A Beautiful Gift Ch 2 - A Meeting of Malcontents
And it's chapter 2! Try not to die of shock that it didn't take another year to get out. The inspiration for this really has a hold on me.
I know the pun in the chapter title is horrible, but I couldn't resist. Sorry.
Disclaimer! I did use some some of the dialogue from part one of the the pilot, don't expect this to be a habit. I needed the dinner scene in order to have some interaction between Simon and the crew. This chapter you can see where it's starting to really diverge from the canon timeline.
As always any comments, complaints, questions, or suggestions are more than welcome. Enjoy!
Title: A Beautiful Gift
Author: alydhe
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Warnings: dub con, angst, evil alliance, sort of mind control
Summary: Simon's ability to heal people runs deeper than most believe. The Alliance discovered this and now he has to find a way to save both himself and River. How will the story change when Simon is barely hanging on to the threads of his sanity?
Previous parts:
Prologue Interlude One: Two of a Kind Chapter One: Escape of the Gyrfalcons
A Beautiful Gift
Chapter Two: A Meeting of Malcontents
When Simon next awoke he was disturbed to find that they were already well on their way to Persephone and River had been, in Penn’s words, “packed and frozen” already. As annoyed as he was to hear his little sister referred to like a box of fish sticks he didn’t dare argue.
He wasn’t sure it would have come out coherent, anyway.
He hadn’t quite appreciated just how much he relied on River or how much being in cryo would muffle her mind to him. Being able to concentrate on her, the constant effort required to smooth over the volatile emotions stabilized and focused him. Without her, he found himself slipping, falling too far into the feelings of those around him and balancing on the edge of flashbacks with every flash of light and sudden sound.
Another problem he’d failed to foresee was just how out of practice he was with socializing, having not actually practiced the skill since those few months of college courses when he was 14, just before the Academy had picked him up. River had more experience with people, having always been outgoing, and her gift would have made it easy for her to whisper instructions in his ear to ease the way.
But River wasn’t here. How was he going to pull this off? Just the few crew on the Dedalus overwhelmed him and once he was deemed as medically sound as they could make him they avoided him like the plague, uncomfortable as they were with his gifts.
By the time they made landfall, he’d finally settled on a strategy that, while flawed, was the only way he could think to get through this. Taking far more out of Donavan’s nest egg than he really wanted, Simon bought River some simple clothes he knew she’d enjoy meshing together and himself a few outfits that would befit the stuffy Core surgeon his new i.d. painted him as. He didn’t know how a normal person would behave, but he knew doctors and he knew his father, rich snob that he’d been, so he simply combined the two, creating a persona people would hopefully avoid rather than look too close at.
Another good chunk of the money went for drugs and medical supplies. He and River were both desperately in need of treatment and he didn’t know enough about what had been done to them to use his gift so he was down to experimenting with drugs. He also needed the basic equipment to set up a practice once on the Rim, but seeing as he’d never been there he had to guess at what he’d need. The whole situation left a bad taste in his mouth but if he wanted to help River he had to put aside his petty complaints. She needed him.
Despite his fervent vows not to fail his sister, he nearly lost it on the Eavesdown Docks, a week later. The sheer number of people and the depths of their anger, poverty, and despair threatened to send his mind back to that little cell. To dark shadows that hovered like nightmares at the edge of his vision despite the constant light. To screams, both audible and mental that echoed from the other psis when the doctors came for them again. The feeling of needles slipping into his… NO!
No! No! No! Don’t go there, can’t go there. Oh God, he needed River. RiverRiverRiverRiverRiver-
“Hey, are you okay?”
Simon jerked at the hand on his arm and the soft voice of his gift whispering in his mind, ‘Gentle one. Shining one. Innocent and pure. ’
The girl was adorable and smudged. A teddy bear jumpsuit hung loosely on her short frame and a rainbow parasol that had seen better days was clutched in her hand. Concern was shining from her every pore.
“I’m fine,” He stammered out. “Just a little lost.”
She smiled cheerfully at him, relieved. “Maybe I can help you! I’m Kaylee. Anywheres in particular you’re looking to find?”
He caught sight of the console just over her shoulder and noted that they were headed to Boros. Well, why not? It had an Alliance presence, but less than Persephone and it would make it harder to find them if they planet hopped, a bit. Besides, any ship with someone this pure on it couldn’t be too dangerous, right?
He smiled back down at her, wondering if it looked as rusty and broken as it felt. “I’m looking for passage to Boros. I have some medical supplies to deliver to a colleague there and am in need of transport”
He’d have never thought it possible, but somehow the cheerful energy coming off the girl- Kaylee, she was called Kaylee- seemed to double and she was all but bouncing with excitement.
“Shiny! I’m the mechanic on Serenity, she’s the beauty there behind me, and we’re goin’ ta Boros!” Kaylee snapped shut her parasol and bustled him over to the console, explaining about departure times, passenger fees, and boarding procedure as she went.
Simon, fairly overwhelmed to be honest, simply nodded along. He gave her the fake name Penn had supplied, paid her, and then explained to the man on the ATV where to pick up his luggage and the ‘medical supplies’. He hoped he got across all he meant to, with all the cheerfulness and slang that was been bandied back and forth between the man, called Wash, and Kaylee he was fairly dizzy and very out of his depth.
