A slow, deep breath escaped him as the pounding in his head finally dwindled to nothing, and Luke couldn't help but chuckle at Alice's abashed expression. He shrugged softly as he pushed himself up on one arm, pushing her back a little on his chest.<br/><br/>"I don't know. Does it matter?" He asked, one hand steadying her on the shoulder as the medichines cleansed her system. He helped her to the floor and swung his legs off, sitting on the smooth, cool counter top. As he started to push off, the entire building began to rumble, sending vibrations throughout the floor, the walls, everything. Luke was very nearly jostled to the ground, and grabbed the edges of the bar to hold himself steady. 'Um, 'Ana? Did you maybe rewire my head while I was out, or--' 'Something is attacking the dojo, Luke. I don't know what, I don't know who, and I can't find anything on satellites. It's like the whole place is being ripped apart by an army of ghosts!' 'Hm. That's original; I don't think we've ever fought ghosts bef-' 'Luke! Down!'<br/><br/>Without thinking, Luke threw himself on top of Alice and dragged her to the floor as bullets shredded the walls above the bar. He cursed inwardly as the sound of bottles shattering reached his ears, and swore to himself that whoever was behind this attack would die twice if they spilled his new favorite liquor. Jenny's voice pierced into Luke's mind as she ordered Nirvana to direct the children to safety. Luke and 'Ana exchanged a mental look. 'What the fuck? We just woke up to bullets for breakfast and she wants us to fucking babysit?' 'Perhaps she is unaware of our current predicament. I will inform her immediately so she can explore more feasible options.'<br/><br/>As the rounds screamed overhead, Luke couldn't help noticing the overly formal tone in Nirvana's words, and it troubled him in a way he couldn't quite express. 'Nirvana? Are you still upset with me? Is it about Jayden? Or last night with Alice? I'm pretty sure we didn't do anything...' 'Negative. I have simply realized that you have come to depend on me far too much, Luke, and I have decided our relationship should be strictly professional from now on. Therefore, our interactions will be limited to matters of basic necessity.' Luke paused as he dug through his pockets, searching for his penknife. 'You don't mean that, 'Ana. You can't. You know what will happen if I'm left on my own...'<br/><br/>'You won't be alone, Luke. I'll still be here, regulating your consciousness and performing all my normal functions. But I've realized that I was only ever meant to be used as a tool, nothing more. Like a cast on a broken limb.' Luke's fingers fumbled with the knife, and he pulled it from the pocket between his first two digits. Splinters from the wall rained down on Luke's back as he sheltered Alice from the attack. 'Dammit, you know what I mean, 'Ana. You're talking about leaving me alone in my head. About never speaking to me again. Hell, you're talking about cutting the last tie I have to my humanity. Oh, sure, you'll keep me sane, I'll still be grounded, but the only thing I have reminding me of how to be human will be gone. Is that what you want? Are you that tired of working with me, Nirvana?'<br/><br/>For an eternity of a second, she didn't answer. It was just long enough for the attack to end, and the rush of silence was almost deafening. Luke rolled off of Alice and crawled through the debris toward the door, crouching near the entrance and holding the knife at his wrist. 'Nirvana...please. I know I'm broken; I know I'm a monster, but...I need you, 'Ana. Please...you're all I have left. I can't lose you, too...'<br/><br/>At last 'Ana responded, her voice soft and strained. He could hear the emotion in her tone, no matter how expertly she tried to bury it. 'Alright, Luke...you win.' He sighed gently, releasing a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding, and nodded once. 'Thank you, 'Ana. Now...to business. Initiate Red Mist Protocol, authorization KL-0239ST. Remove all listed friendlies from the targeting list, as well as all organic lifeforms weighing less than 50kg. On my mark. Three, two, one, Mark!'<br/><br/>Luke stabbed the knife into his wrist, grimacing as the blade bit through his skin and dug a trench into his veins. Thick, crimson jets of nanomachine-infested blood arced through the air and scattered, hanging in the air like a living red fog. Out the corner of his eye, he noticed Alice's seemingly horrified expression as she watched him, but there was no time to reassure her. He allowed a few more spurts of blood to flow from the wound until the cloud grew to a sizable volume, then allowed the medichines to reseal the cut before the blood loss could begin to dizzy him. Luke knelt beside the door and silently awaited his first victim.