Badger draped his arm over the young man�s shoulder and squeezed.
Simon tried not to wince.
�Now, a fine looking gent like yourself would surely be willing to partake of the � entertainment in my fine establishment.�
Oh, this was so not a good situation. Simon tried to extricate himself, only to find the grip tightening.
�I assure you, Mr. Badger��
�It�s just Badger.� The smile under the hat was tight and not at all friendly.
�I�m really needed somewhere else. Now.� Simon tried not to sound desperate. Even he, newly out on the rim, could tell how the game was played. Cool, calm, all up until the last moment. Besides, he wasn�t going anywhere, not with all the goons� guns pointed at him.
�Why don�t you have a seat, Mister�?� Badger�s voice trailed off into a question, as he shoved Simon down into a chair.
�Um� Scott.� That fatal hesitation. That was it. He had had it. Simon vaguely wondered what the torture would feel like, and how long it would take before he spilled his guts. Literally or figuratively.
Badger just grinned coolly. �Scott, is it.� He leaned forward, his foul, garlic-tipped breath pushing Simon further down into the seat. �Why don�t we just sit,� at this, Badger patted the chair�s arm, �and talk about that pretty girl Reynolds has stashed on his boat.�
Inwardly, Simon groaned. He replied as brightly as he could, however. �Who? Kaylee?� Praying that the mechanic would not get hurt over this, he continued. �I mean, the Captain has a lot of pretty girls on Serenity. I�m sure�� His babbling stopped when Badger slammed his hands down, explosively, just brushing against his arms. This time he did wince.
�No, you gorram tamade baichi.� There was no false, polite front to Badger now. Simon was truly caught in the creature�s den, trapped by sharp claws and bright eyes and perilous teeth. Incongruously, his eyes focused on Badger�s teeth. Seriously, you could catch a disease just from touching them. He had to escape the dangerous mind wandering, though. That�s what got him into this situation in the first place.
�I mean the girl who�s not from Dyson�s Colony. The one who�s got her name and picture posted all over the ruttin� cortex.� Now, that? That was a feral grin if ever Simon had seen one. �Funny. The bloke who�s got his picture right next to her? Looks an awful lot � like you.� Fatalism struck Simon�s gut like a physical blow. He wondered if he could maneuver one of the goons into shooting him fatally. He wondered if he could grab a weapon and kill Badger before anything else happened. He wondered if�
�Captain Reynolds.� Simon jumped at that, and twisted his head. He had never been so surprised and shocked and happy to see a drawn gun in the hand of the Captain before. Not even on Jiangyin. �What brings you here?� Oh, Badger was a smooth one, Simon had to give him that. Even as he felt a vague annoyance and disappointment at being rescued again.
�You�re holding a mutual acquaintance hostage, Badger.� Mal was even smoother than Badger. �I�m thinkin�, perhaps, it�s time for him to get going. He�s got appointments, and I�m sure we�d both hate for him to miss them.�
�Well, one of his appointments is right here, Reynolds.� Badger�s evil teeth didn�t exactly gleam, but they sort of caught � something. �I�m not letting him go �til I get what I want.�
�You wanna bullet?� Jayne growled. Simon tried not to laugh. It was a very serious situation. Jayne was not funny.
Badger glanced at the mercenary dismissively. And that�s where he made his fatal mistake. Even Simon could tell that, and he knew he still reeked of the Core. His muscles tensed, ready for action. Zoe caught his eye. He nodded imperceptibly.
�You ain�t gonna shoot me, Reynolds.�
�Don�t haveta.� Mal lowered his gun, the motion automatically drawing the aim of the goons. Now was his chance. Simon moved.