Tony finally slipped from the bench to join the synthetics on the ground, where the D.A.T.A unit had calmed enough to be slowly testing his balance with one leg carefully lifted at a time, potentially from watching BD-1's birdlike balancing, and giving a wobble for some stress. This process was interrupted as Tony offered, "Have you checked it out yet, you need anything to get the lights back on?," and scooped up the robot, not holding him out like a wet cat this time and tucked in the crook of his arm, but Tony still added, "You could take him. I can't guarantee that will make your life any better, but it could improve mine."

Okay, maybe Tony was stalling a little bit, because he didn't really want to ask, "Listen, but if that did happen, that thing in Echo's head went off and he wasn't going to be talked down, whatever, what's the move? Because we don't have the kind of manpower to dedicate to sitting on someone in a jail cell, and its not like we can just leave someone in a locked room somewhere because--who knows, the walls could cave in, or another storm could hit, or we could all wake up on the ships and they're stuck there and starving."