Editing Episode 511: A Matter of Leverage, Part Five

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[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage| Part 1]]<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Part Two| Part 2]]<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Part Three| Part 3]]<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Part Four| Part 4]]<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Special Features| Special Features]]<br> <br> 




Back in Captain LaSalle’s room we discuss our strategy.  Nika tells them if we take out the power, all the doors should unlock.<br><br>

'''Nika:''' But whoever wants to go with us can go.<br>
'''Joshua:''' I like them.  I like the Captain.<br><br>

Meaning Cpt. LaSalle and the woman speaks up.<br><br>

'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' I’m thinking … if we can have some people where they wouldn’t expect us to be when the power goes off, they’ll probably go check where we should be and then we might be able to take advantage of their absence. <br>
'''Kiera:''' You could go to the kitchen. There’s knives in the kitchen.<br>
'''Rina:''' Absolutely.<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' The kitchen would be a good place and I think if we were all at the bottom level, if the power goes off they’ll still control the rest of the building and we’ll have to fight our way up and …<br>
'''Joshua:''' You’ll be on this level then?<br>
'''Nika:''' You’re going to take a team on this level?<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' You’re all fighting-capable?<br>
'''Rina:''' Yes.<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' It’s been a while since I’ve been in charge of hand-to-hand, though all ship Captains are best at hand-to-hand combat, historically.<br>
'''Joshua:''' Really?<br><br>

Well … we’ll find out soon, won’t we? The only soldier amongst the prisoners aside from our crew is Captain LaSalle. The male prisoners are clearly civilian—they aren’t soldiers or ninjas.  They don’t have that look.  But they have heart.<br><br>

'''Ben:''' I can scrap. I’ll be with you here, Captain. <br>
'''Sorren:''' Well, I don’t know anything about fusion reactors and I’d rather not be implicated.<br>
'''Nika:''' Sorren needs not to be implicated.<br>
'''Sorren:''' I have a feeling we’re all going to be implicated.<br>
'''Nika:''' (agreeing) A little bit late, anyway.<br>
'''Joshua:''' Should one of us stay with them or are we all going down together? I don’t think we should leave them wi—<br>
'''Rina:''' We all saw how well splitting up the party worked the last time.<br>
'''Joshua:''' I’m just asking.<br>
'''Nika:''' I think that if Captain LaSalle can manage the team she’s got here, then we’ll go ahead and take the risk.<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' Okay. We’re familiar with these areas. If you can get to the power plant and turn it off, when the lights go off we’ll try to secure this level.<br>
'''Kiera:''' That’s good. Cuz right now you have more people than us.<br>
'''Nika:''' There’s going to be a level in-between us.<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' Then I guess we’ll hope for you guys move your way up. There’s not much else down there apart from the reactor.<br>
'''Nika:''' We’ll try to sweep our way upward and hopefully we’ll meet in the middle and be able to get everybody out.<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' I’m not sure we’re going to jump out and take them all at once. We’re pretty much going to try to pick people off.<br>
'''Joshua:''' Yes, ma’am.<br>
'''Nika:''' That sounds reasonable.<br>
'''Joshua:''' You run this however you need to run it. (to us) Let’s go.<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' Good luck.<br>
'''Nika:''' Same to you.<br>
'''Rina:''' Nice meetin’ you.<br><br>

The prisoners have that desperate look behind their eyes, the one that says they’re all in.  We say our goodbyes in recognition of it.  Captain LaSalle stops us before we can get to the vent.<br><br>

'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' Oh!  The girl.<br>
'''Nika:''' What about her?<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' The girl’s somewhere on this floor. We need to secure her too.<br>
'''Nika:''' Okay. <br>
'''Kiera:''' We’ll leave that to you guys.<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' All right.<br>
'''Rina:''' She’s on the door to the right of the—<br>
'''Joshua:''' They’ll get her.<br>
'''Cpt. LaSalle:''' It might be safer for her to stay in there until.<br>
'''Nika:''' Until we’re done. Right.<br><br>

We part company with LaSalle’s group and hit the vents again. It’s short work getting to the vertical shaft and we inch down it, chimney style.  We reach the horizontal run of venting that services the fourth level and Nika calls us to a halt.  Do any of us want to split up and tackle the fourth level?<br><br>

