The Last Spartan – Chapter Thirty-Five I do not own Firefly, or any rights to it whatsoever, and write only for my own enjoyment. ----------------------------- Neera looked at the sight before her, and felt her blood run cold. Well, colder than normal. She was standing at the entrance to a long hallway. A hallway lined with cell after cell constructed of clear material of some kind. And each one holding a prisoner. Most of whom appeared to be little more than children. Her anger kindled at once, and Fate provided her with an outlet in the form of three security guards. Ignoring her rifle, Neera went toward them at full speed, bowling them over. She maintained a grip on one, the largest, and began pummeling him. The man tried to fight back, at least at first. After the third blow from the angry Amazon’s fist, however, he was finished. Instantly Neera was on her feet, and grabbed the nearest guard as he rose to his feet. This one managed to land a solid punch to her face, which merely made her smile. Suddenly her eyes glassed over, and the last thing the guard ever saw was a pair of needle sharp fangs descending to tear out his throat. The last guard saw this, and brought his rifle to bear. He opened fire even as his late comrade was thrust into his line of fire. He saw bullet after bullet slam into the woman before him, and was sure he’d taken her. Only he hadn’t. Smiling a truly evil smile, Neera stepped forward, her mouth bloody, her uniform tattered with holes. “Nice try, mortal,” she hissed, and snapped his neck in a blur of motion. Anger spent, rage sated, Neera took a minute to survey the area around her. Most of the prisoners were awake now, and several had the presence of mind to scream at her for help, having seen her attack the hated guards. “QUIET!” she yelled, and instantly the noise stopped. She toggled her mike. “Alpha lead, report,” she ordered crisply. “Operation at halfway point, no casualties,” came the immediate reply. “Foxtrot lead, report.” “Unengaged,” came the short answer, and Neera nodded. “Follow my pip,” she ordered, activating her tracking device. “Numerous friendlies here. We need to get them out and back to the ship. That’s your new mission.” “Fox copies. Enroute.” Neera looked for, and found, the controls that opened the cell doors. As the locks went down, she noted that several of the prisoners didn’t move. “All of you!” she shouted, and the scrambling fugitives stopped in their tracks. “We’re going to get you out of here, but you have to help. Any of you who are able, grab someone who isn’t responding. Help each other out. There’s only so many of us, so you have to help us. We aren’t leaving anyone!” -------------------------- “Janos, my son,” Neethos said, smiling. “I think you forfeited any right to call me that, old one,” Janos’ voice was icy, “when you sent your toadies to attack my home, and take my woman.” “I did no such thing!” Neethos exclaimed, arms outstretched. “You are like my own son, young Spartan. I gave implicit instructions to leave your lovely bride-to-be untouched. Those orders were disobeyed.” “It was your responsibility to see that those orders were carried out,” Janos told him coldly. “You taught me that, Neethos. We are responsible for the actions of those beneath us. Thus, you still bear the blame.” “I would never order an attack upon you, my son,” Neethos soothed. “Surely you know that.” “You have lost your way, old man,” Janos ignored the word play. “You have become the very thing you once stood against. Time has taken your humanity.” “Judgement comes so easy to you, Janos?” Neethos asked. “What do you know, truly know, about my work here? How did you know it was me?” “The man you sent to take my wife from me,” Janos snarled, “told me about your little operation. The rest I figured out on my own. As for your work, I know more than I want to.” His eyes glowed as he spoke. “Enough to know that there is a special place in hell reserved for you,” Janos snarled. “How could you do this, Neethos? Destroy the lives of innocents? Children!” “To make a better world, Janos,” the older man replied. “I am weary of watching man-kind try to destroy itself. My work here will make the world a better place. A world of peace. A world without sin.” “A world without sin is a world without people, old man,” Janos shot back. He reached into his long coat, and