River stared through the bridge viewports at Renao, the smaller of Persephone’s two tiny moons, a silver sliver in the blackness. Her attention was not on the moon, though, but inside. She was trying to be calm and persuade herself that it was going to work. She knew it was futile to pretend she was not afraid, but she could not give in to the fear. Just beneath the surface, Ariel stirred. River learned very quickly that if she was afraid, if she hesitated, she would lose control. Ariel was incredibly strong. Only a determined resistance had saved her when she called Ariel up in her room. Her assassin alter-ego was surprised by it, having never been challenged before. Built without the inhibitions and mores of normal human beings, she was not bound by the limits that kept most people in check. Only one thing concerned her- the mission. Fortunately, she was also programmed to take orders. So, for a few hours when she should have been sleeping, River stood in front of her mirror, calling up Ariel and training her to obey. She accustomed herself to the cold eyes and affectless expression of Ariel’s persona on her face. Then she would command Ariel to stand down, though never without some resistance. It was like a master teaching his dog to heel. River hated that analogy, but she saw it was apropos. And, just like a dog, if Ariel sensed fear or weakness, she would not respond. Over those brief few hours she gained confidence that she could control Ariel, but the sensation at transition never grew less unsettling. When Ariel took the foreground, she fell backwards out of herself. Everything became more distant as it filtered through Ariel’s consciousness, which was as stark and sterile a place as the Academy that created her. Ariel felt emotions, but they were of little consequence. She ignored them or turned them to her advantage as necessary. Although ashamed of it, River actually envied her for that. When River took control again, there was that not-quite-physical sensation of pushing forward and she would shudder and see herself behind her eyes once more. The only odd thing was, now that she had activated Ariel, she was constantly aware of her, and vice versa. They were two people who never knew each other until now, and discovered that they lived in the same house the whole time. It took a lot of River’s mental concentration to keep that awareness at bay. Right now she sensed her alternate self regarding her with a mixture of amusement and disdain. Ariel did not like River being in control. She was used to operating independently. She had no regard for River’s concerns about her friends on the crew. Those thoughts were extraneous, distracting. She viewed River as a weakness, and thus a potential threat to the mission’s success. Unfortunately, she had no choice in the matter. They were in this together. River blinked her eyes back to reality. She could feel Ariel urging her, yearning to be freed so she could take control and do what was necessary. River took a deep breath and closed her eyes. -No,- she mouthed the word without speaking it aloud. It was her decision. She could not let Ariel influence her. Ariel simmered, but stayed in check. She took another deep breath in final preparation. Swiveling in the chair, she looked down the hall. Nothing stirred. She could see a distant light in the engine room where Kaylee was still attending to the bad power relay. The captain was not to be seen, and she knew everyone else was asleep. -Now we go.- She pushed herself out of the chair and moved silently down the stairs and through the foredeck. She had dressed in the best she had in terms of tactical wear- a light, long-sleeved t-shirt beneath a hooded sweatshirt, and the cargo pants formerly belonging to Kaylee. She had taken a hint from Inara as well and further disguised herself by putting her hair up. She hoped it was enough. The galley was first, to gather some rations for the trip. A handful of protein bars disappeared from the freshly stocked stores and into one of her oversized pockets. She slipped around the corner leading to the forward stairs and made her way to the hold next. Red emergency lighting was all the illumination she had, but she knew her way even in the dark. Sure as a cat, she descended to the main floor and hurried to the wall where the weapons locker hung. She grabbed a pistol and holster and strapped them to her thigh, then stashed a few spare magazines in her other pockets. Back up the stairs she crept to the remaining shuttle. She unlatched the airlock and disappeared inside, sealing it behind her. Kaylee heard a distinct, solid clunk of metal against metal ring dully from somewhere in the ship. She stopped her work and slid out from beneath the engine, grasping for a screwdriver as she did so. The memories of a particularly terrifying encounter the last time she heard odd noises late at night was suddenly very fresh in her mind. “Cap’n?” she called, unable to keep the faint tremor from her voice. “Cap’n, you there?” she called again a little louder. “River?” she tried next, knowing she was on the watch. