After Nicole

By Anthony Hart

The Eagle bent down and scooped up Nicole's inert corpse. He stood and walked to her wheelchair where he placed her body. He then programmed the machine to drive itself back to the car, while he took care of a few errands within the Knowledge Module.

The Eagle had been programmed to remove Nicole's body from the Module after their tour and her death. He would then restore the Module's setting to its normal parameters and remove the unnecessary atmosphere. Then, he would return to the shuttle with Nicole's corpse and make his way to the Administration Module to allow his programmers to use the human body in any way needed. Afterwards, The Eagle would transport to the Engineering Module, then back to the Habitation Module.

As the Eagle removed the images of Richard, Archie and the others from the room, he received word that the wheelchair was awaiting its counterpart at the car.

The Eagle flushed the oxygen from the rest of the Module, then started towards the car. He stopped in the middle of the room when he sensed something else in the room. He glanced to the right and for a split second, saw Nicole herself, forty years younger, smiling at him.

The Eagle didn't know what to think. So, he offered his own smile to where the specter had been, then continued to the car.

The Eagle reached the shuttle. The wheelchair was beside the passenger's side. The Eagle once again picked up Nicole's body, opened the door and gently lay it down in the back.

He held up a scanner and scanned Nicole. The decay had begun, but was in the very early stages. She'd last for another week before the noticeable decay would begin.

Again, The Eagle thought about what he had seen back in the exhibit. Nicole was dead… how could he have seen her, and forty years younger? Was it a glitch in the system?

No, he decided. It wasn't a glitch.

The Eagle folded up the scanner and dropped it on the seat next to his, then disassembled the wheelchair and loaded it up in the back. He sat in the "driver's seat", as Nicole had referred to it when she had seen Simone and Michael, and navigated back to the Administration Module.

Ellie awoke first in the small suite. Max, Eponine, Marius, Nikki, Kepler and Maria all lay on their mats, calmly sleeping. But Benjy was sitting on his, softly crying.

Ellie crawled over to her brother and hugged him. He clutched her close.

"I miss Mama…"

"I know," she replied, "so do I. And everyone else."

Benjy nodded. He quickly fell asleep again.

Ellie lay his head on his pillow again and stood up gently. She headed to the bathroom. She needed a shower.

As Ellie lathered herself in the pseudo-soap that the Ramans manufactured, her mind drifted back to Robert. Her darling husband, two-time murderer before New Eden, the world's leading cardiologist…

If only he could see the friendship of the octospiders, she though sadly, and if only he had believed me about them not kidnapping me.

The last time Ellie and Nikki had spoken to Robert had been the day before he died, in the ward. He had been transferred there, not too long before Galileo, for sociological reasons. He became depressed and died in his sleep. The cause was unknown.

Robert had never been able to support another person, so Ellie concluded. He could never have been a good father after losing Amanda and Christie, and never himself. When Ellie and Nikki saw him in New Eden just before Nakamura, the evil tyrant that seized power of the colony, was killed, Ellie noticed these problems. He had been a workaholic, especially during the war, convinced that the octospiders were evil. Ellie gave up on him until he rescued her and Nikki.

Even after that, he had social problems.

***

Nikki clung to Ellie as Robert led them through Sherwood Forest. They emerged right beside Lake Shakespeare, where they crouched and took a few deep breaths.

"Robert, please tell me what's going on."

Robert was breathing hard, "New Eden is in total chaos. The pandemonium forced me from the hospital, which snapped me out of my reverie. I knew that I had to get to you."

Ellie's expression didn't change, "Katie killed Nakamura. She shot him four times then herself in the mouth," he explained wearily, "that was four days ago."

Ellie remembered the conversation with Brian Walsh, then remembered something that little Nikki had mentioned.

"Robert, take you shirt off."

He looked at her confused. He lifted hie shirt off.

Ellie examined the lump on his shoulder. He touched it, and he winced.

