The ship came into low orbit around Beaumonde eighteen hours later. Mal sat on the bridge next to Zoe in stony silence. He stared out at the planet looming before them and replayed the kidnapper's message in his mind. He cursed and turned to Zoe.
"He was on my gorram ship Zoe!" he exclaimed, banging his fists against the console. "My ship! He brought her here and recorded that gorram message, knowing we would return in short order. How did he know that?" Zoe looked over at him and shook her head.
"I don't know, sir," she replied. In the ten years she had known Mal, she had never seen him get this distraught over anyone. Then again, she had never seen him truly give his heart to someone. If they couldn't find River, she knew without a doubt that it would destroy him in a way Serenity Valley never could.
"Damn it!" he cursed. "I'm gonna find her, Zoe. I ain't ever giving up the search. Even if I'm old and grey and the Alliance feds are breathin down my neck, waitin for me to kick so's they can reposses my ship. I'm never gonna stop looking for her."
"What makes you think Peter is gonna be able to help, sir?" Zoe replied as she took the ship off autopilot and into manual. "I know he has special abilities and all, but what does he know that we don't? And what makes you think we can trust him anyways? That man said it was Peter that told him about River." Zoe began the landing sequence and flew the ship down toward the docks at New Duinsmore. Mal paused before answering.
"Few weeks ago, I was almost asleep when River leaned over and whispered in my ear," he began. "She said if anything ever happened to her, anything at all, I was to go find Peter."
Zoe expertly navigated the ship into the docking area and lowered the breaking clamps. Serenity shuddered to a stop and was still.
"Think she knew something was gonna happen, sir?" Zoe asked, turning in her chair to face him. It was a possibility since River was a reader, but Mal wasn't sure.
"Maybe she knew something might happen one day," he replied and Zoe was struck by how tired he looked.
"But she's always warned me about danger right before it happens. Don't know why she wouldn't this time," he continued as he stood and walked to the comm channel. His voice echoed throughout the ship.
"This is the Captain speaking," he said into the mouthpiece. "We've landed on Beaumonde. I want everyone to meet me in the cargo bay."
The crew assembled a few minutes later, prepared to leave the ship. Simon looked tired and haggard. He had spent the last eighteen hours organizing his infirmary and hadn't eaten or slept. In fact, no one except Jayne looked as though they had eaten or slept but even Jayne looked more worried than usual. Though he would never admit it, he had grown used to River's presence and didn't mind her hanging around now. Since Miranda, she had been acting more sane and provided Jayne with some interesting conversation about his weapons. He liked having someone around that understood guns the way he did. River had come into their lives like a storm wreaking havoc along the way, but now no one could imagine life on board without her. Especially Mal.
"Here's the plan," Mal said as he surveyed his crew. "Zoe, Jayne and I will head into the city to find Peter. Simon and Kaylee, I need you two to stay on board." The doctor opened his mouth to protest but Mal held out a hand to silence him.
"Doc, someone has to stay on board in case River or anyone else tries to contact us," Mal stated. "And I need you here to man the infirmary in case something goes wrong, dong ma? Kaylee, I need you to keep the engine warm, I don't intend to stay planetside for very long. Let's head out."
Mal strode purposefully down the ramp and into the bustling street followed closely by Zoe and Jayne. Clutched tightly in his hand was a piece of paper with a single address on it. Before he left the ship, Peter had given River the information to contact him, if the need arose and River had shared this with Mal.
They turned down a dark alleyway and stopped at an unmarked door. Jayne looked up and down the deserted section of the city, watching for any suspicious activity. He kept one hand on the gun in his holster, just in case. Mal knocked three times on the door, waited a moment, then knocked twice more. The door creaked open slowly, and the three smugglers filed in.
The room they entered was dark and dank and looked empty. Mal knew better.
"Peter," he said to the empty room. "I don't have time for games right now."
Suddenly, Peter appeared right in front of Jayne from nothing. Jayne took a step back in surprise and swore. Peter smirked at the mercenary's reaction then turned to face Mal.
"What can I do for you, Captain?" Peter asked, leaning against a wall casually. Much as he respected the man and what he did at the Academy, Mal still couldn't stand him. He found Peter arrogant and a tad reckless. River once told him that Peter reminded her of him but personally, Mal couldn't see the resemblance.
"River's been kidnapped, Peter," Mal replied, cutting straight to the chase. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the capture that had been left on the bridge. Peter stood up straight and took it from his outstretched hand. He watched the message once, then replayed it and watched it again.
"Son of a bitch," he swore quietly. He looked up at Mal and handed him back the capture.
"Do you know this fella?" Mal asked as he took in Peter's reaction. Peter nodded affirmative.
"Gabriel Sylar, otherwise known as Gabriel Gray. You could call him my nemesis. He's been around since the beginning," Peter stated. Jayne looked at him quizzically.
"The beginning of what?" he asked in confusion.
"The beginning of everything," Peter replied. In Jayne's opinion, this didn't clear up a damn thing, but before they could get off track, Mal interrupted.
"So do you know where he is?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Peter shook his head and mirrored Mal's stance.
"No, and it's not that easy," he replied. "Sylar won't be found unless he wants to be found. He'll lead you on a merry chase of cat and mouse. You've seen my power, Captain. This man is equally as powerful as I am and ten times more psychotic. You won't find him, or River, unless he wants you to find him." Peter regarded the three people standing before him before he continued speaking.
"A few weeks after the Academy job, I had a run-in with Sylar. I had gone back to the Academy to liberate a few classified files from Company hands. It seems Sylar had discovered the Company was alive and well and had the same idea I did. I wasn't sure which files he got his hands on, since several files had been destroyed by the virus River and I planted in the system. So instead, I chose to track his movements. I was able to track him up until a few weeks ago. His last known stop was Sihnon. After that, he disappeared. Like I said, he won't be found unless he wants to be found."
"So where does that leave us, then?" Zoe questioned. "We can't just leave River at this man's mercy. If he's as powerful as you say, he could destroy her." Mal sucked in his breath at this statement. It was a possibility he didn't even want to entertain at this moment, even though it loomed at the back of his mind. Peter eyed him critically.
"No, and I wouldn't suggest it either," he replied, looking directly at the formidable woman before him. "He wouldn't have left you this message if he didn't want you to hunt for her. It's all a game to Sylar. One endless mind game, stretching throughout the centuries." Mal looked at him and his eyes narrowed.
"What's that sposed to mean, Petrelli?" he asked. Peter looked down for a moment, before facing Mal.
"It means that Sylar knew that you wouldn't leave this alone. He knew that River was far too important and valuable for you to just forget about her. But he knew you wouldn't be able to find her by yourself. You would need someone to help you find her," Peter replied, then paused. He carefully examined each crew member for their reaction before he continued.
"And he knew that because of our past association, the person you sought would be me."
Hun dan - bastard