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and she tried to swallow. She cautiously rose and padded to the engine room door. She peered down the hall, screwdriver at the ready, but no one was around. Apprehension still clung to her, as the noise had been very distinct and fairly loud. She wondered where the captain was. Braving the unknown, she walked quickly through the dining area, eyes alert for any movement that was not supposed to be there. On the foredeck, the captain’s hatch was closed. With a quick look to the bridge, she discovered River was not at the helm either. She was feeling eerily alone now. Forcing a little bit of rationality against her fear, she ascended to the bridge. She checked the displays on the control console, figuring maybe River was running more diagnostics, found something else, and had gone to investigate. It was only when she came across the shuttle docking display that she finally recognized the noise she had heard. She bolted from the bridge. “Hunh… wha… what?” Simon mouth could barely form words. “Simon! Wake up!” Kaylee was shaking him rather violently from a very deep sleep from which his brain did not want to depart. “River’s gone! She took the shuttle and left!” “What?” Simon squinted, rising up on his elbow. “River’s gone!” Kaylee repeated. Now Simon was awake. He leaped out of bed, still shirtless. “I don’t know where the captain is,” Kaylee explained as they climbed out of her room. “I heard a noise and I went lookin’. River weren’t on the bridge, so I checked the readouts and saw the shuttle’s gone.” “We gotta find Mal,” Simon stated. “He didn’t answer in his bunk. I don’t know where else he’d be,” Kaylee followed Simon towards the dining area. “He’s got to be around somewhere,” Simon uttered, a little annoyed. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the hallway. “Unless…” fear dawned in his eyes. Kaylee gasped and put a hand over her mouth, realizing what he was thinking. “Wake everyone. Can you get the lights on?” Kaylee nodded and darted back onto the bridge. Simon started banging on bunks. Mal and Inara both sat up, startled by the sudden pounding on the door. “Inara! Wake up! We got a situation,” Zoe called through the door. They shared a horrified glance, then leaped over each other out of the bed. “Oh, no…” “Shhh…” “Where the hell’s my…” “Here, quick…” They fumbled about the room in whispers, searching for their discarded articles of clothing. Mal collected as much as he could find, covering his exposed bits and pieces with the ball of clothes, while Inara threw on one of her robes. “Get rid of her!” Mal mouthed, stabbing his finger at the door. “How?” Inara mouthed back. Mal threw up his arms, then quickly dropped them, reddening sharply. Inara shook her head and went to the door. She cracked it. Mal pressed himself against the wall, hoping he was invisible at that angle. “What’s going on?” “River’s gone. Took off in the shuttle. Can’t find the captain neither.” “I’ll be right out. Just let me get something on.” She closed the door. Mal had all kinds of consternation written on his face. Not only was River gone, but so was his last shuttle. All of that was momentarily thrust from his mind when he saw Inara’s look. Her chin was down, eyes lowered and almost apologetic. He looked down as well, embarrassment burning the roots of his hair. “Guess I should, uh… yeah,” he mumbled. “Yes. I’ll just…” she trailed off as well. Their eyes met just slightly and both blushed. Mal turned his back and started dressing, while he heard Inara do the same. “You should go first, then I’ll slip out when the coast is clear,” he said while buttoning up his shirt. Inara nodded without response. He turned just slightly and caught glimpse of her naked form, turning away before she saw him. “What are you going to tell them?” Her question was guardedly casual, but still loaded with meaning. “Just, uh… I’ll… make somethin’ up,” he said as he righted his suspenders. He turned around. She was fully dressed as well now, though she did not meet his eyes still. It tore at something in him that she would not. “Inara.” She finally looked up. Her eyes were full of confusion and embarrassment, but he thought beneath that he saw something else, just a little glimmer. He did not know what to say, so he just smiled awkwardly. “I’ll go,” she said, breaking the moment. She slipped out with a cautious glance first. Mal waited a few seconds, listening. He heard no voices or footsteps outside, so he risked poking his neck out of the door. The commons area and cargo hold were well lit now, and he saw Zoe moving briskly about in the hold. He ducked back inside and waited a few more tense seconds before attempting to look again. This time he saw nobody, so he strode out towards the hold. “What’s all the ruckus?” he asked a little