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The Cohen Loop Max and Carver 4 copyright comidacomida 2014

The finals came and went in the blink of an eye. As usual, Max had his standard test fears but, once he sat down and looked over the questions, all of that apprehension disappeared; at first glance he wasn't able to find a single one that he would have trouble answering. As it turned out, he hadn't studied anywhere near as much as he had in the past, and his final score on the exam was just over 90%. He hadn't received the highest grade in the class by any means, but, for once, he was significantly safe from failing.

Coaster, as it turned out, had lost points on his average while Andy's grade had increased significantly. Hunter remained near the top of the class in overall semester score and Gary, remarkably, had improved by nearly 50%, sliding up the bell curve by a very hefty amount. The instructors decided that greatest improvement for a team, however, went to Angie Mae and Walker. Even though most students argued that both the Human and the Phin were already near the top of the class before the semester started, the instructors pointed out that the overall advancement in learning they each experienced clearly set them both as front runners.

Carver, as expected, scored just shy of perfect and, along with the rest of the Phins, made up a good 70% of the top ranked students. It made sense, Max had reasoned, since they were the top students from their own classes back on Water-Earth. The Human and his Amplus roommate celebrated one another's victories graciously and with equal joy; not everyone in the class was as upbeat and pleased for them... but Max had long since started tuning them out anyway, so he took it in stride.

Thus, the fall term came and went, leaving the students with their week off. Since Max had passed up all prior opportunities for shore leave or personal purchases, his Unity Centre expense account had built up quite a balance. Even though Carver had no funds of his own the Human had more than enough for them to take a short trip... and, with an eagerly agreeing Amplus along for the ride, that was precisely what he did. It was the first time the young man was heading off of the ship since first arriving, and, for once, he approached the idea with an eager smile; Carver was no less excited.

As Max had promised, the two managed to spend several days off of the Unity Centre during their mid-year break. Traveling through the southern Caribbean Ocean, the ship had a number of shore leave spots students could choose as a destination, and Max decided on Corn Island; it was the location of one of the Phin settlements and a relatively close destination they could get to by one of the Centre's several helicopters. When they started planning the trip, Carver estimated that they could stay for up to three days before the ship was in danger of moving too far beyond helicopter travel distance.

With their Centre IDs they were able to reserve a hotel room at a joint species outpost just off the coast of Corn island. Max had never been to the island before-- or any island for that matter and, even though the equivalent area on Water-Earth was a heavily populated travel hub, Carver hadn't visited the island their either. It was a good first trip for them to share, and Max's expense account was put to good use as they selected a corner room, giving them a northern and eastern view. The room itself was almost 40% larger than a standard suite due to the fact that it was convertible for either a Human or a Phin guest-- the two turned the entire suite into an equivalent of their Study Room back at the Centre.

The time disappeared quickly, leaving Max wondering where it had even gone. The spacious suite meant that they could spend time in each and every room, alternating between water and land... but they always spent it together. Max had grown much more accustomed to Carver walking around without his wet suit on and, truth be told, he looked forward to each and every glimpse of the Phin's amazing body-- the sight was eclipsed only by the feel of it.

Despite the fact that Max invariably ran out of potency before the Amplus each and every time, he never grew tired of caressing Carver, stroking him, kissing him, and reveling in each and every time the large Phin desires bubbled to the surface. For those three days, the suite became his world, and Carver the only company he required.

While there were so many intriguing sites to see in the island, the two spent little time out of their room. The lazy days lounging, cuddling, and relaxing in their suite were broken up with outside trips only four times. Max hadn't been able to think of any other time in his life when he had enjoyed going somewhere and not really caring where it was because of how pleased he was with his traveling companion. The outings were therefore quite spontaneous, but, nevertheless, a wonderful addition to the trip.

