Mal was smiling broadly and strutting up the ramp into the cargo bay like a bulldog that just ate an alley cat. In one arm he carried a large full bag, and in the other he carried his shotgun. "Take us out of the world, Wash."

Wash turned around dutifully and vaulted up the stairwell. "Where we going?" He asked as he bounded breathlessly.

"New Prospero! But first we'll be making a detour by Beatrice to stock up on supplies."

"You got it boss!" Wash wondered to himself as he left the cargo bay why they didn't buy supplies here at Persephone, but he wasn't in the mood to argue with the captain. He rarely was in the mood, even when he did argue with him. Choose your battles, Wash thought to himself, and made his way to the bridge.

Mal stood in the middle of the cargo bay, beaming about the room. Today was a good day.

"We got us a job, sir?" asked a wide-eyed Zoe, feeding off Mal's infectious enthusiasm.

"We have indeed. Gonna go pick us up a fare." Mal threw his rifle at Jayne and motioned for him to handle it for him, then Mal punched the button which activated the ramp door, closing up the ship. Jayne was uncharacteristically silent, and from Zoe's vantage he looked somber and noncommital as he made his own way out of the cargo bay carrying his own arsenal as well as Mal's 'walking stick.'

Zoe's wide eyes lessened a bit and the smile flickered away, "just a fare."

Mal's smile did not waver. He almost winked at her, "yeah. Just a fare."

"So we're a transit moonhopper now. Ten coin the first aeyou and then two coin for each additional parsec."

Mal heaved up the large and relatively heavy bag and tossed it into her arms. Zoe managed well, as loads were not alien to her, but she was noticeably shocked by the weight.

"That's just the down payment. To guarantee we pick him up. Badger said he owed the gentleman a favor and that favor is us, but I've been promised this gentleman pays anyone who turns him a good card, so we're gonna throw the whole deck of cards at him. I wanna spruce this place up a bit as best we can while we make way to the rendevous."

"Spruce the place up?"

"Yeah." Mal looked around the large room, which had been home to a wide range of cargo, from illegally transferred cattle to kegs of moonshine to coolers of frozen fish to tubs of sewage. And it seemed everything in its own way had left its mark, or a smell. "Y'know." Mal put a finger on the railing by the stairs as he made his way up them, then looked at the soot lifted from the railing to his fingertip. He scowled at it, then looked back at Zoe, "A big spender deserves a clean ship at the very least. We'll all put our elbows into it."

"Is this real?"

"Real money? Yeah!"

Zoe looked hard at Mal, then back in the bag, then back at Mal.

"Have you counted it?"

"Damn near threw my back out pickin' it up. Countin' in front of Badger is impolite, y'know."

Zoe did a doubletake, "Who are you and where is my captain?"

Mal laughed goodnaturedly, and lightly patted his second in command on the back as they made their way from the cargo bay to the common dining area of the ship. "I know I know usually I'd count the money in front of him but this time I just had to see it was legitimate money. What I'd seen was enough for me I didn't have to unload the whole duffel. Besides even if there's rocks at the bottom of the bag--"

Zoe unloaded the entire bag on the table, and the money scattered about the table and spilled a bit onto the floor, almost upsetting Shepherd Book's drink and plate of greens, as he had been sitting there when she approached. Book gasped.

"I'm gonna count it." Zoe said evenly. She then proceeded to do so.

"Be my guest." Mal laughed, and went to get himself a drink in the kitchen.

"Ah. So." Book looked aghast at the pile of money before him. "With a little patience and diligence, apparently crime does eventually pay."

"Yes it does, Shepherd," Mal responded, "but this ain't crime."

Zoe looked down at Book as she sorted through the coins and notes and credit shards, "it's a fare."

"A fare? A passenger?" Book looked uncomfortable at the thought, "Will there be room? I don't want to bunk with Jayne."

"There's more space in Serenity than meets the eye, Shepherd don't you worry none about that. I could add another half dozen or so passengers with some creative ingenuity and everyone'd have their own bunk, but in this case doesn't sound like there'll be a problem. Our fare's got his own ship."

"Okay now you lost me." Zoe's face appeared as if she suddenly realized what actually counting all this was going to entail. "We're paid this much by Badger of all people just to go meet this guy, he's supposed to pay us more, and he has his own ship? Why don't he fly himself?"

"He likes to go in style," said Jayne as he made his big entrance from the crew quarters, having dropped off the weapons his hands were now free to partake of the kitchen once again which was where his legs were carrying him, "apparently this guy's a weird reclusive type, but throws money around like it's water."

