DIRE STRAITS – PART THREE

Simon’s knees began to ache from kneeling on the uneven ground and as he shifted to get comfortable he glanced around at the others. They mostly wore looks of fear and surprise, only River seemed exempt. She was staring at their captor Samuelson with an almost rapt expression of wonder. Something about the man had obviously intrigued her. As Samuelson finished talking with his officer, Inara approached from the main house, shadowed on either side by a bodyguard. Her face was pale and drawn, but she didn’t seem surprised to find the crew kneeling on the ground in front of the ship. She advanced on Samuelson and he looked her up and down in a suggestive manner as she drew near. “What is going to happen to the crew and myself?” she asked, not wasting any time. Samuelson gave Inara an amused smile at being challenged so boldly but decided to play along. “You’re all going to be placed under arrest, charged and probably executed for your crimes against the Alliance,” he replied calmly. “The system might be lenient on a woman of your standing, but I expect the rest will get the needle.” “What are we to be charged with?” Inara persisted. Something changed in Samuelson’s posture and the men around him noticed, taking an involuntary step backwards. Simon suddenly realised how tall the man was as he towered over Inara and she had to crane her neck to look at his face. Despite the tide of anger boiling behind his eyes, Inara did not back down and courageously stood her ground. Samuelson grunted and looked mildly surprised. He began to tick off the charges on his fingers. “Murder of Alliance personnel, theft of Alliance equipment and medical supplies, harbouring known fugitives, arson, smuggling, and war crimes against the Alliance. Will that suffice?” he asked rhetorically. “I won’t ask you to kneel beside the others, I expect you’re worn out from doing too much of that in your day job,” he snapped. The final veneer of his false charm fell away, revealing a harsh and merciless man who ruled by fear. This time Inara did back away and moved to stand beside Kaylee who touched the Companion briefly to reassure her. “Lieutenant, put the prisoners in a holding cell and have someone fly that piece of gosa back to the ship. Its no doubt filled with contraband and illegal goods.” said Samuelson casting a scornful eye over Serenity. “Its going to take weeks to search it, there’s so many gorram hiding places and holes in it.” Simon felt Kaylee stir at his side as Samuelson insulted her ship, but thankfully she swallowed her pride and didn’t say anything out loud.

They were all ferried into a troop shuttle with a dozen armed soldiers for company and Mal on his stretcher. It was a tight squeeze and fairly uncomfortable, but clearly Samuelson knew who he was dealing with and was not willing to take any chances. After about ten minutes they broke atmo and Simon saw the vast body of an Alliance cruiser through a window. The ship was so huge it seemed to blot out the stars and it only grew bigger as they approached. River was glued to one of the windows and stared in open-mouthed wonder at the ship and the stars. Simon heard Jayne muttering about someone having some fun out of all of this, but he ignored the thug. The rest of the crew were tight lipped and contemplative. Kaylee sat holding hands with Inara, and Wash had one hand on Zoe’s leg which she had covered with one of her own. They had all been involved with the Alliance before in one fashion or another, but this was perhaps the worst situation they had ever been in. No doubt Zoe was scheming up some kind of plan in the Captain’s absence, but what it might be Simon had no clue. He couldn’t help looking over at River and wondering what they would do to her if they ever got her back to the Academy. He wouldn’t let them take her, that much he knew for sure. As the shuttle docked with the cruiser, the soldiers went out first, guns at the ready, again taking no chances. They frog-marched the crew along spotless metal corridors to a line of plain grey cells with barred doors. They were herded into two cells arbitrarily and Simon was pushed into a different one from Mal. “Hey, I’m a Doctor,” he said but the soldiers ignored him. Something snapped. “Listen to me, if that man dies because of your stupidity, who do you think they are going to blame?” One of the soldiers came towards him with his gun held ready. Simon felt someone put a restraining hand on his arm, but he didn’t look around to see who it was. The soldier came right up in his face and for a moment Simon thought it was time to meet his maker. The moment passed and the soldier yanked him out of the second cell and shoved him into the first with