A.N. Angst level set to elevated... -------------------------------------

CHAPTER 8 Caddock had a hacking cough and exuded the smell of sweat and smoke, his hands clinging tightly to his patched up coat. The old garment, mixed with purples and browns, had gone threadbare at spots and the pockets hung out like little stringy purses. Mal looked for a sign of the Cofer Caddock was prone to carrying, but he needn’t have worried so much. He had hardly blinked before Jayne had covered the block between them and had a pistol trained on Caddock’s head. “I don’t think it’s wise for a bunch of white-folks to start a gunfight in the middle of the shopping plaza,” Caddock wheezed between coughs. Mal gave Jayne a look, but the mercenary did not holster his weapon. Jayne merely adjusted his position to more discreetly hold his gun against the back of Caddock’s neck. Baby steps, Mal told himself. “Why are you here?” Mal asked in a low growl. “Same as you. I’m here to kill Jantis.” “NOT same as me,” Mal emphasized. “I’m just here for my crewmember. I have no grief with Jantis.” “Oh, you soon will have grief with Jantis. And you’ll wish you’d killed him before he noticed you were trouble.” “Why do you keep thinking we’re the same?” Caddock placed his right hand under his beard before putting his left hand over his mouth for a particularly large cough. “He took your woman, didn’t he?” Mal glared angrily and didn’t respond. Jayne shifted uneasily, his trigger finger getting anxious. Caddock continued with evil superiority. “You come against Jantis, there is nothing you can offer. There’s nothing you have that he wants. Not even your life. Unless you’re a woman. He’s a collector of women. He took mine.” “Word on the street is she left you,” Jayne sneered. “Oh, I’m sure she went willingly,” Caddock agreed, stepping away from Jayne to get the gun off his neck. “Offered herself even. May have bought her a little life before Jantis killed her. But Jantis took her and he had no right. I will kill him and I won’t let you get in my way.” In a flash, Caddock dropped to the ground, drew his weapon, and shot Jayne in the thigh. Mal was quick on the draw, catching Caddock in the gut and knocking him down. Blood spouted from Jayne’s wound, and Mal could see consciousness leaking from his face, but Jayne shot off three rounds, hitting close enough to the same spot to finally pierce Caddock’s armor on the third try. Wounded, but not defeated, Caddock found cover behind a news stand. Book snuck in from nowhere, pulling Jayne into an ally. Mal ducked behind a sapling, which offered the most pathetic cover and looked for Zoë. His first mate charged across the street into the fight, Saskia hot on her heels shouting Caddock’s name at the top of her voice. Caddock fired again, catching Saskia in the chest and Zoë in the shoulder. Mal’s world became slow-motion, black and white, back-dropped by the muted screams of schoolchildren, running into the library for cover. Her armor should have held, why did he see blood? “Zoë!” he shouted, but she did not answer.

*~*

Inara waited in her new cell, her breath coming in short gasps. Something was not right – something that doctor had given her. Her skin felt cold, her senses dulled. What had he done to her? What might he do? A companion chooses who she is to be with. A companion is always in control. She offered herself to him! She chose this indenture to save her life! Did she choose? Inara had never been puritanical about sex and tried to convince herself that tonight with Jantis would be no different than any of a dozen other clients. She could perform her rituals, she had time to prepare herself. She knew this was coming from the time she indentured herself to him. No tea for a greeting ceremony. No restriction on their time together. No incense. No prayer. No cleansing. She was losing everything she held sacred. Her soul was dying; her body was not far behind. This room was white and vacant. Her red and purple gown was the only color there and the color seemed to eat at her. The small little closet was like a coffin to her. Uncertainly, she tipped open her first aid kit and wrapped her fingers with gauze. The door knob jiggled as a key was placed in the lock. Time was short. She grabbed the peroxide wipes and taped them over the gauze. The door opened. With a shrill battle cry, Inara charged the door, tackling the manservant as he came through. She pressed the peroxide into his eyes, burning them, then she shoved the gauze into his mouth. In the confusion that followed, she leapt over him and dashed out of the room. The hallway was crawling with employees. A security guard just down the way said something into a radio and came towards her. Inara pressed through the crowd into a stair well and headed for the ground floor. She shed her clumsy shoes and lifted the skirt of her dress, freeing her legs to run. Almost free. A door burst open half a flight below her. Inara jumped over the side of the well, landing squarely on the first guard’s shoulders, sending him toppling into the next one. A swift blow to the neck later both men were down and she was on her way again. Ground floor. Lobby. She could see the front door! Where to now? Thinking quickly, Inara headed back into the stairwell, going down one more flight to the underground hanger, hoping her shuttle was still there. Even if it wasn’t there had to be a million places to hide and all of them provided some means of escape. The ground floor was quiet when she burst through the stairwell door, the workers there obviously uninformed as to her escape. She took cover next to a puddle-jumper, trying the hatch, but it was locked. Would her shuttle still be here? She knew how to break into her own shuttle. Cautiously, she peered across the bay. Workers milled about here and there – engineers mostly, maintaining the vehicles. A few pilots were pompously posturing about who had the superior equipment. Inara crept over to a fighter jet, knowing she looked out of place in her red and purple gown. She tip-toed to an antique propeller plane. Jantis loved his ships. Serenity’s Shuttle One gleamed across the bay, freshly polished. No time for sneaking. She could feel the strange drugs wreaking havoc on her system, threatening to topple her. Taking half a heartbeat to steady herself, Inara charged across the bay, tunnel-visioned on her shuttle. She didn’t even see Jantis run up and tackle her from the side. Had she been hit by a man or by a plane? The weight was so extreme, her bones felt ready to shatter. Still, adrenaline surged through her body and she kicked him. Viciously, he pinned her down, yanking her arm behind her back until he nearly broke it off. “Seems that Pax doesn’t work the same on everyone,” he muttered. “Qu ni de!” Inara raged, not caring if her arm broke. She felt his knee in her back and he laid an arm across both her shoulders to hold her down. “So this is how it must be…” Inara couldn’t see straight. The world was a confusion. She wasn’t herself. “I will bury you,” he seethed, his voice dripping with malice. Inara twisted until she felt her shoulder pop. The pain only fueled her fury and desire to escape. “I will never choose you!” she shrieked.

