Virtual Firefly www.stillflying.net Season 2 Episode 7: In the Shadows Written by DC Washington Directed by Matt Engstrom

Teaser from 2x07: In the Shadows ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE CLOSE-IN on the eyes of CAPTAIN MALCOLM REYNOLDS. We hear the distant sounds of shouting and a bouncing ball. We pull back and see that Mal is sitting in the pilot’s seat, staring forward. He wraps his coat around him like a blanket, tilts his head back, and SIGHS at the ceiling. KAYLEE (VO): Here! I’m open! INT. SERENITY – CARGO BAY – SAME TIME The rest of the CREW of Serenity run around the cargo bay playing their future version of basketball - ‘Ring-Ball’ - this time with two rings hanging by chains on either end of the cargo bay. WASH passes the BALL to KAYLEE. She catches it and dribbles alone towards the HANGING RING on the far side of the cargo bay. KAYLEE (cont’d): Haha! Never stop me now! RIVER sweeps in from behind the shadow of a large crate and effortlessly removes the ball from Kaylee’s grasp. RIVER: Never say never. She continues on to the opposite end of the cargo bay. KAYLEE: Gorramit, you’re quick! Jayne! Catch her! JAYNE runs to cut River off, getting between her and the ring on the near side of the cargo bay. JAYNE: S’just you and me, li’l wing-nut. River, without breaking stride, bounces the ball through Jayne’s OPEN LEGS and SPINS in a ballerina-style move around him to collect it. JAYNE (cont’d): Ruttin’ slippery… RIVER (running away, laughing): You forgot. It’s you, me, and the ball. SIMON: Here mei mei! She tosses the ball across the bay to SIMON, who wastes no time launching it up in the air. ZOE leaps up and, with a closed fist, nails the ball through the ring. HIROKU, sitting on a crate on the sidelines watching, claps enthusiastically. KAYLEE (smiling at Hiroku): Hey! Who’s side’r you on, Fishpaste?! Kaylee picks up the dead ball. Zoe and Simon high-five. ZOE: That’s five a piece. Golden ring time now. SIMON: Golden ring? What’s that? ZOE: Something someone neglected to give me when he proposed. WASH (out of breath): Har. I chortle inwardly. KAYLEE (to Simon): Means this’s the last point. Zoe steps up to Kaylee, ready to play defence. Their eyes meet. KAYLEE (cont’d): The last game. Beat. Everyone looks to Zoe and Wash. ZOE: Let’s go, Kaylee. Don’t wanna drag things out. Kaylee manages a small smile. She tosses the ball to Wash, who punches it to Jayne. Jayne bullrushes Simon, who stands his ground… but not for long as Jayne mows him down, connecting hard. Simon crashes onto the floor with a thump and Jayne claims the ball. JAYNE: Ha-ha! You core-folk sure do fall nice. SIMON: River! Jayne takes aim. Shoots. River leaps up off of Zoe’s intertwined hands and catches the ball before it makes it to the ring. JAYNE: Oh, you chwen joo! Jayne chases after River, who turns to wink at him, then throws the ball backwards and across the entire length of the cargo bay. It SWISHES through the ring without touching the metal rim. RIVER: (without turning around) We win. JAYNE: Wo bu shin wo dah yan jing! SIMON (grinning): Believe it! Zoe looks at everyone with her hands on her hips. ZOE: Good game… (beat) It’s been fun. An uncomfortable silence, broken by: MAL (via com): Wash – where are you?! Autopilot can only do so much ‘fore we crash headfirst into this planet coming up faster’n I care to say. Wash bounds up the stairs. SIMON (to River): How did you do that? RIVER (looking up at the ceiling): I didn’t look… EXT. SPACE – SAME TIME Serenity moves silently through the black. A SMALL ONE-MAN SHIP trails close behind. Suddenly, the small ship launches a ROUND DEVICE, which magnetically sticks onto Serenity’s hull, and on it, a green light blinks to life. INT. SMALL SHIP – COCKPIT – SAME TIME A DARK-HAIRED WOMAN in her early twenties sits in the cramped cockpit, dressed in a black SPACE-SUIT. Aside from a line of track-marks running down either side of her neck, she is a flawless, exotic beauty. She hits a button on her com unit, and noisy STATIC fills the small space. The static smoothes, and a familiar voice fill the void. RIVER (cont’d, filtered, via com): I listened… The monitor changes suddenly – “INCOMING WAVE”. DARK-HAIRED WOMAN (upper-crust Core accent): How fine the timing. She punches another button and the display glows brightly with the image of BADGER. BADGER: I am becoming rather impatient, Trystan. TRYSTAN: Oh how poor are they who have not patience. What wound did ever heal but by degrees? BADGER: Ain’t the least interested