The next few months are the same. Minn wakes, eats and heads to the couch. Some mornings she reads, some mornings she watches reruns of old tv shows. She knows exactly what she likes and when. Certain shows are reserved for the mornings; talk shows, reality shows, and educational documentaries. Somewhere midday, Tarth will arrive and they will eat lunch. Afternoon shows begin promptly afterward. 

Minn comes to love Tarth's company. When she is there, Atlas doesn't speak as often, so she makes sure to invite her back every day.

Tarth loves the TV. They always start with a nature show. Some Discovery Planet special showcasing all of Earth's wonders. Then they watch medical dramas. Minn thinks Tarth's queasy reactions to surgeries are hilarious. It's easy to forget she's never seen shows like that before. 

Afterward, with much prompting from Tarth, they go for a walk or a swim. Sometimes Tarth manages to talk Minn into trying a game or a sport she's never played. She picks Earth sports like rock climbing and skateboarding. They try Jarvath sports, the planet Tarth is from, which mainly involve a lot of spear throwing. Usually Tarth ends up watching Minn, laughing and cheering her on. There's only so much you can do when you're about to give birth at any moment. 

Minn rarely brings up that elephant in the room. But she doesn't have to. Atlas makes sure she is up to par on her birthing knowledge.

Once Tarth goes into labor, a medical team will arrive and take her to the birthing facility. 

Apparently, there is a wing dedicated to birthing. Birthers can only go there once their labour begins . After they have given birth, they are moved into Regeneration. The time they spend regenerating varies depending on the level of injury or death. 

Minn tries not to think about Tarth's baby, or Earth, or her father. Only her father, that's all she sees. But every time he pops into her mind, she shreds his image. 

"There's nothing left for me, I feel dead already," Minn says to Tarth one particular gloomy morning. "I miss... Earth. I miss the trees. The sun on my face."

"We have six suns here. Can you not feel them through your glass wall?" Tarth motions to the large windows across the room.

Minn rolls her eyes. "They're puny. Earth's sun was huge, dangerous even."

Tarth smiles and glances at Minn sideways. "Yes, Jarvath's sun is like this. Very hot in some places."

"So you get it, right? Don't you miss going outside?"

Tarth drops her cheeks and thinks. "Yes and no. I miss home, yes. I miss my family. But we can experience 'outside'." Tarth says. Suddenly she stands and holds out her hands to Minn. "Yes, that is what we will do today. We'll go outside."

"We can't, you saw what happened to me when I tried to leave."

"Not out there, we go to Holodeck. There we will go outside. Come on!" She grabs Minn's hands and pulls her up off her couch. "You sulk too much. Time for fun. For sun too, yes?"

"I guess. But it's not real."

"Try first, doubt later."

"I thought the Holodeck was just for playing out movies?" Minn asks.

Tarth lets Atlas answer.

The Holodeck does immerse you inside your favorite films, but it also taps into your cerebral cortex via yours truly, thus letting you sense in real-time what is on Deck.

"Why am I not surprised?" Minn mutters as they get their shoes on at the door. Minn ties up her black and pink Reebok sneakers while Tarth has resorted to a basic brown leather slip-on so she doesn't have to bend over, which would be practically impossible with the impending offspring bulging from her belly.

The Holodeck is on the first floor, so they take the elevator down and Tarth leads the way.

After a few minutes, they reach a double door at the end of one of several large corridors. Tarth reaches out and opens the door to a large gymnasium. Its floor was a high gloss hardwood and its walls were padded with blue mats.

Minn walks in and looks around while Tarth heads over to a panel on the closest wall. It's a touch screen, like most features in The Sanctuary, and contains approximately 500 million films from around the Universe. It seems that not only Earthborn enjoyed making movies and creating art.

Tarth seems to know the film she wants because it only takes her a few moments to enter her search and make a selection. As the lights begin to dim, she tries to hurry as she waddled over to Minn standing in the center of the Holodeck.

The room goes completely dark and Minn holds her breath.

Little sparks of light begin to twinkle all around them until suddenly they are standing in the middle of a beach on a beautiful tropical island in front of the bluest lagoon Minn has ever seen.

Seagulls cull from above and waves slap softly up against the shore. A couple chats not far from them, humans, on the beach too. It's almost odd to see another person like herself. Minn walks closer, only to realize that the gentleman looks very familiar. He's talking to a gorgeous woman. When she gets close enough the man looks up and smiles and nods to her.

"Holy shit," Minn spins back around and over to Tarth who isn't moving as fast in the deep white sand. "That's freaking Leonardo DiCaprio!" Minn squeals. "He saw me!"

"Is it?" Tarth smiles, probably thinking she's crazy, crushing over a hologram. "Yes, it is programmed to interact with you, but minimally. Some talk, some do not. But this is acceptable, no?" Tarth asks as she motions to the blue sky and the ocean lapping up onto the sand.

Minn shows all her teeth for once and smiles and walks over to give Tarth a hug. "It's perfect." She takes her hand. "Come on, let's put our feet in." And tugs her toward the sea. The ocean smell seems so real. The heat from the sun warms her cheeks and the top of her head.

Minn kicks off her shoes, peels off her socks and sinks her feet in the sand. Tarth's sandals are easy to slip off and they walk together into to water.

Minn peaks back at Leo every so often, as the movie The Beach plays the same small scene over and over. While the characters are looped, life within it continues in real-time, making it feel like an ordinary day at the beach.

The women don't walk out too far, only able to pull up their pants so far. Minn thinks about going skinny dipping and blushes. She likes Tarth, but respects her and her child's space. Sometimes she feels like she's interrupting something personal, Tarth's incubated gift. Looking at her now, her skin almost matching the horizon, she seems like a miracle. Is this what fate feels like?

Suddenly Tarth groans in pain, bends over, clutching her stomach and the baby held within. 

"What's wrong?" Minn asks.

Tarth looks up from her braced position, "it's time."