AN: I'm sorry this update took me longer to post. In addition to law school being tough right now I was diagnosed with a nerved disorder (nothing too bad but very painful). Special thanks go out to Rachet, Moon FireStar, , chacra, hideher, and Ookami Sakura for the reviews =) As always I own nothing, I just play with all this for my own twisted amusement. On with the show!

Practice Makes Perfect

XXX

…A day and a half later…

As Serenity hits atmo of Mr. Universe's moon, the propulsion engines take over and Serenity begins to rock a bit. As Mal watches from the bridge a small piece of the nose breaks off.

"What was that?" He asks mildly shocked.

"Whoah! Did you see that?" Wash says mainly to himself.

The ship now lurches.

"Was that the primary buffer panel?" Mal says with mild irritation.

"It did seem to resemble…"

"Did the primary buffer panel just fall off my gorram ship for no apparent reason?" Mal says as his voice grows louder.

"Looks like." Wash says as he strains at the helm.

"I thought Kaylee checked our entry couplings! I have a very clear memory of it…"

But Wash interrupts him. "Yeah well if she doesn't give us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn through this landing is gonna get pretty interesting."

"Define 'Interesting'."

Wash turns to Mal briefly and in a calm voice answers. "Oh god, oh god, we're all gonna die?"

Mal pinches the bridge of his nose and grabs the comm now. "This is the Captain. There's a little problem with our entry sequence; we may experience slight turbulence and then explode."

He turns to walk out of the bridge now. "Can you shave the vector?" He says to Wash as one last suggestion.

"I'm doing it! It's not enough."

"Just get us on the ground!" Mal says as he turns and leaves.

"That part'll happen, pretty definitely." Wash calls to him.

As he leaves the bridge Mal is greeted by the sight of Jayne…covered in a number of guns and grenades.

"We're gonna explode?" He asks the Captain. "I don't wanna explode."

"Jayne is that really necessary?" Mal asks as he eyes all the weapons.

"I just got excitable as to choice."

"Jayne this is just a meet, I don't plan on any shootings taking place."

"Yeah, well what you plan and what takes place ain't ever exactly been similar."

"One gun Jayne." Mal says as Jayne groans.

Mal walks through the common area towards the engine room. "KAYLEE!" He yells as the ship lurches again.

"Everythings shiny Cap'n not to fret." She answers from underneath a side panel that she is working on.

"You told me…" again the ship lurches. "You told me that the entry couplings would hold for another week!"

"That was six months ago, Cap'n."

"My ship don't crash, if she crashes, you crashed her." He says as he turns and leaves.

XXX

Riddick's POV

I'm looking for River when the ship lurches again. "Maybe we really will crash this time." I say to myself as I continue down the hallway.

I reach the cargo bay and look over the edge of the railing to see River sitting in the middle of the room next to Mr. Full of Himself's box.

"Negative. 27.2 percent chance of cataclysmic crash. Today is not the day we fall from the sky in a blazing glory." She says without looking towards me.

I walk down the stairs and move towards her. "Good to know…So…what's in that box anyways?"

"It's a secret, not her's to tell."

"What about all that gos su about what's asking in the box?"

She turns and looks at me now…a smile on her lips. She looks just like the cat that got the cream. "Quoth the raven, `Nevermore."

XXX

River's POV

As the entire crew disembarked Serenity, they were greeted by Mr. Universe. He was a strange little man; while his outward persona exudes frivolity, there is something much darker in the depths.

"Welcome friends and potential lovers." He said as walked towards them causing the girl to giggle. She felt waves of irritation coming off of Riddick, and could see his mind trying to establish a reason for scaring, injuring, or killing the little man.

She turns and smacks his arm now. "Play nice."

He doesn't say anything, but she can feel him sending her metaphorical daggers in his mind.

"Derrial, it has been far too long." Mr. Universe says as he shakes Book's hand.

"Indeed it has…Let me formally introduce the crew of Serenity…this is Captain Malcolm Reynolds…"

"A pleasure Captain."

"…his first mate Zoe Washburn…"

Mr. Universe turns to Zoe, takes her hand and places a small kiss on it. Zoe looks almost surprised that the man would try this. "How on earth-that-was did my old friend manage to capture you dear lady, you are much too pretty for him."

"Ahem...I am standing right her you know." Wash says as he waves his hand.

"You of course already know Wash…"

"Of course." He says as he takes Wash's hand to shake it.

