"What do we do?"
Mal moved closer and took a protective stance at Simon's side. "If you see an opening, you take it" whispered Mal harshly. A few feet away, Gabriel leaned forward slightly as he unsuccessfully attempted to discern the murmured words. "They're gonna be tryin' not to hurt you, so take advantage of that. Fight as hard an' dirty as you can, and as soon as you get a chance, make for the ship."
"I'm not leaving you here with them."
Mal snorted. "I ain't askin' you to. You find whoever you can and get your asses back here to rescue me, dong ma?"
Simon managed a weak smile. "You can count on it. Though the whole 'getting away' thing is a stretch."
The mercenaries were close now. The nearest one, a tall man with olive skin and heavy black eyebrows that Mal had come to think of as "Caterpillar-Brows" said, "You don't want to make this any harder than it has to be, pal. Put down the gun and come quietly."
Mal gave a wry half-grin. "Y'know, my crew's always insinuating that I just ain't capable of doing anything quietly. Can you believe that? Me!" he shouted as he slipped his pistol back into its holster.
Caterpillar-Brows and his partner exchanged glances. They reached Mal and Simon and each unhooked a pair of handcuffs from their belt buckles. They held them out, giving their quarry a chance to surrender peacefully. Mal looked thoughtfully at the handcuffs and arched a suggestive eyebrow at his husband. "Hmm...This giving you any ideas?"
Simon let out a small sigh. "Later, Mal."
As the other two mercenaries came up behind them, evidently hoping to take them off guard, Mal struck. He whipped around and punched Blondie at his back before spinning right around again and catching Caterpillar-Brows square in the jaw with an elbow.
Simon didn't act as fast and cried out as a thick forearm that could only belong to Scar-Face came around his neck from behind. The other mercenary moved in quickly and grabbed Simon's wrists, pulling them together and attempting to snap the handcuffs on. Before he could complete the act, however, Simon managed to bring a knee up hard between his assailant's legs. The man doubled over, eyes bulging and a deep moan emanating from his throat. The arm around his throat squeezed tighter in retaliation. Simon gasped for air and tried vainly to shake his captor off, even as he felt himself growing weak from lack of oxygen.
Suddenly the arm was gone, and Simon turned to see that Mal had wrenched the man off of him and slammed him against the stone wall. Scar-Face recovered quickly and knocked Mal's hands away before landing a solid punch to his gut. Simon started forward to help when he felt a strong hand grab his upper arm. Caterpillar-Brows swung him around to collide with the wall, just like Mal had done to his colleague. Simon managed to bring one arm up before he hit, taking some of the impact but still jarring his body. A bitter metallic taste flooded his mouth where his teeth had cut into his lip. A few feet away he could hear grunts and flesh smacking against flesh as Mal traded blows with Scar-Face and a bloody-nosed Blondie, and the dull hum of a crowd that was beginning to gather at the end of the alley, curious as to what was happening.
The mercenary that Simon had kicked between the legs had recovered and was there by his side in an instant. He shoved Simon roughly to his knees. Then he laced his fingers through Simon's dark hair and yanked his head back brutally. Leaning down he whispered in a ragged voice, "You're gonna pay for that, pretty boy. I think on the way to that Alliance base I'll get you alone and make sure all the equipment still works okay. Hell, maybe I'll even let your hubby over there watch!" He paused to deliver a kick to Simon's ribcage.
Gabriel shouted angrily from where he hung back at the alley's entrance, "Be careful! I told you not to hurt my son, dammit!" The mercenary looked up, and Simon took advantage of the brief distraction. Falling back, he employed his knowledge of the human body and kicked upwards at the man's left kneecap. He hit at just the right angle and listened with satisfaction to the resounding pop and the mercenary's subsequent howl of pain. He dropped to the ground, clutching at his knee in anguish. His screams summoned even more onlookers.
Simon moved to get up, but Caterpillar-Brows threw him back to the ground and straddled his waist, yanking his arms behind him and finally managing to cuff him. "I have this one!" he yelled to his colleagues in triumph. Simon struggled vainly, but he couldn't dislodge the solid bulk on top of him.
Scar-Face and Blondie were too busy with Mal to acknowledge the comment. The captain had been nimbly dodging them and delivering quick but painful blows at every available opportunity, holding his own despite the fact he was outnumbered and overpowered. He was getting tired, though, and more and more of the mercenaries' kicks and punches hit their marks. Finally, distracted by Caterpillar-Brows' announcement that he'd successfully subdued Simon, he'd taken a hard hit to the jaw and gone down. Barely conscious, Mal tried to stand, but Blondie had kicked his legs out from under him with obvious delight. He was still pissed over Mal punching him in the nose and bloodying up his handsome face. Mal could only manage to rise to his hands and knees this time, and Scar-Face took a turn, kicking him in the stomach. Although Mal went down again and didn't attempt to rise, neither mercenary ceased their vicious beating. Both were furious that their supposedly simple job had turned out to be such a chore, that these two men had given them such a hard...and painful...time.
Seeing that the action was pretty much over, Gabriel moved forward. "Enough, gentlemen" he said brusquely. Scar-Face and Blondie reluctantly stopped kicking Mal and stood at attention before their employer. "You've attracted quite a bit of attention, and we need to meet up with the other team and get out of here before the local authorities show up. Their presence will make things markedly more difficult." He looked down at the fallen mercenary, whose howling had subsided to a pitiful moaning as he held his ruined knee. "Besides, Mr. Jenkins is in need of immediate medical attention. I'll do as much for him as I'm able on the ship, but he needs to get to a proper facility for surgery." He paused, a shadow crossing his face. "As does my son's husband."