"You're a sharp shot," Mal told Shepard with a genuine air of respect.
Shepard smiled at the obvious statement. "Not bad yourself. You certainly have a unique… style."
"Hell, yeah!" Jayne joined in. "We just cleaned house! Look at all this loot!"
"Don't count your chickens yet, Jayne." Zoe said, then turned to Mal. "It's high time we leave this xiaobian dong planet behind, Sir."
"Right." Mal said sending a furrowed brow look toward Jayne. "But Plan A had been to use the chloroform bombs to put the guards to sleep, sneak through the vault's back door, and waltz outta here undetected. Jayne blew that plan."
Jayne smiled deviously. "I had to impervise on account'f the first plan was boring."
"'Course." Zoe said. "Don't know how you snuck grenades past us and the guards, but what's done is done."
"This wasn't our original plan either. We need an alternative." Shepard tells the group while looking at Kasumi.
"You're used to rolling with the punches, Shep." Kasumi said. "I still have the schematics on my omni-tool. We'll just have to fight our way out."
"I entered through the back. I know the way." Jayne offered help. "We gotta get back to the mule."
"The back way should work for us, too. Our shuttle is parked nearby." Shepard said.
Mal shrugged at Zoe. "We ain't got much other choice."
Zoe made eye contact with Shepard and Kasumi respectively, as though judging their trustworthiness, and back to Mal. "I'm behind you, Sir, whatever the plan." Zoe said.
Shepard and Mal looked at each other for a moment, the leaders of their own prospective groups, with the same judging look Zoe had.
"We're better off working together. I'm in." Shepard extended a hand.
"Deal." Mal shook it. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Hock's reinforcements entered the basement and located the group. All five ducked behind cover and readied their own weapons. Inara arrived at Mal's side as the bullets began to fly.
"I need to talk to you!" She said.
Mal yelled over the fire, "Not a good time!" He shot a guard out and celebrated his small victory. "Did you see that shot? I'll bet your Donovan is a piss-poor shot."
"Possibly, he's not really a… Well, I thought he wasn't… I don't know anymore… Mal! I need to talk with you about him." Another bullet whizzed by. "I think you've under-estimated Donovan, if this is your plan."
"All the bullets flying in our direction…" Mal said. He peered past the side of the barrier and took another shot. "This isn't how I wanted the evening to end, but it's much livelier than that funeral upstairs, I must say!" He peered around the barrier again.
"Mal!" Inara shouted.
Shepard interrupted everyone by announcing the immediate room had been cleared. Kasumi lowered her weapon and began typing into her omni-tool to pull up Hock's schematics, but Jayne confidently stood up and said. "Follow me!"
Kasumi looked up and shrugged. "You heard the man!"
"Alright. Let's mosey!" Mal followed.
"Qiu zhu lianmin," Inara said as the group moved forward in unison.
"That's the door!" Jayne yelled as they approached the exit.
Zoe looked back down the hall where they'd come from. "No enemy boots behind!"
The whole group filed out one by one. They maintained readied weapons when entering the exterior of the building, but six pairs of eyes looking left and right detected no enemy presence. Slowly everyone but Inara dropped their weapons and replaced them with high-fives and slaps on the back.
"Way to go!"
"Hell, yeah! That's how it's done!"
"That was almost easy."
Inara raised her own voice amid the celebration. "You must stop celebrating! You don't understand! I am pretty certain Donovan left to get his…"
The sound of a gunship approached suddenly.
"Back inside!" Shepard shouted and Inara was the first to try opening the door, but found that it was locked. "Shit. Take cover! Quickly. In the jungle." He hurried the Serenity crewmembers toward the trees and looked up again. "That's an A-61 Mantis Gunship." He rushed through an explanation. "It's loaded with weaponry, military-class kinetic shields… Let us handle this!"
"Gou-pi, you don't have to ask me twice!" Jayne said and dove under cover.
"Shepard, do be safe." Inara pleaded.
"You know I'm a soldier. I know what I'm doing." He said and placed his hand upon her face briefly. "Now hide!"