*~*

Zoë was down. Jayne was down. Saskia had tackled Caddock and was whispering something conspiratorial. Mal aimed his pistol at Caddock’s head. “No! Don’t!” Saskia shouted, shielding her former Captain with her body. Mal hesitated. Caddock struggled. “He can still be of use to you.” Angrily, Mal walked up to the pair and knocked Caddock out cold. As soon as the man was out, Saskia jumped to her feet and grabbed the comm from Mal. “Serenity! Wash! Get here as fast as you can! And bring that Doctor!” Mal stood, dazed for a moment, then surveyed the situation. “Zoë!” Zoë groaned, trying to roll onto her side. Mal skidded to his knees, coaxing her down, placing pressure on the shoulder wound. “Hardly a scratch, sir,” she grimaced. Saskia circled like a trapped animal. “We need to get out of here!” Already, the police sirens filled the air. “Where’s Jayne?” Saskia asked frantically. They needed to leave the scene! Zoë tried to get up, but fell heavily on Mal. “Shepherd Book?” Mal hardly listened. Zoë was his concern. As consciousness leaked out of her eyes, she whispered painfully, “Fighting for two, sir.”

*~*

Jayne’s world fuzzed in and out rhythmically and the dirt ground into his body, searing pain from head to toe. Was he crawling to safety or being dragged? He could hardly see, but a small part of him rejoiced in the hope that Caddock was dead. Shepherd Book floated across his vision. Pressure on the wound. Stars. Jayne bit is tongue so he wouldn’t cry out. It might not be safe. Floating next to Book, he saw his cousin’s sweet, concerned face, a scar gracing her neck, concealed by a flowing, purple scarf. They were speaking, their words not making sense. His cousin pulled out his knife and cut his shirt. “Does your crew suspect?” she whispered. Jayne searched for context, but found only pain. Book answered her in a low tone. “Not a thing.” What was Book talking about? He was asking her about Inara. His cousin answered. Jayne grunted as his cousin cinched the tourniquet around his leg. He felt the sharp burn of alcohol on the wound. Her cool, soft hands touched his lips, muffling the cry of pain that wanted to escape. She wanted him quiet. He could feel his skin go cold as shock set in. “You have a meeting in half an hour,” his cousin told Book. Jayne wondered if he had enough blood left to function. Every inch of his skin tingled with sensation, each point of pressure turning his stomach. “Cousin,” Jayne gasped. “Jen—” She pressed her finger to his lips again, shushing him. “No names here, cousin.” Jayne swallowed hard against the bile rising in his throat. “Are you here?” “No. I’m just a dream.” She swam in and out of his vision, fuzzy around the edges, backlit by the noon-day sun. Her loose hair glowed like a halo. He felt an injection in his arm and a short burst of strength. Leave it to his cousin to travel with a stash of drugs. “You came here to kill Jantis.” Jayne remembered his cousin’s vow to find and kill Jantis. If she was so close, why had she not yet done it? His cousin smiled sweetly, helping Jayne to sit. “I know. I decided it would be better if he handed Blue Sun to me on a silver platter first. I’m close. Very close.” “Don’t play with your food,” Jayne warned, fuzzily. His cousin laughed softly. “Hush and let the blood flow to your brain.” Jayne would have nodded if his head didn’t feel like an anvil. “Crawl out, your ride is here.” Slowly, Jayne inched his way out of the ally. When he looked back his cousin was gone. Book was gone. The world spun in a mixture of dream and reality. Pain shot through his body. His vision went white and then he collapsed.

