Part 2

[walk_ins]

There's a stink of gunpowder in the air; too much for the Station's air recyclers to clear out. Blood, too. But things have gotten quiet, except for the rare moan from the blue-handed defenders. Whatever forces are left to protect the Academy have given up on breaking the seige and have fallen back, waiting for the attackers to come out.

Time's running out.

Comments

[badinlatin]

Finally.

If Mal had ever played baseball, he might feel like he was sliding into home base with the way he landed stopped near the young girl.

Pain shooting through his back at the abrupt stop, Mal reaches under the girl's arms and attempts to lift her back to her feet.

[walk_ins]

As Mal helps her to her feet, there's the sound of pounding feet from the corridor that crosses here. River runs by, her hair streaming behind her, and dragging Anthy by her hand. She's followed by Roland and Tom.

A moment later, fast and grim as sudden death, five young people in the uniforms of the Academy but wearing guns on at their waists streak by.

One hooks back and stands at the intersection, studying Mal with narrowed eyes. And then his hand dips to his hip, fast as Roland. Maybe faster.

[badinlatin]

Mal doesn't like the folk that just passed by, but his eyes connect instead with the student, blurting out:

"C'mon now - wanna get somewhere safe---"

[walk_ins]

--and before the Graduate can complete the motion, the corridor River and his fellows disappeared down explodes and he's engulfed in flames.

Mal is mostly protected, having two walls and some empty space between him and the source of the explosion, but the power conduits running through the wall to his left erupt.

[badinlatin]

that skiff is shredding us
we're gonna die
we can't die
those are our angels

Mal screams
the works of Shan Yu

falling over onto the grating of the now-hot corridor.

Below his ribcage on his right side, among other things, is a rather large piece of shrapnel from the cover of a junction box on the wall.

[walk_ins]

For a moment there's the quick, lethal hiss of air escaping into space, and then emergency bulkheads clamp down over the intersection with the exploded corridor, stopping the leak. Anyone down there is now both exploded and exposed to space.

Emergency lights flash.

The student, who was protect by two walls plus empty space plus one big damn hero, gingerly touches Mal, her eyes wide.

[badinlatin]

...then you will truly meet the man...
"'S okay, lil' one," Mal chokes out, only opening one eye to look at the frightened student, "Bad folk're...all gone now."

Mal manages to pull his hands under him, trying to push himself off the floor.

Just like a pushup in Basic. With blood.

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

Mal runs down a corridor after a student, and a few minutes later, there's the sound of an explosion from that general direction.

There's no way this is good.

Which is why Zoe and Faith are now hurrying down the corridor after him, Zoe in the lead with her guns at the ready.

"Captain?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith, too, has her guns out, and when they get a little closer, she curses, softly, sniffing.

"Zoe...I smell blood. Hurry."

Slayer senses are not always good.

[badinlatin]

That whole getting up off the floor thing? Didn't entirely work.

Mal manages to get to sitting leaning against the bulkhead on his left side, trying to eye upward to see if there is anything he can grab without making his shoulder feel like it's on fire.

Or, y'know, electrocute himself.

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

Zoe flies around the corner and stops short at the sight of Mal, but only for a moment. Then, she's down on one knee next to him, checking how bad his injuries are.

Wŏ de mā hé tā de fēngkuáng de wàisheng dōu--let you out of my sight for five gorram minutes and you get yourself blown up. Faith, help me with him?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, 'course."

Faith lifts Mal carefully and offers him her shoulder to lean on, wincing at the sight of a large piece of metal lodged in his back.

"Can't turn your back on men, Zoe, not for two seconds."

[badinlatin]

...Know just what I'm gonna call 'er...

Zoe...
Zoe...
Zoe gorramit...

"Zoe!" Mal might have, in that way where he actually did, imagined calling Zoe's name out loud. To Zoe and Faith and the little girl, it just sounded like coughing. Even now, Zoe's name comes out as just now audible.

