Chapter Ten: Dress Up
They could tell from above that the New Independents were losing. Their men were fewer and being pushed backwards. When the beetle class vessel sat down on the Alliance side, it went unnoticed in the heat of battle. Then, the Reavers poured onto the soldiers. It was a blood bath, but the Reavers didn't discriminate. The Browncoats were killed too. Was that supposed to happen?
"Those Reavers are takin' everyone out," Jayne commented.
River seemed distant as she spoke. "Supposed to. Can't raise suspicion. If Alliance made the Reavers and they only killed Alliance men, contradiction. Can't give the Alliance any support. Reavers given a set limit of Browncoat casualties. Last resort option. Reavers kill the Alliance. Browncoats win by default."
"They've been training them," Mal realized. "Those towns weren't just a setup. It was practice."
"What do we do?" Kaylee wondered.
Zoe took a deep breath. "We all know how we feel about the Alliance, but this ain't right. We wouldn't of done this back in our war. We wanted to win because we earned it. Beat them fair and square. These 'Browncoats' aren't worthy of winning anything. As much as I'd like to see the Alliance handled, it can't happen like this."
"Zoe's right," Mal agreed. "In our day, not nobody would have dreamt this up. I don't care who you are. No one deserves to be fed to Reavers. This has to stop. Somehow. Are we all in agreement?"
There was a chorus of answers, but Simon had the best point. "We do have to act, but what exactly are we going to do?"
"Well, nobody can survive goin' out there in the middle of a war and all them Reavers—except maybe moonbrain," Jayne offered which earned a glare from everyone else. "Fine, we won't send her. It'd be one hell of show, though."
"Remember how you thought I'd say yes to River's original plan 'cause she thought it up?" Mal questioned dangerously. "You were right, Jayne. We're gonna get on the ship carrying those Reavers. Take it over. Fly it to Newhall. Break in. End the killing. Not quite sure how, but we'll think of something."
Zoe stepped forward. "I'd like to go, sir."
"If she goes, I go," Jayne added as he stepped forward as well.
"Somebody has to stay with the ship," Mal reminded them. "With us in control, Serenity can follow close until we get to Newhall. They'll wait as the extraction team. Who wants to do what?"
Kaylee timidly raised her hand. "I'll stay with my shiny girl. She needs her mechanic in case somethin' goes pear-shaped."
"Simon will stay with you," Mal interrupted before Simon spoke his piece. "We can't lose our only doctor, and…well we can't lose our doctor…"
Jayne provided the other reason. "Mal's tryin' to politely tell you that you're the worst gorram shot he's ever seen."
"I wanted to stay anyway," Simon mumbled as Kaylee squeezed his hand as support.
"That means that all Serenity needs is a pilot," Mal commented with a glance at River.
She glared. "Most valuable asset here. Not waiting on this ship anymore."
"She's right," Zoe admitted. "The only other decent pilots on this boat are you and me, sir."
Jayne pouted. "I can fly…"
"As good as Simon shoots," Mal quipped with a faint smirk. "What do you think, Zoe? I know you want to do this."
She paused and glanced between River, Mal, and Jayne. "You should go, sir."
"Are you sure?" he pressed as she nodded. They both understood that he was the only one who could calm River other than Simon. If she couldn't handle the thoughts, he could hold her together. "Then it's settled. I'll go with River and Jayne."
Jayne pointed at himself. "I'm goin' too?"
"Yes. We need more than two people," Mal grumbled. "Be ready for a fight. We're leaving in two minutes."
River hugged Simon and Kaylee before wandering away to collect weapons. Jayne got his weapons first, and then he had an awkward moment with Zoe along the lines of, Don't get yourself killed or nothin'. Then, they left the ship on foot to make their way to the Reaver mobile.
By the time they got there, almost everyone had been killed. The Reavers hadn't returned to the ship, which gave Mal and company time to get inside the vessel. River knew of an entry point. There was a special door that allowed soldiers to fire at enemies from above. Mal had forgotten that detail until she mentioned it, and he was the one that knew exactly how to open it from the outside. After they had it open, they leapt aboard with guns drawn—or in River's case, a sword.
No one was in the main area. River sensed that the ones in charge were on the bridge and getting ready to call the Reavers back. A few corridors and steps later, they were on the bridge and holding the three men at gunpoint…or holding a blade to their throats. The men held their hands in the air, and River could already tell that they were each thinking of a way to escape.
"Incapable of moving faster than a bullet," she told one as she looked at another. "We will notice if you hit a button, and you," she added to the one at the end of her blade. "Applying direct and forceful pressure to your artery. The slightest friction will sever it, causing enough blood loss to end your life in a brief amount of time. No means of escape. Acceptance is the cornerstone of a happy life."
Reluctantly, the men surrendered. Mal used his gun to point at the console. "Call those Reavers back and tell them all to go to sleep. We're going to Newhall and I don't want any stir-crazy Reavers to get an unpleasant notion in their heads."
