"How's my girl?"

"Oh I'm shiny, cap'n. Oh wait, you didn't mean me," she said, giving him a teasing glance, and then realised Mal clearly wasn't in the mood. "Uh…gimme a few more hours."

"Good work, Kaylee."

Mal stalked out of the engine room, still stewing over the situation. He passed through the mess and tripped on something that lay unseen in the darkness that the flickering candles around him endeavoured to, but fell sadly short, of fully illuminating.

"Might wanna watch that," said Jayne around a cigar. Mal sneered at him, for once unable to think of a snappy comeback.

"Well maybe you should…watch…yourself," he managed, and Jayne shot him a quizzical look.

"You feelin' alright, Mal?"

"No, I'm cold, dark and hungry. One of my old war buddies just stole my cargo, and we ain't gonna get paid. I want my ship back."

"You just wanna be glad the aux life support kicked in – not like last time."

"I am glad. My pissed off outweighs it, though."

"How long should we be here?" asked Simon softly.

"Kaylee says another couple of hours."

Jayne grinned around the stub smouldering in between his teeth. "Plenty of time to finish our game."

He referred to the poker game Mal had walked in on that consisted of Jayne, Simon and Zoe.

Serenity's captain grunted, and passed them to pace the bridge, having nothing better to do. As he mounted the stairs, he called back over his shoulder.

"Doctor – Jayne raises his eyebrows when he's bluffin'."

"What? Mal! No, I don't!" cried Jayne, and then forced his eyebrows down into a scowl. Zoe just smirked slightly, shaking her head.

"Shall we continue?" she suggested, and took up the deck, shuffling them.

"I don't raise my eyebrows," insisted Jayne, realising he couldn't sustain the expression indefinitely. Simon just nodded nervous acquiescence, and Jayne seemed to forget about it.

She dealt everyone around the table two cards while Jayne and Simon tossed in their chips. After inspecting her own cards, Zoe matched Simon's blind, and Jayne flipped another chip into the middle of the table. Zoe burned one card, and dealt three other face up in front of the chips: The King of Spades, the Nine of Hearts and the Three of Clubs. The trio eyed their cards speculatively, and then returned them to the table.

"I didn't understand an EMP blast could be so disruptive," commented Simon. "I knew that you could disable a ship temporarily, but not for this long."

"Ten," said Jayne, and placed a corresponding number of chips in the pot. "Depends how good the hit is, Doc. We were a sittin' duck when Harvey's guys blasted us." Simon met Jayne's ten. "It could've been the cannons – I ain't complainin'. Much."

"They're likely to have the best equipment; I hear an Alliance factory 'misplaced' a few shipments," said Zoe, throwing her chips and then placing another card; this time, the Four of Hearts.

"I didn't realise anti-Alliance sentiment was so strong," muttered Simon.

"You kiddin'? After the show we put on?"

The hand went around their small circle, the chips falling into the pot. Zoe turned the final card over, the Queen of Diamonds.

Studying his cards, Jayne made an almost throwaway comment. "I expect our point of delivery man's not gonna be very happy when we get to Beaumonde. Twenty."

"I expect that's so," said Zoe, not rising to the bait.

"I see your twenty, and raise you…ten," said Simon.

"Besides, what are they going to do about it? Fifty."

Met with the ominous clatter of Zoe's chips hitting the pile, Jayne took one last look at his cards, scowled, and threw them on the table. "I fold. It ain't what they say I'm worried about, it's what they'll shoot. At us."

"Well, then we just shoot 'em back. Doctor?"

After a long moment's thought, Simon picked up a pile of chips. "I see your fifty, and raise you another fifty."

Jayne whistled, sounding hollow against the silence that now ached around them. "That's a mighty big bet, Doc. You got the goods to back it up?"

Simon shifted on his chair minutely. "Yes. Unlike us on this cargo run."

While Jayne guffawed, Zoe's eyes narrowed. "What happened to us wasn't our fault. The Cap'n'll explain that to the good folks on Beaumonde. All in."

Simon met the edge in Zoe's voice. "I didn't mean any disrespect," he said as he pushed his entire pile of chips into the pot, emphasising the word with the action. "I simply meant that our contact is expecting a cargo container when we arrive, and we have no cargo container."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Zoe; the final word on the matter. "Let's see 'em."

Simon placed his cards on the table, revealing the King of Diamonds and the King of Hearts. "Three of a kind," he stated neutrally.

Jayne let loose a hearty chuckle, leaning towards Zoe, who remained unperturbed. She revealed her own cards; the Ten of Spades and the Jack of Hearts. "A straight," she said as Simon winced.

"Unlucky, Doc!" crowed Jayne, and Simon stood from the table. He nodded at both of them.

