EXT. PIONEER VILLAGE - DAY

JAYNE, KAYLEE, and RIVER are walking through the snow towards a small store. Serenity is flying away overhead. There are a few people around, but it's pretty quiet.

JAYNE How does it get so hot that Mal has to ditch me on this backwater planet, anyway?

KAYLEE Oh, it's only for two days.

RIVER Forty nine hours and thirteen minutes. Give or take an hour.

JAYNE Just didn't figure on spendin' two days with the two of you doin' next to nothin'.

KAYLEE (Punches Jayne in the arm playfully) Oh, come on, Jayne. I thought you figured we were kinda pretty.

JAYNE (Almost blushing) Well, can't really argue with that.

They arrive at the store, where KAYLEE steps inside and starts talking to the owner. RIVER is looking around curiously, apparently trying to figure something out.

JAYNE (CONT'D) What? What's the problem?

RIVER I - I'm not sure.

JAYNE Not sure? What? Did you hear somethin'?

RIVER Heard. Yes. Heard their screams. Heard their...

JAYNE Ain't nobody screamin'.

RIVER Not that you can hear, no.

RIVER walks away, not watching where her feet are landing. She walks to another building and puts her ear up to the wall.

JAYNE What you playin' at, girl?

RIVER (unsure) Reavers?

JAYNE Reavers?! There ain't no ruttin' Reavers inside that building.

KAYLEE runs up behind them.

KAYLEE There you two are. Left me all by my lonesome over -

RIVER (whispering) Shh.

KAYLEE (also whispering) What's in there?

JAYNE (normal volume) Thinks there's Reavers in there.

RIVER Not reavers... Not yet.

JAYNE I thought you were over this bein' crazy thing.

KAYLEE You be nice!

JAYNE What?

River pulls a panel open to reveal a keypad. She types in the combination and opens the door.

INT. HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS

They enter what appears to be a hospital. There are Blue Sun signs on the walls. This hospital is nothing like the village outside.

JAYNE What in the ruttin' -

KAYLEE Guys, I don't think we should be in here.

REAVER 1 (screams)

KAYLEE What kind of hospital is this?

RIVER No one gets well here.

JAYNE Well, I say we get out of here while we're still well.

River walks to a room with a window. There is a man in a straight jacket inside making inhuman noises. He has a recently sewn scar on his face.

KAYLEE Okay, I'm all for getting out of here. Right now.

JAYNE That ain't no Reaver. No ruttin' way they'd let themselves be locked up like that. Kill 'imself just as quick.

RIVER He's not a Reaver yet.

KAYLEE Close enough for me. Can we get now?

DOCTOR SORREL (O.C.) River Tam.

Jayne pulls his pistol and points in the direction of the voice. DOCTOR Sorrel has just come around a corner with two other doctors and two armed guards. They are now in the way of the exit.

GUARD 1 Lower your weapon.

JAYNE Heh. That's funny.

GUARD 1 You are trespassing on private Blue Sun property, and interfering with a military operation. You will be escorted -

JAYNE Oh, shut up.

Jayne shoots GUARD 1, then gets shot with GUARD 2's stun gun. He gets knocked on his back.

River takes the stun gun from Guard 2 and breaks it on his head.

MORE GUARDS and DOCTORS come from behind them. Jayne gets up just as they reach him.

JAYNE (CONT'D) Get out! Go!

River knocks Doctor Sorrel against the wall, then the other two doctors to the floor. She grabs Kaylee and pulls her toward the door.

Jayne fights with the rest of the guards and doctors as River and Kaylee escape. Doctor Sorrel pushes a weapon to Jayne's back, there is a loud zapping noise, and Jayne falls.

Guard 3 Do we go after them?

DOCTOR SORREL No, they'll be back.

GUARD 3 But if they tell anyone -

DOCTOR SORREL Do you really think anyone would believe them? Besides, they'd never get in.

JAYNE (weakly) We got in, didn't we?

DOCTOR SORREL Yes, you did.

Doctor Sorrel zaps Jayne again. Flash white, Fade TO BLACK.

EXT. PIONEER VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER

The sun is starting to set. River leads Kaylee to a small building, where she breaks a lock and opens a door. Kaylee is looking around hesitantly.

KAYLEE We can't just leave him back there.

RIVER We're not.

River hands Kaylee an automatic rifle.

KAYLEE Whoa! What am I supposed to do with this?!

RIVER Hold it while I get the rest.

KAYLEE How did you know these were even there?

