The Last Spartan – Chapter Thirteen Author owns no rights to Firefly, and receives no money for his efforts. ------------------ Mal regained consciousness slowly, his head throbbing as he tried to focus his eyes. He remembered being hit from behind as he and Inara were. . .Inara! Forcing his head up despite the pain, he was both relieved and afraid to find Inara sitting opposite him in a chair. She was tied to her chair, just as he was to his own. Her head was hanging to her chest, and he hoped she was all right. “Inara?” he whispered. “Inara, can you hear me?” “Awake are we, Captain Reynolds?” Mal’s blood froze at that. He knew that voice. He turned his head to see. . . “Yes, it’s been a long time, Captain,” Atherton Wing walked into the room. “But I warned you then, I would have my revenge, did I not?” Wing walked over to Inara, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her head roughly up. She groaned in pain, still not fully conscious. “And the beautiful Miss Serra as well,” Wing mocked, releasing her hair. Inara’s head flopped unceremoniously back to her chest. Mal’s rage flared. “If you hurt her, I’ll. . .” “Kill me?” Wing smirked nastily. “I doubt that. You seem to be unaware of where you are, Captain. Allow me to explain,” he said, taking a chair next to Inara. As he sat, he began to fondle her unconscious form, knowing it would add to Reynolds’ discomfiture. “You are in an underground defense complex that was bought by a company of mine some years ago. It’s largely deserted, of course, as I rarely get over here. But it serves my purposes quite well from time to time. As you can see.” Mal wasn’t listening as he strained at his bonds, furious at Wing’s groping of Inara. “You needn’t bother, Captain,” Wing assured him. “You will not escape. As for Miss Serra, have no doubt, I will be doing far more than fondling her before I am through. You see, Captain, she is as much to blame for my anger as you. Thanks to her little ‘black mark’, I have been unable to contract with any Companion for quite some time. She and I,” he smiled an ugly smile, “have quite a bit of catching up to do, so to speak.” “I’ll kill you this time, Wing,” Mal ground out, “I won’t leave you alive, again.” Wing laughed. “Bravo, Captain. Bravo!,” he clapped. “I admire your spirit, if nothing else. You are not a coward, and never have been. But this isn’t a duel, Captain,” he leaned forward, and his face contorted into a mask of rage. “And this time, there won’t be a chance for you to defend the whore’s honor. No, Captain, this time, things will be quite different, I assure you.” Wing stood. “Well, enough for now,” he declared. “I will leave you two to discuss your fate. You can sit here and make promises to her, of course. But you will know that you are powerless to stop me. And I can assure you, my dear Captain, that your whore will beg for death before I’m finished with her.” “This is between you and me, Wing,” Mal said tersely. “Let her go. She’s got nothin’ to do with this!” “You weren’t listening, were you, Reynolds,” Wing said over his shoulder. “She’s got everything to do with this.” “Wing!” Mal yelled after him, but Wing was through talking for now. He exited the room, and Mal heard the lock thrown securely behind him. He looked at Inara’s form, and knew despair. He turned his attention back to his bonds. He had to try. ------------------- “We are close by,” River announced, as she slowed Serenity. “I can feel the Captain, but not Inara,” she added, her tone fearful. “Don’t fret over that now,” Jayne ordered. “Might just be out.” River nodded in agreement, but her fear remained. When you get as close as you can, set her down,” Zoe ordered. She looked to Jayne. “You ready?” He snorted in reply, and she noted that his eyes were darker than normal. “Jayne,” Zoe said quietly. “Do not be concerned,” Jayne said, his voice the gravelly whisper that shook her bones. “I will be in control of myself.” “Good enough,” Zoe nodded, turning her head back to the window. “Zoe, we are very close, but there is nothing there,” River said sorrowfully. “I know I am right, Zoe. I can feel the Captain’s anger, and fear. But there is nothing. . .” “They’re underground,” Jayne said suddenly, and Zoe looked at him. “How can you be sure?” she asked. He pointed. “I can see,” was all he told her. “Put us on the ground, little one,” he ordered, and Zoe didn’t object. Jayne looked at Zoe. “Wing does not live, this time,” he said, and Zoe nodded. “I agree. I’m tired of things like this coming back to bite us on the ass.” Jayne smirked at her, and despite herself, Zoe grinned. “But it’s such a nice ass, Zoe,” Jayne growled, and Zoe burst out laughing. “Now that’s the Jayne Cobb I know and. . .” she broke off suddenly, and Jayne grinned. “Love?” he asked playfully. “Tolerate,” Zoe shot back, still smiling. “I was gonna say tolerate.” “Sure you were,” he nodded, looking at River and winking. River suppressed a giggle, though she hadn’t really enjoyed Jayne flirting with the Amazon Queen. “Okay, let’s be about it,” Zoe ordered, all business again. Jayne