Mal, Zoe, Wash and Shepherd Book. Simon watched as they closed the cells doors and swiped passcards across the keypad. The locks slammed home with a loud crunching sound and the noise seemed to echo loudly in the silence. River moved to the cell door and began to press digits on the keypad. “River, no!” warned Simon. “Leave that alone.” To his surprise the soldiers began to laugh. He walked up to the cell door and watched River pressing the keys. “Its only a 286 digit code sweetheart. If you think you can crack it, go right ahead.” He laughed and walked away. The footsteps receded and soon they were left with only their own thoughts for company. “So, I take you have an excellent plan for getting us out of here?” Wash asked his wife. “Because I am all ready to leap into action. I’m prepared to be dazzled by your intellect.” “Hush dear,” chided Zoe looking down at Mal. “How is he?” Simon turned back to the others and checked over Mal. “He’s fine. The operation went well. Given time he should make a full recovery, although moving him so soon afterwards wasn’t a good idea.” “Who is this Samuelson?” asked Book. It was the first thing he had said since they had been captured by the Alliance. Simon noticed that the Shepherd was sweating. The ship was kept at a steady temperature and yet he was perspiring heavily. “You said he was a turncoat. What exactly did he do?” asked Simon. “Yes, because telling a story is just what we need right now, instead of the plotting and the scheming.” said Wash. His fear was very apparent and Zoe comforted him, squeezing one of his hands with both of hers. “Will you stop that gorram noise!” Jayne complained from the other cell. “Leave her be,” said Inara as River continued to punch numbers into her cell door in a constant stream of beeping sounds. Simon turned back to Zoe and she heaved a long sigh before speaking. “During the war, when the Captain was just starting to gain some renown, there was another man like him. Most of the senior officers got killed, so we had to make do with whatever leaders we could find. Samuelson started with one squad, then two, then a dozen. Soon he had whole platoons under his command. He was a damn good fighter and helped us out in some bad times.” “Did you know him well?” asked Book stressing the last word. The question seemed to carry some hidden meaning as Zoe gave the Shepherd a sharp look and then nodded slowly. “We were close, for a time,” she murmured and Simon began to have a growing suspicion. Wash remained completely unaware. “But when things went from bad to worse, he changed. It was maybe a year before Serenity Valley. We were holed up in a tight spot, down to the basics and trading fire with the enemy. The Alliance had all the latest tech, all the supplies they could want, and still they couldn’t dig us out. That’s when they offered a deal.” “What kind of deal?” asked Simon. “A full pardon. Total immunity for any crimes against the Alliance if we would turn traitor and work for them. Help the troops to dig us out and hunt us down, one by one. The pressure was on to win the war and they were desperate to make some progress. Samuelson took the deal.” “I’m surprised the Captain didn’t shoot him for that,” joked Simon. “He did,” said Zoe. Simon looked at her and knew she was deadly serious. “How-?” “Mal shot him, right in front of me, but Samuelson lived. Guess he’s still sore about it.” An uneasy silence enveloped the cell, broken only by River’s constant beeping from next door. “Is there anything else we should know about him?” asked Book. “Only that he’s as clever as he is strong, and I’ve seen him pick up men like they was babies.” Zoe said quietly. “Great! So, now can we plan our escape?” asked Wash. “Sounds like an idea,” said Mal, stirring on the stretcher. “How long have you been awake?” asked Simon. “Long enough to know we’re in a heap of trouble,” Mal replied, trying to sit up. With some help he was able to rest against the wall in an upright position. He was obviously still in a lot of pain, but some colour had returned to his face. “How do you feel, Sir?” asked Zoe. “Like I got sat on by Jayne,” he murmured, pressing a hand to his injured side. “Hey!” complained Jayne from the other cell. “Its winter fat, is all.” “So, first we gotta get out of this cell, but let’s put that aside for now. Where is my boat?” asked Mal. “They said they was bringing it aboard for inspection,” said Zoe. “But where they took it, I got no idea. It’s a big damn cruiser.” “I might know where they’d take it,” said Book and all eyes fell on him. “You want to explain that, Preacher?” asked Zoe. “Mmm. Not really.” He replied coolly. “Fine,” interrupted Mal. “Right now all I care about is getting out of here