Fic: Strangely Comfortable (2/5)
Jun. 16th, 2006 01:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedibuttercupTitle: Strangely Comfortable (2/5)
Author: Jedi Buttercup
Rating: PG-13
Joss100 Prompt: Malcolm Reynolds, #2.46 - Need
Summary: Firefly, Boondock Saints fusion. The crew of Serenity rescue a shipload of students from River's Academy. Connor and Murphy McManus are among them. 5x500 words total.
Previously: Chapter One
Five hours from the minute they burst through the door, fifty minutes since they cast off the transport, Mal's got himself a cargo bay full of crazy. The attack went like clockwork-- none of them doctors will ever cause another moment of pain-- and there ain't no record of their presence left in the system to tip the Alliance off who done it. It'll be a lot harder, though, to find those kids places now that they sprung 'em.
River knows which'll be safe back with their families, which are in danger, and which have no home to go to; they'll have to find alternate accommodation for more'n a few. Zoe thinks maybe Haven will serve-- the settlement's still a little tore up, and the graves might spook some of the Readers, but it ain't a place the Alliance is like to look for them, and maybe with them out of sight the hunters'll stop searching. Whole point of the government breaking up the Academy was to sweep the evidence under the rug after Miranda; Mal ain't got no quarrel with the idea of keeping 'em out of the public eye, but at least his way they'll have some chance at maybe living.
First things first, though. They need more drugs, more doctors; Simon's made a few contacts since Miranda, young men he'd known at Medacad picking up defiance like it were a new fad, and Serenity's en route to meet up with two of 'em. Like as not they'll repent of it and be upstanding citizens again within the year, but now is when they have need, so Mal's willing to temporarily overlook their more lily-livered tendencies.
River approaches along the catwalk on silent, bare feet, slipping her fingers quietly in amongst his. Mal squeezes her hand, heedless of the flecks of blood spattering her slim arm, and she leans closer, pillowing her dark head on his shoulder. Together, they look down over their temporary passengers like a pair of guardian angels over their flock.
"Deanna," River says, pointing at one slim girl all luminous eyes and long, curly hair. She's maybe fourteen, whimpering softly under the blanket Simon gave her, pressing the heels of her hands to her ears. Beside her, a young man with skin the color of weak tea rubs his hands over his eyes, rocking slowly and whispering nonsense. "Julian," River names him, the syllables rolling off her tongue like a benediction.
Most of the others are in worse shape. Simon's sticking 'em one by one, Inara acting as his nurse, to send 'em back into drugged slumber. River knows all their names, and points them each out to Mal's notice. The last are a pair of young men maybe her age curled around each other, one darker haired than the other but both the same height and musculature. These, River does not name; she simply calls them "Saint."
Mal knows better than to question. He's sure she'll let him know when he needs to.
-(2/5)-
(x-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
joss100)
Author: Jedi Buttercup
Rating: PG-13
Joss100 Prompt: Malcolm Reynolds, #2.46 - Need
Summary: Firefly, Boondock Saints fusion. The crew of Serenity rescue a shipload of students from River's Academy. Connor and Murphy McManus are among them. 5x500 words total.
Previously: Chapter One
Five hours from the minute they burst through the door, fifty minutes since they cast off the transport, Mal's got himself a cargo bay full of crazy. The attack went like clockwork-- none of them doctors will ever cause another moment of pain-- and there ain't no record of their presence left in the system to tip the Alliance off who done it. It'll be a lot harder, though, to find those kids places now that they sprung 'em.
River knows which'll be safe back with their families, which are in danger, and which have no home to go to; they'll have to find alternate accommodation for more'n a few. Zoe thinks maybe Haven will serve-- the settlement's still a little tore up, and the graves might spook some of the Readers, but it ain't a place the Alliance is like to look for them, and maybe with them out of sight the hunters'll stop searching. Whole point of the government breaking up the Academy was to sweep the evidence under the rug after Miranda; Mal ain't got no quarrel with the idea of keeping 'em out of the public eye, but at least his way they'll have some chance at maybe living.
First things first, though. They need more drugs, more doctors; Simon's made a few contacts since Miranda, young men he'd known at Medacad picking up defiance like it were a new fad, and Serenity's en route to meet up with two of 'em. Like as not they'll repent of it and be upstanding citizens again within the year, but now is when they have need, so Mal's willing to temporarily overlook their more lily-livered tendencies.
River approaches along the catwalk on silent, bare feet, slipping her fingers quietly in amongst his. Mal squeezes her hand, heedless of the flecks of blood spattering her slim arm, and she leans closer, pillowing her dark head on his shoulder. Together, they look down over their temporary passengers like a pair of guardian angels over their flock.
"Deanna," River says, pointing at one slim girl all luminous eyes and long, curly hair. She's maybe fourteen, whimpering softly under the blanket Simon gave her, pressing the heels of her hands to her ears. Beside her, a young man with skin the color of weak tea rubs his hands over his eyes, rocking slowly and whispering nonsense. "Julian," River names him, the syllables rolling off her tongue like a benediction.
Most of the others are in worse shape. Simon's sticking 'em one by one, Inara acting as his nurse, to send 'em back into drugged slumber. River knows all their names, and points them each out to Mal's notice. The last are a pair of young men maybe her age curled around each other, one darker haired than the other but both the same height and musculature. These, River does not name; she simply calls them "Saint."
Mal knows better than to question. He's sure she'll let him know when he needs to.
-(2/5)-
(x-posted to
joss100)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-06-17 06:25 am (UTC)But a question. Deanna? Julian? Are those throwaway crossover cameos? The descriptions, as far as they go, would fit. (sorry, I love spotting stuff like that so I just wondered....)
no subject
Date: 2006-06-17 07:34 am (UTC)Good spotting. =)