Disclaimer: As usual, the little verse in which I loiter is not mine. It, and all therein, belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, et al. I am eternally grateful for it.

Again, apologies for the length of this fic. It is more or less out of my control. I am just putting down what is in my head. Hope you're enjoying it.

Wash vaulted up the stairs to the bridge. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You needed the sleep.” Head tilted down and eyebrows raised, Zoe gave him a look that said don’t ask yúchûn questions.

“But eight hours?” He relaxed, rubbing his chin. He didn’t mention the guilt he felt for having so much sleep in safety and comfort while he knew others were cold and in great danger. No, he wouldn’t mention that. “No arguments, Bao Bei, I was beginning to feel like a zombie. What would it be on Harmony now, morning?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

He checked the gauges on the console and scrunched up his face in calculations. “We’ll be there tomorrow evening, their time, an hour or so before sunset. We’re about thirty hours out.”

Zoe nodded, frowning. Wash thought it best not to try to reassure her again. She wouldn’t be satisfied until she saw Mal with her own eyes.

*****

For the first time, the toddler began to cry. Jeff had grizzled a few times at the cold and discomfort, but, like most children raised in a harsh land, he reflected his family’s stoicism and tolerance of a difficult life. The noise of the passing ship frightened him, though, and he sensed fear in the others. His Mother stooped to pick him up and console him.

“I’ll fetch ‘em back. Now you start packin’ up the food and water.” The Captain took his holster from Inara and strapped it on. He looked up at Phil. “Tell me about that back door. Where’s it end up?”

“Well, the river’s about five miles west, if you was flyin’ straight. The path winds through the hills about twice that. There’s a few trails that dead end in hillsides or cliffs and a couple others that come out further north, so’s you gotta be careful which way ya go.”

Suze Reston held her fretting son closer. “Can’t we stay here?”

“No. It was safe enough while they didn’t know we were here, but now they do. Probably a fair notion where, too. Get everything together, everything. Try to make it look like you weren’t here.”

They quickly made packs out of the blankets again, gathering empty water skins and all evidence of their presence. Inara half filled the small skin Mal drained earlier and handed it to him. The remains of the fire and leftover wood were buried in the dark cave. They could do nothing about the lingering smell of smoke. If the Reavers could be thrown off the scent for a while, it would give them a better chance of surviving.

Mal checked his weapons, then the pistols Inara and Jana carried. Phil checked his own and Suze’s weapons. “I’ll send Carl and the boy as soon as I find them.”

“There’s just the four trails that go all the way through to the river from here. The south one comes out near a ford. Fords at the others ain’t as easy. Damn thing has water only a few months of the year from rain up north. Gonna be cold crossin’, but better’n the alternative.” Phil’s face was taut as he shook Mal’s hand, an unspoken wish for luck in his eyes.

As the others began to disappear between the rocks, Inara grabbed the Captain’s sleeve. “What did you mean, send them? Aren’t you coming back with them?”

“Didn’t we have this conversation already?” The corner of his mouth turned up.

“Mal, this isn’t funny!”

“Yep. We did.” The smile disappeared and he was serious. “I didn’t think they knew we were here before, but I had to be sure. Now I am sure. You still got the transceiver?”

“That’s what I mean. They will be looking for us now. You should be with us, not off on your own trying to be the hero.” She realized immediately that was the wrong thing to say. In a vain attempt to cover, she pulled the transceiver from a pocket and held it up.

His mouth opened, then closed, and he looked away for a moment. When he turned back to her, his face was neutral. “Hold on to it. If you see or hear Serenity, start callin’. Look, I need to know what we’re dealing with. I should be able to slow ‘em down for a while.”

“Mal, I’m sorry. Please don’t go back down there.” The regret and anxiety she felt were plain to see.

“Inara, none of these folk have experience in any kind of real fighting. I can do more and move faster alone.” His voice was low as he put a hand over hers on his sleeve. “We have a couple hours head start, but it’s not enough. It’s at least two days before Serenity gets back. I’ll catch up later.”

She stood her ground, unwilling to leave him. He pulled her hand from his arm and pushed her toward Phil, who was waiting at the turn in the rock face.

“Please, you have to go now.” He could not keep the weariness from his voice now.

