(Been a mite busy lately and for whatever reason this chapter was makin' itself severely difficult to write. Hopefully I'm done being blocked and quicker updates will resume once more)

Chapter 23

A middle aged man of sino ancestry in a white lab coat calmly took a blood sample from a flailing disfigured human strapped to an examining table. The middle aged doctor had just begun examining the sample with a complicated machine when a set of double doors opened to reveal two smartly dressed men in business suits wearing blue gloves. One of the blue hands addressed the doctor, asking, "Have the Miranda Victim samples been provided to your satisfaction, Dr. Wu?"

The doctor let out a weary sigh and answered, "Yes, indeed, they have, but I will not have an answer as to why the G-23 paxilon hydrochlorate failed until I am able to compare their data with that of our only successful adult application."

The other blue handed agent tilted his head slightly and said, "I was not aware there was a successful adult paxilon hydrochlorate application."

"There is not in the sense that you are thinking of," Dr. Wu clarified, "I was referring to our embryonic application trials we began almost thirty years ago. We've had a few partial successes, two of which survived to reach adulthood, and one complete success. Twenty eight years ago we achieved our first partial success. The subject showed an increased intelligence and focus, but also slightly aggressive tendencies. Still the subject was malleable enough and the data was invaluable. I have current data on said subject with me now, however, as a partial success, her data is insufficient.

"A little over twenty five years ago we achieved our first completely successful embryonic PAX application. The subject was very compliant, intelligent, trusting and focused, while exhibiting a more passive and companionate temperament. In short, he was the prototype of the perfect, nonviolent, organized and productive society we were striving to create. I suspect you are more familiar with his sister, River Tam."

"Simon Tam is wanted for kidnapping his sister from a secured government facility and has recently added a wealth of other exploits to his criminal resume, some of them quite violent," The first of the Blue Hands said. "This could hardly qualify as a complete success."

"Graduated in the top three percent of his class from the most prestigious medical academy in the Core and was well on his way to becoming head of medicine. Besides," Dr. Wu said clinically, "he committed those crimes out of love."

One of the Blue Hands remarked, "I fail to see how that is relevant."

"I'm beginning to think it is why the G-23 paxilon hydrochlorate failed. We attempted to adapt and improve on Simon's formula to suppress the stronger elements of compassion to make the subjects more passive and compliant." Dr. Wu shook his head in disgust and said, "It worked.

"As for Simon, had his latent psychic abilities not been an issue, he would never have perceived his sister to be in danger. We did not anticipate his love for his sister being strong enough to override his better nature, but I do not believe the paxilon hydrochlorate was solely responsible for that particular trait. It's a shame we never cloned him, if only for use as a control to measure the changes the PAX caused in the boy, but the Tam family genetic profile did not look very promising at first glance. There was a 15% chance he would not even survive childbirth.

"So," Dr. Wu said as he finally looked up from his research to face the blue handed agents, "now that we have only one suitable test subject, could you kindly update his warrant to ensure that he is captured alive?"

***

Simon leaned heavily on his cane as he and Lien made their way into the courtyard. The dancing had quickly worn out his injured leg, which began throbbing painfully. Inconvenient as if was, Simon welcomed to pain. It gave his racing mind something else to focus on.

As Simon watched the Alliance shuttle descend towards him he mentally rehearsed his plan. First off, he would remain silent and faithfully fulfill the role of Lien's 'arm candy,' speaking only when spoken too and even then as little as possible. While a role reversal of that nature was uncommon between genders in most of the core, Lien's family was just famous enough to make it plausible. Once he was safely inside the secret gathering and the demonstration had begun, Simon would deploy a flash bomb grenade and charge the exhibit. With any luck he may be able to destroy the prototype technology and slip back into the panicked audience before anyone recovered from their blindness and daze.

The Alliance shuttle landed and Simon checked the eyetap computer glasses Kaylee had rigged for him to ensure they were still transmitting. It occurred to him the Kaylee was once again his only lifeline, only this time the stakes were higher than his happiness. His very life was in her talented hands. Her beautiful, strong, gentle and calloused hands…

Simon shook his head slightly and forced himself to focus on the task at hand. If he made it out of this alive, he would have all the time in the 'verse to find a way to convince Kaylee to take him back.

Simon glanced into the ballroom behind them and sighed. Kaylee deserved to be taken to a fancy ball like this far more than he or the other noble-in-name-only snobs. She deserved to be showered with jewelry and affection and to be treated like the princess she really was. But what did I do? Simon thought to himself bitterly, I pushed her away, I told her she would fit in better as a servant, and I could not even buy her a gorram engagement ring.

