Fic
Title: Through the Looking Glass
Author: karate0kat
Word Count: 63,000+
Rating: PG-13 (for brief sexuality, language, violence)
Pairings: Kara/Sam, Jayne/Jean (Barolay), Mal/Inara, mentions of Kaylee/Simon, Zoe/Wash, and Helo/Athena
Warnings: The story begins with a crash and there are several characters that die. They are all relatively minor characters and their deaths are not graphic and in fact happen 'off screen'.
Summary: When the Demetrius runs into Cavil's forces, they must make an emergency blind jump. Finding themselves stranded in a strange world, they're soon picked up by a ship called Serenity and its motley crew. AU for BSG after Ties That Bind, starts after Objects in Space for the Firefly ‘verse.
Chapter 18
"Athena, Wash. Ready when you are."
"Copy that Wash. Gate is opening now." They watched on the security camera monitors as the guards started to scramble back, moving to reposition themselves. But Serenity was already there, they had no time to fully deploy to effectively combat the flood of people pouring through the open gate. Because Serenity had no weapons they'd had to improvise. As guards still in the towers began to fire, the snipers tied to the top of Serenity fired back. Jayne nearly laughed. That had been his idea, and it worked brilliantly. Maybe Mal and Zoe would take his suggestions more seriously in the future.
They could hear thumps and thuds and scraps as men outside kept trying to penetrate the gatehouse’s defenses. It was hard to remain inside, watch on a screen as Mal and Kara took out a barricade that had been serving as cover for the other side. Hard to see Zoe leading a group of rebels against a line of guards who weren't ready for the headlong charge. Jayne didn't consider himself a soldier but gorram it if he didn't want to shoot his guns with everyone else.
"I'm almost there," Athena hissed, working furiously at the controls, seeming to sense everyone's impatience. "Almost- there!" The computer made a series of beeps and Athena smiled. "I did it, I'm through." Asha slapped her on the back and she laughed.
"Mal, Athena, are you there?" Athena had to shout into the communicator to be heard over the noise on Mal's end. For a moment all that came over the speaker was crackling interspersed with incoherent yells. Finally a voice called back.
"Captain's busy, what's up?" Zoe sounded winded and annoyed, and in the background Jayne could make out what sounded like Mal yelling "Come and get it you bastards!"
"Doors are open whenever you want to use them."
"We'll start moving in. Do they know the system's down yet?"
"I'd be surprised if they didn't. Expect a fight. Athena out." She set down the com unit and Jayne pushed in.
"Great, now can we get the guay out of here?"
"Just one more thing." Athena stepped away from the consol, moving Asha with her, and took out her sidearm. Three shots across the boards sent sparks flying, and Jayne coughed a little as he waved a hand to clear the smoke.
"Why couldn't you just do that in the first place?"
"Because the console runs the system, it isn't the entirety of the system. This is to make sure no one can reactivate after we leave."
"There's no controls in the house?" Jean asked.
"There are, but they're attached to the main security server, and I left a few presents. Anyone tries to reactivate at the source, a virus will cause a power surge and wipe out the circuitry."
"Sounds great, are we ready to go yet?" Jayne just didn't do patient.
"You can still get us out of here, right?" Athena nodded at Jean.
"Wall panel control, separate from the rest of it."
They used the monitors to check the positions of guards outside, then lined up with guns drawn. Athena reached over and keyed in a code and the door locks unsnapped. Jayne didn't waste any time pushing through hard, slamming the door into the guards working outside. With surprise on their side they broke free and ran for the line of trees that had been planted along one side of the wall. Kara stood behind one, ducking out to fire any time she got a lock on a target.
"Decided to join the party?" she shouted over the weapons fire as they all took up positions.
"It ain’t a party until someone breaks out the grenades." Jayne pulled the pin and lobbed it hard towards a barricade. The men hiding bailed out just before it blew, and Jayne and the others opened fire.
"Asha, you still want inside?" Kara asked.
"Damn straight."
"Jayne, Jean, wanna clear us a path?" Jayne followed her gaze to Mal and Zoe as they led a few other people towards a side door.
"I got no issues with that." They stepped out in tandem, each firing short bursts, more concerned with keeping others from firing on Asha, Kara, and Athena as they ran than actually hitting the enemy. The others all reached the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind them.
He and Jean moved to duck behind the tree line again when Jayne felt a blinding heat in his leg as a bullet tore through. He yelled and cursed even as Jean was already pulling him the rest of the way to cover.
"Gao yang jong duh goo yang," he swore, pushing on the wound with his hand to stop the bleeding as Jean returned fire.
"How bad?" she called without looking. Jayne took stock, raising his fingers enough to see the hole. Blood immediately began to pour out and he quickly replaced his hand. He tried to flex his leg but the pain was intense.
"Not too sure I can walk right about now." Jean looked at him sharply and moved to his side. She examined the wound but added nothing to his self diagnoses. As she peaked back around the trunk to keep watch, Jayne fumbled at the buckle of his belt. He may not be an Alliance trained surgeon but he sure as hell knew how to stop a bleeding wound.
"Here, let me." Jean took the belt from him and wrapped it around his leg. She threaded the end through the buckle and pulled tight. Jayne grunted against the pain and took hold of the belt, keeping it tight and in place. With his free hand he handed her back her gun.
