Cinder

Peony, Cinder, and Iko each exhibit panic in response to Peony’s plague symptoms. Peony yells, tries to wipe away the spots, and keeps Cinder at a distance to avoid transfer of the plague. Cinder alternates between wanting to soothe Peony and to escape; meanwhile, her netlink supplies her with endless unwanted factual information about letumosis: “Letumosis. The blue fever. Worldwide pandemic. Hundreds of thousands dead. Unknown cause, unknown cure” (50). Iko, even though she is an android, and can’t become infected, shows concern.

As Cinder attempts to understand the source of Peony’s letumosis, she remembers her possible exposure at the market, feeling guilt that she may be the carrier. She regretfully sends an emergency message of Peony’s plague status, which signals the arrival of med-droids to take away a scared Peony. At Peony’s insistence, Cinder flees, but encounters three med-droids. Choosing to not lie about her possible contact with letumosis, her ID is scanned and blood tested. Free from pathogens, Cinder is neither sick nor the source of Peony’s plague.

Additional components of Cinder’s mechanical nature continue to come to light in Chapter 6. She is able to store a wrench in the calf of her leg, and the interface that accompanies her can record experiences, such as feelings and visual and auditory stimuli, like that of Peony’s scream.