Bryce Rawley stood near the window of his office, over looking the hustle and bustle of Persephone, an angry frown etched upon his features. This was the fourth time Josephine had managed to slip away from him. Ahh Josephine, Rawley thought, every time I think I've broken you, you surprise me by pulling your little disappearing act. He smiled softly too himself. Maybe I've been too lax in the security again? He laughed out loud then, a quick burst, like a shot gun blast, left his lips. There was no use in confusing himself. He had realized what he was doing the second time he had let her escape. That's right, let her escape, he thought. It had become a sort of game with him, letting her out and then watching who or what she would run to before eventually catching up with her. He smiled again. About once every year or so, he would get frightfully bored, and release his big game. It afforded him some amusement for awhile, the chase. But the real fun came later, when he had found her again, and the punishment for running away began. Oh how he longed to add another scar to that milky white skin. "No one screams like my Josephine," he whispered.
But no, he thought as he turned towards his desk with a frown, this time she thinks she knows the game. This time she thinks she can change the rules? It's my game... my rules! He sat down heavily and picked up a pair of white surgical gloves that had been sitting on the desk. He put them on, snapping them over his wrists as a knock came from the door.
"Enter," he commanded, leaning back in his chair, gloved hands clasped in front of him.
Two men entered. The first was tall and muscular, with a shaved head and a laser strapped to his waist. The first man walked with confidence, but the second seemed nervous, tiny eyes darting here and there. They stopped in front of Rawley, feet apart, hands to their sides as if they were at attention. It was a soldiers stance. Or in this case, a retired soldiers-turned personal bodyguards stance.
"Ahh, Marco, Neven." Rawley nodded to the tall man first before glancing in the general direction of the second man. "Well?"
"She ain't on Persephone. We've had our men looking in all the usual places and some new ones. We believe she mighta hopped on a ship." Neven shifted from foot to foot as Marco gave their boss the bad news.
Rawley sighed heavily and reached into his desk drawer, looking for something. "I figured as much. She's already been gone much longer than usual. Do we have any idea what ship she left with?"
"We're working on it sir," Marco answered.
"Fine, Fine. In the mean time we'll just have to go to the authorities for help with my wayward wife."
Marco looked confused. "Authorities? They ain't gonna help you just cause Josephine ran away again."
Rawley looked up at him. "So true Marco... but they will when they know this has gone missing." He brought his hand out of the drawer and pushed a medium-sized lump, wrapped in brown paper towards Marco.
"Is that what I think it is?" Marco's eyes lit up.
"It is. Keep it with you. You'll need to plant it on her when you catch up with her." Neven snorted and Rawley glanced at him coldly. "You have something to say Neven?"
Neven's eyes darted around the room a moment before settling on Rawley. "Well, I just don't see the Feds making a case of thievery top priority is all."
"You know Neven, I think you're right." A fake look of concern settled across the boss' face. "My Josephine didn't hurt you too badly did she? You remember, when the little biddy girl got the drop on you, knocked you unconscious, and apparently hopped a ship off world?" Rawley smiled.
"Um... no sir. Just a bump on me head. Wife said I'm gonna be fine." Neven answered.
Rawley put his hand in the drawer again. "I am so relieved to hear that Neven." He brought his arm out of the drawer, this time a large laser pistol was clamped in it. He shot Neven twice in the chest and was already back in the drawer looking for something else when he fell, dead, on the rug.
Rawley pulled out what appeared to be a small plastic strip that he then stuck to the handle and trigger of the gun. "Marco?"
Marco was staring at the dead man on the rug, marveling at the laser pistol and how there was no blood on the rug. He stirred when Rawley spoke his name. "Uh... yeah?"
"Lets add murder to Josephine's rap, dong ma?" His tone was light, just talking business. He pulled the strip of plastic off the gun and placed it in a large clear bag. "I think the Alliance will find my girl's finger prints on this now." He handed the bag to the larger man. "And lets dump Neven back where he was knocked out." Rawley walked back towards the large windows.
"Um... yes sir." Marco took the bag with the gun and awkwardly flung Neven's body over his shoulder.
"Oh and Marco." Marco turned to where Rawley had called from, his back to the room. "Bring Neven's wife to me."
