“If he was my conscience,” Dumas retorted, “he’d be a lot smaller.”<br/><br/>Of course, since Dumas constantly monitored the club, he’d seen DEE appear as a hologram before.  But he usually wasn’t in the same room when it happened.  Now, as on those other rare occasions, he experienced an acute sense of embarrassment.  It was like having a younger sibling tag along while he was trying to be cool and impress the big kids.  Although Dumas felt extremely protective of DEE, he was also ashamed of its naivete.  And the fact that it might actually be exposing some hidden facet of his own psyche didn’t help.<br/><br/>Dumas let Chester do the talking -- after all, talking was one of the things that Chester did best.  And if it turned out that DEE really was a part of him, then arguing with himself probably wouldn’t get them anywhere.  It never had before.  Dumas thought that Chester made some excellent points.  Turning his gaze back to the hologram, he waited to see if any of them had swayed DEE.<br/><br/>DEE looked uncertain, shifting its nonexistent weight from foot to foot.  How did a thing without a body develop body language?  That, at least, must have come from Dumas.  “I care about Mari, of course I do.  But people have a right to deal with their own problems in their own way.  You don’t see me calling for an intervention just because Dumas --”<br/><br/>A loud coughing sound from Dumas, coupled with a sharp mental rebuke, cut off DEE before it could finish.  “Let’s keep this about Mari,” Dumas insisted, glaring at his doppelganger.  “We all want what’s best for her.  God knows, I’m not a bleeding heart.  I don’t force my help where it’s not needed.  But Chester is right.  Mari’s life may be in danger.”<br/><br/>DEE seemed to hesitate a moment longer, before giving a reluctant nod.  “Alright.  I suppose she’ll be mad at us when she finds out we tricked her. But that’s better than her being dead.” Anxiously, DEE glanced back and forth between Chester and Dumas.  “Who should give it to her?”