Boyd watched as Faith interacted with Sierra and Victor, standing on the floor above, leaning on the railings. He turned and went back into Topher's "office" and looked over the programmer's shoulder.
"Those her results?" he asked.
Topher nearly jumped out of his seat. "Man, anyone ever tell you you're like a cat! Stealthy man, stealth."
Boyd smiled a little. "That's me. They her results?"
"Yeah," Topher nodded, looking at the screen. Most would think it was gibberish, but it seemed to make sense to him. "It's like... evolution at work, man."
"How do you mean?" Boyd took the seat next to him, usually occupied by Ivy, but evidently, Topher's plan to turn her into a gopher had worked.
"These are the results of the spinal fluid we took," Topher explained, indicating the screen. "She's got a specific genetic trait, it makes her... immune to the imprints."
"But she does imprint, how can she be immune?"
"Hmm, that might not be the best way to put it..." Topher chewed on the inside of his lip, thinking. "Off the record?"
"You know it," Boyd replied.
"She survives the wipes. Every time we wipe her, the original Faith personality survives."
"But she's down there in her normal... blank..."
"You're her Handler, surely you've noticed she has more personality than the others," Topher pointed out.
Boyd was quiet for a moment, thinking about that. He had noticed things, here and there, things she shouldn't remember in her blank state. References she made. The drawings she worked on. Her gravitation towards Sierra and Victor. Not broken. Shoulder to the wheel. All of it started to make sense to him.
"I suppose so," he mused.
"I don't know what I'm gonna tell DeWitt," Topher shook his head. "Right now, she's proud of Faith's capabilities... but... if it gets out of hand..."
"Leave it with me."