CHERRY’S RELIEF AT seeing Wilder safe and sound was immense. When the girl floated out to meet them in the dark space where Cherry had encountered Aubriot and Kes, she felt like grabbing her in a hug. That would have been awkward in their EVA suits and pressurized gas packs, so she contented herself by grabbing Wilder’s hand.
“What happened to you?” Kes asked. “Did you have to take off your suit too?”
“I did,” Wilder replied. “I think they wanted to scan my body.”
“The same happened to us,” said Cherry.
“Yes, they’re curious about our anatomy,” Kes said. “It makes sense. That would be the first thing I would want to learn about in an alien species.”
“When’s the testing going to start?” Aubriot asked. “I’m fed up with being poked and prodded. I was worried for a while in there. I was w