"I don't know what it is," he said.

Ellie suspected some kind of virus from the hospital, but then realized that it was probably from the octospider plague.

"When did you notice this?"

"Day before yesterday."

Ellie bit her lip, and before she could touch it again, Robert slipped the shirt back on.

"Must've caught something from the hospital," she lied.

Robert just grunted.

The trio quickly continued. They avoided Garcias and human soldiers as the made their way to Mount Olympus. There, they'd be able to plot out the perfect hiding location.

Robert took Nikki from his wife and carried the girl up the mountain. They were nearing the peak about an hour later. Ellie was breathless, and Robert was sweating profusely. Nikki was asleep in her father's arms.

Ellie stopped. "Wait. Someone's up there."

Robert looked at her in alarm. Then, he glanced upwards.

They sat for a few moments, then continued onwards. Nikki woke up and kept quiet. They heard a noise again, but this time, it was accompanied by footsteps.

Nikki saw it first.

"Is that another avian?" she cried in glee.

Ellie looked up and saw a familiar face, one from many, many years ago.

"Hello Ellie," the Eagle said, "how are you?"

Ellie squealed, then ran and threw her arms around the Eagle. Robert was shocked.

"E-Ellie?"

She broke the embrace and said through tears of joy, "Robert, this is the Eagle!"

Robert was trembling, but he managed to reach out and shake the biot's hand.

"Come," the Eagle announced, "we must get to the somnarium, where you shall go back into the acceleration chambers."

"But why?" Ellie asked in alarm.

"My creators have decided to interdict a Level 2 intercession. The war has gone on too long. We must stop it and have everyone asleep."

"But it's been seven years. Why now?"

But the Eagle remained silent.

Robert finally spoke up. "What about Nikki?"

The Eagle gave him a mysterious smile.

He turned and began walking.

"Is my mother alive?"

The Eagle turned and nodded.

"Now come. We haven't got much more time."

***

Ellie shook out of her reverie and glanced at her watch. She had been in the shower for almost twenty minutes. She stepped out and dried off, yawning.

She quickly dressed and stepped back into the living area. Everyone was awake, while Kepler, Marius, Nikki and Maria had left for breakfast.

Max and Eponine were at the "coffee table", sipping on warm drinks. Benjy sat with them, but the look on his face, one of sadness, crushed Ellie.

Benjy looked up to see his sister. He walked over to her and hugged her.

"I'm okay now Ellie."

Ellie knew that since Simone had left the family, Benjy needed a person to cling to. She didn't mind if she was that person. She loved Benjy dearly, and wanted the best for him.

"Ellie," Max said, "the Eagle dropped by. Needs to speak with us, the four of us."

Ellie nodded and let Benjy go. She walked to the service panel and opened it. Inside was a small communications device. She input the Eagle's ID. Moments later, there was a knock on the door. Ellie answered at. She let the Eagle in.

"Good, we have privacy."

"Yeah," Max grinned, "the 'ole Arkansas farmboy isn't so dull after all, huh?"

The Eagle stood in the middle of the room and waited as the others sat on the couch.

"I have news for all of you. Individual news."

He turned to Eponine. "The Raman Intelligence had accepted your proposal for a new teaching program, later on in the future. We have also enlisted Brian Walsh, Adam Raymus, Parkash Saul and Natalaya Koritov to help you with this program."

Eponine breathed a sigh of relief.

"Max," the Eagle said, looking over to him, "I'm afraid that we could not accept your proposal for a Node NRA."

Max laughed heartily, "That was only a joke, you know, Shit, I tried that in New Eden too…"

"Now," the Eagle interrupted, "Benjy. I think that you'll enjoy your news most of all."

Benjy perked up when the Eagle started speaking about the Node.

"After you are transferred there, you will be allowed to interact with the humans already living there."

"Other humans?" he asked slowly.

"Yes. They were… engineered from egg and sperm cells from your father and Simone."

