taxonomites | 01 - [ Visual ]

Entry tags:

01 - [ Visual ]

Mal slowly opens his eyes, only to be greeted by a blurred mess of metallic colors. No exciting colors, no outstanding landmarks. His vision clears, and he sees that he’s in a circular chamber. Only problem is, he’s never seen this chamber before before. He sits up in a rush, and wildly looks around him, taking in the plain, undecorated room.

His hand instinctively goes to his waist, where he gropes around in a fruitless search for his gun. But it’s not there, and he shivers involuntarily, not liking being unarmed. He glances at his wrist, where there’s a bracelet that’s been fused to his arm. How did that get there? It wasn’t there before…

Something doesn’t feel right about this – his normal clothes are gone, his weapon is nowhere to be found, and he has no idea where in the ruttin’ universe he is. He thinks maybe a job went wrong, and he ended up stranded somewhere, but that doesn’t explain the foggy quality of his memories.

Suddenly, his confused train of thought is interrupted by the unexpected sound of voices coming from nowhere, which causes him to jump. He does a half turn, and reaches over in the direction the voices came from.

...

It’s some form of communication device. That’s the best that he can tell, just from looking at it. A string of jumbled Chinese curse words leaves his mouth as he pokes at some of the buttons and the screen on the object. He pulls his hand away slowly, deciding that the object is harmless enough. “Well, ain’t this a nice development,” he grumbles. “I’m gonna have to find out who put this bracelet on me and make them take them off. I don’t need jewelry, I need to find out where I am and how to get back to my ship.”

That being said, Mal stands up and looks around him for a few seconds. He sees nothing worth commenting on, except for the device and the occasional odd pillar. This place doesn’t look too out of the ordinary, though he’s definitely never seen it before. There might be a secret to it or something. He moves over to sit down with his back against the nearest wall, and waits for someone to come along and explain exactly what’s going on.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, Kaylee's excitement just leaps off the screen. Mal just stares blankly at the screen for a moment or two, asking himself whether he should believe that the figure on the screen is really his mechanic or not.

Could be that it's a strange form of a wave, but it isn't like anything he's ever seen before. "What do you mean, 'I'm back'? Ain't never seen this place before, Kaylee."

Of course, that cheerfulness is unmistakable. It's the same cheerfulness that caused him to joke about duct-taping her mouth and locking her up somewhere. "Save your kissin' for later. What's goin' on here?"

No worries, Mal, this is most definitely Kaylee, and she's as real as real can be.

"Don't remember it?" The smile loses the smallest bit of excitement, but she recovers quick. "S'alright, I didn't remember it either when I first got back, and it has been some time since you've been here, so I ain't sure how well you would've recognized it anyhow..."

Explanations, yes. Those would be nice. "Basically? This is Taxon, we've all been kidnapped by aliens, and we're stuck in this city with no way home." She doesn't sound all that bothered by it as she should, especially since she's had some time to get used to it. And then the reluctant reveal of, "It's only you, me, 'n River here, though."

That's real good, though until he sees her in person, he's still going to retain some misgivings. The mention of River's name brings to mind something, and Mal knows he has to ask Kaylee about it.

"Talked a little with River. She said somethin' about Serenity bein' lost. That true, Kaylee?" Mal crosses his arms, his brow furrowed. He doesn't quite want to hear what Kaylee might say, especially if it involves his ship being gone, but not knowing would be worse, so he waits to see what her response will be.

"Aliens... Seems a little far-fetched. But we've seen some strange things in our time, haven't we, meimei?" An odd expression crosses Mal's face then. "No way of gettin' home... what's home anyway? Aside from Serenity, we don't got much in the way of homes to return to." Mal allows himself all of a few seconds to stew on that thought for a bit before he comes back to reality.

Kaylee and River being the only ones here means someone's got to look after them. Kaylee might insist that she doesn't need looking after, but Mal being who he is, intends to do so anyway. And as for River, Mal knows he's not Simon, but he'll do his best, regardless. "Where're you and River stayin', Kaylee? Got a house or somethin', I hope."

She doesn't want to tell him any more than he wants to hear it, and that much is obvious as soon as the sheepish little smile crawls over her face. "She was here, yeah, but she disappeared when Simon did. Hopefully went back home...." And she means both of them there.

