Episode One.

INT. SERENITY CARGO BAY – DAY

In the cargo bay JAYNE is checking over the weaponry.

INT. INFIRMARY – DAY

Through to RIVER who is standing in the Infirmary simply grinning, head leaning to one side.

INT. ENGINE ROOM – DAY

Around the corner and up the stairs KAYLEE is tinkering away at the ships main engine with SIMON trying to help.

INT. KITCHEN – DAY

Back through the corridor and down to the kitchen where INARA is making a cup of tea while MAL watches from the other side of the counter. They are talking business….kind of…

INARA: It would only set you back a day to Persephone. I left the training house so suddenly that there were a lot of arrangements left un made. The rest of my belongings? I hadn’t planned on coming back to Serenity.

MAL: It’s not that I don’t want you to have your things ‘Nara. We might not make it to Persephone on the fuel we got, we can’t take a chance on seeing the scenic route.

INARA: You could refuel at the training house.

MAL: With our many bagfuls of money.

INARA: I’ll reimburse you; make it purely business not a fav….

MAL: Inara…

INARA: (Frustrated) Well you either want me here Mal or you don’t!

INARA ends the conversation and leaves the kitchen towards the engine room, probably heading back to her shuttle. MAL sighs and then heads towards the bridge. He’s worried she will want to leave again.

INT. SERENITY BRIDGE – DAY

We follow MAL up the stairs and into the cockpit. ZOE is standing behind the ‘empty’ pilots chair staring out into space.

MAL: How much fuel we got?

In front of ZOE, now sitting in the pilots chair is WASH.

WASH: Maybe enough for a crash landing on Persephone? If we turned off all the engines and begun the very slow descent to our deaths now.

ZOE: Not enough Sir.

ZOE is the only who can hear WASH.

There is silence as MAL contemplates things for a moment.

MAL: Plot a course, lets get us Inara’s things.

ZOE: And the lack of fuel?

MAL: Got word of business, might be something to look at. WASH: You’re the Captain, Capt’n.

MAL walks back out of the bridge and out of sight. ZOE places a hand on WASH’S shoulder and leans forward to plot to course for him.

WASH: That’s my warrior woman, helpin out her man.

ZOE: Always…..

ZOE responds still leaning over his shoulders smiling at him.

ZOE: Always.

END TEASER INT. INARA’S SHUTTLE – DAY

KAYLEE: Can I come with you ‘Nara? Cap’n wouldn’t let me go last time on account of it being a trap and all. I’d love to see the training house.

KAYLEE is helping INARA place objects, curtains etc back around her Shuttle. INARA has finally started to unpack the few boxes she had left on Serenity originally before she left. The shuttle still looks very empty.

INARA: I’d love to have you along (chinese beautiful friend). It should only take me a day to gather my things and make arrangements for the girls.

KAYLEE: Shiny, I’ll go tell the Cap’n.

KAYLEE skips out of the shuttle smiling and full of KAYLEE bubbles.

INT. SERENITY CARGO BAY – DAY

The ship lands in the town below the mountain the Training House is on. INARA is talking with some local workers in the Cargo bay and is paying them to refuel this ship.

Apparently MAL has thought it would be a good idea for all the girls to have a day out because we next see KAYLEE and RIVER arm in arm walking out the cargo bay, followed by ZOE with some flattened boxes to make up, and INARA behind her talking alongside MAL.

INARA: We should be back by sundown, if anything changes I’ll send wave.

MAL: Sundown should be fine; you girls have a good day.

A little too agreeably MAL sends the girls off smiling and when they are out of earshot….

MAL: Jayne? Fetch us the good doctor. We got us a (chinese not so legal) job to do.

JAYNE: We do?

SIMON comes walking down the stairs from the opposite shuttle to INARA’S.

SIMON: Yes we do. Shuttles ready, lets go.

INT. SHUTTLE - DAY

MAL is piloting the shuttle and SIMON is preparing a bagful of hypo guns to dope someone if needed. JAYNE is watching the doc suspiciously.