Simon was surprised that River was able to find a some what respectable moon to land on so quickly. He wasn't surprised in the least, however, when Mal gave him some money and ushered him off of Serenity. By himself, on an unfamiliar world, he looked for the medical supplies they needed. If Simon hadn't been feeling so guilty himself, he mighta been awfully upset with the Captain right about then. But he was able to find what he was looking for and get back to Serenity within a few hours. He was also very happy to see the ship sitting in exactly the same place he had left it. He wouldn't tell anyone later, but he was worried that Mal would've just up and left him there, even for a joke. Jayne would've gotten a big kick out of it.
Instead, Simon was happily back in the infirmary, checking the vitals on his patient. He'd doped her up as soon as he'd gotten back, and now, Simon looked at the time, she'd had twelve hours uninterrupted sleep. She looked healthier, not so pale anymore, and Simon's stitching was healing nicely. But still, she needs to wake up soon, Simon thought. She needs to eat solid food. He readied a needle with a thick yellowish substance inside. These supplemental shots I've been giving her aren't meant to be used for this long. He placed the needle into her arm, depressing the plunger, and sending the yellowish substance into her veins.
"What is that stuff?"
Simon jumped and turned to see Mal standing near the doors. He hadn't heard him come in. "Ok... you don't sneak up on some one with a sharp implement in their hands." He pointed towards the needle. "That's how accidents happen."
The Captain rolled his eyes. "What accident? You gonna slip and... poke yourself? Besides, I don't sneak, I'm the Captain." He walked over to Simon and took the needle out of his hands, holding it up to the light. "So what is this stuff."
Simon grabbed the syringe out of Mal's hand irritably and put it back in the drawer. "It's a food supplement. She hasn't been awake long enough to eat or drink anything. It's keeping her hydrated."
Mal walked over to look at the patient. She was still laying on her stomach. Someone had put a small pillow under her head. But there was something else different about her. "Simon?"
"Hmm?" Simon didn't bother looking up from the charts he was examining.
"Did you brush her hair?" He gave the Doctor an odd look. Jo's hair was no longer matted down to her head. It still needed washed, but she looked more normal now, like she was just sleeping with her hair laying softly down her back.
Simon shook his head at Mal. "No, I didn't brush her hair," he said reproachfully, "Kaylee did it this morning. She thought it would be cruel to wake up like that."
"And I appreciate it believe me," came a tired voice from the table.
Simon brayed loudly when he saw that Mal had jumped back several feet as she spoke suddenly. He got a weird sort of satisfaction in turning the tables on the Captain. He smiled warmly at the young woman as he walked towards her. "Welcome back." He nodded in Mal's direction. "And thank you."
The confused look on her face at being thanked mirrored the one the Captain was wearing. "You're welcome?"
Simon shrugged his shoulders at her question. "How are you feeling?"
She laid there for a moment, experimentally flexing her arms, before answering. "Like I've been stabbed... in the back. Hey how about that?"
The Doctor smiled, tightlipped. "Making jokes I see. Can't be that bad then huh." He poked and prodded the wound on her back again, causing her to cringe. "Still tender then?" He made some sort of note on one of his charts and went to hang it back up. "You should be starving."
"Yeah, I could eat," she said nonchalantly, only to be betrayed by her own stomach growling loudly in the background.
"Ok, I'll go and see what we can find for you. Captain?" Simon took his gloves off and turned to find Mal looking at him. "Can you help her sit up? And be careful, I don't want her ripping any of those stitches." He pointed at Mal for emphasis.
"No problem Doc," he smiled at Simon as he walked out the doors, doubt written clearly on his face. Mal walked towards the entrance and called after him loudly, "Don't forget to be washin' those hands before you go touching the food!" He closed the doors.
"Ha... ow." Jo laughed at Mal's joke, but the pain in her back pulled the humor from her voice.
"You alright?" He asked, walking towards her.
"Fine," she paused briefly. "You gonna help me sit up before the Doctor gets back?"
Mal looked at her for a moment before nodding. "I'll try, but I don't know if you remember the difficulty I had last time."
She smiled, small and barely noticeable. "I do. But I think if you could just slide my legs off the bed I could stand up." He did what she asked, placing a hand on her shoulder to help pull herself backwards and onto her feet. When her bare feet hit the cold floor, her knees gave out suddenly and she began to slide down. Mal, still standing at her back, caught her with an arm about her waist.
"Son of a... weaker than I thought," she mumbled apologetically.
"Sometimes legs don't work right after staying still for so long," he shook his head, "don't worry about it." He lifted her easily and sat her on the table, feet dangling over the edge.
