"If we'd known you weren't going to be hurt, we could've left Jayne behind," Mal noted rather teasingly as the elevator descended. His eyes were serious though. "Figured we'd have to carry you out of here."

Wash glanced to Jayne. "I'm a little perplexed myself," he admitted. "They, uh, they interrogated me the first day, but then they stopped." He looked concerned for a few moments. "I figured they'd caught you guys and maybe didn't need me anymore."

Mal offered up an easy, toothy grin. "Only took a couple hours for the message to get out," he explained. "The initial transmission was cut off almost immediately, but it resurfaced on secondary channels a few hours later. Figure the Alliance had their hands a bit too full to be fixatin' on you much."

Zoe nodded. "Knew you was in trouble real fast, though."

Mal nodded in agreement. "They tried to play th'whole gorram thing off as a hoax. Said someone infiltrated Blue Sun and set off a few explosions, but he'd been captured and the situation contained. They were quick to say you were a terrorist. We figured out quick that meant they had you."

The elevator doors opened onto darkness. Mal and Jayne both shone their flashlights out. The light illuminated thick concrete walls and floors, a great deal of large pipes, and little else. The ceiling was almost low enough to make Jayne stoop as they exited. "This way," Zoe commanded and gestured with her gun.

"One of these days ya'll're gonna have t'risk you're own necks t'break me outta a gorram fortress," Jayne muttered as he raised his gun and took the lead again. "Gettin' tired always bein' th'one goin' in on these suicide missions."

"Seem to remember quite clearly bustin' you out of St. Lucy's on Ariel ," Mal noted without a kind hitch to his voice.

"Yeah, well, that were different," Jayne muttered. "I ain't never got caught when it mattered," he noted plainly.

Mal glanced over his shoulder at Zoe and Wash but they both just shrugged. "Now ain't exactly th'time for this," Mal cut him off.

"Yeah," Wash agreed. "How the hell'd you break into Londinium airspace again? You only had a twenty-four hour clearance."

They came to a halt by a door, and Jayne ushered them back so he could shoot the lock off. Mal looked at Wash and grinned. "Let's just say we ain't gonna be eatin' too high on the hog for a while."

Jayne kicked the door open and shone his light into what looked like a huge pump room. A foul stench wafted out at them, and he scowled. Looking back over his shoulder at Wash he said, in an unhappy voice, "Sold th'mule."

That made Wash's eyebrows shoot up. "The mule? But we bought that with the Lassiter funds! Clearance codes wouldn't cost that much!"

"Zoe?" Mal called, inclining his head toward her as he pushed past Wash into the pump room.

Zoe unclipped something from her belt and handed it to Wash. "Best put this on."

Looking down at what he'd been given didn't help Wash figure things out. It was dark, and he couldn't see what he was now holding. He followed Zoe, Mal, and Jayne into the pump room but kept his eyes on the object in his hands. As he approached the men with the flashlights, he turned the apparatus over and over until he figured out what it was: a breath mask with attached air filter and goggles.

He boggled a moment longer at the item in his hands. Looking up, he realized Mal and Jayne had already pulled similar contraptions over their heads. "Wait, what?" he questioned, confused. "You sold the mule to buy tankless breath masks?"

"And immediate clearance codes," Mal agreed with a nod. "And I thought that damn briefcase was expensive."

Jayne swung his gun over his shoulder and bent to twist open a port hatch that ran into a large pipe. He grunted as he strained, but the wheel turned slowly. When he got it opened, the room flooded with an even thicker stench. "We're gonna need 'em," he grumbled.

"Oh, God," Wash cried. "We're going through the sewer?"

"Yup! Hope you didn't eat too recently," Mal replied cheerfully. He set his flashlight down and pulled out several thin plastic bags, which he then put his weapons in. He handed extra bags to Jayne and Zoe. "We ought to be vanished out o'here 'fore they even realize we're missin'."

"Think they know we're missing already," Wash noted. He pulled the breath mask over his head and adjusted the goggles. "Sewer-sloshing is pretty extreme. You guys must really like me," he noted with a nervous little smile.