Before Phil could reach out to help her through the tight passage, Inara twisted out of Mal’s hands, turning to face him. She grasped the front of his coat and pulled him down to look directly into his eyes. Then, she leaned forward to kiss him. It was brief, but full of urgency and feeling.

She whispered, “Be careful.” And, she was gone.

Mal stood looking at the place where she disappeared form view. “Huh.”

He shook himself out of stunned immobility and did a quick sweep through the temporary hideout, trying to remove all trace of their recent stay there. Then, he scrambled over the barrier to the path below, and went to find Carl and Willem.

*****

They all crowded around the dining table, the remains of lunch in front of them. The conversation centered on where what they might find on Harmony and the best course of action.

“I reckon they’re up at that little cave up in the hills west of town. Real good little hidin’ place, but could also turn into a trap. It’s small and the entrance is surrounded by twenty to fifty foot walls. The way in is a about a eight foot climb and there’s only one other way out.” Frank leaned back in back in his chair as he spoke.

Jeb rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. “Yeah, there’s a little peephole in the rock where you can see the trail up where you can hold ‘em off a while. One or two takin’ a stand there would give the others time to get away if need be. But, it’s not likely that one or two would get out.”

“Maybe they didn’t stay there at all. Mighta just kept goin’.” Les set down his mug.

Zoe shook her head. “Don’t think the Cap’n would want to be movin’ around out in the open with women and children. It’d be safer to stay out of sight, as long as the Reavers didn’t know they were there.”

For the first time, Marcus spoke up. “That’s the question.”

“Well, let’s assume that’s the case.” Zoe poured more tea into her mug and looked around the table. “We’ll have to do a scan to see if the ship is still there. Won’t be much help if they get us first. Then we can make low passes to see if we can pinpoint where they are.”

Wash leaned forward, beaming. “Mal still has the transceiver! Once they see us, or hear us, they’ll call. I love a simple plan.”

Kaylee smiled at his optimism then frowned. “Reavers’ll be gone, won’t they?”

Zoe shrugged. “We’ll find out tomorrow.”

*****

Carl and Willem were charging up the trail when Mal met them. They had dropped the firewood and ran as soon as they saw the ship. Both were red faced and out of breath.

“Why’d they come back, Cap’n?” Willem was leaning against a boulder, breathing fast.

“Musta been too much damage to the ship. They wouldna come back unless they had to.” As he spoke, Mal slung his rifle over his shoulder, pulled Willem’s out of the boy’s hand and checked the ammunition. Then he turned and did the same to Carl’s weapons.

As if to confirm his statement, a low rumble came from the east. It was immediately follow by a louder explosion. Moments later, the ground rolled slightly under their feet. They looked up to see black smoke billowing into the sky.

The hillside to the east was steep and about thirty feet high. The Captain searched the rock face for handholds. He started to climb. When he got to the top, he watched for several minutes then descended as fast as he could, dropping the last five feet. “Boat’s definitely gone. Kinda looks like a can opener was taken to her stern. Twenty-five, maybe twenty-six, coming our way. You two gotta keep movin’. Catch up quick as you can. Phil said he’d take the south trail that goes near the ford in the river.”

“That many?” Willem gaped at him.

“From the size of her, I reckon they lost a few in the landing and explosion.”

The older man frowned at him. “Ain’t you comin’ with us?”

“Not just yet. I’m gonna create a little diversion. There’s lotsa places up here where I can take potshots at ‘em. It’ll give you more time.”

“Mal, we can’t just leave you here on your own.” Carl took the small water skin Mal offered, drinking just a mouthful before passing it to the boy, who did the same. Their breathing was almost normal after the few minutes rest.

“It’s been decided. Same reasons as before. I’m a fair shot with a long gun. I believe I can get a few before they get too close. That’ll make the odds a little better. Then, I’ll high tail it to you.” He pointed to the ground and squatted. “Come and show me this trail Phil was talkin’ about.”

Carl and Willem squatted next to him and quickly drew a rough map of the hills, with the river to the west. When they were satisfied he knew the way, they all stood and erased the map with their feet.

“Don’t leave anything behind for them to follow.” Mal nodded and started down the trail.

“Good luck!” Willem called softly after him. Then he and Carl started climbing up again.

