The Echoes That Surround You, Part 4
Continuing the Echoes series...Thanks to terimaru yet again for her super speedy beta'ing!
Jayne and Zoe return to Serenity to a bit of excitement and bring Gus with them...
The Echoes That Surround You, Part 4
Timeline Alley is five, as is Gus
Disclaimer Firefly owns me, I own words
From Prologue of Part 3....
“No, you’re not taking a shuttle and that’s final,” Mal was angry that Jayne just announced he was going to Harvest and taking a shuttle to do it. There was a certain loss of control happening in other areas of his life, and Mal did not want to be having anyone else tell him what was what. Alley was five, the star of Mal’s eye and his biggest headache; and little Matthew was just beginning to get his legs under him, which meant days spent running herd on two little ones. Last thing Mal wanted to deal with was Jayne getting demanding.
“Sir, I’ll be going with him.” Zoë announced in her usual calm tones.
Jayne and Mal both swung around towards her.
“What…Zoë…you aren’t serious?” Mal asked with that half-snort he used when he was dismissing something out of hand. Jayne just stared, jaw working, but no sound coming.
“I am, Sir, and you will be doing a right thing by not arguing it neither.” Zoë just continued without reacting to Mal’s noticeable agitation. “I already prepped the shuttle, Sir, got the entry codes programmed. We won’t be gone but a few days.” She looked Mal straight in the eye at that. The look lasted until Mal broke it, he knew there was something more going on here and he didn’t like it. Right then Alley came running by screaming with laughter, River in hot pursuit…
“Gorramit you two! What did I say about not running on the boat! You will trip and fall down and then your mother will kill me!’ He yelled as he turned to follow the two girls.
“You bring my shuttle back in one piece, hear?” he said over his shoulder to Zoë as he went to catch his miscreants.
“Zoë, I ain’t…” Jayne began to sputter.
“Not discussing this with you Jayne. We leave in ten minutes.” Zoë turned on her heel to go to her bunk and get her bag for the trip. She didn’t want Jayne to see the uncertainty in her eyes. What was she thinking going with the big merc to pick up a boy anyways? She shook her head as she walked through Serenity. She heard the laughter of the girls echoing off the walls. That was why she was going. The sound of love was wrapped up in this boat and she couldn’t deny it no matter how much it hurt to not be sharing it with her Wash.
******
Zoë flew the shuttle in silence. Jayne sat and looked at the sleeping boy, Gus, his nephew. He knew his mind should be on the boy, but he could not bring himself to consider what had just happened. He was still standing on the sidewalk outside his Ma’s house. She was angry with him. He could feel it like the cut of a knife. All those years ago he had left home, wanting to make a living he could support his family on. He remembered her fury at him. He left her with Mattie to care for and Talia in a home for the mentally ill. He couldn’t face his little sister, truth be told, even though she didn’t acknowledge anyone or anything any more -just sat and stared into space. All trace of the vivacious teenager gone, a shell of a body with nothing inside. Jayne went to see her once and left before anyone could see the tears in his eyes. After that he made sure to sit so as not to be able to see into her empty eyes. He told her about the weather, about Mattie, and Ma. He never talked about himself or his dreams. If he had any, no one had heard them.
“Jayne… we have a few hours before we rendezvous with Serenity.” Zoë’s voice cut through his reverie.
“What?” He replied thickly.
“Serenity, we will be docking in a few hours. You all right?” Zoë looked concerned. She had seen Jayne’s mother dismiss them when they left with Gus. Zoë hadn’t made it through the war and years of thieving with Mal to not know how to read people.
Jayne didn’t answer, just shook his head as he looked at Gus.
“You’re worried about the Captain I’ll wager.” She said to him. “Bound to be a tough fight, you bringing a boy onto Serenity.”
“Ya, spose so… ain’t really thought that far.” Jayne answered, looking away from Gus for the first time. He saw Zoë looking at Gus herself, soft eyes and a slight smile on her face.
“Jayne, who is the boy’s mother?” Zoë asked softly, looking up from her quiet examination of him. His blond hair was mussy and unkempt. Arms flung over his head in abandon as he slept the sleep of a child.
“My sister.” Jayne replied shortly, no real intention of sharing more.
Zoë chuckled, “Jayne, you can’t just say that and not add more detail. What happened? Why was he with your mother? Captain is gonna want to know why you had to bring him. He isn’t like to just let that be uncontested.”
“She’s gone, done died when Gus came. We ain’t sure who the pa is. No one ever came forward. Twasn’t like to neither, after what the gorram ,hun dahn done to a girl who couldn’t do fer herself…” Jayne growled and shook his head, looking like nothing so much as a bull looking for the matador he could blame his confinement on.
Zoë sat up straight at that. She had never guessed when Jayne said he had just about raised his sister that she was no longer alive, and in fact had been ill.
“What happened?” Zoë asked softly.
“Not wanting to be talking ‘bout that Zoë. Was a long time ago. Talia’s gone, Gus is here… I gotta do what Ma asked.” Jayne paused, took a deep breath and began to talk nonetheless.
“I had the toughest fight o my life with my Ma. She weren’t none to keen on my leavin Harvest, what with her havin Mattie at home with the damp lung. And Talia in the home.
I weren’t much mor’n a boy then, bare grown. She wanted me t’stay and work the mines like my Pa did. No money in that I told ‘er. Money we needed to be takin care o Mattie and Talia, y’ know?
She wouldn’t talk t’ me fer a week ‘fore I left. Longest week o my life I tell ya. Tweren’t til I was bout to leave she come to me. Told me I had better write, send home money. Wouldn’t be letting me go t’never hear from me again.
Don’t rightly know how I walked away from home that day. Ya just do what ya havfta, ya know.” Jayne paused, looking Zoë in the eye. “They didn’t tell me when Talia had the boy. Dunno if’n I woulda gone home if I knew. When they told me ‘bout her passing, I didn’t, couldn’t go…” Jayne stopped uncomfortably.
“Jayne?” Zoë had raised a quizzical brow.
“Weren’t gonna go, leave Alley, Serenity, for some méiyôu mûqin de xiao gôu…”
Zoë’s eyes flashed rage at that, “You shall never refer to Gus that way again Jayne. Dong ma?” She said the words in a low, dangerous tone. Jayne shrank back from her anger. He could feel it roll off her. This was a woman who scared Jayne, made him feel his inferiority by just the strength of her presence.
