CHAPTER 7

Mal encountered Book and Simon in the kitchen, each nursing a cup of soup.

“Looking for something, Captain?” Book asked, pointing to the flashlight Mal carried.

“Just want to see who’s behind us,” Mal answered curtly, continuing his walk through. He stopped suddenly at the door, a thought hitting him. “Shepherd, what do you know about this hatch?”

Book shrugged. “Nothing, really. Just what the girl said.”

“The girl?”

“Well, yes,” Book said exchanging a look with Simon. “She’s the one who told us to come here.”

A new alarm sounded in Mal’s head. He set off quickly, this time headed for the Infirmary. Fearing for the safety of his patient, Simon rushed after him. In the Infirmary, they found the girl lying on her side, watching Jayne as he realigned the finder scope on Vera. Mal was momentarily relieved to see Jayne’s attention on the gun, as if life was normal and he hadn’t forsaken Vera for the girl. Jayne’s face was animated, telling her about Caddock’s weapon collection and comparing it to his own. The girl listened as if it were a bedtime story. When he noticed Mal and Simon, Jayne stopped talking; the girl rolled onto her back to see the new visitors. Though lying flat, she seemed to grow taller, letting Mal know she wasn’t afraid of him.

“What is this place?” Mal asked her, pointedly.

She didn’t answer, but cast a sidelong glance at Jayne, who laid Vera down and scooted his chair closer to her.

“Does it matter?” Jayne asked.

“It matters!”

“It’s a safe place,” the girl wheezed as she spoke. That phrase alone seemed to knock the wind out of her.

“How do you know it? Are you a smuggler?”

The girl closed her eyes, looking as though she were trying to catch her breath. Mal knew she was stalling, so he persisted.

“Do you use it often? Is this place a trap?””

She didn’t answer. Mal got impatient as his head filled with conspiracy theories.

“You work for law enforcement don’t you? You’re with the Alliance!” Then a new conspiracy arose. “How did you know Kaylee was on the