"This is crazy."

Samuel wholeheartedly agreed.

"We should have heard something by now," Tiptree continued.

Not necessarily, but he was too mentally exhausted to argue the details.

"I'm going to go see what's happening."

At that, he stood and blocked Tiptree from leaving.

"We're going to wait." In case everyone dies and we need to carry out the back-up protocol.

Something was wrong, obviously. They weren't where they were supposed to be, which was Sanctus. Guin was up to all manner of shit, thanks to the green goop.

Despite himself, Samuel rubbed his eye. Then he cursed.

"Is it clear?"

He thrust his face in Tiptree's, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he felt.

She gazed into his eyes, then nodded. "For now." Tiptree brushed past him to sit on her cot. "You're the scientist. Won't you know when you get sick?"

He resisted throwing out that old schtick how doctors made for the worst patients. Samuel knew all the signs, and that's why he was so paranoid. He didn't know if he had it in him to cut off a limb, or cut out an eye.

"Status," Tiptree called. Still under the command of Guin, the overhead computer ignored her. "Status!"

Samuel sighed. "It's not gonna work."

"We won't know unless we keep trying. Russ isn't the only one that needs to stay on mission, you know."

Samuel's mind again flashed to the back-up protocol measures.

"Yes, I know."

Motorized footsteps echoed from down the hall, growing louder. Samuel recognized the sound, and moved quicker than he had before to greet the oncoming bot.

"Genly?"

Yet, the bot that rounded the corner had a gray face instead of a blue one.

"Hainish. How to assist?"

Tiptree glared, while Samuel breathed a bit easier. He remembered Tiptree's aversion to tech and smiled. She had once said that the only good bot was a toaster.

"Good to see you, Hainish," Samuel said.

As though he'd been wasting time, Tiptree cut in with the obvious, "Status?"

The smooth, round face swiveled her way, and she winced. "Three crew in the Control room, and two crew onsite."

Tiptree's eyes widened. "Onsite."

It wasn't a question. She had just repeated the unbelievable circumstance. The three crew in the control room where accounted for, as it had to be Guin, Russ, and Forster. However, Tiptree and Samuel were the only other two out of the dura-chambers. But apparently not.

"Onsite where?" Samuel asked.

If the bot could have looked confused, it would have. As it was, even the newer models lacked emote capabilities.

"Kevrun 9," Hainish said, tone suggesting that they should've known.

In a way, the answer has been obvious. Now Samuel knew for sure.

"Russ has to know," Tiptree said.

She rose, but Samuel shook his head. "Hainish here can make sure of that. We stay put."

"Captain Guin prefers that I keep my distance from Russ." It paused to address Samuel: "Unless you feel differently, sir."

It was code. Samuel decided this was the time for an override, and replied, "Yes, there's a continuity error."

With that, the bot drew up to its full height, looking like it would salute him. Instead, it nodded, and rushed back down the corridor, presumably to inform Russ.

"You forgot to ask who was onsite. And what the fuck is a continuity error?" Tiptree wanted to know.

"Nothing," Samuel said.

But it was everything. Had he said the phrase three times over, it would have triggered the back-up protocol. Once, and it overrode Captain's orders.

Samuel had a nasty feeling that sometime soon he was going to have to say it three times.

~*~