Mark McGinnis - The Simpleton

“As you can see, you can view the display from anywhere in the compartment. What you’re looking at now is the main menu. I don’t really know much about what’s available to watch, or see, so you’ll have to play with it. It will respond to your voice prompts although that’s not how the Pashier typically used it.”

“No, I’m sure they used their superior, kinetic, mindset to handle that sort of thing,” Brian said, an edge to his voice.

Cuddy shrugged and nodded. “Guess so.”

Both Tony and Kyle were already immersed in checking out what they later dubbed the big whoopee cushion .

“Look… Pashier movies!” Tony said excitedly, digging into sub menus, which displayed even more entertainment options.

“Come on, guys, we’re taking a tour of the ship right now,” Jackie said. Cuddy led the way down the aft passageway, informing them, “And here we’re passing berth port and starboard sleeping compartments.” He opened the hatch into the ones portside, stepping aside so they could all move past him into the narrow space. Three bunk-bed-style sets of two bunks each were crammed in, with a single stand-alone bunk at the far end.

“Great… communal living… just like summer camp,” Brian sneered. “So where does one drain the snake in the middle of the night?”

Jackie made a face. “There’s a door… hatch… right there. See for yourself.”

Brian did, discovering a communal bathroom that facilitated up to four crew at a time.

“You’ll have to figure out how to use the shower and toilet system on your own. They’re nothing like anything we have back on Earth,” Jackie added.

Brian exited the head, looking unimpressed. Then, with his hands on his hips, he surveyed the bunks. “Well, enjoy the… what did you call them, the portside berth compartment? Jackie and I will be crashing on the starboard-side bunk compartment. That only makes sense, since we’re a couple.”

Cuddy, noticing Kyle and Jackie were both about to speak, interjected—raising a hand. “That sounds like a good idea, Brian. Just know the area is somewhat smaller than this one.”

Brian said, “That’s fine. It’ll just be the two of us.” He winked at Jackie, who looked away—her cheeks reddening. He strode from the compartment and moved across the passageway to an identical, opposite hatch and opened it.

Tow must have repaired the hatch door, enough so it could now be opened. But little had been done about the festering lingering smell. The crushed-in space, to Cuddy, looked like how a tin can of soda would appear from the inside—after being stepped on first. There was no way to enter the compartment, let alone sleep there.

Brian held the back of his hand over his nose. “What the hell is that smell? And what happened in there?”

Jackie said, “That is what happens when there’s a hull breach.” She looked at Cuddy with a questioning expression, unsure of her choice of words. He nodded back to her.

“Hull breach? How often does that happen?” Brian asked, still staring into the decimated compartment.

“I don’t know,” Cuddy said flatly. “Part of the risk one takes, living in space, Brian.”

“Dude… close that hatch,” Tony said.

Cuddy led them further down the passageway, which had several more hatch doors on either side.

“What’s in them?” Brian asked.

“Don’t be concerned with those areas, they are kept locked. There’s nothing for you to see in those compartments.” Cuddy then turned around, before entering the larger hatch door at the end of the passageway, to inform them, “In here is the Evermore ’s propulsion system… Engineering. Go in and take a fast look around, but know there’s probably no reason for anyone to ever go in there, so this area will remain locked.”

Again, Cuddy stood aside, permitting the group to pass by him and enter the compartment.

Brian stepped in, seeming disinterested, and asked, “And what… you’re the gatekeeper to all these off-limits areas?”

Cuddy followed into Engineering with the others. It was louder in here. Cuddy felt the constant vibration beneath his feet. “Safer for everyone that way.”

Kyle stood at the large portside drive unit, and queried, “What if one, or both, of these babies goes down? Do you know how any of this works, Cuddy?”

Brian sneered at the prospect of Cuddy actually answering him.

“With emersion drives, such as these, simply put… antiprotons are used to heat a solid, high-atomic weight refractory metal core. Reusable propellant is pumped into the hot core and expanded through the aft nozzles to generate regulated thrust.”

They all stared at Cuddy in astonishment for a long moment.

Kyle asked, “How do you know that, little brother? How could you possibly know that?”

“The orb, before it… left… transferred a ton of information to me. Truth is, I didn’t even know I knew that until you asked.”

Jackie, looking impressed, then focused past Cuddy. “Where is Brian?”

Cuddy, noting he was halfway down the passageway and moving forward, pointed, “He’s out there.”

The group, catching up to Brian, one by one took the spiral staircase down to the second level, where Cuddy spent extra time describing the operation of the food replicators, the various dispensers for H2O, plus another liquid, called xicachan. Then they all, including Cuddy, opened and closed cabinets and inspected various, appliance-like, units. Some were easily figured out, while others remained a total mystery.

They moved into two, identically sized, ship holds, strolling through aisles of tall shelves. It became apparent that much of the stores there were now depleted. Not unexpected, since the Evermore had been in space for more than three years now.

“Oh, here are other orb bodies, Cuddy,” Jackie said, pointing to a collection of AI orb parts, neatly stored on several shelves. Cuddy eyed the spheres, with their folded up appendages, and the assortment of gel-tabs close by.

They then moved into the second hold area, which seemed nearly identical to the first. Everyone was pretty much wandering around on his or her own, by this point. Cuddy slowed down when he heard hushed voices, coming from the next aisle over. He heard Brian’s voice, then Jackie’s, then the almost imperceptible sound of two people kissing. Cuddy’s heart ached, thinking of the two of them together—becoming intimate.

Cuddy hurried down the aisle and caught sight of Kyle, walking toward the exit.

“Ship seems a lot bigger from the inside. Seems almost roomy in here,” Tony said.

Cuddy nodded and grumbled something imperceptible—he wanted to leave the hold before Brian and Jackie caught up to them.

As Brian and Jackie rejoined the group, she seemed to be avoiding eye contact with everyone, though Brian, in turn, smugly stared back at Cuddy.

“Where to now? You going to show us where the toilets empty out?” Brian snickered at his own humor. “Lead on kemosabe…”

Next, Cuddy showed the group the wellness chamber. He stood at the entrance, while the others took seats within the sterile circular compartment.

“So, this place is what made you… like super human?” Tony asked.

Cuddy shrugged, uncomfortable talking about his private sessions here. Eventually, everyone cleared out of the chamber, except for Brian. He was taking in every detail—spending the most amount of time staring at the blinking, multi-colored lights on the control panel, positioned midway up and to the right of the entrance hatch.

“What can you tell me about this panel?”

“Why do you want to know?” Cuddy asked, more defensively than he intended.