Infection

[cityship]

The disease spread through the City, and through the City, to the crew. Those who came in contact with the invisible killer would slowly begin to exhibit many of the symptoms of a common flu: nausea, chills, and fever.

But they would not feel lethargic. No, quite the opposite. Their energy and their activity would only increase. And now, so would their aggression and pent-up rage...

...and it would increase very, very quickly. So quickly, that you might almost lose your mind.

Comments

Re: Ship Bay

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

It was probably a good thing that someone WAS trying to watch out for others... if they knew where others were. Lowe had caught the noise of the items falling and breaking... and watched as another box got chucked out.

"WOAH! HEY! What's going-- ACK!" Lowe shouted, nearly getting hit by something. "...what the heck's going on?!"

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

Kaylee paused mid-throw, and stood blinking at Lowe for a moment or two. How could she have forgotten that there would be other people wandering around here?

Jaw clenched, the mechanic put the box she'd been about to chuck out on the nearest crate. "Cleanin' house. What's it to ya?"

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

Okaaaaaaaaaaay... wasn't Kaylee sweet and lovable? He'd never seen her this angry before. Then again, he hadn't been around her for too long.

"Cleaning house by chucking stuff out the ship?" Lowe said. "That's not like you!"

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

He had a point. He had a really good point. Kaylee frowned, fighting back a shiver and another wave of nausea, and simply nodded back to him.

It wasn't normal. She shouldn't have been so frustrated about any of this, since none of it could be helped. "'M just. Tired."

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

Something was seriously wrong with Kaylee and Lowe knew it. She needed some sort of help. "Here, let me help, alright?" Lowe said, extending a hand out to her. "We techs gotta stick together, y'know?"

He relaxed his guard just a bit - there was no way of telling if she would do something out there again.

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

This must have been how Jamie was feeling when she kept trying to help him out. She didn't want help, she wanted to be left alone. That probably meant she did need help, though.

Body tense, Kaylee slowly stepped down the ramp to place a shaking hand into Lowe's.

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

Lowe took Kaylee's hand, not helping to cock an eyebrow. She was trembling like crazy.

"Man, Kaylee, to be trembling like that..." Lowe uttered before laying a hand on her forehead. "...you're not well! Let's get you to one of the docs and see what they can do!"

Here's hoping nothing bad happens...!

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

Oh no. No, they were not going to the doctors. Kaylee pulled her hand back sharply.

"Naw, I'm...I'm sure they've got their hands full already. Wouldn't want to put any more pressure on 'em." Because somebody on this ship deserved a break, even if she wasn't the one getting it.

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

"Kaylee, you got a fever, you're trembling. You're sick." Lowe said. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind an extra person. 'Sides, if you go, I go, too! I'd have to listen to 8 complain if I didn't."

He let out a brief chuckle. "C'mon, it won't be that bad!" He held out his hand again, this time more on his guard. Next thing he'd know, she could flip out on him!

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

She pointed back inside. "Got a whole infirmary here to take care of me. Don't gotta go worry everybody else that way. It's fine."

Nope, she wasn't going, and just to prove it she took a few steps farther inside, back toward the control panel for the door. There was no way she was about to leave her ship alone.

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

"Kaylee, wait a second!" Lowe said, going after her. "This is stupid! You're not thinking right! You're sick, you need something to get rid of whatever's making you sick!"

He made his way over to panel himself, hoping to stop her. "You're coming with me. I'm not going to let you suffer like this!"

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

And now he was getting in the way. Could this day get any worse?

"Passin' cold." Even before the words were spoken she knew they were wrong. Common sense said to just go with him. Pride told her to stay put. "Ain't goin'," she said simply, reaching for the button.

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

Looks like Lowe's going on the side of common sense. His hand shot out to stop her from reaching the button.

"Yes, you are." he said simply. He held his gaze at her firmly, showing that he wasn't budging.

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

Ooooh no. She looked at him evenly, testing whether or not it was worth it to bother with the panel, or just go hide somewhere in the ship. He wouldn't be able to find her, she knew.

That settled it, then. Kaylee shook her head and walked around him to head up the catwalk. "No, I ain't."

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

"Yes, you are." Lowe said, trying his best not to raise his voice. She was acting like a child. A spoiled rotten child. Following her to the catwalk, he tried to keep up.

"Stop acting like this, Kaylee! You're acting like a child!"

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

Gorrammit why did he have to be right? It wasn't fair. It really wasn't fair and oh geez she really was acting like a kid. What would Mal think?

She paused on the bottom step, mouth just a thin line, and reeled around to look him in the eye. "There ain't a way on this boat you're makin' me go, and that's all there is to it."

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

Lowe stopped as Kaylee turned back around to look him in the eye.

"I can always try. I don't leave anyone behind, got it?" he said. "Especially if someone's sick!"

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

"Tryin' ain't gonna get you anywhere around here. You see where it's gotten people? In the middle of space, alone. That's what tryin's done. Lands 'em by themselves while everybody else from home is either dead or as good as."

No point in it, Lowe, might as well go home.

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

"Oh, don't give me!" Lowe snapped. "It's not over yet! Yeah, we've hit some bumps in the road, but damn it all, I'm not giving up and neither are you! Look, it's your sickness that's thinking that and I'm not leaving until you get it checked! Because I don't turn my back on my friends!"

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

"Friends?" Kaylee snorted, eyes slowly tearing up. It didn't do much to help the frustration. "My friends're all dead, or down there lost in some cavern where they'll probly never come out of. You might as well move along now, 'cause there're no friends here. Nobody except me on this boat, and that's how it's stayin'."

Kaylee and Serenity. Just how it was. If he didn't like it, then too bad for him.

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

Lowe restrained himself from slapping her. There was no point of it. The sickness was making things more frustrating.

"You don't mean that, do you, Kaylee?" he asked. "That's the easy way out. I know it's hard. Believe me, I know it is." He moved to lay his hands on her shoulders to reassure her. "But, I know we'll make it through. We'll get everyone back. You can't give up. Not now. Not like this."

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

"No. No I don't." She hadn't realized how much she was shaking until his hands were on her shoulders. A moment or two of staring at his arms, and Kaylee nodded slowly.

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

Lowe smiled softly as he realized he was getting through to her. That was a good start, it really was. Though, the trembling was bad to him. She must be really sick.

"It's alright. I'm here. The rest of the crew's here. No one's going to abandon any one." Lowe said, calmly. "And I'm not going to abandon you, either."

Moving on hand off of Kaylee's shoulder, he offered it to her again. "C'mon... I'll be there with ya..."

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

It took more than it normally would have for her to swallow the next bubble of frustration back, but she managed it. Her head was pounding too hard for her to think up a proper argument at this point, so there was no use in fighting, really.

There was a small moment of hesitation before she took his hand, but she managed to do so as she stepped off of the stairs. "You mean it? You ain't goin' anyplace."

[kitbashurgundam.livejournal.com]

"I mean it." Lowe said, his smile growing wider. "Like I said, we all gotta stick together. Techs like us included."

He was impressed - he got her to go with her without a fight. Which was probably a good thing.

"C'mon, let's get everything straightened up, alright?"