Life Onboard Serenity: #42 - Of Jobs, Vaults and Things Gone Wrong
POSTED BY: EnglishIvy
UPDATED: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 22:19
VIEWED: 30582
PAGE 9 of 14
Infirmary
Quote:
Originally posted by GraysonCornwell:
"Would you care to tell me why you invited a lawman on board this ship without permission, especially since we have questionable cargo on board?"
"Because he needed to know about her condition and how she got that way, sir." replied Pain as he locked eyes with Mal.
"What did you tell him exactly?" Mal asked, pinning Pain against the wall.
"Just that she got shot." spat Pain. "I didn't tell him about the job or the ruttin' cargo. Do you think I'm that gorramn stupid?"
"Well in case of current events, yes I do." replied Mal, his hands still clenching Pain's shirt. "Give me one good gorramn reason not to space you and let Grayson take her with him."
"You wouldn't dare." growled Pain, his nostrils flaring and his eyes squinting at Mal in a menacing stare.
"Try me." Mal replied, still not letting go of Pain.
"She was the one who put up the land lock on the other ship." Pain pointed out to Mal. "If'n she hadn't done that, the other crew would've gotten away with the cargo."
"That may be true, but that ain't exactly good enough for me to consider lettin' her stay aboard." replied Mal. "Not after her little stunt got her filled with lead."
"She wanted to help." Pain spat back. "She wanted to show you she could be useful and be part of the team."
"Yeah? Well she has a funny way of showin' it." retorted Mal.
Pain was angry now. He grabbed Mal's arms and forced them off of him. He clenched his left fist and took a swing at the man, his fist connecting with Mal's cheek. It wasn't hard enough to lay the captain out cold on the floor, but it was powerful enough to make him stagger back from Pain, clenching his jaw with one hand.
"That's how you wanna play then, Pain?" Mal asked, rubbing his jaw. "Fine. We'll play it like that."
The two men closed the distance between each other in mere seconds. Blows landed here and there as they fought. There was a struggle as they both grabbed each others' hands, trying to prevent the other from using them. In an odd sense, Pain and Mal looked as if they were dancing while trying to gain control over one another. Mal let out a grunt and kicked Pain in the shin. Pain let out a pained grunt through clenched teeth and returned the favor. Mal howled and kneed Pain in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to fall to the floor on him hands in knees.
"So, Pain?" Mal asked as he picked up Pain by the collar of his shirt. Ducking a swing from the mercenary, Mal continued as they traded blows, "You got a good reason for me to let her stay aboard or do you just want to keep this up until Grayson arrives in a few minutes?"
Pain was at the foot of the exam chair that Ivy was laying in. He was battered, bruised, and bloody from the scuffle. Every part of him hurt from head to toe. He looked at the CorPad still at Ivy's side as he rasped for breath and grabbed it. He hefted it in his hand before turning to look at the captain.
"Yeah." replied Pain as he wiped some blood from the side of his mouth with the back of a hand. "There is." He tossed the CorPad to Mal and as the other man caught it, Pain continued, "She used to be a slave. Got the whip marks on her back and the number on her wrist underneath her tattoo to prove it."
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Ivy stood in the corner of the room as Pain and Mal's confrontation came to blows. Tears ran down her face as she sobbed.
"Stop!" she pleaded, but they couldn't hear her. "Please stop!"
She slid to the floor as the melee continued. It finally ended with Pain tossing her CorPad at Mal and announcing what he had found. Now someone else knew what she was. A slave.
Dumbfounded, Mal gaped at the screen.
"Are you sure of this?" he asked Pain.
"Gorram it, Mal! Look at the screen!" Pain yelled at him. "She is who she says she is. She's no fed. She ain't trying to sell us out. She's just looking to gain her life back."
"And Grayson?"
"He's who he says he is too. Yes, he is a lawman. But he loves Ivy like his own kid. He's just wanting to look after her."
