Keeping him Company

    The sight of the Moon from on board the Penguin’s Dream, Sam believed to be the most beautiful he had ever seen.  Him and his pilot, Angelica, were nearing the end of their journey.  The surface of the lunar landscape filled the main window, half-blinding the pair with the Sun’s reflected light.  Every crease and groove could be seen clearly, each imperfection highlighted for Sam to see in minute detail.  His examination was cut short by the loud sound of the autopilot being turned off as Angelica switched back to manual control.
    “We’re almost there,” she said.  “I just need to use the gravitational force of the Moon in addition to the engines to slingshot round to Celestia on the other side.”
    Sam felt the same sudden surge of motion as he had when they took off from Earth, he could feel the initial acceleration and the extra power of the Moon as they began to glide around it.  “So just the easy part left,” Sam said sarcastically.  “You’ve never done this before, have you?”
    “Well, I’ve done it loads on a simulator,” she said.  “First time for real, though.”
    For some reason, that sinking feeling that Sam was expecting didn’t come, maybe he was just too excited.  He was almost at his new home, the trip had been long but he had still liked it.  Most of the time had been spent just chatting with Angelica, it had been a long time since he’d so enjoyed just talking to someone.
    A sudden beeping began to emanate from one of the ship’s instruments, which immediately caused Sam to imagine the worst.
    “What’s that?” he asked.
    “Don’t worry,” she said.  “It’s just a proximity warning.  We’re near Umbilico and it’s telling me to be careful.”
    “What’s Umbilico?” Sam said.
    “The Olympus satellite that allows communication between Celestia and Earth,” Angelica informed him.  “It’s needed to reflect the signal around the Moon.”
Philip was being held tightly by his owner as the craft and its three passengers swooped into the Moon’s shadow.  Even though they were in a temperature-controlled environment, Sam still got a chill as they travelled over the dark side of the Moon.  
They began to arc away from the Moon, flying further and further from its surface.  Sam was keeping his eyes open for this station but, with the Moon now blocking out all of the Sun’s light, he couldn’t distinguish it from the dark surroundings.
    To Sam’s left, Angelica pressed some buttons and said, “I’ve initiated the automated docking procedure, we should be in sight of Celestia before long.”
    “How can you tell?” he said.  “It’s so dark I wouldn’t be able to make anything out here.”
    “Well if you don’t see it when we get closer, you’ll definitely know it’s there when we’re attached to it and your walking on the station’s floors,” Angelica said.
    At the precise moment she said that, Sam looked straight ahead again and caught a glimpse of the dim outline of a space station, barely illuminated by residual starlight.  The details were difficult to make out but there was a definite shape.  Most of it had the appearance of a great levitating castle, with a much wider section for a base, opening up into a narrow tower and a stabilising ring encircling the part that separated the two segments, which strongly resembled a belt wrapped around someone’s waist.
    “I can see it,” Sam stated.
    “Quite a sight, isn’t it?” Angelica said.  “That’s your new home.”
As they edged closer, more detail could be seen.  In the four corners of the cuboid-shaped wider section, both upper and lower, there were four diamond-like pointed turrets each projecting upwards and downwards from this base respectively, like the smaller towers of a medieval castle.  These stylistic and unnecessary attachments gave the whole structure a certain gothic feel to it.
The stabilising ring was connected to the station via long struts, mounted to the set of upper turrets.  And most of the surface of the station’s main body appeared to be covered in solar panels to absorb as much energy as they could for the time of the month when they had access to direct sunlight.
    Sam heard a voice, it wasn’t in his head as was his first assumption; it was coming from the intercom in front of Angelica and it said, “Please transmit your Olympus ID code.”  The tone was low and neutral, Sam wasn’t even sure the gender of the voice’s owner.
    “Was that…?” Sam started.
    “Yes,” she interrupted.  “That is Hypnos.”  Then she began to type something into the computer in front of her.
    “What happens if you don’t give it your ID?” he asked.
    “We won’t be allowed entry and we’ll be destroyed,” she replied calmly.
