"I didn't want to leave... I just couldn't participate in raping and pillaging. I was a soldier, not a pirate or a thug." The memories began to creep more clearly into Ethan's mind, the looks on the faces of poor unsuspecting people, the anguished cries of children who watched their parents be slaughtered in the streets, or worse. He kept his cool, however, not allowing himself to fall back into the anger that nearly cost him Charlotte's presence in his life. He'd never let that happen again. He'd keep that demon locked in a cage even if it killed him. "Anyway, it's not a risk I would ask someone to take... taking in an AWOL soldier. But if you're choosing to stay, I'm not going to ever let it come back on you. This conversation never happened, okay? The last thing I want is to get you black-bagged and thrown into a windowless van." Of course the penalty would be much worse, but Ethan was not mentally prepared to go over the graphic details.<br/><br/>When Char inquired more deeply about his limb, Ethan shrugged and smiled a little. It was a different smile from ones he'd delivered before, this one somewhat similar to the smile she gave when he shortened her name. He held out his arm for her to inspect. Both arms were attached at the shoulders with full joint replacement. Fibrewire sensors had been weaved inside his body, under the skin to the muscles that remained, which caught and interpreted the electrical impulses from his nervous system, causing the artificial limb to move. It wasn't the standard basic skeleton structure, as was typical with lower-end products, but a sophisticated piece of equipment that was more than just a replacement arm.<br/><br/>He flexed his fingers and rotated the arm at the joint, then, with his other hand, triggered the release that separated the limb from his shoulder. The socket inside was integrated directly into his body, as expected, with a set of lights reflecting operational status, and a data port through which program updates could be installed. The arm was heavy, with a matte black finish just to give it a sleek, clean look. Just to mess with her, he waited until she inspected it more closely, then flexed his muscles, causing it to twitch. "Heh... wireless receiving. Sorry, i couldn't resist."