EXT. SPACE– ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN

The slaver outrider ship chases a weaving Serenity above Haven.

INT. SERENINTY – FOREDECK HALL – SAME TIME

Derek climbs the ladder out of Jayne’s room to the sound of Jayne’s SCREAMING. He shuts the door, silencing the screams, and turns to see Micah waiting for him. Derek passes Vera to Micah, and pulls Ana from his waist.

INT. SERENINTY – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Zoe turns to see Derek and Micah on the bridge. She reaches for her gun, but Derek shakes his head, aiming Ana at her. Zoe eases back, raising her hands.

Wash glances behind and does a double-take.

DEREK Pilot! I want you to plot a course!

WASH I’m a little busy right now.

DEREK Perhaps this will convince you… (grabs the grenade from his pocket) Now plot a course to the coordinates, given to Isaac by the hands of God. Five-two-zero…

INT. SERENITY – JAYNE’S ROOM – SAME TIME

Pinned to the wall, Jayne breathes heavily, looking from one bleeding hand to the other.

JAYNE It’s just hot coffee… (steeling himself) Just hot coffee…

He flexes his arms and pulls hard on his right hand. He GRUNTS and HISSES with the pain, but the knife comes with his hand out of the wall. His right arm free, he breathes a sigh of relief. He raises his hand to his mouth, gritting his teeth around the knife’s handle, preparing to pull.

INT. SERENITY – OUTSIDE INFIRMARY – SAME TIME

Simon belts River into a chair, and sits down and struggles to belt himself in.

INT. SERENITY – AFT HALL – SAME TIME

Book comes out of the stairwell, looks toward the galley, then back toward the engine room. He sees Isaac’s back, and begins walking toward him.

INT. SERENITY – ENGINE ROOM – SAME TIME

Kaylee stands up in front of Isaac, trying to keep her distance. Isaac holds the chains taut between his fists.

KAYLEE You don’t understand. Inertial dampener’s broke. That’s why we’re all… jumpy. Without this… (holds up the inertial dampener) …hooked up over there, we all get splattered against the stern the second we accelerate.

ISAAC I know the laws of the ‘Verse, my child. But don’t you see? We are in the palm of God’s guiding hands. We are protected.

KAYLEE Ain’t nothin’ protectin’ us but the safety protocols in the engine, and thank God an’ good engineerin’ for that.

BOOK (OS) Isaac, what are you doing?

Isaac turns to see Book at the doorway. Isaac moves fast, rushing behind Kaylee and wrapping the chain around her throat. Kaylee wheezes.

BOOK (cont’d) Isaac!

ISAAC I’m just trying to do what He tells me to!

INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Zoe reacts as the image of a planet pops up on the navigation screen.

ZOE These coordinates are for Whitefall.

Jayne stumbles into the bridge, visibly in pain, hands bleeding. Micah turns his gun on him.

JAYNE Ain’t nothin’ much there but some dirt poor settlements an’ a crashed Reaver ship.

DEREK God wants us there!

JAYNE God sure ain’t on Whitefall. The other guy, maybe.

DEREK Plot the course, or I pull the pin!

Jayne stands tall and faces him.

JAYNE Why? Cause some crazy old man says so? (beat) Pullin’ that pin ain’t no leap of faith. It’s pure stupid suicide. Ain’t smart an’ it ain’t right!

Derek stares. Micah looks to be losing his nerve, staring at the gun in his hands, looking at Wash struggling with the controls, the ship tilting and swaying.

JAYNE (cont’d) I know you wanna change. Wanna a fresh start. But it ain’t on Whitefall. It’s right here. This boat can change a man, if you let it. (beat) Now gimme my grenade.

Derek hesitates, but hands the grenade over. Jayne closes his bloody fist around the grenade and smiles through the pain. Derek smiles back. Then Jayne, in one swift move, swipes the gun from Derek with one hand and decks him with his grenade-closed fist. Jayne winces in pain as he does so.

