Ticks & Tocks
Art by aimsleydale (LJ | e-mail | comment) and Neth Dugan (LJ | e-mail | comment)
Chapter 7
"I don't see why you're so hesitant, Sergeant," said Captain Zachary Emerson, standing in the loading dock of Serenity. A group of five Alliance soldiers, all shorter than their tall captain, stood behind the officer, the bright light of the Alliance Cruiser pouring into the dark salvage ship.
Facing them was Mal, his arms crossed as he glared, his upper lip stiff. "Ain't a sergeant anymore; just a member of the average folk, trying to make a living. That living requires me to keep moving and take jobs whenever I can come across them. I've been contracted for a mite important job that needs to be done quickly. Handling all these legalities will only delay me and my crew." He was surrounded by Serenity's crew- everyone but Kaylee, Inara, Simon, and River; the brother and sister were currently tucked away in the nook adjacent to where Inara's shuttle was usually attached. Even if the crew hadn't been the ones getting into trouble, they couldn't risk the Tam siblings being caught.
Captain Emerson sighed as he stepped forward. "I understand, Mr. Reynolds, but... your ship was attacked! I'm sure whomever hired you will understand your situation. It's only proper protocol on the Alliance's part."
Mal approached him slowly. "As far as I can tell, that ship's destroyed; no need to worry or stick around. Now, I'm expected on Kiyome very shortly, Captain, and it would not look good for me to show up late. I'll sign whatever paper I need for your bureaucratic records, but I need to make haste." He had no time to waste fighting the Alliance over something so trivial when the entire job was at stake.
"Kiyome is only a few hours out; you'll have more than enough time, even if you are a little less than punctual-"
"The man who hired me is very important, and I wouldn't dream of offending him like that," he reaffirmed, his voice low. Mal studied his surroundings; he was out of earshot from both his crew and Captain Emerson's. "I'll sign whatever you need me to. Please, just let us be on our way."
Captain Emerson remained silent, his young, green eyes studying Mal curiously. Finally, he spoke, "Mr. Reynolds, if you are hiding something, I demand that you inform me immediately or I will bring charges against you."
Closing his eyes, Mal breathed in deeply. The Rosetta stone was wrapped up in a crate that was concealed in the docking bay's fake wall. He didn't need the Alliance poking their noses around and finding it. "Captain, I'd best be going, on account of my meeting with-" He cleared his throat, leaning closer to the officer. "Archibald Mathers," he murmured, setting back onto his heels.
Blinking, Captain Emerson remained silent, his lips parted. He swallowed, his eyes never leaving the face of the Serenity's captain. "You're perfectly serious, aren't you?"
Mal nodded. "As I've said, I need to be getting along."
Captain Emerson gave no immediate response; instead, he quietly thought to himself, averting his eyes from Reynold's face. Finally, he took off his hat and scratched his light brown hair. "I take it he pays very well," he commented, replacing his hat atop his head.
"As well as you'd think."
"Huh," was the Alliance captain's answer. He set his jaw in place, stepping closer to Mal. "Despite what everyone says, Alliance salary isn't generous. It's one of their ways to keep you in service for as many years as possible."
It was all Captain Emerson had to say. Mal knew exactly what the man was after and could feel himself clenching his teeth. "Would you like to see Serenity's paperwork? I'm sure you'll find it contents thrilling." His stomach tightened as he spoke the words.
Captain Emerson smiled crookedly. "I would prefer this."
"Zoe," Mal called over his shoulder. He startled the crew; they had been too busy trying to decipher what the two captains were talking about. "Bring me all of Serenity's paperwork from the safe- everything in it."
If she understood what he meant, she made no indication of it. She only nodded in response, her face showing no flicker of emotion, "Understood, sir," she stated, stepping back. Zoe stalked off into the ship, leaving the nervous crew behind.
No more than ten minutes later, she returned, carrying a parcel. From a distance it looked to be a large manila envelope, its edges crinkled and worn from age. As Zoe approached Mal he could see the smaller, white envelope underneath, hidden in his first mate's hand.
The first half of Archibald Mathers' payment.
She extended the contents to her captain. "My apologies for taking so long."
"Xie xie, Zoe." Mal took hold of the envelopes, allowing Zoe to return to her place next to her husband. He adjusted the packets in his hand, careful not to let the little envelope show. "Here you are, Cap'n. All of Serenity's documents-all of it." He held them out.
