Rising higher into the air, Turing rotated slightly to face Uncanny Valley, ascending close behind him. Below them, Jagged Stone and Fang were on their way back to the hotel, in a car that had been sent for them by his assistant. Americana and Annie Oakley had stayed on Alcatraz Island to monitor the cleanup there as the United Heroez' "Transport" group collected the prisoners they had captured in order to convey them to the United Heroez' mysterious super-prison. Gravitor had attempted to resist at first, but in the end, he had stopped struggling long enough to be loaded into the transport boat. Compared to Gravitor, it had not been a challenge for them to move Aquarius and Scorpio – the latter with his tail strapped to his back and a bag placed over it to prevent him from using it. Under Americana and Annie Oakley's supervision, the process had been running smoothly when Uncanny Valley and Turing had left to return Jagged Stone.
Jagged Stone's car, with Fang crammed into the backseat as best the massive crocodile would fit, slowly pulled away from the dockside where it had met them. The "suit" which he had worn had survived with minimal damage – Jagged Stone had assured them that his seamstress could be discreet in making repairs to it before his next "patrol" outing. Turing had in turn warned him that he and Uncanny Valley were unlikely to be present at any of his future concerts, potentially leaving him on his own to patrol. He had simply responded that he now knew some of the United Heroez.
Uncanny Valley had stifled a laugh at that. Turing had wished him luck before sending a message to Ladybug as an update on Jagged Stone's heroic activities in America.
As the car left, Turing continued to follow it with his eyes, simultaneously scanning the rooftops along the road for any indication of other parties expressing an interest in Jagged Stone. His mouth shifted into a frown. Even though they had captured these criminals, should they be leaving Guitar Hero to his own devices? There were other criminals loose within San Francisco, any of whom could appear to harm Jagged Stone – whether because of who he is or because of his activities with the Heroes of Paris. If anything happened to him while he was out on patrol with Turing, the blame would fall on him, even though Jagged Stone had assured him that he would stay out of trouble for the rest of the night. The odds of Jagged Stone coming to harm between here and the hotel where extremely low – no more than 13%. But that was not the same as zero. And yet, at the same time, he and Uncanny Valley needed time to talk before they did anything else.
Rising from the ground below, Uncanny Valley stopped at the same altitude as Turing. "According to Annie, the prisoners should arrive at the Farm by morning," she announced. "Americana is especially happy with the arrest of Aquarius and Scorpio – that ends the threat of the Astrologers – at least for now."
Turing nodded in acknowledgment. "How long will it take for them to effect repairs on Alcatraz?"
Uncanny Valley shrugged. "It depends on the contractors, "she explained. "The United Heroez don't have a dedicated contractor to complete repairs, so it will be up to those they hire." As she finished speaking, her eyebrows furrowed in an expression of confusion. Turing drifted backward slightly, watching her carefully. After a moment, she said, "Something has been different today – specifically this evening."
"I have observed that, also," he confirmed. "But I am unsure of why."
"Everything was fine while we were working," she continued, looking out over the city, toward the brilliantly-illuminated Golden Gate Bridge. "And the concert itself was a lot of fun. Right?" He nodded. "But then something changed."
"I apologize for taking you away from the party," Turing told her. "I had observed that you were enjoying yourself there."
She shook her head. "No; it was before that when it changed."
He looked away. "When you were dancing with that man – when I said I did not wish to dance with you again – I thought that to be a mistake."
"Why would that experience be a mistake, Turing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "I was simply gathering data on human interaction. That man did not dance the same way as others – his movements were 15% more fluid and 67% less rhythmically-accurate than yours, for example."
Turing shook his head. "He did not understand the music."
"Or his understanding was different from yours," she pointed out.
"Perhaps," he allowed, inclining his head toward her.
"So, if that is the case, then why was it a mistake to dance with him?" she asked again.
"Because you did not know him," Turing told her. "Because you and he are so different. You and I understand one another in a way that the humans cannot!"
She smiled. "And the way to change that is by accumulating experiences," she observed. "I understand organics – or at least that organic – a little better now than I did yesterday." She paused, eyeing him carefully. "But I wonder if I can say the same about you."
He cocked his head to one side, observing her carefully. "What do you mean?"
Uncanny Valley drifted a little closer to him. "I mean, I believe that I have determined when our relationship changed," she murmured. "You have been acting more distant toward me since our first experiment with physical expression."
"You did surprise me when you suggested that experiment," he admitted. "Before then, I had not truly considered it – not as an experience I wished to have."
"And since?"
"I am… unsure of what the experience means," he told her. "Our relationship is observably different now than it was six hours ago, but I am unsure how we ought to proceed."
She hummed. "You know, experiments are intended to be replicable," she pointed out, moving a little closer.
He nodded. "And what is the intent for the replication?"
"You observed that our relationship changed. I wish to know if it will change once more."
"I also wish to know that," he agreed, continuing to observe her face. She was now less than a meter away, well within his arm's reach.
"Well?"
Turing took her hands in his and pulled her toward him. She leaned forward as he did so, and they pressed their lips together.