JAYNE: Why is the doc preparing like we after something that’ll need knocking out? And why are we wasting all out meds when I could just hit ‘em with Vera?

SIMON: Because she would have been tortured enough.

JAYNE: Hey I treat Vera with nothing but respect. (beat) She?

MAL: Jobs a girl Jayne. Doc got word of a trade, were going to put a stop to it.

JAYNE: Are we gonna sell her?

SIMON: No, were going to help her.

JAYNE: And then she’ll pay us for helping her?

MAL: Not exactly.

JAYNE: Well who’s gonna give us our gorram money?

There is slience amongst the boys and SIMON try’s to think of a way to tell JAYNE what they are about to do.

SIMON: The Alliance is going to sell a girl. A girl like River.

JAYNE: Exactly like River?

SIMON: No Rivers Special, but the girl is from the facility where they held River. She had the same things done to her as River.

JAYNE: (After a beat) So there aint no money in this at all?

MAL: Just the warm fuzzy feeling it’ll leave in your heart. Aint that right doc?

SIMON: (serious) I can’t sit by and let them buy and sell her like she’s property. She’s a human, It could have been River.

JAYNE sits to ponder this for a moment.

JAYNE: I like River. She’s all sorts of helpful kind of crazy now we know she aint so crazy. The money can wait.

With this rather mature comment both MAL and SIMON turn to stare in JAYNE’S direction.

JAYNE: What? EXT. TRAINING HOUSE - DAY

The girls head up the stairs to the training house.

DOLLY: Inara you came back.

INARA: I’m afraid only to get my things Dolly. This is Kaylee, Zoe, and River.

The girls exchange pleasantries. ZOE however is scanning the area like a soldier in dangerous and hostile territory.

RIVER: There is music here.

DOLLY: (smiling and very accommodating) There is a ballroom class on at the end of the hall. You are most welcome to join in.

Both RIVER and KAYLEE’S eyes light up at the thought of learning a dance with Companions.

INARA: Go, I’m sure Zoe and I can handle the packing without you. One of the girls will show you where we are after you are finished.

RIVER starts walking on her toes down the hallway with KAYLEE alongside humming.

DOLLY starts to head off with INARA following until she realises ZOE is still scanning the countryside.

INARA: Zoe? Zoe?

INARA walks right up to her to see if she is alright.

INARA: (chinese are you alright)

ZOE snaps back into reality

ZOE: I’m fine. I thought I saw something. Maybe I should stay out here and watch the perimeter just in case.

INARA: All right.

With a worried yet understanding look on INARA’S face she takes the boxes ZOE was holding and leaves her to do what she feels she has to.

After INARA enters the training house ZOE pulls out her radio to comm the ship.

ZOE: Wash? Anything strange on your end?

WASH: (comms) Nothing out of the ordinary, what’s happening there?

ZOE: Just a feeling. I’ll keep you informed. Out.

WASH: (comms) I’m not goin anywhere. Out.

INT. TRAINING HOUSE, INARA’S ROOM - DAY

DOLLY and INARA are fiddling with objects inside a room we assume was INARA’S. There are girls peering in from the hallway and giggling when noticed.

DOLLY: The girls are going to miss you, they thought that you would return.

INARA: I must apologize to them before I leave. I must talk to Sheydra as well. I honestly thought I was coming back.

DOLLY: You don’t have to explain to me. It’s a brave thing you are doing.

INARA: And what exactly is so brave about what I’m doing?

DOLLY: Inara you were born into being a Companion and you are magnificent at it. Leaving the guild for a man is….

INARA: Wait…I never said I was leaving the guild….and for a man? Where did you hear this?

DOLLY: Well then why are you leaving?

INARA: Serenity is my home Dolly, more than I can truly understand but it is my home.

DOLLY: And it has nothing to do with…?

INARA has been made very uncomfortable, yes she wants to be on Serenity because of MAL, but she wasn’t lying. To her it feels like a home.

INARA: (defensively snapping) I’m sorry I’ve inconvenienced everyone by deciding to leave, but I have not left the guild. I’m a Companion, it’s who I am.

