Maddy was sitting up in her hospital bed listening to a string of syllables the Walfords were sharing with her. Maddy didn't doubt that these sounds were legitimate words from the English language strung together in such a manner that they formed coherent sentences. Currently, however, her brain was too pre-occupied with the Walfords physical appearance to bother processing any other ancillary information. A mere five months earlier, she vividly recalled interacting with both Clyve and Miranda on the ship. And yet what stood in front of her now seemed utterly impossible.

Arguably, Clyve Walford was Næsta Kynslóð's best electrical engineer while his wife Miranda was the youngest Ph.D. (17) she had ever known. Miranda was a biologist who specialized in studying life in extremely inhospitable areas. Given their species' current tenuous hold on survival, Dr. Walford's skill set could turn out to be particularly valuable down the road. But none of these particular details occupied Maddy's brain at the moment. No, all she could think of was how they looked!

Of course, Maddy intellectually comprehended what she was witnessing but none of that made any of this less surreal. Everything Smithson had described to her was all in the hypothetical. Witnessing your friends and colleagues age over 22 years essentially overnight was like watching the aftermath of a car wreck as you slowly drive by on the interstate. It simply was impossible for her not to gawk. Back on Black Hole One Miranda was one year younger than Maddy. Not anymore! Now...biologically at least... she was either 61 or 62. And yes, she looked every bit of it. Clyve was in his mid-forties five months ago but now he had to be 67...maybe 70? The crazy thing about this 'conversation' they were (not really) having was how mesmerized both parties were of each other's physical appearance.

Finally, Clyve broke off the small talk (that never registered anyway) and said what everyone was thinking.

"Wow."

Maddy realized that no further verbal explanation was needed as each party continued to silently stare wide-eyed at each other. After a moment, Maddy broke the silence...

"I guess Einstein's 'theory' really needs to be officially upgraded to law," she said with a smile.

Miranda and Clyve both laughed but that didn't stop them from continuing to look at her with awe. Then Miranda turned her stare to Clyve and pinched him.

"Ok, that's enough, Casanova."

"Ow! Why did you go and do that?"

Miranda turned back to Maddy and said, "In all seriousness Maddy, I want to thank you for understanding and letting me return with him. Had I stayed, I would have been no use to you or anyone else on the ship."

"Of course Miranda, I completely understood at the time. I would have wanted the same thing if I were in your shoes. So there's no need to thank me. I'm just so thrilled that you both are doing well, and from what I have been told, that Clyve's heart is as good as new!"

Clyve chimed in.

"Yes thank you for sending her back to me Maddy. That said, couldn't you have waited a couple of months? Having a wife in her 40's would be pretty sweet right about now!"

The words barely got out of his mouth before he was punched...hard, on the arm, multiple times.

"What? What'd I say? Look at Maddy. Come on, give an old guy a break!"

"Oh don't you worry, I can and will break something for you! You better watch it old man. I still can make your life quite miserable!"

Miranda tried to keep a straight face but broke out laughing, as she gave Clyve additional phony soft punches to his chest. Clyve grabbed Miranda close to him. As he did this, he looked over at Maddy and mouthed a silent "thank you" that only Maddy could see.

Maddy smiled back. She was so relieved to see them so happy after all these years...or was it months? All of this was so strange and unnatural, she thought as she continued to stare at them silently, and in complete awe.

At that exact moment, Zyok Melkaan entered her room and communicated with Maddy.

"It's time."

She realized that she was the only one who "heard" his message since the Walfords were still locked in an embrace and completely unaware of Melkaan's presence.

Maddy decided to respond to Melkaan's telepathy verbally, mostly to make her visitors aware that someone else was in the room with them.

"Melkaan, welcome! Is it time already? That two and a half-hour '3-minute' warning flew by!" she said jokingly.

True to form, Melkaan didn't get the humor. The Walfords did however and began laughing.

Melkaan quizzically shook his head at their reaction and began helping Maddy get into the wheelchair next to her bed.

"Um...no Melkaan. I'm fine, I think I can walk a couple of hundred feet," she said.

"As you please," Melkaan replied. "The 'other' chair will be active in 8 minutes so please do not delay." After a brief hesitation, he added, "You realize that your proximity estimation of "a couple of hundred feet" is in error, correct?"

Miranda and Clyve looked at each other and chuckled. Maddy knew they were laughing at Melkaan's cluelessness and shook her head.

Melkaan turned his gaze towards the still-smiling Walfords, gave them a curious expression, and awkwardly waited for an answer to a question he would never receive. Somewhat confused at their silence, he uncomfortably pivoted and left the room. The second he was gone the three Humans simultaneously broke out into laughter again.

"Seriously? He has 103 years to figure us out and is still completely out to lunch?" Maddy asked semi-rhetorically.

"Are you kidding me?" responded Clyve. "If you gave Melkaan endless millennia to figure out the essence of Human subtlety and humor he still would remain utterly lost!"

After an additional minute or two of joking (wholly at Melkaan's expense), Miranda snapped everyone back to the moment.

"Hello?? I assume you still want to see the father of your child when he arrives in five minutes?"

"Well that's a pretty big assumption now isn't it?" Maddy responded. "It could be anyone who shows up. It could be another medical emergency for all we know."

"Please...You may be setting yourself up for 'just in case' but let's get real. This is Gus. Everyone knows it, especially you!"

"Well if it's him he has some explaining to do. I've been here for 13 days! He missed the birth, all the post-surgery pain, not to mention the worry of me being under for 8 straight days afterward. No...he better have a damn good excuse for being this late!"

Maddy tried to look mad but her façade broke down just like Miranda's did a few minutes earlier. Who was she kidding? She was so excited to see Gus and couldn't wait to introduce him to their son, even though technically he was disobeying her direct order not to follow her.

Oh, damn...their son! Quintavius promised to bring him to the chair room and now there wasn't enough time to get him there...

As she finished her thought, Quintavius entered the room and answered her telepathically.

"Your son is already here. I was beginning to wonder if you would be joining us?"

Somehow, unlike Melkaan, Quintavius fully understood Human subtlety and humor.

Maddy responded to him verbally.

"Yes! Please let's hurry! How much time do we have?"

Without looking at any device Quintavius responded, instantly.

"198 Earth seconds."

With that, they all walked briskly to the room down the hall that housed the permanently-affixed Chair. Maddy estimated that nearly 30 people were in the room, not including her, Quintavius, or the Walfords. Most importantly, she caught a glimpse of her still-unnamed son situated directly next to the chair. Maddy quickly circumnavigated the madness swirling around her and sat next to her son. A somewhat overdone digital countdown reminiscent of a 21st century NFL scoreboard was visible right above the Chair. 112 seconds to go. Now all that remained was for her to sit...and wait...