"Keep shooting." She nodded once and leaned back out to fire. Jayne picked up his own weapon and heaved a sigh. He couldn't fire well from this position, but if they came he wasn't going out until his clip was empty.
**********
Dadik listened to the shooting and screaming outside and scowled at his drink. Why it was taking his men so long to put this ridiculous nonsense to a stop was beyond him. He was clearly going to have to make an example out of some of the more useless members of his security force.
The same man who had come before was back now, panting and with a cut dripping blood into his right eye.
"Sir! They've shut down security. I don't know how, but they're in the house. We need to move you!" Dadik stared at him coldly.
"I'm not about to be driven from my home by your supreme incompetence. Call up the guards stationed in Deshler City."
"Sir, they're already in the house, it's too late-"
"I did hear you the first time. Call them now." He watched the security monitor he'd had pulled up for the last half hour while his man made the call. Whoever had disengaged the security hadn't bothered to disable the cameras. No need, he supposed, as their presence was hardly a secret they were trying to keep. Still, it did give him one advantage. He watched Malcolm Reynolds lead a group down one of the hallways and smiled.
"Sir, the Deshler contingent is mobilizing now, but it will take them time to-"
"Leave me. Take all the guards with you."
"Sir-"
"I said GO!" He let his anger show then and the man scurried off quickly. Dadik turned back to the monitor. Reynolds would come find him, he knew it. Then they could finally settle the business of the past and he could concentrate on the future.
**********
Up on Serenity's bridge Gaeta smiled as Dadik’s man disconnected, and gave Wash the thumbs up.
"Worked like a charm. He had no clue who he was really talking too."
"Well gosh," Wash said, voice full of overblown and insincere concern. "I hope he wasn't counting on backup. That would be rather inconvenient." He flipped a switch to engage thrusters and slowly pulled up and away. "I'm glad you got your com system working. Ours isn't sophisticated to pull an intercept like that."
"Now if I can just fix the projection units to extend the range, next time we won't have to sit in the middle of a battle field to use it."
"Don't worry about it. Our girl's tough, she can take a few stones being thrown at her. And now all we have to do is go pick up our people left back at the rocks and head back to town. Wait for the pick up call."
**********
Sam laid the body of a young man next to the other's. Ten dead guards, four surrendered, and eight dead from their side. It could have been much worse. He joined Helo and they stared into the dark, listening to the distant sounds of weapons fire. They could see Serenity approaching, flying low, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief.
"I've been thinking," Helo started, eyes never moving.
"Yeah?"
"The plan says we get a progress report and head back to the village. Triage our injured and set up a defense just in case we lose or Dadik tries to counterattack. But Liam and Julius are more than capable of leading that. And we've got an extra jeep." He looked at Sam then, mischief in his eyes.
"It couldn't hurt. Kara does tend to get herself into trouble. And I'm pretty sure it's my turn to rescue her." Helo laughed as they headed towards Serenity, now landed next to the rock formation.
"I'll do you a favor and not mention that to her. Ever."
**********
It was dark in the house. Not so dark they couldn't see, but they moved cautiously. Kara looked back at Athena as they paused at another corner, waiting and listening.
"Are you sure it's this way?" she asked again. Athena glared, irritated.
"For the last time, yes. There are holding cells all along the southwest corner and into the sublevels."
"But you don't know for sure where Jacob is?" Asha asked, hushed. Athena shook her head.
"There were life sign readings in multiple cells. I couldn't tell who was who. The good news is I think we've found the kids he's been taking." Kara listened to it all as she swept the next hall, taking care to move silently. They'd come this far, they sure as hell weren't leaving without everyone. But the longer the search and rescue took the more likely they would come under fire.
At the next branch of hallway Mal stopped them, motioning Kara and Zoe to the side.
"This seem a little too easy to you?" Kara shrugged.
"Most of the guards are probably fighting outside. I don't think they realize we've gotten in yet." Mal nodded, then looked back the way they'd come.
"You take the group, get those people out of here. I'm going after Dadik."
"Whoa, wait a minute," Kara snapped, grabbing his arm to keep him from moving. "We get everyone out, then head for Dadik together. That's the plan. Even if most of the guards are preoccupied, there have to be some on him. One person by themselves doesn't stand a chance."
"Plan's changin', and a chance is exactly what I got. You think I don't know how that piece of luh-suh thinks? I'm here and he knows it."
"You think he'll let you get to him." Zoe was already catching up.
"I think he's been waiting from the second I stepped onto this gorram planet." Kara hesitated, still not happy with the deviation.
"I don't like it. You go off on your own, you're cut off from backup. You're at his mercy." Mal laughed.
"I can be pretty resourceful when the occasion calls for it." Zoe raised her eyebrows but said nothing.
"Get goin'. I'm gonna be mildly annoyed if I get this done and you lot are still wanderin' around lookin' for directions." He shuffled off without giving them any more chance to protest. Though the others look confused they said nothing. Kara looked at Zoe.
"You think he can do it?"
"I think he thinks he can."
"That’s reassuring."
The cells had opened when the security had shut down, though no one inside had realized it. After they quickly took out the guards standing by, they threw open the doors and started to pull people up and out. Kara felt her gut clench when she saw the rooms. They didn't look like cells, they looked like homes. Comfortable furnishings, books, blankets, food. Nothing that could be used as an effective weapon. A familiar claustrophobic feeling took hold as the rooms seemed to shrink, becoming more and more like the prison cells the pretty facade was hiding.