Zoe is up with her gun drawn, pointing it at Micah, who drops his weapon. Derek looks up at Jayne from the floor.

JAYNE Not sayin’ I changed none… (showing him the grenade) Thou shalt not steal, {dumb-ass}!

INT. SERENITY – ENGINE ROOM – SAME TIME

Kaylee holds the inertial dampener tight and swings it up, striking Isaac in the face. She wrenches free of the chain, coughing and choking, and spills into Book’s arms.

ISAAC (looking to the engine) Make a way, Lord!

He grabs two CONDUITS that connect to the inertial dampener, now hanging loose, and plugs them together.

Kaylee’s eyes widen. Isaac grabs the LEVER to switch to full burn. Book rushes forward and slams into Isaac, pushing him free of the lever. They begin to struggle, punching and rolling.

INT. SLAVER OUTRIDER – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

The targeting computer lights up, a crosshairs glowing on the image of Serenity.

LACHLAN Fire!

EXT. SPACE – ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN – SAME TIME

The slaver ship fires its grapplers and they attach to Serenity, pulling tight.

INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Wash pulls hard against the controls to no avail.

WASH We’re hooked! (screaming) Zoe! I’m screaming like a little girl now!

But Zoe is on her feet and away from the co-pilot’s seat. The ship lurches and tilts at a steep angle.

INT. SERENITY – ENGINE ROOM – SAME TIME

Book and Isaac are thrown into the engine. Isaac’s head breaks their fall. They both fall to the floor.

INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Zoe and Jayne struggle to get to their feet. Derek and Micah are still on the floor. Wash continues to fight.

WASH They’re pulling us in!

INT. SLAVER OUTRIDER – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Jesse turns in his seat.

JESSE We have them.

LACHLAN Fry ‘em.

PILOT Proximity alert!

LACHLAN (looking forward) Of course there’s a proximity— (smiles) Well, would you look at that…

EXT. SPACE – ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN – SAME TIME

INARA’S SHUTTLE exits atmosphere, bearing down on the slaver ship and Serenity.

INT. INARA’S SHUTTLE – COCKPIT – SAME TIME

Mal stands behind Inara, who’s at the controls.

MAL Can’t leave them alone for one second, can we?

Inara smiles and pilots the ship.

MAL (into comm) Attention, {monkey feces} slavers. Halt all {monkey feces} slaver proceedings, or I will blow up your little {monkey feces} slaver ship.

INT. SLAVER OUTRIDER – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Lachlan watches the shuttle approach.

LACHLAN (chuckling) He’s insane. Like a moth to a flame.

EXT. SPACE – ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN – SAME TIME

Inara’s shuttle streaks by the slaver outrider, a near miss.

INT. INARA’S SHUTTLE – COCKPIT – SAME TIME

Mal looks back, trying to watch out the window.

MAL (into comm) All yours, Mildred.

INT. SLAVER OUTRIDER – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Lachlan looks confused.

LACHLAN Mildred?

EXT. SPACE – ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN – SAME TIME

A larger, TRANSPORT SHIP exits atmosphere directly beneath Serenity and the slaver outrider ship. The newcomer bears down on the slaver outrider.

INT. TRANSPORT SHIP – COCKPIT – SAME TIME

Mildred pilots the ship.

MILDRED Best way to unhook a fish, sometimes, is to just cut the line…

EXT. SPACE – ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN – SAME TIME

The transport ship slams into the grappling lines of the slaver ship. They snap. The transport ship continues forward and crashes into the slaver ship.

INT. SLAVER OUTRIDER – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Jesse hits the console.

JESSE Grapplers are gone!

LACHLAN Retreat!

EXT. SPACE – ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN – SAME TIME

The slaver ship flees.

INT. SERENITY – BRIDGE – SAME TIME

Wash eases off the controls and speaks into the comm.

WASH That you, Mildred?

