Chapter Twelve: The Trade
Mal groggily regained consciousness. His head was pounding, so he lifted his fingertips to soothe the ache. That's when he realized that his wrist weighed a ton and chains clanked with each movement. He glanced down to find that he was shackled to a wall and bench. As he sat upright, he saw that Jayne was beside him and still knocked out. Zoe, Kaylee, and Simon were further down the bench, but they were all fairly alert. However, this was not the first thing Malcolm Reynolds noticed. River was not with them.
"Where's River?" he demanded gruffly. Nobody answered. Kaylee had tears falling from her eyes and Simon wasn't far behind her. Zoe gravely bowed her head without a word. Mal's heart fell into the bottom of his boots. "Where is River? Somebody say something."
"We were hoping that you'd know, sir," Zoe quietly replied. "Serenity was boarded by a group of the New Independents. They threw some kind of device before I could react. We all lost consciousness and woke up here just a few minutes before you. River wasn't here."
Mal harshly cursed in Chinese and attempted to free himself. It was a fruitless effort, but he couldn't just sit there. He had to get out and he had to find her. The rattling chains woke Jayne, who instantly turned to Zoe with worry.
"You good?"
She nodded. "You?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
Jayne faintly smiled and surveyed the room. "Wait, ain't there one less person in here?"
"River," Simon squeaked. "We don't know where she is."
Loudly, the heavy door of their cell swung open and Rex Coleman entered with a powerful stride. His face twisted into a sickening smile when he saw Zoe. "Well, if it isn't Corporal Alleyne."
"Coleman? Didn't you die on Aberdeen?"
He rolled his eyes. "If one more person says that, I am going to scream. I see that you're still running with Sergeant Reynolds."
"We ain't in the war any more, Coleman. I've left those memories behind me."
"So, you wouldn't be interested in joining our cause? Reynolds refused, but I have hope for you. You were always so calm under pressure."
Her eyes hardened. "I would rather leap into the black than work with you."
"Fine, fine. You can stay here with everyone else until we work out a deal with the Alliance."
"Where is she?" Mal interrupted with force.
Rex regarded Mal with an amused smirk. "You mean the girl?"
"Her name is River. What the hell did you do with her?"
"Mal, relax. She's fine. We wanted to get to know her before we give you away. It isn't every day a psychic falls into our hands."
"If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I will personally see to making your life worse than a living hell…" Mal threatened darkly.
Rex merely shrugged. "I'm not afraid of you, Sergeant. I just wanted to welcome all of you aboard our base. It shouldn't be long before we finish a deal with the Alliance. Until then, I'll make sure that you're all comfortable. By the way, we got our files back from your girl. They're home with us, and soon you'll be home with them. Try to enjoy the ride."
"The Alliance is going to kill us. Are you really comfortable trading lives for your war?" Zoe growled.
He smiled at her once more. "My dear Zoe. You are still just as passionate as I remember. Do you remember the time you spent as a terrorist after the war? Do you ever stop to think that you wanted to win our fight no matter what it took? You are no different than us. This time, we are going to win and we don't care how."
"I might of wanted to win that war, but I never wanted to be as bad as the Alliance. You're worse than they are."
"That's subjective," Rex sighed as he went to the door. "I'll be back to see how you are later. And, Mal, you won't get your reader back until the trade. We've heard stories about her abilities. She's too much of a threat to leave here. We'll have her in maximum security. Bye for now."
The door slammed and Mal started on his chains again. It wasn't going anywhere, and it was making everyone feel even more hopeless. Jayne finally grabbed Mal's shoulder and said seriously, "It ain't goin' nowhere, Mal. You're not helpin' anybody by wastin' all that energy."
He stopped angrily. "What am I supposed to do? They can be doing anything to her. She's barely over what the Alliance did to her brain. We can't let her go through that again."
"We'll figure somethin' out," Kaylee agreed. "Cap'in, remember this is River. If anybody can escape, it's her."
River was awakened sometime earlier by the doctors on the base. They started with scans and basic tests, but soon they attempted to probe her mind with medical equipment. She was held down by automated restraints, but that didn't mean that she didn't have a plan. In fact, she had one. It was all about waiting for the right moment.
When she heard the fear in Mal's mind, that was all the motivation she needed.
Pain didn't frighten her. After everything she had been through, she could keep fighting despite serious physical damage. As soon as the doctors were away from her to whisper about amazing findings and intriguing results, she harshly pulled her tiny hand from the ill-fitted restraint. The movement broke her wrist and a few finger bones, yet she didn't stop.