“Wo dong.” He nodded meekly. Inside his guts were tied in knots. His Ma had written him urgently asking him to come home, to help with Gus and Mattie. He never did. He just sent money and what letters he could write. By the time Jayne and Zoë came to get Gus, Ma Cobb had built up years of disappointment and resentment towards her oldest son. Jayne had never come home and she could not forgive him that.
******
They were to rendezvous with Serenity in orbit over Persephone. Mal, River, Simon, and Abel were onboard. A shipment of apple moonshine had been dropped and they had picked up a load of sugar for the return trip to Avery. It had turned into a routine job for the crew. Everyone felt it would be a small adventure for Abel to join them. He had often asked about Persephone, sometimes telling them his memories of his visits there when he had been a young man.
Mal had put up a token resistance to the idea of the older man joining them. He had begun to view Abel as a father figure, though he would never admit that even to himself. Leaving Kaylee behind was the more worrisome aspect to the job. She was expecting and Simon felt she was to far along to risk her and the baby. Serenity had been gone over with a fine toothed comb before they left Paraiso and Kaylee felt she would be fine for the journey.
******
Gus was just waking up as they closed on Serenity, his eyes bleary from sleep, hair tousled. Zoë docked the shuttle with practiced ease. Everyone had become more conscientious about their flying after Miranda when it became apparent that piloting was skill they didn’t have Wash to rely on for anymore.
Gus stood with his face plastered against the glass as Serenity came closer. Slack jawed in awe, he almost vibrated in excitement, all sleepiness disappearing. Zoë sat beside him, smiling as she saw the joy in his eyes. Eyes that she noted were like none she had ever seen before, ice-clear blue, the blue of light reflected off of snow. Mal, Jayne, and Wash all had blue eyes, but Gus’ were totally unlike any of theirs. The warmth was not in the color but rather the feelings and emotions they clearly radiated.
She felt herself warming to the impetuous little boy as he jumped up and down on his toes. His nose bumped the glass every time he hopped up, leaving a small nose-tip shaped imprint there. Zoë remembered Wash’s same joy of flight and wondered if he had been like Gus when he had been a little boy. Her heart raced slightly at the memory of her husband, tiny crack in her smile. He had grown up on a planet so polluted that you couldn’t see the stars she recalled him saying. And here was this little boy bringing Wash back to her in his delight. Zoë shook her head, smile renewing itself. She was glad her thoughts of Wash were now able to be warm and oddly comforting. He was still in her heart, and would never leave.
“That’s a spaceship ain’t it! We are in space…it’s all starry and dark, where are we? When are we gonna get there? Is that where you all live? Is that where I am gonna live? Can I fly it? Are there other kids? Who’s over there?…” He chattered nonstop throughout the approach and docking.
Jayne scowled at him, “Bi zui! Can’t be talkin’ all the time!”
Zoë threw a glance over her shoulder at Jayne for that and Gus just chirped along without interruption. Jayne growled and turned to organizing what little they had brought with them on the shuttle. He muttered to himself, “Gorram kid is gonna get me kicked off the boat if’n he don’t shut up…”
“Jayne, why don’t you go and see to it that there is a place for Gus in your bunk.” Jayne looked like he was going to argue, but he stopped before the words passed his lips at the sight of Zoë’s eyes boring into him warningly.
“Hâo ba.” He replied with an irritated shake of his head. He slung a duffle over one shoulder and grabbed Vera with the other. He rarely left Serenity without his favorite gun. Miranda had been a pivotal experience for everyone, even Jayne. He had changed inside from it. Most people still looked at Jayne as slightly dim merc only out for the payoff, but between Miranda and Alley, he had grown into a man whose priorities were altered less by money and more by doing what was right. He still struggled with the doing the smart thing on occasion. He figured his getting Gus was a step in the direction of right, would see how smart it was later.
Zoë waited with Gus while Jayne left to bring the bags onto Serenity. They looked out the window together.
Voice pitched low, Zoë started to talk, “Now listen here, you’re gonna have to listen to what everyone tells you here. This is a working ship and we need to know you will be doin’ as you’re told, dong ma?” She sat so Gus could turn and be eye to eye with her. She could tell that Gus liked that cause he stood still and looked right at her as she talked.
“Yes m’am.” He replied seriously before his mouth opened to another stream of questions, “What does the ship do? Where does it go? How fast? Is it fast? I bet it is fast…” he rambled on and walked around in a circle, gesticulating with his arms in wide sweeps to emphasize his excitement.
Shots rang out. Zoë leapt to her feet, ”STAY HERE!” She barked at Gus as she grabbed her gun and went to the door of the shuttle. From Serenity she could hear Jayne hollering, “Mal, where you at?” His voice was loud and close.
Zoë leaned slowly out to see the landscape. Jayne was leaning up against a bulkhead, barely covered from view to a man across on the catwalk. He held Vera upright and peeked around the covering beam before lowering her and firing at the man. Zoë did not recognize the fellow as he flipped over the edge of the railing to fall to the cargo bay floor. Jayne looked back at Zoë with a feral grin on his face.
“He got some friends I wager…Just wonderin’ what they are doin’ on the ship is all…” He said, still smiling. He loved a good fight more than anything she thought. Gave her a moments pause, wondering if he even had a thought to Gus in the shuttle.
A bullet zinged off the bulkhead next to Jayne, stopping Zoë from her internal questioning.
“Zoë, cover me,” Jayne ducked down and slipped across the catwalk, and then dropped down onto a stack of crates before rolling onto the cargo bay floor. There were sugar crates three and four high filling Serenity’s usually spacious hold. Zoë saw Jayne disappear between two stacks and could hear another man moving on the other side of the hold.
Zoë saw Mal over by the infirmary. He relaxed slightly as she stepped out of the shuttle. He knew she was there without having to look up. Their years of fighting side by side gave them an almost instinctual knowledge of the other’s location.
“Jayne, I got a bead on him from here,” Mal’s voice rang out.
“Well why dontcha just get it done then!” Jayne called back, slight disgust in his tone.
“Thought we might want to take one alive, conjure finding out who sent ‘em might not be a bad concept, not to mention how many there are” Mal replied.
