Old Blue Crate Chap. 12

Chapter 12: Revelations

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Zoe walked into the dining area to find Mal pouring himself a cup of the leftover coffee. He looked up at her, taking a sip. "How'd things go with Inara? She all right?"

"She was pretty far from all right, sir," she said. "That thing had her."

" 遭受的糖浆," said Mal, wincing. "So now what?"

"It's been dealt with. I'm thinking we should get some answers from the Doctor on what the 肉盔甲 just happened."

"You ain't wrong," said Mal, and took another sip from his cup. They turned at footsteps, to see Jayne and Simon carrying Inara through in a makeshift stretcher. Mal looked over at Zoe sharply.

"'Dealt with'?" At Zoe's nod, he made a pained scowl and rubbed his head. "哦美好的烟肉位, you know what her Guild could do to us, this gets back to them?"

"Well aware of it, sir."

As the trio were about to leave the room, Mal waved. "Jayne!"

"What?"

"Soon as you get her to the sick bay, I need you to get the Doctor up here."

Jayne nodded, and they left.

"Anything turn up in the cargo?"

"Nothin' out of the ordinary, things looked a little banged up, though." He nodded at Wash and Book as they came through the dining area on the way to the bridge.

Book paused. "Captain, I won't pretend to know what's been happening, but- " he suddenly took a closer look at Mal. "Are you injured?"

"'S fine," said Mal.

"If you say so," said Book. He looked between Mal and Zoe a moment, then joined Wash in continuing up to the bridge.

A minute or so later, the 'com crackled to life. "Sorry, Captain Reynolds, I had meant to let you know what was hap-"

"I told Jayne to get you up here."

"I'm sorry, but there are some very delicate repairs to be done here-"

"Then Kaylee can do them. I said get up here!"

Zoe raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

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"Of all the confounded, egotistical, ungrateful..."

The Doctor jerked off the heavy work gloves and slammed down alongside the screwdriver he'd been working with. "Kaylee, take over here. There are a couple of connections you may not recognize; just leave those until I return."

He snatched up his coat, shrugging it on as he stalked into the narrow corridor leading toward the rest of the ship.

Jayne followed close behind, grabbing the young stowaway and dragging him behind almost as an afterthought. The kid struggled for a split second, but then thought better of it and tried to run to keep up, though he ended up being half-dragged along anyway.

As they passed the sick bay, Simon was just putting an IV into Inara's arm and taking her vitals. As the Doctor and Jayne passed, though, he sprang to the door. "How is River-" The Doctor swept past, muttering to himself in an angry tone. Jayne, following close behind, said, "Sleepin'," then was gone as well.

"Was that a- wh-what are you doing?!" Simon started after him. "Where did that child- Jayne!"

"Stowaway," grunted Jayne. "Takin' him to the Captain."

"St- hey, wait!"

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The Doctor stormed into the dining area, Jayne on his heels, and Simon on Jayne's.

"How dare you order me about like some errand boy Captain, I demand an explanation!"

"That's exactly what I'm gettin'' from you, Doctor," said Mal, a stony look on his face. "Have a-" He stopped, and put his hand over his eyes, fingers and thumb on his temples. "What exactly is that doing on my ship?"

"Stowaway," was the reply.

"I'm still waiting-"

Mal turned back to the Doctor. "Sit. Down."

The Doctor glared back, but did as he said. He placed his hands face-down on the table in front of him. "Very well, I'm sitting. Now what in Godfrey do you want?"

"Explanations. Why we're damaged, what in that thing was... and why it only showed up after you did!"

"I see." the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "There are a great many parts to that explanation that could be posited. I really am not sure how to start."

Zoe stepped closer. "Just start," she said.

"Yes, yes, all right," he said. "I realize that in this system, no alien encounters have been recorded. Am I right so far?"

"Aliens?" Jayne snorted. Simon was staring at the Doctor with an increasingly unsettled look.

"Yes. Well, the... being we encountered was indeed an alien. A Holoesten, to be precise."

"Means less than nothin' to me," said Mal.

"They were, long ago, part of an advanced civilization," said the Doctor. "For sake of simplicity, for the last twenty thousand years, they have been mainly adrift in space. Where they have alighted on a planet, legends have arisen, and persisted."

"Legends of what?" said Simon.

"Demons, mainly. Angels, once in a long while-"

"Demons?" said Book, walking in.

"Indeed," said the Doctor. "Of course, perhaps not those you know, but one or two have happened on Earth as well."

"Earth-that-was."

"That is. Could I please finish without being interrupted again?" Without pausing, he continued. "This particular one seems to have been here, on this ship, before I ever set foot in this system. I was informed that-"

"Hold it," said Mal. "In this system? How in gorram hell could you have gotten -"

"There are many layers of explanation, Captain," said the Doctor. "Hm. I'll try to stay to the salient points as much as possible. Ah, yes. I was informed only after I had commissioned you, that one of these were aboard. Now, it's very unusual for one of them to stay concealed; they'd usually start in immediately."

