Captain Reynolds paced quietly along the bridge, stopping briefly every few minutes to peer anxiously over River's shoulder and check their progress. He stuck his hand in his pocket for the third time in only a short while and brought out the scrap of paper with the coordinates Inara had provided them with. Mal glanced at it tersely before turning to his pilot.
"Are you sure we're headed in the right direction? Feels like we shoulda been there all ready."
River tilted her forehead down to the console so that it was almost touching and Mal thought he actually heard her sigh before straightening up and turning to glare at the Captain.
"The moon will be in sight in precisely three minutes," she said, her tone reflecting exactly how she felt about back seat piloting.
Mal nodded, oblivious to her growing annoyance and placed the paper back into his pocket. Heavy footsteps turned the Captain towards the bridge entrance just as Zoe, Simon and Kaylee appeared. Jayne followed close behind with a large amount of grenades strapped to his chest and Vera cradled tenderly in his arms.
"Mules all ready to go Sir," Zoe stated blankly.
"And I got all the weapons loaded on and some extra ammo. We're ready to go," Jayne said, his face shining brightly with the anticipation of violence.
The Captain groaned inwardly at Jayne's excitement. He knew the large man wasn't going to like what he had to say.
"Sorry Jayne," Mal said as he shook his head. "But I want Zoe and River on this one. I need you to stay on Serenity." Jayne opened his mouth in protest, but Mal stopped him with a raised hand before he could speak. "We don't have time to argue..."
"Gorramit Mal! You need me out there..."
"Fine," the Captain said loudly as he took a step in the larger man's direction, "lets take the time to argue! You ain't goin'. I need you to stay with Serenity. Ain't going to do us no good to rescue Josephine and have no ship to getaway in."
Mal glared at Jayne, daring him to say anything else.
"What about us Captain?"
Mal turned his head towards Simon and Kaylee, shaking it slightly. "No. No offense Kaylee, but I don't want to have anybody else to worry about. And Simon, who's gonna patch us up," he gestured from himself to Zoe, "... and Josephine... if something happens to you? Cause you no we ain't coming out of this unscathed."
Jayne snorted, getting the Captain's attention again. "And what about River? Who's gonna get us out of here if she don't come back?"
Mal glanced behind him at River, who seemed to be ignoring them as she bent over the controls. "I'm not worried about that," he said quietly as he turned back to Jayne. "I'm betting she's the only one who'll get out of there in one piece."
The group stood in silence for a moment, letting the severity of the Captain's words wash over them.
"Captain..."
Mal turned back around at River's voice, just as Serenity began to descend towards the green tinted moon before them. Sydney, Mal thought, and he realized suddenly just how sadistic Bryce Rawley could be. Of course he already knew the man was cruel but this was different, worse somehow, than all the physical torture and abuse. He was replacing Josephine's only joyous memories of this place, before her Aunt's farm was sold, with more fear and anguish.
"You say she used to live here?" Zoe said as she stepped up next to the Captain to peer at the fast approaching moon.
"Yeah," Mal answered her quietly. "This is where Rawley found her, and this is where he brings her back." He turned suddenly and walked swiftly to the door, talking as he went. "Set her down a good distance from the building's coordinates Albatross, and try to keep our arrival private. Meet us in the cargo bay when you're done."
The others had to hurry to keep up with Mal as he quickly descended the stairs.
"Are we looking for stealth here Sir?"
He heard Zoe speak from behind him but continued on his way as he answered her. "No not really. I figure the son of a bitch knew we were coming eventually, maybe not this soon though." As they reached the cargo bay, Mal saw the mule parked near the doors, ready to go. He stopped then, and turned back to the others who were still coming down the stairs.
"So we might have a bit of a surprise advantage," he continued. "We'll take the mule in as close as we can and then continue on foot. Thought it would be a good idea to keep the ship out of sight." Mal pulled his gun out of it's holster and with a flick of his wrist checked to make sure it was fully loaded. Zoe did the same as Jayne walked to the back of the mule.
Mal sighed at the same time he felt River set Serenity down with a soft thud. "Jayne, we already talked about this, I want you here."
