Serenity's doors closed with only one shuttle docked. The engines fired up and the landing gear pulled in as they rose in altitude, turning slightly to the east, facing the rising sun. They had remained all night before Mal had given the order to go at full-burn. He, Wash and Kaylee had concluded they might still make it to the drop-off within the timeframe given them, with some creative paths carved through this corner of the 'verse. Kaylee, with the additional time to collect bits and pieces from the town, had been able to wire up some intriguing nest of cables to boost just a bit more power than any Firefly class boat had gotten before. The trick was, she pointed out, she couldn't say it would last very long. They had decided to go for it. As the planet fell away behind them, Mal watched Wash maneuver the controls deftly. Wash looked up, slightly self-conscious. "We're coming back," Wash said, seeing Mal's focus was not on Wash's actual movements. Mal blinked and looked at Wash, this time focusing on his pilot. "What?" he asked. "We're coming back," Wash repeated. "No need to worry about her." "I ain't worried about her," Mal protested. "I'm worried about getting us to that drop on time. We lose this, we ain't gettin' much other business from this moon any time soon. Can't lose even the slightly honest jobs we can scrape up." He turned to go, only to reappear at the door moments later. "And I'm worried about my boat. We keep pushin' her too far and even Kaylee won't be able to get her crawlin'. I ain't worried about...Those are my worries. They should be yours, too." He left again, either not seeing or choosing to ignore Wash's barely checked smile. *** Jayne was spotting the Shepherd lift weights when Kaylee came in. Almost unconsciously, he stood a little straighter. She didn't notice. "Have you seen River?" she asked, looking around the corners and shadows for the young Tam. "She's up there," Jayne nodded to where Inara's shuttle would have been. "She been sittin' up there since 'fore we started here, just...petting the door." "River?" Kaylee called, heading towards the stairs. "River, honey, I think we need to come away from there now..." "Y'ask me, that girl ain't right," Jayne muttered, taking the weight from Book's hands and setting it in the rests as the Shepherd sat up and looked up at the girls now conversing quietly by Inara's vacant door. "I understand the sentiment," he admitted. "But keeping in mind what happened to her...I don't believe many of us would come away completely right." Jayne grunted in response. "Still," he muttered, "She ain't right." "I'm right here," River's voice cut through their discussion. Both men turned and looked up at her. She was standing next to Kaylee, her hand resting on the railing. Kaylee shrugged apologetically, before patting the girl's shoulder. "Let's go make dinner, then, okay?" she said brightly. River looked at the eager mechanic, sighed and resumed her seat at the door. "Can't leave her," she whispered. *** Inara succeeded in raising her head long enough to look around the dark room. Breathing, alone, took most of her energy, but she managed to roll onto her stomach. Pausing to catch her breath, she dragged her hand along the silkened sheet so it was even with her face, then pushed at the bedding until she felt the wall, solid and stable, at her back. The drugs were starting to wear off, finally. If she could manage to get her strength back without letting him know, she could...she could...she would have to get out. Somehow. How long had she been there? She knew they would come for her...but... They didn't know where she was... As that thought sunk in, he opened the door. The stark light hit her eyes, making her wince. "Oh, what is this?" His voice grated on her every nerve. "Are you trying to run away from me? No, no, no." "No," she whimpered, hearing her voice and hating herself for it. "Let me go..." "But I like pretty things," he leered, entering the room. "I like them so much." "No..." *** "Zoë, you seen Kaylee?" Mal asked, coming out of the engine room. "She's s'posed to be monitoring this and I can't seem to find her. We fall outta the sky, I'm makin' sure she knows it's cause a'her." "I'll be sure to let her know, sir," Zoë replied, stone-faced. She watched him nod and waited. He seemed to have something more to say, but... "You're worried about her," Zoë stated. Mal started to argue, then gave up. "It ain't like her to not show without word," he said, absent-mindedly tapping his fist against the doorframe behind him. "No, it's not," Zoë agreed. She paused, then added, "River seems mighty upset by it, too." "Yeah, I noticed," the Captain acknowledged. "She won't eat, hides in her room or sits out in the shuttle bay, not talking...I can't miss this drop, Zoë." "I know it," Zoë answered. "But I'm worried, too." Mal nodded and resumed his search for Kaylee. Zoë watched him go, then went on to the infirmary. Simon was there, putting away the medical supplies they had acquired. "Zoë," he said, looking up. "What brings you here?" "Your sister's ramblings," she replied. "Got a minute?" *** "I can't find her," River whispered. Mal sat up with a jolt. He had been sleeping, thinking it was right to sleep in his own bunk, but with River standing over him, her arms wrapped about her shivering body, he found he was much more inclined to being awake. "I thought we discussed things like this," he said slowly. "Unless there's an absolute emergency - and I mean death or fires, here - you don't come in here." "You have to go back," River pleaded. "I can't find her." "Go back?" Mal blinked, trying to enter the conversation from the middle. "Go back where?" "Back to find her," River's voice broke. "She's caught and we left her!" Mal finally caught on. He got out of bed and stood in front of the trembling Tam, gently placing his hands on her shoulders and trying to look her in the eyes. "Do you mean..." his own throat stopped on her name. "She's back there," River sobbed, sinking to the floor. "We have to go back!" "We're going back," he promised. "We're going back now." He left her there and raced up to the bridge. Wash was pulling a late night, trying to make sure nothing snapped or fizzled during this little adventure in electricity. "Turn us around," Mal ordered, taking the co-pilot's seat and beginning a search through 'waves that had come in before Inara had left. "What?" Wash asked, confused at seeing Mal in sleep pants, barefoot, and yet alert enough to be on the bridge giving orders. "Turn us around," Mal repeated. "We gotta go back for her. Something ain't right and now I've got a sobbing girl in my room tellin' me 'Nara's caught in something. So, I ain't tellin' you again: turn us around."