nodded, and turned again to River. “Stay here,” he ordered. “Ship, and Simon and Kaylee are your responsibility,” he added as she started to object. “Do not fail in your charge, parum Spartiate.” River’s objection died on her lips at that. “I will not, magister,” replied solemnly. Jayne looked at her closely, then nodded. “We will return.” ---------------------- “What does that mean?” Zoe asked, as she and Jayne approached the door to the underground bunker. “That parum Sparty thing?” “Little Spartan,” Jayne answered, never taking eyes from the doorway. “Fitting, somehow,” Zoe nodded. “More than even she realizes,” Jayne told her. He examined the door. It was solid looking, and obviously heavy. “Ideas?” Zoe asked. Jayne smiled softly, looking at the heavy wheel used to seal the door. “Only one.” He seized the wheel, and began to turn it. Zoe heard the groan of metal and gears, and took a step back. Suddenly there was a loud clang, accompanied by more groaning metal, and then Jayne was pulling the door open. The door protested, but gave none the less. Zoe marveled at the strength Jayne possessed. “Shall we?” Jayne asked, his eyes blazing, violet pool. “Age before beauty,” Zoe replied, hefting her shotgun. Jayne laughed at that, and walked inside. ---------------- Wing looked up from his desk at the shrieking alarm. “Pearce, what is it?” he called. “Door’s been breached, sir,” Pearce replied from the control room. “Team is responding now.” “Breached?” Wing asked. It would take an explosion to breach that door, and he’d heard nothing. “Forced open, somehow, sir,” Pearce informed him. “No idea how, as yet.” “Keep me informed,” Wing ordered. He rose from his chair, and went to a weapons case standing against the wall. He removed a small handgun, which he pocketed, then took a sword from the case as well. “Perhaps I’ll have your crew after all, Captain.” ------------------ River watched from the cargo bay as Jayne ripped open the door to the bunker, and felt a shiver run through her. She knew that his power and strength were part of what had attracted her to him to start with. But another part was the simple fact that here was a man who would never be afraid of her, or intimidated by her. Where else would she find such a man? She shook these thoughts away as Zoe and Jayne disappeared into the bunker. She was responsible for the ship and the remaining crew. That was what she would concentrate on. No sooner had she reached that decision than she felt approaching danger. At least five men were outside, and were coming to investigate the ship that had landed near the bunker door. River hefted her rifle, and stood ready. She would not fail. --------------------- Jayne and Zoe walked into the bunker, into a world of darkness. Zoe reached for her torch, but Jayne stayed her hand. “No need, yet,” he told her quietly. “I can see clearly in the dark. Save your light for if we meet resistance. If they are wearing NVG, then the light will blind them momentarily.” Zoe nodded, and filed away Jayne’s night vision as another thing she’d learned about him. The two moved forward silently, Zoe following the now ‘vamped’ Jayne. She didn’t know if that was a real word or not, but it was the only term she could come up with for his. . .appearance. Jayne led her roughly fifty yards down the tunnel before stopping. He sniffed the air, and pointed down one of two access ways. “This way,” he whispered. “How do you know?” Zoe demanded. “Inara’s perfume,” Jayne told her. “It’s this way. Where she is, Mal probably is.” Zoe merely nodded, sniffing the air herself. All she could smell was musty tunnel. As they moved down the new tunnel, the lighting was some better, and Zoe could see more than Jayne’s back. He stopped short, and she froze behind him. “Company,” he whispered. “At least five, perhaps more,” he added, and she nodded. The two moved to a pair of tunnel supports, one on each side of the tunnel. They would wait for the ‘company’ to come to them. -------------------- Mal heard the shrieking alarms, and smiled in spite of himself. His crew had found him. No matter what happened now, he knew that Wing was done for. And he and Inara might just live, after all. “Mal,” Inara groaned, drug from her unconsciousness by the alarms. “Whas’ wrong, Mal?” “Inara,” he hissed. “We been took by Atherton Wing, Inara. Sounds like the crew have found us already, but you an me are still in a bit o’ trouble.” “Wing?” Inara frowned as her muddled mind fought for recognition. When it came, her eyes widened in fear. “Don’t panic yet,” Mal told her. “Plenty of time for that if Zoe and the rest don’t get to us in time.” Even as he spoke, he heard the lock on the door click. “Now you can panic,” he muttered as Wing walked partway into the room. “No, no need for panic, Captain. Not yet, anyway. Your crew are trapped in the access tunnel. I am going to see to them, personally. Then I shall return, and Miss Serra and I will become reacquainted. If you are polite, Captain, I might even allow you to watch.” He smiled nastily as he pulled the door shut, and Inara shuddered. “What’s