Then …

"Any idea what's taking them so long?" Simon asked, dropping into the co-pilot's seat.

Hank turned and smiled at him. "Knowing Kaylee, she's probably annoyed the hell out of Mal by wanting to pick up more trinkets."

Simon nodded. "Sometimes I think she loves engines more than me."

"Not that much more, doc."

The young man shot Hank a disgusted look, but it just rolled off him. "Anyway, I thought she understood this place was getting to Mal," he said finally.

"Yeah, but this is Kaylee we're talking about. Ever cheerful, ain't gonna let anything get her down …" Hank laughed. "Sure as hell ain't gonna let Mal stay in the doldrums for that long."

"Still, he was more than normally uptight."

"Not surprising, though, is it?" Hank waved a hand towards the scene in front of them. "Likely some of his kin died out there. Not sure I'd want to be walking through it, knowing that."

"Then that's all the more reason why they should be hurrying."

"Place got to you too?" the pilot asked, surprised.

"It's just … River talking the way she was, and when I looked in on Bethany she was in a state too. I think it's only being given charge of Ben that's keeping her from hiding in the infirmary again."

"Mal said there were no inhabitants. Something about this planet not being good enough even for the most foolhardy settler. And the radiation … hell, you'd have to be crazy to hang around here."

"I know. It just … doesn't help."

Glancing at the shipboard chronometer, Hank stirred uneasily in his seat. "You know, it has been a while. Maybe …" He shook his head, trying to dislodge the warning bells ringing. "Nah. I mean, Zoe's there with him. Between the two of 'em, there ain't much they can't handle."

"I just wish the coms worked," Simon said.

"Yeah, that does …" Hank stood up. "Look, I know they're gonna shout at me, but I'm gonna go take a look."

"Hank, I don't –"

"Just a look. Don't worry, I ain't going in on foot. I'll take the shuttle. I can get pretty low, and I know which Firefly they were headed for. Shouldn't take me more'n a few minutes to find 'em."

"Mal will be pissed."

"Like I care." Hank ran his hands through his untidy brown hair. "That's my fiancé out there, doc."

"Then I'll come with you. My wife, too."

"Nope. Like I said, only be a few minutes, so you stay back and guard the fort. If it looks like there's trouble, send up a flare."

"Hank, the com isn't working."

"Then get out onto the hull and wave something." He grinned, but it wasn't his usual. "Just a few minutes, Simon."

---

River felt the other shuttle take off, and for a moment her mind was clear. He wasn't going to find them. They weren't there. Gone. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to see where, but the fog closed in again. It was just a case of waiting …

---

Now …

"I told you -"

"Doc."

"Mal?"

He peeled his eyelids open, then wished he hadn't. It was too bright, and the pain didn't go when he closed them again.

"Ask him." Hank's voice, with more anger than he had ever heard.

"No. Just stand back."

"Then I'll gorram ask!"

"Hank, leave."

"What? No. I ain't going, not until I know -"

"Then shut up."

"Can't you all just shut up?" Mal asked. "And turn the lights down."

Someone adjusted the setting and he was able to open his eyes again without daggers being driven through them.

"Mal, can you hear me?"

"Doc." Mal licked his lips. "I hear you. Can't help but hear you. You're shouting."

"I'm not," the young doctor said, but lowered his tone nevertheless. "Do you know where you are?"

Mal tried to lift his head but the pain almost made him pass out. "Ga ni niang," he muttered.

"Well, his cussing muscles ain't affected," Hank muttered in the background.

"Don't try and move, Mal. You probably have concussion, and it looks like a hairline fracture, as well as some other –."

"What happened?"

"What?"

"What happened? Was there a … did we get ambushed or something?"

"Doc …" Hank sounded agitated.

"You don't remember?" Simon's voice was at once soothing as well as anxious.

"Remember what?" Mal slowly moved his head until he could see the blob that was probably the young doctor. He tried to focus. "What the hell happened?"

"That's what we want to know," Hank put in.

"Mal, what's the last thing you remember?" Simon asked, his features slowly becoming clearer.

He screwed up his forehead, trying to think. "Leaving Serenity," he realised. "Setting down on …" He looked up sharply, ignoring the pain lancing through his skull. "We still on Amnesty?"

"Yes. But you said leaving Serenity. When? To do what?"

"We were going to find that part Kaylee wanted." His eyes narrowed. "You know this. You were watching us. You saw us go."

"Mal, that was nearly fourteen hours ago."

"What?" He tried to sit up, but the pain was now so bad he turned onto his side and vomited onto the floor.

"I told you not to move." Simon helped him lie back down. "Definitely concussion."

Mal could taste the acid in his mouth. "What the hell are you talking about? Fourteen hours?"

"You walked out of here a more than half a day ago, Mal, going to that Firefly. We -"

Hank couldn't hold it back any longer. "Where's Zoe, Mal?"

"What?"

"Where's Zoe? She left with you."

"I know that." He tried to look down towards the common area without moving his head, but from what he could see there was no sign of his first mate. "Where is she?"

"That's what I'm asking." Hank was getting more and more perturbed.

Mal felt as if the entire infirmary were spinning around. "I don't understand."

"Then I'll make it real simple for you," the pilot said, pushing Simon out of the way so Mal could see him clearly. "Fourteen hours ago you walked out of here, taking Zoe and Kaylee with you. An hour ago we picked you up near the wreckage of a shuttle. So I'm asking you again. Where's Zoe?"

"And Kaylee," Simon added quietly.

"What?"

"Where's my wife?"

