INT. SERENITY – DINING ROOM – DAY

Mal and Zoe sit at one end of the table, Hicks, with Kaylee nearby, at the other.

MAL: You had the night to think on it, Hicks. Dazzle me.

HICKS: Well, see…

He hesitates, looks to Kaylee for support. She gives him an approving nod, suggesting he should go on.

HICKS (cont’d): I ain’t a thief who’s good at taking things.

MAL: Boy, that is not a confidence-inspiring beginnin’.

Hicks is flustered. Zoe gives Mal a “Let the boy talk” look, so Mal backs down.

HICKS: I’m good with computers… Systems and such. I ain’t no Mister Universe—

MAL: Who?

HICKS: —But I ain’t half bad. So, see, I don’t take things so much as I make ‘em disappear. Livin’ on Fort Liberty, so many supplies floating this way and that, it’s always easy to make things be where you want ‘em to be rather’n where they’re supposed to be.

Mal leans back, crosses his arms. He’s waiting for more.

HICKS: Secondary targets’re easy. I just hit a button and they’ll be delivered right here to us.

MAL: Well ain’t that fancy?

ZOE: Could be we want ‘em delivered somewhere else. Draw less attention.

Hicks nods.

HICKS: I can do that, too.

MAL: How ‘bout the, you know, the big target?

HICKS: Even that wouldn’t be bad under the right circumstances.

MAL: Which I’m guessin’ these ain’t.

HICKS: Target’s protected by a security network. We want to take the target, get away clean, network’s gotta come down.

KAYLEE: And to take the network down, we need an inside man.

MAL: Which we don’t got. (to Zoe) I love this plan already.

ZOE: Doesn’t sound any worse than most of yours so far, sir.

KAYLEE: Me and Ben, we figured this part out last night.

Hicks brightens when she uses his first name. Clearly, the boy has a bit of a crush on Our Miss Frye. And, really, who wouldn’t?

HICKS: We do have an inside man.

MAL: We do? Who?

HICKS: You.

MAL (to Zoe): Still no worse than mine?

ZOE: No, sir. Not yet.

MAL (to Hicks): Do you see my face? You’re lookin’ right at me! How am I—

Wash rushes in, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

WASH: Got a complication, Mal.

MAL: Don’t we always?

WASH: Just got a wave from Bernabe. They’re pretty sure the slavers are on their way to Haven. We don’t leave Fort Liberty tonight, we might as well not make the trip back there. Hell, the slavers make best speed, they might beat us back even if we leave now.

A beat as Mal processes that.

MAL (to Hicks): What do we need to do to get this done?

Hicks looks distinctly uncomfortable.

HICKS: Timetable you’re talking about, you’d need a miracle.

BOOK (OS): Would you settle for a preacher?

Book has come into the dining room from the other side. He nods to Mal. Mal gives Hicks a look of challenge.

MAL: Best you plan on that miracle.

INT. SERENITY – CARGO BAY – DAY

Hicks has made the exercise corner of the cargo bay his own. His leather backpack is open and the contents are strewn about. He has all manner of cobbled-together GIZMOS and GADGETS, most of them with a homemade look and wires sticking out of them. They’re the Serenity version of high-tech gadgetry.

Hicks sits on the exercise bench, looking more comfortable amid his equipment than he does when talking to folks.

The crew, including Book and Inara, stand in a half circle facing him.

HICKS: This…

Hicks holds up a DATACARD.

HICKS (cont’d, to Book): …will get you inside.

Book takes it, scrutinizes it. Mal looks over his shoulder.

MAL: How’s that gonna work?

HICKS: Datacard contains the itinerary for Commodore Jeremiah Peck, weapons inspector for the Alliance. He’s to pay a visit to Fort Liberty tonight.

MAL: Great. Another complication. Don’t we have enough o’ them?

BOOK: No, Captain. If I understand the boy correctly, I believe I’m to be Commodore Peck.

Mal gets it. He nods.

HICKS: You and your aide— (points to Zoe) Will pay a visit to Fort Liberty Central Security.

Book looks self-conscious in his preacher’s garb.

BOOK: Not dressed like this we won’t.

