The rag wiped the soot from the barrel as he held the pistol tightly. Bo rubbed the gun lightly with the oiled rag, careful to keep the coat light so not to rust the weapon. His mind flashed out to the orbit of another moon, where he felt Mal doing the same thing. As his hands ran rhythmically over the weapon, his mind flitted out to Rivers. She was calm, hurt but calm. His presence in her thoughts did not go unnoticed.

‘Looks like I’m not the only one that barges into peoples thoughts.’ Her voice giggled.

‘Ah but you were barging on dreams, an that’s a bit different. Me, I’m just wonderin and wanderin.’ He retorted with a laugh of his own.

‘Ah, I’ll take a mental note.’

‘No you won’t.’ He laughed.

‘Ok, maybe not, but still.’ She got quiet for a moment, then he felt it coming. ‘Why did you leave?’

‘I told you bao-bei, because I was a danger to the crew, and to you.’ –and to everyone else I’ve come in contact with. He thought, keeping the last part to himself.

‘I don’t understand. I’m a reader too, why would that have anything to do with it?’

‘It doesn’t, it’s what else they did to me in that 上帝被抛弃 place. I couldn’t leave that danger with you. I’d never forgive myself if I’d hurt you, or someone else.’

‘But you can keep me with your new crew, eh? Feel I’m less of a threat to them? You’re so very mistaken.’

Bo felt a shudder run down his spine as his connection with River severed. He felt her reach out for it, but her power couldn’t reach to him. His hand’s acted on their own. The gun slammed to the table as his fingernails began to darken. He felt his teeth sharpen in his mouth. He looked down to the knife on the table and saw his face growing hair on it. He fought the presence that wanted to be released, that wanted to feed on his friends. He felt it fight back, felt his body twist and contort as it tried to change.

“No” he said/growled through his now sharpened teeth.

His acute hearing picked it up first, the bare feet on the grates. The wind movement ab