BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

BADKARMA00

Inferno – Chapter Seventeen
Sunday, January 6, 2008

Into the black, and things look dark.


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 2111    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

Inferno – Chapter Seventeen I own no rights to Firefly, and no copyright infringement is intended. ------------------- Serenity left the ground gracefully, Inara guiding the transport out of atmosphere and into the black. Once on course for Astra, Inara set the auto-pilot and left the bridge, walking to the galley. There she found John, already hard at work, scrubbing the galley floor. “Miss Inara,” he nodded, smiling. “Gettin’ things in order.” “You’re doing fine,” she smiled in return. “I appreciate you three being willing to come back aboard.” “Our pleasure, ma’am,” John assured her. “Make’s a might rough on the home life, I guess, but it’s only temporary. Much as you folks has been out, doin’ fer us, seemed like the least we could do.” He smiled again suddenly. “Side’s, Mister Harwell’s paying us straight through for the time on the ship. Right here at Christmas, too.” Inara chuckled. “Good timing on my part, then,” she said, and John nodded. “Right good timing, ma’am,” he laughed. “Well, carry on then, being as you’re on the clock,” Inara laughed lightly. Willie and Pete were in the cargo bay, when she walked out onto the catwalk. “We’re good, Miss Inara,” Willie called. “Everything’s in good shape, and we’re almost done with the clean-up.” “Okay, Willie,” Inara smiled. “What I like the hear. And thank you both for agreeing to come back on board. I was just telling John how much I appreciate it.” “We appreciate it too, ma’am,” Pete called, grinning sheepishly. “We’re making good time, and it gives us a chance to kick up our heels a bit, too.” “I’m glad I could be of service to you,” Inara laughed. She seemed to be doing a lot of that, she noted, going back into the galley. She nodded again to John, on her way back to the bridge. Things weren’t going badly, she admitted. She wasn’t nearly as nervous as she had been the first time. She didn’t know if it was because the three men were no longer unknown entities, or it was the fact that she’d made the trip once, already, on her own. The trip no longer held the same fears that it once had. “Miss Inara,” Holly was calling. “Best ease back a bit, and let me get the coolant adjusted for we go much further.” “All right, Holly,” Inara called back. She disengaged the auto-pilot, and throttled the engine back. “Won’t take but a minute, ma’am,” Holly promised. “That’s fine,” Inara assured him, and sat back down in the pilot’s chair. No, things weren’t too bad at all. Maybe, just maybe, she’d spoken too soon about not wanting to keep piloting with Mal planet-side. She’d have to mull that over. ---------------- “Sheriff, I’d like a word with you.” Mal turned to see Mason Fuller approaching him at a steady gait. “Sure thing, Mister Fuller,” Mal smiled amiably. “What can I do for you today?” “You can explain this,” Fuller didn’t quite snarl, holding up a copy of the Bickford News and Reporter. The headlines of which declared, ‘New Sheriff prefers not to think about crime’. “Well,” Mal smiled softly. “Seems I was right about that woman, after all,” he looked up at Fuller. “She was waitin’ for me, here at the office, day before yesterday. Seemed to take great pleasure in twisting my words around to suit her.” “I hope that you’re telling me that you didn’t say this,” Fuller said, eyeing Mal. “Nope,” Mal agreed. “I didn’t say that. What I said was in reply to her own observation. She claimed that the two killings we had the last few days ‘had’, her words, to be related. I told her that I didn’t have any evidence that pointed to that. I’d have to wait and see what the investigation turned up.” “And she got this,” Fuller shook the paper, “from that?” “Well, she asked me, again, a few minutes later, did I think the two incidents were related. I told her I preferred not to think anything, but instead to follow the evidence and let that guide my thinkin’.” “Hmph,” Fuller seemed to shrink back some. “Damn fool woman. Oughta sue her, for printing this sort of thing.” “I’ll leave that to you gentlemen on the board,” Mal said gently. “I really ain’t got the time to worry over what she lies about, to be honest. Got too much goin’ on.” “I heard one of your men was shot yesterday,” Fuller nodded. “I hope he’s not injured too badly.” “Just a