CHAPTER 9 Book walked carefully through the halls of Serenity, balancing a tray with the last plate of cold noodles and two sloshing cups of vegetable soup. While fresh food was nice, its tendency to spoil quickly had put a moratorium on any thought of rationing. Jayne had not shown up for dinner and Book wanted to know why. As he rounded the corner, he could see movement through the Infirmary window. Elle rummaged through drawers and cabinets moving about the room. A blue and gold robe hung open over her hospital gown. Both drooped loosely on her body and Book could not decide if she were malnourished or merely petite. Suddenly the girl stopped and met his inquisitive gaze with a steely one of her own. She did not seem frightened or concerned about being caught rummaging. Rather, she appeared annoyed, her look prompting him to give reason for his presence. Book’s eyes dropped and he realized he had stopped walking. The girl didn’t wait for him to move again, but resumed her searching, standing on tip-toe to probe the top shelf. From there, she retrieved a white tube and returned to the bed. She then squeezed a clear gel from the tube and rubbed it on a large scrape on her leg. “Hello,” Book said, finally walking through the doorway. She gave a curt nod to him, then started tending to other scrapes on her arms and legs. It looked as though she had been dragged behind a horse. As he searched for a place to set the tray down, Book noticed Jayne passed out on a table on the side of the room. Somewhat alarmed, he sidled over. Jayne seemed to be breathing normally, but Book’s suspicion of the girl peaked. He looked to her again. With a slight cock of the head and rising of the eyebrows, she managed a silent, What? Even without a voice, Book sensed her perturbation. “I thought you might like something to eat,” Book said politely. “The doctor thought you could handle some soup.” Nodding, Elle put the white tube back in the cabinet, washed her hands in the sink, and accepted the cup from Book. Returning to the bed, she sat cross-legged in the middle, cradling the cup in such a manner as to warm her fingers. Her back hunched over and she appeared exhausted from the recent movement. Every breath was intentional and pulsed as if from a ventilator. Finally she managed a long inhale and smelled the soup. Book was concerned she might not have the energy to eat. “How are you feeling?” Book asked, trying to clear a spot on the counter so he could set down the tray. She tilted her head side to side and shrugged. Finally, she brought the cup of soup to her lips. She let the liquid briefly touch the tip of her tongue, but did not take more than a preliminary taste. “You can speak,” Book prompted. She didn’t answer. Suspicion built in her eyes, but she suppressed it and tapped the bandage on her throat. The motion caused her to wince and she went back to smelling the soup. “Did he fall asleep?” Book asked, indicating Jayne. Elle’s gaze followed his, but she offered no sign of explanation. Book went over and shook Jayne’s shoulder. This elicited little more than a swat from Jayne. “Jayne?” Book persisted, shaking his shoulder again. “What?” Jayne mumbled, sounding a bit perturbed himself. “I thought you might like something to eat,” Book said, now confident that Jayne was okay. Groggily, Jayne sat up and accepted the plate of cold noodles. “None for her?” Jayne asked, considering the girl before he started eating. “The doctor thought it best for her to stick to soup for now.” Jayne exchanged a glace with Elle who nodded slightly. Having the approval he sought, he began to eat hungrily. “I thought perhaps we could put you in a room for the night,” Book said to Elle. “It would be more comfortable than staying here.” The girl looked at Jayne again. There was no fear or uncertainty in the look, just steely suspicion as if she were debating buying a gold watch from a known swindler. “Yeah,” Jayne answered for her, shoveling the last of the noodles into his mouth. “A room is a good idea.” Jayne traded the plate and chopsticks for a cup of soup and slurped loudly. The girl set her still-full cup on a nearby rolling tray and hugged her knees together. “Cold?” Jayne asked her. “I could warm it up again,” Book offered, but realized that that’s not what Jayne had meant. Jayne pulled a blanket from the storage cabinet and wrapped it around Elle. She was cold, Book thought. He was surprised by Jayne’s attentiveness, but also found it refreshing. “You gotta drink some of that. It’ll warm you right up” Jayne told her softly, rubbing her arms to warm her. She smiled and let out a silent laugh as if Jayne had asked her to do swallow a dagger. Nevertheless, she accepted the cup when Jayne handed it to her and started sipping slowly. Gathering his dishes, Jayne asked her, “You want to stay here with the Shepherd while I make you a room?” Elle gave no hint of a response. Jayne turned to Book, “You mind, preach?” Book was startled at Jayne’s helpfulness, but agreed quickly. “Of course. And I can take those dishes,” he added hurriedly before Jayne could run off with the tray as well. Jayne paused only briefly before setting the tray on the counter and hurrying off. Elle watched him go. “He seems to care for you very much,” Book said. Elle seemed to concentrate intently on a few molecules of air hovering between herself and the soup mug. For the first time, Book noticed fine lines on her face belying an age higher than his original estimate. Deciding that conversation was useless, Book mulled over a few stories he could tell to fill the void and perhaps evoke a response. He was startled when Elle’s still, small voice broke the silence. “Is that unusual?” she whispered. Her hazel eyes stared intently into his; her chest heaved with intentional breaths. Book did nothing to hide his surprise as he responded, “Very.” She accepted the answer as one accepts news of a friend’s death. Her eyes fell back to the cup, a hint of sadness appearing with a tear.

