Introduction

Mal coughed irritably. It had started as a tickle in his throat, then moved southward, making breathing more of a trial than it was meant to be and leaving him decidedly disinclined for action.  He'd already had to endure Simon taking cultures, sticking him for blood and listening to his lungs.  Sometimes Mal wondered if the doctor hadn't spent more time around him without his shirt on than any woman he'd ever been with.

This musing was cut short when Wash's insistent voice came through the comm.  "Mal, you wanna get up here now."

"I really don't," Mal called, not getting off the bed.

The pilot's words echoed through the room, more adamant this time. "I guess you can explain to everyone why we won't be eating for a while, then?"

"Meaning what?" Mal groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Meaning we may be getting some work."

Mal lurched unsteadily to his feet. The room was starting to feel like it was spinning. "You know, Wash, you could've just said there was a 'wave and saved yourself a heap o' trouble from me."

"True," the voice crackled back. "But that wouldn't have been nearly as fun."

Mal groaned.  "Personalities," he said, climbing carefully up from his bunk.  "Last time I hire a crew with personalities." He made his way to the cockpit, pulling himself together, schooling his body to reveal nothing of weakness.  If he was terse and kept his breathing shallow, he might not cough.  He mustn't cough.

Wash looked at him with a hint of sympathy and vacated his seat, but Mal elected to remain standing.  "It's Fanty and Mingo," Wash said apologetically.  "I guess they finally decided to answer your 'wave."

"'Bout gorram time," Mal murmured under his breath. Fixing a genial smile on his face, he turned to face the screen. If the two men saw any sign of frailty in him, they would most certainly not be interested in anything his crew could do for them. "Gentlemen. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten."

The screen flickered briefly as the identical faces of the two men appeared on the screen. They glanced quickly at one another before smiling broadly. "Didn't forget, Mal," Fanty chided.

"Just keeping all our options open," Mingo added, grin widening.

"We all got options," Mal said shortly.  "Question is whether we might have some interests that coincide."

"Might do, might do," Mingo agreed.  "Still, hard to say, isn't it?"

"Can't take the measure of a man's crew just on say-so.  Suppose you could come 'round?" Fanty suggested.

"Suppose I could," Mal said, arms crossing over his chest.  "Be a bit out of our way."

"Worth your while, though.  Assuming you measure up, of course," Mingo said, his tone insinuating.

Mal tried to keep his voice steady. "Oh, I think you'll find me and mine will more'n suit your purposes."

"So we've heard," Fanty replied silkily. "People have told us a lot about you, Captain Reynolds."

He gave them a lukewarm smile. "All lies, of course."

"Well, I suppose we'll soon find out for ourselves, won't we?" Mingo observed. "Good money to be made from this, Mal."

"I've no doubt."

"Right then," Mingo replied.  "We'll see you here on Boros in three days, then.  Look forward to doing business with you." He winked.  "Maybe."

Mal closed the connection, then slumped into the co-pilot's seat.  "Well, hell," he muttered, then was seized with another coughing fit, his chest aching painfully and stars appearing before his eyes as he choked and wheezed.

Wash, who'd been watching silently, raised an eyebrow.  "Might I ask how you're going to impress them with your muscular efficiency when standing up for five minutes completely incapacitates you?"

Mal paused, then shook his head. "Nope. Didn't catch a word o' that."

"Ain't surprising, sir," a voice said. Looking up, Mal watched Zoe step into the room and stand with Wash. "My husband always had a way with words."

She shot Mal a concerned look. "He was wonderin' how on earth you're going to look sharp for Fanty and Mingo when you can barely keep yourself upright. Can't say I disagree. You look terrible, sir."

Mal rolled his eyes heavenward. "It's just a tickle o' the throat," he told them. "Don't need the two o' you fussing over me. Would've thought that was Kaylee's job, if anyone's."

Simon followed Zoe in.  "Actually, as jobs go, that would be mine," he said, looking a little pale and worn.  "And the infection is viral, settled in your lungs.  Well settled, from the look of you," he concluded.

"And are you gonna do somethin' about it, or just stand there admirin' the way I wear it?" Mal demanded.

"There's not an anti-viral for it," Simon said, coughing a bit.  "And it's infectious.  You need to be quarantined.  I've got Kaylee fitting my room with an extra filter right now.  You'll be moved in there for the duration of your illness."