"I know, I know," the big man said quickly and with a note of bitterness. "I'm just making sure we got enough extra ammo." He rifled through the compartment and came out with two large guns. One was Zoe's shotgun which she took gratefully and slung over her shoulder. Jayne handed his grenades to Zoe as well, which she strapped across her stomach. He passed the other gun to Mal who looked at it a moment before copying Zoe.
"I'm disappointed Jayne, I thought you were gonna lend me Vera," Mal said, trying to cut through some of the tension he felt in the room.
"No gorram way," the merc retorted, only half-serious. "I'd let River borrow her before I'd let you."
"Somehow, I don't think she'd need her." Mal's eyes wondered up to the top of the stairs and the others followed his gaze to River. She stood on the top step, feet slightly apart and an eerie smile on her face. Her arms hung loosely at her sides and grasped in each hand were wicked looking curved blades, almost like a scythe.
Jayne let out an audible gulp as she came down the stairs. "Kept those did ya?"
She nodded at Jayne as she passed him and went to sit in the back of the mule. Mal followed her with his head and when he turned back to the others they were surprised to see a wide grin stretched across his face.
He shrugged at the others confused expressions. "It's nothing, I'm just starting to like our odds is all."
"Stop here and turn the engine off Zoe," Mal said as he caught his first glimpse of the large building in the distance. Night had fallen unexpectedly and the compound sat hidden in shadows. It's shape was a bit odd and he squinted his eyes to make it out.
Zoe scrutinized the building also. "It looks like it was thrown together, almost built on top of something."
Even as she said it, Mal began to realize what he was looking at. The base and middle of the structure was an ordinary house. The other parts that made up the bulk of the compound were added on.
"It's the farm. The farm she grew up on," he said as he turned to Zoe, outrage distorting his face. "He must have been the one to buy it when it got sold... tamade hundan..."
Zoe shook her head as she continued to stare off in the distance. "I don't get it. There aren't any guards outside and the door looks to be wide open."
Zoe pointed and Mal followed her hand to the front of the building. A warm yellow light was issuing from the double doors and he could see now that they were indeed standing open.
"He knows were here," Mal spoke softly.
River shifted in her seat and the Captain turned to look at her. "He wants us to come. Wants you to come... he's been waiting."
"Well then," Mal jumped out of the mule and drew his gun, indicating that Zoe and River should follow. "Let's not disappoint him."
They made their way slowly, taking cover in the trees that edged the side of the house, before creeping around it's front towards the open doors.
Zoe hesitated for a moment. "We just going in the front doors? Could be a trap," she said nonchalantly.
"Could be... but from everything Josephine's told me, I'm betting he's just cocky." Zoe nodded and followed Mal into the house, River bringing up the rear silently.
The bright light blinded them for a moment and Mal half-expected someone to jump out at them then, but his eyes readjusted and they were the only ones in the room. It was a large reception area with a wooden staircase leading up to the right. It seemed to be the only part of the original structure that still existed. Mal glanced around the room, taking in the scattered hallways that looked as though they'd been cut quickly to allow access to the new buildings.
"So which way do we go?" Mal glanced at River who opened her mouth to respond but she was cut off by a mechanical blare that could only be an alarm of some sort.
"I guess we stay here then," Mal said as the alarm continued to sound. He could hear the shouts and heavy footsteps of Rawley's bodyguards even over the alarm and he scanned their surroundings for cover.
"There," Zoe pointed to the small alcove beneath the staircase and led the way. They crouched down just as the first of Rawley's men came through the hallway to their left.
"Zoe, left hallways. I'll get the ones on the right. River just stay back unless they get close." Mal waited for them to nod before leaning over so he could get a clear view of the right hallways.
The Captain didn't look as Zoe's shotgun went off, taking down the first of their assailants, and then again and again until he couldn't hear anything but gun fire. He aimed his own weapon as one of Rawley's thugs came from his side. A clean shot to the chest and the man crumpled in the doorway, tripping the goon behind him. Mal sighted lower to the ground and took the other one out as he fell.
