The last chapter was long, as a result this one is short. An Epilogue will follow.

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Simon felt his entire body pulse with a pressure growing swiftly to an unmanageably painful intensity. Kaylee whimpered behind him as she slid to her knees, clutching her head. She slumped against the wall, tears sliding down her cheeks. Mal, Inara, Regan and Gabriel all felt the effects but were further away and it took longer to register in their minds what was happening.

The hand on Simon’s shoulder tightened as he tried to move, but the pressure behind his eyes caused his vision to blur and his head to swim. He groaned piteously just as the blue object was knocked out of the suited man’s hand and crushed beneath a tiny, delicate foot.

Blood spread into the carpet as the glass broke, cutting into the fleshy pad of River’s foot. She stood with her hair in messy disarray, her nightgown hanging around her slim body and her eyes narrowed angrily at the man who had just tried to kill her brother.

“River –“ Regan reached out, the image of her beautiful little girl forever vanishing in the face this Alliance–made assassin who wore her daughters face. Simon had told them in implicit detail what had happened but, until she’d seen the change come over River with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.

“Ah – River Tam, how good to see you.” One of the officers smiled.

“Can’t take him from me.” The girl’s voice was cold and emotionless as she lifted the broken object from the floor and turned it over in her hands.

Mal pulled Inara out of the way and Simon pushed Kaylee against the wall, covering her body protectively with his as River leapt into action. The broken end of that cylindrical object dripped wetly with blood as River quickly and methodically sliced open the throats of every Fed standing in the hallway.

Mal pushed himself into the middle of the hall when it was done. “We need to get out of here, now. There will be more after these.” He hurried into his room and gathered what he’d brought, Inara doing the same.

Gabriel gaped at his daughter, his son’s indiscretions forgotten in the wake of this newest development. “What have they done to you?”

River tilted her head and regarded her father with a detached expression. She clutched the broken, bloodied end of that cylindrical object tightly. “They made me.”

“Get your things!” Simon pushed Kaylee toward the bedroom and went to River, holding out his hands in hopes that she would recognize him and not slice his throat like she had with all the others. “Mei mei?”

Regan and Gabriel watched with wide, disbelieving eyes as their son hesitantly approached his sister. Simon was scared and the sight drove home the truth of every word he had struggled to make them believe. Overwhelming shame at what they had done to their children caused their breath to catch and lumps to form in already constricted throats.

River’s expression changed as she looked sadly, hopelessly, at her brother. Her voice was small and uncertain. “Simon?”

“We have to go. We can’t stay. Do you understand?” His voice was low, but full of tense urgency.

Tears dripped down her cheeks and she answered weakly. “Yes.”

He wrapped his arm around her and led her toward their parents. “We need to go, and quickly.”

Mal, Inara and Kaylee exited their rooms and filed in behind him, bags slung over their shoulders.

Gabriel looked around at the bodies that littered the floor. “Yes. Go, we will make up an excuse.”

“Wait,” Regan touched her son’s bare arm. “Wait a moment.” She hurried into the bedroom she shared with her husband and pulled open a hidden safe. After a few moments, she opened a velvet reticule and stuffed a few small family heirlooms into it. She grasped a fist full of Alliance-issued credits the family kept for emergencies and hurried back to the hallway. She urgently shoved them into Simon’s hands.

“Take this and go. Quickly.”

Simon stared at her, quickly realizing what his mother had given him. “Mother –“

Regan threw her arms around Simon and hugged him tightly. “Go now. You’ll be safer if you go. Just remember that we love you. Never forget that. Please.” She turned to River but the girl shrank away as she tried to embrace her daughter. She touched Simon’s cheek as he held River’s hand. “Please don’t forget.”

Simon reached for Kaylee’s hand. “We won’t.”

“Go.” Gabriel insisted, pulling his wife away from Simon and River. “We will think of a way to explain why there are a bunch of dead federal agents lying in our hallway.”

“Father –“ Simon tried but Gabriel raised his hand.

“I misjudged you, Simon.” Gabriel took in the sight of his once immaculately proper son and felt his heart constrict. “You don’t fit into this world anymore. And we do not fit into yours. Go now. Get out of here and get yourselves to safety. We will cover for you.”

Simon stood in momentary shock, that one day when his father flatly refused to come for him if he was arrested again by the feds playing through his mind. Mal grabbed his shoulders from behind and steered him toward the staircase.

“No, not that way,” Gabriel nodded to Simon and a silent understanding passed between them. “I’m sure Simon and River can show you another way off of the estate grounds. Simon used it enough when sneaking out of the house as a child.”

A small smile spread across Simon’s face as Mal glanced at him. “Well, then, lets move unless we all want to end up as fertilizer in that pretty garden outside.”

~*~

“Why am I not surprised that you’re returning not even a day after you left, running like there’s Feds on your heels?” Zoe glanced at everyone’s tousled and undressed state. Mal had activated the unit he’d taken with him, but it had only alerted Jayne and Zoe that there was trouble, not exactly what kind.

“That’d be because there are Feds on our heels!” Mal slammed the controls to close the cargo bay doors and turned to River. “Lil Albatross? Can you lift us out of here?”

River nodded and bounded up the metal staircase toward the bridge.

Jayne rounded the corner cradling Vera. “What the gorram hell is goin’ on?” he noticed River pass him, covered in blood and smirked at Simon. “Crazy moonbrain snap and kill your folks? That’s one way to not have to stay, huh, doc?”

“That’s not even funny, Jayne.” Simon glared at him and wrapped his arms around Kaylee as Mal followed closely on River’s heels.

“What happened?” Zoe asked those remaining in the cargo bay.

“The Feds is what happened,” Simon growled as he tightened his arms more protectively around Kaylee.

“How’d they know?” Kaylee looked up at Simon, eyes sill wide with fear. “Your folks didn’t –“

“No.” Simon shook his head, refusing to believe that they would have called the Feds. They’d looked just as surprised as everyone else while standing in the hallway. “My father contacted the hospital where I used to work. Got my old job back, without even bothering to ask me if I wanted it back.”

Inara could detect the anger in Simon’s voice as he continued.

“My guess is that someone there tipped off the Fed’s wanting the reward offered for our capture.” Simon turned toward the passenger bunks and led Kaylee away, while the rest of the crew went on about their business. “Guess that warrant is still active after all.”

They felt Serenity lift off and each of them said a silent prayer hoping that they would not be followed.

TBC