A tirade of bullets flew from the machine gun mounted on the gunship, causing Shepard to wrap his arms around Inara and shield her body with his. When the fire stopped, he scooped her up and carried her to Mal's side deep under the forest canopy. Shepard took her face into his hands, checking to make sure she was alert and breathing. Her pale face betrayed her fear, but a quick look-over revealed no injuries.
"Watch over her," He ordered Mal before running back out to join Kasumi.
Kasumi had evaded the bullets as well and looked around for the location of the gunship. Hock swung back around and broadcast his now furious and frantic voice: "Kasumi Goto. I respect your nerve to intrude into my home and your skill to break into my vault, but I want what's in that greybox, and I'm willing to kill for it! You're going to die screaming, like your old friend!"
"Not a chance, you bastard!" Kasumi yelled.
She unleashed her heavy pistol's bullets his direction, which hit, but caused no damage. Hock's laughter resounded from his speakers, echoing off the mansion walls, doubling the insult.
"Your anger will only get you killed." Hock said. "You're in over your head."
"You will pay for Keiji's death! You…" Kasumi was interrupted by Shepard's forceful hand behind her head. "Take cover!" He demanded and all but pushed her toward large, shaded underbelly of the nearby balcony. "You can't avenge Keiji if you're dead!"
Hock unleashed more bullets, but the pair reached the balcony and Hock seemed hesitant to destroy his own property.
"You cannot hide forever." Hock mused. "My reinforcements will hunt you down like a pack of dogs."
Kasumi fumed and cussed under her breath. Shepard placed a hand on each of Kasumi's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "We know he's not bluffing, Kasumi." Shepard said, trying to focus her again. "He's not going to let us walk out of here. What do you want to do?"
"March out there and blow his ta ma de mian out of the sky!" Kasumi declared with a wild look in her eye.
Shepard squeezed her shoulders tighter. "Okay." He acknowledged in a calm, but firm voice. "But that would most likely wind up getting you killed. I'm here for you, Kasumi. We're in this together. I'm willing to take down that gunship, but we need a plan."
Kasumi closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She grabbed each of Shepard's hands and dropped her head. Shepard's heart broke to see her so defeated.
"What other weapons are you carrying besides your pistol?" He brainstormed. "Or, could you use your stealth cloak? He should be unable to detect you."
Kasumi's head raised up again, this time with a devious smile and a twinkle in her eye. "You're a genius, Shep!" Kasumi pulled him into a quick hug. She ran off and disappeared, according to Shepard's perspective, but he could hear her voice as she called behind her: "Keep Hock busy and near the balcony!"
I think I just got demoted to bait. Shepard thought.
Under the protective cover of the forest, Mal, Jayne, and Inara listened to the ensuing battle. Zoe had grown agitated upon hearing about "reinforcements" and decided to leave the group to play look-out. Mal kept close to Inara's side, as Shepard had demanded.
Shepard toed the edge of the balcony's protection, pulled out his M-97 Viper sniper rifle and shot at Hock's suspended aircraft. The bullets had seemingly no effect, nor did Hock seem to notice.
Gou-pi, just as I thought. The Mantis' shields are too powerful. I hope this is one hell of a plan you have, Kasumi.
Shepard switched to his pistol and left his hiding place. He ran and aimed, almost brandishing the pistol to get Hock's attention. Hock took the bait.
"Mr. Gunn." Hock laughed. "You plan on taking down a gunship with a single pistol?"
Shepard let go of a bullet aimed at the cockpit to answer Hock's question. The shields deflected it carelessly.
Damn it.
Shepard kept moving to keep Hock interested. He avoided nearing the forest for fear that stray bullets would hit the Serenity crew.
Where's Tali's energy drain when you need shields taken out? Or… Oh.
Suddenly Shepard knew Kasumi's plan.
"Why don't you land that thing and fight face to face like a man?" Shepard yelled, unsure whether or not Hock could hear.
"Where is your little friend, Mr. Gunn?" Hock asked. "I'm not pleased that you partnered with her to steal my greybox, but she's the one I'm after. You're just a nuisance that my guards will finish off."
