Really like this chapter - wonderful rendering of the machine scene. Glad you still keep the girl-jaded man aspect of their character relationship (or else this "bonding" thing might become a little too fluffy).

Some good, effortless lines in the whole story (e.g. "Everything he didn’t know about traditional CPR could have easily filled up a library.", "His last thought shut the lights before it left the building."). I might be wrong, but you seem to be using them more than you used to, and you do not draw any narrative attention to them - which is the only way to make them effective.

Gratuitous grammar gimmick: to lie at someone's feet => lay => laid
Present tense: He can lie
Past tense: He could lie (The past tense is taken by the "can=>could", so the main verb remains present).
It was YOU who encouraged me! ;-)

Author's Response: Thanks for gimmicks. I can't believe how much I have forgotten from everything I have learned! Well, grammar hasn't been my strongest skill, not even with Finnish. :)