Cold Storage - August 26
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 26
Title: Cold Storage
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Firefly
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Firefly/Serenity people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Serenity finds something from Earth-That-Was.
Seasons: Post-Series/Post-BDM
Word Count: 1500
It was an easy enough idea. Freeze trained Slayers and demon-hunters and Watchers who had nothing to lose and have them wake up a few at a time as the years passed. It did not solve the fact that there were no more Potentials. There would be a finite number of Slayers and once they ran out… there would be no more protectors. Using the knowledge of their more scientific Slayers and the magic of Willow and the Coven they created perfect cryostasis pods. Magic provided power, safety of mind, and kept the body in perfect condition - it also acted as timekeeper so they would not be woken too soon or in an inhospitable environment. Technology created everything else.
Within 100 years the Earth was overrun. The people blamed environmental factors, but it was demons. They polluted the Earth to take it back. By the end of that time, the majority of humans abandoned Earth to terraform new planets and moons. All but a handful of warriors were awakened in one last attempt to take back the Earth.
The remaining few were sent into space, in hope they would find a new home to protect. So for 400 years they floated through space…
88888888
“What do ya think it is?” Jayne asked.
“Appears to be an old cryo-unit system,” Simon said examining the tubes. “They appear archaic.”
“Earth-That-Was,” River agreed. She examined each of the pods. There was no window or view screen of the person inside.
“Any thoughts on how to open them?” Mal asked impatiently.
“I can’t even tell how they’re powered.” Simon told him. “I need to fully inspect the containers and see if I can even interface with them.”
“Kaylee, can you see to helpin’ the doc?”
“Of course, cap,” Kaylee agreed.
River rubbed the casing on one. “Initials.” She pointed to them. “F.L.”
Kaylee grabbed a rag out of her pocket and scrubbed a similar spot on another one. “W.S.P.”
River wiped off another one. “D.O.O.”
“D.M.S.” Kaylee brushed the letters.
River returned to the one that had “F.L.” etched on it.
“It must mark what’s in them,” Kaylee said.
“Doc, Kaylee, get to work,” Mal said. “Lil’ Albatross, I need this ship headin’ to Salisbury.”
“We got a job?” Jayne asked.
“A meeting.”
River placed the flat of her hand against the container and nodded. “On our way.” She smiled at the crew and headed to the bridge.
88888888
The first thing Faith became aware of was her own heartbeat. It pounded slowly in her chest, her limbs tingled. She felt her lungs expand. Air escaped her mouth.
Then there was light. Her support disappeared and her whole body crashed forward. Faith rolled her body to land on her shoulder instead of her face. She tried to focus. Memories told her it had to be safe. The pod would only open if it was.
She looked around, seeing lots of metal, no people. A warehouse, maybe. She noted the vibrations under her. Truck? Ship?
“Gorram,” a gruff voice said from somewhere above. “Mal! Doc!” Thundering footsteps started towards her.
Instinct and years of fighting had her on her feet and facing the noise. The first guy to come into view was big, with a gun and two knives strapped to him. He wore khakis and an orange shirt with weird writing on it. Then another man skid into the room behind him. This one was smaller, dressed up slightly, with dark hair and eyes.
The third man looked at her and then faced the first man. “What did you do Jayne?”
“I didn’t do nothin’, Mal!” the big man complained loudly. “I heard a crash and found the gorram thing open.”
“Where…am…I?” Faith breathed out. “When?”
The more professional man surged forward. “Do you know your name?”
“Faith.”
“What is the last thing you remember?”
“Willow and Angel and Dawn sealing me in.”
“What was the date?”
“August 6th 2013.”
“Cao wo,” Mal breathed.
“What year is it?” Faith asked.
“2518,” Simon answered softly.
She blinked at the words. “Five hundred years?”
“Yes.”
“Well, shit.” She looked at them. “Where am I?”
“Serenity, she’s a ship,” a young woman said. “I’m River.”
“What do you know ‘bout this?” Mal asked River.
