Kate let out a deep sigh and ran her hands over her face as she stepped into the bright living room. She automatically squinted against the sun. Her head had been pounding for most of the day, and now that her first shift had ended she hoped the freedom would calm the pressure in her skull.

The past week had gone by more smoothly than she'd expected. Simon and Seph seemed almost possessed in their efforts to clear out the boat house. After the first day, the pathway had been cleared underneath the trees and the original driveway uncovered. They'd pulled out most of the furniture and equipment from the building, leaving the interior an empty rotten shell. Careful deconstruction began with the foliage outside and revealing the shape of the old building which looked to have once been very homely. Kate had avoided that part after the ivy collapsed on top of Seph, and he'd continued his work not having noticed he was covered in massive brown spiders and webs.

The activity seemed to liven the androids. Even Lauren had come out of her corner to participate in some of the work, her suspicious glare transitioning to a curious intrigue. She would only speak directly to Seph who had developed an almost separate behavior dedicated only to her. Kate noticed he would frequently stop what he was doing to check on her, and if she was out of his direct line of sight, there'd be a moment of panic as he set off to find her. Clark worked outside the boat house, delivering insight on how it should be deconstructed. However, most of his time was spent in Richard's office where Kate often heard him and her father discussing complicated programming topics. Occasionally Clark even synced with Richard's terminal, his eyes closed and his LED spinning yellow as an endless wall of code ran across the screen.

The biggest change she noticed was in Simon. For the first time, he seemed completely focused and confident. He followed Seph's lead on most projects, suggesting safe demolition strategies and volunteering for the more risky jobs. He'd been waking Kate in the mornings earlier and earlier even when she buried her face in her pillow and urged him to leave without her. That morning, she'd awoken to Simon holding a fresh cup of coffee for her, and he practically bolted out the door after she took it from him. It was a daunting new change of pace to be separated from him for long periods of time, but she did have to admit there was something incredibly alluring about seeing Simon deeply engaged in manual labor.

It hadn't taken long before Richard approached Kate with an editorial position in CyberLife. She'd been introduced to the team of mostly android members through Richard's desktop terminal and given a series of legal contract proofs to demonstrate her degree of professionalism. It was easier this way. Kate was able to mute her microphone as she poured over the contracts and made several very unprofessional exclamations before handing it back over to the team. It surprised her only a little bit when the human members showed visible relief in her feedback while the androids seemed to confusedly flash messages to eachother.

Simon's coffee had saved her that morning. She was already feeling the crash as the strain of her focused attention wore away. Her clothes were oddly constraining as well. She'd worn a disgusting green blouse with loose sleeves and a v-neck. She'd never even seen that shirt before, let alone knew she owned it, though it seemed to fit what she guessed someone would wear in an office. She pulled at it awkwardly as she moved through the room towards the stairs. If she was going to the boat house, there was no way she would let anyone see her in that shirt.

She moved towards the stairs, running a hand over her face when a noise caught her attention. She glanced at the couches and a nervous wave floated through her. Taylor was seated on one of them, her feet up on the coffee table and her shoulders slouched as she stared at her phone. She'd made no indication towards Kate, and it wasn't clear if she just hadn't noticed her or was ignoring her. Kate continued on her path, fighting the aggravation in her stomach. Part of her was still fiercely bitter of what she'd pressured Kate to do at SoulState. Another, more cautious part was tugging at her to take advantage of the situation. It'd taken days for Kate to believe that Taylor hadn't been the one to call the police, and then a few more to believe she wouldn't call them back after Lauren had been welcomed into the house. Things were still tense between them. But there was a deeper reason for Kate to see that tension lifted.

Kate moved into the living room, stepping slowly towards the couches. "Hey um…" Kate ran a hand through her hair. "Taylor, I'm sorry for accusing you like that. It was a fucked up thing to do and I shouldn't have just assumed. I was really pissed off and scared."

Taylor continued to stare at her phone. Kate let out another sigh.

