Chapter Three
"You ready?"
Simon took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Got the plan memorized?"
"Yes, sir."
"And remember, if they start shootin', run away in a zigzag, not a straight line. Harder for 'em to hit you that way."
Simon almost laughed, and he looked up at Mal with one of those smirks he was so good at. "That's the sixth time you've told me that."
Mal shrugged and glanced down at the ground, his crew chuckling behind him. "It's important info, knowin' how not to get shot and all. Just figured I ought to say it a few times to make sure ya hear it."
Jayne slapped his hand down on the button, and the back doors of the ship creaked open to reveal woods. Past that the shining tops of buildings could be seen, probably five minutes of walking to get there. The planet smelled clean and fresh, as if there wasn't even a city nearby.
Zoe had picked this location very carefully. The city was made up of citizens that were so bound on protecting the environment and remaining traditional that they didn't allow hovercrafts or any other type of motorized craft within fifty miles of the city. Though it was an Alliance friendly city and fairly large, everyone got where they were going on horses and old style bikes.
Therefore, it was the perfect place for a planned escape on foot.
"Alright. Kaylee, be ready to close up this bird so we can get off this rock fast. And keep River in line," Mal said, starting down the ramp. Simon hesitated, and then glanced back at River before following Mal.
Jayne and Zoe followed them out, holstering their guns as they walked. Mal went over the plan in his head again, glancing at Simon.
It was a risky, reckless plan, one that put Simon very close to exactly what they were avoiding; his capture by the Alliance. Mal could tell he was nervous. In times like this, the young doctor's facial expressions read like an open book.
"This looks like a good spot, Captain," Zoe said, stopping as they crossed a trail. Mal looked around, and then nodded.
"Set up. If we're not back in half an hour, come lookin' for us."
Simon hesitated again, and Mal put a hand on his shoulder. "You sure you're good with this?"
"I'm fine," Simon said, nodding and starting to walk again. Mal chuckled and followed.
"How's, uh…how's Kaylee doing?" Simon asked after a few moments of silence, and after they were out of earshot of the others.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"I doubt she's too keen on talking to me," Simon said quietly.
"She's suicidal. Plannin' on tossin' herself out the airlock."
"Captain."
"She's doing fine, Doctor. She's a smart girl, she'll work things out," Mal said. "Not to be nosey or anything, but…well, yeah, I'm bein' nosey. Why'd ya cut things off with her?"
Simon shrugged. "Things just didn't work out."
"They were workin' out fine for her."
"If only that went both ways."
Mal looked at Simon curiously and opened his mouth to speak again, but then they reached the edge of the woods. He did a quick check for Alliance soldiers, and then turned back to Simon.
"Remember, make eye contact, then start sprintin'. Don't wait for him to give chase," Mal said. "And try not to be seen by anyone but the mark. That zigzag trick won't work half as well if you got three officers on your tail instead of one."
"And what if they catch me?"
Mal's breath caught in his throat as Simon searched him, blue eyes wide and uncertain.
"We'll come for you. But here's to hopin' we won't have to," he answered, and then he gave Simon a push. "Go on, let's get this done and overwith."
Simon forced a smile, and then left the safety of the trees, taking an alleyway into the town. Mal sighed heavily, leaning back against a tree.
He could only hope that he hadn't sent Simon to his death.
The sound of gunfire about three minutes later alerted Mal to Simon's approach. He pulled his gun and cocked it, watching the alleyway.
Two guns. He could hear two guns firing. They hadn't armed Simon, and Simon would have run instead of shooting back anyway, so that could only mean the doctor had two officers on his tail.
Simon finally appeared, skidding and almost falling as he made his way into the alley. Not far behind him, two officers on horseback steered their horses into the alley.
"Wo de ma he ta de fong kung de wai sheng dou," Mal cursed, and then he took aim above Simon's head and pulled the trigger. One of the officers fell off his horse, hit the alley wall, and went down. The other horse reared up, panicking, giving Simon a chance to reach Mal.
"C'mon, get movin'," Mal said, shoving Simon into the woods. They ran back toward where Zoe and Jayne were waiting, the pounding rhythm of horse's hooves never far behind. Simon was near collapse, out of breath, and he stumbled more than once along the way, the horse gaining on them each time. The officer had stopped shooting since they entered the trees, obviously saving his bullets for open ground.
"Here, here," Mal said as he spotted the trail, and they abruptly changed directions to follow it. Unfortunately, the sudden change of direction sent Simon to the ground hard, and Mal was already five steps ahead.
"Simon, move!" he yelled as the horse found the path and started toward them. Dazed, Simon tried to get up only to slip on fallen leaves and hit the ground again.
You go back and you'll be trampled or shot along with him, Mal thought, but his feet had already begun to move. He reached Simon's side when the horse was only a few feet away and the officer was drawing his gun.
The horse was suddenly knocked sideways, hit by something that had swung out of a tree- and that something just happened to be Jayne. The horse stumbled sideways and fell, sending the Alliance officer straight into a tree and knocking him unconscious.
Mal laughed with relief and shook his head. "How many horses do I gotta save you from in one day, Doc?" he asked. Simon set his forehead against the ground, gasping for air and shaking. Mal stood up, stepping over near the struggling horse.
"Nice job, Jayne," he said, going around the horse to the officer. "Let's get him tied up and to the ship."
Zoe stepped out of the trees. "So much for the plan, right?" she asked, reaching down to help Simon to his feet.
"Worked, didn't it?" Mal asked. "Come on, let's go. We're on a schedule here."
"Rise and shine, darlin'."
It was probably a terrifying way to wake up, with a man like Jayne saying those words and simultaneously holding a knife to your chest. Mal stood a few feet away, his arms crossed, and Simon sat on a cot on the other side of the room.
