Zoe nudged Mal as they passed the first few pathetic structures of the town, nodding slightly in the direction of the much more substantial abode of the doctor. He didn't give any sign of acknowledgment, but she knew he understood. Seems almost silly to be so careful about this, she thought as she considered the abandoned streets. Then again, there's plenty of shadows for people to be hiding in, too. The few and far between lanterns that lent the road a little light could be creating ideal spots for anyone interested enough to spy on their movements, but that same darkness might prove very useful when it came time for them to vanish. Don't know that there are too many people around who would have the energy to be watching us, she added, recalling the lethargy of the townspeople earlier in the day.
They mounted the steps as if they were just a normal couple looking for a doctor, the only difference between them and normal people being that they ascended silently and then paused and listened at the door rather than knocking when they found it secured. Zoe turned to watch the street, putting her right hand in her pocket when she saw that there was still no one about. Not only was this Mal's signal to begin carefully picking the lock, it also allowed her to grip the butt of her gun secretly, just in case someone who wanted to question their presence did happen to appear.
"Must be quite the lock he's got on there," she whispered after several moments of nothing but heavy breathing and faint rasping noises coming from beside her.
"Two solid bolts," Mal panted back. "Having to saw through them. Almost done."
She went back to watching and listening to the captain cursing in a low voice. "Company," she warned, perceiving human movement in the dusky light around a building down the street.
"Done," he answered her, a trace of triumph in his tone as he pushed the door in slowly, tensing until it opened completely without a squeak. Keeps that door well oiled, at least. Convenient.
They stepped into the dark and closed the door, pulling the latch back so that it wouldn't click as it brushed past the frame. As they waited for their eyes to adjust to the soupy blackness inside, Zoe caught familiar whiffs from earlier that day and tried to remember exactly how the little shop in the front of the building was laid out. Shelves along all the walls, a couple in the middle. All of them full of glass that'll make noise no matter how gently you bump into it. Counter's straight back, blood's behind the curtain on the other side.
"Air's thick in here," Mal whispered.
"Get the feeling he doesn't open the windows very often."
"Yeah. You know where the coolers are from here?"
"Yeah." Reaching out carefully until she could grip the sleeve of his coat, she guided him past the shelves and their treacherous vials, stopping her wary progress only when she came up against the counter. Counter was pretty clear earlier, so we should be able to find our way behind it without too much worry... Hoping that the doctor hadn't left any potentially loud projects out overnight, she groped her way to a human-sized opening and pulled Mal in behind her, waving her hand a few inches from where the wall appeared to be until fabric brushed her fingertips. "Here."
Why would a doctor keep their blood supply hidden behind a curtain? Mal wondered as Zoe slid the material out of the way. It's looking more and more like he really is stealing blood. His stomach churned at the thought of people being forcibly strapped to a table so that they could drip into a jar for someone else's profit. If that's what this hun dan is doing, ain't no way we're going to just let him slide. That just ain't right.
"That's different," Zoe whispered. "Didn't see that earlier." She pointed to a shaft of light at floor level that began just past the cooler and had been hidden by the pooled cloth.
"Door," Mal whispered back.
"Voices," she practically mouthed in response, both of them falling silent and craning their heads to listen. There were clearly people moving about on the other side of the wall, with one voice giving short orders that were quickly followed by various sounds, some of them very strange. Almost sounds like they're doing surgery in there, Zoe realized, her eyes widening. We've gone and walked in on one of his blood milkings. Concentrating for a few moments on the different voices, she held her hand up in front of Mal's face, three fingers raised. He glanced at her, then listened for a minute longer and shook his head, his lips tightening as he lifted his own hand with only his thumb hidden. So there's four of them in there. Must be a couple just for muscle, no reason for four people to be in on this sort of thing otherwise.
They stood for another few seconds, each trying to determine the rough positions of their quarry based on the few sounds that were audible through the door. Their eyes finally met, a nod passed between them, and Zoe could see the countdown begin in Mal's eyes as he prepared to push the door open. Here we come, you sick creep. You're going to regret driving such a hard bargain earlier. Should have just given us what we needed the first time we asked for it. She almost chuckled. Mal hates having to do things twice. He walked in as if belonged there, raising his gun smoothly and training it on the only person in the room visibly holding a weapon. That scrawny little assistant the doctor's got over there looks about ready to be sick, he thought to himself as his eyes swept around the room, and those other two look more like buyers than muscle. "Evening," he greeted calmly.
"Wha-" The doctor stared at him gapingly, still holding a dripping scalpel in his hand. As Zoe stepped into the room behind Mal, his face changed. "Ah, yes. My newest customer."
