Chapter 12:
Everything was white.
And then there was a slow strum of a string instrument. A guitar? A mandolin? It didn't matter. A beat came through. And everywhere he looked there were cartoon like trees with blue girls who have different coloured eyes singing in between them. An octopus. A man talking gibberish. Signs in Chinese. It was utter nonsense.
Fruity oaty bar makes a man out of a mouse.
Fruity oaty bar makes you bust out of your blouse.
Eat 'em all the time.
Let 'em blow your mind.
Fruity oaty bar
Fruity oaty bar!
And much to Carl's dismay, it played again.
"Don't you see it, Jenkins?" Someone beside him suddenly asked him. Carl Jenkins thought it was odd that he didn't notice anyone sneak up. He could normally hear their minds even before he saw them. But when he saw who it was beside him, he knew the reason why he sensed nothing.
He was dead.
"Lieutenant Razak?" He faced the man in uniform that he hasn't seen for a very long time.
"Don't you see it, son?" He asked again looking at him with a fatherly gaze he realized he missed.
"It's ... an ad for something called a fruity oaty bar?" He shrugged. "Sir, it's not even my memory." He argued.
"But it's right there!" Another person said on his left side. "It's staring you in the face." Carl turned to face the new person but didn't recognize the strawberry blonde man wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt standing there.
"Who are you?" Carl asked feeling slightly defiled and annoyed at the same time.
"Wash. But you don't know me." The man shrugged. "I'm not from your memory."
"You don't know me either." A priest suddenly appeared beside the man called Wash. "But I believe I can see what they're talking about."
Lt. Razak patted him on the shoulder. "Watch it again, Jenkins. It's right there. It's where it all started. Right at the beginning. Concentrate." He nodded. "They need you."
Fruity oaty bar makes a man out of a mouse.
Fruity oaty bar makes you bust out of your blouse.
Eat 'em all the time.
Let 'em blow your mind.
Fruity oaty bar
Fruity oaty bar!
Carl Jenkins sighed and looked over his shoulder. "Sir, this is going to make for a terrible last song syndrome." He squirmed when the song started to repeat itself.
"Don't you know it." The man named Wash agreed.
"What's the matter, ape?" Lt. Razak smirked that familiar line. "You want to live forever?"
-- -- - -
Inara Serra could see it in his eyes. The Operative just left. "It's not my fight. The truth just had to be known." He said right before he stepped off the firefly. And when Mal turned, she could see it. Just like before, fierce determination crossed his features as he met each one of them in the eye and set his jaw.
"After Miranda, I didn't think they'd come after her again but it seems they have." He started. "And they have her. We might not have seen this coming but we ain't down for the count yet. Shepherd Book once said that they hit from the side. They snuggle up to you and smile." He glared at the quiet parliament man briefly. "Not this time. It's our turn to get them from the side. To take them by surprise. " He crossed his arms. "I don't know why they want her but this I know for certain-- We're taking River back." He gave the doctor a small smile. "And I aim to misbehave."
"Do you have a plan?" Inara asked breaking the silence.
There was a small nod. "We're taking Ath in to get treated. With his card clearance, we can sneak in, find River and get out." He paused. "Chances are slim. I know that." He admitted. "But we take care of our own. That's our way."
"Shepherd always said a way is better than a plan." Kaylee smiled.
"It's called belief." Zoe faced the Captain. "What are your orders?"
Inara watched the Captain drop to one knee to make sure Atherton Wing understood the grave consequences of his actions. " Doc, give him a cocktail. I don't want him to be able to speak or move. But I want him awake enough to know when Niska's coming for him." He gave the man a lopsided smile before standing up. "Kaylee, I need you to prep the rover. You're driving."
"Sure thing Captain." The mechanic nodded.
"Zoe, Jayne, you're coming through the front door with me. And Jayne," He turned to face the larger man. "We're going to a civilian building. Don't want folk getting hurt that don't need to. No grenades."
