Disclaimer: This story is in no way meant to infringe on the rights of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, or 20th Century Fox. Just wanted to have a bit of fun with these characters is all. Please don’t sue me.

Oh, and if you’re gonna archive this, please have the courtesy to ask me first.

Rated PG-13 for graphic descriptions and a few Chinese cuss words.

“Point of No Return, Part I”

***** *****

Jayne squinted. It wasn’t all that bright, even though it was straight up noon, and the sun seemed to lean all its weight on this dry valley. It was sure windy, though, and the dust swirled, playfully at first, then with more what seemed like malice. Jayne felt a tickle in his eyes and nostrils. He sneezed loudly, nearly losing his grip on the crate he was hauling up the cargo ramp.

Book was passing him on the way down, and seeing the trouble the big man was having, scrambled to take hold of one end of the heavy box. “‘Take my yoke upon you,’” grinned the preacher, unable to help himself. “‘For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’”

“Whatever,” Jayne sniffed. Embarrassed at having to get help, he looked around to see if anyone was watching. Everyone had something better to do, and that suited him just fine. In the cargo hold he saw Simon help Wash take a load off the mule. Jayne noted the doctor’s very slight limp, a fading but still-haunting reminder of Jubal Early. Behind him he heard Mal talking with the governor, and Kaylee was next to him. Even River made herself useful by helping Zoe stock the crates.

“That should be the last of it,” the Gov was saying as he handed Mal a white cloth bag. “Here’s half what we agreed on, and the other half you’ll get on delivery.” The captain weighed the bag in his hand, then passed it to Kaylee. “I sent ‘em word you’d be around about this time tomorrow.”

“We should make it a few hours before then,” Mal returned.

“Very well, very well,” smiled the governor as he extended his hand. “We thank you kindly, Mister Reynolds. Before you go, can we offer you and your folks a meal or anything to drink? Sure you’ve worked up an appetite, what with a load that big and all. Rest a spell at the Lame Duck before you head back out.”

Mal looked back at his crew. Things were almost loaded up, and true enough they’d spent all morning checking parts to make sure they worked, packing them up, and hauling them onto Serenity. His eyes fell on Kaylee, whose big smile and pleading eyes nearly made him laugh out loud. “Thank you kindly, Governor,” Mal said. “I think I’ll just take you up on that. Kaylee, go on and tell everybody we’re having a little lunch before we get back in the air.” He’d barely finished his thought when she went off skipping with the invitation, the coins jingling in her bag with each step.

“A regular ball of fire, that one,” the captain smiled.

“Sure she’s somethin’ else,” laughed the governor. “I’ll go on and make things ready.”

River was looking out at the hills in the distance, swaying on her tiptoes as if trying to peer over a crowd of people. Kaylee came over just as Wash started for the ship with the last box. “Cap’n says we’re gonna stay a while and eat here,” she said, handing Zoe the money.

“Best idea I’ve heard all day,” said Jayne, clomping heavily down the ramp, followed by Book and Simon. “I could eat a raw horse, I’m so hungry.”

“Hungry,” River echoed, not talking to anyone in particular, still lost to some place in the hills. Zoe followed her gaze, shading her hand over her sharp eyes. Just over the ridge she thought she saw a shadowy place, and a thin wisp of smoke. She blinked away the dust and looked again, but saw nothing. A few clouds had rolled in, casting a faint but well-outlined shadow over the sandy landscape.

Everyone else was heading back into town. Simon was gently pulling River away from whatever it was she was trying to see. Mal walked up the ramp as Wash was coming down. He looked at his wife. “You coming, bao bei?”

“Huh,” was all Zoe said, and she went to join the rest of the crew.

*****

She told him she was leaving. He shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was. It’s not that he didn’t believe her, but seeing her all the time, on his ship, lulled him into thinking – hoping – she had changed her mind. They hadn’t talked about it, not since before Early’s “visit.” That was three weeks ago. Now, as soon as he stepped into her shuttle, the reality of what she said came crashing down on his chest.