in one piece.” “Well, even if we somehow managed to get out of the cell, and onto Serenity, how do you propose we outrun a cruiser?” asked Simon. “That’s not my main worry,” said Mal, looking over at Zoe. She met his gaze and nodded slowly. “No? Then what is?” “Samuelson. You better believe this has nothing to do with warrants and charges. Its personal. Always was,” said Mal. “Anyway he can, he’ll make sure Zoe and me are dead before too long. He don’t care nothing about the rest of you.” “Then shouldn’t we be getting out of here about now?” pressed Wash, sitting upright. Simon noticed he looked a little flustered. Clearly he didn’t like the idea of someone threatening to kill his wife, whereas it didn’t seem to have affected Zoe one bit. It wasn’t the first person that wanted to kill her, and probably wouldn’t be the last. As Mal talked and laid out the plan, Simon was again amazed by the man’s ingenuity and cunning mind, not that he would ever say such things out loud. A few hours ago he had been at death’s door, and now he was spinning out a plausible plan from his sickbed. “Kaylee? Can you hear me?” said Mal turning his head slightly. “Right here, Captain,” came the reply and a little hand poked around the edge of their cell from next door and waved. Mal smiled fondly and touched her hand briefly, giving it a little squeeze. “How long will you need?” he asked. “I’m not sure. It’s not something I’ve tried before. I’ve seen enough of these ships, but never thought to do that with one of them.” she said sounding more than a little unsure. Simon was more confident in her abilities. The girl was practically a genius when it came to machines and engines. He doubted there was very little she couldn’t do if she really wanted. “Just do you best,” said Mal. “Yes Captain,” she replied and the little hand withdrew from their cell. “So, we all know what we’re doing?” he asked. “Uh, not to be all negative,” said Wash. “but how do we get out of the cells?” “Well,” said Mal, shifting to get comfortable. “I was thinking we shout for the guards. Pretend I’m going south and get them to open the door and then we jump them.” From somewhere close by there came a little shriek of triumph from River which they ignored. “If that don’t work we get the Doctor to make up a story about needing some kinda medicine, and they gotta open the door for that,” said Mal getting into his story. As he continued talking Inara, Jayne and Kaylee moved to stand outside their cell. Inara put a finger to her lips for silence and only a slight quirk of a smile on Zoe’s face almost gave the game away. “I expect they carry ident cards on their person, but remember we have to move quiet. We can’t use a guard for a hostage if we cause a ruckus. Samuelson would let his man die before he let me outta here in one piece.” Zoe couldn’t play along anymore. “Uh, Sir,” she tried. “Not now, Zoe, I’m trying to get us out of here,” Kaylee began to laugh, covering her mouth with one hand and Wash started chuckling. “Then we should-” “But Sir,” pressed Zoe. “What is so gorram funny, Wash?” snapped Mal. Wash just pointed. Mal looked about slowly, seeing the others free of their cell. Kaylee gave him a little wave and Inara began to laugh, a rich sound that suddenly made Simon very glad that he was a man. “What are you all just standing around for?” asked Mal, recovering very quickly. “Get us out of here.” “Yes Captain,” said Kaylee. She steered River towards their cell door and Simon stared at his remarkable sister. She was muttering numbers under her breath all the while, patterns and configurations that started to baffle him the more he listened. She began hammering away on their keypad while Jayne went to the end of the corridor to keep watch and the others prepared Mal for travel. “Zoe, I want you up front, with Jayne. Wash, you’ll have to stay back with me. I can’t walk too good.” “I think I should help lead the way as well,” said Book. “I’m somewhat familiar with the layout. I can take us to Serenity.” “You do that,” said Mal, struggling to his feet with Wash’s help. He was sweating heavily from even the slightest exertion and Simon didn’t like to think what kind of pressure all this activity would be putting on his stitches. He understood the Captain would rather shoot himself in the foot than sit back when there was work to be done, but Simon thought he was sometimes too selfless when it came to his crew. It was very possible they would escape from this, but it could still cost the Captain his life if he didn’t rest. Simon decided to keep all of that to himself though, no one would appreciate the coldest truth right about now. “How are we doing sweetie?” Inara asked River. “Its all about primes. Prime