Liftoff

[flybywash]

"Noooo problem! Bring it on bring it on bring it on!" Tak-a-tak-a-tak-a-tak-a -- "From here to the eyes and the ears of the 'verse, that's my motto. Or, it might be if I started having a motto."

Mr. Universe has been acting like this the entire wave, but Wash can't bring himself to be irritated by it; any sign of life and energy beyond the crew is a welcome thing after stepping off of that planet. He rubs his palm with the pad of his other thumb and looks up at Mal.

"We won't be long," the captain says.

Two more keys clatter before Mr. Universe turns his attention back to their wave. "You're gonna get caught in the ion cloud around Dusinane," he warns, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk. "It'll play merry hob with your radar, but pretty pretty lights and a few miles after, you'll be right in my orbit."

"You'll let us know if anyone else comes at you?"

His smile is bright, guileless. Utterly trustworthy. "You'll be the first."

Comments

[flybywash]

And on the other side of the screen, they wait.

A fully-armed Alliance battalion crouches out of vid range, guns trained on Mr. Universe, light and image from the feeds shimmering over their helmets. They don't move. They barely breathe.

The Operative stands the closest, listening to the wave with calm intensity.

[stopped-signal.livejournal.com]

Mr. Universe spins in his chair so he's facing the Operative.

"There. Toss me my thirty coin, but I got a newswave for you, friend."

[flybywash]

Whatever it is, he neither waits, nor wants, to hear it.

The sword comes out, and with barely a flicker of expression, the Operative runs Mr. Universe through.

[stopped-signal.livejournal.com]

Well. That wasn't supposed to happen.

See, at this point, Mr. Universe was supposed to share his cunning plan as to how the Operative was out of luck, how he was totally outwitted, how Mr. Universe, once again, won.

He hadn't factored a sword into his plans.

He hadn't factored in that kick-ass computer programming skills don't mean a thing when it comes to human interaction.

He means to share some of this, but all that comes out is a rather surprised grunt.

[flybywash]

The Operative's face softens into something almost like sympathy. He pulls out the sword, looks at it, unfolds a cloth and sets to cleaning it. To Mr. Universe, he spares not a glance.

"Call in every ship in the quadrant," he says, distracted. "We'll meet them in the air."

He looks around the complex. Hundreds of screens pulse with the sights and sounds of the 'verse.

"Destroy it all."

[stopped-signal.livejournal.com]

Through a painful haze, Mr. Universe watches them tear his world apart.

He's barely breathing, now, and binking very slowly, and if anyone just glanced at him, they very well might think he was dead.

And, honestly? These guys aren't even glancing.

Lenore. They haven't touched Lenore, yet.

[flybywash]

They don't. Why bother with some undersexed guàipĭ de rén's toys when they have contraband feeds to worry about?

Eventually, satisfied, the Operative leaves. The soldiers follow not long after.

Sparks are snapping and fizzling from the cut wires all around them, but Lenore's still intact.

[stopped-signal.livejournal.com]

Mr. Universe topples out of his chair.

And then, inch by agonising inch, he drags himself across the floor.

It is a long time before he reaches the couch, and an even longer time before he manages to drag himself onto it, his head pillowed in Lenore's lap.

She strokes his hair gently - something he programmed her to do a long time ago - but it's somehow far less comforting now than it was when he complained to her about Hoban Washburne blackmailing him.

"Lenore," he whispers, voice thick with pain, "a man's going to... show up. You have to... give him a message. Record."

Her eyes shine green - recording - and Mr. Universe talks.

"Mal. Guy killed me, Mal. He killed me with a sword. How weird is that? I got... a short span here... they destroyed my equipment, but I have a backup unit. Bottom of the complex, right over the generator. Hard to get to. I know they missed it. They can't stop the signal, Mal. They can never... stop... the signal..."

And he dies.