A/N: Slight alteration of Serenity's ship design. Umm and as always thank you for all the reviews. I want to warn you guys I have four tests next week. One every day but Thursday. I'm still going to try to post a chapter everyday but if I really need to study you guys may have to wait a little while for the next chapter after Saturday's update. Anyway enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 20: Caged and Contemplative

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Oz woke feeling the cold floor upon his hot skin. That part felt good. The fact that he was currently naked and on the floor did not. He looked around and quickly grabbed the pants that were lying beside him. After he put them on he took in his surrounding. The room he was in was not big, in fact it couldn't really be classified as a room. It was probably only 6 by 6 by 6 feet. There was no door. No the way in was through the top which was currently covered by a grate.

Oz tried to move the grate but it wouldn't budge. He sighed and leaned against one of the walls before sliding down to sit on the floor. "Damn." Oz whispered.

He had closed his eyes for about five minutes when he heard a slight clinking sound. His beads were slowly being lowered into his "room" through the holes in the grate. "Thanks." Oz said as he wrapped his meditation beads back around his wrists and neck.

"The wolf nor the man should be caged, yet they always are." River said lying down on top of the grate.

Oz leaned his head back against the wall to look up at River, "Where am I?"

"The brain of Serenity." River said.

"Cockpit?"

"Right in front of the pilot station and just below it. Down the stairs, where the id is kept and all dark thoughts are contained." River added.

"The others?" Oz asked.

"They're in the cargo hold getting rid of the men gone wrong. Trying to clean the stains from the floor, blood from the walls, want to get back the décor." River started to giggle but stopped and frowned, "Simon is fixing Jayne and Zoe. They got hurt."

"Ho—" Oz started to speak but paused. Then he tried again, "How are they?"

River tilted her head to the side, "Scared. Thoughtful. Angry. Confused. Grateful. Alive."

Oz closed his eyes, "This wasn't suppose to happen."

"Not many things that do are." River gave Oz a sad smile.

"River!" River glanced back at her brother's shout. "Where are you?"

"I have to go." River started to get up.

"I know."

"I'll be back." River walked up the stairs towards where she knew her brother was looking for her. She gave one last look at the grate in the floor and then she was out of the room.

"I know."