too loudly as he stepped through the bulkhead. “Sir.” “Cap’n!” “Mal, where have you been?” Everyone looked startled to see him except Inara, who was trying hard not to look at him. “Just, uh, catchin’ some shut-eye in my bunk,” he said, neither his face nor his words very convincing. “We knocked, and you didn’t come out,” Simon said. “Well, I was sleeping,” Mal retorted. “Then I heard all you makin’ noise. Someone wanna tell me what’s up?” he pretended as if he was not aware of the situation already. “River’s gone, sir,” Zoe informed him. “Gone how?” “Took the shuttle. Kaylee heard her go. Also broke into the armory. A pistol and some clips are missin’.” A frown overtook Mal’s face. “What the hell’s that girl got on her mind?” “Think maybe she felt the Alliance comin’?” Zoe suggested. “No. Would’ve set off the alarm by now. Besides, I don’t think she’d leave us here as sittin’ ducks.” “Maybe she went off to see her ma,” Jayne suggested, almost offhand. “In the shuttle? Ain’t no way, Jayne. That thing’d run outta fuel before she got out of Persephone’s orbit.” Jayne shrugged, managing to look a little hurt that his idea was struck down so easily. “Oh no,” Simon uttered, sinking back onto some empty crates. “What is it?” Kaylee caught his arm, concern rippling over her features. “That’s what she’s going to do.” “What?” Mal asked. “She’s going to try to get to Osiris to see our mother.” “She wouldn’t…” Mal looked hard at Simon, tracking his thoughts. “I think she would,” Simon countered. “See, told ya,” Jayne interjected, vindicated. “You think she’s gonna try to find passage on Persephone?” Simon nodded. “It’d be suicide,” Zoe stated. “Captain, we’ve got to go after her. There’s no way she’ll make it. The Alliance will catch her.” Mal nodded, face hardening with resolve. “Kaylee, how close are you to havin’ us up and runnin’ again?” “Um, I’m almost done. Just need a little more time.” “Well get done on the double. We ain’t got much to spare. Zoe, go with her. Help her with whatever she needs.” Zoe nodded and the two women headed up the stairs for the engine room. “If we can’t catch her ‘fore she’s planetside, we ain’t gonna find her. And most likely the Alliance’ll be on us, too,” said Jayne. “You sayin’ you wanna sit this one out?” Mal challenged. Jayne twisted out a grin. “Hell no.” “Aargh!” Kaylee slammed her cutters against the engine housing. “This gorram wire! I done spliced it five times already and I still can’t get no current runnin’ through it.” “What do you need, Kaylee?” Zoe squatted down, forcing calm. “I need a new relay is what I need.” Kaylee’s little more time on the repair had turned into almost another three hours. The spare cable she found did not work, so she had taken to splicing in wire from what she could scavenge out of other components. Still, she could not get power to flow through the relay. She sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of one dirty hand. “C’mon Kaylee. Pull yourself together, girl,” Zoe chided, but gently. “You gotta get this workin’ again.” “I know, Zo. It should be workin’, but it ain’t.” “Kaylee! Why don’t we have power yet?” Mal hollered as he stomped towards them. Kaylee started to cry. “Kaylee!” Mal burst into the engine room. “Sir,” Zoe halted him, flicking her eyes behind her. Mal’s anger cooled a little when he saw his mechanic in tears. “I’m sorry, Cap’n. I’m tryin’. But it’s all luan qi ba zao.” “Kaylee,” Mal put a hand on her shoulder. “I know it is. But you gotta give me more’n this.” He was trying hard to restrain his impatience and not upset her anymore. Simon appeared in the doorway behind them and looked on with a pained expression. “What can you do?” Kaylee sniffed, wiping her eyes again and thinking. “Well, I could just bypass it altogether, take it outta the circuit. But then we’re only runnin’ on half power.” “Will we be moving?” “Yeah.” “That’s better ‘n not movin’. Do it.” “Yes, Cap’n.” “Good.” Mal marched out, sidestepping Simon who came in now and wrapped Kaylee in a protective hug. “I’m sorry, Simon! I couldn’t get her fixed, and now River’s out there all alone.” “Shhh,” Simon comforted, though his face carried the same anxiety she felt. He looked down into her eyes. “You just do what the captain said, okay. Just get us moving, and we’ll catch up to her.” She nodded. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, which caused her to smile just a bit beneath her frown. She crawled back underneath the engine and got to work. The shuttle’s engines whined down as the dust cloud from its landing dissipated. River ran through the power-down procedure automatically. Once everything was dark, though, she did not make to leave the cockpit right away. She sat there, closing her eyes and breathing deep, fighting the fatigue and steeling her nerves for what she knew was ahead. Ariel waited, a tiger crouched in her subconscious jungle, licking its lips. -I can do this. I have to do this.