The Last Spartan – Chapter Fifteen Author owns no rights to Firefly, and makes no money for his efforts ------------------------------ “Doc!” Jayne’s roar nearly shook the ship. He entered the infirmary, placing her gently on the table. Simon and Kaylee ran in right behind him. “What. . .River!” Simon wailed, rushing to her side. Kaylee stood by the door, crying at the sight of her friend lying there, so bloody. “Doc, snap outta that,” Jayne snarled. “You gotta think, here, so push that emotion aside, and tell me what you need.” ------------------- After the shooting had stopped, Zoe led Mal and Inara back to the ship. The carnage was pretty rough, and Inara looked a little green when they reached the three Jayne had killed. “Nothing says ‘Jayne was here’ like carnage,” Zoe chuckled, unfazed by what she saw. “I think I’ll just wait in my shuttle,” Inara mumbled, and walked up the stairs, careful to keep her head forward. “We need to find River, and get off this planet,” Mal said, watching Inara go. “We need some black between here and us, pretty quick like.” “We can dump these in the black, to,” Zoe nodded. “I’ll find River.” Mal nodded, still looking at the mess in the cargo bay. “I ain’t cleanin’ this up,” he said firmly, though no one was around. -------------------- Zoe found River all right. She gasped in surprise when she reached the infirmary. “Doc, talk to me!” Jayne was saying. “Jayne, I’m trying!” Simon was near panic, working over River’s still form. “It’s. . .there’s so much damage!” he almost wailed. Jayne looked up to see Zoe standing there. “What happened?” Zoe asked. “She stood her ground,” Jayne said, and despite his anguish, there was pride in his voice. “Protected the ship. And Kaylee and the Doc.” “Is she gonna be all right?” Zoe asked, unable to tear her eyes from the still little form on the table. “I don’t know!” Simon was in tears, working as fast as he knew how. “Zoe, why don’t you take Kaylee outside,” Jayne suggested, catching the first mate’s eye. “She don’t need to see this.” “C’mon, mei mei,” Zoe said softly, taking the girl by the arm. “We need to get off the ground, anyway. Put some space ‘tween us and this place.” Kaylee followed without a word, sobbing out of control. Zoe and Kaylee met Mal in the hallway. “Find River?” Mal demanded, looking at Kaylee. “Why’s she crying?” “River’s been hard hit,” Zoe said quietly. “Doc’s workin’ on her now.” “I’ll get us off the ground,” Mal said, looking at Kaylee. “Mei mei, I know you’re shook up, but we need to fly. Right now.” “I’m good, Cap’n,” Kaylee sniffed, rubbing her nose on the sleeve of her coveralls. “Be ready in five,” she informed him, and hurried off to the engine room. “Better stay with her a few,” Mal ordered Zoe. “She’s like to get somethin’ tore off worryin’ ‘bout River.” “Yes, sir,” Zoe nodded, and turned to follow the engineer. “Zoe, how bad is she?” he called out, and Zoe slowed. “It’s bad, sir,” was all she could manage. Muttering under his breath, Mal headed for the bridge. ------------------- Alone in the infirmary, Simon worked feverishly, while Jayne watched, ready to do whatever he needed. “Jayne, I. . .I don’t think I can save her.” The desperation in Simon’s voice made Jayne wince. He’d never seen the young doctor so upset. “Gotta keep tryin’, Simon,” Jayne urged. “I’ve. . .” “What if we went to the hospital?” Jayne asked, willing to over power Mal if necessary to see that River was cared for. “There’s nothing. . .I can’t think of anything they could do that we can’t, Jayne,” Simon stammered out. “It’s. . .the damage is just too great. If it was you, then there wouldn’t. . .” Simon trailed off, looking up at Jayne. “Simon,” Jayne said warily. “What are you thinking?” “You can save her, Jayne,” Simon told him bluntly. “Just like she says someone saved you. You can. . .whatever it is you do, you know. . .the teeth thing.” Even in desperation Simon couldn’t quite convince himself that it was true, or bring himself to say it.