Benjy was silent for a second. The he asked, "Will I get to see them?"

The Eagle smiled and seemed to wink. A second later, the front door opened. A jet-black woman stepped inside. She was accompanied by a man, maybe sixty years old, and always recognizable to Benjy.

"Simone! Papa!"

Benjy jumped up from his place and ran to his sister and father. They met in a group hug and wept in joy. Ellie joined them, while Max and Eponine watched the family reunion.

When the foursome finally sat down, the Eagle continued speaking.

"Benjy, Michael and Simone have requested that you live with them in the Node."

Benjy agreed full-heartily. Yes, he would love to live with his sister and father again. Yes, he wanted to help his nieces and nephews and brothers and sisters grow up.

Yes he wanted to be happy.

Benjy cried in happiness while the others hugged him. Ellie pulled the Eagle aside for a moment.

"This other news. Does it involve my mother?"

The Eagle nodded.

"Please, let it wait until tomorrow."

The Eagle agreed. He left, and Ellie wondered what her mother had to do with it.

During their stay, Michael and Simone took turns telling stories about their many years together. They listened with keen interest to the others' stories as well.

Simone and Michael stayed the night. It was the night before the big move to the Node, so everyone slept fitfully, full of excitement, or anxiety.

Not surprisingly, Maria awoke first that morning. Then Kepler, Ellie and the others, and everyone went to the cafeteria for a feast of a breakfast.

A few avians and octos passed their table, greeting them in a friendly fashion, and an avian even stopped to speak with Michael.

Once it left, Ellie asked immediately about his ability to know the avian language.

"When I went in to have my hippocampus revamped, they also added in a subroutine that would allow me to recognize languages, whether written or spoken, understand it and comprehend it. It's relatively easy to understand the technology used. We had a type of translator on Earth that was used the same way, but only for auditory input. This subroutine takes in information from my visual or audio cortex and translates it. The average translation delay is 0.001 seconds."

Michael had earlier listed his replaced or upgraded organs, much to Maria and Kepler's enjoyment. They had become somewhat enthralled with engineering and mechanical workings.

After the big breakfast, the group returned to the apartment and packed up their meager belongings, chatting the whole time. Michael and Maria discussed her necklace, which had an inscription of St. Michael of Siena. He told her more about the Saint and offered to introduce her to Simone and his personal biot. She thanked him kindly.

When they had a few minutes alone, Michael and Benjy spoke somberly. Benjy was still depressed about his mother's recent passing, but Michael reminded his beloved son about heaven, and God's plan. He listened to his son's description of life in Avalon, while under the tyranny of Toshio Nakamura. Michael cried when he heard about the awful government that had condemned Nicole to death, and many others. He understood his son's pain, and promised to make it up to his son.

Michael also spoke briefly with Max, and thanked him graciously for watching over Nicole for the three weeks that she stayed hidden under the chicken coop years earlier.

Soon, Big Block and a few other blockheads came to the door. Big Block unfolded somehow, and the humans threw their bags on him. They then took the train to the airlock, where about thirty-five other humans awaited the transport to the Node. Michael and Simone hugged their friends and family, promising to see them in a week.

Ellie spotted Brian Walsh. She hugged him and started talking. Eponine soon joined in.

About five minutes later, after about forty-five more humans had showed up, the airlock opened.

"Please enter the craft and proceed to the right." Big Block announced in his clipped voice.

The humans proceeded to follow Big Block's instructions. They found a huge cabin with almost a hundred seats. Everyone sat and relaxed.

"Welcome to the Ark," a monotone voice announced, "In a matter of moments, you shall be transported to your permanent homes at the Node. We ask that you cooperate and respect your neighbors. We would also like to remind you that you will be living among other species, such as the octospiders, avians and myrmicats. Any xenophobic or domestically aggressive behavior will result in removal from the housing unit or termination, if the offence is considered to be punishable. Thank you."