Their first expedition out onto the island was because the hotel's newsletter had mentioned a celebration: el Festival del Maiz-- the Corn Festival. The avenues of the nearest town were filled with revelers and music. Corn of all varieties from popped to on-the-cob-slathered-with-mayonnaise-and-chili-powder were sold from vendor carts and people with brightly colored clothes danced in the streets. Although the two didn't take part in the dancing, they enjoyed the sights and tried a good number of different local recipes that involved corn prepared in all different sorts of ways.

After returning to their room that afternoon, the two mutually decided to head back into town that night and see the parade they'd heard discussed during the day. Max was surprised to see the streamers that had been hung across the streets during the day concealed bright lights, which shone all different colors after the night had fallen. The two watched the parade go by in all its glory, and yet, standing in the crowd, the young man had never felt more in tune and connected to the Phin; by the time the festivities had come to a close, Max was leaning back against the Amplus' chest, paying more attention to the sound of his lover's heart beat than the final parts of the parade.

The following day's single outing was to a restaurant at the outpost-- one that served a very unique blend of Phin cuisine using Land-Earth equivalents. They spent the entire afternoon seated at a table sharing plates that Carver had only ever described. The Amplus apologized that the meal wasn't completely authentic, but Max had waved away the concern, admitting that he was far more interested in who he was sharing the meal with rather than what it was they were eating. They returned to their suite stuffed full and with enough leftovers to make a suitable dinner... and then some.

Although the plan had originally been to spend the entire third day at the suite, as the afternoon wore on, Max glanced to the west-facing window of their room, and got an idea. The window itself showed a beautiful view of Corn Island, but the previous two nights had indicate that there was a specific view that it didn't have: a full, unobstructed view of the sunset. Without explaining himself to Carver, the Human spontaneously made the decision then and there to travel to the highest point on the island-- which wasn't saying much because the three square mile spit of land was relatively flat... but that outing turned out to be the most meaningful of their three day trip.

Before the final test for the semester, Carver had talked with Max about seeing the sun set while on land. Although they had seen bits and pieces of it twice from their hotel room, the Human realized that they'd be leaving the following morning, and that meant they had one final chance to make it something memorable. Ushering Carver into a wet suit, Max let his plan stay as a surprise as he herded the Amplus out onto the street.

They crossed the bridge that led from the seaside floating hotel and went onto the island proper, grabbing a quick order of street food as they passed through the town, which had only just finished cleaning up after the festival. From there, they followed several dirt roads and foot paths as they ascended to the top of the 'impossibly high' not-quite four hundred foot peak. Only once they arrived, with the sun just starting to spread a golden skein of light across the land, did Carver realize what they were doing there, and he was immediately elated.

Taking a seat on a set of wooden handrails, the two sat shoulder-to-shoulder, watching the sun slowly slide down into the mainland across the sea. The sky only had an occasional feathery line of clouds, as if it were a painting when the artist had already grown tired of drawing details and elected to throw a few streaks in as an after thought. The evening sky was still bright at the horizon, fiery with golds and reds and oranges which darkened to a rich, deep purple overhead, be speckled with diamond-like glints: the first starts of the night.

It was still warm despite the rapidly sinking sun, and the island breezes played softly across Max's skin, reminding his idle mind of Carver's caress the night before, or the gentle play of the sheets across his thigh when he first woke up that morning. In that moment, time finally began to slow down and he relived everything that had made the three days with Carver some of the most amazing he had ever known. There was silence, and it was a good silence, allowing the young man to slowly emerge from the memories and live in the moment.

With few others around, it wasn't long before Carver had his arm around Max's shoulder, "Thank you. Without you I wouldn't be here."

"You're welcome." Max reveled in the Amplus' one arm embrace, leaning against the large Phin and simply enjoying his warmth, both physically and emotionally. As the last vestiges of the reds and oranges dipped below the horizon, the Human added, "Thank you too."

Carver turned to look down at him, a quizzical expression on his face, "For what?"

Max smiled up at his lover, turning to slide both of his arms around the Amplus. "Without you, I wouldn't be here either."

