Firefly/Doctor Who crossover fic: A Different Kind of Companion (4/20)
Inara wanted to shout out in hopes she could reason with Faustus. The girl looked like she was barely older than nineteen.
But she didn’t have to.
Like lightning, Mal drew his gun and shot Faustus. The man took the shot in the chest but even as he faltered, his finger squeezed the trigger of his own gun. A shot rang out as Faustus collapsed. A red stain bloomed on the front of Jannik’s business suit. There was a moment of absolute silence.
Then everything went to hell.
Inara ran for cover. Without a gun, there was no use for her to stand around in the crossfire. She headed for one of the outer tables, thinking she could overturn it and use it as a shield. Then she saw the girl. A bullet had taken out the man who had been threatening her and her friend. The front of the girl’s shirt was splattered with blood that wasn’t her own. From the way the girl was staring down at the blood, completely stunned, it was clear she wasn’t used to guns.
“Rose!” shouted the girl’s friend, a man in a long brown coat. “Get back to the TARDIS!” The man tugged on the girl’s arm but she didn’t budge.
A bullet blew out a chunk of the wall beside the man in the long coat. He stumbled backwards through the curtain.
Without thinking, Inara headed for the girl, ignoring the surrounding gunfire. When she reached her, she grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the back room, the movement finally jarring the girl from her stupor.
“Rose!” the man in the coat shouted again, calling from inside a big blue box. But he looked so far away, like he was standing in another room.
All questions flew from Inara’s mind as she ran towards the blue box, her hand still around the girl’s - Rose’s - wrist. They would be safe in there, she just knew. She had nearly reached the threshold when she felt Rose pulled out of her grip. Inara looked over her shoulder, frowning.
Two of Faustus’ men had grabbed Rose and were pulling her away. The girl tried to shout but one of them clamped a hand over her mouth.
“No!” Inara aimed a jab at the side of the man closest to her, hitting him in the kidneys. He let out a grunt but he also let go of Rose. Inara moved in for another strike.
The second man blocked her attack and swung at her with his gun hand, the butt of the weapon striking her across the face. She reeled from the blow and fell to her knees, landing half inside the blue box. She blinked away tears as she turned her head to look up at the first man, his gun drawn and his finger tightening around the trigger.
Desperately, Inara scrambled to her feet and ran into the blue box.
The gun fired.
Inara cried out as pain tore through her shoulder.
A flash of sparks filled her vision.
She heard the man in the coat yell again. “Rose!”
And then there was only black.
The TARDIS doors shut on their own, locking out the first man. He shot a few times at the time machine, but it was of no use. With a sound so familiar to Rose, the TARDIS faded from sight.
The two men stared in disbelief at where the TARDIS had been only moments ago. Rose, despite still being restrained, stared as well. The Doctor had left without her.
She was going to die. The thought had come to Rose more than once in her travels with the Doctor. The first time it had happened had been on Platform One. She had just met the Doctor so she hadn’t known if he would be there to save her. As she had faced possible immolation by intense sunlight, the thought had popped into her head: I’m going to die billions of years away from home.
Now she didn’t know where or when she was, but thought was in her head again.
The man restraining her looked to his partner. “We need to get out of here.”
“Take her along. We can use her as a shield.” The other man turned to face the doorway, ready to leave the backroom.
He made no sound when the bullet penetrated the front of his skull. The back of his head exploded in a shower of blood and tissue.
Rose bit back a cry as the man fell to the ground.
But she didn’t have to.
Like lightning, Mal drew his gun and shot Faustus. The man took the shot in the chest but even as he faltered, his finger squeezed the trigger of his own gun. A shot rang out as Faustus collapsed. A red stain bloomed on the front of Jannik’s business suit. There was a moment of absolute silence.
Then everything went to hell.
Inara ran for cover. Without a gun, there was no use for her to stand around in the crossfire. She headed for one of the outer tables, thinking she could overturn it and use it as a shield. Then she saw the girl. A bullet had taken out the man who had been threatening her and her friend. The front of the girl’s shirt was splattered with blood that wasn’t her own. From the way the girl was staring down at the blood, completely stunned, it was clear she wasn’t used to guns.
“Rose!” shouted the girl’s friend, a man in a long brown coat. “Get back to the TARDIS!” The man tugged on the girl’s arm but she didn’t budge.
A bullet blew out a chunk of the wall beside the man in the long coat. He stumbled backwards through the curtain.
Without thinking, Inara headed for the girl, ignoring the surrounding gunfire. When she reached her, she grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the back room, the movement finally jarring the girl from her stupor.
“Rose!” the man in the coat shouted again, calling from inside a big blue box. But he looked so far away, like he was standing in another room.
All questions flew from Inara’s mind as she ran towards the blue box, her hand still around the girl’s - Rose’s - wrist. They would be safe in there, she just knew. She had nearly reached the threshold when she felt Rose pulled out of her grip. Inara looked over her shoulder, frowning.
Two of Faustus’ men had grabbed Rose and were pulling her away. The girl tried to shout but one of them clamped a hand over her mouth.
“No!” Inara aimed a jab at the side of the man closest to her, hitting him in the kidneys. He let out a grunt but he also let go of Rose. Inara moved in for another strike.
The second man blocked her attack and swung at her with his gun hand, the butt of the weapon striking her across the face. She reeled from the blow and fell to her knees, landing half inside the blue box. She blinked away tears as she turned her head to look up at the first man, his gun drawn and his finger tightening around the trigger.
Desperately, Inara scrambled to her feet and ran into the blue box.
The gun fired.
Inara cried out as pain tore through her shoulder.
A flash of sparks filled her vision.
She heard the man in the coat yell again. “Rose!”
And then there was only black.
The TARDIS doors shut on their own, locking out the first man. He shot a few times at the time machine, but it was of no use. With a sound so familiar to Rose, the TARDIS faded from sight.
The two men stared in disbelief at where the TARDIS had been only moments ago. Rose, despite still being restrained, stared as well. The Doctor had left without her.
She was going to die. The thought had come to Rose more than once in her travels with the Doctor. The first time it had happened had been on Platform One. She had just met the Doctor so she hadn’t known if he would be there to save her. As she had faced possible immolation by intense sunlight, the thought had popped into her head: I’m going to die billions of years away from home.
Now she didn’t know where or when she was, but thought was in her head again.
The man restraining her looked to his partner. “We need to get out of here.”
“Take her along. We can use her as a shield.” The other man turned to face the doorway, ready to leave the backroom.
He made no sound when the bullet penetrated the front of his skull. The back of his head exploded in a shower of blood and tissue.
Rose bit back a cry as the man fell to the ground.