based on the world of Firefly by Joss Whedon

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It had been hard blaming the killing of the abusive man on the rabid dog, but then law would require it to be brought down anyway and as far as Cat was concerned, it would get the monster of the streets and put it out of its misery. That night had come and gone, plus a few more before she found herself again sitting on another log on another hill keeping an eye on the soldiers and keeping herself away from their hearts.

Maybe it was easier that way, or somehow easier for her as the last few days had made her question not only her programming, but also her purpose as well. In a way, as much as she knew it would never happen, the darker half of her demanded she free herself from the hole she was in. Going from hunter to protector wasn't what she had been designed for, well, not at least at this juncture. In reality, it was for a darker purpose, one that hadn't quite become an issue yet, though as Cat knew eventually things were bound to happen not even her Creators could control.

A movement caught her eye and then another, her green eyes honing in on four, no, make that five Alliance scouts, each bearing state of the art sniper rifles, each one positioning themselves to take aim.

Like a guard dog meant to protect her owner, Cat's long legs responded in a flat run as the closest sniper took his shot at the camp. Luckily, it missed, but behind her, she could hear Mal ordering his men to get down. He hadn't been fast enough to order her and that was a good thing. It took seconds before she pounced on the first enemy, his mouth still open as the knife slit his throat. At first, she went to toss the gun, but thought better of it. Searching him, she lay the ammo and the rifle on the ground, mentally making a note of just where it lay.

Another shot rang out and it stirred up dust beside Mal and Zoe, Cat's sharp eyes seeing it and growling. What worried her was her Sargent. Otherwise, the rest meant nothin