"That's what you said the last time." Jayne frowned.
"You up to this?" Mal headed towards the young soldier.
The girl grinned. "I'm going to prep my pack. Maybe the machete would come in handy..." She trailed off before skipping off to where the troopers' ammunition were hidden.
"And what about me?" Inara asked walking slowly towards the Captain who was heading off to check on his own weapons.
"You're staying here." He replied matter- of- factly.
Inara simply stared at the man infront of her loading his gun with bullets. "What happened to 'We take care of our own. That's our way' ?" She quoted feeling her temper rising.
Mal didn't even flinch. "It is our way." He agreed. "But, this ain't your area of expertise." He continued laying one gun down to check on another. "You ain't a fighter Inara. Never was." He said bluntly while moving towards the rover Kaylee just drove forward.
"Simon and Kaylee are?" She trailed behind him.
"It's a federal hospital. Doctor might know his way around and he is her brother. Kaylee's just bringing us over. We ain't dragging his carcass all the way there." He pointed at her former customer being injected with some sort of drug. "In fact, might be a good idea for you and Kaylee to take the shuttle for a joy ride." He suggested.
"Shiny!" Kaylee beamed at her. "We could have one of those girl's night out things."
Inara couldn't contain her her baffled expression as the Captain ordered Jayne and Zoe to strap their guest of honour on their ride. She refused to think that all she would do that night was to wait for them to come back. She wanted to help. "But Mal..." She started to protest.
"Inara." Zoe interrupted placing a hand the companion's shoulder. "He won't endanger anyone else if he could help it. Captain can't worry about you and River at the same time." She tried to explain. "So keep yourself out of trouble and show Kaylee some good time." She nodded with a smile.
"You'll be missing out." Kaylee told Zoe as she passed to seat on the driver's seat.
"We take care of our own." Zoe gave her one final pat before boarding the rover.
Inara watched as the rover sped away into the night. She frowned at the unaccustomed silence that took over the firefly. Trying to comfort herself, she wrapped her arms around herself right after pressing the button to close the cargo bay. "No wonder Wash had toys." She mumbled as she made her way up to her shuttle.
-- -- - - -
"...And she just sniped them. Like they were bugs." Dizzy threw her hands up in the air.
Robert Higgins sat uncomfortably couldn't believe what he was hearing. If what Dizzy, Goss and Brutto were telling Rico were true, then in the short time that they've been here, Andy had already adapted to her environment. He knew it he wasn't the only one worried. They weren't saying anything but he could see by the way they moved that Goss, Brutto and Doc were not happy about current developments. Gossard was especially tentative after he revealed Andy's secret agenda for staying. But the rest were just as uncomfortable as he was.
"Dizzy. Calm down." Rico sighed. "You know, Andy may just have her reasons. She's not exactly impulsive." He tried pointing out.
"I'm just warning you. She's on their side now." The red head grunted.
The reporter shook his head in disbelief. "Diz, she has to go along with them until they reach Ariel. You were there. That was her deal. She's part of the crew until then." He offered another more plausible explanation.
"I don't know. Flores might be right." Carmen Ibanez argued tentatively. "When we first got in the ship, she didn't even blink. She just jumped right in and got comfortable. Even if she knew what she knew, anybody would be at least uneasy."
Higgins folded his arms and looked at the floor. "Still, she's one of us..." She started but was stopped by Rico holding his hand up while looking at the window curiously. A leg shot out from the thin curtains . There was some muffled laughter before two people emerged from the window following each other.
"Haven't you ever climbed a tree before?" A familiar amused voice whispered just as the curtains were pushed away.
"I'm a doctor. Not a monkey." A spiteful doctor said while brushing his still immaculate clothes of imaginary dirt.
"You guizu. Such a sheltered bunch of..." Higgins watched the girl give the room a small wave and a guilty smile. "Roughnecks." She finished while adjusting the straps of the pack she had.
