River was torn between wanting to stay in Simon's arms and wanting to leap into the escort car without looking back

River was torn between wanting to stay in Simon's arms and wanting to leap into the escort car without looking back. Compromising by giving her brother an especially tight hug, she pulled reluctantly out of his arms, accepting his kiss.

"I'll miss you, Mei-mei," he said, embracing her once more, "write every week and have fun."

"I will, Simon," she gripped his hands, "I'll miss you too."

River farewelled her parents once more before striding excitedly to the car. She waved behind her and thanked the chauffeur as he held the door open. Enclosed in the relative silence of the vehicle, she continued to wave until her family disappeared from view. River sighed, her toes moving as they always did when she was excited. She had been waiting for moths now; and to finally be going to the Alliance's top school was causing her inability to sit still. She looked restlessly around the vehicle, noting the wrinkles in the leather roof. She glanced at her driver, feeling unsure of what to do. But the excitement inside her was so great; she had to do something.

"Excuse me?"

The Driver looked back in his mirror at her timid question.

"Can I help you, miss?" he asked.

"I, uh," River fidgeted uncomfortably, "Am I allowed to talk to you?"

"Why, of course!" the driver sounded genuinely happy, "you smart kids don't usually like to is all."

"Oh…" River honestly didn't know what to say to that. She glanced at her feet as though looking for conversation suggestions.

"I'm River," she decided introductions were the best tactic.

"Fredrick," The driver's eye visible in the mirror crinkled into a smile.

"Is it a nice campus, the academy?" River asked him, "I haven't seen it yet."

"Oh, 'tis fair pretty," Fredrick told her, "served there as a janitor a number of years 'fore now. Good folk."

River managed to loose herself in the conversation, dulling the gnawing impatience that had been troubling him moments before. Over an hour had passed before Fredrick interrupted her.

"Sorry, Miss River," He said awkwardly, "I… had a bit of gas this morning and… well I think it's in your best interest if I put the screen up for a few minutes."

"Oh, sure," River said as easily as possible, trying to limit his embarrassment.

"Thankee." The little of his face River could see soon disappeared behind a black screen.

River sighed, feeling the excitement creep in on her again as she tried to focus on the images flashing by outside the windows. She took a deep breath. It came hard. River furrowed her brow in confusion. Trying again, she found the car to be quite airless. Her head spun; something was wrong. Her heartbeat had risen to pound in her head, slowly building a rushing in her ears. River couldn't focus. An intense ringing began to clog her ears. River lurched forward, knocking against the screen.

"Hello?" her lips moved slowly, the words were too rounded. River tried again.

"Fred? I'm feeling… fre…"

Coherency was leaving her; mobility too. River collapsed onto the floor. Moaning, she tried to pull herself back up, but her body had betrayed her. Before her eyes fell, River saw a soft yellow cloud seeping out of the roof. Then the ringing in her ears took her over and her head slumped against the door.

In the front of the car, Fredrick flicked the buttons on the console of the car.

"Allied scientific instillation," a voice sounded.

"Barry, its Fred. Tell Matthias I've got the Tam girl."

"Will do. See you when you get here."

"Thanks, Bazz." Fredrick disconnected the call. Glancing at a flickering video feed beside the steering wheel, he saw River sprawled on the floor of the car. Her chest was rising and falling unevenly and her hair was strewn across the seat. Pity, Fred thought to himself, she's a nice kid. He sighed, taking comfort in the fact that he would not have to see what would happen to her.