.020 [Video]
[The footsteps are urgent. There's smoke rising into the bright sky. Smoke and dust and death: in the background, the settlement is what amounts to a war zone. Mal rounds the embankment, skidding as he turns to see the thing he almost expected and never wanted. He stops long enough to bark an order at Jayne, behind him:] Get the Doc. [He doesn't look to see if Jayne's followin' the order; he goes to Shepherd Book and kneels next to him. Book's hand is waving, searching; Mal takes it.]
Shepherd, don't move.
[Book's dying. It's obvious. There's too much blood and not enough strength.] Won't go far.
[Mal, shaken, begins to speak. He's never been this shaken in the Underworld.] Shouldn't've been you. I'm so sorry, it was... They should've hit us. They should've hit me.
[Book coughs and, even in death, his tone is almost wry.] That crossed my mind. I shot him down.
I seen.
I killed the ship... that killed us. Not... not very Christian of me.
[Shaken and urgent:] You done what's right.
Coming from you, that means... almost nothing. [It's not unkind; there's almost a teasing note behind it.] I'm long gone...
Doc'll bring you round. I look to be bored by many more sermons 'fore you slip... [Mal tightens his grip, trying to get Book's slipping attention.] Don't move.
Can't... order me about, boy. I'm not one of your crew.
[Firmly, thickly:] Yes, you are.
[Book convulses and coughs, then grabs Mal's arm. There's a last surge of strength giving breath to his words.] You... It's on you now. All this death, all this shit... you have to find a course. This can't mean nothing. River... You have to...
[He trails off and Mal shakes him.] Come on.
[Book reaches up and lays his hand on Mal's cheek.] I don't care what you believe. Just... believe it. Whatever you have to...
[His breath hitches, once. Twice. His hand falls away, leaving a smear of blood along Mal's cheek and neck. Mal doesn't move.
Mal doesn't move. There's conversation behind him and each word hits him harder than the last; he's still holding onto Book. Jayne and Zoe are talking.] How come they ain't waiting? They know'd we was coming, how come they only sent one?
[It's Zoe who says what Mal's already thinking. Zoe who gives the order that Mal can't, her voice thick and on the verge of panic.] They didn't know we'd come here... Get on the Cortex. Wave the Sanchez brothers, Li Shen -- anyone who's ever sheltered us after a heist. Tell them to get out. Get out now.
[Mal doesn't move.]
Shepherd, don't move.
[Book's dying. It's obvious. There's too much blood and not enough strength.] Won't go far.
[Mal, shaken, begins to speak. He's never been this shaken in the Underworld.] Shouldn't've been you. I'm so sorry, it was... They should've hit us. They should've hit me.
[Book coughs and, even in death, his tone is almost wry.] That crossed my mind. I shot him down.
I seen.
I killed the ship... that killed us. Not... not very Christian of me.
[Shaken and urgent:] You done what's right.
Coming from you, that means... almost nothing. [It's not unkind; there's almost a teasing note behind it.] I'm long gone...
Doc'll bring you round. I look to be bored by many more sermons 'fore you slip... [Mal tightens his grip, trying to get Book's slipping attention.] Don't move.
Can't... order me about, boy. I'm not one of your crew.
[Firmly, thickly:] Yes, you are.
[Book convulses and coughs, then grabs Mal's arm. There's a last surge of strength giving breath to his words.] You... It's on you now. All this death, all this shit... you have to find a course. This can't mean nothing. River... You have to...
[He trails off and Mal shakes him.] Come on.
[Book reaches up and lays his hand on Mal's cheek.] I don't care what you believe. Just... believe it. Whatever you have to...
[His breath hitches, once. Twice. His hand falls away, leaving a smear of blood along Mal's cheek and neck. Mal doesn't move.
Mal doesn't move. There's conversation behind him and each word hits him harder than the last; he's still holding onto Book. Jayne and Zoe are talking.] How come they ain't waiting? They know'd we was coming, how come they only sent one?
[It's Zoe who says what Mal's already thinking. Zoe who gives the order that Mal can't, her voice thick and on the verge of panic.] They didn't know we'd come here... Get on the Cortex. Wave the Sanchez brothers, Li Shen -- anyone who's ever sheltered us after a heist. Tell them to get out. Get out now.
[Mal doesn't move.]