“Ain’t been planetside forty eight hours, an’ already I hate mornings,” Mal confessed as he stumbled blearily into the morningly-cheerful kitchen. “We got coffee yet?” “Yes, Sir,” Zoe replied, pretending to be cheery for the specific reasoning of annoying her captain. “We also got electricity, as you might have guessed.” “Wonderful,” Mal murmured as he squinted at the mug he was filling. “I was thinkin’, ‘fore I *finally* fell asleep around that racket upstairs...” “What racket was that, Sir?” Zoe inquired, smirking. “Either yer playin’ at me, or yer a helluva hard sleeper,” Mal returned, “so it don’t matter. Anyway, I was thinkin’... This Cornell said we had three days. That means what? We got three days *includin’* yesterday, or three days *after* the day we were warned?” “Honestly, Sir,” Zoe admitted, “it slipped my mind to ask.” “Well, that royally humps us, don’t it?” Mal stated with rhetoric as he found a chair. “So we gotta be on our guard all day the day after tomorrow, waitin’ to see if someone will show, is that what I’m hearin’?” “Doesn’t sound too pleasant to me,” Simon proclaimed as he entered the kitchen. Inara followed close behind, looking far too elegant for this ungodly time of morning. “Yeah?” Mal responded. “Well, looks like that’s what it’s gonna be. Us an’ our vaguely-detailed death threats, anyhow...” “So, we’re the first four up, I suppose?” Inara inquired, her voice, in Mal’s ears, sounding way too articulate for the hour. “No,” the captain replied, pulling religiously on his burning, yet refreshing cup of black energy. “It’s anyone’s guess as to where River is. Kaylee an’ Gab convinced me yesterday afternoon fer me to let ‘em take the mule into town fer a spell. Jayne went with ‘em, despite the fact that his charge is tied up in our basement. Promised he’d be back in a couple hours. It’s anyone’s guess as to how they got ‘im out of bed that early in the mornin’, though.” He drank some more of his coffee. “‘Specially seein’ as all three prob’ly didn’t get much sleep.” He eyeballed Simon evilly. Pulling himself together, Simon thrust his chin at the captain and declared, “Captain, I honestly could not say what you are talking about.” *************************************************************************

“I’ve heard some shows in my day,” Jayne continued as he pulled the mule into the town of Hatchet, “but holy hellfires, that was somethin’ else entirely!” “I think,” Kaylee observed, “after the length of this trip, we got yer meanin’.” “Hellfires would be *un*holy,” Gabriel corrected. “Not *holy.*” “The four of ya should be in showbiz or somethin’,” Jayne rambled, ignoring both of the passengers. “I mean it. I mean, I never *saw* nothin’, but from the sounds of *that-*” “Enough!” Kaylee exclaimed from the back seat. “We get the point, ya pervert!” Jayne jerked the mule to a sudden halt and powered it down. “Ain’t nothin’ perverted ‘bout that, jus’ normal masculinity.” He turned to Gabriel. “C’mon, Kid, back me up.” Gabriel shrugged. “I prefer to remain neutral at this point, Old Man, as to neither gain nor lose empathy from either party present.” “Okay,” Jayne berated, “stop talkin’ like yer moonbrained girlfriend for five seconds. Is my reaction wrong, or ain’t it?” Gabriel hopped down from the mule. “Shoulda asked me ‘fore I met River, Jayne. I woulda agreed with everything you said, but my hands are kinda tied now.” “Ha!” Kaylee exclaimed. “See that? He’s a changed person!” “Bah, he jus’ learned a few big words an’ made himself sound all educated!” Jayne argued as they both disencumbered themselves from the weight load on the mule. “At least give me that one, Boy.” Gabriel shrugged again, a concept at which he was becoming more and more adept. “Said it a million times before, an’ I’ll say it a million times again.” He glanced around the town’s scene, memories that flooded into his mind playing briefly across his face. “I read a lot.” “River told me yer lyin’ about that,” Kaylee criticized, “an’ I believe her.” “The fading of the preferred illusion is your loss,” Gabriel muttered, moving into the street. He froze. “Son of a bitch.” “At least River got a vocabulary-normal boyfriend,” Kaylee complained to Jayne as both turned to very concerned. “What is it?