Jayne hefted a heavy pack to his back and shoved a second into Simon's arms. They had dropped off the goods at the warehouse early that morning, located an arms dealer and made three different stops since leaving Serenity. Jayne had just finished his last exchange with his final underworld vendor, a half dozen grenades and a fancy new surveillance scope for Vera.
The big man was as giddy as a child with a bag full of new toys. The electronic scope seemed to tickle him the most. Apparently it could not only 'focus on a fly's ass at a hunnid paces', but take a live action video of the kill. Jayne was ecstatic Simon, however, was beginning to think the overgrown man-child had no intention of letting him get to his own supplies.
"Now can we go to Saint Teresa's?" The doctor asked. "It's getting late."
"Sure doc, whatever. I got what I need. You got the rest." Jayne tossed what was left of the money over to the doctor. "Lead on."
The two left the third and final shop loaded with everything Jayne could think they might need for a good gunfight. What was left, however, was scarcely enough for the good doctor the make due.
"Do you see those two men?" Simon pointed inconspicuously.
"Yeah, what about em?"
"Well, while you've been buying every explosive device on the planet, they've been following us for two hours."
"Tsai boo shr!" Jayne's grin betrayed his overwhelming desire to test out some of the new ordinance he had just purchased. "Timing couldn't be better."
"You're not suggesting that we – kill them?"
"Fur-dang-sure."
"In all these crowds?"
"Well no Doc, I ain't stupid." Jayne chided. "I'd let 'em follow us to a good spot first."
"But don't you think we should find out who they are?"
"Not sure I care. Probly just want to rob us."
The doctor didn't like Jayne's willingness to resort directly to violence. There were things going on here that didn't add up. Killing them just didn't make sense to the doctor and the look on his face showed it.
"What?" Jayne barked irritably.
"Thugs don't generally have gunships."
"You thing theys the ones tried to blast Serenity?"
"You don't?"
Jayne's look verified to the doctor that he really hadn't given it much thought at all.
"I have a better idea, one that involves less killing and us finding out who hired them. Maybe even who really tried to kill us last night." The doctor suggested.
"Huh." Jayne grunted skeptically. "I don't know…"
"And there is likely to be more money in it than just their pocket change." Simon added to get Jayne's attention. The only thing that seemed to distract him from mayhem and destruction was the potential to being paid for it.
"Well sure – let's hear it Doc."
"I suggest we give these guys the slip and follow them for a change. They will undoubtedly lead us back to whoever hired them."
"Right – then what?"
"We can use that new telephoto-imager thing you just bought to get a look at the real people behind this."
"Use what? Oh the scope." Jayne quipped. He liked to make the doc feel stupid when he could. "So how we gonna give them the slip, with you bein all – you and all?"
"I've learned a bit from my sister in the last year, or I'd like to think."
Simon had in fact learned some tricks from her, though most were in the form of games that she forced him to play onboard Serenity. He and River would play these games during their down time, mostly different ways of climbing or hiding. Making themselves look like other things entirely or just holding perfectly still. Simon though it had been a sibling thing, a kind of re-bonding, but he soon came to realize that these games were a form of defense training seeping out of her teenaged brain, remnants of the programming she had undergone in the Alliance weapons laboratory. In short, her way of protecting him.
"Where we goin?" Jayne said as the doctor strode away.
"To the hospital, like we planned." Simon explained.
"I thought we was gonna follow them fellas."
"Not before I get my supplies."
3