Simon turned the chair and they crossed the threshold together. It only took an hour or so before they lifted off. They sat in the receiving area as the departing protocols were followed. Unease rolled through Nora's gut as a rumble was felt underneath and lights flashed as the ship was sealed back up.
Nora sat glued to the window as the buildings shrank while they went higher than she could have ever imagined. Tilly sat next to her, face smashed against the window.
There it is.Nora saw her first real look at the Earth then, unreal as they left the atmosphere.A round, perfect circle. In spots, the Earth looked almost blue where the ocean was, in the deep parts, but the swirling clouds around it were a decayed yellow.
Simon tapped the glass next to her. “The Earth was all bright blue and white, before.”
Nora couldn’t relate to that image, but put her hand on the window.This was my Earth.She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead to the window.Goodbye.
Soon, Earth became so small that she couldn’t make out anything other than a sea of off-color blue far in the distance of black space.
Anna walked away with Tilly, who was practically vibrating from excitement at all the robots wanting to talk with her and show her around the ship.
Simon, though, didn’t leave Nora’s side. Instead he sat next to her, looking off into space himself. At the stars that were now so much brighter than Nora had ever been able to see before, through the haze.
Nora said in a hushed tone. “This was all up here, and I never knew.”
Stella came up then, while they sat together without words. She brought with her a clean tray containing a few pills in a white cup. A crisp smile was on her lips. “You should take these, Nora. They will make you sleepy but will help your leg heal faster and prevent infection.”
Nora looked up into Stella’s perfect face as she took the pills from the sterile tray, swallowing them, too overwhelmed to think to question anything right now. It was all so different, with starlight instead of hazy sunlight outside the window and her body no longer connected to the Earth.
Stella smiled at her when she was done and walked away again, rubber-soled boots making no sound on the polished floor.
Nora leaned over and put her head on Simon’s shoulder while they sat together, looking at the stars. “We’re really on our way, huh?”
A deep sigh left him. “Yes.”
She looked up at him and smiled. Now that the goodbye was done, the actual last goodbye, she felt a spark of happiness at what lay ahead. The feeling was growing, starting from the moment she first got to see the stars clearly.
Simon held her hand and sat with her. She tried to put the feeling into words. The leaping sensation she felt deep in her gut. Nora pulled on his shirt sleeve. “I think I’m excited, Simon.”
He grinned at her and touched the dimple in her cheek before he settled her more firmly on his shoulder. “Me too, Nora.”
They sat there until the medication made her sleepy, and then he wheeled her through the ship to their room. On the way, he conversed with the other androids that walked around performing maintenance and checks. They were mostly just curious about Nora herself, standing in front of her and examining her much like Simon did when she first met him.
Nora squirmed under their attention, their perfect faces. She said out of earshot to Simon. “They look at me like they’re trying to memorize me.”
He chuckled. “They are.”
The room they were given was sterile, as if it had never been slept in. Nora turned as far as she could in the chair to see all the angles.In fact, that’s probably true.The bed looked out over space, and Tatertot was there already, lying on the foot of it. Simon helped Nora into the bed and held her close.
“Sleep, Nora.” Simon pressed down on her. “Everything is fine.”
“How long . . . ?” Heaviness washed over her.That medicine. . .
“There have been advancements in technology. It will still take around a month or so of Earth days for us to arrive.”
“That’s it?” It came out in a sigh as she snuggled in deeper.
Simon ran his hand down her cheek. “Technology and advancements didn’t stop on Mars. Just on Earth.”
Chapter fifty-two
Simon
“Comehere.Allofyou,” Simon said, entering the room. He looked through two functional eyes, the left one repaired and his silicone casing restored all over.
“What is it?” Nora put down her cards.
