Cid stepped out of the hotel, a duffel bag in one hand and a spear strapped to his back. He didn’t take the Venus Gospel out in public anymore; this society seemed pretty exclusive to projectiles. Not that he didn’t understand that mentality; quite a few of his pals back home were weaponry buffs. But that’s where his understanding seemed to grind to a halt: Why should everyone stick universally to one type of fighting style? Regardless, he hadn’t handled the Venus Gospel in combat in quite a number of months, and was actually beginning to lose his feel for it.

Ignoring the glances and odd looks he got as he walked down the street, he headed down to the docks with the glimmer of hope that someone would need a pilot. Or any work, really. It wasn’t his place to be picky. He’d done some things over the past year he wasn’t particularly proud of, but that just seemed to be the way this ‘verse operated. People on the ‘rim worlds’ did what was necessary to get by. Cid had been reluctant to visit the Core planets; the reputation of the Alliance was less than outstanding. Though, with his lack of information so far, all the answers he was looking for seemed to be in the Cores.

Cid was so wrapped up in thought that he didn’t notice the girl barreling towards him until she was right up on him. She stopped a few feet in front of him, causing the pilot to blink a few times. She stood about half a foot shorter than him and had long, dark brown hair that covered her shoulders, stopping just above her breasts. Her locks complemented her eyes, which were also brown. She wore a long, flowing blue and grey dress and she was panting heavily.

“Are you…?” she started.

“Uh… am I?” Cid replied, bemused.

She waited a few more seconds before trying to speak again, catching her breath. “Are you the man who can’t think?”

He made a face that was a cross between confused and bewildered,.“Don’t reckon I am.”

She furrowed her brow in concentration. “But there are no thoughts. The music of life but no chorus.”

It was then that Cid noticed they were attracting quite a bit of unwanted attention. “Listen, girl. You got the wrong guy,” he said, attempting to make his way around her. He didn’t have time for crazy; had enough of that on his own.

But as he turned to make his was past her, she grabbed on to his shoulders. “Can you fly?” she asked him with a life or death urgency.

“River, you’re making a scene.” Cid’s eyes glanced over to the new voice, noticing the tall, dark-skinned woman for the first time.

“You with this girl?” he asked her.

She nodded sharply. “I am.”

“Can ya get her off me, please?”

She regarded him uncertainly for a second, before stepping towards the girl gripping him. “River, maybe we should—”

She started shaking him. “Can you fly?” she asked again.

“I’m a pilot, if that’s what you’re asking.” He was restraining himself from getting physical with her. He really didn’t need this right now.

Her head whipped around to the dark-haired women. “He has wings!” she exclaimed in a childlike fashion. Turning back to face him, she had a smile that made its way to her eyes. “You’re perfect!” And she grabbed his hand and started pulling him along.

“Woah, hey!” He was aghast with how unnaturally strong the young lady, River, was. She had an iron grip that he couldn’t seem to shake loose.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” he spat angrily at her.

“Serenity!” she called happily.

***

Jayne sat in the back seat, gazing at Mal worriedly as he drove the Mule back to Serenity, the crate they would be transporting sitting precariously next to him in the other seat.

Mal’s gaze was hard and focused, never taking his eyes off the road in front of him, braking every so often to let people walk by. Jayne couldn’t tell if he was pissed or not; he wasn’t good at reading emotions.

Maybe that was why he started flapping his gums. “So why’re we doin’ this job again?”

Mal tensed, but didn’t say anything.

So Jayne kept going. “I mean, sure it’s work, but Badger ain’t the most trustworthy fella’. Even you see that.”

“We need the coin, Jayne,” Mal snapped impatiently.

The mercenary glowered and mumbled, “Coin won’t matter none if we’re all dead.”

***

Mal was staring at River dumbfounded. “What?”

She beamed happily. “I found wings.”

“Yeah, I hear that, Albatross. But what does that mean?” As he asked, he noticed Zoë shift uncomfortably. That wasn’t good. If something was bothering Zoë enough to make her look uneasy, Mal was sure he wasn’t going to like it any better.

He jumped out of the Mule and motioned for Jayne to take it up the ramp. He grunted in reply.

River raised her eyebrows in anticipation, smiling while also biting her bottom lip. Turning around, she motioned for Mal to follow her. The Captain, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, took after her. Not that they went particularly far--only to the other side of the ramp. Mal wondered why he hadn’t noticed him earlier.

He was sitting on the base of the right side of the ramp, knees up in front of him, forearms resting comfortably on them. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt, with a coat tied around his waist, blond hair gelled to make it stick up in long spikes. The man’s jaw was jutted forward, his eyebrows curved into an angry frown. He didn’t look happy to be here.

River stopped just a few feet shy of him and pointed at the man with an over enthusiasm that only she was capable of. “Wings,” she said happily.

“Cid!” the blond growled angrily at her.

River nodded, turning back to face Mal. “Cid. Cid has wings.”

“Hey, do I look like a god damn bird you?” Cid got to his feet and crossed his arms, glaring at the back of her head. River ignored him, her smile never leaving Mal.

“You want to explain, little one?” Mal said cautiously.

“He’s coming with us!” she shouted in glee.

“What?” Mal, Zoë, and Cid all responded in unison.

“Now look here, Albatross. Last I understood I’m in charge of this here boat, not you.” Mal was trying not to let the day’s activities aggravate him too much, but his patience was already wearing thin and he was in no mood for this.

She continued to smile sweetly. “We need him.”

“What for?” Mal sounded insulted.

“Yeah, girlie,” Cid interjected, getting to his feet, his tone condescending, “enlighten us.” Mal shot the man a glare.

River’s eyes flickered over to Zoë’s in such a quick motion that Mal would have missed it if he wasn’t so close to her. She leaned in closely to whisper in his ear, “He is a leaf on the wind.”

Mal’s breath got caught in his throat for a moment as memories flooded his head. Without looking away, he called over his shoulder. “How you feel ‘bout all this, Zoë?”

Zoë hesitated. “I… I trust River, sir.” And Mal huffed uncertainly, stepping past River to survey this man with ‘wings.’

He gave the man a quick look up and down. “I can only guess you’re a pilot, from what River’s told me?” Cid grunted in acknowledgement, crossing his arms. Other than that, however, he stayed silent.

“Lookin’ fer work?”

The blond quirked an eyebrow. “S’pose I am. Why, you offerin’?”

Mal knew a challenge when he heard one. “Ever flown a Firefly?” he asked, gesturing with a quick nod over towards Serenity.

“Nope,” he said bluntly. “But I’m a quick study. Been flyin’ pl-“ Cid caught himself, “boats—since I was a little’un. I ain’t never come across a ship I couldn’t fly.”

The captain went over it in his head for several minutes, weighing his options. It was true that another pilot would put his mind at ease when River became… incapacitated, and Zoë had, more or less, offered her seal of approval. Still, something was off about the man. Like he was just too convenient.

“What kinda work you lot do, anyhow?” Cid asked, interrupting his train of thought.

“Transport,” Mal said in a leveled voice. “Illegal, more often than not.” He gauged Cid’s reaction. Another grunt of acknowledgment was all he offered, seemingly not put off by that last bit of information at all. This made Mal ever more uneasy than before. It was all too perfect.

After a few more moments, “Seven percent.”

“Nine.” Cid countered.

“Eight.”

“Done.” Cid shook Mal’s—his captain’s—hand firmly.

Serenity had found its wings.

~tbc.