Gripping onto the manila envelope, Mal watched as the corners of Captain Emerson's mouth twitched. He felt the white envelope pull away; from the corner of his eye he saw it disappear into the captain's sleeve. The deal was done.
Still, Captain Emerson attempted, naturally, to keep up appearances. Opening the manila envelope, he took out several documents, holding them up for scrutiny. Mal examined him; the Alliance officer was no longer paying attention, his eyes moving too fast to be reading. Still, he took enough time to convince both crews of his act.
"Interesting, indeed," Emerson stated, allowing the documents to slip back inside the manila envelope. Closing it, he handed it back to Mal. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. Reynolds. I see that the paperwork that needs to be completed can't fit into your timetable. Whatever requires your signature, I'll be sure to send it to you."
Turning around, Captain Emerson faced his crew. "Men, we'll be departing now." Ever obedient, the soldiers spun around on their heels, waiting as Emerson sauntered past them before following him. The officers grew smaller as they marched down the ramp, back onto the Alliance cruiser.
Mal gave an exasperated sigh, walking over to the ship's wall and crushing the button under his hand. Slowly, the dock began to close. "Wash, get us off this ri shao gou shi bing," he ordered, rubbing his forehead as the ship's docking slid shut. Crises averted.
"Mal, how could you!?" Jayne growled, following the captain down the ramp of the dock and onto Kiyome's soil. His face was red and his thick body was shaking, the shock of Mal's actions unnerving him.
Fixing his brown coat, Mal looked out into Kiyome's distance, the pale pink and purple daybreak coating the skyline. "Quite easily, Jayne; I handed the coin over and he took it."
The mercenary groaned, frustrated. "You know that ain't what I mean. You gave that Fed the loot- all of it! I didn't realize we was licking their fang pi now," he snapped, spitting on the dirt.
Mal placed his hands on his belt, basking in the cool breeze that rolled across the prairie. "If we hadn't given him the coin, we'd still be stuck on that piece of go se, most likely in handcuffs. They'd find Simon and River and the Stone and we'd be looking at some mighty steep sentences. Carefully considering the options, Jayne, we made out good," he explained calmly.
Jayne shook his head, staring at the ground. "Didn't think you'd turn yellow belly on us."
Down the ramp roared the mule, Zoe sitting at the helm. Strapped in place on its back was the large metal crate. She eased the mule to a stop as it approached the two men. "So you're suggesting we should've taken them on?" Zoe laughed, ignoring Jayne as he cursed in Chinese. "It was the lesser of two evils. Besides, we still have the other payment."
"Exactly," Mal stated, both he and Jayne hopping onto the mule, "so let's pick it up and finish this job. Keep your eyes peeled for Kaylee; she's due to make an appearance."
Zoe held the square walkie talkie near her mouth. "Wash, we're heading out to the rendezvous point," she spoke into it, before bringing it to her ear as she awaited a response.
"Just call if you need me," the device crackled, Wash's voice fading out.
Revving up the mule's engine, Zoe drove them away from Serenity, dust puffing out behind them.
Kaylee pointed to a long, spiral component on the console. "And what does that do?" She asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.
Leaning over to the mechanic's side, the Doctor peered at the object. He grinned like a school boy. "That would be the exo-thermometer. It measures the atmospheric elements of the TARDIS' destination and sends all the collected information to the elemental manipulator." He moved away, only to point to another area on the controls. "The elemental manipulator converts the atmosphere and gravitational pull to whatever the ratio is on the passenger's home planet. It's very reliable... most of the time."
A small snort escaped from Kaylee; she immediately covered her mouth. The Doctor eyed her momentarily before his wide smile reappeared and began laughing. Kaylee joined him, their laughter bouncing off the coral walls. The TARDIS was no longer shaking and bouncing; the control room was still and the console humming softly. The column moved up and down as its regular pace, any evidence of its previous problems now gone.
The laughter faded. Kaylee looked down briefly before returning her gaze on the Doctor. "What were you fighting for?"
The Doctor looked up. "I'm sorry?"
"In that war you mentioned before, when we were with Zuftar," she continued, "What was it about? Who did your people fight?" The question had been floating around her head for awhile and curiosity finally got the best of her.
