AN: So I went back and read some old stuff and realized that I'd gotten away from how River and Russell started out, with the taunting and teasing, and decided I wanted to add a little of that back in while also trying to maintain the tone, I guess they just sort of started progressing really, really quickly. This chapter will also explore some of why Russell is so easily riled by the WRAITHs (I don't usually cap the acronym anymore). I honestly had a hard time keeping it all straight as this chapter didn't come together in the order it's presented, but I hope you enjoy this one
The wraith couldn't help but detest Whitefall, there was nothing worth having here, probably the reason the Alliance hadn't established more than a cursory presence, and that fact was definitely the reason the Blue Sun had built their little base. He figured that had been his quarry's target, probably looking to check into the rumors, when he'd stumbled onto the canyon somehow. The rumors were only partially right, none of them had ferreted out the base's actual location, but that wasn't relevant to him at the time.
The downside of going dark for an extended operation was how far you could fall behind on assignments that came up while you were gone. More than three month had passed since an Alliance team had found this base. Three whole months, time that his prey had used to great effect. He remembered how well trained the boy had been, it had taken time to engrain all of that procedure into him, and being an operator wasn't like an analyst, you had to know when the procedures were right, and when to go off-book.
Three months later and there were still entire teams of men combing through the ruins, he'd collapsed much of the surrounding formations around his hidden base, however he'd been too keen when designing it all, some parts of the base were destroyed sure enough, but almost half of it had simply been buried. Leaving a nice little catacomb for them to dig out and explore. The tech boys were still drooling over a few things they'd found, one in specific they spoke of it as if in awe. Some sort of computer or server farm, the way the described it, it must have been something special, and even after weeks of looking it over, they still had no idea what it was used for. They knew some key components were missing from it, but they weren't sure of the specifications needed to replace it. They were going to be reverse engineering this for some time. The wraith thought it was sad, a fruitless endeavor, once they spent all the time and money getting it put back into working order, they would find its programming wiped. There was no doubt in his mind that this base had belonged to man he was hunting.
"I seen enough," he mentioned to his escort softly. He hadn't been there long, less than a half hour, and already he knew in some primal way that he was back on the trail.
"Like I said, sir, there's nothing-," the soldier started to reply.
"This was his," the wraith interrupted him.
"There's no evidence to support that, from all of the files we've read-," the commanding officer began shaking his head.
"Files don' give ya everythin'. Have your boys finish salvagin' 'n retrieve all the weapons, after that keep a few guys back to watch 'is place just'n case," the wraith interrupted him.
"Sir, we gathered all the weapons in our initial sweep, we've secured the area, and what makes you think your information is any more reliable than what's in our files?" the officer demanded defensively.
"I been huntin' this kid down almost three years now," he started as he turned on the officer. He lifted up his shirt so they could see a series of five circular scars peppered between his sixth and ninth ribs. "Athens, 18 months back, caught up ta him outside a restaurant, stabbed me with an ice pick 'fore runnin' like hell, I nearly bled out chasin' him." He pulled his collar down so they could see where his left shoulder met his neck, another scar, this one thick and ropey. "Osiris, a little over a year ago, thought I was takin' 'im by surprise, turns out he was lurin' me past a bomb, I managed to take cover under nearby patio table, but a piece a shrapnel punched a hole clean through it, broke my collarbone in two places, cracked three ribs, dislocated my shoulder, and shattered my arm, I spent a couple months in traction after." Finally he let that drop and turned around, pulling his shirt up so they could see his back, where a long line of burns scorched their way from his right shoulder to his left hip. "Boros, Twenty-two months ago, chased 'im through a' extrusion plant, he kicked me back int' an extruder die." The wraith outlined his various scars from this hunt.
"All I hear is you had three chances and you blew it three times," the officer shrugged him off.
"I had more'n three, way more, 'n he's got more'n his fair share a scars with stories like them, but outta all the agents they sent after 'im, I'm the only one that got more'n one shot, 'cuz I'm the only one that survived the first. As far as my intel bein' better, it oughta be… I trained 'im," the wraith explained simply.
The other man took a moment to consider what he'd heard before responding. "It make you proud, him kicking your ass all those times?" he asked mockingly.
