Deviation
Mal didn't take long to catch up to Harry, River and Kaylee, who were leisurely walking back to the ship. They were feeling a sense of tranquility as the sound of their feet crunching over dried leaves and twigs created an odd symphony in their ear. Unknowingly, they had synchronized their movements to keep the music of the leaves and twigs unchanged. Occasionally, birds would lend their high pitched pleasant twittering to their symphony and the wind rattled through the trees at regular intervals to signal the repetition of their symphony. None of them spoke but they could understand each other perfectly. Their invisible connection was broken when Mal trudged through the forest at a fast pace and walked past them. He turned around and frowned at the displeasure on their faces which was clearly directed at him.
"What?"
"You spoiled our orchestra," River complained.
Mal's frown deepened and he looked to his left and then to his right, expecting to find a band of men and women with odd instruments, glaring at him for interrupting them but there was nothing. He turned away, notching this oddity to the long list of River's riddles and led the way. "Hurry up," he said. "We got some work to do."
As it turned out, they didn't have to complain about anything because a minute later they reached the small clearing where Serenity was resting. It was almost midday and the air was considerably hotter in the clearing than in the forest. The ship's body was gleaming in the light and Mal smiled softly, glad that his love affair with Serenity was stronger than ever.
In the galley, Inara was tinkering in the kitchen and Zoe and Jayne were engrossed with cleaning every inch of their weapons and then cleaning it all over again. Mal announced his return by letting his voice boom through the ship-wide broadcast system and his voice startled the occupants of the ship.
"You're back," Simon said, relieved. He was running some more tests on River's blood and trying to figure out new methods and means to treat his sister. Her condition, which was next to no modulation of her emotions and memories, was permanent and his treatment was all experimental and volatile. But he never gave up and he was determined to find a way to restore the control River needed to function the way she was supposed to. Of course her mind reading ability was another thing that baffled him and when he was almost out of ideas, a real magician showed up. Now, River was getting better faster than ever and it was because of magic not science. This was a great source of irritation and gratitude for him. Irritation - because he couldn't comprehend it and gratitude - because River hadn't had a mental breakdown in months.
"Missed me?" Kaylee asked mischievously and pecked him on his lips.
Simon smiled affectionately. "Of course."
"How is Zolo captain," Zoe asked.
"Madder than ever," Mal sighed. "He lost Melissa."
Zoe gasped.
"Melissa?" Inara took a seat at the table and looked inquiringly at Mal.
"Melissa is the 9 mm forged from the molten remains of a silver statue stolen from Osiris after the only successful attack by the Independents on a core planet."
Mal grinned at the disbelief written all over the faces of the ones who didn't know about this legendary story.
Jayne chuckled. "You should hear the way Zolo tells the story. You won't find any record of armed Independents ever stepping foot on a core planet in the Alliance history. It was a major embarrassment to them that the statue of justice was missing one morning and the Independents flag was proudly waving at them instead."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously," Mal confirmed. "It wasn't a mission sanctioned by the Independents command central but a mission Zolo decided to undertake nonetheless. He was a maverick in every sense back in the day."
"The statue his team stole was melted and they made three beautiful guns out of it. Zolo named his Melissa and has been practically married to it ever since," Zoe said fondly. "It's an integral part of his glory days."
"And now it's been stolen," Harry concluded.
Jayne crushed the can in his hands and clenched his jaws, swearing vengeance against the one who stole Melissa from Zolo. "When I find the one responsible for the disgraceful act," he growled. "I am going to tear him apart one limb at a time."
Mal got up and patted Jayne on the back. "Zolo saved our lives more times than I can count during the war and that is the only reason Zoe and I are doing this." He turned towards Harry. "Are you up for this job?"
Harry nodded.
"What about me?" River asked, frowning.
"You, little River, are a risk I'm not ready to take for this mission. We're going to be amongst the scum of the verse and I don't want you to go crazy with all the thoughts you'll be getting," Mal said firmly. "Look at that look of relief on your brother's face," he added.
