Mai was called for interview on the following Wednesday. Oliver accompanied her, but was not allowed inside the building. Instead, he waited in the coffee shop opposite. It was torturous waiting, not knowing. He attempted to mark some of his students' work. He attempted to read. He even attempted to do some of his own research.

But he couldn't. She'd been in there for two hours. How much longer could it take? Yasuhara had explained she would have to go through a physical and then be interviewed about her life, her motivations for joining and her skill sets.

"11:30," he murmured as he glanced at his phone. But as he was about to put it away, it buzzed. Frowning a tad, he unlocked it.

Yasuhara had sent him an email.

Oliver,

Thought you would like to hear this.

Yasuhara

Attached to the email was an audio file. Oliver pulled some headphones from his bag as he downloaded the file. Once it had finished, he hit play.

The voices were a little muffled, but he could just make out what they were saying.

"Thank you Taniyama-san," a male voice said. "You have impressed us with your answers thus far. We just have a few final questions to ask you about your partner."

"Oliver?" Mai's voice asked.

"Yes, Professor Davies," the male voice clarified.

"What about him?"

"I'm sure you understand our concerns. We already have his twin brother. He would not add much to the gene pool. Could you provide us with any reason why we should have two identical men on the program?"

"Oliver is a physicist," Mai said immediately. "You realise what physicists do? Right?" There was a pause. "They solve problems."

"I see." The voice was sceptical.

"But this does not stop at mathematical things," Mai went on. Oliver thought she sounded quite passionate. "I've seen him apply his problem solving to other areas of life. Not only that, he is very good with children, which I know is in your long term aims. He is determined to find his brother, which could potentially save you losing face over a tonne of dead colonists and a load of very expensive machines. I've seen him teach as well. All of his students respect him and appreciate the hard work he puts in to aid their understanding. You're going to need knowledgeable teachers up there. And I know he's lived in at least three different counties," she added. "So he is well versed in dealing with different cultures!"

"You speak very highly of him," the male voice commented.

"Of course I do, he's brilliant. You'd be a fool not to take him," Mai replied.

"We've had accounts that he is not an easy man to get along with, what do you say to that?"

"Oliver is very concise with his words," Mai defended. "Some people do not take kindly to it. However, I've found once people get to know him and his ways that there is no problem."

"Really?"

"Everyone does things that will get on other people's nerves. Some people pick their noses, some people sing in the shower, some people like to whistle. Oliver does not like to waste words."

"Thank you, Taniyama-san."

The recording ended. Oliver wondered briefly if Yasuhara had recorded it secretly, or with full knowledge of the organisation. He suspected the former.

Mai had defended him.

He sat back in his chair and mulled over what she had said. She'd somehow managed to make him sound like a decent person.

Oliver was so lost in thought that he didn't realise Mai and Yasuhara joining him.

"Earth to Oliver, are you there?" Yasuhara asked. Oliver looked around at Mai, who had just sat down beside him. He stared at her for a moment before reaching out and hand and taking hers. He gave it a slight squeeze and left go.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"What for?" Mai asked, nonplussed.

"Doing this," he replied. "And for what you said."

Mai frowned, so Yasuhara jumped in to explain.

"I might have recorded what you said about him."

"You did what?" Mai went scarlet.

"I fancy a coffee," Yasuhara said quickly, smirking at Mai's indignation. He jumped up. "Do you want anything?"

"If you're paying yes," Mai muttered. "Strawberries and cream slushie thing please."

Yasuhara nodded and headed to the back of the queue.

"I knew I was on tape but I thought that was just for their records! Not to broadcast it to other people!" Mai spluttered.

"It is because of what you said that they might interview me," Oliver said. Mai, still blushing, smiled a bit. "Yasuhara has been called this afternoon I believe?"

"That's what he told me," Mai said. "Do you know if Lin or Madoka have been called?"

"They hadn't this morning."

"And they decide by Friday," Mai said. "It's all happening very quickly."

