"Very little that the Institute does could be considered ethical. I've only scratched the surface of their cruelty. They're somewhat of a boogeyman to the people of the Commonwealth- that's where they're located, deep underground."

He could talk for hours about the horrible things they do. Sole could probably talk for days. She's seen far more than he ever did, being permitted free range of the place by Father.

Malcolm's question didn't offend DiMA persay, but he was a little disappointed. He hoped Malcolm wasn't starting to think of sentient synths as non-living things. DiMA gave him the benefit of the doubt though. Malcolm had been accepting so far. Perhaps he just wondered if they were immortal.

"Synths can and do die. The gen threes are all organic, except for a mechanical component in their heads. Most things that could kill a human could kill them too. Me and Nick, and the gen ones and twos, will cease functioning if certain parts are damaged enough. Although just how 'alive' the models before me and my brother are is a topic of fierce debate. Some believe they don't think or feel, closer to your 'device' than a person. Others feel differently."

_{(ooc: i think that with the right encouragement, gen 1 and 2 synths could become sentient. there's a lot of sentient robots in the fallout universe, why not early synths? they're definitely a lot smarter and more advanced than the robots that are just simple machines)}