Blue Sun Room FICTION - SUSPENSE

Conversations with Dead People

Monday, May 31, 2004

Post-Ariel, Jayne is still sitting in the Outer Cargo Bay, waiting to be let back in.

CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 3867    RATING: 8.0 (PG)    SERIES: FIREFLY

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DISCLAIMER: Joss is a genius, and he created all these marvellous people. But I get to play with them in the sandpit!

CHARACTERS: Jayne, River

RATING: PG

SPOILERS: Ariel

FEEDBACK: *nods violently* Yes please!

NOTES: Requested by FuzzyBen, part of the

THANKS: to neongraal for reading this over for me, and making carefully thought-out comments.

I used to have a set of Russian dolls. Then I became one. They opened me and there was another inside, waiting. Twisted the top half so the head sat backwards, but still hid the child within. That was the plan: hatch smaller dolls, two by two, line them up, a perfect marching army.

So pretty.

***

Jayne wasn't pretty. He'd been sitting in the Outer Cargo Bay for two hours now, leaning up against the inner door - the outer door was damn cold. Two hours since he'd only just avoided being sucked out that outer door: 'keel-hauled' by Mal. It looked like he'd probably be here for a while yet. No one had come down, and he wondered what Mal had told the crew, if anything.

A knock behind him, on the door. Despite himself, he jumped. "Who's there?" he growled. No answer, so he scrambled to his feet, looked through the wndow.

No one was there.

"Wash? Zoe? Kaylee?" He paused, scanned the Inner Cargo Bay. No movement. "Doctor? Shepherd? C'mon now, this ain't funny!" Nothing.

It didn't matter that the outer door was cold. He stepped back, leaned against it and felt the chill through his shirt. Kept his eyes on the window. Jumped as a voice came over the radio.

"You're dead, Jayne."

"River! You little ... " he stopped himself, tried again. "Whaddaya want? Come to gloat?"

"You don't know it yet, but you're dead. No pulse, no heart, no life. Dead leaves, drifting down." He could see her now, holding the radio and swinging her legs, sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

The hairs on his face and the back of his neck pricking at

Comments
Monday, 31 May 2004 16:23
Interesting little scene between Jayne and River. Not sure what she means when she says he is dead anyway but I particularly loved the part right at the beginning where River refers to herself as one of those Russian dolls. Pretty apt description. Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me
Wednesday, 02 June 2004 13:18
That was kinda creepy! In a good way. Liked the image of "dead leaves. Drifting down."

But now I want to know whether River will pursue this. And how Jayne will deal with it.
QUETTASER
Friday, 04 June 2004 18:10
That opening piece is probably some of the best River on River description I've ever read. You're true to the character's mannerisms and thought processes. Absolutely wonderful.
ATHENAE
Friday, 04 June 2004 19:55
I do so love River and her delicate way of ripping things apart, and you captured that perfectly.

A.
Friday, 09 September 2005 20:37
damn, i knew those space monkeys would get hungry sooner or later...oh, well
Thursday, 21 December 2006 07:37
good open. good close. good middle. make it longer, give it more. i guess now i have to read the rest of your work. love that "they would eat him, in the end" bit.

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