Archangel - Chapter Thirty-Six Author owns no rights to Firefly, and no copyright infringement is intended. Fanfic only. -------------------- Zoe sat in the pilot’s chair, watching as the auto-pilot maintained their course for Idlewild. They had been in the black for over two days, and would soon be near enough for a direct wave. She hoped that Monty would listen. “Copper for your thoughts,” Inara’s voice floated to her. Zoe turned slightly as Inara strode gracefully up on the bridge, and situated herself into the co-pilot’s chair. “Just hopin’ this works,” Zoe admitted. “That Monty’ll listen.” “I think he will,” Inara smiled encouragingly, although she wondered herself. “When you tell him that the Operative asked you to keep him apprised of anything we learned.” “Here’s hopin’,” Zoe smiled slightly, moving to the cortex screen. She entered the address, and waited. ------------------ Mal watched as the ship descended towards Ariel. He had wondered where this place was, having known that once Simon had liberated River, it had been moved. “We’re on final, sir,” the pilot advised him. “Anyone seein’ us?” Mal asked. “No, sir,” the pilot shook his head. “This ship is small, but practically invisible, even at close range. Anyone who get’s a visual will assume we’re a planetary shuttle.” “How’d you get hold o’ something like this?” Mal asked. “God moves in mysterious ways, Captain,” was the standard answer. Mal chuckled, and went aft. The talk of God and Faith had reminded Mal of his own upbringing. After Serenity, Mal had lost his faith, he’d thought. He’d been hard and bitter. So many good men and women dead, and the evil that was the Alliance had prevailed. Mal hadn’t understood how God could abide that. Book had told him that God didn’t choose sides in such a manner. “‘Bibles full o’ stories where God was on the side of the Israelites,’” Mal had argued. “And we no longer live in that dispensation, Mal,” Book had countered easily. “God has chosen a different path, for a different people. A different way. That doesn’t mean we aren’t to oppose evil when we see it.” Mal pondered on that, now, as his ship headed for it’s target. What they were doing, today, was definitely a strike against evil. And they’d need help, not just to win, but to survive. God, I hope you’re with us, the thought came suddenly to him. I ain’t rightly prayed in a long time. ‘Spect you know how long. But this has got to be done. And we’re all there is to do it, looks like. I know I ain’t got the right to ask you for anything, way I been last few years; but, if you’d keep an eye on me and mine, and those that are doin’ what they can to stop this evil thing that’s happenin’, I’d take it kindly. “We’re ready, sir,” one of the armored specters said suddenly. His armor was blackened, as where all the others. This was a night op. “We’ll be on the ground in ten minutes,” Mal nodded. “Lock and load, ladies and gentlemen. Expect a hot LZ, and some. . .odd resistance. We covered all this in the brief. Godspeed.” “Amen,” the assembled voices called, and Mal smiled to himself. Some things never changed. ------------------------ “We have, at most, three days,” Thomas said, as he, Jayne, and Reson walked around Osiris. They were scouting the lay of the land, around Capital City. It was assumed that the reavers would strike here. They had hit planetary capitals on the other worlds they had struck. “We’ll have to hold them for at least two days, sir,” Jayne pointed out. “And that’s if Monty and his men decided to help us.” “I know, Michael,” Thomas nodded. “We have already made provisions for that. The city actually has several bomb shelters, left over from the war. We have slowly been preparing them, over the last week and a half. There is sufficient food and water for one week in each.” “Long enough,” Reson nodded. “I suspect we won’t last that long, should help fail to materialize.” “We will not,” Thomas agreed. “Would that it was different, my sons, but I fear that we shall all soon be giving an accounting of ourselves.” “I hope this evens the balance, then,” Jayne said quietly, looking at the ground. “It will, my son,” Thomas said kindly. “It will.” ---------------------- “Well, Zoe,” Monty’s face was hard, but he had taken the call. “Last time I saw you, seems you were threatenin’ to shoot me.” “Had that Operative in the room, knowing he killed my man, Monty,” Zoe replied, face just as hard. “What did you expect?” Monty’s face softened at that. “I really am sorry for that, Zoe,” he told her. “I didn’t think, that’s all.” “It’s all right, Monty,” Zoe shrugged, some of her own brittleness fading. “We all do what we have to, seems.” “So why are ya callin’?” Monty asked. “Change your mind about uppin’ with us?” He looked hopeful at that. “No,” Zoe shook her head. “I got information for you, though. And a request from Mal.” “Where is Mal?” Monty