Chapter 3

Before they could continue the conversation, two men came inside the stable. One carried two covered trays and the other used a key to unlock a port built into the stable doors. The port was at the bottom of the door and slid open so that the trays could be placed inside the stalls for the occupants. Rather than risk Jayne trying anything the man laid the tray outside the slot and allowed Jayne to take it himself. The same was done with River since she was just as dangerous if not more so than Jayne. Once they had their trays, the slots were closed and relocked. The two men left leaving the two captives to their breakfast.

Jayne uncovered his tray and looked at the rice and dumplings that were still slightly warm. His stomach growled at him reminding him that he hadn't eaten since they left Serenity to find River.

"Jayne's stomach talks." River said. Jayne looked over at the slightly crazy psychic pilot assassin and saw that she too had uncovered her food and was picking at it with her chopsticks while seated on the blankets.

"Yeah, Jayne's stomach is saying its hungry." Jayne answered. Now that River was awake and aware or at least as aware as she was going to get Jayne was going back to his usual gruff manner. He didn't know why when she was in danger he suddenly got all strange, but he tried to forget about it when the danger was passed. He didn't need the complications.

"Cotton balls still there. Can't read them. Numbers unknown, variables unknown can't calculate." River said as she picked at her food.

Jayne took it to mean that she didn't know how many people were at the ranch and how many might be armed. "There was eight of em in the party including that fancified cowboy and the other reader." Jayne answered between bites of his own food. "Probably more of em though, ranch can't be run with handful. Too big a spread."

River nodded her head. "Take care of sticky cotton balls first."

"Take down the psychic first? Thinking the fancified cowboy should be first."

"Cotton must be removed first, only then can I help." River answered.

Jayne finished the last of his food and nodded to himself figuring the girl was right. She wouldn't be any help until the psychic was taken out freeing her from his influence.

They were interrupted by the opening of the doors and the arrival of four men. Two of the men were Terrence and Roger. The other two men Jayne didn't recognize from the party in the mountains which added two more to his count.

One of the men he didn't recognize was slender man bout Mal's height with light blond hair and green eyes who made the hair on Jayne's body stand on end. He didn't like the feeling of the guy, something about him was off. Before he could figure it out, Terrence spoke.

"Boss says he wants them kept separate doesn't want his psychic bonded right now. Caleb you think you can do it?" Terrence asked.

Jayne looked at them in confusion and then noticed that River was on her knees shaking. He growled,

"Leave her alone!" going to the door and grabbing the bars using all his strength to shake them in an attempt to get to the men. The men looked startled when the metal actually creaked in strain.

"Roger keep them shields tight." Terrence told the red haired psychic. "Don't need her interfering with what's got to be done." Terrence's eyes looked strangely sad as he said that.

The other two men moved forward to Jayne's stall. The unnamed one raised a gun that Jayne recognized as an Alliance stunner. Jayne tried to avoid it having felt its power before, but was unable to in the small space of the stall. Once down from its blast, the two men unlocked then entered Jayne's stall.

Jayne tried to get his limbs to work but they felt like wet noodles. He tried to struggle when the two men grabbed his arms and dragged him over to one corner of the stall. There they cuffed Jayne hands to the iron bars of the stall leaving Jayne hanging there until the stunner effects wore off and could get his feet under him.

While still stunned the men also chained his feet together and placed a dark hood over his head leaving him blind. He followed the movements of the men with his ears as one of them left the stall.

There was a scream from River and Jayne fought to get his limbs working again his brain yelling at him to protect her. Then his hearing caught the sound of clothes being removed. Afraid for River Jayne struggled to his feet only to realize that it wasn't River that was in danger. His hearing told him that River was alone in her stall, but scent and sound tracked the movements of the man named Caleb in his stall. The man who had removed his clothing and now stank of arousal. Jayne flinched when the man touched him and tried to lash out with his foot only to remember too late his feet where bound. He fell caught by the shackled around his wrists. Pain flared up in his wrists and shoulders. The man's hands touched him again, trying to remove his pants starting with Jayne's belt.

Suddenly there was a strange pressure inside his head. It felt familiar but it couldn't place it.

"She's trying to bond him." Roger yelled.

"Don't let her. Keep her contained." Terrence said.

The familiar pressure in his head stopped for a moment and a very unfamiliar and unwelcome pressure tried to fill his head just as Caleb managed to remove Jayne's pants.

"She's too strong, she's using a channel that was already there." Roger's voice sounded panicked. "I can't..."

Suddenly the familiar pressure was back pushing away the other presence in his mind. There was a strong build up, Jayne's eyes rolled into his head and the last think he heard was the dual sounds of two men screaming before he lost conscioussness.