"Start what?" said Zoe.

"Why, feeding, of course," said the Doctor. "They feed on strong emotions. Pain and anger tend to be strongest, so they foster those, but...." he broke off. "How in blazes did they know I was here, and indeed, about my TARDIS..."

Simon stepped forward. "You're not human."

The Doctor looked up. "Well, of course I'm not, Doctor Tam. You of all people should have seen, especially after you checked my vitals."

"What."

The Doctor turned back toward Mal. "Yes, I believe I said. I'm from Gallifrey..." He frowned at the lack of expression on their faces. "It's in the constellation of Kasterberous, which you can't see from here. There's a nebula in the way."

"You're an alien, too."

"Oh for goodness sake!" said the Doctor. "I'm still the same man you've been dealing with all this time, nothing's changed."

The same looks.

"My earlier point is, there had to be something here not only drawing them, but capable of briefing them, as well as a place to hide..." he pulled out the sonic screwdriver, playing it around.

"Doctor," said Mal.

"Hm?" said the Doctor, still searching around.

"You're from another world, and you didn't tell us?"

"My dear Captain, would you have believed me? I highly doubt it," he replied. "Mind you, I find it strange that such a system hasn't already had multiple contacts, but I'm sure I'll find out why later."

He was out of his seat and pacing over to the child, then stopped. "No, not from here..."

"Doctor," said Simon, "what are you?"

"A Time Lord, old chap," said the Doctor absently. "I know it sounds pretentious, but there it is." He twisted the body of the screwdriver, then turned back toward Mal. He looked up, studying him.

"What?"

"Do you have anything you don't usually have in your pockets?"''

Mal unconsciously reached for his trousers, then stopped. "This is gorram crazy," he snapped. "You come on my ship, that thing comes on looking for you. You tell me what's going on!"

The Doctor took a step back, still looking between Mal and the screwdriver. "Zoe," he said, "could you tell me if there's anything on the captain's back? Say, the back of his neck or shoulder?"

"What? You're accusin' me of-"

Mal suddenly found his arm pinned. "Sir, hold still."

"Wha?!" He looked down, to see that Zoe had caught his hand just before it had reached his holster.

She nodded at Book, who stepped forward, going over the back of Mal's shirt with a practiced hand. He stopped over his right shoulder. "There's something he - whoa!" He swayed back just in time to avoid Mal's fist, then applied his own wrist lock. "Doctor, Simon, you may want to check-" he was cut off as he struggled to keep him under control.

"I was hoping this wasn't it," said the Doctor. He grabbed at Mal's collar, yanking back to reveal his shoulders.

There was a small golden metal patch in the middle of his left shoulder blade! Mal yanked free of Zoe's grip, and the Doctor was suddenly in the midst of trying to stop Mal from attacking them. Three chairs thudded to the floor, the table upended.

Jayne shoved the kid at Simon, who hadn't moved, and leaped forward to help.

"That patch!" barked the Doctor. "Get it off him!"

Zoe slid her fingers down under the edge of the patch, and yanked.

There was a sickening slurch, and Mal howled!

He sagged forward, all tension gone.

The Doctor snatched the bloody plate from her hand. "Now to find-"

Mal straightened suddenly. "I know exactly what did this."

"Well then, what-" The Doctor was suddenly staring at an empty hand, as Mal snatched the badge away from him. With one swift motion, he threw it to the floor and smashed it under his boot.

"But we needed that-"

Mal had pushed by Simon, and was already stalking out the door, drawing his pistol.

Zoe was first behind him, followed by the others.

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"Mal," shouted Simon, as he barged into the sickbay, "Please! She's of no harm... to..." His voice fell off as he saw him go past her and slam his fist into a tile.

A panel slid aside, revealing a secret compartment with several crates covered with tarpaulin, and a small device, covered with several pulsing lights and a sweeping radar dish.

"Aha!" said the Doctor. "Now we can-"

BLAM BLAM BLAM!!

The Doctor and others flinched back as Mal put three rapid shots into the heart of the device, which flared out and died. He then slammed the gun home in its holster and stared at the device, jaw clenched.

"I can understand your reaction, Captain Reynolds," said the Doctor into the silence. "However, I had really hoped to be able to use the device to-"

Mal rounded on him, expression unchanged. "To do what, huh, Doctor? To do what?!"

"Um," said the Doctor, "Yes, of course."

Without another word, he left in the direction of the engine room.

The others stood a moment, then trickled off to the other areas, leaving Simon, who was attending to Inara again, and Zoe.

"We do have some questions to get answered, and a stowaway, sir," said Zoe.

"Just... give me a minute."

Zoe nodded, and left.