"They're aliens whether you think it could be or not. Didn't believe it myself at first, and then I saw 'em. Really, they just appeared like big ol' hamsters, but they were there nonetheless, and talkin' to boot."

The little mechanic has already been doing her part in keeping an eye on River, though she'll be might glad if Mal wants to step in and help. When he asks where they're staying, it's just a few steps outside, and she turns her tablet so he can see the whole of the ranch--house, shop, all of it. Look familiar, Mal? "Got a whole ranch. All it's missin' is my folks, really."

"Simon was here, and Serenity left with him?" Yeah, Mal and Simon are on slightly better terms, but he still can't help feeling a little annoyed at the idea of his ship disappearing with someone else. And why didn't she come back with him anyway? Serenity is his ship, and all of that...

"Right. Well, they can't be worse than any of the stuff we've already seen, so long as they don't do anythin' too weird, I guess I'm okay with them." Not like he has any say in that matter but this is Mal we're talking about here. He likes thinking that he's got some control over a situation, whether he does or not.

When Kaylee turns the tablet to show him where she's living, Mal can't help but smile at what he sees. It reminds him a little of her room on Serenity, with little bits and additions that personalize the place and put Kaylee's name over everything. "Well, looks like you got lucky, meimei. Couldn't ask for a better place to live."

"Don't got any say in how it works, or I'd've made sure I kept her here." Even if it meant losing the ranch, because Kaylee knew Mal would've wanted his baby here if he ever came back. Sorry to fail, Cap'n.

Instead of lingering on the Caper of the Missing Ship, though, Kaylee focuses on explaining their captors better. "Ain't seen anythin' too strange out of 'em yet, but..." To mention to vision or not? Probably wouldn't hurt, seeing as Mal liked to have all of his facts. "Somebody here saw the future, and by the sound of it things are due to go south pretty quick here. Can't say if it's the aliens' doin' or not, though."

When the tablet turns back her way, she's grinning all kinds of proud at him. "No better place than home, yeah?"

As unhappy as Mal is about this, there is no way he's going to let Kaylee put the blame on herself. There's nothing to apologize for. "Short of tyin' her down or puttin' a landlock on her, don't think you could've done anythin', Kaylee. Doesn't sound like these aliens see our bein' happy as much of a priority."

He's more than happy to change the subject, however, even apocalyptic topics aren't the best thing in the world. "Goin' south, huh? Like the world endin' with fire and brimstone?" Well, that's quite a bombshell. "So what's to be done about that? 'Cause if things are gonna go as bad as that sounds, a plan's probably a good thing to have."

That grin of hers is so infectious, Mal can't help but return the smile. "Exactly. Especially in a place like this that is as far from home as you could get."

Don't worry, Mal, she's already been in a whole world of blaming herself and throwing herself in charge of projects that are a little too big for one tiny mechanic to handle. "Yeah, well, they've made things decently comfortable, at least. But if you're here, maybe they'll bring her back." One can only hope!

"Don't know if 'fire and brimstone' count for part of it or no. We've been workin' at setting up bunkers and the like, preparin' for whatever we can that might be thrown our way." A shrug. "Bit tougher than it sounds, though, when you don't got an idea of what you're up against. Still, workin' those jobs with you's certainly opened me up to a world of possibilities to prepare for." That last bit's all teasing, purely for his benefit.

She flops down on the swing on the porch. "Like I said. They're pretty good at makin' things comfortable. Makes most folks wonder what they've got planned, though."

If that's the case, he hates the idea of his little mechanic handling all of those things by herself. "Yeah, well, they'd better. Don't much like the idea of bein' landlocked like this." And that's very much an understatement.

"Right. Well, assumin' there's still a lot in the way of preparations that need to be done..." He crosses his arms, suddenly all business. "What do you need me to do?"

He can't help but grin at her as she flops down on the porch swing. "Don't think bein' comfortable is possible in the place they've given me. Not even sure I want to see it, 'cause of how it looked last time I was there."

And that's news she didn't really want to break to him. She frowns, "Landlocked even with her here. Artificial sky you're seein' above us."