"Hell yeah! Did my job, 'n did it well," he shrugged. "He don't know it yet, but now my jobs'ta bring 'im in or put 'im down, 'n I know him better'n most. Kid's a tech genius, worked a bunch of Blue Sun technologies not hard ta imagine he'd be able to slip somethin' past," he explained.
"Techs assure us our hardware wasn't compromised," the officer shook his head, he was getting irritated at the attitude of this wraith, he hadn't experienced one before, but he knew their reputation, and he was starting to wonder if it was all just gossip.
"Sure the hardware works fine, but the software that tells it how… probably not so much. That's the problem with you boys from this day 'n age, always relyin' on your files or your scanners 'cuz you're too lazy or ya ain't got the instincts to do your legwork-," the wraith started to rant slightly as he moved toward a wall, he placed his finger there at shoulder level as he walked down the length a few feet, then he stopped. "See, it's sloppy work like that-," he explained as pulled slightly on a piece of paneling. A moment later a catch popped out, a small handgun. "- gets folks killed," he finished as he turned, and fired the weapon into the officer's forehead. The wraith turned to his second in command. "Finish the salvage, gather the weapons, keep eyes on the entrances," he commanded him bluntly. "... and clean this mess up," he added before he stomped off to file his report.
Russell had called the three of them into his room, it was the day Malcolm had assigned him to present his plan. None of the crew were particularly excited, none of them thought Mal would approve of it, but still, he'd called the meeting, and he had a way of becoming difficult if folks on his boat didn't listen to him, so there they were, waiting outside the young man's room.
"Maybe- maybe he's in his bunk, like y'know, relievin' some tension," Jayne suggested somewhat impatiently to Zoe as Mal joined them in the hallway.
"Why're ya waitin' in the hall?" Mal asked them curiously.
"I was waitin' for you, sir. Figured you might wanna lead us into the briefing," Zoey suggested dutifully.
"Kid's a mite unsettlin', figured I'd stay away from him long as I could," Jayne shrugged.
"I think he's a touch afraid, sir, I reckon he's been jumpy ever since the boy put his pi gu in the dirt," Zoey teased him.
"Boy's one a us now, ain't nothin' to fear on account'a him," Mal told them, trying to project more confidence than he felt. He knocked on the door open cautiously, careful in case he'd lain traps on it, the kid was a little paranoid.
"They're disabled," a gruff voice called from inside. Nonetheless, Mal still went slowly. When the door was finally open it looked as if he'd stepped into another place, whatever the room had been before, it wasn't the same any more.
Each of the walls was shining with light, none came from the ceiling, though it did look to be a blank monitor. He'd renovated it looked like, now he had walls that were monitors, and apparently an overhead monitor had replaced the ceiling. For the moment the four walls were mapping out the Blue Sun Corporation complex on Beaumonde.
Each wall covered a quadrant of the map, focused on each building, it was well mapped out, complete with guard routes, security checkpoints, the angles on digital feeds, and sensor nodes, it was a solid outline for the security and how to bypass them, but there was a large grey circle shading in any unused space except a small corner of the complex.
"What's the plan?" Mal asked as he looked at it.
"The giant grey circle's an Alliance no-fly zone, any craft flyin' below the stratosphere will be shot down. Fortunately for us they recently done an expansion a the grounds, however the paperwork to expand the NFZ is still bein' processed. Means we can bypass the outer perimeter with a quick little fly-by, or at least one of us can. Security on this particular base is tight… tighter'n Jayne's tidy whities. Response times vary from building to building, the higher the priority, the more soldiers they send, an' the faster they get there. Best I can tell, our best course would be ta hit 'em fast 'n loose," Russell explained.
"In my experience, 'fast 'n loose' is just a fanciful way a sayin' 'we ain't got no plan', least-wise not mucha one," Mal commented dryly.
"Truth is, boss, this level security, any plan we made'd be shot ta hell the moment we hit even the slightest bump. Hit 'em hard 'n fast enough, we can make it. I got a general outline, but it'll be tricky. We do a flyby hitched to an air drop, might be able to cause enough havoc in the 3rd quadrant, full of high value targets, to keep 'em busy while you hit the 1st quad, but you'd hafta be fast, no tellin' what kinda trouble I'd find in the 3rd, 'th only four operatives it's gunna be tight," the younger man tried to explain.