numbers, prime tangents, numbers co-existing with time and memory. Prime emotions. Tides of sentiment, and waves of fear. Anxiety warring with anticipation and hope.” “Well course it is,” said Mal giving River a look. “but does it mean we’re ready to open the door?” A few seconds later the locking mechanism was released and their cell door swung open. Book was first through, walking up the corridor to stand beside Jayne and Zoe followed shortly after. Simon took one of the Captain’s arms over his shoulder and helped Wash get him to his feet. Mal looked around at everyone and gave them a peculiar smile that Simon didn’t understand. “All right then, let’s do this,” he said and they started forward. By the time Simon had reached the end of the corridor, Jayne and Zoe were coming back towards them, each carrying a weapon, and Jayne had an unconscious soldier slung over one shoulder. He looked rather pleased with himself. “Don’t be using them,” Mal said nodding his head at the weapons. “The ship’s sensors would pick up the noise and then we’d have the whole garrison after us.” Jayne dumped the man in a cell and tied him up briefly, stuffing a gag in his mouth before they moved on. A hundred metres down an empty corridor, they came to a T-junction and Book looked around, trying to get his bearings. “Down there,” he said gesturing to the left. “Leads to the elevators that go right down to engineering. They’re monitored too so it means taking the stairs. You have to go down ten levels, then follow the outside corridor around to the right.” he said talking directly to Kaylee now. “You’ll see a large set of double doors with a card reader and…” Book trailed off suddenly. He started to swear under his breath in Chinese, something Simon had only heard him do a handful of times. “What? What’s wrong?” said Mal. “There’s also a fingerprint scanner,” said Book shaking his head. “I should have remembered. We’re going to need a recent Alliance fingerprint to get access.” Everyone looked around and Jayne started to grin. He reached into his boot and slowly pulled out a long slender knife that had been hidden there. “Just take the thumb Jayne, we don’t need the hand,” The Captain said to Jayne who nodded and dashed back the way they had come. “Mal, no!” said Inara, obviously appalled at the idea despite their predicament. At times she really was quite sensitive. The Captain gave her a look that spoke volumes. There was no other real choice available to them. Book took the time to fill Kaylee in on the general layout of the ship and the most likely resting place for Serenity. He started to repeat himself just to make sure she had got it but then Kaylee repeated his words back to him, almost verbatim. Simon was again amazed by her, although he couldn’t say that to her without it coming out very wrong. A few minutes later Jayne returned with something concealed in a stained cloth. Before anyone could react, the Captain got them all moving again. “Jayne, go with Kaylee. Keep her safe. Book, you and Zoe take the lead and we’ll meet up back at Serenity. Get moving.” He said and Jayne began to move off. Kaylee gave Inara a worried look, but she murmured something in Chinese and Kaylee smiled a little. Simon felt moved to say something before she left. “Take care and…” he said to Kaylee and felt a few heads turn but he ignored them. “Just be careful.” Kaylee’s smile made him feel like the sun coming out after a cold winter. He couldn’t help but smile back and then they were moving away. He glanced back once but she was already gone. As they moved through the ship they had to go very slowly, and not just because of the Captain. Several times Zoe and Shepherd Book warned them of approaching troops and they ducked into alcoves or quiet rooms. Once they barged in on two soldiers who were asleep in their bunks. They stirred but thankfully didn’t wake and they crept back out again. Simon was beginning to sweat and only part of it was from carrying the Captain. They were in the heart of the lion’s den and every time they walked past a door he expected it to open and a dozen soldiers to emerge with weapons. He could hear both Wash and the Captain were out of breath too, so they stopped to rest for a while and the others scouted ahead. River wanted to go with them, but Inara kept a hold of her hand and thankfully she stayed back with the Companion. A few minutes later Zoe and Book returned, looking grim and slightly tussled. “Problem?” asked Mal. “Could be,” said Zoe. “Seems like they’re getting ready for some kind of ceremony. They’re decorating a room with garlands and banners.” “You’ve become quite the celebrity, Captain,” remarked Book. “Just what I’ve always wanted,” said Mal. “Can we