Thorne and Jacin haul Cinder bodily into the recreation tech room. Entertainment room? The one with the portscreen table and the VR equipment. Yeah. That one.

They set her down on the first available chair. It's this full sofa with soft velvet upholstery and too many cushy velvet pillows.

Thorne straightens up and swipes sweaty hair from his brow. He wasn't joking when he said her titanium prosthetics add a couple of extra pounds. More like a couple hundred. (That's an exaggeration but since no one has asked his opinion in over two hours, he doesn't feel the charity necessary to correct himself.)

She starts scanning the room the second they set her down.

They're all pretty excited about the potential footage of Levana she has in her brain. It's exciting for quite a few reasons. Like, way more reasons than one. If Cinder really did capture video of Levana in her throne room, it will mean ammunition for their rebellion. Not only will the violence further prove to the People of Luna that they are correct to fight, but Levana's true appearance will shock the population.

Their beautiful queen is not really the goddess she projects herself to be. What other lies has she been hiding? What other reasons do they have to mistrust her? It's like a whole hollow drama! Intrigue and deception and treachery.

Hell yeah.

That is if the footage wasn't destroyed in the water…

He shivers at the memory. Icy water and Cinder's unconscious form still haunt his thoughts. It's uncanny how detailed that memory is. The feel of her slipping from his weary fingers in the chill water has been branded into his very brainmatter.

"Thorne, pry off the back panel of that receiver, but gently." Cinder instructs.

"There's not going to be blood when we open you up, is there?" He carries the receiver over to Cinder so she can pick through its inner workings. "I mean, we're talking straight cybernetics, right?"

"Better be." She replies.

Cinder is way more nonchalant about this than she has any right to be. If they were all gathered around discussing the inside of his skull and which wires to plug into his brain, he'd be convulsing on the floor. He might even practice his very effective self-defense skills.

"It's not so much surgery as... maintenance. Someone else has already done all of the medical parts—if there is blood it means something is very wrong. Our biggest concern is whether or not all the hardware will be compatible."

This only reassures Thorne a tiny bit. No blood and no brain? He can do this.

She points to a virtual reality viewing chair. "Drag that over here."

Jacin is quicker to obey than Thorne and he pushes it to Cinder. She pulls herself into the chair, facing backward so she can drape her arms over the back.

She rests her forehead against the dark leather of the chair. "Cress?"

"Ready when you are." Her voice is assured and there's this look of deep concentration that she sometimes gets when she's programming.

The look is incredibly attractive on Cress.

"All right," Cinder says through clenched teeth. "Let's see what we can find."

Iko brushes the hair from Cinder's neck in a delicate motion. Then she digs her synthetic fingernail into the latch at the back of Cinder's skull. As the panel swings open, Cinder flinches.

She takes two calming breaths but it's obvious to everyone present that this is ineffective.

"Oh suuuuurrrre," Thorne says. "When I open her head panel, she yells at me. When Iko does it, she's a hero."

"Would you like to do this?" Cinder snaps. She's glaring at him from under her crossed arms.

Does he want to dig around in her skull? Mostly no. But maybe just a little bit. "Not even a little bit."

"Okay then, would you please back up and give them space to work?" She presses her forehead back into the polished leather.

He watches Iko fumble around, slipping her fingers along the lip of the access panel, and then she dips her fingers in.

He has to look away.

He has to adjust himself, shifting in his seat on the floor. Ever so slightly. Just enough for comfort.

The intimacy of the action isn't lost on Jacin either. Out of the corner of his eye, Thorne notices him repositioning himself on the couch.

Thorne recites engine theories in his head for a bit, running through flight maneuvers and their names. When the ticking blood in his neck and lower down calms, he refocuses on Cinder and her duo of nurse and temporary-mechanic.

"The connection worked," Cress says. Her breath catches with a mixture of relief and excitement.

Cinder twitches with every tap and swipe of the inner port screen. Her knuckles whiten against the chair's headrest. As much as he wants to help… he isn't qualified for this.

Instead, he offers his own specialty. He cracks a few jokes, makes some brilliant observations, and offers encouragement.

Everyone ignores him.

Not even Iko is paying him mind.

Cinder's fidgeting increases. She squeezes her forearms, her nails leave red raised marks along her skin. She is high-strung.

Cress taps a few more commands into the base of Cinder's skull. "Done!" She announces with triumph.

"Check it before you disconnect!" Cinder says. Her voice pitches up in worry. "Make sure you have the correct file."

"It's… showing a lot of people."

"There's Kai!" Iko shrieks, clapping her hands.

"Kai? Show me!" Cinder struggles up.

"Wait Cinder! Let me disconnect you—"

But Cinder doesn't let her. She jerks up to protest. The cord in her head goes taught and the wire plugged into her brain tears free.

Cinder slumps like a sack of mud.

Throne scrambles up from his spot on the floor. "What the hell happened? Is she okay?"

"Yes!" Cress snaps.

He and she pause.

They exchange startled looks.

That's new, he thinks.

"Yes, Cinder will be fine." She says, softening her tone. She quirks an apologetic look his way as she returns to Cinder. She plugs the major wires back in and begins tapping along the inner port screen.

"She must like that guy or something," Thorne says.

He thinks it's a hilarious statement himself. He receives a bewildered look from Cress and a scathing one from Jacin. Iko is completely oblivious to the comedy show going on right in front of her.

She cradles Cinder in her arms. "I hate that! I hate this." She says.

Thorne doesn't realize he's doing it until his arm encircles her narrow shoulders. Once again he's reminded of the fact that Iko is an android. Not human. An android.

Her body is cool—almost temperature-less. Her body is also uncannily firm, with no give. She has flesh but it's more like a casing than the pliable organ that all humans possess.

Ewwwwww…

Thorne grimaces at that revolting mental image.

"She's okay, you promise?" He asks Iko.

He's much calmer now that Iko has Cinder. Her delicate fingers begin the swirling strokes of Cinder's scalp from the night before. Such a gentle motion. It's almost hypnotic to watch.

"She's going to be perfect again." Iko promises.

Thorne believes her; Cinder was perfect to begin with.

A/N:

our full-time comedian Thorne is back at it again!