*~*

Kaylee was exhausted, having spent most of her day on trivial maintenance of the Neptune. Just by replacing light-bulbs and lubing the doors with WD-40, Kaylee had managed to see most of the ship. Saskia trailed her the entire time. In truth, she appreciated Saskia’s company, because most of the rest of the crew leered at her like a piece of meat—the way Jayne looked at most women. She shuddered to think of a crew full of Jaynes. No wonder Saskia seemed so hardened. Despite the abundance of empty quarters, Saskia had insisted that Kaylee sleep on her couch. “You think those men can’t get past a rutting lock,” she had said. Kaylee was disappointed, hoping to be alone so that she could send a signal to Serenity. She prayed once more that her precious Serenity had made it off world and was now on a daring mission to rescue her. Saskia’s bunk was clean and filled with memories. One wall was lined with medals and purple hearts, all dating from before the Unification War. Over the bed was the portrait of a soldier, clean shaven, in dress uniform with a flag in the backdrop. Kaylee wondered who he was. When Saskia opened the closet to find a blanket, Kaylee saw a neatly pressed purple uniform hanging on the door—old Alliance. It looked as though it hadn’t been worn in awhile, but it did appear well used. “When did you stop wearin’ it?” Kaylee asked. Saskia didn’t seem to catch on to her meaning, so she clarified. “The uniform. I see a lot of the crew still wears ‘em. Why don’t you?” Saskia began unfolding the blankets on the couch, preparing a bed. “Before the war, when the Alliance was just forming and Unification was still just a buzz word the politicians tossed around, there was a first skirmish. The Alliance figured most of the independent planets would see reason quickly. They sent us to Boros to “convince” the local government to join the Alliance. Caddock was first mate then. Our Captain didn’t much like the tactics that the Alliance was suggesting, so Caddock led the crew in a mutiny. He took us into battle and we won Boros for the Alliance. We were headed home when we got word that the Alliance was none-too-thrilled about our mutiny and was planning to court-martial us all on arrival. Caddock suggested we head out into the Black and make our way here, so that’s what we did. I took off my uniform that day—the day we turned our backs on the Alliance. A lot of the others that still wear it are longin’ for home. Longin’ for the Alliance to recognize our victory on Boros. Or they just forgot why they put it on every day.” Saskia bitter words hung in the air as she found and locked down all of her weapons. Kaylee had never seen so many guns outside of an arsenal. Saskia turned out the lights and Kaylee laid tensely on the couch. She saw the man she had killed and the man Caddock had killed. Caddock’s threats echoed in her ears. She could hear Serenity crying to her through the darkness, the engine screaming from overheating. Her eyes welled with tears as the Neptune hummed softly beneath her. She heard the first click of the Neptune’s engine and her fear began to grow. The whir of the belt had changed as it got one step closer to snapping. Her plan was in motion and there was no turning back. She listened to the chink-chink of the Neptune’s engines through the darkness. Within ten minutes, Saskia’s breathing had settled quickly into the steady rhythm of sleep. Quietly, she crept out of bed, unlocked the door, and headed for the engine room. The crew of the Neptune didn’t seem to wander through there too often, and she needed to tell Serenity where she was.