go around?” “Yes, but its going to take longer.” Said Book. “Then let’s get moving,” said the Captain slowly getting to his feet. It took them maybe another thirty minutes of dodging soldiers, hiding in dark corners and ducking into rooms to finally get near the docking ports. The worst part had been going down the stairs as Book had told them all elevators were monitored with surveillance cameras. Wash had stumbled at one point nearly bringing them all down and only because Simon had grabbed a railing had the three men not tumbled head over heel. The weight of carrying another man, even with Wash helping, was starting to sap Simon’s energy. He had been tired and worn out already, now this was draining the last of his energy reserves. His nerves were strung tight and he found himself involuntarily jerking at the slightest sound not made by the group. Everyone else seemed to be battling with their own demons, but Inara noticed and laid a calming hand on Simon’s shoulder. It was strange that he would draw strength from her at that moment, but he felt warmed by her smile and the knowing look in her kind eyes. He tried to ignore burning sensations in his muscles and press on without complaint. As they rounded another corner Simon almost ran into Zoe as his head was bent forward, but he stopped at the last minute. “Its just through there,” she whispered as they lowered the Captain to the floor. Simon peeked around the edge and saw a hanger area mostly filled with old equipment, bulky grey machinery and a few decrepit ships. Tucked amongst them like a jewel amidst the swine, sat Serenity. Book hissed a warning from the other side of the wide doorway and they all pulled back just as a dozen men in overalls came out of Serenity’s loading bay. They had a short exchange with a group of soldiers nearby and then they all marched away. “Looks like they’re going back to Samuelson empty handed,” remarked Zoe. “They won’t find what we got hid on that ship,” said the Captain with a little smirk. Just then a final man emerged from Serenity holding a large and familiar looking gun. Simon could recognise even from a distance as he had seen Jayne spend countless hours cleaning and sometimes even talking to the weapon. “Not completely empty handed,” said Book and Simon thought he saw a smile quiver across the Shepherd’s face. “So now what?” asked Wash. He was also looking tired but now that they were actually out of the cell and close to the ship, he was keen and attentive. “Now we wait for Kaylee and Jayne.” Said the Captain. Zoe and Book kept watch and Wash insisted on helping out, much to his wife’s irritation. In the end all he seemed to be doing was poking his head around a corner every once in a while and watching their back, but it kept him happy, so Zoe allowed it. Simon took a few moments with his sister, who seemed withdrawn and sullen. “River, what’s wrong?” “There are too many voices here,” she murmured. “Voices of steel and iron. Rusty traps and spinning cogs. Pieces of sound, echoes. Everything is dead, cold. I don’t like it here,” she said finally. Most of what she had said went over Simon’s head as usual, but the last part was spoken directly to him. “We’re leaving soon, I promise, you just have to hold on a bit longer, all right?” he asked, not sure if anything could make his sister quiet unless she wanted it. Her unpredictability was getting more difficult to control. There were times when Simon could glimpse vague meanings in her disconnected ramblings, and there were times when he had no clue. Perhaps her intellect was so far beyond him it would never make sense, or perhaps they had cut into her brain so much they had destroyed her leaving behind only a shell. Simon brushed aside such morbid thoughts, it was their predicament that was casting an ugly shadow on his mind. A scuffing noise from somewhere behind them caught Simon’s attention, but the others had already noticed before he could say anything. Zoe and Book moved to stand either side of the corridor, with Wash lurking at his wife’s side, as they waited to see who the noisy arrival was. Jayne stumbled into view leaning heavily on a sweating Kaylee. Jayne had one hand pressed to his face, and blood was welling from between his fingers and there was a red stain on his shirt on his right side. “What the hell – ” Zoe started to say but then Jayne fell to his knees and she moved to catch him with Book. Even between the two of them they had some difficulty getting him down slowly onto his back. Simon moved to look at his wounds immediately as the others gathered around. “Zoe, Preacher, keep watch, you can’t help none, Wash you too.” Said the Captain, very aware of their situation, but also of the more