 " The Hands of Blue " ( Jeff Ricketts and Dennis Cockrum ) : Two anonymous men wearing suits and blue gloves who pursue River , apparently to return her to the institute from which she escaped , as shown in " The Train Job " , " Ariel " , and the Serenity : Those Left Behind comic . They kill anyone , including Alliance personnel , who had contact with her , using a mysterious hand @-@ held device that causes fatal hemorrhaging in anyone at whom it is aimed . River , during anxiety attacks or psychological meltdowns , has repeated the phrase " Two by two / hands of blue " in a way that resembles poetic meter . This suggests that River has had close experience ( s ) with them . 
