River looked across at the Fed special agent. His face was, as it always was when he came to question her, as grey and as serious as hers. But he also had a slight glint of self-congratulation in his eyes. As if he expected a reward.

River looked down at her feet and said nothing. She knew his prize would come soon enough.

"You've got only a couple of hours," the man was saying. He stood over her, as she sat on the floor in her white room. He was wearing not the normal grey uniform, but his own clothes, but he still held himself in that way. The way of the military. A cog in a machine.

"And then they'll be here," he continued, "They're coming to pick you up,"

River felt her eyes prick with tears at the thought of them again. How many times did she have to face this? Ariel…then with Jayne, on the planet. And now, again. Would it ever be..over?

At least she had been with Jayne that one time, when the blue hands had walked but a few feet away.Now, bizarrely, that memory comforted her.He had held onto her, accepted her reactions to the fear they instilled in her, for what they were. Enjoyed them, yes. But not questioned. Perhaps only Jayne understood now the power they had over her, she thought. Or at least accepted her as a the person she really was. Flawed. Confused. Sexual. But still - strong.

She was surprised to feel a urge for his presence. Physical closeness breeds familiarity, she thought.

The man was still talking. "Now – I've got orders not to speak to you. But my feeling is that, the amount of importance the top men put into trying to find you, you're pretty valuable. I just wish I could figure out why…"

He gave a wide, amused smile. "Any chance you feel like telling me?"

River sighed and turned her face away. It had been like this since they had brought her in. She was left for a few minutes, and then he came back. To press her for information she could not give, for his own purposes.

Or worse, taunt her about the men coming to collect her. He seemed to know they were – dangerous.

"I think they have others, from what I can tell. Like you," he continued. He had now lowered himself onto his haunches, close to where she sat. He was almost purring, such was his delight in her upset. "But I'm not sure. I do know though that you seem to be a favourite."

He stopped for a moment, gazed closer at her face, which was largely hidden behind a curtain of dark hair. At which point, he reached out a hand, and pulled some of it back. River flinched.

"They've done something to you, haven't they," he murmured, quietly. "Something to make you – useful."

River simply glared, before automatically pulling away. She shifted herself further along the wall, away from him. Then she looked at her tormentor, with an expression she hoped was one of hatred and pity. Hatred for where he had brought her. Pity for the time she knew - the red would seep from his nails.

"Run away then, pretty," said the man. "But there's no escape. We've got you back, and no doubt within time we'll also get your brother. Afterall, he seems unable to give you up. The fool."

River looked at him, almost willing to visualise the blood that would soon pour from his eyes. She then opened her mouth.

"You wait for the waterfall," she said, her voice gaining bite. "You speak, but no one will listen. You can only drown."

The man had two guards who stood behind him, at the cell door. At her words, they looked at each other. Confusion. But also - from her tone – fear. River felt it from them. She gave a slight smile.

The man, however, said nothing. He continued to look at her with the same alert, but marginally amused, expression.

"Fairly tales," he said. "Just fairy tales, in your head. But the biggest fairy tale is that you think they're coming from you. Because, my lovely, they're not,"

He leaned closer, so much so that she could feel his breath on her neck. "Every man in this station knows what your brother looks like. And every man has a gun. There's no wayhe can make it to you alive."


"Kaylee?" Mal's voice echoed down the corridor into the engine room. "Kaylee? I need an update – "

"Done."

It was the mechanic's voice, muffled beneath Serenity's engine. She rolled herself out from underneath the red and yellow mix of metal and wires that made up the heart of Mal's aging ship. "Fixed. Now I ain't promisin' no Crazy Ivans, but we can at least follow the shuttle – if that's what we're doin'?"

"Of course," Mal replied. "Wash has done the best he can on the helm, though it ain't gonna be winnin' no beauty competitions. But either way, we can at least power her now, and point her in the right direction."

Mal immediately turned on his heel and headed back into the corridor, and then into the galley, where Zoe and Wash were both waiting.

Wash looked up; "Ready?"

Mal nodded, at which the pilot rose from his seat and headed up and out towards the bridge. Meanwhile, Mal lowered himself into his now vacant seat, and looked across at his number two.

Zoe had already pulled out a couple of glasses which she now proceeded to fill with liquor. Meanwhile, the hum of Serenity's engine began to fill the room, as she prepared to move off toward the Alliance HQ.

"Sir,"Zoe started. Mal could tell by the tone of her voice what was now coming. "Well, my first question is, how are we gonna make sure we don't get caught by the Feds in this here plan of yours? Last time I looked, we were still on an Alliance warrant."

She picked up her glass, drained it, and then lowered it back down. "Second," she continued, "even if we do manage to get there in time, how we gonna get inside the ship plus find the girl? That is, if we don't get shot on the way by some o' them purplebellies…."

"Okay," Mal raised a hand. "Okay. I get your concern. And truth be told, I ain't exactly figured everything out just yet. But I do know that we can't leave that child in their hands. And whatever way you look at it, we gotta get nearer."

"But they'll spot us a mile off. Catch us out. Somethin' that Jayne either hasn't thought of or doesn't seem to care…"

Mal grimaced at the name. "Yeah, well. But maybe not. For whatever he has got planned, you mark my words, he'll not be that stupid. He ain't made it this long without havin' some smarts. Grant you, not many, and most o' the ones he does have revolve around killin' folk, but then it's surprisin' how far violence can get you. So they'll be somethin' workin' in that sommbitch's devious head."

"Okay. But where does that leave us?"

"Well," Mal sat back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. "Here's what I think. I think that we can get in under pretence of bein' there for sumthin' else. Like Ariel. So. Difficult to dress the ship up now as anythin' other than she is. So my figures are, we get pretty close, then drop her. Then you and me go the rest of the way on our own steam."

"That'll mean only a few of us are put at risk," continued Mal. "It's too much to ask Inara and Kaylee to come. Book – well maybe. He's a suspiciously good shot. But really, all I need is you. Me and you, like old times. Get in, find her, get out. And ideally, also pick up the Doc somewhere on the way."

"Okay," Zoe mused, "…but that's still leaves the rather difficult question of - how? Take Inara's shuttle…? And also – are we actually gonna be shootin' these people? Because the moment we kill a Fed, then that's a world of trouble on all our shoulders…."

"We got trouble enough, Zoe," interrupted Mal, "The moment that girl came on board. So I ain't gonna worry too much about gettin' us in too much deeper. But all the same - I ain't plannin' on no killin' unless there's no choice. I'm talkin' undercover. But as for takin' Inara's shuttle – no. There's another way in. It involves takin' a risk or so, but we can make it."

He picked up his glass and started to drink. "Thing is, it means we gotta make some noise….."