pressing need to escape. Simon slowly pulled Jayne’s tacky hand away from his face and was relieved to see his eye was still intact. The gash on his face was quite deep but the bleeding had slowed down because of the pressure he had inadvertently put on it from his hand. It would leave a scar but it would not be life threatening. The injury in his side was more serious, as the stain on his shirt showed some considerable blood loss, but given the size of the man and his constitution, Simon was more hopeful than he would have been with someone else. Despite the man’s faults, and there were many, he was part of the crew and Simon would do all he could to keep him alive. Kaylee was fussing over Jayne until the Captain asked her to tell him what had happened and then she started to cry a little and Simon only heard half of what she said. Her words were garbled by her tears and because she was speaking into Inara’s shoulder, leaving a stain on her gown, but the Companion didn’t seem to mind. “Did you get it done?” the Captain finally asked. “Yes,” gulped Kaylee. “It should be any time now.” “All right then, we should get moving,” said the Captain. “Zoe, how’s it looking out there?” “Now might be the best chance. There’s two guards but I can take them out. Give me a minute.” She murmured and then disappeared around the door and into the cargo bay before anyone could protest. Simon never heard a thing, but a few minutes later she reappeared and nodded for them to proceed. Now they had two injured people to worry about and as Simon and Wash helped the Captain to his feet, Kaylee insisted on being on one side of Jayne, offering him scant support. He hadn’t lost consciousness, which was a good sign, but his face was pasty white which didn’t bode well. “I can make it,” was all he said when Simon asked, and even those words seemed to cause him considerable pain. River offered to support Jayne on the other side but he hissed at her and she withdrew. He still didn’t trust her, even now, and still hadn’t forgiven her for slashing him with a butcher’s knife that one time. Time seemed to slow as they trudged across the cargo bay and Serenity beckoned them towards her without ever seeming to get any closer. Every time Simon looked up they seemed no further forward than before, but eventually and almost reluctantly, they set foot on the loading ramp. “Malcolm Reynolds,” said a voice, ringing out loudly and echoing off the metal walls. Simon felt something stiffen in the Captain’s body and he stood more upright by himself, turning towards the speaker. Vayna Samuelson was striding towards them with a gun pointed at the Captain. He never took his eyes off the Captain and his arm never wavered, even when Book and Zoe began to fan out in opposite directions, presenting three wider targets. Jayne sunk to the ground and this time it did seem as if he passed out. The Captain pushed Wash away and turned to look at Simon. There was something in his eyes that made Simon very afraid, a terrible burning passion he had not seen before. Without a word being spoken Simon knew he had to step back and let the Captain deal with this. Despite all that he had endured, the Captain would face this end on his feet. “I always knew it would come to this,” said Mal, not showing any surprise or alarm. “I owe you, for a great many things, the least not being that hole you put in my chest.” said Samuelson as he stopped ten feet away from them all. “Seems to me you deserved that, and worse,” replied Mal. Samuelson said nothing but Simon could see his jaw tighten as he glanced left and right briefly at Zoe and the Shepherd. “Strange company you’re keeping these days,” said Samuelson looking over the group. “I never thought to see the like.” “Same could be said of you, everything we went through. So I guess we’ve both changed some.” said Mal. Samuelson gave a short dry laugh and then lowered his gun. He reached behind his back and produced a second gun which he tossed at the Captain, not before raising his own. Mal caught it deftly in the air, but then he stumbled a little which spoilt the effect. “On the count of five,” was all Samuelson said and Mal nodded. “Mal, no,” said Inara but the Captain’s eyes never flickered once from the man in front of him. Zoe gestured for the others to move aside and give the Captain plenty of room. Both men lowered their guns and held them down at their sides. An old fashioned draw was suicide with such weapons for one if not both men. The two men stared at each other with such burning hatred. It was practically flowing off them in waves. Simon had never seen the Captain’s face look so raw and haggard. Samuelson began the count in a loud voice, slowly and evenly. Inara looked