They did as they were told. As soon as the Reavers were back and asleep, the ship headed for Newhall. River informed them that Serenity wasn't far behind. Just an hour into the journey, River turned her head to the side with fear in her eyes.
"Kids have grown up. No more listening to the parents. Free to do as they please. Waking for a new day…"
"What?" Jayne asked. "Mal, what's her fancy talk mean?"
"The Reavers aren't taking orders anymore, Jayne," he snapped. "River, how dangerous is this gonna get?"
She floated to him and took the gun right from his holster. Mal could feel his heart pounding from the closeness. When River got near Jayne, he just forked over one of his guns. They still had plenty of firepower, but Mal didn't like what this meant. He was livid, in fact.
"You ain't goin' down there with all those Reavers alone."
"Three men will overpower one. They will listen to two. Can't come, Captain. Not this time. She has to dance alone. It's her number. Must own the stage."
His hand caught her arm as she went to leave. He lowered his voice for only her ears. "You better come back in one piece."
"She always comes back to you, Captain."
Her lips brushed his cheek and she left them. Jayne scowled with concern. "That girl is a born assassin, but those odds ain't shiny. We need that brain of hers to know what's what."
"I know. We need her…" he glanced at the doorway and tried to ignore the pit in his stomach.
River arrived in the center of the ship with Reavers slowly waking from their slumber. She checked the guns to be sure they were ready to go. As she held Mal's gun in her hand, she quietly hummed, "I aim to misbehave…raise the curtain, start the music…five, six, seven, eight…"
They could hear the Reavers and the fight all the way on the bridge. It took all Mal had to stay on that bridge instead of running to her. Even Jayne was impacted. The crazy girl had become a comrade of sorts, and he didn't want to see her go…especially at the hands of Reavers. By the time they reached Newhall, it finally fell quiet. It was too quiet. Mal was about ready to storm down there, but it'd blow the entire operation.
"Why ain't there noise?" Jayne hissed. "We should be hearin' somethin' by now. This ain't good."
"I know," Mal growled. "Maybe she's just catchin' her breath."
There was a sudden whoosh of air into the room. Mal spun to see River in the doorway. She was covered in Reaver blood and sporting several gashes. When she entered the room, she had a slight limp, though she was still a creature of extraordinary grace. They hadn't hear her footsteps at all. In that moment, Mal didn't care about the job or ruining his clothes. He embraced her with all that he could.
"I broke your gun," she squeaked into his chest. "Cracked it. On a Reaver skull."
"I don't much care, sweetheart. It's better than you gettin' cracked. What's the damage?"
"I'm fine. Threat eliminated. If they ask, tell them the truth. The Reavers revolted and had to be exterminated. Say they did it. Got lucky."
As they entered the planet's atmosphere, Serenity wasn't far behind. Jayne and River shared a moment of mutual respect before they were granted entry to the top secret base. Jayne held the three men at gunpoint while Mal asked them, "How can we sneak inside? He's gonna start shootin' you if you don't answer. Plenty of places to be shot without dying."
"There is no way. Everyone needs clearance. Each person on this base is constantly monitored once their security badge is scanned upon entry," one guy with large patches of white hair within his brown locks explained to them. River's unique mind nicknamed him Patchy.
That gave Mal the idea. It wasn't exactly a new idea, but it was taking things up a notch. "What about your Reaver soldiers? Are they monitored?"
"No. We treat them like cattle. They're cataloged once we set down, and then they're sent to Reaver habitation."
"What's the habitation?" Mal pressed.
"It's basically a prison. We keep about four to a cell so they don't kill each other over resources."
"Tell me, can you still monitor people without their badges?"
Patchy shook his head. "Security is so tight at the entrance that we only have cameras and codes for every door."
"Mal…" Jayne whined in understanding. "I don't want to be a Reaver."
"Shush," Mal ordered. "So, fellas, tell us the codes right quick 'fore they finish checking this ship into their systems."
That's where Patchy drew the line. "Shoot me if you want. I won't give that information."
"Don't have to," River smiled. "Got the encryption algorithm from Patchy's mind."
Mal grinned and didn't ask about the name. "Shiny. Here's how it's gonna go. We're gonna get dressed as Reavers. You're gonna tell them that we're the only three that didn't disobey orders. Then, you're gonna take us to Reaver habitation. If you're real lucky, we won't seriously injure you along the way. If you as much as give a funny look, we will blow our cover and take out every person in this base."
"You can't do that. It has top security," another one of the guys—called Grumpy for his short height and nasty attitude—snapped harshly.
"She just killed a room of a few hundred Reavers. You think a base of normal people will be an issue?" Mal pointed out.
River smiled. "Actual fatalities: four hundred and twenty-two."
"We won't do it," the final guy—Bulky for his fairly large stature—decided for Patchy and Grumpy. "How can you even control us if you're dressed as Reavers?
River and Jayne exchanged looks and he aimed at Bulky's crotch. "One wrong move, and you'll never be havin' a fun time ever again."
"We should get going. They'll be ready any second," Patchy agreed. "Just know that if you are caught, they will do worse than give you to the Reavers."