*****

He counted, yep, twenty-five. Mal waited until they were close enough to make every round count, but not so close as to make him an easy target. The first, and second, Reaver dropped as the sound of the first shot was heard by the rest. Twenty-three. They began to scatter, diving for whatever cover was nearby. He waited some time before choosing another target. Twenty-two. Some were trying to pinpoint his location and others were firing wildly. They were reluctant to leave the safety of cover, but eventually moved out again. Twenty-one. He heard bullets pinging off the rocks around his position. Time to move.

He crabbed away, staying low so as to not be seen. When he was behind enough cover, Mal rose into a crouch and scrambled away to the next position. He would try to take them in a more southerly direction than the one taken by Carl and the others. If the Reavers were chasing him, they might not notice the trail that led to them. He doubted they would fall for it for long, but he had to try.

The gunfire aimed at his first position slowed and stopped as he crept up to another ledge that afforded him a view of the now wary invaders. It would be harder to pick them off. They were dodging from tree to rock, giving him less opportunity. The distance he moved did give him a different angle, so he saw a few butts sticking out here and there. The Captain settled into position and waited for them to relax a little. He took aim. Twenty. Guay. Not a clean shot. He squeezed the trigger again. Twenty. Some of them jumped away from cover. Nineteen.

He moved again, about a hundred yards to his right. They were walking more slowly, watching the hillside for movement. He wiped dust and sweat from his eyes as he settled over the rifle. He waited again for some time. Wanted a clean shot. There was not enough ammunition to waste. Eighteen. Before he could draw a bead on another of them, a bullet pinged off the rocks just a couple of yards away. Damn. Someone down there had some brains. But not all. He quickly aimed. Seventeen.

Mal saw they were slowing, but closing ground. He crawled backwards until he knew he was out of sight, stood up and ran again. This would be the last chance to thin their ranks. They were getting too close. He dropped to his belly and took careful aim. Sixteen. As soon as the body hit the ground several of the Reavers began firing in his general direction. He looked for another sure target, but they were getting better at keeping under cover. It was minutes before he found enough of a body visible to cause real harm. Fifteen left.

Time to run. He had slowed their progress for the better part of two hours. But, they were now uncomfortably near. This close, they had the advantage in numbers. He didn’t want to end up like that poor bastard on the first morning.

*****

“Was that gunfire again, Pa?” Jana tugged at her father’s sleeve. They all stopped. Distant, barely audible cracks echoed around the hills. They all heard a single shot, then a barrage, like a string of firecrackers tossed in the dirt.

He put his arm around her shoulders before moving off again. “Sounds like it, Jana. I reckon the Cap’n is just holdin’ ‘em up a spell. He wanted to give us more time to get away.”

“But, there’s so many shots. That can’t all be him.”

“No, don’t suppose it is. Doubt they’d take kindly to bein’ target practice, though. He’ll do it as long as he can.” His smile turned grim when he looked over his daughter’s head and saw Inara watching him. “Come on, we best keep movin’.”

*****

Kaylee picked irritably at a loose thread on her coveralls. She was standing in the engine room, staring accusingly at the machinery around her. Simon poked his head through the door.

“What’s wrong?”

“Much as I plead and beg, I can’t get her to go any faster. Wash and me have done everything but turn off life support to conserve fuel.” The young mechanic sat down on a toolbox and looked up at him with sorrowful eyes. “She wants to but can’t, not with what we have.”

Simon walked over and pulled her up by her arms. “I know, Bao Bei. Wash says we’ll be there in a little over twenty-four hours.”

“But, that’s a whole day!”

“Kaylee, they’re fine. I’m sure of it. They’re sitting around, bored silly. Inara’s probably fit to be tied, being stranded on a barren rock like that for more than four days with Mal. Can you imagine the earful she’s giving him?” He tilted up her chin and smiled at her.

She cheered a little. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“Come on, doesn’t do any good sitting in here, swearing at the ship.” He held out his hand to her.

Kaylee leaned over and kissed the engine housing. “I’m sorry, Xiao mei mei, I know yer doin’ yer best.”

Simon put his arm around her and they started to leave. “I’d appreciate some…”

She suddenly pulled back, surprise on her face. “Wait a minute! What did you call me?”

*****

Mal leaned against a rock face and pulled the water skin from around his shoulder. He waited for his breath to slow a little before drinking from it, then held it up in the final glow of the setting sun. Unless he got to the river, he’d be going without the next day. This running about the countryside and shootin’ bad guys was thirsty work.