away, her face a mask of fear, Kaylee was on the verge of tears again and even the stalwart Book seemed worried. It was inevitable, someone was about to die and there was a good chance it would be the Captain. On the count of four something rocked the ship and an explosion made the floor tremble. Alarms began to blare and for a brief second Samuelson looked away from his target, even though his arm was still raised. “Five,” said Mal finishing the count and firing his gun. The bullet took Samuelson in the chest a moment before he discharged his own weapon. The bullet flew wide and ricocheted off Serenity’s cargo hold. Like a felled tree Samuelson slowly tumbled from his feet and landed face down on the floor. The ship continued to rock and shudders ran up Simon’s legs from the heavy vibrations. The Captain stumbled and fell back but Simon rushed in to catch him with Wash and they kept him from falling over completely. “Wash, get us out of here,” gasped Mal and the pilot rushed off to get the ship started as Simon guided Mal to the infirmary. With great effort, Zoe and Book followed with Jayne who they laid out on the operating table. Serenity’s engines began to hum and Simon felt the now familiar movements of the ship as they lifted off the ground. “Kaylee, I’m going to need that door opened pretty soon,” said Wash’s voice over the speaker. “I’m on Wash, we’re good to go,” came the reply and Simon felt the ship buck forward suddenly as the engines went to full burn.

Stood behind Wash in the cockpit, sticking the heavy shadows, River went unnoticed. She had seen the fight and had seen the betrayer get back to his feet after the others had turned away. His hatred was strong and it had not died, so he could not die yet. They would run into him again one day.

Kaylee approached Simon as he sat relaxing outside the infirmary. They had been free of the Alliance for a few hours now, but she still didn’t feel very safe. When there was a good bit of distance between them and the nearest cruiser, she would feel a lot happier. Simon looked worn out and tired as he sat wringing his hands. He had been working on Jayne for a while and that combined with the past events of the previous days had taken their toll. “Are you all right?” she asked, already knowing what he would say. “Yes, just tired. Jayne will live, but I can’t promise an improvement in his manners or behaviour sadly.” “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so afraid in all my life,” Kaylee admitted. “I didn’t think we was gonna get out of there.” “But we did, and in no small part, thanks to you,” said Simon giving her one of his dazzling smiles. “What amazing feat of engineering did you do to that cruiser anyway?” “It wasn’t nothing,” said Kaylee with false modesty. “I just fed the discharge line from one of the reactors back into the core which led to a overload of them all. They’ll be able to fix it in a couple of hours, but they won’t be able to follow us for a while and I don’t think Wash is gonna stop too soon.” “You’re amazing and…” said Simon and trailed off. “Just amazing.” Kaylee felt a rush of warmth through her body as he smiled up at her in admiration. “Can I see the patient?” “Uh yeah, of course,” said Simon. Kaylee stepped into the infirmary and was surprised by how frail Jayne looked with his head wrapped in bandages and his face so pale. It was totally silent apart from his slow and heavy breathing and Kaylee realised she was probably Jayne’s first and only visitor. She thought about leaving then to get some of the others to come visit, but Jayne stirred. “Is someone there?” he murmured and slowly came awake. “Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you,” said Kaylee moving towards his head so he could see her more clearly without moving. “Its all right, I was just having a funny dream about shrimp. Not sure what it meant,” murmured Jayne. “I just wanted to thank you,” said Kaylee. “For what?” said Jayne looking confused. “For saving my life. I never saw that guard and if you hadn’t pushed me out of the way…” she trailed off as realised how close she had come to dying. “It weren’t nothing,” said Jayne. A familiar smile crossed his rugged face. “Its not like they was gonna-” “Don’t say anything else,” Kaylee cut in and Jayne fell silent. “Just…don’t spoil it.” Jayne looked puzzled but closed his mouth and nodded instead. Kaylee took one of his hands in both of hers and gave it a brief squeeze which he returned. As she left the infirmary she passed Shepherd Book on his way in. “How is he?” he asked. “The same,” said Kaylee. As she walked away she heard the start of familiar banter between the Preacher and Jayne. Some things and some people never changed it seemed.