frowned. “That’s a bit of a story,” Zoe admitted. “You got the time?” “I can spare it,” Monty leaned back. “Tell me.” -------------------- “Go, go, go!” Mal yelled, as men streamed off the small ship. They had set down right on top of the installation, conveniently out in the less populated areas. Few lights were visible. “Comms!” Mal shouted, and two men nodded, running for the communications arrays that linked the facility to the outside world. “Door!” Mal yelled again, and four men ran to the bunker like door. Two guards, weapons drawn, came out to challenge them, and were cut down. It seemed like hours passed during the thirty seconds it took to wire the door, and the men retreat. “Comms down, sir,” Mal heard in his ear piece. “Blow it!” Mal ducked at the muted whump, then was up and running, following the advance team into the now open facility. “Clocks runnin’!” he shouted. “Make it count!” ---------------------- “Osiris?” Monty frowned. “Why would I want to help a core world, Zoe? Especially one that helped grind us into the dust?” “It ain’t about Osiris, Monty,” Zoe told him. “They’re doin’ this to whip up a fright, to justify ‘cracking down’ on rim worlders. Once this happens, they’ll lay waste to every patch of earth that opposed unification. With reavers, Monty.” “Then why hit. . . .” “It makes perfect sense,” the voice of the Operative said, and Zoe tensed. Inara reached out and squeezed her shoulder gently, reassuring her. Zoe’s hand patted Inara’s briefly in thanks. “I knew there was something wrong with the patterns of the attacks,” the Operative said, easing into the screen behind Monty. “This was it. There is no pattern, save one. The worlds where there have been so many missing, they’ve turned the prisoners into reavers using the altered virus.” “The core worlds, they have taken the arms they needed to equip the non-reavers, leaving tell tale signs of actual ‘revolutionary’ elements. All a plot to justify further violence against those who cannot harm them,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “Right,” Zoe’s voice was brittle. “If they can’t control us, then they’ll kill us. This is our only chance Monty,” Zoe stressed. “They may never have them assembled again, like this. And this is our only chance to expose what’s happening.” “Without you, and your men, the others die, the secret lives, and the rest of us are reaver meat. Simple as that.” Monty looked at her for a moment, weighing things. Finally he nodded. “We’ll go,” he said at once, and Zoe’s relief was palpable. “I can carry about five thousand men, Zoe. That’s about all that’s fully trained, anyway. We’ve got four Cruisers, a Gunboat Carrier with twenty-three gunboats, and eleven Corvettes.” “It’ll have to do,” Zoe said grimly. “Ain’t nothin’ else.” “It’ll take us a few hours to get under way,” Monty told her. “You want to help?” “I would,” Zoe nodded, “But we got other errands to run for Mal. And hopefully get back in time to help.” “Good luck, then,” Monty smiled. “See you in a few days.” The wave broke, and Zoe almost wilted. “Well, that’s done,” Inara said softly. “Now it they can just get there in time,” Zoe nodded, moving back to the helm. ----------------- Mal followed the first team into the corridors of the facility, his nose crinkling at the smell of disinfectant. Men who knew their jobs peeled off from the main group, heading to secure vital areas, and search for files and captures of the experiments performed in this hellish place. “Four minutes,” the pilot’s voice echoed through everyone’s ear piece. They’d been on the ground four minutes. Eleven minutes to go, then they had to run for it. “File room secured,” Mal heard over his ear piece. “Moving now.” “Get everything that ain’t nailed down,” Mal ordered. “And get what is, if you got the time.” “First level clear,” another voice informed him. “Heading down.” “Don’t go no deeper’n you have to,” Mal ordered. “Affirmative.” Mal watched and listened as the men went about their jobs quickly and quietly. Well trained, and highly disciplined. He nodded in approval. “Didn’t really need me along, after all,” he told himself. “Sir, we have a problem,” he heard in his ear just as he said that. “Damn it, I had to open my mouth!” ------------------- “What will we be doing, Jayne?” River asked, as the two of them sat in the fountain square. Her childhood home was mere miles away. She had considered, briefly, going to see her parents. But they would not likely want to see her, and it could compromise the mission. “Well, we’ll be defending the inner city, mei mei,” Jayne told her. “Where the shelters are, and where the taller buildings will give us some cover. The shooters will work from the windows, and we’ll work from the streets.” “We can’t win, though, can we?” River asked. Jayne looked at her, and saw no fear, just curiosity. “No, we can’t,” he admitted. “I