Mal touched the screen and a newsfeed played.
"Today, a location that used human slavery was found on Greenleaf. The compound is believed to be a base for blackmarket drugs. A large building that may have been used to house the slaves was found burned to the ground. Three bodies were found in the rubble.
The rest of the compound was found vacant, apparently evacuated. Only one woman was found on site alive, we do not have her identity yet, but sources say that she had been a slave at this location for four months. She had been physically abused, including large scars on her back from a whip. Her psychological state is tenuous... Wait! Here they come..."
"Miss! Miss! What's your name? What was your role there? Do you know who kept you captive? Where did the scars come from?"
Throughout the shouts of questions, Grayson Cromwell could seen carrying her broken form past the reporters towards a law enforcement ship located on the dock.
"Leave her alone!" he was growling as the look on his face showed deep concern for her well being while at the same time the hatred of this new group who were assaulting Ivy.
The one thing that Pain could hear plainly were the sounds of Ivy's tortured sobs.
"Turn it off!" he said, plainly disturbed by the feed. "Gorram it Mal, turn it off!"
Mal turned it off and looked onto Ivy's still form with this new knowledge and softened.
It was then that they noticed John standing in the doorway, nearly frozen with empathy, he looked straight at where Ivy's spirit was sitting, feeling like something was there.
Upstairs in the cockpit, tears ran down Rivers face.
Ivy thought about the physical abuse alone that Pain had endured on her behalf since she'd arrived. 13 and he got into a fight and now there was Mal. He had taken beatings both times and because of her presence on the job, she probably played a large role in his getting shot. It wasn't good. She wasn't good for him. She looked at the light in the cargo bay and the form of her father beckoning her. And it was looking like a much better decision. Everyone, including Pain, would be better off without her.
But she couldn't leave. Not quite yet. So she just sat there, crying.
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John broke the silence. He felt sorry for the girl. Slavery was a bad card to draw.
"Look, it sucks to be her, sure. But if anything, that's just more of a reason to get her off our boat."
"How can you possibly say that!" Pain said getting angry.
"She's branded people could be after her."
"John, do you really think that?" the captain asked.
"Yes."
"Are you really that heartless! She was a slave!" Pain yelled.
John turned to leave stopping in the doorway. "So she was a slave. So she's been through go se. Doesn't make her special. Just makes her human. Captain if you want her to stay I'll respect that."
John left the room and returned to the cargo bay. He pulled a gun from his belt and sat with a clear view of the door. When Grayson got here, John planned to make him leave as soon as possible.
johnttf
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Infirmary
Pain wanted to punch the man's lights out, but the fight with him and Mal plus the guilt of putting Ivy in a situation which had gotten her shot, not to mention the recent revelation that she was a slave, proved too much for Pain's mind to handle. The room started to spin a little and he had to sit down. Taking Ivy's hand in his, he rubbed it gently as he looked at her face, a tear slowly falling from his eye and weaving a trail down his cheek.
"I'm sorry, baobei." he whispered to her, planting a kiss on her cheek. He didn't know if she could hear him or not, but he hoped she did. "I'm sorry for gettin' you shot. I'm sorry for gettin' into a fight with the captain over whether to keep you onboard or not. Please forgive me."
Pain leaned down and touched her forehead with his just as there was a soft jolt outside the ship, indicating that a ship had just coupled with Serenity's airlock. Over the blare of the klaxons, River said over the comm, "He's here."
Mal stood in the doorway and looked back at Pain. He stood there for a short moment before asking, "Pain, you comin'?"
Pain shook his head, his sights not leaving Ivy's face as he solemnly answered, "No. I'm stayin' here by Ivy's side."
"Alright then." replied Mal before leaving for the cargo bay to join the others already in there.
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Mal had left to stand guard at the airlock after he learned of Ivy's past. He still didn't trust Grayson, nor was he past being angry with Pain, but he understood. So he was letting the lawman board Serenity.