There was a shot to punctuate that comment. Mal dropped into a crouch and stepped around a pile of crates, going around along the outside wall. Jayne crept forward down the middle of the piles. Zoë could just see another man poke his head up to look around. She dropped him with a shot from above.
“Zoë, you see any more?” She heard Mal call.
Zoë didn’t answer as she saw Jayne appear at the far end of the cargo bay, holding up two, then three fingers with a slight shrug. “No, sir, not a one or three.” She called back to Mal, signaling with her words the possibility of three men still unaccounted for.
“Two, three, counting all at once to be.” River’s voice crackled over the com system.
Jayne grinned at the corroboration of his estimate. Before he could get too cocky, Simon appeared at the infirmary door, gunman holding a pistol to his head. “You stop right there!” The man shakily ordered. Jayne slowly raised Vera from her ready position. Zoë took the shot as soon as the man holding Simon turned towards Jayne fully, exposing his own side. Simon lurched as the man fell abruptly away from him.
“We got us a terrible situation here Zoë, mighty strange folk been appearing on my ship.” Zoë glanced down towards Mal. He had another man in his sights. “I am thinking that they are not the type of folk we want to be bringing home” Mal was almost enjoying this Zoë could see.
“Three are two, but one still isn’t through,” River’s voice came again.
Zoë was beginning to get exasperated with the situation when she saw Gus go flying by her, tiny legs running fast as the eye could see.
“GUS! GUS, you stop right there!” She tried and failed to grab him as he passed her.
Zoë called down to Jayne, “We got a problem Jayne!” Gus ran across the catwalk, Jayne turned and looked up as he heard Zoë call. Another man stood and shot at Jayne who was slightly exposed and Mal fired at the shooter all in an instant. Jayne twisted and hit the ground, grabbing at his left thigh as he went down. The strange man fell as well, shrieking from a bullet wound to his neck. The man Mal had been covering dived behind some of the crates. Zoë jumped out to the tops of the nearest boxes, made her way towards where the man had vanished, stepping softly as she went.
Gus ran down the stairs and over to Jayne, now on the floor of the cargo bay, hand clamped on the wound on his thigh. Mal stalked over to the other fellow on the ground who was writhing, hands both clenched around his own neck, trying to stop the bleeding.
Mal squatted down next to him, eyes glittering dangerously, “Who sent you?” He asked.
“Gûnkāi, I don’t gotta talk to you.” The man answered through gritted teeth.
“You do if you want our Doc here to keep you from dying on my boat!” Mal answered, still not moving to assist the now paler looking man. There was blood spreading down the man’s clothes, hands were slick with it. There would be no helping him but Mal didn’t let that stop him. He wanted the information before the man died.
“Friends of Mr. Cairo.” The man croaked, “We work for Mr. Cairo.” His voice cracked at the last word, he coughed and blood ran down his lips and chin.
“How many?” Mal snarled. The wounded man’s eyes widened and he looked at Mal, horrified. Before Mal could react, the man slumped over and it didn’t take feeling for a pulse on his ripped apart neck to know that he was dead.
“Well don’t that just suit our conundrum.” Mal said to no one in particular. Simon called to Mal.
“Captain, we may have a slightly more vexing problem.” Mal turned towards Simon behind him. Abel was slumped on the floor near the stairs next to the infirmary.
“How many more of them are there?” Mal asked no one in particular, “What in the sphincter of hell happened!” He snapped at Simon, kneeling by the older man’s side.
“Would you believe he slipped coming down the stairs when he heard the fight?” Simon answered as he was checking for a pulse. Abel was breathing and there were no obvious signs of injury other than a swelling beginning on the side of his head.
“Looks like a simple concussion, but I need to get him to the infirmary.” Simon stood and began to lift Abel from one side, Mal got the other. As Mal stood up, he saw Jayne still on the ground, face grimacing in pain. And he saw Gus.
Zoë was creeping nearer to the tableau, eyes following the sounds of the last man as she went. She nodded to Mal acknowledging that she had the man in her sights.
“What were you thinking, coming out like that in the middle of a fight!” He almost snarled to the little boy as he was carrying Abel with Simon. His voice held none of its customary humor or warmth. At that moment, being the parent of a five year old himself was completely absent from his mind. “You might of gotten someone killed! Jayne, Zoë, or even Abel here!” Mal continued.
Gus shrank back against Jayne who was not responding at all to Mal. He was examining the injury on his leg. Looked like a minor through and through in the event that any bullet wound could be called minor. “Ger’off me, kid!” Jayne growled when Gus bumped against Jayne’s leg and nearly tripped.
Gus turned and started to run from the scene and ran right into the last gunman. “Easy there kid, ya don’t gotta be runnin’ from me,” the man’s voice was harsh and cold as he held Gus by his arm in a crushing grip. He held his sawed off shotgun toward Mal as he advanced on him
Mal stopped, murder in his eyes. “Why don’t you let that there little one go and see if we can’t settle this right.” He held his service revolver steadily at his side. Gus writhed in the man’s grip, twisting and kicking.
“Knock it off ya little monster,” the man spit as Gus connected with his thigh as he kicked. Jayne came in from the man’s other side, pain overwhelmed by the need to end the battle without Gus getting hurt. All three went down in a pile of arms and legs. Gus squirmed out of the man’s grip as Jayne got a hold of him.
Jayne grabbed the man as he tried to roll away, throwing the shotgun out of reach. Jayne was straddling the now down shooter, “I’ll show what ya get for tryin ta bring a kid inta this.” Jayne’s voice was pitch low and deep as he drew his arm back and punched the man. He kept hitting the man until there was no face any mother would recognize. Gus was crouched shakily nearby, watching, eyes wide.
Zoë came down and to Gus’ side. “Come on honey, let’s get you somewhere safe, ok?” She began to lead Gus away from Jayne and the man. They turned and were facing Mal. His eyes were dark with anger.
“You ever do that again, I will see to it that you don’t forget what happens to them that endanger my crew, dong ma?” His voice was thick with rage. “Now get back to the shuttle where Zoë told you to stay.” He spat the last in the voice he used as a battle field Sergeant years before. Gus shrank back away from Mal, clear eyes filled with tears. Zoë looked at Mal disapprovingly as she turned to bring Gus back to the shuttle.