withdrew his sword. “You cannot be allowed to live, Neethos. Not after this.” “And you will kill me, young Spartan?” Neethos laughed drily. “I, who made you? Who breathed life into you at the point of death?” Neethos drew his own sword. “You will not leave here alive, Neethos,” Janos promised him. “Even if it means I die here with you.” The two men started toward one another, blades at the ready. ---------------------------- “Problem?” Mal said, looking at Givens. The computer specialist had stiffened noticeably. “Give me a minute, Captain,” Givens told him, but with none of the stiff formality or casual disdain of earlier. “I’m still getting information.” Mal nodded, waiting. “Copy all, Huntress,” Givens said quietly, and turned to Mal. “There is a problem,” he confirmed. “Neera has found an entire cell block full of ‘test subjects’. Some of them are near catatonic. She has sent Foxtrot team to organize an evac.” “Test subjects? I don’t like the sound of that,” Mal said grimly. “How many?” “At least thirty, and sounds like more. There’s a good bit of chatter.” “They’ll never make it a mile and more with people in that condition,” Mal said thoughtfully, considering. “What are you thinking, sir?” Zoe asked. “That it’s time we got off the sidelines,” Mal said honestly. He looked at Givens. “Give you any trouble was we to take off? Set down nearby for the pickup?” “No, but Lord Janos left strict instructions. . .” “Yeah, I got them around here somewhere,” Mal made a show of patting his pockets. “Tell you what, see can you find’em for me, while I get us moving.” Givens grinned. “Give me two minutes,” he said, turning back to his keyboard. “Two minutes it is,” Mal grinned back, and headed to the bridge. ----------------------------- Neethos struck first, his titanium blade creating a flash of sparks as it met Janos’ own blade in mid-air. The blow shocked both men up to their elbows. Neethos looked at Janos in surprise. “Stronger than you were, I see,” he snarled. “Somewhat,” Janos said, his voice devoid of emotion. “Has your ‘little woman’ made you stronger, then?” Neethos needled, launching another blow as he finished the sentence. Janos parried with ease, and returned a stroke that Neethos barely dodged in time. “She has,” Janos nodded. “More so than you can imagine.” “I can imagine a great many things about River Tam, Janos,” Neethos leered. “She was a favorite of mine, you know.” “I doubt it not,” Janos replied coldly, refusing to rise to the wordplay. “Being the lecherous monster that you are.” Neethos’ face flooded with red as the barb was hurled back at him. He struck at Janos with a powerful overhand blow. “She was very difficult to break,” Neethos snarled. “It took months.” “You lie,” Janos said calmly, arm sweeping into a slashing move that Neethos had to jump back from. “You could never break her, old man. She is your better.” “Why you upstart. . .” Neethos, in his rage, left himself open slightly, and Janos’ blade bit home, slicing across Neethos’ exposed belly. The older man yelped, more in surprise than pain, and looked down at his now bloody abdomen. “First blood, I believe,” Janos smirked. “You may surrender now, if you wish.” Enraged, Neethos hurled himself forward, and blades met in the air once more, steel on steel ringing loudly in the hallway. ---------------------------- “How we doing, Jerl?” Neera asked, as Jerl McCann, leader of Team Foxtrot, approached her. “According to this,” he pointed to a list taken from the guards desk, “there are nine more, being held else where.” “Where, exactly?” Neera asked, frowning. “Doesn’t show it, just says, ‘special holding’.” “Felde herl,” Neera swore. “How in the hell are we supposed. . .” she cut herself off and reached for her mike. “All units. If you can find anyone with some life in them, find out where special holding cells are located.” “Alpha leader to Huntress, we have a problem.” --------------------------- “They what?” Mal demanded, looking at Givens in shock. “The guards activated the self-destruct,” Givens told him, fingers flying over the keys in front of him, even as he spoke. “Alpha team took the security station, and found out what they’d done. There’s no mention, anywhere in their system, about a self-destruct. Nothing. Which means it’s outside the system.” “So you can’t stop it,” Mal said. “No,” Givens said, defeated. “We