TITLE: "WILD CARD"

SERIES: THE DEVIL'S CRADLE

CHAPTER: 66. Sequel to "TROJAN"

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

PAIRING: Zoe/Wash Kaylee/Simon Inara/Simon

RATING: PG-13

SUMMARY: "The escape pod presents the crew of

Serenity with a dilemma. Meanwhile Badger finds that

hiding is not as easy or as clever an idea as he thought."

"WILD CARD"

A "Firefly" Story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

Word spread like a verbal tsunami throughout the ship. What the Captain had wanted to keep under wraps until he knew what they were dealing with was blown to *diyu*. Seemed every pair of ears on his boat had heard about the gorram escape pod found drifting in their corner of the Black and the fact that the Captain had brought it aboard Serenity. Made him all kinds of uneasy truth be told. Inara could see how tense he was but for once did not call him on it. She could see the rising stir of interest and knew it would be near impossible to control people's curiosity.

"Donnie, need you an' the boys to keep folk back, *dong ma*? We're gonna open the escape pod, not sure what we'll find."

The Browncoat frowned. "Expectin' trouble, Sarge?"

"Always am when the unexpected comes callin'."

Donnie nodded and moved among the other Browncoats, it was a quiet efficiently done thing. The men moved seemingly within their own orbits but making a cohesive whole quickly forming a polite ring keeping the curious and the nosy far enough back for Mal, Jayne and Zoe to take a closer look at the escape pod without everyone crowding in on them. Billy Parker felt a mite frustrated but realised it was probably for the best. Simon tried to press through a gap but found it seamless as soon as he got to it. He did not appreciate being denied access but Donnie moved close to him and told him he would be sent th