Chapter Five: Names on a Rope

"Then how is that different from giving it the trigger?" Su placed Ma Wen's wristband beside the wheel. "He was already taken. Perhaps closure doesn't choose a victim. Perhaps it writes a consequence after a transfer." The theory was cruel enough to be useful. They spoke every name on the rope. Lin lowered the pen. Repair compound sealed a speck of silver-black lattice. She heard a sigh from deep in childhood: Little Li, don't be afraid of pain. The lights dimmed. The restraint on the transport's empty seat sprang open. A short length of rope had appeared around it, tagged MA WEN, with nothing at its other end. "Whose band is this?" Su asked, holding Ma Wen's strip.