Disclaimer: Joss, Fox, Universal Own em’. I’m just playing. No money being made. The situations come from my own twisted mind as do my original characters.

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This story takes place about a year after the conclusion of Heritage.

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AN:

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Cast of characters:

Parents: Malcolm Reynolds 53 Inara Serra-Reynolds 45 Allan Bryant 69 Zoë Bryant 49 Kaylee Tam 42 Simon Tam 44 Jayne Cobb 53 River Cobb 37 Kids: Jefferson (Jeff) Reynolds 17 Emma Reynolds 12 Sara Bryant 16 Rebecca Tam 17 John (Jack) Tam 13 Rachel Cobb 10 Jesse Cobb 8

Triad-Chapter Eight

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“No one's talkin,” Jayne grumbled as he dropped heavily into the chair opposite Zoë's desk.

“Didn't reckon anyone would,” She replied tiredly, “Part o' their code tells em a thunderbolt or some other go-se will strike em' down they talk to the law.”

“Most of em' are gorram kids. No idea how the verse really works.”

“I know, Jayne. You ever find out anything about that other thing we discussed?”

Jayne smiled slightly, “That I did.”

“You gonna keep me in suspense?”

“Jus' makin a dramatic pause...”

The look on Zoë's face told Jayne she wasn't amused. Jayne cleared his throat.

“Seems our City Manager ain't quite who he says he is.”

“That so?”

“Yep. Got his name changed all legal like a couple of years back. Mr. Robert Huang used to be Robert Nona.”

“Who's Robert Nona?”

“Seems Mr. Nona was th' Deputy Mayor o' New Beijing on Shinon a few years back. Ran afoul o' a Triad there running a pretty big syndicate. Bribin officials and the like. He got the evidence to shut em' down. Made him a marked man.”

“So he changes his name and runs to the border.”

“My guess.”

“If he is so dead set against the triads... why's he fightin me?”

“Because I'm scared,” said a voice behind them.

Jayne and Zoë jumped to their feet, hands flashing to their sidearms. Robert Huang stood his ground and held up his hands, “Sorry... The dispatcher was away from her desk.”

Zoë wasn't happy and it showed on her face, “Looks like we need to have a little talk.”

Huang sighed, “You are correct. This charade has gone on long enough...”

XXXXXXXXXX

“Let me get this straight,” Zoë said, “The reason you've been fightin me on police matters is because you thought that if we got too close, the Triad from Shinon would find you?”

“Not my best idea ever. But I have a family to protect. My daughter is only eight.”

“And mine is sixteen!” Zoë thundered, “If I'd had the resources I needed, this would a never happened! We wouldn't have dead civilians and a bunch o' kids who think it's just shiny bein part o' a gang!”

“My kids is just eight and ten,” Jayne said quietly, “I can understand your side but this has gone way beyond protectin your own when it threatens others.”

“I know that now,” Huang said, hanging his head in shame.

“I want the budget unfrozen,” Zoë stated.

“Done.”

“And your resignation on the chairman o' the city council's desk tomorrow mornin.”

“You can't be serious...”

“I am. The only reason I ain't inclined to rat you out to the Triad myself is cause o' your family. But that's as far as my charity goes.”

“I'd take the offer iffin' I was you,” Jayne said.

Huang looked like he had aged ten years in as many minutes. Finally he nodded, “I'll resign.”

“Get out of my office.”

Huang jumped to his feet and left without looking back. Zoë sighed and leaned back in her chair. Jayne just looked at his friend and boss, “You okay, Zoë?”

“Will be once this is all behind us. Hear anything from the surveillance team?”

“Not in the last few hours. Was gonna go check on em' in a bit.”

“We'll go now.”

XXXXXXXXXX

“Somethin ain't right,” Jayne said as Zoë stopped her ground car behind the black van parked in a alley around the corner from the Triad's base of operations.

Trusting Jayne's judgment, Zoë drew her weapon as soon as she exited. Jayne had his gun to hand as well.

The hair on the back of Jane's neck was standing up. The van's power unit should be operating to power the surveillance gear. It was silent.

Slowly, Jane slid down the side of the vehicle. Placing his hand on the latch, he slid the side door open.”

“Cao!”

Zoë stepped up beside him, “Go-se.”

The three Alliance techs inside were dead.

“Wrecked the equipment,” Jayne commented. His eyes taking in the smashed electronics.

“No hope they didn't get the data?”

Jayne carefully checked the data storage unit, “Smashed all to hell. No sign o' any data sticks either. Kaylee or Allan might be able to recover something from the smashed bits but it'll take time.”

Zoë nodded once and pulled out her com unit. She punched in the code for Captain Vincent.

