George was still lying on the floor when the door opened again.

It was another of the strange figures, though unlike the commander this one did not seem to be wearing any clothing. It bore an emblem much like Relpa’s on its chest, but it had only one square below the triangle.

“I am to escort you to Maria,” spoke the figure. George decided that since this figure’s voice seemed higher and more feminine, he would consider it a woman, though he could not tell if there was a difference. He picked himself up from the floor and stood facing the figure, who was still taller than him by a foot.

The figure motioned for George to exit the room. He walked out into a brightly lit hallway, which despite the lighting looked much the same to him as the metallic gray of the room he had just left. The figure, having joined him, gestured to the right, and the two began walking.

“I am Tertiary Lieutenant Nell,” spoke the figure as they walked down the corridor. “I am responsible for maintaining the well-being of you and your wife during your work here.” George walked silently, unsure if he could risk saying anything.

Seemingly unbothered by his silence, Nell continued to speak. George quickly lost track of her words, though, in his concern for Maria, only catching occasional phrases: “rare exception,” “mechanical development,” “familial approximation.”

Nell’s monologue finally came to a close, and she stopped in front of another door, which bore the symbol XX. “This will be your residence for your time here,” she said, and the door opened. George stepped inside, with Nell remaining in the doorway.

“George!” The sound was a cry half-choked with tears.

George and Maria ran to meet each other, embracing. Though they had only been separated for a few hours, it had felt like weeks to them. Both were crying, silently.

Nell spoke from the doorway. “We will contact you regarding Giegue shortly.” With that, she turned and left; the door closed behind her.

Maria pulled out of the embrace slowly. “What’s going on, George? They wouldn’t tell me anything. And where is Elizabeth?” Her voice was quavering.

George stumbled into a nearby chair. “They left her with my sister,” he said, looking away; he could not bear to look at her face. Maria stood very still, stunned. “They want me to work on machines, or something. They say they’ll bring us back if I do what they want.”

A long pause ensued, during which George looked up enough to examine the room. It was still metallic on the walls, but otherwise seemed more comfortable. There was a large bed in one corner, covered in a white blanket; the end of the room nearer the door had a table that seemed to be wooden, and George belatedly realized the chair he was sitting on was made of wood as well. The wood furniture seemed to clash with the metal walls.

“Where are we going?” Maria finally asked, ending George’s observations.

“Away from Earth,” he answered, feeling hopeless.

Maria pointed at what looked like a window near the bed. “Does that mean that…?” George walked over to the window, with Maria following him, and pulled aside the curtains.

Outside of the window was darkness like the night sky, stars twinkling throughout. In the center of their view, alone against the background, was a globe, blue and white.

“Is that Earth?” asked George. “It looks… so small from here.”

Maria drew close to his side, as she did when she was nervous or afraid. “Are you going to be alright, Maria?” he asked.

Maria hesitated, then said, “Just as long as we're together we'll be fine, George.”

“We’ll be fine,” she repeated to herself quietly, unsure if she believed it, as she watched the world going by.