“Firefly class Serenity calling Eden Station.”

No answer.

“Firefly class Serenity calling Eden Station, Medea. Do you read?”

Still nothing.

“Should I try again?” Inara asked Mal, somewhat doubtful. They’d been asking for nearly an hour to no avail.

“Tell you what, just tell them we’re on our way to pick up our property,” Mal told her, “Give ‘em an hour.”

Inara just shrugged and turned back to the comm link.

“Firefly class Serenity calling Eden Station. Be advised, we land in one hour to pick up cargo left behind.”

The unit crackled and popped to life. Someone definitely heard that.

“Serenity this is Eden Station, please repeat last. ”

Voice only, no picture. Sounded a bit like Kellerman.

“We’ll be landing within the hour,” Inara said coolly.

“Serenity, we advise you not to land at this time. We’re experiencing an outbreak here. The whole town is in lockdown.”

The voice, whoever it was, sounded worried.

“We’re aware of your situation Eden Station. We’ll be landing within the hour.”

Inara cut the link and looked up at Mal.

“You’re sure about this?” she asked.

“Don’t have much choice.”

****

Wash was really confused.

Less then half an hour ago Chang and one of his foremen showed up and dragged him away from the line. They hadn’t said anything to him about why or even where they were going, so he was a bit surprised when he was shoved back into his cell and told to clean up and pack.

Wash didn’t really have to pack seeing as he never unpacked. He liked to keep everything in his trunk; it was something he’d done since leaving Demeter. Even when he’d been on Serenity he hadn’t unpacked, not completely. Unpacking was too much like declaring yourself home.

Wash had stayed on Serenity for a lot longer then he had planned too. Probably would have stayed longer if...

Until Serenity he hadn’t thought he could settle. Usually, after about six months, he just got itchy to leave. Crew would get on his nerves or the captain would start telling him how to fly, so he’d just quit. Take another job. It had been easy. Serenity had been different. After six months he still felt like staying, so he did. And that had been easy too. Ten months, three week and two days.

He sighed as he sat on the bed not really knowing what was happening. Not sure if he cared much either. Then he heard it. A rumbling, low noise. Sounded a bit like a ship coming into atmo. Not large. Possibly a …

Wash turned his head a bit towards the noise and looked up at the window.

A Firefly. It sounded just like a Firefly coming into atmo.

Wash got up on the bed and peered outside. All of the cells had small rectangular windows over the beds. They were high up and didn’t open but at least you could see out of them.

Sure enough, there she was.

Serenity.

Serenity was landing in the cargo dock.

“What the…”

He didn’t get a change to finish the sentence because Chang was back. He’d dragged him off the bunk and told him to pick up his gear.

“They change their minds?” he asked more to himself then to Chang.

****

Zoë sat anxiously at the helm.

Mal and Inara had just left. She hadn’t been happy to learn Mal wouldn’t be taking her or Jayne, but understood his point. There would be no arguing over this. He needed someone who could not only fly the ship if need be, but also someone there to protect it. Couldn’t do both at once. Besides, he had wanted Dennly to feel threatened, but not as if he was being attacked. Jayne always looked like he was about to punch you, and Mal had actually worried Zoë might really do just that. So Mal and Inara had gone alone.

She wasn’t really worried about them succeeding. Not overly worried that was. Men like Dennly were bullies. They liked pushing people around, but typically gave in if you pushed back.

What really had her worried was Wash. She couldn’t help but think he might not be too happy to see them. Or her.

No telling what they told him when he woke up there to find Serenity and it’s crew gone, but she could imagine it wasn’t good.

And he was stubborn. He might not even want to hear them out.

She had to admit though it was one of the things she liked about him. All the men in her life had been stubborn. There was no sense in denying the trend.

****

Serenity had returned.

In fact, Serenity’s captain, Malcolm Reynolds and one of the women, a companion apparently, were now sitting outside of Dennly’s office.

Dennly had purposely kept them waiting. It was his station and he’d play this out his way. Besides, there was no reason to hurry. He had to give Lee time to take care of the situation.

Not long after the transmission from Serenity had come in did he decide it was time to have a long talk with his bio-engineer.

He was a man who liked things done simply. The situation he now found himself in was anything but simple.

When the need for a new pilot had arisen Adrienne Lee said she could provide him with one. She was still young and edger to prove herself. She had been promised a substantial promotion if things had gone well and as it turned out she was not above deceit to get things done, even to the point of selling out one of her oldest friends.

Dennly had no problems with that in fact he admired it. Those types of tactics had served him well throughout the years. He had been glad to see her show such resourcefulness. However, she seemed to lack attention to detail. Lee had misread the situation. She had made a mistake in picking out Mr. Warren as the right type of person to pilot for Eden Station. Now she had to rectify that mistake.

