DISCLAIMER: All the characters and the universe they're in belong to Mutant Enemy. Thanks for letting me play with your toys for a while.

RATED: sexually explicit swearwords if you understand Chinese. If you don't understand Chinese and sexually explicit swearwords bother you, don't read the glossary.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Profuse apologies for the delay, I hope it hasn't lost me any of my audience. This one was trickier than I'd expected, inspiration eluded me. I hope it's holding together. Oh yeah, and Mal's instincts are spot on....

SPOILER for anyone who's not seen the three episodes that were unaired in the US. Shame.

Things Fall Apart - Chapter 5

Jayne dropped down onto the upper deck of the airlock, disdaining the set of stairs that had automatically extended when the emergency hatch was activated. He made a quick 360 degree sweep through Vera's sights. The airlock was larger than Serenity's cargo bay and a lot emptier. Letting out a slow breath, Jayne grimaced suspiciously and sniffed at the air. It smelled faintly of burnt things. He glanced over his shoulder and gave a quick 'OK' signal, then took a step sideways and watched the doors.

Each of Nexus 7's five sections was connected to its neighbors by an airlock, which had a door on either side. Sometimes these doors were left open to make it easier for the passengers or crew to move around. The doors to Sections C, with its crew quarters and cargo bays, and Section D, which held Nexus 7s' Command Center, were both closed. The station had two decks, the outer rim of the wheel forming the floor of the lower deck and an upper deck with its ceiling looking towards the hub. Each deck had an emergency access hatch on one wall of the airlock. Direction on the station was always taken from the direction of spin, or clockwise.

Duvenage dropped lightly onto the deck, holding a lethal-looking laser-targeted handgun that had Jayne salivating. He glanced about, then moved quickly over to the access door to Section D and examined the p