For a man who was quoted as "never shutting up," the Time Lord was now speechless. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words escaped him. Martha and Donna had asked him about it before, but even then, he never knew just what to say.
"You know what, Kaylee? It's not important. Wars happen all the time; I'd know. Nothing for you to worry yourself about," he stated, smiling.
Kaylee was not convinced.
She placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Both you and Zuftar said that that your people got wiped out. That must be-"
"The TARDIS' sensors just located Serenity," he announced, interrupting her. "We'll be arriving on Kiyome in a moment." The Doctor ran his hand through his hair, purposefully avoiding her gaze.
Placing her chin on her hands, Kaylee sighed, staring at the console once again.
The TARDIS began materializing, its distinct roar echoing onto the empty prairie. Its box form flashed, once, twice, three times. Finally, it stabilized, the blinking light dawdling its pace.
The door opened and the Doctor walked out, fixing his brown trench coat. Kaylee had suggested it, insisting that he'd only fit in if he did so. The mechanic herself followed out a moment later, closing the TARDIS' door behind her. Looking out, their eyes were immediately drawn to the sky. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, the purple haze fading into a light blue.
Kaylee closed her eyes, smelling the aroma of the dry grass surrounding them. "Welcome home," she said to herself, smiling.
The Doctor pulled his gaze from the sky, turning to Kaylee. "Right, this is your home! I completely forgot..." He murmured, sticking his hands in his pockets.
Opening her eyes, Kaylee felt guilt nip at the pit of her stomach. She crossed her arms, staring at her boots. "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable before. I didn't mean it."
Taking in a long breath, the Doctor smiled down at her. "Of course you didn't mean it. I didn't mean to act the way I did; I know you meant no harm. It's just... well, I try to push it into the back of my mind." He paused, turning to stare at the long wild flowers being blown in the wind. "Doesn't work very often."
"Cap'n and Zoe sometimes talk about the Unification war. Sometimes its good things; most of the time... most of time it's just not."
The coos of morning doves sounded from the distance, filling the brief silence between them. Stopping suddenly, Kaylee turned to take in her surroundings. Fading green grass stretched out across the flat plains, tiny white flowers and yellow dandelions sprinkled across them. However, one key object was missing.
"Where's Serenity?" Kaylee asked, walking further into the meadow.
Twirling around, the Doctor began his own search, standing on the tips of his trainers. "Well," he began, his mouth agape. He looked over to Kaylee, her hands on her hips and her hair carried by the gentle wind gusts as she awaited an answer. He chuckled nervously. "Did I mention that the TARDIS' landing is off?"
Giggling, Kaylee walked over to the Doctor. "For a smart alien, your navigation is a mite dreadful." As she reached him, she grabbed his hand, her fingers encircling his. "C'mon, I know exactly where we are!" Kaylee pulled him along, dragging him through the thick grass and weeds.
Archibald Mathers and his men were already waiting when the mule finally reached the clearing. The new hovercraft gleamed in the early sunlight as Mathers' men leaning against it. Mathers himself sat in the ship, his expression unreadable from this distance. He was dressed in a solid black suit, his graying hair slicked to the side.
Mal sighed, tightening his grip onto the mule as they hit a bump. "Let's be on our best behavior," he said, as they drove down the steep hillside. As they approached, Mathers stood up from his seat, leaping out of the hovercraft. His wide smile could be seen now as he smoothed the wrinkles from his jacket.
Easing to a stop, Zoe began to shut down the mule's engines, allowing Mal and Jayne to step off the vehicle. As Jayne and Zoe went to work on unloading the crate, loosening the straps, the captain stepped forward. "Mr. Mathers, my sincerest apologies for being late." Up close, Mal could see that Mathers' smile was strained and lines marked his forehead. Word of their Alliance encounter had clearly spread.
The tall grass folded as Archibald walked over it, his hands behind his back. "No, it's quite fine, Cap'n. Truth be told, I was half expecting you not to even appear," he admitted, confirming Mal's previous thought. However, tension and anxiety were still evident in Mathers' voice.
"We made a deal, Mr. Mathers, and I'm a man of my word." Behind Mal, Zoe and Jayne carried over the crate before attempting to place it down carefully.
Archibald's eyes brightened as they caught sight of the crate. However, he quickly turned back to Mal. "There was some reported trouble occurring two days before, around the scheduled time you would be there. Should I be concerned?"
