Flight of Serenity

[Shana]

- "What coul possibly be worse?" - Kaylee said frowning.

[Curt-Man]

Jayne grabbed his rifle as he heard 'Something worse'.

[jokemaster]

Simon went after her, following her. Mal ran after him. He was nervous now, remembering the last time River had acted like that.

[Shana]

- "Oh no, I hate it when she does that! Simon wait!" - Kaylee said and ran after him and the others.

[Writer]

River left the ship and stood out behind it, peering up into the sky. Seconds later, a small Alliance ship, more a shuttle than a ship, sped overhead, spun around, and landed facing Serenity.

 

"Worse," River muttered, taking a step back.

[jokemaster]

Simon grabbed River.

 

"What is it?"

 

Mal looked up nervously. "We have to get back on the ship."

[Writer]

"She has bad thoughts," River murmured, taking another step back. "Pain." Then, she cocked her head. "Strange. I can't hear her anymore."

 

A young woman with dark, curly, red hair and gray-green eyes appeared from somewhere behind the Alliance shuttle. River took a step forward.

 

"Why..." she began.

 

"Are you really foolish enough to believe you'd sense me if I didn't want you to?" the other girl interrupted. Without further introduction or anything, she launched herself at River.

[Curt-Man]

Jayne walked out of the ship, rifle in hand. He started to aim at the girl who lunged at river.

[Shana]

Kaylee walked out of the ship and stood beside Simon and took out a pistol and aimed it at the girl.

 

- "Let her go!" - Kaylee said.

[jokemaster]

"River!" Yelled Simon, he threw himself in front of her, hoping to block the other .

[Writer]

The girl seemed to expect Simon's move and made a dismissive gesture. Simon went flying to the side and the girl collided with River.

 

"Don't shoot!" Simon screamed at the others. "You'll hit River!"

 

"Make us sleep, Simon!" River screamed. "She's like me..." Her words were cut suddenly short by a punch to the stomach, but the words were not lost within the head of the stranger. She whirled to face Simon.

 

"You know?" she murmured. River recovered herself and pounced on the girl from behind as Simon hesitated.

 

"It'll affect you too," he protested. The girl seemed to be unhindered by River's weight and moved toward Simon. River began dragging her feet on the ground, trying to slow the girl's progress.

 

"Make us sleep," she repeated. The girl shook River from her back and moved more quickly toward Simon. His eyes widened. Just as the words left his mouth, he felt himself lifted from the ground and thrown roughly backward by some invisible force. He yelped, but the words had already been spoken. River collapsed instantly. The other girl seemed to be attempting to resist her conditioning. Simon sat up, rubbing his head and stared at her.

 

"Will... not..." she gasped. Simon stood and repeated himself. With a yell of rage, the girl finally collapsed. Simon stared at her and then at River.

 

"I'm gonna revive River while you do... whatever to the other girl," he muttered, moving to pick his sister up.

[jokemaster]

Mal looked up at the alliance ships.

 

"Everyone back in. Now!" He yelled. He began running in but Zoe stopped him. She gestured at the .

 

"What about her?"

 

"What about her, Zoe? Let's go!"

 

"We can't just leave her here."

 

Mal glanced back at the and cursed in chinese. "All right, help me out with it."

 

Together they carried the body inside. They took it to the closet where River had previously been chained in, and chained the new one.

 

Meanwhile Simon carried River to the infirmary and woke her up. He prepared himself for any changes in her behavior.

[Curt-Man]

Jayne couldn't get a clear shot anyway so he didn't shoot. When they chained the girl into the closet Jayne stood outside rifle always aimed at the door.

[Writer]

River stared at Simon. "She thought quietly," she murmured. "I couldn't hear her."

 

Simon wasn't sure what to say, so he kept his mouth shut.

 

"What happened to her?" she asked suddenly. Simon hesitated.

 

"Same place they chained you after that..." he began. But River cut him off, leaving the infirmary and going straight to the closet where the other girl was being held. She saw Jayne guarding the door, but pushed past him and entered the closet.

 

The girl was awake, but River still found that she could not hear her. The girl laughed.

 

"You'd have control of your thoughts too if your brother hadn't taken you from the Alliance," she said. "Now run along and get your captain. I need to speak with him."

 

"But you'll..." River began.

 

"Hurt him?" the girl finished. She shook her head. "No. I have questions. Recent events have puzzled me. As Captain, Malcolm Reynolds is the only one who can answer them. Go get him... before I dominate your mind and do it for you."

 

"You can do that?" River asked, astonished. The girl laughed.

 

"You could too if your brother hadn't taken you from the Alliance," she said. "Now go get your captain."

 

River ran off in search of Mal.

[Curt-Man]

Jayne had learned not to question what River did so he didn't say anything.

[Shana]

Kaylee was walking to the infirmary to talk to Simon when she was almost tackled by River.

 

- "Wow, really in a hurry huh?" - Kaylee said and went inside the infirmary to look for Simon.

 

((I'm going to be away for like the whole week so you guys can exercise character control over Kaylee just to keep the story moving for the week please, I'll be back soon))

[jokemaster]

Mal was discussing what they were going to do with the girl with Zoe when River bolted in.

 

"What's wrong?" He asked

[Writer]

"I can't hear her thoughts," River said. "She might be lying..." She stared at him. "But she wants to talk to you. Questions... questions you can answer, she says."

[jokemaster]

"All right..." He walked down to the room "Zoe, stay outside be ready if she tries anything. Simon, put her to sleep as soon as she does."

 

He walked in.

[Curt-Man]

"Yeah because I'm useless." Jayne said then walked off.

[Writer]

"Not useless," Simon corrected. "Usless other than in a fight."

 

He stepped into the room with Mal and the girl. She looked up at them and laughed.

 

"I never expected you to come alone," she said. "Your doctor's a good choice... since he can trigger my sleep." She shook her head.

 

"But I'm curious," she went on. "So there won't be any fighting." She paused, looking up at him thoughtfully as she carefully sat up, hands still chained to the floor.

[Curt-Man]

Jayne merely scoffed at the comment, then sat down.

[jokemaster]

"That seems like a good idea." Said Malcom. "So what do you want?"

[Writer]

"Like I said," the girl answered with a little smirk, "I'm curious. You're not as cold-blooded as the Alliance portrayed you or I'd already be dead... but I can tell that's a topic you're still debating..." She shrugged. "Why didn't you kill me immediately? It's what the Alliance told me you'd do... and is why I struggled so hard against my conditioning. So tell me, why am I still alive?"

[Curt-Man]

Jayne joined the group of people.

"Whos the girl?'