Chapter 6

She ran through the school grounds and across the field into the Spaceport. She flew through all the security posted and dashed straight into the gate where the shuttle waited. Bryndon was waiting by the entrance ramp for it to lower and let him on. "Bryndon!" she yelled across the hanger and sprinted to him. "Bryndon! Wait, Bryndon!" He turned to her and was nearly tackled when she flew into his chest and embraced him. "I don't want you to go"

"I know, River" He stroked her hair soothingly, but that didn't stop her from starting to sob. "I know, and I'm sorry. But my brother left for the Army, and my sisters both went off to study trades. That means I'm the only member of my family with no career set, so I have to go home and look after things."

"No you don't. You said yourself, you hate your family. You can stay here, who will protect me from them when you aren't here?"

"I may hate them, River, but they are still my family. I have to take care of them. I can't keep your nightmares away, River. I could only offer comfort after them." He smiled down at her "If I can, I will come back for you someday."

She wiped her tears on his shirt. "Promise?"

He pulled her up to him and kissed her, deep and passionate. Her whole body went numb and nothing else in the 'verse mattered to her except that one moment. "River, I love you. As long as you are in my heart, nothing can keep me away from you." He whispered against her lips. He kissed them again. "I'll come back for you, I promise". He was pulled away from her then and lead toward the entrance ramp. He climbed into the ship and took one last look back. She waved to him with both hands, palms facing her, their code for 'something is wrong'. He only smiled a weak smile and mouthed to her. 'No power in the 'verse can stop me'.

"Over the next few years, Bryndon Sandos would try to start a rebellion against the Alliance. It was easily smothered, but Bryndon would escape" River listened to the recording she found in the ships archive, searching for Brydon's name. "His brother, Albert Jr., would spend his time after Army training searching for his brother, so far with no success." Well this record is inaccurate. River thought, closing out the archive. They were about to land on Londinium. She turned on the tracker and it immediately started pulsing when they landed. Soon, Bryndon, soon.

"The Alliance wants his head" Mal said to her as she was about to leave. "Now, normally, I disagree with anything the Alliance wants just on principal. But sugar, I think this time they may have a point. If your buddy ain't dead already, he's fixin' to be."

"You agreed to one day, Captain. If he's dead, it will take less. I see no reason why this is relevant. Unless you actually care for me and don't want to see me heartbroken." That shut the Captain up, and she left the ship in search of Bryndon.

"I hope you know what you are doing, kid" Mal said, returning to his ship.

The nightmares continued for River after Bryndon left, getting worse the more the Alliance did their experiments. The only thing that got her through was the letters. The coded ones she sent her brother. She got the idea from a very particular green eyed boy, who sent her a letter.

River,

I hope all is well with your classes. I went to the fair today and I found a trinket to match the one I gave you. I feel like you are here with me when I have it. Also your brother says to give you a hug and a wave. I hope to keep roaming free, but I think life may just catch up to me. Oh well, at least I've done enough living.

Your friend, Bryndon.

She deciphered the code easy enough. He was reminding her to use the device when she got out to find him. He was in trouble (the wave in their coded language). He had done something to get him in deep with the Alliance, but he escaped. He thinks they will catch him soon. If they did, he didn't think he would live much longer. Now all there was to do was find him before that happened.

"Al, are the guards really necessary?" Bryndon asked, shaking his chains at his older brother.

"You escaped me once, Bryndon, I won't let it happen again. And don't call me Al, we aren't brothers."

"Sure we are, Al. And that ain't the only thing you are wrong about."

"What else could I possibly be wrong about?" –THUMP-

Albert turned to see his men on the ground and Bryndon's chains strung over them. He spotted him on a nearby ledge. Bryndon winked at him and ran. "That son of a bitch" Albert chased after his brother.

River practically sprinted through the city, following the increasing pulsing green light. Getting closer. She stopped, curious as to why it suddenly spiked, but he was nowhere around. A shadow flew over her and she looked up, catching a flutter of a coat and a tuft of blonde hair, jumping between buildings. "Bryndon!" she exclaimed, entering the building he had just landed on and started climbing the stairs.

He saw a very familiar face when he was jumping across the buildings, and smiled. Well, this is going to get interesting. He started circling back; timing it so he would land on the building the same time she got to the top.

She climbed to the top and burst onto the roof, seeing him landing back on the building with his brother in hot pursuit. When he landed he turned, caught his brother, and threw him across the roof to land near the edge, incapacitated. He sprinted to the other side and stopped short of the edge, then turned to face her. "River Tam" His voice was like music to her ears and she walked up to him slowly. Albert's men joined them on the roof and pointed weapons at him. "Wait" he yelled to them "I'll come, just let me say goodbye." They didn't drop their weapons, but they didn't come any closer. "River Tam. It has been a long time". He stroked her cheek and she nuzzled his palm, loving the feel of his flesh against hers.

"You jerk" she said, tearing up. "You said you would come back for me."

"I know I did, and I'm sorry. But things got a little heated" he looked up to the men "as you can see." He looked back at her. "River, this is only going to end in my death. Once you are out of the way, those men are going to shoot to kill. My brother's patience with me is worn thin, and the Alliance is offering their reward whether I'm alive or dead. He's been zombified River. Brainwashed."

She giggled at that. "Well then, I guess I'm not moving then." He smiled and kissed her passionately.

"I was afraid you would say that" He kissed her again. "I love you, River"

"I love you, too, Bryndon" He pushed her then, surprising her. She stumbled behind the line of Albert's men, and the blocked her off from him. She tried reaching for him, but she couldn't get through.

"Put your hands in the air, now!" One of them said, pointing the gun to him.

"Bryndon!" She screamed, trying desperately to reach him. He backed toward the edge slowly, raising his hands up.

He winked at her. "No power in the 'verse can stop me." He stepped off the edge of the building, falling back.

"NOOOOOOOOOO" She forced herself through the all of men and to the edge to see his body flat on the ground below, motionless.

Albert had recovered and walked up next to her, seeing the body. "Damn, well I guess I'm taking a cut in my reward. Let's go get him boys." River watched them gather up Bryndon's body and cart it away. She sat on the roof of the building and cried for a long time before going back to Serenity.