Copper and Lead ---------------------------------------- based on the World of Firefly by Joss Whedon

Coyote had been a real trooper, the stallion kicking up dirt like the fat tires on a four wheeler. She could see the ship from here and things didn't look good. First, there was smoke, high black clouds of it pouring from an unknown source inside the ship and second, there was little movement.

Her body tensed as her eyes drifted across the open scene before her. Two lay dead near an outcropping, neither part of Mal's crew. Near the ship lay two more, but at this length, she couldn't tell who they were. All she knew was she saw brown.

Her legs bore harder into the stallion's side causing him to shake his head, but answered with a slight increase of speed. Ears, alert to even the slightest sound caught a scream emerging out of the belly of Serenity. Kaylee, the little girl from the other day ran out of the ship, her feet bloody, but hard to tell just whose it was.

Following close behind came the ugliest creature Cat had ever seen. He had been human once, or at least could still be and in his hand was Kaylee's parasol. His eyes held a fire even she knew, ready to take a virtue Cat was not willing to watch him take and as he turned to the sound of Coyote's hooves, she pounced, throwing her body at him like the animal she was aptly named.

The impact flattened him breaking bones and driving home one of his broken ribs into his right lung. It only bruised it, but the sensation was that of pure fire. The knife at her hip was to his throat before he knew what hit him and she held him down using the pain he could feel in his chest. "Stay down."

He spat in her face and knew it was a mistake. The knife flashed as it went from his neck to under the kneecap, which she proceeded to free from his knee. Screaming in pain, he moved to get her off him, but to no avail. "I said stay down."

"You'll get nothing from me, Bitch. I don't betray my family."

"You don't even know what family means, Cast Away. They keep you around just so they have expendables. Now, stay and pray I find no one dead inside that ship and that little girl over there hasn't been used by any of you."

"She smells delicious, though. Like strawberries." The man licked his lips, but Cat grabbed his tongue.

"Watch your tongue before you don't have one." She remained spread over his body, his knee pouring blood. Turning, she saw Kaylee inching back toward her, a look of pure fear in her eyes. “Kaylee, you okay?”

“I twisted my ankle, but I'm fine besides all this blood.”

" I need you to cut me some fabric from one of the bodies. We need to put a tourniquet around his leg before he bleeds out."

"Why? He deserves what he's gettin'." Her voice held an anger Cat could easily identify.

"That might be, but we need him to tell us who did this, though I have a good idea.”

"I ain't telling you nothing, Bitch." Cat slammed her elbow into his nose breaking it.

"Don't interrupt."

"They took everyone else. They made River sleep and they shot Mal and Jayne. Simon tried hard to fend them off and I don't know what happened to Zoe and Inara. I was in the engine room and all I heard were screams. I came out and the bulkhead and floor were covered in blood. I..."

"Kaylee, explain later. Do what I ask now."

She nodded and walked over taking a small knife she had and slicing a sleeve from a dead body. Her right leg made her limp, but a trooper that she was placed the makeshift tourniquet into the assassin's hand. Cat tied it around her captive's thigh, making sure it was tight enough to stifle the blood.

"Now, I expect you to stay here and not go running off." She grinned at him.

"How am I suppose to move? You cut out my kneecap, you filthy whore."

"You need to work on how you treat women. Telling them nice things goes a lot further."

Cat let up on the guy and reached for Kaylee's hand. "I'm going to go in and take a look. You watch him. If he moves, take your gun and shoot him."

"What if i can't?"

"Oh, my dear. Just start thinking of what his kind did to Simon and I guarantee you will be able to blow his head clean off." Cat reached over and grabbed the man's discarded gun. Her hand snapped open the chamber and found three bullets. "This should give you enough ammo."

"Is that what you do? How you're able to kill? You think about the bad."

"Killings what I do. Ain't much else to my life,"

"It's horrible in there. Blood's everywhere. I'm not sure I can clean it up."

"Kaylee, think on the now. Let me worry about the after."

Her feet came in contact with the ramp and all she could smell was the scent of blood and death. "Nothing, but copper and lead, Cat. Nothing, but copper and lead."