Firefly - “RAINBOW TEARS”

Written by Sarahannah Hopwood

Chapter 12

Jayne roughly pulls the truck up next to Serenity’s Shuttle One.  The sandstorm has almost faded out, but everything still has a misty haze to it.  Zoë and Mal jump out of the truck cab and hurry to the shuttle door.  Jayne pounds on the shuttle door with his fist.  
“Kaylee, let us in!” Zoë yells.  As she checks their backs, she freezes.  The bodies of Alliance Soldiers lie scattered next to a second military truck.  She kneels next to the soldier closest to her and checks his pulse.  He’s alive, just.

     The shuttle door opens and Zoë, Mal and Jayne dash inside out of the sandstorm.  Everything inside the shuttle is messed up.  Kaylee is lay back on the bed in the middle of the chaos looking woozy.  She greats the new arrivals with a lazy wave and a lopsided smile.  Zoë removes her scarf and goggles, shaking stray sand out of her hair.  
“You okay, Kaylee?” she asks concerned.
"Shiny!” Kaylee replies a little breathlessly.  Jayne pulls his hat off and sighs in relief.  He shakes himself like a wet dog, sending sand everywhere.  Mal hovers near the door, awkwardly.  
“What happened to the soldiers out there?  They’re out cold.” Zoë asks.
“They were outnumbered.” River says quietly from the corner.  She is crouched down next to  a little pile of sand.  She looks creepy, her eyes wide and her hair full of sand.  
“She saved my life.  Again.” Kaylee says smiling at her.  Everyone stares at River who is now playing with the pile of sand on the floor, creating patterns with her fingers.  Zoë looks over to Mal.  
“What do we do now,” she asks, but she doesn’t get a reply “Sir?” she asks puzzled by the silence.  What little of Mal’s face scrunches up and his eyes close.  He reluctantly pulls off the scarf and goggles to reveal, its not Mal, but Simon looking sickly and pale.  He stands there quietly looking silly in Mal’s big coat.  Everyone stares at him in shock.  
“Hi.” he says timidly.


The shuttle door opens, Wash and Mal struggle down the stairs.  Wash has his arm slung over Mal’s shoulders and Mal is heaving Wash down the stairs, sweat dripping off his brow.  
“You recon you can fly us outta here ‘fore you pass out?” Mal asks out of breath.
“Good to go.” Wash replies in a cheerful voice.  He pats his roughly bandaged leg and winces in pain.  
“Shouldn’t have done that.” he gasps in pain.  Mal leaves him at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the shuttle.  He runs back up the steps and goes to lock the shuttle doors.  Rem heckles him from inside.  
“Just gonna leave me here to die,” she yells hoarsely “Wo Xi wang ni man si duai xi a di yu![24]”  Her words are suddenly cut off as Mal slams the door shut.  He returns to Wash and continues to help him towards the bridge.


Surprisingly, its River sat piloting the shuttle through the weak sandstorm.  Jayne is clinging onto the frame of the outer shuttle door, looking terrified.  Zoë is getting her gun ready.  
“See its unlucky to wear an opal if its not your birthstone.” River says lightly.  Zoë looks up at her, irritated by her offhand comment.  
“Will you keep your eyes on the sky?  Only reason your flying is ‘cause Kaylee can’t.” Zoë says waspishly.  Kaylee looks up from her hands at the sound of her name and looks at Zoë, barely focusing on her and looking disorientated.  Simon holds her close to him, stroking her hair gently.  The shuttle suddenly dips wildly sending Jayne slamming against the door.  
“Why’d you let her gorramn drive, Zoë?  She’ll likely fly us into a cliff.”  Jayne demands.  River turns to him and sticks her tongue out, wiggling it.  She turns back to the controls, idly steering with one hand, playing with her hair with the other.  Jayne closes his eyes, looking nauseous.  Zoë cocks her gun.


Wash tumbles into the pilot seat.  He’s sweaty and pale.  He checks the control settings with Zen-like calm.  He looks down at his leg and groans.  
“Oh that’s never gonna come out of the upholstery.” he says looking down at the blood now soaking into the seat.  Mal throws him a ‘this-isn’t-time-for-jokes’ look and Wash returns to his checks.

