Disclaimer: I don't own Firefly, Serenity, or TSCC.
Looking at his assembled crew, it was obvious everyone was alarmed by the discovery of the tracking device. Something had to be done. Mal knew his initial impulse to simply kill Badger might not be the right solution, no matter how good it might make him feel at the moment.
"This affects everyone of us," Mal informed the group in his captainy voice. "For some, like River and Cameron, the threat is far more serious. The rest of us, the danger is real. We could lose our way of life at the very least and our lives in the worse case scenario. How we handle this betrayal must be decided as a group. I reserve the right as Captain to make the final decision, but everyone will have a voice."
It was little surprise to anyone that Jayne spoke first. "I say we grab 'em, torture the little weasel. Make him sing and give us the names of all his contacts, especially Alliance. Then kill him and string him up as an example of what happens if you mess with the crew of the Serenity."
"All that will do is bring the Alliance down on us immediately," Simon pointed out. "The very thing we all hope to avoid."
John leaned forward, his face thoughtful and spoke. "Killing Badger would only serve as a short term fix. Keeping Cameron and River locked up on Serenity so nobody knows of their existence is not a solution either. What is needed is a way to deter individuals like Badger from handing us over to the Alliance or profiting from betraying us."
"Seems to me," Zoe said calmly, "better a devil we know, Badger, than one we can't even recognize. I think John has a point. What is needed is deterrence. Let's face it, two of us are Browncoats, Jayne has paper on him on certain worlds, Simon and River are still unofficially wanted by the Alliance, the Connors and Derek need to make sure the Alliance never learns about them, and Kaylee and Inara are guilty by association. This is going to be an ongoing problem if we don't make the right decision."
Sarah spoke in a stern, forbidding tone. "The solution is to create a permanent state of paranoia in that worm's mind. He needs to fear our mere existence, to know with absolute certainty that a fate far worse than death awaits him or anyone else that even thinks of betraying us, to the Alliance or anyone. In fact, Badger should be an insurance policy against us being betrayed."
"Badger should actively work to prevent the Alliance discovering our identity and past," Derek added. "He should feel a strong desire to keep the location of the Tams under wraps. Not to profit or even to save his life. Like Sarah said, Badger has to fear for more than just the loss of his life."
"Is that state of mind even possible to create?" Inara asked, the doubt evident in her voice.
"I lived that way since I was a sophomore in college," Sarah snapped. "I still have the nightmares some nights."
"We moved all the time," John added in a chilling voice. "Not because we lived in a space ship, but because we had to run at the drop of a hat. I didn't know Cameron was metal until she stepped in front of three bullets with my name on them during my chemistry class. Try living with knowing your hunted and you can't even identify the enemy. At least you know. It's Badger, his men, and the Alliance."
The group sat quietly, slightly disturbed by the Connor family's attitude.
"I understand how they feel," River said with clarity of mind that surprised the original crewmembers of Serenity. "You can never escape. The fear, the dread, the sense of being hunted, the horror of it all."
"It just seems cruel," Kaylee said with sadness. "I don't know if I can be that cruel to someone."
Fear causing her voice to tremble, River looked at Kaylee with sadness in her eyes and pleaded softly, "I won't go back to living like that. Don't make me, Kaylee. Badger is the one in the wrong. We have a right to defend ourselves, to be safe."
"But do we have the right to make Badger live in fear like Sarah wants?" Kaylee asked, the conflict she felt inside evident on her face.
"If we do nothing, we allow the evil to continue. Badger has chosen to perpetuate the evil," John told Kaylee gently. "His choice has consequences. I will not lose Cameron to the Alliance. I won't lose my family or any of my new friends to a criminal or the Alliance. Before we jumped in time, we made the decision to take a stand against Skynet, to fight instead of running. We stopped being victims and started having a say in our lives. Do you want to be a helpless victim, Kaylee?"
"Kaylee, I understand you not wantin' to be cruel," Mal told his kindhearted engineer. "But what Badger has visited on us is by definition cruel. I won't stand for this, havin' me and mine live in more fear than we already do. I agree with the Connors. Killing Badger is only a short-term solution. Might well bring the Alliance down on us again. How do we go about impressing on Badger and his crew the need to leave us be?"
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For the second time that night, Badger woke up with a general feeling of unease. Despite the cold night air, he found himself drenched in sweat. He looked about his room for a moment, decided in his groggy state nothing was wrong, and laid his head back down on the pillow. Within minutes Bader drifted off into a troubled sleep.
"Little man of no importance," a ghostlike voice whispered in Badger's ear. "Never will you escape me if the Alliance finds me." Pressure held Badger down as he struggled to sit up, uncertain if he was awake or dreaming.
"I can kill you with my brain," the female voice chanted, an apparition floating over him, it's face scowling. "With my brain, from anywhere."
