Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
[ Man ]
We are not alone.
Forget what you think you know.
Forget what your mother told you
when she tucked you in at night.
Forget the lies of our oppressive
cabalistic allied governments.
Behind this curtain is the very secret
they do not want you to see.
The most astounding scientific find
in the history of humanity!
Proof of alien life!
That's right.
Go ahead and laugh, sir,
but what you see inside this room
will change your life forever.
It will haunt your dreams
and harrow, yes, your very soul!
[ Water Burbling ]
- Yep.
It's a cow fetus.
- I guess so.
It does seem to have
an awful lot of limbs.
- It's mutated.
- But cow? How do you figure?
It's upside down.
Oh, yeah.
Cow.
Yep.
[ Exhales Deeply ]
- And I'm out 12 bits.
- [ Chuckles ]
I really know
how to show a girl a
disgusting time.
[ Giggles ]
Oh, it's sweet.
Poor little thing never even saw the light
of day.
Now it's in show business.
You manage to find the bright side
of every single thing.
Also, we've
got this booth to ourselves
for five whole minutes.
- We're not alone, remember?
- He's not gonna squawk.
Tell me more good stuff about me.
Uh, well, you're, uh-- You're kind of
a genius when it comes to machines.
You always say what you mean.
- And your eyes are--
- Yeah? Eyes.
Yeah?
[ Sighs ]
And, um--
I don't know how to, um--
[ Nervous Chuckle ]
Oh.
Plus, every other girl
I know is either
married, professional
or closely related to me, so
you're more or less--you're literally
the only girl in the world.
Hmm.
That's a hell of a thing to say.
- I was joking.
- Oh, no, no.
I get it.
I do.
Back on Osiris
you probably had nurses
and debutantes crawling all over you
but down here at the bottom
of the barrel, it's just me.
- No.
That's-- That's not even--
- Well, I'm glad I rated higher
than dead bessie here.
[ Kaylee Speaking Chinese ]
[ Wash ]
Oh, my God! It's grotesque.
Oh, and there's something in a jar.
Scare her away again, did you?
Uh, this may come as a shock
but I'm actually not very good at--
at talking to girls.
Why, is there someone
you are good at talking to?
[ Wash ]
Do not fear me.
Ours is a peaceful race
and we must live in harmony.
- [ Inara ] Struck out again?
- It's like something out of a fable.
I got this priceless artifact-- the biggest score
of my career, and no one will touch it.
The Lassiter is universally known.
Fencing it
is like fencing the Mona Lisa.
Well, wh--
[ Grunts ]
The Mona who?
You're out of your league.
You should consider my offer.
I'm done thinking about that,
and you are to stay clear.
- I know people in the highest ranks of--
- Jabber,jabber,jabber.
I ain't listening.
Just 'cause you helped out
on the job, don't make you a crook.
And I will not have you
jeopardizing your career over this.
The career you abhor and look down on?
I just don't want you
in the way of trouble.
Just take it as you like.
Amnon!
- How you been?
- Malcolm.
An old friend's face
is a balm in this age.
- I read your wave.
You holdin' some post for me?
- Yeah.
Got quite a haul.
- You can sign for everyone, right?
- Sure.
- Any packages for me?
- [ Mal ] Don't know yet.
My food is problematic.
Girl's a mind-reading genius, can't
even figure out how to eat ice planet.
- Did you get everything?
- Yeah.
They didn't have rounds for the Buhnder,
but we're ammo'd up pretty good.
Got a good discount on account
of my intimidating manner.
[ Inaudible ]
This one's addressed
to you and Zoe, Mal.
- I don't remember ordering any parts.
- The little one's for Cobb.
I got post?
Might we all wanna step a few paces back
before he opens that?
Ha ha.
It's from my mother.
So, do aliens live among us?
Yeah.
One of them's a doctor.
"My dear boy,
I hope you are well--
[ Clears throat ] and that you get this soon
in your travels.
Travels.
"
- Did you order any equipment?
- No, sir.
"Thank you for the credits
you forwarded.
They have helped
"as Mattie is still sick
with the--[ Chinese ]
I made you the enclo--"
Ooh! Enclosed.
Huh.
'enclosed to keep you
warm in your travels.
"Hope to hear from you soon
Love, your mother.
"
How's it sit?
Pretty cunning, don't you think?
I think it's the sweetest hat ever.
A man walks down the street in that hat,
people know he's not afraid of anything.
