"He's so big." Amy adjusted his weight in her arms. "What have you guys been feeding him?"
"Roroids." Ignacio nodded at his father. "What's up? Why are we here? The botfly said we should bring our stuff. Nice car, by the way."
Javier pointed to the scroll. "I'm going to Mecha."
Matteo and Ricci traded glances. "What?"
"That's impossible," Gabriel said. "There aren't that many visas."
"There are visas for both of us."
"Both of you?" Léon asked. "Really?"
"Really," Amy said. "Right, Rory?"
"Right!" Rory said. The boys startled, and stared suspiciously at the ceiling. "I'm in chat with your Mecha media rep's profile persona. She wants to do a show. It'll offset the cost of your citizenship. I'm showing her old Brady Bunch clips."
"What's that?"
A very cheery, annoying song filled the room. Javier covered his ears and grimaced. "Turn that shit off!"
It turned off.
"When do we leave?" Amy asked.
"Tomorrow morning," Rory said. "There's a boat. I'm sorry, but I couldn't secure a plane. They're very twitchy about vN just now."
Ignacio rolled his eyes. "I can't imagine why."
Javier nodded at him with his chin. "You got something to say?"
Ignacio looked away. "No."
"Don't lie to me. I taught you how."
Javier's oldest whirled to face him. "Yeah, and you also taught me to recognize a set-up when I saw one! This smells bad and you know it! You're just ignoring it because you're halfway to failsafe for a puta with corrupted partitions!"
Javier's fist popped out and landed right on his son's nose.
"Javier!"
"Dad!"
Matteo and Ricci quickly pushed their father and brother away from one another. Ignacio tried jumping toward Javier, but Ricci dragged him back down. Their feet left the floor as they struggled, and the table bounced a little when they hit the ground again. A slender earthenware vase containing a single beautiful orchid clattered to the floor and broke. Gently, Gabriel ushered Léon behind his own body.
Finally, Javier pushed Matteo back. He stood with his arms open, plucking the air with his fingers.
"You wanna hit me, kid? Take your best shot."
"You self-righteous prick." Ignacio strained against his brother's shoulder. His toes slipped across the bamboo matting underfoot. "You don't just get to jump back into our lives and then jump out again when you feel like it!"
"I'm not the one who came looking for you!"
"Yeah! We noticed!"
Javier's arms fell. He looked much smaller, suddenly. His gaze searched the room. "Is that how you all feel?" He frowned at each of them in turn. "Is that why you came looking? Because you wanted to tell your old man what a fucking bastard he was? You think I don't know that, already?"
Javier shook his head and shut his eyes. "Rory. Pull up the porno you showed us, before."
"Will do!"
An image of Javier's son rippled across the scroll. Javier pointed at it. "Recognize him?" As one, the boys nodded. "That's your second-youngest brother. Had him in San Diego." He turned away from the scroll. His eyes met Amy's. "The human I was with at the time, she gave him to a pedophile in a grocery store parking lot. And I let it happen. Because the failsafe told me she was the more important one."
And you wonder why I grew my girls in basements. You think I kept them caged, but at least they were safe – from the world, and from themselves.
Javier faced Ignacio. "I don't know what happened to you in that prison after I left you there. I simulated it a bunch of times. Tried to do the math. But in the end I left so that I could make your other brothers, and give them a better shot than you had. And I did the same thing with the iteration you see on that scroll. I let him go so I could make that one right there." He pointed to Junior. "I left him, too. But Amy didn't. So if you're angry with me, be angry with me. And if you have a problem with the decisions I made, then make better ones for yourselves. Or try to. If your programming allows it."
Javier's boys examined Amy, then looked away. In her arms, Junior squirmed and tightened his grip. Ricci was the first to look his father in the eye. "We just wanted to be brothers, Dad." He stepped around Ignacio, took Javier by the shoulders, and turned him around to face his twin. "Do you know how many times I would have died without Matteo, Dad? I need him. And if I need him this bad, then maybe the rest of us need each other, too."