Flashbacks and Flashpoints

"Situations got a strange way of makin' a mess.... No different for my own self either of late... Gorram warbot. That was a flashpoint. Flashpoints. Its when somethin' reaches its maximum befre conbustion. We all got em too...." Pacin' 'round in Hasno was startin' to wear a might thin lately. "Not sure where all it started. Could say as far back as when Kitten went out of existance. Or as near as the warbot's attack on us. Can't say for sure, but it all added its brand of poison."

Not sure why I was talkin' 'bout all this gorram stuff. Just maybe needed to be said. Or maybe to get rid of the poison that was festerin' inside. Purgin' it, I s'pose. "With Kitten gone, my life started doin' a might better. Not how you'd think. My head was clear for the first time since..... Hell, don't know when.... But there was that loss that was there too. It also brought somethin' more... A new light. AuroraBlue, like bright sunshine pourin' through rain clouds." The doorway had a barrier I couldn't get through. G said to keep me safe from my own self... So I didn't go and do somethin' crazy.

The drugs were wearin' off. I could feel it.... Made me a might annoyed to be locked up... Startin' to feel a close in here... "Hale's was quiet for a spell. Even work dried up while the 'liance hit dirtside here. Figures... They come and work goes. Then there was Xoxo.... She was actin' all confused at times, then at others she was mean spirited. Not sure what all's goin' on with her. Maybe she reached her flashpoint.... Or dealin' with her own poisons. But she ain't been 'round of late." Not sure how many times I looked at that gorram wall clock. But time was movin' a might too slow for my likin'.

"Then a few weeks back.... Aiya... Was a nightmare. Xoxo and her spite sent me to headin' for the black. Yeah.... I was pretty angered for a spell... When I got back all hell'd opened up with bullets flyin'. I knew cause a stray caught me in the armor. Nothin' the armor couldn't handle easy." When was G gettin' back. I needed some gorram air. "So, with tryin' to figure who was doin' the shootin', I got into trouble helpin' save Tillery from his captors... And got my own self shot up. Yeah, yeah.... Broke the run of good luck there. At least the explosions and shots from the ship didn't hit us. Woulda ended us if they had."

My mind was racin' to see if I could get somethin' in the room to short the door so I could get out of here... But then there was the gas release I had to deal with.... "Not two days later.... that huan dahn bounty hunter got hold of me. Gorram sick bastard.... strapped me down so I couldn't move or fight back... Tortured...." That set me on edge. The poison balled in my gut. "For days he beat me and tore me up.... Would wake in some med facility to have it all start again." I shook my head tryin' to forget... "Like it'd never stop. Until I woke here.... Hell, in this room. More like a cell now... Says to keep me from doin' somethin' crazy.... or get my own self hurt."

Chuckled at that, but it wasn't funny. None of it was.... "Maybe a week or so later a kid shows up and starts talkin' all strange. Dav took her in... Seems we get a lot of folks lost in the 'verse come our way. Like Hale's is a flame to every moth on the rim. Sometimes they come to their senses and somethimes they don't." Wonder which might happen to her... "Then the warbot showed her green face and set to shootin' everythin' up. Everythin' and everyone in her way..... To find Raids. She looks like Raids 'cept for the color... and maybe the hair. But thats 'bout it. It came fast at Dav and me. Almost too fast to dive for cover. Gorram fast and deadly. Went for me first. Not sure what all happened after that."

Gorram! Had to look at that gorram clock again. "Like no time's passed...." rubbed my face and tried not to think of where all I was. "We were shot up good. Jai was tryin' to help.... but I got the feelin' she wasn't cut out for bein' a medic. Then that kid was sayin' stuff. Like I was her brother. I don't know what all thats 'bout. I don't know her from hole in the wall. My family was gone. My birth family anyway. Says she's Catherine. Hell Catherine... Kitten was gone. She was most like dead by now." Frownin' 'bout that. Was she? "No soon's we wake up and the warbot's back. This time Calina was visitin' in the clinic when it showed. We needed to get out there. The gorram 'bot was outside killin' another poor townsfolk. We could hear the shots and screams.... the sound of someone bein' ended..."

The screams you couldn't shut out as it rang off the buildin' walls. "We didn't have much chance. Dav and I were her targets again. She messed us up pretty bad.... Could feel the bullets tearin' through me as I shot back. After that I don't rem'meber much. Well... nothin' after that.... I woke in the clinic again. Or was it the first time... and I never left. Like relivin' a nightmare. Or was it goin' to be my hell." Needed to purge that poison again. "Had to get out of that buildin'. The chem smell was makin' me sick. Never liked med centers.... And then there was that kid. She kept at me over and over.... Insistin' I was her brother." Who was she, and why.... I'd made my own peace with my family. Why now. "Everythin' was flashin' b'fore my eyes. Shots ringin' out, death screams.... The non stop pain poundin' into my body....Flashpoint....."

My body hurt from all the punishment, while my brain tried to sort it all out. "How long can anyone take the beatin's? Was this what my Pa went through after he lost his arm in the Unification War? Not sure, but he made it through with his life. For that he was grateful to come home to us." Come on G, I need to be doin' somethin' 'sides pacin' in here... "Gotta cast the demons away and step b'yond the pain. We gotta end the warbot b'fore it does more damage to the folks here. Find her 'flashpoint' and melt her for scrap. Yeah, maybe it's wishful thinkin', but hell, we gotta do somethin'. Then with time..." Oh hell. Looked at the clock again..... "Yeah... Time heals all wounds. Hopefully faster then the gorram clock is moving."