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she noticed the group of men across the way, who noticed the trio and began advancing across the street. “That’s Cornell and his boys,” Kaylee informed Jayne. “Amazin’,” Cornell began, sizing up the three. “First, I see that yeh had the bollix ta show yer face in town.” He turned to Jayne. “An’ then, I find out that yeh actually got a *fella* somewhere in yer ragtag girl band.” “We ain’t seekin’ trouble, Mitch,” Gabriel assured. “We’re jus’ here to pick up a few things.” “Yer little jollies, I hope,” Cornell threatened. “Okay, we’re gone an’ over from here,” Jayne lied. “We’re leavin’, jus’ like ya wanted, ya stinkin’ puddle of piss, so go find a steer somewhere an’ stick yer head in it.” Guns were immediately drawn, and as Jayne reached for his piece, a cocking of one of the weapons aimed at his head belayed his intentions. “Not a good idea, Friend,” one of the Scotsmen warned. “Got a li’l surprise for yeh,” Cornell continued. “Seems my sister’s been dyin’ to see you again.” He grinned his gapped and ugly grin. “Yeh should fear her wrath far more than mine, Mate. Yeh burned me once, but yeh burned her *twice!*” “I did nothin’ of the sort!” Gabriel exclaimed indignantly. “I-” A jerking of a pistol silenced Gabriel’s protest. “Let’s take a walk,” Cornell spoke in the form of a suggestion, although to all present, this was far more than a suggestion. *************************************************************************

The tight, painful grip on his shoulder steered Gabriel through the door to the bar and deeper into the building. There were few things that boiled Gabriel’s blood more than being shoved and manhandled by a normally-impotent, dirt-munching imbecile, but, with the ice-cold barrel of a .357 magnum revolver pressed sharply into the base of his skull, the young man saw naught in the way of physical protest during the present circumstances. There were no patrons of the bar at this time of morning, as the establishment had yet to open for the day. The three were roughly ushered between tables, chairs, and bar stools until they reached the back of the room. A doorless doorway with beads hanging from the top appeared to be the destination, and Gabriel suspicions were confirmed as his head was pushed through the beads and into the next room. A thin, sexy young woman of about twenty two or twenty three uncrossed her legs under a tight-fitting, short-cropped red dress as she moved from her seated position on the desk. The engraved oak piece of furnishing, which had to be worth half as much as the lousy excuse for a bar, was accompanied by several chairs and a sofa that inhabited the smallish back office. “Gabriel,” the girl crooned as she drew her body close to the man’s. “Yeh look so much more fit an’, an’ *muscular* than ever before. I like it.” “Sarah,” Gabriel replied, keeping his voice calm, cold, and toneless. Sarah Cornell pretended to look hurt as she drew back. “So bitter, after all yeh’ve done to me?” “I’ve done nothing to you!” Gabriel spat. “I realize that comin’ back to Hera was a mistake, an’ we’re preppin’ to leave right off!” Sarah stuck her bottom lip out in a mockery of a pout. “You still keep the off-world accent, despite yer leavin’ fer the stars.” “It ain’t just off-world, Sarah,” Gabriel replied. “Mebbe ya should get outta this town more, an’ you’d notice.” “Why would I leave this town?” Sarah inquired, sounding hurt. “I’m the hottest girl around. That gives me *power.*” Noticing him for the first time, the woman approached Jayne. “My, *he’s* cute... for an *older* man,” she observed. “Ya ain’t so bad yerself, Doll,” Jayne grinned. Moving back to Gabriel, the girl continued with, “You hurt me, Gabe. We had a great thing goin’.” “We had *nothing!*” Gabriel snarled intensely. “We never *did!* You had a teenage, girlish fantasy with no basis in fact, an’ I had an addiction too powerful to see anything significant in the rest of the world. It couldn’t have been over, because it never *began!*” “I think you are mistaken, Love,” Sarah corrected. “No!” Gabriel insisted. “We *never* slept together, *never* went out on a date...” He pressed his fingers to his temples. “In the name of *Christ,* the only time we *really* kissed was when we was *children* playin’ ‘spin the bottle’! We had *nothing!* I left this world a *virgin.*” “Wow,” Jayne proclaimed. “I’m so sorry to hear that...” “And are you a virgin *still?