Dawn was breaking in the brown town. Mal, Zoë, and a rather nervous Simon walked down the dirt road. "Are you sure this man will know where to find River?" Simon asked looking dubiously up at the small wooden storefront. It read "Kucera's Service Co."
Mal gazed up at the sign also. "If anybody knows anything about big crime on Pharr, it's Kucera."
Zoë agreed, "He trains and rents all the security type forces on this world. We've had dealings with him before."
A look of vengeance crossed Mal's face. "I think we need to have a little talk with Kucera. What do you think?"
River stood in the shadows, swaying slightly to an internal rhythm. She could sense the minds of Maddie, Jayne and Brady down the hall. Brady's mind was confused and twisted, filled by years of hatred and revenge plotting. Jayne's mind was not so much confused by Maddie's appearance, more angry. Maddie was mad, determined and scared. River liked Maddie's mind. It was a simple place usually. She was most interested in basic things like being safe and fed, a lot like Jayne in that respect. But whereas Jayne's mind sometimes wandered to things of an indecent sort, Maddie's wondered to places of art. Music or a well drawn picture, how colors looked together. River liked that.
It was a safe place, Maddie's mind .Her memories held interesting stories and memories. She hero-worshipped Jayne and at the same time she was painfully aware of his shortcomings. He was the one who could make everything better for her. Jayne was Maddie's Simon.
River felt Brady's mind as it died, surprised and angry. She felt Jayne's as he watched, proud, but perturbed that Maddie had gone and put herself in danger for him. Maddie's mind was afraid, angry, guilt stricken, and relieved. All was right as far as River was concerned, but wait. A dozen minds were coming down the main hall. They'd seen the disturbance on a security feed. They were coming for Maddie and Jayne.
River started down the hall. They must be warned.
Jayne endured about two minutes of Maddie relieved/hysterical sobs. In a slightly stifled voice, he said, "Flower-eater, You gonna untie me or be all hysterical? I'm startin' t' lose some feelin' here."
"Oh right." Maddie backed away and wiped her blotched face. Ok, girl, she told herself, pull it together. We still ain't outta this. Knife, she needed her switch. She grabbed it off the floor where she'd dropped it and proceeded to cut Jayne loose.
"So where's Mal an' the others?" Jayne asked rubbing his wrists.
Maddie looked down at her feet. "Um… they didn' come." She looked up at him defiance flashing in her eyes. "They wasn' doin' nothin'. Bunch a sha guas"
Jayne's eyes narrowed. "You come here alone?"
"No! River…" her eyes lost defiance and went for embarrassed. "River is down the hall. Hey! Don' look a' me like that." The defiance came back. "She's only one who helped. Captain locked me in my room."
Jayne was about to question that when River stuck her head in the door. "Looking is coming, they saw."
Maddie and Jayne blinked at her, identical expressions of confusion on their faces. "You know what the hell Moonbrain's talkin' 'bout?"
"Don' know. We gotta figure a way t' git you outta here." Maddie said quickly, partially relieved that they were off the subject of her break out.
Jayne started to stand, cursed and sat back down. Brady'd done his job on cutting up his feet. "Gorram, Brady."
"Maybe…" Maddie trailed off, at a loss for what to do now. She hadn't planned this far ahead.
"Gimme my boots." Jayne grunted.
"What?"
"My boots, girl." Jayne commanded. Maddie scrambled across the room, grabbed up the boots and tossed them to him. Gritting his teeth Jayne pulled on his boots.
River, who had been hanging on the doorframe, swung out then in. "They're here." She said falling into the room gracefully.
"Yo, bro, how long it been?" A young man, probably in his mid-twenties said jovially from behind his desk as Mal and the others entered.
"Four years." Mal said shaking his hand and feigning similar joviality. "Lil' Jimmy, where's your pa?"
Lil' Jimmy laughed, "Old man kicked last year, left me to the runnin' of our family establishment."
Mal's face went cold and his gun flew up. "Good. Now tell us how to tell who snatched my merc."
The blood drained from Lil' Jimmy's face. "I don' know nothin' about no snatchings."
"Fine, we're lookin' for a man who rented at least forty men from you yesterday. Might be named Brady." Mal said anger flashing.
Lil' Jimmy hands shook as he held them up. "I, uh… don't re…remember the, the…" he swallowed hard. "The filing cabinet. Ch-check the filling cabinet."
Mal jerked his head to Zoë and she walked around behind Lil' Jimmy's desk. She pulled open a draw and began rifling through it. Mal looked at Simon. "Doc, why don' you tie up young Mr. Kucera?"
Simon looked around, "Um… yes." He found some rope conveniently hanging off a hook in the wall and with slight apprehension tied up the protesting Lil' Jimmy.
"Found it, Captain." Zoe shouted holding up a folder. "M. Brady, one team, two guards and a room."
Mal looked at Lil' Jimmy, who blanched further. "Right, I remember now, revenge tripper... Uh… we had a disturbance in his room half an hour ago. Sent some men to deal with it."
Mal swaggered up to him. "Did you now? How's about you call'm off and we go down there and get my people."
Jimmy swallowed, "No can do, bro. The boys don't come back from a job less they complete. It's how they get their pay."
Mal jerked the bound Jimmy out of his chair. "Well, then you're gonna have t' take us to'm."
Maddie stuck her head out the door and nearly got it shot off. "Jayne" she said in a wavering voice. "We got trouble."
Jayne, still sitting, looked up at River, "Gimme them guns, girl." River tossed one to him and he cocked it, a relieved expression on his face. "How many of 'me are there Maddie?"
"I don' know. Lot's. I can't git my head out there long enough t' git a good look." She took a deep breath. "Whata we do?"
"We cou' try blockadein' the door fer starters." Jayne said.
"With what? Ain't nothin' in here 'sept us, bubba!" Maddie said, in a half frustrated tone.
Jayne grunted, "Well, I ain't usually the comes up with plans on how t' get out scrapes. That's the captain's job."
Maddie frowned and muttered not quite under her breathe, "Ruttin' Captain."
Fun Chinese Translations
Sha gua-Retard (lit. stupid melon)
Well everybody. We're coming up on the end of this. Next parts gonna get a little angsty so you've been warned about that. Um... Lovely. Well, everybody here's yelling at me so ya'll don't either. Reveiw me. Now.
