Blue Sun Room FICTION - GENERAL

The Fish Job: Chapter 5

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

A little good news, and a lot of bad

CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 4974    RATING: 9.0 (G)    SERIES: FIREFLY

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A spider had burrowed into the back of his head. Its fat body sat at the top of his spine, and its long spiny legs pushed through the inside of his skull. The spider glowed white.

With a painful effort, Mal pushed this image away. It wasn’t helping. He tried to think more cheerful thoughts, but for a while nothing came to him. Oh ya, he remembered, we got paid. We got well paid. But after that, things hadn’t gone so good. The events on the station came back to him with an odd clarity: take out the lights, find the service lift, climb the stairs back up to the docks, head for the platform. Then it just… ended. Someone got to him, had to be the Alliance.

Gradually he became aware of a faint background noise. A buzzing. A ship’s engine? If it was, it was a small engine, too high pitched to be a cruiser. A transport maybe? Only one way to find out: he decided to try waking up. Not that it was likely to make the situation any better. But hell, optimism had worked once today, maybe he ought’a try it again. Could be he was still on the station, or planetside, so the crew would have a chance to get him out. If he’d been shipped to that cruiser he was humped. Not a cheery idea, he thought. Better avoid that one. Here goes.

Blinding white light jabbed into his head and woke up the spider. He closed his eyes again and waited for it to stop its fussing. After a bit he peeked out through squinted eyes. Gorram light. He held up a hand to block it. Hands not bound, that’s something.

“Oh, sorry about that,” a familiar voice said. The light turned off and Simon leaned over Mal. “How do you feel?”

“Ask the spider,” Mal said very slowly.

“Um …”

“It’s OK, doc. Just got a headache.”

“I’m not surprised. You’ve got a concussion where they hit you.”

“Hit me?”

“You got lucky, sir.” Zoe’s voice fl

Comments
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 15:00
Wow, thanks for the quick update. This is good stuff, well-written and increasingly layered. Poor Mal - I hate that unsettled feeling. You're doing a great job with him. Looking forward to more.
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 15:18
Poor Mal, all he has is his ship and his crew. You have to make everything OK this is absolutely heart-wrenching.
(But Also I think this an amazing story!)
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 15:54
Hmmm...interesting. I have a suspicion about the crew, though....
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 16:28
That's a quick update! :D

Something about this had me very convinced that Mal was hallucinating up until Book's last word and Mal's quiet contemplation.

Simon talking about leaving River was what triggered it, really, because.... no way.

So, I'm half-waiting if this will turn out the case and Mal's not even on Serenity or some such.

Either way, a wonderful look at Mal and his fears, very reminiscent of "Out of Gas", sad and touching and very true.

Great love and impatience for the next part. :)
ANONYMOUS
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 17:09
I like it very much and I'm unsettled by it all at the same time! That means good writing! But, I'm about 90% sure that Mal's having some kind of nightmare or hallucination (while he's unconscious?)-- all of his fears and self-doubts, his fear of failing to take care of his people coming around to get him? Maybe?

Confused and Intrigued in Oklahoma
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 18:21
I really wanted to weep for Mal especially as he had been feeling so gorram optimistic but I am mighty suspicious. That crack on the back of the head and the spidery feeling, I think they have inserted something though what the *diyu* it is I have no idea only that it is a bad bad thing. As for the crew leaving I could see it happening that way but Book is wrong to blame it on the Captain. Folks on that ship are in no way slow to come forward and tell the Captain when he's wrong about something, especially Zoe. No. I feel as if Book and even Inara are a little off or maybe it's that rutting crack on the head? Can't wait for more, this is super shiny! Ali D :~)
You can't take the sky from me
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 19:09
There is more to Mal than just tyrany and anger. You did a good job fishing that out. Same with Inara.

And I agree with the rest, Sumtin' ain't right...

More please!!
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 19:22
Another great installment! I love your writing, it really creates a sense of atmosphere!
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 19:43
And where, precisely, is Mr. Cobb?

Something's not right. Hallucination, simulation, something. Not right.
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 22:25
Fantastic.

I love Book's talk with Mal. Saying what needed to be said. That's Book.

*misses him*

This is such a great series, and I'm so in love with it. And that's saying something.
Wednesday, 18 January 2006 23:18
Another Great Chapter.

I hope the next Chapter will be out tomorrow :D

Keep it up. ;)
Thursday, 09 February 2006 16:01
It seemed obvious to me that the characters were not acting right. I figured 'dream sequence' at the get-go. However, you kept it just real enough that I started doubting my initial suspiciouns. You wove a great tale of how Mal might have felt and what his fears were. I was throughly hooked.
Wednesday, 12 July 2006 13:04
The ease of their escape concerns me as well, and I just know things are going to get much worse (something to do with that 'spider' in Mal's head).

“Mal, she’s pregnant.”
:-O

Great developments, and the suspense of how it's going to end for everyone is good too.

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