He edged around the rock to peer back down the hillside. They were keeping under cover better, so it was hard to find them all in the deepening shadows. And, there had been no clear shot for a long time. He swore under his breath when he saw they were falling back. Ching-wah tsao de liou mahng. Four began climbing up, following him. The rest turned north. They must have realized they were too far south from were they saw the smoke, and figured out he was just the appetizer and the main course had gone the other way.

He brought the rifle up, looking for a target. Nothing in the failing light. Mal looked around at the terrain, trying to find a way to get in front of the main body. He hoped they stopped to rest soon.

*****

“Let’s take a break.” Carl looked around at the quickly darkening sky. They all sat on whatever perch they could find. The going had been very difficult for the last hour or so. The path up and around the hill was narrow, with a steep drop on one side. “Until the moon rises, it’s a little too risky to be movin’ about.”

Willem picked up a small stone and flung it down the hill. “Wasn’t like this when we was up here a year ago. Must been slides in those bad storms week or so ago.”

Jana nodded. “And them that happened last year.”

They passed around a water skin. Carl handed the few remaining pieces of jerky to Suze for Jeff. It would be just enough to satisfy him through the next day. The bread was long gone. Phil settled his son into a sling hung in front of his chest. The temperature was dropping quickly again. With no food to carry, he had plenty of blankets to insulate the boy. Everyone else wrapped blankets around their shoulders to protect against the cold.

The wait for moonlight passed in silence. They had heard nothing since the gunshots earlier. When the first moon rose above the hills to the east, they wearily got to their feet, but after a few uncertain steps, stopped. The risk of one or more of them sliding off the hillside was too great in the weak light of the first moon. They would have to wait for the second moon before moving off again

*****

Shepherd Book sat alone in the lower lounge, lights dim, Bible open but unread in his hands. With all of his connections and the favors owed him, there was nothing he could do now. He’d been able to get a brief, long distance scan by a cruiser the day before. They came up empty and would not dispatch a search party. Not for a handful of locals on some barren rock. Getting the scan had been difficult enough and he spent a couple of big favors for that.

He had given Zoe and Wash a break from the bridge for a few hours in order to send the wave and get an answer. They gave him quite a scare when they entered the bridge moments after the reply transmission ended.

Now the Preacher sat in the dimly lit room, staring at the wall. He tried to interpret the brief report. No sign of a ship meant what? None on the little moon? None in the area? Did they scan the whole thing? What about the rest of the system?

Damn the Alliance. The stand on denying the existence of Reavers was probably killing thousands every year. And, for what purpose? With all of the resources at its disposal, it should be easy for the Alliance to rid the galaxy of these vermin. Huh choo-sheng tza-jiao duh tzang-huo!

*****

Mal took the brief time between twilight and the rise of the first moon to rest and collect his thoughts. Fatigue and sleeplessness were taking their toll and he knew it. The dull ache behind his eyes made it difficult to focus at times. He carefully dribbled a few precious drops from the water skin into each eye in hopes of relieving the feeling of hot sand.

He yawned. The two hours sleep that morning, was it really that morning, were a boon, but not enough. Inara had been there when he laid down and when he woke up. He stopped. Hadn’t she? Did he see her at all? Was her kiss a waking dream? Things were happening that shouldn’t. Mal knew what sleep deprivation could do to a man. During the war, he’d seen men with hallucinations, babbling at imagined friends and shootin’ at enemies that weren’t there. Some of ‘em just plain went crazy and never came back. He shivered at the thought.

When they got back to Serenity, he’d sleep until they landed on Fairfield. Zoe would just have to deal with the crew a little longer. He yawned again, and shook his head in a vain attempt to clear it. He rubbed his face, hands stopping briefly on his cheeks in surprise. A beard. Mmm. Haven’t had one of those in a while. Might keep it a while.

A shout from the hillside below brought him back to the problem at hand. The moonlight would again be a help and a hindrance. Mal was able to see where he was going, but was also visible to anyone looking for him if he stepped out of cover. The moon was just clearing the hill casting a sickly glow and monstrous shadows around him. He pushed off the rock where he’d been sitting and got moving.

It was kind of easy to keep track of the Reavers tonight. They seemed to think they didn’t need to be quiet. Which, actually, was true. At least until the second moon rose, there wasn’t enough light to shoot any of them unless he was only a few yards away. By then, he hoped to be a long way away. Mal wanted to find the others before they did.