"An enjoyable game – thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Zoe, an equally graceful winner as Simon was a loser. "And Doctor?" Simon turned from the engine room doorway to address her. "Jayne raises his eyebrows, but you squint."

Thanks," he nodded. "I'll bear it in mind."

"I do not raise my eyebrows," he caught as he walked down the stairs to the infirmary.

Stepping inside his territory, he was startled to see a cloaked figure rummaging through his supplies.

"Uhm…" he said, and the figure jumped around, startled.

"Oh!" cried Inara, and then realised who she was talking to. One hand went to her chest, and she let out a relieved breath. "I'm sorry, you startled me," she said.

"I'm sorry," stammered Simon, "I just didn't…uh…expect to find anyone down here…can I help you with something?"

Inara looked a little sheepish, and placed what she had ferreted from the stores on the worktable next to her. "I get a little…claustrophobic sometimes, and we've been sat here like this for I don't know how long, and…"

"It's around fifty hours," said Simon. "And you don't have to worry. I can see why being trapped aboard any ship would cause feelings of anxiety to surface. I'll prepare something for your nerves now, if you'd like to take a seat?" He patted the central bed reassuringly, and the Companion did as he asked.

"How did your game end?" she enquired.

"I lost," informed Simon, sounding just a little disappointed. "Kaylee and Mal were too busy to join us, and Zoe said she tried to find you, but…"

"I was meditating."

"Ah." He produced a syringe from a drawer, and then started to mix several chemical together in a small jar.

"Didn't River play with you?"

"Yes, but unfortunately her attention span wasn't up to it. We managed five minutes before she started losing track of the game. She spent a few minutes ripping up food packages singing that rhyme she's so fond of, and then I put her to bed. I suspect the others weren't too keen on playing poker with a psychic, so it was just as well."

"Could she do that? Read their cards with her mind?"

Simon shrugged minutely. "To be honest, I'm not sure what she could do."

As he drew a level of the fluid into the syringe and flicked the air bubble from inside it, Inara looked pensive. "Maybe I could help you with her in the respect. Part of my training included a degree of mental exercise and discipline. Perhaps I could teach River to meditate?"

"That might be a good idea." He injected the substance into Inara, and she almost immediately seemed more tranquil.

She released a breath of air, smiled. "That thing works fast!" she said, and Simon smiled.

"It's quite a potent mix. It should last until we power up and leave, which Mal tells me is soon."

"Good. I'm tired of just sitting around here."

"As am I."

Inara went to leave the infirmary, but stopped before she did so. "I hope you don't take offence at what I'm about to say, but…try and avoid the engine room?" Simon looked up, quizzical. "The repair of the ship rests solely on Kaylee's shoulders and if you were to show up there, well…it might add quite some time to our repairs being completed."

Simon blushed slightly and nodded, and Inara took her leave of the infirmary.

Some time later, Jayne and Zoe were at a critical point of their game when the ship gave a mechanical shudder. They both broke from their match, a hopeful gleam in their eye, and it was rewarded when the lights started to hum and flicker to life around them, and a triumphant scream bellowed from the engine room.

"That's my girl, Kaylee!" cried Mal from another part of the ship, and the crew abandoned whatever it was they were doing and rushed to the engine room. There, they found a beaming, though very grubby Kaylee, hands on hips in triumph.

"Best engineer in the 'verse," enthused Mal, who roughly embraced her as he entered the engine room.

"It's a gift," said Kaylee as Serenity continued to power up, removing the horrible silence that had filled the ship until now.

"Whatever it is, I'm mighty glad you're with us," said Zoe, and the assembled crowd nodded enthusiastically.

The ship's engineer turned to address her captain. "Give her ten more minutes to warm up, and then we can head on out."

"Yeah," said Mal, some of the cheer fading from his expression. "I wonder what our man will have to say when he hears we've arrived."

"Who?"

"Captain Reynolds of the Serenity, sir. He says he has a delivery to make."

"Oh, Captain Reynolds, uhm…well, uh...send him in, I suppose."

The door to the office whirred open and Mal, Jayne and Zoe were escorted inside by several inhospitable men who carried the title 'guard', to be met with their point of delivery man sat behind a desk.

"'Who?'" asked Mal, and the man held up his hands.

"Captain Reynolds, allow me to apologise. It's just that we, uh…" He exchanged a look with one of the guards, but didn't receive any help. "Didn't expect you so soon."

Mal's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded. "Yeah, that might explain it." He checked his watch, muttering under his breath. "Zoe, we came forward three, back two and forward one, right?" She nodded. "So we'd be, uh…carry the five…" he abandoned the show. "Two days late."

