The Return – Part 13

Mal’s assault force moved slowly from the shuttle to the building where Kaylee had found the freight elevator. The Aussies were in awe, looking at the blackness of space, not quite believing they were actually here, on the moon. They didn’t struggle much with the low gravity, the unfamiliarity with it the farthest thing from everyone’s mind, but the bulky spacesuits were making it slower than Mal would have liked. All were armed with weapons, rifles, shotguns, pistols, and machine pistols, but no lasers, and Mal didn’t like that either. He asked Will if his gang had ever come across any and they hadn’t, Will saying that they had never seen a laser. They knew they existed but they were tightly controlled before the war and his gang had never found any. Mal just hoped like hell no one was waiting inside with a laser pointed at their heads. This would be a real short fight if so.

Kaylee led the way, carrying her big flashlight, hydrogen battery, and EVA tool belt, with Mal and Will next to her, then Dora and the other Aussie men with Simon trailing. Simon had a pistol strapped to his hip but didn’t relish the idea of having to use it. Chin’s death was necessary but it still didn’t ease Simon’s conscience over what he had done. He carried his medical bag in one hand and a large sack with all their boots and shoes in another. Mal wanted his group out of the suits as soon as possible and footwear would then be necessary. The bag didn’t weight much now, but would once inside the base.

Kaylee made it to the outside airlock door on the building and then got to work opening it like she had the earlier one. Mal stood behind her while she worked, a knife in his hands, the only weapon that would be any use in the vacuum of space. In less than a minute Kaylee had the door opened.

Nothing and nobody was waiting for them and Mal suddenly felt like they had a good chance and had achieved surprise. They moved to the freight elevator in the center of the room and it was at the bottom of the shaft as they expected. When Kaylee examined the control panel for the elevator that was next to the shaft she broke radio silence with a groan.

“What’s the matter?” Mal asked suddenly worried things weren’t going as expected.

“Ain’t no power for the elevator,” she said in exasperation.

“Crikey,” said Will.

“Can’t you rig it like the airlock with the battery?” Mal asked, trying to get Kaylee thinking on what to do.

“Nope, Capt’n, need a direct feed into the engine. This just a control switch here.”

Kaylee had said the elevator had power before but now it was off and that plan was out the window and Mal wondered if a reception committee would be waiting for them when they entered the airlock below, if they could even get to it. He should have brought some rope, gorramn it! Mal looked over the edge and could see the bottom in the beam of a flashlight he turned on. The shaft was at least sixty feet down and no way anyone could…jump!

“Simon, its one-sixth Earth gravity, right?” Mal suddenly asked his Doctor, his brain on fire with his plan.

“Yes, Mal, but…no, wait, don’t do it, it's too dangerous!’ Simon said but before anyone could stop him Mal leaped over the edge of the elevator shaft into the darkness.

************************************************* The only plan Shepherd Book could come up with was survival. He had one soldier, Captain Papusha, but he was injured and couldn’t even walk without help. Everyone else was civilian, scientists, many of them his age or older. Corporal Hopkins was tied up and the doors were blocked with tables and chairs on booth ends of the room. The bodies of the six dead had been placed along one wall, the memorial service interrupted by the chaos of the last little while. They didn’t know who was outside the doors and what waited for them. They only had two weapons, Book holding the machine pistol and Papusha the 9mm pistol. One thing on their side was that everyone was calmer, the bickering among them had ceased and for the moment, once again, all were against Jackson. At least Book hoped they were. He needed intel, and there was only one place to get it. Book pulled up a chair next to Hopkins.

“Sorry about the nose,” he said as a peace offering.

“Preacher’s aren’t supposed to hit people,” he said with a glare of anger in his eyes. “Nor carry guns.”

“And your commander wasn’t supposed to start a nuclear war and exterminate humanity. Is he insane?”

Hopkins snorted. “Insane? No. But he did what he had to do. Don’t believe what these folks are telling you. No command came from Earth to destroy the missiles. In fact, a command came to launch them.”

“Liar!” shouted Gregori as he stood and approached them and everyone was instantly looking at the trio.

“You don’t know. I was there when the order came when your countrymen attacked us!”

“Ach, my countrymen, you say,” Gregori snorted. ”Like you Americans have no blood on your hands, nor the Chinese, or British or anyone on Earth. We are all to blame, us here most of all! We don’t deserve to live on Earth!”

“God will forgive you,” Shepherd said and he could see some glimmer of hope in some of their eyes.

Doris the nurse was sitting next to Captain Papusha. “Our sins are too many,” she said in despair.

“If you ask, God will forgive all sinners and all sins,’ Book said solemnly. “Isn’t it time for the healing to begin?” All were silent, guilt in their eyes.

