“Everything turned back on once you fixed the core,” Lana said happily. “Including the amenities.”

She moved confidently to stand in front of the main viewscreen and raised her arms to her sides. The floor shifted and grew below her, rising to support her raised arms while a bulky full-body chair rose snugly around her.

“Turns out, the aliens don’t have a secret vendetta against furniture,” she said, smiling ear to ear. “They just have an efficient way of storing them away when they’re not needed. Give it a try, guys, it’s super awesome.”

Nori's eyes shone as she walked to stand at the center of the bridge, letting her instincts guide her to the right spot. She barely had to lift her arms before a chair grew around her, hugging her in a comfortably secure manner. A large light console hovered in front of her and smaller holographic displays grew around her armrest, showing her more detailed information on the ship's status. She grinned excitedly. “You’re right, Lana, it’s pretty awesome.”

“You think that’s awesome?” Bulco’s voice came to them from the quarters. “I just found the bathroom and the kitchen.”

Nori looked at Nathan somberly and then winked at him. “I hope they’re not occupying the same spot.”

The young man chuckled and winked back at her. He lifted his arms and a third chair grew around him, but the transformation didn’t end there. A transparent, flexible tube descended from the ceiling above him. When it nearly reached his head it stopped and the end split into a dozen thin fibers that whipped around Nathan’s body, connecting to his arms, legs, and neck.

Nori and Lana jumped from their seats and the abandoned chairs sunk back into the floor. “Nathan, what’s going on?”

The young man looked at them in surprise. He was so caught up by whatever he was doing he didn’t notice their reaction. He held up one arm to reassure them and the fibers disengaged from the limb.

Nori looked at Lana.

The younger woman shook her head. “I have no idea what he’s doing.” She looked at Nathan and frowned. “Just … be careful, alright? I know it comes naturally to you, but this thing is still alien, it could be dangerous.”

Nathan smiled at her and nodded reassuringly. Of course, he intended to be careful. He could feel the ship calling out to him, her systems wide open for his control. But there was an underlying layer beyond that. An ominous, instant presence that was the Tec itself. Yes, he would be careful. The young man eased in his seat and concentrated.

“That was the best piss of my life,” Bulco announced as he entered the bridge and froze as he saw the state of the young man. “Holy shit. If one of those things snakes up your ass, all those crazy abduction stories will seem much more plausible.”

“Ugh, gross.” Lana scrunched her nose.