"What, are you a slave?" he asked, his tone not-quite mocking, but it's very nearly there. "Human beings don't belong to anyone," he added, as if he needed to. The delightful irony -- it settled in the base of his stomach, the sting of his Truth tempered by the high coursing through his veins. He didn't feel nearly the same disgust with himself, when he could numb it all with drugs.

"They can be concerned all they want," he said, and leaned forward, closer. Give Eli a good look at himself in his helmet. Appraising.

"What do you think?"