The Phin smiled down at him, returning the full-body embrace as he hunched forward slightly, wrapping himself around the Human, "Then you're welcome too."

* * * * * *

The Spring semester passed quickly, with class after class and week after week flying by in a daze. In public, the two were classmates, and got along as well as ever. They were a much more unified front, however; Max had no interest in what anyone else in the class thought and all attempts to encourage him to spend more time with 'the group' and less with the Amplus was met with a very simple and direct dismissal. In private, they were a team-- a union-- lovers. Max spent every waking moment, both study and casual delving into Phins... except for when one was delving into him.

Despite the young man's new vitality and focus, his study became less frantic and less desperate. The time the two spent working through their books may as well have been a date; it was casual, and pleasant rather than like Max's prior experience of painful and obsessive. When not studying, they were lounging around the dorm, watching a movie, or, as the term progressed, strolling the halls or sitting out on a mid-ship balcony. It was not unlike their trip to Corn Island-- it didn't matter what they were doing only as long as they were doing it together... and that's what made it so special.

They sometimes got looks from passers-by... usually pity pointed in Max's direction and accusation toward Carver. At first it encouraged the Human to retreat back to the safety of their abode, but, after awhile, he found himself caring even less what people thought-- they obviously got it wrong. Regardless, they were always proper in public, saving their most intimate moments for when they were alone-- when the whole world consisted of only two. It often left Max longing for the end of the day and, regardless of what they ended up doing together, it was invariably worth the wait.

Classes, rather than being the wide, overreaching specter of stress that they had been for Max's first year aboard the Centre, became just another part of his day. He continued to approach them with dedication and focus, but he was able to turn off the switch when the day ended and managed to enjoy his time at the dorm. Of course, he reasoned, with Carver there it gave him a very good reason to stop obsessing about class work and focus more on the company; the Amplus really meant that much... and it made a difference for the better. The term progressed quickly... and so did Max.

If anyone had told the young man that he would go from third-to-last in his class to fourth-from-the-top Human over the course of two terms he never would have believed it... of course, he also never would have believed that he would have been in a relationship with a Phin. Both, however, were very much the case. The first was quite a public accomplishment with his achievements known to the entire class but the second remained, as far as he knew, a well kept secret-- something that was for he and Carver alone.

So it was, as the term came to a close, that the Unity Centre was finally in its winter position off the North coast of Panama. The class finals came and went and Max, for once, was surprisingly unconcerned-- and among the Humans, earned the second highest score on the test. He and Carver had studied together, but they had also established plenty of time for relaxation, and it seemed to make all the difference.

The Unity Centre had once again let out water to sit higher in the ocean and his entire class waited at the entryway to the ship's skiff port. He stood side-by-side with Carver, resting his shoulder against the Amplus' arm. They didn't say anything; they didn't need to. Their time on Land-Earth was done, and they would continue on to Water-Earth as a team and Max was completely confident that they would do just as well there. It had been on his mind for several weeks but, as the time came closer and closer he could feel the apprehension growing. In an attempt to center himself he began analyzing what was to come.

Once the skiffs arrived they'd be taken through the Panama Canal; it was probably the largest landmark on their destination and they were both excited to see it. From there, they would go ashore in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where they'd be met by the Phins that would take them up to Chimborazo in a Phin land cruiser called a 'Treader'. Max had heard about them on multiple occasions-- land boats used by Phins-- but he'd never seen one; Carver assured him that the stories didn't do them justice, and that only made the Human that much more eager... and made his already excitable stomach even queasier.

By the time the skiffs were picked up on radar, Max was almost hyperventilating, sick to his stomach with a faint headache-- it had been a common theme for him every morning for the past week, but that morning made it all the more pronounced. While he once would have attributed it to fear and apprehension, all the young man was able to feel at that point was excitement and anticipation; he'd come such a long way.

