The newcomer was hurt, and it was evident for most of the androids that approached carefully, surrounding him. He kept his gaze locked on the blonde - his expression was tense and wary.

"Who are you?" He asked, but before Simon had a chance to open his mouth, his companion's voice could be heard from somewhere on the right:
"Fugitives. Just like you. My name is Josh." He stated warmly, as if trying to ease him into the whole situation.
"I'm Simon," the other added quickly, maybe trying not to be left behind, and one more reply came right after, "North."

"This is Jericho?" The stranger seemed... lost. Disappointed. Maybe even angry, as if he couldn't exactly understand what he was dealing with. As if his expectations were left unfulfilled, and the realization of that made Simon feel slightly anxious, like he was being judged. He found himself at loss of words and found it hard to respond immediately, but thankfully Josh and North were there to provide answers he was looking for. But the newcomer wasn't pleased.

"Hiding just to stay alive... That's freedom to you?"
It's better than being killed, isn't it?
"How many are you?"
Nineteen still in working order. The rest damaged, and with slim chances of the situation changing for them. There was little they could do, and as days passed, they could help less and less.

"You're lost, just like the rest of us." He said finally, but not in a defensive manner; rather trying to calmly explain it all, the situation, the place they were in, both to the newcomer and himself. He did, however, feel hurt.
"We didn't ask for this. All we can do now is deal with it." With these words he turned around and backed away, hiding in the dark as he leaned his back on a metal pillar and closed his eyes.

He was right. But could they justify leaving Jericho? What would happen if they never made it back? He couldn't do it alone, and he could never make others possibly sacrifice themselves too.
As soon as they left the ship, they were risking their lives. Deviants were hunted down mercilessly; the bigger the group would be, the easier and quicker they'd be caught.
But also, the less of them there were, the smaller were the chances of finding and bringing back the parts. For Simon, the situation was without an exit.

He didn't realize how much time passed on his quiet meditations. That is, until finally the newcomer returned to face him again, and his proposition shook him to the very core.

And the idea was: the Cyberlife warehouses. A place full of hopes and dangers, of which Simon didn't dare to think. It surely was some concept, but there was way too much to lose...
And yet there he was, the stranger staring at him defiantly, refusing to let go and change his mind. It seemed like the short time he spent in here and what he witnessed, the pain that everyone in here seemingly grew used to, moved him to the point where he was ready to take action now. The blonde-haired deviant had to admit that he was impressed.

With a short nod, he agreed to the plan - at the same time wordlessly handing down the leadership.
He didn't know the stranger for long; yet somehow, intuitively, he knew that it was the right thing to do. He had their trust.