Serenity: Deception

Chapter Three: Part 2

"What's that?" Simon turned River's head to the side. Blood had dried behind her ear. "It's blood," Simon concluded.

"I had a nose bleed in the middle of the night," River told him.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Simon asked her again.

"Yes," River said. "But there is something, something I saw."

"What?" Simon asked.

"Are you ready?" Kaylee said, popping her head into the infirmary. Kaylee, the heart of Serenity, bounced into the room; her exuberant personality filled the room, relieving the harsh atmosphere and decreasing River's unease slightly.

"You're going out?" River asked Simon.

"Kaylee and I were going to head into town," Simon said. "We'll talk when I get back."

"We're going to explore some of the shops," Kaylee told her.

"You can tell me your story then," Simon said. "See you later."

"Bye River," Kaylee said as she and Simon left the infirmary together.

River pulled her feet up onto the examination table and repositioned her body so that she was lying flat, her head turned to the side and her porcelain doll cheek pressed against the cold steel. Despite her discomfort in the infirmary, she was happy to be alone. The miscreant Nathaniel Holliman had commandeered the bridge and the pilot station. He came into her home and made her role upon the ship unbearable.

"There you are," Nate said.

River bolted up into a sitting position as Nate sauntered into the infirmary. He sat down on the edge on the examination table causally and ran his hand through neatly combed auburn hair. For a long time he didn't speak or even look at River but instead just sat in the infirmary.

"I thought we should have another little chat," he said.

"Leave me alone,' River said. "Leave Serenity."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't I'll-"

"You'll what?"

"I'll hurt you," River said, standing up. "Badly," she added.

"You mouthy lil' bitch. You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna wait till we're half way to Beaumonde and I'm going to kill the captain, and I'm gonna toss his stupid monkey Jayne into space," Nate said. "Then, ya know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to tie you and your prissy brother up and make you watch me violate and murder Zoe, Kaylee and the whore. And then I'll slit your brother's throat."

As Nate spoke, his thoughts were illustrated in horrific flashes in River's mind. Mal sitting almost peacefully in the pilot's chair, a length of rope still around his neck. She witnessed Jayne sucked out of the cargo bay door, his blood turned to ice. River saw through Nate's eyes as he stood by the control panel and felt the sickly sadistic smile on his face. River heard Kaylee's agonized screams; she saw Inara dead, propped up against the wall, sitting with her elegant clothes in tatters and blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Zoe's body was awkwardly positioned, discarded on the floor with her arms wrapped around her body. And then she saw Simon face down on the catwalk, his throat slit and blood falling from his neck to the cargo bay floor.

River reached out and clenched Nate by the throat. He broke her hold and countered with a punch, which she parried. Nate swung again; River ducked under his fist and stuck his underarm with a knife-hand strike. She followed up with a balletic backwards roundhouse kick that struck the back of Nate's head, causing him to stumble forwards into River's knee. The blow to his face broke his nose and sent him staggering back to the infirmary counter.

River followed him. In her heavy combat boots, she kicked at his head. Nate caught the kick and held onto it, using his superior size and strength to throw her into the cupboards on the wall. River fell onto the counter, shattering vials of medicines. Nate took hold of her and dragged her along the counter, head first into the instruments placed upon it. River struggled for a moment to get out of his grasp. When she did, she swung her body around and push kicked Nate in the chest sending him over top of the examination table onto the floor. River got off the counter and walked toward him unhurried. He snivelled on the floor, pushing himself backward with his hands and feet.

"Help!" Nate screamed. "Somebody help me!"

"Shut up!" River shouted, kicking him across the face and sending blood from his mouth splattered across the infirmary.

"Help! Help me!" Nate continued to scream. "She's gonna kill me!"

Mal and Jayne ran down the stairs, the tramp of their boots heavy against the metal. They rushed into the infirmary as River took a surgical saw from a drawer. She slowly advanced on Nate.

"Gorramit! Not this gôu shî again," Jayne said.

Mal crossed the room and drew his pistol. He pointed it at the back of River's head. This wasn't the first time he had aimed his gun at River. Last time, River had given a beating to the patrons of a bar, Jayne included. Then she took aim at Mal as he stood, his pistol trained on her. He referred to this instance as a tie. There was no tie this time.

"Got the drop on you this time, lil' one," Mal said.

"You don't understand," River said, her lips quivering.

"I don't reckon I do," Mal said.

"My assessment is the girl went batty, started pounding on Nate here," Jayne said. "I'm sore I missed that bit of action."

"Jayne," Mal issued the warning.

"He's no good. He's not right," River said.

"There's the pot callin' the kettle black," Jayne weighed in.

"That's two," Mal told him. He turned to River. "Ya know, I'd feel a lot better if you'd drop that saw."

"No!" River said. "Old man, no name, rope burns 'round his neck, tries to scream for help but there's no sound. Just blood," River looked up at Mal, her hands trembling. "Comes home. Long day's work. Finds both blonde haired daughters limp in their own blood. Pools of it."

"Any idea what she's talking about?" Mal asked Nate.

"No idea. She just attacked me," Nate replied.

"There's so many!" River said.

River dropped the saw; it hit the floor with a distinct clank. She fell forward, her body shaking. Mal caught her and gently laid her on the floor. She looked up as Jayne pulled Nate to his feet.

"Monster! He's a monster! Soaked in blood. Monster! Monster!" she shouted at him.

"Get 'im out of here," Mal said, his voice booming.

"S'all right, s'all right now lil' girl," Mal said.

River's nose began to bleed. She touched her face, above her lip and looked at the blood on her fingertips. When she saw the blood, she cried; the tears ran down her temples and onto the floor. Her hand shook as she stared up, watery eyed at Mal.

"Help me-oh God, stop the blood, make me clean again, take away these pins," River said on the cusp of unconsciousness.

"Hold on," Mal stood up and went quickly to the sink. He grabbed a cloth and dampened with warm water. "Zoe!" he called out. Mal knelt down at River's side and wiped away the blood from her nose, "It's all gone," he told her.

"Sir?" Zoe arrived. "What the...?"

"Get the doctor," Mal said, looking over her shoulder. "Hurry."