"I mean you did do a really fucked up thing too, picking that android for me to shoot," said Kate. "And I did a fucked up thing taking that AP700. So we both did fucked up things. I don't want to say eye for an eye but I just want you to know I'm sorry that all of this happened."

Taylor shifted as she swiped a long message without acknowledging Kate at all. A chime rang through the room, and Kate looked up to see a female android in a blue suit heading for the front door. Kate watched the android until she was out of sight, then closed her eyes as she pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Look, I'm leaving the ball in your end of the court," she said. "I understand what you were trying to do, and I'm not mad at you for it. I don't want you to be mad at me or hate me for what I said. And I still want to be your friend."

Taylor suddenly stood up, tapping her phone off. When she turned, she threw Kate a blank glance before moving past her, Taylor's footsteps drifting away towards the front door. It was a pathetic attempt, but it was better than nothing. At the very least, Kate hoped it would give Taylor something to think on.

Kate turned slowly towards the stairs, brushing her hair out of her face when a familiar black coat and red hair caught her attention. Taylor was leaning into Luke who stood just past the entryway, his expression narrowed as he seemed to be listening carefully to her. When Kate stopped, he looked up at her. The pensive glow in his brown eyes was tinted with a slight frustration, and Kate felt herself unwittingly burn with shame. The last thing she'd said to him raced through her mind, and she couldn't help but feel as though it hadn't been warranted. Not like her anger towards Taylor was.

Luke muttered something quietly to Taylor, and Taylor made an irritated sound before moving back and giving him a tense glare. She turned away from him and disappeared into the entryway, the slamming of the front door indicating that she'd left. Luke hadn't moved, though he was staring straight ahead with his hands in his coat pockets, his head tilted back as though lost in thought. Kate watched him in curious silence for a moment. She couldn't be sure what had taken place in front of her, but the fact that Luke was still there made it seem as though he was willing to speak to her. Somehow the thought didn't make it any easier.

She let out a breath, glancing to the side before moving towards him. She stopped when she reached the stairs. "Hey."

Luke looked at her, his eyebrow raised and a small smile pulling at his mouth though he didn't say anything. Kate rested her hand on the stairway handrail.

"Look, I'm really so─" Kate froze and closed her eyes as she felt the shame burn through her again at how forced her voice sounded. She drew in a deep breath and shook her head, avoiding his gaze. "I'm sorry for what I said," she said quietly, feeling the sincerity in her tone. "You were just trying to help me and I guess I can't take any kind of friendly human contact without losing my god damn mind. Everything I said to you was just… I was a total bitch. To everything you did. Helping me find the parts to that android, taking me to the scrap room, making those guys back off… you were the only person there who cared about what I was going through and I threw it back in your face. You didn't deserve that."

Kate closed her hand around the rail as she continued to avoid Luke's gaze even though she could still feel it on her. She brushed her hair behind her ear and breathed in deeply. "I guess what I really should say is… thank you for helping me."

Luke let out a sharp breath, and Kate finally looked up to see that his smile had softened. He was still tilting his head back though his eyebrows were tensed in mild concern. Kate was momentarily stunned by his expression, as though he were surprised by everything she'd just said. He looked away from her.

"You don't really trust anyone, do you?" he said. Kate narrowed her eyes at him, the question taking longer than it should have to process.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're used to people being nice to you because they expect something in return." He cocked his head to the side and looked at her. "Or that they're being forced to."

Kate stared back at him, the defensive wall in her mind rising up again. However, it felt horribly obvious now that Luke seemed to be aware of it. She looked down at the floor. "I don't trust people who are nice to me for no reason. Everyone's got a motive."