EXT. OPEN VALLEY - DAY

SIMON: It’s who she is. She didn’t do anything wrong.

MAL, JAYNE and SIMON have left the shuttle and are walking through rough terrain on the side of a valley. JAYNE is still a little unsure about saving someone they don’t know, more importantly who wont pay and SIMON has been trying to convince him otherwise.

JAYNE: (To Mal) can you shut him up please? I’m coming along with you aint I? He’s gonna get us found out.

MAL: Shhhh

SIMON shuts up immediately he’s heard the same thing MAL has.

JAYNE: Thankyou.

MAL/SIMON: Shhhhhh.

Through the trees and down into the valley an Alliancey looking vehicle is driving towards another alliancy looking ship. Four men in military gear carry a wooden box with holes off the ship, a man in a suit with blue gloves walks in front of them as the vehicle pulls to a stop. The men start talking but we hear nothing our boys are too far away…

A Man gets out of the alliance vehicle, he does not look alliance more a cowboy with too much money. There is another man who remains in the vehicle; he is military alliance and doesn’t move from the wheel.

SIMON: We can’t hear anything from here we need to be closer.

SIMON begins to move but JAYNE drags him back down by his shirt.

JAYNE: Did you scramble something important while messing around with that new bed mate of yours?

MAL: Simon’s right Jayne. We can’t make our move while we don’t know what’s going on.

MAL spots a path to a better location where it looks like they will be able to hear.

MAL: Down there.

He moves and the boys follow. When they get into place they learn they can’t see much now but they can hear everything.

RICH COWBOY: Is she ready?

BH: That’s really quite hard to say.

RICH COWBOY: Will she kill?

BH: You’re planing on releasing her in an enclosed area right?

RICH COWBOY: Of course that was part of our arrangement.

BH: Then she will kill every living creature within those walls.

RICH COWBOY: I only want her to kill one person. I hate that (chinese bitch) and what she did…

BH:…Then I suggest you release her in a locked room with the person you intend to kill.

RICH COWBOY: No I’ve got a better idea, teach them all a lesson. They think they are so high and mighty up in their dirty palace.

The men exchange currencies and almost go to return to their vehicles.

BH: If you don’t mind me asking, for security reasons of course, where abouts will the girl be released?

RICH COWBOY: You know the mansion on the other side of the valley?

BH: (nodding) I believe the Guild owns it as an off world training house.

The men have no more to say to each other and simply turn to their vehicles once more. RICH COWBOY drives away with the cargo. The Alliance man with the blue hands turns to his military guard who have returned to stand all soldier like behind BLUE HAND after loading the Cargo.

BH: Prepare a wave to Sihnon. Companions Guild. Simply explain about the horrible unforseen attack. Our deepest sympathies, there were no survivors.

The men turn to leave.

BH: And make sure there is no record of this particular…..transaction.

Our boys during this very heartfelt speech have begun racing back towards to shuttle, missing their opportunity to do anything they must now get to the Training House before the Rich Cowboy Does.

MAL: Jayne, get on comms to Zoe, warn her. Doc, start gatherin up all those hypo guns.

SIMON: Way ahead of you.

He shows MAL’S his bag and inside of his jacket he had them with him the whole time.

JAYNE: Wait so we’re going in?

MAL: Why? Are you afraid of a little messed up girl?

JAYNE: Yes.

MAL: (Never sure how to respond to Jayne when he says things like this) Why do you keep doing that?

EXT. TRAINING HOUSE - DAY

ZOE is still checking the perimeter about a few hundred meters away from the Training House. The house is still in view.

JAYNE (over comms): Zoe do you copy?

ZOE: Copy Jayne.

JAYNE (over comms): We got us a situation, you with the others?

ZOE: Neg, I’m a bout a mile away from the training house. Something didn’t feel right, I went for a walk.

She spots a military truck pulling up to the base of the training house.

ZOE: (To herself) Do they follow us for fun now? (back over comms) Does anyone know why I have 3 Gorram Alliance fed trucks here?