"Kaylee, Serenity's mechanic…"

"Hello." The sunshine says with a bright smile.

"You are as lovely as your name Kaylee." Mr. Universe says as he kisses her hand as well.

"Ms. Inara Sera…"

"Ah, a registered companion, forgive me if I cannot find words to due you justice." Mr. Universe says.

Inara cannot help but blush a little. "Thank you Mr. Universe."

"…Jayne and Riddick are what you would call our public relations team…"

"Well this is a surprise…Richard B. Riddick, I am quite a fan of your work." Mr. Universe says.

"Really now?" Riddick questions.

The girl chuckles. "He has the security footage of your escape from Butcher Bay." She says, which earns her another mental dagger.

"Ah…the woman who needs no introduction, Ms. Tam."

"She prefers just River."

"Well…just River…welcome to my humble abode. If you would all care to follow me I have some refreshments prepared for you all."

"Sure." Mal says as he begins following the man. "Riddick, Jayne, you want to grab the box?"

XXX

Riddick's POV

Jayne and I lug the box into Mr. U's office or living room. Not sure exactly what to call it as it's mostly a bunch of computer equipment and some random sofas in a large room. We drop the box as soon as we get a chance.

"Careful!" The strange little hobbit yells as the box makes a loud thud on the floor.

"Box is heavy, be thankful we carried it in at all." I say with a grumble as I move to stand behind where River is seated on one of the sofas.

"So...we ever get to see what's inside that thing?" Jayne asks. Kaylee promptly hits him over the head.

"Maybe some other time." Mr. Universe says with a tight smile.

"The girl has important matters of business to attend to." River says as a diversion.

"Oh really? Do tell." Mr. Universe says as he brings around glasses and wine for everyone.

"We need to procure a medical transport vessel, uniforms, security clearance, and layout's of Saint Lucy's Hospital."

Mr. Universe looks quite shocked now. "Whatever could you plan on doing at an Alliance hospital?"

"She needs to see someone there. And since it will be impossible for her to walk in the front door…she will need another way in."

"The security feeds would still pick up your face on the scanner when you were wheeled in as a patient though."

The next thing out of River's mouth stuns everyone. "Not if she is dead."

XXX

River's POV

"I'm sorry…what?" Captain Daddy asks as the shock wears off.

"I'm liking this plan more and more already. I volunteer to make her corpsified." Jayne says as a joke, although it just earns him a growl from Riddick and another smack from Kaylee.

"Well not really dead. A facsimile of death with suffice." She answers.

"How the hell you plan on accomplishing that?" Riddick asks.

"Suspend cerebral, cardiac, and pulmonary activity in order to induce a proto-comatose state."

"And what does that mean to the rest of us non-geniuses in the room?" Wash asks as Mr. Universe merely chuckles.

"My dear, your file did you no justice at all. You have the mind of a criminal mastermind. She's going to fake a coma with drugs and use you all to get her into the morgue. They won't check a corpse for ID. It's brilliant."

"Thank you." She says with a small smile.

"There is a junk yard outside of Ariel City that should have a ship that will fit your needs. As for the other things you mentioned…I have several contacts…but it will come at a price."

She smiles. "Will thirty thousand be adequate to secure your services?"

When she states this number everyone in the room turns and looks at her as if she has sprouted another head.

"Bit where the hell did you get that kind of money?" Captain Daddy asks.

"Paris wired us the funds from the last job this morning…" She says as she gets up and hands him a printout.

He takes the paper looks at the number printed on the page and proceeds to openly gape as Zoe, Jayne, Kaylee, and Wash come over and peaks from behind him. Each beginning to wear matching looks of shock from the number listed.

XXX

…A little while latter…

They had departed Mr. Universe's moon with the information that they needed in order to pull of this grand heist as he had called it. He had procured holographic blueprints, security clearance passes for their working aliases, as well as contacts to procure uniforms on Ariel.

As soon as Wash had lifted off River had requested that the Captain, Zoe, and Jayne follow her to the infirmary to begin practice on the lines they would need to memorize. It would only take a day or two to reach Ariel and they had a lot of work to do before then and when they arrived.

XXX

"The patients were cynical and not responding and we couldn't bring them back." Mal says.

"They were cyanotic." River corrects.

"They were cyanotic and not responding…"

"Not responsive." River corrects as she squeezes the bridge of her nose. After a day of practice they weren't much better at memorizing their lines.

"Responsive." Mal says with slight irritation.

