Disclaimer: anything recognizable is property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. The story is mine though. I had to take a couple creative liberties, but only on things never explained in the series. I also used my own translator for the Manderin, so it may not be perfect (although either way, it is comical).

As according to plan we were sucked through a hatch and into what looked like the auxiliary maintenance room. We sat tight in our shuttle sitting on the floor, waiting for the pumps to engage. But there is always a time when you realize that thing you’re waiting to come never does. It was a half hour when we knew the pumps weren’t coming on any time soon.

“We can’t swim in this.” Bill was in back frantically searching the computer for something that may help us. “We need those pumps on.”

“Where physically are they,” I asked him.

“It doesn’t matter”, he responded. “The whole base is on lockdown.”

“Lad, you also have a shotgun on this thing, don’t you?”

I started at him for a second. “I agree fully. The locks are all electronic. A shotgun blast should be more then enough to blow them open, letting the water short-circuit the lock opening the door.”

“Lad,” Tobias aimed at me, “I wish you’d let me speak my own thoughts.”

Bill butted in. “And even if that does work, we’ll flood half the station.”

“Duh,” I told them. “We just make sure we don’t flood the half Serra’s in. Now, where are the pumps situated?”

Bill brought up the schematics again. “Central maintenance, direct center of the base. The pumps themselves are one level lower, and they run to the auxiliary maintenance rooms where secondary pumps are. That’s what we were hoping to get up, but the main pumps, by laws of mechanics, override the not-working secondary pumps, which should allow us to get out of this thing and mount a rescue. Any questions?”

“Yeah, uh-”

I cut Tobias off. “Yeah, we got it. Any routes planned?”

“Where are they holding her?” Tobias inquired. “And how do we know they haven’t killed her yet?”

“W