Fishing was good for calming one's nerves. Watching the water was always soothing, as was listening to the rush and ripple as it moved over the smooth stones and sandy bottom of the pond. Still, it was difficult to concentrate on Pod 042 as he floated in the shallows, arms poised to grab onto anything that swam too close.

"So we just sit here, huh?" A2 asked, perched on her own little camp stool while Pod B bobbed happily in the water. He'd always liked fishing.

"Yep. Watch your pod to see when he catches something, then give the command to reel in."

"Okay." A pause. "What do you do with the fish if you catch 'em? Not like we can eat 'em. Heard some horror stories about mackerel."

2B tried not to cringe. "Sell them, mostly."

"Huh. What happens to them then?"

2B shrugged. "Well, killifish and some of the smaller ones make good pets. The bigger ones… I dunno. I never asked."

"Seems a waste to kill the native ones."

"We can always throw 'em back."

"True."

It was nice having someone else to fish with. Admittedly, it could get a little boring if the other person didn't also have a pod to help them catch, but it was calming having someone else nearby.

"I like the sound of the water," A2 observed. "White noise."

"Yeah," 2B agreed. "Kinda wish we could hear it from the Resistance camp."

"Ever think about moving? Plenty of buildings to choose from. Though maybe not with a new kid and all."

"It's something to think about." It was. True, their little room in the Resistance camp was safe, but it was also tiny and windowless, and had only one other bed. If they did have more children- and 9S had said he wanted at least one more some day- there wouldn't be room for everyone. Maybe it would be safe enough by then to sleep beyond the fortified walls and sentries, in a house of their own. A2 was right. The city didn't lack for empty buildings. They could pick a flat nearby, where they could see the little falls, and hear the sound of the rushing water at night.

"What about you? Don't you have a home?"

A2 shrugged. "Not really."

"Do you want one?"

A2 looked at her, an inscrutable expression on her face. "Why do you care?"

"Because-" 2B nearly fell over as her communicator went off.

"2B, this is Devola."

She didn't need to hear any more. A flick of her wrist ended Pod 042's time in the water and vanished the camp stool into the ether. Taking off at a run, she was up the hill and at the entrance to the medical station before Devola had finished talking.

"-nload at 78%. Things have been moving more quickly and I thought- Oh. Hi."

"Are they finished?" 2B panted.

The Popola turned to the monitor. "Almost. As you can see, progress is steadily climbing. They must be finishing up."

2B glanced at the monitor, but the numbers and letters and graphs were little more than gibberish to her. Instead, she kept her eyes on 9S and sat down on the cot nearest him.

"Can I touch him? Will it mess up the transfer?"

"It should be safe."

Hesitantly, she reached and rested a hand on his arm. Electrical current washed over her in a warm wave, almost as if he had stretched out to touch her himself.

'Hey Bea,' his voice echoed in her head and she had to swallow hard as her eyes began to well up. 'Almost done. Sorry it took so long.'

'No, it's fine. As long as you're okay.'

"80%," Popola's words brought 2B back to the waking world. "89… 92… 97… Done!"

"Nines?" 2B asked, half afraid to speak.

The seconds ticked by heavily on her internal chronometer. One...two...three…

9S inhaled deeply, pulling in cool air. His body- rigidly locked in place for hours- abruptly went limp and he flopped onto his back with a groan.

"Nines!" 2B clutched at him, fell on him in an awkward hug, mindful of his still open plating. A fine sheen of condensation beaded his skin. A sliver of pale blue appeared briefly as he tried to look at her, but it was obvious it hurt.

"2B…" His voice was quiet, exhausted. He lifted one shaking hand to touch her face, and she held it in place with her own.

"You're okay," she told him, finally daring to believe the words. "It's okay. You'll be fine."

"Yeah." He smiled, letting his eyes drift closed again. "I gotta do some cleanup. Can you watch B9? Gonna be in safe mode for a bit."

"Yes. Yes of course. Do what you need to." Leaning, she kissed him and was rewarded with the taste of his smile. "Love you."

"Love you too. Be right back."

2B waited until 9S' body had locked in place before touching one last kiss to his forehead, standing, and going to see her new daughter.

B9 lay where she had for the last few days in much the same position. Her hair had been mussed slightly during the download. Although she didn't stir, there was a different quality to her. There was someone inside the body now; a sleeping consciousness where before there had been nothing. Having been freshly downloaded to her new body, she was no doubt conducting start up procedures of her own. Beneath her eyelids, her eyes darted this way and that, as if she were dreaming. It would no doubt be several minutes, or even hours before she woke up.

Oh! Right. She'd need support once she did. 2B summoned Pod C.

"Pod, overwrite my credentials. Replace with those of unit B9."

"Affirmative. Credentials overwritten. Pod C now synchronized to unit B9."

2B allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Good. Now B9 would have someone to watch over her and provide support if she found herself alone.

A groan off to her left made 2B jump up and lunge for 9S' cot. She took his hand and held it tight.

"Bea?" he asked, groggy.

"I'm right here. Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," he mumbled, though the words lacked conviction. "Just tired. Kinda sore. I need like a thousand naps."

Laughing, she leaned and kissed him. 9S smiled into it, putting an arm around her and pinning her close so she couldn't stand straight. 2B didn't mind. Rather than hold such an awkward position, she edged onto the available mattress space next to him. 9S tried to push over to give her more room, but moving was obviously difficult and painful.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I just feel like my brain's been scooped out with a rusty spoon. My head's all empty and hollow. I probably just need to rest and defrag."

"Take as long as you need."

"Is B9 okay?"

"She's fine, she hasn't woken up yet."

"Do we have to stay here, or can we go home?"

2B lifted her head and looked around for the twins, but they'd vanished. Evidently she'd wanted to give the new family some space.

"If the twins say it's okay, yeah. We can go home."

"Good."