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firefly_fanfic2008-08-14 11:34 pm
memorysdaughter.livejournal.com) wrote in firefly_fanfic2008-08-14 11:34 pm
Radio Nowhere, Chapter Twenty-Two
Title: Radio Nowhere
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Fourteen years in the future, River takes a turn towards the more-crazy, leaving Serenity's crew to care for her daughter.
Series: Chapter Twenty-Two
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: Post-BDM, except with two very important changes.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been, never will be. The title comes from a Bruce Springsteen song.
Chapters 1-21
Radio Nowhere
Beck closed her eyes. The estate was beautiful and ostentatious, everything she had expected, but it wasn’t Serenity and it certainly wasn’t home. Mother and Father Tam had created a room for her, all pink and flowery, but it wasn’t her tiny lavender bunk on the ship.
Someone lifted Beck from her wheelchair and laid her on the soft bed. Gentle hands came up to attach Beck’s vent to her trach. “She’s asleep, ma’am,” a woman said in a soft voice.
“Good,” Mother Tam said. She sounded a little worried. “Good. Just keep an eye on her.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mother Tam leaned down and kissed Beck gently on the forehead. Beck breathed in her incense-like perfume, and she ached for her mother, who smelled nothing like this stranger. “Good night, Rebecca,” Mother Tam said quietly.
When Beck was sure that Mother Tam had left the room, and the servant was absorbed in a soap opera on her handheld screen, she shifted her weight slightly, gripping the button transmitter in her right hand. A small spark jolted between the transmitter in her hand and the small chip behind her ear. As Beck wiggled the button, the jolt became a shock, slightly stronger than before.
Finally she’d found the place where the electric pulse was the greatest. She tested it two more times, and then, satisfied with the pulse, held the button down for as long as she could. The signal went out into the world, and Beck’s breathy voice carried out across the ‘verse: “Momma?”
“Cap’n, we’re gettin’ a weird signal,” Wash said as Mal came into the cockpit. “Some sort of static disturbance. Can’t quite figure out what it means.”
The pilot pointed to a screen, where a wiggling, jagged line spiked and peaked. “See that?”
“I see it,” Mal said tersely. “What does it mean?”
Wash shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Can you trace it?” Kaylee asked, coming onto the bridge behind Mal.
“I can give it my best shot,” Wash answered.
“Y’ need somethin’, li’l Kaylee?” Mal asked, turning to the mechanic.
She shook her head. “Just wanted t’ tell ya River’s sleepin’. We got her t’ eat some dinner ‘fore she passed out.”
“Good. Good. She needs t’ be sleepin’, time like this.”
“That’s odd,” Wash said thoughtfully.
“What is?”
“Signal’s comin’ from Osiris.” Wash leaned in and twisted a dial. “I can’t figure out what the message is… somethin’s wrong with th’ frequency.”
He wrested the dial back and forth, and the line stretched out into a wave. A high-pitched beeping noise emanated from the screen.
“Wait, go back,” Mal ordered. “I thought I heard somethin’ back there.”
Wash obediently turned the dial. The beeping noise was replaced by a static hiss. The hissing was continuous for several seconds, only interrupted by two short low pulses.
“What is that?” Kaylee asked as they listened, heads cocked towards the screen.
Wash shook his head slowly. “I have no… idea.”
“Turn up the volume,” Kaylee said. She leaned forward, reaching around to the back of the screen. “Keep going. Louder.”
“It’s up as loud as it’ll go!”
Kaylee’s nimble hands twisted a series of wires on the back of the screen. The two low pulses came closer together. “Now take it down two frequencies.”
Wash scrambled to obey.
“Okay… one more.”
Static hiss filled the cockpit.
“I don’t hear anythin’,” Mal said.
“Shh, wait,” Kaylee said, her hands holding the manipulated wires.
The two pulses repeated. Dah-dum. Mah-dum. Mah-mum.
“What is that?”
Mah-muh. Mah-muh. Mah-muh.
“It sounds like someone’s saying…” Kaylee’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, my God.”
“What? What is it?” Wash looked hurriedly from Mal to Kaylee. “Somebody tell me what’s goin’ on!”
Mah-muh. Mah-muh.