*~*

The room seemed to glow yellowy-orange because of the aged paint on the wall. After tucking Elle in under five blankets, Jayne sat in the corner and just watched her as he’d done most of the day. Jayne felt exhaustion pulling at his eyelids, but didn’t want to sleep for fear this was a dream. “Jayne, why do you act differently around me?” Elle asked. “Who says I act different?” “Everybody.” “Everybody? You only talked to three people today!” He was deflecting the question and she knew it. “Why, Jayne?” “Because,” Jayne answered. He couldn’t help but admit that a part of him had awakened since Elle arrived. “Because you’re my cousin, Elle. I thought you were dead, but now… here you are.” Jayne scooted closer to the bed and took her hand. It was freezing! She let the silence linger a moment. “Do you remember why we split ways, Jayne?” Jayne rubbed the sleep from his eyes, replaying the day. Knowing Elle was alive, he could safely remember the whole story of White Hall, not just the revised version from which he had deleted Elle. “Jantis,” Jayne answered. “It wasn’t safe.” “Do you think it’s safe now Jayne? Jantis is still out there! Now this whole crew can connect me to you to him.” “Come on, coz, it’s not like I gave them your real name! Elle is safe. No one in the ‘verse is trying to kill her and no one wants her for more ‘n 300 credits!” A tense silence hung in the air for a few moments. Finally, Elle laughed. “300 credits,” she mused. “That’s got to be one of my least successful aliases of all times.” Jayne chuckled as well. Elle had been alternately close and distant all day—taking his hand at some point and pulling away at others. He could understand that she hated looking helpless in front of strangers. Now he saw that she still feared for his safety—feared Jantis. He wanted to assure her that she’d be safe here. But if her experiences in the ‘verse had anywhere rivaled his own, she would never believe him. People weren’t to be trusted. “Fine,” Jayne said, smile still on his face. “From now on, I don’t know you. Just saw your picture on the cortex and thought I might pick up a reward.” Elle smiled and the two fell quiet. Jayne shifted against the wall, trying to get comfortable. His mind fell to the adventures of the past—of the two of them as kids, shooting liquor bottles and pretending they were on a heist. “Are you going to sit there and stare at me all night?” Elle asked, breaking his reverie. Jayne honestly hadn’t thought about leaving her alone. The thought of leaving her now brought a swell of emotion that he swallowed as best he could. “It’s just that… I’ve been trying to keep track… You fell off the map. I thought you were dead. Coz, I’ve dreamed you back to life so many times. I just… don’t want to wake up and find you gone again.” Even as he said it, Jayne felt it was too much. His cousin had always been dear to him, but he’d never said it out loud, even to her. He watched her reaction to see if he’d creeped her out, but her eyes were soft and warm. “Well, if you’re gonna stay all night, then get off that floor and get up here and keep me warm.” Relieved by her light-hearted response, Jayne hefted himself off the floor. “You have five blankets, how are you cold?” he teased. Tentatively, he got under the covers; he shivered as she pressed her ice-cold toes against his shins. It had been a long time since Jayne had laid next to a woman he wasn’t paying for. He thought back a ways… “Do you remember that time on Greenleaf, we landed in the middle of winter,” he chuckled nostalgically. He felt Elle shiver as she laughed along. “It was so cold.” Jayne smiled warmly and continued the memory. “We was expectin’ summer, so all’s we had were a ground cloth and a light blanket.” Both laughed. That was the last time Jayne had huddled next to Elle for warmth and the memory made him more comfortable now. “So Jayne, how come there’s a statue of you on Canton?” Jayne guffawed, almost embarrassed that she knew of the statue, but delighted just the same. “You saw that?!” “Learned the song by heart.” Settling into story-telling mode, Jayne grinned broadly. How was he gonna spin this one…