“No!” Jayne almost roared at the suggestion. “No, Simon. Do something. You’re the surgeon. Core trained, top three percent! Help her!” “I can’t!” Simon screamed in anguish. “I can’t save her! You can, Jayne, but I can’t! Now do the. . .thingy. Help her!” “Simon, you don’t know what you’re asking!” Jayne hissed quietly. “And it could just as easily kill her as heal her!” “She’s dying now!” Simon shot back. “We can’t get her anywhere fast enough to save her, no matter what they could do! But you can!” “Simon, are you listening to me? My. . .thing, might kill her instead of helping her!” “Then she’s no less dead than she will be anyway,” Simon shot back. “Please, Jayne,” Simon’s tone was pleading. “You’re the only chance she has!” “You would want her to be like me?” Jayne asked him. “There’s no going back, Simon,” he warned. “There’s no going back anyway,” Simon wailed, tears flowing freely. “She’s dying and I can’t save her! She saved Kaylee and I, but I can’t save her! Jayne, please! I’ll do anything you ask, anything you want! Just please don’t let her die!” Jayne looked at him in shock. Then, suddenly, he heard River’s faltering voice ring in his ears. “If I were l. . .like you, would you love me?” “If you n. . .never had to fear m. . .me growing old and l. . .leaving you? Could you l. . .love me then, Sp. . .Spartan?” Jayne thought about that for a second. River wasn’t afraid. She had more courage than many soldiers he had known over the years. “Leave us,” he suddenly ordered, his voice that of Janos once again. He looked up at Simon. “You will not wish to see, Simon,” he said gently. “Trust me. And it will not be painless, nor easy, if she survives. But I will do it.” “You don’t want me to stay and. . .?” “I have no need of your assistance, physician,” Jayne smiled. “And you really do not want to be here. It will be. . .difficult to see.” “All right. I’ll be outside, in case. . .” “Go to Kaylee,” Jayne shook his head. “This will not be over soon, and you shouldn’t be here. Lock the door as you leave. Mal will likely object to this. Now go, and go quickly, before I change my mind.” Simon went. He locked the door, and with one last look at River, closed it behind him. Jayne turned his attention back to the small form on the table before him. “I hope this is truly what you want, little warrior,” he murmured. Reaching down to her pants leg, he ripped it open, exposing River’s creamy thigh. At another time Jayne might have admired her limb, but now all he saw was the artery coursing through it. His eyes glazed over, and he felt his fangs fall. Without another thought, he sank his teeth into her leg, and started the slow and painful process of making River Tam like him. In time, perhaps she will forgive me. ------------------- Mal piloted Serenity out of atmo and into the black. With Wing dead, there’d be no pursuit from that quarter, but the local authorities might well decided that the death of a ‘noble’ required an investigation. Mal had been careless. He cursed himself for that as he thought of River lying in the infirmary, maybe dying. It was his fault. Once he was well into the black, Mal didn’t quite know where to go. They had lost the job, and likely the contacts, if memory served. He’d ask Zoe about that. So with nowhere to go, and no other job waiting, Mal simply set course for the nearest planet, Ariel. They wouldn’t land there, but the auto-pilot needed something to lock on to. Once finished he left the bridge, and headed to the infirmary. On his way he decided to stop at Inara’s shuttle, and see if she felt up to manning the bridge. “Inara, you okay?” he asked through the closed door. The door opened a few seconds later. “I’m fine, Mal,” Inara assured him. “River’s been shot, in a bad way,” he told her. “Can you man the bridge while I go and check on her?” “Of course!” Inara shot out of her shuttle. “Poor River! I hope she’s okay.” “Zoe said the Doc ain’t hopeful,” Mal told her quietly. Inara’s hand covered her mouth as she cried out. “Oh, no!” “Well, we’ll see,” Mal tried to sound hopeful. “I won’t be long, then I’ll come back so you can go down.” Inara nodded, and headed for the bridge. Mal continued toward the infirmary. The door was closed, he noted, as he drew near. Odd. He tried the door, but found it locked. More odd. He moved to the window, and froze. River was lying on the table. With Jayne bent over her, his mouth pressed to her thigh. Mal’s hand balled into a fist, which crashed against the window. “Jayne! What the hell are you doin’?” Mal demanded. Jayne ignored him. “Jayne!” Mal reached for his pistol, forgetting that he had lost it. He looked around for something to break down the door, or crash through the window. He hit the comm on the wall. “Jayne get away from her or I’ll kill you!” he screamed, but Jayne didn’t respond. “Doc, get down to the infirmary, now!” Mal screeched, and picked up a chair. He flung it against the window as hard as he could, but only succeeded in knocking himself to the floor. As he was getting to his feet, Simon came rushing in. “Mal, what’s wrong?” he asked, eyes flickering to the infirmary. “What. . .LOOK!” he pointed to the window. Simon looked inside, then quickly away. “Yes, I know,” Simon said softly. “You mean. . .you let him. . .,” Mal broke off. Simon nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Mal turned even redder. “You stop him!” Mal demanded. “You stop him right now! I can’t believe that you’d let him do that to your sister! I oughta kill the both of you.” “Go ahead,” Simon