Chapter 13
Jayne stepped defiantly, oafish-ly, out in front of his female partners, pretending the role of leader. Both River and Del cautiously remained in the shadows of the trees while he stood just beyond the cover of leafy branches. As a group, though, they peered through the crumbling fence at the group of buildings on the other side. Every one of Jayne's senses confirmed his tracker's intuition.
The dilapidated buildings looked a grayish blue in the moonlight. The faded and cracked paint encased the entire complex in a decayed shell. The signage which once stood authoritatively on the top floor didn't spell full words anymore, only "Blu- S-". There were no outward signs of occupancy. What few windows there were held broken glass fragments or missing panes. Vines of ivy had snaked their way along several exterior walls, covering whole corners of two nearby structures. It would be safe to guess no one had been here in years. It would be a wrong assumption, never the less.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Del asked.
"They're here," came River's positive reply. It had occurred to her, as they made their secretive approach, that she had never seen her internment from the outside looking in. As she now looked at the dull cluster of dying structures she could see herself standing on the other side of the fence ...
More than a decade ago ...
River removed her last delicate canvas slipper and carefully set her foot deep into the crisp blades of grass. She had been at the academy for almost two months now but this was the first chance she had to step outside and feel the land under her toes. In all her excitement of meeting new friends and new challenges at her new school, she had never imagined how claustrophobic the sterile classrooms and dormitories would be. Suffocating wasn't the right word she would use to describe it. Restricting maybe? Or chaffing?
After a few deep breaths and a wriggling of her feet against the greenery, the fatigued young girl lifted her head towards the sun. Closing her eyes, she bathed in the warm hug of a bright afternoon. The dull hum of insect life, though far away, was faintly ringing in her ears. And the smell of the reedy forest was blown into her senses by the gentle breeze.
Feeling refreshed and relaxed again, River lowered her smiling face level with the landscape in front of her. She stared languidly straight out across the lawn and directly at the fence and the patchy forest trees beyond it. The Blue Sun sponsored institute was at her back and out of sight for the moment.
This was the first time she had really looked at the metallic posts and railings that outlined the grounds. It struck her how unnatural and intimidating they were. Not only were there a number sweeping scanning beams pulsing from post to post, but the rails of each section were set so close together not even a rabbit could squeak through easily. And the whole structure extended much higher than a normal seclusion fence, maybe ten or twelve feet in the air.
River wondered why so much security was needed. What were they trying to keep out? The question brought an immediate response which gave her the first feelings of unease since arriving. Maybe they weren't built to keep something out. Maybe they were built to keep the students i-
"River?"
Her train of thought was interrupted by the appearance of the thin, slightly balding man who always kept his hands in his pockets.
"Are you enjoying the fresh air?"
His sharp tone coupled with his measured pace repeated his usual outward appearance of composure but still left his words sounding somewhat accusatory. He didn't seem to approve of River deviating from the strict schedule set for her.
"Yes," is all she would say in return.
"Well, why don't we get back on course," he suggested somewhat sternly.
Looking past him River could see their conversation was being watched by the balding man's partner, a tall ginger haired man. He always kept his hands in his pockets too.
"Wei."
The urgency of Del's voice jolted River back to her present company and away from the past events in her brain. She had not retraced that memory for a long time.
"Which way?" Del pressed. "Do we climb?"
"No," River said simply. Stepping around her two companions she began a somber, silent trek along the edge of the fenceline, running her hand along an occasional rail as she went. The act did not seem playful so much as a want for tactile affirmation of where she was. It was as though the rusted metal slats were lightly whispering to her fingertips: huanying. Welcome back. Del and Jayne followed after her.
It was Jayne's sharp night vision which first spotted their luck. A rotted tree had fallen across the border, about fifty yards ahead of them, taking down a post and all the rails it had been supporting. An easy spot for infiltration.
River skipped over the crumpled fence and blackened log in one seemingly weightless hop. Then she skimmed smoothly through the tall grass which filled the lawn between the perimeter and the closest building. The over waist high stalks slowed her companions who wished to remain silent as possible. River, though, made no noise as she darted through the field. Her agility was as keen as ever.
Finally reaching her destination up close, she stood staring, as if trying to comprehend a puzzle. She had expected the large obelisk of a building to radiate a warm buzz. Instead, she was met with cold silence. She extended her hand and lay it flat against the industrial wall to confirm.
It was only a brief minute before Jayne and Del caught up to her.
"Don't go moon brained now, girl," Jayne quipped as he passed her. "This is s'posed to be a quick in and out. 'member?"
It was now River's turn to follow as Del and Jayne skirted the building's wall, finally coming to an open, empty doorway. Peering inside revealed more of the same broken conditions which were so evident from the outside. The entire innards of the complex were worn from age, neglect, and the harshness of the elements. The two armed prowlers were starting to have growing doubts about their purpose here, and River's sanity.
River bypassed the two of them and stepped through the doorway purposedly. The thud of her boot against the floor stood as a stark difference to the sound her bare feet made on the same cold floors ...
More than a decade ago ...
The balls of her bare feet made a light clacking noise as she stumbled down the hall, occasionally leaning against a wall for support. River hated the sticky feel of the cold, dead pavement against her soles, but it was the best way to remain undetected as she lurked about at night.