*~*

Kaylee made it to the engine room without encountering any of the Neptune crew, though the ship was far from silent. Just past crew quarters, she had snuck past a lounge where several of the men shouted and jeered as if watching a sporting match. The smell of mead hung in the air around them. Focused on whatever event was taking place in their circle, they had not even noticed her passing. The engine room looked surprisingly sparse. All of Kaylee’s tools had apparently been moved or locked away for the evening, leaving her more defenseless than she had intended. Still, this was meant to be simple. Tell Serenity where she was and get back to Saskia’ bunk before anyone noticed. Every sound made her jump, even the expected chinking of the engine. Forcing herself to remain calm, she went to the console and tried to figure out where the Neptune was heading. Three Hills, Saskia had said. Kaylee wished she’d paid more attention to geography. The Neptune appeared to be running zig-zags, but even with one engine running slow, it could still get to Three Hills before Serenity. Especially since Serenity didn’t yet know where to go. Kaylee checked permissions, trying to figure out how to encrypt a wave and also what message to send. Though a genius mechanic, she was not a cryptographer and was losing precious time trying. She considered sending a non-coded message, but quickly rejected the idea. Thwack! A knock on the wall behind her was quickly absorbed by the room. Kaylee jumped in fear, seeing a tall, burly man stagger through the door. He smelled of alcohol, and struck Kaylee as more of an angry drunk than a blithering one. “Is this an authorized repair?” the man taunted, blocking the doorway—Kaylee’s only avenue of escape. Kaylee backed up, trying to put the engine core between herself and the intruder. Her hand touched the panel over the exhaust, nearly burning her finger tips. She wished for a tool. Any tool. A screwdriver, a hammer, a putty knife, compressed air. “I asked you a question, biao!” the man said angrily, grabbing Kaylee by the front of her shirt and throwing her across the room. Kaylee hit the wall with so much force, she saw stars. The man was on top of her in a heartbeat, a blow catching the corner of her eye as she tried to wriggle free. With all the force she could muster, Kaylee punched his nose, and then clawed at his eyes. Kneeing him in the gut, she was able to roll free and started to run. The man tackled her at the ankles and she pitched forward. His elbow came down hard on her head and he ripped the front of her jumpsuit open. Did she dare scream? Or would that just call more of the gang to rape her? Kaylee scratched his face again, and ripped at his bleeding nose, but he got hold of her arms. He had her pinned, and the blood of his face dripped on to hers. Kaylee inched her way back towards the engine; the man inched with her, his fists pounding her body mercilessly. Her lungs screamed for oxygen under his weight and the world phased in and out. “NO!!!” her mind screamed. Blood filled her nose and mouth, her blood or his she couldn’t tell. She choked and tried to roll, clawing, biting, and kicking to get free. “Kersetz, get off her!” a voice screamed through the red and the black. The beating stopped momentarily, but Kaylee continued to kick and struggle until she was free. She crawled to the back corner of the room, hiding behind the engine, trying to get her bearings and clear the blood from her lungs. Forcing herself to work through the burning, she pried open the exhaust hatch with bloodied fingers, and prepared to direct the fiery fumes at whoever threatened her next. Though she couldn’t see around the engine, she listened intently. “Go back to your bunk, Kersetz,” her rescuer commanded. It was Saskia! “You can’t order me around, chi,” Kersetz retorted angrily, a twinge in his voice speaking to a broken nose. Kaylee heard the familiar click of a cocking gun, then a long silence. Peaking around, she saw that Saskia was armed and Kersetz was not. “Go back to your bunk,” Saskia repeated slowly, her voice a deadly threat. Kersetz spat on Saskia’s boot, a mixture of blood and saliva, and then staggered out of the room, falling against the wall for support. Saskia lowered her gun and walked toward Kaylee who scurried back to the opened exhaust panel. “All’s they need is a reason,” Saskia scolded. “I could kill you now, sha gua.” Kaylee’s hands tightened around the blistering exhaust pipe. “And I could leave you dead in the water,” Kaylee countered as threateningly as she could. Saskia approached slowly, then squatted until she was eyelevel with Kaylee. The world was spinning and Kaylee’s face and body throbbed. Carefully, Saskia took Kaylee by the wrist and removed her red, blistered hands from the exhaust pipe, then replaced the panel. Liberated from her weapon, Kaylee fell to the floor and shook. “How do you live here?” Kaylee whispered as Saskia carried her to the Infirmary. “Welcome to my hell,” Saskia replied.

*~*

********************************** LINK TO CHAPTER 10