As if on cue, the back entrance to Hock's mansion spewed forth several armed guards. They stopped to take aim for Shepard, who was unaware of their presence.
"Shep, look out!" He heard Kasumi's voice through his earpiece.
Shepard looked around just in time to see the one on the far right collapse without a sound. The others looked over at their fallen comrade and then looked at each other, confused. Shepard had not fired a shot. The one standing between the two fell next. Shepard took out the last. He looked toward the forest to see the ghost of woman's shadow. He knew it was the rancher's partner. He nodded his thanks.
The gunship unleashed another round of bullets. Shepard rolled out of the way. He took a quick survey of himself after the round ceased.
No injuries. My luck is going to run out quick, Goto. He motioned to activate his mic, but Kasumi beat him to it.
"Look up." Kasumi's voice said.
Shepard obeyed and looked back at the hovering gunship. To his surprise, Kasumi had uncloaked herself and stood crouched over the cockpit of the gunship. She banged on the glass and Hock's confused eyes caught hers. She waved and offered a devious smile before using her omni-tool to overload Hock's shields. They dropped instantly.
"Fire away!" Kasumi shouted and descended using the retractable rope line that, Shepard presumed, she'd ascended with.
Shepard gladly aimed for the gunship, taking out the left wing with a few precise shots. The aircraft lost control quickly and crashed in the lush forest, far from the Serenity crew's hideout. The stilled engine caused a deafening silence. Shepard stared at the plume of smoke now rising from where the gunship had fallen. As his ears stopped ringing, he could make out the commotion above him.
"Someone call a medic!" He heard.
Hock's remaining party guests were filing out to line the banister of the balcony, pointing and shouting.
"What happened?" Someone yelled.
"What the hell was that noise?" Someone demanded.
Kasumi materialized next to Shepard, causing him to jump. "We did it!" Kasumi hugged him tightly around the neck. "But, we should probably get the hell out of here."
"Of course," Shepard agreed. "Right away. Just let me… check on Inara."
Kasumi followed Shepard back to the forest. Zoe still stood at the forest's edge. The three returned to Jayne, Mal, and Inara, informing them that Hock's plane had been downed, but that they needed to leave immediately. Jayne reminded Shepard that the mule was just a little further down while Zoe radioed Wash to ready Serenity for a quick getaway. Shepard approached Mal and Inara.
"How are you?" Shepard asked Inara.
"Fine. Thank you… For checking up on me." Inara said. She had a remarkable amount of poise and courage for someone who had been shot at not even thirty minutes ago.
"I'll escort her to her shuttle." Mal said, a slight edge in his voice. "She's with us."
"'Us.'" Shepard repeated. "We never were formally introduced." He offered his hand. "I'm Commander John Shepard. Former Alliance soldier. I now command the Normandy SR-2, under Cerberus. I apologize for the insignia on this armor. Not my choice."
Mal's face hardened at the mention of "Alliance," but he took the man's hand and shook it. "I'm Mal, as you already heard. Prefer it's all you heard. You saved our asses and for that, I'm grateful, but me and mine… Let's just say we ain't keen on the rules and regulations of Council space."
"As evidenced by today's spectacular heist." Shepard laughed lightly and raised his hands up innocently. "I'm not a cop. I'm not here to apprehend anyone."
"That's fine." Mal said. "Today the 'verse was a might smaller than my usual preferences. I don't suspect we'll be crossing paths again."
"Hmm…" Shepard said. "I suspected you're not from Boltzmann. Your clothing and accent suggest the Border Planets of the Terminus Systems."
"I call the black my home." Mal said, though his face betrayed Shepard's deduction to have at least some truth.
Shepard thought about the human colonies in the Terminus Systems being abducted by the Collectors, but didn't want to alarm them with this still largely classified information. "That's good to hear. If you ever do find yourself in the Terminus, just…" Shepard glanced at Inara and bit his lip. "Be careful out there."
"Will do."
"Shepard." Kasumi interrupted hesitantly. "We should head back."
"Right." Shepard nodded. He reached out and squeezed Inara's hand briefly. "Good-bye." He offered the rest of the Serenity crew parting nods.