***

The trip took a matter of minutes. Many of the passengers spoke, but others thought about the warning carefully. But Ellie wasn't too worried. Nikki and the other children had learned not to push others around, especially Kepler, after his brother's treatment. She just hoped that the others would as well.

But the Ramans had selected them to stay and interact with other species, so there wasn't much to fear.

When Ellie stepped off into the entranced from the transport, she somehow remembered the place. How the other children had played in the then zero gravity, the grey wall that they stood by, the voice that had given them instructions…

But how could she remember all of this? That had been, what, forty or fifty years before?

She then remembered something that the Eagle had said. Since she had been put into stasis early, as an infant, her memories were clearer because there was only about four years worth of memories. She had missed about nineteen years afterwards.

A new, feminine voice, soft and almost soothing, spoke from… everywhere.

"Welcome humans, to the Node. This shall be your permanent home from now on. We hope that you conduct yourselves in a fashion that would be considered suitable on your own world. We thank you for being cooperative thus far and wish that you continue to be so.

"In the Node, several of you, predetermined from months of research, will be asked to participate in behavioral studies, interacting with other species and objects. Some of you may be asked to participate in medical experiments and others in intelligence test.

"The biot called the Eagle will later inform you of your assignments in due time.

"Please, gather you bags and proceed to the grey wall ahead of you."

The humans complied and were soon waiting for further instructions.

"You think that I'll be involved in one of them intell-ee-gance tests?" Max whispered to Eponine with a grin.

A wide door slid up and revealed a small room, which was empty.

"Do you remember this Benjy?" Ellie whispered.

She didn't expect him to, but surprisingly, he nodded.

The all passed through into the small room, where a pair of blockheads awaited them.

"Please," one said, "place your bags against the far wall and line up, in order of families, in front of me."

"You will soon be transported to your new home," said the other.

Ellie dropped her bags into the corner of the room. Max tossed his, Nikki's, Kepler's and Benjy's beside hers, and Eponine dropped hers and Marius's next to Brian's. They then lined up after the Launder family.

The transport could only hold twenty full grown humans at a time, so the transportation took about five trips, each exactly twenty eight minutes there, twenty eight back.

Ellie and the others were in the second group. They reached the station and disembarked when the roof lifted off. The passengers climbed out and were directed down a hallway. To the left.

Ellie smiled, thinking that maybe the Eagle had pulled some strings to get them their old apartment.

They followed until they hit another fork. Go right, they were told.

On each door, a list of names was posted.

Ellie, Benjy, Nikki, Maria and Brian were posted on the third door on the left.

"See Benjy, the Eagle told the Ramans to let us live here."

Benjy said, "Yes. I remember this place well."

The opened the door and stepped into the atrium. It was empty, as the suit had no use anymore. The view was as spectacular as every, with the newest Node adding to that spectacle.

Ellie reminded herself to ask the Eagle about the last subject that he had wanted to speak to the family about.

After a minute or two of admiring the view, they entered the apartment, and found a paradise.

The apartment had redesigned slightly. It was slightly smaller and the rooms had been reorganized or removed. Everyone had a room of their own, including personal bathrooms, king-sized beds, dressers and desks. Each room was one beside the other, two on each side of the opening hallway. There was a kitchen, large enough for the four of the to stand in comfortably and move around in, a dining room with a table that resembled oak. It could hold about ten people.

The old exercise and playroom was still there, but had been upgraded. Now, a computer and other learning object were in place of the old toys.

But the greatest gift of all was in the living room.

Aside from the couch, chairs, table and desk, one of the walls had been removed and now served as a window. The nodes still dominated the view, but the stars and other celestial objects remained amazing.

Ellie wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"This is our new home."

Max was ecstatic. At last, he had a dream home that no Arkansas farmer could ever dream of possessing!

