AN: Sorry for the late update! I'll try to be better from now on.

And thank you to all my readers I really do appreciate you, even though I update once a month (usually). If you have any ideas at all (scene ideas, something someone could say, a planet with interesting terrain, anything at all) then please tell me in a review. I would greatly appreciate it.

Mal raced up to the bridge, flying by the signs of struggle. The fallen chairs, the emptied cabinets, the torn blanket thrown across the couch. He reached the dashboard and looked at the navigation system, finding the coordinates Niska had promised.

"You know where this is?" Mal asked Zoe as she appeared at his side.

She remained silent as she searched over a map on the dashboard. "I know there was a moon by there that failed terraforming," she said after a while, "The atmosphere was deadly. According to records the Alliance destroyed it."

"Guess they didn't," Mal muttered as he began turning dials. He flipped on the com. "Hang on," he warned what remained of his crew and they took off.

Kaylee picked her head off of Simon's shoulder and glanced around.

"What's wrong?" Simon asked, looking up from his book.

"Somethin's wrong," she murmured. She stood smoothly, letting the blanket drop from her shoulders. She quietly sprinted to the hallway, pressing her back against the wall. Cautiously she peeked around the edge.

"Kaylee?" Simon implored but snapped his mouth shut when he heard footsteps.

Kaylee suddenly turned and ran to Simon, worry evident on her face. "There's people here!" She hissed, "They've got guns and ain't happy."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him around the medical bay, the blanket and book falling to the floor. They crouched down beneath the window of the medical bay, Simon glancing around the corner.

Two men wearing simple armor walked in stealthily, each carrying a gun and one holding a large coil of rope.

Kaylee's fingernails dug into Simon's hand as her breath became shallow. Simon wrapped his free arm around her, trying to quiet and calm her.

One of the men motioned to the fallen blanket. The other nodded and both proceeded toward Simon and Kaylee's hiding place.

Kaylee was shaking now, doing everything she could not to make a noise. Simon stole a glance around the corner, pulling his head back a fraction of a second before one of the men saw him. They were close. Quickly but quietly Simon slipped off his shoes, motioning for Kaylee to do the same. She did not understand but pulled off her flip-flops. Simon slowly stood, still keeping below the window, and threw his shoe behind the men when they were not looking. In the moment they spun around Simon pulled Kaylee up the stairs as fast as they could. Both sped up the stairs with unusual quiet, thanks to their lack of shoes, but they could not make it to the top before they were seen.

The two men ran after them, guns raised.

"Run!" Simon yelled, nearly lifting Kaylee up the last few stairs.

Kaylee did as she was told, sprinting through the dining room toward the cockpit, startling those sitting at the table. Simon ran after her, swinging the door shut behind him a split second before the other men passed through. Before he could lock it the two men slammed their shoulders into the door, causing Simon to stumble backward. The moment he was not holding the door shut they shoved it open. Simon threw himself at the door but one of the guns prevented it from closing. Simon struggled to keep the door shut as much as possible but could not fight against the two other men. Slowly one was able to get his arm through to aim his gun at Simon.

"Look out!" John shouted as he lunged at the man. He pulled the gun away from Simon right before it fired. John stabbed at the exposed arm of the enemy with one of Jayne's knives. The man cried out and pulled his arm free of the door. Simon shoved it closed.

"Grenade!" John shouted, pointing out the small bomb rolling from the door. The other man had thrown it through before is colleague had reclaimed his arm.

They dove for cover as it exploded. The two men jumped through the door as John lie sprawled on the floor stunned. Simon appeared unconscious.

"Up here!" one of the men yelled out as he cornered River who had not made it to the cockpit. The other aimed at Simon and John. Not long after five more men ran through the open door toward the cockpit.

"Don't try anything," the man guarding the men warned as John sat up, rubbing his head.

John ignored him and looked to Simon. With a start he noticed Simon's head was bleeding. John tried to move toward him but the gun aimed at his head clicked.

"Don't move."

"He's injured."

"You think I care?"

The cockpit door had been closed and locked by Wash.

"What the heck is going on?" Wash demanded, peering through the door window as chaos erupted in the dining room.

"There's men with guns," Kaylee had explained breathlessly, leaning against the dashboard.

"Well, where are our men with guns?" Wash exclaimed, flinching as something exploded loudly. "Who are they?"

"Maybe Niska's?"

Wash looked through the window just as the five other men entered the dining area.

"Yeah, they're Niska's. I recognize that one," he pointed at him as he turned back to Kaylee. "He's the one who tied me up. You know, before I was tortured."

"Tortured? You think maybe he'll torture us?"

"Very possibly," Wash affirmed. When he saw how scared Kaylee looked he added, "Maybe they won't torture us. Who knows? Maybe they've come to give us ice cream."

Just then one of the men banged on the door.

"Sorry, no one home!" Wash yelled back.

"Open this door!"

"Leave a message!"

It was silent for a moment while Wash glanced back at Kaylee. "He walked away."

Then a high-pitched sawing noise began and the men began to saw through the door.

"Hey! Mal's not going to like that. He gets real angry!" Wash shouted at the men. To Kaylee he whispered, "Go down those stairs and hide. We've got some boxes, not all of them full. Hide."

She nodded but before she could leave the door slammed open, revealing two men with guns aiming right at Kaylee and Wash.

They're hands were tied behind their backs and they were led out and down to the cargo bay. River, Book, and John were all tied as well. One of the men was tying Inara to a chain hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room.

"You tell your captain that we work for Niska, alright?"

"You won't get away with this, Mal will get everyone back!"

"Just tell him."

As they were led out Kaylee suddenly exclaimed, "Where's Simon?"

"They left him upstairs. He was injured," John explained.

"Simon's hurt?"

"Let's go," one of the men demanded, shoving Kaylee forward.

They were all led out of Serenity and taken aboard another ship.

"Mal?" Inara cried from the dining area. "Simon's here!"

"Zoe, take over," Mal commanded as he jumped up.

When he got to the dining room Simon was sitting up and Inara was holding a rag against his head.

"You good, Doc?" Mal kneeled down.

Simon gave a half-hearted smile that quickly vanished. "What happened?"

"Niska wanted some assurance that we'd come back with the goods. Guess that assurance is the crew," Mal stood, addressing his remaining crew. "And we're going to get them back."