Zoe approached him and tied a heavy-duty belt around his waist, cinching it tightly. "You catch on fast," she agreed. While Wash stared at her in surprise, she clipped a thick nylon rope to the metal hook on his belt and pulled it taut. It attached to a similar belt around her waist. She crossed to Mal and hooked him to the apparatus, too.

Jayne finished packing his guns into the waterproofed bag and lifted his arms so Zoe could attach him to the cord. He grunted around the breath mask. "Still think this plan is pretty stupid."

"We ain't ever paid you for your thinkin', Jayne," Mal flatly replied as he finished adjusting his belt and guns.

"Well, I ain't gettin' paid for this one," Jayne groused. He was shining his flashlight down into the hatch he had just opened. "Figure I can say what I want."

"You come up with a better plan, Jayne, we'll do it." Mal tugged his belt and crossed to check Wash's. "'Til then, you shut up and do as I say."

Cutting in, Wash asked, "Do we know where this ends up?" He was feeling a little nervous about jumping down a dark hatch into a sewer.

"Waste treatment plant," Mal replied, the cheer returning to him.

"Um, maybe these things work differently where I'm from," Wash began slowly. "But won't we be pulverized in the clean up process?"

Mal shrugged. "We luxuriate in it long enough, sure. But we won't. We get out soon as we're free of this place. Should be plenty of time. Kaylee got us a schematic of the whole facility." He looked over to Jayne, who was poised now to climb down. Addressing Wash again, he grinned. "Any more questions?"

Wash's brow furrowed as he studied Mal. "You're insane. Besides, wasn't there a whole mission once that we screwed up because you didn't know how to swim? I distinctly remember you not being able to swim."

Mal broke into a broad grin. "'Bout time I learned!"
--

There was a ladder that descended down the hatch and into the sewers. Jayne climbed down it first, testing, and then Mal and Wash followed with Zoe bringing up the rear. Wash wasn't sure what he had expected; he had hoped for muck that came up to their knees, which they could slosh through.

Instead, he found they were set up on a very small ledge at the bottom of the ladder, overlooking a rushing, churning river of sludge. The smell was horrific, and Wash was glad for his breathing apparatus already, though it did little to block the smell.

Zoe closed the hatch behind her and moved to stand beside Wash. Mal's flashlight feebly wavered over the muck. He held on to it in one hand and looked to either side, making sure everyone was on the same page. Unable to speak with the mouthpiece now in place, he just grinned at Wash and nodded. He held up the hand not holding the flashlight and extended all five of his fingers.

He counted down silently: four, three, two. When he hit one, all four of them leapt off the ledge and into the churning sewage. The current swiftly carried them away, dunking them under and threatening to pull them apart.

The breath masks worked well, filtering out the muck and supplying them with fresh air. The nylon cord attaching all four together pulled tight. It dug through Wash's clothes, jutting into his skin, but it held firm and prevented them from separating.

Wash quickly lost track of how far they had traveled. He didn't even know where the others were. He was aware he was at least still attached to Mal, as he felt the pull on his belt from the cord Mal was attached to, but he couldn't see him through the brown water and darkness. He struggled as best he could against the current, trying to keep his head above the filth to ascertain their location, but he had little luck; the current was much too strong.

If it had been up to him to get them out of this mess, he would have failed. They would have been sucked into the chemical treatment machine and processed down to drinkable particles. The horrific smell and knowledge of what he was floating in were all he could think about. He struggled hard enough resist vomiting; there was no way for him to scan the shores to see if they were free or still in danger, too.

Jayne, fortunately, wasn't as affected. He brought their floating to a halt when he grabbed onto a ladder rung that protruded down a wall. Clinging to it with one arm and both his legs, he reeled Mal in. Jayne pushed Mal up the ladder and started hauling in Wash. By the time Wash got to the ladder, Mal had already pulled his breath mask off and was coughing heavily.

He pulled his own mask off and went to Mal to make sure he was all right. Jayne pulled Zoe out of the water in the meantime, and soon the four of them were sitting on the concrete slab recouping.

"Well," Mal said after he had recovered, "that ain't an event I'm like to repeat." He ran a hand through his hair and flicked it disgustedly, watching the brown drops fly off his skin and mar the concrete.

