The helmet stayed lowered, curve of his shoulders now unmistakably defensive. Even the weapon locked in Rinzler's hand had pulled back a little toward his body. But, of course, it wasn't just a weapon. And it wasn't the first time Miller had seen Rinzler cling to his disk this way. The program had done the same before, when asked why he'd refused repair.

He hadn't wanted to be edited. He hadn't wanted to be changed. He hadn't trusted anyone who touched his code not to, and Miller's frustration now earned a muted, jerky shake of the head. Wrong. Rinzler wasn't anything this system valued. Not as himself. How had the first user put it?

They wanted to help the 'real' him.