- After a moment, she opened her eyes and rose from the chair. She descended into the bustle of the Eavesdown Docks and sealed the shuttle. Outside, the mental noise of the crowd made her cringe, but she held on, forcing herself to endure it or lose control. She figured she could find a willing ship to take her to Osiris. She had some platinum which she hoped would be enough. However, Ariel, with cold calculating precision, was already exploring other options. She could easily rob a few passers-by and collect more money. Or she could just hijack a ship. However, that option hinged on finding a reasonably fast ship with an inattentive and not well armed crew she could surprise. And it would most certainly draw unwanted attention. Even if she did escape, a stolen ship would be a beacon for trouble. Ariel’s plotting was interrupted by an electronic billboard blaring its message. “Sheenaman’s… Sheenaman’s… Sheenaman’s… Sheenaman’s!!” a choir trumpeted at increasing volume behind the image of a smarmy-looking character with a wide smile plastered on the screen. “Sheenaman’s Used Ships, Parts, and Supplies” the words flashed beneath it. Inside, River felt Ariel grin. She had an idea. Miles Sheenaman hurried across the dusty, stony field that served as his lot. Perspiration broke on his brow, and he felt the armpits of his shirt starting to soak through. He took aim for the slight figure in the hooded sweater making a beeline for the small ship in the far corner of the lot. When he was only a few meters away, the figure suddenly whipped around to face him, causing him to jerk to a halt. He was even more surprised to find the face of a young woman greeting him beneath the hood. She was waifish, her eyes dark and intense, with something that looked almost animalistic in them. His eyes lingered on the firearm at her hip. He wondered if she was perhaps strung out on drops. He licked his lips nervously. “Uh, howdy, miss. Lookin’ for a ship, I assume?” “Yes,” her response was flat. “Great!” he put on the zealous salesman’s mask. “What did you have…” “That one,” she continued walking towards the ship she had been headed for. “Hmm, I guess the young lady knows what she wants,” Sheenaman almost had to jog to keep his ample bulk up with her. “Well that one is seventy-five hundred credits.” “I’m not buying it. I’m taking it,” the girl announced, and, before he could react, had her pistol leveled at his head. The salesman’s fear raced through River, his thoughts frantically scrambling to find a way out of his predicament. This was not the first time he had been in this position, she understood from his memories. She hated threatening him like this, but this was her best chance at getting offworld. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she told the salesman calmly. “I just need that ship.” When it was clear she was not going to shoot, Sheenaman recovered a bit of his genial expression with some effort. He gave a fake chuckle. “Well, I thank you, miss, for that. However, I might think twice ‘bout makin’ off with one of my boats. All my ships are coded and tagged. Can’t fire a one of ‘em up unless you got the lockout code. And even if you did manage to override that, all of ‘em’s tagged by Lawforce for easy recovery. So how’s about you put down the gun and we talk some real business?” A rapid-fire mix of emotions crossed her face, but she kept the gun trained on him. “Give me the code and tag override,” she demanded. “Now, now, miss,” he wagged his finger at her in mock admonition. “If you’re not interested in dealin’, I suggest you leave before Lawforce gets here. They catch you holdin’ me up on the security monitor and they’ll be here in a jiffy.” Her eyes made an apprehensive sweep around the lot, ostensibly looking for the security cameras or approaching Lawforce ships. “Give me the codes,” River pushed the pistol a little closer to the salesman’s head. He just barely flinched, but his false smile stayed true. “I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave my establishment, miss,” he said politely. He was still afraid, but he had the upper hand and he knew it. If she shot him, she would not get the codes. He was not thinking about them, so she could not pull them from his mind, either. Instead, he was thinking about the satisfaction of watching Lawforce haul her away in cuffs. Even more satisfying was his thought about what he would do to her if he managed to get that pistol away from her. River recoiled in revulsion. It was just enough of a break in her concentration for Ariel to slip through. Sheenaman saw a disconcerting change come over the girl’s face. Any trace of emotion was wiped clean. Recognizing trouble, he made to backpedal, but was too late. Ariel lashed out with kick that caught him just beneath the chin. His teeth clacked together as his head snapped back, the momentum throwing him to the ground. She was on top of him an instant later. “Give me the codes.” The icy, deadly calm of the voice sent