Chapter 9

Rose sat in her room, clearing a spot on her floor and sitting in the lotus position. She took a deep breath. I can do this. It's for him. I have to. A soft sound broke her concentration, and she turned to see River standing in the doorway. "River? What's up?"

The girl frowned. "The ceiling."

Wrong time period. Right. "Is there something I can help you with? I kinda need to get started, soon."

She moved forward, playing with her sleeves. "I can help."

Rose blinked. "You sure?"

River glanced up through her hair and smiled, a quicksilver flash of a grin. "They gave me more than they knew." She settled onto the floor in front of Rose, her posture matching Rose's perfectly. "Give me your hands."

Rose clasped River's hands in her own, watching her curiously. The girl closed her eyes, but opened one in annoyance moments later. "I can't help you if you're not concentrating, Bad Wolf."

Rose blushed and laughed as she shook her head and closed her eyes. "Yeah, sorry. 'M just not used to working with others when it comes to stuff like this."

"You will be soon." When Rose opened her eyes again in shock, River squeezed her hands. "Concentrate."

"Right." Rose shut her eyes and began to breathe carefully, focusing on the slow expansion and contraction of her diaphragm. She imagined the air purifying her body as it went in and out, oxygenating the blood that pulsed through her veins. When her mind was clear, she concentrated on finding her center, and a familiar scene began to appear.

The floor beneath her wasn't cool tile any longer, it was rough grating. The clothes that she knew surrounded her vanished, and in their place stood a ramshackle, beloved console. Green-gold light shone against her eyelids, and she opened her eyes. No matter how many years passed, she still remembered the TARDIS' console room perfectly. She stood and walked over to the console, brushing her hand lightly against the familiar controls. The Doctor had picked up that crystal orb on Korvin, when he'd dropped his last one while juggling it and broken it. He'd convinced her that orange button in the top left corner was a self-destruct button—at least until she'd seen him use it while piloting them to ancient Rome.

A soft voice broke into her reverie. "Oh."

Rose glanced up and saw River standing there, her eyes wide. She frowned, confused. It had taken her years to create a center, and her teacher had insisted that each person's visualization was different. "River? How did you get in here?"

"The door was open, Bad Wolf." The young telepath closed her eyes, concentrating. "Serenity speaks to me, but the TARDIS… she's singing." The girl began to sway, her long dark hair drifting back and forth. "She's been singing for so long."

Her brown eyes snapped open, and she danced around the room to stand next to the one bare panel on the console. "She misses you, and she needs her Doctor. She'll help you."

Rose joined her, staring at the panel. She swallowed. This is where it all began.

A calm voice reverberated in her mind, echoing with the ages. And where it will start anew. It is time, Bad Wolf. With a deep breath, Rose opened the panel and stared once again into the heart of the TARDIS.

Back on the Serenity, her eyes snapped open, blazing with golden light.

In the bridge, Wash blinked and glanced at the man behind him. "Mal? Is there some reason the space debris stopped moving?"

Mal grinned. "That would be because the plan's working, Wash. And you said I was crazy."

"Actually, what I said was that you were dumber than a tutu on a monkey." The pilot shook his head. "If you're going to quote me, at least get it right."

"I'll make sure to mark it down for posterity. How long 'till we're in position?"

"Just about twenty minutes, Cap'n."

Mal nodded decisively and turned. "Zoe! Everybody know their parts?"

"Yes, sir." She finished strapping on her body armor and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. "I still think this is a bad idea."

"Well, I give you permission to complain at me afterwards." Mal grinned and pulled out his pistol, giving it an experimental twirl before holstering it again. "Niska's gettin' what's been coming to him for a long time."

A few minutes later, Serenity jolted as she thudded into position. Mal nodded at Book, Zoe, and Jayne, doing one last check on his guns. "Soon as those doors open, Simon and Wash lay down cover fire and we start towards Niska's office. Man's more than cocky enough to keep everything in the same place, so if he's got Rose's Doctor, he'll be in there. We go in hard, we go in fast, and we get out quick. Take out as many as you can—these people have done enough harm."

Jayne cocked Vera grimly. "You want Niska for yourself?"

Mal snorted. "Hell, I don't care. Just as long as somebody gets him, I'm happy." Rose walked in, pulling on her old Torchwood body armor, and he nodded to her as she slipped behind the crates with the rest of the crew. "You ready?"

She took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be. They'll know we're here, now."

The doors opened, and the ramp lowered slowly. Angry shouts echoed through the room, and gunfire peppered the hull. The ramp finished lowering, and as Simon and Wash poked their heads around the crates to begin firing, a series of crisp shots sounded from above them, taking out every guard arrayed against them in less than a minute. The crew turned to stare, and Rose grinned. River sat on the catwalk, coolly reloading Rose's sniper rifle. The girl looked down at them with a raised eyebrow. "Well? Don't you have some rescuing to be doing?"

Mal cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Move out, people."

Rose followed them down the hallway, purposefully blocking all thought from her mind as she watched the Serenity crew take down guard after guard. There was nothing but the acrid scent of gunpowder in the air, the harsh crack of shotgun fire. Countless hallways later, the Captain signaled a stop, and Rose realized that Jayne and Book had split from them at some point.

Mal's jaw tightened. "We're here."