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[Lance listens to all of that, nodding a little, doing the same in shielding his eyes as they exit the building; he pretty much never bothered with sunglasses at home, but in this place he's starting to wonder if he should look for some.]

All of that is completely possible.

[Nate isn't wrong about the risks, and those are all worst-case scenarios Lance has thought about as well. He just can't get past another possibility--]

But what if it isn't, and it genuinely means us no harm?

[And is lost, and alone, and feeling emotions for the first time?]

[Distantly, Nate realizes this is more risk-aware than he is used to being, but he is still sporting a fresh scar on his throat and arms from the attack in the alley, can still remember the sizzle of burned flesh in the air as the Null rolled through the city like a well-oiled Panzer tank. He doesn't want more people to get hurt, and neither does he want to have to go back to the gods for help. Once was enough, and even then it smarted.

Nate shifts uncomfortably as they walk, the kind of motion that betrays his knowledge that Lance's proposition is equally valid, and probably right.]

You think it's honest.

[An observation, not a question. He pauses, hands on his hips, and frowns at the ground for a moment.]

It told me it thought it would die.

I think there's a distinct possibility that it's honest.

[It's a small correction, but for the most part, yes. He nods at the last comment, giving a quiet sigh.]

It said the same thing to me. We know the Null are... Not particularly good--to put it mildly--at understanding emotional responses, considering their belief that asking us to kill each other would be seen as perfectly reasonable, and so I can't see one of them being aware enough to purposefully manipulate us in such a way.

[Which is one of the many indicators he's thought might tip the scales toward Name being truthful.]

But ultimately, it comes down to whether we want to account for the possibility, or write it off entirely. But I can't agree with killing something that asked for help, when it's only an unconfirmed possibility it could be dangerous.

[If they just killed anything that might possibly pose a threat, where would that stop?]

[These aren't unreasonable theories, but they are theories either way. Nate has worked with less to find more. It's unfair to be critical of something like this, after all, when Nate knows a synthetic person in Hadriel.

He sucks his lower lip between his teeth, considering.]

...so what do you want to do?

I want to find it, and get a better idea of the situation. Right now, we have no reason to believe it can contact the other Null, so we should be safe to take some time and permanently disable its communications while figuring out more about whether it's telling the truth or not.

[Basically, he doesn't want to kill it as a first option, but he still plans to be very cautious.]

Okay.

[He's still wary, and for good reason. Nate has laser burns left over from Name's former buddies, but if he can rely on one thing it's that Lance has a good head on his shoulders. He wouldn't propose something like this if he didn't believe that the likelihood of honesty was high.

Nate chews his lip for a long moment, processing the direction in which he thinks this is going.]

Where do we start?

[The agreement, even if--or, rather, especially because--he can tell Nate seems to be hesitant, means a lot; he appreciates the trust being put in him, even if it's a little terrifying. He's still not completely sure this won't all end up being a huge mistake.

But he believes this is the right thing to do, both logically and morally, and he takes a deep breath.]

We know that the Null is probably trapped under some rubble somewhere in the city, and Nick thinks it may be near to the god temples it seem to be feeling the emotions of most strongly. It's just a guess, but it's as good a reason as any to start looking in a particular place.

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