Disclaimer: I'm poor. I own nothing

--o--o--o--

"Yes!" Wash's shout caught everyone's attention. Xander arrived on the bridge only a few steps behind the captain. Jayne and Book a moment later. He saw Wash move some tools out of the way and turn to the controls on one of the side panels.

"You got it?" Mal asked.

"Uh, we got light, we got screens. It's a qualified yes." Wash paused half a beat. "A partial."

"What about nav control?"

Kaylee shook her head. "No."

For a second Mal looked like he was going to say something. Instead he asked, "So where we headed?"

"The coordinates she entered we're headed for something and it's not too far." Wash never took his eyes off the controls throughout the conversation. Only moving from one set to another.

"Did she signal anybody?"

"Uh… dung ee hwar," Wash told him as he typed in a command. "She did. Same coordinates, no ID."

Jayne stood peering out the window. "Who's out there?" he wondered aloud.

Suddenly Wash seemed to get an idea and started typing hurried commands into the main control panel. "Let me see if her signal wave can translate into a visual. There might be..." He trailed off as a red blob appeared on the small radar display. "Electromagnetic interference, uh... it's bouncing the signal all over the place." He turned to Mal. "Look at it. Looks like a circle."

Mal peered around the pilot, his brow scrunched slightly as he took it in. "It's a net."

"I don't get it," Jayne said. "Where we headed?"

"The end of the line," Book said grimly, drawing everyone's attention. "It's a carrion house. Scrap shop. Takes ships, pulls 'em apart, or fixes 'em up."

"Doesn't sound that scary," Wash commented. Xander had to agree, but knew better as well. From the looks on the shepherd and captain's faces there had to be more to it. He had a sinking feeling in his gut.

It was proven right as Mal turned to the pilot. "That pattern you're lookin' at is a net. We fall into that we're more than just helpless. It'll turn this ship into one big electrical conduit and burn us all from the inside out."

Xander had to suppress a wince at the thought of being burned alive, not to mention the memory it brought to the fore. The one that remembered when Buffy and Willow were nearly burned at the stake by a demon influenced mob. Another part of his mind pointed out how much he hated the smell of burnt flesh. How much more vile would it be when it was your own?

"Some of the newer ones will just hold you," The shepherd told them. "And then the scrappers will override the airlocks. Pull the O2 or just gas you. They're not looking to deal with survivors."

"Your such a cheery follow Shepherd," Xander piped in with a grin. He though he was doing a good job of covering his nervousness. He never thought he would actually wish this was a demonic mess. At least he would have some idea of what to do. He was out of his depth here. Despite these thoughts the grin never left his face.

"It's not a pleasant way to go son."

"I can think of worse," Xander told him honestly. If he was honest with himself he'd admit that was a large part him keeping it together. For the others, however, he just tilted his head as if deep in thought. "And I'd like to avoid the whole early grave thing altogether if possible. Personally preference."

Kaylee vigorously nodded her agreement.

Jayne ignored Xander and turned to Book. "One day you're gonna tell us all how a preacher knows so damn much about crime."

Book ignored him. In fact, Xander noted, his expression hadn't changed at all. A perfectly school expression that he realized the shepherd had been wearing since the red blob appeared on the screen. Book was a mystery for later though. Like say, when death wasn't imminent.

He could see that same thought flash through Mal's eyes seconds before he turned to the mechanic. "Kaylee?"

"I'm trying sir," she said pointing with a screwdriver to the wires and parts she had pulled out.

"Keep on it. We can't fall into that net." When he spoke next it was more to himself than anyone else. "We're gonna need a Plan B."

Mal ran his fingers through his hair and looked around. Then the proverbial light bulb when off and he walked across the bridge and hit the comm. "Zoë, get our suits prepped now."

He turned to Wash. "I figure we got one shot at this. Gimme a visual as soon as we're close."

"It won't be long."

"What do I do?" Jayne asked as Mal was leaving the bridge.

Mal paused and turned partly. "You go get Vera."

That confused Xander. He thought he had met all of the crew already. So who was Vera? Curiosity getting the best of him Xander followed the big man out. Seeing Jayne veer off towards his bunk with a rather manic grin on his face he decided following Mal was the safer option.

In the cargo bay he watched as Mal and Zoe got several space suits out of storage. He was careful to stay out of the way, but both captain and first mate noticed the odd glint in his eyes. For the life of them they couldn't figure out why. Not that they really had the time to either.