Once they received confirmation that the skiffs were on their final approach, the dock workers motioned the students forward to create a clean line toward the metal bulkhead that separated the waiting area from the docks. The large, circular door opened, permitting them through two at a time-- Human and Phin partners. Due to simple happenstance, Max and Carver were near the front of the group. Stepping through the door, they drew closer to the only thing that separated them from the walkway that would take them to their future in Water-Earth: a trip through the medical bay and, for Max, a series of inoculations.

Due to the difference between Earths, all Humans traveling through the Immergent Gateway had to receive vaccines for a number of unpleasant 'bugs'. Carver assured him that he was required to get his own series of shots before traveling to Land-Earth, but the reassurance didn't help as much as the Amplus holding his hand through the ordeal. The medic overseeing the injection glanced from the Human to the Phin, then back again before administering the serum.

From there, the two were both given a once-over from the attending physician, an older, slightly balding man with a pair of round-frame glasses. The doctor gave Carver a quick inspection, checking his vitals, and giving a visual assessment of the Amplus' health based on what the chart referred to as the 'seven sites'. Max had tried counting off what the physician reviewed, but it was a quick process and the Phin was cleared easily enough. It turned out to be a different matter for the Human.

The medic had spent the first few minutes checking pulse and blood pressure, listened to his breathing and heart beat, and had just finished flashing him in the eyes with a pen light before addressing him, "Some of the staff have mentioned that you'd reported having some nausea and fatigue lately..."

Despite some concern over being held back from the trip, Max was, nevertheless, honest, "Yea... I think it's just the excitement."

The doctor 'hmm'ed, and pressed his fingers up under either side of the young man's jaws, rolling them in a slow, circular motion before nodding and releasing his grip on Max, "Any fever? Dizziness?"

Max shook his head, "No... not that I know of. And not really fatigue-- I mean... tired, yea... I haven't slept much." He wasn't sure how much of that was due to excitement and how much was due to Carver, but he didn't bother relaying that to the medic.

The man nodded, pressing a heat sensor into the teen's ear then waited. He pulled it out and looked at the digital display, "Well... all your vitals are coming back... a little low on blood sugar-- did you have breakfast?"

Max shook his head, "No..." he smiled sheepishly, "... stomach was all in knots... too excited, like I said."

The doctor chuckled, "Fine... well, everything checks out, so there's no reason to think there's any reason to be worried, but I'll mark this off on your file so the managing physician on the other end can keep an eye on you."

It took Max a moment to figure out what the medic was saying, "So... I can go?"

The man chuckled, "Well, last time I checked, 'excitement' wasn't a disease... but I don't want you going through the Gateway without settling down a little... eat something before you get to Chimborazo and I'll put a note down for one of the Phin medics on the Treaders to check your vitals again before you head through the Gateway... just to be on the safe side."

Max had just enough wherewithall to quickly shout out a 'thankyouverymuch' before he and Carver were making their way out to the docks... just in time to see the skiffs arrive. The bulk head of the Unity Centre opened up, sunlight from outside filtering in just ahead of a small fleet of transport skiffs. Stepping out from the medical screening room, Max got his first up-close view of the vehicles that they'd be using to get to shore.

The smooth, rocket-shaped boats practically hovered across the top of the water, ski-sled like pontoons creating a smooth ride for the small transports. The skiffs were a deviation from the standard methods Humans had used to travel by sea for centuries. The combination of Human and Phin tech, the sleek, high-powered vehicles were made for velocity and the angled, slightly-sloped fins on the bottom functioned as extremely effective hydro-foils; even at low speeds they skimmed across the surface of the water.

Max hadn't really thought about it, thus he was surprised to see twenty skiffs instead of the ten by which the Phins had first arrived; it took him a moment to realize that those Phins AND an equivalent number of humans would be heading out. In truth, rather than a full 200 students leaving for Water-Earth, there were merely 194.