The captain shook his head. "Absolutely not. Another ship had altercations with Proctor. An Alliance Cruiser found it tailing us and had it destroyed. The matter has been put to rest."
The childlike grin returned to Mather's face, his relief evident. "Shiny. Now, I presume that's... it?" He asked, pointing to the crate. He couldn't take his eyes off of it.
Mal nodded to his two crew members and they unlocked the crate, lifting open the top. The large, sleek Stone sat there, completely unharmed. Mathers stepped forward, two of his own bodyguards following him. Any concern he had for his fine clothing was ignored as he kneeled onto the grass and leaned against the metal crate. He placed his hand against the stone's surface, moving his hand up and down against it. With his thumb, he began tracing the indents, from the ancient Greek to the hieroglyphics.
Archibald glanced up at Mal jubilantly.
Kaylee ran across the meadow, several steps in front of the Doctor and drew to a halt in front of a large rock formation, its jagged edged resembling a 'U'. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled. "That there is Yamashita's Curve, named after the first governor of Kiyome, Yamashita Jun." As the Doctor caught up with her, she turned back around. "Kiyome's full of these types of landmarks. Unfortunately, that's all we got: rocks and machines."
Studying Yamashita's Curve, the Doctor ran his tongue over his teeth as he concentrated on the earthy red color of the rock against the light blue sky. "It really is beautiful... brilliant really." He looked down to Kaylee; in her hands were several of the purple and white flowers from the field. She carefully braided them together.
Searching around him, the Doctor could only see several hills in the level distance and maybe two or three other huge rocks. Not one house in sight. "Now... where do your family live?" He asked.
Sighing, Kaylee tilted her head up, pausing her moving hands. "Other side of the planet. This half is mostly unsettled. Soil isn't fertile enough to grow anything, so it ain't a big attraction."
The Doctor nodded, remaining silent as he gazed at the rock structure. The wind blew past them. It was warm, despite being late September. Cicadas began to chirp and birds flew overheard in search of them.
"What did your people do?"
Breaking his gaze, the Doctor turned to Kaylee, her hair splayed over her face. She leaned down, pulling several purple flowers from the earth. "You don't gotta answer if you're uncomfortable, but Zuftar said that your people was... 'nosy.' I was curious about why he said that."
A soft smile tugged at the corner's of his mouth. He began walking, Kaylee keeping at his side. "Well, he wasn't wrong- in a sense. Time Lords were the masters of the fourth and fifth dimension, also known as time and space. We came to harness the time vortex, which allows for time travel. With the power of time and space travel came the great responsibility of policing it. We needed to know the advantages, disadvantages, benefits and consequences that went with it , and there were a lot, which also meant lot of rules," he grimaced, "All Time Lords- and Ladies, naturally- were required to study and gain understanding about how time and space worked. Because we were responsible for it, we would make sure time flowed correctly and it was our right to set it on whichever course we thought best.
"As time passed, the principles behind it slowly deteriorated. My people used to live for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. We began interfering when no real interference was needed. I myself was sent on missions, occasionally- well mostly, actually- on some misguided, Council rubbish. So yes, we were 'nosy buggers.' Zuftar's sentiments were quite similar to my own. The Time Lords didn't know when to mind their own business." The Doctor paused, swallowing. "I guess that also answers your question from before- about the war. We brought it on ourselves."
They both stopped, edging the end of a cliff. Looking over in the nearby valley, there was a small group of figures, huddled together. The Doctor squinted his eyes, attempting to make the people out.
Kaylee immediately recognized them, smiling. "The rendezvous point!" She said quietly.
"September 30th, 2518," The Doctor stated, placing his hands in his pockets. "The day when Archibald Mathers came into possession of the Rosetta Stone. History taking place before our eyes."
Standing still, Kaylee watched the meeting carefully, the breeze swaying the flowers in her hands. "Everything you said to Zuftar was true? Archibald Mathers really does all that for the human race?"
The Time Lord nodded his head. "Every word of it. He becomes a great man in human history." Raising his eyebrows, something in his coat pockets caught his attention. Digging in further, he finally grabbed onto it. He grinned when he realized what it was.
Removing his hand from his pocket, he pulled out a small, paper bag. The Doctor opened it and held it out to Kaylee. "Would you like a jelly baby?"