"Speak of the devil..." Rico groaned. "Andy what are you doing climbing up a window in the middle of the night?" He asked with a tinge of disapproval.
"The front door isn't really available right now. I really thought nobody would be here and you'd be asleep." She explained.
"We need to go." Dr. Tam tugged the girl by the sleeve heading for the door.
Andy took her arm back. "Wait. They can help." She said eying the watching Roughnecks. "So, River's been kidnapped. Accordingly, she's being held in the secret basement. I have spare ammo on me if anybody wants to help." She looked at them expectantly.
Higgins has never seen a clear expression of doubt cross the any of the troopers' faces until now. He knew she saw it too because she let out a dejected sigh. "Okie dokes, Tam. Let's." She pointed to the door as she turned.
"Andy. It's not that we don't want to help." Doc stepped forward blocking the girl's path.
"They just don't know why we should." The reporter finished crossing his arms unable to meet her gaze.
"My little sister could be in some torture chamber as we speak." Dr. Tam spoke up.
"Because she's a victim." She replied knowing the doctor's words meant close to nothing in this crowd.
"And Atherton Wing isn't?" Dizzy challenged.
"Atherton Wing?" Andy repeated confused.
"Yeah. He was going to help us get back home until you kidnapped him." The red head added jabbing an accusing finger at the other girl's direction. "And after what happened in the pier?" Dizzy rolled her eyes. "That's right. We were there." She affirmed when the girl shot her a baffled look.
Andy raised both of her hands up in her defense. "First of all, I didn't know about Atherton Wing until after the Captain got him. I didn't know about the job. I wasn't there." She said. "Secondly, those guys in the pier were there to kill us. It was self defense and I didn't kill them. They were just injured pretty badly." She defended herself. "Thirdly, you guys can't trust that guy. From what I've seen, he's partnered up with this ruthless old man to find and kill them off." She pointed to the doctor's direction. "And no matter how twisted it's become, their both associated for people who experiment with the minds of little girls without another thought. Atherton Wing's a pretty scummy user type of a guy." She reasoned quickly.
"But a guy who was willing to get us out of here." Carmen Ibanez interrupted.
Bobby Higgins watched as the younger girl shot a helpless look at her commanding officer just to be let down with his silence. That's when she just shook her head and took a small red rectangular box from her dress pocket and tossed it so it would land softly on Rico's bed. "All you need to do is install." She said. The change in her demeanor was instant. In the span of a second, she became far more guarded and much much colder. Almost older than she really was. The reporter was surprised when she turned to him. "Higz, I needed to mine your camera for that. I'm sorry." She apologized with a small smile. "You're going to need a gun if you want to survive around here." She reached into her pack to pull out a handgun and handed it to Brutto. "Don't wander about the hospital tonight. Atherton Wing is being admitted to the hospital as we speak." She warned. "Tell C.J. And Zim Hi for me." She motioned for the doctor that they should get moving.
"Private Ashley Anderson--" Rico started to call after her.
But the trooper just shook her head and interrupted the SICON officer. "I'm out Rico." She mocked a salute while walking backwards towards the door. "Don't worry, I'll find my own way home. Live long and prosper." She waved an arcane sign at them before disappearing behind a sliding door.
"That went well." Higgins couldn't help but say sarcastically.
-- -- -
With all the factories residing in Beaumonde, it isn't surprising that the emergency ward would constantly be busy. Accidents do happen. The ward was such that there was a line just to be brought in to the triage unit where the nurses were taking measurements, interviews and placing wristbands on people to admit them before they could go any further. There weren't a lot of empty beds in the critical ward and not a lot of empty chairs in the primary care sector either. To their credit, the doctors and nurses of the hospital kept busy buzzing around from one section to the next almost like an efficient beehive dedicated to patient care.