- Damn straight!
- Well, let's hope
we get some funny hats too.
[ Hisses ]
What'd y'all order a dead guy for?
~ Take my love, take my land ~
~ Take me where I cannot stand ~
~ I don't care, I'm still free ~
~ You can't take the sky from me ~
~ Take me out to the black ~
~ Tell them I ain't comin'back ~
~ Burn the land and boil the sea ~
~ You can't take the sky from me ~
~ There's no place I can be ~
~ Since I've found serenity ~
~ But you can't take the sky from me ~~
[ Explosions ]
[ Gunfire Continues ]
[ Muttering ]
[ Rattling ]
[ Rattling Continues ]
[ Clatter]
- [ Grunts ]
- Oh!
Thanks.
I didn't know you were out there.
Sort of the point.
Stealth.
You may have heard of it.
I don't think
they covered that in basic.
Well, at least they covered
dropping your weapon
so you can eat beans
and get yourself shot.
Yeah, I got a badge in that.
Won't happen again.
It does, I'm just gonna watch.
See anything interesting out there--
if you don't mind my asking.
About 30 troops behind those buildings.
Mortars.
No rollers yet.
I expect they plan to peck at us
for a spell before they charge.
They had two scouts sniffing,
but I took 'em down.
Wow.
I didn't hear a single thing.
First rule of battle, little one
don't ever let them know
where you are.
Whoo-hoo.
I'm right here.
I'm right here.
You want some of me?
Yeah, you do.
Come on! Come on!
Aaah!
Unh!
Whoo-hoo.
Course, there are
other schools of thought.
Whew.
Ha.
That was bracing.
They don't like it
when you shoot at 'em.
- I worked that out myself.
- Did you find Vitelli?
Vitelli's out of it.
That bumblebee laid down arms
at the first sign of
inevitable crushing defeat.
Can you imagine
such a cowardly creature?
Southwest corridor is open, huh?
- Tracey, ain't you dead yet?
- Through no fault of my own.
- I really wanted your beans.
- They're gonna come right through here.
- They got rollers?
- Oh, they got every damn thing.
How's the lieutenant?
Oh, started screaming
all of a sudden about his arms.
Where's his arms?
We had to go back and find them.
- [ Zoe ] What the hell happened?
- He ain't even hurt.
He's got 10 pretty fingers on his hands,
like the most of men.
But he's screaming
like they're gone, crying.
He ain't said a word
in two hours.
He's--
[ Indistinct ]
Sir, do we hold?
I don't wanna die here.
Forgive me saying, this rock ain't worth it.
- Not our lives.
- Everybody dies, Tracey.
Someone's carrying a bullet for you
right now, doesn't even know it.
The trick is,
die of old age before it finds you.
[ Sighs ] We can still cut through
to the 22nd at the school system
make a decent stand there.
Well, we can't do any good here.
[ Sighs ] I sure as hell
ain't gonna lay down arms.
[ Breathing Heavily ]
Zoe
you heard the lieutenant
give the order to join up with the 22nd.
- I did.
- Round 'em up then.
[ Grunts ]
And you heard the lieutenant too.
- I ain't gonna rat you out.
Don't worry.
- Ain't me I'm worried on.
If the lieutenant gets his mind back,
this shouldn't go on his record.
- Ain't his fault he couldn't take it.
- That's more than he'd do--
- [ Whirring ]
- Seeker!
Incoming!
Aaah! Ow!
[ Groaning ]
- Is it bad? Is it bad?
- It's glorious.
- Come on! We gotta move!
- I can't.
[ Grunts ] We gotta run!
Zoe, get the lieutenant!
- [ Tracey ] I can't.
Really.
Go.
- You know the old saying.
[ Machine Gun Fire ]
Well, it don't make any kind of sense.
- Zoe?
- I got nothing.
But it's definitely Tracey.
- You know this guy?
- Is this a warning of some kind?
Listen, Mal,you gotta
get this thing outta my station.
- Uh--
- No, no, no, no.
Human transport on a postal route
is very, very illegal.
If anyone even knows I took a corpse in,
I'll lose my franchise.
- Well, who sent it?
- I don't know.
There's no return.
- How long has it been here?
- Near a week, that's why I waved you.
It can't stay here.
- [Jayne ] He don't smell.
- I know.
Been decently preserved.
Give me a hand.
- We're taking him on board?
- We are.
Don't know
if I see the percentage in that.
