What happened in the editing cut between the stand down order and the funeral? Josh and Mutant Enemy et al own the sand box, they just let us play here. Enjoy. A/N next day, Mal still doesn't know what the BDJ is.

Interludes IV

"Close your eyes ... don't need to look." Gray form, white form, fighting form. dance form. Just like the barre, flex stretch plie, jete. IT came creeping from the dark shadows of her brain.

NO, she fought back against IT. Open eyes! Must look! Must watch, can't slip into that black trance, just follow, practice, rehearse, not the time, must wait, follow... not the time for killing. Flash of electric blue light, agony in the brain pan [flashback] Kick to the midsection, again, again, spin kick to the head, again. blackness/agony, REPEAT kick kick spin kick blackness/agony. REPEAT kick kick spin kick blackness/agony. REPEAT Gun, gun ...going for gun, top of landing by entrance behind, [Simon's voice] blackness/agony.

Screen explodes, pain behind the eyes, shards of hologram scenes all different mine, not-mine, jumbled. Simon and River attacked by Independents using dinosaurs, cut off must resort to canibalism. Jayne wearing gos se Blue Sun shirt, counting reward money in his mind, looks better in red. Simon shot, need med kit for Kaylee, Reavers attacking, white form goes red ... just like practice, kill, no mercy, keep going. In the black only my heart beat and my breathing the black, clarity, quiet-in-the-brainpan, points of light/serenity/beauty like Kaylee laughing/Simon terrified, space sick/ beauty, freedom/like Inara sleeping, no dreams.

Blue Hands, needles in the brain/crying/must keep going/ punished if I don't finish. Gray form stops/white form stops/kaleidoscope stops spinning, pile of shards in the bottom of the brain pan, nausea, burning in the throat,nose, mouth. Arm around me, stranger, safe, no danger.

Walking slow. Know where I am know where I'm going- Serenity/serenity, Simon, fam