Pain sat in the infirmary, his hand wrapped around Ivy's. He kissed the back of her hand and sighed.
"I'm sorry, bao bei,” he whispered. “This is all my fault. I shoulda never let you come. Now you’re…”
He looked down at her. She was all bandaged up, her hand was cool to his touch and she was hooked up to a machine that was breathing for her. Most of all, she looked so small. What he wouldn’t do just to hear her voice and see her smile just one more time.
“I’m sorry,” he said again.
After Grayson docked, he came charging through the airlock. He took one look at Mal, then at John and at Jayne, who was also standing nearby.
“Where is she?” he asked gruffly, not at all intimidated by the crew.
“Before I let you completely on board, I need to set some ground rules-” Mal started.
Quicker than quick, Grayson had stepped into Mal’s personal space and was literally standing toe to toe with the man.
“You listen to me, Captain,” he snarled, his hand resting on his sidearm, but not drawing it. “I could care less if you had stolen the King of Londinium’s shiny crown and had a boat load of oompa loompas building a chocolate river in here, WHERE. IS. SHE?”
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"Back of buddy," John said from behind the captain, "Your rescued slave girl is safe and sound in the arms of her doting and pathetic lover." He was so sick of them. Even now John could feel Pain's remorse flooding from the engine room. Blaming himself. She was a big girl, a big girl who needed to grow up and realize that if she continued to rely upon Tommy, Grayson, or Pain for the rest of her life, she would never be anyone.
John felt bad for feeling this way but it was true in his mind.
"Captain, is Ivy staying or going?"
johnttf
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Mal pointed to the infirmary as Grayson backed off and stalked off that way.
Quote:
Originally posted by johnthetheatrefreak:
"Captain, is Ivy staying or going?"
“She’ll stay… for now,” Mal told John. “Not like we can move her right now anyhow.”
Mal motioned John and Jayne closer as they started to follow him.
“That man’s gonna kill Pain,” he whispered. “Let’s make sure he don’t.”
Pain heard the footsteps coming and he knew who it was. Slowly, he stood up and turned towards the man.
“YOU GORRAM SON OF A BITCH!” Grayson yelled as his fist connected with Pain’s jaw.
Pain just took it. Grayson threw another punch that connected with his cheek and again Pain just took it.
Mal and Jayne grabbed Grayson from behind and pulled him backwards out of the infirmary, while John stayed back, ready with his gun. They pinned him on the floor and Mal leaned in really close.
“Now, lawman,” he sneered. “That’s ground rule #1. Don’t. Hurt. My. Crew. We have an understanding? Cause the way I see it? You might be able to hurt one of us, but I have some pretty capable folk on this boat.”
The sound of Zoe’s gun cocking from above was heard, plus John stepped into view, gun in hand too. Grayson stilled and looked up to see Zoe standing a few steps up on the stairway.
“Yep, and she’d be one of them. Ground rule #2 is no guns.,” Mal continued as he relieved Grayson of his sidearm and started patting him down to make sure he didn’t have any more. “And lastly, Rule #3 is that you mind while you are on my ship.”
“Yeah, he ain’t to happy ‘bout you being here anyways,” Jayne added.
“That I ain’t,” Mal agreed. He let Grayson up. “Now that little girl is in there fighting for her life and that man with her loves her. Play. Nice. Dong ma?”
Grayson grunted and walked back into the infirmary, where Pain had taken up vigil at her side again. He looked down at Ivy. His face softened considerably. He came up to her side and took the hand Pain wasn’t holding.
“I’m sorry,” Pain said softly.
“She dies and I will end you,” Grayson told him with definite hatred in his voice.
“S’not playin’ nice, law man,” Jayne said from the doorway.
“I want to speak with your doctor.”
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Infirmary
Quote:
Originally posted by GraysonCornwell:
“I want to speak with your doctor.”