'''Joshua:''' I’ve been on four. I admit to … I don’t think I can do it but I would love to destroy that god-awful machine.<br>
'''Nika:''' Well, maybe we can do it on the way back up. (a beat) We’ll sic Rina on it.<br>
'''Rina:''' (to Joshua) I could always use a partner.<br>
'''Joshua:''' Mm-hm.<br>
'''Kiera:''' I just want to destroy that woman. I don’t need a partner.<br>
'''Arden:''' I pretty much want to destroy her. I’ll hold her down and you get the first lick, then you hold her down and I get the next lick.<br>
'''Rina:''' (snark!) You’d actually put your tongue on that woman?<br>
'''Arden:''' No. It’s a—never mind.<br>
'''Nika:''' (eyerolling) Let’s go. Power plant first, sweep the fourth level on the way up.<br><br>

We inch past the fourth level and go all the way down to the fifth.  Kiera whispers up to Arden:<br><br> 

'''Kiera:''' You and I are the beautiful people. (jazzed) Hrgh!<br>
'''Arden:''' I wouldn’t go that far.<br>
'''Kiera:''' You are. You have a good soul. Yeah. Mr. Orphan-Healer.<br>
'''Arden:''' Snarky.<br><br>

Well, maybe there’s a little of that, too. We follow the shaft down to the fifth and it lets out over a vast circular room, with a catwalk running along the circumference of it. It’s essentially a great big circular shaft of a reactor pit. There’s a corridor leading off it, at three o’clock on the catwalk and there is a retractable catwalk extending into the empty space toward the middle at the same spot, leading to an operational platform.  Between the reactor and the operational platform are huge spinning turbines, ready to Cuisinart anything unfortunate to fall in there to shreds.  Below and around the reactor ripples the cooling system—a vast pool of liquid water that glows with that eerie impossible blue.  The glow sends sinuous reflections rippling up the walls like quicksilver. We don’t see any cameras or people. <br><br> 

Nika carefully unscrews the grill from the vent and has someone hold her by the ankles as she lowers herself headfirst into the space. A klaxon starts blaring.<br><br>

'''ERRRT! ERRRT! ERRRT! ERRRT! ERRRT! ERR—!'''<br><br>

'''Nika:''' Oh well, never mind.<br><br> 

She lets go the grill and drops down to the catwalk below.  Kiera’s right behind her and everyone else follows in short order.  Nika and Rina haul ass for the operational platform and Rina looks over everything, muttering to herself. Emergency shut down? Controlled shutdown? Controlled shutdown then trash the controls so it can’t be brought back online?  Emergency shutdown would scram the core into the cooling towers creating explosive steam that would irradiate everyone as it killed them …<br><br> 

Rina decides the best way to take out the reactor without nuclear consequences is to disconnect it from the power lines hooked up to it, like pulling the plug on a really big toaster.  She gets Arden to search one side of the platform while she searches the other. It’s a little more complicated than unplugging a toaster, of course. It will take two people per power coupling and we will need to pull both leads simultaneously.  Kiera and Nika man a power line each with Rina and Arden.<br><br>

Joshua eyes the corridor leading off the catwalk and sees it’s a fifty-foot run to an elevator.  If anyone’s going to come for us, it will be from there. Nika orders Joshua to call the elevator, since it’s our best ticket out of here and if we’ve gotten dibs on the elevator and jam the doors, the enemy can’t use it to get to us. Nika dispatches Joshua to the elevator call button and not so coincidentally puts him as far away from the possible fireworks as possible.<br><br>  

'''Joshua:''' Yes, ma’am. I follow orders.<br>
'''Arden:''' That’ll be a first.<br>
'''Joshua:''' Excuse me? <br><br>

Nika orders him to hit the call button and then come back to the catwalk and hide around the corner of the entrance in case anyone comes off that elevator shooting.<br><br>

'''Joshua:''' But if they do that, won’t they be shooting all of you? And the nuclear reactor?<br><br>

The man’s got a point: it’s a straight run from platform to elevator doors and there’s not a blessed lick of cover.<br><br> 

