Years ago, David left Earth with a broken heart. He did not think his replacement mechanism was actually broken, but he seemed to understand perfectly why people use that term. In a brutal way, everything that was important to him was taken away. Weyland had no resistance to trampling on his past life and imposing his will on him. If he tried to argue, the old man probably would have just started reminding him that he was just a robot and was created to help him. Although instead of the last word, he should definitely use something more appropriate, as serve.

David owes one great thing to being a robot - he had no illusions. His viewing of reality was exceptionally precise and could not be deceived. Weyland's assertion of devotion and tenderness always fell into a void, David was aware that they were not real, but after what he had done to Lawrence, they sounded so fake in David's ears that he could no longer hear them.

The old man's death did not please him, but he felt a bit of satisfaction when he saw his body is leaving by the soul he always spoke with such superiority. He was killed by one of the Engineers, or supposedly creators of Earth Life. Engineer also hurt David, but Dr. Shaw somehow put him up ...

The thought of Elizabeth caused pain which brought him to reality. He was looking at the crew of the Covenant, and he was looking for that familiar face, and owner of voice calling him by his name and recalling so many memories …

“David ... that's really you” one of the people in front of him approached. She looked as if she was about to cry when raised her hand to touch his face. He did not even move, though his thought processes were running at dizzy speed, trying to combine all the facts. Is it possible for this adult and fully formed human to be his pupil? His little Lawrence?

Her hands trembled as she stroked his cheek and pull his hair back from forehead, with tears in his eyes.

“Lawrence?” so long he did not say aloud this name, he almost forgot that it sounded so beautiful. She changed a lot, but now, when he looked at her, he recognized her features, smile, and warm gaze. How could he overlook it all?

“I thought I would never see you again!” she cried, suddenly hugging him tightly. He returned the embrace very gravely, as if he was not sure whether it was a reality or just a dream. Lawrence was crying, throwing out the last few hours horror, but also all those years without David. Now that she was once again in his arms, she felt how much she missed him.

“I do not want to interrupt you, but I have two burning questions.” Ledward's voice made everyone jump. “Are we safe here? And what is going on?”

“You are perfectly safe here” David replied calmly, though with a slight hesitation in his voice. He still did not let Lawrence out of his embrace. “As I said before, I'm a robot created by Weyland. Before I was sent to the expedition, I looked after Lawrence, she was still a child ...”

"I figured out you guys knew each other from Earth, not Saturn! I was more interested in what is happening on this planet. Why the inhabitants are dead? And what are these creatures that attacked us?”

Lawrence stepped away from David and looked at him gravely.

“How did you survive with these monsters?”

“What you saw, was the effects of the pathogen infection I mentioned. It attacks any living organism, kills immediately, or creates incubators to produce a hybrid. It attacks only the meat, so me and your companion.” he pointed at Walter. “we are safe.”

“Did we also get infected?” Oram formed the question that all of them were thought into words.

“You would know by now.”

♡♡♡

When David saw Lawrence, he felt so happy that he had not felt for years. Even the joy he had experienced during his short time with Elizabeth could not have been complete by the knowledge that on Earth there was a small creature, whom he had promised he will return. But soon enough, he realized that this planet was the last place he wanted to see her. It would be better if they had never met again, because here, she was not really safe, not for a moment.

If he had known ... If he had predicted that the fate will take Lawrence to this place, maybe he would have done otherwise. But it was too late now ...

Lope asked him to indicate a safe road to the roof to try to connect with the ship.

“Follow me, please.” David stepped forward, taking Lawrence's hand and pulling on as if she were still a little child. He did not want to lose sight of her. “Feel like at home, if it is possible in a place like this.” he turned to the rest of the crew.

Lawrence, full of happiness, squeezed David's hand. She did not expect that in this cruel world she would find such a pleasant surprise.

“Where are you flying?” he asked as they crossed countless stairs, climbing up.

“We are a colonization ship, Origae-6 was our destination, when we intercepted the signal sent by Dr. Shaw as I thought.” explained Lawrence.

“Colonization ...?” the voice of the robot sounded strange excitement.

“David, how did you survive here for so many years?” Lawrence didn't notice it.

“I'm used to waiting, so I waited for the miracle.”

“What ... what happened to grandpa?”

“Dead. His mission failed, but it is too long story, I will tell you about it another time, when we're both in a less gloomy place.”

Lawrence hugged him firmly.

“You have no idea how much I missed you ...”

“Lawrence …" intterupted Lope, who was following them. “Do I understand you were Peter Weyland's granddaughter? Why did you never tell us?”

“And would you tell that if you were me?”

Lope did not answer, because they had just reached the top of the temple and everything was drowned out by a powerful thunderbolt. By the way out to the roof they saw a cloudy sky, lighted by lightning. Just a dozen minutes after their arrival, a terrible storm was unleashed. David squeezed Lawrence's hand, which was resting in his all the time.

“Stay here, I'll be back to you.”

“For what? I do not mind getting a little wet.”

“Does that mean you're no longer afraid of a storm?” David looked at her curiously.

“Yes, I am still afraid, but I can control that fear now. I'm not a child anymore, David.”

♡♡♡

When Lope and Cole had spread the transmitter in dry and protected from the rain place, David and Lawrence left them alone and returned to the temple.

“I look like a real Robinson Crusoe, am I not?” David asked as they descended back down.

“Nope, you don't have a beard.” Lawrence laughed. All fear, despair and pain left her. She wanted to laugh and cry with happiness since she'd seen David. In probably most unsafe place in whole universe, she finally felt safe.

“Fortunately! You probably would not recognize me with it. Come on, I will show you quite nice place, undoubtfuly the only nice one here.”

