The Christmas Run - pt 4 (of 5)

Friday, January 4, 2008 1:18 PM

Squashed and jostled in the cramped interior of the Bus, Simon Tam held onto the leathered ceiling strap with white knuckles and stared at the floor, his eyes deliberately unfocused. Wearing his glasses would only reveal just what the slimy trail between his shoes actually was. Simon did not want to know.
Jayne ignored him, was busy staring at (whatever the hell that was passing itself as) a map - as it flicked in and out on a fuzzy wall screen.

Kaylee was grinning from ear.
“What – you NEVER caught a bus before?” She had asked Simon incredulously.
Simon had clutched onto his medical bag and shook his head silently.
After muttering some Chinese Kaylee had squeezed herself to the head of the rectangular deck. The driver/pilot was squeezed into a tiny cubicle, framed by transparent plexi-glass. Kaylee was knocking on it now excitedly.
The man responded to her tapping with an automatic “I’m drivin’ ma’am – don’t distract me.” - But the corner of his eye registered her keen look and her pretty face.
“Well, hey there l’il gal, can I help with something?”
Kaylee ignored the patronising words – she’d heard them half her life already – and she could recognise a friendly tone of voice easy enough.
“Aint been on one a these since I was so high…” she laughed. “Takes me back, pigtails, satchel, school – you aint taking me to school are you, huh?”
The driver laughed.
“Lookin’ at you – I’d say, maybe…”
Kaylee preened politely – but her eyes were already scanning the dials of the man’s dashboard. He noticed that. “You a flyer, Miss?”
“Mechanic”, she smiled.
“Hell, we got a sore need for those” the driver said honestly, “End up doing the patching chores ourselves. No mean feat with this beast.”
“Must get a lotta wear, regular runs like this.”
“Y’Gorram right. Still, my baby aint let me down yet.”
Kaylee noted the way his eyes moved – the way he could look at her and the screens at the same time. “You been doin’ this a whiles then…”
“Let’s just say – the two of us aint so graceful – but we’re growin’ old together all the same.”
Kaylee grinned wide at that. “So what kinda engine you got for this beauty?”
It was the driver’s turn to preen. “Capissen 38”, he said proudly.
Kaylee let out an unflattering yelp – and seconds later was tucked in next Simon, clutching a strap and wearing a face as white as his knuckles.

…………………………….

“Well boys – you don’t know how fashionable you are… I mean – correct me if I’m wrong Zoe but – this truly does seem to be a remarkable centre of attraction… most people would assume a loading bay to be – I dunno, unexciting? Uninviting? But not MY loading bay – not this boat. Just what’s inside keeps being the uninvited – but hey, I Must say truly that I was feeling almost venturesome before.”
Malcolm Reynolds was surveying the trussed bodies of the faux Alliance unit – with a characteristic cold glee.
The man as called himself Louis groaned – “He always like this?” He looked helplessly across to Zoe who was covering them all with a rifle. Shepherd Face was checking the bonds, making the men “comfortable and secure – but mostly just secure, right Shepherd?” Reynolds had called to him.
Zoe cocked an eyebrow at Louis. The man read her expression, sighed once and started staring at the ceiling.

Mal considered his captives. “So – what’s the local punishment for buccaneering around these parts? Can I say bucc– you were tryna steal my ship weren’t you – or the cargo leastways…” His voice dropped. “Now that is a thing likely to darken the clouds in a man’s mind…” It was an audible threat – but then he lightened. “Still it IS Christmas… good will and forgiveness I believe… or – actually I don’t – but I profess I get some genuine satisfaction from knowing that you boys took them duds off the back of real Purple Bellies. Makes you Indies in my book.”

Louis looked at the Captain – his expression surprisingly bitter.
“We’re not Indies – we aint BrownCoats… we’re – supposed to be – Company Boys.
Engineers, miners – waiting – contracted here, jobs promised – jobs never came… Never min

COMMENTS: 1

Back to Blog Roll