River woke up screaming, glad her nightmares had finally released her from the torment of the secrets and darkness that swirled around in her head; like oil in water. River called out for her brother, “Simon, Simon.” Her voice echoed harshly against the metal walls, bouncing off in all directions, but reaching nobody’s ears but her own. She was alone…alone and trapped.

Her eyes were wide and searching, but her confined cell was dark, and they met no one and nothing except for the harshest, blackest existence she could ever imagine encountering. River blinked several times before her sore eyes adjusted into a state of comfort that would allow her to receive the dark atmosphere that now housed her. At first glance at her dreary cage, River slightly hoped she was still trapped in the creepy nightmares, that not to long ago held her in their grasp. The small cell limited River’s motion and a silvery chain of metal anchored around her leg tethered her to the wall. At first she didn’t realize the cool metal against her skin, not until she got up too fast and tried to travel too far, and was yanked forcible back to the ground. Her backside smacked hard against the damp floor and when the pain receded she tried moving again to explore the cell, this time with caution.

She stretched out her hands until they made contact with the solidness of the wall. With this new found hope she began searching her tiny prison for a way out. River continued her vigorous search of the tiny space although she still couldn’t go to far due in part to the chain that held her into place. Within less than a minute she had made a full circle around the room.

River sat with her knees pulled up to her chin rocking back and forth, it was all she could do since her searched had gotten her nowhere. A light from outside of the cell came to life and shone brilliantly beneath the door.

River had felt the presence even before she saw the shadow pass beneath the door. She didn’t know what was on the other side…didn’t want to know. In her mind she willed the door to stay shut, it was the only thing separating her from the shadows outside.

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Simon lay prone on the ground his arms shackled to the wall. The up and down heaving of his chest where the only signs of life, his breathing was shallow and his thoughts where blank…he was unconscious.

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It had all happened to quick for any of them to register it in full. They where all gathered at the dining table eating and laughing, when the intruders ambushed them. They where dressed from head to toe in black and tied to the nine’s with advanced assault weapons sure to blow a hole into someone.

They grabbed Simon and River first, for obvious reasons, then led, more like dragged the others off one by one until the only heart beating was Serenity’s herself.

These weren’t your run of the mill ass wipes, pulled off some corroded massive dung heap of a planet, handed a gun then ordered onto Serenity to grabbed as many people as they could before either getting caught or killed.

No, these were pros, men so precise and expertised in the art of snatching folk; the only sound they ever made was the crack of one of the bad men’s knuckles crunching with the side of Jayne’s face, when he refused to cooperate. Not that he had much choice because no matter how easy it might have seemed to have stayed quite and take his kidnapping like a man, it wouldn’t be Jayne of him if he didn’t put up a fight; take one of them sum’bitches out if he could.

These men whoever they where, weren’t stupid either. Even with that Mal knew they weren’t the masterminds behind this…this…this kidnapping. It was the way they walked, like someone was always watching them; a might twitchy some mite say. It was the way they kept shifting their eyes back and forth as if it might kill them to focus on one thing at a time. It was the silent conversations that passed between the posse of idiots; their silent words seem to say “hurry the hell up.”

Whoever was the mind behind this masterful capture was someone who knew the crew, studied them down to the very last hair on their heads, learned every aspect of their lives until he or she knew them so well, it was like they had taken their shoes and walked every mile of each of their lives.

It was why they had placed Mal, Zoë, and Jayne in separate cells. They figured these three where more likely to resist capture…painfully. It was the sizing up of each of the crew that led Kaylee and Wash in the same cell. Those in charge figured these two weren’t a threat, so much so they didn’t bother placing restraints on either of them.

Simon and River where the first to be removed from Serenity. Their captors easily recognizing the pair by the freshly posted warrants they held in their hands. It had all happened so suddenly, there was no place the Tams could hide, inside or out of Serenity.

It was a blow too powerful and a hurt that ran too deep for Mal as he watched the reinforcers forcibly escort the ‘Doc and his sister off his boat and into an uncertain fate. He had secretly swore, not out loud but to himself, he wouldn’t let the gorram Alliance or whomever get their ruttin’ hands on his crew…his family…his Simon and River. He swore to Go…to Jesu…to himself he would save them all.

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Wash knelt next to Kaylee, stroking her hair as she sobbed, part of him wanting to sob right along with her, but he knew he had to be strong for them both.

“C’mon Kaylee, cheer up, it’s not so bad.” “Not so bad, Wash we’re captured, and like to be killed. Not to mention what they’ll do to Simon and River…especially River.”

“When you say it like that it doesn’t sound so great, but it could be worse.”

“What could be worse than this?”

“Reavers! I’d take gettin’ tossed into a cell with one of the cutest, sweetest gals ‘n the ‘verse over being eaten and raped to death by Reavers. So yes, ‘lil Kaylee this ain’t so bad.”

“Well, when you put is like that…did ya say ‘one of the cutest and sweetest’…it ain’t so bad I guess. But I’m still worried ‘bout the others.”