She started when Zoe grabbed her shoulder.
"You OK?" Kara took a deep breath and let it out.
"Yeah, I'm OK." She walked away from the room and tried to refocus. She hadn't been prepared for it, that was all. She wouldn't let herself get sucked back into Leoben's sick fantasy world again. He was dead, and she was rid of him.
Asha and Kara found Jacob in the sublevel holding cells, his face black and blue, his body bleeding, but alive. He didn't seem to realize they were there until Asha knelt next to him and took his hand, speaking softly.
“I didn’t tell him. I didn’t tell him nothin’. An’ he believed.” He smiled through the pain.
Another of the freed prisoners, a girl Asha recognized from a nearby village, helped get him to his feet, throwing his other arm over her shoulders so that he was held upright between the two women.
They rejoined Athena and Zoe and the other escapees on the main floor. Zoe took point, Kara right behind, as they headed for the exits.
They didn't get very far.
No sooner had Zoe stepped out into the hallway when shots rang out. Kara pulled her back and they returned fire briefly before Athena keyed in a code that had the door slamming shut.
"Frak me. Did you see how many?" Kara asked Zoe. The other woman nodded.
"A lot. Athena, is there any other way out?"
"No, that's why the cells are in this wing. That door is our only exit. The sublevel’s cut off too. They must have known we were coming for the prisoners, that's why we didn't face much resistance on the way in."
"They were waiting to trap us." Kara cursed and looked around. Asha and some of the others pushed a large cabinet in front of the doorway. It only housed extra blankets for the cells, nothing they could use as weapons, but it would slow them down if they tried to get in.
"Frak."
**********
It wasn't hard for Mal to find him. Dadik made it easy.
“You know,” he said, sipping something, probably brandy if Mal remembered his tastes. “You always had a flair for the dramatic, Mal. I always found it rather annoyin’.”
“I do seem to have the effect.” They faced each other, both with guns holstered for now.
“What exactly are you hopin’ to accomplish with this little stunt?”
“See, that’s the difference between you and me, Dadik. I don’t see fightin' for freedom as a ‘stunt’.”
“How can someone so cynical be so naïve? Wake up, Mal. There’s no such thing. Someone’s always the top dog. I was just smart enough to make sure that was me.” He gestured to the opulent room they stood in, as if that was proof enough he was the better man.
“Yeah, it’s a very, very fine place you got here. But I can’t help noticin’ you weren’t smart enough to keep us out.” Dadik laughed dismissively, a sound that put Mal’s back up.
“Making it in counts for nothing. Making it out is what matters. And from what my guards tell me, your side’s losin’.
**********
Jayne couldn’t see squat from where he was. It was dark, it was smoky, and he couldn’t move more than his head without causing tremors of pain to shoot through his body. Despite the makeshift tourniquet his wound continued to bleed, though at least it had slowed. He was hoping Mal got his ass in gear and wiped out the crazy evil dictator soon so they could all go home. He never thought to look forward to seeing the Doctor’s smug face, but there was a first time for everything.
“How you holding up?” Jean asked, taking a break from laying down fire.
“I could use a pillow; my ass is goin’ numb. But you can’t have everythin’.” She laughed but it was halfhearted. The continued sounds of gun shots told him they were still in the fight, but that didn’t mean it was going well. “Can you see anythin’ out there?” She leaned against the next trunk, peering around.
“The guards have themselves barricaded pretty good.”
“Must be easy to hide in a house while-“
“No, not the house. In front of it. They’ve got something piled up, maybe sandbags. I can’t see it well enough.”
“You got any grenades left?”
“No. You?” He didn’t.
“Maybe you should try to get closer, see what’s goin’ on.” She shook her head.
“I’m not leaving you here alone. You’re in no shape to fight.”
“Hell woman, I got arms, don’t I?”
“You going to aim one handed around a tree while keeping yourself from bleeding to death?” He was about to come back at her when her eyes went wide and scared.
“Move.”
“What? I can’t-“
“MOVE!” She grabbed the front of his shirt, hauled him up. Every step was agony, but as they limped out from behind the trees Jayne saw the grenade launcher aimed their way and found the strength to move a little faster. Seconds later heat exploded behind them and they were flying.
Jayne didn’t remember landing. He was airborne, and then he was flat on his back staring up at the stars and the breath was knocked out of him. His hearing was muffled, though not gone, and he had a feeling his leg was bleeding profusely but didn’t have the energy to lift his head. Even without moving it soon became clear that he hadn’t landed on the hard ground. He was lying on bodies, rebels who had fallen where they stood. Though not particularly squeamish about death, he still wished he could move away.
He felt something moving nearby, and then Jean was crawling into his line of vision, her hands going to his face.
“I’m OK, I’m OK,” he croaked out. She dropped down, half on top of him, and whispered in his ears.
“Play dead.”
Her head dropped down limp on his shoulder and they held their breaths, listening closely to the stomping feet close by. Covered in blood and camouflaged amongst the other dead soldiers, they were overlooked as a trio of guards made a sweeping pass. Gunfire began in another part of the yard and they moved off, leaving Jayne and Jean where they lay.
She raised her head cautiously, looking around, looking defeated.
"It don't look too good, does it."
"No." She reached down, tried to tighten the tourniquet again, but it was a losing battle. They both knew it. Her hands came back up to his face, stroked his cheek lightly.