Then don't strain your brain trying.
Might break something.
We got it.
[ Woman Speaking Chinese On P.
A.
]
What's going on?
Did we get something fun?
You are such a ***.
- How do we know he ain't plague-ridden
or some such?
- We know.
We don't actually.
I respect that you guys
have a history, but what are you doing?
- If you want me to do a proper autopsy--
- Cut him up?
Not just yet.
Thank you, Doctor.
Robot.
[ Mal ]
What do you got?
- [ Click ]
- [ Tracey, Recording ] Uh, okay.
Um, recording.
Hi, I guess.
This is a message for Zoe
and for Malcolm Reynolds
and I really hope you all
are the ones listening to it.
I'll spare you the boring details.
I've fallen in with untrustworthy folk.
Making a bunch of bad calls.
All that matters
is I expect to be shuffled off
and you two are the only people
I trust to get me where I'm going
which is home.
I'd like my body to be
with my folks on St.
Albans.
We got the family plot there
and my mom and dad
well, they deserve to know I died.
[ Sniffles ]
You know, it's funny.
We went to the war
never looking to come back
but it's the real world
I couldn't survive.
You two carried me through that war
and now I need you to carry me
just a little bit further if you can.
Tell my folks
I wanted to do right by them
and that I'm at peace and all.
When you can't run anymore,you crawl,
and when you can't do that, well--
Yeah,you know the rest.
Thanks, both of you.
Oh,yeah, and, um,
make sure my eyes is closed, will you?
[ Click ]
Wash?
St.
Albans ain't but a two-day ride,
if we burn hard enough.
- That might make your schedule a little--
- It's all right.
That's right gentlemen.
You have been told tales all your life.
But alien races exist among us!
The proof is right inside.
You'll be amazed and astounded.
[ Woman Speaking Chinese On P.
A.
]
Can I help you?
You are an ugly looking little ***,
you know that?
- Look, if there's a problem--
- So you have to be asking yourself,
ugly as you are
how repulsive-looking
the guy that's gonna
make you his little woman is gonna be.
Hmm?
I mean prison is a lonely place.
You sure as a hundred moons
ain't gonna be pitching.
So what kind of sorry-*** troll
is gonna get blue enough
to grapple with you?
- Shudder to think.
- I've broken no law.
Transportation of human cargo, especially
dead cargo, through the Allied postal system
is punishable by 5 to 10 years
on a penal moon.
Plus, you don't know this yet,
but you resisted arrest.
- Wha-- Wh--
- Where's my body?
- I-- I-- I don't know.
- The dead guy.
He got shipped here.
And shipped back out, I guess.
Where?
I never saw a body.
- [ Sighs ]
- But wait.
There was a crate big enough for one.
I mean, I did hand that over
just a little while ago.
Lovely.
Who got it?
Um
Here.
Malcolm Reynolds.
Where do you suppose he's off to?
He-- He captains a Firefly.
Y-You should be able to catch him
if you leave now.
- Are you telling me to leave?
- Well, no, no.
I didn't mean that.
Relax.
You've been great.
And I was just
bluffing with that stuff about arresting you.
I mean, who needs that kind of paperwork?
Skunk, light him on fire.
No.
I-- I-- I told you everything.
I-- Really!
No.
Come on! Come on!
I-- I told you! I told you what I knew!
What-- What are you doing?
I-- I--
Tell anyone we were here
warn Captain Reynolds
that we're coming
and you'll wish that we'd burned you.
*** ma?
Good.
Boys, let's go find us a corpse.
[ Tracey, Recording ]
I really hope you all are the ones listening to it.
I'll spare you the boring details.
I've fallen in with untrustworthy folk.
Making a bunch of bad calls.
All that matters
is I expect to be shuffled off
and you two are the only people
I trust to get me where I'm going
which is home.
I'd like my body
to be with my folks on St.
Albans.
We got the family plot there
and my mom and dad
well, they deserve to know I died.
You know, it's funny.
We went to the war
never looking to come back
but it's the real world
I couldn't survive.
[ Breathing Heavily, Grunts ]
[ Exhales Deeply ] Ho-- Oh, sorry, Preacher.
Am I making too much noise?
No, no.
I was just
saying a few words.
Don't know
the boy's denomination, but--
Oh, no, it's good.
The Lord should
oughta look after the dead.
You wanna do a set?
I'll spot you.
I'm not so terribly in the mood.
Yeah.