he talking about, Mal?” Inara asked. Mal sighed, and started telling her what Wing had in mind. He didn’t want to, but if worse came to worse, she needed to be prepared. --------------------- River felt the men coming, but she couldn’t see them. They were at an angle from the cargo door than let them approach out of her line of sight. She considered briefly going out to meet them, but knew she would be an easy target. There was no cover, and she likely could not get them all before one got her. So she turned to the bay, looking at options. She decided to retreat to the catwalk, giving her the high ground. It wasn’t much, but she would take any advantage she could get. As she mounted the steps, she tried to calm her breathing. She had to protect Simon and Kaylee, both of whom were hidden in a smuggling alcove, and she had to protect the ship. If the men outside opened fire on the ship, she would have to go outside and fight them. But she sensed they were still cautious, and wanted to see who might be on the ship. The alarm from the bunker could clearly be heard, so they were prepared for resistance, likely why they were approaching slowly. Maybe they are supposed to take us alive, River thought. That would help. They would come on the ship, if that were the case. Once they were onboard, she could begin thinning the odds. So long as she could hold them until Jayne and Zoe returned, her job would be done. She settled into a comfortable position, hidden from view but able to see most of the cargo bay, and waited. It wouldn’t be long. --------------------- In the smuggling compartment, Kaylee and Simon waited. Kaylee was wrapped around Simon, and despite the tension, he was glad for her touch. He had missed her. “Simon, I’m scared,” Kaylee whispered. He placed an arm around her, and she leaned into him. “So am I, bao bei,” he replied, calling her that before he thought. She looked up at him. “You can still think of me like that, after everything?” she asked. He looked down at her. “I’ll always think of you that way, Kaylee,” he admitted. “It doesn’t matter that you and I aren’t together anymore. You will always be first in my heart.” Kaylee reached up and wiped a tear from her face. “That so sweet, Simon,” she murmured. “Why didn’t you say that before?” “I tried to,” he shrugged helplessly. “The words just wouldn’t come out right. I know, now, how River felt, when she was so confused. When she said she could hear what she wanted to say in her mind, but couldn’t seem to say it. Maybe it’s a genetic defect,” he laughed softly. “Simon, I’m sorry for the way thing. . .” he shushed her. “No need,” he assured her. “You aren’t the only one at fault, so forget it.” “Simon, do you think you could maybe change your mind? ‘Bout leavin’ I mean?” Kaylee asked him, not trusting herself to look at him. “For you, you mean?” Simon asked in reply. “No, Kaylee. Not like that. If you and I had been able to work things out, I’d have stayed here forever, or until you left. But to just stay? Like things are? No. I can’t do that, Kaylee. Not even for you.” “What if we tried again, Simon?” Kaylee asked plainly, since Simon wasn’t taking the hint. “I mean, just started over?” “I don’t want to start over,” he chuckled. “We, I, wasted too much time last time. I don’t want to go through all that again.” Kaylee giggled softly, despite her fear. “Well, I didn’t mean from the very beginning, silly,” she told him. “But maybe, now that we done looked at what the problems was between us, you think we could maybe try again? Maybe without the problems, this time?” Simon regarded her for a long time. “Kaylee, if you’re doing this to get me to stay. . .” “I ain’t!” she exclaimed, though she kept her voice down. “Truth is, I been thinking on it for a while. I miss you, Simon. So much, sometimes. And I ain’t like I was a little while ago, and you ain’t neither. Maybe we can make it, if both of us is willing to try.” Simon wanted to say yes. He wanted to just sweep her off her feet and never let her go. He admitted, if only to himself, that he loved Kaylee Frye with all his being. Yes, she was from a rim moon. No, she wasn’t highly educated. She was more at home up to her arms in engine parts than she would ever be at a ball, or cotillion. But she was so beautiful in his eyes that it often hurt just to look at her. She was so wonderfully charming and sweet, everything that the women he’d known on Osiris were not. “Kaylee,” he said finally. “I’d like nothing more in the world, all the worlds, to try again, if you mean it. I love you more than anything in the ‘verse, and I always will. I know I’m not Jayne, or Janos, or whatever he is. But I. . .” Kaylee lay her fingers on his lips, stopping him. “Don’t want, Jayne, Simon,” she told him honestly. “Or Janos. Or whatever. Was a time when I thought I might, but I was wrong. All I ever wanted was you, since the day you walked on the ship.” Simon heard the honesty in her voice, and his heart turned to water. Without thinking, he leaned down, and their lips met. They were still kissing when the shooting started.