River looked to protest but her protest died in her lungs and she huffed and turned her back to the captain. She went back to her room and her door was nearly ripped off its hinges with the force it was slammed with.
"If she breaks my ship you're paying for it," Mal said to Simon. Simon just smiled warily.
"So what's the plan?" Jayne asked.
"There's a town twenty miles from Zolo's camp. It's a circus town under which the more sinister forms of entertainment operate."
"Circus!" Kaylee gasped, her face brightening with delight.
"You can visit and so can River if the doc can keep her in control," Mal said.
Kaylee squealed and a muffled thanks was shouted from River's room.
"Anyway; Jayne, you're going to enter the place as a participant and in the meantime Zoe and I will find Melissa and steal her back. Harry is going to be there to ensure nothing goes wrong and no one finds out we are there."
"Or we could enter this place and I could simply summon the gun to me," Harry said grinning.
"And then we could find armed men following that floating gun," Mal reminded. "Magic is convenient but let's keep that bit for emergencies only. We've been doing this for a long time and I'd rather not become dependent on something I can't control."
"Right," Harry huffed. He was a little embarrassed for not thinking about what would happen after the summoning.
"Inara, do you have any plans?" Mal asked sweetly with a hint of sarcasm.
"None," she replied coolly. "I was going to visit the towns with Kaylee but don't you need someone to guard the ship?"
"Zolo and his friends are going to take care of that," he said. "He might be a little mad now but he is loyal to a fault."
"When do we leave?" Zoe asked.
"Dusk," said Mal. "First we need to find the entrance; then scout and locate the gun after which we'll get Jayne to enter the contest and finish the job."
"Do I get to fight," Jayne asked, his pupils dilating and nostrils flaring in excitement.
"Not if everything goes according to plan," Mal said.
Jayne's excitement evaporated and his shoulders drooped. "There's still a chance," he grumbled. "I've been dying for a chance to have a good fight."
"Now," Mal said loudly, rubbing his hands together. "Let's eat some grub. I'm starving."
"We better stock up on some fresh food while we're here captain," Zoe grumbled. "My taste buds have forgotten how to taste."
Kaylee looked at Harry with imploring eyes and said, "Can't you make the food taste better Harry?"
Harry grimaced. He remembered the last time he had attempted to change the properties of eatables. It was Christmas during his fifth year and despite all the warnings Hermione showered on him, he had attempted to turn a sausage into bacon. All he wanted to do was change that penis shaped sausage into something that wouldn't make horrifying images pop up in his mind and he cast the spell. What resulted was a popping sound and the sausage exploded in their faces. It would have been a funny incident had one tiny piece not struck Hermione in the eye and another lodge itself in Ron's trachea. After Madam Pomfrey healed Hermione's eye and Ron swallowed the piece of sausage, Hermione began to lecture him furiously about the dangers of transfiguration. A long story told short - transfiguring food is almost as dangerous as transfiguration of people and animals. But with food, you cannot change its properties such as smell and taste because the smell and taste are the result of its ingredients. Only someone with in depth knowledge about the constituents of a dish can attempt to modify the base ingredients to produce a certain result in smell and taste.
"That's not a good idea," Harry said warily. Even after such solid lessons about the dangers of food transfiguration, Harry was curious to see if his exponential rise in power would make a difference. All he needed was the right prodding and he knew he would try it.
"Why not?" asked Inara.
"The last time I tried it, one of my friends almost lost an eye and the other almost choked to death." Harry drew his wand.
"And you're still going to try?!" Zoe gasped, backing away from the table.
"My magical power has shot up," Harry murmured, examining the gray gooey substance on his plate. "Maybe I could try and add a flavor to it to make it taste better."
The rest of the company slowly backed away fully expecting everything to blow up.
"Harry," Mal warned but Harry was already going through certain motions with his wand and they watched in fascination and forbidding when a pink mist emerged from his wand and began to mix with the food.