Most people
is pretty quiet about now.
Me, I see a stiff--
one I didn't have to kill myself
I just get the urge to,
you know, do stuff
like work out or run around.
Maybe get some trim
if there's a willin' woman about.
Not that I get flush with corpses
or anything.
- I ain't crazy.
- Makes sense.
Lookin' to feel alive, I would venture.
Now, for psychology,
that don't sound half dumb.
My kinda life don't last long,
Preacher
so expect I'm invested
in making good sport of it whilst I can.
You gonna read over me
when I get taken down, Shepherd?
-Oh, I suspect you'll be around
long after we're all--
- What the hell is she doing?
- What the hell are you doing?
- Oh, River, that might not be the best place--
I'm very comfortable.
I guess we do all have
different reactions to death.
[ Laughter]
I thought I was gonna die.
[ Laughs ]
- How could he possibly--
- Oh, well, the colonel was dead drunk.
Three hours pissin'on
about the enlisted men.
Uh, "They're ***.
"
Uh, "They're not fighters.
"
And, uh-- And then he passed right out.
Boom.
[ Chuckles ]
We couldn't even move him
so, uh, Tracey just snipped it
right off his face.
[ Laughter]
And you never seen a man more proud
of his moustache than Colonel Obrin.
I mean, in all my life,
I will never love a woman
the way this officer
loved that lip ferret.
[ Laughter]
- Big walrusy thing-- all waxed up.
- Yeah.
- Did he find out?
- Oh, next morning, he wakes up.
It's gone, and he is furious.
- But he can't just say, you know,
"Someone stole my mustache!"
- [ Laughter]
So, he, uh,
calls together all the platoons.
We thought he was gonna shoot us.
Oh, he's eyeballin' all the men
something fierce.
Not a word.
And he comes up to Tracey, and Tracey's
wearing the gorram thing on his face!
- [ Laughter]
- He had glued it on.
He's staring the old man down
wearing his own damn moustache.
[ Chuckles ]
Ha.
Oh.
Oh, God.
- Well, the colonel must've said some--
- [ Explosion ]
- Are we hit?
- That's too damn close.
- [ Beeping ]
- They're behind us.
Fired over the port bow.
- Warning shot?
- They coulda hit us.
- Feds.
-This is Lieutenant Womack
of Allied Enforcement.
You are in possession of stolen goods
and are ordered
to cut thrust and prepare for docking.
- The Lassiter.
- That was quick.
Do you think Saffron tipped them off?
This is Captain Reynolds.
I think there's been a mistake.
There's been a lot of mistakes,
Captain.
The latest of which
is you taking that crate.
[ Whispers ]
Crate?
Um, we took in
a lot of inventory today.
If something got mixed in,
we'll be sure and hand it back.
I don't think we're your men.
Let me check
through the cargo.
Is it marked at all?
I'd think twice about
playing games with me there, mister.
I will blow you to pieces.
Oh, you do that, your precious crate
gonna be in bitty shards.
Now, I got deliveries to make, Officer,
so you just lock onto my trajectory
and I'll take a look here, see if
anything matches your description.
Police procedure has changed
since I was little.
He calls back,
you keep him occupied.
- What do I do, shadow puppets?
- We'll take care of it.
I don't get this.
They're after Tracey?
Unless there's something else
in that box.
Anything?
Not unless this crate's
made of magical wish-granting planks.
- Check his pockets.
- That ain't right.
Neither's being blowed up.
There's nothing about this
sits right with me.
- Empty.
- They want this body for something
and I'm guessin'
it ain't a proper burial.
Well, Doctor,
guess you are doing an autopsy.
[ Zoe ] You really think
there's something in there?
Using corpses for smuggling
is a time-honored repulsive custom.
Maybe it's gold.
And maybe he was a friend of ours,
and you need to show a little respect.
I got respect.
I'm just saying-- gold.
- He's been opened before.
- How's that?
It's, uh, good work.
Scar's nearly invisible, but--
Well, let's see what's in there.
[ Screams ]
- [ Yells ]
- [ Mal ] Get ahold ofhim.
Spry for a dead fella.
[ Grunts, Groans ]
- Settle down! Settle! That's enough!
- [ Groans ]
- He was cutting on me, Sarge!
- I know it! I told him to!
You told him to?
What for?
- 'Cause you were dead!
- Huh?
Oh.
Right.
[ Wheezes ]
I suppose I was.