The more Zoe and Mal took out, the more seemed to replace them until Mal lost count of how many times he'd fired his weapons. Rawley's bodyguards were starting to get smarter and no longer rushed into the room, that had quickly filled up with bodies. A gun hand reached out of one of the right hallways and the Captain fired at it, forcing him back.
Mal lowered his head for a moment to reload and suddenly felt something zoom above him. He looked up in time to see one of River's blades fly into a man's chest. The man's arms flew wide as he was forced back into the wall, but Mal could see the gun in his hand and he had the sneaking suspicion that it had just been pointed at his own head.
He turned quickly to find River smiling at him. Nodding quickly, he returned her smile before turning to Zoe.
"This isn't gettin' us anywhere," he said loudly, almost deaf from the close range gunfire. "We need to get to Rawley, I hate to think what he's doing while we're forced to play with his flunkies."
"Did you have an idea Sir," Zoe replied as she fired another round into the hallway.
"As a matter of fact," Mal reached out to Zoe and pulled one of the grenades off of her strap, "I do."
Zoe never took her eyes off her side of the room as she waited for Mal to explain. "Let loose a grenade on your side. When they fall back I'll send one down that hallway," he pointed down the hallway closest to him, "and then I'll take my chances that way."
Zoe shook her head. "You don't know how many are back there. And how can you be sure Josephine's even down that way?"
"I can't... but it beats just sittin' here wondering."
The first mate paused for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Fine, River and I'll hold here, try to keep them from coming after you. Just give the word."
Mal turned to look at River. "That good for you Albatross?"
She regarded him calmly, her head tilted slightly to the side. "I need to get my knife back."
The Captain laughed loudly, a short bray, that almost made Zoe forget herself and glance at him. "Yes you do xin gan."
He turned back to Zoe, still smiling. "Alright, lets do it."
Zoe dipped her head and fired one more quick blast down the hallway before pulling another grenade off her vest. She twisted it at the middle and waited a few seconds before throwing it into the corridor. Mal ducked his head, pulling River down with him as the blast shook the entrance way. A few seconds later he was on his feet, throwing his own grenade down the opposite hallway before putting his back to the wall. This explosion rocked the hallway, raining debris from the ceiling and he immediately barreled into the opening, stepping over the fallen muscle as he went.
Mal kept his gun held in front of him, aiming at anything that moved. The soldiers to the front had fallen with the grenade, but there were three near the back that hadn't gone down. One managed to get a shot off and it hit Mal in the shoulder, pushing him back somewhat. Dropping to his knees before the others fired, he shot two of them in the chest and as they crumbled to the ground the other turned to run. Mal aimed only for a moment before firing and hitting the runner behind the knee. The man let out a strangled cry before falling to the floor face down.
Jumping to his feet, the Captain ran to where the man had fallen and kicked the gun away from his hand before kneeling beside him. He gripped the back of the stranger's hair and pulled his head off the ground at an awkward angle.
"Any one alive in there?" The man groaned but didn't respond and Mal placed the barrel of his gun to the side of his head. "I asked you a question."
"Yes..." he managed to croak out, his eyes wide.
"What's your name?"
"H-Harold..."
"It's nice to meet you Harold. I'm Captain Reynolds... now where are they at?" Mal spoke as though he were talking to a child.
Harold hesitated a moment. "Who?"
Moving the gun away from his face, Mal quickly slammed his head into the concrete floor. Harold cried out and tried to speak with his face against the floor, but his voice was muffled. Mal pulled him back up by the hair, leaving a stain of blood on the concrete, and put the gun back to his temple.
"I won't ask again."
Harold spat a mouthful of blood on the floor and his voice came out strained and gurgled from his broken nose. "He'll kill me!"
Mal pressed the gun into his head hard enough to bruise. "What makes you think I won't?"
Harold hesitated again as he felt the cold metal against his skull. "Down the hall and to the right. He's in the first door on the left."
"See that wasn't so hard. Anyone with him?"
"Two guards... on the door." Mal started to pull the gun away from his face but he caught a glimpse of something shiny to his left. He stood up quickly, before Harold had a chance to lash out with the knife he'd been reaching for and fired one shot into the back of the man's head.
