One To Many- chap 3 --------- Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way ---------

It was a peaceful afternoon in Watsonville, but with all the excitement that had happened earlier in the day, the townsfolk had enough to talk about for the next two months. Roston Riley had landed his small craft just outside the little town and had made the acquaintance Judge Gantry Dillon, sheriff Cain and his deputies. He seemed young to have such rank as lieutenant, maybe around the age of twenty-five, but this only let Dillon and the rest of the authority of Watsonville know that the boy had some spunk, some drive, some determination to be an achiever. The judge viewed the young officer, as Riley made a request.

“ May I see the produce?” It was a question, but also at the same time a command. Gantry got the feeling that this young Alliance officer was used to getting what he wanted.

“ Follow me,” the judge said, leading him up the steps and into the jailhouse.

Mal Reynolds still sat shackled to a chair. Dillon led the lieutenant over to stand in front of the bandit.

“ This fella here calls himself Mal, and seems to be the leader,” then the judge pointed to the cells against the wall, “ there are the other two, someone named Jayne, and over there is Kay. I was just beginning the interrogations when you arrived.”

“ So this is it? Where are the others? I was told to expect a group of five, maybe more?”

“ This is what we have so far, the rest are still on the gallop. We’ll get them though, you can be sure of it.” the judge spoke confidently.

“ Don’t bother,” the young lieutenant stated, “you have a town to run. I have other personnel along with the two waiting outside. They’ve taken the shuttle to the refueling depot at Fort Oliver to the south of here. I will get with the garrison there and we’ll continue the search. You’ve done well here Judge Dillon. You should be able to tell the townsfolk that things can resume normally,” he paused to make note to himself.

Watsonville was a quaint little town, no sense disturbing the peace and having it’s residents all concerned if there were no need. He wanted the townsfolk to know that he was up to the challenge of catching the bad guys and returning calmness to the territory.

“These folk are more dangerous then your average bunch of contraband bandits,” he offered to the judge, “my personnel and I will handle them. My orders are to pick them up and ferry them out to the Rune Logan (cruiser class Alliance rim patrol vessel) which will be arriving in orbit soon,” Riley informed him.

Gantry Dillon was a little unhappy with this. Seems as if the young lieutenant was making note, maybe unintentionally, that this was above the capabilities of local jurisdiction. Assuming they couldn’t handle it. It didn’t sit well with the judge.

Knowing your limitation was one thing, but being told what they were was quite another. Capturing criminals was pure gratification, but arresting high profile crooks brought that satisfaction to a whole new level. He squinted his eyes a bit, and noted that he would agree. Still a little covert operation wasn’t beyond what he and his lawmen could do.

“ Understood,” he told the lieutenant.

********************************************* Malcolm Reynolds looked at the young officer who was standing over him. The kid couldn’t have been more than seventeen during the war. Now he was strutting around with a chest full of salad like he’d won the invasion of Utah Estuary single handedly. The captain of Serenity cracked a little smile. The idea of sticking this fellow in a room alone with Jayne for a little “one on one” time had him viewing the humorous side of this ordeal. Somebody would certainly be exiting that room with a pant full of lashi.

“ Judge Dillon, is there a room where I can interview this man alone?”

“ Yes,” Gantry said, “ this way.”

The judge led the lieutenant and his captive over to a private chamber. There was a table and chairs inside and with Mal’s hands still tied behind his back, the lieutenant motioned for him to be seated. The door was closed behind them.

“Mr. Reynolds, now…..yes I know your true identity, but I’ve been cautioned about letting others in on the finer details,” he stopped a moment, “Government secrecy and all. You find yourself in quite the predicament. It may go a little easy on you if you fudge up a little information.”

“ Well, to be honest son, I don’t know…….”

“ Let’s get one thing straight captain Reynolds, I’m not your son. My dad was a lieutenant in the war, he was killed by Browncoat Raiders, so if there’s one thing I detest it’s being call son by someone else, especially if it’s someone who fought against unification.”

“ Well, son……if the Alliance hadn’t started the war, then maybe your pa would still be around, and you wouldn’t have turned into such an asshole,” Mal was not about to give this young lieutenant any satisfaction, “ I lost family too.”

Roston grabbed the arms of the chair and leaned in close to the captain’s face.

“ The easy way or the hard way Mr. Reynolds, it’s your choice,” he said………

The rest of the interview went about the same with Malcolm not giving much ground. It got to be late evening when Riley ordered his crew to bunk down at the local boarding house.

“ Meadows, you and Clay secure sleeping arraignments at the local hotel. I have things to discuss with Judge Dillon. I’ll join you later.”

“ Yes lieutenant,” came the sergeant’s response.

The captured members of Serenity would be spending a long, cold night behind bars, something not unfamiliar to any of three of them.