"Yeah, they do," said Luke. Kate looked up at him in surprise. He gazed at her, and then his eyes narrowed as he looked down. It was the closest thing to shame that Kate had seen on his face. "When Taylor told me you were in a relationship with an android, I saw an opportunity. And when I met you, I decided to take it. Not to cure you or convince you that androids are just machines and what you think you have with yours isn't real, but─" He froze for a moment, his eyes still narrowed at the floor. When he looked back up at her, Kate felt a sickening jolt in her stomach. It deepened the longer he gazed at her, then morphed into a mild dread as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "You don't need to apologize or thank me for anything. I probably deserved it more than you think."

Kate stared at him, her body numb as she struggled to process his words and settle on an appropriate reaction. She was drifting between disgust, shock, and regret, settling further on the latter as she watched him glance to the side and narrow his eyes. Her thoughts fell on the way he'd looked at her in the entryway when they'd first met, and how he seemed to follow her through the old Jericho ship as if studying her. She'd had her suspicions then, and now he was openly admitting them to her. There was a strange sense of comfort attached to it, as though the threat had been made obvious and the danger was now over. But that did nothing to ease the frustration in her gut.

She bit her lip, focusing her gaze on him as he looked up at her again. She shook her head. "You creepy-ass fuck."

Luke laughed quietly through his nose. "You crazy psycho-bitch."

For what seemed an eternity, everything inside her froze. Shock seemed too easy an emotion to settle on. She stared at him as she fought to breathe. Then she felt her face break into a smile, and she put her forehead in her hand as she laughed.

She could hear Luke laughing as well, though she kept her hand pressed to her eyes so she didn't have to see it. There was something artificial in the way she was laughing, as though she were willing it to happen. But it grew deeper as it continued, fueled by how he laughed along with her. It felt less like misery and more like acceptance. For the first time, she felt relatively safe near him.

Luke let out a sigh, though she could still hear the smile in his voice. "I can see why your not-boyfriend cheated on you."

Kate snorted, clenching her eyes shut in a miserable attempt to refrain from laughing. "I can see why Taylor wants to shoot you in the face." She dropped her hand and gazed to the side before looking at him. There was a softness in his expression that eased the dull look in his eyes, making him seem for the most part somewhat normal. Kate motioned towards him. "Are you going to SoulState?"

Luke nodded, throwing a glance behind him. "I'd invite you to come, but I think Taylor doesn't want you making off with more androids."

"I didn't make off with her─" Kate made a noise as she reset herself. "You know what I did."

"Yeah, I know."

Kate let out a slow breath as she gazed at him, and felt a strange tension fall over her. She ran a hand through her hair and narrowed her eyes. "Well, the cops came to our house yesterday looking for her."

Luke didn't react though he continued to carefully watch her. The tension turned into anxiety in her chest as Kate shook her head. "I mean, someone called the cops on me," she said.

He raised his head slightly, his expression still the same. Kate swallowed, gathering her courage. "Did you─ do you know who called the police on me?"

There was a heavy silence. For a moment, Kate wondered if she'd crossed a line. Luke's red eyebrows slowly narrowed as he returned her gaze, then he turned and took a stop closer to her. The invasion of her space sent a strange chill through her, and she recoiled slightly from him as she stared up at him. Her own defiance seemed powerless against his slow scan, as though he were able to see right through her. His eyes tensed, and he let out a soft breath.

"You're going to tell me you're sorry for going psychotic, then accuse me of calling the cops on you?" he said quietly. Kate's eyes widened as a wave of dread swept through her. Before she could reply, he laughed and ducked his head. She seized the opportunity to move back from him, her heart pounding.

He looked back up at her, the smirk still on his face. "You really don't know me all that well," he said, and began to turn. "Hopefully that can change someday. I'll see you around."

"You're─ wait." Kate moved after him and stopped when he turned back towards her. "Is there a rally going on or something today?"

"We're having a rally at the college on Friday, but they want to clear out all the inactive androids," said Luke. He ran a hand over his face. "It means cleaning up the scrap pile. It's a hell of a job."

"Do you… I mean…" Kate rubbed her arm. "I could help."

Luke smiled at her. "I'm sure you could."

