Inara tried to concentrate on her surroundings to gain insight as to Mal’s whereabouts. Blindfolded and sitting beside Atherton in a hovercraft, she heard the sounds of the city dissipate to be replaced by the stillness she associated with the largely uninhabited area beyond the city’s eastern border. But vaguely disoriented by the loss of sight, Inara had trouble gauging how much time had passed since they had left Atherton’s estate.

Thankful that Atherton had been too busy pawing her body and then her clothes to pay much attention to the beading on her sandals, she hoped that the tiny transmitter Kaylee had placed in one of the stone settings would have a long enough range that Zoe and Jayne could follow her trail. She uneasily considered the possibility that they might be quite some distance behind her, as Wing’s craft could fly in a more direct route than Serenity’s dirtbound mule could follow.

After what seemed a small eternity with Atherton’s thigh pressed unnecessarily close to hers, the hovercraft stopped and Inara was manhandled out of the vehicle. Atherton ripped off her blindfold, catching some of her hair along with it. She blinked in the sudden bright light, and a small shack swam into her field of vision. Grabbing her arm, Atherton jerked her forward and opened the door of the small building, flooding it with light.

Inara could not contain her gasp at what she saw. Mal, naked and battered beyond any nightmare Inara could have conceived, raised his head slowly to look at her through bloodshot eyes.

Inara, forgetting her earlier plan to feign indifference in front of Atherton, tried to jerk her arm free, needing with every last molecule of her being to go to the man she loved. But Atherton’s grip was vise-like, and he held her back, enjoying her obvious distress.

“’Nara,” Mal rasped through cracked lips. “What are you…”

“She’s come to rescue you, Captain,” Atherton said, an almost cheery lilt in his voice. “It would seem your whore wanted to examine the extent of the damage before we discuss the terms of your release.”

As he spoke, he shoved Inara forward, causing her to stumble into Mal. Hissing with pain at the contact, Mal swung again in the chains until Inara reached out to steady him as gently as she could. While Mal fought for breath enough to thank her, Atherton pulled her away again.

Mal followed her with his eyes, wishing she was anywhere in the ‘verse rather than pinned to Wing’s side. “Let her go,” he croaked.

“You are in no position to make demands, Captain,” Atherton said, pinning Inara’s arms with one hand while running the other deliberately slowly across her body. “This is a business transaction between Inara and me. You have no say in the matter.”

A murderous rage swept over Mal, giving him the strength to surge forward against the chains. “I said let her go, you liou coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze fuh ur-tze,” he ground out, heedless of the blinding pain the movement caused.

Atherton did let her go as he surged forward to yank Mal’s head backward by the hair, stretching the tendons of the man’s neck until they stood out in sharp relief. He hissed into Mal’s ear, “Tell me what to do just once more, and I’ll have you beaten to death while she watches. And then, my heroic Captain, while she weeps over your carcass, I’ll take her, and I’ll do things to her body you can’t begin to imagine.” Releasing his hold slightly, he continued. “And when I am through with her, I’ll give her to my men. Dong ma?”

Inara could not hear what Atherton was threatening, but she saw Mal’s reaction as his hair was abruptly released. Looking at her with more anguish than she thought she could bear to see in his eyes, he whispered hoarsely, “Go away, ‘Nara. Leave me.”

“Mal,” she said past the lump in her throat. “I’m not going to…”

Mal interrupted her. “Inara, I’m begging you. Just walk away. Now.”

Inara moved closer to Mal, while Atherton looked on, enjoying the agony of the moment. “Mal, I can’t just leave you here to die. Please don’t ask me to. Not when it’s within my power to stop it. I can’t leave you, any more than you could leave me,” she said, unaware of the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mal ached to wipe those tears away, but he knew he had to convince her to go. Setting his jaw wearily, he said, “Listen to me. If you give yourself to this hundan to save my life, it’ll be for nothing. ‘Cause I can’t live with that kinda’ sacrifice. I may be walkin’ and talkin’, but I’ll be dead inside. Dong ma?” Taking a ragged breath, he went on. “I ain’t asked you for much up ‘til now, bao bei. But I’m askin’ you with every last scrap of strength I’ve got. If you care about me at all, walk out that door right now.” His blue eyes bore into her brown ones, willing her to obey. The silence stretched agonizingly between them.

“Well, as much as I’ve enjoyed this touching little moment,” Atherton said, coming to stand in front of Inara, “The time has come for you to make your decision. What’s it going to be, Inara?”

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“I think I see it up ahead,” Jayne said, squinting into the noonday sun. “Looks like there’s only one vehicle there, too.”

“Any guards outside?” Zoe asked, unable to look farther that a few feet ahead as she maneuvered through the rocky terrain.

Jayne retrieved a set of binoculars from the front compartment of the mule. After a minute, he replied, “Not any I can see, leastways. Guess the hundan figures won’t nobody be liable to stumble onto this little place. Course, that’s not to say there ain’t a passel of guards on the inside.”

Zoe nodded. “S’pose not,” she said. “But it don’t look big enough to house more bodies than we got bullets.”

Jayne grunted in affirmation, fingering Vera with anticipation.

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Inara stepped past Atherton and gazed directly into Mal’s tortured eyes. “I love you, Malcolm Reynolds,” she said, gently tilting his head to place a soft kiss on his bloodied lips. She let her mouth linger there for a long moment, and then whispered softly, “Trust me.”

Mal looked at her, confusion written across his features. Opening his mouth to respond, he felt a vaguely familiar sensation, and the world went suddenly black.

Atherton seized Inara’s arms, and shook her like a rag doll. Feeling cheated of his moment of sweet revenge, he shouted, “What have you done, whore?”

Before Inara could form a reply, the door burst open and Jayne stepped into the room. Still holding Inara’s arms, Wing turned toward the disturbance in time to see Jayne pull the trigger, Zoe’s gun echoing with its own blast.

Atherton’s lifeless hands slipped from Inara’s arms as he slumped to the ground in a bloody heap. Inara knelt beside him, trembling hands seeking the key to release Mal from his shackles.

When the task had been accomplished and Jayne laid Mal’s unconscious body in the back of the mule, Zoe turned to Inara. “You got a plan as to what to do about all this?” she asked, indicating the building and its occupant with a sweep of her hand.

Inara looked at her steadily. “I say we burn it to the ground,” she answered, wiping Atherton’s blood off her stony face.

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One more part to go, and this one’s a wrap. I’d appreciate any feedback you’re willing to provide.