- Hey, there, Zoe.
- Private.
- You feelin' a mite calmer now?
- Yes, Sarge.
- Um, Sarge--
- Yeah?
I think I'm nekkid.
[ Groans ]
Oh, um, sorry for jumping on you
the way I did.
I was a little confounded.
Emerging from that state
can be disorienting.
- Was it Bifodan?
- Hmm?
Can you bring that pan, please?
The drug you took to make it appear
as though you were dead.
- Remember what it was called?
- Never did ask.
Guy who sold it to me
said I'd be under a week or so.
He told me I wouldn't dream, but I did.
I dreamt of my family.
[ Retching ]
- You can take that.
- [ Mal ] All right.
You wanna explain to me exactly why you got
yourself corpsified and mailed to me?
- What are you running from?
- Running to, not from.
I just wanted to get home, that's all.
It's all I ever wanted.
Except there's them
that take exception to that
to me leaving
while I was in possession
of their property.
- What'd you boost, Tracey?
- Was it gold?
More importantly,
who'd you boost it from?
- Well--
- Captain, I don't mean to--
- [ Beeping ]
- We may have a medical emergency here.
- This man appears to be in cardiac arrest.
- [ Snickers ]
What?
Tracey, you having a heart attack?
It don't look like
he's having a heart attack.
Don't pay any attention to your machines, Doc.
They'll fib to you.
[ Chuckles ]
Heart's just fine-- better than fine.
Just runs a little hotter than usual,
that's all.
My God.
It's not just the heart muscle.
It's everything.
All the moving parts.
That's what I took, Mal.
That's what they want back.
Tracey, are you gonna tell me what in the--
[ Chinese ] you're talkin' about?
Sure, Sarge.
Sure.
- Thank you.
- So your innards ain't your innards?
They got scooped out,
replaced every bit.
What'd you wanna
go and do that for?
For the money.
They're paying me
to transport what they stuck in.
You're smuggling human organs?
They're grown in a lab.
The only way they can
move 'em is in a person.
Not sure why.
Because the technology's not ready.
Blastomeres are unapproved
likely unstable.
You're not just a carrier.
You're an incubator.
I was supposed to be at the drop spot
two weeks ago-- a clinic in Ariel.
They were to open me up, take out the goods,
and put my own organs back.
- So what happened?
- Better offer.
Another buyer was willing to go
three times the going rate.
It's enough so I could get my folks off that rock
they've been forced to live on
set them up someplace better,
someplace warm.
That's real nice.
[ Mal ]
But your better offer went south?
Yeah.
I got myself
in a little bit of a pickle, Sarge.
The folks I was working for
must've got wind of what I had planned.
I, uh, showed up.
My new buyer was dead
and there were some men
waiting for me.
- But you got away.
- Only just.
I knew they'd never stop looking for me
so long as I was alive.
Thought my chances
would be better if I weren't.
So you died,
and figured they'd stop looking for you.
- Yepper.
- [ Explosion ]
I think maybe you figured wrong.
I think they're about done
being stalled to-- Ah! Aaah!
Mal, your dead army buddy's
on the bridge.
- He ain't dead.
- Oh.
- How far are we to St.
Albans?
- Five minutes from atmo.
Oh.
Bring up the terrain specs.
Kaylee, get him outta here
and strap in.
- [ Beeps ] This is Captain Reynolds.
- [ Womack ] Reynolds
I'm a dangerous-minded man
on a ship loaded with hurt.
Now, why you got me
chatting with your peons?
Tracey, you go on down below.
We'll handle this.
Uh, uh, well, we're just seeing
to some technical difficulties, Officer.
Not interested, Captain.
I stepped over a lot ofbodies
to get to that one you got in your hold.
You play this right, and yours
won't have to be among them.
- Sarge--
- The captain ordered you off the bridge.
Come on.
We'd love to let you dock,
but that last bop you gave us
knocked out our fore couples, so we're gonna
have to park it if you want the tour.
[ Womack ] All right, Captain.
We can do this on the ground just as easy.
Yeah.
Easy.
There.
- Think you can do it?
- Watch me.
Attention crew.
This is the captain.
Sit down and hang on to something.
Oh.
Oh.
Uh, you okay?
- So I-- I can let go of you now?
- Oh, you can.
Yeah.
[ Chuckles ]
All this hard banking.
When the gravity drive and actual gravity
start working against each other
it tosses the lunch about a bit.