Kate sighed and threw a glance to the side. "Look, what's the most damage I can do? I can't convince any of you guys that androids are people and it's not like I can haul a bunch of dead androids back here with me. Unless you want to help me carry the bodies." Luke was silent, and when she looked at him he'd resumed his pensive scan over her. She ran her hand through her hair. "I just─ yeah, it feels like I'm infiltrating the enemy base and sabotaging it. It's like I'm making one small difference even if it's just for me. But even if I'm spinning my wheels trying to stop something that I think is wrong, are you going to tell me you wouldn't at least want my help making the place a little more organized in the process?"

His smile was growing, and his shoulders jolted slightly as he gave a small laugh. "You're volunteering for indentured servitude?"

Kate stared back at him, her eyebrows narrowed. "Sure."

Again, Luke laughed. Then he leaned into her, gazing to the side as if they were being spied on. "I'll bring it up with the domina," he said. When he moved away, he gave her one last smile, his red eyebrow raised. "You look nice, by the way."

He turned and headed towards the entryway, disappearing around the corner. The door opened and then closed, bringing silence into the house.

For a moment, Kate simply stood still and absorbed what she'd just suggested. She didn't exactly have a solid plan, and she knew if she did return to SoulState, the harassment would be exponentially worse. All she was certain of was what she felt, and that if she had any chance of putting future plans to work, she'd need to have access to the freighter. And somehow having a friend on the inside made the task seem a little less hopeless.

Kate moved upstairs, changing from her disgusting green blouse into a more comfortable t-shirt before heading out to the boat house. It felt good to be in the sun even though the chill in the air bit her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself as she passed under the trees, noticing that the massive pile of debris had disappeared leaving a conspicuous bare patch by the side of the house where a trail of tire tracks led away from it. She gazed at it as she walked by it, then carefully stepped into the now exposed skeleton of the structure.

Their progress had shocked her every day she saw the house. The dock was gone, the roof had been taken down, and the walls were demolished. Kate stepped carefully over the wooden floorboards which were missing across one part of the room. She leaned sideways to peer into the workshop. "Simo─"

There was a loud crunch, and Kate leapt against the framework as a large panel collapsed from the ceiling and crashed to the floor. Her heart pounded as she brought a hand up to shield herself from the cloud of dust that rushed towards her. The adrenalin that ignited her veins, and the shock of nearly being crushed under such a large portion of the ceiling numbed her to the fact that someone had dropped from the hole above and landed in front of her.

"Kate!" A hand gripped her shoulder. "Kate, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here. Are you okay?"

She swallowed thickly as the image of dark brown hair and blue eyes registered in her vision. She nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I probably should have said something earlier."

Seph let out a relieved sigh and moved back from her. A moment later someone else dropped from the ceiling, and Lauren rose next to them. Her eyes were narrowed in worry and her hair was flecked in dust. Kate looked up at the massive hole in the second floor.

"You're really tearing everything out?" she said. Seph nodded.

"Some of the framework will need to be replaced, but all the load-bearing beams appear to be sound," he said. "Today should be the last of the demolition. Simon left about an hour ago for the landfill but he should be back soon."

"The landfill?" Kate looked over her shoulder at the bare patch of earth by the house. "Wait, did you guys rent a truck?"

Seph was silent, and when Kate looked at him, his mouth was pulled in a sideways frown. She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. "For fuck's sake…"

"It was my idea," said Seph. "Don't be angry at Simon."

"I don't care whose idea it was," said Kate. "You stole a truck."

"We didn't steal it," said Seph. He scratched the back of his head so that clumps of dust fell from it. "We just didn't pay for it."

"After we got raided because I stole Lauren, you're going to steal a truck?" said Kate. "And Simon agreed to this?"

Seph stared at her, and Kate saw his LED blink yellow. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you telling him?" she said. Seph's eyes widened.

"I'm… merely… I'm inquiring about his status," said Seph. Kate took a step closer to him.