A moment later, the Fed officer appeared on the small devices screen, “Chief Bryant, What can I do for you?”

“Just swung by to check on the surveillance team... They're dead.”

“What!”

“Shot to rags, equipment too.”

“Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiouh doh sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo!”

Zoë agreed with the sentiment, “Jane and I are here now. You better... Gun!”

Years of training are what saved Vincent's life. Zoë spotted the muzzle of a gun on the small screen as it moved up next to the officers head and she had called out a warning..

Vincent threw himself backwards in his chair, tipping it over. He had been eating lunch in a small outdoor cafe. A gunshot went off and the bullet missed his head by scant inches.

While a big man, Vincent had been a gymnast in college and he continued his backwards roll onto his feet. His own gun appearing in his hand. A second shot sounded on the street and the would be assassin fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder.

A moment later, Vincent was on the screen again, “Thanks Chief. I owe you for that one.”

Zoë nodded, “You at Maxine's Cafe?”

“Yes.”

“I'll get an ambulance and units to you.”

“Thank you. Perp is wounded but he'll live. If you don't mind, I'm calling in reinforcements from Capital City.”

“I think we're gonna need em'. Looks like the Triad just declared war.”

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later a council of war was being held in the conference room of the sheriff's department.

“What do we have so far?” Jacob Buford asked.

“Looks like the surveillance team was ambushed,” Jayne began, “Automatic weapons, small caliber. Must o' had brass catchers since there were no shell casings at the scene.”

“The data?” Captain Vincent asked.

“Wiped, then smashed,” Allan replied from where he sat next to his wife., “No way to tell what they may have picked up from the bugs.”

“Are the bugs still in place?” asked Lt. Sasha Sanford, the leader of the special response team sent from Capital City.

“Yes. I've got one of my security specialists setting up new links as we speak. The monitoring station will be in a more secured location,” Allan replied.

“I'm... leery of using a private company's security team to set up this,” Lt. Sanford said.

“Mrs. Schneider has been sworn in as a deputy by the Sheriff,” Captain Vincent replied.

“We're not counrty hicks here, Lieutenant,” Zoë commented, “We do know what we are doing.”

“I doubt they's using the warehouse now,” Jayne said from further down the table. “Likely got a 'nother base they's can use.”

“I agree,” Lucy Lee said.

“I've got a couple of computer experts trying to track any other properties owned by the sham corporation we found. Hopefully they can find something,” Allan said smiling

XXXXXXXXXX

The aforementioned computer experts were huddled over the cortex terminal in Allan's study. Computer data flew by almost too fast to read.

“Aunt River, how can you read that so fast?” Sara asked.

“Years of practice,” she replied.

“It's giving me a headache.”

River smiled at her niece as her fingers flew across the keyboard, “I must commend you.”

“For what?” Sara asked, rubbing her tired eyes.

“For listening to Jefferson the other night and not forcing the sex issue,” River grinned.

Sara grumbled something under her breath.

“Heard that.”

Sara stuck out her tongue and River giggled.

Changing the subject from her love life, Sara asked a question.

“What do you think of our guest?”

“Helga? She is confused and a little frightened but she hides it well. She has done bad things in the past but we all have at one time or another. Bobbie will keep her in line.”

“I think she was surprised that it was me and Mom that shot her down.”

'No doubt,” River grinned.

“Seems nice enough...”

“She is. Best we keep here here for the moment. I do not wish for her to find her way to the hospital and undo all my Brother's work on her former captain.”

“I can see that. I'd be right pissed if I thought I was helping folks and it turned out they were just being sent to a different slave market.”

“Indeed. Your parents and I, have no tolerance for slavers. Taken out a few in our day.”

“Momma doesn't talk about those days much.”

“Some were good days. Some were not... ah, ha,” River smiled.

“What is it?”

“Traced other real estate belonging to our phantom corporation. There is a large holding outside of town in the new industrial park.”

“Not many folks around there. Good choice.”

“For them. Not us. Too easy to watch the approaches.”

“At night it isn't,” Sara grinned.

“You are correct.”

“We better call Mom.”

“You do that. It will be dark soon and I need to have Kaylee and Simon watch my children. Then I need to change into something more appropriate for kicking pi-gu.”

XXXXXXXXXX

The New Edmonton Industrial park was three miles outside of town, near the Maglev line to Capital City. The complex of prefab metal buildings housed everything from a small electronics manufacturer to a meat packing plant. The building everyone was interested in was listed as an import/export concern.

“Wanna tell me what's wrong with this place?” Zoë asked her husband after handing him the electronic binoculars.

“Hmmm, nearly full parking lot. A shuttle on the pad out back and perhaps the obviously armed men wandering around outside?” Allan said sarcastically, “And since it is a Sunday night...”