*” Sarah questioned, her accent squeaking for just an instant. “Oh, I could see it in your eyes, then, Lad,” she assured him. “There was chemistry there. A *spark,* if you will. That is...” She hesitated as a sinister loathing creeped into her sensual facade. “...until you killed my brother.” “Another incident that was out of my hands,” Gabriel muttered, quickly becoming tired of this twisted experience of demented obsession and hatred. “I was completely-” It was then that he was cut off by a finger pressed to his lips. “No need to explain,” Sarah reassured with a hiss. “I already know the truth.” She looked to one of her brother’s men, who extracted a bag of red pills from a pocket. “I know the truth, an’ I mean to deliver a message.” The bag was tossed to her, and Sarah caught it with a red-nailed hand. “Yeh claim yeh mean to leave this stone heap an’ never come back.” She dangled the bag between her eyes and his, eyeing it with mock-hunger. “Let’s make it a sure thing, shall we?” Sweat beaded angrily at Gabriel’s hairline. “*You can go to hell,*” he whispered, his eyes never leaving the bag. Sarah giggled. “Take some.” Gabriel’s chest began to heave as his heartbeat raced to unnatural proportions. “No.” A squeal of terror sounded behind him, and Gabriel spun to see a sharp blade pressed to Kaylee’s throat. “Take some,” Sarah repeated, her expression now cold and devoid of feeling. “Or take some of yer girl’s blood. I can think of no more fitting punishment for you, either way.” She lowered her head menacingly. “The choice is yours.” Some very angry and insane-sounding noises came from the helpless Jayne. In fact, the noises were far more than just concern for a friend. Ignoring the insignificant signs for the time, Gabriel met Sarah’s expression with malice intent. “*Give me the bag,*” he whispered hopelessly. Sarah played a small, evil smile across her lips as she extended her arm. “Of course, my dear.” She observed Gabriel fingering through the bag. “Take one. No, one more. *That’s* it. Five or six should do it.” Gabriel gulped down the pills, gagging on the lack of water chaser. “So the plan is to kill me on an overdose, is it?” Sarah shrugged. “Whatever happens, happens.” She moved back to the desk. “Let them go.” Kaylee was released, and the gunmen moved in on the three. “Time to go,” Mitch Cornell sneered, and one of the others cackled with laughter. “I suspect you’ll be long gone by tomorrow, but the three-day limit still stands.” “You know you wanted it,” Sarah prompted as the shipmates were ushered out. “You wanted it all along. Once a Lava fix sets, *always* a Lava junky.” Gabriel, Kaylee, and Jayne rushed out of the bar with the quickness, surprising themselves with the sunlight. “I’m humped,” Gabriel informed his companions. “No!” Kaylee exclaimed. “You’ll be fine! We’ll just get you back to Simon, and-” “You ain’t familiar with the effects of Lava, are ya?” Jayne cut in. “Those pills are strong as a core rupture. Two pills is too much, but six is suicide for a horse.” Kaylee suddenly started springing tears. “Simon can help you!” she exclaimed, grabbing Gabriel by the arm and pulling him down the street. “Simon can fix you! Don’t worry!” “It’s too late,” Gabriel confirmed as the two rushed him in the direction of the mule. “It’s just too late.” “Shut the hell up with that!” Jayne shouted. “Yer breakin’ my concen-” Gabriel pulled them to a halt, and it was unlikely that anything less than a yoked ox could have moved him. “Get everyone together, get on Serenity, an’ get the hell *out*,” he rasped calmly. “I’m done. I’m finished, an’ you’ll all be safe after.” “You don’t get it, *do* you!!!” Jayne screamed in Gabriel’s face. “This crew ain’t protectin’ you fer their own interests!! We’re doin’ it ‘cuz we *care* what happens to yer pathetic, scrawny ass!” “Think about River,” Kaylee sobbed, failing to control her tears. “What will she do when we come back without you, an’ yer dyin’ here in the street? Think she’ll understand?” “Think she’ll *agree* this was the best alternative?!??” Jayne continued, knowing that talk was the only way he was going to get this man moving again. “She’ll bring her crazy li’l buttocks back *out* here!” If nothing else would, that got into Gabriel. Just as it did, he noticed that the gaps between the wooden planks in the walkway were growing and shrinking in a rhythm. “Okay,” he murmured. “Just watch for the boards; they’re more’n like gonna trip ya up.” “It’s hittin’ ‘im already,” Gabriel heard Jayne inform Kaylee as he was pulled forward by the other man’s rough hand. “I’m noticin’,” Gabriel confessed, his eyes locked on the boards beneath him. Already, the fluctuations in the board spacing were beginning to seem small potatoes compared to the fluid wave the wood seemed to have begun. “Yeah, definitely watch yer step now.” *************************************************************************