It's kind of strange, having Mal ask her what he needs to do when it's normally the other way around. She glances down at the list in front of her. "Basically, we're just tryin' to set up a few shelters around the city, just in case things get too rough to handle. Maybe need help with makin' sure they're set--board 'em up and the like--but there ain't much else I can think of 'sides helpin' hatch supplies and put a few basics together."

Place they've got him... "What'd they give you?" Kaylee's already looking at the map for new locations, and she thinks she knows, but she'd rather hear it from him.

Oh, but if Serenity were with him on Taxon, whether there's no way to fly her or not, Mal would be a lot less grouchy. But as it stands, she's not here, so Kaylee's going to have to deal with Mal and all of his grouchiness. "Well, these hamsters sure have thought of it all. Even took the sky away from us flyin' types."

If she asked him, Mal wouldn't lie. It feels strange to be in this position, but Kaylee has the advantage of having been in Taxon longer than he has, and she knows the people and the situation better, so until he gets his bearings, he's going to be asking her a lot of questions. "Whatever you need, I'm more than happy to help. Did you say hatchin' supplies?" Not the strangest thing he's ever heard, but still...

"Place I grew up on... The ranch on Shadow." He looks away from the tablet, staring down at the floor while he scuffs his boot against it. "Don't think this is funny, but those hamsters are probably somewhere laughin' fit to burst."

In any case, she's use to grouchy Mal, and knows how to handle him pretty well. Half of it's just show, in any case. Got that reputation of his to keep up, or some such. "Ain't to say you can't fly at all," she adds, "just that there ain't really anyplace to be goin' when you do so."

Laughter follows, though. "Got little stations, like vendin' machines, and you punch in whatever you want, and out it pops. Can't be nothin' big, and most times you end up gettin' the components and makin' whatever yourself, but it's real handy in most cases." Gives her parts whenever she needs them, and that's good enough for her.

Kaylee shifts the tablet as Mal speaks, gaining a slightly better view of his face as she does so. "Want me to go with ya to see, or would you rather on your own?" Knowing Mal he'll want to go it alone, but that doesn't mean she can't offer a buddy if he needs one.

And that is why he's glad she's here and not someone like Simon who doesn't quite understand him in the same way Kaylee does. Not that he's going to be admitting anything like that, of course, because of that whole reputation thing he has. "Defeats the purpose of even tryin', then."

He listens carefully to her description of the hatches, figuring that they must be pretty important. "Sounds like a fascinatin' piece of work. So, you tell me the things you need and I'll get 'em for you." Got to stay active, as well as useful to people, especially in a situation like the one they're in.

Mal just shrugs in response to her offer. He's not sure if he wants the company, or if he even wants to see the place where he grew up. It's a complicated issue (or at least Mal thinks it is), and he hates complicated issues. "If you feel like comin' along, ain't gonna stop you," he says, finally, after deliberating over the matter. "I just figure you'd want to stay where you are, what with the business of the world comin' to an end."

"Not even," Kaylee replies, best smile face forward. "Got the city to roam, which ain't much, but it's better'n nothin' at all." Better than an itty bitty cell with no movement at all...

"I'll send ya a list, soon as I've got it all figured." The more people in on this, the better. "If it comes to it, I'll even loan you the credits for the parts. Really, it's just a matter of time. Some things got limited, other things ain't exactly right and need reworkin' or puttin' together."

Oh Mal, don't be like that. "Might not hurt to check it for anythin' we might be able to use for this world endin' thing," Kaylee replies, "but if you'd rather go it alone I ain't gonna stop ya."

Kaylee really has a gift: being able to stay optimistic when Mal's doing the best he can to be anything but that. Though he'll never admit it, part of him really does appreciate it. "Yeah, well, at least that's somethin'," he says finally, still not liking the idea of being land-locked, and having nowhere to go but through some city he doesn't really know. But it is better than nothing.

"Xie xie, mèimei. Soon as you can get that put together, I'll get goin' right away." But there is one thing that's worrying him. "Don't worry about rushin'. I'm thinkin' you must got a list a mile long of things you're tryin' to see to."

All of his protestations aside, he really doesn't want to go there alone. If Zoe were here, he'd just ask her, but since she isn't and Kaylee is... Well, he trusts her as much as he trusts Zoe, and so he says, "If you're gonna put it that way, then I suppose it couldn't hurt. Might be a few things that'll be useful to you."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only