"I'm glad we met, Jayne Cobb."
"Likewise, Jean Barolay."
Jayne didn't kiss women. The kind of women he found companionship with in his wanderings weren't the kind of women you kissed. But when Jean pressed her lips to his he kissed her back.
"Go on, keep fightin'," he said when they broke apart.
"You'll bleed to death."
"I'll bleed to death whether you're here or not. Just do me a favor. Take as many of those sons of bitches out with you as you can." She smiled at him sadly, eyes watery with unshed tears.
"That I can do." She kissed him again, soft and lingering. This time when she broke away she pulled off him completely, crouching down low, gun drawn and ready to fire. He pulled his own out. He wouldn't be much help, but from this position he could at least shoot. He had no cover and would more than likely be dead as soon as he gave himself away. But that was preferable to him any way. He always figured he'd die in a fight. Jean looked back at him one more time he nodded to her. She braced to push off, aiming a sprint for a new cover and a chance to keep fighting.
And then she stopped.
Jayne craned his neck, managed to push off just enough to see what she watched. A jeep careened into the yard, kicking up dust and shining it's lights across the barricade where the guards had made their stronghold. Jayne had only a moment to realize what was happening, and to notice two figures bailing out, and then the jeep crashed into the barrier and the night sky came alive with fire. Jean threw herself on him as the explosion rained debris down around them.
He coughed, the ash and Jean's weight making his lungs burn. Realizing the problem Jean immediately pushed off him, running her hands over him to check for additional wounds.
"You know," a voice called from the dark, "you could at least wait to grope him when I'm not around. My stomach can't take it." Sam Anders stepped from the night, grinning and brushing dirt off his pants. Helo came up after him, also grinning. In his hands was the med kit from the jeep they'd just blown up.
And in that kit were blood stoppers.
**********
Mal and Dadik didn't just hear the explosion, they felt it. The whole house shook, pictures and trinkets came tumbling down, and they both crouched low to steady themselves.
They came up guns drawn.
"You know, this really is ridiculous. You ain't exactly a beacon of moral fortitude, Mal."
"Never claimed I was. But I don't make my living off blood money." They moved, circling each other, eyes locked.
"Do you really think the war would have turned out any different without me? You were always on the losin' side Mal, face it!"
"We ain't never goin' to know what might have happened because you sold out your comrades! You betrayed your oath, you betrayed your people. You have no honor."
"You think I give a jung chi duh go-se dway about honor? I'm a God here! I control everythin'! What has honor gotten you? A rat hole ship that's fallin' apart faster than you can put her back together and a crew composed of the dregs of society! You have nothin'! NOTHIN'! Do you really think you can kill me? Huh? Do you really think you're the one that does me in?" His eyes were crazy, wild, completely unfocused. Mal had always thought a person had to be a little crazy to be that cruel, but this was beyond what he had expected. He could surround himself with as many hired hands as he wanted, but in the end Dadik had practically exiled himself. Cut off from everything but hatred and scheming he had truly lost his mind.
"No," Mal said at length, lowering his gun. "I don't think I'm the one that kills you. I really, really don't."
A shot rang out, Dadik's eyes bulged in shock and disbelief. Mal watched him fall to the floor and realized it was enough. It was enough to see him die but not to be the one to do it.
From the shadow near the door Alice stepped into the light, her revolver still drawn, a look of perfect calm on her face.
"Captain," she said quietly. "If it's alright with you, I think I'd like to go find my son now."
**********
They were cut off from all communications. Athena couldn't patch through the house coms without triggering her own virus and the thick, reinforced walls of the prison wing blocked the communicators from Serenity. They didn't know what side had cause the explosion or how much damage it had caused. For all Kara knew the whole damn compound was going up in flames.
"Look, I know it's not the best option. But I've never been one for standing around and waiting for things to happen to me. If I'm going out today, I'm going out on my terms."
"What exactly are you suggesting," Zoe asked her, rechecking her gun for the twelfth time in five minutes.
"I say we go out swinging. We charge out firing, try to use the element of surprise to push the line back some, maybe get some room for everyone else to make a run for it."
"It's suicide," Athena pointed out calmly.
"She's right," Jacob said, pushing heavily to his feet. Asha stood with him but he waved her off, staying upright under his own power. "We've come this far. I'm not ending tonight a prisoner of that monster again. If we die here then at least we died opposing him."
"I would rather die than go back in that room," one of the other girls spoke up, eyes hard. Kara looked around at their group, locking eyes with each and every person there.
They had a consensus, that didn't mean they had a plan, not really. 'Rush them' wasn't exactly the pinnacle of military strategy, but with what they had, with what they didn't know, it was the best they were going to get. If there was one thing Kara would never do it was lay down and die. She would keep firing her gun until she stopped breathing if that's what it took to get them out of here.
She and Zoe and Athena lined up, ready to go. They didn't waste time. There were no speeches, no readiness checks. There was no point. They were as prepared as they were going to be.
The kids moved the cabinet back out of the way and Asha keyed in the control just as Athena had shown her. Kara went out low, rolling on her shoulder and coming up on one knee, gun aimed.
There was no one there.
A throat cleared loudly and the women all swung their guns around. Mal and Sam leaned lazily against the wall next to the door, arms crossed, waiting patiently.
"If you're all done playin' hide and seek now, Wash is waitin' outside."
For the first time since she'd met her Kara heard Asha laugh.