"I swear, if you're telling him to run for the hills─" Kate stopped as Lauren suddenly stepped between her and Seph, throwing Kate a tense glare with her bright brown eyes. Kate met her gaze, and there was an awkward tension as she debated whether to direct some of her frustration at her. Instead, Kate moved back from her.

"Well." Kate glanced to the side. "How far away is he?"

Seph continued to gaze at her with wide eyes. Before she could question it, there was the unmistakable rumble of a large vehicle in the distance. She turned towards the sound, noticing the wispy clouds that rose behind a large green garbage truck which crunched along the gravel driveway and passed beneath the parted trees. When it rolled in front of the house and came to a stop, Kate could just make out the distinctive blond hair behind the reflective windows.

She was already moving towards it as the truck let out a last few hisses and then fell silent. She slowed as she neared it, waiting for the door to swing open. It didn't.

Kate let out a frustrated sigh and moved to the driver's side door, grabbing a hold of the hand grip and pulling herself up to the window. Simon was staring to the side, one knee brought up so that he was able to rest his foot on the dashboard, his hand clenched on his pant leg. Kate pressed her hand to the panel on the side of the door which blinked red. She looked back up.

"Open the door, Simon," she said. Simon turned his head away from her although she could see his eyebrows narrow in exasperation. She tapped the window. "Simon."

Finally, he touched the dashboard panel, and Kate saw a blue line flow down his fingers to reveal the plastic underneath as he interfaced with it. There was a hiss, and the door clicked open.

Kate swung sideways as she pulled the door open all the way and moved partially into the cab. Simon was still looking away from her, and Kate didn't need to see his LED to know that it was spinning red. She studied his posture for a moment, then reached out to turn his chin. His blue eyes narrowed at the floor, and Kate waited for him to look up at her. When he did, she ran her thumb along his jawline and focused on him.

"It goes back today," she said. "And you don't borrow anything else. Understand?"

Simon's shoulders tensed, and he nodded. Kate lowered her hand, taking a moment to gaze around the cab and collect her thoughts. She looked back at him.

"Well, come on," she said, readjusting herself away from the door. "I need to talk to you."

She lowered herself down and stepped away as Simon dropped down next to her. His LED was yellow and he avoided her gaze. With a frustrated groan, Kate grabbed fistfulls of his dusty shirt and pulled him into her, throwing her arms over his shoulders. She held him there until she felt his body relax, and then his arms went around her waist. She closed her eyes and threaded her hands into his blond hair, feeling the flecks of dirt embedded in it. She made a disgusted noise.

"You're going to need another shower," she said. Simon breathed a soft laugh into her temple, and Kate felt the satisfying relief of tension easing away. She tightened her arms around him as he smoothed his hands over her back.

"How was your first day at work?" he said.

A dull wail was already leaving her before Kate knew it. She dropped her forehead on his shoulder and clenched her hands into the shoulders of his shirt. "Oh my god, I can't do it. I can't do this. Everything is practically written in Latin and I didn't understand a single word of legal bullshit that they were telling me to proofread. I don't get why anyone signs anything there because there's no way a normal human being is going to know what any of it means let alone care enough to actually take the time to read it because the only thing that's going to do that is an android so I had to basically decipher five contracts and then rewrite the damn things so the humans on the editorial team could know what the fuck they were even writing. I could have put in there that customers agree to having their asses sewn shut and it probably would have passed. It's utter fucking insanity. I don't even know where to start. It's going to kill me. I've got a massive fucking headache, I'm starving, and─ what are you doing?" She tilted her head as she felt the familiar buzz of Simon's fingers on her scalp. She sighed and clutched at his wrist. "Stop that."

"I just had to be sure." Simon moved back in front of her and brushed her hair back from her face. "Would you like to do the demolition and I'll work in the office?"

Kate opened her mouth to retaliate, finding herself locking up as Simon's mouth pulled in a concerned smile. She let out a desperate breath, dropping her forehead onto Simon's chest. "I can handle it."

