They sit across from Jayne to eat, River mostly stirring her food around, her eyes often drifting to Jayne. WASH and ZOE enter, mid conversation --

He kicks at Simon's chair: help.

Jayne grumbles, puts away the pistol, starts cleaning his knife.

Jayne spits a large glob of saliva on his blade, wipes it on his shirt, shining it.

Jayne looks him square in the eye, then does it again. Simon moves down the table; River gets up and goes to the kitchen. Wash resumes his train of thought --

A blur. Suddenly something's coming at Jayne. It's River with a kitchen knife. She attacks, slashing at his Blue sun t-shirt. Jayne barks, he's cut. SMACK! He reflexively backhands her across the room. Bedlam ensues, and all of this happens in an instant: Simon and Inara rush to River's side, Mal, Zoe and Kaylee to Jayne's; mah jong tiles spill, food falls from the table, as the following overlaps --

INT. SERENITY - INFIRMARY

Mal and Jayne talk as Simon stitches up the shirtless Jayne. Jayne is rightfully irate.

Simon shoots Jayne a nasty look. Jayne couldn't care less. Simon continues what he's doing.

Simon glances to Mal, wants to say something. Mal doesn't even look at him, his eyes on Jayne.

Jayne steps off the table, not happy. He moves for the infirmary door, addressing Simon without turning --

Simon's about to speak, but Mal beats him to the punch.

Off Simon, the admission killing him...

OMITTED

EXT. ARIEL - DAY

Serenity flies over the cityscape of the obviously wealthy Core city of Ariel, sweeps past, lands on a tarmac in the f.g.

INT. SERENITY - CARGO BAY

Kaylee walks with Inara towards her shuttle. Below, Mal, Zoe, Wash and Jayne toss horseshoes.

Inara smiles, kisses Kaylee on the cheek --

-- and heads into her shuttle.

THE HORSESHOE TOSS

Actually, they all stop and look at him. Kaylee has drifted down here by now.

Off everyone's reactions.

Simon pulls a vial out of his pocket.

Simon starts to pace, laying it all out...

INT. SERENITY - DINING AREA

Continuing the movement. SIMON paces into FRAME...

-- the dining area has been turned into a war room, with a portable cortex screen on the kitchen table, and assorted diagrams and schematics scattered around. Simon pauses occasionally to indicate on the cortex --

More pacing.

Kaylee, Wash and Jayne all instantly thrust their hands in the air. Mal and Zoe just look at them.

OMITTED

OMITTED

EXT. JUNKYARD - DAY

BIG SHINY CITYSCAPE. TILTING DOWN TO FIND, on the edge of the city --

DECREPIT SANDLOT. Kaylee and Wash in the junkyard every corner is littered with engines, carburetors, rusted out shuttles, carts, etc.

As Wash starts looking around...

Wash waves Kaylee over to where he is -- he's found something. He points to --

-- a highly crappy, broken down and discarded body of an old AMBULANCE SHUTTLE.

INT. SERENITY - DINING AREA

Simon's still pacing...

EXT. CITY STREET - DAY

Jayne loiters at a PUBLIC VIDPHONE. He sees a PARTICULARLY DRESSED MAN moving his way. He's carrying a PAIR OF BUNDLES under his arm. As he passes the vid-phone "booth", he reaches out and picks up an ENVELOPE that is sitting on a lip near Jayne.

He keeps walking. A few steps, and he drops the bundles, never losing stride. Jayne walks over and sweeps up the bundles, heads off.

INT. SERENITY - COMMON AREA

Jayne dumps the bundles from the street onto the common area table. He picks out a PHOTO ID from amidst the stash which includes EMT uniforms -- looks at the ID. An Asian man is pictured. Jayne starts cutting out the picture.

OMITTED

INT. SERENITY - DINING AREA

Simon stops pacing. Looks to the group.

INT. SERENITY - INFIRMARY

Simon sits on the examination table, Mal, Zoe and Jayne gathered around him. Mal is mid-schpiel --

This asked of Jayne. He hesitates.

INT. SERENITY - CARGO BAY

Wash screws open a plastic panel, pulls out a motherboard, starts fussing with the parts. A CLICK and a WHOOSH and he turns to see Kaylee brandishing a lit blowtorch.

INT. SERENITY - INFIRMARY

As before --

INT. SERENITY - CARGO BAY

VARIOUS SHOTS

--Wash untangling a mess of wiring, straightening them out and connecting one part to another.

--Kaylee welding two metal plates together, a rain of sparks around her.