He spotted a man in what he vaguely remembered to be a Shepherd’s uniform in the cargo bay and later they were joined by a klutzy, almost mousy, man coming aboard and getting settled but he was mostly too busy trying to focus on River’s mind in her cryo box and staying calm to really pay attention to them.
Then he felt it, that wall of dark emotion stampeding right towards him. He couldn’t tell at first if it was coming from one or more people, there was simply too much to process. It wasn’t until he could see the three figures physically that he could tell them apart mentally. Most of the feeling seemed to be coming, impossible as it seemed, from one man.
Never had Simon run across anyone who felt emotion as violently as this man. How he kept from feeling as completely overwhelmed by them as Simon, he didn’t know.
There was anger, here. It didn’t burn like fire but blasting like artillery. Large, powerful, and dangerous. Desperation. It was a fight for survival that was growing more hopeless by the minute. These two emotions ran as an endless undercurrent to everything else. That they would feel like a natural extension of the man, himself, meant that he had to have spent years feeling both ceaselessly and in large quantities. Possessiveness ran strong, as well. Simon was beginning to wonder if he’d made a mistake in choosing this ship. He’d felt things like this before, in the doctors at the Academy. Doctors who felt they owned him and could do whatever they wanted because of it. Doctors who became frustrated at the lack of results and desperately worried that the lack of them would cause their funding to be cut. Such feelings always come hand in hand with pain.
He knew it the moment the man caught sight of him. There was a slowing of that aggressive walk until the man was standing directly in front of him, and then Simon was drowning. God, how did the man stand it? There was a deep disgust and bitterness there; cast in so many directions Simon couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Deep frustration made his head ache and the distrust that muddied the air between them soured Simon’s stomach.
Kaylee must have spotted the two of them staring as she was just suddenly there. She smiled at first one and then the other as she introduced them.
“Cap’n this is Dr. Samuel Maxwell. Samuel, this is our captain, Malcolm Reynolds.”
Simon nodded politely, “Captain Reynolds.”
The Captain then did the last thing Simon expected, considering all he’d just felt. Brown eyes flickered over Simon’s lean frame and the appreciation in the act didn’t even need to be translated.
A cold knot of fear clenched itself in his gut as the Captain moved on.
Simon had obviously gotten on the wrong ship.
An hour later, He was standing in the galley with the crew and other passengers listening to Captain Reynolds tell them that they were making an unscheduled detour and that he wouldn’t have access to the cargo hold where his little sister was currently a sitting duck in a cryo box. The man obviously despised him and even the most polite inquiry from Simon was met with disdain and sarcasm from the Captain.
Oh, and the man beside him was a fed.
He couldn’t stop cursing himself. He’d been so caught up in the Captain and his own fears that he’d failed to pay any attention to the man called Dobson. Simon supposed he was lucky the Captain had asked to speak to them all immediately after takeoff, it was when he was right next to the man that he picked up the emotions that were so familiar to him.
Dobson was filled with danger, greed, and sneaky intent. There was a ruthlessness and masochism that flared to life every time he looked at Simon. The man felt no compassion towards any of the people he spoke with. The mental profile was the same as he’d felt in every Alliance operative he’d even seen.
Simon wasn’t sure how the man had found them so quickly but he needed to do something about him before he could compromise them. He couldn’t Twist him, the man obviously knew of Simon’s gift and had taken care to wear long sleeves, was standing with a good foot of space between them, and had crossed his arms so his bare hands were hidden away. Simon couldn’t cross the space without looking odd, couldn’t Twist him through the cloth, and he certainly couldn’t kiss a complete stranger in the middle of the galley surrounded by people, either.
He’d have to bide his time and think.
After gathering his things from the cargo bay with the others, Simon was escorted by the first mate, Zoe, into a comfortable, if spartan, cabin. He promised to attend dinner at 1800 and closed the door.
Reluctantly, Simon placed his red medical bag on the bed and opened it. He reached for the slim case tucked into the secret pocket in the bottom and then sat down hard on the bunk as he stared at the object in his hands.
There were times, in the Academy, when the doctors had boosted their gifts to a near painful intensity, River had called it Jumping. It was dangerous and could only be done for short bursts, but it had come in handy. He’d had River search in the minds of the doctors to learn the cocktail of pharmaceuticals it took to make and he’d memorized them. He’d made sure to buy them when he was stocking his supplies and had mixed up three syringes worth that same night.
It would hurt, if he took it, but it might boost him enough that he could Twist through a thin layer of cloth. Of course, it would probably strip him of any control. He could barely handle the emotions of the few people aboard now, what would he do if it was all enhanced tenfold? God knew what that Captain would do if he felt one of his passengers had gone crazy. Probably shoot him.
Finally deciding that it was too big a risk, for the moment, anyway, Simon tucked the box back into its hiding place.
He spent the next few hours huddled up on the narrow bunk, trying to prepare himself for dinner and the hour he would spend buffeted by the emotions of the crew. He wished bitterly that River were here. Without his sister’s constant presence in his mind he felt as though a very crucial piece of his shattered self were missing.