"Huh?"
"It's a sweet from the twentieth century. I'm rather fond of the orange ones myself. Try one."
Kaylee stared at the bag, curious. She dipped her hand in warily, taking a red one out. Biting into the first quarter, she allowed it to sit on her tongue. Suddenly, her face lit up and she chewed the piece, popping the rest into her mouth, swallowing it eagerly.
The Doctor chuckled. "You like it? Have another." Obediently, Kaylee took not one, but four more out, chewing on a yellow one as she smiled. He followed suit, shaking up the bag until he found an orange jelly baby and placed it in his mouth.
Slowly, as he chewed, his expression soured, grimacing. "Stale," he muttered, reluctantly swallowing it.
Kaylee glanced back at him, chewing her own. "Don't want it?" She immediately grabbed the bag from him. "I'll take it." Returning to watch the meeting in the valley, she continued eating the jelly babies, savouring each of the flavours.
Staring at his empty hand, the Doctor felt himself laughing, placing his hand back in his pocket.
Archibald closed the crate before locking it shut. Standing up, he faced Mal. "You've done fine work, Cap'n. I'm left impressed." The two bodyguards walked up to the crate, each one grabbing one side and lifting it. As they carried it off, Archibald reached into his inside pocket, producing a thick, white envelope, the same kind he used during the first payment.
He extended the envelope, allowing Mal to take it. They gripped each other's empty hands firmly, shaking. The job was complete.
"It would be a pleasure to work with you again, Cap'n," Mathers stated, beaming.
Mal smiled back, though his was not as wide. "No offense, Mr. Mathers, but I hope that's not in the near future."
Laughing, Archibald released Mal's hand and walked towards the hovercraft, where the crate was being loaded on to the back. Mathers swung his legs over the side, boarding the ship.
"We'll keep in touch!" He called out, sitting himself down as his bodyguards pulled themselves aboard. The hovercraft started into life, moving upwards from the ground. Slowly, the driver turned it around and sped off, leaving the Serenity's crew behind.
Mal waved weakly. "Take your time," he said to himself, still waving.
"Ni hao!"
The mule had only reached the edge of the prairie when Kaylee and the Doctor came into sight. She waved at Mal and his group, flowers in her arms and the small bag of jelly babies in her hand. Despite this, she began running toward them, smiling.
Even as Zoe slowed the mule, Mal hopped off, regaining his balance quickly. Kaylee lunged for him and he wrapped one arm around her, hugging her tightly. "Mei mei, you had me worried."
She giggled, digging her face into his coat. "I'm sorry, Cap'n, but I was okay! The Doctor took care of me." Loosening her grip on him, Kaylee looked over her shoulder, motioning for the Time Lord to approach.
Slowly, the Doctor walked over to them, his hands still in his pockets. Kaylee let go of Mal and grabbed onto the Doctor's arm, smiling. "Doctor, you've already met the Cap'n. Over yonder are Zoe and Jayne. Guys, this is the Doctor!" she introduced everyone. Zoe nodded, smiling; she had immediately noticed his brown coat. Jayne grunted, his cheeks turning a shade of red as he looked away.
"Well, it's a pleasure finally meeting you in person, Doctor," Mal said, reaching out his hand. The Doctor took it, and shook it eagerly.
"Agreed! Kaylee has told me so much about you all! It's really quite exciting!" He replied, grinning like a school boy once more.
The captain nodded. "Now, if there's any way of repaying you for taking care of Kaylee, you let me know."
"As a matter of fact," the Doctor began, no longer shaking his hand though he still kept his grip on it. "There is one tiny, itsy bitsy favour I need, if it wouldn't be too much trouble."
"What in the gorram hell?"
Jayne stared at the TARDIS, his eyebrows pushed together. Zoe stood next to him, studying it carefully, tilting her head slightly. Mal kept his arms crossed, his expression similar to Jayne's.
"I'm inclined to agree with Jayne in this instance, Doctor," he stated, looking over to Kaylee and the Doctor who were standing opposite them. "Just... what is this supposed to be?"
The Doctor's mouth opened, 'umm'ing nervously as he thought of a lie.
"It's a shuttle!" Kaylee announced loudly, gaining the stares from her crewmates. Usually, she was a terrible liar, but in this case she was half right, wasn't she? It did all the normal functions of shuttle, though it was so much more.