    “How would it manage to do that?” Sam said.
    “Celestia is capable of defending itself against anyone not supposed to be here,” she said.  “It has a full compliment of gun batteries along that ring, which Hypnos can control.”
    “Your ID has been accepted,” the neutral electronic voice announced.  “Please continue along your current course to enter docking bay alpha and welcome to Celestia.”
    The station continued to grow in the ship’s main viewer.  Sam could now see where they were headed, a section just above the wider base had begun to slide away, illuminating the immediate area around the opening with pure white light.  They slowly floated through the newly opened way, gently rotating to make sure they were the right way up with regards to the artificial gravity on board the station.  Angelica set the craft down gradually inside the docking bay, in front of them there were huge blast doors painted in a deep green bordered with dark yellow.  An emergency orange light on the wall began to flash as the sliding door behind them closed again and oxygen flooded back into the room.
    Angelica turned to him, smiled and said, “It’s time, Sam.”
    The doors in front of them now slid into the walls with surprising ease for mechanisms of that size, revealing a short redheaded woman waiting on the other side.
    “Is that Gretchen Bruntz?” Sam asked.
    “Yep, your predecessor,” she said.  “C’mon, let’s not keep her waiting, follow me.”
    Angelica and Sam got up from their chairs and made their way back into the main room.  Angelica went over to the door on the sidewall and pressed some buttons on the nearby panel while Sam waited patiently, Philip in hand.  The door opened and Angelica said, “Go on, I’m just going to get your stuff.”
    She began to go to the cargo bay but halted when Sam said, “Wait a minute.”  She looked at him quizzically, “I don’t even know your last name,” he said.
    “It’s Ash,” she said.  “I’ll see you outside.”
    Sam didn’t know why he needed to know that, maybe because she knew his and he preferred to be on equal footing with people.  He felt rather silly having asked it, but it was a nice name.  Angelica Ash, it sounded like the alter ego of a superheroine.  Sam had always liked alliteration in a name, or was it assonance in this case?  He wasn’t exactly sure, which was slightly embarrassing for someone who claimed to be a writer.
He walked through the door and down the ladder on the side of the ship, when his feet first touched the solid ground of Celestia, he felt good, he felt home.  The very fact that he could walk onboard the station was thanks to the gravitone panels concealed underneath the floor, just as in the ship that brought him here.
    Gretchen walked over to him, carrying two large bags and said, “Hello.”
    “Hi Gretchen,” he said.  “My name is Sam, I’m your replacement.”
    As he finished that remark, the few meagre possessions Sam had decided to bring with him came crashing to the ground next to him.  There was nothing breakable in them, but it still made his heart jump with worry for a second.  Angelica’s head popped through the opening in the ship and said, “That didn’t hit anyone, did it?  Good, hello Miss Bruntz, I’m Angelica, your pilot.”
    To Sam, Gretchen said, “It gets easier after the first six months or so.  Have fun.”
    With that she climbed up into Angelica’s ship, Sam picked up his luggage and left the docking bay.  He looked back at the Penguin’s Dream where he could see the two women sitting in the cockpit.  Angelica caught site of him and waved while smiling widely.  The light began flashing on the wall signifying the doors were about to close, he slowly waved back and gave a little smile.  Even Gretchen was waving by now as the doors slammed shut, the heavy metallic noise putting an end to his last taste of human company for the next five years.
    He could hear the oxygen in the docking bay being removed and the exterior blast doors open so that the only other two conscious humans on this station could leave.
    That was that, he was here and there was nothing he could do to change it now.  He may as well make the most of it, he embraced this positive attitude as he examined his new home.  Looking around at his surroundings, Sam was currently unimpressed, it had similar styling to the inside of the ship he had just arrived, lots of bare metal painted in a bleak grey.  He was presently standing in what seemed to be some sort of rectangular hallway, probably just for arrivals and departures of the technicians.  Ahead of him there was a single step that led through a doorway to what appeared to be a type of atrium and the only other room he could see.