MILDRED (via comm) The one and only. Heard you might need an assist. Can’t say I’m surprised, you bein’ such a mediocre pilot an’ all.

WASH Yeah, well, what can I say, Millie? Flying without an interial dampener’ll do that to you.

MILDRED (via comm) Don’t worry. Mal’s got what you need. I’ll see you and Zoe dirtside.

INT. SPACE – ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN – SAME TIME

Serenity levels off as Inara’s shuttle comes in to dock. Mildred’s ship breaks away and heads toward the planet’s surface.

INT. SERENITY – ENGINE ROOM – SAME TIME

The ship slows in its tilting and shaking. Book rises from the floor and looks down. Isaac is laying still, his eyes glassy, his face slack.

BOOK Isaac? Isaac, can you hear me?

ISAAC (mumbling) Can’t feel my left side…

Kaylee steps past Book and Isaac and detaches the cables.

KAYLEE What’s wrong with him?

BOOK He’s having a stroke. Find Simon.

Kaylee rushes out of the engine room. Book kneels next to Isaac, taking his hand.

ISAAC Shepherd… You’re a good man. It’s in your heart. Look after my flock…

BOOK They’ll have a good life on Haven. Or wherever they choose.

ISAAC Was wrong about this ship. Thought it was meant to deliver us, but it... It was meant as a test. For me and for you both, I think.

Book looks away.

Beat.

Isaac’s glassy eyes brighten.

ISAAC (whispering) The hands of God… Coming to take me home. But they’re not white…

EXT. SPACE – ORBIT ABOVE HAVEN – LATER

Serenity, now flying right, enters atmo.

ISAAC (cont’d, VO) They’re blue…

INT. SERENITY – INFIRMARY – SAME TIME

Jayne flexes his right hand, lightly bandaged, and nods to Simon, who is working on the left one.

ISAAC (VO) Hands of blue…

JUST OUTSIDE

River sits in her chair, looking up the stairs as Derek, Micah, Joshua and Book carry Isaac’s body.

RIVER Two by two… Hands of Blue…

EXT. WHITEFALL – DAY – ESTABLISHING

A ghost town, little more than a small complex of RAMSHACKLE BUILDINGS, sits in a field of dust and scrub.

TITLE: WHITEFALL

EXT. WHITEFALL – EDGE OF TOWN – DAY

Two FIGURES approach a grizzled SENTRY sitting in a rocking chair with a shotgun in his lap.

The Sentry stands as the Figures get closer. We see the Figures from behind. They are dressed in black.

SENTRY Don’t know who you are, but turn yourselves around and go back wherever it is you come from. The man don’t see no one uninvited.

He reaches into his suit jacekt and we see that he’s wearing BLUE GLOVES. As the Sentry looks on, confused, FIGURE#1 (BLUE HAND#1) pulls out a thick, rodlike DEVICE.

BLUE HAND#1 We have an invitation.

SENTRY What the—?

BLUE HAND#1 squeezes the device, and a think spicule extends from each end. It produces a high-pitched HUMMING WHINE.

The Sentry puts his hand to his nose and it comes away bloody. He panics, looking at the two Blue Hands in fear. They watch impassively. The Sentry coughs up blood—

And from the side, a BULLET hits the ground at the feet of the Blue Hands. Blue Hand#1 deactivates the device and puts it away.

VOICE (OS) I’d appreciate it if you don’t kill any of my men.

The Sentry collapses back into his chair, coughing.

BLUE HAND#2 And we appreciate the warning shot…

The Blue Hands look in the direction the shot came from.

BLUE HAND#2 (cont’d) Agent Dobson.

And indeed it is. LAWRENCE DOBSON stands on one of the buildings, looking down, a sniper rifle in his hands. He’s mangy and tattered, worse-for-the wear, with bulky, ugly CYBERNETIC DEVICE covering his right eye and part of his face.

BLACKOUT