He shook his head slightly at the body in front of him and used the hand that wasn't holding his gun to examine the wound on his shoulder. It was bleeding but still numb and Mal pressed on, following Harold's directions.
The corridor seemed to go on forever and by the time he reached the end he could barely hear the fight he'd left behind in the first room. He hesitated before the turn in the hallway and strained his ears for any sounds. He could faintly hear what had to be the two guards mumbling together around the corner. Crouching down as far as he could, Mal inched his way closer to the edge of the hallway. He threw himself around the corner and landed on his side, his gun extended in front of him and caught the guards by surprise. The first one didn't have to time to even draw his weapon before Mal shot him in the chest and the second was beginning to aim when Mal fired on him.
The Captain pulled himself up against the wall and made for the door the two men had been standing in front of. His hand hesitated on the knob, his ears straining for any sound from within the room, but he couldn't hear anything. Slowly, he turned the doorknob and pushed it open.
The room he entered was large and cavernous, and for a split second, Mal didn't understand how it could be in the same building he'd seen from the mule. His eyes roamed across the empty space and finally rested on something in the far left corner. As he got closer, he slowed down, unsure as to what he was seeing. When he finally realized what was happening he froze in shock, his gun forgotten at his side.
Josephine raised her face, eyes wide at the sight of Mal, up from the ground. There was tape across her mouth and one eye was bloody and swollen shut. Rawley shoved her face back to the ground, showing her hands bound with tape. Showing what he was doing to her. He drew himself out of her, wet and finished at last.
Slowly, feeling began to return to Mal and he began moving forward, raising his gun as he went.
"I wouldn't do that Captain," Rawley said, his back still turned. Rawley turned to face him, fastening his pants with a smile on his face, and easily showing the pistol he had pressed against the back of her head.
Mal stopped, lowering his arm, as he got his first full view of Josephine. She was completely naked, each scar and new laceration open for everyone to see, and practically covered in reddish bruises. At least he thought they might be bruises. He was still far enough away that he wasn't sure if it was all blood or not. One leg was thrown out at an impossible angle and Mal thought he could see bone glistening, jagged and wet where Rawley had broken it.
"Your timing is impeccable Captain Reynolds."
Rawley's voice startled Mal and he quickly shifted his attention back to the man.
"I was just about ready for the big finish," Rawley said, still smirking. His gaze traveled to the hand gun and then to the larger gun Mal still had around his shoulder. "Lets get rid of those."
Mal felt the rage boiling in the pit of his stomach but he forced himself to stand still and only glare at the older man. "You tamade hundan..." Mal whispered.
"Tsk tsk... language Captain. Throw them away." Rawley pressed the gun harder into Jo's head for emphasis and Mal tossed first the hand gun then the other to the far side of the room.
Rawley moved the gun away from Jo and trained it on the Captain instead. Josephine made a small noise through the tape and both men looked down at her.
"What's that my dear?" Rawley crouched down beside her. "I know, I know. The tape is uncomfortable isn't it. I'll tell you what, we'll make a deal. I'll take the tape off... if you promise not to call out to him. Alright?"
Josephine made no indication that she'd heard him and continued to stare at Mal, her eyes imploring. Rawley, pretending as though she had answered him, produced a small knife from his back pocket and cut the tape at her hands before peeling the tape off her mouth. Even with her mouth unobstructed, Josephine didn't say anything. She knew if she did she'd just get hurt more, or Mal would.
"There's a good girl." Rawley turned his attention back to Mal. "You know where we found her Captain?"
Mal looked back up, trying to make his face a mask of nonchalance.
"In your bed. Naked... and in your bed," Rawley answered his own question, the smile disappearing from his face. "The very thought that you had touched my property almost made me kill her right there."
Rawley laughed suddenly, making both Mal and Jo jump. "But I'm feeling extremely generous today, and I'll make another deal... She can leave anytime she wants."
Mal stared at him, knowing full well it wouldn't be that easy.
"Provided, of course, that she can walk out of here... unassisted."
"You've broken her leg," Mal said quietly.