the hairs on his neck prickling. His fear returned, but he knew she still would not shoot. He hardened his expression in answer. Ariel reached between his legs, found the two soft, fleshy globules, and squeezed. “Ahhhh!!” the salesman shrieked, grabbing at her arm. River, recovering from the disorientation of the change-over, winced at his pain, but Ariel was unfazed. She leaned over him. “Give me the lockdown code and tag override, or I qu shi you.” “Oww!! You crazy bitch! Let go of my balls!” “I will when you give me the codes.” She squeezed a little tighter. “Ahhh! Stop, stop, stop! Please!” “The codes.” “Okay, okay!” Sheenaman pleaded. “They’re in my office. Lower desk drawer, there’s a file in there with ‘em,” he blubbered. Ariel released her grip. “Ahh!” Sheenaman curled into a ball, clutching at his crotch. She turned heel in the dust and marched towards the office. “San ba xiao jie!” he spat, rising to his knees, hand still protecting his damaged man-parts. Ariel whirled and placed a perfect shot right between his eyes. His head snapped back, a spray of blood, brain matter, and skull fragments glistening for a moment in the sun. He keeled over onto his side. -No!- River cried, but it was too late. Ariel continued towards the office without a look back. River thrust herself forward, forcing control away from her murderous alternate personality. She halted with a jerk. The pistol, still in her hand, trembled a little. Looking down at it, River closed her eyes, trying to forget the sight of the bullet impacting the man’s skull. She shoved the gun into its holster. -You didn’t have to kill him.- Ariel gave her the equivalent of a mental shrug of indifference. She had killed a man in cold blood. She had probably done it before, as Ariel. But this time, she, River, was an accomplice to it. She had given Ariel the means. Willing the thoughts away lest she lose control again, she ran for the office. The folder with the codes was right were the salesman said it would be. She found the one she wanted and sprinted back across the lot, half expecting to hear the sirens of approaching Lawforce at any moment. She skirted the body, forcing herself not to look at it, and climbed aboard the ship. In general, it resembled a much smaller, sleeker version of Serenity. She found the controls to be fairly standard and had the engines powering up a few minutes after unlocking it and disabling the tracking tag. She checked the system readouts for problems. Nothing dangerous caught her attention. Hull integrity was good, life support functional. The main engine core was only at eighty percent power, but it would do. If she ran at hard burn the whole way, she might be able to make it in just over four days. A small side of frustration built given that length of time, but she calmed it. She would not find a ship much faster than this one, even with only eighty percent power. Throttling up the jets, she lifted the ship off the ground, hearing it groan and protest as the landing struts retracted. She hazarded a glance down, the dust swirling over the corpse lying in the middle of the lot. Swallowing the sudden nausea, she tore her eyes away and kicked the jets into full power. She pulled hard on the control stick and the small ship tore up through the sky. Mal was at the helm, eyes obsessively flicking over the radar and proximity displays, just waiting for an Alliance patrol to ambush them. He hoped Kaylee got them moving soon. Limping along at half power, Serenity was still a lot quicker than the shuttle River had stolen. Even so, she had several hours head start, and Mal had very little hope of catching her before she reached the planet’s surface, especially if the repairs took much longer. Meanwhile, Zoe was focused on the Cortex, browsing the newsfeeds for any report of River’s capture. Simon, torn between staying in the engine room to help Kaylee and worrying about his runaway sister, hovered at the door of the bridge, arms folded. “Hey, got somethin’,” Zoe announced. Simon rushed over to see. It was a brief newswave regarding a ship theft at a local used dealer. The security feeds played back on the screen, showing a thin character, face hidden by a hood, talking with a salesman. “Looks like her,” Zoe said. Simon nodded. He watched until he saw his sister, as she walked away, turn to the salesman and shoot him in the head. His blood iced over. “Ai ya,” Zoe breathed. Simon leaned on the back of Zoe’s chair, a terrible suspicion in his mind. “I think we have a problem.” “What problem?” Mal asked. “She just killed someone, sir.” “What!?” Mal cut them a quick sideways glance. “She stole a ship from a used lot and shot the salesman in the head.” Mal’s face registered shock. “Captain, the only time she kills is when she’s… the weapon,” Simon explained his fears. “So what’s that mean? Someone trigger her, send her somewhere?” “No, I think she still means to go to Osiris, but maybe…” He swallowed. If he was