we're gonna explode? i don't wanna explode.
i just get excitable as to choice, like to have my options open.
well, what you plan and what takes place ain't ever exactly been similar.
cap'n doesn't want 'em.
what are we hoping to find here that equals the worth of a turd?
shiny. let's be badguys. mal turns back to river.
looks like this is the place. he looks up at mal, who motions for zoe to open the front door. she does, and river steps in. angle: river's bare feet -- walking slowly among the hunched- over customers as mal addresses them.
she's locked up. river suddenly looks around, perturbed. close on: a young tough. river looks up at zoe, alarmed, and silently points to the young man. he is slowly reaching for the weapon in his belt. he finds zoe's sawed-off nuzzling his cheek.
what the hell is up? you all right? what's goin' on? he holds her, as she whispers, wide-eyed.
mal!
mal! reavers! the girl's pitchin' a fit. they're here or they're comin' soon. he is already loading up with bags as mal thinks quickly.
you see 'em? anybody see 'em? 1j -- and jump on themselves, mal scanning the area as he hands river up to jayne's care. as the craft powers up, slowly moving, the young man zoe kept from trying to pull his weapon bursts out of the station, grabbing the back of the mule.
how come they ain't blowing us out of the air?
boy, sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don'tchya think? mal says nothing, keeps firing.
i won't get et! you shoot me if they take me! mal steadies himself and takes aim, seemingly at jayne --
ain't logical. cuttin' on his own face, rapin' and murdering -- i mean, i'll kill a man in a fair fight.  or if i think he's gonna start a fair fight, or if he bothers me, or if there's a woman, or i'm gettin' paid -- mostly only when i'm gettin' paid. but these reavers.  last ten years they just show up like the boageyman from stories. eating people alive? where does that get fun? he dumps the body in, she starts the doors closing.
hell, i been to the edge. just looked like more space.
you're just in a whinge cuz that prissy doc is finally disembarking. me i says good riddance. he never belonged here, and his sister's no saner than one of them reavers.
well, there is that.
40 i could stand to hear a little more.
my muscular buttocks it's forty --
reavers ain't business, double dickless. this is all background noise to river, who has moved to the cv screen, on which is a commercial. it's animated, goofy, cartoon animals and anime-style asian girls all transforming to insane fantasy figures as they sing about:
v0 whuhuh? she's taking out a group of four, high kicks and perfect precision -- two men come from either side, one whipping out a knife -- she does a perfect split, grabs his wrist above her head, using his momentum to stab the other one -- mal fights to get back to the gunrack. the bouncer reaches her and she wrests his shockrod from him, uses it on him, on fanty and mingo -- the fan-dancer is bolting and river hurls the rod at her head, knocks her cold.  she's everywhere. on tables, chairs, under your legs, using the room itself to take out every single person there. one man hides behind a wall -- impossibly, she swings her leg around the corner and nails his face. jayne grabs her from behind --
well don't say it! moo zoe it only works on her, jayne.
oh. well, now i know that.
and i thought they was gettin' off! didn't we have a intricate plan how they was gonna be not here anymore?
no, now that she's a.  killer woman we ought be bringin' 'em tea and dumplings! in earnest, mal: why'd you bring her back on?
she goes woolly again, we're gonna have to put a bullet to her.
why, 'cause this guy beat up mal? that ain't so hard --
so no hope of a reward, huh?
which you was all ready to do not a day ago. what went sour?
that so? 'cause the corpse i'm about to become is having trouble telling the difference.
you dumbass hogs, the only people she's a threat to is us on this boat!
hiding under the shepherd's skirts, that's a manful scheme --
yes!
do a damn sight better job'n you. getting us lashed over a couple of strays.  no offense, doc, i think it's noble as a grape the way you look to river, but she ain't my sister and she ain't your crew. oh, and neither is she exactly helpless! so where's it writ we gotta lay down our lives for her, which is what you've steered us toward.
no, the alliance starts the war -- and then you volunteer. battle of serenity, mal: besides zoe here, how many -- -- i'm talkin' at you -- how many men in your platoon came out of there alive? mal stares at him.
you're damn right i do. he stalks upstairs. there's a quiet moment.
he moves to the aft hall, shuts and locks the door. goes 40 back to the locker and starts to unlock it, pulling his gun.
how come they ain't waiting? they know'd we was coming, how come they only sent one?
v0 god's balls, there's no way we're going out there! and everybody is talking at once:
i ain't takin' orders from a man has lost his brainstem -- , -mal pule-s-his- in his face, steps back, hand on his.
--ai-n-lt the settlement-
got another one! angle: jayne is by a downed hovercraft. inside are three skeletons: two grown-ups and a small child. clothes in better condition, and again no sign of violence.
they's all just sittin'. didn't crash.  angle: river is quietly becoming more and more upset. close on: kaylee walks in front of an office building, staying away from the cars as she hears:
couple more here.  0 0 orpse _of_aman is pressed up against the glass wall right behind her. mouth open, skin dead blue, terribly skinny.  a thing to haunt.
how come they're preserved?
she's right! everybody's dead! this whole world is dead for no reason!
my grandma always told me: if you can't do something smart, do something right. by way of emphasis he loudly cocks his big-ass rifle. mal takes in the fact that jayne has spoken for them all.
go! the entire crew piles out, all heavily bedecked with weapons.
move those crates back there for cover -- and make sure they ain't filled with anything goes boom.
move the gorram crates! come on! we hear savage screams from the hanger -- they're approaching. mal moves to the door, jayne beside him.
captain's right. can't be thinking on revenge if we're gonna get through this.
i might.
she picked a sweet bung of a time to go helpless on us.
zoe.  gorramnit.  but she is in a trance, and we see beneath the calm, to the bubbling magma of rage that keeps her firing, single shots, each one a kill, till five men down and she's out of ammo. the sixth comes at her swinging a blade and she blocks, the precision of military training still in her as she flips him, wresting the blade free and swinging it down out of frame, bringing it up bloody, swinging again as the door bursts open and she's rushed from behind --- but jayne totes an automatic, sprays killing fire on the lot, moving forward himself --
oh, now you're likin' guns, huh? cheaters! he takes a hit in the shoulder, grimaces and keeps firing. river watches, the gun limp in her hand. kaylee grabs it and starts another round -- but she's peppered with dart-like projectiles. she screams and drops the weapon, pulling the projectiles from her -- inara helps her up, pulls her back as zoe shouts:
very last one.  he tosses it through the hole. zoe doesn't even flinch from the blast as she thinks.
we got three full cartridges and my swingin' cod. that's all. inara is by the elevator, pounding for it to come.---
you suppose he got through? think mal got the word out?