Chapter Twelve:

No Fate in the Verse

Mr. Universe's Moon

Hanger

Mal hadn't been able to wait any longer.

He'd been unable to pull Cameron away from John's dead body and he knew she wouldn't leave him. Right then and there, he realized that it wasn't just that she had failed in her programmed mission to protect him. It was more than that. As bizarre as it seemed for a cyborg, she really had loved him.

Zoe had run to the cockpit to meet him after the rest of the crew had started towards the interior of the facility. She had seen John lying in Wash's chair, a massive harpoon impaling him there. She had seen Cameron leaning over him.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, Mal ushered her out quickly and they raced down the ramp and into the facility, aware that more Reaver ships had arrived. Zoe looked up at him.

"Cameron's not coming?" she asked.

Mal suppressed his emotions. "Don't think that's like to happen."

"She staying with him," Zoe stated, her voice low. "He's gone isn't he?"

Mal paused. "Yes." For the longest time, all he'd been concerned with was keeping Connor and Cameron in their place – or off his boat. But they'd grown on him, both of them. They'd saved his life.

He'd liked the kid.

He pushed aside the thoughts and hurried deeper into the facility, meeting up with the rest of the crew.

"Zoe, what've we got?"

Zoe observed the room's strengths and weaknesses. "Sir, this is a good hold point."

Mal protested, "We all stay together."

Zoe met his gaze firmly. "No. We're not together anymore, Cap'n." She nodded towards the hallway they'd come from. "They have to come through here. They'll bottleneck, we can thin them out. We get pushed back, those are blast doors."

Kaylee piped in helpfully, "I can rig them so they won't reopen once they close."

"Shut them and hide until I get—."

"We need to draw them 'til it's done," Zoe countered. "This is the place. We'll buy you the time."

Mal saw the determination in her eyes, the need to avenge Connor's death, Book's death, to avenge what had been done to River.

Mal nodded once and Jayne began moving towards the crates. "Alright let's move those crates back there for cover. Make sure they ain't filled with nothing goes boom."

"Yes, that would not be pleasant," Wash agreed, taking one end of the crate and helping Jayne scoot it backwards.

Kaylee was the first to notice the two missing crew members. "Wait, where's John and Cameron?"

Mal shook his head solemnly. "They… ain't comin'."

Kaylee's face crumbled as tears welled in her eyes. Mal hated seeing her in such a way. "You mean…?" she breathed.

"Connor's dead," Mal said. "She's with him. They ain't comin'." Inara looked up at Mal, her eyes sympathetic as if she had known how much he'd come to appreciate the two. Kaylee was still stunned, and Simon hugged River tightly.

Horror filled Wash's face. "Ai ya…" he breathed. "That would've been me…" He drew Zoe into a hug, clutching her tightly. Mal turned away from the scene and stalked into the elevator.

Zoe was right. It was time for the Reavers, the Alliance to pay for what they'd done, for the lives they'd stolen.

.

Serenity

Cockpit

Cameron remained dutifully at John's side, even after the last breath had left his body. Her sensors picked up the coming of the Reavers even before they reached the cockpit. Cameron turned, facing them for the first time.

When she did, she cocked her head, studying them intently. They appeared to be exactly as Kaylee, Jayne, and the rest of the crew had described. They were humanoid, but mutilated beyond the point of recognition. They didn't speak, only growled and screeched, wielding their axes and blades.

The first one moved forward and Cameron calculated the exact point of impact. She twisted to the side, allowing the Reaver's blade to bypass her. As she came back around, she grabbed the Reaver's blade and ripped it from his grip. The creature was surprisingly strong, she noted, adding their approximate strength into her calculations. She fiercely kicked one circling Reaver straight into the computer equipment on Serenity's bridge. Then she whipped her commandeered blade up, slashing its owner's neck.

The remaining Reavers screamed in rage and kept coming, but Cameron kept moving, brutally countering the Reavers' attacks with her own. Finally, the entire boarding party lay dead all across the ship and Cameron grabbed her gun and moved to the outside of the ship, following Mal's path into the facility.

.

Mr. Universe's Moon

Generator Room

Malcolm Reynolds dropped to the ground, choking on blood. He was beaten, bruised, and bloodied, and the Operative had driven a nice hole in his chest with that gorram sword. The pain was overwhelming but Mal had pushed it aside and continued the fight. Until the Operative had landed another blow that sent Mal reeling to the floor in the Generator room, only feet from the console that could send the Miranda report to every screen in the 'Verse.

The Operative stood above him, looking down at Mal with something like pity in his eyes. "Have you given up, Captain?" he questioned. "I presume you didn't believe as strongly as you claimed."

From his position down below, Mal tried to move, wincing as pain shot through his entire body. But he remembered words that John Connor had spoke to him when he'd first arrived on Mal's boat.

"A leader is someone who believes in something strongly enough to fight for it."

With River... and Miranda… Mal had finally found something to believe, just as Shepherd Book had told him to. He believed that the galaxy needed to know the truth. He believed that River deserved to live free. He believed that John Connor was right, that Mal finally did have something to truly fight for. He looked up at the Operative and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Even if you kill me, you'll never see her," he snarled, his voice laced with venom. I'll make sure of that.

The Operative cocked his head. "Are you so attached to that girl that you'll play the fool?"

"That girl," Mal growled, slowly struggling to his feet, "has been through Hell itself at the hands of your precious Alliance. You're the fool if you think I'd let you take her back there."