found his voice and his nerve at the same time. “You can kill me, but he won’t stop, and I won’t tell him to. This is the only chance River has to live.” “I won’t have this on my boat!” Mal screeched, lifting the chair again. Simon calmly stepped in front of him. “Then we’ll leave, once it’s done,” the doctor said, steel in his voice. “I can’t save her, Mal, even after she saved me. He can. Maybe.” “Did you think about what she’ll say when she finds out she’s like. . .him?” “Not until afterward,” Simon admitted. “But I don’t think she’ll mind. In fact, I think she would have asked Jayne for this eventually, if he would have been willing. She’s in love with him. Has been for nearly a year.” “What!” Mal’s voice was even higher now. “You heard me,” Simon replied, unfazed. “I can’t save her. Jayne’s the only chance she has. So you want to kill me, go right ahead. But he’s not stopping.” “No one’s killin’ anyone here today,” Zoe stepped down off the stairs. “Put the chair down, Captain.” Mal looked at Zoe in shock. “Zoe?” he asked, his voice more than hurt. “Ain’t your decision, sir,” Zoe said firmly. “Wouldn’t be in this shape had we not come to get you. You got no right, not this time.” Mal was stunned. Zoe had never openly defied him. Not once. But the grim look of determination on her face was proof enough that she intended to this time. “I can’t believe you’re okay with this,” Mal said to her, lowering the chair. “Ain’t up to me,” Zoe told him flatly. “But if it wasn’t for her, wouldn’t be no ship for us to have come back to. Figure she’s earned whatever chance she can get.” She turned to Simon. “I take it this was the only way?” she asked him kindly. “Yes,” Simon almost whispered. “There was nothing that I could do. She was dying right in front of me. He was. . .is, her only chance.” “Then it was your decision?” Zoe asked. “I asked him to do it,” Simon told her, looking her in the eye. “Begged him in fact, since he refused at first.” Zoe considered that, then turned to Mal. “Maybe you should go back to the bridge, sir,” Zoe told him bluntly. “Inara still looks shaken up.” Mal looked at her for a moment, his eyes ugly. “This is still my boat.” Mal’s voice was dangerously soft. “So it is, sir,” Zoe nodded, refusing to give an inch. Mal eyed her malignantly before turning for the stairs. Simon watched him go, then turned to Zoe. “Thank you,” he told her, tears in his eyes. “Simon, I hope you know what you’re doing,” was all Zoe said. ------------------------ Jayne lifted his head from River’s thigh, and moved to where her head lay on the table. She looked so calm. So peaceful. So. . .beautiful. The realization hit him hard. He’d never noticed it before. He shook himself. Work to be done. Lowering his teeth to his own arm, he tore the skin there, and held the bleeding wound over River’s mouth. If this were going to work, then any second now, she would. . . . River’s mouth latched onto his arm, and he felt newly sharp fangs bite deep into his arm. It was working, so far. The parasite was taking hold. She was still unconscious, but the ‘thing’, as Simon had put it, was working. Now if it just didn’t kill her. -------------------------- Simon trudged back to the engine room. His encounter with Mal had left him drained. He knew there was no other choice. And he worried that River wouldn’t be happy, if she woke up like Jayne. He had made that choice for her. Maybe he shouldn’t have. Maybe he didn’t have that right. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” Kaylee asked, seeing his downcast expression. “You better sit down, Kaylee,” he told her, and the look of alarm on her face scared him. “It’s not that. Not yet. I have something to tell you.” She sat, taking one of his hands in both of hers. “I. . .I can’t save River, Kaylee,” he said quietly, and Kaylee’s hand shot up to her mouth. “Oh no, Simon!” she cried, burying her head in his shoulder. “But maybe Jayne can,” he continued. She pulled back, and looked at him. “What?” “Jayne is trying to. . .turn River, I guess is how to say it,” he told her plainly. “If he can, then she’ll recover. But she’ll be. . .” “Like Jayne?” Kaylee asked breathlessly, and Simon looked at her questioningly. “Oh, Simon!” Kaylee smiled breathlessly. “River will be so happy!” She hugged him hard. Simon had to fight to keep the shock from his face. “You don’t think I’m terrible for doing this?” he asked, puzzled. “Course not!” she told him. “River would have wanted it, if you coulda asked her. Surprised she didn’t ask him herself.” “What?” Simon was stunned now. He had expected her to recoil in horror. “Simon, River loves Jayne,” Kaylee told him. “I know that,” Simon replied. “Have for a while.” “Then did you know that Jayne won’t have a relationship of any kind with someone who ain’t like him?” Kaylee asked him, grinning. Simon looked like a fish out of water. “You mean. . .” “I mean that if it works, then the main problem keepin’ her and Jayne apart will be gone,” Kaylee smiled. “And then she can start wearin’ him down!” Kaylee laughed. “What if it doesn’t work, Kaylee,” Simon asked forlornly. “Then you did all you could, Simon,’ Kaylee told him, ever the pragmatist. “You can know that you tried your best. And that’s a comfort to you, will be later on. But I’m thinking it’ll work.” “Jayne said it was dangerous, could even kill her,” Simon pointed out. “Then we’ll just have to wait and see,” Kaylee said, wrapping Simon in her arms. “And I’ll wait with you.” Simon returned her embrace, and hugged her tight. He hoped it worked.