INT. SHUTTLE - DAY

JAYNE: We do…

Slight pause then JAYNE realises he needs to ad more to that.

JAYNE CONT: Oh right um there’s been a trade, people in the Training house gonna die.’

ZOE (over comms): Right I’ll check it out.

SIMON/MAL: NO!

MAL: Tell her to sit tight, wait for us.

JAYNE: Capt’n says hold up for us….

SIMON (checking controls) Were about 10 mins from her…

JAYNE CONT:…..were 10 mins away.

ZOE (on comms angrily): Fine. I’m in the valley north east of the house, over..

Beat.

SIMON: She sound mad at us?

EXT. TRAINING HOUSE - DAY ZOE is standing feeling kind of helpless in the desert just watching the house. She talks into her comms unit.

ZOE: Wash? Do you copy?

INT. SHUTTLE - DAY

Switch to shuttle where JAYNE, MAL and SIMON can still hear the comms but aren’t patched in.

We hear silence as the boys turn their focus to the comms unit, all with confused looks on their faces.

ZOE: (comms) You better get the ship ready looks like we might be needin an earlier departure time.

Silence.

ZOE: (comms) I’m feeling fine. It was probably that protein meat Jayne made us eat last week.

More silence.

ZOE: (comms) Not sure yet, Capt’n says sit tight, that’s what I’m doin. Over.

SIMON goes to say something but can’t find the words but that’s ok because JAYNE finds them for him.

JAYNE: Has she gone mad? She knows Wash is dead right?

SIMON: Maybe it was an old (Simon struggles to find a reasonable explanation behind this)…..recorded….transmission…. or she’s just grieving in her own way.

JAYNE: Or she’s mad.

SIMON: Grief can produce itself in many….

JAYNE: Like talking when no ones about….sounds cooky…

SIMON: You won’t even……how would you…..

MAL: ENOUGH! What’s with you two today? When did I get the children?

JAYNE: (after a beat) He started it.

SIMON simply gives him a how old are you look.

MAL: Lets get the girls outta harms way, then we can accuse people of being crazy like.

MAL kind of means ZOE he kind of means JAYNE and SIMON.

INT. TRAINING HOUSE -DAY

KAYLEE and RIVER are attempting ballroom dancing. They are in a classroom with huge Chinese Windows all paper and shadowy. The class do not notice the huge animal/girl/human shadow that runs past down a hallway outside the classroom.

INT. TRAINING HOUSE, INARA’S ROOM - DAY

INARA has been left alone in her old room to gather her things when she hears a loud BANG come from somewhere else in the training house. She moves to the door and peers out to see what happened. The hallway is deserted and now unnaturally quiet.

INARA: Dolly? Girls?

INT. TRAINING HOUSE BALLROOM – DAY

BANG we hear the noise again and KAYLEE and RIVER and some other girls in the Ballroom are stunned by the noise. Some of them cling together (like KAYLEE to RIVER), others shriek.

KAYLEE: (worried) River? Do you know what it is?

RIVER is standing as though KAYLEE is nowhere near her, head tilted, completely calm and listening for something no one else will hear.

Inside RIVER’S mind is a flash of images.

Reavers, attacking, limbs, torture, and general badness. It is all chaotic until we stop on an image of a Reaver girl who we don’t know and then an image of a Reaver ship landing on the roof of the training house.

RIVER: Dying.

KAYEE: who is? (getting panicked)…..River?

RIVER: We will.

KAYLEE is all to used to rivers death warnings now and while she knows they are generally right, they still have time if they move now.

KAYLEE: Come on let’s find Inara and get back to the ship. Capt’n’ll know what to do.

RIVER: Shiny.

KAYLEE drags RIVER out of the ballroom in amongst the other panicked companions to be.

EXT. TRAINING HOUSE - DAY

Outside the training house about a mile away where ZOE said she would be the boys land the shuttle and head towards the training house each with a few weapons. MAL talks into his comms unit.

MAL: Zoe where the (chinese hell) are you? (pause) Zoe?