    Entering this atrium he could see that this was going to be a Spartan existence, the walls, floor and ceiling were all blank.  Even though this was a larger room than the last, all that was in it was a computer console that took up the majority of one of the walls with a series of small monitors and one large computer screen above it.  There was also a small window on one of the other walls and on the final wall, a lift had been built into it.  Sam ventured a little further into the room and a face appeared on the computer screen in front of him, it had no hair, no eyes and was pale blue in colour.
    “Hello, Samuel,” it said in the same low and neutral voice he had heard in the ship.  “My name is Hypnos, I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival and am very pleased to meet you.”
    “Hi,” said Sam, feeling somewhat intimidated by this ethereal face addressing him.  “It’s nice to meet you too, Hypnos.”
    “Thank you,” Hypnos said.  “Allow me to personally welcome you to my home, Celestia, the mansion among the stars.  I hope you will enjoy your stay here and I would very much like for us to become friends.  Please sit down.”
    Sam sat down at the chair in front of the console and then Hypnos told him, “I have been looking forward to your visit with great anticipation ever since Dr. Phelps first told me who my next guest would be.  When I did some research on you and discovered that you were a writer, I made it my priority to read your work.”
    “Research?” Sam said.
    “Yes,” he said.  “I have complete access to the Earth Internet and Olympus’ Archives via Umbilico and I always make sure I prepare well for each new arrival by learning about them.”
    “You said you read my work,” Sam said.
    “Yes,” Hypnos said.  “I found your collection of short stories very entertaining, I particularly enjoyed the one regarding the son and father who couldn’t stand being with each other even though they were practically the same person.”
    Sam’s mind suddenly flashed back to the time when he was writing that story on his computer.  He had wanted to type in the word “businessman” when he was describing what the son’s occupation was but his computer didn’t allow it, it had said that it really should have been “businessperson”.  That had angered Sam greatly, he had thought that he had miss spelt something so when he found out what his computer had a problem with, he couldn’t believe it.  There he was, being called a sexist by a brainless machine and now, he was being complimented by one, except this computer certainly did not appear to be brainless, it was so eloquent it sounded smarter than Sam.
    “Well,” he said.  “It’s always nice to hear what someone thinks of your work.  Did you say that Dr. Phelps told you that I was a writer?”
    “Yes,” Hypnos said.  “The console in front of you is a communications computer.  It can be used to access the Internet, watch any of Earth television or contact any person, but of course only the people who know about Celestia.  For example, I use it to have regular games of chess with Dr. Phelps, in fact, we are currently in the middle of one right now.”
    “How many games have you played with him?” Sam asked.
    “This is our 1568th,” Hypnos replied accurately.
    “What’s the score at?” Sam said.
    “Dr. Phelps has won zero and I have won 1567,” Hypnos said.  “While you are here, if you would like to play a game sometime I would be happy to oblige.”
    “I think I might pass on that offer if that’s alright with you, Hypnos,” Sam said.  “You sound much too good for me.  If Dr. Phelps has never won one in all these years, why does he still play with you?”
    “I’m not sure,” Hypnos said.  “I’ve never asked him.  Perhaps he thinks that one day he can beat me, although I truly doubt he believes that, or maybe he knows he will never win and he just plays with me to improve his own abilities by learning from me.  The most likely reason, however, is that he still plays with me because I enjoy it and he knows I don’t have that much to do.”
    “Well now neither do I,” Sam said.  “I really like chess, actually, I used to play it a lot but I haven’t played in a while, so I probably will give you a game or two.  Like you said, it might make me a much a better player during my stay.”
    “Oh, we will have plenty of time to play and discuss your work in the future,” Hypnos said.  “However, now you are probably very tired after your long journey and just want to get settled, why don‘t I show you your room and you can get some sleep”
    “Actually I don’t feel that tired,” Sam said.  “I’ve never had a more relaxing trip, I would like to see where I am staying, though.”
    “Certainly, I would love to give you the tour,” Hypnos said.  “If you would please step into the lift to your side, I will show you your home for the next five years.”