Well, there was no TV…

But Max loved the white button in the kitchen. He asked question after question after question about the Node, and the… thing answering never grew impatient or anything. He finally got tired of that and requested a small bottle of tequila.

Marius and Kepler gapped at the sight of the exercise room. It was huge, and it was theirs! Kepler challenged his friend to a race around the track, and did three laps before Eponine came in to inspect the room. She was happy as well.

Eponine had asked the kitchen (with the instructions from the kitchen when they walked in) how they could contact other families without leaving the apartment. It answered that in the living room, a small portion of the window could turn into a monitor, which would act as a telephone to other apartments.

Max tried it. He told the computer to call Ellie. Seconds later, she appeared on the screen.

"Hi Max!"

Benjy, Nikki, Maria and surprisingly Brian Walsh waved at the monitor.

"Hey Brian, how'd you get stuck with those losers?" Max teased, "Come live with us!"

They said goodbye and shut off the screen.

Life was good.

It was evening when the Eagle finally showed up. Max's family had eaten with Ellie's and now they all were sitting in the Puckett living room, sipping on coffee, tea, or a cola-like drink that the Ramans manufactured.

When he rang the door buzzer, Ellie promptly let him in.

"Hello Ellie. Hello everyone."

The Eagle sat in a chair that wasn't occupied. The families watched him with interest and wonder.

"First of all," the Eagle started, "I would like to personally welcome you to the Node. We hope that if you need anything, that you will tell us."

Ellie smiled and said, "I'm curious… is this the apartment that my family stayed at years before?"

The Eagle smiled back and said, "Yes. I thought that I would take the liberty of making you feel as comfortable as possible."

Then, he his face and voice became somber.

"First of all, I must inform you that the intelligence of the Node requests a week of Benjy's time, to research his disorder and maybe help to treat it."

Benjy nodded and the Eagle continued.

"Because you were reunited with Michael and Simone last night, I omitted a very important piece of information. It is about Nicole."

This perked everyone's attention.

The Eagle started to explain. "When a creature dies, they do have a kind of spirit. But it is not released from the body. Not always, anyway. Usually, if remains in a part of the brain that we know very little about.

"When Nicole died, I was programmed to extract her persona, her soul, and return it to the Administration Node, along with various other humanly objects.

"With your permission, the Nodal Intelligence would like to use Nicole's soul as a teacher, by uploading it into its computer bank. Other species will be able to interact with, it ask it questions, get to know it. We've done this before, with octospider and myrmicat samples, but never with a human sample."

The Eagle sat motionless while the others drank in this new information.

Will she be consciously aware of her surrounding? she wondered.

"The process has been performed many times before, but never on a human. It may not be successful, mind you. If it is, then other species can interact with our program. It could bring a higher learning to others."

"Wait wait wait..." Max suddenly said, "now I sure as hell don't understand all of this Raman gobbledygook. Now, will Nicole be alive in this computer, or just her personality?"

"She will not be 'alive' per say, but her memories and personality will be intact and integrated into the program.

"Only once has a creature's persona actually been awoken and alive in a computer. It was a glitch and its persona left a few hours later.

"But your physiology is very complex. We don't know if this same occurrence will happen with Nicole. We highly doubt it, but it is a small factor." He turned to Ellie; "We will only do this with our permission."

Ellie thought for a moment.

"Give us to tomorrow," Max said, "please."

The Eagle nodded and departed.

Ellie sat back in her chair and almost started to cry.

"I say we don't let them do this," Max said, "Like always, this can't be good."

"Max…"

"Look Ep," Max growled with a slight bit of hostility in his voice, "I don't want you to listen to the Ramans. They're like the octos were. Curious and dangerous."

Brian spoke up for the first time since the conversation; "What if Max is right?"

"But what if we can make a difference in an alien race's existence?" Eponine asked quietly.

"Then let them do a different way," Max said.

