Mal unholstered his gun, panting from the adrenaline shifting through him at the sight of the shuttle speeding away.

Mal's had nightmares like this, on several levels. Simon and River getting taken. Mal moving too slow to change whatever bad is coming at him next.

Always the over-achiever, killing two birds with one stone

Mal reholsters his gun when he makes it to the point where Simon and River's bodies had lain, watching the shuttle become a flicker ahead of him as he pulled out his comm, screaming.

"WASH! Ma shong, they're gone --- "