part 2 <read part 1 first, here>

Sunglo: You've been crying. I notice you've washed the smell of smoke off.

Coni: [Voice strained] Glo, baby, I'm tired.

He reaches to touch her arm, but she proceeds past him.

Sunglo: Then let's not drag this out. Where is she? What happened to her?

Coni: She's gone, Sunglo. [Keeps walking]

Sunglo: Gone? Concept—wait! Get back here!

Coni sits in front of her vanity table, while Sunglo stands behind her, exerting every effort to steady his emotions.

Sunglo: [Calmly] What do you mean she's gone, Concept? Coni glances down at the gleaming ring Sunglo gave her, passed down from his great-grandmother.

Coni: There was a malfunction that resulted in her combustion. She was destroyed. I'm sorry. You trusted me with your best bot and I failed you.

Sunglo: [Shakes head vigorously] No, that's impossible. Give me a detailed incident report if that's truly the case.

Coni: Stop, I just lost someone too. I'm in no position to do that right now, please.

Sunglo falls silent, stunned.

Sunglo: Coni… If there's something you're not telling me…

Coni: [Voice sharpens] WHAT, SUNGLO? What are you going to do? Hm?

Sunglo: I'll find out. I can access her data, her surveillance. I'll figure it all out on my own, Concept. If I have to, I will.

Coni looks up at him with a sympathetic frown, her fingers tracing the collar of his shirt. A soft chuckle escapes her lips, though in her ragged and worn-out voice, it sounds more like a whimper.

Coni: [Sighs] No baby, you won't. Sunglo: Sorry?

Coni: You won't. That's the thing. You'll never find out. You're the smartest man I've ever known, but I'll always be one step ahead of you... thanks to my genetic advantages. I destroyed Cecilia. I had to. And If I wanted you to forget all of this, I could make that happen with the snap of my fingers. But I'm just so tired of this game. I'm so tired of hiding from you, my darling.

A tear falls down Coni's cheek, against all efforts to stop it. Sunglo's stomach churns as a faint blue aura begins to emit from her skin; the same blue aura that comes from Aurora when playtime is cut short, or she doesn't get the toy she asks for. Everything starts to fall into place.

Sunglo: No... [Shakes head, tears forming] Concept... you're scaring me...

Coni's eyes mirror the tears welling in his. She tries to vocalize "I'm sorry," but only manages to mouth the words, her voice failing her. Sunglo: This can't be real. I feel sick. Is this real? Coni: I... Do you want me to show you? ...Myself? My real form?

Sunglo: What? No! Those things, they—[lowers voice] they violated me, Con... And you? You're really one of them? Did you help them?

Coni: NO! Mod, no. I would never do that to you, Glo! I would never hurt you. I'm not like them. I was raised here in Strangerville. I don't do what they do, okay honey?

Sunglo: What do you do, then? Lie and manipulate? And apparently destroy? Why? Why'd you do that to Cecilia?

Coni: She… she knew too much.

Sunglo: Oh, It all makes sense now. You were protecting yourself. Coni: I— [stops herself]

Sunglo: I think I'm gonna be sick... I should go.

Coni: Baby, please… Wait, just come sit down. We can fix this, okay? We can get back to our normal happy life! We can fix Cecilia. We can fix us.

Sunglo: I… I think I need some time to think about this.

Coni: Think about what? Stop, you're scaring me, now! What are you saying, Glo? We were supposed to be—this life we made for us… it's perfect. Our love is perfect.

Sunglo: It was perfect. You destroyed it. It was a lie, Coni. You lied to me.

Coni: PLEASE! I'm the same Coni you've always known. We were supposed to get married, Glo! You just proposed. You gave me Agnes's ring, I know that means something special, please!

Sunglo: Keep the ring. But— I think we need to call off the engagement for now.

Coni: Call it off? What are you saying? What does this mean for us? If you don't want to marry me then you don't want to be with me, either! [Sobbing]

Sunglo: I just need time, Coni.

Coni: What about our family and friends? Erwin? He definitely won't be able to handle this. Are you going to tell them I'm an alien so that they all hate me too?

Sunglo: Of course not. You tell them when you're ready. And for what it's worth, they'll always love you. I'll always love you, Concept. Okay? I… I just know I'll never be able to reconcile, and I… I just need to think about whether I can live with that or not... forever.

Coni: [Sniffles]...S-so this is goodbye, then?

Sunglo: Only for now.

Part 1

It's late. Past 1 AM. Coni returns to the Old Penelope Bunker expecting Sunglo to be asleep in his bed, where she could crawl up next to him, easing any tension caused by her unanswered text. She planned on having him feeling so euphoric, he wouldn't even think to ask about Cecilia. But he's not in bed. She finds him in the sickly dim light of the kitchen waiting for her. He sits silently, no gadgets or bots to fidget with. Coni has never seen him appear so vacant. Sunglo: I haven't heard from you all night.

Coni rushes through a flimsy excuse about his aunts being "really chatty," but Sunglo quickly redirects, immediately questioning Cecilia's whereabouts. Coni's eyes widen, realizing just how long she's left Erwin alone. Coni: Oh mod, Erwin! [Takes off down the hall]

The screech of the chair against the stone floor echoes through the spacious halls of the bunker as Sunglo scrambles to his feet trying to get to her.

Sunglo: Coni, wait!

By the time he exits the kitchen, she's already beelining around the corner, her hurried footsteps quickly fading into the distance as he struggles to follow.

Coni reaches Erwin's door first, and of course it's locked, giving Sunglo time to catch up with her. He grabs her arm, firmly but gently, careful not to hurt her. He demands an explanation. Coni: I... I borrowed Erwin's flannel. I promised him I'd return it tonight.

Sunglo: Okay, well he's asleep right now. I'm sure he'll be fine if you get it back to him in the morning. Will you just relax?

Coni: You saw him come home? Sunglo: Yes, right after work.

Coni breathes a sigh of relief upon learning he's still safe.

Sunglo: [Still holding her wrist firmly] What's gotten into you? Where's Cecilia?

Coni jerks away and rubs her forehead.

Coni: It's a long story, okay? I need to shower. Sunglo eyes her, puzzled, and she retreats back down the hall.

A momentary tussle ensues over the bathroom door. However, Sunglo, not wanting to hurt or frighten Coni, ultimately relents. He takes a step back, allowing Coni to slam the door shut.

Sunglo: [Voice strained and defeated] Concept, please tell me what's going on... Baby?

Coni locks the door behind her and lets the water wash over her, tears merging with the stream as she braces herself for the next phase of this ordeal.