"What if we brought in a fifth?" Mal proposed.
"Not gunna happen!" Russell protested immediately, his chest puffing up as he stood face to face with the captain.
"Let's get one thing straight right now. You can get all puffy 'n throw your little tantrums at port, but here, on my boat, my word is final. I got a touch a respect for ya, but if ya don't straighten up 'n follow orders, I'll put'cha on your pi gu 'n not think twice 'bout. We clear, boy?" Mal told him in an icy cold tone.
"I can cool my heels... this time, but call me 'boy' again, just once, 'n we'll see who's ass's in the dirt," Russell warned him forcefully.
"So make the drop, cause a ruckus, and what, get left hangin' while the rest of us secure the take 'n escape? I don't doubt that you got skills kid, but ain't nobody in the 'verse got that many tricks up their sleeve, 'n we don't take unnecessary risks on this boat-" Mal began to explain it to him carefully, but tersely, he skipped a beat as everybody in the room looked at him with disbelief. "... too often; whoever takes that job gunna need backup," he finished
"So who do we bring?" Russell asked pointedly, he already knew the answer, but he wanted to bait Mal into suggesting it.
"River!" Jayne said with a snort.
"I don't like it," Russell threw back immediately.
"... And I don't care," Mal shrugged him off.
"You said you don't take unnecessary risks on this boat; how is toting River Tam onto a Blue Sun facility on a combat op not a major risk, she could be killed or re-captured," Russell explained. "Her 'n me together, not a chance in hell they don't throw everything they got at us, they nab us both, no tellin' what happens to the 'verse," he added quickly.
"IF you're together, IF you're on a combat op. There's two a you, an' two parts to this job, only one's a combat roll. I said whoever did the job'd need backup, I didn't say you'd do the job, 'n I didn' say River'd be backup. Now, I'm inclined to send you inta the firefight, mostly on accounta I won't hafta hear the doc whinin' at me if I do, so how'bout you choose one a us-," Mal started.
"Zoe," Russell interrupted him without pause. "I don't like this idea… at all, but if it's going to happen, I want Zoe," he clarified it to the captain, who seemed shocked at the sudden change of stance.
"... Y'knew we couldn' do it 'thout her, but if ya twist it about, push me in the right way, y'knew you could get me ta suggest it, just like that, so the doc does the least amount a fussin'. I don't much care for bein' maneuvered, all that posturin' about not likin' it," Mal realized, at first he sounded impressed, but his tone quickly grew cold and threatening.
"I ain't got no idea what'cher talkin' 'bout, boss," the younger man shrugged. "I don't like it, not one bit, but I know it's gotta be done, so I rigged the deck a bit, got'cha to put her in the safer position," he admitted sheepishly a moment later.
"You try'n handle me like that again, 'n we're gunna have us some words, the unpretty kind," Mal promised him.
"In all honesty, I'd expect ta have that talk next time we work together on a plan. Ya can get all mad at me much as ya want, but t'me the ends'll always justify the means when it comes ta River," Russell replied. ~
"Whose idea was it?" Simon asked Mal pointedly.
"It does not matter, they need help, Russell needs help… my help," River said, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face.
"I… WE don' need your help, we want it," Russell tried to correct her excitedly.
"You want it because you need it," she amended with a shrug.
"Look-no… we don't-," he began to answer her in a flustered tone, scratching the back of his neck in an irritable way.
"We need your help," Mal interrupted him.
"Because Russell's not good enough? Not as good as me?" River pressed the captain eagerly.
"No-I'm def-," the young man protested to one side.
"He just can't compare," Mal added shrugging his shoulders as he shook his head sympathetically.
"I don't know, I am exceptionally delicate, especially when in combat," she said in waffling tone.
"Ya got tha-," Russell tried to say.
"Pfft! PLEASE! You can handle yourself way better than this fool," Mal waved her off.
"I am exceptionally busy at the moment, I'll need to be convinced," the girl insisted.