*~*

Wash whizzed through the streets of Shali, pushing the hover mule as fast as it would go. Simon held on for dear life in the passenger seat, clutching his medical bag, but he dared not tell Wash to slow down. They needed to beat the sirens closing in on the scene. Wash’s face was tight with concentration. The hover mule handled differently on the open road than in the cargo bay. As he came around the last corner, the street was packed with onlookers. “Zoë!” Wash cried, hardly waiting for the mule to stop before he jumped down. “We got her! Get ready to drive!” Mal ordered as he and Saskia loaded Zoë onto the mule. Simon’s attention was immediately on her. Next they pulled Jayne up and loaded him on. “Go now! We’ll meet you there.” Mal commanded. “What about Caddock?” Saskia protested, her former Captain already on her shoulders. “We’ll have to carry him. Mule won’t run with five.” “But he’s been shot!” “It’s too much weight!” “Who are you to decided who lives and dies?!” Mal looked at the unconscious man draped over Saskia’s shoulders, blood still streaming from his front. He knew it was the right thing to do. “I can handle it, sir,” Zoë said weakly, her hand resting lightly on her pistol. Against his better judgment, Mal helped pack Caddock onto the mule and sent them off. He and Saskia ducked into around a corner as the police arrived on the scene. This was exactly the kind of attention he did not want to draw to himself on this planet. He looked at Saskia, who held her chest where the armor had caught Caddock’s bullet. “You okay?” “Not really.” “Let’s get back to Serenity.” Saskia looked at him quizzically. “We aren’t going after that preacher?” Mal shook his head. “No. Not now.”

*~*

Book circled the small office, distracting himself by remembering the names of all the model planes, half of which he had given to Amadi, or at least helped him build. He saw, on one of the finely dusted shelves, the Bible he had sent to Amadi the first year he had been away at Seminary. Book could not help but think … if he had not become a Shepherd, this was the kingdom he would have inherited. He could have easily become Jantis. Instead, he’d left that fate to Amadi. The slip of paper Elle had given him was disintegrating on his sweaty palm. His heart pounded loudly and he felt his Shepherd’s clothes cling to him like a thousand tiny leeches. “Though an army besiege me, I will not fear,” he whispered, uttering a constant prayer, requesting a hedge of protection around himself and Serenity's crew. As he waited, Elle entered the office brusquely, clad in a functional business suit, wearing a beaded necklace. Though he looked, Book saw no scar on her neck, and wondered at the quick change. She greeted him by the door, with a firm hand-shake, introducing herself as Nia Stolte. When had she gotten here? Amadi stormed into the office a few paced behind her, his lip bleeding, hardly noticing them. His tailored suit was disheveled and scuffed, one of the cuff links torn off. “Mr. Jantis,” Nia said, announcing their presence. Amadi's scowl deepened when he turned, sloughing off his jacket and smoothing his shirt. “Nia, when did you get back?” “I've been here since my husband’s funeral. My stepson is handling the estate.” “Never trust anyone with your money. Especially family.” “Yes, sir.” “I need you to put out some fires for me: Osiris, Whitefall, Bellerophon.” “The latter two are already out, sir. The first -” “Get on it.” “Sir, I was hoping to stay for this meeting.” “This is business between old friends, Nia. You're not needed here.” Grudgingly, she nodded and backed out of the office, closing the glass door behind her. Book marveled at the smoothness of their interaction and the trust Amadi instilled in her. Seeing how easily Nia lied to Amadi, he started to doubt his own interactions with her. “You always did like to dress up in that costume,” Amadi commented, dabbing his bloody lip with a handkerchief and circling warily behind his desk. “It’s not a costume anymore, Amadi. I am a Shepherd now.” “I don’t see your flock.” “I'm looking for a woman,” Book said, cutting to the chase. Amadi laughed sharply. “How strange for a Shepherd.” “She was brought here a few weeks ago. A man named Prio sent her.” Amadi's face twisted into something unreadable, but his eyes twinkled with sinister delight. “So she's one of mine? Thou shalt not covet, Shepherd.” “She belongs to no one.” “On the contrary, she is indentured to me.” “Then I will pay the debt against her.” Amadi snorted. “Didn't you take a vow of poverty.” “I am not without means.” “The arrangement is not fiscal. It is her life that I possess.” “Let her go.” “Or what?” he taunted. “You'll steal her? That's two commands, Shepherd.” Amadi stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. Book tensed, ready to defend himself against physical attack. “You stole those subjects from Osiris too, didn't you?” Amadi continued. “They are children, not animals,” Book seethed. “Who hired you? Who is undercutting me?” As he stepped closer, Book backed up, being careful not to back into a wall. Amadi continued, his voice dripping with evil. “I know where you've hidden them.” Book clenched his jaw, trying to keep the alarm off his face. “Please, let them go.” “Her or the children? How many free passes do you need?!" Amadi mocked, stopping his predatory advance. “Invoke the name of your God and I will hand over my entire empire!" Book found this posture even more disturbing than the possibility of attack. He searched Amadi’s flaming dark eyes for any sign of his old friend. Amadi stepped behind his desk, pulled a gun from the top drawer, and pointed it at Book. “You did not come here for a woman. You’ve come to collect your cut.” Book’s mind raced. “I forfeited that cut the day I left. I only want Inara.” “You will not find your whore. She is buried.” “You killed her?” Book stammered, his breath catching fearfully. Amadi cocked the gun, his face twisting scornfully. “Thou shalt not kill, Shepherd.” Book nodded slowly, backing out of the office. “Thou shalt not.”

*~* Go to Chapter 9