“As it should be,” she smiled at them and stepped closer to Faith. “There came a time the world was overrun. Ancestors moved out and away through the Black. Dozens of planets, hundreds of billions of humans.”
Faith watched the girl closely. “Were there any others?”
“The three connected to you,” River pointed to the pods.
Faith turned to look at them. Her pod was as she remembered it, but there were three more welded to it in a square.
“You are the first,” River answered her thought.
“Why were you frozen?” Simon asked
“Not important,” River answered. “It’s long passed.”
“Do you know who they are?” Mal asked.
“There were thousands of us.” Faith shook her head. “It could be any of them.”
“Only one of you,” River told her.
Faith examined the letters on each of the containers. “They’ll wake up when they’re supposed to. Could be tomorrow, could be years.”
“So why did ya wake?” Jayne asked.
Her eyes traveled over the group. “It must have been time. Obviously you’re deemed non-threatening.”
“Shiny,” Mal muttered. “Doc get her checked out. Riv, we do on Salisbury?”
“Six hours, two minutes, forty-one seconds,” River answered. “Need coils for Kaylee and a mod shield plate for the mid-section on port side. One will be lost on entry.”
Mal raised an eyebrow. “Your job is to avoid damage.”
“One mod shield plate or the starboard thruster?” she asked.
“What kinda seer are you?” Faith asked.
Simon seemed to panic. “Why don’t we get you checked out?” Before she could protest he shooed her towards the infirmary and River headed to the bridge.
88888888
Faith sighed as she sat on the bed of her small cabin. She had several needle pokes taking blood and giving vaccinations. Willow had prepped her for such circumstances and suggested she just go along. Explaining about Slayers and magic and demons was to be avoided until she got to know the people around her. Not that it was easy. The various scars covering her body raised several questions with the doctor.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
“Dinner’s ready,” Simon said.
Not terribly hungry but having already been told she was expected, Faith stood and opened the thin cabin door. She tried to relax following Simon to the mess. The table was already crowded. Simon made his way to sit with Kaylee. Mal and Jayne sat at opposite ends. Next to Kaylee was River. Across from her was an empty spot. Faith took it at River’s silent encouragement.
She had just sat down when a noise from the hallways drew her attention. A tall, very pregnant woman entered the mess.
“Zoe,” Mal greeted with a big smile. “This is Faith, she was in one of those containers.”
Zoe eyed Faith as she sat down on Mal’s left.
“Where’s she from?” Zoe asked.
“Five hundred years in the past!” Kaylee said excitedly.
“Why would you do that?” Zoe directed her hard stare to Faith.
“We had to conserve certain resources. So those who had nothing to stick around for volunteered to be frozen until we were needed.” She shrugged. “I had a lot of reasons to disappear. So I was the first suspended.”
“I thought cryo-tech wasn’t advanced that long ago,” Kaylee said.
“We had a lot of people working on the problem.” Faith focused on the protein mash in front of her and tried to ignore the silence that descended as they watched her. By thirty she had mellowed out from years of teaching mini-Slayers, after five hundred years she felt off her game. What she desperately needed was a fight.
River offered her a hand at the end of the meal. Silently they left the mess. Almost immediately conversation started among the others.
“Not personal,” River said softly. “They don’t know what to say.”
“But you never seem to have that problem.”
“I am… unique. I understand why you left.”
“I’m guessing you also already have an idea who is in the other pods.”
“No. Their minds are closed, too quiet to detect.”
“But you know that I’m the only Slayer?”
“You are the last.” River touched the container that said W.S.P. “You are all the last of your kinds.” She dropped into a fighting stance. Faith mirrored her and smiled.
8888888
Mal sat with River as they approached the planet.
“You trust her,” he stated.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to share why?”
River made a face. “There is no explanation. No more than you could explain Zoe’s heartache.”
Mal started to argue but a ring from the incoming message system distracted him. He flipped a switch to answer it. “Well hi there Inara.”
“You’re late,” she told him.
