Ethan waited, listening. Jesse was now wide awake, holding onto him, even as he shushed her.

“Mama?” she asked. “Mama?”

“You keep quiet,” he said, able to pick out her face in the small amount of light coming through where one of the bolts was missing and touching her lips, trying to get her to understand. She looked as scared as he felt. “She said we had to stay here.”

“Dada?”

“Not sure,” the little boy said. Screwing up his face, he consciously dismantled the walls in his mind, taking them apart brick by brick, until there was nothing between him and the ‘verse. Mama? he called, then again, harder. Mama? He recoiled. She was there, but it was like she was faceless, just an outline, nothing more. “Not sure,” he repeated.

---

Cody Dean sauntered down the stairs to the airlock controls, pressing down on the button. The inner doors squealed open, and he grinned at the man revealed. “Boss,” he said, dipping his head just a little.

Reed Prater didn’t even crack a smile. “They’re all incapacitated?” he asked, walking into the Firefly, favouring his chest somewhat.

“Every last one of ‘em,” Cody agreed. “Worked like a dream.”

“That’s what you paid us for,” Sadie added, standing on the top catwalk. She’d changed her pretty dress for a more practical set of pants and shirt, but she still looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

That was why they were so successful, Prater decided. “And nobody’s hurt?”

Cody shrugged. “Can’t say there won’t be a few bruises when they come to, but that’s about it. No bullet or knife wounds, if that’s what you’re talking about.”

“Good. I have some ideas for Malcolm Reynolds, and I want him alive and conscious while I do them.”

“Well, he’s up in the galley with most of the others.”

“Jasper!” Prater shouted, wincing a little as the not-quite-healed wound pulled.

“Yeah, boss?” His subordinate jogged out of the other ship.

“Get the boys and bring the crew down here.”

“Sure, boss.” He disappeared through