'''Nika:''' Do you want to be standing right in front of the doors when they come out with guns?<br>
'''Joshua:''' No, actually. But my thing here is … We call the elevator and if they’re shooting wildly out of the elevator, they’re hitting you. They’re hitting the people on the platform, they’re hitting you and—<br>
'''Rina:''' So?<br>
'''Nika:''' So.<br>
'''Joshua:''' Because it requires the four of you to undo the power plant and other people’s lives depend on it.<br>
'''Nika:''' Okay, okay.<br>
'''Kiera:''' I know, I know, I know. It’s too late now.<br><br> 

We are stuck—stuck with the timing, stuck with the design of this place. No matter what, we don’t have much time.  Joshua summons the elevator.  The rest of us continue our search for the power cords. The elevator arrives—loaded with men carrying assault rifles.  Joshua grabs the rifle of the guard front and center, grappling with him to block the elevator doors and keeping the other guards from firing at the crew on the platform. The rest of us find the power lines, and on the count of three, we all yank them free of their couplings.<br><br>

There’s an incredibly loud '''SNAP!''' as they give way, sparks fly, and the crew is jolted in the backlash of power as everything goes dark.  There’s a rising hum as the emergency lights slowly come to life. Nika, Rina, Kiera, and Arden pick themselves up, a little singed but otherwise unhurt.  It’s pretty dim down here, making it hard to see to shoot, which works in our favor.<br><br>  

Back at the elevator, the guard gets the upper hand on Joshua and throws him to the deck.  Up comes the rifle stock, down it goes for Joshua. Joshua rolls, attempting to dodge, and the stock lands a glancing blow.  Joshua is bloodied and stunned by it, but he’s still conscious and still in the fight.<br><br> 

Rina ducks for cover—what scant cover there is—and starts looking for something to use as a weapon. She sees a fire extinguisher and grabs it. Laying it on its side, she points the valve behind her into the empty space over the reactor and aims the bottom of the extinguisher at the guards.  One mighty whack of her wrench on the valve assembly should be sufficient to knock it off and send the pressurized container shooting like a rocket into the guards … but she’ll have to brace and aim it carefully before bringing the wrench down.  It’s going to take more than a few seconds to pull off.<br><br>

In that time, Joshua may be down but he’s not out.  He reaches over while he’s prone and yanks the feet out from under the guard that hit him. Joshua gets a good grip, yanks hard, and the guard goes down.<br><br>  

Unfortunately, this clears the way for the two remaining guards in the elevator to shoot at the crew.  It’s a clear shot all the way to the platform.<br><br> 

Arden pulls the power cord he’s yanked with him to the platform catwalk, planning to electrify it should the guards set foot on it.  The power coming off the live end should electrocute anyone foolish enough to try crossing over. None of the guards has made it this far, to say nothing of aiming their guns in his direction, so he hunkers down and holds his action until it’s needed.<br><br> 

Kiera gauges the length of the hallway with the elevator and judges its forty feet from the catwalk to the doors.  Add the additional length of the retractable catwalk … She runs to the entrance to the corridor and takes cover around the corner the doorway, her back to the wall and facing back the way she came.  She’ll have to duck around the corner to see the guards in order to shoot them, but at least they can’t shoot her unless she leaves her position.<br><br>

Which is a darn sight better than what Nika, Arden, and Rina have—they’re exposed on the platform with nothing but the guard rails to block the bullets. The two guards start firing and Arden takes a hit.  Nika grabs for him, aware that if he drops his power line everyone on the platform is toast.  Arden keeps his wits and his grip and the power line goes nowhere bad for us. Joshua takes damage as well, though he takes less, being prone. Rina flinches as the bullets whine past her but she brings the wrench down on the extinguisher and—<br><br>

'''''FWOOM!'''''<br><br>

It shoots straight down the corridor and hits wall above the elevator doors.  The extinguisher practically explodes and the corridor is filled with great opaque clouds of fire-suppressing foam and smoke.  It’s thick and hard to see through. The concussion of the explosion and the flying bits of mangled extinguisher fly everywhere. The guard Joshua felled hugs the floor, the other two who are standing are caught flatfooted. Joshua grabs the rifle of the guard on the floor and throws it as far as he can down the corridor to his crew.  Kiera snags it.<br><br> 

