Her gaze dropped to her open palm, the synthetic skin gleaming with an all-too-perfect sheen beneath the lights. "When I stand in front of him, his pupils constrict for zero point three seconds-that's a pain reflex."
A bitter trace of disinfectant lingered in the air.
"Watching over him from a distance is enough."
She turned and gave Rossi a bow so precise it was rigid, a faint hydraulic hiss coming from her joints. "This is the definition I can offer... of being a 'daughter.'"
Three hours earlier, a different density had filled the same space.
The Doctor broke the silence first.
His fingers kept rubbing the edge of the lab bench as he spoke, over an old scratch. "I made a mistake."
His voice was as dry as a sun-bleached specimen. "I assembled you because I couldn't accept that Gary was gone."
The ventilation system hummed.
"But I got it wrong."
He raised his eyes, truly looking into those mechanical irises opposite him for the first time. "Life isn't a copy of memories.
Every consciousness... grows its own distinct patterns."
Girl's ears twitched slightly.
"Selfish."
He repeated the word twice. "I selfishly brought you into existence, then selfishly ran away-because I realized you weren't her, and that clarity was more than I could bear."
He pushed a silver case toward the console. "The chip's final authorization restrictions have been lifted.
From now on, no commands can bind you, including the ** I left behind."
The lid slid open automatically, revealing a chip shimmering with faint light inside.
"Change your name however you like. Choose wherever you want to go."
The Doctor's Adam's apple bobbed. "Even... if you believe revenge is a reasonable ending."
Girl took half a step forward.
Her breathing module adjusted its frequency twice before she