"Dad…"

"Son, please don't argue with me. The Ramans are trying to brainwash us…"

"HA!" Ellie jumped to her feet and stormed over to Max, pointing at him accusingly, "That's exactly what Robert thought! And look where he ended up."

"Ellie, please, don't give me that crap," Max replied calmly, "I love you, but I can't believe that you would actually listen to these creatures. They took me from my home, from my brother and his wife, and from Earth to this place."

"You came willingly!" Ellie cried, "You signed up for the mission!"

Nikki and the other children were frightened. The adults never raised their voices like this.

"If you have a problem with my opinion, then don't listen," Max growled.

Ellie stomped out of the apartment. Nikki went after her.

"Nikki, give your mother some time alone." Brian said calmly. Nikki nodded and sat on the couch where Ellie had been.

Ellie rushed out of the apartment, tears streaming down her face. She closed the door and leaned her back against the wall. She slid onto her haunches and started crying.

Why was her life like this now? Her father and mother were dead, she had been separated from her close friend and her brother…

She thought of Robert again and the tears became more numerous.

"It'll be okay Ellie."

Ellie looked up to find the Eagle a mere few metres away. He stepped closer to her.

"We mean nothing but the best while you are here."

Ellie barked with sarcastic laughter, "Then why is my mother dead? And my father? Why can I never see Patrick and Nai ever again? Why are we here?"

The Eagle slid down beside her and said, "It is for the best. You must understand that we have tried to do the best to complete our objectives and keep you humans happy at the same time."

Ellie was silent for a moment.

Her problems were not with him. They were with his creators. The ones who had programmed him.

"Why didn't you just go ahead and put my mother in the computer?" she asked bitterly.

The Eagle responded, "We do not do such things without permission from other species."

Ellie coughed. And she was about to say something when the Eagle started speaking again.

"I would like to ask a question of you," he said, "not one on behalf of the Raman Intelligence, but on my behalf."

Ellie started stoically ahead of her into the hallway.

"When I was finishing in the Knowledge Module, after your mother had passed, I was ordered to restore the original atmosphere to the area. I turned around and I saw the image of your mother, when I first met her, smiling at me."

There was an eerie silence before Ellie said, "You saw my mother's ghost?"

"Ghost?"

Ellie smiled, "A ghost is the result of one's mind, primarily a loved one, making one believe that they are seeing the deceased."

"In a sense, yes. But I ran a diagnostic on my systems. There were no malfunctions. Nor in the Module…"

Ellie was stunned.

Was some strange force playing tricks on them?

She hoped to find out.

Nikki and the other children were in the exercise room when Ellie came back. She spoke briefly with the adults, first apologizing for her behavior, as it was "inappropriate in the presence of those under easy influence". She then proceeded to tell them about the conversation and the Eagle's encounter with Nicole's "specter".

"Her ghost?" Max whispered incredulously.

"He told me that his system, nor the Knowledge Module, had received any damage that could've been associated with the sighting."

Eponine interjected, "Well, when I was living in the orphanage in Limouges, a young girl, about a year younger than I, swore that she had seen her mother one night in the restrooms. Her mother had died four years earlier…"

"But she could've just missed her mother," Brian pointed out, "her mind could've been playing tricks on her."

"That's a possibility," Eponine said, "but how would it fit into the Eagle's case? As far as we know, he isn't capable of emotions."

Ellie was about to point out that their many encounters with the biot had proven otherwise in some cases, when Kepler came out of the exercise room. He looked shocked.

"Marius is hurt!" he cried and ran back into the room.

Max and Eponine immediately jumped from their places and ran directly into the exercise room.

Maria and Nikki were sitting by Marius's side. He was conscious and alert, but he wasn't crying. He just looked to be in pain. He was holding his arm.

Max took to his son's side.

"What happened?"

Maria pointed to the treadmill, which was running on maximum.

"He was on the treadmill when it just started going faster and faster. He was thrown off and landed on his right arm."

"Are you okay?" Max asked his son.