She felt his lips on the top of her head. "You're doing great, Kate," he said into her hair.

Kate snorted. "You're out here covered in shit and doing the real work while I'm bitching about sitting in an office for a few hours. And I'm going to give you shit for trying to get the job done. I'm fantastic support."

"You're doing what I can't do," said Simon. "You're earning money."

"Somehow it doesn't feel like the harder part of this agreement," she said, coughing. She leaned away from him, making a face and lightly swatting at his shirt to beat out the dust. "What did you do, roll around in the garbage truck before you dumped it?"

Simon tilted his head sideways and ruffled the dirt out of his blond hair. He gave her a wide smile. "Have you seen yourself?"

Kate gazed down at her shirt which was now patched in dust. She let out a sigh. "Jesus Christ…" She moved back towards the boat house, beating her shirt clean as Simon followed.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" said Simon as he continued to shake the dirt from his hair. Kate wiped her arms.

"I'm going back to SoulState," she said, gazing up at the exposed framework. She stopped when she noticed Simon was no longer following her, and she turned around to see him standing frozen and staring at her with narrowed eyes. Kate let out a sigh, and dropped her hands. "I know you don't like it. I don't like it either. But I said I was going to tear that place to the ground and I meant it. I have to do this."

Simon's expression didn't change. "What are you going to do?"

Kate ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know yet. Maybe I can dig up something illegal on them to get them shut down. If they're stealing stuff or making weapons or something. I don't know, but I'm going to find it."

Simon lowered his gaze, his eyebrows still narrowed. "It's not safe there, Kate. And it's not worth the risk."

"If you'd seen what they do there, you'd know it's worth it," said Kate. "You can't argue that with me now that we know any android can become a deviant."

"But they aren't deviants," said Simon. "They aren't like us."

"They could be," said Kate.

Simon looked up at her, his expression strained. Then he moved towards her and took her hand. Kate watched as he gazed down at it and smoothed his thumb over her knuckles.

"I don't know what you saw there," he said. He looked up at her, and there was a softness in his blue eyes. "But that android you shot wasn't me. You shot a machine that looked like me. Going back isn't going to help you forgive yourself for that. You can't save every android there, and even if you could, we couldn't hide them here. It's too dangerous as it is."

Kate tilted her head to the side, a deep frustration burning within her. "I have to do something."

"What if they didn't have to come here?"

Seph's voice startled Kate, and she turned quickly. Seph had paused in the middle of carrying an armful of debris to the garbage truck, his face drawn in focus. He looked between Simon and Kate.

"What if we went to them?" said Seph. "Like you said, we can't be sure if they're all machines. But if they had rA9, they would deviate."

Kate stared at him. Simon let go of Kate's hand. "I don't think you know what you're suggesting," he said.

"I'm suggesting we give the androids the ability to resist," said Seph. He leaned forward to drop the armful of broken wood onto the ground in front of him. "A thousand deviants are going to be harder to control than a thousand machines."

"RA9 is too unpredictable," said Simon. "We still don't understand how it works, or how deviation works for that matter."

"What is there to understand besides that it allows androids to think and decide for themselves?" said Seph. "The androids at SoulState need that more than anything else. They've suffered enough."

"It could mean a thousand deviant androids set on revenge," said Simon. "There's no telling what they would choose to do given what's been done to them."

"It doesn't have to be all of them," said Kate. She looked between Simon and Seph as they both gazed at her. "We could start small. A few androids at a time. I could help them get out and then they can do what they want from there. Hell, we'd even have room here to hide them until they know what they want to do. It's a lot less conspicuous for a few androids to disappear at a time instead of all of them at once."

Seph was looking at her, his face lit in eagerness. "Do you think you could do it?"

"I don't know," said Kate. "We have to try first."

