Chapter Four: The Man in the Cradle

Without looking at his own hand, Gu bit his lower lip. Blood appeared at once on the other man's mouth, and iron filled Gu's tongue. “Not two bodies,” he said. “Two models of one body.” Little Full was silent. Gu snatched a scorched metal plate from beside the console and threw it at the cradle. It passed through the man's chest and struck the empty bed. Interference shattered the body, revealing a holographic projection grid. Then Gu looked down. The same interference rippled across his arms. The world went dark. He opened his eyes inside the adult cradle. The Gu Yan at the console remained frozen in the act of throwing, then vanished like a rejected prediction. Leads covered Gu's forehead. His limbs were too heavy to raise.