Life on this boat. A Firefly story. #fanfic

Treasure Hunting part 4

They stared at the box full of woodshavings and paper. Lou dug her hand in to see if something was hidden and her fingertips hit something cold and solid. The paper and woodchips must be there to protect something fragile so carefully she lifted something out. The flashlights were all focused on her hand and Lou drew her breath when she pulled the item out in the open. She held in her hand an ornately carved tube of some sort made from something that looked like a natural material. The carving looked like a tree with birds and animals entwined in the branches. There was a stopper in the end and Lou went to open it to look inside.
"Stop," Mal said.
Lou looked at him.
"Don't open it. We don't know what it is, but it looks old. I mean earth-that-was antique kinda old. That stuff sells for more intact," he said.
Lou nodded and carefully laid the tube back into the crate.
"Jayne. Start hauling these to the mule. Zoe, I need you to go with him and guard the mule. Not sure if the rest of Duggar's gang are hanging around still, but if they are they could cause trouble," Mal ordered.
"I'm going with Zoe. This place creeps me out," Wash said. Mal nodded. Lou got Wash's flashlight as he and Zoe got a crate and Jayne took one leaving the last for a second trip.
"And be careful. We don't wanna break anything in the crates," Mal said as they left.

Mal, Lou and River were left in the dark. All were quiet. Lou wandered over to where the handcuffs were by the door and shone her light around. On the floor were remnants of clothing and the wall held streaks of something Lou didn't want to contemplate. She crouched down to check the clothes and to her surprise she found a metal tube and a syringe.
"That's what we called a last option," Mal said behind her.
Lou studied the syringe. It was empty and the plunger was fully depressed.
"All Alliance officers had one. If they were caught by independents they would inject themselves and not feel any torture. And then they would die," Mal explained.
"Have you seen them used?" Lou asked.
Mal shook his head.
"Inara has one ready in case of Reaver attacks," he said quietly, as if he wasn't sure if this was information he should have.
Lou studied the syringe.
"So this girl committed suicide?" Lou asked.
"Not likely if she was cuffed," Mal replied.
"The other option is that Danny injected her and then left her before caving in the opening and locking her in," Lou said with a sad feeling.
"He must have had a reason," Mal said.
"Not really. He was a mess of a pirate and a mercenary remember," Lou replied.
They both studied the wall and surroundings, neither willing to admit they were looking for clues. None of them were too keen to think of Danny as a deliberate murderer.
Lou sighed.
"I'm checking the bridge," she said and left to look further into the ship. Mal started checking the rest of the cargo for useful goods.
In the pilotseat River was sat with a massive smile pressing buttons, accessing the auxiliary power source. With a final press she woke the instruments up and the computersystems lit up.
Lou looked on in amazement as River quickly dialled a few commands and a screen lit up showing Danny's face.
Lou jumped at the sight of a husband younger and scruffier than the last time she saw him. River hit a button and a recording of a conversation over the com-link begun.
"Wait. Mal should see this," Lou said running to get Mal. The picture on screen was like a portal to the past, showing a man with a hard set to his face and anger lightening in his green eyes. He looked like Danny, but not Lou's version of him.
"Mal. River has found a videorecording," she said.
Together they entered the bridge and Lou felt herself shaking.
"I don't think he knew he recorded this, because we only have visual of Danny," River explained pointing to the hollow cheeked, tired looking bearded man on screen.
"I hardly recognise him," Lou whispered, realising this must have been him before he arrived at Odinshelm eleven years earlier. She tried to not think about the last memory of him, when his eyes locked on hers with a look of infinate regret seconds before a bullet pierced his scull. Lou shivered.
Mal lay an arm around her and squeezed her gently.
River hit the play-button and Lou heard her husband's familiar deep voice in a conversation with a voice she recognised as belonging to Ted Duggar.