Simon and Inara crossed paths again on the catwalks above the cargo hold on their search of the ship.

“I can’t find her.” Simon’s agitation transformed his normally smooth mannerisms into jerks and twitches.

Inara shook her head, “I’ve looked everywhere.” Then quickly gauging his rising panic she said, “We’ll find her.”

“I know my sister. If she doesn’t want to be found… we won’t find her.”

“What should we do?”

“We just have to keep looking.”

She nodded, her eyes scanning the cavernous cargo hold, hoping to discover some hiding place they had overlooked in their last three searches. She contemplated the cargo hold a second longer, wondering at its sudden emptiness.

“Simon? Where’s the mule?” Inara asked, already afraid of the answer knowing the answer but half hoping he would say the machine was somewhere not being ridden by River across Half Moon.

“It’s in the—?” He scoured the empty hold, until realization widened his eyes, froze his mouth open, and then set him in motion.

“No, no, no, no!” Simon raced full tilt through the ship with Inara scurrying after him.

He burst into the bridge puffing, disheveled, frantic, “Where is she?”

“I don’t—what’s the matter?” Kaylee dragged her eyes from console.

“The mule is missing,” Inara answered from the doorway.

“No way, she couldn’t have. The cargo door alarm would have—“ Kaylee checked the console to her right. “Go suh. River disconnected the door alarm. She opened the cargo doors over twenty minutes ago. Exhaust trails look like…” Kaylee looked from Simon to Inara. “She’s heading for Merrick’s place.”

“We have to go after her.” Simon said.

“With what?” Inara asked from the door. “Anything bigger than the mule would be picked up by Merrick’s security. We can’t fly the ship closer and my shuttle isn’t much better.”

“But we have to do something.” Simon looked from Inara to Kaylee.

“Kaylee, call Mal on the comm, let him know that River’s on her way.”

“She’s been so much better