She quickly reached above her head to reach the keypad near the top of the table. It only took a few moments to figure out the formula to crack the code. Her uninjured fingers punched it in, and all of the restraints popped open. The doctors turned to stop her, but they didn't stand a chance. She easily disposed of them and went to the computer to wipe all files about herself. The last thing they needed was for the Browncoats to manufacture mind-reading assassins in addition to the Reavers.
Her unharmed hand stole one of the doctor's badges and slid on the medical coat. Briskly, she used Mal's mind to locate the cell. Though he didn't know where he was, River had a mental picture of the entire base from others. It wouldn't be too hard to break into the cell. First things first, she had to get to the opposite side of the base.
"Sir," Zoe spoke, which broke the tense silence. "What do you think the walls are made from?"
He glanced. "Solid steel."
"What about the bench."
His knuckles tapped on the surface. "Tin…wait…that's perfect!"
"I thought you'd approve."
Jayne grimaced at their private moment. "What 'xactly is this about metal?"
"Oh!" Kaylee shrieked excitedly, catching on. "Tin is real weak. Steel would be real strong. If we put all the force on the bench, we could rip the chains free!"
"But, I've been at it and nothin' has moved…there needs to be more force. Jayne, kick at my chains."
Mal held his hands out to add tension. Jayne shook his head. "All right, but if I break your hands, don't blame me."
He started kicking the chains away from Mal closest to the bench. It took quite a while, but the chains finally came free. The metal cuffs on his wrists remained, so he had to drag the chains around. But, Mal was out. He turned to free Jayne. Once he was out, Jayne helped Zoe and Mal helped Kaylee. Jayne got to work on Simon while Zoe and Mal tried to figure out a way to remove the chains all together. It'd be hard to run, especially under the radar, with their chains dangling about.
The loud door screeched and they all froze. Zoe and Mal exchanged a tacit glance, both agreeing to jump whoever was behind that door. As it swung all of the way open, River stood there with a tiny grin.
"Captain."
He instantly went to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She made a noise when they embraced, which caused him to pull back and see her mangled wrist. "What the hell happened?"
"Had to break my wrist to free myself from the restraints. Needed to come back to you."
Simon pushed Mal to the side to examine her injury and squeeze her until she could barely breathe. They shared a touching sibling moment, and she had a similar time when she embraced Kaylee. Zoe even hugged her while Jayne awkwardly waved. Mal was about to ask River if she had an idea about removing the chains, but she answered him before he could open his mouth.
"Set wrist cuffs on bench with the chain taught across the edge. Apply force repeatedly. Should snap."
They tried it with Jayne, and it worked. Mal and Jayne helped the others as quickly as they could before it was time to escape. The captain put his arm protectively—and somewhat possessively—around River's shoulders and turned to the crew. "Time for an escape."
"Serenity is docked two levels beneath," River informed them. "Must be quick. They will know within five minutes of leaving this cell. Have to beat them before they get to Serenity."
Everyone chimed in agreement and they rapidly exited the cell. Sure enough, the alarm sounded. They hurried, but it wasn't fast enough. Troops cut them off on either side of a hallway with no doors. Though River could take out half alone on a good day, there were too many high-power weapons. They'd be dead for even trying.
"I'm not surprised," Rex announced as he made his way to the front of the soldiers. "You two were always experts at escaping against all odds. We'll have to be more careful this time. Men, take everyone to maximum security. Except the girl. She wiped the tests and killed the doctors. We'll have to start over with different medical professionals."
"Didn't mean to kill them. No other option. She will dance again before you take her crew."
"Sweetheart, don't. There's no comin' back from that," Mal whispered as he pulled River deeper into his arms. His jaw set as his gaze steadied on their captor. "You ain't takin' her."
"Now, I am surprised. Malcolm Reynolds is in love. A bit young to be your girlfriend, isn't she?"
"You best mind your mouth, Rex. Unless you like the notion of losin' your tongue. I don't much care if you want to throw us in another cell, but I'll be damned if you experiment on my reader."
Before Rex could respond, his fingers went to his ear. "I see. Tell them that we accept the offer," his hand dropped and he laughed gleefully. "Good news, Mal. I won't take your girl. I don't have to. The Alliance agreed to trade Serenity and her crew for one of their best scientists. Not just any scientist. One of the researchers who created the disaster on Miranda. With him, we can perfect our warriors and keep them from disobeying orders. Do you know what that means? Your crew, the one that exposed the origin of Reavers, will create the very Reavers that win us the war. Oh, you should feel honored. It's only a matter of time before we wipe the Alliance out completely. Your deaths will always be remembered."