"River, Roland...Tom and Anthy...all of 'em." Mal lifts a weak arm to point at what laughingly could be called the adjacent corridor.

If Mal could get his eyes to focus, he'd be boring the phrase 'River and everyone got exploded out into space' into Zoe's skull.

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

Zoe glances from Mal to what's left of the corridor, and it's not very hard to get his meaning.

"Tāmāde--where they there when--" It takes an effort to keep her voice level. "Did you see 'em when it blew, or did they maybe have time to get clear?"

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith doesn't speak. She's not sure she can.

Her grip on Mal tightens for a moment, then goes nearly slack, and she lowers her head, looking at the floor.

If they got caught in that, they're almost certainly dead.

[badinlatin]

Mal exhales and coughs before he can come up with, "Ain't sure. Can't see it being one way more than the other, though."

Mal casts an eye out for the little student behind them while leaning on Faith.

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

There's a moment of clear indecision. Then, Zoe squares her shoulders and tightens her grip on Mal.

"We gotta get you to the infirmary. We'll come back and look for 'em later, if we can."

She holsters up in order to hold her free hand out to the student, who's still hunched on herself with fear, but crosses to Zoe's side. "C'mon."

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith seriously considers handing Mal off to Zoe, but decides, in the end, to follow Zoe instead.

If they're alive, they'll still be there in a few minutes. And if they're dead, it won't make a difference.

[badinlatin]

(y'all gonna be here when I wake up?)

(when you're around that kind of strength, you get tied to it...)

(my crew)

If asked later, Mal might not remember too much of the moving from that lonely corridor to where Serenity is docked.

What he might be remembering forever is Zoe and Faith helping him. And Zoe being the one to make the decision to leave. Being the captain.

Mal slouches just slightly, but still is somehow managing to stay on his own two feet.

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

Zoe, for her part, is doing everything she can not to think of River and Roland lying somewhere in this place, in even worse shape than Mal was. Not to think of how she's going to tell Simon, or the other gunslingers, and Susan.

(leave no man behind)

But she has to be realistic about what their odds of still being alive are--and about the fact that even if they are, she and Faith could never get all of them and Mal back in one trip, anyway.

They can't afford anything other than harsh realism, at this point.

[faithful-slayer.livejournal.com]

Faith's a Slayer, well accustomed to the notion of sacrifice. Age, even, has very little to do with it - River's older now than she was for her first apocalypse, older than quite a few of the girls who died fighting the First, older than the ones they lost when she fell in the Hellmouth. It's bad, but it's the way of things, and she can accept it.

What makes this hard is how much she cares about them, and how much she knows it's going to hurt other people she cares for if they really are dead.

She's silent, still, totally silent as she half-carries Mal back to the ship.

[badinlatin]

Mal remembers very clearly at this point.

The memories are all about pain, though, so not happy thoughts to die by.
the clearing
Mal shuts his eyes and leans all his weight into Faith. If he can just keep his eyes closed, maybe the rest of his body wouldn't hurt so bad.
I'm so sorry.
With Mal's eyes still closed, his legs no longer support him and he begins to fold inward.

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

As Mal sags in their grip, Zoe and Faith bear up under his weight, carrying him between the two of them now.

Zoe thinks of a box on a desk in a bunk, and the key that lies inside it--but instead of despairing or stricken, he expression turns fierce.

If death wants Captain Malcolm Reynlods, it had damn well better not be expecting to take him without a fight.

[ff-ambassador.livejournal.com]

*Inara is pacing the main hold, trying not to panic that Faith, Zoe, and especially Mal aren't back yet. She turns and begins to pace again, when she hears footsteps behind her. She whirls around, and sees them stagger in, Mal dragging between them.

MAL!

*She rushes over, trying not to get in their way but having to make sure he's breathing*

What happened? Is he...is he...

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

"He should be alright, but we need to get him to the infirmary, now." Zoe and Faith are moving as fast as she can under Mal's weight, which, considering Faith's a Slayer, isn't bad. "Is Simon back yet?"