They stared at the box full of woodshavings and paper. Lou dug her hand in to see if something was hidden and her fingertips hit something cold and solid. The paper and woodchips must be there to protect something fragile so carefully she lifted something out. The flashlights were all focused on her hand and Lou drew her breath when she pulled the item out in the open. She held in her hand an ornately carved tube of some sort made from something that looked like a natural material. The carving looked like a tree with birds and animals entwined in the branches. There was a stopper in the end and Lou went to open it to look inside.
"Stop," Mal said.
Lou looked at him.
"Don't open it. We don't know what it is, but it looks old. I mean earth-that-was antique kinda old. That stuff sells for more intact," he said.
Lou nodded and carefully laid the tube back into the crate.
"Jayne. Start hauling these to the mule. Zoe, I need you to go with him and guard the mule. Not sure if the rest of Duggar's gang are hanging around still, but if they are they could cause trouble," Mal ordered.
"I'm going with Zoe. This place creeps me out," Wash said. Mal nodded. Lou got Wash's flashlight as he and Zoe got a crate and Jayne took one leaving the last for a second trip.
"And be careful. We don't wanna break anything in the crates," Mal said as they left.
Mal, Lou and River were left in the dark. All were quiet. Lou wandered over to where the handcuffs were by the door and shone her light around. On the floor were remnants of clothing and the wall held streaks of something Lou didn't want to contemplate. She crouched down to check the clothes and to her surprise she found a metal tube and a syringe.
"That's what we called a last option," Mal said behind her.
Lou studied the syringe. It was empty and the plunger was fully depressed.
"All Alliance officers had one. If they were caught by independents they would inject themselves and not feel any torture. And then they would die," Mal explained.
"Have you seen them used?" Lou asked.
Mal shook his head.
"Inara has one ready in case of Reaver attacks," he said quietly, as if he wasn't sure if this was information he should have.
Lou studied the syringe.
"So this girl committed suicide?" Lou asked.
"Not likely if she was cuffed," Mal replied.
"The other option is that Danny injected her and then left her before caving in the opening and locking her in," Lou said with a sad feeling.
"He must have had a reason," Mal said.
"Not really. He was a mess of a pirate and a mercenary remember," Lou replied.
They both studied the wall and surroundings, neither willing to admit they were looking for clues. None of them were too keen to think of Danny as a deliberate murderer.
Lou sighed.
"I'm checking the bridge," she said and left to look further into the ship. Mal started checking the rest of the cargo for useful goods.
In the pilotseat River was sat with a massive smile pressing buttons, accessing the auxiliary power source. With a final press she woke the instruments up and the computersystems lit up.
Lou looked on in amazement as River quickly dialled a few commands and a screen lit up showing Danny's face.
Lou jumped at the sight of a husband younger and scruffier than the last time she saw him. River hit a button and a recording of a conversation over the com-link begun.
"Wait. Mal should see this," Lou said running to get Mal. The picture on screen was like a portal to the past, showing a man with a hard set to his face and anger lightening in his green eyes. He looked like Danny, but not Lou's version of him.
"Mal. River has found a videorecording," she said.
Together they entered the bridge and Lou felt herself shaking.
"I don't think he knew he recorded this, because we only have visual of Danny," River explained pointing to the hollow cheeked, tired looking bearded man on screen.
"I hardly recognise him," Lou whispered, realising this must have been him before he arrived at Odinshelm eleven years earlier. She tried to not think about the last memory of him, when his eyes locked on hers with a look of infinate regret seconds before a bullet pierced his scull. Lou shivered.
Mal lay an arm around her and squeezed her gently.
River hit the play-button and Lou heard her husband's familiar deep voice in a conversation with a voice she recognised as belonging to Ted Duggar.
".... Gorramit Ted. They were Reavers on that wreck. You expect me to leave a defenceless girl with you after what she has been through?" Danny was furious.
"More of a good reason for the boys to have at her," Duggar said over a crackling line.
Danny ran a hand down his face.
"She's gonna die!" He said.
"Exactly. Now be a good boy and bring her back on the Tornado!" Duggar ordered.
"No ruttin chance!" Danny said firmly.
There was sounds of conversation in the background of the crackling line before they heard Duggar swear.
Danny gave a sly smile.
"Dannyyyy! You return NOW!" Duggar snarled into the com.
"Nope!" Danny replied with the beginnings of a grin.
"I swear I will hunt you down and any folks you choose to associate yourself with if you don't return with my cargo!" Duggar shouted and they heard frantic buttonpushing.
"I have disabled the automatic recall, Ted," Danny grinned and leaned back.
There were more talking in the background.