**********
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Author: karate0kat
Word Count: 63,000+
Rating: PG-13 (for brief sexuality, language, violence)
Pairings: Kara/Sam, Jayne/Jean (Barolay), Mal/Inara, mentions of Kaylee/Simon, Zoe/Wash, and Helo/Athena
Warnings: The story begins with a crash and there are several characters that die. They are all relatively minor characters and their deaths are not graphic and in fact happen 'off screen'.
Summary: When the Demetrius runs into Cavil's forces, they must make an emergency blind jump. Finding themselves stranded in a strange world, they're soon picked up by a ship called Serenity and its motley crew. AU for BSG after Ties That Bind, starts after Objects in Space for the Firefly ‘verse.
Chapter 18
"Athena, Wash. Ready when you are."
"Copy that Wash. Gate is opening now." They watched on the security camera monitors as the guards started to scramble back, moving to reposition themselves. But Serenity was already there, they had no time to fully deploy to effectively combat the flood of people pouring through the open gate. Because Serenity had no weapons they'd had to improvise. As guards still in the towers began to fire, the snipers tied to the top of Serenity fired back. Jayne nearly laughed. That had been his idea, and it worked brilliantly. Maybe Mal and Zoe would take his suggestions more seriously in the future.
They could hear thumps and thuds and scraps as men outside kept trying to penetrate the gatehouse’s defenses. It was hard to remain inside, watch on a screen as Mal and Kara took out a barricade that had been serving as cover for the other side. Hard to see Zoe leading a group of rebels against a line of guards who weren't ready for the headlong charge. Jayne didn't consider himself a soldier but gorram it if he didn't want to shoot his guns with everyone else.
"I'm almost there," Athena hissed, working furiously at the controls, seeming to sense everyone's impatience. "Almost- there!" The computer made a series of beeps and Athena smiled. "I did it, I'm through." Asha slapped her on the back and she laughed.
"Mal, Athena, are you there?" Athena had to shout into the communicator to be heard over the noise on Mal's end. For a moment all that came over the speaker was crackling interspersed with incoherent yells. Finally a voice called back.
"Captain's busy, what's up?" Zoe sounded winded and annoyed, and in the background Jayne could make out what sounded like Mal yelling "Come and get it you bastards!"
"Doors are open whenever you want to use them."
"We'll start moving in. Do they know the system's down yet?"
"I'd be surprised if they didn't. Expect a fight. Athena out." She set down the com unit and Jayne pushed in.
"Great, now can we get the guay out of here?"
"Just one more thing." Athena stepped away from the consol, moving Asha with her, and took out her sidearm. Three shots across the boards sent sparks flying, and Jayne coughed a little as he waved a hand to clear the smoke.
"Why couldn't you just do that in the first place?"
"Because the console runs the system, it isn't the entirety of the system. This is to make sure no one can reactivate after we leave."
"There's no controls in the house?" Jean asked.
"There are, but they're attached to the main security server, and I left a few presents. Anyone tries to reactivate at the source, a virus will cause a power surge and wipe out the circuitry."
"Sounds great, are we ready to go yet?" Jayne just didn't do patient.
"You can still get us out of here, right?" Athena nodded at Jean.
"Wall panel control, separate from the rest of it."
They used the monitors to check the positions of guards outside, then lined up with guns drawn. Athena reached over and keyed in a code and the door locks unsnapped. Jayne didn't waste any time pushing through hard, slamming the door into the guards working outside. With surprise on their side they broke free and ran for the line of trees that had been planted along one side of the wall. Kara stood behind one, ducking out to fire any time she got a lock on a target.
"Decided to join the party?" she shouted over the weapons fire as they all took up positions.
"It ain’t a party until someone breaks out the grenades." Jayne pulled the pin and lobbed it hard towards a barricade. The men hiding bailed out just before it blew, and Jayne and the others opened fire.
"Asha, you still want inside?" Kara asked.
"Damn straight."
"Jayne, Jean, wanna clear us a path?" Jayne followed her gaze to Mal and Zoe as they led a few other people towards a side door.
"I got no issues with that." They stepped out in tandem, each firing short bursts, more concerned with keeping others from firing on Asha, Kara, and Athena as they ran than actually hitting the enemy. The others all reached the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind them.
He and Jean moved to duck behind the tree line again when Jayne felt a blinding heat in his leg as a bullet tore through. He yelled and cursed even as Jean was already pulling him the rest of the way to cover.
"Gao yang jong duh goo yang," he swore, pushing on the wound with his hand to stop the bleeding as Jean returned fire.
"How bad?" she called without looking. Jayne took stock, raising his fingers enough to see the hole. Blood immediately began to pour out and he quickly replaced his hand. He tried to flex his leg but the pain was intense.
"Not too sure I can walk right about now." Jean looked at him sharply and moved to his side. She examined the wound but added nothing to his self diagnoses. As she peaked back around the trunk to keep watch, Jayne fumbled at the buckle of his belt. He may not be an Alliance trained surgeon but he sure as hell knew how to stop a bleeding wound.
"Here, let me." Jean took the belt from him and wrapped it around his leg. She threaded the end through the buckle and pulled tight. Jayne grunted against the pain and took hold of the belt, keeping it tight and in place. With his free hand he handed her back her gun.
"Keep shooting." She nodded once and leaned back out to fire. Jayne picked up his own weapon and heaved a sigh. He couldn't fire well from this position, but if they came he wasn't going out until his clip was empty.
