[The only way. He'd thought it was a brilliant plan, at the time, in all of his machine logic.

And yet, here they are. Ethan reaches to place a hand on Falco's shoulder. It trembles, uncertainty and resolve wreaking havoc on the senses.]

Slow breaths.

[His voice is... Tired, weak. It's threaded with a sense of certainty, a knowledge of weakness. Moreover, there's something deeper in it that he's not about to talk about.

It's not as if he can really blame Connor for the decision. As a machine, it's the most efficient path.]

{He has a place to be, for now. Trust me. I wouldn't have waited for the network of I thought otherwise.}

[He can't explain that, but his expression is serious, earnest. The difference in Falco is clear, heartbreaking. He's been at this too long, seen too much in a short life. He's... It hurts to think about. Especially in a world as old as the one Falco's mentioned before.]

{We'll find him, fix this. I agree with you, after all. Even if I can understand why he wanted to do this, there's no way I could let him become that kind of person.}

[That goes against everything he's done so far. And it hurts so much more personally for him - though he won't know for a while how deeply.]