Arden carefully puts his power line down where it won’t electrify anything and runs to join Kiera.  Nika is hard on his heels. Rina runs after her Captain to back her up, shoving her wrench in her belt. Kiera has the rifle and has it up and ready to fire.  She’s just waiting for the smoke and the foam to clear. The two remaining guards start shooting at random with burst fire.  The bullets go wild, hitting neither us nor them.<br><br>

Joshua starts scuttling for the elevator, thinking to take control of it and if he manages to trip up one or both guards on the way, so much the better.  The guard on the floor grabs him and they grapple. Arden hangs back, waiting for one of the guards to step far enough out of the cloudy crap to grab an assault rifle. Kiera lays down covering fire, shooting into the smoke and luck is with her—the bullets take out both of the armed guards.  Joshua’s grappling on the floor with the remaining guard and they both manage not to take any hits.  When the bullets stop whining overhead, Joshua says to the guard:<br><br>

'''Joshua:''' Surrender or they’ll shoot you.<br><br>

The guard goes limp, clearly surrendering. The smoke starts to lift.  The crew enters the corridor.<br><br>

'''Joshua:''' (to Kiera) Don’t shoot him.<br><br>

Kiera gives the guard the hairy eyeball but restrains herself from shooting him.  We hold the guard under gunpoint while Arden examines the crew’s injuries.  Bullet grazes, some cuts and scrapes from debris and fisticuffs, but nothing more serious than that. Investigating the other guards, we find they are still alive.  Their armor kept the bullets from killing them but the impact has rendered them unconscious.  We quickly drag them and the captive guard to the catwalk railing and zip tie them to it.  We strip them of their guns, coming away with three assault rifles and whatever extra clips we can find. <br><br> 

Rather than risk the vent again, we take to the elevator and climb onto its roof and from there we scale the ladder inside the elevator shaft to the fourth level. Joshua goes first, Rina follows him. Kiera and Nika and Arden follow, slinging their assault rifles across their backs. They gain the elevator doors to the fourth level and pry them open.  As we slither through the gap, Arden says:<br><br>

'''Arden:''' I understand you have strong feelings about a certain person up here.  Let me assure you, though, Joshua I will do everything possibly can so you don’t have to face that decision.<br><br>

Meaning killing Kappa should we find her.  She’s not in evidence at the moment, however.  All we see in the emergency-lit murk is another corridor with two doors on the right before it turns left, and a plexi wall to the left, with a door leading into the security station. We know that there’s likely a guard behind the plexi and Joshua goes right for the security door, going as quietly as he can.  Assuming our arrival wasn’t noisy enough to announce our presence.  Joshua kneels below the level of the guard station counter when he gets close, going on hands and knees until he’s centered on it, then raises slowly for a cautious look through the plexi inside.<br><br>

He sees there’s a guard inside with his pistol in one hand and a comms handset in the other.  The guard is shouting into it and it doesn’t take a genius to understand what he’s saying: ''Come get me! Come get me!'' Based on his visible frustration level, it’s a good bet the comm is dead.  Joshua creeps back to the party before he’s seen. He describes what he’s seen and we immediately pull a jack-in-the-box.  Those carrying rifles creep forward under cover of the counter and on the count of three pop up from nowhere with their rifles up and aimed straight for the guard.<br><br>

'''Arden:''' Drop the gun.<br><br>

Arden’s voice doesn’t make it past the soundproof barrier of the plexi but in this case the picture presented does all the talking for us. It’s quite an unnerving sight, seeing three assault rifles pointed right at you held by three determined-looking people.  The guard drops the comm and puts his hands up.  Again, though the plexi wall keeps us from hearing him, we’ve no trouble reading his lips: ''Don’t shoot me! Don’t shoot me!''<br><br>

The door into the station is unlocked—just as we’d hoped—and Kiera slips in and retrieves the pistol.  Arden prefers pistols to rifles and he and Kiera swap.  Arden tucks the pistol in his rear waistband and Kiera takes his rifle.  Now the redhead is packing an assault rifle in either hand. She’s happy. The rest of the crew tries the two doors on the right.<br><br>

The first door on the right opens onto a shallow entryway, five feet deep. There is a door at opposite. It’s ajar. Nothing but pitch blackness shows beyond. Joshua listens and hears nothing stirring inside.  He quietly moves forward and eases it open with a cautious hand. Rina sticks to him like glue.<br><br>