"Seems we have a bit of a problem," Mal informed him. "You took a fair amount of money from my crew earlier and didn't exactly provide an equal trade. We're here to collect the rest."
The fat man drew himself up behind the table, his flustered look turning stormy. "That deal has been completed. As I explained to the lady," he gestured towards the glowering Zoe, "I cut her quite a generous deal, even after she declined to become better acquainted with me."
He tried to seduce her? Mal had to fight to keep his grin under control. No wonder she ain't your biggest fan. "Seems you've got a corner on the blood market around here," he began, then stopped as he realized the problem with the scene before him. He's holding a knife. You don't need a knife to milk somebody for blood. "...And on other things, too," he went on haltingly.
"Sir?" Zoe asked as she, too, grasped the quandary.
"You're taking more than blood," Mal said slowly. The doctor's only response was a sneer. "What is this?"
"I am a businessman, sir. Surely you can understand that. Now, I really do have to finish removing this kidney. If you'll just wait outside, perhaps we can discuss your little adding mistake when I am finished."
"You," Mal barked at one of the well-dressed men in the corner. "You here to buy what he's about to cut out of somebody?"
The taller buyer's chin lifted a little, his scorn evident as he sniffed at the question. "The life that this organ will preserve is of infinite more importance than that of the person providing the necessary tissue."
Sounds like something Simon would say, Mal thought. "Who're you to decide that?"
"Are you suggesting that the peasant on the table is of equal consequence to a war hero?" the buyer shot back. "Our mission is to secure a healthy kidney, and this girl is the closest match we can get to in time. You may discuss your business with the physician after the kidney is in our hands." His voice lowered threateningly. "Please be aware that interfering with this operation will be considered an act of treason."
War hero, huh? I can guess what side of the war he was on, cause none of the real war heroes are still around to be needing kidneys. "Well, now, we wouldn't want to do anything like commit treason against the government, now would we?" he simpered over his shoulder to Zoe, a completely insincere smile plastering itself across his face. "We'd never think of doing anything to subvert the Alliance."
"No sir. Never thought of it," she replied. He could hear the tight anticipation in her voice as she considered what they had stumbled onto.
"Since you're on such important business, I reckon we'll just wait out here for the doctor to finish up. Anything to help you along. Ain't that right?"
"Anything to help, sir," she replied, now positively beaming as she stepped up fully beside him, bringing her own gun around as she did. "Wouldn't want to let a hero die."
They had a system, she and Mal did, that ensured that they wouldn't fire at the same person in situations like this and possibly leave time for the other target to react. You take the high road, captain, and I'll take the low, Zoe thought with complete ease as they fired almost simultaneously. Her shot nearly decapitated the shorter agent, plowing through his neck and leaving a design of blood and gore on the wall that was only added to by the specks of brain matter deposited by Mal's victim. Hell, reckon even Jayne'd be pretty proud of that one, she crowed to herself as they turned back to the now livid doctor and his terrified mouse of an assistant.
"Well," the doctor said tersely. "I don't suppose you are interested in purchasing any of this girl's organs, since she is already under anesthesia?"
"You know what we're here for. You ain't cut her yet?"
"No. We were just about to begin the procedure when you barged in. Why didn't you just take the blood?"
"Huh?" Mal asked, narrowing his eyes in bemusement.
"The blood you came back for. I probably would not have noticed the theft until morning, by which time you could have been untraceable. You could have just taken it and gone, and left me to my business. It was in very poor taste to interrupt my dealings with other clients."
"Taste ain't one of my virtues."
"Obviously." The doctor paused to consider them, running a hand almost absently over his rotund stomach as he did. "I am not an unfeeling man, you know," he offered finally. "I'm sure this seems quite ghastly, but I assure you life for these people is much better than it was before I arrived. My practice has greatly stimulated the local economy. Why, before my arrival this was a town of communal farmers. Do you know what that means?"
"Only thing I'm particularly interested in is what I came for," Mal growled, shifting restlessly.
"In a moment, in a moment. I believe it is very important to establish a bond with those you are to have business dealings with. I tried to do so earlier with your lady friend, but she does not share that philosophy. Now, you must understand that these people had no disposable income before I arrived, whereas now they can earn extra money by selling blood and, on occasion, other personal products to me. They no longer have to labor in the fields all day, but need merely keep small home gardens, as they can purchase the rest of their food with the money they earn simply by breathing." Color crept up into his face as he spoke, beads of excited sweat appearing on his already gleaming forehead. "Why, this girl you see here would have received almost a full hundred from the sale of only one kidney. That was a year's earnings for her family before I introduced the organic products market to this town. You see, you have ruined a marvelous opportunity for her now." He shook his head, completely oblivious to the twisted looks of shock on Mal and Zoe's faces.
