There was a cupboard on board Serenity where stuff was put. Just stuff. Like when it was broken but maybe someone thought it was too good to be just thrown out with the garbage, or if someone figured maybe it could be fixed one day, then it was put into the cupboard. There was a small Cortex screen Kaylee had always intended to mend so she could put it in Bethie’s room, half a dozen out of date ration packs, a ball of string made up of lots of oddments, kept just in case. There was even one of Wash’s old dinosaurs, sans head. And right now, as the rain pounded down onto the hull of the Firefly, it also contained a psychic, pressed in under the shelves.

“Broken,” River said. “I can’t be fixed but too precious to throw away.”

Simon crouched down. “ Mei-mei , you have to come out. You’re in labour.”

“I disagree.”

Simon sat down, taking the strain off his calf muscles. “It doesn’t matter whether you agree or not. It’s a plain fact.” He could feel a crick starting in his neck from the unnatural position. “At least let me scan you.”

River squirmed further back into the cupboard, clutching the headless dinosaur. “Not coming out. Want to cut into me. Cut me open. Take him.”

“No-one’s going to take your baby.” He tried to sound calming.

“They do.” She glanced down at her hands.

He understood. “Then we’ll stop them. Like we always do. Mal, Zoe, Freya, Hank ... we’ll all stop them taking your baby.” He tried again. “River, I do need to scan you. If you’d just come to the infirmary –”

“No.”

He took a deep breath. “All right, then how about …” He looked around to see Bethie holding out his portable scanner. “Thank you, sweetheart.” He smiled at his daughter.

“You’re welcome, Daddy.”

“You’d better go back and look after the others, don’t you think?”

“Jesse’s hungry,” the little girl admitted.

“I expect you are too.”

“Little bit.” She rolled her foot. “Can I go find us something to eat?”

“Of course. But nothing you have to use the stove for. Or