Serenity was docked at the very end of Ship's Row, preparing for take-off. Jayne's eyes were hidden behind his shades, his lips working around his half-smoked cigar. He held Vera close to his chest, stroking the barrel of the gun as he would a lover. The dock bay doors of Serenity stood open, inviting her crew back.

He sneered... "Like fish in the barrel," he muttered.

He smiled as he entered the cargo hold, the cool air washing over him feeling nice after the heat of the planet. He began to whistle around his cigar as he climbed the catwalk, looking back and forth for any stray crew members.

Pushing open the door to the galley, he spotted Kaylee and Book across the way in the opposite corridor. He grinned and stepped into the dining area.

"The money's good," a voice next to his ear said.

He jumped to one side, bringing Vera up and aiming it in the direction of the voice. River was sitting in the plush easy chair, on her knees and looking over the back of it at him. He hesitated, wondering if anyone else was close enough to hear the shot if he just did her now. "Just keep your mouth shut, okay, little crazy girl?"

River kept looking at him with those wide, innocent eyes... her limp hair framing her face like dark seaweed. He pulled the cigar from his lips and spit on the ground. "You hear me?"

"The money was finally good enough. Better than when you turned me and Simon in."

"Now, look!"

"You're mad at Mal. For putting you in the air lock, threatening you for threatening me. Now you don't trust him because you know he's never trusted you."

"You want a bullet in the gorram crazy nut of yours?!"

River's arm came up and she fired her pistol. Jayne's chest exploded in a spray of red. She fired three more times, each a kill shot, before lowering her weapon. Mal and Book pushed past Kaylee, freezing when they saw the scene. Jayne's body slumped to the floor, eyes wide in shock, his mouth slack and eyes focused on the ceiling.

"Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiou sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo," Mal whispered, unsure of what to do.

River dropped her gun on the table and casually walked to the door. She paused between Mal and Kaylee, smiling as if half-asleep. "He was gonna sell us out to the government of this world. Guess he forgot that the Alliance nabbed him last time he tried to set us all up." Her smile widened and she walked out of the room.

Mal glanced at Book. "How did she know that? No one knew about that, I didn't tell no one, 'specially not her and her brother."

"She knows a lot of things she ain't suppose ta," Kaylee said. "Like how to get the draw on Jayne."

Wash appeared, walking casually towards them. "What is all the racket out here? Some of us have a ship to-- Oh, juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean-jan..."

"If River is telling the truth," Mal said slowly, "maybe we oughta be thankin' her right about now."

He started to walk away, but Book spoke up, "Captain Reynolds. Perhaps you should rethink praising her actions. At first glimpse, it seems that we may have simply exchanged one homicidal crew member for another. We were lulled into a false sense of security with Jayne. It's best we don't repeat the mistake with... sweet, tortured River."

Mal pressed his lips together and turned around, walking out of the galley. "Well," he said under his breath, "he did say it would be an interesting day..."