“Is that…?” Mal stared at Kaylee.
She nodded. “It’s Beck.”
Author: Sarah-Beth (memorysdaughter)
Email: memorysdaughter@gmail.com
Summary: Fourteen years in the future, River takes a turn towards the more-crazy, leaving Serenity's crew to care for her daughter.
Series: Chapter Twenty-Two
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Timeline: Post-BDM, except with two very important changes.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been, never will be. The title comes from a Bruce Springsteen song.
Chapters 1-21
Radio Nowhere
Beck closed her eyes. The estate was beautiful and ostentatious, everything she had expected, but it wasn’t Serenity and it certainly wasn’t home. Mother and Father Tam had created a room for her, all pink and flowery, but it wasn’t her tiny lavender bunk on the ship.
Someone lifted Beck from her wheelchair and laid her on the soft bed. Gentle hands came up to attach Beck’s vent to her trach. “She’s asleep, ma’am,” a woman said in a soft voice.
“Good,” Mother Tam said. She sounded a little worried. “Good. Just keep an eye on her.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mother Tam leaned down and kissed Beck gently on the forehead. Beck breathed in her incense-like perfume, and she ached for her mother, who smelled nothing like this stranger. “Good night, Rebecca,” Mother Tam said quietly.
When Beck was sure that Mother Tam had left the room, and the servant was absorbed in a soap opera on her handheld screen, she shifted her weight slightly, gripping the button transmitter in her right hand. A small spark jolted between the transmitter in her hand and the small chip behind her ear. As Beck wiggled the button, the jolt became a shock, slightly stronger than before.
Finally she’d found the place where the electric pulse was the greatest. She tested it two more times, and then, satisfied with the pulse, held the button down for as long as she could. The signal went out into the world, and Beck’s breathy voice carried out across the ‘verse: “Momma?”
“Cap’n, we’re gettin’ a weird signal,” Wash said as Mal came into the cockpit. “Some sort of static disturbance. Can’t quite figure out what it means.”
The pilot pointed to a screen, where a wiggling, jagged line spiked and peaked. “See that?”
“I see it,” Mal said tersely. “What does it mean?”
Wash shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Can you trace it?” Kaylee asked, coming onto the bridge behind Mal.
“I can give it my best shot,” Wash answered.
“Y’ need somethin’, li’l Kaylee?” Mal asked, turning to the mechanic.
She shook her head. “Just wanted t’ tell ya River’s sleepin’. We got her t’ eat some dinner ‘fore she passed out.”
“Good. Good. She needs t’ be sleepin’, time like this.”
“That’s odd,” Wash said thoughtfully.
“What is?”
“Signal’s comin’ from Osiris.” Wash leaned in and twisted a dial. “I can’t figure out what the message is… somethin’s wrong with th’ frequency.”
He wrested the dial back and forth, and the line stretched out into a wave. A high-pitched beeping noise emanated from the screen.
“Wait, go back,” Mal ordered. “I thought I heard somethin’ back there.”
Wash obediently turned the dial. The beeping noise was replaced by a static hiss. The hissing was continuous for several seconds, only interrupted by two short low pulses.
“What is that?” Kaylee asked as they listened, heads cocked towards the screen.
Wash shook his head slowly. “I have no… idea.”
“Turn up the volume,” Kaylee said. She leaned forward, reaching around to the back of the screen. “Keep going. Louder.”
“It’s up as loud as it’ll go!”
Kaylee’s nimble hands twisted a series of wires on the back of the screen. The two low pulses came closer together. “Now take it down two frequencies.”
Wash scrambled to obey.
“Okay… one more.”
Static hiss filled the cockpit.
“I don’t hear anythin’,” Mal said.
“Shh, wait,” Kaylee said, her hands holding the manipulated wires.
The two pulses repeated. Dah-dum. Mah-dum. Mah-mum.
“What is that?”
Mah-muh. Mah-muh. Mah-muh.
“It sounds like someone’s saying…” Kaylee’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, my God.”
“What? What is it?” Wash looked hurriedly from Mal to Kaylee. “Somebody tell me what’s goin’ on!”
Mah-muh. Mah-muh.
“Is that…?” Mal stared at Kaylee.
She nodded. “It’s Beck.”