This chapter just has some brief mentions of blood but that's it.

Incapacitating Chen's guards had been easy for Pixal. With a simple flick of her wrist, she flipped their vehicles over, trapping them beneath it. The others handled the rest of Chen's forces, and as Kai reported that Skylor was safe, Pixal made up her mind to collect Zane.

Kai had originally said he would go back for Zane, which was understandable. But Pixal was equipped to deal with basic medical emergencies, and based on the crash he had, Pixal knew that Zane would be hurt, however much he tried to hide it. It may even be serious. Kai may come, but he wouldn't be capable of providing adequate aid as she was.

Of course, she drove at a reliable pace. Especially after Zane's accident, it would be foolish of anyone to not be cautious. She reached the wreckage soon enough and found the pit into which he had fallen. Kneeling by the edge of the opening, she peered inside.

Zane knelt in the shadows, his arms wrapped around himself as if sheltering from intense cold. Pixal wondered how badly he must be hurt if he hadn't already climbed out. From the looks of it, the slope leading into the cavern wasn't that steep.

"Zane," Pixal called. She swung her legs over the side and began to make her way down to him. Inside it was dim, but much wider than it looked from above. Moss grew in patches where the sun shone through the opening, and Pixal had to be careful not to slip as she climbed down. To the right, a dark tunnel led even further underground, and Pixal hoped that this was not the home of some large creature. There was already enough going on without another giant snake to hunt them down.

At first, Zane did nothing to acknowledge her. But he finally spoke when she drew nearer.

"You were right," he said simply. "About everything."

At first the statement threw her into confusion as she tried to recall everything she had ever said to him. But then he got to his feet and held out his arm for her to see.

Pixal was alarmed at the state of his wound. It was a grisly mess by human standards, but that didn't faze Pixal. What did concern her was the way the wires and metal had been exposed. She understood now what he meant. When she had first suggested in Chen's factory that Zane might not be human, he had denied it fervently. But now the evidence was undeniable.

"I am not real," Zane whispered as if in a daze.

Pixal was still stuck on the wound. Surely the fall hadn't torn up his arm that badly. "Here." She found a strip of cloth he must have torn off earlier and began cleaning the wound. He was lucky that his system had a failsafe for such an occasion, or it could have been a lot worse.

Next Pixal opened a compartment in her own arm and removed a small bottle. She sprayed him with a solution that hardened within seconds. "This will provide some light protection for the time being." Finally, she wrapped the last of the cloth around his forearm. "I understand that you were curious, but you should have been more careful. I'm not certain where we could create a synthetic skin or healing solvent at this time, and if anything gets inside, you could end up with a dead arm." She tied off the bandage with the ease of practice, though it was all thanks to her programming.

"And secondly, that depends on your definition of real. I can touch, see, and communicate with you. You exist to the world and to those around you, therefore you are real."

At first, Zane could only blink in surprise. Then he said, with some confusion, "In the past, when I hurt myself, it would always heal . . ."

"Superficial wounds, yes. I expect that the material acting as your skin has some small ability to multiply cells, allowing them to imitate the way that human skin heals itself in minor cases. I have a similar ability, but Mr. Borg created this solution for me in the event that I had an injury too large to heal without proper maintenance."

Zane simply nodded. Pixal was going to suggest that they hurry back to the others before anyone started worrying, but he spoke again. "Pixal . . . I'm sorry about the way I treated you before. At the time, I just didn't want to admit that what you said was true, though I suppose that part of me knew you were right."

"No apology is necessary."

"But it is, I was wrong to act that way. And I want you to know that I'm sorry."

"Then I accept your apology."

They both fell silent. Now that the conversation seemed to be over, Pixal took a step back towards the slope leading out of the cavern. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She really wanted to go, as it was the next logical step and they only seemed to be wasting time here. Not to mention that she was anxious to see Skylor again.

But there was still something not right with Zane, and for some reason that bothered her. Didn't she have a responsibility to him as she would her friends, now that they were allies?

She made up her mind and took hold of both of Zane's hands, established direct eye contact, and said in as gentle a voice as she could manage, "My sisters are always trying to convince me of how real I am, how human I am, like them. Some days I find evidence to believe them and some days I decide that they are wrong. But more recently I've realized that it doesn't matter how human I am because I am not human. What I am is myself. For a while, I thought I was unique, so I did not have any need to 'fit in' because I set the only precedent.

"Perhaps you're not human, Zane. I can understand why you would be disappointed, given the circumstances." She squeezed his hand in a way that she hoped was reassuring. "But if there is any comfort I can give you, it's to be glad that you are not alone. We may not know what it's like to be human, but at least we understand each other."

Again, Zane had no words, and only stared at her with a look of mild shock.

She let go of his hands and said, "Now, we need to leave. Your friends will want to know what has happened."

But she must have said something wrong because his expression darkened again. "My friends. What will they think of me if they find out?"

"I'm sure your friends will think no less of you."

He shook his head. "Pixal, please," he said desperately. "You have to promise me you won't tell them about this. You can't tell anyone."

Pixal frowned and thought it over. "I won't if that's what you want, but I don't think it would be wise. You can't hide this forever."

"Please, just promise me you won't say anything."

She nodded. "You have my word."

Zane seemed satisfied with her answer. Finally, it was time to leave the pit, and they made their way back toward the palace together. Pixal still worried about him, but she could sympathize with his hesitance as well. She knew how hard it was to be different. But she also knew how heavily a secret like this could weigh on a person. Truthfully, she didn't know for certain how his friends would react either. She just hoped that he would find it in himself to embrace the truth, for his own sake.