She had taken most of the curtains down, replacing the velvet gold and black with the bleak ash blue of the now-naked shuttle walls. The control panel glared visibly in spite of the white sunlight crashing in through the window. He could still smell the incense, though faintly. He didn’t know what it was exactly. It reminded him of cherries.

He stood in the doorway for a long moment. Her face was hard. She started to remind him about knocking before barging into her shuttle. Then she remembered it was no longer her shuttle, and her look softened. She turned her back to him and resumed packing.

“What can I do for you, captain?” she said, her voice cool and even.

Mal’s heart sank, but damned if he was gonna let her see it. “Gettin' some chow in town. Thought you might be hungry.”

Inara allowed herself a brief smile. He could be a sweet man, when he wanted. Charming even. One more reason to leave. “No, but thank you.” She resisted the urge to look at him.

“I see you’ve redecorated,” Mal said, half in jest. “Going for the ‘retro shuttle interior’ look. Ain’t that bad. I kinda preferred the other look though.”

“I’m not changing my mind, Mal.”

“I didn’t ask you to.”

No, he didn’t. And it hurt her feelings a little. She felt her throat tighten.

“We’ll be on Janus in three or four days’ time. That should be close enough to the Core to get you anywhere you wanna go.” He stopped. “Where do you wanna go, anyway?”

“Does it really matter?”

“No…Suppose it doesn’t.”

She sighed. She didn’t mean to snap at him. Inara turned to apologize, but Mal was already gone.

*****

“Ooooh! Guo-tie!” Wash cooed as he helped himself to several spoonfuls. Zoe pushed back her plate as a satisfied smile swept across her face. Jayne was greedily working on his third helping of stewed rabbit. He motioned the waitress to come over. “Lemme have another beer, would ya?” he managed to say between mouthfuls.

Book frowned. “It’s not even 12:30,” he scolded, “and you’ve already had four mugs. Don’t you think you should go easy on the liquor for a little bit?”

“No,” Jayne said quickly, shoveling another chunk of rabbit in his mouth. As if to compete, Wash downed five dumplings in rapid succession. Zoe stared at him. “What? What’d I do?” asked the pilot, cheeks full of food. Kaylee giggled. He reminded her of a squirrel gathering nuts.

“It’s like a race,” said Simon. “Who can gorge themselves to death first.”

Mal smirked.

“Still hungry,” said River. “Need some fresh air.”

Simon looked quizzically at his sister. “How can you still be hungry?”

“Not me,” she returned. She suddenly got up and went out the door.

“River? What’s – River!” Simon got up and bolted after her. Zoe, Mal and Book stood. Just as he got to the door he collided with another patron, knocking both himself and the other woman to the floor. “Duìbùqî,” he said, picking himself up and running out the door.

Simon stepped into the street, momentarily blinded while his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. “River!” he shouted. And she was doing so well, he thought to himself. Since her run-in with Jubal Early, she was finally beginning to adjust to life on Serenity. She was helping more around the ship. And no outbursts in a little more than a week and a half. “River!” Damn, this was so sudden! He wished there were more he could do for her. Perhaps find some sort of therapy instead of pumping her with drugs. Ai ya but he didn’t have time for that now. He had to find her. How in the hell could she have disappeared so fast?

And then he saw her, in the distance. She was running, her long hair flying as wildly as the dust in the wind. Simon guessed she was probably a good half-mile away by now. There was no way he could catch up with her. Where in God’s name could she possibly be going?

“I think I know where she’s headed,” marked Zoe. Simon hadn’t heard the others come up behind him. He looked at her. “Saw her staring out that way earlier.”

“Zoe, get the mule. The rest of you stay with the ship,” Mal ordered. A moment later, Zoe, Mal and Simon were driving out towards the eastern hills.

Jayne took his time leaving the tavern, ripping his last bite of rabbit meat from the fork with his teeth. “Screwy girl,” he chewed. “Crazy as a ruttin’ road lizard.”

Kaylee gave him a wilting look.

“What? What’d I do?”

*****

“Tai kong suoyou de xing qiu saijin wode pigu,” said Mal softly. “What is this?”

