Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and characters that I wrote. Joss Whedon takes all the credit for his characters, setting, etc.

A/N: As always, I hope you enjoy this story. Feel free to comment and review.

Chapter 2

I reclined for a while, having just finished with one of my clients. I waited for someone on Serenity to tell me they had arrived at Persephone. Soon enough, Zoë's voice came through on the com. "Inara, we're on Persephone, so whenever you're ready." I needed an hour for the return trip, so I wanted to hurry. Mal gets upset when someone stops him thieving.

I told the crew I would be docking. Zoë responded with, "Be careful." Strange, since I was at the ship with nothing dangerous nearby.

When the doors opened, the barrel of Mal's gun was there to greet me. Even River had a pistol trained on me.

"Care to explain?

"Wha-? Mal, have you gone insane?"

"Seems there's a lot of that goin' around. Like how you just tried to kill me plus half my crew. Prob'ly wanted to scrap my ship for parts once y'got me outta th' way. So, call me insane if that ain't right."

"Mal, I just finished with a client. I certainly wasn't trying to kill you! Just ask River, she should know if I'm telling the truth."

He turned to River, and she said, "Nothing she knows or remembers suggests her involvement."

"Meaning," he said, "that may or may not have been you, so back in you go." He gestured with his gun towards my shuttle, and I had no choice but to obey. I swear, that man and his guns. "She is not allowed t' leave," he told River.

I sat there for near an hour, and I checked to see if there was anyone outside my doors. River was sitting on the floor, content with staring at the cargo bay.

"River," I said, catching her attention. She looked at me, her face blank, with a hint of curiosity. "Do you think I did this?"

"When I tried to see, your mind was a foggy window. Everything I saw was fuzzy, and nothing made sense." Hmm, River never had a hard time reading someone. "And I know you didn't do this," she said, with a small smile.

"Tell me, where were you attacked?"

"The south end of the Eavesdown docks. Oh, and our last job. Jayne got hurt."

"How?"

"Someone tried to bury him. I couldn't see them. But she had hair like yours."

If "she" was the same person in both cases, everyone on the ship was in danger. And if someone got hurt…I could never live with the deaths of people I loved. I guess that's why being a Companion appealed to me. We developed no attachments with our clients while still making their lives better, and…no, that's not important now.

"River, please trust me. Now, I may know who's attacking you. But I'll you need to help me escape. You can even say I escaped on my own."

"It's too dangerous."

"Everyone else is in danger right now. Please, trust me. Let me help."

River stared at me, her face expressionless, and after a while, she said, "I trust you." She unlocked the doors, but signaled for me to stay behind. Before she left, she said, "If it helps, Kaylee said her shuttle probably belonged to a CL-54." She descended the steps to the cargo bay and walked to the com link. "Captain, it's Serenity. I think she's sick. Something in the engine room is wrong." After everyone was in the cargo bay, Mal and River talked a while, and she led them away. I slipped out the door and locked it behind me, hopefully deflecting suspicion for as long as possible. I took the stairs down, and walked out the side door.

As I walked through the streets, I thought to myself, "Mal's made plenty of enemies who want him dead." But this person resembled me enough to fool him…there's no one in this universe I know like that. So I'm being framed for their actions.

It amazed me that the crew managed to escape. The building was just a pile of rocks and framework. So far, only one crane had been sent for cleanup. Since it was idle, it was safe to investigate. I didn't let myself be seen as I sifted through the rubble. A person poking around wreckage would seem suspicious at the least. Anyone's attention, especially the Alliance's, would spell trouble for me.

It would have taken four or five explosives to cause this much damage. Finding one of the bombs might reveal this person's skill level. I found something that was part of a bomb, but it was different. It was a homemade apparatus that automatically triggered a bomb with a switch. You could even open a door to activate it. Suddenly, I remembered something that I had seen years ago, at a Companion house on Londinium. It was a device identical to this one which they showed their members.

I myself knew of this house, where they taught these "Companions" the "art" of murder. I could never understand why they did this, but it has certainly given them a reputation. Basically, they're guns for hire who people could easily pay for a job. So I guess I'm going to Londinium if I want to speak with this person.

I went looking for a shuttle to my destination, when a couple of burly men blocked my path. A third man came up to me, and in a rough, nasal voice, he said, "And just what's a pretty little thin' like yerself doin' all…alone in these parts?"

Unfazed, I said, "Just passing through."

"I'm thinkin', maybe you come aboard an' entertain my crew. Bin awhile since we's had us a good show."

"And if I refuse?"

"Oh, you won't be refusin' any time soon, sweetheart," he said before pointing his gun at my face. "Men and their guns," I said to myself.

To be Continued…