The floating apparition vanished, replaced by a faceless man wearing a brown coat. "Badger, I've about had it with you, what with all the double crossin' and deceiving."
"Yeah, I've bout had enough. I say we kill the low down, dirty, deceivin' deceiver." More pressure exerted itself, pinning the terrified Badger to his bed. Another apparition appeared, faceless like the man in the brown coat. The second apparition was larger and wore a Blue-Sun t-shirt.
As quickly as they appeared the hulking, ghostlike men vanished, leaving behind the whimsical, ethereal girl with eyes the size of saucer plates. "Remember, with my brain, I can kill you."
"Who are you," Badger screamed in his mind.
Another apparition appeared, brushing the ethereal girl away with a flick of its wrist. "Your worst nightmare," the new apparition said softly in a feminine voice. "My pretty friend only wants to kill you, with her brain of course."
"But you don't, you'll let me live, won't you?" Badger pleaded.
Like a patch of fog floating on a breeze, the face of the apparition became clearer, almost as if it wanted Badger to recognize it. Then the breeze blew again and the fog changed the shape of the face.
"Why would I kill you, Badger? I want something far worse for you. Punishment that will bring pain and suffering for all of eternity. That is what I want."
"Who are you? I haven't done anything to you!" Badger began sobbing; the tears of terror running unabashedly down his face.
"Oh, but you have," the apparition whispered. "And what's worse, you want to harm me even more."
Cold wind whisked through the room, chilling Badger to the bone as the apparition vanished without further communication. As the petty criminal lay shivering, a sweet, lilac scent tickled his nose.
"Why do you want to hurt me little man?"
Looking down at Badger was the sad face of a beautiful woman, staring in despair at him from beneath several feet of water.
"I would never hurt a lady like you," Badger promised.
"But you did!"
As quickly as the sweet smell had come, it vanished, replaced by a smell so vile Badger nearly vomited. The water stirred and the beautiful woman floated away.
Panting to regain his breath, Badger tried again to sit up only to find himself unable to move from the neck down.
"Little man," a voice sang sweetly. The first two female apparitions reappeared with the fog like one sending out tendrils to intertwine with the first, more ethereal ghost. "Remember the girl, do you?"
Unable to focus well enough to discern the two faces, Badger stuttered nonsense in response, only able to see the faces were surrounded by long, flowing hair, fluttering in the cold breeze.
"If you hurt us, you'll burn," the second apparition said without emotion as the cold breeze picked up wind and with it searing heat.
Badger's bed seemed to spin beneath the floating faces as the breeze became cold again. A gruff male voice spoke. "I say we kill him, the low down, dirty, deceivin', deceiver."
Water flooded the space over Badger, bringing with it the drowned beauty. "I have suffered," the dark haired woman cried.
"We have suffered," the apparitions exclaimed, pushing one another in anger. "It is the fault of the little man of no importance that we three have suffered so much," the first feminine apparition whispered.
"He must suffer a fate worse than death," the emotionless ghost said, striking fear deep in Badger's heart, sending his pulse racing as sweat dripped from his forehead.
"No! I didn't hurt anyone! Why must I suffer?"
"Hurt someone you will," the feminine voice promised. "For that reason, for your betrayal, you must suffer."
As the water stirred, the wind blew again, a mixture of hot and cold air carrying with it the smell of lilac and rotten flesh. The two faceless male apparitions rejoined the group.
"I say we kill' em," the gruff male voice argued.
"But then the pain would be over," the other male voice proclaimed. "Where is the justice in that? So much suffering by so many other people and no justice done? We can't allow that."
Gagging on the stench mixed with the sweet smell of lilac, Badger struggled to escape his tormentors. Exhausted, he stopped struggling against the force that pinned him down.
Another ethereal beauty joined the vision. Like the drowned beauty, the new feminine form had raven hair.
"Somebody must feel my pain, feel my fear," the new ghost growled. "If I must suffer for the rest of time, then the criminal responsible must feel my wrath!" Reaching behind its faceless head, the apparition drew a long knife from behind it's back and brandished a long, sharp blade. "I will cut the fool responsible, one slash at a time. One, small, painful cut after another but never will I cut so deep or so long that the fool will die. As the wounds heal, I will start over. For as long as I suffer, I will make this fool suffer."
"Bones for bones. I must break his bones," the emotionless ghost screamed. Hot wind blew over Badger as the ghost flew at him, stopping inches from his face. Shooting, agonizing pain raced up his right arm as he heard and then felt the fingers of his hand break. Badger screamed in agony, his terror knowing no bounds as the ghost moved to his other hand.
With his eyes closed, Badger braced for the pain only to hear a long, disturbing moan. Opening his eyes, a flash nearly blinded him, leaving behind a searing, burning pain on his chest. In mid-air, a knife stopped and twirled, dripping a single drop of red blood on him. Badger looked down at the source of his burning sensation and notice blood trickling from a long, shallow, laceration on his right pectoral muscle.