"My favorite kinda reclusive type!" Mal completed filling his mug and plate and made his way to a free space at the table, pushing aside a bit of the money. "The guy has a ship but it's intraplanet. Can't do better than orbit. What he does is he hitches rides with a ship like ours if'n he wants to go to a new moon. Rides piggyback. We hitch his sled to ours, fly him cross the black to wherever he wants to go, shake him off our back and voila, instant riches."

"What's the catch?" Zoe pondered.

"There's no catch."

Jayne laughed, "Oh there's ALWAYS a catch. We just ain't heared it yet is all."

"Who is this gentleman?" asked Book.

Mal shook his head, "I dunno."

"You don't know?" Zoe huffed.

"What?"

"We gotta pick this guy up and we don't know his name? Did Badger describe what he looked like at least?"

"Not gonna need to know what he looks like. His ship's red. Hails by the name of The Standish-Fitzgerald. It's gonna be the only clipper ship barely staying in orbit around New Prospero. We can't miss it."

"Red ship!" Jayne laughed with his mouth full, "Pink's more like it. Sounds like a pansy."

"That's enough outta you Jayne."

"Well that does it that's the last time I let you go talk to Badger without me there with ya."

"I handled it didn't I?"

Zoe narrowed her gaze at her captain. "He could sell you a bridge from Ariel to Persephone if you let him, and you'd believe it'd been built."

"That's unfair--"

"Five thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven."

Everyone stopped and turned to look at River, who had quietly approached behind Zoe when no one was paying attention. She'd been standing there a bit of time staring at the money on the table, but no one had taken a notice of her. River reached over and picked up a shard of credits.

"What's that, River?" Book asked.

"Five thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven." She repeated to them. "How much there. She didn't count the shards. They're fake." She threw the shard at Jayne. It bounced off his chest and fell to the ground. Jayne made a face at her. She made one back.

"Fake? No way they're not fake," Mal picked one up and looked at it. Brittle, it crumbled in his hands. "Ai ya!"

"Rocks in the bag? Classic Badger. And you fell for it." Zoe laughed at her captain.

Hurt at his first officer's coy tone with him, "You hang around Wash too much."

"That I do, sir."

"Still. Almost six thousand." Mal refused to not be pleased with himself. "That'll be enough to spruce up the place a little. Buy some things we've been meaning to buy. Maybe put a little away for a rainy day."

Book nodded, "Kaylee'll be pleased. She was telling me that we need a new zoning dampener for the engine. The one we have is on its last legs."

"We'll do that and more."

Zoe noticed River begin to shake next to her. She had her hand in a death grip of a coin she'd just picked up. "What's the matter River?"

"Don't throw the coin at me or I'll chase you all over the cabin," Jayne said in a fain attempt at menace, which came out not at all menacingly, for despite himself the look on her face made him wanna just hug the stuffin's outta her.

River stared at the coin, then blinked hard, then dropped the coin back on the table. She began to get upset and incoherent, like when she first arrived on Serenity with her brother. Mal gave a knowing look to Jayne, who nodded and without a word got up from the table and vaulted to the infirmary looking for Simon. Zoe and Book immediately stood up and rushed to reassure the scared little girl.

Book put his hands on her shoulders, attempting to console her, "What is it dear? We can't help if we don't know."

"Can't. Can't help!" River fell to her knees and stared at her palms, as if the entire universe were slipping away from her. Book tried to steady her. Zoe kneeled by them and put a hand on River's knee.

"But we want to help." Zoe managed.

"Green ball. Dark vessel. One eye one heart. The tree. The little beast. The souls. Oh my God all the souls! Too much. It's too big. It's too big and I'm so small! So small. Can't. Can't help it!"

She began sobbing uncontrollably and Book wrapped his arms around her, rocking her back and forth soothingly. Simon rushed into the room with a hypodermic needle. Jayne striding in tow behind him.

River was beyond consoling, "This burden. Too heavy! They said it because of the words. He put words down wrong and they laughed. But then he lived forever and they stopped laughing. He once made a railroad run. Made them race against time!"

Simon rushed to her side, "It's alright mei mei!" He poked her with the needle. She didn't resist.

"He used the railroad. Built one on that head that laughed. That's where it began. Made from her who was made by him who was made by her. Now... now.."

The drugs were quick. Simon motioned for Book to help him lift her up.

"Now.. he's looking.. to end it. ..end it all."

They carried her into the infirmary. The doctor and the shepherd kept vigil over her. The others went about their business, shaking off her uneasiness and little contemplating the words River spoke, or how they might matter in their days ahead.