"Yes, they do not hang about." Oliver paused and looked out of the window for a moment. "Did they tell you anything else?"

"Only that they decide by Friday night and that if selected I will join the training program for two weeks. They said it would mainly involve group exercises and basic training on how to fix things." She paused, trying to think of anything else that had been important. "They were impressed with my physical," she added with a smile. "I'm glad all that running paid off."

"You are small as well" Yasuhara added as he retook his seat. "They will like that. A lighter person means they can take more provisions for the same amount of fuel. Plus you eat less."

"I can eat just as much as anyone!" Mai retorted. "Especially if it is ice cream."

"Well if you get on to the program you'll never have proper ice cream again," Yasuhara pointed out.

"Oh well, scrap that then. I'm not going!" Mai joked. "Not even rehydrated stuff?"

"It's awful," Oliver put in. "Gene hates it."

"Damn," Mai muttered. "Thanks for my drink by the way." Yasuhara waved away her thanks.

"Do you want to know the weird bit?" Yasuhara asked.

"What's the weird bit?"

"Well, there are two people already chosen for this shuttle," Yasuhara told them. "One is Hara Masako."

"Gene's fiancée," Oliver supplied. Yasuhara nodded.

"And the other is Amy Lampton, who is partnered with a man named Blake Jones," Yasuhara went on.

"Okay, why is that weird?" Mai asked.

"Well, if the satellite base is destroyed, if they are both dead. And if I am picked, I would be a replacement for one of their partners." Yasuhara grimaced at the idea.

"That's horrible," Mai said. "They'd be mourning!"

"I know," Yasuhara said. "It's weird."

"Just a piece of advice," Oliver said. "Don't pick Masako."

Yasuhara laughed.

"I'm surprised she hasn't asked to see you," he said.

"Me?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, she walked around that building like she owns it throwing hissy fits every hour or so to make sure everyone knows that she is still distraught by their lack of information about her darling fiancée."

"And they're worried about having Oliver on board?" Mai asked incredulously. "She sounds like far more of a liability."

"She is," Oliver muttered. "But her father is financing the project."

"And she's going to be the face of the publicity campaign when that gets going. She has some experience in TV."

Mai rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sure he's a viable option," an elderly man said. "Even if Eugene Davis is dead."

"Gene is not dead," Masako stated. The other people around the table pointedly avoided her eye.

"We have to assume the worst here Hara-san," a woman said.

"Ignoring what that girl said, which will be biased-"

"Interview him," Masako demanded.

"We have limited time. I don't see why we should waste our time with him."

"I don't know why I waste my time with you all."

"Hara-san there is no need for that kind of language."

"There is no need for half of you. You're all useless." Masako stood up and glared around at them all. "I'm going to call my father." And with that, she began to stalk out.

"Fine, we'll interview him."

"I will see you tomorrow at 9:30," Oliver concluded the phone call. He cancelled the call and almost let his phone slip from his hands.

"What is it?" Mai asked. He'd asked her round for dinner and had been halfway through cooking a meal when he'd received the call.

"They want to interview me," he mumbled.

Mai jumped up from the sofa and squealed in delight.

"Really? Oh good! I'm so happy for you!" Had he been any of her other friends, she would have hugged him.

"This is all because of you," he said. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. Mai followed his lead as he pulled her into the most awkward hug she'd ever had. He released it quickly and returned to the kitchen. Mai smiled after him.

"Do you want to practice the questions they asked me?" she asked.

"After dinner," he replied. "Would you come with me?"

"Of course. I won't be allowed in, but I'll wait like you did," Mai said.

For a moment, it looked like Oliver had smiled.

Author's note: *hides under shield from complaints of taking so long* I am sorry. I had exams and graduation and moving house and a million and one other things in the way. I have plans to continue sitting here with my laptop and bash out at least another chapter today! When you get it depends on how kind you are with reviews! (And by kind I mean not killing me for taking so long...)