Space suits! Xander thought. Honest to god space suits! That would be so cool if it wasn't a do or die situation. Then again, cool things happening in a dangerous situation was kinda par for course back home too.

As Xander finished that thought Jayne walked in carrying with him one mother of a big gun. The disturbing grin was still there too. "Got Vera."

"You named your gun?" Xander asked incredulously.

Jayne looked at Xander like he'd grown a second head and started singing the Macarena. "I name all my guns."

"It probably says something about me that I only find that mildly disturbing."

"Named my pecker too," Jayne declared proudly. "I call him Bob."

All movement in the cargo bay stopped. It was Xander's turn to stare at a second head as he blinked rapidly trying to scrub that knowledge from his brain. "The concept of 'too much information' is lost on you isn't it?"

"Ok enough of that," came from Mal, who had stopped halfway into his suit at Jayne's declaration. He kicked another suit in the bigger man's direction. "Suit up."

Jayne lovingly put Vera down and picked up the space suit. "She needs oxygen around her to fire and we don't have a case."

"Gonna use a suit."

"Here." Simon said from a few feet away where he and Book were going through his palm pilot device.

"We got it."

The others gathered round and they saw a model of the electromagnetic net on the screen.

"What am I aimin' for?" Jayne asked, all business now. "The window?"

Mal shook his head. "Well that might kill some folk but it won't short the net. See these six points where it's brightest?" Jayne nodded. "Those are the breakers. Hit one of those, should short it out."

Jayne started to nod again before he stopped suddenly and gave Mal a suspicious look. "What do you mean 'should'?"

Mal didn't respond instead he went over and suited up Vera while Jayne finished his own. He and Zoë helped to secure Vera to Jayne in a way to make it easiest to fire. Before long the inner airlock door was closing behind the three of them.

Xander watched from the window as Zoe opened the outer door and Jayne settled into a good firing position.

"You see it?" he heard Mal asked from the radio Book held.

"Clear as day." Jayne told him as he lined up his shot. "See, Vera? Dress yourself up, you get taken out somewhere fun."

Then he fired. Xander had to admire the marksmanship as even with two bulky suits hindering him Jayne still managed to nail the breaker on the first shot. Then he saw several more flashes from Vera's muzzle and can tell where the shots are aimed. As he watched the window explode and bodies fly out Xander couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for them. How many people had these human monsters killed before this?

--o--o--o--

By the time they got back to the bridge Wash was already flying them away from the rapidly exploding intergalactic chop shop. He turned and gave them a wide grin.

"We got it," he told them. Unnecessarily perhaps since he was already flying, but everyone still let out a collective sigh of relief. "It's not pretty, but we can steer enough to turn the hell around."

"Nice work, Kaylee," Mal said, his voice lighter than it had been since Saffron drugged him.

Kaylee didn't look nearly as pleased as she looked away and peeled her gloves off. "Not soon enough to help."

"Hey." Mal put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Lot easier to pull things apart than it is put 'em right. Let's do the best we can at floatin'."

Wash looked up as Mal kissed Kaylee on the forehead. "Captain, didn't you know kissin' girls makes you sleepy?"

"Well sometimes I just can't help myself," Mal quipped a second before his face went serious. "Now, let's go visiting."

Xander really didn't want to be Saffron right about now.

--

Most of the crew was waiting when Mal docked the newly recovered shuttle. As he exited it they saw him shaking water off his coat as he walked along the catwalk. This dead end moon was covered in snow and apparently some had melted on his coat.

"You kill her?" were the first words out of Jayne's mouth.

Mal looked up surprised to see everyone but Wash and Inara waiting for him. Wash was busy flying the boat, not trusting things on there own until the controls were fully fixed. Inara was in her own shuttle, presumably looking through potential clients. "What?"

"Did you kill her?"

"She won't be a problem for awhile," Mal said simply.

"So you didn't kill her."

"No Jayne, I didn't kill her." Mal sighed at the mercenary. "But she will be sporting a nice lump awhile."

"What did you do with her exactly?" Book asked.

"Dropped her with the local authorities."

Zoe raised a brow questioningly. "You sure that will keep sir?"

Mal shrugged. "Don't much matter. This rock's not exactly a big port of call. Bad weather, small community, few ships. She's not getting off of this moon any time soon."

"Still think you should have killed her."

"Shut up Jayne."

"Suppose one less crazy wife on the boat's an up side."

"Jayne?" Xander asked. "Do you always say the first thing that pops into your head."

"Most times why?"

"No reason."