User Profile

A hyper-intelligent child of privilege, River discovered that the Academy she in which she'd enrolled was more of a torture center than a school. No one knows yet what The Academy did to her before her brother Simon stole her back, because she's still too traumatized to tell them.

But she and Simon need to keep running—because the Academy wants their experiment back.

River was born with a mind of unparalelled brilliance. While Simon was smart enough to become a gifted doctor in the top 3% of his class at the finest medical institution, River was so bright she corrected her older brother's spelling by the time she was three years old, and even found mathematical errors in his textbooks. Their parents spoiled them and lavished them with luxuries, even signing River up for the most challenging of education programs: The Academy. Simon and his parents thought nothing of it; she was an exceptional child and belonged in a private educational institution that could cater to her needs—but after a few months, Simon began getting perplexing letters from her. There were misspellings and references to individuals who did not exist, to events which never happened. Simon theorized that the letters were actually written in some kind of code. His parents refused to take Simon's fears seriously, believing River was just being playful and Simon was irrationally overreacting to River's absence. They were wrong.

While her family thought she was safe, The Academy was actually a scientific installation (likely funded by the Blue Sun corporation). Simon decoded his sister's letters and set out to try to get her back, seeking someone, anyone—even those living in Blackout Zones—who could help him help his sister escape. Money changed hands, and soon thereafter Simon found himself captured by the local federal authorities—his father had to come down to bail him out. Upset that bailing his son out had tarnished his reputation, Gabriel Tam told Simon to give up his ridiculous mission, and Simon cut his ties to his parents by refusing to do so.

So.

Simon made arrangements for stealing River from The Academy, then made his way to Persephone and the Eavesdown Docks slums. There, he met with the people delivering cargo containing his sister in stasis from which she was later awakened on the Firefly Transport Serenity. Blue Sun still considers River their property, and they will stop at nothing to get River back.

Unfortunately, exactly what River is now remains uncertain. River's brain was operated on countless times while The Academy had her in its clutches, and she was treated for all intents and purposes like a laboratory animal. Simon was able to perform diagnostic tests and now knows for certain that, among other things, they cut into her brain multiple times. They even stripped her amygdala, rendering her with no brain used to control emotional responses and 'filter' incoming information. She feels everything -- she can't not.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. River Tam herself is property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. Journal for use in apharsites, theatrical_muse, hearts_andminds & transmigration9 only.

Friends (48):

Friend of (138):