Chapter 21
The black slowly faded away as the charge from the shocker pulse subsided as Mal realized that he was being led into an abandoned ware house in the industrial zone of the city. His feet working but his thought capacity still feeling buzzed as he acknowledged the fact that his wrists were shackled and Jayne was walking beside him. Their tracker and captors at their sides. "Move it!" the man said as he pushed Jayne forward. The four in the warehouse now. But all was quiet in the warehouse. Both Mal and Jayne could tell that they were not alone. That other people walked the warehouse with rifles in their hands. Guess we found the right place, Mal thought as he began to slow down. He continued his pace after he felt the woman's high powered fire arm digging into his back. "This is my favorite coat," Mal announced as he noticed that Jayne had stopped in his track and look the man dead in the eyes. Yet only now did Jayne and Mal realize that one of his eyes were missing. In its place was a black eye patch. The woman indicated Mal to walk forward with a push on his shoulder. But he too stopped in his tracks. Staring his warden down as well. "I reckon you shouldn't be man handling me like that, bud," Jayne cautioned as the man's firearms were raised at him. Jayne noticing that his two side arms were tucked in the man's waist. "Keep moving!" the man warned. "Can't say I like being man handled like that," Jayne said as he turned his attention to the woman who was Mal's keeper. "But if you could kindly get her to handle me, we'll be squared away," he smiled as he blew a kiss at the woman. "You're a pig," the woman announced. "Here that, Mal? I've known the lady for fifteen minutes and already she's callin' me a pig," Jayne displayed a smirk grin as he returned moving forward to where ever they were being led. "Ah, Jayne," Mal began as they reached a doorway that led to stairs. Mal was signaled to walk down. "Yeah, Mal?" "I have to tell you this but it's kind a' obvious." "I'm not followin' ya," Jayne said, dumbfounded. "That pig remark, it's kind of obvious," Mal stated as once again the woman pressed the barrel of her gun in his back. "Want to take it easy? We're goin'." "Is it that obvious?" "Yeah, Jayne." "And we've known each other all this time, and you never said?" Mal's eyes rolled up in the back of his head. All this time and he thought he was God's gift to the universe. "Sorry, Jayne. Didn't want to hurt your macho ego. But fort he record, I don't think there's a thing wrong with you." Jayne was silent for a few beats. "Oh, thank's, Mal. Knew I liked you for a reason." "Liked me enough even to turn on me if the money was good, Jayne?" The kidnappers rolled their eyes up in the back of their heads as they were bored by the conversation between their catch. "Don't be taken that to any offense, Mal. It's just the way things go." "So, I see," Mal said. But still coming back to the point where Jayne didn't think of himself as a pig. There were times Mal wondered if Jayne wasn't a half-breed. And to make Jayne even more mysterious, was he finally found religion. God the universe was changing. Mal and Jayne were led into a room occupied with a table and two chairs. The door was closed behind them. Leaving them in silence for several beats. "Look's like they want us to wait here," Jayne remarked as he took a seat at the table and propped his legs up on the table. His shackled wrists laying in his lap as Mal walked the room examining his surroundings. "Tell me," Mal said into the air. "What's a kind considerate group like you all doing on a back water planet like this?" No response as Mal stood silent, glancing at his watch. "How much time?" "We've got a little over two hours." "Think they'll leave?" "They'd had better." "You, ah, they did get the disk right?" "They got it," Mal nodded. "You did get the right disk, didn't ya?" "Yes, Jayne. I got the right disk," Mal said but stopped. His breathing slow and light as he went over the events of grabbing the disk off the comm terminal. "Why don't I like that look on your face?" "Shit," Mal cursed.
