INT. SERENITY – CARGO BAY – MOMENTS LATER

Zoe and Jayne, weapons drawn, flank the four slaves, who stand near the cargo bay doors. Mal faces the slaves, his arms crossed. Book, Simon and River are on the cargo bay floor as well, watching from among the machines. Throughout the scene, River does not take her eyes off the older man.

Kaylee’s on the upper catwalk. INARA joins her, looking down.

INARA What’s this?

KAYLEE We got passengers. Sort of. (beat) Poor things.

ON THE CARGO BAY FLOOR

Mal steps closer to the slaves.

MAL Tell me why I shouldn’t turn about and bring you back.

OLDER MAN You said yourself you’re not going back.

MAL That was before I found out I got stowaways on my boat.

OLDER MAN (ISAAC) My name is Isaac. (indicates the hard-looking man) This stowaway is Derek. The boy’s name is Joshua, and his father is Micah.

Derek steps protectively in front of Isaac, but the older man waves him back.

MAL I don’t need to know your names.

ISAAC I believe you do.

MAL Knowin’ your names don’t change a thing.

JOSHUA It don’t?

A beat.

MAL Don’t they do some kinda roll call? What they gonna do when they don’t hear your names? Put two and two together?

ISAAC It won’t matter.

MAL Trouble comes my way, threatens me and my crew, you and yours’re goin’ out those doors. Steppin’ out or sucked out, makes no difference to me.

ISAAC You won’t have to do that.

Derek looks around, taking careful notice of the women. Zoe sees what he’s doing and tightens the grip on her gun.

MAL (shakes his head) Got confidence, I’ll give you that.

ISAAC Not confidence, Captain. Faith.

MAL Best put your faith in someone else, ‘cause I ain’t—

ISAAC Not in you. In God.

Book reacts with interest, and walks closer.

JAYNE Usin’ his name with the Cap’n, old man – in vain or otherwise - weren’t very smart.

ISAAC (to Jayne) But it is right.

Jayne reacts.

JAYNE You listen in on everything we said?

ISAAC (to Mal) Someone was.

MAL From the Lord’s lips to your ear, that the way of it?

Isaac doesn’t answer. His gaze does not waver.

MAL (cont’d) You got the wrong man.

ISAAC I believe you are exactly the right man. You will deliver us from evil.

Jayne laughs.

ISAAC (continues as if he didn’t hear) It’s in your heart. You are the one.

MAL No, old man. Believe me.

ISAAC It’s in your ship’s name. (closes his eyes) “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

JAYNE Hey! My poppa said that prayer all the time!

Not surprisingly, everyone ignores him.

ISAAC God has granted you this ship, Captain. I can see your courage. But do you have the wisdom to go with it?

Mal and Isaac stare at each other for a beat, then the COMM spark to life.

WASH (via comm) Captain, you better get up here.

INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

WASH pilots the ship and speaks into the internal COMM.

WASH (cont’d, into comm) Got a wave coming in. It’s Chavez. He doesn’t sound happy. I don’t think he’s calling to invite us back for pie and a puppet show.

INT. SERENITY – CARGO BAY – SAME TIME

Mal looks at Isaac.

MAL Must’ve missed your names after all.

ISAAC Must have.

Mal stares into Isaac’s eyes.

MAL Kaylee!

KAYLEE Cap’n?

MAL Take ‘em back to the engine room. Cut off their chains.

KAYLEE (smiling) You got it.

ISAAC Thank you, Captain.

MAL Don’t thank me. I ain’t no deliverer. You’re off my boat at our next stop.

INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE – NIGHT

Wash pilots the ship as Mal talks to Chavez via the comm console.

MAL Mister Chavez. Those shiny chains couldn’t’ve rusted through already?

CHAVEZ I believe you know the reason for this wave. You have some of my property in your possession.

MAL The mining equipment? Deal’s a deal—

CHAVEZ Don’t patronize me.

MAL No patronizing goin’ on on my end. None of your property’s on my boat, is all.

CHAVEZ You have my slaves.

Wash doesn’t look up from the controls.

WASH He seems like a fun boss.

MAL You see, Mister Chavez, that’s where you and I don’t see eye to eye. People ain’t property. Ever. Might be the only thing me an’ the Alliance agree on.

CHAVEZ Do you really believe the Alliance cares about my little moon? Or my people? See no evil, Mister Reynolds. That is their way.

MAL Exactly. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to not hear none of it, either. That’s my way.

Mal reaches to switch off the monitor.

CHAVEZ This isn’t ov—

The screen goes dark.

WASH That went well. No worse than usual, really.

MAL We finish the job, Wash. Full burn to Haven. An’ keep an eye out for trouble.

WASH (into comm) Kaylee? You in the engine room? Go to full burn.

EXT. SPACE

Serenity’s tail lights up bright and the ship streaks off into space.