“After all, no one here actually fired the missiles. You ask God and he will listen,” Book continued, and then stood and picked up his Bible from the altar. Many people fell to their knees, crossed themselves, and Book led them in the Our Father. After it was over many felt better and some even smiled.

“Now, David, I need to know what you think Jackson will do next?” Book asked as he sat next to the soldier again.

“He will kill those in his way.”

“Why is he like this?”

Gregori answered. “He has nothing in this life. His wife died many years ago. He had no children. It was why he was appointed here, no connections to Earth. He has been here the longest, almost five years.”

“Five years? That seems long. Isn’t this a prestigious post?”

“It was, in the past,” Papusha said, a trace of pain in his voice. “He…was passed over for promotion. Some incidences in his past. Rumors but some of them were confirmed my last time on Earth. He was responsible for killing civilians in Africa during food riots. It was covered up but I met a soldier who was there. Hundreds killed when his soldiers went on a rampage. Also, Jackson was opposed to some Alliance polices, such as improved relations with Russia. I heard him once remark that the Alliance was strong enough to force Russia to give up land and resources for the world’s exploding population. Just before the war he had some psychological tests, standard for all personnel on this base. I believe he was about to be relived of this command.”

That was news it seemed to many and the conversation levels rose as people began discussing what Papusha said. Hopkins looked a little crestfallen, as if his hero had suddenly become a little less heroic. After a long moment he looked at Book.

“Shepherd? I got something for you. In my right front uniform pocket.”

Book opened the pocket and pulled out an earwig communicator like he saw Jackson with earlier.

“It’s an open channel for soldiers,” Hopkins said. “You can hear what he’s doing.”

Book put it in his left ear and immediately heard Jackson.

“Team one stay put. Everyone else fall back to Cavern B, Cavern B,” Jackson said and Shepherd could hear worry and maybe even pain in that voice. Several soldiers answered in the affirmative but Shepherd only counted four replies. What had happened out there?

“What’s in cavern B?’ he asked Gregori and the Russian scientist paled.

“Boshey moi!”

“What’s wrong?” Book asked in worry.

“Cavern B was where the nuclear weapons were,” Papusha answered.

“But they are all gone, right?” Book asked, hoping he was right.

“No,” said Hopkins. “There’s one left.”

***********************************************

Jayne carried a small can of gasoline they had found in the shed under his left arm and his weapon in his right hand. They figured it was used to fuel some of the small digging machines in the shed. If the chance presented itself he was going to use it as a bomb. They moved to the left of the cave entrance in the darkness and all was quiet. Zoe soon food the dead body of the soldier she had killed and then they waited for a few moments to see if anyone was coming. Slowly Zoe moved to the entrance, looked down the corridor and only saw a blood trail leading away. She motioned them forward.

“Let’s get to the hanger bay. Know the way?’ she said to River and the teen nodded and Jayne moved out in front of her. Soon as he stuck his head around the first corner, bullets whizzed by his ear.

“Too close,” he said through clenched teeth and then he said to Zoe. “Five of them I think, behind a table. I think Jackson was there, too. Cover me.”

Jayne had seen them at the far end, in doorways and behind a table, Jackson with his men, armed with a pistol, and as Jayne leaped out into the corridor he heaved the gas can with all his strength toward the Alliance soldiers, firing at the same time as Zoe also stuck her gun around the corner and sprayed bullets. The din was deafening as both sides traded shots at close range. Zoe could see Jackson and fired at him but he ran after a firing a few shots from a pistol so she wasn’t sure if he was hit or not. The can bounced and landed in front of the upturned table and as Jayne lay flat on the floor he hit it dead on and it exploded with a blast of flame and smoke just as a bullet grazed his upper right arm.

Screams came from the Alliance men as two of them were engulfed in flames, their bodies twisting in agony as they rolled on the floor. Zoe moved forward pumping bullets into them, firing until they stopped moving and Jayne was on his feet firing at the three who retreated down the hall.

Then in Zoe’s Alliance earwig she heard Jackson, could hear pain in his voice, and believed she had hit him. “Team one stay put. Everyone else fall back to Cavern B, Cavern B.” Several soldiers replied and all sounded scared.

“They’re on the run,” Zoe said and explained quickly what she heard. “Now’s our chance to get to the hanger.”

“This is too much!” said Inara, the stench of roasting flesh strong in the air, as they approached the dead men, still burning. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“This is nothing,” said Zoe without a trace of remorse. “There’s only two. In Serenity Valley there were almost 200,000 dead. Let’s move.”

With that she walked toward the dieing flames and in one quick move ran and jumped over the table, hit the floor, rolled and was up with her weapon pointed forward. No one was about. Jayne kicked the table aside and the others soon joined Zoe, all glad to be moving away from the burning dead. She spotted a blood trail on the floor.

“Someone got hit,” Jayne said. “If it's Jackson let’s go finish him!”

