GR RP "Adventures in GunRunning" ACT 19
POSTED BY: CapnRahn
UPDATED: Thursday, August 19, 2004 18:38
VIEWED: 25657
PAGE 4 of 11
Damon's turn:
LOCATION - THE BLACK
MERZ
What is liberty?
Damon gives her a puzzeled look and then realizes that she is being serious. He thinks about it a moment, trying to define liberty.
"I guess it's something like freedom, but it's also a feeling- like happiness. When you busted up that crate, it probably felt liberating." He gives a small smile. "It's a very good feeling, satisfying. Filling an empty stomach with warm food is liberating. If you are liberated, something bad has been replaced by something good." He pauses for a moment, following Merz. "It's hard to define, but I hope that helps."
I'm not broken, in my dream I win...
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MERZ move
LOCATION - THE BLACK
There is more silence. They reach the spot where the wires jack back into the hull, and MERZ kneels to set them back into place. One by one she holds them up to her face, examining the leads, and then carefully replaces them back into the correct conduits. While doing this, she finally speaks again, in the same voice.
MERZ
Liberty: personal freedom from servitude, or confinement or oppression. Freedom: the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints. Happiness: a state of well being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Joy: something or someone that provides pleasure; a source of happiness.
She pauses, eyes still downward. MERZ does not want to see his eyes, to see the effect of her words. She is speaking for herself now, not from the database, not from observation of correct or appropriate behavior. And this mode always, always, always results in conflict or confusion. It is so easy for you. You hear these words and you comprehend their meaning. I know only their definitions and how to simulate the appearance of an appropriate emotional response. It cannot matter to me where I am – inside, outside all the same. Filling an empty belly is fuel, and food is not there to be enjoyed. There is no satisfaction in a job well done; one is expected to have done it well. Happiness is an emotion, and emotion … She trails off into silence.
emotion is deviant behavior and merits punishment. and now as i try to learn what has been kept from me, i wait because i know they come. there is nowhere i can go that they cannot track me. i will take the time i have, this ‘freedom’ i have given myself and i will learn and teach myself comprehension of as many concepts as i am allowed. i will learn from these civilians all that they can show me, until i am one with them, however long it may take. maybe then, those who follow will lose me. when i am no longer … me …
Finished with the job at hand, she straightens the wire armor, tightening it up to the hull and stands. I shame myself: destroying that crate was … rage. Not at you DAMON. There was a certain amount of something gained from that lapse, I think. I am not certain what definition I would put on it. It was however, inappropriate of me to demolish it. {pause} You are generous, explaining this to me. I do thank you. As she speaks on, there is a return of a small amount of animation to her voice. Well, I think we are done here. Take your last look at the view, bhaai, it’s time to go back inside before we miss something.
… as long as my team exists. as long as what i fled from remains, there will be no freedom, no liberty for me. it is only a matter of time …
EOM
bhaai = younger brother (Nepali)
If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress
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Damon's turn:
LOCATION - THE BLACK
Damon's good mood withers as Merz speaks and by the time she finishes he's left with nothing but that emptiness that he is all too familiar with. Only this time, it's not his dispair, it's hers. He wishes there was something he could say- something he could do to help- but suddenly feels inadequate. It won't make much difference anyway.
Quote:
Damon shoved his drawer closed and glared down at his mother. “WHY? WHY NOT? Why can’t you leave? Why couldn’t you leave twelve years ago and get me the hell out of here? Or, forget me, my upbringing doesn’t matter, why couldn’t you leave sixteen years ago? Shit, it’s a miracle I even made it to term!”
She started to open the bottle in her hands, but Damon snatched it from her and chucked it out the window. “Answer the question.”
She hung her head, letting tears fall from her face. “He doesn’t mean to hurt me, he just…”
Damon waited for her to finish but she didn’t. He turned back to his duffel bag and stuffed a handful of clothes in it.
“Damon, you can’t go,” she cried, “Please don’t go.”
