locker_monster | Firefly/Doctor Who crossover fic: A Different Kind of Companion (16/20) (Reply)

Title: A Different Kind of Companion (16/20)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Rose, Ten/Rose, Mal, Inara, Mal/Inara
Timeline: A week after "Heart of Gold" for Firefly, and just before "Army of Ghosts" for Doctor Who
Summary: After an encounter in the 26th century, Inara and Rose find themselves in unfamiliar settings.
Disclaimer: Firefly and Doctor Who belong to their respective creators and showrunners. Too much awesome would happen if Joss Whedon and Russell T Davies ever worked on something together.
A/N: The biggest thank you goes out to

browncoat_2x2 for betaing this story and helping with the minor changes. And beware, technobabble lies within.

Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven. Chapter Twelve. Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen. Chapter Fifteen.

The cot creaked as Rose got up from it and went to the front of her cell. The desk officer was coming down the corridor, swinging a set of keys. Following behind him were two men dressed in grey uniforms. Each held a big gun with a sort of saucer dish part at the front. Even without the guns, Rose would have known these men meant business. They had a no-nonsense air to them that made them seem imposing.

“Alliance?” she asked Reynolds quietly.

“Yup.”

“Do we have a plan?”

His gaze ticked over at her. “‘We’?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“They’re gonna arrest you, too. Wouldn’t you rather try to get outta here before they, I dunno, start torturing us or something?”

“You’ve got some funny notions about the Alliance. They ain’t gonna torture you.” Reynolds took a step back as the desk officer stopped in front of his cell. “They’re just gonna bore you with their dī néng de xìng.”

“Could you speak English for once?” Rose said. She hadn’t realized just how much she relied on the TARDIS to translate languages until recently.

The desk officer unlocked the door to Reynolds’ cell. One of the Alliance men immediately swooped in and handcuffed his hands behind his back. The other Alliance officer stood at the ready in case Reynolds tried anything but judging from the annoyed look on his face it seemed like any plan the man had was now ruined. Once he was secured, the Alliance officer hauled Reynolds out of the cell.

The desk officer approached the bars of Rose’s cell, key at the ready. Staring at Rose, he said, “Step back from the cell door.”

“You expect me to attack you?” she asked. “Do I look like–”

“Step back,” the desk officer repeated, more forcefully this time. The second Alliance officer raised his gun.

Sighing, Rose took one step back. Like with Reynolds, the first Alliance officer was immediately upon her, pulling her arms into position behind her back. She gritted her teeth as she was manhandled into the cuffs. As she was pushed out of the cell she made no effort to hide her scowl.

Reciting off his hand held screen, the desk officer said, “Under section one A of the town of Nergui Criminal Code, I here by release you into Alliance custody.” He looked up from the screen and glanced between Rose and Reynolds. “You’ll probably want to start talking now.”

Humourlessly, the Alliance men guided the two of them down the corridor. Rose did her best to shuffle her feet, but the Alliance officer beside caught on and, taking her by the arm, dragged her the rest of the way to the door.

The midday heat swept over Rose as they stepped outside. She was reminded of a story one of her mum’s friends had told them after returning from a trip to Las Vegas. It had been so hot there it felt like the air had substance.

The Alliance officer jerked her arm again.

“You know what?” Rose wrenched her arm free from the officer’s grip and took a few steps away from him. He frowned at her. “We can walk on our own. You don’t have to lead us around like–”

Stars exploded across her vision as the Alliance officer struck the butt of his gun against Rose’s right temple. She let out a groan and fell to her knees. Reynolds shouted in protest but the other officer kept him back.

Rose grimaced in pain. Her vision swam as she blinked away tears. Futilely she sat in the dirt, her hands useless behind her back. A shadow fell over her, blocking out the sun. Looking up, she found the Alliance officer towering over her, his gun aimed at her head. She wasn’t looking down a barrel like they did in the movies, but there was still a weapon pointed at her.

She lowered her head, letting her hair fall over her face, waiting for the shot.

dī néng de xìng = incompetent behaviour