Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Hunter D or Firefly.

A/N: This doesn't pick up during a particular episode; the job mentioned in the first scene isn't from the show. Pretty much, all you need to know is that this is before Serenity.

Chapter 1: Waking

She watched from afar. Always from afar. If she moved any closer, they would be much too loud, too loud for her to hear their mouths.

"They don't deserve a Gorram share of it!" Jayne fumed. A vein throbbed against the man's slick forehead. He jerked off of the cargo box he was propped against, throwing a muscular arm in the nervous doctor's direction. "That one didn't do a ruttin' thing, and the crazy 'bout got us caught by the Alliance. Why should they be rewarded with a share?"

"That's not fair," Kaylee reasoned, before Simon had a chance to defend himself. She stepped forward, pulling her thumbs out of the band around her coveralls. "It wasn't River's fault from what I hear."

River leaned forward at the sound of her own name. She sat above the cargo area, watching the fight below with a feline's distant curiosity, her eyes wide and innocent. She swung her legs slightly, seeing the tension growing in Jayne's limbs.

Zoe raised a hand to stop Kaylee. "It's the captain's orders," she said, her voice soft and commanding. Her dark eyes took in the man with one warning glance. "They did their part."

Her words silenced the rowdy man for only a moment.

"Well don't 'spect me to be happy 'bout it," he muttered, turning away from her, an almost childlike pout on his face.

River's legs grew still, and she cocked her head to one side, her eyes trailing from the excitement to Mal's growling form as he took the stairs down two at a time.

"Havin' a discussion without me?" Mal asked, his face lacking the humor of his tone.

The captain's eyes were heavy, determined to end the conversation between his lively crew members. River smiled to herself and pressed her forehead against the cool metal bar beside her. She liked it when peoples' minds were made up. They weren't as loud after they'd stopped thinking.

A shiver ran through her body, and she sucked in a deep, painful breath. Faster than reasonably possible, her mood switched, and she jumped to her feet. She could feel anxiety bubbling inside her but couldn't find a proper way to release it.

"Awake," she called.

Her voice rung out, stopping Mal from whatever comment was about to leave his mouth. The debate stopped of its own accord and tense faces turned to take in the panicked girl.

"It was sleeping," she explained, "but now it's awake." Her words trailed off. The youth of her face was distorted as her expression contorted from one of fear to one of frustration. "Simon," she pleaded, as if he should be able to understand, "it's awake."

"What's awake, River?" Simon asked, his voice calm. A gentle prodding.

River shook her head, angry that he hadn't interpreted her warning. She shot off, running towards the bridge. She could hear the quick tap of footsteps against the metal behind her but ignored them. Wash turned in his seat, surprise written on his face when she grabbed hold of his shoulders and shook him violently.

"Turn around," she growled at the stunned pilot. "It'll catch us!"

Her eyes grew wide when she looked up at the tan, outer planet Serenity was quickly approaching. The girl's anger dissipated, and she released Wash, stepping backwards, bouncing off of the captain approaching her. She flung herself away from him and into Simon's breathless form. Kaylee and Jayne ran in behind, nearly trampling the doctor in their haste.

Words began, all at once, but she couldn't make them out. She just watched. Mal saw her expression and his eyes followed hers.

"That can't. . ." he breathed. Mal's hand shot up, pointed out at the small planet. "That's not right."

"What are you . . .?" Wash turned to see what the rest of the group was staring at. His jaw dropped when he took in the surface of the planet. "Ai yā! What's happening to it?"

The planet itself was sparsely populated; only a strangling handful of settlers had remained to populate the few poor towns still attempting to grow in the near desert area. The shipment in the cargo hull was for one of those towns. The very one that appeared as if it was being toppled from the inside out. If the crew had not been watching, they would have assumed that the planet had been hit by an asteroid or atmospheric debris. In the seconds since Wash had last looked out at their destination, a portion of the surface had peeled away, creating a cavernous shift of rock and dirt. A huge structure protruded out towards the layer of atmosphere, its movement leveling the town it had been buried beneath.

"Lockstown," Kaylee cried, a hand over her mouth. Simon's hand reached behind him to grab her free one. He squeezed her tightly.

"It's gone!" Wash hissed, leaning forward.

"What the hell just came out of that planet?" Jayne snapped. "That wasn't natural, gorramit. . ."

The crew was unable to answer the question. They watched as the object, as wide as the small town, lifted off, throwing rocks and dust into the atmosphere.

"Looks a mighty lot like a ship," Zoe breathed, stepping to the captain's side. "It's lifting off."

And it was. It seemed to be moving slowly from the distance, the surface it had scooped off into space mere pebbles if one didn't know better, but it must have been moving rather fast because the Firefly had been brought to a near stop with a gesture from the shocked pilot, and the ship rising away from the planet appeared to be moving closer to Serenity.

"Is that an Alliance ship?" Simon asked.

Mal shook his head slightly, unable to look away. "Looks a bit like a station, but. . ."

He didn't have to complete his thoughts. The crew could see the difference in an instant. The ship had unfolded strangely jagged legs. The legs were maneuvering forward. "Get us out of here," Mal snapped, a shiver running down his back as he took in those massive, insect like legs. His mind had already found a purpose for them—weapons. "Now, Wash!"

Wash sputtered a reply, his hands jerking in movement. "It's not working!"

River turned her face away from her brother's chest. "It's too late," she said, her eyes wet and lost. "It's awake now. And it's hungry."

Rushed footsteps approached from behind the crew. Mal recognized the Sheppard 's walk before the older man peered in from around Jayne's form.

"I heard a commotion," Book explained, his voice trailing off when no one looked back at him.

Mal was over Wash's shoulder, staring down at the useless controls. The men cursed under their breath, all but slapping the handle in frustration. Mal took on his role as captain, turning back to the crew.

"Kaylee, get to the engine and see if it's something on our end," he commanded, instantly regretting his choice of words. It was all but saying that he thought the new ship's presence was causing the Firefly's sudden problem. "Sheppard, Doc, take your sister and get to Inara's shuttle. Tell her to take off immediately. Jayne, Zoe, get the second shuttle ready."

Kaylee had already disappeared down the corridor. Simon nodded and turned, but River twisted out of his grasp, grabbing hold of Mal's arm.

"Too late," she hissed.

Mal felt anger surge through him. He wanted to shout at the girl, tell her to do what he said, but he stopped himself, seeing the movement out of the corner of his eyes.

"She's not wrong," Wash whispered, a tremor in his voice. His knuckles were white as he jerked at the reluctant controls. His hands quickly loosened, and the controls turned of their own accord, shifting the small ship in the direction of the predator outside. "Too late," he echoed.

Zoe sat down in the chair beside her husband, bracing herself for impact. The rest of the crew did likewise, holding tight to the structure around them in anticipation. It wouldn't help, not at the speed of approach.

Serenity was overtaken by the black shadow of the machine before her. The other ship's massive body blocked off even the slightest hint of starlight, and its jutting limbs surrounded the Firefly in a metal embrace. They were going in at the center, where the weapon legs had been when it had risen out of the planet. And they would hit in seconds. A shock white sliver of light appeared out of the black, blinding the crew in the instant before impact.

"It ate us."

Mal didn't have to look up to know River's voice. In fact, he couldn't look anywhere. Where the hell had that light come from? He shielded his face from the white, but it dulled, as if with his gesture. He stared out the bridge window in awe at their pale, surroundings.

"What happened?" Wash asked.

"We're inside." Mal shook his head in disbelief. He looked down at the shaking girl beside him. "The gorram thing was hungry."