Zoe shook her head. “No, Serenity is coming and we need to secure that hanger first.”

Jayne didn’t say anything, but his look was enough to let them know he disagreed. Down the corridor they went and then they were at the main one running through the base. Jayne stuck his head out and back quickly and it was quiet.

“You’re bleeding!” Inara said as she noticed Jayne’s wound.

“Ain’t got time to bleed,” the big merc replied in a tough guy tone and then grimaced as Inara wrapped her silk scarf round his arm wound. "Owww"

“You got time to have it looked after,” she said as she tied it tight and then took her pistol back from River.

“Which way is the hanger?” Zoe asked River and again the teen led them in the right direction. After a few more moments and with the corridor still empty, they reached the hanger bay. No one was at the control station, everything eerily silent. Suddenly they heard gunfire, not far away.

“Where’s it coming from?” Inara asked.

“The airlock!” said River and then fear filled her eyes. “Simon!” And River ran and the others could only follow, knowing now where Mal had planned to enter the base.

********************************************************************* Mal’s leap took everyone by surprise. Kaylee had a chance to scream “No” and then he was gone. She snapped on her flashlight and followed him as he slowly fell.

Simon yelled, “Mal! The base has stronger gravity underground!”

“Oh, shit,” Mal said in Chinese as he took in Simon’s words and knew he might have made a big mistake. At first, he knew he was falling but the low gravity made it almost seem like he was under a parachute. He had taken a few jumps in combat training school, but never had the chance in actually combat. Now he fell to the elevator, pointing his flashlight down so he could judge when he had to prepare to land, but as he got about two thirds down he started feeling heavier and then his speed picked up and then in a few seconds he landed with a thud and almost fell over but he was safely down.

“Gets a bit faster at the bottom but its safe,” Mal said into his comms.

“Well, the Lord hates a coward,” said big Will and then he took a step and leaped over the side. As he fell the other Aussies all laughed and followed suit at intervals, letting out yells and whoops, until only Kaylee and Simon were left on top. Mal backed out of the way as Will landed heavily and then all moved to the side as they landed and others came down. Finally Mal looked up at his two crew members.

“Need you to open this door, Kaylee.”

“Yeah, Capt’n, I know. Be right there.” And then she looked at Simon and saw the fear in his eyes.

“Just like falling in love,” she said with a grin and then stepped over the side.

“That wasn’t very reassuring,” Simon mumbled to himself and then dropped the shoe bag first, to the side away from where Kaylee had jumped, closed his eyes, and took the plunge.

They both landed safely, to Simon’s surprise, and as they got their bearings Kaylee noticed a power switch on the elevator's control panel. She turned it on and pointed it out to Mal.

"Oh," he said in surprise. "Guess everyone didn't have to jump."

Kaylee just shook her head and got to work on the airlock. She definitely had to teach her crew more about fixing things and keeping your eyes open in the future.

Mal told everyone to pull out their weapons and get ready. Kaylee had told him this side of the airlock had a solid door but the inner one was thick plastic and see through. As soon as they entered someone would know and more than likely they had a sensor to tell them when the airlock was opened. After another moment the airlock outer door popped open and Mal and his assault team rushed inside weapons ready, anticipating a fight.

Nobody was there.

“Whew!” said Will. “Bit of a rush for sec, hey mates?”

Kaylee found the inner control panel and set the internal atmo and pressure levels. After a long, agonizingly long, thirty seconds the airlock was pressurized and Kaylee hit the door open button.

They walked through and immediately Mal ordered everyone out of the space suits. Helmets came off and then the gloves and it was just in time for them to fire weapons properly as the sound of running footsteps came and six Alliance soldiers came down the hallway.

“Fire!” Mal yelled as he shot first and hit his target in the stomach and the soldier crumpled and fell. Will was close behind Mal in firing, just missing his target as bullets flew in both directions. Yells and curses rang out as the Alliance people realized they were outnumbered and Mal’s group was caught bunched together in the airlock corridor in the bulky spacesuits. Simon grabbed Kaylee and pulled her down as bullets went flying past them and one of the Aussie men dropped with a bullet in the stomach in front of their faces and groaned in agony. Simon crawled to him and started to work right away, Kaylee lying behind their bodies, her heart in her throat and she prayed like never before for God to protect her and her friends, old and new.

One more Alliance soldier dropped and then little Dora was hit in the arm and spun and fell as big Will yelled in rage. Suddenly a grenade was tossed at them and bounced once and one of the Aussies caught it in mid air and tossed it back but the grenade exploded between the two groups, sending shrapnel in both directions, with Mal’s group getting the worst of it. Mal got a chunk in the left shoulder, Will got one in the leg and the Aussie who threw it had several small pieces hit his arms as he held them up to shield himself from the blast.

