8 Lt. Furlong & Cadet Caleb stand waiting at the hanger door awaiting the docking of the strange looking ship. It was a fine looking design. Lt. Furlong had to wonder who was on board. Cadet Caleb commented that judging by the sophisticated design & the request they had received recently about firefly traffic info, it had to be The Blue Sun. Lt. Furlong was about to voice his concerns again, but was cut off when the hangar doors opened & in stepped 2 immaculately dressed men & a tough looking man in a 1 piece, blood coloured leather outfit. This man held a weapon pointed at them. Taking his cadets lead, Furlong raised his hands in surrender. Then one of the neat looking men stepped forward. "Hand me the information, now!". Furlong nodded to Caleb & Caleb handed over the data pad. The man took it & walked back to his associates. The 2nd neat man stood forward & held out small silver tube. When he held it at arms length, a glowing blue wire jetted out from both ends. Furlong & Caleb wondered about this, but not for long. They became puzzled by an intense buzzing noise inside their heads. All of a sudden, they started choking. The blood was free flowing from their eyes & noses. In a final blood spattering, gurgling pop, they fell to the ground, hearing nothing but the screams of the rest of the crew & seeing only the blue hands of their killers. & then.......nothing. The rough man looked at the dead bodies in amazement. "A very efficient weapon. I don't suppose I can forgo my fee & take that instead". The 2nd neat man puts the device back in the inside pocket of his coat. "Mr. Early, our technology is beyond your ability to understand. You will take your fee when the job is done". The 1st neat man says "We hired you because you know the ship we're after & how to get on board". Early, remembering how the crew of Serenity overpowered him, says "I know all too well gentlemen". He now has a very serious look on his face. "Oh, how I'm looking forward to seeing them again".

9 Back on board Serenity, Jason hurries out of the mess hall & straight to his shuttle. The minute he enters it, he starts gathering his stuff & prepping the shuttle for departure. All he can think of is Rivers last words, 'They're coming'. He had remained hidden from the hands of blue for so long, he thought himself safe. Now he needed to leave quickly before they realised that he was alive. Jason did not relish the thought of seeing them again & would depart quickly. His thinking was interrupted when Simon entered the shuttle. Simon looks around & asks the obvious, "What are you doing?". Jason is now sitting at the main control console adjusting the settings. "You heard what River said. When they get here, I certainly don't wanna be here". Simon spins Jason to face him. "You can't leave. River needs you, I need you". Jason smiles at him & says "Your belief that I can help River is misguided". Simon says "You could help her cope with her abilities. That's something I could never be able to do". Simon turns his back to him. "Besides, she likes having you around. You make her feel normal". Jason is now looking concerned, almost as if he's battling with his own conscience. "I can't stay. They think I'm still dead. If I leave now, I can start again in another sector, free from them". Simon looks like he's running out of ideas. In a final gesture, he places his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Please". Jason, with a tear running down his face, taps at the controls & the shuttle doors open. "Get out", he says. Simon then backs away from him. Completely out of ideas, Simon leaves the shuttle. As he makes his way back to his bunk, he notices Mal walking away from the shuttle entrance. Simon then sees River staring out an observation window. Simon walks up to her & says "I'm sorry River. He's leaving". River turns to Simon, with a concerned look on her face. "Things are hidden in the brain. I'm afraid for him. It's dangerous what he thinks". Simon doesn't understand what she just said. He rarely understood her when she talked like this, which was a lot of the time. He just stood there with her & watched the shuttle leaving &, he fears, all hope of ever really helping his sister adapt.

10 The night is quiet on board Serenity. But the peace only hides the readiness of the crew. While Kaylee is the only one sleeping, the others are all on edge after River's warning that someone is coming. On the bridge, Mal, Wash & Zoe keep watch on the sensor displays for any ships approaching, while Jayne stood guard outside River & Simon's room. All of them are wondering the same thing: who is coming & what will they do when they get here. Jayne stands nervously outside the room, holding tight Vera, his favourite gun. He brings it to bear when he hears footsteps, but relaxes when he sees it's Sheppard Book. "You shouldn't be sneaking around at a time like this. I could've shot you". Book closes the bible he was reading. "Just spreading a little good will around the ship, praying for the right thing to happen". Jayne says "Well spread that good will else where. You're making me nervous". Book throws a look at River & Simons room. "How are they doing?". Jayne too looks at the room. "The doc seems fine. River though keeps yapping on about that Jason fella". Book frowns at Jayne's dispassion. "That's understandable There was someone on board like her & understood in ways we couldn't". Jayne sees the logic in what Book says. "Maybe so. But I just hope something happens soon. I didn't get Vera all geared up for nothing". Book smiles & says "Then I hope you're not disappointed". Book then walks off & out of sight.

