Becoming Sleepers (13/14)
Title: Two (Bonded) (13/14)
Series Title: Becoming Sleepers
Rating: R
Title: Two (Bonded) (13/14)
Series Title: Becoming Sleepers
Author: Cricket
Disclaimer: I’m just playing with Joss’ toys, but I promise to put them back when I’m done.
Rating: R for graphic (Reaver) violence and language
Notes: This is based on stormwolf-dawn7’s Sleepers (alt.version). Even if you decide to skip my story I highly encourage you to read (or re-read) hers.
River left the remains of the Reaver behind her and slipped out of Jayne’s mind to return to her own body. She opened her eyes and looked around her room. Jayne was sleeping peacefully in the cage, his chest rising and falling evenly with each breath. She sighed with relief that she hadn’t done any damage while mucking around in his mind.
Her eyelids felt heavy and she realized that she hadn’t slept since she had been drugged by her doctors over twenty four hours ago. She was physically tired still from all the trashing she had done on the bed earlier when she had been trying to free herself from the restraints and mentally exhausted from using her mind’s new found abilities to such an extent. She’d never used her brain as much as she had in the past sixteen hours.
She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to claim her. Though her mind and body screamed for rest, her thoughts refused to settle down. River watched swirls of color chase each other across the backs of her eyelids and let her mind wander.
She thought about her brother and how, when the surgeries started, she had wished that he would come save her. She had been angry with him for not realizing that there was something wrong. She had sent him letters full of gibberish with imbedded codes that at the time she thought he had either not read or simply discarded without a second glance. Now, she understood that there was no way he could know what they were doing to her, that the letters she had written him were analyzed by her doctors never to reach their intended destination. She was no longer mad at her brother, but knew she would probably never see him again.
It was impractical and childish to still hope that he might one day reach her unless the Alliance allowed it to happen. They would keep a tight rein over the little psychic assassin they had created. It would be a waste of valuable tax-payers’ money otherwise and with how expensive a program like this one was to keep operating they needed all the money they could get a hold of. She wondered idly if her parents were still paying her tuition to the Academy despite not hearing a word from her in over a year.
Her mind drifted back to the present. Now that the Reaver was disposed of and the man was once again in control of his own body, she wondered what the doctors were going to do with him. Did they have some greater plan for him in mind? Would they allow the two to stay together? River was surprised at her desire to remain with him. She had succeeded in saving herself and, knowing all the heinous deeds he had performed, she should be happy to be rid of him. Then why was she dreading the moment that the doctors would take Jayne away?
Opening her eyes again, River looked at the sleeping man. She envied his restful state but couldn’t force herself to attempt sleep again. Letting her eyes travel over his form, she thought about the hell he had been dragged through. He had been pushed to the very brink of madness, had watched as his wife withered away into nothingness and his son killed with his own traitorous hands as his body became more and more uncontrollable. Trapped in a corner of his mind, he had waited for the Alliance to find a person with enough mental capability to free him from the Reaver.
She was amazed at how strong Jayne was. Not physically strong, though she could tell by the way his muscles moved under his skin as he shifted in his sleep that he was, but emotionally strong. Despite his suffering he would be able to continue on. She felt his steadying presence at the periphery of her mind and finally realized how deeply they had bonded. He must feel it too, she thought. Even now, a part of their minds were still connected and she feared what would happen if that link was to be severed. She wasn’t sure either of them would be able to survive such an event.
River shifted uncomfortably on the bed, her wrists were raw and aching from the restraints chaffing against them. She forced her body to relax and allowed the calming wave of Jayne’s dreamless sleep ease her into her own.
< Previous: chapter 12: Four (Fire and Smoke) | Next: chapter 14: Released>
Series Title: Becoming Sleepers
Rating: R
Title: Two (Bonded) (13/14)
Series Title: Becoming Sleepers
Author: Cricket
Disclaimer: I’m just playing with Joss’ toys, but I promise to put them back when I’m done.
Rating: R for graphic (Reaver) violence and language
Notes: This is based on stormwolf-dawn7’s Sleepers (alt.version). Even if you decide to skip my story I highly encourage you to read (or re-read) hers.
River left the remains of the Reaver behind her and slipped out of Jayne’s mind to return to her own body. She opened her eyes and looked around her room. Jayne was sleeping peacefully in the cage, his chest rising and falling evenly with each breath. She sighed with relief that she hadn’t done any damage while mucking around in his mind.
Her eyelids felt heavy and she realized that she hadn’t slept since she had been drugged by her doctors over twenty four hours ago. She was physically tired still from all the trashing she had done on the bed earlier when she had been trying to free herself from the restraints and mentally exhausted from using her mind’s new found abilities to such an extent. She’d never used her brain as much as she had in the past sixteen hours.
She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to claim her. Though her mind and body screamed for rest, her thoughts refused to settle down. River watched swirls of color chase each other across the backs of her eyelids and let her mind wander.
She thought about her brother and how, when the surgeries started, she had wished that he would come save her. She had been angry with him for not realizing that there was something wrong. She had sent him letters full of gibberish with imbedded codes that at the time she thought he had either not read or simply discarded without a second glance. Now, she understood that there was no way he could know what they were doing to her, that the letters she had written him were analyzed by her doctors never to reach their intended destination. She was no longer mad at her brother, but knew she would probably never see him again.
It was impractical and childish to still hope that he might one day reach her unless the Alliance allowed it to happen. They would keep a tight rein over the little psychic assassin they had created. It would be a waste of valuable tax-payers’ money otherwise and with how expensive a program like this one was to keep operating they needed all the money they could get a hold of. She wondered idly if her parents were still paying her tuition to the Academy despite not hearing a word from her in over a year.
Her mind drifted back to the present. Now that the Reaver was disposed of and the man was once again in control of his own body, she wondered what the doctors were going to do with him. Did they have some greater plan for him in mind? Would they allow the two to stay together? River was surprised at her desire to remain with him. She had succeeded in saving herself and, knowing all the heinous deeds he had performed, she should be happy to be rid of him. Then why was she dreading the moment that the doctors would take Jayne away?
Opening her eyes again, River looked at the sleeping man. She envied his restful state but couldn’t force herself to attempt sleep again. Letting her eyes travel over his form, she thought about the hell he had been dragged through. He had been pushed to the very brink of madness, had watched as his wife withered away into nothingness and his son killed with his own traitorous hands as his body became more and more uncontrollable. Trapped in a corner of his mind, he had waited for the Alliance to find a person with enough mental capability to free him from the Reaver.
She was amazed at how strong Jayne was. Not physically strong, though she could tell by the way his muscles moved under his skin as he shifted in his sleep that he was, but emotionally strong. Despite his suffering he would be able to continue on. She felt his steadying presence at the periphery of her mind and finally realized how deeply they had bonded. He must feel it too, she thought. Even now, a part of their minds were still connected and she feared what would happen if that link was to be severed. She wasn’t sure either of them would be able to survive such an event.
River shifted uncomfortably on the bed, her wrists were raw and aching from the restraints chaffing against them. She forced her body to relax and allowed the calming wave of Jayne’s dreamless sleep ease her into her own.
< Previous: chapter 12: Four (Fire and Smoke) | Next: chapter 14: Released>