River had always been there, in the back of his mind, even when they were children and their gifts were still young and un-mutated. It had hurt, so bad, to spend those six years without her. He’d felt sort of hollow. Then they’d taken her, too and they’d broken apart their gifts and rearranged them in ways they were never meant to be. It had made them more powerful, yes, but unstable. In desperation, the siblings had turned to one another and to the connection they’d always shared. They stole little pieces of each other and used them in place of the missing pieces inside of them. Those pieces that had been ground to dust in the breaking. It had helped them survive and while they weren’t exactly sane, they were at least better off than the other students.
But now, once again, he was without her. He hoped like hell the detour to Whitefall didn’t take too long because he could tell that each day without her was going to send him further down that dark spiral.
Shuffling footsteps in the hall outside broke him from his morose thoughts and he uncurled long enough to glance at the monitor across the room displaying the time. 1800. Dinner time. A small idea sprung to mind and Simon quickly stood up and walked to the door. He slid it open just enough to peek across the hall to where he knew Dobson was staying. There was no movement, no sound.
Cautiously, he opened the door further and slipped out. There was no one in the hall; they’d all gone to dinner. Moving quickly, Simon made his way across the hall and into the adjacent room. He allowed his gift to stretch outward, knowing it would warn him if anyone got too close.
Bags littered one corner of the room so that’s where he headed. Moving as fast as he could Simon looked through them, one by one. A kernel of hatred flared to life when he found two guns. He tucked them into his waistband and continued looking. It was in the fourth bag that he found what he was looking for. It was a hand held computer, with full Core access. Simon stuffed the find into his pocket, put the bags back into place, and went back to the sliding door. He concentrated for a moment but felt that no one was in the vicinity so he again made a quick dash across the hall and into his own room.
He checked that both guns were loaded, then hid the larger of the two firearms in the hidden pocket of his medicine bag and used medical tape to lightly attach the other his right leg under his pants cuff. It would hold the gun there until he needed it but come off easily if he tugged. For once, Simon was grateful for the many dark and horrifying things that had been downloaded into his brain. The knowledge was going to keep them safe.
The hand computer was small enough, so he tucked it into his side pants pocket. If Dobson realized it was gone it would be just as easy for him to search Simon’s room as it was for Simon to search his. He didn’t want the man to have the chance to contact the Alliance. He didn’t think the man had already done so; he’d have made a move to subdue Simon, if that were the case.
Everything in order, Simon walked into the hall and headed for the galley, the gun a heavier weight on his mind than on his body.
Chatter and laughter drifted out to him as he approached the galley. The warmth and contentment coming from the room relaxed him a little without his meaning for it to. It had been so long since he’d had contact with the lighter emotions that it was a little intoxicating.
The others were bustling around the small room, grabbing plates and drinks and moving food laden platters to the long table for distribution. Kaylee looked up and beamed at him when he stepped in.
“Samuel! Come on in and take a seat! The Shepherd helped me make dinner with all kinds of fresh stuff so we got a real feast!” Smiling back at her was easier this time with those bright feelings eddying inside him, lifting his spirits for the first time in years.
“Thank you, I look forward to it.”
Soon enough they were all seated crammed together on mismatched chairs around a scarred wooden table. Simon had hoped to sit next to Dobson and use the close quarters as an excuse to touch but Kaylee had quickly pulled him into the seat next to hers at the other end of the table.
The cheerful conversation was subdued for a moment when the Captain shortly refused to let the Shepherd say grace. Simon took the opportunity to address the man.
“So does it happen a lot? The government commandeering your ship, telling you where to go?” He needed to know if this was the only unscheduled stop they were going to be making. He still wasn’t sure he’d make the trip sane as it was, any more time without River and he was going to have to think of something.
“That’s what governments are for, to get in a man’s way.” There was a deep resentment in that comment that Simon could relate to. It also didn’t answer his question.
“No, it’s good if the supplies are needed.” Dobson. Of course the hun dan would defend them.
“We’re just happy to be doing good works.” Simon blinked in surprise. That had to be the last thing he expected to come out of the muscle head’s mouth. From the wave of amusement and disbelief that swept through the crew around him, they must agree.
It was the first thing he’d heard the large man say. Simon had been keeping his distance from him from the moment he’d seen him. The guy was practically drenched in lust and aggression, two emotions that Simon wanted nothing to do with.
“I hear some of the border moons are in bad shape. Plagues and famine…” Dobson’s pointed out, waving his fork slightly.
It was Zoe who answered him, “Well some of that’s exaggerated and some if aint. All those moons, just like the central planets, they’re as close to Earth-that-was as we can make ‘em. Gravity, atmosphere, and such but-“
She looked askance to the Captain when he cut in, “Once their terra formed, they’ll dump settlers on there with nothing but blankets, hatchets, maybe a herd. Some of ‘em will make it, some of ‘em…”
The deep bitterness around the Captain and his first mate was obvious but it was the conviction in them that disturbed Simon. Were things really that bad, out there? If so, how would he find a safe place for him and River? If the people were that desperate they’d jump at the chance to claim whatever reward the Alliance had placed on their heads, regardless of any hatred they bore towards the government.