Her headaches had been getting worse over the last week in particular. The flat, white walls of the institute seemed to create an insurmountable weight and pressure which squeezed her head from all sides. A few moments outside, she thought, with the grass and trees around her, could do more to help her than the medications provided by the academy's infirmary. And now, she was almost there.
"What are you doing wandering around at night?"
She had come to know the voice well over the past several months. The tall one.
"I wanted to see the stars," River said innocently. The slack on her face and the wavy tone in her voice betrayed the pangs shooting through her temple. The tall one took note.
"We should get you back in bed," he said, stepping closer in River's direction.
It was unclear if his step instigated what happened next, or if it was just a coincidence of timing, but the pain in River's head finally shattered something inside her. She was sent to the floor clutching her head. The hallway, the building, the grassy field, the forest, the whole of the moon itself could be felt spinning and swirling in her head and in her stomach. Propping herself up to one hand River could barely focus on the droplets of red falling from the tip of her nose. She couldn't even make out the pool of blood forming on the concrete floor underneath her.
Immediately River felt the rubber hands of the two nightmare caregivers gripping her arms as they lifted her off the floor. Her head sagging under the weight of pain she began drifting in and out of consciousness. She heard only bits and pieces.
" ... into surgery ..."
"... downstairs ..."
"... Dr. Mathias ..."
"... brain ..."
"I think this is the end of the line, little one," Jayne said. "There's nothing here."
"No," River softly corrected him. "Now we go down." She was not looking at him as she spoke, but rather at the door to the lower levels. The door that had always remained bolted shut during her original stay here but was now lying on its side, having fallen loose from its jamb.
The stairwell was dark, and smelled of stale air and decaying, dead animals. Jayne's reluctance was growing steadier at the thought of wading through the pitch black stairway shaft, but never the less, he continued. He too was searching for something in the dark. Something less tangible than what his company might expect.
Ten floors below the surface, the invading party found the first signs that maybe River was right. Although the stairs continued down deeper into the blackness, a sheer, steel door, clean, and bright, like it was new, stood out like a beacon among the dirty, dull walls. There were no handles or doorknobs about it, and any sort of access pad next to the door had been covered with a flat metal plate as well. It was a puzzle of sorts.
Del slid her hand first across the smoothed door, confirming its solidarity, then across the metal of the plate against the wall. It too was unyielding to her touch.
"If this is the place, I'm not sure we have many choices here," Del said, signaling her willingness to retreat. "I don't see a way in."
Instinctively, River floated forward, extending her hand to faintly graze the metal plate herself. This was more like the warm buzz she had been expecting. With only the slightest of sound, the metal door reacted to her touch and popped open.
Where once their path along the stairs was covered in black, now a strip of diffused light from behind the door beckoned the three of them onward. Jayne and Del readied their weapons and proceeded in. River entered as well, at a slower pace.
Jayne and Del immediately spaced themselves out to investigate their new surroundings, stalking carefully, quietly. The buzzing fluorescent lights overhead indicated the presence of occupants. The tangle of corridors, hallways, and doors implied a maze which it would become easy to get lost in. Both of the armed sneaks were eager to turn the lead back over to River.
"Which way?" Del asked. When she didn't hear a response she turned to ask their guide again. She was confounded to discover an empty hallway.
River was gone.
Interlude IV
Several years earlier, minus a day . . .
The door to the shuttle snapped open. A bloody, bruised Jayne hung by one arm, draped over Mal's left shoulder. The lummox was barely able to move his legs in pace with his captain, and thus Mal was doing the bulk of the work for both of them.
The two struggled through the narrow doorway, with Mal exerting nearly the last of his strength to push Jayne in first. The guns in Mal's hands are smoking hot from overuse. After an extended firefight, both Mal and the weapons are spent. But while the firearms have the luxury of lying idly on the floor to cool, Mal knows he still has work to do. Having collapsed beside Jayne, he picks himself up in a near panic. Luckily, his last bullet had ended the life of their final pursuer. He has bought them some leeway before the next wave of guards would arrive.
The bolt of impact against the shuttle floor has emboldened Jayne to regain a semblance of focus, and now he has the urge to talk to his captain. He feels the need to defend himself.
"I didn't ... I didn't ... "
"What's that," Mal said, not really paying attention.
"I wouldn't ... tell that hwun dan ... a damn thing."
"I know. You said that earlier." Jayne's concussion is causing him to repeat himself. Mal already knows Jayne somehow found his way to come through for ship and crew. Although, right now, he kind of wishes he hadn't. He would have much rather had a reason to kill Jayne rather than save him. "When did you become so noble, anyway, huh?" He is desperate to ready the ship for flight, sealing the shuttle door behind them and rushing for the pilot's seat.
"I learned ... heheheh ... I learned it from you." Jayne laughed at the old joke as Mal sat down behind the shuttle's yoke and began flicking switches for the ignition sequence.
"Uh-huh. Well, just for the record. You picked a shitty time to be a good guy." He is now pulling double duty, frantically trying to start the engines while also keeping his loyal dog talking and awake.
"No more ... no more ..."
"Huh? What is it, buddy? I can't hear you. Speak up."
"No more ... Ariel." With an explosive roar, the shuttle's powerful engines spurted to life.
Before lifting off and rocketing forward, Mal confirmed Jayne's demand under his breath.
"You got that right."