Everyone’s ears were ringing from the explosion and Mal’s team barely heard one of the Alliance men screamed in extreme agony as River slashed his back open with the machete and he dropped to the floor. More bullets plowed into two of the Alliance men from behind as Jayne and Zoe caught up to River and as the last one dropped his gun and raised his hands to surrender Jayne had to grab River from behind to keep her from cutting his head off.

“Stop, gorramn it!” Jayne shouted as he gripped River tightly in a bear hug, the machete raised to strike, the Alliance soldier wide eyed in front of her, and then her rage subsided as the deafening noise of battle was replaced by groans, screams, and curses.

“Simon!” River yelled as she sought out her brother, and then found him bent over the wounded Aussie.

“River! What are you doing?” Simon said as he saw the bloody machete in her hands and blood on her clothes.

“Saving you,” was all she said as she helped Kaylee stand up.

“Get their weapons!” Mal shouted and two of the Aussie men moved forward to grab the Alliance weapons on the ground. Will rushed to Dora’s side as she sat up.

“Just a scratch!’ she said with a grimace. “Christ, you’re bleeding, too.”

“It’s nothing. Doctor! Dora’s been shot!” Will looked to Simon who was still tending to the wounded man with Kaylee helping.

“The most serious first,” he said and it was like the Heart of Gold all over again, bodies everywhere, some dead, others in agony.

“Good work, Zoe. Report,” Mal said Zoe asked as she came up to him.

“We killed a few more on the way, sir. Jackson is still in command of some men, not many. We got separated from Book, but got an idea where he is. Hanger bay isn’t guarded.”

“Good. Wash,” he said into the comms. “Get ready to land on my signal.”

“Roger that,” came back the answer. “Is Zoe there?”

“Safe and sound,” Mal replied. “Out.”

Jayne had something to say to Mal that couldn’t wait “Thanks for including me in your free the hostage plans.”

“You’re free now, ain’t you?”

“Mal, you’re bleeding!” Inara said as she rushed to his side and saw his bloody shoulder. “Simon!”

Simon looked around and knew this wasn’t the place for this and noticed the door to the room where he and Kaylee had spent the first night. “Open that room there and let’s get the wounded inside,” he ordered and Jayne opened the door. They started moving the wounded, their side and the Alliance, accompanied by screams and groans. One Aussie was wounded badly to the stomach as was an Alliance soldier. Two other Alliance men were alive, the one with the back wound from River’s machete and the prisoner. They got Simon’s suit off him quickly and he set to work.

“How was the Earth?” Inara asked Kaylee as she helped Kaylee out of her spacesuit, trying to keep her mind off all the blood and the moans of the wounded.

Kaylee had a sad look. “A mess. Dead everywhere. Take long time to set it right again. What happened up here?”

“Time for chit chat later,” Mal said to them as Zoe helped him get his suit off. “Give me a quick patch up, Doc. I gotta get back into the fight.”

Soon all had the suits off and boots and shoes on, and Mal’s shoulder was dressed and so were Will’s leg and Dora’s arm. The wounds weren’t very deep, the spacesuits slowing the momentum of the bullets, but Simon knew that pieces of spacesuit and clothing might be in the wounds and could cause infection. But there was no time for surgery now as Mal made quick introductions to everyone and then it was time to move.

“Inara, Kaylee and River stay with Simon, lend a hand, and watch the door,” Mal ordered. “Rest, follow me.”

“What about him?” Will said, pointing to the prisoner.

“Can’t take him with us and might be a danger to leave him behind,” Mal said then got an idea. “Take your clothes off,” Mal ordered the prisoner

“What?” he said in disbelief. Jayne stuck his gun in his face.

“You heard the man. Strip!”

He quickly started removing his clothes until he was stark naked, covering himself up.

“Now sit in the corner and don’t move,” Mal order and the man, very embarrassed, did so as Mal and the assault team, plus Jayne and Zoe, moved out the door.

Simon stopped Mal by the door. “We should get some of these people to the medical wing.” Simon said and he pointed to the gut shot Aussie and Alliance soldier. “These two need operations.”

“They’ll have to wait till all is secure,” Mal said and then he was gone before Simon could protest.

Simon did what he could, giving morphine for pain and bandages to stop the bleeding. As they worked both sides got caught up on what had happened to them, including the attempt on Mal’s life. Inara put a hand on Simon’s shoulder.

“You did the right thing, Simon.”

“I know, just, killing is not in me, I guess.”

Kaylee gave him a little kiss on the cheek. “I'm glad it ain’t,” she said and Simon felt a hundred times better.

“So many dead, so much suffering,” Inara said as Simon and Kaylee explained more about what happened on Earth. “Why did they do it to each other?”

“It was Jackson,” River said and Inara explained how River thought Jackson had fired the missiles.