Could he even hope to find a safe world with so little knowledge of how life worked out here? And if the Captain hated the Alliance so much, why would he be delivering medical supplies for them? The man was certainly crafty enough to go unnoticed if he wanted to so why had he let himself be saddled with the job? He decided to test the waters a bit.
“Then I guess its good we’re helping.” He watched closely for the Captain’s reaction but the man only looked at him. There was something there, but he wasn’t sure what the feeling was. If the man was lying, Simon couldn’t tell. That was a first, for him.
“So, you’re a doctor, right?” His somber musings were broken by Kaylee who, for the first time, was speaking without nearly vibrating across the room with cheerfulness. It was almost like she was normal, for a moment.
“Oh! Uh..” Channeling his father, Simon delicately wiped his lips with his napkin before answering softly. “Yes, I was a trauma surgeon on Osiris in Capital City.”
He knew he was answering a little too carefully when a spike of suspicion came from the Captain, Zoe, and the muscle man but he couldn’t help it. He had memorized the background that came with his and River’s fake identities and there were over 300 hospitals in Capital City alone, far too many to check his story too closely, but somehow Dobson had found him anyway, so there was some flaw he couldn’t see.
“Long way from here.” The Captain said, his casual tone layered with something sharp and dangerous.
He was relieved when Kaylee cut in, giving him an excuse not to answer. “You seem so young to be a doctor.”
Relieved, that is, until he felt the attraction oozing out of her awkward smile. Simon looked around the table a little nervously, muscle man was getting jealous and Simon was starting to wish he’d stayed in his room.
He decided to just dodge the question. “You’re pretty young to be a ship’s mechanic.”
Oh no! Kaylee’s affection and nervousness doubled at what she took as a flirtatious comment. “Don’t know how. Machines just got workins’ and they…talk to me.”
The Shepherd smiled indulgently at her, “That’s a rare gift.”
Kaylee smiled self-consciously back at him and the wave of adoration Simon felt blasted his way was extremely uncomfortable. “Well not like being a doctor! Helping fix people, that’s…important!”
Simon felt it the moment muscle man couldn’t hold back anymore. “Little Kaylee, here, just wishes you was a gynecologist.”
Simon had never wanted to melt into a chair as much as he did in that moment. The sentiment was echoed from the chair next to him as muscle man cackled meanly. Poor Kaylee.
“Jayne! You will keep a civil tongue in that mouth or I will sew it shut. Is there an understanding between us?” His anger was protective and reminded Simon sharply of him and River. The Captain viewed Kaylee as a sister? That didn’t fit in with the possessiveness he’d felt, earlier. Commanding officers who felt they owned people didn’t care.
Jayne bristled at the authority being held over him. “You don’t pay me to talk pretty. Just because Kaylee gets all lubed up over some big city dandy doesn’t mean-“
“Walk away from this table, right now.” The command was delivered calmly and with complete confidence that it would be carried out. That’s curious; Simon knew the Captain was still angry so why didn’t the insubordination make it worse? If anything, the Captain calmed further.
Jayne met the Captain’s hard stare for all of 10 seconds before angrily standing, spooning more food onto his plate, and storming off.
Simon’s eyes stayed on the man who gave the order, though. He didn’t understand. He could feel the ever present anger, swirling below the surface. Why did he not show it? He’d never met anyone who could push away that much anger as though it didn’t exist. It’s almost like the Captain harnesses the feeling, using it to strengthen every thought and action.
And Jayne, if he was constantly chafing at the authority why did the Captain keep him on? Simon turned to look at him head on. “What do you pay him for?”
The question took the man off guard. “What?”
“I was just wondering what his job is, on the ship.”
The captain stared at him for a beat. “Public relations.”
The man was infuriating.
---------
NOTES:
I almost forgot to post these. I promised I would explain about Simona and River's powers this chapter, so here ya go!
Both siblings possess two gifts. Simon's has his healing/harming ability and it is completely touch based. As a child he could heal small things before he ran out of energy. He also has empathic abilities and they were touch based back then, too. When the Alliance got a hold of him they, at first, just helped to exercise his ability and come into his full potential. At that point, he could heal one or two major injuries OR several minor ones. Then the experimentation started. Now his empathy works at a distance, the same building for regular people but just about any distance for those which he has a bond with. He can only twist emotions and minds through physical contact.
River, however, has the abilities of telepathy and precognition, but she can't manipulate the mind or body like Simon can. She can read people's minds that are around her, but if she doesn't know them and/or hasn't formed some kind of bond with them it's limited with distance. If a bond does exist she can pinpoint them just about anywhere. She can only speak mind to mind with Simon due to the bond they share. It's a side effect of their gifts.
Her precognition is limited to herself and those she feels a bond for. She's only been able to see the king and his aviary for a few months because Simon's choices were leading to a meeting and she senses they need them. Once she grows to love them and forms attachments, she'll be able to see their futures and minds over great distances, too. Think of the episode Safe, when she read Saw Book get shot with her precognition and then followed Simon after he was kidnapped and knew Mal was coming back with telepathy despite Simon's few miles of distance or Mal's several light year's worth in space.
