“It’s not that,” Edison said, flailing for a distraction. He found one, but it didn’t exactly put him off that dangerous path. “I was just wondering . . . your AR bio is blank.”

“So is yours,” she shot back ruefully. “Are you chatting me up to keep me awake?”

“Maybe. Is it working?” Edison smirked, then pulled his head back from the barrier. It had knocked his glasses askew so he fixed them. “Besides, what should my AR profile say? ‘Infected with alien fungus. Lost in space. Probably gonna die soon. Dogs, jazz, single malt.’”

“You’re a dog person?” she asked, laughing softly.

“Yeah. Is there any other kind?”

“Uh-huh, cat people, and they are completely terrible.”

“Amen to that.” Edison high-fived the glass and had to chuckle as she air-fived him back.

She rocked back and forth a little as if in thought, then pulled the chair behind her around and made a pillow out of her arms, laying her head on it. “I’m more of a double-malt girl myself, but nobody’s perfect.”

“Look at us building bridges. Next we might actually think our way out of this bullshit pit.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she murmured, scrunching up her nose and closing her eyes. “You’re the only one with a functional AR chip. How does that work?”

Edison made himself more comfortable, turning and leaning against the door frame, kicking his legs straight out to the front. His back didn’t ache, nothing ever did except his head, but it was still nice to feel casual. It was too soon to say if she really trusted him, but this seemed like progress.

“My guess is the Foxfire corrupted the others’ but managed not to fuck mine up. That’s just a stab in the dark, though. It’s been helpful to have it. The music, the photos, the memories . . . I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s keeping me closer to human.” And so is this. He watched her half nod, but he could tell he was losing her. She was drifting away and, selfishly, he wanted her to stay.

“Helpful for you,” Rosalyn remarked. “But also helpful for the Foxfire, don’t you think? It just has more information, more access, more ways to understand you and control you if you have a working AR chip.”

Edison paused. “I hadn’t considered that. Damn, and I thought I was the lucky one.”

Yawning, she replied, “You still might be. Maybe it’s still a net win if it helps you stay in touch with your human side.”

“How long do you need to rest?” he asked softly.

Her words were so slurred he almost couldn’t make them out. “Not long. Just an hour.”

“Sure,” he said. “I can give you an hour. I’ll post up here and make sure nobody bothers you, all right?”

“S’mmkay.”