"How is it progressing?" Adelle asked, coming up behind Topher.
"Good, I think," Topher said, glasses perched on the end of his nose as he tapped more commands into the computer.
"She's marvellous," Adelle went on, looking over Echo, who was in a trancelike state, floating atop a pool of water. "You designed her?"
"Um... sort of," Topher hedged.
"What do you mean, 'sort of'?"
"I ah... maybe borrowed her look from someone," Topher admitted.
Adelle rolled her eyes. "Playboy?"
"Please, give me some dignity!" Topher retorted. "No, a... a girl I once knew."
~*~*~*~
Echo floated in the cool water, half aware of her surroundings, half blissfully at peace. She blinked, refocusing her dark brown eyes at a spot on the ceiling, and she seemed to be waiting for something.