River stops for a moment and looks at Kaylee with a "Why would you ask that?" expression, then gets back to unloading the weapons.

KAYLEE (CONT'D) Right. Sorry.

INT. HOSPITAL LAB - LATER

Jayne wakes up to find that he is strapped to a table. He is surrounded by medical equipment, much of which has been wired to his body. DOCTOR SORREL is there, along with a few medical technicians.

DOCTOR SORREL I'm guessing you're the one they call Jayne.

Jayne only grunts.

MED TECH 1 We're ready, Doctor.

DOCTOR SORREL Good. (To Jayne) You'll make a fascinating test subject.

cut to:

A Reaver is pounding furiously to escape his cell. A normal person would have knocked himself unconscious.

EXT. PIONEER VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER

River is holding two pistols at the ready. She nods to Kaylee, who opens the door. An alarm immediately sounds.

RIVER Stay behind me.

Kaylee is holding the automatic rifle, but doing it wrong. She is right behind River as she runs into the hospital.

INT. HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS

River goes to a panel near one of the Reaver cell doors.

RIVER Here.

Guards and Medical techs rush toward them. River shoots a few of them down quickly. Kaylee enters a few commands on the console, and suddenly all of the doors open. Reavers pour out of the rooms and attack the guards and med techs.

RIVER (CONT'D) Let's go.

River leads Kaylee through the fight, knocking people out of her way as she goes. There is screaming coming from all around them. A Reaver grabs Kaylee's leg, and River shoots the Reaver in the head without a word.

INT. hospital Lab - CONTINUOUS

River and Kaylee rush into the Lab that Jayne is being held in. Doctor Sorrel is just standing there, looking very scared and confused. River points a gun at him.

DOCTOR SORREL (stuttering) Please... Please.

RIVER Out. Now.

Doctor Sorrel looks out the door. The screaming continues.

DOCTOR SORREL No, I can't. I can't go out there.

RIVER Good bye, Doctor.

River grabs the doctor by the arm and all but throws him out the door. Doctor Sorrel runs out of the frame and screams as he is killed.

A medical tech is hiding under a table. River looks down at him, and he hides his face. River ignores him.

JAYNE Well, are you gonna get me out of this thing or what?

KAYLEE What did they do to you?

RIVER Nothing yet.

River pulls an I.V. tube from Jayne's arm and starts unstrapping him. Suddenly a Reaver rushes in, and River throws down the head of the table, which brings the other end of the table into the Reaver's chin and knocks him to the floor. Jayne yells in disagreement over being upside down.

JAYNE Quit playing around and get me out of this thing!

River and Kaylee undo the buckles, and Jayne nearly falls off the table. Jayne pulls the med tech out from under the table.

JAYNE (CONT'D) Where is my hat?

MEDICAL TECH 1 What? Your - Your hat? Your things are in the next room.

Jayne throws the med tech to the floor and rushes out the door without a weapon.

INT. HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS

Jayne immediately faces a Reaver, who he knocks to the ground easily. He then ducks inside a room and comes back out immediately. He has his mother's pom pom hat on, and he's putting on his gun belt.

JAYNE (drawing his pistol) Now we can go.

River leads the way out, and Jayne takes up the rear, keeping Kaylee safe between them. River is fighting up close with a group of Reavers, when another Reaver leaps out of a door and tackles Jayne. Jayne's gun is knocked away. Jayne tries to get to his knife as they wrestle on the ground, but is unable to.

JAYNE (CONT'D) (to Kaylee) Shoot him!

Kaylee raises the rifle, shaking. River is still fighting with the other Reavers.

JAYNE (CONT'D) NOW!

Kaylee takes a shot, and hits Jayne in the leg.

KAYLEE I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

JAYNE Gorramit, girl. Just shoot him!

Kaylee shoots again, and hits the Reaver in the chest. The wrestling stops. Jayne picks up his pistol and shoots the last of the Reavers that River is fighting with.

There is still some faint screaming in the distance as they leave.

EXT. PIONEER VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER

The sun has set, but it still shouldn't be this quiet outside. Everyone is gone. There are occasional noises coming from the hospital, which go silent when River closes the door.

JAYNE They can still get out.

KAYLEE No, they can't. I rigged it.

JAYNE They run out of docs, they'll pro'ly just eat each other.

RIVER They'll all be dead in a matter of hours.

There is a moment of silence.

RIVER (CONT'D) So what is there to do on this planet anyway?