*****

“Oh, my God.” Inara bowed her head for a moment.

They all stood on the narrow path, looking at the huge rock pile that blocked the path. The light from the two moons was more than enough to show them the extent of the fall. Jana began to weep silently, tears creating little rivulets on her dusty cheeks. Her father put his arm around her, softly shushing.

Willem jumped onto one of the boulders in front of them and began to look for a way over. When some of the loose debris started slipping down the hillside, he quickly climbed down, shaking his head. “No way over it, or around it. Too much loose stuff. It’ll go down with any weight on it.”

“Okay, we best turn back. It’s gonna be sunrise soon and it’ll take us a while to get to the other trail. Let’s just hope them Reavers’re takin’ it nice and easy tonight.” Carl steered his daughter around and they all fell in behind the pair.

“We’re gonna hafta leave him some kinda sign we went another way, Carl. Wouldn’t want to be the cause of him doublin’ back and comin’ across a bunch of them devils.” Phil spoke softly to Carl as the tiny group neared the junction in the narrow path.

“I know. I’m ponderin’ what we can leave that he’ll see, and not give our own selves up.” Carl glanced at the younger man and lowered his voice even more. “Just in case he ain’t the first one there.”

“Yeah.” Phil checked his son as he thought. He lowered his voice more. “I’m also thinkin’ that slide’s a big ‘un. There’s bound to be others.”

“Yeah.”

They walked on in silence again, exhausted from the long day and night of hiking over increasingly rough terrain and the knowledge they were losing precious time and ground. Hunger and thirst were also taking their toll. And, they had heard nothing from Mal since the faint gunshots so many hours before. Inara tried to concentrate on the moment, putting one foot in front of the other. She tried to empty her mind of the fear and worry and the aching throughout her body, to find a place outside of herself. Her years of training and practice as a Companion had not prepared her for this.

*****

No one was sleeping much that night, and each for their own reason. The crew all sat in their rooms, bunks, or, in the case of Wash and Zoe, on the bridge. Zoe sat, looking out into the black, saying nothing. Her husband watched her out of the corner of his eyes. Every time he opened his mouth to speak, he stopped. There was nothing to say now that would help. They would know by this time tomorrow.

Jayne cleaned and checked his weapons over and over, mumbling obscenities aimed at Reavers, Mal, Zoe and life in general at the moment. He eventually gave up, curling up in his bunk with his arms wrapped around Vera like she was a woman.

Kaylee looked over Serenity’s and her shuttles’ engines twice, apologizing again and again for harsh words. She gave each a gentle pat and whispered encouragingly, then headed for her bunk in hope of sleep.

The men from Fairfield and Harmony sat around the kitchen table, talking in low tones. They tried to make plans for the future. Harmony was a dying world. Years of diminishing rain had made each year more of a struggle to survive than the one before. And, certainty that the Reavers had destroyed the little left to them, made returning there a less slow death. There would be no going back.

Book sat in his familiar chair in the downstairs lounge, trying to concentrate on his Bible. He remembered his words to River, that the Bible and religion were all about faith. His faith was being tested now, as it had not been since he entered the abbey. He realized that the only thing he could do until they landed was pray. So, he did.

Simon sat on River’s bed, her head on his lap. She wasn’t asleep. She was still trying to “find” him. He worried about what might happen to her if the Captain were dead. The connection between them confused him. Simon was a doctor, not a psychic. If it wasn’t tangible, something he could see and touch, it was hard to understand and believe. He looked down at his sister as she stirred.

She was looking up at him with reproachful eyes. “Daddy believes.”

*****

The Captain was relieved when the Reavers stopped. It was very late and would not give him much time to find the others. He passed just close enough to hear what they were saying. It was enough to know the man he watched die the first morning was a local. He also heard the men set to follow him returning to the main group. They shouted at their shipmates as they approached to avoid being mistaken for the sniper. Hopefully, the bastards were there for the night.

Soon, he no longer heard them. He continued up to the boulder where he lay flat to look back for a few minutes. A small fire gave him their position. They were a long way from the trees, where did they get the wood? He remembered the what Carl and Willem had gathered, and dropped when the ship crashed. Jen dao mei.