right, he did not want to think how much of the responsibility he bore for it. “…maybe she’s gone to kill our father.” Both Zoe and Mal gave him startled looks. “Why would she do that?” “Because she saw how upset I was. She saw how he didn’t believe me.” He folded his arms again, feeling a little nauseous. “I think she’d rather die than go back to the Academy, but to have your own father betray you…” He shook his head. What had they done to his sister? “So what’s our move?” Zoe asked. “You sure she’ll go home?” Mal asked. Simon shook his head affirmative. “Then that’s where we’re headed.” “Sir, did you see what kind of ship she took?” Zoe sent the newswave over to Mal’s Cortex screen. Simon saw the captain’s shoulders slump. “Looks like a fast courier,” Mal assessed. “We can’t catch that. Not even if we had full power.” “How fast is it?” Simon asked. “Almost twice as fast as us,” Zoe replied. Mal set his jaw. “Look, we ain’t got a choice here. I’m settin’ our course for Osiris. Get Kaylee on that gorram relay!” “Yes, sir,” Zoe responded. She headed for the engine room, Simon right behind her. “Kaylee, you gotta try one more time, okay?” Simon sat next to her on the floor. “For River. We need full power if we’re going to help her.” “Okay,” Kaylee’s reply was a mere whisper. She wiped her eyes, cheeks red. “Okay,” Simon gave her a hug and a kiss. She got up and went to the engine bay. “Here goes,” Kaylee sighed heavily and slid beneath the bay one more time. About fifteen minutes later, she yelped and blue spark leaped out from beneath the engine. “Are you okay?” Simon was on his hands and knees. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Kaylee slid out, looking mildly stunned. “Did you get shocked?” Simon took her hands. “No, no. It didn’t get me. But, I think I fixed it,” she looked up at Simon and Zoe with a kind of disbelief. “You sure?” Zoe asked. “Yeah, pretty sure. That spark was power goin’ through the splice I just set.” A little apprehensive, Zoe took the com mic and called for Mal to power up the main engine. The room rumbled as the big compression block gradually wound up. Kaylee slid back underneath for another look. “What’s your readout, sir?” Zoe asked. “Five by five. Power at one hundred percent.” “Yeah, it’s holdin’. We got power back!” “See, I knew you could do it!” Simon planted a big kiss on her lips. “Mmm, well I don’t know if it was worth that big of a kiss, but okay.” She nuzzled Simon’s nose. “Cut it out you two,” Zoe ordered. “Captain wants full burn now.” “Aye aye!” Kaylee leaped up and took the mic from Zoe, with a lingering gaze for Simon. “Ready when you are, Cap’n.” “Good job, Kaylee. We’re gonna have to go full out all the way to Osiris. Can she handle it?” Kaylee’s cheer dropped away. “Uh, well, it ain’t the prettiest work I ever done. I don’t know, Cap’n. We never burned her for that long before.” “Forget what we done before. What’s she tellin’ you, Kaylee? Can she handle it?” Kaylee glanced around the engine room. It was her Zen chamber, the heart of Serenity. She listened to the throb of the engine, running a hand along the wall to feel it through her fingers. A long look lingered on the rotating compressor. She felt the strength there, the power. Serenity was missing one of her own, and she wanted to go after her just as much as they did. “She’s ready and willin’, Cap’n,” she replied into the mic with confidence. “She won’t let us down.” “All right. I got our course set. Go on my mark. Ready… mark!” Kaylee ran to the giant lever at the front of the compressor and cranked it over. The rumble grew to a roar, the compressor shrieking as it spun up to full power. -We’re comin’ River,- Kaylee thought. Rain poured down on River, soaking her, but she did not care. She had barely eaten and had not slept at all for the nearly five days since she left Persephone. After Ariel’s murdering of the salesman during her brief loss of control, she dared not relax her guard. She had no idea if Ariel could take control when she was asleep, and she did not want to risk finding out. Then there was the landing. Ships entering Osiris were restricted only to those with official approval. Given the impossibility of getting such approval, she had to get creative. She flew right into the wash of an inbound cargo freighter and followed it in through its entry. It was harrowing dance through a blinding shower of fire, but it worked. Her ship was scorched, but she managed to get deep enough into atmo without being detected before blazing away to find a secluded landing spot. She abandoned the ship, caring little if the Alliance or local Lawforce found it, and made her way through the city, trying hard to be innocuous. She tugged her hood further over her eyes to shield them from the heavy drops. A blue sheet of lightning lit the sky, followed by a low roll of thunder. She paused, a noise, a rushing, echoing in her head. -Thunder. Rain.- Her eyes closed. -The dream!