I know the pun in the chapter title is horrible, but I couldn't resist. Sorry.
Disclaimer! I did use some some of the dialogue from part one of the the pilot, don't expect this to be a habit. I needed the dinner scene in order to have some interaction between Simon and the crew. This chapter you can see where it's starting to really diverge from the canon timeline.
As always any comments, complaints, questions, or suggestions are more than welcome. Enjoy!
Title: A Beautiful Gift
Author: alydhe
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Warnings: dub con, angst, evil alliance, sort of mind control
Summary: Simon's ability to heal people runs deeper than most believe. The Alliance discovered this and now he has to find a way to save both himself and River. How will the story change when Simon is barely hanging on to the threads of his sanity?
Previous parts:
Prologue Interlude One: Two of a Kind Chapter One: Escape of the Gyrfalcons
A Beautiful Gift
Chapter Two: A Meeting of Malcontents
When Simon next awoke he was disturbed to find that they were already well on their way to Persephone and River had been, in Penn’s words, “packed and frozen” already. As annoyed as he was to hear his little sister referred to like a box of fish sticks he didn’t dare argue.
He wasn’t sure it would have come out coherent, anyway.
He hadn’t quite appreciated just how much he relied on River or how much being in cryo would muffle her mind to him. Being able to concentrate on her, the constant effort required to smooth over the volatile emotions stabilized and focused him. Without her, he found himself slipping, falling too far into the feelings of those around him and balancing on the edge of flashbacks with every flash of light and sudden sound.
Another problem he’d failed to foresee was just how out of practice he was with socializing, having not actually practiced the skill since those few months of college courses when he was 14, just before the Academy had picked him up. River had more experience with people, having always been outgoing, and her gift would have made it easy for her to whisper instructions in his ear to ease the way.
But River wasn’t here. How was he going to pull this off? Just the few crew on the Dedalus overwhelmed him and once he was deemed as medically sound as they could make him they avoided him like the plague, uncomfortable as they were with his gifts.
By the time they made landfall, he’d finally settled on a strategy that, while flawed, was the only way he could think to get through this. Taking far more out of Donavan’s nest egg than he really wanted, Simon bought River some simple clothes he knew she’d enjoy meshing together and himself a few outfits that would befit the stuffy Core surgeon his new i.d. painted him as. He didn’t know how a normal person would behave, but he knew doctors and he knew his father, rich snob that he’d been, so he simply combined the two, creating a persona people would hopefully avoid rather than look too close at.
Another good chunk of the money went for drugs and medical supplies. He and River were both desperately in need of treatment and he didn’t know enough about what had been done to them to use his gift so he was down to experimenting with drugs. He also needed the basic equipment to set up a practice once on the Rim, but seeing as he’d never been there he had to guess at what he’d need. The whole situation left a bad taste in his mouth but if he wanted to help River he had to put aside his petty complaints. She needed him.
Despite his fervent vows not to fail his sister, he nearly lost it on the Eavesdown Docks, a week later. The sheer number of people and the depths of their anger, poverty, and despair threatened to send his mind back to that little cell. To dark shadows that hovered like nightmares at the edge of his vision despite the constant light. To screams, both audible and mental that echoed from the other psis when the doctors came for them again. The feeling of needles slipping into his… NO!
No! No! No! Don’t go there, can’t go there. Oh God, he needed River. RiverRiverRiverRiverRiver-
“Hey, are you okay?”
Simon jerked at the hand on his arm and the soft voice of his gift whispering in his mind, ‘Gentle one. Shining one. Innocent and pure. ’
The girl was adorable and smudged. A teddy bear jumpsuit hung loosely on her short frame and a rainbow parasol that had seen better days was clutched in her hand. Concern was shining from her every pore.
“I’m fine,” He stammered out. “Just a little lost.”
She smiled cheerfully at him, relieved. “Maybe I can help you! I’m Kaylee. Anywheres in particular you’re looking to find?”
He caught sight of the console just over her shoulder and noted that they were headed to Boros. Well, why not? It had an Alliance presence, but less than Persephone and it would make it harder to find them if they planet hopped, a bit. Besides, any ship with someone this pure on it couldn’t be too dangerous, right?
He smiled back down at her, wondering if it looked as rusty and broken as it felt. “I’m looking for passage to Boros. I have some medical supplies to deliver to a colleague there and am in need of transport”
He’d have never thought it possible, but somehow the cheerful energy coming off the girl- Kaylee, she was called Kaylee- seemed to double and she was all but bouncing with excitement.
“Shiny! I’m the mechanic on Serenity, she’s the beauty there behind me, and we’re goin’ ta Boros!” Kaylee snapped shut her parasol and bustled him over to the console, explaining about departure times, passenger fees, and boarding procedure as she went.
Simon, fairly overwhelmed to be honest, simply nodded along. He gave her the fake name Penn had supplied, paid her, and then explained to the man on the ATV where to pick up his luggage and the ‘medical supplies’. He hoped he got across all he meant to, with all the cheerfulness and slang that was been bandied back and forth between the man, called Wash, and Kaylee he was fairly dizzy and very out of his depth.