--Wash manning a paint gun, spraying white paint over a smooth metal surface.

INT. SERENITY - INFIRMARY

And one more time --

This, once again, asked of Jayne --

Simon reacts -- it'll have to do.

INT. SERENITY - CARGO BAY

TRACKING WITH SIMON as he enters the cargo bay, a pleased expression on his face.

We don't yet see what he's looking at as he's joined by

Kaylee and Wash.

Now we see what they're looking at -- the broken down shuttle has been retrofitted to look just like a shiny new Ariel City Hospital ambulance.

Out of the ambulance emerge Mal, Zoe, and Jayne dressed in EMT uniforms, complete with clipped-on IDs and keycards, looking very much the part.

PRELAP --

OMITTED

INT. SERENITY - RIVER'S ROOM

River sits on her bed, Simon at her side, explaining.

Simon reacts -- of course she'd get the science.

Very much not okay, River nods.

She does. Simon preps his syringe.

He injects her.

INT. AMBULANCE - NIGHT

Jayne, Mal and Zoe all huddled in the M.A.S.H-like medi- shuttle. We're IN FLIGHT but it's all tight and interior.

Jayne doesn't reply -- he's mouthing his lines. Trying to get them right.

As Jayne goes back to muttering his script...

EXT. HOSPITAL - E.R. LANDING STRIP - NIGHT

The ambulance lands in front of the hospital, a pair of body bags attached nacelle-like to the side of the ambulance. [NOTE: the body bags are hard, silver shells without a discernible zipper.] Mal, Zoe, Jayne and Wash (in his EMT uniform) spill out of the ambulance, unhook the bodybags. As they finish --

And they're moving --

EXT. HOSPITAL - GANGWAY - NIGHT

Mal, Zoe and Jayne wheel the gurneys towards the door.

INT. HOSPITAL - RECEIVING CHECKPOINT - NIGHT

Mal, Zoe, Jayne wheel in the body containers toward A NURSE and a RECEIVING DOCTOR.

The doctor writes something on a beeper-like device, attaches it to the body bags and the bags go from silver to black --

Mal, Zoe and Jayne just sort of blink. Receiving Doctor goes back to whatever it was she was doing. Jayne isn't about to go without blurting:

The Receiving Doctor just looks up blankly. She didn't ask. A beat and our people move off. And they're in.

INT. HOSPITAL - MORGUE - NIGHT

Mal, Zoe and Jayne wheel in the gurneys. Jayne takes in the many blue-tinged bodies on slabs and examination tables, many of them in various stages of post-mortems. He'd rather be anywhere but here.

Jayne and Zoe pull a tab on each body bag and they slide open neatly, parting down the middle. They pick up Simon and River and lift them to a pair of nearby examination tables. Another pull on the tab and the body bags close, retaining their shape.

Mal pulls a hypo out of his med bag, injects Simon and River.

Mal and Zoe wheel their gurneys back out.

And he does. For a beat. Creeped out by all the dead people. Another beat, then Jayne peeks out the door before moving out into --

INT. HOSPITAL - RECOVERY WARD - NIGHT

Jayne walks down a corridor, stops at a cortex terminal. He swipes a card on the terminal, and in a moment a face appears on the cortex screen -- this is AGENT McGINNIS.

Off Jayne --

Behind Jayne (and unseen by him) River SITS UP INTO FRAME. She's just woken up and is a bit dazed, disoriented. She's inches behind him as she says --

Jayne jumps -- she startled the hell out of him.

River falters -- even she's not sure what that just came out of her mouth.

In the b.g, Simon now bolts awake with a CHOKED GASP. Jayne jumps again. Simon goes into a coughing jag, every cough causing him noticeable pain.

From behind Jayne comes the sound of River throwing up. Jayne looks behind him, sees the mess -- yuck. He turns back to Simon and tosses him a bundle of clothes.

INT. HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - NIGHT

A pair of elevator doors open and Mal and Zoe push their gurneys down a quiet corridor.

From O.S., a voice calls to them

Mal turns, sees an OFFICIOUS DOCTOR.

Mal hands it over.

INT. HOSPITAL - RECOVERY WARD - NIGHT

Simon and Jayne wheel River down a corridor in a wheelchair. She's in a hospital gown, Simon is in scrubs, Jayne still wears his EMT uniform.

Simon leans in close to River as he walks, as soothing as ever --

Simon looks where River's indicating. A fortysomething PATIENT lies in bed, a YOUNG INTERN tending to him.