The woman and man entered a room overlooking the ground below which was filled with people and equipment of assorted kinds. And in a few open storage cases were a wide range of weapons. Ranging from high powered rifles to rocket launchers. A man stood before the tall and wide window view that overlooked the area beneath them that was bristling with activity. The man kept his back turned towards the new arrivals as a man was standing in the side of the room. "Report, Lieutenant," the man before the windows ordered as he turned about and moved away from the view. "Few men were spotted at the Nova's Tavern, General," the woman reported. "They were asking for Andre'." "Who are these men?" the general inquired as the Lieutenant anticipated the question and moved to a wall terminal where she activated the security camera in the holding room. The screen activated and showed Jayne leaning back in his chair and Mal walking around the table where he looked up and noticed that the security camera in the room was on. Mal leaned his neck back, waved his shackled wrists at the camera. "Hello," Mal smiled. "Love the suite. How 'bout room service." "Son of a bitch," the man standing at the side of the room said. "General?" he asked as he moved to the general's side. "I recognize him to, Captain." the General answered. "Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds." "And the other man?" the Lieutenant inquired. "Can't say I recognize him," the General answered. "Were they carrying anything in particular?" "Weapons, and a data disk," the Lieutenant announced as she reached in her coat pocket and retrieved the data disk. She handed it to the Captain in the room who examined it and handed it to the General. The General examined the disk and moved to the wall terminal where he inserted the disk in the drive and loaded the contents. There on the screen was the gun sights of the Alliance cruiser. "This is it," the General announced. "But how in the hell did Reynolds get a hold of it. He was not the man we were dealing with." "I'll interrogate them immediately," the Lieutenant announced as she waited to be excused. "No," the General announced. "I'll handle this." "Yes, General Eisen," the Lieutenant said as Eisen and his Captain left the room and proceeded to the holding room.
Sitting in silence, Mal could not help but every few minutes glancing at his watch. Conversation was light between the two crew mates as the sound of the door unlocking brought both of them alert. Mal stood up with Jayne following him as the door opened the General Eisen entered the room. The man that entered the room made Mal's eyes open wide in shock. "You ruttin' bastard," Mal said furious. "I've waited a long time to see you again, General." "Good to see you gain, Sergeant Reynolds," the general smiled as he looked to Jayne. "Who is this fella' Cap'?" "General Nathaniel Eisen. Commanding officer of the Independent forces on Hera." "Serenity Valley?" "Serenity Valley," Mal nodded as he wished his wrists were unshackled and Precious at his side. "Can't wait to get my hands on you, General. Been a long time."
The black slowly faded away as the charge from the shocker pulse subsided as Mal realized that he was being led into an abandoned ware house in the industrial zone of the city. His feet working but his thought capacity still feeling buzzed as he acknowledged the fact that his wrists were shackled and Jayne was walking beside him. Their tracker and captors at their sides. "Move it!" the man said as he pushed Jayne forward. The four in the warehouse now. But all was quiet in the warehouse. Both Mal and Jayne could tell that they were not alone. That other people walked the warehouse with rifles in their hands. Guess we found the right place, Mal thought as he began to slow down. He continued his pace after he felt the woman's high powered fire arm digging into his back. "This is my favorite coat," Mal announced as he noticed that Jayne had stopped in his track and look the man dead in the eyes. Yet only now did Jayne and Mal realize that one of his eyes were missing. In its place was a black eye patch. The woman indicated Mal to walk forward with a push on his shoulder. But he too stopped in his tracks. Staring his warden down as well. "I reckon you shouldn't be man handling me like that, bud," Jayne cautioned as the man's firearms were raised at him. Jayne noticing that his two side arms were tucked in the man's waist. "Keep moving!" the man warned. "Can't say I like being man handled like that," Jayne said as he turned his attention to the woman who was Mal's keeper. "But if you could kindly get her to handle me, we'll be squared away," he smiled as he blew a kiss at the woman. "You're a pig," the woman announced. "Here that, Mal? I've known the lady for fifteen minutes and already she's callin' me a pig," Jayne displayed a smirk grin as he returned moving forward to where ever they were being led. "Ah, Jayne," Mal began as they reached a doorway that led to stairs. Mal was signaled to walk down. "Yeah, Mal?" "I have to tell you this but it's kind a' obvious." "I'm not followin' ya," Jayne said, dumbfounded. "That pig