    Sam looked to his left and approached the lift built into the wall, he pushed the single diamond-shaped button on the adjacent panel that caused the large cylindrical lift to rotate round anti-clockwise.  There was a portion cut out of the circumference of the lift wall roughly one quarter of its total, which matched the width of the gap that the lift occupied in the wall.  These two voids lining up perfectly provided him with an entrance.  
On the interior metal wall of the lift there was a smaller computer screen and five buttons.  As he entered the lift, the wall rotated back round 180 degrees along the same independent mechanism, allowing the floor to remain still as it enclosed him in.  Where the missing portion of the lift wall had come to rest directly in front of him, it was all one long window.  The view was breathtaking, as he travelled up and down the facility he could see out into space.  Hypnos’ face appeared on the screen and said, “From here you can travel to any of the five floors of Celestia, except one.”
    “Which one?” Sam asked.  
    “The technician of Celestia is not allowed to enter the catacombs, where we house the prisoners,” Hypnos explained.  “You have no reason to go there, only the crew of the cargo ships are allowed there in order to deliver the prisoners.”
    “How do they get into there?” Sam said.
    “There is a second docking bay lower down than the one in which you entered,” Hypnos said.  “Only cargo ships are permitted to enter through that so they have easy access to store the convicts.  The only other way to enter the catacombs is through this lift, but a special emergency access code is required.”
    “Very well,” Sam understood.  “What are the other three floors, then?”
    “Directly above us is the technician’s quarters,” Hypnos said.  “Everything you need is already contained there.  Above that is my CPU, it is the room that houses all the programs that create me and all the equipment necessary for Celestia to function, life support, gravity control, the main generator, etc. You should only need to go there in case of emergency.  Above that is the observatory, in order to assist both you and I to avoid boredom Olympus installed an observatory with one of the most advanced telescopes built by man.  I also use this to study our galaxy and send the results back to Olympus for them to store in their Archives.”
    “So you have other jobs beside your custodial duties here?” Sam said.
    “Oh yes,” Hypnos said.  “I am a highly sophisticated computer and it would be a waste if I was limited to just one task for the Olympus Corporation.”
    The buttons were coloured, the catacombs were green, the atrium was yellow, blue for his quarters,  the CPU was red and the observatory had a white button.  Sam pushed the button for his quarters and the lift raised at a leisurely speed, after all, there would never be any need for Sam to rush.  
The ride took a little longer than Sam had expected because each floor had such high ceilings.  Sam didn’t mind though, he had the beautiful view of outer space and the dark side of the Moon to keep him occupied, he could never get bored of that sight.  
    “Are you interested in astronomy, Samuel?” Hypnos asked.  “It has become a great passion of mine, Gretchen did not share it, however.”
    “I’ve read a few books on it, it seems very intriguing,” Sam said.
    “It is,” Hypnos said.  “I look forward to discussing it with you.  It was Dr. Phelps who first got me interested in astrophysics, occasionally he contacts me to discuss one of my recent discoveries but they have been getting more and more seldom, he is a very busy man, now.”
    The lift arrived at his destination and the door swivelled open to let Sam get off.  Hypnos’ face disappeared and Sam stepped out into his quarters.  The space he was in was very large, they seemed to have put as many rooms into one as they could.  There was a kitchen unit in one corner, a dining table in another and a bed with a wardrobe next to it in a third corner.  The remaining corner was taken up by the lift and in the centre was a chair facing another large screen that Hypnos’ disembodied face had just appeared on.
    “What do you think?” Hypnos said.
    “I like it, it reminds me of home,” Sam said.  He put down his bags and his cat, who ran off towards the bed.  The décor was nicer here, it was all smoother and more comfortable than the rest of the station seemed to be.  For one thing, there was actually some colour in this room and there was a large window right by his bed, just like home.
    “There are two doors in this room,” Hypnos said.  “The one on the wall closest to you leads to the pantry, we just had a new shipment in preparation for your arrival so it’s completely full of supplies.  The door on the wall near your bed leads to the bathroom, I have sensors in every part of Celestia except that room, for privacy.”