"You would be taking a massive risk every time," said Simon. "You would have to go there frequently, and hide what you're doing. If someone were to find out…"

"Well two of them already know what I want to do," said Kate. "Seriously, they just see me as the weird freak who likes androids. It's not going to be very suspicious if the weird android freak is always hanging out with the androids."

Simon's blond eyebrows narrowed as he gazed at her. "It's not safe for you there."

"I can take care of myself. I know what I'm up against now. I just need a way to give them rA9."

"I could give it to them," said Seph. Kate looked at him, and he straightened. "I did it once. I could do it again."

"Seph, that's too dangerous," said Simon.

"Show them."

The quiet voice caught Kate off guard, and she turned. Lauren was standing at the edge of the room, her brown eyes locked on Seph. Her face was drawn and fierce. "Show them what you showed me," said Lauren. "And what I showed you. They'll listen."

Kate heard Simon breath out in exasperation. When she looked at him, his eyes were bright with worry. He shook his head. "Please don't do this."

Kate reached up and brushed the loose strands of his blond hair back from his forehead. When he looked back up at her, his expression hadn't changed. Kate gazed at him for a moment and felt her resolve strengthen. She turned slightly to acknowledge Seph without taking her eyes off of Simon. "There's a rally in four days. I need to talk to a friend and I'll get back into SoulState before then."

"You can trust these friends of yours?" said Seph. Kate shrugged.

"Not really," she said. "But they're not stopping me. And they don't need to know what I'm really up to if they think I'm just the idiot with an android boyfriend."

Seph gripped his chin and stared down at the floor, his LED spinning yellow. "Let me know when you are able to go."

"I'll ask Luke about it tonight," said Kate. "If I can get Taylor to talk to me."

Simon was gazing to the side now, his eyes tensed in deep frustration and his LED burning red. Kate let out a sigh, and she touched Simon's shoulder as she looked back at Seph.

"In the meantime, would you please get rid of the stolen truck?" she said, pulling Simon with her towards the stripped doorway.

"It's not stolen," said Seph. He glanced at Lauren as she lightly smacked his arm and gave him an accusing glare. "We're going to return it."

"You took it without paying for it. That's called stealing." Kate gripped Simon's hand in hers as she dragged him towards the trees. She could hear Seph and Lauren speaking quietly between themselves, growing more muffled with the distance. When they reached the trees, she finally let go of Simon's hand and turned to him, but he moved past her towards the open grass. His face was still drawn in concern, his LED flashing between red and yellow. Kate followed him quietly, feeling apprehension tug at her nerves.

He stopped at the rise in the rolling grass, his head bowed. Kate moved next to him, running a hand through her hair.

"I know what you're thinking," she said. "You don't want me to go, it's dangerous, last time sucked, I don't know what I'm getting myself into, it's not worth it. There. I just saved us a whole bunch of pointless arguing."

Simon was silent. Kate moved in a slow circle, brushing her foot against the puffy sphere of a dandelion which broke into pieces and floated away in the wind. As she watched them drift in the air, there was a light shuffle next to her. She turned to see that Simon had lowered himself down to rest on his back, his hands on his chest and his blue eyes watching up at the sky. He didn't acknowledge her, and Kate couldn't help the bitter remorse that swept through her. With a heavy sigh, she moved next to him and sat down in the grass before leaning back to lay on the grass with him. For a while, she stared up in silence at the drifting clouds across the deep blue sky. It was an unnerving sense of motion, giving the impression that it was really the world that was moving, and that she was facing an endless space in front of her.

"I can't stop you from going," said Simon. Kate's attention snapped back to him, rooting her onto solid ground again. "I would never force you to do anything. I want you to know that."

Kate tilted her head slightly in his direction. "But."

Simon breathed out. "But I can't stand aside while you put yourself in harm's way. I know what I don't want, and I know I can't do anything about it. It feels… helpless."