ZOE: (over comms) Sorry Sir, back on Serenity, thought we could use a quick getaway.

MAL: Boot her up but for (chinese buddas sake) stay put this time, we’ll get the girls and head back to you. Over.

INT. SERENITY BRIDGE – DAY

Aboard Serenity ZOE is sitting in the second in command chair pressing random buttons. WASH sits in the pilot’s chair not doing anything, just sitting with his hands in his lap talking to ZOE.

WASH: …and the green one on the left.

ZOE: Got it.

WASH: And these three switches up by my head here. They basically run the whole ship.

ZOE gets out of her seat and leans across WASH to flip the 3 switches. She stops and looks down at him for a second sighing a little.

WASH: What’s with the face?

INT. TRAINING HOUSE - DAY

The boys reach the training house and its flat panic. BANG. They rush in pushing past screaming girls and run into a hallway where they see RIVER and KAYLEE coming towards them.

RIVER: (now with fight face on) Move people, we’ve got company coming.

KAYLEE: Simon!

She runs to hug him, no one notices JAYNE watching KAYLEE.

JAYNE: I aint hurt either.

KAYLEE: (To Mal) what’s going on?

RIVER catches up to them and faces MAL. She stares at him for a moment then without saying anything she turns to SIMON then JAYNE.

JAYNE: What have I told you about goin inside my Gorram head girl?

RIVER: Girls a Reaver, (to Simon) not like me, (back to everyone) and they want her back.

SIMON: They?

EXT. TRAINING HOUSE ROOF – DAY

BANG. A Reaver ship has landed on the roof of the training house making the walls shake, exactly how river saw it in her mind.

MAL: Where’s Inara?

KAYLEE: I’m not sure exactly, we were dancin when we heard it first. ‘Nara went to get her things. What about Zoe?

MAL: Zoe's fine on the ship. Simon you and Kaylee get gone, take the shuttle, find Zoe and get the ship back here.

They both turn to leave straight away when SIMON turns back for RIVER.

MAL CONT:…She’ll be fine. Go.

KAYLEE and SIMON leave hand in hand.

MAL CONT: Jayne, help the rest of the girls here get out to safety, take as many Reavers out as you can.

RIVER: Do you think it’s wise for us to split up like this?

MAL gives her a look that says ‘are you really going to ask me that when you know exactly what’s going on in my head?’

RIVER CONT..: 4 girls up stairs dead. Inara went that way.

RIVER points down a hallway and then runs of in a completely different direction. MAL follows the way RIVER pointed hand on his gun ready.

MAL: (to Jayne) I’m going after Inara, once the girls are out, you get out, no waiting around.

JAYNE: (to himself) Finally a plan I like.

INT. TRAINING HOUSE HALLWAY 1 - DAY

By this stage INARA has left her room, begun exploring, looking for anyone who might need help and looking for a way out.

INT. TRAINING HOUSE HALLWAY 2 – Day

MAL is walking down another hallway all browncoat like, ready for a fight if a fight is needed. He spots some hair around a passage corner that looks exactly like INARA’S.

MAL: Nara?

He gets close enough to almost touch it when the body of someone completely different falls to the ground and Oh Oh a Reaver jumps out. BANG, trusty MAL saves the day (well saves himself anyway) by shooting it in the head.

INT. SERENITY BRIDGE - DAY

KAYLEE and SIMON rush up to the bridge on Serenity where ZOE is sitting alone in the second piloting chair still.

ZOE: Are you sure he said bring the ship to them? (Kaylee nods) Because he told me quite clearly to stay put.

KAYLEE: That’s what he told us. (To Simon quietly) Does she sound mad to you?

ZOE: (still fiddling with controls) I’m not MAD! I’ve got it covered up here. Go….do something useful…

SIMON and KAYLEE look a little confused, KAYLEE even looks a little hurt but they both leave the bridge. After they have left Wash kind of Appears again in the pilot’s chair.

WASH: Ok you need to calm down if you want to fly my baby.

