Two by Two by Two, Part 8a
Things begin to go awry…
This chapter rated T, for language.
Buck gazed dumbstruck at the flat facets of the rock crystal in Mal's hand. A really rich timonium ore containing a few parts per million could go for upwards of one hundred platinum per metric ton, in the raw, depending on the quality. The price increased as the refining process concentrated the elemental mineral. The crystalline form of the mineral was even more valuable than the most highly refined ore. Of course, he'd never held a timonium crystal in his hand before—he'd only seen them on the Cortex, or in a museum display case. He reached out to touch the crystal, and as his fingertips made the initial contact with it, he felt that unmistakable (and legendary) microsecond of electrical conduction that gave timonium its nickname, "electric garnet."
He nearly dropped the crystal, and his startled exclamation invoked every deity he could think of on such short notice. "耶稣 我的天 圣佛 Yēsū wǒ de tiān shèng Fó Vishnu 大地女神 dìqiú nǚshén Alhamdulillah ar-Rahman!" he exclaimed, directing a look of awe at Mal.
"No one's ever called me that before," Mal said drily.
"You have got a pair, that's for damn sure. Go in right under Blue Sun's nose and beard the lion." Buck mulled it over in his mind. It was unbelievable. He knew what kind of things Mal was capable of, had seen 'em in the past. It was why he'd called on him to get involved in the Blue Sun operation in the first place. But making off with a boatload of crystalline timonium—pure enough that its superconducting qualities were evident at the touch of a finger—that had to take the cake.
"I can't deal with these, Mal. But I got a contact that can." He scribbled some Chinese characters on an electronic card and handed it to Mal. "Commit that to memory," he advised, "and destroy the card."
. . .
"Miranda?" Ip asked River.
"Miranda—ask her," River responded with a fey smile, as she teetered at the edge.
Ip took River by the arm and propelled her out of the restaurant.
"I thought Simon said your warrants were rescinded!" Ip hissed in her ear. "I thought you weren't a fugitive anymore!"
"I'm not," River answered sharply. "I checked."
"You checked?" Ip echoed.
Is there an echo in here? River thought, but refrained from saying. She kept her eye-roll to herself as well. Sometimes Ip was just as maddening as Simon. "Yes. There is no active warrant for Simon or me. I looked in the Federal warrant database."
"You can access the Federal warrant database—?" Ip began, then realized that he'd actually seen River do it. She'd hacked into Federal law enforcement systems when they were building a case in support of the Captain when he'd been arrested on false slave-trafficking charges on Persephone. And then she'd done it again on Beylix when she investigated the source of the flag on the Captain's credit account.
"Someone still wants to find us." River was steadied by Ip's reaction. Not because he was calm—he most certainly wasn't—but because he refused to let her wander down the fey path, and kept asking very practical, if anxiety-heightened, questions.
"The Feds? Or someone else? River," Ip said seriously, "listen, I'm not going to get mad—you can tell me the truth. But I think I have a right to know if I'm walking the streets of Beaumonde in broad daylight with a wanted criminal."
"I'm not wanted," River answered definitively, then reconsidered as the fey path beckoned. Up a crazy River by the old mill run, a crazy, crazy River in the noonday sun…she was losing the thread…blue skies up above, everyone's in love…"I'm not wanted?" she asked Ip, in a distressed voice, her eyes filling with tears as she gazed at him.
"No, no, River, I'm asking you a very practical question." Ip turned to face her, holding her elbows with both his hands. "Are we going to be set upon by officers of the law, ready to arrest you for a fugitive and me for abetting you?"
"What kind of question is that?" River shot back. "Do you think I can predict the future?"
"River, I—"
"But the answer is no. Officers of the law may only act upon a warrant, and there is no active warrant for Simon or me."
"You're sure?"
River opened her mouth, ready to lecture him about the impossibility of absolute certainty, ready to quote Heisenberg and give him a more accurate estimate of the probability of the predicted outcome, when he continued, "But what about that missing children picture on the tabletop—?"
"Someone still wants to find Simon and me," River said. "Someone not the Feds."
Ip nodded, taking it in. "Now what did you mean about Miranda?"
. . .
"I can't believe that obnoxious pig said that to you," Mal said to Zoe, brushing the dust off the sleeves of his coat as they walked back to Serenity from Holden's office.
"Didn't surprise me, sir," Zoe replied. "It's the first thing that comes outta the mouth of a certain kind of man, they see a pregnant woman without a wedding ring on."
"He had no reason to say that kinda thing," Mal insisted. "Foul-mouthed 狗屎的 他妈的 狗娘养的 gǒushǐde tāmādē gǒuniángyǎngde—"
"Foul-mouthed?" Zoe said wryly. Mal shut his mouth abruptly. "I expected it. Holden told him he couldn't throw me in the dirt, on account of me bein' pregnant an' all, so he had to throw the dirt on some other way."
"I still can't believe it. Just boggles the mind. What kinda 青蛙的 乱伦 王八蛋 qīngwā de luànlún wángbādàn treats a pregnant woman that way?" He realized he was swearing again, and shut his mouth.
"Well, the words didn't hurt me none, sir," Zoe said. "What about you?"
"What about me what?"
"He just talked at me. You, he threw into the dirt. You ain't hurt or nothin'?"
Mal gave Zoe a glare, realized she was tweaking him, and answered, "Hell no, Zoe. It's just a show. Buck don't want to seem to be favoring us, and I'm just playin' along." He subconsciously rubbed the spots on his hip and his left elbow as he spoke; there were gonna be bruises there come morning. "So why don't you?"
"Why don't I what?"
"Wear a ring. I seem to recall Wash always wore a wedding ring."
"He did," Zoe confirmed. "Mine—well, didn't want nothin' interfering with my draw."
Coulda worn it on your left hand, Mal thought, but didn't say.
"So I decided to wear it in my heart," Zoe continued. She tugged on the leather necklace she regularly wore, had worn for years, almost as long as Mal had known her. She pulled up a portion that was always concealed beneath her clothing, revealing a sparkling golden circle looped through the leather. Her wedding ring. "Still do. He'll always be next to my heart."
Mal couldn't speak. Zoe carefully tucked the ring back beneath her body armor. They walked in silence, through the streets of New Dunsmuir, headed for Pedro Docks.
. . .
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glossary
耶稣 我的天 圣佛 Yēsū wǒ de tiān shèng Fó [Jesus god in heaven holy Buddha]
大地女神 dìqiú nǚshén [Mother Earth Goddess]
狗屎的 他妈的 狗娘养的 gǒushǐde tāmādē gǒuniángyǎngde [dog shitty damn son-of-a-bitch]
青蛙的 乱伦 王八蛋 qīngwā de luànlún wángbādàn [frog-fornicating son of a bitch]
A/N: Reviews are shiny.