The older man laughed again. "I did at that. Even so... if she really wanted to leave, she could. So go on Josephine. Get up!" Rawley reached down and grabbed her by the arm. He pulled her up next to him and pushed her forward. The broken leg crumpled underneath her and she fell back to the ground, a few feet in front of where she lay before.
Mal moved suddenly as though he would go to her, but stopped as Rawley pointed the gun at him again.
"Stay where you are Captain. She has to come to you."
Josephine began to pull her self slowly across the floor, dragging her useless leg behind her and Mal choked back a sob at the sight.
"She's trying! Will you look at that! Not exactly walking my dear, but still a nice effort." Rawley looked up at Mal who was still staring at the young woman on the floor. "Don't look at her Captain... look at me. I want to see the pain on your face as you listen to her struggling, knowing that there's nothing you can do to help her."
Mal ignored him.
"Look at me or I will shoot her right now!"
He turned away from Josephine reluctantly and locked eyes with Rawley, who smiled at him. They could still hear her labored breathing and tiny whimpers as she edged her way along slowly. Mal fought to keep his eyes on Rawley, and he found himself passing the time imagining all of the different ways he was going to hurt him for this.
After what seemed like an eternity, Mal felt a cold hand grasp at the hem of his pants and he jumped at the contact.
Rawley chuckled again at Mal's discomfort. "Remember Captain, eyes on me."
He continued to stare at the man in front of him, trying to ignore the weak hands that now clutched his legs. Mal shivered as her hands came into contact with the bare skin of his leg and Rawley cackled louder than ever.
The laughter stopped abruptly, surprising Mal.
"That's it. I'm done playing games." Rawley raised his gun level with Mal's chest. "You can't win them all Captain," he said solemnly.
A gun was fired, and Mal looked down, his hands patting his chest, searching for the wound, but their wasn't one. He looked up in time to see Rawley's mouth open in a small circle of surprise. The older man looked down to see the blood blossoming on his own chest and then looked back at Mal, confusion on his face. A shot rang out again and again, and Rawley's body danced with the slap of bullets until finally the gun clicked empty and the monstrous man slumped over, dead.
Mal looked down in shock to find Josephine holding the gun that had been strapped to his leg. His thoughts wondered briefly to that morning when she's seen him taping a gun to his leg, and he was pleasantly surprised that she'd remembered.
Her eyes were wide as he knelt down next to her and she continued to pull the trigger on the gun, filling the room with a soft clicking sound. Mal placed his hand over the gun and gently pulled it away from her.
"He's dead... you killed him."
She nodded slowly as she began to cry and Mal placed a light kiss on her bruised forehead. He took his brown coat off quickly and placed it around her.
"I'll be right back." Mal hurried to the far corner of the room to collect his weapons. When he came back Josephine had passed out from pain and exhaustion and he lifted her into his arms carefully, so as not to upset her damaged leg, and made his way back into the long hallway. None of the bodies on the floor stirred in the silent hallway and soon he found himself back in the first room.
The floor was littered with bodies, much more so than when he left Zoe and River. How long ago was that, he thought. He couldn't remember somehow. He scanned the room for the two women, happy to see that they weren't among the dead. But where are they?
As though answering his question, Zoe limped quietly out of the hallway across from him and Mal could see where she'd wrapped a piece of fabric around her upper leg. Her eyes widened as she saw Mal.
"You found her..."
"Yes."
"Rawley?"
"Dead."
The corners of Zoe's mouth turned up in a small smile and she stepped farther into the room, giving Mal his first glimpse of River. She looked relatively untouched, except for a small scrap on her forehead. She held both blades in her hands again and Mal could see that the ends were tinted red.
"Look what we found," River said, smiling slightly.
Mal looked behind her and counted as eight different women, of various ages and undoubtably Rawley's other wives, stepped wide-eyed over the bodies and into the room. Following closely behind them was a weary looking old man with a slight limp. Mal looked them all over a moment before nodding and heading for the door.
"Let's get out of here." He led the way and they all filed behind him back to Serenity, as though Malcolm Reynolds were the pied piper of battered women.