“We ain’t killin’ these men,” Mal stated, “an’ if it ain’t too terrible much trouble, Zoe, is it all right if my second mate lives?” His face still pressed into coarse, rocky, unforgiving dirt, Park began shaking. *What the *hell* kind of people are they?* Zoe Alleyne Washburne finally set her rifle on the ground, followed by an emotional rush to Gabriel Davin. “How can a kid as young as you be so gorram smart?” she wondered as she hugged him, trying to squeeze back tears and failing. A sad smile playing through his lips, Gabriel moved his mouth to Zoe’s ear and murmured, “I ain’t smart, Zoe. I just read a lot.” Park thought that the man was trying to joke, and Zoe’s heart-breaking laughter, a mixture of sadness, relief, pain and joy, confirmed his suspicion. *These are people,* Park thought to himself. *They’re not monsters, they’re really people...* The terrible noises shocked the narcotics officer half to death. So wrapped up in the intense drama playing before him was he, the Japanese man hadn’t even heard the twin Reaver vessels approaching until they were already upon the landing site. Twisting his head over his shoulder with such abruptness that he actually managed to pain his neck, Park shocked in a breath of the cool air as he watched his vessel being literally *shredded* by the pair of Reaver ships with primaeval, yet highly-effective magnetic grapplers. “Get *inside!!!*” Davin screamed, grabbing Park by the left arm and *tossing* him, with no apparent effort, toward the starship. A sharp, excruciating pain exploded in his shoulder, shooting down his arm and spraying halfway through his chest, and Park knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that his arm had just been dislocated. Davin began moving toward Brendt with salvation intent, but this was hampered by a large, flaming section of Park’s ship soaring groundward. It slammed into the dirt with incredible force, spraying everyone with humus. Brendt and Rustin were crushed and killed; this much, Park witnessed and knew for certain. As to the fates of Washburne and Davin, Park was at a loss. They had dived backwards at the last moment. “EVERYONE INSIDE!!!” Reynolds boomed, and, for being as incapacitated as he appeared, the man’s military background was revealed in his huge, clear, instructing voice. “INSIDE, NOW!!!” *************************************************************************

From his prone position at the top of the loading ramp, Mal watched the sky, wild-eyed, as a second section of fiery hull tumbled through the air directly toward Serenity. *It’s gonna hit us,* he thought. *No way it can’t...* At the last second, when the flying wreckage was so close that its heat could be felt from the ground, it abruptly was swept to the side with no apparent reason, rolling across the ground and shredding the sod and the rock. Mal wasn’t entirely shocked, because he was still numbed from the fact that a giant hunk of burning metal had nearly hit him. His mind immediately snapping back to the here and now, Mal realized that River was still standing outside, staring blankly at the sky. “River!” he called. “River, getcher ass up here!” River continued staring at the sky as the gruesome Reaver birds circled overhead like giant, twisted, steel vultures intent on picking apart the vermin cowering below. “Inara!” Mal called, trying to twist around on his stretcher, but the stabbing pains in his chest, back, and arms made it nearly impossible. It did not matter, however, because Inara was right there, kneeling. She’d never left his side. “Mal!” Inara shouted. “Inara!” Mal repeated. “Get Kaylee to the cockpit! River’s done!” “Mal,” Inara began, but Mal interrupted her. “You don’t get *someone* in that cockpit, we die.” Mal found Inara’s hand for just a moment, squeezed it, and released it. “Go.” Without another moment’s hesitation, Inara nodded once and rushed off across the cargo bay. Mal smiled. *She understands, now. Understands *me*.* Turning back to River, Mal called, “River! Are they still alive?” Although she did not move from her spot on the dirt, River's head turned over her left shoulder to look peculiarly at Mal. “Yes,” she responded. Mal felt a crushing pressure that had been strangling his heart evaporate in that one, simple, uplifting word that freed him. Sighing in relief, Mal followed up with, “River, ya gotta come inside. We gotta go, or we’ll die, an’ never save Gab or Zoe.” With one last, long glimpse to the left, in the direction of the wreckage that mysteriously missed Serenity, River turned back, nodded, and rushed into the ship. *************************************************************************

