—Yes, the robot tripped while Mr. Couture was controlling the legs. Had Dr. Franklin been crushed under a giant thumb, I might point…blame the person who was controlling the hands. You should talk to him.

—We talked.

—I do not mean exchanging pleasantries. I mean talk. When I last visited him, I had serious doubts about his mental status, about his willingness to continue, and yes, about the nature of his feelings for you. I no longer have these doubts. While it may be difficult to understand, his prolonged absence, and what he did during that time, is a validation of his commitment to this project and, to an even greater extent, of his devotion to you.

—You said he played with toys.

—That is not exactly what I said. I may also have been more affected by the accident than I wished to believe when I first visited Mr. Couture, enough to miss certain things that, in retrospect, should have been obvious. I realize now that my rendition of the event may have compounded an already difficult situation, and I sincerely apologize for my shortsightedness.

—You’re right about one thing for sure. Whatever he did in Montreal, it sure as hell made him better up there in the sphere. We had our first trial this morning.

—In the simulator?

—No, the real thing. They retrieved the last part during the night. She was fully assembled and ready to roll by the time we woke up. I don’t know if I like this private-business thing, but we sure have more staff.

—Has the water caused any damage?

—The chamber was as dry as the day we left it. Anyway, we were a bit rusty at first, but after about a half hour, Vincent had us running in circles in the room. Running! Last time we strapped ourselves in, he could barely take a few steps. Now he’s running…He’s even able to work the console while walking. I just didn’t think he had enough muscle left to do this.

—It is amazing what someone can accomplish once they really set their heart to something. I am very interested in the fact that the sphere remained sealed after being subjected to such incredible pressure. I would like to know if we can operate the robot underwater.

—Alyssa’s one step ahead of you on this one. We’re supposed to have a trial run in the sea-lock room on Friday. If it works, we can put some distance between us and dry land and try a few things while submerged. She’d like us to find out how to focus the energy release. It’s not a bad idea. If anything bad happens, we might kill some fish, but we won’t vaporize anyone and destroy the base…again.

—She did not mention anything to me.

—I’m not surprised. I don’t like her. She’s driven, I’ll give her that. But there’s something about her that just doesn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right in Denver. It doesn’t feel right now.

—She said you would not like her.

—I didn’t like her before.

—She said you would not like her because she is not Dr. Franklin.

—Oh, that explains it then. And here I was thinking it might have something to do with her.

—Feelings aside, has she done anything to earn your disfavor?

—Well, for one thing, she keeps sticking needles in me. The needles are getting bigger too. I’ve been here three days, and I’ve been asked—told—to report to med bay four times.

She took some blood the day I came in, and a few swabs. I guess those are for DNA.

—She is a geneticist.

—She’s a bit of a mad scientist if you ask me. The next morning, I was called back in for more blood samples. She had me spend a good half hour inside an MRI. I’m not claustrophobic, but I gotta say I really don’t like that machine. She treats me like a guinea pig. She doesn’t explain anything, doesn’t tell me what any of this is for. She probably thinks I’m too dumb to understand.

After dinner, I was getting ready for a bath—it had been a really long day and I wanted to go to bed early—when I heard my name in the intercom. “Kara Resnik, please report to med bay one.”…I get there, and she sticks an IV in my arm to get me ready for a CT scan. I’m still burning up from the iodine shot when she tells me she needs to do a spinal tap. Do you know how big the needle is for a spinal tap?

—Did it hurt?

—I don’t know, I just ripped the IV out of my arm and went back to my room. I’m sure it would have hurt.

—You said you were called into the medical bay four times. That makes three.

—Yep. I was asked to report to med bay again this morning.

—I will take the lack of details to mean that you did not comply. That may have been ill-advised. She might not take no for an answer.

—She’s just gonna have to learn to live with disappointment. I mean, what’s she gonna do? Drag me there?

—I would not discount the possibility.

—I’d like to see her try. Why does she need all this anyway? Dr. Franklin already determined there’s nothing out of the ordinary in our DNA.

—I do not know precisely. She wants to understand why the helmets only activate for you and Mr. Couture and to remove these limitations if at all possible.

—Oh yeah, she’s open about it. She wants to have a “B team.” She says her first priority is to get the helmets to work for anyone. She’s gonna have a hard time finding someone with legs like Vincent, but if she gets her way with the helmets, she might be able to replace me.

—I do not believe she wants to replace you, but she is evidently uncomfortable having this entire project depend on the health, or the will, of a single person. I would be lying if I said I did not share the sentiment. It would be incredibly easy for anyone to remove the robot as a threat by simply having either of you killed.

—I understand. I just hope it takes her a while to do it. I don’t think she’ll keep me around if she doesn’t have to.

—What makes you think she would prefer to see you go?

—Oh, trust me, she’d love to get rid of me. If you fall in love with someone, there’s a good chance the person won’t love you back. Hatred, though, is usually mutual. If you despise someone, it’s pretty much a given they’re also not your biggest fan.

—I did not realize you disliked her this much.

—Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. I don’t really hate her. I just don’t like her, a lot. I think she loathes me.

—I wish I could be more helpful. Unfortunately, my relationship with her is not all it could be. She is a strong-willed woman, perhaps too assertive at times. Her determination is commendable, but she is somewhat…defiant.

—You mean she doesn’t agree with everything you say? Now, I’m beginning to like her…

—I meant to say that I fear it will become increasingly more difficult for me to help you.

—I’m just thankful she’s stuck with me for the time being.

—Speaking of thankfulness, I realize I may not have properly expressed my gratitude for what you did in Bosnia.

—You don’t need to. You were right. I didn’t really notice it until I was on my way to the airport, but I didn’t want to leave. The people there are so…They’re so strong, and they’re so vulnerable at the same time. Everything there just feels more…

—Real.

—Yes. Thank you for sending me.