- Your pilot's pretty wild.
- He can thread a needle with this bird.
He's the best.
That's good to know.
So are you and he, um---
Sweeties? Oh, hell no!
[ Chuckles ]
- He's married to Zoe.
- Zoe got married?
- Yeah.
- [ Laughs ]
Yeah, next you'll be telling me
she smiles and has emotions.
She must have been such a stone-cold--
[ Chinese ] during the war.
I think the sarge
was even a little bit afraid of her.
Now she's married.
Well, that's good--
people making a life for each other.
[ Womack ]
Had enough of this goose run.
Don't need no tour
of this ice cube.
Now let's park it.
[ Wash ]
Just looking for a good spot, Officer.
- [ Zoe ] What is it?
- It's a little strange.
There's a fed station right here
but our friends haven't made
a transmission since they broke atmo.
- So what about you?
- Oh, you know, mostly just m--
- Ohh.
[ Exhales Deeply ]
- Oh.
Stuff like this.
Always finding myself
in one scrape or another.
Yeah.
Sorry to drag y'all into this.
Oh.
[ Chuckles ]
Danger is pretty much our business.
Still, if you got put
in a bad spot at all, Kaylee, I--
I'd be real unhappy.
Get ready for hard burn!
They'd be crazy to follow us in here.
[ Rockets Roaring ]
[ Exhales Deeply ]
They're not behind us anymore!
[ Laughing ]
I didn't think of that.
Aaah!
Oh, no.
Whoa-kay.
Aaah.
[ Puffing ]
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
- This kind of flying really wakes up a guy.
- Awake helps.
- [ Engines Whirring Down ]
- There.
I shut down the main power.
They might not
read our auxiliary under all this.
[ Mal ]
What if they come down, try to get a visual?
Mal, she's not a small ship.
We're not moving.
Why aren't we moving?
Probably part of some genius plan
to give the feds the slip.
- Yeah.
Probably.
- [ Distant Explosion ]
What was that?
- [ Distant Explosion ]
- Sounds like full-yield mag drops.
I think they picked up
a little triangulation in cop school.
[ Explosions ]
- River?
- Shh.
I'm counting between
the lightning and the thunder
to see if the storm's coming or going.
- [ Distant Explosion ]
- [ Glass Rattling ]
[ Distant Explosion ]
[ Explosion ]
Options?
Well, we're only as good
as long as the roof holds out.
Direct hit above us, ship's electrics
will be fried.
We'll have to climb out.
- Yeah, or get dug out.
- [ Explosion ]
They're getting closer.
Captain, there is another way.
Uh, Captain said to stay put?
I just wanna see what's happening.
We're cornered, outgunned.
It's only a matter of time
before they find us-- what's left of us.
- Let's not wait for that to happen.
- [ Zoe ] What are you saying?
I'm saying we make good
on what we said we were gonna do.
Let's call them
fly out of this canyon,
let 'em board.
- [Jayne ] Give ourselves up.
- It's our only choice.
We let these men board,
we're taking an awful chance.
- These boys ain't playing, Preacher.
- I'm aware of that.
[ Explosion ]
[ Wash Speaks Chinese ]
That one was really close.
That tears it.
I'm with the preacher.
I ain't gettin' snowed in permanent
on account of somejackass kid.
- [ Explosion ]
- It's the only option, Captain.
Wash, call the cops.
Tell 'em we give up.
No, thank you.
Tracey, what are you doing?
I said, "No.
"
Those *** up there are wantin'
to yank out this million-credit meat
and leave me bleedin'.
- Now, turn off that radio.
- [ Explosion ]
Rotten twerp's gonna get us killed.
Oh, don't you move!
Don't anybody move!
All right.
We need to power up.
We need to run.
Now!
- Put that thing down, boy.
You have no idea--
- Aw, shut it, Shepherd!
Or I swear to your God,
I will shoot you dead if you do not.
Sarge, Zoe, what are you doing
with this Bible-thumper?
- [ Explosion ]
- Wash, call the cops.
- But--
- I'll kill him.
I'll put a hole right through him.
You mailed your ugly business
to Zoe and me, Tracey.
Cash on delivery.
I'll go to hell before I watch you
turn and bite us for the favor.
[ Explosion ]
Wash, call 'em up.
Tell them we'll meet 'em topside.
No, thank you!
Do it.
- No!
- [ Second Gunshot ]
[ Weak Chuckle ]
- Y-You shot me.
