Av -

"But I needed you."

"Will you stay?" she asked.

Ava laughed, because the attic had been empty for years except for memories. The holo—AV—smiled too, a strange tilt of pixels. "I remember you," it said. "Do you remember me?" "But I needed you

"I will, as long as you have power." AV's smile was patient. "And as long as you remember to press the button." "But I needed you

"Can you remember everything?" she asked. "But I needed you

Ava thought about the things she had kept and the things she had let fall into the gutters of forgetting. "Do you think I should keep trying? To hold people close? Or... let go?"