She takes a deep breath and continues coaching him. "And we were unable to ..."

"Resuscitate them!" Zoe says with a look of triumph on her face. Jayne merely looks confused.

XXX

… Ariel a day later…

"Figures. First time on a Core and what do I get to do? Look through trash." Kaylee says as she rummages through the pile of metal and debris in front of her.

Mal had assigned her and Wash with the task of finding a suitable transport vehicle for the heist while looking for spare parts for Serenity as well since they were pretty flush with money from the Lassiter.

"Couldn't he send me shopping at the Triplex, or Oooh!" She stops her rant and picks up a piece of pipe. "A new port compression coil! We've been needin' one of these."

"Well add it to all these other bits you're havin' me haul around." Wash says as he comes up behind her and she put it in the wheelbarrow he's pushing.

He stops and sets down the handles and wipes his brow when he notices it, a small ship that looks to be in decent shape. He gestures to Kaylee, pleased at his discovery and more pleased they get to leave the junkyard.

XXX

"Pupils were fixed and dilapidated…" Mal says

"Dilated." River corrects again.

"Dilated! Dilated!" he says as he pounds the table with his fist in frustration. "Ching-wah tsao duh liou mahng!"

XXX

"A small battery of local Alliance Federals sub-stationed here." Riddick says as he points at a computer screen, and Mal, Jayne, and Zoe look.

"Now, every floor, every doorway is equipped with sensors and at all points of entry - patient ident scans. However, once clear of those checkpoints, movement within the facility itself should be relatively unhindered." River continues.

Riddick highlights another area on the map. "Now, the standard layout should put the medvault somewhere..."

XXX

"What about cortical electrodes?" River asks Jayne, who she now notices is looking at a small slip of paper.

"What's this?" She asks as she rips the crib sheet out of his hands.

Jayne looks at her now, and glares but doesn't say anything about it. "We applied, we applied the cortical electrodes. We used them electromagnetic...Reacted from... We were unable to a ...We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either... Unable to get a neural..." He pounds the table and swears in Chinese under his breath.

"Response." Mal fills in for him.

"Response... Hell, I don't know. If I had wanted schooling, I'da gone to school. I'll get it."

XXX

River's POV

Kaylee and Wash had managed to get the small ship back to Serenity easily enough since it could fly for small distances without crashing without doing any repairs on her.

Inara had gone and secured the employee uniforms, and had returned a while ago.

It was now all hands on deck to get the little ship ready. Riddick and Book were taking care of the welding, Wash and Kaylee saw to the wiring and electrical repairs, while everyone else helped as best they could. After many long hours, they all stood back and looked at what they had created.

"We did it." Kaylee said with relief and enthusiasm.

"It's perfect." She says as she studies the ambulance.

"Now we just need a corpse." Jayne says with a chuckle.

"Corpses actually." She corrects.

All heads snap to look at her now. "What?" They say in unison.

"She will need Riddick with her while Captain Daddy, Zoe, and Jayne raid the medivault. He will need to be transported as well."

"Did you know about this?" Mal asks Riddick.

"News to me." He says. She can feel the pricks of irritation on her skin.

"She did not think about that logistically till this morning. It is the only way to ensure the proper outcome."

A minute or so goes by when no one speaks; they merely digest what she has said.

"You okay with this then?" Mal asks Riddick.

"Don't have much of a choice when she says things like that."

XXX

…Later that night…

Riddick's POV

I descend into our bunk to find River curled up on the bed looking over the hospital blueprint again. I stop and look at her for a moment, there's a look on her face that I haven't seen before; it's one of reverence and sadness.

"She never wanted to drag him down to her level. That's why she left. He does not belong down here with her."

I move and sit next to her and she closes the holographic blueprint.

"He doesn't know what they did to her…her parents, the Alliance, the Academy…he doesn't know, and she's not sure he will understand what she did as retaliation."

"Does it really matter if he doesn't?" I ask.

"No, she supposes it does not."

XXX

...Meanwhile...

He sits at his desk when there is a knock on the door. He doesn't bother to look up as the young ensign walks in.

"Sir, preparations are complete. Dr. Tam will be apprehended tomorrow and brought in for questioning."

"Excellant. You are dismissed." He says with a curt wave of his hand.

The young man hurries from the room and closes the door behind him.

"Let's see if she really can stay away from her dear brother."

XXX

AN: After 33ish chapters he is finally going to make his appearance! I know some of you will be happy to FINALLY see Simon. ;) Till next time.