Jayne pulled off his breath mask, unclipped from the nylon belt, and got to his feet. "I ain't never felt so dirty," he grunted.

Wash staggered to his feet. The lack of food over the past few days hadn't made that journey an easy one, and he was afraid what little he had eaten was about to come back up. He could hardly stand to touch himself because of the filth sticking to him. He spat out the breath mask and got to his feet. "This is our worse rescue plan yet."

Zoe seemed the least affected by the events, even though her thick hair hung heavy on her shoulders, caked and dripping with sludge. "We got time for reflection later. Best keep moving 'fore we get caught with our pants down," she stated.

Mal pulled to his feet and flicked his wrists clean again. He stashed his breath mask in a sodden pocket and unwrapped his gun from its bag. "She's right. No time to sit and contemplate all that right now. We ain't home free yet."

Wash glanced around the facility they were now in. It was almost like a warehouse, thick walls and a very high ceiling. He got the impression they were still underground but perhaps not nearly as deep as before. Behind them, the sewer stretched on and disappeared behind a wall. Before them was a huge machine with an enormous tank that filled most of the building. The sewage rushed into the tank to be chemically treated--the first step toward purifying it.

"Why ain't there any guards here?" Jayne questioned cautiously as he stored his breath mask and gun bag in his pocket. He checked his weapon over carefully, making certain she hadn't been damaged or water-logged in the journey.

Zoe and Mal glanced around quickly. "Reckon there are, we just ain't seen 'em yet," Mal answered. He shook his head quickly, sending more sludge flying off him. "Best we not stand here much longer." He turned to Zoe. "We got directions?"

Zoe slipped the data pad Mal had been using earlier out of its protective plastic casing and consulted it. "Can't say for certain where we came up at," she announced. "Figure our best bet is through those, though." She raised a hand and gestured to a small pair of doors in the distance.

"Let's go, then," Mal announced and took off.

The doors were locked but not heavily. Jayne shot them open, and they soon found themselves in a darkened passageway. The walls were painted slate grey and labeled clearly. They were on level B9, which Zoe was able to use to determine their location in the facility on her data pad.

"This way," she called and took off, leading the way. She quickly located a stairwell and started up.

Nine flights was a considerable haul for Wash, and he was out of breath by the time they reached the ground level. He leaned against the wall to try and calm his rapidly beating heart.

Jayne pushed past him and leaned against the door. He cracked it open a centimeter or two and peeked through before quickly and quietly shutting it. "Three guards. Nothing fancy, just them rentable security types."

"Three you can see," Mal mused and checked his gun over carefully. "How many you imagine are really out there?"

"Probably no more'n'five," Jayne guessed. "None of 'em have fancy equipment or nothing, just standard guns. Could probably take 'em down without even shootin', if we was wantin' t'be quiet."

Zoe nodded. "They ain't gonna be expecting a three man ambush," she agreed.

Wash pouted a bit as he found himself automatically excluded from the attack line up once again.

"All right," Mal conceded. He looked to Zoe and Jayne and nodded. "We go out and corner them. No shooting if we don't have to. We find something to tie them up with and get out of here."

Jayne grunted. "I could smoke 'em," he stated and pulled out one of his smoke grenades and showed it off.

"You do that, then how do we get through?" Mal chided. "No, we go by force. Shoot 'em if they try t'shoot you. The less folk we kill on this planet, the better."

Wash, usually one against violence, wasn't really opposed to killing the men out there if it meant actually escaping without taking bullets themselves. "So, what do I do, just wait back here and hope they aren't really heavily armed and accurate shots?"

Mal gave him a dashing grin, which was fairly impressive considering how filthy he looked. "Pretty much. Once we get out of here, we're gonna need you to pick out a space worthy vessel to hijack. Can't have you getting shot before then."

"But it's okay for you to get shot?" Wash asked seriously.

Mal unnecessarily reached out and squeezed Wash's arm. He stared down at him intently for several seconds. "Yeah. That's what I do." He nodded firmly with reassuring eyes. "You wait here. We'll call when it's clear."

Mal released Wash before he could protest. Mal inclined his head, and he, Jayne, and Zoe burst through the doors.

