Chapter Thirteen: Right Ideas
"Take them to Serenity. Put them in one of the passenger dorms. And, do use the device…" Rex instructed his men. He then turned to the crew of Serenity. "You still have a chance, Sergeant Reynolds. As do you, Corporal. Last offer."
Mal's jaw clenched harshly against the comment. "Go to hell."
"Fair enough. I'll see you there. Men, take them away. All of you. We can't risk another escape."
The troops on either side of the crew converged in a tight circle. Simon clung to Kaylee's hand while Jayne and Zoe stood together in silence. Mal still had River in his arms, and he only strengthened his hold as they were led like cattle to their ship. Upon arriving inside Serenity, they were put in one of the vacant passenger dorms to be sure they'd have no weaponry.
"You lot, erect the barrier. The rest of you, get them into the devices at any cost. Nobody allow them to escape. Keep your guns at the ready," the commander declared.
Quickly, some of the men got to work on something the crew couldn't see. The others surrounded them once more, with more than half of them at the door with guns, and produced six devices from a mysterious bag. They were collars, but only River and Simon knew what they were. When the men attempted to place collars on their necks, the crew all fought back. A few warning shots from fifteen guards at the door caused them to reconsider. The collars were activated and the troops left the crew alone. The guards remained beyond the walls.
"What're these?" Mal questioned.
Simon swallowed dryly. "Detention collars, Captain. They produce strong electric shocks when someone attempts to remove it or they try to break the electric barrier. I'm assuming that they've encased this entire room. We can't get out without a paralyzing burst."
"No way out," River informed them curtly. "Barrier completely surrounds this room."
Jayne grumbled and sat heavily on the bed. "So, we gotta just sit here and wait to die?"
"We ain't gonna die, are we?" Kaylee inquired.
The room was still. Mal looked to his reader. "River, do you know what they're planning?"
"No. Too far away."
Zoe joined Jayne's side and folded her arms anxiously. "What I don't understand is that the Alliance would trade us for one of their scientists. Why are we more valuable?"
"Maybehaps they think we could ruin their lives again," Mal suggested. "No tellin' just now. My question is how those people are finding enough bodies to make Reavers."
"Silent drafts and attacks," River provided. "Been drafting men for the war since Miranda. First wave became Reavers. Still use inept soldiers for Reaver mutations. Forcibly take others in the night. Doing anything for the bodies now. Normal people. Unsuspecting. Never know they'll wake up as a monster."
Jayne shook his head. "Gorramit, we gotta do something! That ain't right. There's gotta be a way to bust outta here."
"Even if someone could get through or get the collar off, there are fifteen armed guards outside and even more on this ship. Someone is bound to radio if there's a breech. As a doctor, I can safely say that no one could handle that electricity successfully. The only way to get the collars off is to have a guard deactivate it. That isn't going to happen," Simon grimly stated.
"Well, if I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die a married woman," Kaylee decided as she grabbed her doctor by the shirt. "Simon Tam, I think you're the shiniest guy in the verse. I want to spend my life with you, even if that's just the next few hours, and I want nothin' more than to be your wife."
He grinned in an adorable sort of way and went along with it. "Kaylee, you are everything I could ever hope for. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, even if that doesn't last past today, and I want to be your husband more than anything."
Most of the crew felt choked up by this meaningful exchange in such a dark time, but all it did for Jayne was make him think about the warrior woman beside him and the bet he lost. So, in typical fashion, he crashed the scene. "Would ya kiss already and get this thing done?"
Kaylee and Simon shared a brief and tearful kiss as everyone quietly applauded. River went to them for a moment, so Mal joined Jayne and Zoe on the bed. He sighed with a tiny smile. "Well, ain't that something? Couldn't of come at a better time."
"More like about time, sir," Zoe smirked. "Took them long enough."
"Sometimes, it takes time for that kind of thing, Zoe. Now, seems like we don't got much time at all. I don't want to wait around for a death that ain't here yet, but it's lookin' more and more like we won't make it out of this one. Maybehaps the doc and little Kaylee have it right. Makin' the last hours count."
Zoe and Jayne exchanged timid glances while Mal's eyes fell on River. She was giggling with Kaylee about something, and Simon was grinning wider than Mal had ever seen. If they did die in the end, the newlyweds had the right idea. They were done wasting time and playing games. By the looks of it, an outsider would never know that something was wrong. That's the way it should be. Going out with happiness instead of sorrow. Light from darkness, as River had once said.
