Back on the Waverider, Gideon continues to feel the pain in her hand. She changes into a seafoam cardigan with a white collar and black pants. Her hair falls down her back and shoulders. She walks past the Galley, where Astra, Spooner, and Zari are helping themselves to the leftover pizza. She enters the medical bay and sits in one of the three chairs. She remains still for an X-ray scan. The results appear on the monitor: mild pain and redness of skin due to forced impact and a moderately elevated blood pressure. Anger is a familiar emotion, but the violent act in Las Vegas was rare to her. She has never slapped anyone in the face or find any reason to do so. It's against her character; yet, it felt right in the moment.
She slides her hands in her pockets. She touches something thin, smooth and stiff in one. She seizes and uncovers it as Gary's message. The words are starting to fade, but she can still read it. She imagined him buying the camera, wrapping it, and writing the note as she sits up and re-reads it. Astra walks in, holding a plate of food for her. "Hey, I brought you some pizza in case you're hungry." She places the plate on her lap.
"Thank you," Gideon murmured. She didn't turn away from the card.
"What are you doing here anyway?"
"I wanted to get my hand examined."
"Yeah, you really shocked us when you smacked that Beverly guy. He deserved it though after what he and his friends did. Zari was pretty shaken, but she's okay." Astra noticed Gideon isn't paying attention to her and eyes the card. "What are you reading?" She plucks it from her hand. "Okay, Gideon, what's going on?"
"Nothing," she lied with a blank expression. "I'm fine."
"No, you aren't. You were gloomy at the sleepover. Then, you slapped a guy in a nightclub. Now, you're fixating on a card Gary left you." Suddenly, something clicked in her head. "You only reacted because that creep was talking about him. Gary's the reason for all of this, is he? What did he do?"
"He didn't do anything. I..." As Gideon contends in soothing Astra's fiery temper, Spooner walks in with Zari. She sees her best friend fuming. "Whoa, what's happening?"
Astra berated, "Gary apparently has Gideon feeling all angsty the last few days." She said his name venomously. The others tried to calm her down to no avail. "I swear, as soon as he's back here, I'm gonna..."
Gideon grows irritated at her "mother" for upbraiding her boyfriend. Even if it'll take a long time for her to accept him, she refuses to let her finish her threat, empty or not. "You're gonna what, mum," she snapped. "Murder him? My destructive, sadistic computer twin had failed to, so you want to finish the job, right?"
Astra gapes at her daughter's alarming retort. She reservedly answered, "I was going to say, rip off his third nipple."
An equally terrified Zari asked,"Gidget, why would you even say that?"
Spooner inquired if she can look inside Gideon's mind, to which she consented. Once she did, she knew the answer. "You still blame yourself for the attempt on his life." They recollect that day, the horror they saw on her face when she caught on that the manipulative AI tricked her.
Gideon devours the pizza as she lamented, "That day brought me so much dread and loathness that I've been having nightmares. I even saw Gary ejected before my eyes. Similar styles, same bothersome and heartbreaking ending. If I had known what AI Gideon was trying to do, I could've prevented him from being discarded from the airlock." She tries to hold back her tears. Astra, Spooner, and Zari circle around her, hugging her.
"What Evil Gideon did was not your fault, Giddy," Spooner asserted. "You didn't know what was happening. With that big, blue-headed harpy yapping in your ear, what could you do?"
"I know Gary has forgiven me and forgot about it, but how can I when I considered allowing myself to be like her?"
Astra strokes her hair, saying, "You are nothing like her. You have feelings, human feelings. And, while they are messy and confusing, you're willing to understand them. She can never do that."
"What do you suppose I do?"
Zari prompted, "Well, you definitely need to tell Gary. He's very bumbling to no end, but we can't deny how sweet he is on you. Since the feelings are beyond mutual, you must be honest with him and trust that he won't judge you."
Each insightful word drips on Gideon like soft rain as she listens to them. She confessed with a sweet smile on her face, "I do reciprocate greatly."
Although Spooner is glad that Gideon is feeling better, she heeds as if she's addressed too. Despite the context, Zari's last piece of advice is all too relatable. "Guys, I have to tell you something." Their eyes turn to her as she exhales and mentally combed for the next words she's about to say. "I'm not just an ace. I am Ace. I'm asexual." Zari looks on, proud of her friend. Unruffled by the news, Gideon expresses her regard with a beaming smile.
Astra recalls Spooner telling her in Las Vegas; she now realizes that she has misunderstood her. She is the most taken aback without a doubt. "How long have you known?"
"I have always known, but I thought it was an effect of being involved with the mushroom aliens. I had no clue it has a title. Then, Zari and I played that game 'Smash, Marry, Kill' when we're in the fixed point for the Archduke's assassination. She asked about my preference and explained that I might be asexual. Hearing that name made things clear for me. She's essentially the first person I came out to."
"Was that why you're laughing when Behrad and I saw you two at the bar?" Spooner and Zari nod affirmatively at the same time.
"If it wasn't for you two, we wouldn't be friends either. In a strange way, you brought us together." A speechless Astra veered her sights between them before she walks out of the medbay.
Spooner assumed with hurt in her voice, "She's not going to look at me the same anymore."
"No, don't even think that, doost-e man (my friend)," Zari denounced. "Wait here." She leaves the medbay to search Astra. She eventually finds her sitting on the steps, holding herself, in the bridge. Her reflective mood is matched with the seriousness in her face. Zari sits next to her, saying, "You know, I didn't get to thank you for saving me back in Las Vegas."
"Oh, it's no problem," Astra declared.
"Spooner really wanted to tell you and Gidget for a while."
"I didn't bolt out of there because of that. I'm mad at myself for being dubious over nothing."
"It isn't nothing if something's bugging you. Tell me, what's the source of your vexation?" When Astra looked at her with guilt in her eyes, Zari indicates the feedback as the answer. "Me? Why? Because of my brother?"
She smiles and shakes her head. "Spooner. I've eavesdropped her conversation with you in the cargo bay yesterday. Though I only heard parts of it, I linked it to your rule in 'Never Have I Ever' and figured that she's why you did that. I'm sorry."
"You were concerned. I can't fault you for that." There was one thing Zari couldn't resist adding in. "Just so you know, he can be a lot, but he does have a good heart." They broke out into chuckles.
Astra stated with a big grin, "I know that too well."