remark, it's kind of obvious," Mal stated as once again the woman pressed the barrel of her gun in his back. "Want to take it easy? We're goin'." "Is it that obvious?" "Yeah, Jayne." "And we've known each other all this time, and you never said?" Mal's eyes rolled up in the back of his head. All this time and he thought he was God's gift to the universe. "Sorry, Jayne. Didn't want to hurt your macho ego. But fort he record, I don't think there's a thing wrong with you." Jayne was silent for a few beats. "Oh, thank's, Mal. Knew I liked you for a reason." "Liked me enough even to turn on me if the money was good, Jayne?" The kidnappers rolled their eyes up in the back of their heads as they were bored by the conversation between their catch. "Don't be taken that to any offense, Mal. It's just the way things go." "So, I see," Mal said. But still coming back to the point where Jayne didn't think of himself as a pig. There were times Mal wondered if Jayne wasn't a half-breed. And to make Jayne even more mysterious, was he finally found religion. God the universe was changing. Mal and Jayne were led into a room occupied with a table and two chairs. The door was closed behind them. Leaving them in silence for several beats. "Look's like they want us to wait here," Jayne remarked as he took a seat at the table and propped his legs up on the table. His shackled wrists laying in his lap as Mal walked the room examining his surroundings. "Tell me," Mal said into the air. "What's a kind considerate group like you all doing on a back water planet like this?" No response as Mal stood silent, glancing at his watch. "How much time?" "We've got a little over two hours." "Think they'll leave?" "They'd had better." "You, ah, they did get the disk right?" "They got it," Mal nodded. "You did get the right disk, didn't ya?" "Yes, Jayne. I got the right disk," Mal said but stopped. His breathing slow and light as he went over the events of grabbing the disk off the comm terminal. "Why don't I like that look on your face?" "Shit," Mal cursed.
The woman and man entered a room overlooking the ground below which was filled with people and equipment of assorted kinds. And in a few open storage cases were a wide range of weapons. Ranging from high powered rifles to rocket launchers. A man stood before the tall and wide window view that overlooked the area beneath them that was bristling with activity. The man kept his back turned towards the new arrivals as a man was standing in the side of the room. "Report, Lieutenant," the man before the windows ordered as he turned about and moved away from the view. "Few men were spotted at the Nova's Tavern, General," the woman reported. "They were asking for Andre'." "Who are these men?" the general inquired as the Lieutenant anticipated the question and moved to a wall terminal where she activated the security camera in the holding room. The screen activated and showed Jayne leaning back in his chair and Mal walking around the table where he looked up and noticed that the security camera in the room was on. Mal leaned his neck back, waved his shackled wrists at the camera. "Hello," Mal smiled. "Love the suite. How 'bout room service." "Son of a bitch," the man standing at the side of the room said. "General?" he asked as he moved to the general's side. "I recognize him to, Captain." the General answered. "Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds." "And the other man?" the Lieutenant inquired. "Can't say I recognize him," the General answered. "Were they carrying anything in particular?" "Weapons, and a data disk," the Lieutenant announced as she reached in her coat pocket and retrieved the data disk. She handed it to the Captain in the room who examined it and handed it to the General. The General examined the disk and moved to the wall terminal where he inserted the disk in the drive and loaded the contents. There on the screen was the gun sights of the Alliance cruiser. "This is it," the General announced. "But how in the hell did Reynolds get a hold of it. He was not the man we were dealing with." "I'll interrogate them immediately," the Lieutenant announced as she waited to be excused. "No," the General announced. "I'll handle this." "Yes, General Eisen," the Lieutenant said as Eisen and his Captain left the room and proceeded to the holding room.
Sitting in silence, Mal could not help but every few minutes glancing at his watch. Conversation was light between the two crew mates as the sound of the door unlocking brought both of them alert. Mal stood up with Jayne following him as the door opened the General Eisen entered the room. The man that entered the room made Mal's eyes open wide in shock. "You ruttin' bastard," Mal said furious. "I've waited a long time to see you again, General." "Good to see you gain, Sergeant Reynolds," the general smiled as he looked to Jayne. "Who is this fella' Cap'?" "General Nathaniel Eisen. Commanding officer of the Independent forces on Hera." "Serenity Valley?" "Serenity Valley," Mal nodded as he wished his wrists were unshackled and Precious at his side. "Can't wait to get my hands on you, General. Been a long time."