chapter six: The World, The Flesh and The Devil

Someone is in pain. He should do something about that, he‘s a doctor after all...

Breaking through the dark waters of unconsciousness – Simon Tam lets out a long loud gasp for oxygen, pure reflex, no thoughts to confuse the mind for the space of that one life-full breath. He tries to force words through his parched mouth.

“Here,” and a straw between cracked lips, blessed coolness. “Don’t try talking.”

“...mother?”

“Hush, baby,” Hand on his brow, “it’s gonna be fine...”

Zoe, glad of something positive to do, adjusts the drug-patch on his temple. With what they got, and what Mal brought back, she can improvise. She’s done more with less, before.

He looks so young. Man’s eyes hidden, it’s a boy’s face, shadowed with bruises. Reckons that look of youth was never hers; time she was his age, war was about done. Remembers a sergeant his age, though, burning with a cause - same fire in this boy. That’s why he and the captain clash; don’t either of them like to be taking orders, gotta be the one giving them.

Zoe don't mind orders, don't mind being seen to follow. Truth of life was always more complicated - take her and Mal. He'd been a living banner through the war, and even with the heart ripped out of him, he’d held them alive in that Valley. She owed him for that, they all did, though she hadn’t thought to see him again, when she was ‘repatriated’ from the ‘rehabilitation centre’ - and then he’d turned up, still in that coat of his and his eyes full of nothing but valley shadow. She'd followed his ragged lead - there weren't no-one else to do it, and when he told her he needed to fly free, well, he needed someone to watch his wings. Yeah, doing him a favour... didn't think too much of where his lead might take her... didn't figure that he might just take her home.

Introduced her to a worrisome man with a dreadful taste in shirts. Next thing she knew, she'd been as lost as the captain and never knew it. If Mal's heart had be