     The proximity alarm sounds and their eyes snap to the scanner.  They both let out a sigh.  Its shuttle two.  Wash hit’s the comm.  
“Zoë, you okay baby?” he asks calmly flicking switches.

“We’re okay.  All shiny my end.  You?” Zoë replies.  Wash thinks for a second then shrugs, deciding to tell her the truth.  
“Meh.  Got shot, kicked in the head…the usual.” he says light heartedly.  There’s silence from the comm.  
“You’d better be joking, husband.” Zoë pauses “River is bringing us in now.”
“you let River loose on my gorramn shuttle?  Are they no longer my property?  Tell me someone please, who the hell bought them from under me?” he asks.
“Flying is easy.  I mean its basic mathematical-”
“Okay, okay,” Mal cuts across River “Just move it.  We got an Alliance Gunship on our tail.”
“How’d the hell did that happen, Sir?” asks Zoë, back in control of the comm.
“Long story, dear.” Wash mutters.
“Docking in 3-2-1.” River says loudly.  Serenity gives a little shudder at the shuttle docks.  Wash throttles Serenity’s engines, eager to leave.


Serenity rises into the air from its hiding place, which is a high walled crater.  It comes nose to nose with a much smaller Alliance ship.  The ship throttles its engines and hits Serenity head on, denting her nose horribly.  Serenity is pitched back by the force of the attack and she backs into the opposite side of the crater, mashing up her rear.  She begins to spew smoke.

     Wash and Mal have been thrown forward by the impact.  Wash eases back into his chair slowly, his lip is split and the knuckles of most of his fingers are badly grazed.  Mal picks himself up off the ground, his nose is bleeding heavily and his eyes are already turning black.  He pulls himself to his feet and stands back behind Wash, breathing heavily through his mouth.  He spits blood onto the floor and glares forward, his eyes narrowed.

     The Alliance ship lands heavily on the sloping side of the crater.  It rolls down the side, flipping several times then lands in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the crater.  It bursts into a ball of flame.  Above it, Serenity blasts towards atmo.  She’s barely airworthy.

     Zoë and Jayne haul themselves up from the floor at the top of the stairs leading to the cargo bay floor.  Jayne rolls onto his back, groaning and holding onto his wrist.  Simon and Kaylee are in a heap at the bottom of the stairs on the floor of the cargo bay.  Simon is holding Kaylee to him and she had landed on top of him.  Kaylee rolls off him and untangles herself from his arms, Simon is out cold.  River is stood on the steps, still perfectly balanced with one foot hovering over the next step.  
“Sprained my gorramn wrist.” Jayne grunt in pain.  Zoë wipes her cut with her hand.  She looks down the stairs and rushes to check on Simon and Kaylee.  Simon is slowly coming round and Kaylee clutches his hand tightly, looking worried.


Serenity blasts through atmo.  She leaves black smoke in the sky behind her.  She’s pretty badly beaten up.  She lists lazily, then straightens out with a slight struggle.  She heads forwards, shakily, away from Greenleaf.

     As Serenity struggles forward, Wash checks the scanner.  He looks worriedly up at Mal.  
“We need to hit Full Burn…now.  Get Kaylee to the engine room.” he says agitated.  He’s slightly loosing his Zen calm.  Without warning the Alliance Gunship stalking them rears into view.  The proximity alarm blares out.  Mal stares at the ship in horror.  
“Hun dan ni zu zong shi da dai…[25]” he mutters under his breath “Wash, get your ass in gear and get us the hell outta here!” he adds loudly.  Wash shakes his head hopelessly.  He twists Serenity around in a violent movement.  Mal looks at him as if he’s gone completely crazy.  
“Where’d the hell d’you think you’re headed?” he yells.
“Can’t outrun them, Mal.  Not possible.  But I got a plan,” Wash pauses “Sorta.”  Mal doesn’t look overly confident at the idea of Wash’s apparent plan.