Actually he know what it was well enough. He’d seen more than a few of them during the war. He’d even been held captive on one, years ago, before he escaped.

It was once an Alliance transporter ship, probably twice as big – and old – as Serenity. Now it was nothing more than a mangled mess of charred steel, its nose buried in the barren earth. There was a long gash in the starboard hull, and a gaping hole in the aft compartment where the drive core should be. Well, that explains how it happened, Mal thought. Containment must have failed; there was still a faint smell of burnt fuel. He guessed it hadn’t been there much longer than two weeks. But what was it doing here?

No time to ponder that now. Simon was already making his way up to the wreck, clamoring to get through the hole, having unsuccessfully tried the bay doors.

“Something ain’t right here, Cap’n,” Zoe said, regarding the shadows that had again fallen over the area. They could barely see the sky with all the dark clouds gathering, as if it were about to rain. Mal looked back towards the town, but he couldn’t see it for the hills that seemed to loom over the three of them. Mal suddenly felt very isolated.

Simon was now leaning in over the edge of the hole, straining to see signs of life. “River!” he shouted into the empty shell. “River, it’s Simon. Can you hear me?”

No answer.

Simon leaned a little farther in. “River?!” his voice teetered with panic.

“Doc, watch out!” Mal called out. He was a second too late. Simon’s foothold gave way, and the doctor tumbled into the ship with a short yelp, punctuated by a metallic thud.

Zoe and Mal hurriedly climbed to the opening and looked in. Simon lay on his side, favoring his left knee. He sat up when he saw the others looking down at him. “I’m fine,” he lied, hoping to God that they wouldn’t see him wince as they started to climb down into the ship. “Watch that first step…it’s a killer.” He chuckled at himself and winced again. He felt some dull object dig into his upper thigh and figured he probably reopened that bullet-wound that had just finished healing. Simon swallowed back his pain and struggled to his feet; there’d be time to lick his wounds later.

“River!” he called before Zoe shushed him. She heard something down the corridor; footsteps, running – no, more like scurrying – becoming faint as whatever it was moved away from them. “You hear that?” she looked at Mal. The captain nodded. “Sounds like it’s afraid of us.”

“Or luring us into a trap,” she deadpanned, whipping her trusty carbine from its holster. Mal didn’t draw, but let his hand rest on the handle of his revolver. He moved in front of them, peering around the demolished engine room. The only light in here came in from the outside through the gi-normous hole blown high through the wall. No places for anything to hide in here. He looked in the direction the sound came from. Pale blue emergency lights flickered randomly down the hallway, giving just enough light to walk without smacking blindly into the thick bulkheads.

The three of them made their way through, stooping to avoid the frayed wiring that dangled from the ceiling. Mal paused at the end of the hall and glanced from left to right. The left corridor widened into one of two cargo holds (a secondary area, Mal knew, was nearer the ship’s bow), and a set of stairs led up to the observation lounge and crew rooms. To the right, a sealed heavy door.

Mal started toward the hold, Zoe a few paces behind. Simon began to feel a warm trickle down his leg. He wasn’t gushing blood now, but he knew he had to find something to wrap it with before the trickle became a stream. Ni shi bai chi, he told himself, realizing he’d forgotten his medkit in his haste to find his sister. He started to rip his sleeve to use as a bandage when he suddenly felt the urge to vomit. He looked up at the captain, who stopped in his tracks at the strong odor that had suddenly assaulted their senses.

The smell was unmistakable, and Mal knew he’d never forget it. He’d known it on the battlefield for years. It reminded him of Hera, where it was all around him, and he thought he’d die with it on top of him, smothering him like smoke.

It was the smell of human flesh, rotted and burned almost to the bone. Bodies were strewn about, broken and tossed aside like the toys of a child. Blood was spattered and caked on the walls, pools of it stretching across the floor.

Mal looked at his partner and noted the grim look on her face. She remembered, too. Then Mal saw her face change to one of concern. She was looking at one of the bodies.

“Sir…their faces — ”

Zoe was cut off by a loud crashing sound from upstairs, followed by a scream. A girl’s scream.

River’s scream.