Marius nodded, "Yeah, just hurts some."

Max glared at the wild machine. He stood and went to inspect it. It didn't stop running as he poked at it. He stared at it quizzically, then said, "Stop".

The machine slowed to a stop.

Max turned.

"Did you say anything while you were on it?"

Marius thought for a moment. "Yeah, I said, "I wonder what the fastest setting is." And it started going faster."

Max nodded, "I think that this thing is voice activated." He smiled at his son, "be careful next time."

Marius stood up and walked over to the treadmill. He laughed as he thought of what happened.

Soon, the room was filled with laughter.

Ellie lay in her bed that night and pondered the current situation. The living arrangement was acceptable, and everyone seemed happy, and they had spoken briefly with others that had been moved from the starfish. Everyone had been astounded and pleasantly surprised.

But the Eagle's news and request about her mother had touched her deeply. Aside from Benjy, she had been the closest to her mother, the "stubborn old woman" who had let herself die rather than become machine like Michael.

Ellie sighed. Soon, Benjy would be moving in with his father and sister. Yes, they were close by, but it wouldn't be the same.

Ellie, who hadn't seen her sister in almost fifty years, vowed to become closer to her. She had reminiscences of her but never recalled being very familiar with her. She needed family now. Patrick was gone, on the Carrier, Katie was dead, Nicole and her father dead… She needed support, as did Benjy.

A knock at the door made Ellie start. It was two in the morning. Who could be at her door?

The door opened, revealing Nikki. She looked gaunt and drained. Her face was pale.

"Mom… I need to talk to you."

"Nikki, it's two in the morning. What could possibly…"

"I saw Nonni a few minutes ago."

Ellie sat up, and was forced to lay down as the blood rushed to her head.

Nikki sidled up beside her mother.

"I was having a dream when I woke up. I saw Nonni sitting a few meters away from me. She smiled and disappeared."

Ellie involuntarily shuddered. The same thing has happened to the Eagle… had Nikki heard the conversation?

"Are you sure?" Ellie questioned bewildered.

"I know her smile… mom, it scared me…"

Ellie enveloped her daughter in a tight embrace. Nikki didn't cry, but she was shaky.

A few minutes later, Nikki left. Ellie thought about the encounter… but had it been real?

She decided to sleep on it.

Her dream had been extraordinarily clear.

She was lounging in the observation room on the starfish with Nicole. The room was been completely void of life, save herself and Nicole. The walls seemed brighter than usual. They spoke of the move and Simone and Michael. It seemed normal…

"Mother," Ellie asked at one point, "did the Eagle and Nikki see you?"

Nicole laughed a rich and happy laugh. "Yes, they saw me. And I scared them… both of them! Even a biot."

Ellie smiled at her mother's humourous attitude. She looked outside to see the Node… it was moving away.

"No! Nikki! Brian! No!"

"Mom…"

Ellie's eyes snapped open. She saw her daughter and sat up. She was still on the Node.

"Mom. What happened?" Nikki asked firmly.

Ellie tried to catch her breath and after a few seconds, she could finally comprehend what her daughter had just said.

"I saw Nonni too… we were on the starfish, talking about your encounter with her…" And the Eagle's, she told herself.

Little Nikki frowned, "Mom, I don't have time for you trying to cheer me up."

"Nikki," Ellie said, "I'm serious. I saw Nonni… we spoke, and then the Node started moving and left me without you and the family…"

Nikki climbed up beside her mother and hugged her. Ellie, deep in thought, hugged her back, lacking effort.

After Nikki left, Ellie had a quick shower and got dressed. She glanced at herself in the mirror. Her hair had grown some grey patches over the years… it was strange, having her hair change after only about twelve years of being awake. Of course, biologically, she was almost fifty, but chronologically, almost eighty.

She thought about the confusing dream that she had just had.

Nikki! Brian!

Brian?

She shrugged and looked into the mirror again. She smiled at herself.

