Waldo sighed, letting himself sit down and take a breath for the first time in months. How long had he been down here working on the two scanners? How long until he needed to run the Return to the Past again?

He closed his eyes, running his hands across his face to wake himself up. Stopped when he reached his jaw. He had apparently grown a beard over the last few 'months'. He had been so consumed with his work that he hadn't noticed.

She always said you should see what you look like in a beard.

He frowned, shaking his head. Where had that thought come from? He leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes. It didn't matter. Doesn't matter. Just dismiss it. Get back to work.

When he opened his eyes again, he stared at his latest creations. Two scanners- thin yellow columns made of metal. Even with their height, they still looked so small in the wide, brightly lit room. The room still looked and felt so empty even with them there.

Another small thought joined the first. Make another one. For her. There's plenty of room. Plenty of supplies. Plenty of time.

He tried to picture it. Three scanners? It wasn't worth the effort, even if he had time and resources. She was gone. He just had to move on. Just take care of Aelita. He had promised her that he would.

And he certainly can't do that if he's caught up in his depression again. Mourning for a treasure he can never get back. Just keep working. She isn't coming back.

Another thought, a third one. You can try to find her. You can look. You can build another scanner. You've already made two, you have all the bugs worked out. You have all the time you're ever going to need.

You can't just give up on her.

In the emptiness of the scanner room, he nodded to himself. He at least had to try. He owed Aelita that, owed himself that. Owed Anthea that.

He pushed himself up to his feet, grabbing his tape measure and notebook.

It was just a matter of where to put it...