Bonnie & Clyde

Chapter 8

Simon Sheppard- Neal Patrick Harris Death Nail- Agent 453-21-768- played by Christoph Waltz ( Colonel Hans Landa ** Inglorious Basterds) Eddie Livouski- Saloon Owner Flint Lattimer- Livestock-Stable Owner Pete Nole- town resident Bill Waxen- Hotel Owner Max Hargrove- Myka ranch hand Teddy Rosenthal- Myka ranch hand

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Mal Reynolds stepped outside the sheriff’s office in the small town of Warehouse Pass on the lonely world of Ita moon. Ita moon was a place where he, and his crew of Serenity had been given a lucrative job opportunity, which meant it paid well, to bring certain items back to Persephone without questions or tampering.

The job was pretty much on it’s way to completion after Mal had learned from Jayne that he’d stored the rice bag they were suppose to retrieve from Myka’s General Store, in a side compartment on Serenity’s shuttle #2. All that was needed now was for Shepherd Book to return from the impoundment compound in Inara’s shuttle so that they could go back to the reclamation yard to fetch shuttle #2.

“ Wash! Why didn’t you just drop off Shepherd and go out to the reclamation yard yourself?” Mal questioned.

With his arms firmly around his beloved warrior woman Mal could see that his question was evidently not the smartest one. He continued, “ Well, Ok then, can we assumed that Kaylee will return to pick us up?”

Wash looked at the captain.

“ Actually, Kaylee stayed aboard Serenity.” The pilot informed him.

“ Then who……”

“Simon!” Wash answered.

“That’s great!” Mal said as Jayne entertained a smile.

“ How in the heck is Simon going to get the shuttle back to us?” Mal questioned.

“ He’s not….I guess.” Wash answered, “ Mal we weren’t thinking of having to come rescue two shuttles, we were only thinking of coming to rescue you! Sorry if I’m not the expert planner of crime, but you don’t pay me to do the planning, just the flying!”

Wash was right, Mal knew it.

The captains worries were at the moment elevated to the next level. First, Shepherd Book hadn’t been answering the communication messages Mal had been sending to the preacher. Now he’d just found out that the doc was with him. That thought didn’t make him feel less at ease.

“ Well Mal, “ Wash continued, “ Shepherd didn’t want to come into town……not after your last little fiasco on Jiangyin where he took a bullet to the chest, and the doc felt that one time tied to a burning stake was enough to last a lifetime! Kaylee stayed to take care of communication on Serenity and watch River, with Inara’s assistance. That left only me, Shepherd and Simon for the rescue mission….. or would you rather have spent more time with the Sheriff of Warehouse Pass and his buddies?”

Wash had a point. Mal hated it when people had points!

“Ok, I get ya.” He gave in, “ But my question, what’s gone wrong with your plan now?” Mal finished.

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Agent 453-21-768 had just finished securing the bonds of his last captive, River Tam.

“ Now may be a good time to come up with some answers my friends.” The government agent was explaining to the three prisoners before him. River was spouting her usual gibberish, just as she had back at the hospital on Ariel. Death Nail couldn’t understand any of it. He looked over to her brother.

“ It’s meaningless. Don’t even try.” The doc stated.

Death Nail was not about to take anyone’s word about anything. These people were important to Parliament and he meant to find out why. Maybe she was speaking in code. He moved River a distance away from the others.

“ Where are you taking her!” Simon voiced loud to Death Nail as the older Tam knelt bound next to the Shepherd.

“ Just you don’t worry about that!” The agent said.

“ Now look here…….”

“ Shut up!” Death Nail turn a stern gaze upon the young doctor. “ I told you no talking, or there will be consequences!” The agent shouted back.

“ Yes! I’m sure the authorities will be glad to…….” Simon had no idea he was speaking to a high ranking government agent at the time. “ River you don’t have to tell him anything!”

With this Death Nail approached the older Tam and with a swing of his weapon he knocked the Serenity doctor out cold.

The Shepherd and River were stunned with violence of the act.

“ Now! Any other disruption will be met with the same!” He said looking at Shepherd Book. The preacher kept quiet as the agent again approached the young girl.

“ Now Miss, if you understand what’s best for you, your brother and your friend, you’ll tell me what I want to know.” He softly spoke to the younger Tam. She looked up at him.

“ The three will come for you, and you will know the meaning of the darkness. Better to let us go and the harm will pass.” River spoke without such as a blink of an eye.

“ I’m done with all the gorram riddles girl!” Death Nail shouted, and with this he seized her by the shoulders and pushed her backwards onto the ground.

“ Now I want answers…..and I’m going to get them….” Death Nail spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“ The girl knows nothing!” Shepherd Book could not wait bounded and say nothing. “ That is the God’s all truth! Leave her be sir. If you’re looking for answers or a ship to steal than try the shuttle over there. I’ll tell you the code to start it!”

Again agent 453-21-768 was force to stall his interrogation to deal with someone he’d ordered to keep quiet. He strolled over to the preacher.

“ I don’t really know if you’re a true preacher, but that last warning was truly the last warning.” He said. With this he clubbed the Shepherd with the full side of his pistol. Shepherd sank to the ground unconscious.

“ Now!” Death Nail spoke looking at River. “ Time to get what I really want.”

Before the government agent could take two steps he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head, then all went dark.