He spotted a man in what he vaguely remembered to be a Shepherd’s uniform in the cargo bay and later they were joined by a klutzy, almost mousy, man coming aboard and getting settled but he was mostly too busy trying to focus on River’s mind in her cryo box and staying calm to really pay attention to them.
Then he felt it, that wall of dark emotion stampeding right towards him. He couldn’t tell at first if it was coming from one or more people, there was simply too much to process. It wasn’t until he could see the three figures physically that he could tell them apart mentally. Most of the feeling seemed to be coming, impossible as it seemed, from one man.
Never had Simon run across anyone who felt emotion as violently as this man. How he kept from feeling as completely overwhelmed by them as Simon, he didn’t know.
There was anger, here. It didn’t burn like fire but blasting like artillery. Large, powerful, and dangerous. Desperation. It was a fight for survival that was growing more hopeless by the minute. These two emotions ran as an endless undercurrent to everything else. That they would feel like a natural extension of the man, himself, meant that he had to have spent years feeling both ceaselessly and in large quantities. Possessiveness ran strong, as well. Simon was beginning to wonder if he’d made a mistake in choosing this ship. He’d felt things like this before, in the doctors at the Academy. Doctors who felt they owned him and could do whatever they wanted because of it. Doctors who became frustrated at the lack of results and desperately worried that the lack of them would cause their funding to be cut. Such feelings always come hand in hand with pain.
He knew it the moment the man caught sight of him. There was a slowing of that aggressive walk until the man was standing directly in front of him, and then Simon was drowning. God, how did the man stand it? There was a deep disgust and bitterness there; cast in so many directions Simon couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Deep frustration made his head ache and the distrust that muddied the air between them soured Simon’s stomach.
Kaylee must have spotted the two of them staring as she was just suddenly there. She smiled at first one and then the other as she introduced them.
“Cap’n this is Dr. Samuel Maxwell. Samuel, this is our captain, Malcolm Reynolds.”
Simon nodded politely, “Captain Reynolds.”
The Captain then did the last thing Simon expected, considering all he’d just felt. Brown eyes flickered over Simon’s lean frame and the appreciation in the act didn’t even need to be translated.
A cold knot of fear clenched itself in his gut as the Captain moved on.
Simon had obviously gotten on the wrong ship.
An hour later, He was standing in the galley with the crew and other passengers listening to Captain Reynolds tell them that they were making an unscheduled detour and that he wouldn’t have access to the cargo hold where his little sister was currently a sitting duck in a cryo box. The man obviously despised him and even the most polite inquiry from Simon was met with disdain and sarcasm from the Captain.
Oh, and the man beside him was a fed.
He couldn’t stop cursing himself. He’d been so caught up in the Captain and his own fears that he’d failed to pay any attention to the man called Dobson. Simon supposed he was lucky the Captain had asked to speak to them all immediately after takeoff, it was when he was right next to the man that he picked up the emotions that were so familiar to him.
Dobson was filled with danger, greed, and sneaky intent. There was a ruthlessness and masochism that flared to life every time he looked at Simon. The man felt no compassion towards any of the people he spoke with. The mental profile was the same as he’d felt in every Alliance operative he’d even seen.
Simon wasn’t sure how the man had found them so quickly but he needed to do something about him before he could compromise them. He couldn’t Twist him, the man obviously knew of Simon’s gift and had taken care to wear long sleeves, was standing with a good foot of space between them, and had crossed his arms so his bare hands were hidden away. Simon couldn’t cross the space without looking odd, couldn’t Twist him through the cloth, and he certainly couldn’t kiss a complete stranger in the middle of the galley surrounded by people, either.
He’d have to bide his time and think.
After gathering his things from the cargo bay with the others, Simon was escorted by the first mate, Zoe, into a comfortable, if spartan, cabin. He promised to attend dinner at 1800 and closed the door.
Reluctantly, Simon placed his red medical bag on the bed and opened it. He reached for the slim case tucked into the secret pocket in the bottom and then sat down hard on the bunk as he stared at the object in his hands.
There were times, in the Academy, when the doctors had boosted their gifts to a near painful intensity, River had called it Jumping. It was dangerous and could only be done for short bursts, but it had come in handy. He’d had River search in the minds of the doctors to learn the cocktail of pharmaceuticals it took to make and he’d memorized them. He’d made sure to buy them when he was stocking his supplies and had mixed up three syringes worth that same night.
It would hurt, if he took it, but it might boost him enough that he could Twist through a thin layer of cloth. Of course, it would probably strip him of any control. He could barely handle the emotions of the few people aboard now, what would he do if it was all enhanced tenfold? God knew what that Captain would do if he felt one of his passengers had gone crazy. Probably shoot him.
Finally deciding that it was too big a risk, for the moment, anyway, Simon tucked the box back into its hiding place.
He spent the next few hours huddled up on the narrow bunk, trying to prepare himself for dinner and the hour he would spend buffeted by the emotions of the crew. He wished bitterly that River were here. Without his sister’s constant presence in his mind he felt as though a very crucial piece of his shattered self were missing.