- Damn right.
-[ Mal ] That's enough shooting.
- Wash!
- Ow.
- Everybody calm down.
Kaylee, get outta there!
- Oh!
- You're a rabbit, Mal!
[ Gunshot Ricochets ]
Yep, yep, yep, yep.
Hurry, hurry.
I probably scared you
back there a little bit, didn't I?
Did you see the look on his face?
It was great.
You're really bleedin'.
- Yep.
They shot me.
- W-Why?
- [ Explosion ]
- Because they w-- They wanna sell me off.
You won't let them do that, will you,
Kaylee, because, you know
I think you and I really
had a moment back there.
- Tracey.
- You know, Kaylee, I need you to fly me outta here.
- Can we take this shuttle and just go?
- I ain't going anywhere with you.
Nobody's going anywhere, Private.
Whoa!
Captain, what is going on?
- Don't make me.
- [ Explosion ]
Far as I can see,
no one's made you do anything.
You brought this on yourself.
Got in over your head
with those stone-cold gut-runners.
Then you panicked, brought
the whole mess down on all of us.
- That ain't what happened.
- Ah,yes, That's what happened.
Starting to think that trail of bodies
Womack was talking about--
I'm thinking some of that trail
was left by you.
And you ain't left a trail of bodies,
work you do?
Hmm?
'Cause your rep speaks elsewise.
Weren't bodies of people helping me out.
And you're helping out lots,
'cause I needed a chest wound.
- That can be seen to.
- Do you think I'm stupid?
- In every way possible.
- [ Explosion ]
Do you know why I picked you and Zoe?
Because you're saps.
[ Chuckles ]
You reppin' out as stone killers
but I still remember the old sarge
with his stories
and his homilies of glory and honor.
- Maybe you should have listened.
- Yeah? Well, what are you now?
What are we now, Mal?
See there?
You hear that quiet?
Means the call's already been made.
Well, that call--
that call means you just murdered me.
- [ Clack ]
- [ Gunshot ]
[ Tracey Groaning ]
No, son.
- [ Groaning Continues ]
- You murdered yourself.
I just carried the bullet a while.
[ Breathing Heavily ]
[ Groaning Continues ]
Well, now
somebody left the dog off the leash.
I've been shot too many times
to be scared by a gun, boy.
Womack, I think I broke your junk.
Little problem during shipping.
Don't think I have to tell you folk
the kinda trouble you're in.
Wetware smuggling
resisting, fleeing
an officer of the law.
I'm sure a search of this ship
will come up with another few felonies.
You won't be searching the ship, Womack.
- That so?
- [ Book ] It is.
You won't be taking us in,
nor the boy who's dying up there.
I'm authorized to kill as I like
shepherds notwithstanding.
Why is it you didn't call in for backup?
There's a fed station 80 miles
from where you're standing.
You got your command stripes
at the Silver Hold colonies.
Puts you about eight sectors
away from your jurisdiction.
Since you're running this job
on the side
you took pains
to keep your presence here a secret.
I don't imagine
it would bother anyone
if we laid your bodies to rest
at the bottom of one of these canyons.
[ Guns Cocking ]
It's damaged goods anyhow.
[ Spits ]
That hat makes you look like an idiot.
[ Coughs ]
So, that was the plan?
That was, uh--
That was a good plan.
- [ Wheezes ]
- I think so.
Um, you--
You weren't that far off
about me being stupid and I--
I never could
get my life working right
not once after the war.
Kaylee, um, I'm so sorry.
I-- I didn't--
- Sarge.
- Right here.
[ Wheezing Cough ]
Um
you-- that stupid message of mine
and I was trying to play you guys.
And now--
[ Whimpers ]
You'll-- You'll do it?
You'll-- You'll get me home?
- Yeah.
- [ Exhales Deeply ]
Yeah.
You know the old saying.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Mutters ]
When you can't run, you crawl
and when you can't crawl, you--
when you can't do that--
You find someone to carry you.
[ Breathes Deeply ]
[ Tracey ]
You know, it's funny.
We went to the war
never looking to come back.
but it's the real world
I couldn't survive.
[ Tracey Continues ]
You two carried me through that war
and now I need you to carry me
just a little bit further if you can.
Tell my folks
I wanted to do right by them
and that I'm at peace and all.
When you can't run anymore,you crawl,
and when you can't do that, well--
Yeah,you know the rest.
Grr! Arrgh!