**********
Dadik listened to the shooting and screaming outside and scowled at his drink. Why it was taking his men so long to put this ridiculous nonsense to a stop was beyond him. He was clearly going to have to make an example out of some of the more useless members of his security force.
The same man who had come before was back now, panting and with a cut dripping blood into his right eye.
"Sir! They've shut down security. I don't know how, but they're in the house. We need to move you!" Dadik stared at him coldly.
"I'm not about to be driven from my home by your supreme incompetence. Call up the guards stationed in Deshler City."
"Sir, they're already in the house, it's too late-"
"I did hear you the first time. Call them now." He watched the security monitor he'd had pulled up for the last half hour while his man made the call. Whoever had disengaged the security hadn't bothered to disable the cameras. No need, he supposed, as their presence was hardly a secret they were trying to keep. Still, it did give him one advantage. He watched Malcolm Reynolds lead a group down one of the hallways and smiled.
"Sir, the Deshler contingent is mobilizing now, but it will take them time to-"
"Leave me. Take all the guards with you."
"Sir-"
"I said GO!" He let his anger show then and the man scurried off quickly. Dadik turned back to the monitor. Reynolds would come find him, he knew it. Then they could finally settle the business of the past and he could concentrate on the future.
**********
Up on Serenity's bridge Gaeta smiled as Dadik’s man disconnected, and gave Wash the thumbs up.
"Worked like a charm. He had no clue who he was really talking too."
"Well gosh," Wash said, voice full of overblown and insincere concern. "I hope he wasn't counting on backup. That would be rather inconvenient." He flipped a switch to engage thrusters and slowly pulled up and away. "I'm glad you got your com system working. Ours isn't sophisticated to pull an intercept like that."
"Now if I can just fix the projection units to extend the range, next time we won't have to sit in the middle of a battle field to use it."
"Don't worry about it. Our girl's tough, she can take a few stones being thrown at her. And now all we have to do is go pick up our people left back at the rocks and head back to town. Wait for the pick up call."
**********
Sam laid the body of a young man next to the other's. Ten dead guards, four surrendered, and eight dead from their side. It could have been much worse. He joined Helo and they stared into the dark, listening to the distant sounds of weapons fire. They could see Serenity approaching, flying low, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief.
"I've been thinking," Helo started, eyes never moving.
"Yeah?"
"The plan says we get a progress report and head back to the village. Triage our injured and set up a defense just in case we lose or Dadik tries to counterattack. But Liam and Julius are more than capable of leading that. And we've got an extra jeep." He looked at Sam then, mischief in his eyes.
"It couldn't hurt. Kara does tend to get herself into trouble. And I'm pretty sure it's my turn to rescue her." Helo laughed as they headed towards Serenity, now landed next to the rock formation.
"I'll do you a favor and not mention that to her. Ever."
**********
It was dark in the house. Not so dark they couldn't see, but they moved cautiously. Kara looked back at Athena as they paused at another corner, waiting and listening.
"Are you sure it's this way?" she asked again. Athena glared, irritated.
"For the last time, yes. There are holding cells all along the southwest corner and into the sublevels."
"But you don't know for sure where Jacob is?" Asha asked, hushed. Athena shook her head.
"There were life sign readings in multiple cells. I couldn't tell who was who. The good news is I think we've found the kids he's been taking." Kara listened to it all as she swept the next hall, taking care to move silently. They'd come this far, they sure as hell weren't leaving without everyone. But the longer the search and rescue took the more likely they would come under fire.
At the next branch of hallway Mal stopped them, motioning Kara and Zoe to the side.
"This seem a little too easy to you?" Kara shrugged.
"Most of the guards are probably fighting outside. I don't think they realize we've gotten in yet." Mal nodded, then looked back the way they'd come.
"You take the group, get those people out of here. I'm going after Dadik."
"Whoa, wait a minute," Kara snapped, grabbing his arm to keep him from moving. "We get everyone out, then head for Dadik together. That's the plan. Even if most of the guards are preoccupied, there have to be some on him. One person by themselves doesn't stand a chance."
"Plan's changin', and a chance is exactly what I got. You think I don't know how that piece of luh-suh thinks? I'm here and he knows it."
"You think he'll let you get to him." Zoe was already catching up.
"I think he's been waiting from the second I stepped onto this gorram planet." Kara hesitated, still not happy with the deviation.
"I don't like it. You go off on your own, you're cut off from backup. You're at his mercy." Mal laughed.
"I can be pretty resourceful when the occasion calls for it." Zoe raised her eyebrows but said nothing.
"Get goin'. I'm gonna be mildly annoyed if I get this done and you lot are still wanderin' around lookin' for directions." He shuffled off without giving them any more chance to protest. Though the others look confused they said nothing. Kara looked at Zoe.
"You think he can do it?"
"I think he thinks he can."
"That’s reassuring."
The cells had opened when the security had shut down, though no one inside had realized it. After they quickly took out the guards standing by, they threw open the doors and started to pull people up and out. Kara felt her gut clench when she saw the rooms. They didn't look like cells, they looked like homes. Comfortable furnishings, books, blankets, food. Nothing that could be used as an effective weapon. A familiar claustrophobic feeling took hold as the rooms seemed to shrink, becoming more and more like the prison cells the pretty facade was hiding.
