Spin

Chapter 5

Cast of Players & Places: Iron Eagle or Eagle Eye- Ira Eggers GAT WWDC15-Warden Wartouski Detainment Center 15. Mal Reynolds Jayne Cobb River Tam Simon Tam Zoë Washburn Wash- Washburn Kaylee Shepherd Book Inara

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WWDC15:

Ira Eggers, Iron Eagle, Eagle Eye or Detainee 693-2154, whatever you wanted to call him, was laying on his bunk, hands behind his head, waiting for his prison mate to return from his exercise period out in the detainee compound.

As Ira lay there he began getting that familiar feeling that something big was going to happen. Good or bad, he could not discern. He only knew that it would be something life changing, or life ending, which? Well, he was hoping it wasn’t the latter.

Eagle Eye thought about things that had happened to him since the war. While he was recuperating from the wounds he’d received during the fight of Serenity Valley he become aware of a weird ability he’d acquired to read peoples intentions.

Not that he could read their minds, it was a bit different than that. It was like he could gain knowledge of what someone planed to do, moments before they did it, so in a way it felt like he were reading their thoughts and ideas. One way he could describe it was like, if he were playing a game of chess, he had access to a persons intended game moves. That would certainly give someone an advantage wouldn’t it?

This talent he now had was confusing to him and hard to define which was why it had taken him so long to understand that he had it, and the thing was, he was getting better at it. This skill of his was amping up and giving him abilities to read people and understand what they would do next.

The only way he could explain his new talent was that it was like he was getting a fuzzy halo view of the future. Not ten years from now, or even a year. More like a day, or fifteen minutes, or such. If a person knew what you would be doing fifteen minutes from now wouldn’t they have an advantage over you? That was the way it worked.

Ira wasn’t sure if he liked having this ability. Of course it helped him win when he played any game of “spotter” , that’s why he’d been labeled with the nickname Eagle Eye. Not that he was so good at the game, but because he could cheat.

Ira Eggers’ ability to do this is what also had landed him at WWDC15. Someone had noticed his ability some time ago as he was winning tons of coin on SkyPlex near Ezra. They had turned him in. He had been followed by an Agent known as Death Nail and picked up, interrogated, and then brought here. As far as Ira knew this was a government run testing and information center. Folks were brought here either to get information from them or find out if their “Special” skill was exploitable by the powers that be.

Ira ran his right hand down the side of his left arm. There were scars there, and he didn’t understand why he related them to the battle on Mount Xian Xue and this new ability he had, but he did. He looked down at those scars. Four equally spaced marks creased across his skin. Healed over so that they almost resemble a welders bead. The longest scar being almost 3 inches and the shortest just under 2.

Mal had told him that he had likely cut himself on barbed wire, but Ira had no recollection of ever seeing barbed wire on Mount Blood.

Anyway, these were some of the thought running through Iron Eagle’s brain as he heard Gat being returned to his detainment cell.

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Mal Reynolds awoke more determined than ever to go to WWDC15. Weird that a simple dream can either make you happy or sad, or even more determined to get something done. This was the feeling he had. He press the com button in his bunk as he adjusted his suspender strap.

“ Okay everybody, I’m rested and ready for a new adventure. Galley meeting in five!”

Mal Reynolds didn’t care if anyone else was rested, or ready to see him. He was ready, and when he was ready they were. This was his ship, his crew and his rules…….“I’m the Captain damnit! And if the Captain’s ready then everybody is!” Mal spoke to himself.

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Serenity’s galley was already full when Mal arrived. It looked as if everyone was in good spirits so Mal knew he hadn’t interrupted anything, this time.

“Okay, what do we have here?” Mal questioned as he neared the galley table. On it’s surface was a big piece of unfolded paper. It looked to be structural plans, drawings and such.

“ The drafting designs of the detainment center at WWDC15.” Wash said. The paper nearly covered half the table.

“ Wow!” Mal said as he looked over to the preacher, “ Book! You did this?”

The Shepherd nodded.

“ I have a friend…..a brother back at the monastery with military ties.” He spoke as he took a sip of coffee. Mal just looked at the preacher.

“ Yeah, I bet!” Mal said.

“ With friends like that we could break into the “Bank of Londinium” easy as pie!” Jayne chuckled as his eyes rested upon the massive paper.

The entire crew of Serenity went to studying the layout of WWDC15, well all but River. She already knew.

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In just under two hours a plan had been formed and each crew member knew more or lees what they were to do.

“ Ok now!” Mal said, “ We know where the weapons are stored. We know where the guards are quartered. We know where the wardens apartments are and we know where the offices are located. We also have a good idea of the tunnel system around the compounds, the tunnels big enough for Serenity and the ones only big enough for the “Mule”, Mal paused, “……..but what we don’t know is what’s there worth taking?”

“ River mentioned gold and stuff. Jewels, silver and other things…..now we need to know what’s worth the risk of sticking our necks out for.” Mal said.

“ RIVER!” He turned his attention to Simon’s sister.

The entire crew looked over at the young Tam. River Tam did not blink as much as an eyelash from looking at the gold watch which was contained within her small hands.

“ RIVER! Gorramit what’s so interesting about that gorram watch!” Mal was a little irritated.

With this River Tam looked up from the watch and at the captain but still said nothing. There was a moment of silence as the young girl just glared at the captain.

“It was a gift to our father.” Simon spoke softly. “ On his fiftieth birthday.” All the crew looked over to the doctor. Kaylee comfortingly put her arm around him.

“ He gave it back to me after getting me released from the lock-down when I’d been caught wondering around a “Black-out” zone. I gave it to my sister a few days ago and she’s been mesmerized with it ever since.” Simon finished.

Mal swallowed hard. He could be such an ass at times.

“Well I’m sorry. But we need your sister’s head in the game.” He tried to make amends. “ Don’t want to loose any one of my crew because she got caught up with something from the past.” Mal felt like a hypocrite because wasn’t he doing the same thing with Ira?

“ Now what kind of payment can we expect once we get down to the sub levels and the vaults where anything of value might be stored?” Mal questioned the young Tam. All eyes were on Simon’s sister.

“Anything you want!” She said, “ People that are brought there are stripped of any valuables or coin that might be on their person when they arrive. Jewelry, chains, rings, bracelets, gold buckles, diamond earrings and just about anything else is stored in a confinement area down near section E6, level-4.”

“ Sounds like Inara’s Companion locker….” Jayne said before he thought to keep his mouth shut, “ Not that I’ve ever looked in there……River please continue!” He was a bit embarrassed, but only a bit.

The crew returned their attention back to the girl, but she was finished.

“ Well, gorramit!” Mal voiced, “ I don’t want to be stealing anything from folk that have already been stole from by the government, that ain’t our way ( stealing from the poor, or incarcerated, like what had happened on the train job at Paradiso came to his mind).

“Robbing from the Alliance is different, or stealing from banks, or…………..” He didn’t get to finish.

“ That’s where the guards payroll is too. Thousands of square to be distributed to the detainment contractors….” River added, “…..and the warden keeps his awards and trophies down there. There’s a brand new hovercraft and a land rover down there that would make Badger want something from you …. If you chose to sell it to him.” River giggled a little.

“ Gorram! That would almost be worth the heist by itself!” Jayne tossed in, “ To see Badger squirm over something we had……makes my mouth water!”

“ Well then……,” Mal was satisfied with her answer, “ Let’s get rollin!”

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They were but two days away from Beylix. Plenty of time to refine their plan….to make everything go smooth, Mal thought.

And time to talk to River more about what she knew of the place.

End Part 5