For You
Chapter 1
Zoë's hands were covered in blood. The thick, half-dried, crimson substance was the only thing that she could see as she trembled. This wasn't the first time Zoë had been covered in a comrade's blood, but never had it been her fault before. Around her, the rest of the crew rushed to carry Jayne's broken body to the infirmary. Despite their efforts, Zoë knew that he would die. There was no way a man could bleed so much and live. Dear god, she was the reason Jayne was going to die!
The world became slightly hazy as she tried to force her legs to move. Next, there was nothing.
"I don't like this," Jayne whispered roughly from behind a stone pillar.
From the next pillar over, Zoë had to stifle a grunt of agreement. "Jayne, let's just do the job," she said flatly.
The pair sat in silence on the cold stone floor waiting for their mark. Zoë couldn't say that she liked the situation either, but it was part of the job. The plan was that Zoë and Jayne would ambush a group of undercover Alliance officers and relieve them of a package they were carrying. It was a bit more dangerous than anything they had attempted before, but these days the pickings were slim when it came to work. Combine that with the "more risk, more reward" factor, and the crew had unanimously decided to do the job. Still, there was just something about the lay of the land and the feel of the air that didn't sit right.
"I see 'em."
Zoë looked to the doorway of the small bar where four men now stood. Three of them, Zoë decided were highly trained. The fourth was the young scientist in charge of the contents of the briefcase now held firmly to his chest. He was the only one who seemed to be nervous at all. His eyes darted around him, trying to see into the surrounding shadows.
Looking back to her left, she saw Jayne raise his gun in a questioning manner. Zoë nodded and raised her own firearm. In one smooth, synchronized action both of them opened fire.
As always, Jayne's marksmanship was near perfect. His first shot dropped one of the officers with a well-placed shoulder wound—non-lethal, but enough to keep him from getting back up. Zoë didn't have time to admire Jayne's work. Bullets flew by her head, and she did her best to answer them accordingly.
When only the shaking scientist was left standing, Zoë moved out into the open. "Drop the case nice and easy. This can all be over quickly," she told him steadily.
The scientist laughed mechanically. "This wasn't supposed to be like this. Our back up is on its way."
"No it ain't," Jayne scoffed from the shadows. "Seems they had a bit of engine trouble on the way here."
Kaylee, Mal, and River had done their part of the job earlier. River served as an all-too-tempting decoy to the keep the good little soldiers busy while the mechanic managed to sneak into the officers' ship to dismantle enough of their engine to keep them firmly grounded and without radio contact. Shortly, the crew—minus Kaylee and River who were getting the ship prepped for take off—would meet them right here and they'd make their get away.
"Drop the case," Zoë repeated sternly.
"I have orders," the young man replied in a voice that betrayed his fear.
"Orders ain't gonna keep ya alive, boy. Drop the Gorram case!" Jayne yelled with his most intimidating stare in place.
"Do you know what they'll do to my wife if I don't follow orders?" the scientist asked becoming eerily calm. "I really do need to follow orders."
At first, Zoë wasn't entirely sure what was about to happen. Her instincts failed her…Jayne's didn't.
In one quick motion, Jayne leapt from behind the pillar and pushed her away from the blast. It seemed like time stopped. Zoë saw the scientist pull the detonator from his coat. After that, it was all a blur. The bright flash of unimaginable heat preceded the deafening boom. Jayne saved her life.
"I think
she's comin' around," a familiar female voice said from above
her. Zoë's eyes fluttered open to see Kaylee's face hovering
over her.
Zoë groaned. "How'd I get here?" she asked looking around her bunk.
"Inara and I managed to get you down here while they were working on Jayne," Kaylee replied solemnly. "Mal and River were helping Simon."
The question was right on her lips, but she was too afraid of the answer. She didn't know if she could bare to hear that Jayne was dead because of her stupidity. In her mind's eye, she could see his prone form, half hidden by debris, burned and bleeding.
Kaylee knew what her friend was thinking. "Simon's still working on him. It's bad, Zoë. It's real bad."
Zoë let out a breath. He was alive. How could he still be alive? "How long was I out?"
"Bout three hours," Kaylee replied biting her lip. "I was startin' to get scared about you too, but with Jayne…I ain't never seen a body burned like that, Zoë."
Usually, Zoë would say something to comfort the younger woman, but right now she just couldn't. Memories invaded Zoë's thoughts. She had seen plenty of men burned, seen bodies desecrated in ways she had never imagined. She'd just never seen someone burned like that and live. Jayne HAD to live. Wuh de Tyen, why had Jayne saved her?
Zoë ignored the sharp pain in her head and the ache in her back as she got off her bunk. She needed to see for herself what was going on in that infirmary. The floor began to spin as Zoë stood up straight.
"I don't think you should try to go anyway." Kaylee moved to support her friend.
Zoë groaned. "I need to know what's going on down there."
"Want me to have a look?" Kaylee asked.
Zoë nodded. "Please."