PART NINE

*

Woman, when I saw you comin'

Should've started runnin'

Evil woman

Woman! You ain't got no feelin'

You're just a dirty dealin'

Yeah!

Evil woman, the Lord's gonna' rack up

Evil woman, the Lord's gonna' beckon you

Evil woman, can't you see where you're fallin'

Evil woman, the devil is a-callin'

Woman, when you whisper to me

All the hurt you do me

Evil woman

Woman, when you laugh at my pain

When you step on my brain, yeah!

Evil woman

*

[Evil Woman – Spooky tooth]

*

Jayne started, “She's taken her good gorram time gettin' her revenge coz her man's dead.”

Mal nodded, “Remember that saying about revenge being best served cold.”

Vera's chin was set, “I was just the...foreplay, for want of a better phrase.”

“Indeed. I'm betting she was hoping to pin you *and Jayne; knowing he'd come running after you.”

Vera's eyes narrowed, “She's done her homework.”

“Undoubtedly. Mebbe been watching us for some time and putting her pieces in place, ready for the kill. They fact that you and Jayne took out that Cicada can't have endeared you to her, but it's a mere pawn against whatever big game play she's got planned, I'm betting.”

Zoe stated the obvious, “Going on board will be a trap, sir.”

“With knobs on. Conjure that big vessel out there to have 'abandon hope all ye who enter here' writ all over it.” Inara raised an eyebrow, “So I read *two poems!”

“She could just blow us out of the sky, sir.”

“Nah. I think she's the cat and we're the mouse. She's gonna play with us and have her fun before the death strike. It's been...what...four years easy since Niska fried.”

“Close to five. Got a plan, sir?”

“Better have several plus a huge slice of desperation, luck and thinking on our feet. I'm forming the beginnings of a couple. I'm minded to let her have the first salvo; see how she's pitching.”

“Can't have been easy getting that skyplex moving.”

“Oh, she's invested time, money and trouble on this payback. 'Double crossing' does not even begin to cover what she's likely got planned for us. Any