HICKS: Won’t have to. Fella named Feng, runs the laundry where the uniforms get cleaned, is dirtier’n the clothes that come in. For a few coin, he’ll loan two out to us.

Hicks looks at Inara.

HICKS (cont’d): Heck, if a pretty enough lady smiles at him right, he might not even charge.

Inara nods. She’s on it.

ZOE: What about guards? Even with the security network down, won’t there be a guard at the target?

Kaylee holds her hand out to Book. He gives her the datacard.

KAYLEE: Ben here’s a genius, I think. There’s a program on the card, when they plug in to check the good Commodore’s creds, it’ll gum up the Fort’s roster.

HICKS: You go in right before the shift change, no one’ll be sent to spell the guard when he leaves. Target’s wide open.

KAYLEE: Soon as the security network’s down, Wash flies us in right over the target, I’ll shore up the winch before we go and we’ll be in an’ out quicker’n a greased cat.

Wash looks at Zoe.

WASH (mouths): Greased cat?

Zoe ignores him.

HICKS: Which is good, because I give it twenty minutes, half hour tops, ‘fore some tech spots what we done to the roster’n does somethin’ to fix it.

ZOE: So once Preacher and I’re in, how do we shut down the security network? Might be your noticing we’re not technical wizards like yourself and Kaylee.

Hicks picks up a palm-sized COOL GADGET, and slots a different datacard into it.

HICKS: You get within a yard of the primary security core, flip this switch right here, this little piece of sweetness’ll do the rest.

BOOK: There’s no need to plug anything in? This will just interface directly with the core? Clever.

HICKS: Thank you, sir. Light goes red when you turn it on, yellow when it’s running, green when it’s done. Simple.

KAYLEE: Just don’t get let ‘em catch you usin’ it. ‘Cause they’ll probably be sore. And have guns.

WASH: Sore and guns. Never a good combination.

Mal nods to the crew and the crowd disperses to begin their part in the operation. The captain and Book are left alone.

MAL: You okay with your part in this?

BOOK: It’s a solid plan, Captain. Should work.

MAL: Not what I asked, Shepherd.

Book’s face is unreadable.

BOOK: The job needs doing, son.

INT. SERENITY – CARGO HOLD – NIGHT

Wash and Kaylee have apparently just finished shoring up the winch, and are tugging the line, experimenting with it. Kaylee has tools lined up all around the CARGO BAY DOORS.

Across the room, Hicks is fiddling with some of his gadgets, but also casting periodic moon-eyes Kaylee’s way.

Mal comes in, sweating and breathing heavy, dragging behind him a HOVER-PALETTE laden with crates.

MAL (to Hicks): Everything was there, boy. Just like you said.

Wash rushes over to help Mal, who nods appreciatively and leans against a wall to catch his breath.

KAYLEE: Everything go okay?

MAL: Would’ve gone a damned site better if that mule were in functionin’ order.

He motions to the MULE, a small cargo-hauler that’s currently a burned out husk in the corner.

ZOE (OS): Everything alright?

Zoe and Inara have entered the cargo hold.

Zoe is dressed in her stolen Alliance uniform. She looks uncomfortable, but fierce, all military and power, like some sort of Fascist Amazon Warrior Princess.

WASH: Wha-huh.

Zoe gives him a puzzled look.

WASH (cont’d): Can we keep it? The uniform I mean?

ZOE: What?

WASH: For one night?

Zoe blushes and laughs.

INARA: I have a question, Ben. Once they realize what we’ve taken, won’t they come after us? Hard?

Hicks ponders that for a beat.

HICKS: Once we’re in the air, I’ll send a wave or two, make them think Gleason’s at fault. I’m fair sure his superiors’re suspicious of him as is.

WASH: Are we okay with that? Framing him?

HICKS (shrugs): Gleason’s a bad man.

MAL (motioning up): No. I believe we’ve found our bad man…

Backlit and sinister, Book stands on the CATWALK above, dressed in an Alliance uniform, cap and all, managing to look both completely comfortable and totally ill-at-ease at the same time.

He looks like he was born to wear the uniform, but would rather die than admit the fact.

BOOK: How do I look?