Simon does his best to not react to that. River grabs the wheels on the wheelchair, effectively slamming the brakes. She starts to get up; Jayne won't let her.

The monitors by the Patient start BEEPING, alarms going off. And now River is struggling against Jayne, trying to get up out of her chair.

NURSES converge on the trauma area, some of them taking note of the frantic girl trying to wriggle free of the large EMT. Simon knows the only way to calm River is to appease her.

With a look to Jayne that says "watch her", Simon jumps into the fray. This is FAST --

Simon rips the patient's gown open, listens to his heart.

She moves to get the crash cart; that's when a long, constant BEEEEEP starts coming from the EKG --

Simon gives him a look -- whatever that means, it means the intern fucked up.

The nurse hands Simon a hypo and a pair of pen-like devices. (These are cardiac infusers, and they look not unlike a pair of tire pressure gauges.) Simon puts the hypo between his teeth, applies. the infusers to the Patient's chest --

PHUMP! A blip on the EKG, then back to flatline --

PHUMP! A blip on the EKG, this time it keeps blipping, but another ALARM SOUNDS. Simon gives the infusers to the nurse.

Simon takes the hypo from his teeth --

-- plugs it into the IV, pushes in the atropine. Instantly, the alarms stop. A beat, then the EKG blips become slower and more regular.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, especially the Intern.

Simon gets in his face, genuinely pissed --

Simon moves back to River and Jayne. River's practically beaming. Jayne's not unimpressed.

INT. HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Mal and Zoe and the Officious Doctor, moments after we left them. The Doctor examines Mal's ident badge carefully.

Mal gives Zoe a look -- better do something. She sidles over to a crash cart.

The Doctor stops, actually seems offended at the question. He holds up his ident card.

Mal stays put -- he already hates this guy.

Now the doctor is pissed --

PHUMP! The Doctor collapses to the ground. Zoe stands behind him, a pair of cardiac infusers in hand.

INT. HOSPITAL - IMAGING SUITE - NIGHT

Simon and Jayne push River into the suite, Jayne hanging back and looking both ways out the door before shutting it.

Simon crouches next to River, as soothing as he can be --

Although clearly apprehensive, River nods.

INT. HOSPITAL - ANOTHER CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Mal and Zoe push their gurneys down the corridor, stop at a door.

He looks around, makes sure the coast is clear, then swipes his keycard through the scanner. A RED LIGHT flashes on the scanner -- the door won't open. He tries again. Again, red light.

Zoe tries her keycard. Twice. Same thing: the light blinks red.

Mal pulls the tab on one of the bodybags -- it opens to reveal the Officious Doctor, who is MOANING but unconscious. He snatches his keycard, slides it through the scanner. The door opens.

INT. HOSPITAL - IMAGING SUITE - NIGHT

Simon helps River onto the steel table and she leans back, her eyes staring straight up. This place clearly scares her.

Simon moves to a podium-like control column, wheels it over close to River. He inserts a PLASTIC TAB into the column, then presses a few buttons, turns on the machine. The entire room starts to make a WHIRRING SOUND.

River closes her eyes. Jayne simply watches.

INT. SUPPLY VAULT - NIGHT

This is thief heaven. Simon was right -- the shelves are lined with vial upon vial of medicine. Mal dumps the Officious Doctor on the floor, and he and Zoe start filling the body bags with drugs.

In a series of JUMP CUTS, they quickly, efficiently clean out the room, cramming as many vials as they can into the body bags, reading labels and tossing away the worthless ones before sealing the jammed packed body bags again.

INT. IMAGING SUITE - NIGHT

The WHIRRING is a little louder now. Simon works for a moment longer before --

River is trying very hard to keep her shit together; she's on the brink of freaking. Her lips are moving fast, but no words are coming out.

Simon works the controls and a HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE APPEARS, a three-dimensional scan of her brain floating above her like a bizarre rain cloud. Numbers and wave-graphs flank the central image of her brain.

INT. HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Just outside the supply vault. Mal and Zoe push the gurneys back out into the corridor. Mal shuts the vault door with the Doctor still inside.

INT. IMAGING SUITE - NIGHT

Jayne sits in a corner, watching Simon work at the control column. (An LCD window on the column reads DOWNLOADING DATA.) Simon mans the controls like the professional he is -- rotating the image, punching up new numbers and scans. He's riveted by the flood of information, stares at the images before him in disbelief.