“C’mon Kaylee. Mal, Zoë, and Jayne probably already came up with some suicidal rescue mission and are half ways here. Cap’n wouldn’t leave us, Jayne mite, but the Cap’n and Zoë wouldn’t. So sit back, relax, and prepare to witness some dumb ass daring heroics. Because as sure as my name is Wash they’re comin’ for us.”

“But Wash I thought your name was Hoban…”

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Jayne punched the wall out of frustration from being locked up, he let out a pained grunt, then punched the wall again out of anger for having just hurt his hand on the wall, he raised his hand to punch the wall again but stop short realizing another blow to the wall would result in more pain for him.

He didn’t belong here, would have gotten away to ‘cept…He had tried to fight back, it wasn’t a hellava fight, Jayne managed to deliver a couple of punches to his assailant’s gut and a few kicks to his crouch; bruising his ‘manhood’.

But the ‘sum bitch blindsided Jayne when he punched him in the face in an attempt to get him to settle down and cooperate, but it just made Jayne madder and more feisty. Jayne struggled from the man’s now firm grip turned to face him as he pulled his arm back, ready to plow the others man with his great fist. But Mal’s protest stopped Jayne’s fist short of his intended target.

“Jayne, enough.” Mal bellowed.

“C’mon Mal, one hit, its all I need to lay this piece of go se out.”

“Jayne our situation is bad, some might even say dire, don’t make it worse by pissing of these idiots, ‘specially since they got guns pointed at all of us.”

It was enough, Jayne stopped his protest reluctantly allowing himself to be subdued, but not before elbowing the man in his side; Jayne always the one to get the last lick.

Like an angry caged lion, Jayne paced back and forth in his cell, motivated only by the burning desire for freedom. And although Jayne didn’t want to admit it, his mind wouldn’t let him forget what a hopeless situation they where in…he was in, and how helpless he felt as every second passed by and he was still someone else’s gorram prisoner, no good could come from Jayne Cobb being locked up.

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Zoë leaned against the cool wall, her arms folded defiantly across her chest. To anyone looking at her they might assume she was the perfect picture of calm. But no matter what story her outside appearance told, the emotions raging inside of her where enough to ripe a gaping hole into the ‘verse.

But a part of her, the part that had softened since the first day she stepped on to Serenity, was afraid. Not afraid for herself, or Mal, or Jayne, but for the others. She and Mal knew to well the tools of hate, due to the War, a war that brought them to dark realms of torture, no living being should ever bear witness.

It was a vigorous prolonged battle that stained the entire ‘verse a bloody red and blackened the hearts of the best people borne to the Black, herself and Mal included. No she knew they would survive, if Hera hadn’t broken them, no ruttin’ Alliance bad boys ever could…the only people that could ever undo them, where themselves.

Jayne was no veteran of the war, but he was born a soldier and would die as such. It was the safety of her husband, Kaylee, Simon, and River that she was afraid for. None of them had experienced the hurts that war sometimes afflicted, though River had seen torture, had been the very essence of a tortured soul.

She didn’t want it to happen to her again, to none of them, if she could help it. The other part of Zoë, the part hardened and reinforced by hatred because of the war, began strategizing a possible escape plan and began mentally preparing herself for the battle ahead.

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Mal hated himself for not seeing this coming. Somewhere between dinner and capture he had let his guard down. How did those hwoo dahn space-asses manage to find them? They where floating in some vacant quadrant of the Black, they where the only ship for miles.

And not only had these hwoo dahn’s found them; they managed to board Serenity and capture his entire crew. Either they were getting really bad at staying on guard or the entire criminal community was getting better…hey, weren’t they criminals, who forgot to spread the word!!!

There was a bright side to this, there was always a bright side, cue the music please…..there the bright side was shining fiercely in his face…although those asses had ruined their dinner, they where kind enough to provide Mal with food. It wasn’t much; the plate placed in front of him had a greenish-blue type of glob piled on top of a small pile of rice. The bright side being he had gotten a free meal out of this whole ordeal, who could turn down a free meal and besides it wasn’t protein.

It had been ‘nigh on 2 months before Mal had tasted anything that wasn’t protein. At least half an hour had passed before Mal set his fork down, his stomach glad for the meal. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks; there was a bright side to this. Here he was thinking the situation was dire and hopeless but Inara and Book had not been with them, they where still safe.

Inara and Book had both been planet side, dropped off 3 ½ days earlier on Claxton, before Serenity took her voyage to the middle of now where. Each of them wouldn’t worry, not yet at least, they where both too busy indulging in their professions, but Serenity was due back on Claxton 2 days from now to pick up the pair.

It wouldn’t be soon before they would begin to worry, especially when Serenity never came. As Mal thought on it more, he began to see darkness in this bright side because unless Book was going to fall to both knees, bow his head, and kindly pray to the Dali Llama, Buddha, the Almighty or any other religious entity for the safe release of the crew what could the preacher do? He saw less potential in the idea of ‘Nara being able to help them unless she had the secret talent to seduce bullets out of brainpans, the thought gave him little hope.

But like they say two brains are better than one, and neither lacked smarts. So Mal leaned his head back, a smile playing across his face…he was about to get rescued or bear witness to a full-hearted attempt at a rescue by two of the greatest criminal masterminds he ever had the ill-fate of coming face to face with…a Shepard and a Whore.