The Operative held his sword poised at the ready. "So you're willing to die for that girl?"

John had, Mal knew. The only reason Connor had come on this trip was for the sole purpose of helpin' and protectin' River. And he'd died for that. And so would Mal, if it came down to it.

Mal's eyes narrowed, staring determinedly at the Operative. "I am."

The Operative seemed neither impressed nor incredulous at his bold statement. "Then this moon shall be your grave…"

.

Mr. Universe's Moon

Cameron proceeded deeper into the facility, using her enhanced hearing to pick up the faint sounds of Serenity's crew. The Reavers were right on her tail, and Cameron turned, shooting one through the head. She could see the blast doors up ahead were partially closed. She could see bloodstains from behind the crates where the crew had been taking cover. They were all life signatures, but some were growing weaker.

In the split second she took to assess the safety of the crew, a Reaver slashed at her face and another knocked her backward. Cameron dropped her pistol and grabbed the Reaver's spear with both hands, thrusting it forward into the chest of one Reaver and then backwards into the stomach of the Reaver who was still holding it.

"Very last one." She could barely pick up Jayne's voice. A second later, a grenade came through the blast doors. The explosion knocked her backwards. It also killed the first batch of Reavers that were in the room.

"They're gonna get in," she heard Zoe say. Moments later, the rest of the Reavers were crawling into the room, stepping cavalierly over the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Three ambushed Cameron at once and she dropped her pistol in order to catch two of their blades. Another Reaver picked up her dropped pistol and spun wildly towards the half open blast doors, shooting a bullet through.

The shot crackled through the air, and Cameron heard the grunt. Simon. His life signature dropped significantly.

Several other bullets were flying out of the blast doors – from both Jayne and Zoe. Some of the rounds hit their Reavers targets, a few even clipped Cameron.

"River… I'm… I'm sorry," she heard Simon whisper, his voice weak. "I… I hate to leave."

"You won't!" River insisted. "You take care of me, Simon. You've always taken care of me. My turn…"

It was the same thing John had said to Cameron as he lay dying. Like father like daughter. River came through the hole, grabbing Simon's medical bag and tossing it in, then closing the blast doors completely, taking on the Reavers with Cameron.

They were two polar opposites, one feeling nothing, one feeling everything. One fighting with force and strength, the other with grace and finesse.

But they fit together.

They were a part of each other.

Both had lost someone. Both were fighting for the future, for second chances, for life.

River looked towards Cameron even as her small fist moved to punch a Reaver in the jaw.

"No power in the 'verse can stop us…"

.

Mr. Universe's Moon

Generator Room

Mal limped into the lift, trying to ignore the sound of the Miranda recording that was playing, broadcasting to the whole 'verse. He'd left the Operative pinned to the railing, unable to speak, being forced to watch the horrific recording of what the Alliance had done in their attempt to create "a better world."

Mal exited the lift to see his crew scattered across the ground, the blast doors in front of them closed up tight. Inara was leaning over Simon, keeping pressure on what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his stomach. Kaylee was laying on a crate and Mal could see several pricks in her neck from poison darts. Jayne was wincing and clutching his shoulder – and his gun. And Zoe appeared to have some sorta spine injury.

He didn't see River at all.

"Where's River?" he demanded.

Inara met his gaze, her face twisted in remorse. For a moment, Mal felt his heart stop. Had she fallen to the Reavers? After all he'd done to keep her safe and protected from the Alliance, it was a gorram Reaver that had felled her?

Suddenly the blast doors opened, and Mal breathed a sigh of relief. Standing in the middle of the room was not only River, but Cameron as well. River had a Reaver ax and blade in both hands, Cameron had her pistol, covering River's back. Scattered all around them were dozens of corpses - every single Reaver that had come in after them.

Before Mal could congratulate them on their fine handiwork, the back wall was yanked out, sending mortar and dust everywhere. And the Feds entered, their guns trained on both figures in the middle of the room.

River didn't move from the pile of bodies. Cameron, however, spun, cocking her pistol and keeping it trained on the soldiers. Everyone remained frozen, waiting.

"River Tam, freeze! And… River Tam…" The Feds seemed to hesitate, aiming first at River, then at Cameron. "Sir! We have…erm…two River Tams here."

Predictably, the Operative was silent.

"Do we have an order?" the Fed demanded.

Mal spoke up, "Oh, um, I might've accidentally punched out his vocal cords."

"Accidentally?" Inara hissed.

Despite the situation, Mal shrugged. "Well, accidentally on purpose…"

"Targets are acquired," the Feds continued, trying to contact their boss. "Do we have a kill order? Do we have an order?"

Mal was trying his best to run the numbers. If the Feds starting shooting, would Cameron be able to take them out and protect River at the same time? And, would River even need protecting? Mal had to admit that her and Cameron takin' on all them Reavers would have been a sight to behold, but was even River quick enough to dodge an Alliance bullet if they all started firing at once?

The Feds tightened their grip on their weapons and River responded by doing the same with her Reaver blades, fresh blood still dripping from the edge.

"Stand down," a voice said over the comm. Mal recognized the Operative's voice. The man coughed harshly, saying, "It's finished. We're finished."

The Feds all lowered their weapons and both Cameron and River turned towards Mal, who let out a big sigh of relief as he looked from them to the rest of his crew who were still lying down with their many injuries.

Mal couldn't help himself.

"One big happy…" he winced as he stepped forward. "…very wounded family."

author's note: Next week will be the last chapter/epilogue. :)