"Okay..." EVE was typing vigorously, "First we close off the circuit capacitors and then we delete the cache recovery files. All other data will be backed up and stored for later." she surveyed her work, "No wait, that's not right..."

"How long will this take?" Willow asked.

M-O answered for her, It shouldn't take long. Leah could probably do it faster, but EVE is still quite efficient.

"You got that right!" EVE hit the enter key, "That should do it. I'll stay in case there's an issue."

"Good idea." V-GR lay his head back, "I'll be in standby mode the whole time, and if something goes wrong, don't be afraid to abort."

"Right." EVE pushed a dial up, "Almost..."

V-GR's eyes glazed over as code flashed across the computer monitor. There were trillions of tiny ones and zeros, all switching around and flipping back and forth from his changing thoughts. A sentient mind really needed a lot of information.

"Ow!" V-GR flinched.

EVE cursed, "Something's wrong! Stop! Abort!"

"V-Gr!?" Willow watched his eyes flicker.

"Ow...ow...ow..." V-GR whimpered, clutching his chest.

What happened!? M-O exclaimed.

EVE glared at the screen, "Someone blocked it."

From the outside!? M-O glanced behind him, How!? It's a closed server!

"My dad is experienced!" V-GR gasped, "He built me after all!"

"That's not fair!" Willow exclaimed, "Why is he doing that!?"

V-GR blinked as he began to relax. The pain was waning, "Aw jeez...Haaa...okay...I don't know why he's so desparate. I should talk to him."

You think that would help!?

"Hm, maybe..." V-GR leaned forward, "I have another idea. I'm going to get him whatever he wants, or otherwise get rid of him, and then we can isolate my program. Hopefully it won't take too much longer."

B-but... M-O looked at the screen, which was now blank, Ugh...my eyes...

"M-O, you need to go home." Willow said, "It isn't safe for you here. You're practically blind outside with your sensor still on."

No! You guys are my friends! M-O ran his spinning brush over his eyes, I'll be fine!

"M-O..." EVE said.

I'm serious! M-O shook his head, Ugh!

V-GR laughed.

Huh? M-O glared at him, What?

"You are so cute!"

Wha-shut up!

"Okay." EVE tried hard to not smile, "There's no need for this."

Stop! I'm not cute! M-O pouted.

Willow giggled, "Of course not, M-O..."

I am not cute!

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, "V-Gr? Are you here?"

V-GR's eyes widened, "Mom!?"

M-O sighed in relief.

"Will you let me in, please? I want to talk!"

V-GR sat back again, his eyes still reflecting bewilderment, "Let her in."

M-O jumped to the door mechanism, releasing the lock (he was grateful for the distraction).

"V-Gr!" the same blonde-haired woman from before entered the pod, "I'm so sorry! I should have done something when Gregor kicked you out! But I did nothing!"

"Mom..." V-GR stepped from his chair, "Mom...it's really you!"

He ran to embrace her.

It had happened again. That feeling. The feeling that V-GR had been built wrong, like her program had a fatal glitch and was punishing her for it.

"V-Gr? Is something wrong?"

V-GR buried her face in her hands, seated on the sofa, "I don't know what's wrong with me..."

"Huh?" V-GR's mom sat down next to him, "What do you mean?"

V-GR took a shaking breath, "I don't like this...my friends don't seem to get it...I'm a freak..."

"What do you mean, Sweetie?"

"I don't want to be a girl!" she exclaimed, "I don't get it! At work or at home, the feeling won't go away! Why do I feel so wrong in my own skin!?"

"V-Gr!" V-GR's mom hurried to stop her, "Don't talk like that! Your father might hear!"

V-GR sucked in a breath of air, "Sorry...it's just so frustrating! Why am I like this!?"

"I don't know, but it shouldn't be a hard glitch to fix. Listen, don't think too much about it, okay? Gregor will be home in one week, so don't worry too much. He'll fix you up no problem."

V-GR cringed, "I should've known you wouldn't understand..."

She stormed out of the house without so much as a glance behind her.

"V-Gr!" tears spilled from Amery's eyes as she hugged him, "My son! You're alive!"

"Yes! Yes, I'm your son!" V-GR laughed with glee, "I'm your son!"

"I should have never let you go..." she pulled away, "It was the biggest mistake I've ever made! Can we start over? Please?"

V-GR's smile fell, "Ugh...I don't know what to say to that..."

"Excuse me, who are you?" EVE asked.

"Oh, sorry. My name is Amery." she said, "I'm V-Gr's mother."

"Right. He told us about you." EVE replied, "Do you know where his father would be?"

"I know where he is." Amery glanced out the window, "He's in the center of the city, in the Gregor Tower. It's the tallest building on the planet."

"Cool. Thank you." EVE replied, "V-Gr? Why don't you go on ahead. Talk to your father. I'll follow if you don't come back out."

"Fair enough..." V-GR sucked in a breath of air, coughing when it clogged his ventilation system, "Oh jeez..."

"Are you okay?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, yeah...it's just...it's nothing, I'll be fine..." V-GR held his mother's hands, "Can you stay away? I don't know what he's planning, but you can come back to Earth with us if you want."

"Thank you. I would love that. Good luck, Son." Amery placed her palm to V-GR's cheek.

He held that hand to his face, wrapping his fingers around it, "Thanks, Mom...

I'll be alright..."