"Oh, for pity's sake, Doc," Mal burst out, frustrated. "How in the 'verse can you be sure it's infectious? I'm pretty sure I'm the only one coughin' up a lung."

Simon glared at him. "Because I caught it from you, Captain." He let out a rasping cough.

"Fabulous," Mal groaned. "Just fabulous."

"So you need to quarantine the captain," Wash repeated slowly. "But what about the job?"

"What job?" Simon asked, confused.

"Oh, just the job we've spent the last few weeks chasin'," Mal shot back, waving a mock-casual hand in the air. "Nothin' too important."

"I'm fairly certain," Simon said acerbically, "that the likely performance on any given job won't improve with a viral illness.  Do you really want to make the entire crew sick?" He cast a professional eye over Mal.  "Moreover, do you really imagine you'd be much of an asset at this point?"

"He's maybe not wholly wrong, sir," Zoe said slowly.  "Don't mean all of it, but don't need to worry 'bout you fallin' over in front of Fanty and Mingo while we're tryin' to get work.  Rest of us can handle it.  We could make up a story..."

"Oh, and what kind of story would that be?" Mal sputtered, suppressing another cough.  "Reason why your captain didn't show up with you as planned? I'd like to hear this.  Go on."

Zoe waved him away. "You'll just have to trust us, sir."

"Right," Wash jumped in. "We'll take care of everything."

Mal looked back and forth between them and covered his face with one hand. "Oh, God."

Wash pulled the comm down. "I'll get the others up here so we can go over the finer points."

Mal buried his head deeper in his hands. "Oh, God."

Jayne, Kaylee and River filed into the cockpit, keeping as much distance as they could from Mal and Simon, on Simon's orders.  "It looks like the captain will need to be quarantined for at least a few days."

"Along with you, Doctor," Zoe said flatly.

"Ye-es," Simon said, conflicted.  "I just...River..." He looked at his sister with dark, worried eyes.

"No need to fuss!" Kaylee chirped.  "I can look after her easy as anything, Simon."

"She should probably be kept away from the passenger dorms.  I don't think...with her system as it is, illness might trigger hallucinations, or..." Simon broke off, not wanting to consider the possibilities.

Kaylee put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "She can bunk with me, Simon. It'll be shiny, you'll see."

River nodded serenely. "Giving small things big shadows, Simon."

"Wait a minute," Jayne interrupted. "You're sayin' both Simon 'n' the captain are sick?"

Simon looked nonplussed. "Yes."

"And you're both contagious? Like, spreadin' it?" Jayne questioned him.

"You gonna find your way to your point anytime soon, Jayne?" Mal asked impatiently.

"Well, I'm just wonderin' why we're all standing so close to the both o' you. I don't want no infection settlin' on my lungs," the mercenary pointed out.

"Particularly as your family's apparently susceptible," Simon said absently, having heard it mentioned by Kaylee that Jayne's brother had the damp lung. 

Jayne glowered.  "You wanna leave my family 'lone, or I'll start talkin' 'bout how yours is apparently supseptible to the crazies."

"Yes, all right," Simon sighed.  He leaned down to give Mal assistance up, but the captain shook him off irritably and rose from his chair, leaning against the console.

"Ain't no cripple, Doc.  I can walk just fine." These brave words were just a bit undermined as Mal swayed slightly to one side.

Simon slid an arm around his waist.  "It'll be fine," he said to the rest of the crew, who were looking worried.  "He just needs rest, some palliatives and immune boosters, and he should be fine."

Realizing that the doctor was not going to be deterred, Mal sighed loudly and let himself be led. Stopping in the doorway, he turned to face Zoe.  "I think River should go with you. Keep her close, so she can spot trouble 'fore it comes."

"I don't think - " Simon protested.

"That's an order," Mal said as firmly as he could. "Want to make sure this gets done right."

Zoe nodded her assent. "Sir."

"Wash, I may need you to sterilize the cockpit before you leave," Simon added as an afterthought. "I don't want the infection to spread any futher."

"Wouldn't that be fun," Wash murmured as they disappeared from view, Mal grumbling the entire way. 

Kaylee looked pensive. "Captain sounds like he's expectin' trouble," she ventured.

"Ain't surprised," Jayne pointed out. "Trouble seems to have a way o' findin' us, whether we're expectin' it or not."

Continue to Part One