They let 42S sleep. Although androids technically didn't need to sleep, it was still highly beneficial, especially when one had been through a trying ordeal, and 42S had four years of trauma to sleep off. Besides, the twins weren't done working on his eye. Devola and Popola had consulted each of the Scanners for advice and assistance. 9S had begged off, citing pregnancy and squeamishness. There was the possibility that some fragments of Logic virus lingered in 42S' system and it would be fair to say that 9S was more than a little paranoid of his own developing child meeting the same fate as his brother's. Also, he wasn't sure he had it in him to go poking around in 42S' superstructure without getting sick to his stomach.

11S was willing, but unreliable as far as actual skill was concerned. Spending so much time submerged in salt water had not done him any favors. 32S was likewise eager to help, but wasn't capable of the level of intricacy required. In the end, 4S stepped up and did his best to supplement the gaps in Devola and Popola's knowledge.

"Is he gonna be like me?" 11S asked, worry plain on his face.

"Like you?" 9S echoed, confused.

"You know. Stupid. Forgetful. Dumb."

9S sighed. This was a conversation they'd had before.

"Les, you're not stupid. None of us are the same as we once were. That's not necessarily a bad thing."

"It is for me. My brain's corroded and I can't think anymore."

"You can still think, you just think differently than you used to."

"You don't have to talk down to me," 11S huffed. "I may be younger than you, but I'm not a kid."

9S exhaled through his nose, trying to swallow back his frustration. On one hand, 11S had every right to be upset about his circumstances. On the other, 9S wished he could convince his brother of his worth and value no matter what had happened to him.

"I'm not telling you stuff to make you feel better. 42S needs all of us now. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you're alive and in one piece. That's how you feel about him, right? You wouldn't care if what happened changed him in some way, would you? The important thing is that he's here with us. No matter what he's like now, he's still our brother. Does that make sense?"

11S thought about that. "Yeah. I guess."

9S patted his shoulder. "Good man."

Smiling for him, 11S wandered off. 9S watched him go, his own smile fading. 11S wasn't wrong. Things weren't the way they had been. Some things were better, some things...less so. What they were going to do with 11S, he didn't know.

"So...who's gonna fill him in?" 4S asked.

9S lifted his head slightly to squint up at his brother. The afternoon sun was hot and too bright, but the grass was cool and the shade pleasant. Not far off, 2B, B9, and A2 were splashing about in the shallows of the stream. The cold water felt heavenly on a day like today. 9S lay splayed on his back in the grass, trying to vent what heat he could. Compiling the extra code of a child tended to make him overheat. Hopefully his cooling fan would hold out this time.

"Fill him in?"

"42S. He mentioned you dropped some bombshells on him the last time I went to help with his eye. He wanted more details."

"Well, subtlety's never been my strong suit," 9S admitted. "I figured he should know the important stuff right away. I mean, the war being over's a good thing, right?"

4S snorted. "I guess. It's still a lot to take in."

"I can't really tell him much more than I did. 2B and I... we...yeah."

4S reached and briefly grasped his hand. 9S squeezed back and let go.

"So yeah. Who does have the full story?"

"What about you?" 9S asked. "You were down here for most of the last war. I think you're the only one who hasn't been scrapped and rebuilt at least once."

4S shook his head. "I was in the woods cataloging the Castle archives and studying the movements of the Forest Kingdom machines. I was pretty isolated from most of it."

"Yeah, that's true," 9S agreed. "32's no good, he was scrapped and reactivated and then spent the rest of the time hiding in the desert. Also he's...well, he's just a kid compared to us. He'd try, but I feel like he wouldn't have much to add."

"And Les' brain got corroded," 4S continued. "He's got a good memory, but he's missing several months and I don't trust him not to say something out of line."

9S cringed. "I love him, but he's got even less of a filter now than he did then."

4S chuckled and leaned more fully against the trunk of the shade tree. 9S thought he looked unwell. The sound of B9's squealing laughter pulled his attention back to the stream. She might be the newest member of their little family, but she was almost as tall as her mother and built largely from B model parts. All three of them were engaged in some elaborate game of keep-away that involved a lot of splashing and some impressive gymnastics.

Sitting up, 9S pulled off his shirt and began to unbuckle his boots. "Let's join the girls."

4S waved him off. "Just watching them is making me dizzy. You go ahead."

9S frowned, eyeing his brother. "You okay?"

"Just hot. Maybe I'll take a nap or something. I'm kind of tired."

"You don't look so good. C'mon and get in the water. It'll cool you off."

4S sighed. "Yeah, okay." Pulling his shirt off, he stood up, but almost fell into 9S.

"Whoa!" 9S had to lunge to keep his brother upright. "You okay?"

Hand pressed to his mouth, 4S didn't answer. Pushing 9S away, he stumbled a few steps and vomited into the grass.

"Shit, you're overheated. C'mere." Taking him by the arm, 9S guided 4S over to sit in the shallows. "Here, lie back."

With a groan, 4S lay back until his whole body was submerged, his head resting on 9S' lap.

"Better?"

"Yeah."

"You mind if I…?" He held one hand poised above 4S' head.

"You thinkin' what I think you're thinkin'?"

"Probably."

"Okay. You know what you're looking for. I don't."

"Let me show you, then."

Hacking into someone else's head without hurting them was always a tricky business. 9S did his best to be respectful, determinedly ignoring everything except for the one thing he was looking-

'There. Do you see it?'

'Holy shit…' 4S' bewildered thoughts echoed around him. Quietly, 9S withdrew, wanting to give 4S some time alone with the new life forming inside him. Drawing a deep breath, he opened his eyes to find the girls staring down at them, worried.

"Everything okay?" A2 asked.

9S smiled. "I'll let him tell you when he wakes up."