Nodding in agreement, the Doctor smiled. "Absolutely right- a shuttle! I didn't want to land my entire ship here, so we took a shuttle!"
Zoe looked back at the blue box. "A shuttle? Huh."
Jayne scoffed. "Don't look like no shuttle to me."
Kaylee approached the mercenary. "That's because it's brand new," she stated very matter-of-factly. "I met him at a spaceship exposition, Jayne; of course he has whatever the newest ship out is." Her voice was so sweet, it was almost syrup.
He turned away, grunting.
Mal let out an exasperated sigh. "Right then! Jayne, let's get this on the mule," he said, grabbing onto its side. He paused, running his hand against the exterior slowly. "Is this wood?"
Rushing to the TARDIS, the Doctor placed his hand on it. "No, its metal- that feels like wood! You know, a throw back to Earth-That-Was when everyone used wooden ships to sail the seas," he explained, stroking the front door.
Kaylee nodded, at the Doctor's side in a moment. "It's mighty popular on Osiris and the other Core worlds."
Staring at the TARDIS once again, Mal shook his head, gripping onto it. "Ruttin' Core world folk," he mumbled, waiting as Jayne held onto it. Counting to three, they barely lifted it, struggling to move it over to the mule.
Wash stood on the dock, sighing. "Don't tell me we accepted that as payment."
Zoe slowed the mule down as she approached her husband. In the back was the TARDIS, strapped down in place. She kissed him as the vehicle came to a stop.
"Not a chance; we got the coin," she informed him before looking behind her. "That was a favour we owed."
Stepping off the mule, Kaylee appeared. She grabbed the Doctor, pulling him off. Wash smiled. "Well, look who came back to us! Enjoy your trip?"
Tugging the Doctor along by his sleeve, Kaylee stopped in front of Wash. "Wash, this is the Doctor. Doctor, this is Wash, Zoe's husband! He pilots Serenity!"
Grabbing Wash's hand, the Doctor shook it. "Excellent, excellent! It must be a pleasure flying such a fine ship as this!" Wash nodded, unable to utter a response. Zoe laughed as started up the mule and drove it back aboard
Kaylee tapped the Doctor's shoulder, garnering his attention. "How'd you like a look at my girl?" She nodded her head in Serenity's direction.
The Doctor's brown eyes set on Serenity, widening before he turned back to Kaylee. "I... would love nothing more!" Grabbing her hand, the two ran up the loading dock, disappearing.
"Now, I've heard that Firefly ships have little nooks in them, where stowaways can hide. Is there any truth to it?" The Doctor's voice echoed, his tone high pitched from excitement.
"Duhn ruhn! Right in front of you!" Kaylee squeaked in response.
"Oh, brilliant!"
Walking up behind Wash, Mal placed his hand on his shoulder. "He's a bit of a chai neow, but all things considering, Kaylee could've been picked up by worse folks," he mused aloud, his other hand on his belt.
Jayne sneered, making his way up the dock. "Boy's shiang jing, if you ask me. Kaylee, too, since she's been coddling the main whacko we got."
Rolling his eyes, Wash turned back to Mal. "So, it didn't go south?" he asked, hopeful.
Mal reached into his coat pocket, producing the white envelope. "5,000 platinum, no more, no less. Even after we split it up, we should be able to lay low for a few months, only hit soil when Inara needs to see clients."
"Ah, a vacation from crime!" Wash exclaimed as the two men walked onto Serenity.
Kaylee smiled, patting Serenity's engine. "I hope you've been good while I've been away," she cooed, tying her light brown hair back. Lying down underneath the engine, she began carrying out her normal routine. She'd check the oil, make certain the compression coil was working properly, see if the gravboot has held together-
Sighing, she stared back up at the engine. Kaylee normally found her routine thrilling; it was how she had learned all of Serenity's inner workings. But in that moment, after being reunited with her beloved ship, she couldn't help but feel...
Unhappy.
"It's normal."
Pushing herself back from underneath, Kaylee found River leaning against the engine, staring at the walls of the room. Sitting up, she kneeled near her. "River, did you need some-"
"When Simon graduated from MedAcad and finished his internship, he didn't immediately go off to become a doctor," she began, her fingers playing with her long ringlets. "He travelled throughout the main Core worlds: our home world of Osiris, then Sihnon, and Londinium. He spent three months doing this. After that, he easily took a job in Central City."
