He heads to his private office. While he’s gone, the Bridge begins to fill. Screens flicker to life, data orbs form over rows of silver disks, and the normal commotion overtakes the silence.

Orcher returns a few minutes later with two steaming cups of Bersivo Blend: his is black and mine is white—too white.

Again.

“General?”

He looks up from the screen on his desk. “Yes?”

“Could you not add so much cream?”

“Of course. I’m sorry about that.”

We drink in silence. My coffee is so laden with cream that I practically suck it down in three gulps. It’s not even hot. I’d like to savor it one of these days. I should start making my own instead of letting him do it. All this cream sickens my stomach.

Two hours in Captain Crowe’s lab, an hour in Life Support, and another hour back in the lab. Write the status reports, making sure to detail every concern I have, even giving them to Crowe for him to examine. Neither of us finds any troubling data or activity, so he sends me up to Orcher. I transfer the data and reports, take a short break, and walk down to Floor 11. Captain Blitner and I read and highlight, read and highlight, read and highlight.

Read and highlight.

Leave, eat, change. Go to the fitness center. Work on my arms, legs, and chest. I shake things up and run a mile on the treadmill. Shower. Try not to fall asleep. Go to dinner. Go to the observatory. Go to my room. Fall asleep. Wake up. Repeat. Day six, day seven. I skip the treadmill on the eighth day. Take a nap on the ninth and—not surprisingly—have trouble falling asleep that night. Shower, eat breakfast, drink coffee. Work with Crowe. Work with Captain Blitner. Eat lunch. Go to the gym. Take a nap, eat dinner, wander. Go back to my room and have trouble falling asleep. Nothing. Ever. Changes.

Day ten lasts thirty hours. Day eleven lasts thirty hours and twelve minutes. If only the number of hours I slept changed, too. The less sleep I get, the more anxious and restless I am at night. My heart pounds my chest, and exhausted adrenaline courses through my veins. My muscles quiver even as I try to lay completely still. Blood rushes through my ears.