“The sedative shouldn’t last much longer,” Simon informed Mal. “She’s only sustained a mild concussion, so, unless some other environmental hardship is inflicted upon her, she should be alert and healthy as ever any moment now.” “Oh, no worries here,” the hanging head of Agent Hayze murmured. “I feel fit as a ripened peach.” Mal’s head jerked toward Simon in surprise. “What? She-” “Wow,” Simon surmised. “Didn’t expect her to recuperate quite *this* quickly, but-” “Where...” Hayze continued, “where... am I?” “That ain’t significant,” Mal informed the woman, stepping forward menacingly and kneeling before her. He hung one arm over his knee casually as he leaned forward. “”How’s the brain?” Hayze shook her head back and forth. “Pretty cloudy,” she admitted. “Jayne must have clocked me pretty-” “Okay,” Mal belayed, “stop right there. So, we’re on a first-name basis with my crew now, are we?” “Sorry, Reynolds,” Hayze apologized, her voice containing no detectable sorrow. “Couldn’t help it, in that case.” “Yeah, real brilliant,” Mal patronized as he stood. “How many of you are here now?” Hayze shook her head again, apparently trying to rid herself of a physiologically-illusionary cloud in her skull. “I’m the only one.” “Fei hua,” Mal objected. “I’ll believe that as soon as I...” He paused. “...believe that... somethin’ entirely *un*believable would happen!” “Well put, Captain,” Hayze replied, finally lifting her head from its drooping position. “Captain,” Simon began, “If I may... I believe that we should wait at least a few minutes for the woman to regain all of her senses before we-” “Ever interrogated someone before?” Mal inquired of his doctor challengingly. Simon’s eyes widened beneath his frown as he blinked several times. “Well, I don’t-” “Exactly,” Mal answered for the man. “Which brings me back to the part where I question the broad who ain’t quite entirely in her right-” “*Mal!*” Jayne’s voice boomed, startlingly, over the Comm unit that Mal had in his possession. Scrambling through the pockets of his coat and pants, Mal finally located the communicator. “Here,” he replied, looking to Simon with a worried expression. *************************************************************************

“We got a problem!” Jayne shouted as he raced the mule at top-speed down the barren road. “Gab’s in a bad way!” “*How bad?*” Mal’s voice sputtered over the Comm. “Bad enough we ain’t even comin’ to the house!” Jayne exclaimed. “We’re headed fer Serenity! That gorram doctor better be there when we are, or this kid’s dead as a... well, he’ll be pretty damn dead!” “*We’ll be there!*” came Simon’s voice, apparently butting in around Mal’s. “Watch it!” Gabriel cried, and Jayne instinctively swerved before he could realize that there was nothing in front of them. “Calm down!” Jayne insisted, fighting for a moment to keep the mule on the road. “We’re fine, Gabriel! We’re fine!” “Well, gorram it, watch for the ruttin’ snakes!” Gabriel shouted. “Gabriel!” Kaylee insisted, still sobbing wet tears in fear. “You’ll be safe as soon as we-” “Woah!” Gabriel yelled, standing in the mule, despite the incredible speeds. He grabbed his seat, ripped it from its steel mountings with little apparent effort, whatsoever, and began violently beating the side of the mule with the object. “Get off!!” he screamed. “Get *off!!!*” “*Steady,* Kid!” Jayne uttered loudly. “I’ll try an’ speed up; get ‘em off us! Jus’ sit *down,* an’, an’ try an’ *stop* from rippin’ off any more of the mule’s parts!” “All *right,*” Gabriel stressed, slamming the seat back down in the mule’s interior and plopping down into its now-unsteady cushioning. “Jus’ hit the quickness! These gargantuan snakes are faster ‘n’ ya’d wager.”