Wash winced and stood back, listening to the cries of surprise from the guards inside. The sound of a tussle followed, along with the wet crack of a bone breaking. When a gun went off, he leapt, startled, and pushed the door open to take a view.

Jayne had one man pinned on the floor and writhing in pain. Zoe had two others leveled with her gun, and Mal held his pistol to the head of a fourth. "Y'all're gonna want to be puttin' your guns down real slow, now," Mal called casually, "and then put your hands above your heads." He watched carefully as the three men did as they were told. "This is our time for heroics, not yours. Nice and easy like, and no one gets hurt."

"No one 'sides this fella," Jayne noted in correction and put his foot on the man whose arm he'd broken. "He didn't follow th'rules so well."

Wash saw the situation was taken care of and eased out of his hiding space.

"On the floor, face down," Zoe commanded. When the men had done as ordered, she let Mal cover them and went in search for something to tie them up with. Her eyes and gun flickered quickly to Wash when she spied him. He immediately put his hands in the air. Zoe saw it was him and dipped her gun nozzle. "You almost just got yourself filled with lead," she noted in a voice that sounded too tense for the situation.

Wash hurried over to her. "Sorry," he said, truly meaning it. "We need rope?" She lowered her gun and nodded. "I'm on it," Wash announced and ducked past her, looking through the front desk.

He returned a few moments later with some heavy-duty sealant tape. "This stuff will eat through skin if left on long enough," he warned. "So, probably best to be careful with it."

Zoe nodded and took the tape from him. She expertly bound the men using their clothes as a barrier between their skin and the sealant tape.

When all four were bound, they dragged them behind the front desk and left them to be rescued by someone else later. Mal took off, leading the way again toward the central door in the room. There were no windows in the complex, and this door was nondescript and made of wood.

The door led outside, and when he pushed it open, they were greeted with the cool blackness of nighttime. A moon hung low, partially covered by clouds, and the light from a few of the strongest, twinkling stars shone on them. Mal eased out along the wall, and the other three followed.

Wash took a deep, calming breath of the night air and closed his eyes for a moment. They were free.

Seconds later, he nearly gagged on the smell still wafting off of them and opened his eyes. "Now what?" he questioned softly.

Mal slipped away, slinking along the side of the building. His gun was drawn and at the ready, but they met no resistance. "Gotta find us a parking lot," he whispered back.

In due time, they stumbled across the waste treatment's parking garage and slipped inside. Most of the vehicles were land-based and couldn't break orbit, but it was hard to tell the flight-capable ones in the dark.

"Do your thing, Wash," Mal announced. "We gotta get off this rock, and I ain't gonna be the one to pick a land-based shuttle t'try to make the escape with."

Wash felt a surge of loss as he realized Serenity's shuttle was still parked in the lot back at Blue Sun. It would likely stay there until it was discovered and impounded. He swallowed hard and didn't move for several seconds as he processed it.

His emotions must have been easily readable, as he soon felt a reassuring squeeze on his arm. He looked up, expecting to see Mal's familiar compassionate gaze, but instead found Zoe studying him. The expression in her eyes said losing the shuttle was hard on her, too, like losing part of herself.

At Wash's silence, Mal turned back to look at him, concerned. He caught Wash and Zoe staring at each other with some sort of deep understanding, and he pressed his lips together at the sight. "We gotta go," he softly said after a second.

Wash pulled away from Zoe and looked back at Mal. For a second, he didn't know what he was supposed to be doing. He pushed down the feelings trying to clamor up inside him and stalked away, walking down the aisle quickly, looking for a usable shuttle.

He found her at the end of the row. She was nothing pretty to look at, but she was space-worthy and of a reliable make. Jayne expertly popped the seal on her hatch, and the four of them quickly boarded.

It took a little more creativity to hotwire her ignition. Wash could have managed on Serenity, but this shuttle was different. Flying was his expertise, not mechanics. He wanted to send a transmission to Kaylee, but he knew that would jeopardize both her position and theirs.

Zoe raided the contents of the shuttle, looking for anything they could use to clean up, while Jayne stood outside keeping guard. After a few minutes, Mal wormed his way under the pilot console beside Wash and tried to help him figure out the tangle of wires.