Jayne remains impassive, not wanting to be drawn into this. Nonetheless, Simon turns to him

Using the controls, he highlights (Madden-like, but slicker) a straight line drawn across River's temporal lobe -- an incision line.

Curiosity gets the best of Jayne --

He lets it hang there -- the answer is beyond him.

The downloading window switches to DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. Simon absently takes the plastic tab out of the machine, pockets it. A moment, as Simon looks at something else.

Jayne doesn't really want to hear this, so --

Simon misreads Jayne's hurry for incomprehension, starts to explain --

That's as perturbing to Jayne as it is to Simon, but he's not going to get drawn into River's problems.

THE HOLOGRAM

Images begin to change furiously as River's brain starts firing, going berserk. Greens go to red, levels spike, warning lights flash. Simon has his back momentarily turned, addressing Jayne.

River lets out an ear-splitting SCREAM OF TERROR.

Simon turns, sees the hyperactive hologram. He shuts off the machine and rushes to River's side. She's in full freak-out mode now; her dialogue overlaps with everyone else's.

River fixes Jayne with a look -- like she sees right into him. It's wigging him a bit.

Jayne goes to the door, looks around outside, then looks back at Simon and River. She's in hysterical tears, her hands clutching his shirt. He's stroking her hair, cooing, trying to calm her. Off Jayne... is he starting to feel guilty?

INT. HOSPITAL - RECOVERY WARD - NIGHT

Jayne leads the way as Simon pushes River in her wheelchair. Her lips are again moving soundlessly.

They turn a corner into

INT. HOSPITAL - ANOTHER CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS

The reach the back exit doors, are about to push through when River puts the brakes on the chair.

River reluctantly allows herself to be pushed through the doors to --

EXT. HOSPITAL - BACK EXIT - CONTINUOUS

The doors aren't even shut behind them when SPOTLIGHTS spark to life, pinning Simon, River and Jayne in their crosshairs.

They shield their eyes... just enough to see that they're surrounded by armed Feds. Lots of them, and moving cautiously towards them, rifles raised.

Off their reactions --

The officers start ushering Simon and River away, another comes to cuff Jayne, who plays along, takes a slow step towards McGinnis --

Jayne almost laughs. McGinnis doesn't.

McGinnis says nothing.

With that, McGinnis walks away. Jayne realizes he's been double-crossed. He yanks free of the Fed cuffing him (one cuff on, one off), lunges at McGinnis, when FOOMP! -- a Fed fires his sonic rifle at Jayne. A wave of compressed sound slams into Jayne like a wrecking ball, sending him FLYING hard into a wall.

OMITTED

EXT. HOSPITAL - E.R. LANDING STRIP - NIGHT

Mal and Zoe trot the gurneys out towards the ambulance shuttle. Wash hops out and helps them strap the body bags to the outside of the shuttle. He reacts to the weight of the bags. (They're essentially filled to the brim with liquid.)

Zoe smiles at Wash -- it's a lot. Mal downplays it.

Wash and Zoe kiss.

INT. HOSPITAL - SECURITY SUBSTATION - RECEPTION - NIGHT

FED #1 escorts Jayne, Simon and River into the reception area. He sees them to a bench, shoves Jayne onto it. Simon and River take their seats and the Fed departs. In the b.g., McGinnis talks to FED #2, prepping paperwork.

A long beat, as Jayne wonders if he's busted. Defensive --

Simon shakes his head -- that's what he gets for thanking Jayne. River turns to Jayne.

INT./EXT. AMBULANCE SHUTTLE - NIGHT

Mal, Zoe and Wash.

Wash opens a communication channel with Serenity.

INT. SERENITY - BRIDGE - NIGHT

Kaylee's on the bridge, in the pilot's seat. She taps a few buttons and the cortex pops up on the helm screen.

As Kaylee works --

Kaylee gets what she's looking for.

Zoe ducks into the ambulance, tosses Mal his gun. He tucks it in his vest; she lifts up her pant-leg and straps her shotgun to her calf with bandage tape.

Now Zoe places an earwig in her ear, hands one to Mal, who does the same.

They shut the ambulance doors and move off.

INT. HOSPITAL - SECURITY SUBSTATION - RECEPTION - NIGHT

Simon and River sit on the bench, her head on his shoulder. McGinnis walks up to the bench, Feds 1 & 2 following with Jayne in restraints.

McGinnis grabs Simon by the arm; he yanks himself free, remains seated.

McGinnis bristles, but has little choice but to answer.

