“I’m picking up the space station,” Lana called loudly. “We’ll be there in thirty minutes.” She glanced at the viewscreen side monitor.

Synthesis progression 98%

Come on, Nathan, she thought anxiously. You better come out of there when this is done.

“Just in time,” Nori said, coming in from the quarters. They had long forgone wearing the space suits after the first nerve-wracking hour when they realized the ship was not going to fall apart.

The Navigator took her chair and started operating the controls. “Everything looks normal. Aside from the structural changes to the ship, I don’t think there’s anything else different with her. Twenty minutes to the station.”

The counter on the screens ticked up.

Synthesis progression 99%

Lana got up. “I’m going to wait for him in the quarters.”

Bulco nodded. “I’ll join you.”

They walked back, standing and staring silently at the spot the young man had disappeared into. The minutes ticked by, then another deep shudder ran through the ship.

Synthesis completed

The quarters’ floor remained unchanged.

“Nathan?” Lana’s voice quivered. “You can come out now.” She glanced at a monitor mounted on the wall, hoping for more information, but after a few seconds, the message disappeared, replaced with generic status information.

“Nathan!” she cried urgently.

Bulco put his large hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, kiddo.” His voice was surprisingly tender. “I liked that kid too.”

“No.” Lana shook her head, moving away from his hand. “He’s not gone; he’ll be back. You’ll see.”

“I’m not trying to--”

“No!” she almost screamed. “Nathan will come back.”

“Guys,” Nori's voice carried over from the bridge. “You should come over here. Now.”

They exchanged looks, and Lana hurried out of the room, nearly bumping into the newly formed corridor wall that wasn’t there a few hours ago.

“Nathan?” she asked breathlessly.

Nori simply pointed at the corner.

The floor was shifting.

The plated unfolded and built upward, slowly forming into a tall tube roughly one meter in diameter.

Lana clutched her chest and watched with bated breath at the shifting metal.

The tube continued to grow, reaching nearly two meters before it stopped. Instead of being smooth, the metal plates were stacked on top of one another, conveying the feel of an organic form.

“Holy hell,” Bulco’s voice came softly behind her. “This thing almost looks like a chrysalis.”

A stripe appeared on the front of the tube, spanning all the way from top to bottom.

“I think that’s exactly what it is,” Nori said softly, watching as the line grew wider, forming into a long slit.

Grayish fluids started pouring out of it.

Then the front snapped open.

A torrent of liquid burst out of the container, spilling over the bridge’s floor and revealing Nathan’s limp body.