She started when Zoe grabbed her shoulder.
"You OK?" Kara took a deep breath and let it out.
"Yeah, I'm OK." She walked away from the room and tried to refocus. She hadn't been prepared for it, that was all. She wouldn't let herself get sucked back into Leoben's sick fantasy world again. He was dead, and she was rid of him.
Asha and Kara found Jacob in the sublevel holding cells, his face black and blue, his body bleeding, but alive. He didn't seem to realize they were there until Asha knelt next to him and took his hand, speaking softly.
“I didn’t tell him. I didn’t tell him nothin’. An’ he believed.” He smiled through the pain.
Another of the freed prisoners, a girl Asha recognized from a nearby village, helped get him to his feet, throwing his other arm over her shoulders so that he was held upright between the two women.
They rejoined Athena and Zoe and the other escapees on the main floor. Zoe took point, Kara right behind, as they headed for the exits.
They didn't get very far.
No sooner had Zoe stepped out into the hallway when shots rang out. Kara pulled her back and they returned fire briefly before Athena keyed in a code that had the door slamming shut.
"Frak me. Did you see how many?" Kara asked Zoe. The other woman nodded.
"A lot. Athena, is there any other way out?"
"No, that's why the cells are in this wing. That door is our only exit. The sublevel’s cut off too. They must have known we were coming for the prisoners, that's why we didn't face much resistance on the way in."
"They were waiting to trap us." Kara cursed and looked around. Asha and some of the others pushed a large cabinet in front of the doorway. It only housed extra blankets for the cells, nothing they could use as weapons, but it would slow them down if they tried to get in.
"Frak."
**********
It wasn't hard for Mal to find him. Dadik made it easy.
“You know,” he said, sipping something, probably brandy if Mal remembered his tastes. “You always had a flair for the dramatic, Mal. I always found it rather annoyin’.”
“I do seem to have the effect.” They faced each other, both with guns holstered for now.
“What exactly are you hopin’ to accomplish with this little stunt?”
“See, that’s the difference between you and me, Dadik. I don’t see fightin' for freedom as a ‘stunt’.”
“How can someone so cynical be so naïve? Wake up, Mal. There’s no such thing. Someone’s always the top dog. I was just smart enough to make sure that was me.” He gestured to the opulent room they stood in, as if that was proof enough he was the better man.
“Yeah, it’s a very, very fine place you got here. But I can’t help noticin’ you weren’t smart enough to keep us out.” Dadik laughed dismissively, a sound that put Mal’s back up.
“Making it in counts for nothing. Making it out is what matters. And from what my guards tell me, your side’s losin’.
**********
Jayne couldn’t see squat from where he was. It was dark, it was smoky, and he couldn’t move more than his head without causing tremors of pain to shoot through his body. Despite the makeshift tourniquet his wound continued to bleed, though at least it had slowed. He was hoping Mal got his ass in gear and wiped out the crazy evil dictator soon so they could all go home. He never thought to look forward to seeing the Doctor’s smug face, but there was a first time for everything.
“How you holding up?” Jean asked, taking a break from laying down fire.
“I could use a pillow; my ass is goin’ numb. But you can’t have everythin’.” She laughed but it was halfhearted. The continued sounds of gun shots told him they were still in the fight, but that didn’t mean it was going well. “Can you see anythin’ out there?” She leaned against the next trunk, peering around.
“The guards have themselves barricaded pretty good.”
“Must be easy to hide in a house while-“
“No, not the house. In front of it. They’ve got something piled up, maybe sandbags. I can’t see it well enough.”
“You got any grenades left?”
“No. You?” He didn’t.
“Maybe you should try to get closer, see what’s goin’ on.” She shook her head.
“I’m not leaving you here alone. You’re in no shape to fight.”
“Hell woman, I got arms, don’t I?”
“You going to aim one handed around a tree while keeping yourself from bleeding to death?” He was about to come back at her when her eyes went wide and scared.
“Move.”
“What? I can’t-“
“MOVE!” She grabbed the front of his shirt, hauled him up. Every step was agony, but as they limped out from behind the trees Jayne saw the grenade launcher aimed their way and found the strength to move a little faster. Seconds later heat exploded behind them and they were flying.
Jayne didn’t remember landing. He was airborne, and then he was flat on his back staring up at the stars and the breath was knocked out of him. His hearing was muffled, though not gone, and he had a feeling his leg was bleeding profusely but didn’t have the energy to lift his head. Even without moving it soon became clear that he hadn’t landed on the hard ground. He was lying on bodies, rebels who had fallen where they stood. Though not particularly squeamish about death, he still wished he could move away.
He felt something moving nearby, and then Jean was crawling into his line of vision, her hands going to his face.
“I’m OK, I’m OK,” he croaked out. She dropped down, half on top of him, and whispered in his ears.
“Play dead.”
Her head dropped down limp on his shoulder and they held their breaths, listening closely to the stomping feet close by. Covered in blood and camouflaged amongst the other dead soldiers, they were overlooked as a trio of guards made a sweeping pass. Gunfire began in another part of the yard and they moved off, leaving Jayne and Jean where they lay.
She raised her head cautiously, looking around, looking defeated.
"It don't look too good, does it."
"No." She reached down, tried to tighten the tourniquet again, but it was a losing battle. They both knew it. Her hands came back up to his face, stroked his cheek lightly.