    Sam strolled over to his new bed and lied down on it, after sixteen hours sitting in the same chair this made his back feel much better.  Somehow Philip had managed to climb up on the bed and was now sleeping soundly next to him.
    “I have only ever seen pictures of cats before,” Hypnos said.  “I wonder what it is like to hold him.”
    “Are you OK?” Sam asked Hypnos.
    “Yes, of course,” Hypnos said, his voice not quite as neutral as it was when they first met.  “I was just designed to have an inquisitive mind, I was made to learn.  Are you going to sleep now?  I could give you some peace if you so wish.”
    “I suppose I should get some rest,” Sam said.  “It has been a while since I got some sleep but I’m just too excited about being here, I guess Philip doesn’t feel the same.”  Sam gestured towards the kitten fast asleep by his side.
    “Is that what he’s called?” Hypnos said.  “That’s a nice name.”
    “Why don’t I leave him to get some rest while you show me what’s left to see of this place,” Sam said.  “Then I’ll get some sleep.”
    “Very well,” Hypnos said.  “Where would you like to go?”
    Sam carefully got out of bed, as to not wake Philip and walked across the room towards the lift.  “Let’s continue on upwards, I’m very interested in seeing your CPU.”
    “Technicians should only enter there in the case of an emergency,” Hypnos said.  “These are my instructions.”
    “Please, I only want one look,” Sam said.  “Are you really going to deny a professional computer technician a chance to see how the greatest computer ever made works.”
    Sam was in the lift now, the face on the screen said, “Your proposal is acceptable, proceed.”
    Sam pressed the red button and the lift obeyed.  On the way up Hypnos spoke again, “You may see this room only once.  You will never enter that room a second time unless you are needed to, do you agree to this, Samuel?”
    “Of course,” Sam said.  “Besides, there won’t be anything else to see a second time.  Don’t worry Hypnos, I understand why you’re nervous, one slip and you can be seriously damaged, I’ll be very careful.”
    “You misunderstand my concern,” Hypnos said.  “In that room you cannot do anything to harm me, I have backup systems hidden elsewhere in this facility.  The reason you are not supposed to regularly enter this room is because it contains the equipment necessary for your survival.  I am worried about your life…not mine.”
    They arrived at the Hypnos mainframe; the door rotated round to reveal a sight just as beautiful as the stars had been on the other side.  It reminded him of floor 85 of the Olympus headquarters, there was so much light.  Except here, instead of offices, there were shelves and stacks full of computer software.  It was true Sam claimed to hate his job, but he still did it because of his passion for technology.
    “Has your interest been satisfied?” Hypnos asked from the large monitor on the opposite wall within this room.
    “Yes, I’ve seen enough,” Sam said.  “It’s pretty nice, but in the end it’s just a bunch of wires and circuit boards.  I don’t know what I was expecting, if I want to be impressed by the most powerful computer in existence all I need to do is talk to you.”
    Sam stepped back inside the lift and pressed the white observatory button.  It seemed to him that the lift was ascending slightly more rapidly now, it actually took him by a bit of a surprise.  He looked back out at the marvellous view, how Sam wished that this was the lift he had to use all those years he had spent living in that block of flats back on his home planet.  
This was so enjoyable and relaxing, he could see himself using it everyday for the next five years of his life off Earth without it depressing him nearly as much as the unattractive mesh construct that he was used to.  He also couldn’t hear any creaking that he was constantly expecting ready to stress him out with the fear of malfunction.
    The motion of the lift ceased.  “This is my favourite part of my home,” Hypnos said.  “Welcome to the observation deck.”
    Sam stepped out into the final and most interesting room that he would see today.  The entire ceiling was one vast transparent dome, from which there was a much better view of the skies than could be seen from inside the lift.  The walls were circular and very dark, at the top of them just before they met the clear dome were computer screens that completely encircled the whole room.  In the centre was what looked like a very comfortable seat attached to an enormous telescope, the largest Sam had ever seen, there even appeared to be a computer monitor and keyboard joined to one side of the chair.  
    “Do you like my observatory?” Hypnos wondered.