In addition to the Human/Amplus pair expelled near the beginning of the previous term, it was decided that two additional sets of students were not in a condition to make the journey: one due to injury, and the other due to illness. Max really didn't know if that meant one skiff would only have four passengers or if they'd spread out the absences across multiple transports. He put the question out of his mind because it wasn't his decision to make-- and because he had a much more harrowing thing to consider: farewells.

Despite the fact that he had barely interacted with the staff of the Unity Centre aside from the professors, his time aboard the ship had still been significant; all of the teachers and a good number of the work crew of the Centre turned out for the farewell. Max was able to pick out his previous surrogate parents Carl and Joni among the crowd, and he teared up just a little when he saw Joni pointing him out to Carl; both waved when they saw him looking their way, and he offered a shy half-wave in return, hand rotating twice around his wrist at waist height.

Carver leaned over slightly, speaking with his voice at a low tone rather than with his resonance chamber, which had the capacity to be overheard, "They are good people, Max. I'm glad we had a chance to meet them."

Max only nodded in response, unable to trust his voice not to crack. It wasn't that he was a naturally emotional individual, or that he had really developed any true relationships with anyone aboard the Centre other than Carver himself, but he was about to move on to the next chapter in his life, and the entire situation had a powerful sense of importance and significance-- still, he berated himself for such silly sentimentality.

A soft squeeze from the Amplus' hand on his shoulder helped, and he managed to put his emotions in check by focusing once again on the skiffs as they pulled up to the docks... and the apprehension returned in spades. Max could barely take his eyes off of the skiffs; his excitement was almost boiling over, and was held in check only because Carver had enough thought to pass him a granola bar.

The young man devoured it eagerly, and a second-- he had been a lot hungrier than he thought. There was little more time to consider it, however, as the dock crew tied off the transport right in front of Max. He watched eagerly as the large, sealed door, hinged at the bottom, opened, descending like a drawbridge to create a ramp into the skiff, providing the young man of his first-ever view of the interior.

The inside of the skiff was adorned with a surprising amount of attention to comfort, not unlike Max's impression of a private airplane. The spacious passenger cabin had a sloped ceiling that was almost 8' tall in the center and lowered to barely 5' on either side; it was just high enough so that Carver could walk down the center aisle with a faint hunch but managed to sit comfortably once he found his seat at the back of the skiff. On either side of the aisle were six seats: three rows of two side-by-side. They were positioned so that the passengers could sit facing forward with a decent amount of elbow room between each.

Max was surprised at how comfortable the whole thing was, taking his leather-covered seat beside Carver, "Wow... this is a LOT better than an airplane."

The Amplus smiled and pressed a small button on the inside of his armrest; the Phin's seat rotated in his direction so Carver could sit facing him, "I've never been on an airplane, but I've heard about them. It's a shame that the Treaders aren't this nice either."

It took several seconds before Max got over the surprise of the swiveling seats, and another few seconds before he got his own seat to move, "Oh wow! This rocks!"

The two spent the next ten minutes going over the various amenities of the skiffs with Carver providing him a brief introduction to some of the more amazing benefits to traveling in the Unity Centre's finest transports. By the time the migrating class had filled the skiffs only two other sets of students joined them in the skiff, which provided an answer to Max's earlier quandry about how they would make up for being short three pairs of travelers; he assumed another skiff had two open seats.

He stopped obsessing about numbers when one of the skiff's crew entered the passenger compartment and began going over security protocol. Once that was complete, the ship's intercom came on and the captain introduced himself; he kept the line open as he and the other two men up front went through pre-travel check. Max listened as they went down a check list and clutched the arms of his seat in anticipation as he heard the skiff's engines start up.

The captain requested a water jet purge and the young man felt a smooth, rhythmic rumble flow through the entire ship. After that, the captain gave a simple announcement that the crew was activating the vibration dampeners and that they'd be on their way once their turn in line came. As it turned out, they were fourth... and Max's giddiness only grew. When the skiff finally took off there was no real sense of acceleration-- he was simply thrown back in his seat (which explained the cradle-like head-rests) and, suddenly, they were up to speed.

