TITLE: "FOLLOWING THE COIN"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "FIREFLY"

PAIRING: River/Mal. Simon/Kaylee. Zoe/Wash.

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: SEQUEL to "THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL"

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed.

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

WEBSITE: http://carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY "Serenity arrives in orbit around Hope only to

discover the Alliance already has the planet in a choke hold."

The usual disclaimers apply. The characters and 'Firefly'

are the property and gift of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

No infringement of copyright is intended.

"FOLLOWING THE COIN"

"Firefly" story

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

* * * * *

Water, water everywhere but she was still breathing, *dui*? So what was wrong with this picture? River tried to process images that didn't exactly bounce off her retinas, memories skew whiff because so much was tumbling through her brainpan. Sharp little shards of brilliance stung her with phantom blasts of light. What the *guai* was this? Then she remembered. Small slivers of memory trickling through a mind that was so full of holes she could have used it as a colander.

Simon worked with patient skill and utter concentration. Now that River realised she was unconscious she was much calmer, her mind forging pathways her body could only dream of. She knew Simon was worried about her but that anxiety had been pushed to one side to allow the doctor to silence the brother so he could work. Poking around inside his head she noticed it was not the cluttered palace of most minds but the orderly almost sterile confines of a disciplined one. Not that she had expected anything less but some residue of emotion would have been comforting. After all she was the one with a hole in her allowing him to probe and oh so carefully restore what had been taken from her. It was not that any body parts were missing exactly but they had been realigned so that sex