PRELAP the sound of a BUZZER and --

INT. HOSPITAL - SECURITY SUBSTATION - HOLDING AREA-NIGHT

A security door opens and two Feds escort Jayne, Simon and River through the holding area. The Feds usher the prisoners around a corner and towards a cell.

River and Simon file in, as does Jayne. As Fed #2 goes to shut the door, Jayne springs -- SLAMMING HIS HEAD into Fed #2's nose and shattering it, knocking him out.

Fed #1 raises his rifle, but Jayne rams into him shoulder first, practically lifting him off the ground and CRUSHING him against a wall. The impact is such that both men go down, the rifle skittering away. Jayne quickly wriggles his cuffs past his feet. His hands are in front of him now. He grabs Fed #1 with both hands, one hand on his mouth, the other on his throat.

The following is dirty, ugly and almost completely silent:

Jayne squeezes hard, crushing his windpipe. The Fed tries to pry Jayne's hands off him, but Jayne's too strong. So the Fed bites down on Jayne's hand; blood streams down, but Jayne keeps his hold on both mouth and throat.

Simon goes to help Jayne, but hears Fed #2 stir -- he's coming to. Simon moves to him, kneels on his throat. He won't make a sound.

Still wrestling on the ground, Fed #1 gouges at Jayne's eyes, gets him pretty good, causing Jayne to look away and allowing the Fed to flip Jayne on his back. Fed #1 straddles him, proceeds to SLAM Jayne's head repeatedly on the marble floor.

River watches the violence.

OMITTED

INT. HOSPITAL - RECOVERY WARD - NIGHT

Mal and Zoe.

INT. AMBULANCE SHUTTLE - NIGHT

Wash talks into his transmitter --

-- then into the com --

INT. SERENITY - BRIDGE

Kaylee's looking at the hospital blueprints on the cortex.

INT. HOSPITAL - RECOVERY WARD - NIGHT

Mal and Zoe, moving fast --

Mal and Zoe go through the door and into --

INT. HOSPITAL - PURPLE STAIRCASE - NIGHT

As they descend the steps, taking them two and three at a time. As they do --

They reach the bottom of the steps, head for the door, when --

INT. AMBULANCE SHUTTLE - NIGHT

Wash looks out the window, sees an ominous-looking shuttle descending towards City Hospital and landing on its roof.

Off Wash's dread...

OMITTED

INT. HOSPITAL - SECURITY SUBSTATION - HOLDING AREA -NIGHT

Back to the ugly, quiet fight at the substation.

Jayne knees the Fed in the nuts -- it's enough to try to flip on top of him. They roll around, Jayne repeatedly taking punches as he tries to squeeze the life out of this bastard.

Finally about to run out of breath, the Fed reaches down to his ankle and pulls a knife. He's about to bring it down when SIMON FLIES INTO FRAME, tackling the Fed off Jayne... who holds on to his grip. SNAP! The Fed's head is on backwards.

Simon takes the keys off the Fed, without hesitation --

Jayne grabs the rifle and he and River follow Simon (who undoes cuffs as they go) around the corner to the reception door. Jayne goes for the door.

Jayne and Simon turn to her. She's hugging her arms to her body as if cold... actually, she's just terrified.

INT. HOSPITAL - SECURITY SUBSTATION - RECEPTION - NIGHT

McGinnis stands by reception. CAMERA IS ON HIM -- we don't yet see who he's talking to.

REVERSE - TO INCLUDE TWO MEN

Relatively non-descript, except for the blue gloves they wear. (They will henceforth be known as the Blue Gloves.)

McGinnis is expecting some small talk in response. Gets nothing but silence. So he just keeps talking.

The SECOND BLUE GLOVE reaches in his suit pocket, pulls out a thick rod-like device. He squeezes it and a thin spicule extends from each end.

A trickle of blood drips from McGinnis' nose. He feels it, dabs at it with his hand, sees it's blood. He reacts to the sight, merely curious.

Then he notices his hands. His fingernails, to be specific. Blood is seeping from under them. He looks up at the Blue Gloves... and all the color drains from his face.

A drop of red blooms out from his pupil... he SCREAMS... whatever is happening to him is excruciating... until the red spreads over the entirety of the eye... and a tear of blood trickles down. He collapses face-first onto his desk. Dead.

The sitting Blue Glove stands. The standing Blue Glove puts away his device.

Simon looks at River, not certain what that means, but certain he doesn't like the sound of it.

SCREAMS come from beyond the door. First, just the one. Then more -- all in the same agony as McGinnis when he died.

Before they can debate, River bolts, running hell-bent-for- leather down a corridor.