11 On the bridge, Wash is monitoring the sensors. Mal & Zoe are doing likewise. Finally Wash breaks the silence. "These little run-ins over Simon & River are really happening a lot lately". Mal smiles. "I know. It's fun, isn't it". Zoe looks at him. "For a man with a big hate on for The Alliance, you sure do run into them a lot". Mal turns back to his monitor & says "It's just the bad luck of the draw I guess". Wash now looks serious. "Look, I know no one likes to say it, but we might have to consider........". Mal interrupts him. "We've been over this before. We are not abandoning them, ever". Zoe butts in. "We didn't even want them on board in the 1st place". Mal stands up & looks at them both. "asking me to abandon them now would be like asking me to give up Serenity or even a member of this crew. It's never gonna happen". Wash & Zoe recognise the seriousness in which Mal spoke. Serenity was his life, the crew were his family. To hear him speak of Simon & River in the same way convinced them that mal would rather die than give them up. Wash was about to say something more when his console starts beeping. Mal rushes to his side. "What is it?", he asks. Wash says "The sensors just picked up a faint energy burst coming from.....". Suddenly, the bridge goes dark. "We've lost power throughout the ship". Mal & Zoe ready their weapons & Wash picks up his. Mal opens the bridge door, looks to wash & asks "Where did the energy burst come from?".

12 Shepard Book wanders into the cargo bay. He liked coming here, it was peaceful. Whether it's working out with Jayne or just simply sitting down & doing nothing. but in this case, it was disturbing. The lights had gone out & he couldn't see a thing. Suddenly he hears footsteps. "Who's there?", he asks. Then a voice speaks "I did it. It was dark in my head, now it's dark out here". Book knows the voice. "River. You shouldn't be here. It's not safe". Suddenly a more hostile voice speaks. "It's not safe anywhere, not while I'm around". A chill runs down books spine, he recognises the voice. The lights suddenly come back on & Book & River look in shock as they are faced with Jubal Early & the hands of blue. Mal, Zoe & Wash rush through the corridors of the ship carrying flash lights. They stop when they come across Jayne, Inara & Simon. "Are you alright?", Mal asks. Simon blurts out "Everything went dark. River just got up & left. We don't know where she is". Mal looks at Jayne. "You didn't stop her". Jayne looks embarrassed. "I had to stay here & watch the doc". "It's River they want", Zoe says, "You should've followed her". Jayne starts to respond when suddenly the lights come back on. They all look around suspiciously, like they expect something to happen. Then they hear Book over the com. "Captain, I'm in the cargo bay. We have 3 intruders. One of them is Jubal Early". They all look shocked, they had all thought Jubal Early dead. "Obviously", Mal thought, "We were wrong". Book speaks again. "They have River & Kaylee. They say they want Simon too or they'll destroy the ship". As if jump started, they all dash to the cargo bay.

13 The cargo bay is now filled with the crew & the intruders. Mal notices Kaylee tied up on the floor along with Book. Simon sees River being held with a gun to her head by Jubal Early. Simon tries to rush to her, but Mal stops him. "Don't doc, they could kill her". The 1st neat man responds in shock. "Kill her! We would never dream of such a thing". The 2nd neat man tones in "She is one of our most advanced subjects. She merits further testing". Simon looks to Early & says "Have you no decency. You know what they'll do to her". Early laughs. "I'm a bounty hunter, 'decency' is not a word I would use to describe myself. Besides, drifting through space gives you time to think about revenge. While my fee is considerable, I would've done this job for free". The 2nd neat man then produces the device from before & says "If you don't wanna watch your friends die a most painful & agonising death, I suggest you join your sister now". Simon takes a look at Kaylee & Book tied up on the floor. "Let them go 1st & I'll go with you". Early laughs. "Oh no. The Shepard is my kill & as for the girl, I'll be using her for my amusement". The 2nd neat man emphasises the device & says "Mr. Earlys terms are quite clear. Come with us or watch them all die". Simon looks from the crew to his sister. It would be a hellish existence, but they would live. He then turns to Mal. "Thank you for having us captain". Mal looks like he wants to respond, but can't. Simon then starts toward the hands of blue. Inara steps forward, but Mal stops her. "You can't just let them go, not after what you said earlier", Inara says. Mal smiles. "I have no intention of letting them go".

14 Just then, all the lights, except for the emergency lights, go out again. Early looks not amused. "There's no need for the power cut again. We got what we came for". The hands of blue look confused. "We didn't do this", says the 1st neat man. Early now looks more nervous, especially when he notices River is smiling. "You're in trouble now", she says. Before any of them can say anything, they hear a voice accompanied by footsteps. "2 by 2, hands of blue. 2 by 2, hands of blue". They all turn in the direction of the voice & Jason emerges from the darkness. Mal turns to Inara & says "Like I said, I will not let them go". Inara realises that Mal had a hand in Jason still being here. Jason approaches the hands of blue. "I never thought I would be face to face with you again". The hands of blue look confused. Jason says "You don't remember me? Look closer". A look of recognition crosses their faces. "Impossible", says the 1st neat man, "You died". Jason smiles mischievously. "That's what I wanted you to think. My abilities are beyond your control now". The 2nd neat man says "That may have been so in the past, but we now have complete control of our minds. Your ability will not work on us". Jason's smile grows wider, making the hands of blue nervous. "I said 'abilities'. You're not the only ones to master your mind". Jason then looks to Early. "You have no part in this. If you let her go & leave now, I promise you will live the rest of your life minus the pain I could put you through". Early looks at the hands of blue & back at Jason. "I have the same protection as they do. Give me your best shot". Jason closes his eyes & says "You had your chance". He then says to the hands of blue "Perhaps a demonstration of what's in store for you". The hands of blue & the crew are now wondering what he's gonna do.