ZOE: (angry) Why don’t you fly it yourself you’re the pilot!!

WASH: You know why I can’t.

ZOE simply stares at him, takes a deep breathe and turns to face the window. When she turns back to where Wash was sitting he is gone. She was going to say sorry but instead gets up and moves to the pilot chair and stares at the controls.

INT. SERENITY INFIRMARY – DAY

KAYLEE and SIMON have gone to return the Hypo guns to the infirmary. SIMON is fiddling with drawers and KAYLEE is sitting on the bed.

KAYLEE: I hope they’re alright? Do you think they’re alright? They will be alright? Right?

SIMON stops what he is doing and rests a hand on KAYLEE’S knee. He pushes some hair out of her face with the other one.

SIMON: Of course they will be, I shouldn’t have let River stay though.

KAYLEE: River can take care of herself.

SIMON: I know but she was right there, we were all right there, we didn’t need to split up like that.

This time KAYLEE runs her fingers down Simons face.

KAYLEE: They will be alright.

KAYLEE says this more sure of herself this time and gives him a little kiss on the lips.

INT. TRAINING HOUSE - DAY

JAYNE is still in the hallway where MAL and the others left him directing girls to the doorway out, and making sure they are ok. He is almost beginning to look a little annoyed with all the shrieking and flailing, when everyone hears a horrifying scream come from somewhere else in the building. JAYNE’S scared. The girls are scared, and mostly seem to be all out of the building now. What looks like the last girl runs past JAYNE and looks back when she notices he isn’t following.

GIRL: Are you coming?

JAYNE looks around and sees there is no one else coming, shrugs, and then leaves with the girl.

JAYNE: Captains orders.

INT. TRAINING HOUSE HALLWAY - DAY

Upstairs RIVER is fighting, more like slaughtering all the reavers she can find. Elbowing some in the face, kicking some into the walls, mostly breaking necks where she can.

She comes across 4 huddled together over a girl screaming for her life as two of the reavers begin eating her, one is raping her and the other is pulling off garments, hair clumps, finger nails whatever he can. RIVER, without looking slams her fist onto the wall creating a crack which runs up to the roof and along it until it forces a light fitting from the ceiling to fall to the ground hitting 2 of the reavers. She breaks one reavers neck with her hands and crushes the others windpipe with her foot.

The other 2 stop what they are doing and look at RIVER, but RIVER has noticed the woman lying on the ground.

RIVER: What’s left?

One of the Reavers slugs RIVER in the face and the other goes back towards the woman and drags her away from the fight.

RIVER simply grabs the reaver that is coming for her and throws him out the 3rds story window. The glass shatters and adds to the shards already on the ground from the light fitting.

When River looks back the woman and the last reaver have gone. She notices a clump of hair with some skin still attached on the ground and she picks it up.

INT. TRAINING HOUSE HALLWAY 2 – DAY

INARA, who clearly still has no idea what’s going on walks down another deserted hallway only to finally run into MAL.

MAL has a huge look of relief on his face when he sees that she is completely fine.

INARA: Mal? What’s going on?

MAL: (with relief) Inara…

INARA: Why are you here?

MAL: (reaching out for her to follow him, she’s a little cautious) Inara…I can’t explain…just…

INARA: The girls….did you hear the noise?

A loud thud is heard from behind MAL in the direction he came which isn’t good because that’s the way out. There are some more screams but these aren’t girls screaming these are the reavers having fun.

INARA: What was tha….(remembering the sound)

But before she can finish MAL has grabbed her by the arms and rather violently pushed her into a nearby room and closed the door. He has pushed her right up next to the corner of the door.

INARA: Mal your hurting m….

He makes her shut up by covering her mouth with his hand.

MAL: (whispering) there are Reavers in the training house.

INARA’S eyes say it all, the fear, the getting teary and she has frozen stiff. MAL has one hand holding her against the door frame and the other over her mouth. If she wasn’t so scared she probably would have liked it.

There’s more noise and the pair realise there is something in the hallway. INARA’S breathing speeds up and she and MAL simply stare at each other, both kinda petrified.