“It’s nice to see you too.”
Title: Cold Storage
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Firefly
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Firefly/Serenity people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Serenity finds something from Earth-That-Was.
Seasons: Post-Series/Post-BDM
Word Count: 1500
It was an easy enough idea. Freeze trained Slayers and demon-hunters and Watchers who had nothing to lose and have them wake up a few at a time as the years passed. It did not solve the fact that there were no more Potentials. There would be a finite number of Slayers and once they ran out… there would be no more protectors. Using the knowledge of their more scientific Slayers and the magic of Willow and the Coven they created perfect cryostasis pods. Magic provided power, safety of mind, and kept the body in perfect condition - it also acted as timekeeper so they would not be woken too soon or in an inhospitable environment. Technology created everything else.
Within 100 years the Earth was overrun. The people blamed environmental factors, but it was demons. They polluted the Earth to take it back. By the end of that time, the majority of humans abandoned Earth to terraform new planets and moons. All but a handful of warriors were awakened in one last attempt to take back the Earth.
The remaining few were sent into space, in hope they would find a new home to protect. So for 400 years they floated through space…
88888888
“What do ya think it is?” Jayne asked.
“Appears to be an old cryo-unit system,” Simon said examining the tubes. “They appear archaic.”
“Earth-That-Was,” River agreed. She examined each of the pods. There was no window or view screen of the person inside.
“Any thoughts on how to open them?” Mal asked impatiently.
“I can’t even tell how they’re powered.” Simon told him. “I need to fully inspect the containers and see if I can even interface with them.”
“Kaylee, can you see to helpin’ the doc?”
“Of course, cap,” Kaylee agreed.
River rubbed the casing on one. “Initials.” She pointed to them. “F.L.”
Kaylee grabbed a rag out of her pocket and scrubbed a similar spot on another one. “W.S.P.”
River wiped off another one. “D.O.O.”
“D.M.S.” Kaylee brushed the letters.
River returned to the one that had “F.L.” etched on it.
“It must mark what’s in them,” Kaylee said.
“Doc, Kaylee, get to work,” Mal said. “Lil’ Albatross, I need this ship headin’ to Salisbury.”
“We got a job?” Jayne asked.
“A meeting.”
River placed the flat of her hand against the container and nodded. “On our way.” She smiled at the crew and headed to the bridge.
88888888
The first thing Faith became aware of was her own heartbeat. It pounded slowly in her chest, her limbs tingled. She felt her lungs expand. Air escaped her mouth.
Then there was light. Her support disappeared and her whole body crashed forward. Faith rolled her body to land on her shoulder instead of her face. She tried to focus. Memories told her it had to be safe. The pod would only open if it was.
She looked around, seeing lots of metal, no people. A warehouse, maybe. She noted the vibrations under her. Truck? Ship?
“Gorram,” a gruff voice said from somewhere above. “Mal! Doc!” Thundering footsteps started towards her.
Instinct and years of fighting had her on her feet and facing the noise. The first guy to come into view was big, with a gun and two knives strapped to him. He wore khakis and an orange shirt with weird writing on it. Then another man skid into the room behind him. This one was smaller, dressed up slightly, with dark hair and eyes.
The third man looked at her and then faced the first man. “What did you do Jayne?”
“I didn’t do nothin’, Mal!” the big man complained loudly. “I heard a crash and found the gorram thing open.”
“Where…am…I?” Faith breathed out. “When?”
The more professional man surged forward. “Do you know your name?”
“Faith.”
“What is the last thing you remember?”
“Willow and Angel and Dawn sealing me in.”
“What was the date?”
“August 6th 2013.”
“Cao wo,” Mal breathed.
“What year is it?” Faith asked.
“2518,” Simon answered softly.
She blinked at the words. “Five hundred years?”
“Yes.”
“Well, shit.” She looked at them. “Where am I?”
“Serenity, she’s a ship,” a young woman said. “I’m River.”
“What do you know ‘bout this?” Mal asked River.