The skiffs arrived at the Panama Canal late in the morning and, despite having a large window, Max saw nowhere near as much of it as he would have liked. He shared the view with Carver, who often murmured about how ingenious it was to cut such a path through the land-- the Phins had only followed suit in the last twenty years on Water-Earth, and much of that was with Human engineers helping. Rather than dwell on history, geography, or modern civilization, the two remained quiet after that, simply sitting together and enjoying the experience.

The captain was quite forthcoming with a description of each step of the journey, apparently having no problem playing tour guide. He explained that he used to work on cruise ships that passed through the canal and, to date, the students had the honor of joining him on his 105th passage-- his 52nd going the Atlantic-to-the-Pacific route. He counted off each of the three locks that were required to be filled to raise the twenty skiffs up to the level of the highest point on the journey" a stretch of water in the middle of the Panama Peninsula known as Gatun Lake. From there, three more locks were needed to lower them down to the Pacific Ocean.

All-in-all, the trip from one side of the canal to the other took almost eight hours. Several crew members had come out at lunch time to provide the students with a variety of simple but delicious food items; Max noted that they quite clearly stayed away from gluten, which made sense because there were just as many Phin passengers as humans. Having spent so much time with Carver, the young man found that he didn't even mind the lack of bread or pasta, and the noodles that he had with a rich, brothy soup were just as good being made from rice.

By the time late afternoon rolled around the skiff swarm (Max almost giggled like little kid when he heard the proper term for a group of the transports) arrived at their shore side destination: Guayaquil. As the most populous city on Ecuador, the port city also had the distinct honor of having one of the largest distinguished Phin presence in the Americas south of the equator. It was also the place they would meet up with the Phin escorts that would take them through the gateway that led to Water-Earth.

The students spent the night in a Unity Centre sponsored hotel. The accommodations were simple, but comfortable, and designed specifically to suit both Human and Phin. Not as ritzy as the suite the two had shared on Corn Island a scant three months previous, Max's largest objection was that each suite was shared by three pairs of students, which meant that he didn't really have any alone time with Carver. Not only that, but there were only two bedrooms; three humans to one and three phins to the other. Regardless, the night did finally pass, and Max awoke, more than ready for the new day... with a fresh round of stomach discomfort.

Carver stayed in the room with him as the rest of the students filed out, heading down to the cafeteria to enjoy breakfast. Max sat on one of the room's foot stools letting out deep breaths to calm himself, working to let the stress of the move ease up off of his clenched stomach. The Amplus stayed with him softly rubbing his shoulders and offering to help however he could; Max simply responded, "Just you being here helps."

The two remained in the room for another ten minutes before what Max could only describe as a panic attack of nausea finally passed. By that time they were late to breakfast, which suited Max just fine because he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep anything down. Carver ate quickly and grabbed a few extras for the Human to eat on the way with a simple reminder, "The physician at the Centre said you need to eat SOMETHING, and the Phin medics can still keep you from crossing over if they think you aren't in shape for it."

Max acknowledged his thanks once he managed to get his stomach in line, and, as they followed their guide the short two-block walk to the Treader Loading-House, he surprised himself by finishing all of it. Licking his fingers of the fruit juice from his orange, the young man froze in place when he saw that one of their new transport devices was waiting for them outside the large aluminum structure... and it WAS impressive.

The Treader looked like a mix between a submarine and a tank. Although it was far more box-shaped than the smooth-hull skiffs, the vehicle still somehow managed to maintain an element of grace in it that clearly identified it as a Phin design. The large transport was nearly twenty foot wide and, if he counted the long pneumatic suspension arms holding the Treader's body up off the ground, it was almost as tall as it was wide. The hearty-looking vehicle got its name from the four broad metal-plate treads that provided its locomotion.