Mal climbed to the cave and the passage where he last saw Inara. Squeezing through the tight space, he wondered how long it would take him to catch up, and them. He was surprised when the passage quickly widened to split into two. He rubbed his forehead, trying to clear the fog in his head and bring the image of the dirt map into focus. Right, left, left again then right. He’d see the path split into three. Then, then, then, which way? He took a mouthful of water and swirled it around before swallowing. He’d think about which way when he got there.

*****

Tension on the ship was almost overwhelming. They were keeping time of day to match that of Harmony. The hours were simultaneously dragging and speeding by. Everyone had checked and rechecked weapons and ammunition that morning. The midday meal was barely touched. Even Jayne had little appetite, nervously watching Zoe from the corners of his eyes.

Zoe looked around the table. “Just like we planned. We’re going to assume the threat still exists. We’ll scan the system on approach, then a quick loop around the moon. After that, we’ll fly over the area to see if we can find them. Closer we can land to their position, the sooner we’re outta there.”

Ain’t no place big enough to land Serenity on the town side of the river, and only one on the other side within shoutin’ distance of where they might be if they went that far. There’s a few places the shuttles can land on the far side of the river, though.” Les looked at Frank, who nodded agreement. “If they went that far.”

“We can’t do much more than land and take off in Serenity, anyway. Not enough fuel. Shuttles are ready for launch. Preacher’ll pilot one and Jayne the other. I’ll stay on board in case we need to make a quick getaway.” Wash rubbed the back of his neck to ease the tightness there.

“Marcus, you, Henry, and Les go with Jayne. Me, Frank and Tomas will ride with Book. Rest of y’all be ready for cold, hungry and possibly wounded people. Jeb, I’d like you to stay here as well, just in case.” He nodded. She looked around the table again, eyes lingering on Jayne. “Okay?”

“Can’t I fly one of the shuttles? I’m a good pilot!” Kaylee frowned.

Zoe shook her head. “No, ‘preciate your offerin’, but I want you here in case anything happens. It’s only going to be you, Wash, Jeb, Simon and River on Serenity. You’re needed here, Kaylee.”

She nodded and pushed back her chair. “I’ll take another look at the shuttles.”

Wash jumped up to follow. “Me, too.”

Zoe glared at Jayne, who finally looked directly at her. “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry, I’m ready.”

Zoe nodded and left the table.

*****

Mal stood at the fork where the little party had turned back. He knew the right path, but there were indications that pointed in a different direction. The hard, stony ground made the read difficult. After a moment’s thought, he took the agreed upon trail, moving as fast as he could on the uphill slope. More than half an hour later, he came to the rockslide. Realizing he had gambled wrong, he headed back down the trail at a fair pace, silently cursing the fact he misread the signs. This whole area was a maze of mini-canyons that mostly went nowhere.

About halfway back to the fork where he’d turned, Mal heard voices. Damn. They must have decided to push through after just a short break. He scrambled to find someplace to hide. They were still a ways down the path, but he didn’t have much time. He climbed as far and as fast as he could, and lay flat on a narrow ledge. His position wasn’t obvious, but if they looked close enough, they would probably see him.

A few minutes later, three of them trotted into view. They said nothing as they passed. Now he had to wait until they returned before he could move. It would be a while, but he couldn’t risk getting caught in the middle of them with no way out. The noises he still heard coming from down the hill told him that.

Mal struggled to stay awake. It was so tempting to close his eyes for a few minutes. He dug his fingernails into his hand and tried to occupy his mind. They would need another job soon. The money from the first load was not enough. Marcus would have needed to ship the fruit to Persephone before they would get back to Fairfield. He had delayed that shipment for Serenity as it was. The extra ten days or so this was taking was just too long.

He vaguely wondered if Zoe was checking the Cortex as he glanced skyward. The sun was bright and warm. He was so tired and just wanted to sleep.

Voices coming down the track made him hold his breath. Mal couldn’t see anyone until the three men passed and disappeared around the bend. Damn well took ‘em long enough. A few more minutes and he would have dozed off. He waited until they were far enough so as not to hear him before carefully backing down the hillside and following.

*****

Inara and Suze sat together on a low broad rock. The young Mother was giving her son a small piece of jerky. She looked up at Inara with worry-filled eyes.

“You think your Cap’n might be catchin’ up soon? We been up a coupla deadends I fear he might not find us at all.”

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” She smiled wearily at Suze.