Everyone held their breath when the pink hue settled and disappeared. They took an extra sharp intake of breath when Harry scooped some with his spoon and put it in his mouth.
"Ack! Gross!" Harry coughed immediately and spit everything back into his plate. "You don't want to taste this," he gasped, running to the sink and sticking his mouth under the running tap.
Jayne bravely went and sniffed at the remains of Harry's modified grub and grimaced. "It even smells horrible," he said, stepping away. "What the hell did you do?"
"I tried to flavor it with strawberries," Harry said, taking deep breaths and using his occlumency to put the memory of the taste to the furthest corner of his mind. "I don't know why it tastes so bad!"
Kaylee clamped her nose and quickly dumped the contents of the plate into the trash bin. "At least it didn't explode," she said.
"I just need more practice," Harry said, still breathing deeply. He felt like he suffocated his taste buds with garlic powder.
"You think?" Inara said dryly.
"Well I hope there will be no such accidents when we get to Esmeralda," Mal said.
Harry rolled his eyes. "This was just an experiment," he said. "I'm an expert when it comes to combative magic."
"That's great, but do remember this is a sneak around mission," Zoe said. "We don't want to run into gun fire alright?"
Harry chuckled. He was thinking about the numerous stories Kaylee had told him about their so called sneak missions and he knew combative magic was definitely going to be used.
"Sure, whatever you say Zoe."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Zolo arrived with three men and all of them were huge specimens of the human male. They were met outside by the full crew of Serenity and greetings were exchanged with Zolo. Jayne refused to look him in the eye and shook hands with him while keeping his eyes fixed to his boots. Inara smiled politely and she, along with Harry, Kaylee, Simon and River, started walking towards the camp where a carriage was waiting to take them to Esmeralda. After ensuring that sufficient instructions were given to Zolo and his friends, Mal, Zoe and Jayne caught up with the rest and together, they set off to Esmeralda.
The carriage was wide, symmetrical and was drawn by two horses. There were two long seats opposite each other inside and four of them fit on each quite comfortably. It was the first time the entire crew was away from Serenity leaving her in the hands of another. It spoke volumes about the trust Mal and Zoe had in Zolo.
The horses trotted along at a steady pace along a rickety dirt path and a gypsy woman was sitting atop the carriage, holding the reins and controlling the horse's movements. Darkness was approaching and once more the sky began its languid light show that mesmerized everyone. The piercing cries of a variety of birds ceased and the sounds of frogs and insects began to dominate the atmosphere. As the darkness overtook everything in its path, the mass of trees that towered all around them were suddenly transformed from a pleasant sight to one that promised harm if you took one step in. There were patches of open space where light from the two moons, Highgate and Babylon, brightened their otherwise dark journey. The woman guiding the horses could walk through the entire forest with her eyes closed and not bump into a single tree. That was how well the gypsies knew the lands around them. An hour into the bumpy ride, the carriage began to travel up a hillock and it stopped at the peak.
Serenity's crew stepped out and the gypsy woman pointed towards the east.
"It's amazing!" Kaylee said in delight.
At the foot of the hillock was an enormous red and white striped tent with multicolored bulbs hanging all around it which were flashing at regular intervals. The tent was tall and wide enough to hide ten firefly class ships underneath it. It was a sight that promised entertainment on the inside. A red flag with a clown's face fluttered at the top of the tent.
Beyond the tent were dozens of shacks, stalls and tents that were brightly decorated with dazzling signboards and unique colors. Thousands of people were moving all over the town holding balloons and candy like trophies. They could faintly hear cheerful laughter and playful music all the way on top of the hillock.
While everyone was slowly drinking in the details of the magnificent scene below them, Harry's eyes were unconsciously drawn to the mountain range that glowed eerily under the moonlight. They lay to the north and projected an aura of loneliness and cold fury. A shiver ran down Harry's spine and he tore his eyes away from the mysterious mountain range. His eyes locked with the young gypsy and she shook her head solemnly.
"Are you going to wait here or take us down?" Mal asked the gypsy.