    “It’s amazing,” Sam said.  “I’ve never seen a room so beautiful, this really is incredible, Hypnos.”
    As Sam glided across the pitch-black floor towards the telescope, Hypnos’ face materialised on all the computer monitors surrounding him.  Sam wasn’t expecting this yet he was not surprised, he just eased himself into the chair and his assumption was correct, it was in deed unbelievably comfortable.
    “Using the computer next to you it can be programmed to zone in on any astronomical object that has already been discovered,” Hypnos informed.  “Many of the objects contained in that computer program have been discovered by me, I do have a lot of free time, you know.  I can also move the telescope remotely, here let me show you Mars, we should be able to get a good picture tonight.”
    The entire contraption that Sam was sitting in rotated round very suddenly under the direction of Hypnos.  This time Sam was taken by surprise, it wasn’t moving very quickly, he just found it unnerving not being in control of where he moved.  
When the telescope jerked into place Sam gingerly looked through the eyepiece in front of him, he could see the red globe of Mars.  He knew that they were much closer to it than anyone on Earth so it would appear larger anyway, but the scene he was observing at the end of this telescope was still highly impressive.  The sheer detail was even more substantial than he had seen from any satellite photograph in books.
    “It’s a beautiful world, isn’t it?” Hypnos commented.  
    “It certainly is,” Sam said.  “This machine is incredible, I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of these views.”
    “That’s the idea,” Hypnos said.  “With the quantity of information in the astronomical database, theoretically you could spend all of your waking moments for the next five years at this machine and still not look at everything that has been catalogued.”
    “I can’t believe that Gretchen didn’t like this, it’s brilliant,” Sam said, still looking through the telescope.  He was now playing with the zoom dial next to the eyepiece to get an even better display of the surface of the planet.”
    “Well, she liked looking at the attractive pictures I kept showing her, she just fell asleep when I tried to explain some of the science behind the pretty lights in the sky,” Hypnos said.  “Would you like to hear some information about Mars?”
    “Sure,” Sam said.
    “The Martian year lasts for 686.980 days,” Hypnos began.  “The Martian day is about 37.5 minutes longer than Earth’s, it has an equatorial diameter of 6794km, a surface gravity of 38 per cent that of Earth’s, an average temperature of -23C and has an escape velocity of 5.03 km/s.  It also has quite an eccentric orbit around the Sun, the distance between Mars and the Sun varies between 249 and 207 million kilometres, at its nearest to Earth it can be within 59 million kilometres, only Venus comes closer…”
    “Thank you Hypnos,” Sam interrupted.  “That’s all very interesting, you really have an impressive knowledge of Mars.”
    “Not just Mars,” Hypnos said.  “I have detailed information on all eight planets of our Solar system as well on every discovered astronomical body.  What I find to be the most beautiful part of Mars is the polar ice caps, let me show you.”
    Control was relinquished once again as the computerised telescope shifted automatically just a fraction upwards so that Sam’s focus was on the white North Pole of Mars.  Sam no longer blamed Gretchen for losing interest in the scientific part of astronomy, maybe five years of obscure planetary facts would turn him off the subject too.
    “They’re very bright, aren’t they?” Hypnos said.  “A lot of light gets reflected off that ice compared to the rest of the planet.  From Earth, Mars is the brightest planet that can be seen apart from Venus, its maximum magnitude is -2.8.  The fact that it is so bright and has a strong red colour is why it was named after the God of War by the Ancients.  That red colour is because there is a lot of iron in the soil, another amazing feature of Mars is Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in the Solar system.  Actually, it’s a volcano that extends to over 25 km from the surface of Mars and has a base of 600km.”
    With the assistance of Hypnos, Sam found himself now looking at Olympus Mons.  “Have you told me all the information you know about Mars?” Sam said.
    “Oh no,” Hypnos said.  “I could spend days telling you all the data that I’ve collected on Mars, but you would probably just find it boring.  I can tell you something that isn’t strictly data but I really like it.”
    “Really, what?” Sam said.