"It's a good thing we ain't being actively chased right now," Mal noted as the wires sparked in his hands. "You been at this almost ten minutes."

Wash nudged Mal's hands out of the way gently. "I've almost got it," he said softly. "I'm sorry I can't do better than this."

The shuttle churned and spun to life as Wash connected two wires. Mal quickly caught Wash's hands where they were and held them lightly. "You did good, Wash," he softly whispered.

Wash was aware they weren't talking about the shuttle and hadn't been for a while. He swallowed tightly and turned to look at him. "What're you going to do when we get back to Serenity?"

Mal's fingers gently stroked against Wash's for a second, and then he just shrugged. "Figure that out when we get there." Hearing Zoe's approaching feet, he smiled boyishly, released Wash, and wormed his way out from under the console.

"Good to go, sir?" Zoe questioned.

Mal dusted his hands off on his coat; this did nothing to clean them, as his coat was still wet. "Looks like," he replied. "Better get Jayne in here."

Zoe ducked out to call Jayne in, and Wash pulled up from under the console. He looked up at Mal intently as he got to his feet. Everything he wanted to say was going to have to wait. It took only a few seconds for Jayne to get on board, and Wash couldn't waste time thinking about feelings and emotions. He slipped into the pilot chair and continued powering up the ship.

"Hatch is sealed," Zoe called as she and Jayne made their way into the cockpit. "Here, sir," she added and tossed Mal a soft white cloth. She had another which she was sharing with Jayne, using it to wipe her hands and face off.

Mal rubbed his face clean and leaned back as Wash flipped the thrusters on. The ship lifted off the ground.

"You folks might want to hold on to something," Wash announced as he eased the shuttle out of its space and coasted her down the aisle. "Never flown one of these before; it could be bumpy."

The three of them braced against the walls in preparation, but Wash cleared the parking structure without incident. He flew her straight and steady, only trembling slightly when she hit the troposphere. The shuttle shook more as he pushed through the atmosphere, but he wasn't worried; there was always turbulence when breaking through to the black.

They slipped into the cool peace of space after only a few minutes, and the stars opened bright and shiny before them, glittering welcomingly. To the portside hung one of Londinium's moons, but there was no waiting queue of ships attempting to enter Londinium airspace this time.

Mal put his hand on the back of the pilot chair and leaned forward. "Looks like they're not monitoring commerce so closely anymore," he said with cheer in his voice. "That's a good sign we've dealt a nice blow."

Wash agreed with a nod but then shook his head. "Where am I heading?"

Mal leaned in closer than he needed to and plotted in a course from memory. He stayed near, almost lingering, like he might not get the chance to touch Wash again anytime soon. Wash wanted to find it uncomforting or awkward that Mal was so near, but he didn't, not even with Zoe standing right behind them.

Phaethon was Londinium's largest moon, and Mal's coordinates sent them to its dark side. Phaethon was as over-populated and highly advanced as Londinium, but contained a slightly poorer class of people—those who worked on the large planet but couldn't afford to live there. Those types frequently lived on one of Londinium's three moons and commuted to the planet for work.

As a result, a high level of traffic came and went from Phaethon. With the Alliance still reeling from the trigger break, traffic was thick as workers were called in or prepared to leave. Serenity easily blended into the mess.

It took Wash no time at all to find her, but he was pleased to see that she didn't stick out amongst the other vessels. When they were within visual contact, Mal opened a short-wave link to her. "Ning Jing," he transmitted jovially, using the code name, "this is Captain Tightpants requesting permission to dock."

He was greeted with a great deal of giggling.

The sound made Mal smile, and he looked around to see Zoe and Jayne both grinning, too. They had done it. They'd escaped, Wash was unhurt, and they'd found Serenity again.

The giggling subsided and River's voice came through. "Permission granted," she answered joyfully.

Kaylee's voice chimed in right behind her. "You got Wash?" she called.

"They got me, Kaylee," he answered back, smiling serenely as he piloted the shuttle in toward Serenity. He glanced over his shoulder, first to Mal, then to Jayne and Zoe, and his smile broadened. "They got me real good."