“No one should be here,” Zoë finished.

“Exactly,” Allan replied, “We got the warrant yet?”

“Annie just called. It's on the way.”

Allan nodded and took another look around. He had a commanding view from his perch on top of a nearby warehouse.

“You good to handle this part?” Zoë asked.

“I'm good. Better send my spotter up,” Allan replied as he patted the barrel of his nearly five hundred year old Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle.

“I'll send her up,” Zoë said before kissing her husband.

Allan smiled, “Be careful.”

“I will.”

Zoë headed for the ladder that led off the roof. A moment later, Sara's head appeared in the darkening twilight. She was wearing black cargo pants and a navy blue long sleeved polo shirt. Allan could see the outline of body armor under her shirt. The teenager carried River's old sniper rifle.

“Hey, Dad,” Sara whispered as she laid out a foam pad next to her father.

“And where did you get that rifle?”

“Aunt River,” Sara replied as she lay prone next to her father and settled herself behind the electronic scope.

“I'm gonna have to speak with her,” Allan grumbled as he looked through the scope of his own rifle. He remembered that the last time he had fired Big Bertha, as he called the weapon, in anger. It had been nearly seventeen years ago. A time before he and Zoë had married. Allan had kept in practice with the big rifle over the years, however.

“She has one of the Rail Guns,” Sara replied, “Said I could use Sally here.”

“I didn't know she had named it.”

“Aunt River said she named her, right after you gave it to her.”

Allan grinned at his daughter.

Allan's ear piece crackled with Zoë's voice, “Snipers, check in.”

“Sniper, one, ready,” Allan replied.

“Two, ready as well,” said River's voice.

“Three's set,” Jayne replied. He had the other Rail gun.

“Four's hot,” Jimmy Buford replied.

Each sniper had a side of the building. Only Allan and Jimmy were perched on buildings and therefore closer to the target. River and Jayne were hidden in the undergrowth nearly five hundred yards away on opposite corners. Well out of sight of the patrolling men outside the building.

Half a mile away, three Alliance armored cars waited. Two carried Lt. Sanford's Assault team. The third carried Zoë, Mal, Israel, Captain Vincent, Jacob Buford and Lucy Lee. Everyone on the ground wore heavy tactical body armor and helmets.

“Over watch to command,” said Olivia.

“Go,” replied Zoë.

“Sensors are showing approximately eighty five people in the building. About sixty are clustered in one spot. The rest are spread out more but concentrated in the front.”

“You think they got slaves in there, Zoë?” Jayne's voice asked.

“Might have. That shuttle out back can carry thirty at a time if you pack em' in tight enough.”

“I'm uploading the data to your readers,” Olivia said. Next to Allan, his small data pad lit up with the sensor imagery.

“Command to Sara Jane.”

“Go, Zoë,” replied Bobbie Sutherland's voice.

“We go in five. Get ready to lift if we need it.”

“Copy. Standing by.”

On the bridge of the Firefly, Bobbie looked over at her co-pilot, “You ready, Jeff?”

“Yep,” The young man replied.

“I'll head for the engine room then”, Becca Tam stated. It had taken considerable persuasion to convince Simon to allow his daughter to go on the mission. Only agreeing if he was allowed to go as well as medic. Just in case anyone needed medical attention.

Likewise, the younger children were all on Serenity with Inara behind the controls and Kaylee in the engine room. Helga had been entrusted with assisting Inara as a sign of good faith. There was however, a Deputy Sheriff along to keep an eye on her.

Sara Jane was tasked with backup in case something happened. Five deputies waited in the cargo bay and the weapons system was armed and ready.

Serenity would take off if Sara Jane did. Their job was to keep a sensor eye on the area if Sara Jane had to drop into the fight. Also it was to keep the kids safe in case the Triad tried another attack on Serenity Acres.

As the clock wound down, Allan glanced over at his daughter, “You up for this?”

Sara nodded, “I'll cover you.”

“Shoot if you have to.”

“I will.”

Satisfied Sara would, Allan began to line up his first shot, “Gonna be messy,” he commented.

“I know.”

Allan didn't necessarily want to kill the young man he had in his sights. He would try for a non fatal shot but with the big gun it was unlikely. Even if he went for a limb shot. The big round would amputate whatever he hit.

“Sara?”

“Yeah, Dad?”

“The sentry on our side... think you can get him in somewhere non fatal?”

“In my sleep,” Sara replied.

Allan looked over and saw the serious look on his daughters face. He came to a decision.

“When they give the go order. Take out one of his knees. Soon as they know we're here, I'll take out the shuttle with Bertha.”

“Got it, Dad,” Sara said as she lined up her shot.

“Command to all units... Execute!”

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TBC