He spun around and glared at her angrily. “Don’t you dare start with that! I’ve had it! I’ve had enough of this bullshit! I’m leaving and neither of you are going to stop me this time. You can come with me or you can stay here with him, but I’m not staying here a day longer.” He let that sink in for a moment before he spoke again. “So what’s it going to be?”
She hung her head again.
He waited.
He prayed.
She shook her head. "I can't..."
Damon clenched his teeth, looking out the window. He longed to be out there but he couldn't. He couldn't leave her here alone with him- he only wished she had an equally good reason. He picked up his bag and threw it against the wall with a scream of rage and stormed out of the room.
Damon quickly shakes himself of the memory but he can't do it without wondering if she's okay. He sighs and looks over to see Merz heading inside. Time to go. He looks 'up' at the black as he heads toward the door, letting it lift his spirits as much as it can but the phrase 'all good things must come to an end' comes to mind, bringing it to a stop.
He reaches the air lock bummed that his space walk is over but happy to be back on board. He feels safe on this ship and he hopes that if there is one exception to the 'all good things coming to an end' rule, it would be Serenity.
I'm not broken, in my dream I win...
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MERZ move
LOCATION - THE BLACK
MERZ cannot help herself. As DAMON turns back from his last look at the stars, she in inside the lock, looking toward where his face will be, steeled against the disgust at her that she is sure will be in his eyes.
And as he turns and sees her she backs slowly away, letting him inside. There is no hint of disapproval in his face. She is not sure what she sees, but nothing … troubling. She turns away once more, disturbed by her own need for approval from this … civilian. Almost he begins to taste like family.
They wait in the lock for a couple of minutes while MERZ closes the outer lock and recycles so they can re-enter Serenity. Once more, she breaks the silence.
MERZ
To be unclothed is a choice, not vulnerability. Now you have seen me naked.
EOM
If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress
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Damon's turn:
LOCATION - AIR LOCK
MERZ
To be unclothed is a choice, not vulnerability. Now you have seen me naked.
Damon's not sure he agrees with that but he doesn't say anything. He's not in the mood to talk at the moment. He gives her a faint smile so she doesn't think he's ignoring her and waits for the cargo bay doors to open.
I'm not broken, in my dream I win...
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Wash's Move:
Location - Bridge
(Wash walks back from the window, to the open door to the rest of Serenity… He can see that the door to Jayne’s Dorm is closed, but then again, it always is. He sits back down at his console, ready to call Jayne’s dorm, when…)
(Over the comm. from Merz): ”WASH, let JAYNE know we are all but done here. If he has gone back inside, no need for him to trot back out. We can finish just fine on our own.”
(Wash opens a direct intercom line to Jayne’s dorm): “Jayne, you in there, Don’t go back outside, everything’s all finished out there, Merz said so.”
(Wash sits, and scrubs the console some more… A strange smell rises into the air… a sent of… Burning protein?
(The antique analog clock which is set behind the small fence of chrome bars, high up on the wall over the door of the well-padded cell currently reads: 17:05 AMT with a small digital display built into it: (05:05pm) (This cell, currently unoccupied, was the former living space of Serenity’s theoretical security officer… Who might just end up there again, if he keeps seeing twisted, non-existing plots to take over ships he serves on… weather they are or not…)
- EOM -
Decoy, they make me go first.
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HEXX'S TURN:
Same day, just after dusk.
Hexx is lying in a dark and filthy alley. He comes to consciousness slowly. Eyes blurry and head pounding, he slowly rises to a sitting position after shoving several heavy objects off his torso and legs.
Realizing what must have occurred, he gets a jolt of adrenaline and a sudden painfully tingling in his toes and finger tips. The usual heralds of bad happenings he was unknowingly the cause of.
"Christ, what the Hell did I do this time?" Hexx mutters to no one in particular. His night vision adjusting to the dim light, Hexx gives his surroundings a once-over. The "heavy objects" are dead bodies, three to be precise. Wait, one is still moving. Hexx crawls over to this person, and ends their activities in a permanent manner. It's for the best, Hexx thinks, wouldn't do to leave something I started unfinished. UNPROFESSIONAL.