Simon loved and missed Kaylee more than he thought was possible, but he also knew he did not deserve that kind of happiness. Not yet but maybe, just maybe, if he could make the verse just a little safer for his mei mei and his bao bei…

"Simon," Lien's voice interrupted his musings and brought him back into the real world. "Simon, it's time to go. Are you alright?"

Simon responded with a soft neutral groan and followed her into the shuttle.

***

"Wait," Kaylee said as hunched over a monitor if fierce concentration, "don't land yet. I think he's boarding a shuttle."

Zoe adjusted their course, pressed a few buttons and informed an annoyed air traffic controller that they would not be landing planet-side after all. After finishing, Zoe turned to face Kaylee and said, "You're sure about this honey?"

Kaylee nodded and said, "Cap'n's right, looks like they're holdin' it in a skyplex after all. Do ya think we could follow 'em in?"

"Ain't like Niska's. See if you can find out what shuttle he's own while I inform the Captain. We can at least keep an eye on his location 'til we can figure out what to do."

"We could get him now," Kaylee said, her eye's pleading, "We can use Serenity and board his shuttle-"

"We'll accomplish nothing. Don't forget why we came here," Zoe said firmly but sympathetically, "Simon's the best chance we've got of protectin' our family. We let Simon do what he needs to and then we can go rescue 'im."

***

"You're hungry," River stated from the entrance to Serenity's bridge.

"No, I'm not," Mal replied stubbornly.

"You should get something to eat."

"I ain't leavin' the bridge."

"I can fix you a drink."

"I ain't drinkin' it. Boat's stayin' right where it is. You're brother knows what he's doin'."

"He's a boob and he's no good on his own-"

"And here I thought Simon was the mother hen. You're worse than your brother!"

"Simon doesn't belong there with those people. He's not like them."

"Which is why he ain't stayin'. I suppose Simon ain't quite the stiff upper crusty he once was, be he still looks that part. 'Long as he keeps his wits about 'im they're not of like to notice."

"You don't really believe that," River accused.

Mal let out a weary sigh and said, "No… no I don't. But we can't stop his plan 'fore it has a chance to succeed."

River closed her eyes and appeared to concentrating on something. It could theoretical physics or forming her next coherent sentence for all Mal knew. After a moment, she opened her eyes and said, "He's okay for the moment, but if that changes…" She paused and continued threateningly, "you won't be able to stop me."

***

Atherton Wing was furious with the ignorant gorilla of a man the ruined his plans in one senseless act of brutality. With everyone giving the ape-man-gone-wrong-thing such a wide berth, it became impossible for Atherton to trail his target without being noticed. Fortunately a few connections and well placed bribes were enough to give him the address to the hotel Inara was staying at, assuming she had not changed rooms since last evening.

Atherton arrived outside of her suite with two assistants/bodyguards and knocked on the door. His jaw nearly fell to the floor when the door opened to reveal the man-ape from earlier.

Jayne took bite of his apple disinterestedly and said, "Yeah?" his words half muffled by the fruit.

"Er… are you Dr. Galen Sushruta?" Atherton asked disbelieving.

"Nope," Jayne replied and took another bite of s apple.

"Is this the room of one Dr. Sushruta?"

Jayne took his time savoring his latest bite, much to Atherton's annoyance, before finally swallowing and saying, "Nope."

"Is the companion Inara Serra here?" Atherton asked impatiently.

"Nope."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Nope."

"May I come inside?"

"Nope," the brute said as he slammed the door shut in Atherton's face.

Atherton was practically shaking with rage as he ordered to his subordinates, "Keep looking. It appears we have to wrong room." He was not entirely convinced he had the wrong room, but he was fairly certain making a scene here would jeopardize his plans if he really was in the wrong place.

***

Inara searched to Ballroom in vain for the second time since they began this ill fated operation. She felt like she let the crew down for not keeping a better eye on the young doctor. Simon's care had been her responsibility and she had failed him. It was no wonder Mal had never considered her part of the crew.

Inara made her way to the courtyard just in time to see two Alliance shuttles taking off. For some reason she could not identify, Inara felt certain that Simon was on one of those transports. She had been out of touch with the rest of the crew since she left Jayne behind in the hotel room and had no means of contacting them to confirm her hunch. Still, there was some logic in assuming the doctor had left the ball via one of those shuttles and Inara just could not shake that incessant feeling. In a bold and reckless move worthy of that hundan they called their captain, Inara walked purposefully toward the remaining shuttle exuding an air of superiority.