"Cap'ain Reynolds, fancy seein' you 'ere. Seems you 'ave a notion of tak'n me up on my business offer I told you abo't." Badger remarked, lounging behind his desk as Mal, Zoe and Jayne were ushered into the room
"Well isn't it just our favorite profit sucking middleman, what's the cut today, 45? 55? Or are you taking pity on me and my rag tag crew and generously allowing us a full 65 percent of our payload?"
"Actually Captain Reynolds, since you asked, I 'ad planned on you keepin' the full balance of whatever you and my client may decide on as a fair repayment of your services. All that I, the 'onest and ever 'umble businessman, will deign to keep in exchange for my help facilitatin' the meeting of you two is the finder's fee 'e was of'ring for getting 'im in contact with you and your crew. I tho'ght based on the long standing relationship between the two of us Cap'ain Reynolds that this wouldn't be a problem now, would it?"
A nearly imperceptible change passed through the room causing Mal, River and Jayne to take closer stock of their location in relation to all of Badger's crew and exactly how many rounds they could pop into his flunkies before the three of them were permanently redecorating Badger's compound as gory spackling all over the walls.
"And who would this associate be that would pay just to meet me, much less contract us for a job." Mal inquired as he cautiously worked his fingertips towards his hip, not waiting to be the last to draw should, no when, this meeting headed south.
"Oh, this fellow is quite determined to meet not just you Cap'ain Reynolds, but your 'ole crew too, and I mean 'ole crew too if ya' get me drift Cap'ain." Badger said grinning ear to ear as Mal furiously tried to figure out how they were gonna get out of this goramn mess, which was only getting worse by the minute.
"Joansen, bring in out distinguished and most 'onorable guest to meet our dear Cap'ain Reynolds." Badger commanded, sending a flunky from the main room to retrieve the mystery employer from the room he was waiting in.
The atmosphere in the room was tense to say the least, as guns were loosely trained on the three trapped in the middle of the room. Mal could see Jayne struggling with the urge to whip out several guns, all of them a' blazing, while Zoe was calculating how much farther she had to sidesaddle before she could get a jump on the Lackey closest to her. Before anyone could execute any sort of hasty action though, Joansen returned, and he wasn't along. Parading behind him was someone; someone dressed crisply, clean and in the ever-so-rare pressed outfit which reeked of only one thing in the 'verse. Alliance.
Not a moment of hesitation as those images had barely been processed before Mal dropped, drawing his gun and rolling for cover, all the while squeezing off shots. As if it was a well trained drill, Jayne and Zoe were on the move simultaneously as well, not even a heartbeat behind Mal. With speed and supple grace, Zoe had incapacitated one minion and stolen the gun from another, just as the beleaguered Lackeys began to return fire. Jayne rained down a hail of bullets upon their assailants as he fought to overturn a table for cover. Successfully achieving his goal of providing cover, as well as increasing the ventilation in several unlucky Lackey's bodies who were consequently moaning on the floor and bleeding profusely, Jayne dove behind the table and was joined shortly thereafter by Zoe and Mal as return fire poured down around them.
"Badger if this is your idea of a great surprise party I think you should see about hiring a party service next time around. If there ever is a next time you double crossing tah mah duh hwoon dahn. Or would this qualify as a triple or quadruple crossing, not just the standard double crossing" Mal mused. A few more shots hit the table, chipping away even more of their flimsy cover as Mal mulled his options over in his head. There wasn't much mulling to be done seeing as their options were rather on the sparse side. Peaking around the table edge Mal knocked off several more shots along with a couple of Lackeys. "What do you think Badger, now with you selling us out like this, how many times does this make that you screwed us over? Have you been keeping track, I haven't that close of a count?" The only answer Mal received was the redirection of all gunfire towards his location. "Jayne, grenade, and cover our backs. Zoe…"
"Got it Captain, just follow my lead. Down the hall, 70 meters turn left then a sharp right and…" she paused ever so briefly to lean around and shoot out the lights, showering shards of glass and sparking filaments onto unfortunate Lackeys. "then we double back down the adjacent hallway, there were two doorways we can block up, slow 'em down a bit then…"
"Captain Malcolm Reynolds," a strange and oddly composed voice called out from the gun smoke, "I really must insist you cease and desist in this pointless firefight. I assure you that my intentions for contacting you and your crew are entirely due to reasons of my own and not of my former employers."
"Yeah, ya' 'ear that? So quit blowing 'oles in my compound and my men or I'll 'ave to take the repair costs out of your cut for the next twenty years." Badger whined petulantly.
Curious, Mal reached over to stop Jayne from pulling the pin ever so eagerly from his ready grenade, causing the mercenary's look of childlike glee to fade to disappointment. With the cessation of return fire, Mal ventured a peek around their impromptu foxhole. Through the gloom Mal could make out the various Lackeys either behind cover or prostrate on the floor, groaning and spilling vital fluids all over the floor. Lighting fixtures still sputtered sporadically and squeaked as they swung slowly to a stop from the ceiling. Cheap, alcohol based beverages puddled on the floor, mingling with blood, as it flowed free from a shattered teapot. Amidst all of the chaos, one lone figure rose, dusting itself off of the accumulated grunge created by the havoc and the frantic dash for cover. After reasserting some sense of order to its person the figure spoke, "Captain Malcolm Reynolds if I may introduce myself I am Doctor Hayden Wyman, formerly head of the Alliance's Terrafoming research team. I requested that Mr. Badger arrange a meeting between your crew and I to discuss an arrangement that I am offering. If you would be so kind as to consider my plans and objectives as to the possibility of hiring your crew and your ship I think…"
"Talk is cheap Dr. Straightlaces." Mal countered steely.
"So it may be but rest assured, I am not."
The two men stared at each other, both evaluating the other.
"Well I suppose talkin' ain't much to ask, seeing as we all are all here anyways."
"Excellent, I had hoped you would agree to at least listening to my proposition. Mr. Badger would you so kindly see to setting up a suitable meeting room, I simply cannot work in a room of this condition, and neither should Captain Reynolds. And with some measure of haste please, there is much we must discuss if two men such as ourselves are to both come to a suitable agreement." Wyman instructed, sparing the Captain an awkward grin, of which Mal could only assume was meant to be reassuring but instead managed to send a wave of repulsion down his spine.
No matter how much this Alliance flunky, pardon former Alliance flunky, as though that was much better; however much the former Alliance flunky ridiculed Badger and played the sophisticated customer and friendly businessman, there had to be some damn shiny payoff and one hell of a good reasoning to make Mal seriously consider taking whatever this job is he's offering. They may need the coin but still, even Mal had his limits. No way in all the worlds in the 'verse would Mal ever take up as Cruise Captain for Alliance pensioners, even if they do despise the same slimy middlemen leeching off of society as he did. A thief does have to have his standards.
Whatever the proposition Mal wanted to be on the ready, motioning to Zoe and Jayne the two fell in behind Mal as he trailed after Dr. Wyman. Leaving the shambles of Badger's room for entertaining esteemed guests behind as they entered another, only slightly less bullet riddled room which Badger had his goons frantically arrange, hopefully to suit Dr. Wyman's taste.
The day was already looking shiny indeed. First, a great way to start any day with a nice nearly suicidal landing by the one and only crazy human weapon known as River, then the always fun meeting with Badger which, not surprisingly did lead to a shoot out, and now a proposal from a former Alliance cast-off researcher. This day was just getting better and better. Mal could hardly stand to see what was next.