The soldier looked petrified, and yet furious. He tested the ropes on his hands and feet, but they held tight to the chair.
"My commander will notice I'm missing," he said with a desperate tone. Jayne smirked.
"Don't lie. Ain't a good idea in your situation."
"You answer a few simple questions and we'll drop you outta here, safe and sound," Mal said. "Otherwise, I'll let Jayne here have a little fun before we shove you out of the airlock."
The solider swallowed hard, but didn't respond.
"First question: why is the Alliance after Doctor Tam?"
"I don't know."
Jayne's knife slashed across the soldier's thigh, not deep, but certainly painful. Simon winced.
"Try again," Mal said, stepping closer.
"I…I…it's classified information, a-and…"
The knife came up again and the soldier tried to jerk away, but Jayne didn't bring it down yet.
"Somethin' to do with a computer chip!" The soldier shrieked. "I don't know, they said there's a chip in him!"
Mal's interest peaked. "What's on this chip?"
"I don't know, not even my commander knows," the soldier moaned miserably. "It's real important to the Feds, they'll tear him apart to get to it, that's all I know, I swear…"
Mal looked at Jayne. Jayne nodded.
"Good. Knock him out and get him off my ship," Mal said. "Simon, you come with me."
Simon stood and followed Mal out of the room, where Kaylee and Zoe had been standing the whole time, listening in. There was a loud thud from the room, and moments later Jayne came out with the soldier thrown over his shoulder.
"Zoe, as soon as he's dumped the guy, I want to lift off. Somebody's gonna notice he's missing or find his horse, and I don't want to be here when they do."
"Yes, Captain."
"Simon, you got any medical way to find a computer chip in a human body without goin' diggin' for it?"
Simon thought for a moment. "There's got to be some kind of casing around it. A computer chip by itself would be damaged beyond repair by the fluids and acids in the body. If the casing is made out of any kind of material similar to metal, I could use the same instrument that I use to find shrapnel or a bullet."
"Then let's go get that done. If there's a way to remove this chip, I want to get it out of you."
Only a few minutes later Simon was laying on the bed in the infirmary, and Ma; was preparing to scan him for any kind of object that could possibly contain a computer chip. Simon had the screen set up where he could see it, and Mal began to run the scanner over him, starting with his head.
"Slow down a little," Simon said, frowning at the screen. Mal looked up at the screen, and then he shook his head.
"Don't see how you make sense of it. Looks like dark static to me."
"You'll know it when you see it," Simon said quietly as Mal moved the scanner up and down his arms. Jayne entered the room, making a face at the screen.
"Your blood's black, Doc. Can't be good."
"It's a scan, not a picture," Simon said, and then he blinked a few times in surprise. "Go back," he said, gently putting his hand over Mal's on the scanner and guiding it back over his heart. Mal looked closely at the screen, and then he saw it; a bright white tiny object set closely against what was obviously Simon's heart.
"I'll be damned," Simon said in amazement. "And I never even knew they did it."
Mal stared at the screen. "Can we get it out?" he asked.
"Not unless you know a doctor on the outer planets who's not only willing to defy the Alliance, but is also qualified to crack open my rib cage to get it out," Simon said, and then he continued, amazement and something that sounded like admiration in his voice. "This procedure was highly dangerous, and so precise…in order to get it out, you'd risk damage to the heart muscle…"
Mal sighed, setting the scanner aside, obviously frustrated. "No chance, then."
Simon shook his head. "No chance. If they catch me, they'll kill me first thing, and either burn my body or cut me up to get it out. They won't waste a complicated surgery on a fugitive."
"…I'm gettin' real sick of callin' these crew meetings."
"The surgery's too risky. Even if a doctor did manage to extract the chip, that still leaves Simon weakened for weeks while he recovers," Zoe explained. "The Alliance would still be after him for that chip, and I know we aren't turning that thing over until we know what's on it.
"We could hide him," Kaylee said. "Drop him off at the Haven, it's all rebuilt and stuff now…"
"Not an option," Mal said. "We're his best protection, and we don't want to bring the Alliance down on them again. Whatever's stored in our human computer here, they'll go to Reaver territory and back to keep it under wraps."
"Maybe we should just go ahead and find a doctor out on the rim who could take a shot at the surgery," Simon suddenly said. "That way, even if they find me…dead or alive…they won't get whatever information is there."
Jayne perked up. "I like that idea," he said, and River gave him a 'look'.
"Noble idea, but we don't do noble unless it's a last resort," Mal said, ignoring Jayne's comment.
"There is one thing we ain't thought of," Kaylee said with a shrug. "We could find out where they keep information on these chip things, break in, and try and find out ourselves what's on it."
"No. No," Simon immediately said. "You are not breaking into an Alliance building on account of me."
"I think the girl's on the right track," Mal said. "Zoe, what do you think?"
Zoe leaned back in her chair. "Risky…but if it works, we may be able to work all this out without reckless surgery on a picnic table or runnin' for months longer. I say we do it."
"Zoe…" Simon started, but Jayne interrupted him.
"How're we gonna do jobs if we're off chasin' computer stuff?"
Mal shrugged. "I'm sure the Alliance has some fancy stuff we could take and barter off. Make the whole thing look like a robbery, maybe they won't think anything more of it."
"Captain, you can't-"
River laid a hand on Simon's arm before he could finish, and the doctor looked down at his feet instead. He stood up and cleared his throat.
"I need to go restock the Penicillin," he said weakly, leaving the room. River followed him.
Mal didn't miss a beat. "Alright, everybody. Get ready for an old-fashioned heist. Zoe, I'm gonna do some active research and find out where we can find this information. In the meantime, set a course for the Core planets."