She gestured for them to get back inside and began the descent into the town. Reaching the entrance didn't take long and they were greeted by music that could only play in a circus. It was the tune that everyone associated with clowns and animal shows.
River and Kaylee laughed in anticipation of a show when the voice of the entertainer boomed through the air.
The carriage stopped in what seemed to be a parking place, with the only difference being that there were only carriages and horses that occupied the spot. The gypsy woman signaled that she'd wait here and Mal and his people entered the long line of people waiting to enter the circus tent.
The roar of a lion made River bounce on the balls of her feet excitedly and she looked at Simon pleadingly. Everyone knew what she wanted. Kaylee too, adopted a similar expression and pulled at Simon's shirt.
"Inara, Simon," Mal said loudly. He had to be loud or else his voice was drowned in the chatter of children and music. They had to be careful not to be bowled over by the dozens of children that were running after the clowns who were entertaining the crowds outside and the dancing women who were distributing candy to whomever could catch them. "Do you think you can handle these two kids?"
Simon rolled his eyes and Inara smiled. "Don't worry," she yelled. "We'll take good care of them. You all go ahead!"
Mal nodded and cut across the tent, pushing his way to the other side. Harry followed closely behind Jayne and Zoe. He was briefly distracted by the squealing five year olds bobbing wooden elephants on a merry-go-round and in that split second he lost sight of Jayne and Zoe.
He cursed out loud and drew angry glares from parents who immediately ushered their children away from him. Harry looked through the thick crowd but was unable to find them. He cursed again and grabbed a bucket full of ice near an ice cream stand and turned it over after apologizing to the furious owner. He stood atop it and looked over the various blonde, brunette, black and pink heads, trying to catch a glimpse of Jayne. He spotted the man's orange shirt about fifty meters ahead and he jumped off the bucket, ignoring the screaming ice cream man and hurried towards what he thought was Jayne.
By the time he reached the other exit and entered the vibrant town there was no sight of anyone familiar. Harry sighed and tried to remember what Mal had said about the location of the dungeons. The entrance was supposed to be to the north end of the town and Harry decided to head north and if he found any place that was less isolated, he'd use his wand to find the others. It wouldn't be that hard.
He was glad that the crowd was much thinner compared to what it was inside the tent. Outside, though, he found it much more fascinating. The shacks and tents were placed randomly and there was no particular path in general. The ground had been salted to prevent anything from growing on it and it was extremely hard and strong. Digging into the ground was a tough task for anyone wanting to set up a new tent.
As he passed by various establishments, men and women dressed conservatively and provocatively weaved all around him and he was fascinated by the variety of styles of clothing that each of them adorned. Everyone was dressed fancily and there was an incredible cultural diversity that existed in the town.
A few shacks he came across had barrels of ale stacked one on top of each other and just outside the entrance there were competitions to see who could drink the most in less than a minute. Harry was amused by the small crowd that was cheering and encouraging their favorite contestant. Old women covered with heavy, colorful clothing sat under smaller tents with incense lit all around them. They were gazing at their crystal balls mysteriously and there were more than a few people sitting across these women, waiting with baited breath for their future to be told to them. Another group of men promised a grand tour of the planet and a chance to see a famous play that was making waves across the verse. They were handing out pamphlets which had the words 'Discount' in big letters printed on the top.
A larger pinkish tent had two women in red gowns that were split up to the hips, flashing their creamy legs towards single men, enticing them to enter their brothel for a night of entertainment. The jewelry they wore sparkled under the flashing lights that illuminated the town and their radiant smiles promised nothing but pleasure.
When he was close to the outskirts of the town, the circus music had faded away and a much more pleasant and calming music floated in the air. There were simple wooden huts with thatched roofs and respectable distances from each other and the air was thick with smoke that had a pleasant smell to it. Harry liked the aura these huts had around them but he continued forward.
