All were gathered in the cargobay. Well, except for River, but she was too busy playing her little go-se game of 'I-hide-and-you-don't-find-me-cuz-I'm-the-gorram-crazy-psychic-moonbrain-assasian-and-you-ain't-so-HAH!!! Sir. Mal looked at each and everyone of them in turn before he spoke, his quasi hero speech all planned out. Hell, nothin' EVER goes acordin' ta plan!

"Right, heres how it is: Me, Jayne, and Cassandra will be the ones to actually go in. The rest of ya'll will stay here and find that gorram walkin' mood swing. Now-"

"Just wait one gorram minute!!!" Zoe was on her feet, gun already strapped to her side and ready to go. "Why've I gotta stay and play nursemaid to some crazy waith!?!?"

"Cuz, Zoe, for one, this is a rescue op, not a search-and-destroy. I need you to stay and guard ship, as your the best fighter here."

"All the more reason for me to go!"

"No, all the more reason not to go. I need you to keep the rest safe. We all know that they can't shot a barn at ten paces, so I need you to defend 'em." His tone brooked no argument from the dapper Amazon.

"Yes, sir," she mumbled glumly.

"Now, this shouldn't take but-"

"Wait, Mal." EVERYBODY gotta interupt his gorram speech!

"What, doc? I ain't got time for your middlin', so make it quick." This aughta be interestin'...

"I'm coming with you." Well...it was quick AND interesting. Problem was, it was a bit more interesting than Mal genarally liked.

"No. I ain't got no time for this, doc. Stay and help find your sis."

"But I can't help! You saw what she did, she was afraid of me. I can only hurt the effort, and you said yourself that we needed all speed in this."

"Don't you city-folk understand 'no'?" Mal looked at Simon, and saw his eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul. Mal saw what he had only seen in Jayne in that moment: Battle-lust. This boy was ready to do battle with the darkness outside. So be it. "Jayne, get the boy a gun."

"But you said-"