Ellie wandered out into the hall and sniffed the air… she smiled as she realized that someone had cooked! And she knew just whom.

She entered the kitchen to find… Max flipping pancakes.

He grinned when he saw her. "Seems as if the ole' Arkansas farmboy's still got it."

"Morning Max," Ellie said with a friendly smile. "How'd you get in here?"

"I have my secrets," he replied, winking at his friend. She rolled her eyes jokingly.

She sat at the table as Max said, "Those beds the Ramans manufactured are absolutely amazing!"

"I know. I've never had a better night's sleep." She said.

Not true…

Eponine and Maria came in and sat beside Ellie. They were discussing the day that they had planned.

"Since the Eagle has given all of us humans a "holiday"," Eponine was saying, "we want to explore the area designated to us."

"I want to see this pool Casey was talking about!" Maria exclaimed, "She says that it's at least 100 meters by 80 meters!"

Ellie smiled softly. Maria was so energetic! She was wonderful…

"So Ellie," Eponine asked, with a grin, "what about you? What adventures do you have planned?"

"None as of now."

"Why don't you come with us to the pool?" Maria asked. She had a look in her eye that said that she wanted some time with the girls.

Ellie smiled, "Sure… I haven't had a good swim for about a year."

Maria left to get her swimming gear, leaving Eponine and Max to Ellie.

"Eponine… I need some advice…"

"Hmmm?"

Fidgeting with her hands, she then told her friend about her dream and the Eagle's encounter with Nicole in the Knowledge Module and Nikki's dream.

When she finished, Eponine looked puzzled.

"But he's a machine right? How could he have seen a ghost?"

Ellie stood and started to pace.

Max slipped into the room with a plate for each of them. "Hungry?" he asked with a grin.

"Not really," Ellie mumbled.

Max glanced at his wife, who mouthed Nicole.

"I hope that Marius wakes up soon… that boy'll be the death of me!" Max grinned. "I nearly gave my dad a heart attack. Slept so late, he thought I was dead!"

Eponine laughed and Ellie shed a tiny smile.

Maria returned and took a plate from Max. He looked down at his now empty hand.

"Well then, I guess that I have to make some more food!"

"You should watch yourself Mr. Puckett!" Maria quipped friendly.

Max shook his head and went back to the kitchen.

"Well, I'll ask Nikki if she wants to come with us." Eponine offered.

Maria shook her head. "She wants to spend sometime with Benjy before he leaves."

That's right, Ellie thought, Benjy' leaving for a week…

"Well, that's good," Eponine said, "She really loves her uncle."

"How can she not?" Maria replied, "I mean, he's been with her since she was born. He's really kind…"

Ellie felt a sense of pride at Maria's comment. She smiled down at the young girl. Maria smiled back.

There was a knock at the door. Maria went to open it and returned with Marius.

"Kepler's still in bed," he told Ellie.

They finished their breakfasts and got ready for their day. When Ellie finished in the bathroom, Nikki and Brian were awake. Brian looked as if he had slept for about twenty years. Nikki on the other hand looked as if she hadn't slept in twenty years.

"Nikki, do you know where Benjy is?" Ellie asked her daughter.

"He went with the Eagle for a physical before his observation. He'll be back tonight for dinner."

Ellie, Nikki, Eponine and Maria all headed out half an hour later. Max and Brian had decided to meet with some friends and catch up on old times, while Marius and Kepler stayed home to explore a bit more.

The train took them a few kilometers towards a bright section. The word "pool" was etched onto one of the walls. They rounded the corner, breathing in the chlorine fragrance.

The pool was completely abandoned. Nobody (or nothing) swam in it. And Maria's friend had been right. It was massive. Ellie could see it extend very far and it was probably as wide as their old villa in Beauvois. To the right was a sauna and to the left was a whirlpool hot tub.

"They really researched us, didn't they?" Eponine remarked. Ellie could only nod.