All the usual disclaimers. Just keepin' 'em exercised.

****

Mal walked silently into the improvised infirmary. Simon was awake, sitting with a single candle.

“How is she?” Mal whispered.

“She’s back with us. She was conscious when I went in to see her about an hour ago. She’s weak, but she’s going to make it.” Simon’s relief was palpable. Like Mal, he had wondered how any of them could possibly survive without Zoe.

“Good. And the boy?”

“Still out, but beginning to stir and moan. I think he’ll make it, too.” Simon answered.

“That is good news, because I surely would like to know who set this devil’s snare on us.” Mal nodded at Simon before turning to leave the building.

Mal stood in the dark outside the tent Kaylee was sharing with Inara. He called in on the side he hoped Kaylee was on.

“Kaylee, Kaylee. Wake up, darlin’, I need to talk to you. Kaylee, Kaylee, Ka-a-a-y-l-e-e-e-e-, wake up, come on, please wake up. Don’t make me come in there after you,” Mal called in a loud whisper.

Kaylee shot out of the tent flap, careering straight into Mal. “Oh god, Mal, is it Zoe?”

“No, no, it’s not Zoe. I just saw the doc and Zoe’s conscious. Simon says she’s weak but that she’s gonna make it. No, I’ve been thinking about whoever did this to us. They’re gonna be looking for us and we need to keep them from findin’ us for as long as we can. What I’m wonderin’ is, could you take Serenity’s navigational signaler off the boat and rig it so it would keep signalin’ just like we were with it, when we were someplace far away?”

“I think so, Mal, but we gotta have that signaler or the Alliance’ll pick us up on suspicion. You know how they hate boats not announcin’ who they are and what they are every minute of the day,” Kaylee was suddenly wide awake.

“The Alliance is the least of our worries right now. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Mal dismissed the Alliance with a wave of his hand.

“Okay, then, if you think you can rig that signaler here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna tow