scratch,” Mal smiled. “Happened when we were arresting the two men that killed the three drug dealers.” “Do you intend to make it a priority to make sure that people who kill drug dealers are brought to justice?” Fuller asked. Mal frowned. “I intend to make it a point to bring people who murder anyone to justice,” he replied, after a moment of thought. “If someone starts killing drug dealers, it’s only a matter of time ‘fore they commence to killin’ other, more savory folk.” Now it was Fuller’s turn to frown. This wasn’t going as he’d expected. “I hope you mean that, Sheriff,” he finally stated, stiffly. “We’ve had far too much molly coddling of criminals, as it is.” “That’s been my impression as well, sir,” Mal fought the urge to smirk. “I’ve instructed my investigator to devote his time and energy to solving all the backlog of cases possible, in as short a time as possible. In the last few days, he’s brought down a fence for stolen goods, and arrested two murderers.” “That’s a fair week’s work in anyone’s book, in my opinion. I’ve hired seven new deputies, all of whom are getting intensive on-the-job training before I enroll them in the planetary law enforcement school. Soon enough, we’ll have more than adequate staffing. Then, we’ll take it to the criminal element sure enough.” “I’ll hold you to that, Reynolds,” Fuller warned. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Fuller.” ------------------ “What’s the trouble?” Goldie shouted as he stumbled into the engine room, Caleb Frye hot on his heels. “I ain’t rightly sure!” Kaylee shouted back. “I think the fuel line must have ruptured, or maybe caught a stray bullet in all the excitement. Or the injectors could be clogged. I don’t think the smoke could damage them, but. . .” “What do you want me to do?” Goldie asked. “Check the flow valve for the starboard thruster!” Kaylee ordered. “I’ll check the port side. Daddy, can you check the fuel pressure? If we ain’t getting the fuel in here, and it’s still going out, then it’s a leak.” “On it,” Caleb Frye nodded, moving to assist. Goldie worked his way to the starboard side, while Kaylee went to the port. Whatever was wrong, they needed to find it, and fix it. Fast. ------------------ “What can I do?” Jayne asked quietly as his wife struggled to keep the ship in the air. “You’re doing it, just by being here,” she grunted. “Help me stay focused, and calm.” “I can do that.” River would have smiled, if her face wasn’t drawn in concentration. She was desperately trying to get a sense of what was wrong. The ship seemed to be trying to turn to port, all on it’s own. There were only a few reasons it would do such a thing, at least that she knew of. As she fought the controls, she noticed that they had become sluggish. Whatever the problem was, it seemed to be spreading. “Jayne, check the life support systems,” she ordered suddenly. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but it seems to be affecting different parts of the ship’s systems.” “On it,” Jayne replied, moving to the row of gauges and dials that detailed the status of the life support functions. He studied the dials, the gauges, and the small screen that detailed the performance of the air and circulation operations. “River, everything looks. . .uh-oh.” “Uh-oh?” River asked, alarmed. “What is uh-oh?” “The port side carbon scrubbers are. . .damn it, they’re offline!” Jayne pecked the gauge lightly. Nothing. He pecked again, harder. Still nothing. “We’ve lost a third of our carbon dioxide scrubbers,” he informed her quietly. “If we can get into the black, maybe we can fix it then.” “Right now, it doesn’t look like that will happen, ai ren,” River told him, working to control the ship’s desire to turn. If a strong gust caught them before she could correct it, they would tip over. -------------------- “Kaylee, this one checks out okay!” Goldie shouted. “Tank flow is normal, Kay!” Caleb called out. “I don’t see any dramatic drop in fuel level, or in the pressure.” “It’s this one! It’s this one!” Kaylee yelled. “I need. . .just bring me a hammer! Quick!” Goldie scrambled for the desired tool, and practically slid to Kaylee with it in hand. “Here!” he thrust the tool at her. Kaylee grabbed it, and to Goldie’s astonishment, whacked the flow valve with it. Hard. “Are you insane?” he almost screamed. “If you knock that thing lose, fuel will. . .” Kaylee hit the valve again, ignoring him. She didn’t have time to explain. She hit it again. Then a fourth time. --------------------