“He did,” River said again. “And he will do it again.”

Simon and Kaylee and Inara looked at each other, puzzled. “What do you mean, do it again?” Kaylee asked but River wasn’t listening to her, staring at the naked soldier. She approached him with her bloody machete in her hands.

“Where’s Cavern B?” she asked and the soldier stammered out directions, fearing this crazed woman who had wanted to gut him just minutes earlier. River then took the pistol from Inara and started toward the door.

“River! Stop!” Simon yelled, but she wouldn’t. “Where are you going?!?”

“To stop Jackson,” and then she was out the door before Simon, Kaylee, or Inara could do anything. Simon went to the door and into the corridor and screamed her name as she ran down the corridor and was soon out of sight. Divided between following his sister and treating the wounded, Simon swallowed his fears and returned to the room to help save lives. *****************************************************************

Mal’s team reached the hanger a few moments later and no one was about. Mal grimaced in pain from his shoulder wound and Will had a limp. After a few moments of looking they found the controls for the hanger bay.

“Okay Wash, bring Serenity down. All is secure here.” And a few minutes later the ship had landed and was below ground and the air pumped into the hanger.

As pressure and atmo stabilized Mal had the airlock opened and they rushed into the hanger bay as Serenity’s ramp came down. Wash was first off the boat and into Zoe’s arms. But the reunion was not as joyous as all had hoped when one of the Aussie women realized her man was not with them. It was the one Dora almost had a fight with and as tears came to her eyes Dora put an arm round her and gave her a hug.

“There, there, the Doc’s with him and he’s gonna be fine, ain’t he Will?”

“He’s a tough bugger so you hang in there and he will too,” Will said and Christine volunteered to take her to see her man back at the room near the main airlock. Mal also ordered Wash and Fred to go with her and start moving the wounded, the prisoner, and the spacesuits back to Serenity. Wash grabbed the stretcher from the infirmary, took weapons for Fred and himself and moved off with Fred and Christine leading the way.

Zoe told Tanya where she thought her father, Book and the others were and Tanya led the way. Mal told Paulie and the other Aussie women to guard the hanger bay and Serenity. Will tried to get Dora to stay but after she started to protest again Mal said they had no time for this and Will gave up once again.

Dashing from cover to cover in the corridors they made their way to the dining facility after a few minutes and then Mal knocked on the door and soon they were reunited with Book, Gregori and the rest of the base personnel. Again hugs and handshakes were exchanged as everyone was happy to see their friends and family still alive, Jayne glad the Shepherd was still with them but he didn’t say so. Book, Gregori and Papusha got everyone up to speed on what had happened.

“It’s not good news I’m afraid, Captain,” Book began after Mal asked where Jackson was. “Gregori believes Jackson is heading to where they kept the nuclear missiles and there is one left.”

“What can he do with one missile?” Mal asked. “Earth already a mess as is.”

“He can threaten to blow up the base,” Gregori answered and that stunned them all.

“How?” Zoe asked.

“He can detonate the missile warhead, here, underground. There would be nothing left.”

“Impossible," said Captain Papusha. “The safeguards prevent any explosion until it is at least 100 kilometers from the moon.”

“And Jackson knows how to disable the safeguards, da?” said Gregori to his son-in-law and Papusha just nodded.

“Let’s take no chances,” Mal began as he thought on what to do. “Get everyone to the hanger bay and load up Serenity. Forget your luggage cause we got no time.”

“My data!” Gregori said. “I need everything to send you home!”

“Okay, you come with Zoe and Jayne and me but the rest of you get to Serenity. Let’s move!”

"We have some injured in the infirmary and most of my staff is still there," Doris said and Mal told two of the Aussie men to go with her and get the injured and all medical people to the hanger and on board Serenity. They took off immediately.

“What about the dead?” someone else shouted and Mal saw the bodies where the person was pointing.

Mal just sighed, understanding the need to treat the dead with reverence, having been to more funerals than he cared to remember, but this was no time for paying respects. “You all be joining them if you’re still here when Jackson blows this place up! Move it!

That ended that discussion and everyone moved off toward Serenity. The dining room started to empty quickly, Mal sending Will and Dora and the other Aussies with them as protection. Mal, Jayne, Zoe, and Gregori moved off in another direction, toward his lab, down one of the corridors off the main one.

“Would he really blow up the base and all of us?” Mal asked Gregori.

“In his state of mind, who knows? He thinks we are betraying him. But he is the one who betrayed humanity.”

They reached Gregori’s lab and then he started cursing in Russian.

“My laptop! All the data! It’s gone!” he yelled in anguish.

“Oh, boy, that ain’t good, is it?” said Jayne, not quite certain why the Russian was losing his mind. Gregori threw a stream of curse words in Russian at Jayne and the big man would have probably killed him if he had understood. Then Jayne spotted his favorite gun in the world sitting on a lab table.