Joshua does a quick surface Read of the room beyond and senses someone trying to punch him.  He jerks back but a fist plows out of the dark and KO’s him. Rina jumps forward as Joshua falls, her fists up and ready.  The unseen assailant pulls his arm back into the room and there’s a loud yell—'''Yarhhhh!'''—and someone in a straitjacket barrels head first into her.  He’s bigger than she is, no surprise, and he bowls her right over.  He trips and lands on top of her and it quickly devolves into a cursing tangle of arms and legs and straitjacket straps.<br><br>

'''Rina:''' Get ''off’a'' me, you [[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Special Features#HOW TO SPEAK CHINESE|''dà bèndàn!'']]<br><br>

Outside, Arden sees his two crewmates go down and his finger tightens on his pistol’s trigger. Arden slams the butt of his pistol on Straitjacket’s head going for a knock-out. He deals a glancing blow.<br><br>

'''Straitjacket:''' Ow!<br>
'''Nika:''' (best Captain’s voice) Everybody stop!<br><br>

Nika steps in and hauls the man off Rina by his jacket straps and puts him on the floor.  The man in the straitjacket is in his mid-thirties, brown on blue, and under other circumstances might be considered ruggedly handsome.  Right now, though, his hair is hanging in his eyes and his expression has a decidedly belligerent cast to it. His tone matches it as he snarls up at Nika.<br><br>

'''Straitjacket:''' Who are you?<br>
'''Nika:''' The person who was plannin’ on takin’ you out of here unless you keep beating up my crew.<br><br>

Rina coughs and spits.  Straitjacket has the grace to look sheepish for an instant before he nods.<br><br>

'''Straitjacket:''' Oh. Well. Much obliged, ma’am. (a beat) Can you, uh, undo my straitjacket?<br>
'''Nika:''' (to Arden) Jack him up. Get him out of the straps.<br><br>

Arden steps in and checks Rina and Joshua out first. Seeing the doc busy with the crew, Nika gets Kiera to undo the straps, keeping the man at gun point the entire while. The owner of the fist that took Joshua out steps out from behind the door and he’s a bruiser: six-feet-plus, two-twenty at least, and ripped.  OMG, ripped.  Under other circumstances, he might be considered a darkly attractive merc, in a bad ass sort of way.  Right now, though, he’s suspicious and makes no bones about saying so to Straitjacket.<br><br>

'''Bad Ass:''' (pointing chin at Arden) I dunno. Somethin’ about this guy ain’t right.<br><br>

Keeping her eye on things, Nika wonders if either of the men were the individual who’d head-butted that lab tech. He’s been dragged out of his cell in a straitjacket, too.  That’s a mystery for later.  She shoves her speculation aside and gets to the brass tacks.  She looks down at Straitjacket and starts grilling him as Kiera gets the last of the straps unbuckled.<br><br>

'''Nika:''' How many are down here? Do you know?<br>
'''Straitjacket:''' (rubbing his arms) Ah … should be one man inside—(jerks head into the room beyond)—and I got a couple more.<br>
'''Nika:''' Anybody fighters?<br>
'''Straitjacket:''' Uh. Yeah.<br>
'''Nika:''' (to Bad Ass) Besides you. We know you’re a fighter.<br>
'''Arden:''' Wake up, Joshua. (slaps him gently)<br>
'''Bad Ass:''' Well, ma’am … despite our delicate appearance some of us have tussled about.<br>
'''Nika:''' Then hopefully we’ve got enough to take the rest of the guards down.<br>
'''Straitjacket:''' Who do I have the privilege of being rescued by?<br>
'''Nika:''' Captain Earhart. (offers hand) Nice to meet you.<br>
'''Straitjacket:''' Malcolm Reynolds. (shakes it) Nice to meet you, too.<br><br>

Arden’s head whips around at the name and his hand holding the ammonia salts under Joshua’s nose nearly goes up a nostril. Which wakes Joshua up right quick.<br><br>