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Agent Death Nail began trying to open his eyes. He wasn’t having much success. First of all his brain felt as if it were coming out of his head, second he could tell that his blurred vision was being hampered by a smear of blood that had congealed across his face. He attempted to take in a deep breath but found that his mouth was taped shut and the only intake of air was coming from his nose. His vision cleared and he began to look around. He could immediately tell that there was a sizable bump across the back of his skull and the his arms were tied above his head by a chain hoist.

“ Ahhhhhhhh, looks as if one of our would be horse thieve was left behind in order to secure a ride while the others led us on a merry goose chase!”

Death Nail followed the direction from where the voice had come. There stood Billy Waxen and Max Hargrove.

“ Yeah.” Max agreed, “ I don’t think these crooks expected the welcoming committee they usually are able to fool when they pull their petty schemes on other worlds.” He said. Soon after Teddy Rosenthal joined his two posse members.

“ What are we gonna do with this thief?” He asked Bill and Max.

“Well usually we keep ’em tied up and wait for the marshal, but today ain’t one of them usual kinda days.” Bill said.

“ What’d ya mean?” Ted asked.

“ Well, there’s still one more thief on the run, maybe more, and he really needs to be caught and justice served. Did you see the horror this monster unleashed upon those poor folk?” Bill asked Ted.

“ Yeah, brought them back into the shuttle they were tied next to. The preacher and the young man were still out cold but the girl was seemed unharmed, although she were speaking gibberish.” Ted informed the others.

“ Yeah, I can’t imagine the horror going through that sweet child’s brain. About to be accosted by a minion of the devil himself.” With this Bill and the others turned to view Agent Death Nail. The man was in a pitiful state but he received not an ounce of pity from any of them.

“ Max! You and Ted head out in chase of the other one.” Bill told them, “I’ll give a call to the Sheriff after I’m done here. I’ll catch up to you later.”

The two ranch hands understood, mounted their horses and were gone in less than a minute.

Billy Waxen then strolled over to the man that was shackled near the framework of an old model Trans-U.

“ You know fella, had you been only a lying, dirty horse thief I may have been able to forgive your wicked ways and just let the golden arm of the law deal with ya, but.” As he turned and began to walking away he never stopped speaking or changed his tone of voice, “ Being that you aren’t only a horse thief, but a beater of holy men and molester of young children, well there’s only one sentence befitting for such a heinous crime.” With that Bill pulled his pistol and took air at Death Nail.

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There was a shot fired in the distance. Ted and Max heard it. Pete, Eddie and Latimer too. Mal Reynolds heard it, as did Wash, Zoe and Jayne. There was a bit of a question where it had come from and for what reason the shot was fired, but Ted and Max knew, and they weren’t telling.

Epilogue:

It took a bit of a while but the crew of Serenity did make port at Eavesdown dock on Persephone. In about twenty five minutes time Mal, Jayne and Zoë stood in Badger’s burrow after delivering the two bags of rice that they had spent a brief moment in an Ita moon jail for. Badger was having his men examine the goods.

“ So, what are you and your crew doing to do with all that money you’ve made off of this endeavor?” Badger was asking the captain.

“ I don’t know. Maybe take a little vacation, some well deserved rest.” The captain answered. Badger looked over to his accountant. There was a meaningful glance passed between them.

“ You could always apply for the next job, if I’m willing to give it to you.” Badger spoke.

Mal smiled, “ No thanks, think our share in this will be all we need for a while.” He said.

“ Good, “ Badger said, “ Then our business is concluded.

Mal, Zoe and Jayne all stiffened at the man’s words.

“ No! It’s but partly concluded!” Mal stated, “ Where’s the other half of the payment?”

“ My dear captain, there is no other half. What you were given is what was agreed to.” badger showed little emotion upon his face.

“Mal, I don’t like the stench coming up from under the top hat!” Jayne voice his disgust.

“Oh,” Badge said looking over to the big mercenary, “ It still doesn’t measure up to the smell coming out of that pie hole in the center of your face!” He said.

At this hands grabbed pistol grips and automatic weapons were readied.

Mal was the first to attempt a more calm solution to the whole ruttin mess.

“ Now hold a bit gentlemen!” He looked around. “ We had a deal Badger. Wouldn’t speak well for you if it got out that you don’t honor your agreements!”

“ No it wouldn’t captain Reynolds, “ He spoke, “ That’s why I’m honoring the deal.”

The three crew members of Serenity all looked at the man.

“ See, the agreement was that the goods be brought back to Persephone no questions and no meddling. My accountant informs me that one of the rice bags was opened, therefore it’s merchandise has been compromised. You delivered half the goods, you received half the pay.”

Mal Reynolds then turned to look at Jayne.

“ I just looked inside to see what it was that was so gorram important! I didn’t hurt anything!” Jayne spoke in his defense.

“ Oh but it did my big hairy friend.” They all turned back to Badger. He held in his hand a small box, three inches by three inches.

“ The seal on this container has been broken, therefore the information contained within it’s disk is useless and will not be accepted by my clients. See Mal, what my clients have paid for is information. Something that tells them what worlds the powers of government are interested in for its future resources. Those clients then buy up property on these world which are bought up for a handsome price by the government at the right time. They stand to make a fortune buying up farm and cattle land from villagers for almost nothing then selling it back to the feds for the mineral rights and such. Very profitable” He looked again at the captain.

“ So as you can see, I can’t pass this on to them. They won’t give it a second glance.” He flipped the package back onto his desktop. “ As I said before, our business it concluded.”

It was a long ride back to Serenity…….and not a happy one.

The End.