Finally he was in a relatively isolated area and he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. His optical nerves were overloaded with exotic pictures and he was finding it impossible to keep his focus on any one thing. This planet was truly a treat for the senses. He walked towards a dark corner behind one of the huts and drew his wand. Keeping a clear picture of Mal in his mind, he said, "Point me – Malcolm Reynolds." The wand spun in his hand and stopped towards the direction he was heading in. It looked like he was going the right way after all.
"There!" he murmured. He could see a few dimly lit houses almost half a kilometer away and he was sure that was the entrance to the dungeons. He hurried towards those lights but then something very peculiar caught his attention and made his pause.
Standing to his left was a man. The man being man wasn't what made him stop in his tracks and stare. It was the way he was dressed. A gray cloak covered him entirely and a rope was loosely tied around his waist. A long pointy hat was perched on his head and long white hair could be seen sticking out from underneath it. The man was leaning on an uneven stick that still had leaves on it and his face was obscured in the dim light.
Harry stared at him, mouth open. Cautiously he moved closer to this strange man whose visage screamed wizard to him.
When he got close enough the man lifted his head and warm brown eyes bored into his eyes. Harry got a good look at the numerous lines and wrinkles on his face but he was struck by the depth he saw in those brown eyes.
The man smiled at Harry and in a voice that was roughed with age, he said, "Are you looking for an adventure, my young friend?" There was a certain strength and power in this man's voice.
Harry found it impossible to turn away and he unconsciously moved closer to this strange man. "Who are you?" he breathed cautiously.
"My name is Greybeard," he said slowly, emphasizing each word with care. "And you, my friend, are in search of something you cannot find."
His words washed over Harry and a cold wind blew past the pair. There was no one around. The active town lay a hundred meters behind Harry and the entrance to the dungeons was five hundred meters ahead of him. "Greybeard," Harry murmured. For some reason the name sounded very familiar to him and it strangely brought memories of the Dursley's to the forefront of his mind.
"Why are you dressed so oddly, Greybeard?"
"Why that's because I'm a wizard," he said calmly.
Harry's heart raced. "This is impossible!" he was screaming in his head. "Would the Alliance seriously allow a real wizard to roam around freely on this planet? This has got to be a trick! "
"And what do you want with me?" Harry asked, his voice quivering.
"Here, on Paquin, with the right amount of coin, you can find in an adventure beyond your wildest imagination," he said slowly and grandly.
Harry blew out all the tension that was building inside of him. "This was just another form of entertainment for people," he thought, feeling relieved and a little disappointed.
"If you come with me, I can show you a world full of elves, dwarfs and magic," he whispered invitingly.
"Sorry Greybeard," Harry said condescendingly. "But I've got somewhere to be."
"There's always some place you want to be," Greybeard said softly. "But do you know where you are meant to be?"
His words struck something deep inside Harry.
"If you come with me, I can show you the answer you've been looking for. I can help you find the one thing that you are desperately searching for."
"And what am I searching for?"
Greybeard bent closer and whispered into Harry's ear. "The truth," he said.
The temptation was too hard to resist. The way this man spoke, his entire demeanor, it called out to Harry at a deeper level and his subconscious was urging him to go along with this man.
Of course Harry wasn't going to know that this man had pulled such a scheme dozens of times to know who was susceptible to his invitation and who wasn't. For instance, the man knew that the two men and woman who had passed by fifteen minutes ago wouldn't have given him the slightest of glances. He had perfected the art of drawing men and women into his sphere of mystery and magic.
Harry was so enchanted that it didn't even occur to him to check if this man was lying or not with his occlumency. Part of the reason he didn't use his occlumency was because of the faint odor that had permeated into the air which was dulling his senses. It wasn't enough for him to realize what was happening but it was enough for him to be a little extra trusting.
"Alright," Harry said finally. Even though there was some sort of gas affecting his judgment, he decided he would spend no more than fifteen minutes with this Greybeard and then he would go back to the dungeons and meet up with Mal. "Let's have a look and then I'll be on my way."
Greybeard stuck out his hand and patiently waited for his customer to pay up. Harry dug his hands into his pockets, which now had an extendible and weightless charm, and pulled out a fifty credit note. He missed the greed that flashed through Greybeard's eyes.