"That would be me." replied Simon, stepping into the infirmary after seeing the ruckus that had been caused. He looked at Pain and then back at Grayson and added as he walked over to Ivy and checked her vitals, "If you're done assaulting the crew members aboard this ship, what may I ask do you want to speak about?"
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Quote:
Originally posted by GraysonCornwell:
“YOU GORRAM SON OF A BITCH!” Grayson yelled as his fist connected with Pain’s jaw.
Ivy jumped at the sound of Grayson's voice.
Grayson was there. Why was Grayson there? Grayson will blame Pain. Grayson would hurt Pain and the punch just confirmed it.
"Stop it, Stop it!" she cried out, but no one could hear her.
Quote:
Originally posted by GraysonCornwell:
Pain just took it. Grayson threw another punch that connected with his cheek and again Pain just took it.
Luckily, Mal and the others stepped in. She guessed the Captain did look after his own and it drove home the point even more - she wasn't one of his own.
She looked out at the light... and her father.
Quote:
Originally posted by GraysonCornwell:
“I’m sorry,” Pain said softly.
“She dies and I will end you,” Grayson told him with definite hatred in his voice.
"I've messed things up..." she whispered to herself. "I should have stayed at my old job with my old life. Should have let Grayson handle things. I should have stayed numb.
"But he made me feel... wanted and alive. And now it just... hurts."
She looked out at the light again and smiled.
And Ivy's heart skipped a few beats.
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Quote:
Originally posted by DRPAIN:
"If you're done assaulting the crew members aboard this ship, what may I ask do you want to speak about?"
"I want to talk to you about Toms' condition. Er... I mean Ivy's condition. It been a while since I called her anything but Toms."
"She was shot three times," Simon said as he checked her pupils with a pen light. He stood up and pointed out each wound. "First one went in here and collapsed a lung. Second one nicked her aorta. We were lucky that it was a small nick. If the bullet had hit anywhere closer, she would have bled out in a matter of minutes."
Simon pointed out the last wound.
"This one was a shoulder wound. The lesser of the three."
Pain had gotten quiet and was just resting his forehead on her hand. Grayson turned around to face Mal.
"When will we be docking with the nearest ship with medical facilities? I can get us clearance wherever we need it."
"Not going to happen," Mal informed him. "Not real fond of any big government boats."
"Well, I can't exactly leave her here under the care of your... medic," Grayson said, his concern for Ivy palpable. He turned to Simon. "Are you even a doctor?"
Simon smirked a little at the comment as he went about checking Ivy over some more.
"I can assure you, Grayson, that she is in more than capable hands," Mal told him. "If he wasn't a skilled surgeon, you'd be taking a body back with you right now."
Grayson turned back to regard Simon.
"I'm sorry if I don't quite believe you," Grayson said. "Why would a skilled surgeon be on a ship like this?"
Grayson thought a little more.
"Unless you're hiding something..." he followed up. Grayson studied him for a moment. Simon seemed to tense up a bit. This doctor suddenly looked... familiar.
But his thoughts were quickly pushed aside when Ivy's heart rate became erratic. Pain looked up at Ivy's face, his expression fearful.
"Get back!" Simon ordered as he pushed everyone aside and started working on Ivy.
"What's wrong?" Grayson asked as he watched Simon move about with the definite confidence of a professional. "What's WRONG?"
"Captain, I need to work..." Simon calmly stated. He scanned her heart and went to a drawer. He pulled out some medication, loaded it into a jet injector and administered it straight into her neck. Almost immediately, her heart rate resumed a normal rhythm. "She needs to rest. All this activity has been taxing on her."
"Let's go upto the galley and let her rest. Maybe get something to eat or drink," Mal said as he pulled Grayson out of the infirmary. "We all need to calm down a bit. He'll come get us when there's anything to report."
Mal noticed that Pain had yet to move.
"That means you too, Pain," Mal ordered softly as he stepped back inside the infirmary and laid a hand on the big man's shoulder. "Simon'll watch her for you."
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