But when a distraught woman trailed by two men carrying an incapacitated man busted through the double doors of the emergency ward, everyone, including the patients, took notice. "Someone help this man." The tall lady called out. "Please." She added just as a doctor headed her way. "We found him at an alley not far from here. Tried to ask him who he was but he ain't talking." She informed the doctor.
The doctor lifted the man's chin and gasped in surprise. "This is Sir Atherton Wing!" He exclaimed snapping his fingers. He quickly glanced behind him and signaled several attendants over. "Report says he's been missing. God! What have they done to him?" He asked just as a bunk was hovered over.
"We just found him like this." One of the men said innocently as he gruffly placed the man on the bed.
"Ain't he some fancy parliament man?" The other man said as he adjusted his clothes. "You think he'd have guards... or something of the like." He said as more doctors and nurses poured over the health of the government official.
"Well, he can't be guarded twenty four--" The doctor glanced back to thank the three that brought the important man in but found that they were no where to be seen. "--Seven." He finished wondering where they went in such a short notice. He quickly shoved the thought aside. There was work to be done.
-- -- -
It never ceased to amaze Jayne Cobb that whenever they ended up in a hospital, the good doctor Tam would find a doctor's coat, wear it, and just like that, the people around him would think that he was one of them. He guessed it didn't hurt that he had a medical kit with him and there was a girl with a backpack trailing him looking around wide eyed like she was about to get shots. He saw Dr Tam nod a greeting with a passing doctor while the girl gave the passing man an impish smile and rolled his eyes. If only that man knew what was in that backpack of hers...
"About gorram time." He shot at the the two when they reached them.
"Had to cut ties from all the lies that I've been living in." The girl answered quickly.
He watched Mal swipe the politician's card on the little tab beside the door. The door slid open revealing an elevator of sorts. "Anything to be concerned about?" He asked when they all entered the small lift.
"Nope." She replied kneeling down to take their weapons out of her pack.
The weapons went around to their respective owners. Jayne grinned when he held his. A tingle went up and down his spine to his fingertips, eager to simply get the crazy little psychic girl and get out of the creepy hospital. He smirked amused when Dr Tam simply watched them all arm themselves when he had none. Lastly-- the earpieces.
"Testing." Jayne said out of habit.
"Jayne?" Zoe gave him a small lopsided smile.
"Okay folks this is it." The Captain said as the lift began to slow. "Doc, Anderson, you're going with Jayne to the left. Zoe and I are heading right. We find River and get the gorram hell out of here. If anyone has questions, qualms, doubts or any of the like-- apologies but it's a bit too late for that." He smirked. "Anderson?" He prompted.
Jayne looked up at the ceiling slightly irked. Probably for the hundredth time since they've taken the troopers in, he wished he could handle their shiny weapons. Maybe after this, he'd ask the private for some lessons. Right now, he had to concentrate and breathe in deeply.
"Bombs away." She warned before letting go of a small silver canister.
-- - -
Fruity oaty bar makes a man out of a mouse.
Fruity oaty bar makes you bust out of your blouse.
Eat 'em all the time.
Let 'em blow your mind.
Fruity oaty bar
Fruity oaty bar!
Carl Jenkins let go of the air he's been holding in and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know how many times he's watched this ad but he did know several things about it. First, it was weird. He didn't know how the company gets buyers for this product with that kind of a creepy advertisement. Second, It didn't make much sense. What in the world was an octopus doing in the ad when they were marketing a fruit oat bar? And third, people should not watch this. The bright flashing colours could give anybody a seizure.
The special ops officer narrowed his eyes when the raking sound of a mandolin filled where ever he was in. He braced himself for another colour filled ad and just like that, he saw it in between the trees. It was right where they told him it was-- at the start. Suddenly, the whole ad took on a new shape. He could see the layers separate from each other. Each frame had a different message. Everything was so obvious yet hidden.
Everything had a prominent layer of blue.
Everything had a big blue sun.
-----
translation
guizu -- aristocrat, nobleman