    “During the day, the Martian sky is pink because of all the dust in the air and when the Sun sets, it then turns blue,” Hypnos said.  “I really like that fact, it’s makes Mars seem like the opposite of Earth.  It’s weird that Mars is so different yet it is the only other planet in this Solar system that humans could really live on without major technological assistance.  In the 20th century they even used to think that there could be life on that planet, it might sound ridiculous now but it was still under debate in the early 21st century.”
    “I’d never heard that about Mars, I find that pretty interesting too,” Sam said as he leant back from the eyepiece.  “Well, I think this has been my favourite room as well.  It’s really nice but I have a lot of free time in the future to peruse the skies, I think I might just turn in for the night and you can tell me all the rest you know about Mars tomorrow.”
    Sam got out of the chair and made his way back over to the lift, it opened and Hypnos’ face was now back on the small screen mounted on the single wall of the lift.  Sam stepped in and the wall once again swivelled round and once again Sam gazed out of the transparent wall at the stars.  He pressed the blue button behind him and then said to Hypnos, “This is the best lift I have ever been in, it‘s ingenious.  Who was the architect of Celestia?”
    “The person who designed every part of my home was also the first technician, Mr. Richard Thorpe,” Hypnos said.  “Olympus needed an architect who was also highly technologically experienced.  Richard Thorpe had a degree in architecture and computer science, he was a very intelligent man.  When it was decided that there needed to be a technician stationed here, he volunteered.”
    “What do you mean by ‘Was a very intelligent man’?” Sam said.
    “Well, I haven’t spoken to him in more than twenty years,” Hypnos said.  “During that time he has been missing and presumed dead by the Olympus Corporation.”
    “If he was dead Olympus would definitely know,” Sam said.  “It’s a lot harder to hide if you’re dead, they just say that to cover up their embarrassment that they can’t find him.”
    “I hope he is still alive,” Hypnos said.  “I miss him, I would love to talk with him again.”
    The lift stopped and Sam entered his new quarters, Hypnos transferred to the quite large computer screen that took up most of one wall.  Sam sat down in the chair in front of it and asked, “Was Richard Thorpe your favourite guest so far?”
    “I’ve never thought about it in that form,” Hypnos said.  “I suppose he is, he is definitely the one that I miss the most but that could be just because I haven’t seen him for the longest amount of time.  I was only a few years old when I met him, a child in human terms and after spending five years with him he probably made a much greater impression on me than any of his successors.”
    “What did you like most about him?” Sam said.
    “How he had a great passion for astronomy,” Hypnos said.  “In the beginning, before I began my research, he knew more than me, I learned a lot from him.  He wasn’t much of a chess player, however, so in return I taught him how to play.”
    “That’s nice,” Sam said.  “Did he ever beat you?”
    “No,” Hypnos said.  
    Sam laughed and said, “Has anyone ever even come close?”
    “Only one person has ever defeated me,” Hypnos admitted.  “It was a long time ago, I was very young and still learning.”
    “Who was it?” Sam asked.
    “Where is your cat?” Hypnos said.
    Sam looked over at his bed sharply, it was empty.  He got up and looked around his quarters; a preliminary scan revealed no feline entities in the vicinity.
    “Philip?” he called out.  “Philip, where are you?”  To Hypnos he said, “He’s always doing this, ever since I got him he just has a habit of disappearing and not emerging again until he’s hungry or there’s something on TV he wants to watch.  I had thought he would stop managing it once we moved to a space station.”
    “My sensors cannot find him anywhere on the station,” Hypnos said.  “Since I have sensors in every room but one, logic dictates that he must be in your bathroom.”
    “How did he get in there?” Sam wondered.  “I swear that the door was closed when I left this place.”
    “Does it really matter that much?” Hypnos said.
    “I guess not, it’s just weird is all,” Sam said.  “He does the same thing back home and I never could figure out how, if you see how he gets these doors open, will you tell me?”
    “OK,” Hypnos agreed.  “If it is important to you.  Cats have been known to open doors by jumping on the handle and using their weight to turn it.”
