When River had announced the origin of their visitors, they had thought it impossible.
"But we saw their ship, destroyed." Wash tried.
"We did, but they could have easily hitched a ride." Mal shot down the idea that this was simply a misunderstanding on the Enterprises side.
"If Reavers are here, then what the hell are we still doing here?" Jayne asked, his hands loaded with different types of firearms and hand weapons.
Wash shook his head up and down frantically. "I could release the docking clamps in two minutes and have us in the opposite direction in faster."
"Who's to say that big ship they've managed to get their hands on won't come after us when we try to run? We have a better chance staying alive here. Hopefully, they'll have their fill of this crew, and won't bother with us." He shrugged.
"Mal!!" Inara shouted in disgust at the idea. "We should be helping these people, or have you forgotten how they saved all our lives?" She turned to the crew each in turn, as they diverted there eyes. Sighing deeply, Mal pulled out a few guns from the hidden hatch in the wall.
"Fine, whoever wants to get themselves most probably killed, grab something and follow me." Mal didn't turn back around to see who was following him as he exited Serenity. Even with the additional fire power, they were still no match, and the Serenity crew were running out of ammo, fast.
As the Security officers made their way swiftly to the docking ports where the Romulan ship had forcefully docked, they stationed themselves around the corner, pointing their phasers in their direction, ready for the attack they knew was coming. As the doors flew open, what emerged from the ship stunned them.They barged at them, blood dripping from their faces, though they didn't seem to care or notice. As the Enterprise officers fired their weapons, the Reavers dropped one by one, yet more seemed to come from nowhere, until someone finally wasn't quick enough. Ensign Malow turned his phaser to the next one, only to have another jump him from the side and wrench his arm. He gave an ear splitting scream as it was pulled from its socked and he lay helplessly on the ground as they dived at him. He gave an ear splitting scream as it was pulled from its socked and he lay helplessly on the ground as they dived at him. The other officers stared in horror, unable to move to help him due to the shock of watching them dive their teeth into their friend. They were fighting a loosing battle, as they stepped further back down the corridor. Just when they thought they would join their mutilated friend, an ear shattering 'BOOM' racked through the passageway. The doors to the far end turbolift had opened emitting a large black gun pointed in their direction, but not at them. Jayne stepped forth, brandishing the weapon, Mal followed behind him, his own small pistol raised and yet he looked just as menacing. Behind him stood Shepherd Book, their Doctor, Simon along with his sister and Wash, his hand holding Zoë's tightly.
"Come now Jayne, I hope you don't plan to have all the fun now." Mal jibed as he took aim at a particularly grotesquely scarred Reaver, fired and tried his best to hind his smirk as blood sprayed over one of the security officers.
"I thought we couldn't fire guns on Enterprise." Wash pointed out as they reached the Enterprise officers and continued firing.
"We couldn't, till River tampered with a few of their controls." Mal shrugged.
"How did she manage to do that?" Wash asked, but everyone was too busy concentrating at that moment to answer. Even with the additional fire power, they were still no match, and the Serenity crew were running out of ammo, fast.
"Fall back, we can't take 'em all." Mal shouted as they followed him, loading together in the turbolift. That was, all but River.
"Mei Mei?" Simon said just loud enough for her to hear. She looked at him, the answer to his question in her eyes. She wasn't coming with them. Shaking her head, she pulled away from him before he could get a good grip to drag her away and dived into the crowd of oncoming Reavers. Simon was pulled from behind by Mal who whispered, with the air of no resistance, "She knows what she's doing." As the doors closed and she was out of sight killing them faster then they could have on their own. She knew what she was doing, she had seen it before and she was determined not to let Enterprise come to its end.
The klaxon alarms were sounding, as red flashed over the bridge. Captain Picard hated the noise and didn't stand for the throbbing of the light. It did more then annoy him. "How many?" He asked Data, wanting to know how many of these 'Reavers' had managed to board the ship.
"Sir, besides our own crew compliment, and that of the Serenities, I am reading 56 additional humans."
"Humans?" Riker's eyes widened. He had been under the impression, from the descriptions of the Serenity crew that they were more then monsters. What he didn't understand was why they were attacking Enterprise.
"Yes Sir." Data answered, even when he didn't need to. "They have breached deck nine."
"Seal off the area, evacuate all personnel on that level." Picard ordered, as Data set to work. It was then that Data registered the decreasing numbers of boarders. 56, 49, 42, 37, they were dropping rapidly. "Sir, the boarding party numbers are dropping."
"What do you mean, dropping?" Picard inquired.
"They are dying sir." Data turned to look at him, before turning back.
"Why are they dying?" Picard whispered, looking as confused as Riker.
"I do not know." Data replied.
They exited the turbolift, Mal and his company minus one along with the security officers. Simon was more then angry that Mal had left out the peek of his plan (leaving River to the slaughter).
"You should have told me." He pulled Mal around so they were looking each other in the eyes.
"And what would you have done?" He shouted. "It was your sister's plan. I think she's old enough to make decisions on her own now." Mal pushed him off and started up the corridor that led them to Serenity. "She can take care of herself."
"What was wrong with them?" One of the security officers finally spoke, his voice shaking.
"Those were Reavers. The things our Captain was trying to warn your Captain about." Zoë answered for him.
"But he wouldn't listen, so this is where it got him." Mal shouted over his shoulder as he continued walking.
"I took scans." Another officer said. "They read as human." There was a long silence.
"They ain't been human for a long time, and they never will." Jayne answered solemnly.
"What do you mean?" The Enterprise officer asked, trying to make sense of the situation.
"They were human once, just like you and me, but they aren't anymore." Zoë replied, reloading her gun, before following in the Captain's footsteps. Soon, all of Serenity's members had left the corridor for the comfort of their own ship, yet the security officers stayed silent and unmoving, standing in shock for what lay beyond them.It was only when Lieutenant Worf came running around the corner with a large number of other security officers that their resolve was broken.
"What happened?" Worf demanded, looking at each of them in turn.
"Those people that boarded the ship, they were human, but they were mad." One of them managed to get out.
"They were human?" Worf repeated, not believing him, but they nodded. Worf made to enter the turbolift, but before he could order the computer to send it down to him, the doors opened and out stepped River, her clothes covered in blood, cuts and bruises littered her body and she trembled somewhat as she continued to hold in her right hand, tightly, a long, silver sword, dripping crimson blood steadily to the floor and in her left hand, a small sliver axe, it's handle fashioned in some kind of leather. Such weapons where unseen and unused and so to see them being held by this fragile, thin, small girl was almost comical, if it weren't for all the blood. As she stepped from the lift, Worf tensed and arched his hand to his phaser at his side, but he needn't have worried as River dropped the weapons and they fell with a clatter to the ground. She continued walking, never stopping to look back but headed in the direction she knew everyone else was. But she knew they wouldn't be there for long.
