"Mei-mei?" A voice calls out to you. It's familiar.

Safe.

"No," you state as you rub your eyes with one hand and hold out your other hand, trying to push away the sound, the intrusion.

"River!" The voice calls once more- insistent, familiar, strong.

Simon.

"Simon," you gasp as you open your eyes, but all you can see is red and all you can hear is a horrible ringing sound in your ears.

It echoes.

"Simon," you state more resolutely as you blink your eyes, clearing your gaze in time to see him collapse before you. Like a limp doll, so strange, unreal.

"River," he repeats his voice fading as he clutches his abdomen and blinks up at you. "I thought-" he begins as he looks down at the crimson blood covering his hands. "You were getting better."

"I am." You insist as you glance down at your trembling fingers, gasping as a gun falls from your hands. "It's not real. Just an object."

"I failed you," he whispers as he closes his eyes and you drop to your knees, clumsily placing your hands on his wound.

"Pressure," you state softly as you press down, trying in vain to stop it. To stop the life ending flow- too many shades of red.

"Shuh muh," he moans as his fingers brush up against yours, the sticky substance of life coating your fingers, making it more real.

Tianna.

"No," you gasp. "You'll be fine. I'll take care of you."

"Kaylee," he whimpers as he struggles to breathe and you can feel the strain it takes each time he inhales, exhales.

No.

"She's here," you whisper as you look up and you realize that you're alone in the cargo bay with him. No one has come, no one knows, no one to help. "We'll take care of you."

"Love her," he gasps as he squeezes your hand. "Tell her, I never told her- I love her so much."

"You tell her," you insist as you glance around the empty room and than back down at your brother. But all you can see is red, a true hue that is blending, bleeding.

His blood is everywhere, coating, soaking.

"Simon!" You cry out and suddenly there is too much movement- you can't see, you can't comprehend.

The red is gone and it's simply black- no more colors and you relax.

~

You wake up, startled to find that you were sleeping. You push yourself up from the floor to find that you are trapped, imprisoned by a chain. Like before, only different.

No!

Not a program, just a girl.

You twist your hands, your wrists are raw from the handcuffs and your hands are still dyed a darker hue of red, so unnatural. You cry out in frustration, needing to be free, needing to go to your brother.

Words are echoing around you. They are too jumbled to understand and yet you can comprehend.

Too much blood. Losing him. Your fault. Fong luh. Careless.

Simon.

"No!" You cry out as you yank against your restraints, the metal digging in, cutting your flesh, but you don't care. "Simon!"

The door opens and you glance over at the Captain. His face is blank and his thoughts are in turmoil, he doesn't know what to do, what to say. Your fault. "Reckon you ain't as human as we thought."

"No." You state as you feel the prickle of hot tears and you whimper slightly as the tears flow down your face. "Simon?"

"He's dying, seems that our lil' albatross ain't so lucky," he states bitterly as he runs his hand over his face.

"No!" You gasp. "It wasn't real. Just an object."

"Don't reckon he'll make the night-" he states as he turns away, you can feel his sadness rolling off him in waves and it hurts so much. "Didn't see this."

Too far out in the black, done all we can- ain't no good when the doc gets shot. Didn't see this coming. We thought you were better. Too much loss-

All because of you.

Book. Wash.

Your fault.

Simon.

You gasp as the words he means to say but doesn't assault you like daggers. So raw, so emotional- so unlike him. You reel as the rest of the crews emotions filter through, you don't want them.

They're not yours! Not your fault.

You cry out as you fall back to the ground in tears. You wipe at them, your tears mixing with his blood.

So much red.

The end

Translations:
Fong luh- Crazy
Mei-mei- little sister
Shuh muh- I'm sorry
Tianna- Oh, God