'''Joshua:''' ''Ow.''  That really freaking hurt.<br>
'''Arden:''' (to Malcom) You don’t look like the Malcolm Reynolds I’ve met.<br>
'''Reynolds:''' We’ve met before?<br>
'''Arden:''' No. We met a big black guy who said his name was Malcolm Reynolds.<br>
'''Reynolds:''' Yeah, well. I’ve got one of those faces.<br>
'''Arden:''' He looked completely different from you. He was … black.<br>
'''Joshua:''' That really freaking hurt … <br>
'''Nika:''' All right. C’mon. We don’t have time for this.<br><br>

Right.  Reynolds jerks his head at the room and eyes Bad Ass.<br><br>

'''Reynolds:''' Jayne. See if you can pull Simon up.<br>
'''Jayne:''' I can’t believe you’re gonna be trustin’ these gorram fools.<br>
'''Rina:''' (eyes Jayne) Nice to meet you, sir.<br>
'''Reynolds:''' They’re here to rescue us. C’mon.<br>
'''Jayne:''' (sneers) Big damn heroes.<br>
'''Nika:''' Someone get Joshua on his feet. Is there anyone else on this level?<br>
'''Reynolds:''' Yeah. My XO and my engineer are in the room next door, along with some of our passengers.<br>
'''Nika:''' Is the passenger by any chance the mother of a four or five year old kid?<br>
'''Reynolds:''' (quietly) That’d be my XO. <br><br>

Everyone’s on their feet and brushing off.  We fetch the rest of Reynolds’s crew from the other room. Jayne reappears with a dark-haired man who’s clearly been ridden hard and put up wet. He’s in pretty bad shape. Joshua recognizes him with a start—this is the man he’d seen tied up and tortured on the machine. Introductions are made all around and at the mention of the man’s name, Nika’s head whips around.<br><br>

'''Nika:''' What?<br>
'''Rina:''' Simon Tam—Oh my God. ''Brian''.<br>
'''Nika:''' Uhn, we don’t have time for this. Go. Go-go-go. <br>
'''Reynolds:''' What—?<br>
'''Nika:''' I don’t have time for this. We gotta go.<br>
'''Rina:''' Okay, let’s go.<br>
'''Reynolds:''' Any extra arms?<br>
'''Nika:''' Not yet but we’re gonna.  The little girl’s the next level up and we’ve freed five other prisoners up there who were gonna try to go for her.<br>
'''Arden:''' (to Reynolds) Who’s the best person in the crew with a gun?<br><br>

Arden holds up his pistol. Reynolds smirks faintly.<br><br>

'''Reynolds:''' Well, it’s probably—<br>
'''Jayne:''' What’re you talkin’ about? Gimme that.<br><br>

Jayne grabs for Arden’s offered weapon and Nika forestalls him.<br><br>

'''Nika:''' Kiera. Give him your assault rifle.<br>
'''Jayne:''' (grinning) Yeah, I’ll take one’a those rifles.<br><br>

Kiera unslings one of her rifles and hands it over.  Jayne grins wolfishly and throws the strap across his shoulders and checks the sight.  Arden gives his pistol to Reynolds as a consolation prize.  The man takes it, hefts it to check the balance, shrugs and nods his thanks.  Zoe, his XO, stares pointedly at the rifles and looks at us.<br><br>

'''Zoe:''' If you aren’t professional soldiers …. I was a corporal.<br>
'''Joshua:''' I don’t have any gun.  Someone give her a gun.<br>
'''Nika:''' We don’t have time for this. (fed up) Go. <br><br>

We hustle for the next level up, a party of eleven, a whole damn squad. We hit the elevator shaft and the ladder again. Nika remarks that we need someone to reassure the little girl that everything’s okay and Joshua opines she’s a cutie.  Hopefully, one of LaSalle’s party is doing just that—reassuring the little girl that everything’s okay.  We climb on, eager to put mother and daughter back together again.  Nika calls down to Reynolds as we climb.<br><br>

