violent onslaught.
"RIDDICK!" Mal screams.
He doesn't say anything, just turns and looks at Mal with a murderous look in his eyes.
"Chain him up in the cargo bay." Mal says.
But Riddick doesn't say anything, just kicks the unconscious man on the floor again and walks off. Jayne walks past him towards where Mal and the unconscious Early lay.
XXX
River's POV
She can feel his anger as she reaches the hatch. She rolls her eyes. He'll have his fun, he just needs to be more patient.
A few minutes later she is back into Serenity and taking the helmet off of her head. Mal stands there waiting for her.
She smirks. "Permission to come aboard?"
He looks at her affectionately. "You know, you ain't quite right."
"It's the popular theory."
"Get on in here. Give your brother a thrashing for messing up your plan."
"He takes so much looking after…"
XXX
…In the Infrimary...
Simon is on the table, talking Zoe through pulling out his bullet. He watches her progress on the screen...
"To the left - your left. Now, very gently, pull that aside…" Simon says as he is nearing exhaustion.
"This is really not my area of expertise, Doctor. I tend to be putting these into people more than the other thing." Zoe says. She is clearly stressing out and the sweat is showing on her face.
Wash stands at the ready to help. "Can I mop your brow? I'm at the ready with the fearsome brow mopping."
"You got the bullet. Okay, I'm gonna pass out for a minute, but you're doing great."
Mal and Inara stand at the entrance, watching.
"So we live to fight another day."
"Any chance that violent lunatic might survive what they do to him?"
"Ain't odds I'd play. How's your lip?"
He touches her face to look and she let him. They look at each other a moment before they both start to smile.
XXX
…In the Cargo Bay...
Riddick's POV
I walk into the darkened cargo bay. In the center sits one very groggy bounty hunter.
"Alone at last." I say as I approach him.
His mouth is taped and he looks towards me. One of his eye's is swollen to the point where its barely open. I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see Jayne and River coming into the cargo bay.
"Didn't want to miss out Cobb?'
"Hell, I slept thru the first part, wasn't gonna let you have all the fun." Jayne says as he approaches me.
I merely smirk and turn back to the fucker tied up. "Now, where were we?"
XXX
River's POV
She takes a seat on one of the boxes in the cargo bay. She wants to watch as the man is ripped apart. Early really should have known better than to wake a sleeping beast.
Orpheus rips the tape of his mouth now. Jubel merely glares in defiance. "You can torture me all you want."
"Torture you, that's a good...that's a good idea. I like that one." Jayne chimes in.
"Try not to get too much blood everywhere, Captain will be angry." She says as she catches waves of murderous lust of both Riddick and Jayne.
Early just nervously laughs.
She feels storm clouds around Riddick darken now. "Nobody tells me what to do. You understand?" Riddick backhands Early across the face. "Hear what I said, you son of a bitch?"
Early spits blood at Riddick in defiance.
"Look at that fucking shit." Jayne says as he produces one of his knives and slams it into Early's thigh. "That was for the Doc." He says as he pulls the knife out. Early screams at the pain. She feels her lips turn into a smirk at that...never thought that the ape man would do something for her brother...but's he's becoming crew now in Jayne's mind and it makes her smile.
"Look Early, I can call you Early right?" Riddick waits for a reply but doesn't get anything.
"I'm not going to bullshit you, OK? I'm going to torture you... regardless of what you do. It's amusing to me to torture a sick fuck like you. You can do anything you want 'cause I've seen it all before. All you can do is pray for a quick death... which... you ain't going to get."
She can see where this is going…it's going to be a great show.
Riddick produces a gun now and tracks Early with it. Early tries moving head out of way, but can't move far, as he's tied to chair. Riddick laughs and puts the gun away.
"You ever listen to Stealers Wheel from Earth-that-was? It's one of my personal favorites."
Riddick goes over to the portable cortex the girl brought with her and plays with it to find the right song.
"Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty were a duo known as Stealer's Wheel when they recorded this Dylanesque, pop, bubble-gum favorite from 1974. That reached up to number five." The girl chimes in. It earns her a weird look from Jayne but she merely shrugs.
The song comes on now and it reverberates against the metal hull of the cargo bay.
...Well I don't know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain't right,
I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs...
Riddick starts singing along now. "Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, here I am, Stuck in the middle with you." He pulls out one of his razor blades now…kind of dancing and tapping his feet along with the beat...it's a slightly terrifying sight to see.
...Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,
And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place….
Riddick slashes at Early's face now. Early groans in pain.
"What's the matter Early? I thought you liked pain? Girl told us all about what you liked to do to people." Riddick asks as he cuts his face and arms a few more times before walking back towards where Jayne stands and hands him the razor blade.
"Cobb you want that ear?" Riddick asks a very excited Jayne.
...Well you started out with nothing,
And you're proud that you're a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please... Please...
She feels the glee roll of Jayne as he takes the razor blade from Riddick. "Hold still!" He says as he walks up to early and grabs his ear.
...Cause I don't think that I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you...
"Hold still, you fuck!" Jayne says as Early screams as his ear is hacked off.
Early is still screaming as Jayne walks away. The music drowns his screams somewhat though.
"That as good for you as it was for me?" Jayne says as he talks into sliced-off ear.
"Don't go anywhere Early… I'll be right back." Riddick says as goes to the storage locker.
She smiles a devilish smile...she can see all the pretty fireworks in her mind now.
Riddick pulls out a gas can, and then walks back towards Early. Early for his part looks utterly horrified as realization spreads across his face. Riddick starts throwing gas on Early.
"Aah! Aah! Aah! Don't! Stop! Stop! Stop. Don't!" Early screams! Any resolve he had to be quiet is broken when the gasoline hits his skin.
...Well I don't know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain't right,
I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs...
"What? What's the matter?" Riddick asks.
"Don't do this! Please!"
"That burn a little bit?"
"Stop! Please. Stop. Just stop. Stop...Just talk to me. Please, don't. Please, don't- don't burn me, please!"
"You all through? You all through?" Riddick just waits patiently.
"Please, look, please!"
"You all done?" Riddick says as he pulls out a lighter and flicks it open. The tiny flame dancing around in his hand.
"Don't. Don't!"
"Have some fuckin' fire, scarecrow." And with that he throws the lighter on Jubel Early and watches as the man catches on flames.
...Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you,
Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,
Stuck in the middle with you...
The girl is happy to see the demise of him. "Goodbye...Mr. Jubel Early." She says to no one but herself.
XXX
AN: So everyone happy? I was originally going to do something completely different with the end of this chapter, but the Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs...the ear thing...the fire...it just screamed of Riddick and Jayne. So I had to make it the demise of Jubel Early. Also, I'm curious to know if you guys picked up on a hint I dropped ;)