Shutdown (Glitch)

and serious.
    “Why are you even bothering to stay with me if you feel that way?”
    He stared at me a moment, as if genuinely considering the question. “Instinct, I guess,” he finally said, sitting down by the mess I’d made. He sifted through the objects I’d tossed and began to align them in orderly rows. “I care about your survival.”
    “You do?” I asked hesitantly. Was this a sign that Adrien was finally starting to be himself again? Now that I thought about it, he’d been far more communicative ever since we’d left the Foundation. Maybe this last regrowth session had finally done it.
    “Your assets make you valuable in spite of your liabilities. I have a far better chance of surviving if you do.” He nodded to himself, as if pleased with his reasoning.
    I stood up, suddenly furious. “You say that like I’m just … a thing or a tool or something. Like when I start to become more of a liability than an asset you’ll leave me behind.”
    “I’m only being logical.” He examined the food bars from the overturned pack, picking up each one and examining the label. “Survival instincts,” he said, like he was the Professor leading a lesson. “We all have assets and liabilities—it’s why people have been working together in tribes and communities since the beginning of history. One person with a particular strength can make up for another who’s weak in that area and vice versa.”
    He finally found the protein bar he wanted and unwrapped it, taking a big bite and staring thoughtfully into the distance before continuing. “Your assets in this particular situation, for instance, are that you can fly and protect us from anything that attacks. Your liabilities are that you are physically weak and now might die because of your allergies.”
    “Thanks, I wasn’t aware enough of my deficiencies.” I tried not to show him how much his words hurt, but my sarcasm was lost on him.
    “I’m happy to help,” he said.
    “So what are your liabilities and assets then?” I shot back.
    He chewed on his protein bar. “That’s fair to ask. Well,” he leaned back against a tree trunk, “I’m very smart. I’ve survived in woods like these before, and if we run out of rations, I’ll be able to provide food for myself.”
    “Just yourself?” I asked.
    “And those in my group or tribe.” He inclined his head toward me. “As long as they have assets to trade.”
    I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore how much it stung to hear him say these things. “Of course, only then. What else do you have to offer?”
    “I’m good in a fight. There’s a firearm tucked away in my rations pack. I’m a better shot than you. And I’m a good techer.” His face darkened for a moment. “Or at least I will be again, once the doctor’s poisons get out of my system. Besides, in the wilderness, two are always better than one.”
    “So what if my allergies become too much of a liability? Then you’d just pack up your things, and, well…” I paused as I tried to wrap my head around his way of thinking, “I guess you’d take my things too at that point and leave me to die?”
    He blinked a few times, a slight frown on his face. “I guess there wouldn’t be any logical reason for me to stay…” He looked conflicted, and for a moment I hoped he’d realized the absurdity of what he was saying. But then he continued, “I guess … hypothetically, yes.”
    “Oh, really?” I scoffed. “Gonna dump me off the first cliffside you see, then?”
    He shook his head. “Of course not. Haven’t you been listening? Your assets are valuable to me. As long as there continues to be an even exchange, we should both be able to make it to the rendezvous site just fine.”
    I’d been trying to harden myself against his demeanor, to pretend the things he was saying didn’t hurt. But suddenly I tired of the effort. I rubbed my eyes, then looked up at the tree branches that made a dense ceiling overhead.
    “You called it poison. Is that what you really think of Jilia’s treatments?”
    He nodded. “They made me sick, and I could never do any intricate coding work afterwards.” I remembered he spent a lot of time in the Security Hub where he liked to work on multiple consoles. At least he had before Jilia had upped his meds so he was getting injections every day.
    “We were only trying to help you. Your mother and I—” I stopped again at the mention of his mom. The image of the closing blast door flashed in my