She eyed his hands curiously and caught one of them in her own as he pulled away from her waist. "Did I do this?" The skin around the knuckles was slightly bruised. She turned his hand over and gasped when she saw his palm. The plump area next to his thumb was purple and swollen and there were small, half-moon shaped cuts from where she could only assume she had dug her nails in. She raised her eyes to him, wide, and began to apologize but he pulled out of her grip quickly.
"It's fine." She looked as though she were ready to argue the point but Simon chose that moment to come back, a small amount of food in his hands.
He laid some protein bars on the table next to her. "That's all we have till the next meal, sorry."
She picked it up and began nibbling on the corner. "This is fine, thank you."
"Captain to the bridge please." Zoe's voice sounded tired, even over the com.
Mal moved towards the door but stopped and turned to Simon before leaving. "Did Kaylee manage to get some clothes in here yet?"
Simon nodded and pointed to the small bundle laying on the floor near the table. Mal turned to Jo. "Kaylee and the other ladies on Serenity brought some clothes for you. They thought you might want to change...," he looked over her clothes and she was suddenly embarrassed. Her top was covered in blood and completely open in the back now, and her pants were frayed and torn with a little blood on them as well.
She looked back up at the Captain. "I would like to change. Thank you."
He smiled, but his eyes seemed sad. "Don't thank me. It wasn't my idea." And he left for the bridge to see what Zoe wanted.
She stared after him, mouth open slightly, thinking.
"Yeah," Simon startled her. "He confuses us all sometimes. I'll get Kaylee to come help you change." He left her alone to nibble on the protein bar in private.
Zoe stood, a hand on the back of the pilots chair, as Mal entered the bridge. "Did you want something?"
She looked over her shoulder at him and nodded. "Something just came up on the cortex that I think you'll be interested to see." She pointed towards the screen as he walked closer, squinting his eyes to read the small print.
"Is that a warrant?" Zoe nodded as he sat in the chair and began reading. "Young woman... wanted for suspicion of theft... murder... on Persephone," he skimmed. Turning back to Zoe he asked, "Why is this relevant?"
She touched the screen, making some of the text at the top larger. "Look at the name sir."
He turned back around, eyes widening. JOSEPHINE RAWLEY was typed in large letters. "No..." he glanced back at Zoe, "you don't think...?"
"There's a picture," she interrupted him, reaching over his shoulder to bring it up on the screen. She was a few years younger, but it was indisputably the same woman he had just left in the infirmary. Next to the picture, they had listed her age, date of birth, and any noticeable physical characteristics. He brought the text back up on the screen, reading more thoroughly this time.
"... wife of prominent businessman Bryce Rawley... went missing two days ago. Wanted for suspicion of theft... theft?" He muttered, turning back to Zoe. "Theft of what? Why doesn't it say?" He gestured towards the screen.
"I don't know sir. But it does indicate that its valuable, if you keep reading."
He looked again. "So it does." He continued reading out loud. "Also wanted for questioning as to the murder of Neven Carter, personal bodyguard to her husband. The suspect is considered armed and extremely dangerous. It is believed she left Persephone on a ship of some kind," he groaned in frustration but kept reading, "destination unknown. Please send any information as to her whereabouts..." his voice trailed off as he reached the contact information. Mal stood up, touching the screen and clearing it of its contents.
"Well at least we know she ain't armed," he sighed heavily. He turned to Zoe, a frown on his face. "Why does this always happen to me?" He stopped her quickly with a wave of his hand, giving her no time to answer. "Don't say karma."
Her mouth turned up into a small smile, eyes mischievous for a brief moment. "I wasn't going to say anything sir."
"Yeah right..." he muttered, taking his gun out of it's holster. Inwardly he rejoiced at her smile. They were becoming fewer and far between. He opened the chamber, checking that it was loaded and made his way to the exit.
"Where are you going sir?" Zoe called after him.
"I'm gonna go have a talk with our newest fugitive," he said bitterly.
"And you need your gun for that?" She spoke cautiously.
He turned around slowly and gestured toward the screen. "You saw what it said... 'extremely dangerous.' Better safe than sorry." He turned to leave but she wasn't finished.
"Sir. You go waving your gun around down there you won't get any answers," she tried to reason with him.
"Maybe, but I've always found it to be effective," he spoke as he made his way down the stairs swiftly.
Zoe hurried after him, determined to stop him from doing something stupid. A small voice in the back of her head made her smile for the second time that day. "You're right," she told herself quietly, quickening her pace. "When have you ever been able to stop Mal from doing something stupid?"