“Vera! What’s she doing here?” He grabbed his Vera and held her like a beloved woman.

“Going to test it, had no time,” Gregori answered, his mind elsewhere. “All my work for nothing!"

“Don’t you have backups for the data?” Mal asked and Gregori nodded, his face brightening a bit.

“Yes, but they are in the mainframe, and it is in the control room for the missiles in Cavern B.”

“Guess we’re making one last stop on the way home,” Mal said as Gregori led them out of the room toward Cavern B.

********************************************** Wash, Fred, Christine and the Aussie woman arrived at the room where Simon was tending the wounded and after more reunions they set to work moving all the wounded, the prisoner and the spacesuits toward Serenity. The prisoner was allowed to dress again and they loaded him down with spacesuit gear. The Aussie woman cried tears over her man and Simon had to reassure her three times that he would survive once they got to Serenity’s infirmary.

It took two trips to get everyone and everything and by the time they got to the ship the second time it was filling up with the base personnel and more injured from the base infirmary, incluidng a few wounded Alliance soldiers, who looked subdued from all the dirty looks people were giving them. Simon barely had time to say a greeting to Book as he raced to the bridge with Wash and got on the comms immediately and contacted Mal.

“Mal, River’s gone after Jackson. We couldn’t stop her.”

“We’ll get her. You stick with the ship and take care of the wounded and tell Wash to get ready for take off at a moment’s notice.”

“Mal… she sounded like she was determined to kill Jackson. I don’t know what’s got into her.”

“You just do your job, Doc. I’ll get her. I owe you that much at least.”

Wash had heard what Mal had said and started preparing the ship for take off as Simon went back to the infirmary in a hurry. Inara, Doris, and Kaylee were there, getting the Aussie man ready for surgery. Simon asked Doris to stay and help and for the other nurses and interns to check on the other wounded and make sure they were comfortable and their bandages were good.

Kaylee, Book, and Inara started getting food and water for those in the cargo bay. Then Kaylee had a terrible thought and started looking for Fred. He was with Christine, trying to find places for people to sit, answering questions about Earth and what happened to Chin and Miller, looking frazzled trying to deal with so much.

“Dr. Walker!”

“Yes, Kaylee?”

“When we leave, how we going open the doors over head after the atmo is pumped out?”

He was puzzled for a second, the question never having been raised since someone was always in the control room. This time, all would leaving.

“I…don’t know…someone will have to do it…and stay behind.”

“Show me what to do,’ Kaylee said as she walked off the ramp toward the control room, with Fred behind her with a surprised look on his face.

***********************************************

Cavern B was through a long tunnel that began through a set of sliding doors at the end of the main corridor. Mal’s team ran down the main corridor to the far end.

“There is a sealed door with a coded panel. Fortunately I know the code,’ Gregori said but when they reached the doors they were open.

“Sam would never leave them opened,” he said in surprise.

“It was River,” said Zoe.

“Impossible, how can she know….the codes! She is a mind reader, da?”

“Da!’ said Jayne. “Let’s go find her ‘fore she gets hurt.” And he entered the tunnel, Vera up and ready.

They careful walked down the tunnel, an incline suggesting that it went deeper into the moon. All were ready for a possible ambush. After a few minutes they heard gunfire from up ahead and ran as fast as they could. Soon they came to the closed Cavern B entrance doors and found River surrounded by three dead Alliance soldiers, the bloody machete in one hand and the 9mm in the other.

“Gorramn it girl!’ Jayne said and it was said in admiration.

“Are you hurt?” Zoe asked with concern as she reached River’s side.

“No,” was all River said without emotion and then her eyes and mind drifted away. “Jackson is inside.”

“Get back to Serenity,’ Mal ordered River, not sure if liked this new side of River or not.

“You need me now more than ever,” River said and Mal hesitated.

“Open the doors,” Mal ordered Gregori after a moment and the scientist nodded and hit the code for these doors on the panel. They slid open and everyone went inside Cavern B.

********************************************** Kaylee and Fred examined the spacesuits in the cargo bay of Serenity, Kaylee’s plan coming to her mind after Fred had explained how the hanger bay controls worked. She would stay in the control room, de-pressurize the bay, open the outer doors, and then walk back into the hanger bay airlock and then the airlock of Serenity before they took off. She got on the cargo bay intercom and explained it to Wash and he approved. Now all she needed was a space suit without any bullet holes in it. The brief battle in the corridor had damaged all the suits in some small way, bullet and grenade fragment tears and nicks in air hose lines or cracked helmets, all damaged except hers and Simon’s.

“Okay, suit me up,” Kaylee asked Fred as she selected the same suit she had worn earlier. Kaylee took off her boots and he began to help her put on the suit.