River met them there, quietly taking Gus’ hand. “He needs to see.” Zoë nodded, not needing to know more right then. River had been caring for Alley and Matthew since they were born. She seemed to understand the children better than anyone, except Jayne’s understanding of Alley, which no one could fathom.
******
Back down in the infirmary, Mal stood over the unconscious Abel as Simon was checking the older man’s vitals. Jayne was on the other bed, leg bloody and roughly bandaged.
“What in the māde was that?” Jayne growled through gritted teeth.
“Seems we had some visitors that weren’t invited,” Simon answered. Mal shook his head angrily. “He is out, but otherwise all vitals are normal, Captain.” Simon explained as he continued to examine Abel.
“Yeah, I saw that Doc, what the hell is he doing here?” Jayne continued, pointing at Abel.
“Jayne, bì zuî hâo le ma.” Mal snapped.
“Gorramit Mal, I’ll stop askin’ when…”
“See to it then!” Mal barked back.
Jayne bit off another retort as Mal turned towards him. Zoë came in as Mal was warming up to get more frustrated with Jayne.
“Abel decided to come along this run?” She asked in a mild tone."Where did we pick up our new passengers?"
“Yeah,” Jayne shook his head, exasperated, “That was what I was askin’.”
Mal sighed, shrugging his shoulders and slumping as he replied to Zoë, “Was a routine drop and pick-up. Weren’t nothing we haven’t done dozen’s of times. He’s been wanting to go, see Persephone. Those hun dahn, must of stowed away in one of the crates.” Mal leaned back against the edge of the bed, shaking his head. “Was supposed to go smooth.”
“When has anything ever gone the way it was supposed to.” Jayne said in a soft voice almost to low to hear. Mal turned sharply towards him.
“I don’t recall having asked you!” He shot back. “And what happened with that kid of yours? Where did he come in from?”
“He was with Zoë when I came on board, I didn’t have nothin’ ta do with it!” Jayne answered.
“He’s your responsibility, I expect you to keep track of him!” Mal shot back.
“Sir, I told Jayne to come aboard first, I was with Gus when the shooting started.” Zoë replied smoothly.
“Could we all just keep it down a little, I am trying to determine the extent of Mr. Stoddard’s injuries.” Simon interjected.
“Hey, what about me Doc?” Jayne asked harshly.
“Sit still and I will get to you in a moment.” Simon replied curtly.
“So where is the boy now, Zoë?” Mal turned to his first mate.
“With River sir, seemed to be the best thing.” Zoë quietly answered.
Mal nodded, arms folded over his chest. “OK, well, we need to be finding out about this Mr. Cairo then. You ever heard that name before?” He looked at Zoë as he asked the question.
“No sir, can’t rightly say I have.” She said.
“I have,” Jayne spoke up, “Shepherd Book mentioned him once, right before he left for Haven.”
“Shepherd Book?” Mal and Zoë both turned to Jayne incredulous.
Jayne sat back a little from their response. “Yeah, we was talkin’ one day about Badger and Shepherd said Badger was just a little man, the one to worry about was some Mr. Cairo. He didn’t elaborate on why.”
“Funny him failing to mention this Mr. Cairo to anyone else?” Mal said to Zoë.
“Well sir, don’t expect he thought we would be dealing with this fellow.” Zoë replied.
“Right, and that just leaves us with a whole mess of questions, and no way to rightly answer them.” Mal shook his head with irritation. He turned back to Simon, “So what’s the news, Abel going to be all right?”
“Yes, I can’t find anything but a mild concussion, he will have quite a headache when he wakes up, but I want these anti-inflammatories to get a chance to work before I revive him.” Simon answered as he went to see to Jayne’s injury.
“Right, you call me if there is any change.” Mal said as he left the infirmary to see to the damage and dead men in the cargo bay.
Simon peeled back the hastily applied bandage on Jayne’s thigh to see how bad the wound was. Jayne grunted and flinched as the injury was opened to the air again.
“This looks like a fairly simple flesh wound, I will just clean it up, put a few stitches in it and then you try and stay quiet on it for a while.” Simon said dispassionately. He and Jayne had achieved a working relationship where each man did his job, the other did not complain overly about it.
******
River led Gus to the galley. He was shaking and trembling. The blood of one of the dead men was smeared on his arm and droplets were sprinkled across his face. He did not say anything as they stopped by the sink and River daubed the blood from his face.
“There now little man, remove the outside that should be in. No way to remove the outside now inside.” Gus looked into River’s eyes solemnly. “Those outsides will be in forever.”
Gus said nothing yet River talked to him in reply as if in conversation. It was not unusual for River to carry on conversations with people, especially children without them saying words out loud.
“The bear gets mad sometimes…sees red and tries to make it stop… usually it spreads.” River was explaining to Gus Jayne’s response to the man who tried to use Gus as a shield.
Gus was still as she pulled his bloody shirt over his head. His small body vibrated, more in fear than cold. River poured cold water over the bloody sleeve and rubbed the stain out.
“Out out damn spot…” River sing songed as she wrung the wet sleeve out. She carefully pulled the shirt back over his head. “There, the spot be gone.” She smiled gently to him as his lip quivered. “Will end this day more learned than you begun for a certainty. Come, will open new doors…” River reached out for Gus’ hand and led him to the cockpit. She sat down in the pilot’s chair and pulled Gus onto her lap so he could look out.
“We fly amongst the litter and light of many lives.” They said nothing as River flew Serenity towards Avery, home,. Gus’ white-blue eyes took in everything River did. He watched her hands fly across the consoles and switches with confidence. He could almost feel her reaching past the machine to the soul of it. River smiled when he looked up to her.
“You feel her to, do you not?” She asked. Gus nodded slowly, eyes widening at the realization of what he felt. The thrum of the engines, movement of fluids and oils through the ship. There was a heartbeat clearly behind it all. River had always felt it, it was as natural as the people around her breathing and speaking. Serenity lived as only a ship that was a home could. Gus knew there was something, he spent his life looking for it only achieving a smallest gleaning of it. No one could ever feel Serenity the way River did, but Gus never stopped trying.
bì zuî be quiet/shut up
dong ma understand?
gûnkāi fuck off
hâo ba okay (reluctant)
hâo le ma that's enough, okay?
hun dahn bastard
māde (exclamation) fuck
méiyôu mûqin de xiao gôu motherless cur
wo dong I understand
Jayne and Zoe return to Serenity to a bit of excitement and bring Gus with them...