"Have I told ya how much we need ya?" the captain asked.
"I don't know, I'm just not convinced, maybe if he explained it to me," she suggested as she pointed to Russell.
"I won-," he protested softly, his face devoid of humor.
"Sure! Go ahead, kid, lay it out for her," Mal answered her. Russell's face scrunched up in anger as his mouth went flat.
"We'll make another plan," he said shortly as he turned to leave, but before he made it two steps the captain responded.
"No we won't," he barked in a polite, mocking tone.
"Melp," he muttered softly.
"Louder please," she demanded. He sighed in frustration.
"Need help," he said softly, his head turning to one side as he gnashed his teeth.
"I really can't hear you," River stated, she was absolutely beaming in smug satisfaction.
"WE NEED YOUR HELP!" he shouted irritably. "There! Happy now?" he added shortly.
"Why do you need my help?" she asked him, her brow furrowed in feigned curiosity.
"Yeah, why do we need her help, again?" Mal asked, he put one finger to his upper lip as if trying to remember something he'd forgotten.
"Because I'm not good enough," he added flatly, his head swaying from side to side as he recognized he was defeated.
"You're really not, are you… but wait! If you're not good enough, but I am… wouldn't that mean that I'm better than you?" she pressed him, she was absolutely giddy now, rubbing her hands together in anticipation of his final surrender.
"Because you're better than me," he added as he hung his head in submission.
"So whadaya say?" Mal posed the question to her.
"You know what would really sell me on it? If he'd prostrate himself," the younger Tam proposed triumphantly.
"I'm leaving," Russell said flatly as he turned on his heel to make for the made it almost out of the infirmary when she finally gave in.
"Alright, alright, alright; I've had my fun… I'll help you," she relented as she chased after him, she grasped him about the wrist before he could leave the room. He stopped to glare at her reproachfully, but she popped up onto her toes and gave him a pecking cheek right on the forehead. Russell's cheeks began blazing a feverish red as she fell back onto the balls of her feet and turned to face the captain again, but she didn't move toward him. Russell was standing close behind her, the hand that had grasped him by the wrist had slipped to her side, but in the way she was turned Simon noticed that she hadn't fully broken contact, though they weren't openly holding hands either.
From the corner of the room, almost forgotten, Simon cleared his throat. River's hand jumped to smooth her dress and Russell slipped his into his pocket, the two of them were both an odd shade of scarlet. Simon turned to Mal, whose face was all business once more.
"The kid 'n I came up with it together. He tried best he could ta figure a way ta get it done with just us 4, but it couldn't be done," Mal explained to him.
"An' we took precautions… River'd be part a the heist crew, not the combat team," Russell added hopefully.
"Right, because none of our plans have ever gone sideways on Serenity," the doctor responded sarcastically.
"They're our friends Simon, our family, and they need my help," River told him, movin to directly in front of him, looking him in the eyes, this wasn't a request, but she was urging him to understand.
"I know, mei-mei, and I know nothing I say will convince you not to go… but I wouldn't be your big brother if I didn't try," he responded as he clasped her hands in his. He pulled her down and kissed her forehead and held her close to him. "I wish I could come with you, but I'd only get in the way," he told her softly. Russell and Mal looked at each other awkwardly. "Look out for yourself down there," the doctor added tenderly as he moved a step back from her. She stepped away as she went to gather what she would need in preparation, Mal and Russell made to follow. "Russell, a word?" Simon called out before the young man could leave the room.
The young man looked surprised as he turned himself about and stepped back in. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I don't much like you-," the doctor began.
"I'm well aware… you don't do much to hide it," the other man interrupted.
"BUT, my sister seems to care for you… a lot, and Mal trusts you… sort of, and for some reason that is entirely unfathomable to me, Kaylee and Inara appear to absolutely adore you. In light of all this, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I'm still not certain I'm wrong, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt," the doctor explained to him slowly. "River was right, these people are my family now. Look out for them down there… and don't die," he added a moment later.
"Well… y'know how plans go 'round here, I'd keep the med-bay ready- just in case," Russell said slyly. The doctor let out a soft chuckle as the young man left.