- They snapped open. She knew where she was. She had been here before. She tore down the streets, boots making huge splashes in the puddles. Fragments of memory flitted by. She snatched at them, getting little hints. She made a turn here, another turn there, following the pattern in her mind. Finally, she was running down a dark alley, skidding to a halt at its end. Chest heaving, she searched along the ground. The lightning gave her a little illumination. She saw the crack in the pavement, crouched down. There was nothing there now. But there had been, once. “Centaurea cyanus,” she whispered. “Young man in love.” Simon had brought her here, two years ago. He had tried to bring her home. But for some reason he could not. Maybe the Alliance had been on to them. Still, it had not been a dream. It was real. And now she was here again. She rose slowly and walked through the rain. She no longer felt the cold or the wet, or the impact of the droplets on her skin. Even the sound had disappeared. A thousand memories swirled around her. Memories of her mother and father, of Simon, danced happily by. Memories of dancing, too. Of her recitals. And then they were drowned out by the screaming. The pain and the voices. The endless tests by the antiseptic faces, peering and poking and prodding into her mind. The nightmares. She turned away from it. That hell was here, as well. She could almost smell it. Yet, as all these remembrances, both good and terrifyingly bad, filled her, she did not feel like she was home. She felt like she did not belong. She felt alone. She stopped walking, sensory awareness returning. An hour or a minute might have passed during her reverie, she was not sure. Home or not, she remembered why she was here. It was time to complete the mission. Thunder rumbled outside the window, the rain slapping heavily against the pane. Gabriel Tam watched it for a moment. Deep furrows of sorrow weighed down his cheeks. The faint light in the room made the shadows on his face even deeper. His eyes returned to his wife’s face. She was asleep. Not that she had much awareness anymore, but she at least appeared restful. The respirator clicked and sighed, clicked and sighed as it breathed for her. It was a blessing that their personal doctor had been able to procure it. When most of their friends had distanced themselves, the man remained loyal, even though he could be risking his career. Gabriel did not know if he could ever thank him enough. The respirator gave Regan a little more time, but it was all borrowed. The end was near, the doctor told him. Time to prepare. He had been preparing for a while. But once he heard that, he realized all the preparation meant nothing. She was still going to die. She would still be gone. It was not fair. He clutched her hand, kissing it and resting it against his forehead. Tears did not fall, but outside the storm cried for him. The ringing of the security console jangled him from his watch. He rose from his wife’s bedside and went to the small screen on the wall. He brought up the front door camera, expecting to see a Federal or local Lawforce officer. Ever since the news about Simon and River had broken, they stopped by regularly. Instead, there was nothing there. The night was black beyond the porch light, drowned in the rain. He frowned at the monitor, wondering if it was perhaps a stray cat or dog who wandered into the security grid. Just then a figure stepped out of the rain and onto the porch. He could not see any features, the face being hidden by a hood, but from the clothes it looked like it was some teenager. The figure looked to either side before knocking on the door. He thought about summoning Lawforce, but decided it was not worth the trouble. Irritated at being interrupted by some wandering hooligan, he headed downstairs to shoo him away. A second knock came as he stepped off the stairs and crossed the foyer to the door. “What do you want?” he demanded into the intercom. “Ba ba?” a soft voice replied. Gabriel’s head swam with confusion. “Excuse me?” “Daddy?” It’s me. It’s River.” After a second of stunned inaction in which all manner of emotions churned through him, he unbolted the door and yanked it open. The thin figure took a step back, face still invisible beneath the hood. “Who are you?” he demanded, not sure what to think at this point. The hood came back, and two huge, dark eyes looked deep into his. At first he did not see her. Those eyes were haunted, almost fearful, with dark circles beneath them as if she had not slept in weeks. Her cheeks were pale and gaunt. Her whole demeanor was unsure, tentative, not at all like the warm glow of the daughter he knew. Then a hint of a smile crept over her lips. Gabriel gasped in shock. He grabbed his daughter and held her tight. “River! Xin gan ding!” “I’m home,” she said.

luan qi ba zao- in a mess qu shi- castrate San ba xiao jie- "Miss Bitch" Ai ya- oh no xin gan ding- sweetheart; darling (referring to a child)