*********************************************

It was late in the night, and Malcolm Reynolds was having a restless sleep. He lay in his bunk listening to the snores of his cell companion, with thoughts of somehow making an escape weighing heavy in his brain. He was able to catch a few winks here and there but for the most part he lay with his hands behind his head, eyes starring straight up into the darkness. The lights to this whole side of the jailhouse had been extinguished, leaving most of the room in complete darkness. There was only one lamp left dimly lit over the desk were the authorities of Watsonville had left deputy Demmers in charge of the evening’s guard duty.

There he sat, legs propped up on the desk, Winchester across his lap, reading a book. He presented quite the relaxed position had there been anyone wanting to enter the detention building that night. The captain’s mind returned to ponder the idea of where the rest of his crew may be? He slowly drifted off into a lumbering sleep.

At about midnight, but he really couldn’t be sure of the time, Mal was disturbed by a sound coming from the front of his jail cell. Without so much as a flinch of a finger the captain noticed someone at the cell doors. He watched as the person seemed to be unlocking the door to his prison. Mal couldn’t make out distinct features, but he could tell that it was the figure of a man, and by the squatty frame it wasn’t anyone he recognized. He glanced over to where deputy Demmers was sitting. The lawman still remained in his chair on guard duty, only thing was, he was fast asleep. He was stretched so far back in the chair that Malcolm could have tipped him over with a feather.

The captain returned his attention to the fellow entering his room. He weighed heavy on the idea of calling out, but decided against this. Firstly, had it been someone he knew, they would have certainly made contact themselves, and secondly, he didn‘t want to give up his facade of being asleep. Mal could see that they were certainly in stealth mode. The fact that they were sneaking around gave him the impression they were there for thievery.

It wasn’t uncommon for folks to be robbed while in jail. What better way to achieve justice than to steal from someone who may be headed for the gallows? Mal had had his pockets rifled through many times while incarcerated. He had lost one of his favorite medallions given to him by a Shadow ranch hand that way. Mal had learned that while in prison, sleep with one eye open.

As luck would have it, the intruder wondered over to Jonathan’s bunk first. He leaned in over the captain’s cell companion. Mal saw an opportunity and he took it. He slipped his legs over the edge of his cot, and with the force of both booted feet, pushed the thief’s body headlong into the wall. The fellows head smashed into the concrete cinderblocks, and his body crumpled atop the man he was about to rob.

Mal was out the cell door in a flash, before you could even say Alliance justice. He ran up to where deputy Demmers still lay totally relaxed in the chair. He was a little surprised but the lawman hadn’t flinched one iota during the entire action. He just lay there almost completely prone, mouth open taking in deep breaths of air. Mal slowly removed the rifle from his lap then with a quick flip of the wrist tipped the chair over so that deputy was sent to the surface of the hardwood floor. On the way down the lawman hit his head on the desk, and once he made the floor, not a muscle did he move.

“ Sorry deputy, but you understand,” Mal whispered.

“ What’s going on?” a woman’s confused voice called in a whisper from the last jail cell.

“ We’re breaking out of here Zoe!” Mal’s tone noted his urgency. He retrieved the keys and unlocked his war companion’s cell door, then they went over to the big merc’s cell. Jayne lay as totally asleep as if he were dead to the world. If there was one thing Mal could say about the big mercenary, it was that he didn’t sweat the details.

How someone, knowing that they could soon be facing a hangman’s noose be able to sleep so soundly was beyond his way of thinking? Jayne could do it though, sleep like a baby in his crib without disturbance. Maybe there was a divinity watching over the big brut?

Mal and Zoe aroused the big mercenary and headed for the front doors. They found a cache of weapons, so each one armed themselves. The captain wasn’t sure if there was a back exit, or where it may lead, and he wasn’t sure if there would be a change in the guard duty. All he knew was the front doors led out, and to freedom, that was where they needed to make their escape.

Looking out the front windows through the darkness they could tell that there wasn’t a soul roaming the streets. They eased the door open and ventured outside. Once the door was closed behind them Mal made sure everyone was ready to follow. A female voice coming from the shadows to the left had them all stop in their tracks.

“Captain Reynolds?”

Mal, Zoe and Jayne all froze in the footsteps.

“River?” The captain questioned.

“Come with me if you want to live!”

Well, they did want to live, but none of them recognized the voice, and as they approached the woman, none of them recognized the face either. Yet Malcolm wasn’t about to turn down any assistance, he didn‘t have time. They followed the girl around a couple of turns then she motioned them inside a small building.

“ This way.” She whispered. The sounds of a commotion coming from the main avenue had them follow her orders without question. After Malcolm, Zoe and Jayne all entered the darkened room, the door slammed closed behind them, but only after a small canister was lobbed in under their feet.

With a flash the canister began to spark…..emitting gas as it’s hissing sound echoed off the walls of a small room they found themselves in.

“ Night sweeties,” they heard the girl call, as with a deep gulp of air and gas, the captain and his crew slip into dark unconsciousness.

End Part 3