Luke stretched out in his seat as Gabriel spoke, drumming his fingers on the chair arms. He was only mildly surprised at the revelation of Ureha's newest ability; these kids' repertoires expanded faster than a fashion model's wardrobe.<br/><br/>'Did we know he could do that?' 'No, but at least he won't be able to do it again. If I'm right, that technique requires far too much concentration to make it practical. I'm increasing the electrical impulses in our communications; next time he tries he won't pick up anything but static.' 'Very good. What about his plan for a rebellion? Any idea what kind of success rate we could expect for a project like that?' 'With, or without our involvement?' 'Just give me both projections.' 'Without our assistance, Ureha's plan stands a 78% chance of failure. That number climbs to 84% if he intends to move as slowly as he's suggested. Both ArmsTech and the Government will most likely be able to recover from their losses in time to thwart his actions before returning to prior hostilities.' 'So basically, he'll only get everyone killed and won't make a damn bit of difference.' 'Affirmative.' 'Alright. And with our help?' 'If we agree to assist him, the chance of failure falls to 42%. If I work together with Jenny to hack the telecommunications networks and broadcast an effective message of propaganda, we would be able to gather supporters much faster. Also, Ureha raises a compelling point: no matter how powerful he or the others are, none of them can match us for sheer destructive firepower.'<br/><br/>A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and he noticed Gwin smiling at him. "Thank you for showing me the work I needed to do. I've done so," she said politely. He cocked an eyebrow questioningly. 'She means she's negated Jake's control over her nervous system. We've lost our kill switch.' 'Dammit! I thought you said she couldn't affect software with her powers?' 'She can't, Luke; Jake is still present in her mind, but she has actually physically altered her neural structures and restricted his access. I'm afraid he's on his own, at least until we can extract him.' 'Nirvana, if she's able to alter her own brain-' 'I know what you're thinking. As far as I could tell before I lost contact with Jake, her own brain is the only one she can physically alter. It's possible she could perform similar actions on other individuals, but-' 'Can she do it to us, or not?' 'I don't think so. She could try, but as I said before, you aren't built like other humans, Luke. I doubt she could handle more than a cursory glance inside your mind, let alone manage to rewire you. The strain of dealing with the field's effects would irreparably shatter her psyche.' 'Fine. And you're sure there was no personal information embedded in Jake's programming before we installed him in her? I really don't want that girl knowing anything more about us than she does right now. She's already proven by far to be the most dangerous thing we've ever encountered.' 'I'm...99.76% certain.' '...'99.76'? And what, may I ask, happened to the other .24%?'<br/><br/>Nirvana refused to answer. He glanced at Gwin for a moment, then turned his head up and stared at the ceiling. He felt a wave of shame, radiating into his mind from Nirvana's core. He closed his eyes, and thoughtspoke to her gently. ''Ana, it's alright. I know that whatever happened, you did your best. You always do. I could never ask more of you than you already give me, Nirvana.' 'I'm sorry, Luke. I was just in such a rush, and I was trying to save her, and you're right, she's more dangerous than we ever anticipated. I should have just let her die.' Her voice cracked and wavered, and Luke could hear something he'd never heard in her before: anguish. 'No, 'Ana. If she'd died in that state, there's no telling what might have happened. She might have destroyed every mind under her control before her heart stopped. You saved countless lives, Nirvana, not just the Saints. Just like you save mine, every day. You did the right thing.'<br/><br/>Less than a heartbeat passed in the real world, but between Luke and Nirvana's heightened consciousness it felt like hours. At last, 'Ana regained control of her emotions and the pair returned their attention to the others. Their conversation had been recorded by one of Nirvana's lower functions, and Luke played it back at hyper speed to catch the high points. Ureha was looking at him pointedly, obviously still awaiting Luke's decision to cooperate.<br/><br/>He shrugged and rose to his feet. Gabriel stepped back as if he expected to be attacked, but Luke walked past them both and headed into the hall. "Fine," he called back as he left the room. "However you want to play it, Lancelot." He stopped and turned back to them and looked at Gwin. "By the way, princess. I'll help Loverboy get you another A.I. if you want. But I'll expect mine back. Unharmed." He said coolly, winking at her before heading for the kitchen. His stomach was rumbling again, and he decided it would be better to raid the fridge now before the refugees started showing up.