*Runrunrunrunrunrunrunrunruuuuuuun!!!* It screamed through Gabriel’s brain like a rabid siren on steroids, over and over and over. His legs pounded the dirt like twin pistons, chugging away at high speeds. He sensed something, an emotion of distress, from behind, and turned to see Zoe falling dangerously back. Digging his toe-brakes into the ground, Gabriel skidded backward almost six inches before launching himself in the opposite direction. *She’s slower; ain’t got the stamina, neither...* Without hesitation, Gabriel grabbed Zoe around the waist, threw her over both shoulders in a fireman’s carry, and spun again to continue. “Just leave me!” Zoe shouted into his ear as the Reaver engines roared in the distance behind them. “I’m slowin’ ya! *Leave* me!” “Blabble-abble-obble-ah-blee-blah!” Gabriel replied. “Yer mouth’s movin’, but that’s all I’m hearin’!” He continued, barely slower this time, in *a* direction, *any* direction but the terrible, grinding sounds of giant, neglected engines. There was a tall ridge before them, and Gabriel moved hastily, yet carefully up the path, twisting around switchbacks with precisely-placed footing. Perhaps ten minutes later, he reached the top and paused to look back across the distance he had crossed. The only trace of the attacking ships was their exhaust flames at the horizon as they pursued the fleeing Serenity. “C-can...” Zoe stammered. “Can I get down now?” Gabriel heaved another breath, then gently lowered Zoe to her feet. He stood, gasping for air, sweat meandering down his skin, and stared ahead as the lights finally vanished. “Ya gonna live?” Zoe inquired, a slight, wry smile twisting her lips. “I ain’t exactly a feather-weight.” Still working to control his breathing, Gabriel smiled back. “By my reckoning, ya prob’ly only weigh somewhere around one thirty, max. Don’t sweat it.” He glanced back in the direction of the former landing site. “Ya okay?” Zoe frowned a bit. “Sure. Why?” Gabriel shrugged. “You were under a tad bit stress back there, ‘fore the Reavers crashed the party.” Pursing her lips, Zoe countered with, “We had a difference of opinion. You should’ve respected my authority.” Gabriel licked his lips and brushed thick, sweaty hair from his forehead. “Perhaps,” he decided. “You say jump...” He left the rest of his trademark phrase unsaid. “But I’m...” He bowed and shook his head, taking another breath. Finally, his face came up again, and his expression became somber; his eyes were sad. “I just want to become a good person.” As soon as the admission sunk in, Zoe reached out to grasp Gabriel’s wrist. “Gab... You *are* a good person. You were willing to let me shoot you for a gorram *cop*.” She tried to smile to make him feel better, but the smile didn’t really work quite right. “I think yer goodness is pretty safe.” Gabriel shrugged, uncertain. “Let me put it this way,” Zoe offered. “I wanted to kill those men. I still want to, assuming they’re still alive, because that’s the *smart* thing to do.” Gabriel said nothing because he had no argument. “However,” Zoe continued, “you did what you did because it was the *right* thing to do, and in many situations, the smart and the right are two very different things.” Gabriel considered this. “You’re right,” he admitted. Zoe paused for a moment. “Oh, yeah?” “Yeah,” Gabriel reasserted. “When yer right, yer right, an’ when yer wrong... well, yer wrong. An’ right now, yer right.” Zoe nodded once. “I’ll accept that. “So... what now?” Gabriel grinned. “Yer the captain. What now?” Zoe could have split her head open with the grin that followed, and relief washed over her at the finalization that, not only did she not hate Gabriel at this point, but that she still loved him as fiercely as she did her three brothers. “We find a place where the crew can easily locate us when they come back. We ain’t got no flares or lights, but...” Gabriel shrugged, looking about them. “How about here? High ground; close to the site...” Zoe thought about the situation for a moment before smiling again. Gabriel noted that the most he’d ever seen Zoe smile in one sitting was when she was speaking with him. “Well, you’re no River...” she began, “...but I should really consult you more often.” Gabriel reached for his left shoulder to pick a bit of rock from his sweat-sticky skin. “River’s smart. I just read a lot, is all.” “Don’t lie.” *************************************************************************

As soon as River took Kaylee’s place in the pilot seat, the flying became much smoother. Although her flying skill was a bit lacking in the face of the ship’s past with Wash, River could more than hold her own at this point in her experience, and although Serenity could not outrun the Reaver ships dogging her, River could twist and bank her enough to avoid the weapons blasts that continuously rocked the ship. “Can we get away from them?” Jayne inquired, leaning forward behind River. River didn’t answer him directly. “Kaylee, I need you in the engine room.” She reached for the intercom. “Crew: River. Find a seat and strap in.” As Kaylee turned to report to her assigned station, Jayne rushed for the copilot seat. “Can we get away from them?” “Kaylee,” River spoke into the intercom, “are you secure?” “*I’m good,*” came the reply. “Good,” River murmured to herself, and threw Serenity into a tight, extremely fast barrel roll. It took Jayne, with his iron alcohol-drinker’s stomach, all of ten seconds to expel the complete contents of his stomach onto the controls before him. It was impossible to get his bearings, but he could definitely hear the creaking and groaning of the ship’s steel trying to tear itself apart under the stress of air friction. *Ship ain’t designed for this; girl’s a gorram maniac...