"He look's better in red," the first apparition said, a hint of approval in her voice.
Another snapping sound was followed by crushing pain in Badger's left wrist, sending Badger into the first stages of shock.
Ice-cold water from the stream rained down on his face. "You cannot go," the drowned woman told him, her voice filled with a dreamy sadness. "You must suffer for the betrayal you wish to commit."
Water suddenly poured down on his face while vice-like hands held his mouth open for the water to fill his throat. Within seconds, Badger was gagging and coughing as he fought to breath in air.
"I won't do it!" Badger screamed. "I won't betray you!"
"How can we trust you?" the faceless man in the brown coat asked.
"I say we can't. Let's cut his throat," the gruff voice answered.
"Let the worm's eat into his brain," the last of the feminine apparitions ordered. "Let him feel his sanity slip away from him."
"I won't do it," Badger promised. "Please, just tell me what not to do. Please."
Agonizing pain wracked every cell in his tormented body, causing the tortured Badger to convulse, arching his back upwards against the force pressing down. As the aching, burning cramps eased, four hands appeared before his face, all of them wearing blue medical examination gloves.
"If the hands of blue, two-by-two should come, you're suffering will begin," the first feminine apparition promised as her ice cold, misty breath twirled around her face.
"Betray anyone to the monsters of the Alliance, and you will feel the wrath of you betray! Cursed you will be Badger of Persehpone, it would have been better you were had never been born at all."
"It is not enough the little monster not betray us to others," a happy voice sang as a new, feminine apparition joined the group, a broad, pleasant smile spread across its face. Without warning the new face flew at Badger, it's beautiful features twisting into a grotesque mask. "Betray us to anyone little man, and you will beg for death for centuries from the pain we will inflict on you. Then your suffering will begin."
As quickly as they appeared, the apparitions vanished. Badger passed out without a word.
"He'll be awake in about twenty minutes," Simon whispered. "The drugs will have worn off by then."
"Get the projector," John whispered, nudging Cameron into action. "Jayne, help me with the restraints."
Within minutes the trio had vanished from Badger's den. Twenty minutes passed and Badger awoke from his nightmare.
"Won't be drinking that brand of beer again before I go to sleep ever again," he muttered, standing from his bed to go relieve himself. A strange, warm sensation made him pause and turn the light on to his room. Blinded by the light, he felt his chest. A warm, slippery substance covered his fingers as a coppery scent reached his nose.
Eyes adjust from the sudden brightness, Badger looked down at his hand and started in surprise as the sight of blood on his fingers. A glance at his chest made the man yelp in fear.
With his knees becoming weak, making Badger unsteady, he reached for the wall and guided himself from his bedroom into his office. One look and he screamed in terror.
Sitting on his desk, covered in blood, was the tracking device his man had planted on Serenity. Next to which was a pair of bloody hands in blue gloves. Badger clutched his chest with both hands and collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
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"Do you think it worked?" Mal asked.
"I don't know," Simon answered. "He certainly had powerful reactions to the holograms we projected. The psychotropic drugs will confuse him as to the reality of what he saw for some time. As to the effect of the severed hands, tracking device, and the medication to cause him chest pain I can't say. We may have gone too far and actually induced a heart attack."
"Don't feel bad," Jayne told Simon, pounding the smaller doctor on his back. "We made ya do it against your, what did you call it?"
"Hippocratic oath," Simon replied, his face the picture of misery. "I'm a complete sell out to my profession."
"No," Mal answered firmly. "You're a good brother, who loves his sister, and sacrificed everything to protect her. Keep her safe from the sadists at that Alliance academy."
River chimed in, rubbing her brother's arm affectionately. "Simon was not a boob tonight. The girl loves him for protecting her."
Footsteps alerted the crew in the common area to the arrival of John and Cameron. Dressed in Alliance EMT uniforms leftover from a job on Ariel, everyone fell silent waiting for news.
"Simon, you're a genius. We were there when the ambulance with Badger arrived," John announced. "Cameron listened in on the EMT's who reported he was suffering from chest pains. Badger was hollering for all he was worth about ghosts who were going to torture him for something he would never do."
Kaylee hugged Simon as his body relaxed in relief from the news.
"I'll tell you what," Jayne said after the group stopped laughing. "That was one plenty scary holo-whatever you and Cameron made with all them, what do you call 'em?"
"Special effects," Cameron monotoned.
"Yeah, special effects. I'll say this for Badger, he didn't wet himself."
"What now, John?" Mal asked.
"We left audio recordings hidden in his room. They are set only to play if Badger himself is asleep. It was mom's idea. Should reinforce his night horrors and generate considerable mental anxiety. Other than that, We do the job. Come back and pay Badger his cut like nothing has happened. Then the ghosts will pay him one more visit and that should be it."