---

River hurried to the bridge. No time to ask permission now, even though he was awake. Argue later. She tilted her head as she started the sequence. Not that they were waiting.

---

"Just be a few minutes, Cap'n."

Mal jerked, hearing her voice.

"There's such a lot of good stuff here. Surprised no-one's ever come here before, considering. Could make something of a small fortune out of the parts."

"I ain't looking to start a scrapyard, Kaylee."

His own, trying to be firm with her.

"Then just let me go back. For a while. An hour, tops. Might be something really worthwhile." She pulled out the big guns. "Might be a catalyzer worth the salvaging."

"Mal? What is it?" Simon leaned over him.

"That ain't fair, little Kaylee. And I didn't think you'd be wanting to go back in there."

"Not there, maybe. But there's that other Firefly. It wasn't too far."

"Kaylee, we came for the regulator. We've got the regulator. If you think I'm gonna -"

The voices stopped as Mal felt his boat rock as she powered up.

Hank looked up towards where the bridge was. "What the –"

Simon realised, quicker than any of them. "River."

The pilot was out of the door and running up the stairs, but even he wasn't quick enough. They felt Serenity take off, the slight push of extra gravity before the artificial variety compensated.

"River, we talked about this …" Hank shouted, turning the last corner and pounding along the corridor. He leaped up the stairs, expecting to see the window turning black, with the tiny diamonds of stars hanging in the velvet … except it was black, but there were no stars.

There was a sigh as the Firefly settled back onto the ground.

"River, where the hell are we?" Hank asked quietly, almost not wanting to hear the answer.

"Safe here," River said soothingly, staring out into the blackness. "They won't come here." She turned to smile at Hank. "Afraid."

---

"We're landed again." Simon sounded shocked.

"You think?" Mal couldn't tell for sure, beyond the pounding in his head. "Gorramit, can you give me something for the pain?"

The young doctor immediately prepared a hypo, injecting it into the captain's arm. "Mal, you have to remember. What happened?"

He shook his head, then wished he hadn't as a fresh wave of nausea came over him.

"I can help." River stood in the doorway, Hank behind her.

"What're you doing to my ship?" Mal asked, trying to focus on her.

"Locked her down. Can't go anywhere. Safe for now."

He lay his head back and closed his eyes. "River, I know we damn well had the conversation when we agreed you wouldn't talk like that to me no more. Your brother, fine. But the captain? Not so much."

She stepped over the sill, crossing the room silently in bare feet. "I have taken us somewhere safe, where they won't find us. They are afraid of the dark, so they won't follow."

"What?"

She sighed. "See? I use proper words and you still don't understand."

"Who?" Simon asked. "Who won't find us?"

"I don't know. That's locked in here." River gently touched Mal's temple. "I can't get to it."

"Then how'd you know -"

She moved her fingers to his lips. "Saw them coming. With my eyes. Heading out of the graveyard. Too many to count."

"Saw who?" Hank asked, pushing forwards again.

"Ghosts."

---

Then …

"If you think I'm gonna … Kaylee, let's just get back to Serenity," Mal said his hands on his hips. "And the answer's still gonna be the same. I want to be off this rock before nightfall."

"Nightfall?" Kaylee twinkled at him. "No such thing."

"You know what I mean."

"Just an hour. There's bound to be –"

"Kaylee, what part of no didn't you get?"

"I just think –"

"Kaylee." Zoe spoke quietly.

The young mechanic bit her lip. She knew she'd gone too far, arguing with the Cap like that, but she couldn't help it. Something about this place got her all turned around.

Mal watched her face, and put his hand on her shoulder. "You wanna walk in on more folks that didn't make it? 'Cause you're acting like you're all hot for it."

She swatted his hand away. "That's disgusting," she said, lifting her chin and glaring at him.

"Then do as I say."

"Cap –"

"Zoe, if she ain't moving in the next three seconds you have my permission to duct-tape her mouth and carry her."

"Yes sir."

"Cap'n!"

"Two. One."

She laughed, and the bright sound lifted his heart. "Okay, okay. No need to act all superior over it."

"I am superior," Mal pointed out. "I'm captain."

She lifted the therm regulator. "Then we'd better be getting back so I can get this fitted." She strode off away from the Firefly. "You coming?" she asked over her shoulder.

Mal and Zoe exchanged looks, then followed, the former shaking his head, the latter trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

"I'm just glad to find a regulator that looks like it'll work," Kaylee continued to chatter. "There weren't no guarantee it wouldn't've been rusted solid. But whoever took care of that Firefly knew what they were doing."

"A good mechanic?" Zoe asked.

"Might even have been an engineer."

"What's the difference?"

"About ten percent, according to the –"

"Kaylee." Mal had caught up with her, taken her by the arm and drawn her back into the shadows.

"What?"

"Shh."

Zoe was instantly at their side, her eyes ranging across the derelicts around them. "Sir?"

"Something ahead of us." Mal drew his gun slowly, keeping it low so it wasn't too obvious.

"Salvagers?"

He shook his head. "No way to know."

"Can we get round them?"

"Maybe. 'Cept we could get lost in this maze."

"Com won't work."

"Yeah."

"Cap'n …" Kaylee was feeling the fear building inside her.

"Just stay close to me," Mal said softly. "Won't let anything happen to you." He eased forward. "Just stay in the shadows. Maybe we can –"

The assault, when it came, was so fast they had no chance.

---

Now …

"River …" Simon was using the special voice, the one that meant he was about to get out the smoother.

"People, Simon. With guns. Coming to take Serenity."