​     Gramps asked, "Would you like to be left alone for awhile, Katy?​ I can stand out in the hall for a while, if you'd like."

     "No, no I..." Really, Katy didn't know what she wanted. She could barely grasp a sense of her own surroundings. Warmth. That she felt. Other than that, though...She sensed somewhere to sit to her left. She focused on that. A chair. It looked comfortable. She saw a table made entirely of glass if front of the chair. On this table, Katy saw a steaming pot of tea, an empty tea cup, and a plate of crackers and cheese. A doorway without a door led to another room. That's where the warmth emanated from, a moist warmth. 

     There's a hot tub in there, Katy thought. I heard once that Adam loves hot tubs. 

     She saw a painting on the wall. It looked like a Picasso. 

​     "Would you like to sit down?" Gramps asked. "Tea? I can get you something stronger if you'd like. Perhaps a spot of brandy would..." 

     "No no, please I..." 

     And that was it. That's all he could get out of her. He did get her to sit down, though. On the edge of her chair, she sat like it was her first day at grammar school, legs tight together, hands clasped on her lap, eyes forward. Poor thing, Gramps thought. I've come to like you very much in a very short amount of time, my new friend Katy. I pray that, once this nexus day has passed, we'll get a chance to share a meal and truly enjoy each other's company over a frivolous afternoon and evening. I'm sure that I would enjoy that very, very much. For now, however, I can only stand by you and protect you to the best of my ability. I will fight for you. I will die for you, without question. 

     I believe, with all my heart, that you are the Mother to the One.  

     "How is she?" Claudia asked. This was only her voice. She'd left her robot counterpart back at the greeting room. 

​     "She's out of it." 

​     "Tindriss is on Earth."

​     "Oh my...and Adam's..."

     "Still fighting to keep those damned missiles from going off."

CONTINUE