Wash sat on the bridge, Serenity all set for take off, and all he needed was the rest of his crew and Gregori Kovalev. Mal had briefed him on the possibility of a nuclear missile going off and Wash worried on how much distance he would need to get outside the range of the blast’s EMP effect. It would be underground so that would lessen it but that blast wave could go far and fry Serenity’s electrics if they were still too close.

In the infirmary Simon removed the bullet from the Aussie man and was in the process of stitching him up. He still had more patients to see and it was going to be a long night, day, whatever it was now. He had lost track of time and his mind was fuzzy with lack of sleep and worry over his sister and what was to happen next.

********************************************** Cavern B was almost as big as the agricultural one but there were no fruit trees or vegetable gardens in here. Instead, there were twenty long metal tubes in the center of the room, reaching to the top of the cavern and Mal guessed that this was where the missiles were placed for firing. A metal catwalk surrounded the missile tubes near the top and a long set of stairs reached up to the catwalks from close by where they stood. Off to the right was a concrete room with small windows.

“The control room,” Gregori said and they moved inside. Gregori let out a cry and they could see why. There on a table was Gregori’s laptop, blood on parts of it.

“It was Sam,” he said in despair as he searched for the laptop hard drive. "The hard drive is gone." And then he moved to the mainframe that ran along the back wall and then he almost started crying.

“The data storage unit is gone also.”

“Gorramn it,” Mal cursed quietly. “Jackson’s got them both.”

Gregori reached for a mic on a control panel near the windows. “SAAAAAMMMM!” Gregori screamed into the mic and his voice echoed through the cavern.

“I’m here,” came Jackson’s voice over a speaker in the room and they could hear the pain in his words.

“Why Sam? Why did you do it?” Gregori asked in a pleading tone.

“Those fools on Earth should never have bowed down to Russia. The Alliance was more powerful and could have crushed them, forced them to join us or die. Now it is too late for all of them. And remember, who attacked first? Your countrymen did!”

“But you didn’t have to fire the missiles!” Gregori screamed back.

“They would have captured them and used them on our people,” Jackson gasped. “It was our only chance to strike quickly.”

“Not quick enough,” Gregori said quietly as some of his anger was leaving him.

Mal took the mic from Gregori. “Jackson, you know who this is?”

“Captain Reynolds. So Serenity has returned. Excellent. Now my people can go to Earth.”

“Still dreaming I see. Well, wake up. Chin got what he deserved and so will you.”

“Oh, Captain, I am not going to Earth. I am already dieing,” he gasped. “One of your people shot me through the body and now it is too late. But I have the data storage units with all Gregori’s work and you will never return to your quadrant. That will be my revenge. See I’ve set this last warhead to explode in fifteen minutes. Goodbye, Captain.”

“Fifteen minutes!” Jayne said in fear. “Mal, there’s a time to fight and a time to run and this here’s running time!”

“Not without that data!” Mal shouted.

“Mal, I’d rather live on Earth than become permanent resident of this moon!” Jayne yelled back.

“Where’s the girl?” Gregori said suddenly and they turned around and River was gone.

They ran out of the control room and looked and then Jayne pointed up to the catwalk.

“There!” he said and they could see River at the top moving among the missile tubes.

Jackson’s mind was wide open now and River could feel his pain and fear and also his life ebbing away. The tubes were laid out in a grid pattern and the catwalk branched off like a city street pattern, allowing access to the controls and warheads of each missile. She saw Jackson in the center, sitting propped up against an open panel on the side of a missile tube. He had a pistol in his hand and blood drenched his uniform front. She slowly walked out and he saw her and pointed the gun.

“Little River Tam,” he said, gasping in pain. “You can read my mind, can’t you?”

“Yes, Commander, I can.”

“What a miracle. So much you could have accomplished as my assistant. That was my plan for you when we returned to Earth. With your skills I would have had unlimited power.”

“Why do you think I would help you?”

“You would have. To save your friends, if not voluntarily. On Earth I would have been king. Now, go while there is time, be free and rebuild my world.”

“A world you destroyed.”

“It was necessary. There were too many people, too many. The Russians wouldn’t listen to reason, attacked us.”

“You had no right to fire the missiles.”

“I did what had to be done and to discuss it is moot now. Go while you have time.”

“Give me the data storage units.”

“Never,” he said as he squeezed off a shot that went wide of River. She didn’t move or flinch. “I didn’t try to hit you. The next one will.”

“No, it won’t’ said Mal and he stepped out from behind a missile tube and fired at Jackson with his trusty pistol. The commander jerked as the bullet hit his chest and then sighed as the life ebbed from his body.

"I did what I had to do," Jackson said and then was dead.

“Jeeze, Mal, you said I could do it,” Jayne said in disappointment as he came up behind Mal.