MAL decides to move INARA away from the door and stand in front of INARA with his gun pointing at the ready to shoot if anything comes through.

MAL: (whispering) Is there any other way out of here.

INARA: (whispering) I…um…(looking around) No not this room.

MAL: Ok then. (he loads his gun again)

The noise gets louder and closer as the pair can only wait for the Reavers to get to them, and then, all of a sudden the noises, stop suddenly and kind of freakishly the door slams open.

There is a look of huge relief on both their faces when they see River standing there.

RIVER: Can we go now? I’m hungry and my feet hurt.

MAL notices that she has been walking on glass.

MAL: We can go anywhere you want (chinese sweet serendipity).

RIVER walks out of sight.

MAL notices INARA is clinging to his arm and holding his hand, as he notices she notices and lets go immediately.

INARA: I’m sorry….I was….and you…..the whole saving me…….um…..

MAL: Hey, It’s just who I am.

MAL says this kind of mockingly and gestures for the both of them to leave the room.

This oddly enough makes INARA feel better and she sort of rolls her eyes and smirks at him before she leaves the room following RIVER.

EXT. TRAINING HOUSE - DAY

RIVER, MAL and INARA run down the front steps of the Training house. JAYNE (who actually came back for them) is standing there.

JAYNE: They must have got her back.

He points to the Reaver ship which has taken off and is flying away. They also notice the Alliance cars that brought the girl here have been destroyed. All four watch the ship as it breaks atmo.

JAYNE: (to River) What’s wrong with your feet?

RIVER: I was dancing.

MAL and JAYNE exchange looks and then JAYNE picks RIVER up and throws her over his shoulder. She looks bored at this and rests her face in her hands as they all begin to walk back to where Serenity is.

MAL: Where’s my ship?

INT. SERENITY KITCHEN - NIGHT

Serenity is back in space. MAL has decided to confront ZOE in the kitchen. SIMON is also there.

MAL: What happened today Zoe?

ZOE: (Mockingly) We almost all got killed again sir.

MAL: I mean with the ship, where were you?

ZOE: I um…I was…

MAL: You said you were fine, I respect that, but maybe you should…..

ZOE: (snapping) What? I should what?

Beat.

SIMON: We just feel that you haven’t taken the time to grie….

ZOE: Oh yes please chime in with your medical perspective, diagnose me doctor, what’s wrong with me?!

MAL: Zoe…

ZOE: …I couldn’t fly the ship ok. I didn’t know how. I couldn’t remember….(quietly to herself again) what’s wrong with me?

SIMON: Well if I had to guess I’d say you were…

SIMON is cut off by the metallic scraping noise that sounds like another ship has crashed into Serenity. KAYLEE comes racing through the kitchen towards to engine room not saying a word to anyone. SIMON follows her and MAL leaves ZOE to run up to the bridge. ZOE bows her head a little ashamed and thinking she probably can’t help.

INT. SERENITY BRIDGE - NIGHT

MAL: (chinese little one) What in hell you doin to my boat?

RIVER: Hanger doors jammed. Engines choking. Seven plus Two.

MAL kind of ignores the last part as he has seen a ship docked to Serenity on the controls. He turns to run down to the cargo bay.

INT. SERENITY ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT

KAYLEE is panicking in the engine room, running around doing mechanic things.

KAYLEE: Everythin’s jamming, and (she notices smoke on one of the circuit boards next to the main engine) Oh smoke, that’s bad, smokes always bad.

SIMON: What can I do to help?

MAL comes past the engine room.

MAL: Grab a weapon Doc.

INT. SERENITY CARGO BAY - NIGHT

Down in the cargo bay the outer hanger doors have been opened and a ship can be seen docked through the inner hanger doors window.

JAYNE is by the controls with Vera aimed and ready.

MAL: DO NOT open those doors.

JAYNE: (sarcastic) Thanks, cause that’s just what I had in mind.

SIMON: What is it?

INARA shows up to see what’s happening and appears on one of the upper platforms.

