Kaylee was cold. She could feel the coolness of the metal beneath her reaching up into her body, chilling her to the bone. She managed to pry one eye open enough to see she was only wearing her underthings, and the cotton bra and panties were doing nothing to keep her body temperature up. Her inner voice had been quiet for a while, and she idly wondered if that meant she was freezing to death, but told herself, in no uncertain terms, not to be such a baby. It wasn't that cold. Just … not warm.

Need to get up.

Great. It was back. Can’t, she thought. Nothing works.

Then get dressed. The voice wasn’t sympathetic at all.

Nothing to wear . She felt sure she’d stumped it.

Look.

She didn’t want to. It was so much easier to just lie there, waiting for someone else to make the decision as to what should happen. Maybe she could even go back to sleep. Except it seemed as if the inner voice had control now, and her eyes opened again, falling on her coveralls lying just a few inches from her hand. Except it might as well be half a light year. How? she asked, putting as much venom behind it as she could.

Try.

It was no good. She might be going crazy – hell, going? Already gone, way up in the stratosphere with River. They could probably swap stories using some of those long words the Tams loved so much. No. Stick to the plan. If I have one. She took a deep breath and reached out towards her clothes. Her fingers twitched. Come on, Kaylee-girl , she said to herself. Gotta do this. Relying on you.

This time her hand moved enough to touch the rough fabric, and it seemed to galvanise her. Closing her fingers, she pulled the coveralls towards herself, then wondered what to do next.

---

There was a break in the immediate pain, but Mal almost wished the torturer was still working. Anything to keep Niska’s attention away from Freya.

He was studying her as if she was a specimen under a microscope. His voice