He had little more time to look however as Carver took hold of his wrist and pulled him onward; they were already lagging behind the rest of the students, "Come on, Max... we need to catch up... you'll get to see more inside."

The two moved to the back of the line that trailed up three landings of stairs. Exactly as Carver had said, a huge collection of Treaders (the term for a group was a Lance, Max remembered) was already inside. Each Treader had a oval-shaped door, not unlike the ones he had seen on aircraft carriers in action movies. Three of the vehicles were positioned at the top of the staircases, pulled right up next to a loading dock, and students were already starting to funnel into them.

The line ended up moving quickly and more Treaders moved to replace full ones.As one of the last pair to get a seat, Max learned that he and Carver shared their Treader with only one other Human-Phin set: a black haired, tan skinned Human named Arturo and his Longos partner Cooker. Although the two pairs of students didn't have any classes together, Max knew the other young man because he received no small amount of grief having come from Mexico, which was one of the newest countries to take part in the Unity Programme. Arturo and Cooker each gave a friendly enough wave to Max and Carver, and returned to speaking quietly with one another in Spanish.

The interior of the Treader was much more Spartan than that of the skiff. The floor was made of some kind of no-slip textured stone and the seats were formed plastic; thankfully they ended up being more comfortable than they had originally looked. The numerous windows, which, thankfully, were wider and easier to see out of than the Skiff windows had some kind of bluish-gray film covering them-- most likely to block UV light as Phins seemed to be more sensitive to it than Humans. As he finished his inspection of the accommodations within the transport the crew emerged from the room at the front of the Treader.

The four Phin crew of consisted of 2 blue wetsuit-wearing Longos, a white wetsuit wearing Album, and an orange wetsuit wearing Amplus. The Album, apparently the Captain, only showed up long enough to glance around at the passengers before returning out of sight. One Longos began explaining the safety protocol for the Treader and, for just a moment, Max almost felt deja vu-- despite it being recited by a Phin IN Phin, it seemed almost carbon copy of the presentation from the skiff.

The second Longos was the only member of the crew to introduce himself-- he did so both in Phin, and in Spanish which, unfortunately, wasn't a language Max knew. Carver, who did understand it, was kind enough to translate, "Curador Simpatico... it means Sympathetic Healer."Max nodded, recalling that all professional Phins used between two or three names among Humans, depending on their profession, credentials, and education. The young man smiled, "Well... that sounds like a good kind of doctor... but why did he explain everything in English and then introduce himself in Spa--"

The Amplus crew member passed by, "He likes the sound of it better." The large Phin went to the door and closed it, sealing it shut with the turn of the attached pressure wheel. He passed by without another word and disappeared off into the crew compartment, taking off his orange wet suit as he did so.

Max also watched as the two Longos returned to the front of the Treader were doing the same. He glanced to Carver, who was likewise unzipping; two seats ahead of them Cooker was apparently a quick change artist-- his suit was already flopped over the back of his seat. Carver smiled when the Human's attention made its way back to him, "When that door closed we officially completed our handoff to the Water-Earth Unity Centre, which means you'll probably want to put on your wet-suit before--" but he was cut off by a faint hissing sound... and a cool mist began to fill the Treader's interior... which, if nothing else, did a very good job of explaining why there wasn't any leather on the seats.

The young man quickly changed over into his wet suit, blushing a little when he saw Carver admiring him out of the corner fo his eye. He silently mouthed 'later' to his lover smiling freely when he caught a glimpse of a faint flush between the Amplus' legs. Max zipped up what would be his uniform for the next several months, sitting back in his chair as the Treader gave a rumble. He felt a momentary sense of vertigo as the transport rose up even higher on its hydraulic arms and then started moving forward.

The Treader, as it turned out, had a top speed somewhere around forty miles an hour and, at that speed, they were informed it would take about four hours to reach their destination. The time passed quickly, and Max managed to enjoy himself even within the incredibly humid interior of the Treader. As the last vestiges of his upset stomach fled from the newly inspired sense of wonder and expectation, the young man was interrupted from his musings by the Amplus crew member, who was bringing around a wide, wheeled cart with food.