The Echoes That Surround You, Part 4
Timeline Alley is five, as is Gus
Disclaimer Firefly owns me, I own words
From Prologue of Part 3....
“No, you’re not taking a shuttle and that’s final,” Mal was angry that Jayne just announced he was going to Harvest and taking a shuttle to do it. There was a certain loss of control happening in other areas of his life, and Mal did not want to be having anyone else tell him what was what. Alley was five, the star of Mal’s eye and his biggest headache; and little Matthew was just beginning to get his legs under him, which meant days spent running herd on two little ones. Last thing Mal wanted to deal with was Jayne getting demanding.
“Sir, I’ll be going with him.” Zoë announced in her usual calm tones.
Jayne and Mal both swung around towards her.
“What…Zoë…you aren’t serious?” Mal asked with that half-snort he used when he was dismissing something out of hand. Jayne just stared, jaw working, but no sound coming.
“I am, Sir, and you will be doing a right thing by not arguing it neither.” Zoë just continued without reacting to Mal’s noticeable agitation. “I already prepped the shuttle, Sir, got the entry codes programmed. We won’t be gone but a few days.” She looked Mal straight in the eye at that. The look lasted until Mal broke it, he knew there was something more going on here and he didn’t like it. Right then Alley came running by screaming with laughter, River in hot pursuit…
“Gorramit you two! What did I say about not running on the boat! You will trip and fall down and then your mother will kill me!’ He yelled as he turned to follow the two girls.
“You bring my shuttle back in one piece, hear?” he said over his shoulder to Zoë as he went to catch his miscreants.
“Zoë, I ain’t…” Jayne began to sputter.
“Not discussing this with you Jayne. We leave in ten minutes.” Zoë turned on her heel to go to her bunk and get her bag for the trip. She didn’t want Jayne to see the uncertainty in her eyes. What was she thinking going with the big merc to pick up a boy anyways? She shook her head as she walked through Serenity. She heard the laughter of the girls echoing off the walls. That was why she was going. The sound of love was wrapped up in this boat and she couldn’t deny it no matter how much it hurt to not be sharing it with her Wash.
******
Zoë flew the shuttle in silence. Jayne sat and looked at the sleeping boy, Gus, his nephew. He knew his mind should be on the boy, but he could not bring himself to consider what had just happened. He was still standing on the sidewalk outside his Ma’s house. She was angry with him. He could feel it like the cut of a knife. All those years ago he had left home, wanting to make a living he could support his family on. He remembered her fury at him. He left her with Mattie to care for and Talia in a home for the mentally ill. He couldn’t face his little sister, truth be told, even though she didn’t acknowledge anyone or anything any more -just sat and stared into space. All trace of the vivacious teenager gone, a shell of a body with nothing inside. Jayne went to see her once and left before anyone could see the tears in his eyes. After that he made sure to sit so as not to be able to see into her empty eyes. He told her about the weather, about Mattie, and Ma. He never talked about himself or his dreams. If he had any, no one had heard them.
“Jayne… we have a few hours before we rendezvous with Serenity.” Zoë’s voice cut through his reverie.
“What?” He replied thickly.
“Serenity, we will be docking in a few hours. You all right?” Zoë looked concerned. She had seen Jayne’s mother dismiss them when they left with Gus. Zoë hadn’t made it through the war and years of thieving with Mal to not know how to read people.
Jayne didn’t answer, just shook his head as he looked at Gus.
“You’re worried about the Captain I’ll wager.” She said to him. “Bound to be a tough fight, you bringing a boy onto Serenity.”
“Ya, spose so… ain’t really thought that far.” Jayne answered, looking away from Gus for the first time. He saw Zoë looking at Gus herself, soft eyes and a slight smile on her face.
“Jayne, who is the boy’s mother?” Zoë asked softly, looking up from her quiet examination of him. His blond hair was mussy and unkempt. Arms flung over his head in abandon as he slept the sleep of a child.
“My sister.” Jayne replied shortly, no real intention of sharing more.
Zoë chuckled, “Jayne, you can’t just say that and not add more detail. What happened? Why was he with your mother? Captain is gonna want to know why you had to bring him. He isn’t like to just let that be uncontested.”
“She’s gone, done died when Gus came. We ain’t sure who the pa is. No one ever came forward. Twasn’t like to neither, after what the gorram ,hun dahn done to a girl who couldn’t do fer herself…” Jayne growled and shook his head, looking like nothing so much as a bull looking for the matador he could blame his confinement on.
Zoë sat up straight at that. She had never guessed when Jayne said he had just about raised his sister that she was no longer alive, and in fact had been ill.
“What happened?” Zoë asked softly.
“Not wanting to be talking ‘bout that Zoë. Was a long time ago. Talia’s gone, Gus is here… I gotta do what Ma asked.” Jayne paused, took a deep breath and began to talk nonetheless.
“I had the toughest fight o my life with my Ma. She weren’t none to keen on my leavin Harvest, what with her havin Mattie at home with the damp lung. And Talia in the home.
I weren’t much mor’n a boy then, bare grown. She wanted me t’stay and work the mines like my Pa did. No money in that I told ‘er. Money we needed to be takin care o Mattie and Talia, y’ know?
She wouldn’t talk t’ me fer a week ‘fore I left. Longest week o my life I tell ya. Tweren’t til I was bout to leave she come to me. Told me I had better write, send home money. Wouldn’t be letting me go t’never hear from me again.
Don’t rightly know how I walked away from home that day. Ya just do what ya havfta, ya know.” Jayne paused, looking Zoë in the eye. “They didn’t tell me when Talia had the boy. Dunno if’n I woulda gone home if I knew. When they told me ‘bout her passing, I didn’t, couldn’t go…” Jayne stopped uncomfortably.
“Jayne?” Zoë had raised a quizzical brow.
“Weren’t gonna go, leave Alley, Serenity, for some méiyôu mûqin de xiao gôu…”
Zoë’s eyes flashed rage at that, “You shall never refer to Gus that way again Jayne. Dong ma?” She said the words in a low, dangerous tone. Jayne shrank back from her anger. He could feel it roll off her. This was a woman who scared Jayne, made him feel his inferiority by just the strength of her presence.
