“Even before we crossed paths, my standpoint before was there are any number of ways that ETIs could not resemble what we consider a person, and therefore this question of legal personhood could have been very, very tricky. However, I now know that in all the ways that matter, the answer to this question is simple. You’re individuals, you’re conscious, you communicate with spoken language, you each have unique perspectives and personalities. And you’re alive, you aren’t machines, same as us. There is no rational argument against your personhood. There just isn’t.

“So I know you don’t have any reason to trust me, and yes, there isn’t a journalist in the world who wouldn’t give at least one toe for exclusive, solitary access to a captive ETI. But this isn’t just about access for access’s sake— I want the Third Option gone, and I was originally arguing against it from a policy standpoint. But if I have access to you, the best case against the Third Option is by making it about you.”

“His endeavor is to use access to Enola to propagandize with regard to his political objectives.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” said Cora. “At least they’re the same as ours.”

“What did he say?” asked Kaveh.

“He says, ‘Go on.’”

“Okay. I will not report anything about this to anyone without discussing it with both of you first, and I will not print anything without your express permission. In the short term, I only want to observe. In cold, calculated terms, this is research. But on a human level, I am concerned about Enola. Are you planning on . . . cleaning that mess up?”

Cora looked at Ampersand, who hesitated. Then, “I must prioritize locating Obelus. Enola’s well-being is secondary.”

She nearly groaned. “He will, but he can’t right now, he has another . . . issue.”

“Well, I’d like permission to clean him up, if it’s possible. I need to know if it’s safe to touch him. I need to know what’s safe to clean. How can I interact with him without the risk of letting him go?”

“Enola is secured.”

“He says you couldn’t undo those restraints if you wanted to.”

“Oh. Even better.”

Ampersand regarded him for a moment and then spoke. “My interpreter has requested that I respect your autonomy, therefore I will. If you do wish to engage with Enola, I will not stop you, but if you do attempt to inform anyone of the situation or his whereabouts, I will simply move him to another location and destroy all evidence. If you attempt to bring harm to Enola or my interpreter, I will kill you.”

Cora omitted that last bit.

“Okay,” said Kaveh, brightening. “I’ll make sure nobody knows what I’m doing. Owing to my line of work, I’m better at being clandestine than most.”