He stared at the vastness around them, the distant stars were beacons to guide the lost back home. Most days he reveled in this view, the freedom and beauty of endless space. All around them were infinite possibilities. On that particular day all he could see were distant points of light in a claustrophobic darkness. In spite of being at the helm of a craft capable of going almost anywhere, he felt trapped.

Wash stared at the dinosaurs clustered around the button that would disengage autopilot. For two hours he had been debating mutiny. Something was wrong on the ship. He hadn't talked with that Jerry guy much but he was clearly paranoid and delusional - whether his issue was physical or mental the logical thing to do was get to a hospital where tests could be run and answers had. Simon may be a skilled surgeon but there was only so much he could do on a small ship.

Mal's comfort zone was far from most other breathing things and with the odd happenings on board it might just be a death warrant to humor him. Changing course might save them if Mal was distracted but if he noticed the change it would get ugly. Zoe would back him even after what had happened to bruise her. It was hard to believe it was a dream injury that followed her out but Zoe was the most level headed person he had ever met and if she was sure, he wasn't going to argue too much. That didn't get him any closer to deciding whether to push that button.

He was still exchanging meaningful glances with the Stegosaurus an hour later when he heard a horrified scream. He was out of his seat and sprinting out in a heartbeat. That had been Kaylee!

He skidded to a stop outside Inara's shuttle. Kaylee was curled up next to the door sobbing and a quick glance through the open portal made his stomach churn. Rushing footsteps grew closer and he pulled the door closed before turning to face Mal.

"Get the Doc." He said firmly, hoping the order wouldn't start a fight. He hated being ordered around. "Don't look."

"What happened?" Mal demanded, looking at the door with a carefully controlled expression. Wash hated that look - it was hard to measure him, almost impossible to judge his reactions.

"Don't know." He said. "Get Simon."

Though he gave Wash a dark look, he hurried toward the infirmary. While they waited he sat and wrapped Kaylee in a hug, letting her cling to him as she cried. Jayne stood not far away and started to speak but Wash shot him a warning glare. Nothing that man could say would possibly do more than upset Kaylee more. She had seen too much in the last couple days - the poor girl was too nice to have this sort of thing happen around her.

'Did Inara explode, too?' Jayne mouthed silently. Wash wished for the thousandth time he were strong enough to beat Jayne in a fight. All he could do was be glad Kaylee hadn't had to see or hear that phrase. Zoe appeared behind Jayne, glanced at the door and raised an eyebrow. Wash gave a small nod and she pulled Jayne away.

He was still quietly protesting when Mal and the doctor pushed past them.

"Just Simon." Wash said again as Mal reached for the door.

"I ain't going to turn my back on the goings on in my ship." He snapped.

Wash turned a pleading look on the doctor but it was hard to deter Mal once his mind was made up. He knew what would happen to some extent. Wash recognized the way Mal had always looked at Inara and while he wasn't sure the exact reaction, he knew…

The door opened and Mal froze. He didn't even breathe as he took in the scene. Simon stared, shocked and unmoving, until Mal turned and stumbled away. Wash wished he had the power to spare Mal that memory. He couldn't imagine how he would be able to handle it if he saw Zoe like that.

Inara hadn't exploded - that might have been easier to deal with. She was sitting in a chair, her chest ripped open, empty eyes wide in shock. Blood covered everything in front of her in a wide spray. He closed his eyes and tried to bring any other image to mind as he tried to calm Kaylee in silence. Simon carefully stepped into the room looking upset but not nearly as queasy as Wash felt. The door clanged shut behind him.