Archangel Chapter Twenty Eight

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

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Once Serenity was in the black, the crew gathered around the galley table, and Mal filled them in on what had occurred. Simon was livid.

“I told you this would happen!” he nearly screeched. Mal nodded.

“So you did, Simon,” he agreed. “But, he wasn’t followin’ us, and he ain’t trackin’ us. This was all on Monty. I won’t make that mistake again. From here on out, till whatever is happ’nin is done, everyone I trust like that is sittin’ at this table, right now.” Simon’s anger cooled a bit at that, and he nodded.

“Somethin’ ‘bout this ain’t right, Mal,” Jayne said quietly. Everyone looked at him.

“I’d say that’s the height of understatement,” Simon snorted. Jayne looked at him.

“No, I mean more than that, Simon,” he replied calmly. “There’s more to what’s happenin’ than we can see. Someone is controlling the reavers, we think. At least guidin’em to their targets. Maybe we ought be askin’ why those targets?”

“I don’t follow, Jayne,” Mal said from the head of the table.

“Look, we know that three worlds has been hit in the last two weeks or so. Maybe more than that, and we just ain’t heard it. But if you can control where the reavers attack, then how are you picking your targets?”

“And where does the Operative fit into it,” River chimed in. Jayne nodded.

“Exactly. We’re so tore up about all this, we ain’t thinkin’ straight. Jazz,” he nodded to the reporter, “sent all that info to her folks, they broadcast it, and suddenly they’re targets. You been stirring the pot for a while now, right?”

“Well, yes,” Carter nodded. “It’s what we’re known for, actually. And we didn’t pick the name Independent News Service out of thin air,” she added, smiling.

“But yet they wait until you broadcast somethin’ ‘bout reavers ‘fore they come down on you. They hit so fast, they had to know where you was, and where your transmitters were. So why’d they wait?”

Mal was dumbfoun