Kaylee nodded, listening. "River, sweetie-"
She set her eyes on Kaylee, startling the mechanic. "Simon always wanted to be a doctor. But he knew that before he even did it, he wanted to experience things, get everything out of the way before he committed himself to doing what he loved," River explained. "You love Serenity, the crew, and Simon and me; your love is so overpowering. But you can't keep doing this if travelling with the space man is always on your mind." Her hand reached over to Kaylee, gently touching a curl that hung near Kaylee's face.
Pushing herself up, River looked down to Kaylee, her dark hair veiling her face. "Go," she whispered, a small smile appearing.
Turning away, Kaylee knelt there quietly, mulling over River's words. Finally, she scrambled up off the floor, running out of the engine room.
The Doctor stuck out his tongue through the corner of his mouth, peering through his glasses at the small, square object in his hand. He flashed the sonic screwdriver over it, waiting for it to react. When it didn't, he groaned and tossed it onto the console. He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples in frustration
"Need some help?"
Startled, the Doctor looked to the source of the voice. Kaylee stood at the entrance, closing the door behind her. Her hair hung loosely, curling at the ends. She smiled, stepping further into the ship.
The Time Lord leaned up from the console, taking his glasses off. "Kaylee, I, er... How did you manage to get in?"
Glancing at the door behind her, she looked back to the Doctor. "Wasn't locked," she answered simply.
He nodded, turning away. "Right, of course, the lock system isn't working. Something else that needs to be fixed," he murmured, placing the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket. The Doctor moved from the console, stepping onto the walkway. "I was about to head off; was there something you needed?"
"This," she replied, looking around at the bronze coral walls.
The Doctor blinked. "Come again?"
Kaylee skipped in, placing her hand on the twisted beam. "She's been on my mind since I stepped off her. Can barely work on anything else," she confessed, stroking the beam gently. Stepping away, she walked closer to the Time Lord. "I figure one little ride- not to Kiyome, but somewhere in time, some whole other planet- would be fun. That is, if it's okay with you." Kaylee stopped, her body inches away from the Doctor's.
Scratching his hair, the Doctor thought to himself, still focused on Kaylee. "Wh-what about Serenity? You love that ship. I mean, not that I wouldn't mind you aboard, but who'll take care of her?" He asked.
She smiled. "I got me a babysitter."
After a moment passed, the Doctor grinned. "I can see why you're so allured. The TARDIS- she ticks 'n' tocks, clicks 'n' clocks just as much as anything else," he mentioned, reiterating Kaylee's earlier words.
She nodded in agreement, giggling. "She might be second to Serenity, but she's impressive."
"One ride?"
"That's all I want."
He could live with that. "Well, then, Miss Frye! Where would you like to go? There are millions of places in the universe just waiting for us!" He exclaimed, pouncing to the console.
Running up behind him, Kaylee grabbed onto the console's smooth sides. "I've always wanted to see Earth-That-Was."
"Earth it is," the Doctor confirmed, entering in the coordinates. He glanced up to Kaylee. "And I know the exact time period!" He moved around the console, flipping up several small switches.
Placing his hand on the old bronze lever, the Doctor looked back at her. "New York City, 1857: the Industrial Revolution. It was practically made for us!"
"No more dawdling; I'm ready," Kaylee stated, her eyes gleaming eagerly.
The Doctor pulled it down, the green-blue column immediately set into motion. "Allons-y!" He cried, the TARDIS's roar drowning him out. Kaylee smiled, the loud screeching sending goose bumps up her arm in anticipation.
"This isn't right- this part is older than I am," River muttered to herself, her bare legs sticking out from underneath the engine. Her hand reached out from underneath, searching for the nearby wrench before finding it. She groaned, tightening the bolts.
Sliding out, she dropped the tool next to her, annoyed. "This entire engine needs an overhaul- none of these components should be working."
A low creaking echoed, bouncing throughout the engine room. River turned to the engine, her hand flat against it. "Don't be upset; Kaylee will be back soon," she said softly, puckering out her lower lip.
The engine groaned in response.
"You're being too hard on yourself," she insisted, pressing the side of her face against it. River rubbed the engine's side, as if comforting a child. "Blue's a stupid color for a ship, anyway."
Fin.