“Wo dong.” He nodded meekly. Inside his guts were tied in knots. His Ma had written him urgently asking him to come home, to help with Gus and Mattie. He never did. He just sent money and what letters he could write. By the time Jayne and Zoë came to get Gus, Ma Cobb had built up years of disappointment and resentment towards her oldest son. Jayne had never come home and she could not forgive him that.
******
They were to rendezvous with Serenity in orbit over Persephone. Mal, River, Simon, and Abel were onboard. A shipment of apple moonshine had been dropped and they had picked up a load of sugar for the return trip to Avery. It had turned into a routine job for the crew. Everyone felt it would be a small adventure for Abel to join them. He had often asked about Persephone, sometimes telling them his memories of his visits there when he had been a young man.
Mal had put up a token resistance to the idea of the older man joining them. He had begun to view Abel as a father figure, though he would never admit that even to himself. Leaving Kaylee behind was the more worrisome aspect to the job. She was expecting and Simon felt she was to far along to risk her and the baby. Serenity had been gone over with a fine toothed comb before they left Paraiso and Kaylee felt she would be fine for the journey.
******
Gus was just waking up as they closed on Serenity, his eyes bleary from sleep, hair tousled. Zoë docked the shuttle with practiced ease. Everyone had become more conscientious about their flying after Miranda when it became apparent that piloting was skill they didn’t have Wash to rely on for anymore.
Gus stood with his face plastered against the glass as Serenity came closer. Slack jawed in awe, he almost vibrated in excitement, all sleepiness disappearing. Zoë sat beside him, smiling as she saw the joy in his eyes. Eyes that she noted were like none she had ever seen before, ice-clear blue, the blue of light reflected off of snow. Mal, Jayne, and Wash all had blue eyes, but Gus’ were totally unlike any of theirs. The warmth was not in the color but rather the feelings and emotions they clearly radiated.
She felt herself warming to the impetuous little boy as he jumped up and down on his toes. His nose bumped the glass every time he hopped up, leaving a small nose-tip shaped imprint there. Zoë remembered Wash’s same joy of flight and wondered if he had been like Gus when he had been a little boy. Her heart raced slightly at the memory of her husband, tiny crack in her smile. He had grown up on a planet so polluted that you couldn’t see the stars she recalled him saying. And here was this little boy bringing Wash back to her in his delight. Zoë shook her head, smile renewing itself. She was glad her thoughts of Wash were now able to be warm and oddly comforting. He was still in her heart, and would never leave.
“That’s a spaceship ain’t it! We are in space…it’s all starry and dark, where are we? When are we gonna get there? Is that where you all live? Is that where I am gonna live? Can I fly it? Are there other kids? Who’s over there?…” He chattered nonstop throughout the approach and docking.
Jayne scowled at him, “Bi zui! Can’t be talkin’ all the time!”
Zoë threw a glance over her shoulder at Jayne for that and Gus just chirped along without interruption. Jayne growled and turned to organizing what little they had brought with them on the shuttle. He muttered to himself, “Gorram kid is gonna get me kicked off the boat if’n he don’t shut up…”
“Jayne, why don’t you go and see to it that there is a place for Gus in your bunk.” Jayne looked like he was going to argue, but he stopped before the words passed his lips at the sight of Zoë’s eyes boring into him warningly.
“Hâo ba.” He replied with an irritated shake of his head. He slung a duffle over one shoulder and grabbed Vera with the other. He rarely left Serenity without his favorite gun. Miranda had been a pivotal experience for everyone, even Jayne. He had changed inside from it. Most people still looked at Jayne as slightly dim merc only out for the payoff, but between Miranda and Alley, he had grown into a man whose priorities were altered less by money and more by doing what was right. He still struggled with the doing the smart thing on occasion. He figured his getting Gus was a step in the direction of right, would see how smart it was later.
Zoë waited with Gus while Jayne left to bring the bags onto Serenity. They looked out the window together.
Voice pitched low, Zoë started to talk, “Now listen here, you’re gonna have to listen to what everyone tells you here. This is a working ship and we need to know you will be doin’ as you’re told, dong ma?” She sat so Gus could turn and be eye to eye with her. She could tell that Gus liked that cause he stood still and looked right at her as she talked.
“Yes m’am.” He replied seriously before his mouth opened to another stream of questions, “What does the ship do? Where does it go? How fast? Is it fast? I bet it is fast…” he rambled on and walked around in a circle, gesticulating with his arms in wide sweeps to emphasize his excitement.
Shots rang out. Zoë leapt to her feet, ”STAY HERE!” She barked at Gus as she grabbed her gun and went to the door of the shuttle. From Serenity she could hear Jayne hollering, “Mal, where you at?” His voice was loud and close.
Zoë leaned slowly out to see the landscape. Jayne was leaning up against a bulkhead, barely covered from view to a man across on the catwalk. He held Vera upright and peeked around the covering beam before lowering her and firing at the man. Zoë did not recognize the fellow as he flipped over the edge of the railing to fall to the cargo bay floor. Jayne looked back at Zoë with a feral grin on his face.
“He got some friends I wager…Just wonderin’ what they are doin’ on the ship is all…” He said, still smiling. He loved a good fight more than anything she thought. Gave her a moments pause, wondering if he even had a thought to Gus in the shuttle.
A bullet zinged off the bulkhead next to Jayne, stopping Zoë from her internal questioning.
“Zoë, cover me,” Jayne ducked down and slipped across the catwalk, and then dropped down onto a stack of crates before rolling onto the cargo bay floor. There were sugar crates three and four high filling Serenity’s usually spacious hold. Zoë saw Jayne disappear between two stacks and could hear another man moving on the other side of the hold.
Zoë saw Mal over by the infirmary. He relaxed slightly as she stepped out of the shuttle. He knew she was there without having to look up. Their years of fighting side by side gave them an almost instinctual knowledge of the other’s location.
“Jayne, I got a bead on him from here,” Mal’s voice rang out.
“Well why dontcha just get it done then!” Jayne called back, slight disgust in his tone.
“Thought we might want to take one alive, conjure finding out who sent ‘em might not be a bad concept, not to mention how many there are” Mal replied.
