Xaviers!

Will frowned. "I...don't think I have much choice, do I? ASHLIE set it up, after all..."

Natalie frowns a bit more, "That's... strange. That doesn't seem like the Ashlie I know. But maybe I'm wrong about her."

"You think she's been...hacked?" Will said, whispering as if ASHLIE could hear them here in this supply closet.

"I think it would be more likely that I have misread some aspect of her personality."

"The other Will seems to think this is some kind of test. Maybe I'm supposed to figure out how to avoid it?"

"It might be a puzzle of some sort. Hard to say. She could have just drawn a line to the most straightforward solution that she thought you would accept."

"Well, guessing as to her motivation might be a fool's errand. It's possible she just doesn't like me. Because I broke her face.

"You what?"

"Her face. I broke it. Way way back when.

She asked me to hack into a friend, and when I refused, she was...angry. In the scuffle, I hit her really hard in the face, which broke.

She then forced Sam to mess with my head. It wasn't a pretty sight."

"That's... well... that's quite the thing. She doesn't seem the sort to hold a grudge, but as I said, I may have misread her."

"You might be closer to her than anyone else. If you've misread her, the rest of us have no chance," Will smiled, wryly.

"Well, misreading is kind of a thing with me. You've been a direct party to that once."

"I know," Will frowned. "I still don't know what happened there. I've been trying to avoid you, like you asked, ever since."

"I misunderstood things or didn't make myself clear at the time. Maybe I'd seen too many romantic comedies." She waves it away, "It's... really not important right now."

"OK, I'll drop it, then.

Thanks for your help, Natalie."

"My pleasure. Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Will paused and thought. "Not now, but if you see me stuck again, I would appreciate whatever help you could offer."

"I'll keep an eye out for you." She smiles, "S'what friend do, right?"

"Yeah," Will smiled back. "And if you need anything, just come grab me. Even if it's just an ear you need."