“Jesus.” Seth drained his coffee, and got up. He placed his mug in the dishwasher tray. The small mech grabbed the item and began to wash it frantically. Seth watched the furious activity for a moment, certain that the device was glaring at him, then headed for his room.

* * *

Seth stared at the ceiling, hands behind his head. All this because Ivan couldn’t keep his hands to himself.

No, that’s not fair. I’m beginning to sound like Tenn.

But Tenn did have a point. Ivan didn’t have to reach for the stupid damn thing. Seth grimaced. The thought made him feel vaguely ashamed. The fact that he hadn’t phoned Ivan just to say hi, even more so.

Before he could have second thoughts, Seth picked up the phone and dialed.

* * *

Ivan picked up the phone before the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hi Ivan, it’s Seth.”

Ivan sat up. A phone call from any of the crew was an event. “Hey, how are things over there?”

“Things are…tense, to be honest.”

“Because of me?”

“Because of the quarantine. Some people can’t separate the two in their minds.”

“Got it.”

“The thing is, Ivan…” Seth hesitated, and Ivan waited silently. “The thing is, the doctors are talking about when and how we’ll get out of quarantine. The nanites are apparently pretty easy to detect, so once they’ve got a good procedure set up to ensure we’re clean, we’re out of here. But…” Again the hesitation. “When we ask about you, they dodge the question, or they just don’t answer.”

“They can’t, Seth. It’s not a case of just getting rid of a few nanites. There’s no me left.”

“Yeah, but that’s just it. No one wants to push the issue here. When they open the doors, we’ll leave. And no one feels good about that, or wants to talk about it. Well, maybe Tenn, but you can’t be sure of anything with him.”

“Survivor’s guilt?”

“Sort of, I guess. Everyone feels like we should be doing something. We’re just not sure what.”

Ivan was silent for a moment, choosing his words. “Seth, I understand. And there really isn’t anything anyone can do. Except maybe make sure the military doesn’t dissect me as soon as you leave. I think that’s my biggest fear.”

“Well, the captain has that covered. And most of us have offered to help, if the costs get too out of control.” Seth chuckled. “Then the captain reminded us that he owns fifteen shares of Big Rock. He really doesn’t need help with the bills.”

Ivan laughed out loud. “So if we are filthy rich for life, he’s…”

“Yeah. Like that.”