"Welcome home," Kaylee sighed cheerfully.
--

Wash had no problem getting a seal with Serenity. The shuttle was too big to fit into the old shuttle's dock, but he made a connection on the cargo bay door, airlock to airlock. Simon and Kaylee were waiting for them when they exited, and Kaylee enveloped Wash in a tight hug as soon as she saw him.

"We was so worried when we heard you got caught!" she cried and squeezed him.

"Kaylee," Simon warned. "Be careful, he might be hurt." He approached quickly, holding his medical kit, and looked Wash over. Seeing no immediate injures, he then turned to study the others. "Everyone's all right?" He seemed quite amazed at the idea.

Zoe and Jayne just grinned at him smugly.

Mal smiled tightly as he sealed the airlock behind him, disengaging the connection with the other vessel. The shuttle detached and drifted away. Once that was done, he picked up the intercom and spoke into it. "Chickens are all home to roost," he called. "Take us out of here, Albatross."

"Will do," River answered back. Serenity sighed around them as she powered up and took off, shedding the unfamiliar, crowded airspace.

Kaylee pulled back from Wash with a peculiar expression on her face. "Well, guess the sewer plan worked, huh?" she mused. She held her arms out in front of her, now aware she'd just hugged someone who'd swum through filth.

Wash gave her a crooked grin. "It was a great plan, Kaylee," he enthused. "And everything you rigged up for me on the infiltration went great."

"Oh, I'm glad," she replied with relief. "I was worried you got caught 'cause o'me." She squeezed his hand and then looked from Mal to Jayne gratefully. "We was really worried with all you gone."

Simon moved in close to Wash and checked him over carefully, clearly unwilling to take him at his word that he was all right. "They did do something to you, didn't they?" Simon questioned as he studied Wash.

"Just a little," Wash answered quietly. "How can you tell?"

"Subconjunctival hemorrhage," he explained as he leaned in to study his face. "Your eyes are bloodshot. Do they hurt?"

Baffled, Wash shook his head. "No."

"I'd like to do a full examination after you've had a chance to clean up, just to be sure. And I'll need a complete rundown of what happened inside," Simon stated before quickly backing off.

Wash nodded. "Of course."

Kaylee gave them both sweet looks. "Can't be too bad. Worse thing 'bout him is th'smell, and they all got that problem."

Mal reached out and attempted to ruffle Kaylee's hair but she laughed and ducked away from him. "You keep those filthy mits to yourself, Cap'n Tighty," she chided brightly.

Mal chuckled and sobered a little. "You did all right on this boat without us, Kaylee?"

She nodded and smiled. "I kinda like being in charge," she said with a smug little grin. "Got t'order Simon'n'River around. Felt real important."

"She told us to paint the engine room pink," Simon stated with a very frank and serious expression on his face.

Mal had started towards the stairs to change, but that comment brought him up short. He looked back over his shoulder at them, incredulous. "What?"

"Just t'pass the time," Kaylee protested quickly. "Keep our minds off you guys out there risking your lives and us not knowin' whether or not you'd make it."

Mal waved his hand quickly, cutting her off. "But you didn't, right? My engine ain't pink now, is it?"

Kaylee rolled her eyes. "No, it ain't. We didn't do it."

"Good," Mal said with relief. He looked pointedly over to Jayne. Jayne was wearing the same sort of horrified expression Mal had been, as though a pink engine was somehow affronting to all that they held manly about themselves. The two shook their heads and started toward the stairs. Wash and Zoe fell into step, hot on their heels.

Kaylee shook her head, amused, and put her hands on her hips. "Honestly. It ain't like anyone ever goes in there 'sides me, anyway," she called.

Simon stood next to her, watching the other four start up the stairs. He smiled faintly before looking over at her. He studied her silently for a few moments. "You know, I'm sure the captain is going to have a crew meeting as soon as they're all clean," he noted plainly.

Kaylee turned to look at him expectantly, clearly missing his point.

Simon looked away from her, smiling sheepishly. "You might want to change, too." His voice was light but friendly. He winced a little before looking at her again, taking note of the wet spot on her jumpsuit. "Wash sort of rubbed off on you."

Kaylee glanced down at her clothes and laughed softly. She turned and reached over to pull Simon, who was wearing one of his neat little vests and dress shirts, into a tight hug. She just smiled and smiled.