"Follow me," he said, smiling secretively and removed a candle lamp from within his long and loose sleeve. Harry was impressed at the smooth display and Greybeard lit the candle inside and hung the lamp on his stick. He turned around and led Harry into the dense forest, barely making a sound as he walked.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
An hour had passed by since Harry disappeared and Jayne was still waiting for him to show up. Mal and Zoe had gone in an hour ago and told him to wait and see if Harry showed up. But he hadn't and Jayne was getting terribly impatient. He had mentally gone through all his moves that were guaranteed to knock an opponent out and he was going through them again when Zoe and Mal came out of the little house built atop the dungeon entrance.
"He's not shown up yet?" Mal exclaimed.
Jayne shook his head.
Zoe sighed. "Looks like we got to do this without him, captain."
"Did you find it?"
"Fredericks has it strapped to his belt," Mal said grimly. "This is going to be trickier than we thought. Harry's presence could have got this done the easy way but he went and got himself lost. Now the only way to get close to Fredericks is to enter his ring which means you have no choice but to fight."
Jayne tried not to show his joy.
"The coin required to be a spectator to these events is way deeper than our pockets so we're going to be your trainers or part of your team. When you enter the ring, I'll slip away and engage Fredericks in conversation."
"And what? You're going to steal it without him knowing?"
"No," smirked Mal. "He watches every fight closely and sits just two rows away from the ring. So you're going to have to make a spectacular dive through the air and towards him to provide the distraction I need to get the gun."
"You want me to lose?!" Jayne exclaimed.
"Quit your whining Jayne," Zoe snapped. "You'll have your fight."
"Are you ready?" Mal asked.
Jayne cracked his neck and stared at Mal menacingly.
"Good," said Mal. "Keep up that expression and we'll have no trouble enrolling you in the fights. Though, I must warn you that things get pretty brutal in there. You get a weapon of choice but no firearms and you win by either knocking your opponent out cold or killing him."
Jayne bared his teeth; his predator instincts were roaring and raring to find his prey.
Mal led them back into the wooden house where there was no furniture except for an inclined, open trap door that revealed a well illuminated staircase stretching down under the ground. At the bottom of the stairs was a spacious room that was almost surgically clean and there was a pretty woman sitting at a desk beside the only door in the boxed room.
"Back again?" she asked politely. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and a white shirt that was tucked neatly. She was sitting crossed legged and was working on a crossword in her datapad.
"We have a contestant," Mal said, pointing his thumb at Jayne. Jayne growled and glared at the woman but she wasn't a bit intimidated. She had a shotgun hanging from a hook below her desk for unruly customers and participants.
"What event would you like to participate in?" she asked. She tapped the screen of her datapad and began to read out the gory list of activities that were going on behind that steel door.
"Colonel Frederick's bloody feast," Mal said loudly, not wanting to hear the list again. He had seen enough while they were looking for the colonel's fighting ring.
The woman pressed a button on the desk and the door popped open. "I assume you know which room holds the ring?"
Mal nodded and the woman gave Mal a ticket. "That's your contestant ticket," she said. "Have a nice time."
Mal glanced at the ticket. It had a one plus two printed on it and Mal supposed that meant one participant and two accompanying. He shoved the ticket into his pocket and opened the steel door that led to one of the darker parts of Paquin.
They were in a corridor that felt like an abandoned hospital. There were powerful tube lights at regular intervals that kept the narrow corridor almost blindingly bright and numbered doors on both sides every twenty or so meters. A small glass window on the door was displayed for curious viewers and Jayne regretted peaking into one.
It turned out to be a torture chamber. A man wearing a mask was whipping the back of another man who seemed to be laughing and crying at the same time. "A pain addict," Jayne thought disgustedly.
"Better keep your eyeballs ahead Jayne," Mal said, his lips pursed. "The men down here are the most perverted kind you'll find in the verse."