told you that before,” he pointed out. “I know,” River sighed. “But maybe we can hold long enough for Monty and his bunch to arrive,” Jayne put his arm around her shoulders. “That’ll be winnin’, I reckon.” “And if he doesn’t come?” River asked, looking at the fountain in which she had played as a child. “Then we’ll take as many of them with us as we can, River,” Jayne said firmly. “Good enough, ge ge,” she smiled up at him. “Good enough.” ---------------------- “What?” Mal asked. “The lower levels have been sealed off. We’re down two floors, and that’s as far was we can go,” the team leader responded. “Lay all the demo for the lower floors on that floor, Bilich, and make you way back top side. On the double, now.” “Yes, sir,” Bilich replied. “We can’t get to’em, we’ll bury’em,” Mal said to no one in particular. “Take’em days to dig’em out. And they ain’t got no comms. It’ll still work.” “File detail secure,” his earpiece spoke again. “Moving.” “Good work. Hayes, detail extra help to get the files aboard, and to help with the demo.” “Sir,” his second nodded, and started issuing orders. “Nine minutes!” the pilot’s voice called, reminding them of the time. “Move it, folks!” Mal urged. “Gotta schedule to keep!” --------------------- “What other errands did we have to do?” Inara asked. “None,” Zoe smiled. “But I ain’t takin’ us anywhere near that Operative. For no reason.” “Good thinking,” Inara nodded. “So what are we going to do?” “We’re gonna wait right here, and make sure Monty and his outfit get off Idlewild, and head for Osiris,” Zoe told her, as Serenity went dark, imitating a hole in space. “You don’t think he will?” Inara asked. “I think if he don’t,” Zoe said darkly, “then we’re gonna run like hell to Osiris, and get Jayne and River.” “And after that,” Zoe turned hard eyes to Inara, “me and Monty are gonna have us a long talk.” ------------------------- “Twelve minutes!” The pilot called. “Let’s get clear!” Mal yelled. So far the operation had gone well. True, they hadn’t been able to get to the scientists, who had locked themselves into the vault-like lower floors, but they had got what they’d came for, and they would be lowering the upper three floors onto the sealed one’s in just minutes. “We’re clear, sir,” Hayes informed him, running up to Mal’s side. “Demo is in place, teams are away. No casualties.” “Outstanding,” Mal smiled. “Let us adjourn to the ship.” The two men ran for the ship, passing the rear guards along the way. As the group traveled, it grew, picking up the guards as it went. Soon, everyone was on the ship. “Fourteen minutes,” the pilot called, as the green light for the hatch lit up, signifying it was closed. “Get us outta the world!” Mal ordered, moving for the bridge. “Hayes!” “Sir?” “Light that candle!” Mal ordered. Seconds later, flame shot upwards from the buried facility, and the ground caved in on itself, like a sinkhole. The rest was well and truly buried. Mal wondered if anyone would even try to dig them out, or let them stay there, for fear of exposing the place. Of course, if things went well, they’d be exposed anyway. Thank you, God, Mal thought, looking at the sinkhole. For keeping us in the fight. --------------------- River had managed to sleep, despite the nervous energy that had kept her wired for the last three days. Jayne shook her gently, waking her. “Time to get up, little bit,” he smiled as she opened her eyes. He had already changed the dressing on her shoulder, doctoring it with extra care. Today was the day. “Need to eat,” he ordered. “May not get the chance again, for a while.” She nibbled at her breakfast tray until she saw Jayne’s glare. She ate more, sticking her tongue out at him as she did so, and he laughed. When she was done, he held out a small belt with several pouches. “Wear this, over your armor,” he told her. “High energy ration bars, first aid kit, and a compress. Might come in handy.” She nodded, accepting the outfit. “Carry whatever else you want, long as it won’t slow you down,” he told her. “And this is for you,” he held out a helmet. She looked at it. “It’s modeled after the Alliance infantry helmet,” Jayne told her. “Let’s you see better in failing light. But it’s made by our armorer. Same stuff as your armor. Help protect you, and let you communicate.” She took it, again nodding. “How long do you think we have?” she asked. Before Jayne could reply, the morning was shattered by the piercing wail of sirens, all over the city. “Not long,” Jayne smiled a little. “Better get ready.” The two helped each other prepare, calm despite the uproar. Their part would come soon enough. Once prepared, they looked each other over. Satisfied, Jayne nodded, and opened the door to their room. River followed him, closing the door, but not locking it. It would make no difference she decided. Together the two started for the street. Their time had come.