He actually thinks he's helping them? No way he's that stupid, cutting people up and selling the pieces ain't helping them. "Law ain't got a problem with you butchering the locals?" he asked as complacently as he could manage. His finger itched terribly, but he tried to ignore it, achingly curious to know how the huge doctor had gotten away with his 'practice' up until now.
"As you saw," he replied, smiling condescendingly, "the Alliance is one of my best customers. This far out, medical supplies are few and far between. I provide a service, for which I pay the people a reasonable percentage."
"Sounds like your idea of reasonable and mine don't quite meet. I figure three bottles of blood for almost fifteen hundred is about as far from reasonable as you can get. Specially when it ain't yours to sell to begin with."
"Surely you understand that as a businessman I must charge what the market will bear."
"Seems like you must be making quite a profit for yourself. Buying cheap and selling high."
"You want to know how I get them to contribute for so little," the doctor nodded. "I admire your skills of deduction, and your interest in my work. It's very simple. They don't know any better. I offer them what seems a small fortune for things that they don't really need. Blood replaces itself; a healthy young girl can live a full life with only one kidney. They believe that I have improved their quality of life. If they choose to purchase things that they could get through hard work and harness themselves to an economic system that they do not understand, that isn't my fault. Unfortunately many of them have already fallen into debt, and now owe me more than they can pay with just blood." Looking down at the unconscious girl on the table, he smiled sadly. "But I do everything in my power to help them out of debt. Why, I arranged this deal myself with this very family in mind. I do not force them to pay their debts; they choose to pay them." His smile changed into something more malicious and cunning. "They're not smart enough to run away when their obligations become too strenuous."
"Hun dan," Mal heard Zoe whisper behind him. He could feel the anger rolling off of her, and knew that only her iron self-control was keeping the doctor's head intact. He wondered if the man in front of him knew enough that he would try and defend himself with anything other than words. Sure as hell ain't letting him go he promised himself. But he might not be as stupid as he makes himself sound. He didn't seem real surprised to see Zoe; if he was expecting her to come back tonight, could be he moved the blood. We didn't check that cooler before we came in here. If we shoot him before we have it, we might not find it, and we can't fail this job.
"Well," he started, speaking slowly in order to keep the ire out of his voice, "only problem with that is that I'm one of those people who won't run out on an obligation. I don't particularly think others ought to, either, and that's where this all comes back around to you. Now, like I said you received a fair amount of money earlier, and didn't really give a fair exchange for it. You didn't hold up your end of the bargain, least not in our books, and I reckon that makes you a pretty poor businessman." When the fat man looked about to repeat his earlier remarks about the deal being closed, he went on. "Won't look too good for your business to be having all your customers end up dead in your office, neither, now will it?"
"No one but my assistant and I know they actually reached town," the doctor confided. "I can simply claim that they never arrived, if I am asked."
"Well, suppose we can help you with that argument?" he suggested, a plan forming in his mind. Might just work, too.
"How do you propose to do that?"
"You give us as much of the blood we need that we can carry, and we'll make sure no one ever finds what's left of those two. Reckon once your assistant cleans the walls some and we get rid of the bodies, no one will question your story."
"Hmm...a plan that alleviates problems for both of us. I believe that we have a deal, sir." Completely ignoring the heavy firearm that was still pointed at his head, the doctor moved around the table, extending his hand to Mal to seal the agreement. Knowing that Zoe had him in her sights and that the assistant had all but wet himself out of fear and wasn't likely to try anything in the few brief seconds his gun would be down, he shook. "So, if you would like to remove the bodies..."
"The blood comes first," Mal interjected. "We'll take it and the bodies with us when we leave."
"How are you planning on carrying all of that?"
"We came in on horseback," Mal lied. "No problem."
"Ah." The doctor's smile faltered a little as he realized that the horses would allow them to carry much more blood than he intended to part with. "How wonderful for you."
Mal and Zoe stepped aside enough for the doctor to lead the way out of the room and back into the store area. Gesturing the assistant to come along as well, they followed him, moving around to the outside of the counter as soon as they could. Man smells like he bathed in some sort of expensive stinkweed, Mal bemoaned, trying not to wrinkle his nose. They watched in the pale light casting out from the adjoining room as he moved immediately to the cooler and began to set jars out. Ai ya,we could of just shot him after all.
After three bottles had been laid out, the doctor closed the cooler and turned to them. "There you are," he announced.