"Oh yeah... and I threw out the tracker and you might wanna consider looking at your coordinates before you crash into Erys," Danny said.
"Danny you ruttin...." Duggar begun but was cut off as Danny leaned forewards, cutting the link while laughing.
"Right then girlie. You want some feedin?" He called behind into the cargo area. They heard a painful growly scream in a female voice.
"Shame. Pretty thing like you shouldn't have to turn into a reaver," he said and twirled a metal tube Lou recognised as the one lying open next to the syringe out in the cargo area.
Danny pocketed the tube.
"I'll keep you alive yet. Might get some fun outta ya," he said with a greedy look and hit a button in front of him, ending the recording.
"Reavers!" Mal exclaimed.
"She was turning. That's why she was cuffed," Lou said.
"Poor thing," Mal replied with a shake of his head.
"Are you able to store this so I can take it home?" Lou asked River.
River nodded and started typing.
Mal and Lou returned to the cargo hold to see Jayne stood there.
"What's with the long faces?" He asked.
"The girl was turning into a reaver. Danny saved her from Duggar's crew," Lou said.
"Saved her? Hell if she was a Reaver she would have ended them!" Jayne said.
"Or turned them into the worst reavers in history," Mal replied.
"True," Jayne said and heaved the last box up.
"Help me shift this panel first," Mal said kicking a hollow wall.
Jayne yanked a metal plate loose revealing a hollow crawlspace designed for easy access in case of repairs. There was however no room for a person there. The wall was filled with sealed metal crates.
"Paydirt!" Jayne grinned and started lugging the boxes out. They were heavy and there were a lot of them.
Once the crawlspace was empty they checked the other side of the shuttle and found the same amount there. They spent a while lugging heavy boxes out of the hole, stacking it up on the mule's trailer. Wash looked uncomfortable holding Lou's rifle but he and Zoe stayed acting guard. Last of all, Lou took the box of bones. She dropped the syringe and tube in as well. Once they were out, Lou handed the box to River and grabbed the pickaxe from Jayne loosening the rosebush from the ground.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jayne asked.
"I don't need this to stay here anymore so I'm gonna move it," Lou grinted as she loosened the soil around the bush.
Jayne looked at her for a minute.
"Dunno why you are insisting on keeping every memory," he muttered and grabbed the stem of the bush yanking it up with one swift tug.
The bush loosened and a thorny branch smacked Jayne across the face.
"Gorram Danny has been dead for years but I swear he's still out for my blood!" Jayne mumbled wiping a trickle of blood out of his eyebrow.
Lou hid a smirk as he turned to her.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing," Lou grinned heading up the slope with the remaining spades and pickaxes, leaving Jayne to carry the roses. She giggled under her breath as he swore about useless plants and sentimental womenfolk.
"What's that for?" Mal asked indicating the bleeding, swearing and grumpy Jayne behind the rosebush.
"Mostly coz I wanted to see what he looks like carrying flowers," Lou giggled. "But mostly because it's no longer needed as a clue and my bees would appreciate them."
"I ain't carrying that damned thing no more," Jayne mumbled.
Lou walked up to him placing a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Well, thank you," she said and placed the rosebush onto the trailer. She turned back to see him wiping blood from a thorn cut on his cheek. Quickly she pulled a first aid kit out of her bag and got out an antiseptic wipe. He took it grumpily out of her hand and scowlingly wiped his face.
"What you grinning at?" He grouched.
She took the wipe and rubbed at a scratch he'd missed.
"Oh. Nothing. Just still think you're kinda cute, is all," she said with an innocent smile.
For a second his face flickered into something looking like surprise before he realigned himself into a grouchy expression. His eyes however had gone from a stormy gray to blue, which told Lou exactly what she wanted to know.
"So, are you kissing him anytime soon," Wash asked. The rest of them were on the mule ready to go.
Lou turned and jumped on the mule with a smirk. Jayne jumped up after and looked ever grouchier than before.
Back at the cabin, Lou grabbed the rosebush and a spade and set out for the hives where she begun digging a hole in the ground. As she fitted the earth back around the root, she saw Jayne stood leaning against a tree.
"You're gonna wreck my reputation you know," he stated.
"Yeah? Which reputation? The one where you are a total bad ass mercenary, or the one where you are a sucker for whatever I want you to do?" She asked cheekily.
His attitude faltered dramatically.
"I'm not a sucker!" He protested.
"Then why do you have your eyes on me at all times?" Lou asked.
"I don't!" He huffed.
"Yes you do," Lou grinned.
"What do you want me to do then?" He asked pushing away from the tree so that he was only inches from her looking fierce.
"I'll let you know," she smirked.