"Two days…? Ah yes, well, there was something wrong with the journey then, I take it?" He was starting to sweat, and was growing more nervous as time went on.

"Could say that. I'm surprised you're not angrier, seein' as how we were carefully instructed to be here on time and all."

"Uh…"

"Unless you weren't expectin' us to turn up at all."

The man flushed beet red, and made some kind of stuttering attempt to explain the situation. Mal's eyes widened fully this time.

"Well, hell, I was just foolin' around. You didn't think we'd just run off with your cargo crate, did you?"

"No! No, nothing like that," said the man, regaining his composure. "We were just concerned when your deadline passed. You'll have to forgive me, I'm a busy man, and I deal with a lot of shipments. It just took me a moment to realise fully who you were."

"No problem," allowed Mal, exchanging a confused look with Zoe. Jayne just glowered.

"Now, I suppose we can allow the tardiness, due to…?"

"Well, that's somethin' you haven't asked yet – whether or not we have the crate."

"But…but you just said…"

"I said we were late, not that we had the shipment. The new Independents hijacked our ship, and took the cargo container. They were very interested in what was inside, and as for the reason we're late, well, they hit us with an EMP blast and we've been dead in space for over two days. So, deepest apologies, but we were robbed; plain and simple."

Their contact paled and quivered in his seat, moving his mouth illegibly, making muted strangling noises. "You…lost…the crate?"

Mal nodded again. "'fraid so. We'll return the money we owe you to make up for the loss, but there wasn't anythin' we could do about it."

"Where is it now?"

"That's what I keep tryin' to say, and you…uh, seem to be having trouble catchin' on. It was taken. We've been dead in space for two days." After a pause; "We don't know."

"Oh my God…" muttered the man, over and over again. Mal and Zoe exchanged another look, and Jayne's hand edged closer to his weapon. Suddenly, the man behind the desk stood and left the room, leaving the confused trio with puzzled expressions.

Unseen to the crew of the Serenity, the man sat behind a cortex terminal in the next room and pressed a few buttons frantically.

After it rang for a very long time, a burst of static finally answered.

"Are you deficient?" The voice was scrambled, and sounded robotic.

"What…?"

"This had better be damned important. I told you to never raise me on this line."

"It's, uh…it's important. The ah…the crate is missing."

A few very long moments of hissing interference were at first the only reward to the man's statement, but the voice answered him eventually.

"Where is it?"

"They don't know. They're supposed to be dead."

"Did the container automatically open as planned?"

"It must have been taken before it did. It must have killed the other ship's crew."

"Find that ship. Everything could fall apart if it goes public."

"But where do I…?" A small thud reached the man's ears.

"What was that?"

"I'm holding them in the next room. They must be getting impatient."

"Are you deficient?" repeated the voice. "You should have killed them the moment they stepped inside. Get back out there and finish the job."

The man nodded. "I'll do it right –"

Abruptly, the door to the office burst open, and right in front of Mal was his gun arm. He shot the man in the chest, blasting him from the chair. He holstered his pistol, straightened his coat and took the seat in front of the cortex.

"Next time you might wanna hire a man who can keep his voice down," he spoke to the monitor. "That, or they got real thin walls here." The almost mute sound of hissing static was the only thing to respond. And after a brief moment of seeming intelligent silence, the screen went blank.

"Somethin' very strange is goin' on," said Mal, who then stood from the cortex. "Zoe!"

"Sir?"

"Wire up this dead gentleman's terminal to Serenity's computer. I'd like to find out who'd have us killed."

"Right away sir," she said, picking her way over the unconscious guards.

"Jayne – game face." Jayne grinned as the sound of slapping feet reached his ears.

Back on Serenity, Kaylee sat slouched in the pilot's seat when Zoe's signal beeped on the monitor. She flipped a switch and the first mate's voice floated onto the bridge.

"Kaylee! I need you to set up a data entry point for me to upload somethin' to."

"Why? Did things go south?"

Gunshots assailed her ears, followed by Mal shouting: "Time is a factor, Kaylee!" Snapping into gear, she worked a console on the opposite station, doing what was necessary of her.

After a few seconds, she called to Zoe, "Go!" Almost immediately, the computer flooded with new information, and Kaylee grinned with satisfaction; a job well done.

In the office, the final grunt hit the carpet and Mal, Zoe and Jayne headed up the corridor. "Get her ready, Kaylee. We want to leave. Now."

Five short minutes later, the crew were safely back on board Serenity, and the ship blasted away from Beaumonde as if the entire Alliance navy were after it.

Which, for all they knew, it could be.

Next on Void

"Everywhere I go, you can see, but no-one else can see it, nobody ever sees it."

Thanks to Tyramir and BlueEyedBrigadier for your reviews!