Simon and Zoe had returned to the same section of the station where Simon had purchased River's medications, barely an hour ago. Zoe was attempting, Simon thought, to reestablish contact with her blonde alter-ego, whom she seemed to think could be useful. Apparently, Simon could not be of any real use, so he had appointed himself lookout, and was standing partially concealed behind an information kiosk, trying to be unobtrusive while keeping alert. But the circuitous route Zoe had taken from the docks seemed to have thrown off any pursuit, and Simon soon found his thoughts wandering -- to Kaylee, and River, on the ship, without him. They were probably wondering whether he was safe.

It ought to be possible to get a message to River.

She had made them several secret identities for use on the Cortex, and forced him to memorize all of the relevant profiles. In fact, she made him rehearse them every few days -- or had, before the last of the medicine had run out and she had become progressively less lucid. In case we ever get separated, she said. And in case they were ever captured or on the run, she had recorded a couple of the identities in the ship's computer for the crew's use, and made some of the crew memorize them. Inara knew one of them, Simon thought, and of course Kaylee. Maybe Wash. Anyway. He should be able to send his sister a message. Safely, from the kiosk. A message that Kaylee could also find, if she thought to look.

Simon glanced around him. Zoe was talking to some station denizen a meter away. No one in the crowd of unfamiliar faces was looking in their direction with any curiosity. It should be safe. As safe as anything had been since he took his sister and went on the run, anyway. Drawing a deep breath, Simon turned slightly and put his fingers on the kiosk's keypad.

When he entered one of the accounts River had put in the ship's memory, a new message from Inara popped up on his screen.

Simon opened it.

Inara, looking both beautiful and weary, si