"That's kind of cool. I mean not the heat thing. That sounds pretty terrible." Mary did note the way in which he said they'd removed that feature following the next version of transgenics. It could be seen as cold, but Mary thought of it more as if he was simply stating a fact. For most of his life, Mary doubted Alec was taught to see himself as anything, but a soldier and a tool for war. He didn't see himself as possibly being an individual. He was just...one of many.
Obviously, that way of thinking had changed. Alec no longer saw himself as merely a soldier. It was clear he had a personality and whoever gifted him his name had probably helped to get him there. He saw himself as more than that now otherwise they would not be having this conversation or really any conversation they did have.
Mary did lean closer to look at the back of his neck; like most, she had assumed it was a tattoo and nothing more. Looking at it now, in a different, more informed light, she could see it being exactly what it was: a barcode and a branding. Kind of like he was a gallon of milk or something. The thought made Mary sick to her stomach. Alec was a good guy, but whoever had created him was an asshole. People were not tools; they were not commodities.
"The people that created you, they don't sound very nice," Mary replied, sitting back in her seat. "I mean you're a great guy Alec, but anyone that can just treat someone like a tool or thing is an asshole. I'm glad your friend gave you a name. They sound like good people. You deserve to recognized as more than just a barcode and a number."