"That all you've got?" Zoe asked skeptically. "Pretty sure there was more than that in there earlier today, and we can carry more than three bottles."
"Considering the price you paid earlier, this is ample payment for the job you have proposed to do. However," his smile turned suggestive, "my offer of friendship beyond business still stands. I might be able to rob another bottle or two from my stores for a close personal friend."
That's it, Zoe decided. We got what we need, and I know there's more in there, so Jayne's blood is secure. Normally I'd wait for the captain's go ahead, but I'm sick of listening to this wang bad an proposition me. "I ain't interested in being your close personal anything," she responded bluntly, raising her pistol and aiming it point blank at his forehead. Funny how it shines even where there isn't hardly any light, she observed as his eyes widened in horror at just how wrong his deal had suddenly gone. "Cao ni zuzong shi ba dai1," she told him in the politest tone she could conjure up before squeezing the trigger.
When the echo had died away and the doctor had finished sliding to the floor, the look of surprise still evident on what was left of his face, Mal finally spoke. "Huh."
"Mmm," Zoe grunted back, not wanting to talk about her unusual decision to preempt Mal's orders. She stepped back behind the counter and tried to nudge the huge dead man out of the way. When he wouldn't budge, she merely lifted one leg over and straddled him while she removed every correctly typed bottle in the cooler, keeping count as she did. "Seven," she said finally, slamming the cooler shut and beginning to dig around for something to carry them in.
"Makes ten total, with the three he already pulled out." Hope it will be enough. Who knows, with Simon operating again. He turned to the mute, shaking physician's assistant who was gripping the counter as if his life depended on it. "You from around here?"
Gulping loudly, he nodded. "Y-y-yes sir."
"Why'd you help him?"
"N-n-no choice. Family has a debt to him." They could hear his teeth chattering in terror as he tried to speak.
"They had a debt to him," Mal corrected. "Now you've got one to me, at least you do if you want to live, dong ma?" Don't really want to have to kill you. Ain't none of this your fault.
"Yes sir."
"You want to pay it off quick and easy?"
"Yes sir!"
"Keep your mouth shut about us being here." The boy-and he was only a boy, Mal realized now that he actually looked at him-shook his head enthusiastically. "You figure you can burn this place without catching the whole town on fire?"
"Yes sir, I sure can."
"Then do it. Anyone asks, you never saw those agents. Doctor asked you to come out here to get something for the surgery he was doing, room was on fire when you tried to go back in. You got out. Good enough for you?"
"Uh-huh."
"All right. Zoe? We got what we came for?"
She straightened from where she was patting down the dead man's pockets, securing a bag of money to her belt as she did. "Figure we earned it back," she explained needlessly. She handed Mal a sack containing half the blood as she moved around the counter to join him, shouldering a second herself. "Surprised we ain't heard anything about the shots," she pointed out. Her eyes slid to the boy, who quickly volunteered an explanation.
"Ain't nobody got the energy to look," he said, a mild confidence appearing in his bearing as he came to realize that he wasn't going to be shot. "And besides, we ain't as stupid as he thinks. Lots a us know he's had us trapped, and don't like it none. Gunshots at the doctor's...nobody's gonna be real quick to try and help him, ya know?"
"All right, then. Just one more thing before we go."
"Sir?" Zoe inquired as Mal stepped around the counter and around the assistant to reenter the back room. He was back just a few seconds later, tying something to his own belt. "Didn't figure those agents had come empty handed, did you?" he asked teasingly, patting the jingling accessory. "Just hope it ain't marked." Pulling something that shone dimly from his own pocket, he flipped it to the boy in the doorway. "You'll have earned that and then some by the time you're done. Anything else of value he's got around here..." he trailed off, shrugging. "Be a shame for it to go up in smoke." Gesturing to Zoe, he headed for the front door.
"Make sure you get that girl back to her family," she warned the assistant, waiting for his nod of assent before she, too, turned away. Stepping outside, she glanced around for any sign of trouble, believing the boy's words but unable to avoid the instinctual habit. Seeing that everything was clear, she joined Mal at the bottom of the steps. Falling into step with one another, they cut around the back of the building and stole out of town, trying to keep the noise of clinking money and rattling bottles from announcing them. Half of the walk back had been whiled away before either spoke.
"Hell of a night to remember," Mal commented mildly. Hope it keeps being one, and for good reasons.
"Yes, sir," Zoe agreed, sounding equally contented. "It was that." Just hope we don't get back to find it was all in vain. You better still need this stuff when we get home, Jayne. I ain't in the kind of mood to find out any different.
1Fuck your ancestors.