in your fancy psychobabbled poetry, little girl. I was assured that Trystan Xun was the best of the best, and would do right where the Orion Recondos ‘ave failed. TRYSTAN (calmly): Oh fool, in action lies eloquence. I lay no claim as to my abilities. Only to their results. BADGER: I’ll take no sass from a whelp of a girl who was barely on the potty when I was running a monopoly of great import. Best you remember who it is that’s paying your wage. You will show me proper respect. You will look up to me. TRYSTAN: It costs a man little to prattle polite. A hunter of skill was revered in the old ‘Verse. Kreed made certain of that. Now, this… How time a fickle beast can be. EXT. SPACE – SAME TIME The small ship maintains the same velocity as Serenity – some distance behind. BADGER (VO): You best bring me more ‘n a few fancy words next we chat, or you’ll jin joh buh chi chi fah joh. Poetic enough for ya, darlin’? TRYSTAN (VO): A cornered prey is a deadly prey. Track them in their own comfort, and they waltz into your web… INT. SMALL SHIP – COCKPIT – SAME TIME Badger sighs on the monitor. BADGER: Look girlie— Trystan calmly cuts short the Wave and flicks a switch on her console. TRYSTAN: Too true the empty vessel makes the greatest sound… WASH (VO, filtered): You know, Mal, you really oughta learn to fly this thing better yoursel— uh, that’s not Haven. TRYSTAN: …The irony of it all. INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE – SAME TIME Wash and Zoe stand on the bridge, flanked by Jayne. We see a large GREEN PLANET coming into view through the front window. ZOE: Verbena? Captain, what— MAL: Just a small, profitable detour. ZOE: Care to elaborate, sir? MAL: Juniper raspberries, Zoe. Should net us some pretty. Twenty pounds at three thousand creds per, to be precise. Jayne starts counting on his fingers, his lips moving. ZOE: You do know this is a Core world, sir? ‘Rejuvenation Project’ ringing any bells? Hiroku runs onto the bridge, laughing hysterically. He circles round Mal, and hides behind Wash’s console. Jayne stops counting. Shakes his head in frustration. Starts over. MAL: Hardly Core. Still a border world no matter how much the Alliance try‘n make it look different. Kaylee bursts through the bridge door at pace. KAYLEE (laughing): I’ll find you, you slippery little fish! Kaylee tiptoes around the bridge, peeking in every dark corner. INT. SMALL SHIP – COCKPIT – SAME TIME Trystan listens intently, a finger curling mindlessly through her hair. MAL (VO, filtered): We got us a nice ‘n legal milk run for your last job. Jorgensen just loves his raspberries. Verbena’s the one place in all our ‘Verse they grow nice enough for his refined and well-payin’ tastes. Trystan’s head snaps up, looking out her forward window. Here eyes go wide as she sees something we can’t. TRYSTAN: There exist as many farewells as be stars in heaven. Farewell. Farewell. Farewell… INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE – SAME TIME Jayne’s stops stops counting. His eyes widen. JAYNE: Sixty thousand! For fruit!? He is shaing jing ! MAL: Decent nest egg for a couple startin’ out fresh. Zoe looks over questioningly at Wash. WASH: Does seem a milkish run to me, hon’. And it isn’t even a bunch of stinky cows this time. JAYNE: But, um, they ain’t getting’ it all, right? Kaylee abruptly jumps behind Wash’s console – and shrieks of laughter ensue as Hiroku jumps away, trying to avoid Kaylee’s grip. MAL: For all the— Will you two stop! Mal hefts Hiroku by the shirt-collar and marches him out the door. KAYLEE: Cap’n! You can’t just— Mal silences her with an icy stare. MAL: The bridge ain’t no place— Kaylee pulls Hiroku into her arms and marches out the bridge. MAL (cont’d): —for playin’ about and screamin’… Suddenly River bursts onto the bridge in a flat panic. RIVER: It’s raining! Get the umbrella! Quick! MAL (sniffing his underarm, annoyed): Is it me? Do I attract them? What— A large JOLT and loud CLANG shakes Serenity. MAL (cont’d): What was that? Wash punches buttons, and a RADAR GRID appears on-screen. WASH: A meteor, Mal. Only the one. Hull’s intact. We’re good. Zoe stares, transfixed by the view out the window ahead of them. Jayne is still checking his math. ZOE (softly): No… We’re not. As Mal and Wash look up, we pan around to see what they all see out the window – hundreds of GOLDEN BROWN STREAKS coursing through the atmosphere, with multiple EXPLOSIONS across the planet’s surface. WASH: Woh duh tian ah.

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