INT. SERENITY – ENGINE ROOM – NIGHT

The engine room is lit golden with the power of the engine running at full burn. Kaylee lets go of the large lever switch. She’s wearing BLACK GOGGLES high on her head and picks up a HANDHELD CUTTING TORCH (currently unlit). Isaac is in the engine room with her, shackles still around his ankles. Near his feet is a pile of discarded chains and shackles. Zoe stands with arms crossed in the doorway.

ISAAC Wow. That was exciting. “Let your light so shine…”

KAYLEE “So… so that they may see your good works.”

ISAAC Very good! So you know the Bible?

KAYLEE Was churched as a kid. Sunday school and such. I guess some of it stuck. (indicates his shackles) Now, let’s get those things off you.

ISAAC I can tell, you know.

She looks at him curiously.

ISAAC (cont’d) That some of it stuck. There is love here. (touches the walls) There are other things as well, but what holds it all together is love. I can see it in this room. The beating heart of the ship. (points to the shiny new engine parts) The wounds that have been patched and mended.

Kaylee looks back.

KAYLEE Oh that?

CLOSE ON – INERTIAL DAMPENER

KAYLEE (cont’d) That ain’t fixed outta love, but necessity. We’d all’ve been red splotches on the walls a few seconds ago without it.

Kaylee covers her eyes with the goggles and lights the torch. As she leans over by Isaac’s shackles, River appears outside the doorway, eyes wide. Zoe notices. Isaac does as well. Their eyes meet.

KAYLEE (cont’d) Don’t look into the light.

ISAAC (whisper) I already have.

INT. SERENITY – INARA’S SHUTTLE – SAME TIME

Mal walks into Inara’s shuttle. Inara is beginning to pack up her things, but much of the shuttle is still draped with tapestries. She ignores him and continues her work.

MAL No comments about not knocking this time?

INARA You keep reminding me it’s not my shuttle anymore, Mal. You returned my deposit. It’s your shuttle again.

MAL So no more banter? No more fights? Don’t seem right.

INARA Yes, what will you do with yourself when you can’t use the “w” word at least once a week? MAL Ah, the seven “wh’s.” Who, what, when, where, why, how, and—

INARA (amused) That’ll be enough, Captain. Is there a reason for today’s intrusion?

Mal walks to one of the tapestries and studies it.

MAL Gonna ask you to stick to the shuttle ‘til we hit Haven. These men ain’t seen a woman in who knows how long. That plus a Companion ain’t a good cocktail.

INARA I can take care of myself. Still, your concern is almost touching.

MAL Yeah, well, it ain’t all selfless. I was hopin’ you’d keep an eye on River, too. I’d like to keep these folk contained in the passenger quarters—don’t want ‘em wand’rin’ about—and you throw a crazy girl in the mix—that cocktail might just become jet fuel.

INARA It’s your shuttle. As you’re so fond of telling me.

MAL I know. But I’m still askin’.

She nods.

INARA You’re doing a good thing, Mal. Slavery is a horrible business.

MAL People for sale. (looks directly into her eyes) Ain’t never right.

EXT. SPACE

FOUR SLAVER SHIPS cut their way through space, looking sinister and gothic. The DUNGEON SHIP is five times Serenity’s size, slow, laden, as if weighed down by the many slaves it can carry.

It’s preceded by three OUTRIDERS. These mismatched ships are much smaller and faster. They bob and weave like a pack of wolves protecting the dungeon ship.

CLOSE ON – ONE OF THE OUTRIDERS.

INT. SLAVER OUTRIDER – BRIDGE – NIGHT

The slaver ship bridge is dark, tight, and cluttered with remote sensing equipment. FOUR SLAVERS track ships paths across space, presumably scanning for a good catch, while CAPTAIN LACHLAN eats an apple at the helm. One of the young slavers, JESSE, turns in his chair.

JESSE Got a wave comin’ in.

Lachlan rises in his chair and stands behind Jesse, looking over his shoulder.

LACHLAN Chavez?! Bring him up, Jesse.

Chavez’s angry face fills the screen.

LACHLAN (cont’d) Thought I told you I never wanted to see your face again.

CHAVEZ I’ve got a job for you, Lachlan. Assuming your “Admiral” can spare you.

LACHLAN Huh, that’s real funny now. Thought I also told you we’d never work for you again, neither.

CHAVEZ You’ll want this job.

LACHLAN Seems to me, last job we done for you on Haven lost me my favorite cousin.

CHAVEZ You want the ship that shot her down?

LACHLAN (eyes brightening) What did you say? CHAVEZ Firefly class transport ship – with no gun this time, I can assure you – just left Independence with some of my workforce. I want them back, along with everyone else on board.

LACHLAN How do you know it’s them?

CHAVEZ They need to offload some mining equipment to people the self-righteous {monkey penis} of a captain called “friends in need.” My guess is they’re on the way back to Haven right now.

Jesse looks at Lachlan and smiles. Lachlan takes a bite out of his apple.