“What does it matter?” Mal said to Jayne. “Dead is dead.”

“Now he’s at peace,” said River and she looked at the others. “Time to leave.”

“Not yet,” said Gregori as he ran up to Jackson and started searching his pockets, finally finding his laptop hard drive, a small round, thick disk. He then spit on Jackson’s body.

“Good riddance,” he said and cursed him in Russian.

“Can you disarm it?” Mal asked as he looked into the missile warhead.

“No time, it would take thirty minutes minimum,” Gregori said. “We run!”

**************************************************************** As Mal, Jayne, River and a very out of breath Gregori arrived in the hanger bay, Mal got a shock seeing Kaylee in her spacesuit in the control room. As the others got aboard he entered the room.

“Little Kaylee, what in the verse are you doing? Place about to be blown to smithereens.”

“Someone’s got to open the hanger doors,” she said. “No time to argue, Capt’n.”

“We ain’t leaving without you,” Mal said.

“Course not. Now go!”

Mal ran through the airlock doors, closed them behind him with the touch of a button and was the last aboard Serenity. Kaylee hit the switches to de-pressurize the hanger and it took a long minute, then she opened the hanger doors.

“Come on Kaylee!” Mal yelled through the comms link in her helmet.

Kaylee left the control room and came up to the airlock and hit the button to open the door.

Nothing happened.

She hit it again and again and nothing happened. Then she realized that the airlock safety features had kicked in. The door on the other side hadn’t closed completely. She looked at the floor of the airlock and something was stuck in the outer doors, a small piece of something someone dropped in their rush to board Serenity and she couldn’t make out what it was and had no time to think what it could be. The outer door seal wasn't perfect and the airlock inner doors refused to open because of the danger of a vacuum breach.

“Capt’n, airlock's jammed!”

“Gorramn it! Re-pressurize the hanger!”

“No time! Just go!” she said and she thought she was going to die and suddenly thought of her father and Simon and felt all alone in the verse. But Mal wasn’t done yet.

“Kaylee, get to the other airlock and get to the shuttle! You can fly it!”

“Never have!”

“No time for arguments! Go!”

Kaylee ran as fast as the bulky suit allowed. A long minute later and she was at the airlock and inside. She hit buttons and the air lock de-pressurized and she opened the outer doors and stepped on the elevator, searching the control panel frantically and then found the power button still on. She hit the up button and to her immense relief the elevator started to rise.

The shuttle was there and as Kaylee made her way to it she could see Serenity leaving the moon’s hanger bay.

“Made it Capt’n,” she said as she entered the shuttle and closed the door. She hit the re-pressurize button and oxygen from the shuttle’s air tanks started pumping in. Kaylee sat in the pilot’s seat and started up the engine and tried to remember all she ever saw Wash, Zoe, Inara and the Capt’n do in a shuttle. She could take it apart and rebuild it but wasn’t sure if she could even get it off the moon. She grabbed the control column, pushed the throttle forward and was up and flying away in a second, it being much easier than she thought. She flew behind Serenity as both tried to get some distance from the moon.

“Can I come home now?” Kaylee asked and Mal laughed.

“Be waiting for you with a cup of tea,” Mal said.

On the bridge of Serenity all heaved a sigh of relief. Mal, Wash, and Zoe were here with Fred at the sensors board. “Get us in position to pick her up,” Mal said to Wash.

And as they spun around to find the shuttle the surface of the moon suddenly lifted and everything on the moon base disappeared in a flash of dust and rocks blowing out toward space.

“The bomb!” Wash shouted in shock. “Kaylee! Full power!”

Kaylee moved the throttle to max power and saw Serenity turn away from her and run.

“Come back!” she shouted in despair and then knew Wash couldn’t, not with so many on board and she being only one.

“Wash, what the hell you doing?” Mal asked in anger.

“The EMP! We need distance!”

“But Kaylee’s out there!” Zoe said and Mal suddenly understood what Wash was doing.

“Get us far away,” he said to Wash in a choked voice.

The EMP wave flung out of the moon and expanded toward the two ships, Serenity burning on full power, the little shuttle so far behind. The wave hit the shuttle and suddenly it shuddered and shook and the engine sputtered and died and all the panels and lights went out and it was adrift.

Serenity just got out of range of the EMP blast wave and then Mal ordered Wash to turn and find the shuttle.

“Kaylee!” Mal yelled into the mic. “Kaylee!”

But there was no answer from Kaylee.

“She can survive this,” Zoe said trying to reassure them. “She just has no power.”

“If she’s far enough away so she doesn’t get dragged back to the moon by it’s gravity,” Fred said in a quiet voice and a sudden feeling of dread swept through Serenity’s crew members as they realized their baby sister was out there all alone, drifting among the stars.