Serenity had come back for their pilot.

He knew they were going on nothing more then a hunch. Sometimes that happened. And he was fairly certain that when he did get around to talking with them that they wouldn’t have much to back them up. It wasn’t the soundest of plans, but it was ballsy. He liked that, but not enough to lose face.

Too bad for them.

He had told Lee what needed to be done. Had explained it all very clearly. He had sent away the crew of Serenity believing that their pilot was dead. Now they had come back and Dennly would not be made out as a liar.

Simple.

****

Wash sat on his trunk in the currently unused warehouse. It was big. It was empty. And it was definitely unnerving.

Chang had gotten his security bracelet removed and then brought him here. To wait apparently. Wash wasn’t sure for what.

He hadn’t seen or heard anything about Serenity or its crew. And he couldn’t for the life of him wrap his head around what was happening.

One minute he’s dumped on some dirt clod planet and forced to work in fields from sunrise to sunset; the next he’s picked up, dusted off, and seemingly being set free. But why?

Wash heard the door open and looked up.

Lee.

He supposed she might be the reason behind this. Maybe she wasn’t as bad as he’d thought and had arranged his release. You never could tell what some people were about.

Wash stood up to meet her.

“What’s happening?” he asked.

“There’s been a change of plan,” she said not looking at him directly. She was keeping her head down, being evasive.

“Yes, well that I figured…”

He stopped cold.

He hadn’t seen the gun until she raised it at him.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Wash,” she said, her voice was terse, “you should have just gone along. Why couldn’t you have just gone along for once in your life?”

“You know me,” he said with as much humor as he could muster.

“Yes I do. And I’m sorry for this, but I don’t have a choice.”

She held the gun a bit higher, aiming for his head.

“Lee, you’re really going to do this?”

“I told you, I don’t have a choice. Its you or me now Wash. Sorry.”

“I don’t…”

”…understand,” she finished for him, “Well, your ship came back for you okay. I didn’t think they would the way you’re always talking about going from one to the next. Didn’t think you had any real ties. Damn it Wash.”

Her hands were beginning to shake a bit. For a moment they just stared at each other. He could see the frustration in her eyes, and something close to fear. Then she seemed to accept it and her look grew cold.

“Okay then,” she started, her voice oddly distant, “let’s get this over with. Now just turn around and we’ll…”

”No,” he said defiantly.

“Don’t make this harder then it has to be.”

Wash stood his ground.

“Wash, please” she begged, “Just turn around.”

“No,” he said a bit louder then before but every bit as defiant. “If you’re going to do this you’re going to have to face me.”

****

It had gone much as Mal had suspected it would. Dennly didn’t make excuses, didn’t deny it. But he also refused to come right out and tell them the truth. Or so much as hint at what he was planning. Mal wasn’t sure if Dennly was going to let Wash go or kill them all. Some people you just couldn’t tell about.

He was a bit surprised when Inara suddenly, out of frustration, spoke up with such authority.

“Let’s just cut through this, shall we? You have our pilot. We want him back. We know he isn’t dead. We know he’s being held here.”

Both men stared at her as if she’d grown a second head.

“This is what’s going to happen. First you’re going to take us to him. Now. And then we are going to leave and that will be that.”

“Huh,” Mal said after a moment’s silence. He was more then a bit surprised, he was damn near speechless.

Dennly was too.

“And what if I…”

”You won’t say no,” Inara cut in. “No would not be the right thing to say now. No would cause me to call every connection I have inside and outside the Alliance and make you and your operation very, very unhappy and very, very un-prosperous.”

Dennly wasn’t sure if he believed her. Not at first. But she had such conviction.

“Alright then,” he said with a bit of a smile. “Let’s go collect your pilot.”

Inara smiled at Mal a bit as Dennly led them out the door and down a series of hallways.

“Where did that come from?” he whispered to her.

She didn’t answer, just continued smiling.

They were approaching a door at the end of the corridor when they heard shouting.

Dennly slowed a bit and seemed to be listening to the exchange.

To Mal it sounded an awful lot like Wash behind that door. And whatever was going on, it wasn’t much good.

As Dennly reached the door Mal could tell something was wrong. The man seemed tense. Mal got himself between Inara and the man as a precaution. This wasn’t much good at all.

From behind the door they heard what sounded like Wash yelling ‘If you’re going to do it then just do it already’.

Mal had been so intent on listening he hadn’t noticed Dennly had opened the door and stepped inside. Hurrying to catch him, he was too late.

Quicker then Mal had seen in a long time, Dennly had already drawn his gun and fired twice.