based on the world of Firefly by Joss Whedon ------------------------------------------------

She could hear things around her, scary voices calling to her from above where her crumbled body lay. Her blood was seeping out the holes that littered her skin and there was a significant amount of pain coming from where her ribs should be. All in all, Cat 1313 was a mess.

Quickly, her healing element went to work, but it was slow going. Besides the several bouts with knives and bullets, the shotgun to the stomach, and the major fight with every known strange creature they had met along the way to here, it was still contending with the deep puncture from where Falcon had stabbed her. The loss of blood was definitely not a plus and with its charge already working her damaged leg muscles to get up and fight, something needed to give or it was.

Her nose took in the smells around her as she lay in the pool of her own blood, shoe leather stepping in the puddle and causing the copper scent to have a rather musky underlay. Other odors also were present; the smell of stars and nights spent on a transport heading for destinations known and unknown, of blood not quite human, but not quite monster, of the sorrow of death tainted with the strength to keep going, of gun smoke and grease and hands readied for money earned, and finally, of vanilla and brown sugar perfume from a Companion' brush mixed with the disgusting reek of her enemy faint, yet still there.

It angered her, made her want to move, and need to stand, but her long beautiful torn muscles in her legs refused. She could hear her newly healed heart beating hard trying to find more fluid to keep her living and her lungs were taking in just enough air to stay alive, yet keep from being punctured by the sharp broken ribs. Even her arms were limp by her side and the only word she could mutter from those soft split lips was...Kitty.

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"Kitty."

"What was that?" Mal asked looking over at Ski on his right, shotgun at the ready, tossing a look from the wounded Cat to the crowd that seemed to be getting active since she emerged from the door. It had been quite a sight, even for the man who had spent a better part of four years chasing after her.

"Sounded a bit like kitty." Jayne mumbled by the captain's left, never taking his eyes off the hole that Cat had put in the big metal door. Blood dripped off of the twisted steel and the critters seemed to be fascinated with it, but even the Merc knew it wouldn't be for long now that Cat was out of commission.

"Kitty, as in the little girl or what River was going on about." Zoe stood on Ski's right, the Mare leg resting in her arms like a baby, one ready to do some screaming if those nasties made good with their threats. She might not care for Cat as a whole, but at this moment, better the devil you know, than the one holding all the cards.

"Healer," River's haunting voice seemed to surround them even though she was still standing near the door, almost lost in the crowd of creatures as she touched at the severed metal, rubbing her fingers together when they came back with blood on them. "Birdie had its wings broke, but he's not quite dead yet. Kitty has more job to do."

"Moonbrain, we don't need your crazy talk right now." Jayne yelped, but a signal from Mal for silence stopped him. Ski glanced at the captain and nodded in understanding. If Kitty had fixed Cat before, she might just be able to do it again.

"But how do we get to her? One of us tries to get through this mess of creepies might as well be given up dead." Mal spoke then looked down at the woman he loved teasing her soft red hair trying to keep it from dipping into her own blood. "I'm gonna have to go. We're here and she's in this mess because of me and not wanting to leave her to that hun dan. Ain't no need you all endanger your lives."

"You're kidding, right?" Ski shook his head. "You get your ass killed and I'm as good as a dead man she find out. I'm the only one of all of you that's got a decent chance at making it out and I owe it to her." His cold eyes traveled down the length of his wounded wife and back up again. "Besides, she'd do it for me without even a thought to the contrary."

"Ain't thinkin' it's gonna come to that?" Jayne muttered as Mal and Ski were about to tell him to shut up. There, parting the crowd, was the black demon of a cat with Kitty, and a very reluctant Simon. The doctor seemed to take in the mess around them and just shake his head, but when he saw Cat laying on the ground, immediately ran over to see what he could do.

"What happened?" His voice pitched over the ruckus of Batha's snarling. His hand flew to her wounds, the deep cuts that covered her body tore almost to the bone. Simon tore at his shirt sleeves ripping one and then the other as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"She busted through a door." Zoe commented and Simon looked up at her confused and then caught sight of the door out of the corner of his eye.

"Run-tse duh fwotzoo..." The good doctor muttered and assessed again the damage done. Glancing around for more material to use for bandages, Simon, hands bloodied, replied. "We need more to stop her bleeding."

"Allow me." Kitty's small voice sounded even smaller in the dark room and as she pushed past the larger adults, Mal couldn't believe the young girl's courage. No little one should be made to witness what the girl was witnessing and when Kitty leaned down in the pool of blood around Cat's body,even the seemingly heartless Jayne frowned. "It will take a bit for even me to convince her body to heal faster. Ski...Batha...you may need to run interference."

"Interference from what? They ain't moving." Jayne muttered, pointing Vera's barrel at the lumbering mob.

"Shhh..."River's haunting voice carried as the thin woman pointed at the hole in the door. "Birdie woke up and he's not happy." She grinned menacingly and almost hissed at the shadow that filled the lighted portal.

There stood Falcon, bloodied and limping. but very much alive. He chuckled harshly like the way an evil genius would in the face of his creation and Ski fingered the trigger on the shotgun. "All the players have finally made it. Everyone Cat holds dear and a few that just were in the wrong place at the wrong time." His mangled body was healing as he spoke, Mal could see the scratches that lined his face diminish and the black bruise around his eye seemed to all but disappear.

"Son of a bitch." Jayne yelled and before Mal could stop him, he fired off Vera. Like a swarm protecting their queen, one of the drones moved into the gun's path and exploded as the fire power of Vera tore into him.

"It's useless, Jayne. You'll have to mow down the entire lot before even getting a shot to touch him." Zoe stated, but the dark merc just growled.

"Vera's game."

"She might be, but even she can't stop them all and I don't think Falcon will let you take them out one by one without letting them go at us." Ski held firm to the shotgun never taking his eyes off Falcon. "Think that's what the lunatic wants you to do."

Falcon applauded gently looking at Ski."Bravo, Reaver, you figured out my plan. Ain't like a rocket scientist, but it will have to do. Now, have you figured out why, even with Cat 1313 down for the moment, I have yet to send my flock in to satisfy their hunger."

"Because you want her to watch us die. hear us scream, but most of all, to prove to her that we are weak." River moved so that she stood between the crew along with Cat and Falcon. "But, what you don't understand, little Birdie, is the Cat doesn't care that we are weak, for she sees what makes us strong."

"How dare you call me little?" Falcon roared, but instantly calmed down. "I have forgotten my manners. You are, but a child, an incomplete child who has never learned her place."

"Maybe it's someone put you in yours." Ski grumbled, but Falcon laughed again.

"Let us go. We'll take Cat, be on our merry, and leave you be." Mal didn't like dealing with this psychopath, but if he could get his crew safe without much collateral damage, things would be a lot shinier.

"Cat's mine."

"Think we might disagree a bit on that subject." Ski smiled. "You see, Mal here thinks she's his."

"Is she now?" Falcon eased off the mob and one of them took a swipe at Zoe, who immediately stuck a gun in its face. "Well, then, Captain Malcolm Reynolds of the Firefly Serenity, you save her and I'll how you so adequately put it, let you be on your merry." Turning away from them and snapping his fingers in an open display of power, the creatures growled and began to close the gap on the crew, claws flexing and teeth gnashing....waiting for the feast of blood to begin.

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