Episode 2, River's Market. Part 3: Artificially Grafted Schizophrenia.
The man led them to his own infirmary. It was as decked out as a ruttin' hospital... though a few years behind.
"Mind setting yourself up on the table?" asked the former Lord, to the formerly sane girl.
The girl seemed to tense.
"We ain't going to do nothing invasive." The Pharmacist assured her, "Just take a few scans, if that's alright?" He made sure to ask. He knew how important it was to ask for consent. Especially to those that didn't get asked to often.
"Of course," said the young Doctor.
The merchant just rolled his eyes at the boy, "I ain't talkin' to ya. It the girl's decision, if'in she's wantin' ma help." His accent really showing now, due to frustration. He was sure the kid meant well, but just because the girl was crazy didn't mean she couldn't speak her opinion.
River visibly relaxed, and gave a hesitant nod. No one ever asked what she wanted... not even when they were trying to help. She loved Simon, but ever since he found her, he had been rather smothering.
With only a little hesitation, and no small amount of fear, she got on the table, and laid down... they never lay down...
The Merchant pulled over a machine, from the ceiling, and flipped it on. "You might want to get one of these, yourself. The Scrap yard sells them, cheap."
Jack blinked, "What is it?"
"A type of medical scanner," Riddick told her the obvious.
The Merchant frowned, looking at his screen, then back at Riddick. "Not even Nik is willing to do shite like this."
Simon gulped, "Mind if I take a look?"
"You might not want to..." the former Lord looked sick, but made room for Simon to stand beside him.
The young Doctor paled, looking at the images on the screen, "They cut into her brain."
"Don't take a genius to recognize Alliance grade mods," The merchant scratched his head. "But to this extent... they ruttin's removed parts of her brain, and replaced other areas with modded tissue... just what the hell have you got yourself into, son." He looked at Riddick, but Riddick refrained from saying anything.
"Lucky for you, I've seen this before." The merchant continued, getting everyone to look at him. "Brought me to a whole ship filled with kids like this... wanted me to do some deprogramming. Which, I can ain't got to tell you, wasn't easy. I ain't mind helping ya with that, if you got time."
"We're parked on the Scrap yard," Riddick informed, "Will be for some time."
The merchant nodded, "I managed to cook something up, to help da girls. Make them more lucid... but they ain't never be right again..."
"What happened with the girls," Simon asked.
The merchant grinned, "They asked the leading underworld Bio Chemist, with a reputation for not being kind to slavers, to help them control their small army of child soldiers... what do you think happened?"
Riddick smiled, a toothy grin, glad his faith in this man wasn't misplaced.
Jack asked, "Isn't it a bit... strange, that we would run into the guy that fixed the other girls, and supplies them with drugs?"
Riddick snorted, the kid had no tact, she didn't even realize that she was accusing someone, who was helping them, of setting them up. He'd have to have words with her, about that... later though. Riddick knew the Pharmacist wouldn't take offense. He rather liked opportunities to boast about himself.
"I'm the best, kid," The former Lord smiled. "Anyone, who is anyone, amongst the underground Doctors, comes to me. If you need drugs, and can't risk going through official channels, you come to me. Who else would be trusted to treat a small army of super soldiers? And seeing how I just got back from treating the other girls, it ain't that hard a leap that you lot would be in the same area. I don't imagine you parted ways all that long ago."
The man looked at Simon, "The girls talked about you... I take it your the idiot who saved them, only to deliver them to a different Master?"
Riddick snorted, "Kids definitely an idiot, but he honestly thought the girls were being saved, for benevolent reasons."
Simon blushed, in shame.
The merchant eyed the Doctor, a moment longer, before saying. "The kids are safe now, that's all that matters. They decided to take the Freedom Fighters' ship, and live as 'adventurers'... I've been trying to keep an eye on them, while not smotherin'. It helps, they need my drugs, to stay relatively sane."
River immediately sat up, "You can stop the voices?"
The Pharmacist looked at her, with unwanted pity in his eyes. "No kid. You'll always hear what other people are thinking. I can just make you a little more lucid... but what was done to you... can never be truly fixed."
Simon blinked, "What do you mean, 'hear what other people are thinking?'"
The Pharmacist sighed, "The Alliance has been experimenting on kids for a long time." he pushed a few buttons on the screen, and pointed at specific areas. "Everyone's body is run by electrical impulses. Our brain even interprets some of it as 'Thoughts'. From what I have seen, from the other girls, is the mods in their heads, let's them sense the impulses in other people's heads... and da stripping prevents them from blocking out the thoughts. That ways they always awares what going on around them.
Simon shook his head, "That's... that's crazy!"
"Look hur kid," The pharmacist pointed at something else, on the screen. "Her brain is a walking receiver. The Alliance was trying to make the ultimate killing machine. Someone who can take on an army, single handed. From what I got, from the freedom fighters, the Alliance was hoping to unleash the kids against the Reavers, as expendable soldiers... then kill the survivors, themselves. To be dissected so that the next model would be more stable... they do that with each batch of their 'failed experiments',"
Author's Note :
Don't Worry, River won't isn't"cured". As she will still babble and be "not quite right". However she will be sane enough to be "functional", or at least a definition of it. Where she will actually work as an Apprentice onboard. And, of course, she may be a "bad ass assassin", but Mal will be hesitant to allow her in combat. Though he will "Make use" of the fact he knows she is a reader.
Simon also has more respect for the Captain, as he didn't have that blow out during their first meeting. However, as Simon learns more about the illegal things, the crew gets up to, he will have to come to terms with the fact this is the life he doomed him and his sister, to.