They stopped to rest while Carl and Willem scouted a little further up the trail they wanted to follow. Rock slides had made several areas treacherous. Jana refused to be separated from her Father, so she went with them. Phil sat a few yards away from women, watching the way they had come. He also listened. Sound bounced around the close, steep walls, so it was possible to hear movement long before seeing who was doing the moving.

Inara glanced over at the young man. He was concentrating on the trail behind them. He stood, took a few steps then stopped. Suddenly, he turned and ran to them.

“Move, people comin’.” He hissed as he scooped up his son. When Inara mouthed Mal’s name, Phil shook his head. “A lot more ‘n one man.”

Suze and Inara followed as Phil headed up the track taken by Carl, Willem and Jana. They heard noises behind them. At a bend, Phil handed his young son to his wife and motioned for them to run. Suze touched her husband’s face and ran. Inara quickly followed her. She glanced over her shoulder as they turned another corner to see him stop behind some rocks and raise his rifle.

The women ran as fast as they could over the rocky, uneven ground. After a few minutes, they heard gunfire behind them. Jeff started to whimper. Suze clutched the boy closer to her and ran harder. They came to a fork and slowed.

“Which way?” Inara looked from one path to the other.

“Uh, I don’t know. Left. It must be left.” Suze frowned, glancing back over her shoulder. “Oh, God. Phil. Please.”

The gunshots became sporadic. The young Mother wavered, wanting to go back to her husband. Inara pushed her forward, urging her to keep moving. They started to run again, taking the left path. It soon started to slope up and turned south after about fifty yards, the right side dropping off. As they wound around the track, the sound of gunfire began to echo through the little canyons and hillsides, making it difficult to know direction or distance to the danger.

*****

Mal heard the gunfire and, pulling his pistol from its holster, began to run. The rifle slung over his shoulder slapping his back with each step. He hoped the Reavers were splitting up to check all of the paths and trails as they went. It would be easier to get through if he didn’t have to deal with all fifteen at once. As he ran, he listened to the echoes of the shots, trying to find the source.

He slowed a little when he heard shouting ahead. It was two of the four he saw earlier. They were arguing about which way to go. Mal brought his gun up and squeezed off a round before they knew he was there. One man dropped, blood pouring from a head wound. The second man spun and ducked down at the same time he tried to pull his gun. The second shot missed his head by an inch, but the next found its mark. Thirteen.

For a moment, Mal didn’t move. He watched his hand, still raised, pistol aimed at the dead men in front of him. It was shaking, and he couldn’t stop it. He slowly lowered the pistol and drew in a deep breath. Then gunfire ahead forced him to move again.

Mal came across a dead Reaver and knew he was headed in the right direction. The gunfire was close now and it sounded like only a handful of weapons. He could hear shouts echoing from everywhere. They were still some distance away and it sounded like they were scattered in several directions. He looked up at the steep hillside, searching for handholds, but there were none. The track curved around, so he slowed and took a quick look.

*****

“River, what’s wrong?” After searching almost the entire ship, Simon found his sister sitting in the darkened infirmary. She had only come out of her room a few hours earlier with his most persuasive coaxing since they left Harmony four days ago. She had become more animated, and more agitated, as they neared the little world.

“Gonna be dark soon.” She sat on the counter in the far corner of the room, scrunching up into as small a space as possible. “Running. They’re running. All tired.”

“Who’s running, sweetheart?” He turned on a small lamp and walked around the examination table to her. She winced at the light and tried to back further into the corner.

She looked at her brother, eyes dark and fearful. “He calls me that.”

“I know, mei mei.” Simon stroked her hair. “Who’s running? Can you tell me?”

“Him, Inara, others. Don’t know them.” Her gaze became unfocused, eyes darting back and forth. “Chased. Hunted. Not together. All afraid.”

“Are you sure it’s them?” The Doctor found himself asking, a large part of his mind still not able to believe she could actually know what was happening.

“Why don’t you believe me?” River focused on him again. “It’s them, Simon. We have to hurry.”

*****

Translations:

Yúchûn - stupid Bao Bei – darling Xiao mei mei – little girl Guay - hell Ching-wah tsao de liou mahng – bastard who is humped by frogs! Huh choo-sheng tza-jiao duh tzang-huo! – mongrel scum Jen dao mei – just our luck mei mei – little sister