There was a shot to punctuate that comment. Mal dropped into a crouch and stepped around a pile of crates, going around along the outside wall. Jayne crept forward down the middle of the piles. Zoë could just see another man poke his head up to look around. She dropped him with a shot from above.
“Zoë, you see any more?” She heard Mal call.
Zoë didn’t answer as she saw Jayne appear at the far end of the cargo bay, holding up two, then three fingers with a slight shrug. “No, sir, not a one or three.” She called back to Mal, signaling with her words the possibility of three men still unaccounted for.
“Two, three, counting all at once to be.” River’s voice crackled over the com system.
Jayne grinned at the corroboration of his estimate. Before he could get too cocky, Simon appeared at the infirmary door, gunman holding a pistol to his head. “You stop right there!” The man shakily ordered. Jayne slowly raised Vera from her ready position. Zoë took the shot as soon as the man holding Simon turned towards Jayne fully, exposing his own side. Simon lurched as the man fell abruptly away from him.
“We got us a terrible situation here Zoë, mighty strange folk been appearing on my ship.” Zoë glanced down towards Mal. He had another man in his sights. “I am thinking that they are not the type of folk we want to be bringing home” Mal was almost enjoying this Zoë could see.
“Three are two, but one still isn’t through,” River’s voice came again.
Zoë was beginning to get exasperated with the situation when she saw Gus go flying by her, tiny legs running fast as the eye could see.
“GUS! GUS, you stop right there!” She tried and failed to grab him as he passed her.
Zoë called down to Jayne, “We got a problem Jayne!” Gus ran across the catwalk, Jayne turned and looked up as he heard Zoë call. Another man stood and shot at Jayne who was slightly exposed and Mal fired at the shooter all in an instant. Jayne twisted and hit the ground, grabbing at his left thigh as he went down. The strange man fell as well, shrieking from a bullet wound to his neck. The man Mal had been covering dived behind some of the crates. Zoë jumped out to the tops of the nearest boxes, made her way towards where the man had vanished, stepping softly as she went.
Gus ran down the stairs and over to Jayne, now on the floor of the cargo bay, hand clamped on the wound on his thigh. Mal stalked over to the other fellow on the ground who was writhing, hands both clenched around his own neck, trying to stop the bleeding.
Mal squatted down next to him, eyes glittering dangerously, “Who sent you?” He asked.
“Gûnkāi, I don’t gotta talk to you.” The man answered through gritted teeth.
“You do if you want our Doc here to keep you from dying on my boat!” Mal answered, still not moving to assist the now paler looking man. There was blood spreading down the man’s clothes, hands were slick with it. There would be no helping him but Mal didn’t let that stop him. He wanted the information before the man died.
“Friends of Mr. Cairo.” The man croaked, “We work for Mr. Cairo.” His voice cracked at the last word, he coughed and blood ran down his lips and chin.
“How many?” Mal snarled. The wounded man’s eyes widened and he looked at Mal, horrified. Before Mal could react, the man slumped over and it didn’t take feeling for a pulse on his ripped apart neck to know that he was dead.
“Well don’t that just suit our conundrum.” Mal said to no one in particular. Simon called to Mal.
“Captain, we may have a slightly more vexing problem.” Mal turned towards Simon behind him. Abel was slumped on the floor near the stairs next to the infirmary.
“How many more of them are there?” Mal asked no one in particular, “What in the sphincter of hell happened!” He snapped at Simon, kneeling by the older man’s side.
“Would you believe he slipped coming down the stairs when he heard the fight?” Simon answered as he was checking for a pulse. Abel was breathing and there were no obvious signs of injury other than a swelling beginning on the side of his head.
“Looks like a simple concussion, but I need to get him to the infirmary.” Simon stood and began to lift Abel from one side, Mal got the other. As Mal stood up, he saw Jayne still on the ground, face grimacing in pain. And he saw Gus.
Zoë was creeping nearer to the tableau, eyes following the sounds of the last man as she went. She nodded to Mal acknowledging that she had the man in her sights.
“What were you thinking, coming out like that in the middle of a fight!” He almost snarled to the little boy as he was carrying Abel with Simon. His voice held none of its customary humor or warmth. At that moment, being the parent of a five year old himself was completely absent from his mind. “You might of gotten someone killed! Jayne, Zoë, or even Abel here!” Mal continued.
Gus shrank back against Jayne who was not responding at all to Mal. He was examining the injury on his leg. Looked like a minor through and through in the event that any bullet wound could be called minor. “Ger’off me, kid!” Jayne growled when Gus bumped against Jayne’s leg and nearly tripped.
Gus turned and started to run from the scene and ran right into the last gunman. “Easy there kid, ya don’t gotta be runnin’ from me,” the man’s voice was harsh and cold as he held Gus by his arm in a crushing grip. He held his sawed off shotgun toward Mal as he advanced on him
Mal stopped, murder in his eyes. “Why don’t you let that there little one go and see if we can’t settle this right.” He held his service revolver steadily at his side. Gus writhed in the man’s grip, twisting and kicking.
“Knock it off ya little monster,” the man spit as Gus connected with his thigh as he kicked. Jayne came in from the man’s other side, pain overwhelmed by the need to end the battle without Gus getting hurt. All three went down in a pile of arms and legs. Gus squirmed out of the man’s grip as Jayne got a hold of him.
Jayne grabbed the man as he tried to roll away, throwing the shotgun out of reach. Jayne was straddling the now down shooter, “I’ll show what ya get for tryin ta bring a kid inta this.” Jayne’s voice was pitch low and deep as he drew his arm back and punched the man. He kept hitting the man until there was no face any mother would recognize. Gus was crouched shakily nearby, watching, eyes wide.
Zoë came down and to Gus’ side. “Come on honey, let’s get you somewhere safe, ok?” She began to lead Gus away from Jayne and the man. They turned and were facing Mal. His eyes were dark with anger.
“You ever do that again, I will see to it that you don’t forget what happens to them that endanger my crew, dong ma?” His voice was thick with rage. “Now get back to the shuttle where Zoë told you to stay.” He spat the last in the voice he used as a battle field Sergeant years before. Gus shrank back away from Mal, clear eyes filled with tears. Zoë looked at Mal disapprovingly as she turned to bring Gus back to the shuttle.
