Chapter 17

River was floating. From where she hovered, she cold see the whole room. She was slumped against Simon, covered in a blanket. Simon looked pale, and he had his arms wrapped around her.

Silly Simon, he thought he could keep the monsters away. He didn't know that the monsters were inside of her.

In the corner, Tiri sat, her eyes closed, the pistol hanging limply in her hand. River knew that she was still awake. She was activated, she was incapable of sleep, of feeling hunger, or exhaustion, or pain.

River remembered the first time they had triggered her. She had awoken to find herself lying on the floor, unable to recall the last couple of hours. To River, that wasn't unusual, but it had been like a fog. She could almost, but not quite, remember. Usually her memories were just gone, like they had been erased.

She had felt like she could sleep forever, but there was a hunger in her stomach, like it was eating itself. When she moved, trying to sit up, pain had lanced through her, making her dizzy. Glancing down, she had seen blood, already dried, coating her arm.

River shook her head, shaking off the memory. She looked around again and saw blue threads gathered near the door.

She moved herself towards the door, passing through it like it was vapor. River frowned, knowing she was dreaming. She didn't like her dreams, the monsters always came for her eventually.

Outside the blue stretched onwards, and she felt herself following it, pulled forwards against her will.

She found herself in the other room of the shuttle. This one was smaller, the front half filled with piloting equipment.

In the pilot's chair, the taller man, the quiet one, sat. River cringed, she could feel his mind. It was empty, but not quiet and peaceful. It was cold, alien. Blue filled it, and when she tried to touch it burned her.

The other man stood behind him, eyes straight forward, not blinking. His mind was worse. It wasn't empty like his companion's. It was blue to, but the blue was threaded with red. There were thoughts, emotions, but they were cold. He knew only hate. There was no sunshine like in Kaylee's mind.

She whimpered, trying to leave, to vacate their minds and this room, to go back to Simon and her blanket. The smaller man turned to look at her, his cold blue eyes expressionless.

"What do you want from me?" she whispered, the words wrenched out of her. The man smiled at her, sending chills down her spine.

"Oh Ms. Tam, we want everything." Then he lunged for her, his face transfiguring to that of a wolf with red eyes and drooling jaws filled with yellow teeth.

River screamed, struggling to move. With a start she woke up, heart pounding, sweat making her forehead sticky.

"River, what's wrong?" Simon whispered, holding her close, moving the blanket back up to her shoulders. River shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"They want everything Simon," she sobbed. "They want her mind to hear everything, and her body to control." Simon held her closer, and slowly River drifted off, falling gratefully into the black.