Mal paced tersely in the galley of Serenity. He had called everyone in to sort out all the trouble that had been visited on him this day. Even Wash, who had placed Serenity in orbit over Hera, was in attendance.

"Report. Make it quick-like too. Wash says we have a half hour until our window to land at the Rusty Hinge comes back around. We got a lot to sort and not a lot of time to do it."

"Well...River's crazy. And dangerous..." Jayne started.

Book overrode him. "It would appear that little River is changing, and not for the better."

"That's right." Inara said. Her normally cool exterior was belied by the fact that she was pacing the other side of galley. "But, there's more than just River in there."

The girl in question, River Tam, was just off the head of the table, Simon at her side. Kaylee sat across from them, eyeing them both nervously. She had been injured, kidnapped, and had control of her body wrested from her today. Simon feared that what effort the two of them had made to become friends again after the crwe had found out that River was deadly, was lost for good.

"So, you're saying that this Other, is a split personality inside River. But, that's not what was controlling her during her trip through the ship earlier?"

"Yes." Inara said. She was prepared to argue. The Captain could be overpractical at times, but, Inara knew what she had experienced.

"Okay." Mal said, simply.

"There's something else." Inara said, hesistantly. "The more people that are around River...The less control that this Other seems to have. I don't know if it's River fighting back in concern, or if the sheer number of people is the problem. But, she can't control all of us all the time if it's a large group."

Mal paused. Zoe could almost see the innerworkings of the Captain's mind, at least the stategy making part of it, turning.

"Walt called while you were out, sir." Zoe said "Said that whatever this thing is..."

"I know what it is, Zoe." Mal said.

Zo