    “That may be true for cats but Philip is just a kitten,” Sam said.  “I find it hard to imagine him being able to do that.  Anyway, it doesn’t matter for now, he’ll find me when he’s hungry, he always does.”  Sam sat back down in the chair and said, “What were we talking about before Philip did his disappearing act again?”
    “Richard Thorpe,” Hypnos stated.
    “Oh yes,” Sam said.  “The guy that went missing, right.  You probably know him better than anyone if you spent five years alone with him, couldn’t you guess where he might be?”
    “This I have often thought about,” Hypnos said.  “After collecting details on him for five years and studying his personality extensively I probably could make a fairly accurate prediction on where he may have gone after leaving Celestia.”
    “So where do you think he is?” Sam asked.
    “I don’t think he would’ve returned to Newcastle because that is where Olympus would’ve searched the most thoroughly,” Hypnos said.  “During his stay, he expressed several times his dislike for holidays and going abroad.  That is why I believe him to still be in England, just probably a different city.”
    “Did you ever tell your theory to Dr. Phelps or anyone else at Olympus?” Sam asked.
    “No,” Hypnos said.  “They never requested my opinion on the matter, you’re the first person to ask.”
    “I guess they thought they didn’t need your help,” Sam said.  “They must have believed that they could find him on their own.”
    “I would have volunteered this information but I personally don’t see the location of Richard Thorpe as being of very high priority to learn,” Hypnos said.
    “You know something?  I agree,” Sam said.  “In five years time when I leave I might do the same as him, just take my money and disappear, I don’t like the idea of being monitored by Olympus for the rest of my life.  That’s all I feel Richard Thorpe wanted, some privacy.”
    “You may be correct, Sam,” Hypnos said.  “Bear in mind, however, that Mr. Thorpe worked for Olympus for a long time before he came to Celestia, he learned a lot about how they operate.  You don’t have that knowledge.”
    “Maybe not, but I’ll still try as hard as I can,” Sam said.  “Wait, you know a lot about Olympus, don’t you?  When it comes down to it, you could help me escape.”
    “Not sharing information about where Mr. Thorpe may be is one thing, but I’m not sure that I would feel comfortable deceiving the Corporation and helping you against them,” Hypnos said.
    “Well, you’re not really helping against them,” Sam said.  “You’d just be helping me.  You know what, never mind, this is so far off there’s no point in me even thinking about it.  I feel so weird asking you that when we barely know each other.  In the future, if it comes up again, then I might be able to change your mind but, for now, why don’t we just forget that I said anything.”
    “Very well,” Hypnos said.  “I accept this, but be warned that my mind is not easily changed.”
    “OK,” Sam said.  “I feel really tired now, I think I’m going to go to sleep for a while.  I’ll find Philip and unpack after I’ve gotten some rest, I didn’t mean to talk for so long.”
    “Sorry to keep you up,” Hypnos said.
    “No, I enjoyed it,” Sam said.  “I like talking to you, Hypnos.”
    “Thank you,” Hypnos said.  “The remote on the table next to you controls everything in your quarters.  You can use it to turn off the lights, to change the temperature, to cover or conceal your window and it can also be used to turn this screen into television mode or to just get rid of me if you set it to privacy mode.  It also acts as the mouse when you activate the computer setting.”
    “Really?” Sam said as he picked it up and examined the compact button-filled device.  “What a useful remote control, they really have thought of everything, haven’t they.”
    “Every part of this facility was ably designed by its architect, Richard Thorpe,” Hypnos said.
    “Then he really is an intelligent man,” Sam said.
    “I think so,” Hypnos said.
    “Goodnight, Hypnos, or is it morning?” Sam said.  “It’s kind of hard to tell up here, isn’t it?”
    “Most people have found it a little disorientating, at first, but you’ll get used to it,” Hypnos said.
    Sam pointed the remote control at the screen and said, “Anyway, I guess I’ll see you later.”
    “And then much later after that,” Hypnos said.  Sam thought that he saw a thin smile break out on those computer-generated lips before he pressed the privacy button, destroying the image.