Abruptly, the ship quit fighting. River was caught by surprise as the port thruster suddenly fired. She had been fighting the helm to the starboard, and now the ship obeyed, turning sharply to the right. River turned the helm back slowly, fighting the urge to jerk it. Slowly, painfully slowly, the ship began to right itself. River checked the readings, and nodded. They were back on track. “I got it, River!” Kaylee’s voice came over the com. “But I can’t promise it won’t do it again. When we get into the black, I’ll see to fixing it more proper like.” “If we get into the black,” River murmured. At this point, that wasn’t assured. “Easy, baby girl,” Jayne soothed from behind her. “If anyone can get us outta here, it’s you.” She could feel his reassuring presence flowing over her, and it helped her to focus. Easing the ship’s nose up, she realigned them for exit. Winds continued to buffet the ship, but with power restored, she was able to prevent them from pushing the ship off course. Then, suddenly, they were through, and into space. The black surrounded them, embracing the Companion like an old friend. River shuddered in relief, guiding the ship further from the doomed planet. Jayne walked the few steps to where his wife sat, and hugged her, chair and all. “I knew you could do it,” was all he said. ----------------- “What possessed you to beat on the flow valve?” Goldie demanded, now that the danger was passed. He hoped. “It was stuck about half-open,” Kaylee shrugged. “We didn’t have the power to ease back on the starboard, and straighten us out. We had to have the extra boost to get us into the black.” “And hammering the go se out of it was all you could come up with?” he demanded. Kaylee shrugged again. “Worked, didn’t it?” ------------------ “Are we on course, baby girl?” Jayne asked. River nodded. “Yes, but at a greatly reduced speed. We used too much fuel getting out of atmo. I. . .I need to run some calculations to see. . .Sean, I don’t know. . .” Jayne wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. The fact that she’d used his real name when others were around was a clear indication of how upset she was. “Hey now,” he soothed. “You just saved every life on this boat, including mine, which I’m very fond of at the moment, seein’ as how I’m holding my only girl. Now you calm down, and take it easy for a little while. Dong ma?” “I thought we would crash,” River admitted in a whisper. “I. . .we lost power, and the controls didn’t want to respond. It was all I could do just to. . .” “River, I’m pretty sure. . . oops!” Kaylee broke off, seeing that she’d interrupted a moment. River pulled back from Jayne far enough to smile at Kaylee. “Good work, Kaylee,” River smiled weakly. “There for a minute. . .” “Yeah,” Kaylee nodded somberly. “Me too. And it ain’t over, yet. I just noticed a red light on the. . .” “Carbon scrubbers,” Jayne finished, and Kaylee nodded. “I’m gonna look at them right now. Once that’s done, we’ll have time to check that flow valve. How you doin’, River?” Kaylee asked, suddenly aware of the pilot’s drawn features and paleness. “It was quite a ride from up here,” Jayne answered for her. “But she did it. Saved us all.” “She sure did,” Kaylee smiled. “Weren’t nothing you did, either, River. Just them valves sometimes tend to hang. But I fixed it, for now,” Kaylee grinned, holding up her hammer. “Nice,” Jayne grinned, and River managed to giggle. “Well, I’m gonna go check on them scrubbers,” Kaylee’s grin faded. “Without them. . .” “We sorta can figure that,” Jayne nodded. “Need help, holler. I’m gonna check the ship,” he added, looking at River. “You sit, and rest for a few minutes.” “Yes, Zhang fu,” River offered a weak smile. The struggle to keep the ship flying had worn her out. “If you need me, you call me,” Jayne ordered. “I’m just gonna check through the ship, and see Zoe.” River nodded, closing her eyes. “I will.” -------------------- Jayne made a hasty trip through the ship, checking for any damage. A few odd and end items had come loose, and he quickly sorted them into place. Finally, satisfied that all was okay, and the problems they had were being seen too, Jayne took a deep breath, and headed for the infirmary. As he made the short trip, he wondered what Zoe wanted. Probably, he decided, she wanted details of what had happened in Hopewell, and an update on their situation. He walked into the infirmary, nodding silently to the Mann’s, who were sitting around Weldon Mann’s bed. He had yet to wake, but Simon had assured them that, baring complications, he would survive. “Thank you,” Linda said softly to Jayne. “I. . .I don’t know what else to say, but it seems so inadequate. You saved my family from. . .” “Thank you is more than sufficient, ma’am,” Jayne told her quietly, in what he thought of as his ‘Inara’ language. “I’m just glad things worked out.” “I want to thank you, too,” the daughter, Gina, told him, hugging him tightly. “Those men. . .they. . .” “I know,” Jayne told her. “Don’t worry. They won’t. Not to you or anyone else. Ever again.” She nodded and stepped back. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to see the Captain.” ---------------- Zoe listened carefully as the Mann’s talked to Jayne. She heard them take their leave, and then Jayne was speaking. “Zoe, you decent?” “No, but I’m dressed,” she grinned, and Jayne chuckled, stepping though the curtain. “You wanted to see me?” “What happened a while ago,” Zoe asked. “Seemed like an awfully rough ride.” “It was,” Jayne nodded, sitting on a stool. He hadn’t realized how tired he was. “Kaylee said one of the fuel valves got stuck, engine couldn’t get up to full power. She managed to get it open just in time. River had a helluva time gettin’ the boat to stay flyin’.” “She’s a good pilot,” Zoe said quietly. He nodded. “That she is. We’re in the black now,” he went on. “The port side scrubbers are on the fritz, but Kaylee’s on that. Once she’s done, we’ll likely stop long enough for her to fix that valve if she thinks we need to. Otherwise, we’re on course for the fueling station.” He frowned. “We burned a lotta fuel, though, getting out of atmo,” he told her quietly. “River’s gonna recalculate our needs, but it will likely be tight.” “Just have to do what we can,” Zoe nodded. “Everything else okay?” “Far as I can tell,” Jayne nodded. “I checked the ship over ‘fore I came down. Few things rattled loose, but it wasn’t bad. Least, it wasn’t bad as it coulda been. We’re in pretty good shape, all things considered. Or will be, once Kaylee gets the scrubbers back on line.” Zoe nodded. She lay there for a long minute, looking at Jayne closely. “Jayne, I want to apologize for. . .” she paused as Jayne held up his hand. “Ain’t no need, Zoe,” he said stiffly. “It’s all under the bridge.” “Dammit, don’t interrupt me!” Zoe growled. “I’m still the Captain, and I aim to have my say. You can listen or not, but I’m talkin’!” Jayne looked at her for moment, then nodded. “Fair enough.” “I wanted to apologize for how things have been,” Zoe went on, calmer. “I realized, after a while, what caused the trouble between us, and I’m sorry.” She paused, thinking, then went on. “I ain’t gonna lie, Jayne. Knowing what you’re capable of, made me nervous. I thought you would be like to go off at any minute, doin’ unto others as you saw fit. I see now,” she admitted, “that I was wrong. Not only that, but you proved, beyond any doubt, that you’re not just steady, but reliable. The way you took over when I got shot, the way you looked after the ship and all these people. And managed to get George’s sister and her family away from slavers.” “You did good, Jayne, is what I’m trying to say,” Zoe told him. “Better than anyone could have expected, from anybody. And I’m right proud that you’re on my crew. I hope,” she said pointedly, “that you’ll stay on my crew, and overlook this little. . .misunderstanding. I know I don’t have the right to ask, but I am anyway. I do trust you, Jayne. Because you’ve earned that trust.” Jayne looked at Zoe closely. He wanted to believe her, wanted to say okay, he’d stay on. But. . . “I’ll think on it, Zoe,” he finally answered, speaking softly. “I’m too tired to think straight right now, to be honest, but I’ll think on it. That’s. . .that’s all I can promise you, right this minute.” “I’ll take it,” Zoe grinned, hiding her disappointment. She’d hoped that Jayne would accept what she’d said and agree to stay. But at least he hadn’t blown her off. “I need to go and check on River, and Kaylee,” Jayne told her, rising. “See what they’ve come up with. I’ll get word to you, when we’re on our way.” “Thanks Jayne. For everything,” Zoe smiled. He nodded. “Sure thing.” ---------------

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COMMENTS

Monday, January 7, 2008 12:53 AM

AMDOBELL


The best part was Zoe finally apologising to Jayne. About gorram time! Now I am worrying that they will have enough fuel to limp to the fueling station. And is it just me being paranoid or are things going too smoothly with Inara on Serenity? I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me

Monday, January 7, 2008 10:04 AM

KIMBER


I agree with AMDOBELL... It's about damn time Zoe said sorry! And I'm real glad Jayne will think on that because River would be real sad to leave her home...As for Inara, I don't know what would be Mal's reaction if she told him they'll spend more time away from eachother but I'm really liking the men working with her :)

Keep flying ;)


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