Minutes later, River arrived in the engine room to find Kaylee bent over a complicated-looking box full of wires. Unlike earlier with Jayne, she announced her presence, grinning playfully as she spoke.
"With wood it becomes dust. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." River paused to peer over Kaylee's shoulder at the wires. "Cheese and pinecones," she added thoughtfully.
Kaylee swung around at River's last words, an expression on her face that was somewhere between pure shock and amusement. "River, you scared me!" She turned back to the engine for a moment and rearranged a few parts before turning back to the girl worriedly.
"Do you want me to go get Simon?" She questioned.
River smiled innocently at her and shook her head, knowingly. "He's coming." Her words lingered in the air and Kaylee, unsure of what to say or do, turned back to Serenity's purring engine.
River watched her curiously and focused all of her being into learning how the ship worked and what Kaylee did to help her. Serenity was after all, alive in a sense and like all living things she had certain requirements to keep flying. River wanted to know everything.
Leaning in close to the engine, River caressed it with one hand. She stroked it absentmindedly and whispered to it, like she had when she had lain on Tracey's coffin some time ago.
Serenity hummed softly to River and told her what was wrong. Flashes of images entered River's mind and her eyes glazed over as she learnt. Finally understanding the extent of the problem and how to fix it, River leaned over and pointed at a red wire.
"It's wrong. It's making her sick." River murmured to Kaylee. Kaylee glanced over at her not seeing her point at the wire.
"Yep, there's definitely somethin' broke, here. Just gotta work out what it is…" she smiled at River, only a twinge of shock remaining from her sudden appearance earlier.
"There," River instructed her. Kaylee finally noticed that River was pointing at something and followed her finger to the red wire that she'd been indicating.
"River?" Kaylee asked, uncertainly. "Is that what's broke?"
River nodded. "It's hurting her."
Kaylee shifted position so that she was facing the red wire. She reached down and fumbled with the cabling, finding the plug that ended it to be loose. Pushing the plug back into its socket so it remained there firmly, Kaylee pulled herself up and flipped a series of switches on another circuit board.
Serenity's engine flickered back to life.