RIVER bursts out along one of the platforms as well, obviously coming from the bridge.

RIVER: REAVERS!

We see RIVER’S feet have been bandaged.

After a beat Serenity is all of a sudden filled with a girls voice, none that we recognise.

DERRIA: (begging over PA) Let me in please. Help me!

JAYNE: Well that’s a trap if ever I heard one.

SIMON: Except reavers aren’t much for conversation normally.

MAL: Or hacking into other ships communications circuits.

The boys notice a girl come screaming through the air lock of the other ship and onto Serenity. She begins banging on the hanger door looking desperately through the small window.

DERRIA: Open the door, Open the door, Open the door!

JAYNE stares at the girl through the window looking as though he would rather watch how this played out while she was locked on that side of the door.

MAL makes a decision and moves in front of JAYNE to press the hanger button to let the girl/DERRIA in. She comes sliding through the gap between the hanger doors before they are even wide enough for her to fit through.

DERRIA: Close the door, Close the door, Close the door!

The girl/DERRIA is clearly a Reaver, torn clothes, dreadlocked blood satched hair, hand sewn gashes on her legs and arms, scars, missing fingernails, the works.

She turns around as the doors close again and watches through the window as the Reaver ship has been forced to detach from Serenity. Two reavers, who were trapped between both ships, go flying out into space but the girl keeps her eye on one male Reaver who is in his ship staring back at her before smashing his head against the window in frustration.

Before anyone can respond to what just happened Serenity burns away from the Reaver ship.

There is silence and the girl/DERRIA realises everyone behind her is watching her. She turns around slowly.

DERRIA: Hi.

Beat.

There is more silence and no one has moved except to raise a gun or two at the girl/DERRIA who has responded by putting her hands in front to shield herself.

KAYLEE: (bursting into the cargo bay) did it work?

She notices the girl and gasps at what she sees but stands silently with the others. ZOE still hasn’t shown up.

DERRIA: (begging again) Please don’t shoot me, well not anywhere life threatening anyway.

RIVER pulls out the clump of hair and skin she found earlier and walks towards the girl and offers it to her.

RIVER: This belongs to you.

DERRIA: (unsure)That’s…disgusting…thankyou?

The girl/DERRIA takes the hair totally confused at the gesture.

RIVER: (cold) Stay away from me.

And with that RIVER leaves the room.

The girl, who now has a bloody clump of hair in one hand, still holds her other hand up as though shielding herself. No body really knows what to do.

DERRIA: Please don’t shoot me, I aint a threat to you.

JAYNE: You look all kinds of threatening. And where exactly do you shoot a person that’s not life threatening? (reloads his gun)

MAL: Jayne. (Shakes his head)

DERRIA: No please, I got explanations….lots…

MAL: Are you a reaver?

DERRIA: (stumbling over her words) No, yes, not exactly. I’ve been living with them. Learnin.

SIMON: I thought no human could sustain their sanity after a close encounter reaver attack? Well… (realises most of the people on Serenity have twice) …not as close as she has obviously been.

JAYNE: Yeah how could you be living with them and not be (chinese crazier then my uncle BJ after a night on mushrooms?)

DERRIA: I was. My name is Derria. I got given the name before I went back to study how they are, what they are. I held onto that. Please?

MAL: Doc, you got those hypo’s on you?

DERRIA: What’s a hypo?

SIMON pulls one out of his inner jacket pocket.

MAL: Understand I gotta look after my crew. We promise not to hurt you but for now….

SIMON walks forwards slowly with the gun.

SIMON: This will just put you to sleep for a while, it won’t hur……

DERRIA: NO.

DERRIA begins to back into the hanger door and growls a little.

DERRIA: You can’t just……you don’t know…….

DERRIA slaps her hand to her neck; she has been shot by a long range tranquilliser gun from ZOE who has walk down the ramp landing to the right of to control panels.

She has nothing but hatred for the reaver in her eyes.

DERRIA: (groggily) it’s who I am…..

DERRIA passes out.

END EPISODE.