One To Many- chap 6 -----Diffusion ------

The spacecraft took off into the daytime sky. It attracted every eye, from every guard, posted in every tower along the Fay Everett Mountain Ridge at Fort Oliver. Why? Because none of them had ever seen anything like it before.

Fort Oliver may have been an Alliance outpost out in the middle of nowhere, on a no-account moon that even Reavers may consider a waste of time. Yet the outpost was still a functioning fortification. It still received supplies bi-monthly, and was able to acquire the newest and most advanced tech weaponry the Unified military could offer. However, what the guards were witnessing in the skies above the mountain fortress was much more advanced than anything they’d set eyes on before.

What they were seeing wasn’t Serenity, no, that spacecraft had left hours before, also there were forty thousand Firefly transports still flying around the verse, more or less. This was something strange and different, as rare as seeing a pink canary. This ship was beautiful, all sleek and trim-lined, and maybe a little larger than your average shuttlecraft. It’s design announced higher technology , and it’s frame spoke stealth, and an almost impossible speed and maneuverability. The troops at FO only saw it for a few seconds, then it disappeared over the horizon and was out of sight.

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River Tam, her brother Simon, and Serenity’s mechanic and pilot, Kaylee and Wash, were all aboard this vessel. They were being contained (confined within a back room) all together this time.

“ I wonder where we’re headed?” Wash asked out loud, not particular to anyone.

“ Can’t be someplace good,” Kaylee, for the first time let down her guard of cheerfulness, “ If purplebellies are involved, ain’t nothing nice can come of it. Beside they stole Serenity! When the captain finds out he won’t be a happy camper,” she finished.

“ Camping may be the least of his worries Kaylee, “ Wash offered, “ we haven’t seen or heard from them in two days. I hope that it isn’t,” he paused for a split, “but their fate may be worse than ours.” He looked at the solid metal door of the holding cell then added, “ at least for the now.”

All through the conversation, Simon and River had remained silent. Simon knew the trouble that they may be headed for. He had experienced the likes of it back on Ariel when they’d been caught by hospital security.

He, River and Jayne hadn’t been witness to what had happened to some of the guards that dreadful night. The mission had soon become just another one of Serenity’s post adventures. However, he did recalled the screams they had heard. It had instilled in him a certain amount of dread. Screams like that didn’t come from fear, but from pain, from torment, from something torturous. What had happened to those men, Simon didn’t know. Sometimes is was best not knowing. Still it didn’t set well with him.

He recalled that later it had been posted on the cortex that the hospital had been attacked and robbed by a renegade faction. The same folk that had busted River out of the academy. He, and his sister’s name had come up as accomplices on a new wanted bulletin. An outright lie but how were they ever to voice their innocence? Also, it was posted that the entire hospital security team had been wiped out as a result of the attack. Simon was shocked by the accusations, but he wasn’t surprised. He was becoming more like the captain every day, that wasn’t a pleasant idea to him either. He then thought about his parents….

“ Dear old dad has likely disowned us by now,” he remembered thinking.

Anyway, they were enroot somewhere, and his feelings were that it could be the end of the line. He would be incarcerated for the rest of his life, and River returned to being a test rat. That was if they were lucky. Not a pretty picture for himself and his sister did he paint. Nor one for Kaylee and Wash.

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Jayne released his tight hold on the man he’d held firmly against the shuttle wall.

“ So, we talkin money, coin, payment of another kind?” He question.

“ How about you loosen your grip on me a little more and we’ll discuss the options,” the man now spoke rather calmly and confidently. Jayne complied, but only after a quick search of the suits clothing revealed nothing but a peculiar type, metal cylinder thing, it‘s purpose unknown. The big mercenary put it in his pocket for safe keeping. Other than that, he found no weapons. He did however fish-out the key to his hand restraints, and unlocked himself.

“ This deal,” he paused a second, “ does it mean turning on my crew?”

The man’s eye’s widened. He was thinking that maybe he could play this fellow.

“ Only if you prefer a healthier portion?”

Jayne’s eyes grew wide, and a grin formed across the big mercenary’s face.

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“ So Doc, you got any ideas on how to get out of this place?”

What he was expecting, the pilot of Serenity really wasn’t sure. He only knew that he hadn’t the foggiest on how to get out of this situation they found themselves in, and he was hoping someone locked inside that cabin did. He’d even accept an escape plan from Saffron, if she’d been there with them. Still, the surgeon looked at him as if he had two heads. A master of disguise, or mastermind of thievery, Simon Tam was really neither. On Ariel, he had only gotten lucky with his scheme……Wash was thinking.

“ I got nothing,” doc answered.

Wash looked over at River, as always she seemed to be in her own little world. He then looked over at Kaylee. The ship’s mechanic could see the helplessness in his eyes, but she could offer nothing that could change their current status.

Kaylee and Hoban Wash made a great team, but only when it came to fixin things, or repairs. The captain and Zoe were the ones who functioned better when it came to escape plans. She shrugged her shoulders.

“ We’re ruttin screwed ” Wash expelled under his breath.

Just then the door to the compartment opened and there stood the MIB. A shiny, 38 caliber, chrome plated Weston in his grip.

“ Hello ladies and gents. Everyone comfy I hope?” His smile told them that their comfort really mattered nothing to him. The Serenity crew said not a word. He motioned with his weapon for River to follow.

“ You, come with me.”

“ Now wait a minute!” Simon took a step towards the suited man. The MIB raised his weapon and pointed it straight at the doc’s head.

“ We’re only going to talk,” he said.

