So... the disclaimer hasn't changed, but, if you want (and you really should), you can turn on "Where Are We Runnin'?" - Lenny Kravitz. Good tradeoff, no?

"You think that'll hold em, Captain?"

"Should hold em til we're outa here," Mal answered.

"Where're we goin', sir?" Zoë asked.

Mal stopped as though he hadn't considered that. "Oh."

"Gotta tell Wash where t' go, he's not much fer thinkin' up places t' go. He'd prob'ly set us down on Osiris and the feds would be all over us faster than you could spit. He's a wonderful pilot, don't get me wrong, sir, but he ain't got the head fer thinkin' up these life-savin' plans the way you do."

"Oh," Mal repeated. He had only been thinking of decreasing the PRFO's numbers, not what to do with them once that situation had occurred. Before he could say "Oh" or something equally as witty, Kaylee ran in. "Cap'n, situation! Not a good un, either!"

"What is it, Kaylee?" Zoë asked.

"The PRFO? They've been communicatin' with their men. And more likely than not, a whole passel o' PRFO men are on their way here. T' fight t' get their leader back. And kill you, although I'm supposin' that's only a secondary honor."

"How do you know?"

"Them buttons on their uniforms…"

"Oh, yeah," Zoë said, suddenly knowing. "Communication ports."

"Ai ya, wo mun wan leh," Mal said, something intelligent coming to his brain at last.

"Where're we goin', sir?" Zoë asked.

"Far," Mal said. "Kaylee, the engine gonna give us a push if she's needed?"

Kaylee nodded hurriedly, but before she could speak, Simon entered the hallway. "River's gone!"

"What?" Mal questioned. "Wasn't she just…"

"Asleep, I know! I turned around and she was gone!"

"Like, gone gone?"

"Is there any other gone to be?" Simon replied anxiously.

"She couldn't have gone far," Zoë said. "I'll look for her, sir. You figure out where Wash is gonna take us next." To Simon, she said, "Is she armed?"

"Kettle. The big one that's really more of a soup pot, I suppose…"

"Zhen dao mei," Zoë said, a bit ironically, and ran off, Mal shouting, "Don't shoot her!" after her.

"What about the ponies?" Kaylee asked Mal. He hadn't thought about the ponies. He shrugged, then answered quickly, "Wave Abeni, tell her we're borrowin' em fer the time bein' and we'll get em back t' her as soon as it's convenient!"

"I'm sure she'll love that, Cap'n," Kaylee said.

"Don't argue, just do it!"

Her eyes went wide and she ran off, her boots clanging on the walk. "Doc," Mal said, "you'd best be preparin' the infirmary. Where's Jayne?"

"Right here!" Jayne managed to say as he stumbled into the corridor. "Right here."

"Got yer guns?"

"Do ya haveta ask?" Jayne asked.

"Well, Jayne, I am asking, because… you seem to be missin' them."

Jayne looked down at his holsters, which were empty, and then he looked up at Mal. There was immense shock on his face, what Mal would have expected from a wee 'un if they'd been told Christmas was canceled. Then an answer seemed to penetrate his thick head. "You… don't… think…" A glance at Mal told him exactly what he thought. "Gorram crazy moon brain daughter of a…! Lao tian ye!"

Mal put a hand to his forehead, unsure of whether he was trying to stop laughing or crying. Jayne's favorite "gorram crazy" had run off with his guns, and apparently a soup kettle, no telling which one would do more damage in her trained but pale hands. The PRFO was coming, and coming fast, and these ones would be armed. He was carrying a load of space ponies and one shot-up spy, who was probably still moaning and pissing his ruttin' head off down in the cargo bay. Could the day get any better?

"Cap'n?" he heard Kaylee's voice.

"Oh God," Mal said, a hint of a laugh or a sob in his voice. "This better not be bad news, Kaywinnit Lee Frye…"

"No, not bad news, Cap'n. Abeni says that's fine, she was s'pectin' you'd need t' borrow em anyways."

"Good."

"What's the plan?" Simon asked.

"First, we find yer moon brain sister a'fore she kills m' crew with Jayne's guns," Mal said. "Then we get the hell outa here."

"Where're we goin'?" Kaylee asked.

"We're runnin'," Mal said.

"We're good at that," Kaylee remarked cheerily.

"Damn straight we are."

Translations: ai ya, wo mun wan le - Oh my, we're in big trouble.

zhen dao mei - just our luck!

lao tian ye - Jesus!

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