Archangel – Chapter Twenty Five

Author owns no rights to Firefly, and no copyright infringement is intended. Fanfic only.

---------------------

“How we doin’, ‘Tross?” Mal asked, walking onto the bridge.

“Thirty-six hours, forty-one minutes, and nineteen seconds to Idlewild. Approximately,” she added, smirking.

“Sounds good,” Mal nodded, missing, as usual, her rather exact ‘approximate’ time. She sighed, wondering why she bothered.

“Anything on the sensors?” he asked.

“No, Captain,” River assured him. “We are alone.”

“Good,” Mal nodded again.

“You are worried?” River asked.

“You ain’t?” Mal countered, and she laughed.

“Not right now,” she assured him. “We are fine for the moment.”

“Try and keep it that way,” he ordered. “I. . .I got a odd feelin’ ‘bout all this.”

“I know,” she nodded. “I think we all feel at least some apprehension. Potential for violence is high.”

“It is that,” Mal agreed. “We’ll know more, I’m thinkin’, when we make this drop. More than we want to, maybe. Which is what worries me.”

“Think the Operative will be there?” she asked.

“No idea,” Mal admitted. “None. Strikes me as mighty odd that the man we’re deliverin’ all this too has Book’s last name, though.”

“Operative was speaking the truth,” River told him. “Doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy,” she raised a hand to forestall Mal’s coming objection. “Just means he’s being truthful about what he said.”

“Well, truthful or not, I just don’t see no way we can trust him.”

“Nor do I,” she agreed. “Nor do I.”

------------------------

“What are you doing, Simon?” Jazz asked, from the doorway to the infirmary.

“Just busy work, honestly,” Simon smiled. “I’d welcome company, if you’re bored.”

“Is it always this tedious?” she asked, walking into the room, and taking a seat.

“The black, you mean?” he asked, sitting as well. She nodded.

“Be grateful for tedium,” Simon chuckled softly. “We don’t often see it, on Serenity.”

“I’ve traveled before, of course,” Jazz told him. “But always on passenger ships. I assumed