Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
CHAPTER FOUR
"It just didn't make sense!" Jack said, pacing in front of his crew. They had full use of the back living space and often took advantage of it, as it was the only place they were likely to get privacy. Mal's crew often used the front of Serenity to meet or make plans. "She knew everything. And she had this." He pulled out the box River had handed to him.
"That looks like the box you had back in Cardiff," Mickey pointed out.
"Identical," Jack said. "I didn't have it with me when we arrived. I left it back on my desk. So how did a girl hundreds of years into the future get the same box? Mickey, you run some tests on this box. I know you have limited material here, but anything you can pick up would be good. Gwen and Martha, I need the two of you to meet with me and make a plan. We're landing on Hawall in two days. We've got to find a way out of here. I don't think Mal knows what he's doing. We're on our own here. Ianto, I need you to talk to the crew. Find out all you can about the planet; geography, temperature, the kinds of people we're likely to run to."
His crew went off in separate directions, spreading out and beginning to carry out their assigned tasks. Mickey picked up the box and began to walk away with it. A few minutes later he returned, holding a towel. "It's hot again. Remember how Martha said it was hot to the touch? It's getting to be that way again."
"So what does that mean?" Jack asked. "The last time it happened, we travelled forward in time. Are we going to go back home again?"
Mickey shook his head. "Somehow I doubt it. My scanners were going off the charts when we travelled the last time, and nothing's happening now. It's weird. It's like there's a ton of energy coming out of this box, but nowhere else. Before --"
"There was a ton of energy coming from everywhere," Jack finished. "Well, what do we do about it?"
"I've got to figure out what was different last time. You'd think because we're in space, my scanners would be detecting an alien life form somewhere and there's nothing at all."
They heard the soft padding noise of bare feet in the living room. It was River again. "Oh, you won't find anything in there," she said, pointing towards the box. "The big bad wolf scared it all away."
"He's trouble," Zoe said, sitting in River's vacant co-pilot seat. "I feel like I'm always repeating myself around here, but he's trouble."
"I'm getting that. What's wrong with him this time?"
"River thinks he's the big bad wolf, and I'm pretty caught up on my fairy tales from Earth-That-Was. The Big Bad Wolf eats Red Riding Hood."
"Yeah, but she gets away."
"That's not my point, sir."
"So, you think I'm Red Riding Hood?" Mal asked, frowning.
"Metaphor kind of fits."
"First of all, I rarely wear red capes. Except for that one time, and it was a job. Second of all, I'm not a girl. Third of all, I can take care of myself."
"I'm not sayin' you can't take care of yourself. I'm just sayin', who knows what problems he'll cause here on this ship or to the crew."
"We're landing tonight. You want me to dump him on Hawall?"
"I'd feel better. We can help him, find someone on that planet who knows a thing about time travel, or thinks they know about time travel, and get out of here. But let's not keep him around."
"Can do."
They landed early that evening as the sun set on the planet. Martha had travelled to many planets, but this was one of the more beautiful planets she had ever been to. The planet looked almost tropical, with palm trees and flowers. They were treated to a colorful sunset, and it made her slightly homesick for Earth.
She sat on a bench outside of a bunch of booths where people were shopping, enjoying the warmth of the evening. A gentle breeze cooled off the temperature, making it a nice night. She was waiting for a good opportunity to slip into one of the booths. Kaylee had mentioned a fortune teller who frequented the capitol city, and Jack had suggested that she talk to the fortune teller and see if she knew anything about time travel. It was a long shot, but if she did know anything about it, they would be a lot closer to a plan about how to get home than they were right now.
After a moment or two, she began to walk over to the collection of booths behind her. People were packed in, buying arts and crafts or food or playing games. Some were even sitting in chairs, just enjoying the pleasant temperature.
The fortune teller found her before she found the booth. She heard her voice from a chair. "Beautiful woman, you are lost and in the wrong place."
Martha stopped and looked at her. She did not look like a stereotypical fortune teller. Her hair was cut short, and she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She'd met one before on her travels back when they'd thought the world was ending, but she had been far more stereotypical looking, complete with frilly shirts. She also hadn't been very good. "I was hoping you could help me."
"Sit down."
Martha sat on one of the chairs. It was soft and relaxing, and she started to feel like she might nod off. No. She had a job to do. "I need to find out how to get home." She'd left the statement vague enough that if the fortune teller was any good, she would be able to find out the problem herself. If she was a fraud, Martha would get a generic fortune and she could walk away.
"I know," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. That was a good sign, Martha thought. "You must beware of silver boxes. They will keep you moving but nowhere you want to go. Unless you know how to use it."
"What's wrong with silver boxes?" she asked. "What do you mean, they keep you moving? What does that mean?"
"You came here because of a silver box, yes?"
"I don't know if that's quite how we should describe it, but we opened one, and --"
"They are evil. And if you don't know the magic behind it, you will be lost. Forever." She leaned towards Martha. "Forever."
"So how can we find out how to use it properly?"
"Discover the magic. It will bring you home."
"And how do I do that?"
"You must find that out for yourself." She leaned back in her chair mysteriously. "You must discover the magic on your own."
Helpful as always, Martha thought. It was clear the fortune teller wasn't going to give her any more information. She stood and began to walk away, hoping to find Jack.
Jack had walked down the plank of Serenity as soon as he possibly could after landing. He was eager to avoid River, who always seemed to be where he was, no matter what. He had slipped the box into the pocket of his coat earlier. It seemed to be the key to them getting home, since it seemed to be fundamental to them getting back.
The first person he saw wasn't River, or any of the other crew. It was, much to his dismay, Talitia.
"Hello, there," she said. "Given any more thought to my plan?"
"Not really. The captain did give me a ride, so I'm not going to let you arrest him just so you can get some glory."
"What if I told you, I know what that bulge-y thing is in your pocket and I know what it can do?"
"Still not going to bite."
"That box. Perhaps you saw one in your headquarters back in Cardiff? We've been studying it for ages. Ever since this girl who travelled with the Doctor died we've been in possession of it. The fact that this box ended up in your time was probably a time travelling error. But whoops, I can't tell you anything else until you agree to help me out."
"Well, that's not going to happen, so you'd better just help me out."
"Well, it is, because I'm about to help you find him." She pulled the gun out of her pocket. "Either give me the box, or I'll kill you. Well, probably not you, since you can't die, but I have no trouble killing everyone else in your crew one by one until you agree to hand me Malcolm Reynolds."