indicating himself. “I didn’t cover myself in glory there. Jasmine stood up and did good though,” he added and Jasmine flickered into existence to the side so she could nod towards Natalie.
“I don’t know if I can follow that path,” Natalie whispered.
“Neither did I,” Jasmine returned before Jack could come up with a response. “But Drew made me promise to try. Did Louis ever talk to you about it?”
“No,” Natalie answered. Her lips quivered before she said another word. “He was going to live forever,” she added with a helpless shrug and half a sob.
Jack looked at Betty and they exchanged a long look. He knew that feeling well. Wanting to live forever was a powerful wish for someone that didn’t age.
“You knew him better than any of us,” Jasmine continued, a melancholy inflection in her words. “Would he have wanted you to live or die?”
Natalie let out a long breath before answering. “He wanted me to live.”
Jasmine smiled at the other cyber. “Then there it is. You owe it to him to try. At least give it a shot.”
Natalie shook her head. “But I don’t know how.”
Jasmine turned back to Jack and smiled. “I took it one day at a time,” she whispered and her raised eyebrows told Jack it was his turn to rejoin the conversation.
Jack reached inside his shirt and pulled the dog tags out to look at them. A small holo of his face snapped into being over them, his service number, name, and rank scrolling beneath it. His full name, not the shortened version he’d earned over the years. Jonathan Michael Christensen. A name he didn’t know if he could ever live up to. But if the name could do some good, maybe that would help. He took the dog tags off and met Natalie’s eyes. “Will you take these?”
She frowned at the chips of electronic metal and silicon. “Why?”
“Because in our darkest hours we all need a reminder that other people care about us,” he said, looking deep into her eyes so she would know he spoke the truth. “Maybe this can be that for you. It won’t stop you from shutting down. Hell, I’ll hold your hand as you go if you choose that route in the end. All I ask is that you give these back to me first.”
“You mean, all you ask is that I face you and tell you I’m giving up?” she asked, a faint note of accusation in her voice.
“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that,” Jack said and cleared his throat.
She smiled, letting him know that she’d caught his evasion. Then he saw power flooding through her holoform and felt his uniform’s holoemitters flicker as she shifted her programming into Recovery’s systems. The ship’s more powerful emitters gave her substance to match her form and she reached out to take the dog tags from his hand. “That would be a very hard thing to do I think,” she said very slowly.
“Harder than living?” Jack asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. “But I think I want to find out.” Then she looked towards the hatch. “Now get out of here. I don’t want you gawking at my new body. At least not until I decide what I’m going to wear,” she added with fragile humor.
It was humor though. She was trying. “Yes, Ma’am,” Jack said to Natalie, cleared his throat of what most certainly could not have been a sob of relief trying to escape, and gave her his best debonair bow. Then he waved a determinedly gallant arm towards Betty and Jasmine, a questioning look in his eyes. “Shall we?” he asked.
They smiled in unison.
“Excellent,” he continued and raised an eyebrow towards Emily. “Might I take a tour of your beautiful ship, my lady?”
“Of course. Follow me,” Emily said with a smile as a holoform split away from her android avatar.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Jack answered and followed the holoform through the hatch, Betty and Jasmine on either side of him. It wasn’t precisely
“I don’t know if I can follow that path,” Natalie whispered.
“Neither did I,” Jasmine returned before Jack could come up with a response. “But Drew made me promise to try. Did Louis ever talk to you about it?”
“No,” Natalie answered. Her lips quivered before she said another word. “He was going to live forever,” she added with a helpless shrug and half a sob.
Jack looked at Betty and they exchanged a long look. He knew that feeling well. Wanting to live forever was a powerful wish for someone that didn’t age.
“You knew him better than any of us,” Jasmine continued, a melancholy inflection in her words. “Would he have wanted you to live or die?”
Natalie let out a long breath before answering. “He wanted me to live.”
Jasmine smiled at the other cyber. “Then there it is. You owe it to him to try. At least give it a shot.”
Natalie shook her head. “But I don’t know how.”
Jasmine turned back to Jack and smiled. “I took it one day at a time,” she whispered and her raised eyebrows told Jack it was his turn to rejoin the conversation.
Jack reached inside his shirt and pulled the dog tags out to look at them. A small holo of his face snapped into being over them, his service number, name, and rank scrolling beneath it. His full name, not the shortened version he’d earned over the years. Jonathan Michael Christensen. A name he didn’t know if he could ever live up to. But if the name could do some good, maybe that would help. He took the dog tags off and met Natalie’s eyes. “Will you take these?”
She frowned at the chips of electronic metal and silicon. “Why?”
“Because in our darkest hours we all need a reminder that other people care about us,” he said, looking deep into her eyes so she would know he spoke the truth. “Maybe this can be that for you. It won’t stop you from shutting down. Hell, I’ll hold your hand as you go if you choose that route in the end. All I ask is that you give these back to me first.”
“You mean, all you ask is that I face you and tell you I’m giving up?” she asked, a faint note of accusation in her voice.
“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that,” Jack said and cleared his throat.
She smiled, letting him know that she’d caught his evasion. Then he saw power flooding through her holoform and felt his uniform’s holoemitters flicker as she shifted her programming into Recovery’s systems. The ship’s more powerful emitters gave her substance to match her form and she reached out to take the dog tags from his hand. “That would be a very hard thing to do I think,” she said very slowly.
“Harder than living?” Jack asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. “But I think I want to find out.” Then she looked towards the hatch. “Now get out of here. I don’t want you gawking at my new body. At least not until I decide what I’m going to wear,” she added with fragile humor.
It was humor though. She was trying. “Yes, Ma’am,” Jack said to Natalie, cleared his throat of what most certainly could not have been a sob of relief trying to escape, and gave her his best debonair bow. Then he waved a determinedly gallant arm towards Betty and Jasmine, a questioning look in his eyes. “Shall we?” he asked.
They smiled in unison.
“Excellent,” he continued and raised an eyebrow towards Emily. “Might I take a tour of your beautiful ship, my lady?”
“Of course. Follow me,” Emily said with a smile as a holoform split away from her android avatar.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Jack answered and followed the holoform through the hatch, Betty and Jasmine on either side of him. It wasn’t precisely
Similar Books