"I'm glad we met, Jayne Cobb."
"Likewise, Jean Barolay."
Jayne didn't kiss women. The kind of women he found companionship with in his wanderings weren't the kind of women you kissed. But when Jean pressed her lips to his he kissed her back.
"Go on, keep fightin'," he said when they broke apart.
"You'll bleed to death."
"I'll bleed to death whether you're here or not. Just do me a favor. Take as many of those sons of bitches out with you as you can." She smiled at him sadly, eyes watery with unshed tears.
"That I can do." She kissed him again, soft and lingering. This time when she broke away she pulled off him completely, crouching down low, gun drawn and ready to fire. He pulled his own out. He wouldn't be much help, but from this position he could at least shoot. He had no cover and would more than likely be dead as soon as he gave himself away. But that was preferable to him any way. He always figured he'd die in a fight. Jean looked back at him one more time he nodded to her. She braced to push off, aiming a sprint for a new cover and a chance to keep fighting.
And then she stopped.
Jayne craned his neck, managed to push off just enough to see what she watched. A jeep careened into the yard, kicking up dust and shining it's lights across the barricade where the guards had made their stronghold. Jayne had only a moment to realize what was happening, and to notice two figures bailing out, and then the jeep crashed into the barrier and the night sky came alive with fire. Jean threw herself on him as the explosion rained debris down around them.
He coughed, the ash and Jean's weight making his lungs burn. Realizing the problem Jean immediately pushed off him, running her hands over him to check for additional wounds.
"You know," a voice called from the dark, "you could at least wait to grope him when I'm not around. My stomach can't take it." Sam Anders stepped from the night, grinning and brushing dirt off his pants. Helo came up after him, also grinning. In his hands was the med kit from the jeep they'd just blown up.
And in that kit were blood stoppers.
**********
Mal and Dadik didn't just hear the explosion, they felt it. The whole house shook, pictures and trinkets came tumbling down, and they both crouched low to steady themselves.
They came up guns drawn.
"You know, this really is ridiculous. You ain't exactly a beacon of moral fortitude, Mal."
"Never claimed I was. But I don't make my living off blood money." They moved, circling each other, eyes locked.
"Do you really think the war would have turned out any different without me? You were always on the losin' side Mal, face it!"
"We ain't never goin' to know what might have happened because you sold out your comrades! You betrayed your oath, you betrayed your people. You have no honor."
"You think I give a jung chi duh go-se dway about honor? I'm a God here! I control everythin'! What has honor gotten you? A rat hole ship that's fallin' apart faster than you can put her back together and a crew composed of the dregs of society! You have nothin'! NOTHIN'! Do you really think you can kill me? Huh? Do you really think you're the one that does me in?" His eyes were crazy, wild, completely unfocused. Mal had always thought a person had to be a little crazy to be that cruel, but this was beyond what he had expected. He could surround himself with as many hired hands as he wanted, but in the end Dadik had practically exiled himself. Cut off from everything but hatred and scheming he had truly lost his mind.
"No," Mal said at length, lowering his gun. "I don't think I'm the one that kills you. I really, really don't."
A shot rang out, Dadik's eyes bulged in shock and disbelief. Mal watched him fall to the floor and realized it was enough. It was enough to see him die but not to be the one to do it.
From the shadow near the door Alice stepped into the light, her revolver still drawn, a look of perfect calm on her face.
"Captain," she said quietly. "If it's alright with you, I think I'd like to go find my son now."
**********
They were cut off from all communications. Athena couldn't patch through the house coms without triggering her own virus and the thick, reinforced walls of the prison wing blocked the communicators from Serenity. They didn't know what side had cause the explosion or how much damage it had caused. For all Kara knew the whole damn compound was going up in flames.
"Look, I know it's not the best option. But I've never been one for standing around and waiting for things to happen to me. If I'm going out today, I'm going out on my terms."
"What exactly are you suggesting," Zoe asked her, rechecking her gun for the twelfth time in five minutes.
"I say we go out swinging. We charge out firing, try to use the element of surprise to push the line back some, maybe get some room for everyone else to make a run for it."
"It's suicide," Athena pointed out calmly.
"She's right," Jacob said, pushing heavily to his feet. Asha stood with him but he waved her off, staying upright under his own power. "We've come this far. I'm not ending tonight a prisoner of that monster again. If we die here then at least we died opposing him."
"I would rather die than go back in that room," one of the other girls spoke up, eyes hard. Kara looked around at their group, locking eyes with each and every person there.
They had a consensus, that didn't mean they had a plan, not really. 'Rush them' wasn't exactly the pinnacle of military strategy, but with what they had, with what they didn't know, it was the best they were going to get. If there was one thing Kara would never do it was lay down and die. She would keep firing her gun until she stopped breathing if that's what it took to get them out of here.
She and Zoe and Athena lined up, ready to go. They didn't waste time. There were no speeches, no readiness checks. There was no point. They were as prepared as they were going to be.
The kids moved the cabinet back out of the way and Asha keyed in the control just as Athena had shown her. Kara went out low, rolling on her shoulder and coming up on one knee, gun aimed.
There was no one there.
A throat cleared loudly and the women all swung their guns around. Mal and Sam leaned lazily against the wall next to the door, arms crossed, waiting patiently.
"If you're all done playin' hide and seek now, Wash is waitin' outside."
For the first time since she'd met her Kara heard Asha laugh.
**********
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