'''Nika:''' Reynolds. You got a ship on planet?<br>
'''Reynolds:'''  Yeah. They took us here in our ship. It’s off in some canyon-y place nearby.<br>
'''Nika:''' Okay.<br>
'''Arden:''' Probably with lots of snow.<br>
'''Kiera:''' (snorting) Yeah.<br>
'''Reynolds:''' We got one other crewmate who’s been taken by them. We’re not sure where or why or what they’re doing to her.<br>
'''Kiera:''' Her?<br>
'''Rina:''' Her?<br>
'''Reynolds:''' (sighing) Yeah. It’s the doctor’s sister. She’s  … She’s different from most people. You’d probably recognize her if you saw her. She’s a bit … leaky in the brain pan.<br>
'''Joshua:''' She a Reader? <br>
'''Reynolds:''' (guarded) Where have you heard that?<br>
'''Joshua:''' (firmly) It’s why they’ve got her. As I am. I might know her. What’s her name?<br>
'''Reynolds:''' Her name’s River.<br>
'''Joshua:''' I know her.<br>
'''Rina:''' Okay, can we do the Old Home Week thing after we escape from here?<br><br>

We gain the third level elevator doors and pry them open.  Climbing out we find our allies have secured the level.  There were only two guards to secure because everyone else had left the level, pulling up to the upper levels. The elevator was called down below, so they weren’t able to go up through the levels to the surface and the way out. <br><br>

We take stock of the weapons they managed to cadge—the two guards only had pistols and the kitchen gave up knives. Otherwise, what weapons we’ve got are what the Equinox crew managed to capture.<br><br>

'''Nika:''' (sour) Fabulous.  Here …<br><br>

She passes Zoe her assault rifle and takes up the pistol from the guards.  A gun isn’t all Zoe gets—there’s a squeal and a blond tornado barrels into Zoe and the woman sweeps her daughter up in her arms. She rocks her child in that swaying motion parents instinctively engage when holding their young and Zoe runs her hands over her daughter, soothing her down and surreptitiously checking for injuries. Zoe murmurs endearments, oblivious to the rest of us, and we catch the little girl’s name: Ning Jing.  Serenity, in Chinese.  N.J. for short.<br><br> 

It’s an intense moment and we’re all a little misty when it’s over.  We shake ourselves and get back to business.<br><br>

'''Arden:''' I take it that the doctor’s sister is not on this level …?<br>
'''Nika:''' Nope. That means we’re up to the first level, cuz the second level’s nothing but decon.<br>
'''Arden:''' (to Joshua) Could you point us off in the right direction? Since you know her?<br>
'''Nika and Rina and Kiera together:''' ''What?!''<br>
'''Joshua:''' What? I’m sorry but … what?<br>
'''Arden:''' Since you know her, can you point in the general direction?<br>
'''Kiera:''' Yes. Can he find her?<br><br>

Like a psychic bloodhound, maybe? Not exactly, no. Joshua sighs and points at the ceiling.<br><br>

'''Joshua:''' First, let’s just go up. We’ll worry about that when we get to that.<br>
'''Nika:''' Back up the ladder, everybody.  Move.<br><br>

Before we can troop down the corridor to the elevator, a flash and a bang comes from the far end.   We spin toward the light and the noise, all our weapons up.  Smoke curls out of the doorway as two figures emerge from it. It is the woman without a name from IAV Aceso, who we’ve pegged as The Psychiatrist. And … beside her is her assistant from Kiera’s interview. <br><br> 

It’s River Tam. And she doesn’t look happy. Not one bit.<br><br>

The Psychiatrist sweeps us all with a look and then utters a phrase in what Joshua fleetingly recognizes as Icelandic.<br><br>

[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Special Features#HOW TO SPEAK ICELANDIC|''Brennt barn forðast eldinn!'']]<br><br>

All of a sudden, Joshua is inundated in millions of tiny invisible spiders—biting and stinging him all at once.  He falls to the floor, writhing from the pain and scraping the damned things off, even as River does the same. Shocked, we all freeze and stare at our respective crewmates as The Psychiatrist takes it all in.<br><br>  

Yup. That went well.<br><br>



Jump to:<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage| Part 1]]<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Part Two| Part 2]]<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Part Three| Part 3]]<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Part Four| Part 4]]<br>
[[Episode 511: A Matter Of Leverage, Special Features| Special Features]]<br> <br> 

Go back to: '''''[[Episode 510: St. Albans Secrets | St. Albans Secrets]]''''' | Go Foward to '''''[[Episode 512: Unusual Alliances| Unusual Alliances]]'''''<br>
Back to [[Mutineers Season Five | Season Five: Realignment]]<br>
Back to [[EPISODES]] or [[Mutineers Timeline|TIMELINE]]<br>