Simon looks to Jayne as if to say "so much for that decision," then follows. Jayne reluctantly falls in behind Simon.

INT. HOSPITAL - SECURITY SUBSTATION - RECEPTION

ON MC GINNIS

As we left him, very much dead. Then, CAMERA DRIFTS through the reception area... FINDING another Fed. Also dead, also bleeding out of many orifices. CAMERA CONTINUES TO DRIFT... finding another Fed. Same thing. And another. And another. Every Fed we've seen lies dead in a pool of blood.

CAMERA CONTINUES TO DRIFT... finding the Blue Gloved men walking through the carnage, completely unaffected. They walk up to the separator door, walk through.

INT. HOSPITAL - SECURITY SUBSTATION - HOLDING AREA - CONTINUOUS

The Blue Gloved Men walk in, past the separator door and into the cell area. There, they find the two laid out Feds Jayne took out. First Blue Glove takes the pulse of one, Second Blue Glove the pulse of the other.

First Blue Glove looks in the direction Jayne and the others went.

Second Blue Glove takes out The Device from his pocket.

INT. HOSPITAL - STEEL ROOM - NIGHT

River leads Jayne and Simon into the guts of the hospital. This space is more industrial, less pristine. She keeps moving fast, Simon and Jayne following.

From behind them, the SOUND OF A DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING.

INT. HOSPITAL - HUM ROOM - NIGHT

River runs down the steps, Jayne and Simon following.

She reaches the bottom of the steps, keeps running, Simon and Jayne gaining... then she finally stops at a large steel door.

Jayne tries the door -- locked. A faint TAP-TAP-TAPPING can be heard in the distance. Jayne looks in its direction fear starting to become evident in his face.

He takes aim at the door with the sonic rifle, BLASTS IT! In these echoey halls, it makes an ENORMOUS REVERBERATING BOOM! But it does nothing to the door. When the sound subsides, the TAP-TAP-TAPPING starts to get closer.

Jayne looks towards the tapping sound... about to freak... turns the rifle around, starts wailing on the lock with the rifle butt. WHAM! WHAM! Nothing. WHAM! WHAM! Nothing. Then -- BLAM! That's the sound of a shotgun blast ripping through the lock from the other side.

The blasted door drifts open... and there stand Mal and Zoe, guns in hand, Zoe's shotgun pluming a bit of smoke.

Off Jayne, never so relieved to see anyone...

INT. SERENITY - CARGO BAY

The ramp is in the process of opening as Kaylee comes down the stairs from the bridge, runs into Inara coming out of her shuttle. She peers out the ramp as she addresses Inara --

Inara's jaw drops. Before she can ask any questions --

The ambulance shuttle flies in. As soon as it touches down, Mal, Zoe, Wash, Jayne, Simon and River spill out. Kaylee and Inara join them on the floor, Kaylee moving to the control panel to close the ramp.

Wash books towards the bridge, Zoe in tow.

Jayne looks to Mal -- is there something behind that seemingly innocuous statement? Mal just turns to Simon.

Kaylee notes the injuries to Jayne's face.

Everyone disperses but Mal and Jayne who unload the body bags from the ambulance, haul them over to the smuggling hold. As they work --

Jayne kneels by the hold, not noticing that Mal is wrapping one of the hoist chains around his fist -- the ultimate brass knuckles.

WHAM! Without warning, Mal strikes Jayne with his chained-up fist.

EXT. SERENITY

As she takes off and shoots towards the atmosphere.

INT. SERENITY - CARGO BAY

Mal stands by the airlock doors as Jayne comes to, realizes he's stuck between the airlock and the ramp.

Mal goes to the intercom.

He hits a button and the ramp begins to open.

With that, the fight goes out of Jayne. He knows he's busted. No use in lying to the captain. A long beat, then Jayne tries to explain himself.

Jayne takes a long moment, looking at the ramp. He really thinks he's going to die here.

A long beat.

Then Mal hits the controls and the ramp starts to close.

With that, Mal goes, leaving Jayne between the ramp and the airlock doors. Jayne doesn't bother calling after Mal; he knows he's lucky to be alive. He simply sits. Someone will come let him out... eventually.

INT. SERENITY - RIVER'S ROOM

River sits at a table, scribbling on a pad. Simon enters, a hypo kit in hand.

Simon looks at her pad -- she's drawn a very well-rendered sketch of a matryoshka (a nesting doll), each layered doll lined up from big to small.

River nods.

Off Simon, hopeful...