Mal went up to the Tams—which now included his mechanic—and fondly embraced the blushing bride. "I see the doc finally made an honest woman outta my mei mei."
"More like I made an honest man outta him, Cap'in," she laughed excitedly. "If we do get out, I was wonderin' if you could do me a favor."
He nodded. "Anything, little Kaylee."
"We'll probably get a real ceremony and all, so I was hopin' you'd walk me down the aisle."
"I'd be happy to," he happily responded. "Who will be your best man, doc?"
Simon turned a pale shade of yellow and turned to Jayne. "Zoe and River are going to be on Kaylee's side, so…you'd be on mine and the captain would join us. If that's…if you want…"
"Er, sure. Yeah…if I ain't busy or nothing…" Jayne fumbled.
Deep down, he was actually very happy that Simon would include him. This was particularly because Jayne was never very polite and tried to sell him once upon a time. At least, after everything, everyone could be a family. Mal was glad that he could stand up there with them too. He liked the doc and proudly shook the man's hand as a congratulations. Then, he turned to River as nerves took over his spine.
This was it. There was no other time. He had to tell her how he felt. His tongue was heavy and knotted and his mouth was like desert sand. After swallowing and moving closer to her, he began his little speech. "River, I have to talk to you about something. Well. I think. No. I feel that. Here's what I'm tryin' to say—"
"Seein' that we're one step from the grave, I gotta tell you," Jayne interrupted rather loudly. "Zoe, I sorta like you and I'd like to…er…buy you a drink. Dependin' on what the Alliance will do to us and all. I mean, if you want, and since I owe you the bet about Kaylee and getting knocked up 'fore her wedding…"
She smiled and ended his agitation. "I'd like that."
"Really?"
"We can count it as the money you owe me for that bet," she joked as relief washed over his face.
His head carefully nodded. "It's a deal."
Mal sighed. He was glad they finally got that out in the open, but it was his turn. River waited in front of him with a breathtaking smile and those big eyes looking up at him. He cleared his throat and tried it again. "Darlin', I was trying to explain that I. That we. That this. I mean to say that you're. Well…River, I wanted to tell you that I—"
Dramatically, the ship shifted and everyone slid into the back wall. Mal caught River in his arms, and Jayne accidentally caught Simon instead of Zoe. The men glanced at each other and Jayne quickly pushed him off. Kaylee went to the door and listened carefully. She shushed everyone and focused.
"Cap'in, the engine stopped. It weren't natural. Someone cut the power manually. She's gotta be docked someplace and those fellas don't want any chance that we can fly off. I can fix her fine, but they know it'll take me a bit. They'd get us before then."
"I reckon we're here," Jayne grumbled unenthusiastically. "Didn't take long. We must of met them not too far from Newhall."
"It'd make sense. It's an exchange, so they want their man close to the planet in case the Alliance goes against their word," Zoe agreed.
Simon scoffed with sarcasm. "The Alliance? Go against their word? No, they're an upstanding group of people…"
"That's my hubby," Kaylee spoke with pride as she went to his side. "Finally taught him a sense of humor. Only took three years."
The door opened and a massive collection of Browncoats forcefully grabbed them. Mal managed to keep a hold on River, but it wasn't easy. They were led to the cargo bay where a plethora of Alliance men waited with a scrawny scientist in a lab coat. Very carefully, the troops pushed the crew into the Alliance soldiers as the scientist was shoved to them. The crew was once against restrained.
"Your ship arrived. It's docked on the other side of our vessel. We're sending soldiers with you to ensure that you hold up your end of the bargain," the head Alliance man explained to the rebels.
The commander for the other side nodded. "Fine. Pleasure doing business with you."
With that, the crew was roughly taken onto the gigantic Alliance ship. After a maze of corridors, they reached the prison cell. They were all tossed inside and River went to the door. She shut her eyes and listened. When her eyelids flew open, she looked upon the crew with confusion.
"They're planning something. Something that could change everything. She can't understand the noise, only the urgency. No confirmed specifics. Only feelings."
"Is there any way to know for sure?" Mal wondered.
She tried again with a pained expression, and he instantly felt horrible for asking her. Upon finishing whatever it was that she was doing, she fell to the floor and Mal was there within milliseconds. His hand went to her clammy forehead, and his voice was tender. "Sweetheart?"
"River sees only agony. For everyone here. It's going to get much worse, Captain."
The crew exchanged worried faces and Mal's stomach dropped. What were these bastards planning to do with his crew?