Hexx gives the alley a thorough examination to erase any traces that he was ever there. Picking up the bodies, he places them into a nearby dumpster and sets it ablaze with refuse and a half-empty bottle of rot-gut booze.
He picks up a discarded old blanket and rubs dirt on his hands and face. Portraying the part of a vagabond bum. Stooping and coughing, muttering nonsense to himself. He exits the alley and notices a great deal of activity down the road, the local yokel law dogs are busy tonight.
Thinking: I'll have a look-see and admire what's most likely to be my handiwork. Hexx proceeds to the scene of the commotion, hears talk of a bad string of homicides and no survivors.He pisses on a wall of a nearby store and stumbles off into the darkness, in the general direction of his lodgings.
Passing by the Post Office, he checks out the Most Wanted boards. Never knowing when or where opportunities will present themselves, he memorizes the features of the two with the largest dollar signs on their heads. RIVER and SIMON TAMM. Fugitives. Wanted ALIVE!!!
"Alive," Hexx swears to himself. "That IS disheartening! Oh, well, it'll give me a chance to hone my people skills. Didn't say anything about missing body parts now did it?" Rubbing his jaw and smiling a sneering/smirking little smile, Hexx continues on his way.
EOT.
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KAYLEE’s move
LOCATION - ENGINE ROOM
KAYLEE sits cross-legged, on the floor of Serenity’s engine room, communing with her beloved engine. There is a small, cold and lonely place in the back of her mind, but she is able to think around it now. She is still angry and confused, however other things begin to come back into focus. She is what she is, and neither anger nor despair are feelings she can sustain full blown for very long.
As her mind slowly comes back into focus, she remembers:
WASH
"Mornin', Kaylee. Sleep well last night? Port afterburner seems to be rattling like Jayne's stick. Think you could take a look for me?
That had entirely slipped her mind. And now that she thinks about it, down here in Serenity’s heart, she can hear the faint rattle. She stands now, talking softly to herself.
KAYLEE
Here I sit feelin’ sorry for myself, and my poor girl been speakin’ to me an bein’ ignored. Well, I gotta look into this, pronto.
Still half drifting but more purposeful that she has felt in some time, KAYLEE digs in her tools for what she needs, and strides back to engage the port afterburner in a bit of a chat. A return to her routine will be a comfort.
She thinks to herself, That Simon, he’s got a heap of explaining to do. I just hope he gets the chance.
Here stands KAYLEE, at one with Serenity,
EOM
If Justice is the dish, then I am your waitress
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Thorne's Move
Location: Port Shuttle/catwalk
His call to New Hokkaido over, and arrangements for the sting as complete as possible, THORNE is in a good mood as he stands in the door of the shuttle. The mood doesn't last as he sees MAL close INARA's door and stand silent on the starbord walkway, radiating misery like an un-shielded reactor.
'Conflicted', THORNE thinks. 'That man is a dictionary example of conflicted. Knows he could have a good thing there, but can't let go of the doom-and-gloom of his past to take it. What a schlemiel.' He shakes his head sadly.
Stepping back into the shadow of the door, THORNE waits until MAL moves away, and heads aft.
"Keep the Shiny side up"
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Jayne's turn:
LOCATION - FORE PASSAGE
The door to Jayne's quarters groans open. The point of a hunting knife, tipped with a small concave mirror, emerges and scans the corridor.
Just because he heard Wash's voice on the intercomm didn't mean anything. That could have been synthesized in an effort to lure him out.
The knife retracts from view and Jayne stalks up the ladder from his room. He craddles one of his favourite pistols in his right hand, and has a variety of small arms, flash grenades and knives placed around his person. He doesn't need anything larger for a small arena like Serenity.
There are sounds coming from everywhere, including the bridge. Jayne decides to start there. Things could still go horribly wrong - the smell of burning flesh was now making its way from the front of the ship.
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