River put her arms behind her and started walking over towards the man, then, face to face, followed him out. The door slammed behind them and the remaining captors heard the lock code to the chamber being entered on the keypad outside. The sound of a thick, iron bar sliding into position reminded them again that they were secured within the compartment.

Simon put his ear to the door, listening for any sound that his sister was being ravaged. He heard none. It was a good thing because, for a man who had taken an oath to preserve life as best he could, he was ready to take one right now if any harm be done to his sibling.

From what he could hear, there was some small talk, followed by some yes and no answers from her, but much of the conversation was indistinguishable because of the barrier.

“ This is great,” the doc spoke, “ I don’t know who this man is, but he isn’t regular government authority. I think we may be in more trouble than I can imagine, and I can imagine plenty.”

“ We have a way out,” Kaylee suddenly surprised her fellow captives with her last statement. They both froze and looked at her.

“ What?” Wash and Simon said in unison.

“ We have a way to get out of here,” Serenity’s master mechanic repeated, “ River gave it to us.”

Both men were confused as hell.

“ What the *goushi* (crap) are you talking about Kaylee?” Wash questioned.

“ The door code,” she looked at the two men, “ you didn’t see River’s hands when she put them behind her back just before walking out?”

Simon and Wash looked at one another. Kaylee continued.

“ Her fingers, she signaled, 3-4-1-0. The code to the keypad next to the door there. The men looked towards the exit. Yep, there was a keypad there. They’d all seen it. But without the code what good would it have done them?

“ She must have registered the tones of the keypad, or gleamed them from him when he walked in. Whatever the case, we now have the digits. This compartment likely isn’t used as a detainment cell normally, more for storage. And like most compartments aboard vessels it’s rigged so that it can be sealed off separately. Function as it’s own life support area if the rest of the ship is damaged, at least until rescue arrives,” she looked at them, “ best we wait until the suit is someway distracted before we attempt at making a break.”

A plan defiantly had fallen into their laps, a risky one but still a chance to get free.

“Well there’s no way of knowing entirely when the best time will be,” Simon spoke, “ but I’ll listen and shoot for our best opportunity,” he again put his head to the door. Kaylee was at the ready near the keypad.

It took some time but eventually Simon thought he heard the man get up and move away from his sister. He signaled to Kaylee to press the buttons which she did quickly and as it opened the three were out the in a flash. The suit had moved away from a table in which River was seated. He held a drink in each hand. His weapon lay resting on the hardwood table top and his eyes grew wide as he realized the other captives were free. He made a move to reach the table quickly but before he could get to it River snatched up the 38 and sighted it on him.

Funny how the pendulum swings and roles can be reversed so suddenly. Simon, Kaylee and Wash relaxed a bit. Seems as if they would be doing the questioning now. Still, before her brother could reach her side River flipped the weapon around and handed it back to the MIB. Her three partners were shocked and stunned beyond reason. Why had she done that? She turned to smile at them.

“ No touching guns,” She said, “ a recipe for unpleasantness.”

“ Holy mother of Ishtar!” Wash’s legs gave out under him. Simon and Kaylee just stood there.

The MIB only put the weapon back inside his jacket, then he straightened his suit.

“ Good, you’re all here. Saves me the effort of letting you out. I’ve got some explaining for you. Anyone thirsty? ” he spoke.

* Lashi* ! Any more excitement like this and Kaylee, Simon and Wash could become candidates for a “bug-house”. What was going on?

“ I know this is all rather confusing, but please sit and I will try to make things clearer.”

They all took chairs.

“ There IS an underground movement that few people are aware of or know little about,” He looked at each face,” but the government knows plenty and are doing their utmost to squash it before it becomes too strong.”

He looked over at the doctor.

“Do you remember your history Mr. Tam? Particularly the era of World War 2 back on “Earth that Was”? The Axis and Alliance powers fought one another and there was but one victor. Still this didn’t keep the loyal individuals of the loosing sides, the ones who’d escaped capture, from trying to see the tables turned back in their favor in the future,” he stopped momentarily, then continued.

“They stayed hidden and remained that way for years. Their research continued onward, though maybe at a diminished pace,” his focus was more on Simon, since he was the most educated of the crew. Not that he wasn’t aware the others were following every word.

“War never ends Mr. Tam, that’s just how it is,” he paused, “ It’s the same now. Only this time the victors weren’t the good guys. Not only was your sister being studied, Simon, she was also being recruited. Brainwashed and conditioned into becoming a human bloodhound. Then she would have been set into the verse at some point to sniff out government enemies, and those of us still faithful to the independent cause. With our help you got to her before that could happen. However, there are things that River knows that are still buried too deep for us to find out. We keep tabs on her and the crew of Serenity, and as luck would have it, this time we were able to intervene before the Rune Logan arrived,” he took a sip of water.

“There are folk aboard that ship that aren’t so nice. I’ve sent a coded wave over to another vessel, one that has your captain, Zoe and Jayne aboard. I imagine my partner is filling in the blanks for them right now. Soon we will all meet up at Serenity and you will be transferred back aboard your ship. Remember we are always watching, but next time rescue might not be forthcoming soon enough. Tell your captain to be more cautious.” His speech concluded, the MIB answered other questions that the crew of Serenity had. He was careful not to give anything away that could compromise anything about himself or the underground movement.

At length he took Simon aside and provided him with a safe word that he could use to control River. Not that he might ever need to use it, but just in case. Even the underground remain fearful of the girl and what she could do. Feeling confident that River would reveal nothing of their structure, it was decided to return her to the black. The underground would their keep distance, but be watchful.

Back at the table, the crew were thinking about what was going on, on the other craft, and how Mal, Zoe and Jayne were taking the news?

End Part 6