The air was getting bad in the shelter, and Simon could feel the effects starting to take their toll. He glanced across at Andrew, noting the greyness of his skin, the tension in the muscles around his eyes.

“Simon?” Kaylee said softly but agitated. “Bethany ain’t breathing right.”

That decided it. “I have to open the doors,” he said quietly. “If the Reavers aren’t gone …”

Andrew nodded. “We all know you have to, son.”

Simon smiled just a little, then stepped to the door. Sliding the bolts back as silently as possible, he took a deep breath of corrupted air and pushed the door open.

---

“How long?” Mal asked, pausing only a moment in his pacing.

“Three hours,” Hank said, gripping the controls as if he could make Serenity go faster just by using brute force.

“Sir, why don’t you go check on Freya?” Zoe suggested. “There’s nothing we can do for the moment.”

He nodded, thankful that they’d finally managed to persuade her to go to the infirmary and lie down. “Let me know if …”

“Mal, if we see Reavers, you’ll hear me screaming,” Hank said with no trace of levity in his voice.

Serenity’s captain didn’t comment, just hurried down to the lower deck. He paused at the doorway to the infirmary, seeing his wife curled up on the medbed, her head pulled in as low as she could.

“Frey?” he whispered, afraid to wake her if she’d managed to doze.

“Mal,” Freya murmured, and he was by her side.

“Honey? How’re you feeling?”

“How long?”

“To Corvus?” When she nodded he went on, “About three hours.” He put his hand under her head, turning her to look at him, feeling her trembling. “Can you feel them?”

She shook her head. “I can’t. The Naxom …”

“Frey, you heard River. From a helluva long way.” He put the back of his hand on her forehead – too hot and dry.

“She was screaming!”

“I know,” he said soothingly, not wanting to put any more strain on her. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“I don’t know if it’s soon enough …”

---

He stepped out, tasting smoke in t