As Zoe left Mal’s quarters after giving him a debrief, he was surprised to see Inara come down the ladder. He could count the number of times she had been in his quarters on one hand. “You wanted to see me?” said Inara. Mal took a moment to look at her before answering, noting how pale and wan she looked. No doubt he was a bit the same, but even so there was something else. “Yes. I would have come to your shuttle, but the Doctor said its best if I don’t move about so much,” said Mal. “Plus there’s the fact that you always throw me out when I visit.” “How are you feeling?” she asked, ignoring the barb. “I was about to ask you the very same question,” replied Mal. Inara wrapped her arms about herself but then quickly realised what she was doing and tried to relax. “I’m fine,” she said and then a little more strongly. “I’ll be all right.” “Inara, I know as a rule a Companion doesn’t kiss and tell, but I gotta know-” “I can’t tell you.” Was all she said in a quiet voice. “I’m not trying to pry into your affairs, but Zoe told me what you done for me, and I can’t say I’m comfortable knowing what the price of my health was.” “Then it’s a good thing I never asked you first,” she replied haughtily. Mal kept watching her closely and eventually she made eye contact but then looked away. When she glanced back he was still staring and this time some of her well prepared masks began to fall away as they continued to look at one another. “If you must know, I didn’t sleep with him,” she murmured quietly. “He wouldn’t touch me for that.” “Then…what did he want?” said Mal feeling very confused. “What was the price of using all his fancy medical equipment?” There was a long silence in his quarters that set Mal’s ears ringing but he didn’t dare speak and waited her out. Eventually, after what seemed like an age, Inara told him. Mal knew his jaw was hanging open but he didn’t care and couldn’t help it. He had never known of such a thing. “Why?” was all he could say at first. “Why would you let him do such a thing?” “There’s always a price to pay for everything we do, this one was just steeper than some. We needed you alive to get us out of the mess and on our way.” Said Inara. “What about you? What do you need?” asked Mal. A long silence stretched out between them as they looked deep into each other’s eyes. Inara looked as if she would reply but then changed her mind and just shook her head. “Get some rest,” she said turning away. “Inara, wait,” said Mal but she ignored him. Clenching his jaw to hide the pain, Mal rushed across to the ladder and stopped her leaving. “Its too late Mal,” she said, already knowing what he was going to say. “We can’t go back there. Even if we could, its probably too late now.” “I know, I just wanted to-” “You’re welcome.” Inara cut in and turned to leave again. Mal grabbed her by the shoulder. “Damn it, let me finish,” he snapped and then released her. Mal heaved a long sigh before speaking again. “Thank you for saving my life.” Mal stared into her dark rich eyes and felt something stir inside him that was long forgotten and set aside. A brief smile touched her lips and then it faded and she swept away in a cloud of colour and perfume leaving Mal feeling cold in his silent quarters.

Wash set their course in the cockpit and heard the familiar thump of heavy boots before he felt Zoe’s arms wrap around his shoulders and her scent fill his senses. “Its late,” she murmured in his ear. “Are you coming to bed this side of dawn, husband?” “Yeah, just give me a minute, I want to do another scan for Alliance,” he said trying to concentrate on the readouts and not what she was doing to his ear. “Any second, I’ll be there. Promise.” Zoe withdrew and began to move away. “Don’t be too long,” she called back. “We’re safe for now. You should come to bed before that changes.” Wash looked out over the sea of stars beyond the ship and wondered not for the first time what it was all for. Then he realises he was just a funny little man with a lonely wife on a ship of thieves. Such thoughts were better left to other people and other times. With one last look around, Wash shut down the lights and raced down the stairs to bed.

The End.