River met them there, quietly taking Gus’ hand. “He needs to see.” Zoë nodded, not needing to know more right then. River had been caring for Alley and Matthew since they were born. She seemed to understand the children better than anyone, except Jayne’s understanding of Alley, which no one could fathom.
******
Back down in the infirmary, Mal stood over the unconscious Abel as Simon was checking the older man’s vitals. Jayne was on the other bed, leg bloody and roughly bandaged.
“What in the māde was that?” Jayne growled through gritted teeth.
“Seems we had some visitors that weren’t invited,” Simon answered. Mal shook his head angrily. “He is out, but otherwise all vitals are normal, Captain.” Simon explained as he continued to examine Abel.
“Yeah, I saw that Doc, what the hell is he doing here?” Jayne continued, pointing at Abel.
“Jayne, bì zuî hâo le ma.” Mal snapped.
“Gorramit Mal, I’ll stop askin’ when…”
“See to it then!” Mal barked back.
Jayne bit off another retort as Mal turned towards him. Zoë came in as Mal was warming up to get more frustrated with Jayne.
“Abel decided to come along this run?” She asked in a mild tone."Where did we pick up our new passengers?"
“Yeah,” Jayne shook his head, exasperated, “That was what I was askin’.”
Mal sighed, shrugging his shoulders and slumping as he replied to Zoë, “Was a routine drop and pick-up. Weren’t nothing we haven’t done dozen’s of times. He’s been wanting to go, see Persephone. Those hun dahn, must of stowed away in one of the crates.” Mal leaned back against the edge of the bed, shaking his head. “Was supposed to go smooth.”
“When has anything ever gone the way it was supposed to.” Jayne said in a soft voice almost to low to hear. Mal turned sharply towards him.
“I don’t recall having asked you!” He shot back. “And what happened with that kid of yours? Where did he come in from?”
“He was with Zoë when I came on board, I didn’t have nothin’ ta do with it!” Jayne answered.
“He’s your responsibility, I expect you to keep track of him!” Mal shot back.
“Sir, I told Jayne to come aboard first, I was with Gus when the shooting started.” Zoë replied smoothly.
“Could we all just keep it down a little, I am trying to determine the extent of Mr. Stoddard’s injuries.” Simon interjected.
“Hey, what about me Doc?” Jayne asked harshly.
“Sit still and I will get to you in a moment.” Simon replied curtly.
“So where is the boy now, Zoë?” Mal turned to his first mate.
“With River sir, seemed to be the best thing.” Zoë quietly answered.
Mal nodded, arms folded over his chest. “OK, well, we need to be finding out about this Mr. Cairo then. You ever heard that name before?” He looked at Zoë as he asked the question.
“No sir, can’t rightly say I have.” She said.
“I have,” Jayne spoke up, “Shepherd Book mentioned him once, right before he left for Haven.”
“Shepherd Book?” Mal and Zoë both turned to Jayne incredulous.
Jayne sat back a little from their response. “Yeah, we was talkin’ one day about Badger and Shepherd said Badger was just a little man, the one to worry about was some Mr. Cairo. He didn’t elaborate on why.”
“Funny him failing to mention this Mr. Cairo to anyone else?” Mal said to Zoë.
“Well sir, don’t expect he thought we would be dealing with this fellow.” Zoë replied.
“Right, and that just leaves us with a whole mess of questions, and no way to rightly answer them.” Mal shook his head with irritation. He turned back to Simon, “So what’s the news, Abel going to be all right?”
“Yes, I can’t find anything but a mild concussion, he will have quite a headache when he wakes up, but I want these anti-inflammatories to get a chance to work before I revive him.” Simon answered as he went to see to Jayne’s injury.
“Right, you call me if there is any change.” Mal said as he left the infirmary to see to the damage and dead men in the cargo bay.
Simon peeled back the hastily applied bandage on Jayne’s thigh to see how bad the wound was. Jayne grunted and flinched as the injury was opened to the air again.
“This looks like a fairly simple flesh wound, I will just clean it up, put a few stitches in it and then you try and stay quiet on it for a while.” Simon said dispassionately. He and Jayne had achieved a working relationship where each man did his job, the other did not complain overly about it.
******
River led Gus to the galley. He was shaking and trembling. The blood of one of the dead men was smeared on his arm and droplets were sprinkled across his face. He did not say anything as they stopped by the sink and River daubed the blood from his face.
“There now little man, remove the outside that should be in. No way to remove the outside now inside.” Gus looked into River’s eyes solemnly. “Those outsides will be in forever.”
Gus said nothing yet River talked to him in reply as if in conversation. It was not unusual for River to carry on conversations with people, especially children without them saying words out loud.
“The bear gets mad sometimes…sees red and tries to make it stop… usually it spreads.” River was explaining to Gus Jayne’s response to the man who tried to use Gus as a shield.
Gus was still as she pulled his bloody shirt over his head. His small body vibrated, more in fear than cold. River poured cold water over the bloody sleeve and rubbed the stain out.
“Out out damn spot…” River sing songed as she wrung the wet sleeve out. She carefully pulled the shirt back over his head. “There, the spot be gone.” She smiled gently to him as his lip quivered. “Will end this day more learned than you begun for a certainty. Come, will open new doors…” River reached out for Gus’ hand and led him to the cockpit. She sat down in the pilot’s chair and pulled Gus onto her lap so he could look out.
“We fly amongst the litter and light of many lives.” They said nothing as River flew Serenity towards Avery, home,. Gus’ white-blue eyes took in everything River did. He watched her hands fly across the consoles and switches with confidence. He could almost feel her reaching past the machine to the soul of it. River smiled when he looked up to her.
“You feel her to, do you not?” She asked. Gus nodded slowly, eyes widening at the realization of what he felt. The thrum of the engines, movement of fluids and oils through the ship. There was a heartbeat clearly behind it all. River had always felt it, it was as natural as the people around her breathing and speaking. Serenity lived as only a ship that was a home could. Gus knew there was something, he spent his life looking for it only achieving a smallest gleaning of it. No one could ever feel Serenity the way River did, but Gus never stopped trying.
bì zuî be quiet/shut up
dong ma understand?
gûnkāi fuck off
hâo ba okay (reluctant)
hâo le ma that's enough, okay?
hun dahn bastard
māde (exclamation) fuck
méiyôu mûqin de xiao gôu motherless cur
wo dong I understand