he's probably just looking for anything to distract from his war trauma, that doesn't make it sinister, or mean he's lying to us.

what do you mean?

the desert is frightening, though. every day i wake up & expect to be back there.

lance was getting upset. was it a scary story?

( long sigh. )

ok fine! i'll take a little look.

it means junobot isn't just some tv screen that answers questions about the weather. his CPU is programmed to develop & learn, so sometimes he just blurts something out & it sounds insane but it's good for him!

no he's not, he's growing up.

now that's crazy.

have!

what threat was there to be found in this stranger, anyway? maybe she was being paranoid, but the itch at the back of her mind never ceased. this woman had unbalanced things. that's what she does, natasha thought, whoever she is: she is a disruptive element.

now how could she get rid of her?

hours.

there had never been time to doubt before, when it was just her & the sand. you could predict weather patterns, even if you got it wrong half the time, but people? people had their own agendas. people could lie & cheat. people didn't have to follow the rules.

then i'll just have to make it even harder.

what, like a good boy?

i just walked in.