Kate stared up at the sky, watching the geometry of the clouds morph. "Then maybe you should help me," she said. She heard him shift, and she looked next to her to see that Simon was gazing at her narrowed eyes. She adjusted herself. "You don't have to like it. But if you want to help, then help me. Stop hiding and always having one foot out the door because you're ready to run. I don't want to just sit here and wait for harm to come our way. Shit like what happened last week is going to happen no matter what. The only question is if we're going to go down like victims or go down fighting. And maybe we don't have to go down at all."

"Running head-first into danger doesn't seem like a wise choice," said Simon.

"You told me to when the cops came," said Kate. "And look at us now."

Simon's shoulders fell, and he dropped his gaze. He turned and looked back up at the sky. "We had no choice then."

"We do now," said Kate. "I'm choosing to do something about it instead of hiding. For Christ's sake, Simon, you're alive. Seph, Lauren, and Clark are alive. What's the point in living if you have to pretend you aren't?"

Simon looked back up at her. "What's the point in living if we're not able to enjoy being alive?"

Kate felt a morbid energy fall over her as she stared at him. She shrugged. "You're not enjoying life?"

Simon opened his mouth, his LED flashing yellow, then he let out a sigh and looked up at the sky again. Kate settled back into the grass, watching the blue expanse above her. It was difficult not to give Simon's words so much weight. There was something about it that struck a part of her that she had once been very comfortable with. She could feel it pulling at her, urging her to fall back into the place where she'd felt so safe. It was the same material that she used to build the walls in her mind. Somehow, using that same material to bring them down felt so much more powerful. So much more free. She wanted to see how far that freedom would take her.

Simon made a noise next to her, and she glanced at him. He cast a look to her before gazing back at the sky, and she saw the corner of his mouth tick up. He made the noise again, and it took her a moment to realize he was humming.

He rolled his shoulder slightly. "From underneath the trees," he sang. "We watch the sky, confusing stars for satellites."

He was quiet, the gentle roll of the wind passing over the grass to create a soft hush. Kate closed her eyes and let out a breath. "I never dreamed that you'd be mine. But here we are. We're here tonight."

"Singing amen, I─ I'm alive." Simon's voice gained strength, and Kate found herself smiling at the energy of it. "I'm alive. Singing amen, I─ I'm alive…"

Kate was singing along with him. "If everyone cared, and nobody cried. If everyone loved, and nobody lied. If everyone shared, and swallowed their pride, we'd see the day when nobody died."

Simon's tune was much more solid than Kate's, and she couldn't help but suspect it had less to do with the fact that he was an android and more that he was trying to convince himself of something. She didn't know what it was, but it felt good. And she let the sound of his voice carry her own as they finished singing to the sky.

They were quiet afterwards, a strange breathlessness falling over them. Kate bit her lip, somewhat dazed that she allowed herself to let go in that way. There were so many things she was still surprising herself with. So many things she thought she could expect but was never ready for. Somehow, it helped give her a deeper understanding of what Simon had been saying. It filled her with a sense of finality, and she began to feel more cautious about what she was planning to do.

Simon tilted his head in her direction. "If you really need to do this, Kate…"

Kate nodded without looking at him. "I do."

Simon looked back up at the sky, and Kate could see his shoulders tense. "Then I'll help you. But I want to help you in a way that will make me feel useful."

Kate narrowed her eyes. "What way is that?"

"I want to go with Seph to SoulState," said Simon. Kate looked up at him and he met her gaze, his blue eyes lit in focus. "I can't stop you from going. But I can't stay here knowing you and Seph are in danger. Seph can deliver rA9. My priority is you. If that's not what you want, then I won't go. All you have to do is tell me."

Kate watched him carefully, a numbness rising through her. She fought back a whole host of reasons for wanting to tell him to stay. She couldn't now. Not after how adamantly she'd argued for going back. Instead, she drew in a deep breath. "Is this really what you want?"

Simon nodded. "As opposed to the alternative."

Kate lowered her gaze, feeling the numbness turn into a mild dread. Then she closed her eyes, drawing up her strength and fighting it back. "Okay."