*Out of bullets; time for phase two...*

Dropping her now-useless firearms, River Tam sprinted for the cover of a nearby building. *It’s okay; only six targets left...* Tearing around the building and racing down the next street, she circled the block, coming back behind the surviving mercenaries. They raised their weapons when they noticed her, but River was too fast. Disarming the first with a kick, she slammed his head into the nearby wall, then attacked the remaining five. She made quick work of them.

Standing alone now, chest heaving from the exertion, River was motionless for a moment. Finally, she turned and glanced toward the sky. Hanging from the belly of Serenity like a large, bearded spider, Jayne gave her a quick thumbs-up. Hesitating no longer, River returned her vision to the ground-level and headed back across the street toward the opposite side of the warehouse.

“Go ahead,” Mal urged, nodding toward the gun on the roof but not looking away from Niska. “This is your last chance to point a gun at me. Take it.”

His expression frozen in one of intense curiosity, Niska knelt and retrieved the weapon. Straightening, he flashed Mal an evil grin.

“My, Captain Reynolds, but you are an old-fashioned man.” He pointed the gun at Mal’s head. “In zis case, however, I do believe it will be your last-”

Malcolm Reynolds, former sergeant in the Independents army, veteran of the Battle of Serenity Valley, and captain of the Firefly-class starship Serenity, drew his pistol and fired a single bullet through Niska’s skull before the other man could even twitch his finger toward the trigger. He blinked once, and Niska’s now-lifeless body crumpled to the rooftop.

“The only ‘last’ about this day,” Mal muttered, “is us lookin’ over our shoulder for you.” Holstering his gun, he moved to retrieve the other from Niska’s motionless hand.

“We’ve got to get you to the infirmary as soon as possible,” Simon implored, injecting a coagulant agent into Gabriel’s arm. “You are in very bad shape.”

Leaning