INT. FEMALE QUARTERS

Kaylee is inside, still smiling, looking at five sets of bunk beds in the otherwise sparse room, touching one, feeling its firmness, when she hears the shout. She gives a frightened start, turns and puts her ear to the door.

INT. CORRIDOR

The Soldier from the cafeteria and the Transport Warden hurry down the corridor toward Mal and Simon. The Soldier has his weapon pointed at them.

MAL

What the gorramn hell is going on? Can’t a guy get some shut eye?

TRANSPORT WARDEN

We have orders to hold you and your truck for inspection.

MAL

(grimace)

Fine.

He starts walking toward them.

SIMON

Al?

Mal turns and looks at him, his cockiness still in tact.

MAL

Ain’t nothing. See you for breakfast.

SIMON

Ok. (Beat) Take care.

SOLDIER

(re: Simon)

What about him? And there was another one, a girl.

MAL

Yeah, a girl who’s an off world engineer you seemed to have taken a bit too much of an interest in.

The Transport Warden gives the abashed Soldier a stern look.

TRANSPORT WARDEN

Just the driver. And stay away from off world workers or it’s a penal colony for you.

(to Mal)

We have orders to open your truck.

INT. SERENITY, CARGO BAY

Jayne, River, Inara, Zoe, and Brenner stand around Monty’s body, which is on the cargo bay floor, lying on the stretcher, covered with the tarp.

JAYNE

Times like this wish Shepherd was still with us.

INARA

We all live forever. Sometimes in a different form.

BRENNER

No offense, but Monty was a Christian, not a Buddhist.

ZOE

Everyone’s the same in death.

RIVER

The next adventure.

JAYNE

I don’t wanna go on that particular adventure just yet, little sister. Any ideas how to get out of this mess we all in? Can the boat even take off again?

RIVER

VTOL’s are jets in atmo, rockets in the black. Closed the air vents when we ditched, no water entered the engines. VTOL’s will fire like rockets and get us out of here, then I just switched to jets when we are clear of the lake.

They all give her a confu