* At this point, River did something that no pilot should ever put his or her ship through. “Kaylee,” she told the intercom, “prepare for full burn.” “*What?!??*” the speaker screamed as Kaylee began to excite. “*You can’t-*” “Either you trust me, or you don’t.” River’s voice was as calm as a heartless killer before tearing his or her victim’s heart out. “Just do it.” “You can’t do it!” Jayne shouted. “I’m tellin’ ya this *right now, ya can’t do it.*” “*Yes I can!!!*” River yelled back, and she hit it. Jayne blacked out. How long he was out was not certain, but when his awareness and vision returned, he felt a sickening lurch in the ship. *We just lost a piece of somethin'...* Twirling out of control, Serenity took a nosedive. River’s scream of terror and rage matched the sound of the entire full-burn system shelling itself out. From his vantage point in the copilot seat, Jayne could see nothing but spinning colors outside the windows, but he could imagine the main burn engine spitting pieces of shredded machinery out of the exhaust. He’d never liked the ship; of this, Jayne had been certain. However, if that were still the case, how could he explain the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realized that River had ruined Serenity? Snapping into action, River began manipulating the maneuver engines, finally slowing their spin, as well as their descent. “I...” she stammered. “I don’t know...” “Yer gonna *bury* us in the gorram *dirt!*” Jayne shouted. “*That* much, you should know! Now, *do* something about it!” “WHAT DO YOU THINK I’M DOING?!??” River screamed, her hands flying deftly and rapidly before her as she fought with every brain cell she possessed to save the crews' life. “I THINK YER KILLING US!!!” Jayne screamed back. In response, River threw the two remaining engines in full reverse for ten seconds before manipulating them both in direct alignment, toggling to and fro to maintain maximum stability. Incredibly, she actually managed to pull the ship out of the spin, but Serenity was still in a headlong nose-dive for Ita’s surface. “River!” Jayne exclaimed, squeezing the arms of his seat for dear life, “I wanna tell ya this now.” “Don’t bother!” River yelled back, wrestling the controls like a madwoman. “I already know!” “I know!” Jayne shouted. “I wanna say it, anyway!” There was a pause. “I never liked ya! Never liked yer brother, neither! But I wanna tell ya that I *respect* ya!” “Thank you, Jayne,” River returned absently, “but we’re not going to die!” “I find that hard to believe!” Serenity’s hull screamed all around as she plummeted toward the earth in a swan dive. Several more lurches signified a furthering of hull breakage and the losing of sections of vessel. Finally, Jayne resigned to squeezing his eyes closed. *Gotta remember,* he thought, pouring every memory of his mother into his foreconscience. *The Lord is my shepherd,* he began, *I shall not want.* One of the windows in the cockpit gained a perforated seal, and a high-pitched whistling sound began as the wind burst through the small opening like a spring. *He maketh me to... to... to fall, no... to *lie* down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul...* “We’re gonna l*ive!!!*” River screamed in Jayne’s direction. “We’re gonna live!!!*” *Ye, though I walk...* Jayne began. *No, that’s not right... Ye...*” “Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” River continued, “I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me.” The leaking window exploded, and hot air seared across Jayne’s face like a dust storm. “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” The maneuver engines were thrown, once again, into full reverse, as the ship neared the rocky terrain below. “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies,” Jayne and River prayed together. “Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over.” Jayne’s eyes weren’t able to close. It was entirely possible, in his own mixed-up mind, that his brain would surely explode outward, forcing his brains into the cockpit. *I hate negative G-forces...* “Surely,” Jayne and River quoted as one, “goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...” Jayne took a deep, deep breath, expecting it to be the last in this world. “And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” River’s scream, instead of matching the pitch of the disintegrating ship, matched the whistle of the wind shrieking through the destroyed cockpit window. A second window burst inward, flying between both and slamming into the rear wall of the flight cabin. “Amen.”