“As it should be,” she smiled at them and stepped closer to Faith. “There came a time the world was overrun. Ancestors moved out and away through the Black. Dozens of planets, hundreds of billions of humans.”
Faith watched the girl closely. “Were there any others?”
“The three connected to you,” River pointed to the pods.
Faith turned to look at them. Her pod was as she remembered it, but there were three more welded to it in a square.
“You are the first,” River answered her thought.
“Why were you frozen?” Simon asked
“Not important,” River answered. “It’s long passed.”
“Do you know who they are?” Mal asked.
“There were thousands of us.” Faith shook her head. “It could be any of them.”
“Only one of you,” River told her.
Faith examined the letters on each of the containers. “They’ll wake up when they’re supposed to. Could be tomorrow, could be years.”
“So why did ya wake?” Jayne asked.
Her eyes traveled over the group. “It must have been time. Obviously you’re deemed non-threatening.”
“Shiny,” Mal muttered. “Doc get her checked out. Riv, we do on Salisbury?”
“Six hours, two minutes, forty-one seconds,” River answered. “Need coils for Kaylee and a mod shield plate for the mid-section on port side. One will be lost on entry.”
Mal raised an eyebrow. “Your job is to avoid damage.”
“One mod shield plate or the starboard thruster?” she asked.
“What kinda seer are you?” Faith asked.
Simon seemed to panic. “Why don’t we get you checked out?” Before she could protest he shooed her towards the infirmary and River headed to the bridge.
88888888
Faith sighed as she sat on the bed of her small cabin. She had several needle pokes taking blood and giving vaccinations. Willow had prepped her for such circumstances and suggested she just go along. Explaining about Slayers and magic and demons was to be avoided until she got to know the people around her. Not that it was easy. The various scars covering her body raised several questions with the doctor.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
“Dinner’s ready,” Simon said.
Not terribly hungry but having already been told she was expected, Faith stood and opened the thin cabin door. She tried to relax following Simon to the mess. The table was already crowded. Simon made his way to sit with Kaylee. Mal and Jayne sat at opposite ends. Next to Kaylee was River. Across from her was an empty spot. Faith took it at River’s silent encouragement.
She had just sat down when a noise from the hallways drew her attention. A tall, very pregnant woman entered the mess.
“Zoe,” Mal greeted with a big smile. “This is Faith, she was in one of those containers.”
Zoe eyed Faith as she sat down on Mal’s left.
“Where’s she from?” Zoe asked.
“Five hundred years in the past!” Kaylee said excitedly.
“Why would you do that?” Zoe directed her hard stare to Faith.
“We had to conserve certain resources. So those who had nothing to stick around for volunteered to be frozen until we were needed.” She shrugged. “I had a lot of reasons to disappear. So I was the first suspended.”
“I thought cryo-tech wasn’t advanced that long ago,” Kaylee said.
“We had a lot of people working on the problem.” Faith focused on the protein mash in front of her and tried to ignore the silence that descended as they watched her. By thirty she had mellowed out from years of teaching mini-Slayers, after five hundred years she felt off her game. What she desperately needed was a fight.
River offered her a hand at the end of the meal. Silently they left the mess. Almost immediately conversation started among the others.
“Not personal,” River said softly. “They don’t know what to say.”
“But you never seem to have that problem.”
“I am… unique. I understand why you left.”
“I’m guessing you also already have an idea who is in the other pods.”
“No. Their minds are closed, too quiet to detect.”
“But you know that I’m the only Slayer?”
“You are the last.” River touched the container that said W.S.P. “You are all the last of your kinds.” She dropped into a fighting stance. Faith mirrored her and smiled.
8888888
Mal sat with River as they approached the planet.
“You trust her,” he stated.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to share why?”
River made a face. “There is no explanation. No more than you could explain Zoe’s heartache.”
Mal started to argue but a ring from the incoming message system distracted him. He flipped a switch to answer it. “Well hi there Inara.”
“You’re late,” she told him.
“It’s nice to see you too.”