don’t even know where it is, and it’s a manual system, apparently.” “Well, we just gotta work faster, that’s all.” Mal considered briefly. “Tell Neera that Zoe and I are on the way to help her get the prisoners out,” he ordered. Givens was about to object when Mal cut him off. “I ain’t leavin’em,” he said flatly, and Givens grinned again. He was starting to like Reynolds. Even if he was a mortal. “Aye, Captain,” he nodded, and Mal grinned back. “Ship’s your’s. Zoe, you’re with me.” --------------------------- “So you would destroy the ‘work’ which you are so proud of?” Janos sneered, hearing the call from Alpha Lead. Neethos started. In his rage, he’d forgotten the self-destruct. “We must get out of here, Janos!” he exclaimed. “The entire facility will be completely destroyed.” “So much the better,” Janos snarled, his sword flicking out. Neethos wasn’t quick enough to dodge the blow, so he accepted it. The move brought Janos in close, and Neethos lunged. The point of the specially constructed blade pierced Janos’ armor neatly, just beneath his sternum. The big man grunted, backing away as quickly as possible. Neethos, though bleeding from three different wounds, grinned in triumph. “Always impatient, Janos,” he clucked his tongue. “I taught you better than that.” “You taught me that some things are worth sacrificing myself for,” Janos grunted, holding his free hand over the wound. The flow of blood was great. He wouldn’t have much time. “You can escape, Janos,” Neethos urged. “We both can.” “You will die here, Neethos,” Janos assured the older man. “Even if it means I die with you. Perhaps that is for the best, anyway. Seeing you, what you have become, makes me wonder about my own future.” He stood taller, seemingly filling the hallway with his great bulk. “The only way out is through me, old man.” ---------------------------- “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Neera demanded when Mal and Zoe appeared. “Glad to see you, too,” Mal smiled. “We came to help. I know we ain’t supermen and all, but we are soldiers. Or were, anyway. And you need the help.” Neera’s objection died on her lips at that. They did need help. “Then the two of you get them to the ship,” she ordered. “We have to finish this and get clear. This whole place. . .” “Yeah, we heard,” Mal nodded. “Where are you going?” Zoe asked. “Still nine more prisoners, somewhere,” Neera told her. “We’re going to look for them.” “Keep an eye on the clock,” Mal warned, which earned him a withering glance from Neera. “You’re kinda cute when you’re mad, you know that?” Mal grinned roguishly, and Neera smiled in spite of herself. “You’re not bad, yourself, Captain,” she winked. “For a mortal,” she added. “Hey, we can’t all be perfect,” Mal shot back, and both laughed. “You two can flirt later,” Zoe growled. “Like on the way home, when we’re all safe.” “Point,” Mal nodded. “Let’s go people,” he ordered the assembled former prisoners. “Let’s get out of here.” “Karl, go with them,” she ordered one of Foxtrot’s team. “The rest of us will try and find ‘special holding’.” Before it’s too late, she didn’t add. She didn’t have to. ----------------------------- Half a world away, River Tam had just sat bolt upright in her chair. Prim, alarmed, was at her side in an instant. “My Lady?” “Janos,” she whispered. “Janos is injured,” she told him, tears brimming in her eyes. “How can you. . .?” Prim started, then his eyes widened as understanding dawned. “You are a reader.” “Yes,” she nodded, voice feathery. “And now your bond is growing stronger,” Prim informed her. “Poor timing, my Lady. Let’s get you where you can lie down.” River shook her head, stubborn to the end. “My. . .River,” Prim said gently. “This is going to get worse, before it gets better. You need to lie down. I will summon your brother.” “No drugs!” River said urgently, and Prim nodded. “If you will lie down, then no drugs,” he agreed, and she finally nodded, allowing him to help her to her feet. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Prim told her. “He has always triumphed, though not always without injury. I remember once. . .” River let Prim drone on, knowing that he was trying to distract her. But inside, she wondered how badly Janos had to be injured that she could sense it from so far away. And how that injury would affect his ability to survive.