"Women too," muttered Zoe.
Mal was startled. "You saw something I missed?"
"You should be glad," she said, shuddering and didn't elaborate.
Door number twenty seven was their entrance and when Zoe opened the door, it was everything Jayne was hoping it to be. It was a huge stone walled chamber that had a circular ring in the center. There were three floors of balcony space where dozens of people were screaming and shouting obscenely. Their pupils were dilated with bloodlust and desire to watch the life fade out of a man's eyes. Humanity had no place in such a pit of squalor.
A few feet away from the ring, in a high back chair that was cushioned with maroon velvet, sat Colonel Fredericks. He was a tall and thin man with a scar running from his forehead to neck. He hid his eyes behind dark glasses and was wearing a white suit that had flecks of blood on it. But most importantly, strapped to his waist, was a magnificent firearm that gleamed in the powerful light that flooded the arena.
"Let's do this," growled Jayne.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The circus was a feast for the eyes. While it might have been a known spectacle to the people on Earth five hundred years ago, watching Lions leap through rings of fire; men and women in glittering costumes performing extravagant acrobatic stunts with mathematical precision at break necks speeds had the spectators gasping for breath. The man who could fit into a two by two feet box had them covering their eyes in horror and the clowns who had the children and adults rolling with laughter with their hilarious magic tricks that involved pulling hammers out of their mouth and clumsily knocking themselves out in the process.
Simon had to restrain River every time there was an acrobatic feast for the eyes. River wanted to compete and walk the tightrope along with the performers but Simon was not going to allow that.
"Simon, I want to swing with those women!" River pleaded and Simon refused out right, ignoring the sniggering Kaylee and Inara. Big help they were, he thought sourly.
"River's yours and Kaylee's mine," Inara laughed as they exited the circus premises two hours later. They bought four extra large cotton candies and strolled through the town, letting their stomachs guide them. Inara steered them towards a tent serving a variety of fish. Her nose could distinguish between the good and the best places to eat and this was definitely one of the best.
"That smells delicious," Kaylee sighed happily.
"I bet it will taste even better," Simon agreed.
"Welcome to our humble establishment," one of the waiters said, bowing deeply and guiding them to a table of four.
Red spherical lanterns with black dragons imprinted on them hung from the top of each table. The tables were carved from oak and there were several sauces and spices in little containers to use for additional flavoring.
"I'm going to wash my hands," River muttered.
"Be careful and don't wander off," Simon warned. "Do you want me to come with you?"
River rolled her eyes and asked one of the waiters for directions to the washroom. He told her it was on the back side of the tent and River disappeared from Simon's sight.
She was gone for twenty long minutes and Simon was getting more worried by the second.
"Calm down Simon," Inara said. "A woman takes time to be done with her business."
"This is River we're talking about," he said anxiously. "Something might have caught her attention and she could have gone after it. You know the other stories about this planet don't you?!"
Kaylee bit her lip feeling worried as well and was ready to go after their young crewmate but everyone sighed in relief when River reappeared.
"What took you so long?" Inara asked.
"It took me longer than usual to wash up," River replied.
Inara frowned. There was something off about the way River was talking. "We ordered for you," she said. "I hope you don't mind."
River smiled, "No problem. Thank you."
"River," Kaylee interrupted. "There's something on your neck." Kaylee pointed it out and River wiped the spot the mechanic was pointing at. Her fingers took on a red sheen and Simon gasped but River just laughed.
"Someone spurted a little red sauce when I was coming back," she placated. "I got a little on my cheek and neck. I guess I missed a spot."
They believed her, Inara included. River took the opportunity to rub the blood splattered on her boots against the muddy ground. She was glad the blood hadn't sprayed on her clothes. She smiled charmingly at her brother and Inara once more which helped to put their lingering worry to rest and asked for the menu.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
At the time Serenity landed on Paquin, there was an important event occurring in a highly classified Blue Sun facility.
"I can't believe we got the night shift," grumbled guard number one. He was wrapped in layers of wool and was standing guard at the icy entrance to the facility on the mountain.