River had always been there, in the back of his mind, even when they were children and their gifts were still young and un-mutated. It had hurt, so bad, to spend those six years without her. He’d felt sort of hollow. Then they’d taken her, too and they’d broken apart their gifts and rearranged them in ways they were never meant to be. It had made them more powerful, yes, but unstable. In desperation, the siblings had turned to one another and to the connection they’d always shared. They stole little pieces of each other and used them in place of the missing pieces inside of them. Those pieces that had been ground to dust in the breaking. It had helped them survive and while they weren’t exactly sane, they were at least better off than the other students.
But now, once again, he was without her. He hoped like hell the detour to Whitefall didn’t take too long because he could tell that each day without her was going to send him further down that dark spiral.
Shuffling footsteps in the hall outside broke him from his morose thoughts and he uncurled long enough to glance at the monitor across the room displaying the time. 1800. Dinner time. A small idea sprung to mind and Simon quickly stood up and walked to the door. He slid it open just enough to peek across the hall to where he knew Dobson was staying. There was no movement, no sound.
Cautiously, he opened the door further and slipped out. There was no one in the hall; they’d all gone to dinner. Moving quickly, Simon made his way across the hall and into the adjacent room. He allowed his gift to stretch outward, knowing it would warn him if anyone got too close.
Bags littered one corner of the room so that’s where he headed. Moving as fast as he could Simon looked through them, one by one. A kernel of hatred flared to life when he found two guns. He tucked them into his waistband and continued looking. It was in the fourth bag that he found what he was looking for. It was a hand held computer, with full Core access. Simon stuffed the find into his pocket, put the bags back into place, and went back to the sliding door. He concentrated for a moment but felt that no one was in the vicinity so he again made a quick dash across the hall and into his own room.
He checked that both guns were loaded, then hid the larger of the two firearms in the hidden pocket of his medicine bag and used medical tape to lightly attach the other his right leg under his pants cuff. It would hold the gun there until he needed it but come off easily if he tugged. For once, Simon was grateful for the many dark and horrifying things that had been downloaded into his brain. The knowledge was going to keep them safe.
The hand computer was small enough, so he tucked it into his side pants pocket. If Dobson realized it was gone it would be just as easy for him to search Simon’s room as it was for Simon to search his. He didn’t want the man to have the chance to contact the Alliance. He didn’t think the man had already done so; he’d have made a move to subdue Simon, if that were the case.
Everything in order, Simon walked into the hall and headed for the galley, the gun a heavier weight on his mind than on his body.
Chatter and laughter drifted out to him as he approached the galley. The warmth and contentment coming from the room relaxed him a little without his meaning for it to. It had been so long since he’d had contact with the lighter emotions that it was a little intoxicating.
The others were bustling around the small room, grabbing plates and drinks and moving food laden platters to the long table for distribution. Kaylee looked up and beamed at him when he stepped in.
“Samuel! Come on in and take a seat! The Shepherd helped me make dinner with all kinds of fresh stuff so we got a real feast!” Smiling back at her was easier this time with those bright feelings eddying inside him, lifting his spirits for the first time in years.
“Thank you, I look forward to it.”
Soon enough they were all seated crammed together on mismatched chairs around a scarred wooden table. Simon had hoped to sit next to Dobson and use the close quarters as an excuse to touch but Kaylee had quickly pulled him into the seat next to hers at the other end of the table.
The cheerful conversation was subdued for a moment when the Captain shortly refused to let the Shepherd say grace. Simon took the opportunity to address the man.
“So does it happen a lot? The government commandeering your ship, telling you where to go?” He needed to know if this was the only unscheduled stop they were going to be making. He still wasn’t sure he’d make the trip sane as it was, any more time without River and he was going to have to think of something.
“That’s what governments are for, to get in a man’s way.” There was a deep resentment in that comment that Simon could relate to. It also didn’t answer his question.
“No, it’s good if the supplies are needed.” Dobson. Of course the hun dan would defend them.
“We’re just happy to be doing good works.” Simon blinked in surprise. That had to be the last thing he expected to come out of the muscle head’s mouth. From the wave of amusement and disbelief that swept through the crew around him, they must agree.
It was the first thing he’d heard the large man say. Simon had been keeping his distance from him from the moment he’d seen him. The guy was practically drenched in lust and aggression, two emotions that Simon wanted nothing to do with.
“I hear some of the border moons are in bad shape. Plagues and famine…” Dobson’s pointed out, waving his fork slightly.
It was Zoe who answered him, “Well some of that’s exaggerated and some if aint. All those moons, just like the central planets, they’re as close to Earth-that-was as we can make ‘em. Gravity, atmosphere, and such but-“
She looked askance to the Captain when he cut in, “Once their terra formed, they’ll dump settlers on there with nothing but blankets, hatchets, maybe a herd. Some of ‘em will make it, some of ‘em…”
The deep bitterness around the Captain and his first mate was obvious but it was the conviction in them that disturbed Simon. Were things really that bad, out there? If so, how would he find a safe place for him and River? If the people were that desperate they’d jump at the chance to claim whatever reward the Alliance had placed on their heads, regardless of any hatred they bore towards the government.