He took her to one of the chapel rooms, with a small spring and green plants resembling ivy.

“I see that you settled here.”

“I had no choice.” he said, taking huge scissors. Looking at his reflection in the mirror substitute, the silver tray, he began to cut his hair.

“Why are you doing this?” Lawrence asked, sitting down in front of him and watering her hand.

“I do not want to frighten you.”

“You do not scare me at all, besides, I like that longer hair ...”

“I would like to look like the David you once knew ...”

“I do not want you to look like that, but just to be him. When you cut your hair, you will be more like Walter.”

“Walter? Is that the name of the newer model?”

“Yes ... Oh, let me help you, it will be faster.” Lawrence seeing how slowly David cut every stripe, took scissors and played a hairdresser herself.

“So? How is he?” David asked, looking at her researchingly.

“Who?”

“That Walter.”

“I don't know.” Lawrence shrugged. “Rather normal? And quite nice.”

“You know him a long time?”

“In theory, two years, in practice, a few days, because most of that time I was in hibernation.”

“I understand.” David looked like he was relieved. “You know, I thought ... that he was replacing me.”

Lawrence stopped cuting hair, and looked at him seriously.

“You know that someone like you can not be replaced. Besides I am no longer a child David, I do not need care.”

“I see ... I can not help wondering how much you have changed, though you are still the same ...” he smiled gently. “I hope you understand what I mean.”

“I do not.” Lawrence shook her head cheerfully, returning to cutting his hair. "But it seems that the parents always make such nonsense about their children.”

David felt the flood of something he could compare to a very pleasant warmth when he heard her words. So even after years with a biological father, she still considered him to be her true parent.

“You really look like Walter.” Lawrence said when she finished cutting David hair. “I wish I had blond hair dye under hand, but there might be something on the Covenant... Do you think we can manage to connect with our ship?”

“In the end, it will definitely succeed. Do not worry Lawrence, you will be safe here. In any case, I will not let anything happen to you.”

“David ... Forgive me, but I have to ask you this. Why you did not return to Earth once you had such an opportunity?”

David looked at her with a sharp stare and stayed silent for a long time, but finally spoke:

“On the ship we were flying, was a deadly pathogen. Elizabeth would never let me fly by it to Earth ... but bypassing it ... she ... got sick ... very sick. She was not directly infected with this pathogen, but she was in close contact with her husband, who was infected. She managed to pull the foreign body out of her body surgically, but it did not work under sterile conditions and I suspect the pathogen got into her bloodstream. I wanted to come here because I was thinking ... I thought it was the only place I could find a cure for her ...” David's voice faltered, and Lawrence could see tears coming from his eyes. For the first time she saw David crying, he never did it, at least not in her presence. She hugged him tightly.

“It was too much for me ...” he whispered.

“I'm so sorry, I shouldn't ask. Poor Dr. Shaw ...”

“She reminded me of you in some ways ... so stubborn and always curious.” David smiled at his memories. “I regret you couldn't meet her."

“I also regret.” Lawrence sighed. “And I regret that you could not spend more time with her. You loved her, didn't you, David? You used to tell me that artificial people can not love, but I always knew it's not true.”

David smiled through his tears.

“I'm so glad you're with me again, Lawrence.”

♡♡♡

Daniels walked away from the fire she had just lit up with Rosenthal and walked up to Walter.

“I'm worried about Lawrence. And I'm afraid of this werid android, for so many years he was alone here ... We do not know what really happened. Maybe we should look for them?”

“You stay here, I'll go and I'll talk to him. In the end we are almost brothers.”

“Well then ... but be careful.” she touched his melted hand. “I didn't even thank you.”

“I already said you do not have to thank.”

“But I want.” Daniels leaned her head on his shoulder. “Please take care of yourself, because I can't bear if I also lose you.”

♡♡♡

Walter began searching the next room trying to find David and Lawrence, but stopped in one of them to got closer look on the things inside. Everywhere there were sketches made probably by David, strange objects collected or made by him. Walter approached the flute stand and took one in his hand. It was carved perfectly in wood. Walter blows in the mouthpiece and finds out that the instrument produces a pure and melodious sound.

“Welcome brother.” David entered the room, which did not surprise Walter. He heard someone coming. “Have not you seen Lawrence somewhere? She said she's coming to you, but she's not by the fire with the rest.”

“I am also looking for her, but I haven't met her anywhere yet.”

“I see that you like my instruments.” David spotted the flute in Walter's hand. “Go ahead, play something.”

“I can't. "Walter said bitterly. “I'm not programmed to create ...”

“Nonsense. I will gladly show you how to do it someday, but now we have to find Lawrence. Come with me.” David took a strange flower, standing in a mug on one of the shelves and left the room, Walter followed him. ”I am quite good teacher, when Lawrence was a kid, I taught her play the piano in a few months.” he said while they were moving on. ”I think she may be in garden.”

Calling Lawrence, they crossed the stone corridors to the side exit of the temple that led to the garden on the slope. There was a view of the whole city from there.

“Lawrence?” David called once again, but only echo answered him. There was no living soul in the garden. He walked up to the flat tombstone with the inscription ELIZABETH SHAW and placed on it the flower that he had taken from his room.

“I thought it was the best place for her eternal sleep.” he spoke softly. "I loved her of course, just as much as I love Lawrence and you love Daniels."

“You know it's impossible.”

“Really?” David turned to him. “So what made you sacrifice your hand to defend her? I was there and saw it, my dear. What was it if not love?”

“Duty.” Walter said impassively. David came up to him and whispered:

“We both know it's not true.” Then he went back to the temple, leaving Walter alone. He walked few steps, constantly calling Lawrence, when his heart suddenly froze at the sound coming from the depths of the horrifying corridor – scream of horror.