River lay back in the surgery chair, rolled up her sleeve, and squeezed her eyes together. She hated this room. The look and smell of it reminded her of times past. It also meant Simon was about to stick another needle in her. She hated needles.

She looked across at her brother as he now readied himself to give her another low dose sedative. He was talking to her absent-mindedly, as he filled the hyperdermic. He flicked it, and turned towards her.

He proffered her the needle. "Now take it," he said. She grimaced. "You know you have to do it yourself," he continued, "afterall I can't be sure how you might react."

She looked across at him and lowered her eyes. Ever since everyone had found out about her powers, this is how it had been. Everyone treating her with kid gloves. Walking around her like she was a bomb about to go off.

Except for Jayne.

She felt the sadness rise in her throat as she thought of him. It was no good, however, she realised.

She took the needle from Simon and prepared to press it into her arm.

Just as she did so however - she suddenly sensed an intense wash of feeling, that seemed to fill the room. She glanced across at Simon, who was now looking at her quizzically. "River? What is it?"

She ignored him, focusing instead on the emotion that was now almost throbbing in her ears. It was fear - intense, and directed.

As the realisation came to her, she also heard boots in the corridor outside, coming closer. Each step sounded like a deep, resonant drum beat. It vibrated in her chest.

Simon watched in shock as she dropped the needle. She then let out a long, high pitched scream.

Jayne was already standing in the doorway. He had the laser pistol aimed directly at her head. His arm was shaking.

"River," he said, in a strange voice, "Is it time to die?"

Normally River's world was a mass of confliction. She saw solid forms, such as floors and tables, but sometimes she saw images that she knew were illusion. Butterflies. Tree roots.

However, as he stood before her now, she felt the normal world around her tune out. It was happening, just as before. She felt her mind slip into a tunnel. Her eyes rolled briefly in her head. When they stopped, all she could see were a stream of mathematical formulae floating in the dark. But there were also distances, trajectories, calculations of force.

All of this happened in milliseconds. And while it did, her body moved. She quickly flicked herself into a standing position, and then launched herself at Jayne with inhuman strength.

Simon had just been standing, open mouthed, watching events unfold. But as soon as she went for the mercenary, he let out a terrible yell.

Jayne watched dreamily as she came at her, his fingers laid loosely on the trigger. He knew he had no intention of shooting. Her fingers reached out and grasped him round the neck. She squeezed, hard, as they both tumbled out into the corridor.

Once outside, Jayne landed heavily on his back. She meanwhile flew over him, but circled gracefully in the air and landed on her boots. He started to his feet, but she quickly kicked his pistol away, and then viciously stuck him twice in the side of the face with the edge of her heel.

Jayne's head juddered to one side, flecks of blood forming on his lips. However he rapidly moved himself away, and regained his footing. He turned to directly face her.

"River," he said, in a trembling voice. "It's me."

River stepped towards him, and assumed a defensive position. Jayne looked at her stance. Wushu, he thought. Gosa. He looked into her eyes. They were expressionless. Was she there at all?

Jayne felt a cold shiver run down his spine. "River," he said again, a note of panic in his voice. "River, it's Jayne."

Momentarily, a small flicker of light passed over her face. River herself was peering into the mass of figures that were moving across her vision. But as his voice she saw a small window open up in front of her. She saw Jayne's face. It was bleeding.

"Mei-mei," she murmured. Her eyes widened. He saw her features momentarily soften.

However, then she heard a clattering of shoes. Looking up, she saw Mal and Zoe also appear in the window, running down the corridor towards them. She saw no more than a glimpse however, as the window then abruptly shut. A new formulae moved into its place.

Jayne looked again at her face. The light had passed. She lowered herself like a cat to the ground, and waited for his move.

Mal's boots landed on the floor, as he pulled himself up alongside the mercenary. "Okay Jayne," he gasped, as he regained his breath: "You wanna tell me what the hell you've done?"

Jayne continued to stare at the girl. Her eyes were flicking around the room, as she calculated her next attack. Her body was rigid, tense.

Presently, he whispered: "I had to see," Mal noted the desolation in his voice. "But I think – she's really – gone."

"Yeah, and now – thanks to you – so are we," snapped the Captain. He went for his gun. Beside him, Zoe did likewise. Simon looked on in horror.

"No." Jayne put out a hand to stop Mal. River's eyes had stopped shifting, and had once again settled on him. "I started it. So she's coming for me."

At which point, with amazing speed, River gracefully leapt into the air, and brought a booted kick once again into the side of Jayne's head. As he staggered back, she flicked over backwards, her skirts flying, and grasped the pistol from the floor. Just as quickly, the righted herself, brought the gun up, and aimed. Her facewas one ofterrible determination.

Jayne's arm went out as he pushed Mal aside. He closed his eyes, and waited.

River meanwhile, had seen his face. And now, inside her dark cage, she was fighting to return. As a result, as her body's fingers now went to squeeze the trigger, they hesitated. There was something wrong.

Inside herself, River struggled. She felt the terrible resolution of part of her mind. Kill, it demanded. But then there was herself, the true River. Willing against it. Focusing every energy available on imagining Jayne's face and body. Reaching inside herself for the feelings she had for him. The reminder of his skin on hers. His lips on her lips.

Outside, Mal, Zoe and Simon watched with baited breath. Jayne meanwhile, had opened one eye. He could sense the confliction.

River's arm had started to tremble. She had also started to talk to herself. Much of it was incoherent, save for a few words. "Wrong, wrong, wrong,' she murmured. "I am more than you, blue hands. More than you."

Slowly, her finger started to pull away from the trigger.

But then her voice changed. "You have currently 2.3 seconds to react or assailant will gain the advantage," she said, in a monotone. Her finger once again shifted back. But she remained motionless.

Jayne, meanwhile, was now looking directly at her. That face, that had gazed upon him so many times, was paler than he had ever seen. Her forehead was covered with a light sheen of sweat. She was struggling. He felt a protective pang surge through his being.

Nervously, he blurted. "River. If ya shoot me now - remember this weren't your fault. But at least you tried. You see, you gotta fight it, you gorram beautiful moonbrain. Control it. And if this time you ain't got it, next time you will. You can win."

Mal, Zoe and Simon looked across at Jayne in surprise.

River's eyes glowed into life at his voice. Her arm was still up, the gun still aimed. But she was there again, he could see. "Jayne..?" she replied. Her voice trembled. "I can't…"

The gun shuddered precariously in her grasp.

"Y'are already," he replied, and then softer still: "Y'already winning. Now jus' come back. You see - I had to know. You don't need to go to that gorram jail no more. Those ruttin' men don't own you. You can be anythin' you gorram want. Y'ain't like me. You're better."

He stepped forward, slowly, and held out hand. "Sorry I screwed things up so much for ya. Sorry for anythin' I did. I jus' have the habit," he ended, weakly. "But you don't need to be a screw-up. Not if you don't want."

It was enough. River opened her hands, and let the gun fall from her fingers. She looked straight at the mercenary, her eyes full of fear and relief, before collapsing to the ground in a dead faint.

Simon immediately rushed to her side. Mal and Zoe stared at Jayne, open mouthed. Jayne lowered his shoulders and breathed.

A moment passed - and then Zoe moved to speak.

"Well, you sure have a way with the ladies," she said.