"It's your fault for back answering that counselor," guard number two snapped irritably. "I'm shocked that you aren't actually making rounds outside the facility!"
"It was a harmless joke," guard number one said sheepishly. He was fresh out of the academy and was unfortunate to be assigned to such a dangerous facility. He wished he could go out to the beautiful towns away from the mountains but there was strictly no leaving the facility until the one year contract was fulfilled.
The facility housed just eight inhabitants. Four guards, three scientists and one prisoner. The facility was armed with automatic weapons hidden in the snow to dispatch anything that moved close to it.
Usually there was almost no activity except for the scientists running dozens of tests and experiments but the past month had seen more than a dozen visits from the councilor of the parliament along with his entourage and every time, after a discussion with the scientists, they left with worried faces which seemed to grow steadily with each visit. The latest one which was a couple of days ago had resulted in the councilor screaming at the scientists in fury.
"What do you think the councilor was so mad about?" asked guard number two after a while.
"I guess he wants results and those scientists are giving him nothing."
Guard number two grumbled about impatient politicians under his breath and a moment later the facility was rocked with a loud explosion. The concrete floor shook with the force and cracks appeared on the walls.
Both fell off their chairs and stood up in alarm with the weapons raised. "Quick!" shouted guard number one and ran down to the room where the prisoner was being kept. It couldn't be the prisoner, guard number two thought in fright as he followed his companion.
The prisoner had been in a coma for years and hadn't moved a muscle since the time he was put into the tube. The tube was filled with a viscous solution that ensured his continued coma and added to that his body was completely restrained with reinforced steel chains. The scientists spent their time inserting hundreds of needles into the prisoner's brain over and over again and had drawn enough blood to kill a normal human being.
Every guard that was stationed on this facility often wondered what this prisoner had done to deserve such a fate. Was the prisoner even alive after so many years?
Today, their questions were answered.
When they stormed into the room, there were six dead men who had glass shards sticking out of their bodies and in the center was the prisoner, naked as the day he was born, who was unable to move his body because of years of being immobile.
"Fre-eeze," guard number one shouted, losing control of his speech when he gazed into those terrifying red eyes. The guard's vision swam all of a sudden and he collapsed to the floor with a foot long glass shard wedged between his eyes. His partner took a longer time to die after being stabbed in the throat.
The prisoner closed his eyes and willed his body to respond to his commands. Slowly but steadily, he was able to push himself up and stand on his feet without any support. A normal human being could not have done this without some days of physical therapy but this prisoner was no ordinary human.
He moved his neck from side to side and moaned at the cracking sounds his neck made. He clenched and unclenched his fingers a dozen times, gasping at the creaking noise his bones were making. He placed his hands on his hips and slowly lifted his left leg, put it down and then lifted his right leg. He repeated this process for five minutes and finally curled his toes and sighed with pleasure, satisfied that his body was in prime condition.
It was only after this he realized that he had no clothes on and there was some slimy liquid sticking to his body.
Frowning he took a deep breath, raised his arms and in a sharp movement, thrust his arms down. All the slime was repelled from his body and he grinned, feeling the presence of his magic as powerful as ever. He then pointed a finger and one of the scientists and body of the dead man twitched and jerked until his long white lab coat was removed from his person and it floated to the prisoner and he raised his arms, letting the coat slip onto him.
There was just one thing left to do. He closed his eyes and kept his right palm open and waited. Magic was coursing through his body like a giant uncoiling snake and a few seconds later a thirteen and a half inch wand, carved from a Yew tree, having the core of a phoenix, soared into his open palm.
Lord Voldemort's lips curled into something that could be called a smile when the presence that he felt months ago amplified in his mind now that he was fully awake. "Oh how I've missed you, Harry Potter," he whispered. "I can't wait to see you again my dear boy."
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A/N: Review :) If you'd like to get a couple of chapters more you can read ahead over on my pat~reon page under the same pen name. Cheers!
Raul