Max checked his watch, realizing they were barely three-fourths of the way into their journey. The Human glanced at Carver, "It's barely even eleven..."

The words had only just left his lips before he realized why he shouldn't have been surprised; his companion spoke aloud what he'd just remembered, "Four meals a day."

The second meal of the day among the Phin was a hearty one and, though Max anticipated that he wouldn't be very hungry, ended up hoovering down his entire ration and, at Carver's insistence, helped him finish off his own. When the Human realized he'd eaten almost half of his friend's food he blushed, "Sorry..."

Carver only laughed, "It's fine-- you barely touched your breakfast." The Amplus slid an arm around Max's shoulder, and the two reclined in their seats, relaxing for the final portion of their ride that took them up... up... up and the young man was almost asleep when Sympathetic Healer came back out from the crew pit.

The Longos had a small bag in one hand and a data tablet in the other. He addressed everyone in Phin, breaking it up only when saying the humans' names, "We are less than ten minutes from our destination... I will start with Cooker and Carver first... then Arturo Ramirez Ibarra and Maxwell Snyder. Please hurry up; I must clear you before we can return through the Gateway."

Carver gave Max a gentle pat on the shoulder then stood, moving to join Cooker, who, having been closer to the front of the Treader, was already being seen to by Healer. At least, that's what Max hoped; considering what he'd seen of the Phins' treatment of Carver the young man wasn't entirely sure. Healer went quickly through what appeared to be only a nominal check of the two Phins, and then released them to their seats. He took a much longer time with Arturo, alternating between looking at a tablet and the Human, all the while asking him a battery of questions in Spanish.

At the end of the interview, he gave Arturo a brief inspection and then pointed toward the front of the passenger cabin, providing direction to the Human and Phin pair, still in Spanish. Carver, who had returned to his seat, translated it for Max, but fell quiet when Healer made his way to the back of the Treader. When he spoke he thankfully did so in English, "Maxwell Snyder, please stand up." and he pressed several buttons on his tablet.

The young man did as was requested and remained silent, except for offering up a simple, "I usually go by Max."

The Longos looked up from the electronic device and offered a faint smile, "Very well, Max..." his eyes glanced back down to the tablet, "It says that the physician aboard the Unity Centre here was concerned that you have been suffering from fatigue and nausea."

Max nodded, "I think it's just nerves... I've never been... uh... off my Earth before." and offered a sheepish smile.

The medic offered a good natured clicking-chuckle and it helped the young man feel a little more at-ease, "Trouble sleeping?" Max nodded. "Feeling tired after light exercise?" Again, Max nodded.

"Nausea?" The Human nodded yet again.

"...but mostly just in the morning?"

The Human paused, thinking carefully, then slowly nodded, "Pretty much, yea."

The physician turned to look at Carver and asked in Phin, "Did he have breakfast today?"

The Amplus nodded, replying in the same language, "Not right away, but I made sure he ate."

Sympathetic Healer nodded, "And Brunch?"

Bruch was not a Phin word, but its what they used with Humans to refer to the second meal of the day. Carver smiled, just a little, "All of his, and a good amount of mine."

The Longos nodded thoughtfully, typing a few notes into the tablet, "Max... may I see your hand please?"

The Human obediently offered it, "I really DO feel fine, sir... I'm sure I'll be okay to go through the Gateway. I just-- ow!" Max recoiled when the Phin slid a small needle into his finger, but continued watching intently on what the Longos was doing. The physician placed a droplet of blood on a small, white piece of paper. When the paper turned yellow, Carver gasped. The reaction immediately caught Max's attention, "What's that mean? Am I alright?"

Sympathetic Healer looked up, first at Max, then at Carver, then back at Max. It was Carver who answered, "It means... you're pregnant."