Loss and the New Year

"Well, it's another year.... And I might of gotten off on the wrong foot. Could just be me thinkin' that. Just sometimes happens is all. Just hoping it gets better from here. Heard a friend passed on just a day or so ago. Ladonna Biscuit..... Pete'd introed me to her. Bright and friendly sort. Liked workin' on ships. Was tragic how she ended....." Tried to get my thoughts sorted as I rem'mbered her. "Shouldn't have happened..... 'specially to someone like her...."

Rubbin' my neck I could only pray for her family. Their pain must be pretty bad. And her friends..... "The folks who got to know her are feelin' the loss. Her memories'll live on with us."

(Ladonna was a wonderful person Pete Camino introed me to. She loved to learn about building ships, getting to know folks, and talk with friends. She'll be sorely missed by the community here in the Firefly Verse and in RL by her friends and family. Send thoughts, prayers, & whatever strength to them in their time of need.)

Lookin' 'round the office seemed a might claustrophobic 'bout now. So I started headin' to the hangar. Had to see what we needed there. "Not sure what to say on it 'cept we all deal with loss in our own way. Like with Kitten. I know she's gone now. Months are spannin' longer and no word. And I still gotta heal up 'nough to find info on those twins that went missin'..... Lily might have an idea of where all they went. She's got her ears to the wind. Means I gotta heal up more b'fore I can go flyin' 'round again too. Just hope that Major holds up her end of the deal. Gettin' me info on Kitten....."

"One bright side to bein' back home after my bein' taken.... AuroraBlue come to see me. She looked all pale and a might worried. Her hands were warm and gentle where she touched the bandages. I told her I was on the mend and it seemed to help her some. Told her I had a gift for her in the tower, so she went and put it on. Was real nice dress I found on Paquin last time I landed there. She come back to show me..... lookin' so beautiful. I showed her an image of how I saw her in my own head. I think she smiled at that. Made me happy to see her smile. Too much tragedy over the last year for everyone. We all felt it, even her."


AuroraBlue showing Cody her new dress.

The hangar was busy with folks fixin' their vehicles. The bigger ships had their hangar up on the orbital. "When I woke back up the next day, she'd left. Most likely to do somethin' she needed to get done. Lily'd told me she;d been takin' stuff. Not sure what or from where all. I don't know if I want to. Hell I had to my own self just to survive after my escape from the medcenter." I waved to the folks at the hangar. Talked to a few of em to let em know I was doin' better. "Brooke come by just b'fore I was shot. She'd said some things..... Sort of got me surprised she did what all she did. She said she shot someone in her home. Was months ago. He came to take her children..... She had to stop him and killed him in the kids bedroom. That's when she left with her little ones and hid. When she come back to the office, she had that haunted look.... I figured I knew who she'd killed up in that room.... It was William Faith."

"She was back, albeit sporadically. I could understand she needed to spend time with her little ones too. I told her I'd keep the office runnin' like I been for a while. Let her know we had funds if she needed any." Was hard to see her in such rough shape. "Brooke'd been through a lot.... And what she told me would stay with me. No one else need know of what she had to do. I don't blame her for it either. He was more then deservin' of what all he got. I would have shot him my own self." Shakin' my head to try to get my mind onto somethin' else, I checked the parts lists to see what we needed to restock.

"Had a few visitors while I was healin'. Seems Vincent got himself a body. Sort of felt a might strange to see him sorta lookin' like me. But then G mentioned somethin' 'bout Desmond usin' some of my DNA. Sixty seven percent of his DNA was from me. Said somethin' 'bout my DNA that'll keep Vincent's body from rejectin' his brain. Or any other organ for that matter. Another thing the 'liance might want me for if that got out." Double checkin' the list, I copied it into my data reader. "But then again, I don't know what all'd been done to me and what the effects f the tamperin' are."

I headed back to the office to send out the list of parts we needed on the ground. "Still a might sore, but then that's expected of what damage I got when I was with that huen dahn bounty hunter. Ribs tend to heal slower cause they're always moving. Gotta breathe. Davion was playin' momma hen on me 'bout not liftin' when we go for this next run. This time I had to agree. I ain't wantin' to spend any more time in a clinic then I have to." My mind drifted back to AuroraBlue and the other night as I got to the office. Simon was settin' in his usual spot on the counter. Cat come in and adopted the office as his place.

"Lily called in on New Years Eve, by Hale's Moon's standard calender. Said she was bringin' someone with her. I didn't have to ask. It was AuroraBlue. She changed in the community buildin' back into the dress I got her and I took her to Firefly's to dance. It took very little time for her to pick up on how to dance when I showed her. She was enjoyin' herself and I was happy she was. It was like a ray of sun come down and lit my world. Warmin' it and brightin' it up. The gravity was back and holdin' me in a strong orbit. Then she was wantin' to leave. I stopped her at the stairs to say bye.... I even said, 'I love you'. Then I kissed her cheek..... She suddenly stiffened and ran off....." The whole thing made me feel bad for the kiss. "I wasn't meanin' to scare her off. And I'd kissed her forehead hundreds of times. Just gotta hope she ain't upset over it."