Could he even hope to find a safe world with so little knowledge of how life worked out here? And if the Captain hated the Alliance so much, why would he be delivering medical supplies for them? The man was certainly crafty enough to go unnoticed if he wanted to so why had he let himself be saddled with the job? He decided to test the waters a bit.
“Then I guess its good we’re helping.” He watched closely for the Captain’s reaction but the man only looked at him. There was something there, but he wasn’t sure what the feeling was. If the man was lying, Simon couldn’t tell. That was a first, for him.
“So, you’re a doctor, right?” His somber musings were broken by Kaylee who, for the first time, was speaking without nearly vibrating across the room with cheerfulness. It was almost like she was normal, for a moment.
“Oh! Uh..” Channeling his father, Simon delicately wiped his lips with his napkin before answering softly. “Yes, I was a trauma surgeon on Osiris in Capital City.”
He knew he was answering a little too carefully when a spike of suspicion came from the Captain, Zoe, and the muscle man but he couldn’t help it. He had memorized the background that came with his and River’s fake identities and there were over 300 hospitals in Capital City alone, far too many to check his story too closely, but somehow Dobson had found him anyway, so there was some flaw he couldn’t see.
“Long way from here.” The Captain said, his casual tone layered with something sharp and dangerous.
He was relieved when Kaylee cut in, giving him an excuse not to answer. “You seem so young to be a doctor.”
Relieved, that is, until he felt the attraction oozing out of her awkward smile. Simon looked around the table a little nervously, muscle man was getting jealous and Simon was starting to wish he’d stayed in his room.
He decided to just dodge the question. “You’re pretty young to be a ship’s mechanic.”
Oh no! Kaylee’s affection and nervousness doubled at what she took as a flirtatious comment. “Don’t know how. Machines just got workins’ and they…talk to me.”
The Shepherd smiled indulgently at her, “That’s a rare gift.”
Kaylee smiled self-consciously back at him and the wave of adoration Simon felt blasted his way was extremely uncomfortable. “Well not like being a doctor! Helping fix people, that’s…important!”
Simon felt it the moment muscle man couldn’t hold back anymore. “Little Kaylee, here, just wishes you was a gynecologist.”
Simon had never wanted to melt into a chair as much as he did in that moment. The sentiment was echoed from the chair next to him as muscle man cackled meanly. Poor Kaylee.
“Jayne! You will keep a civil tongue in that mouth or I will sew it shut. Is there an understanding between us?” His anger was protective and reminded Simon sharply of him and River. The Captain viewed Kaylee as a sister? That didn’t fit in with the possessiveness he’d felt, earlier. Commanding officers who felt they owned people didn’t care.
Jayne bristled at the authority being held over him. “You don’t pay me to talk pretty. Just because Kaylee gets all lubed up over some big city dandy doesn’t mean-“
“Walk away from this table, right now.” The command was delivered calmly and with complete confidence that it would be carried out. That’s curious; Simon knew the Captain was still angry so why didn’t the insubordination make it worse? If anything, the Captain calmed further.
Jayne met the Captain’s hard stare for all of 10 seconds before angrily standing, spooning more food onto his plate, and storming off.
Simon’s eyes stayed on the man who gave the order, though. He didn’t understand. He could feel the ever present anger, swirling below the surface. Why did he not show it? He’d never met anyone who could push away that much anger as though it didn’t exist. It’s almost like the Captain harnesses the feeling, using it to strengthen every thought and action.
And Jayne, if he was constantly chafing at the authority why did the Captain keep him on? Simon turned to look at him head on. “What do you pay him for?”
The question took the man off guard. “What?”
“I was just wondering what his job is, on the ship.”
The captain stared at him for a beat. “Public relations.”
The man was infuriating.
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NOTES:
I almost forgot to post these. I promised I would explain about Simona and River's powers this chapter, so here ya go!
Both siblings possess two gifts. Simon's has his healing/harming ability and it is completely touch based. As a child he could heal small things before he ran out of energy. He also has empathic abilities and they were touch based back then, too. When the Alliance got a hold of him they, at first, just helped to exercise his ability and come into his full potential. At that point, he could heal one or two major injuries OR several minor ones. Then the experimentation started. Now his empathy works at a distance, the same building for regular people but just about any distance for those which he has a bond with. He can only twist emotions and minds through physical contact.
River, however, has the abilities of telepathy and precognition, but she can't manipulate the mind or body like Simon can. She can read people's minds that are around her, but if she doesn't know them and/or hasn't formed some kind of bond with them it's limited with distance. If a bond does exist she can pinpoint them just about anywhere. She can only speak mind to mind with Simon due to the bond they share. It's a side effect of their gifts.
Her precognition is limited to herself and those she feels a bond for. She's only been able to see the king and his aviary for a few months because Simon's choices were leading to a meeting and she senses they need them. Once she grows to love them and forms attachments, she'll be able to see their futures and minds over great distances, too. Think of the episode Safe, when she read Saw Book get shot with her precognition and then followed Simon after he was kidnapped and knew Mal was coming back with telepathy despite Simon's few miles of distance or Mal's several light year's worth in space.