Connor tapped his feet on the concrete, knocking all the snow off his shoes before walking into Stephanie's home. He wiggled between equipment to the coat hanger and started getting ready. Joules found her way to the one empty spot set aside for her, and she laid on the blankets.

Stephanie slid on a roller from underneath a random piece of equipment. "Great."

"What's going on?"

"I'm getting signals from our rockets. It looks like we're in business to send our supplies," she rolled back under and turned a ratchet.

"To Mars?"

"Yup."

Damn. Connor's excitement was all over his face.

Thunks and tumbling noises echoed from the stairs, almost like a stampede. Teresa's bare legs reached out of Stephanie's lab coat-turned-robe as the mess of a girl made her way down. Teresa leaned against the wall at the last step and sat.

"Rough night?" Stephanie said.

"How did I get home?" Teresa groaned.

"I picked you up from the party. You were pretty out of it."

Ignoring the conversation, he walked to Stephanie and sat on the floor. He saw photos on Axel's socials of the party, and Teresa was in one with a red solo cup. But he didn't care, at least that's what he told himself. "So what is the next step?" he said.

"Sending you to Mars today."

He choked, "Today?"

"Yup," she slid out from under the contraption she was working on.

"Nothing major. I just need you to set up the floor and cover some tools with a tarp so Mars dust doesn't get all over it. As you studied for the last couple of months, I'm sending the floor in parts, so you just have to assemble it as they'll land next to each other. Cover the beacon once you press the button, but don't turn it off."

He nodded and spent the next hour arranging things and listening to Stephanie's instructions. He paid no mind to Teresa's suffering from a hangover and went to his suit, wanting to focus on work.

"You're sure about this?"

"More sure than a heart attack. I've been sending things back and forth all week."

Damn, Connor thought.

"Just remember the beacon next to you. It takes almost thirteen minutes to get the signal when you send a transmission or over twenty-six minutes for two-way-light-time. So, once sent, you need to stay close to it for over twenty-four minutes."

"Sure thing, boss."

After she checked and double-checked his suit, she activated the Aeon Switch, and Connor was gone.

Time to hurry. Stephanie rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a birthday cake, the balloons she ordered, and candles. Soon after, decorations were taped to the walls, right where Connor would see them, along with the strung-up text "Happy Birthday."

"What?" Teresa about jumped out of her skin. "Today is his birthday?"

"Yup," Stephanie continued taping stuff to the wall. "And no need to get him a present. Him seeing you like that is all he needs."

She leaned off the wall, got up, and sat at Stephanie's desk. One swirl on the chair was enough to send her head in ten swirls, so she stopped.

"Him seeing me barely dressed or miserable?"

"Column a, column b."

"What do you see in him, anyway?" Teresa said.

"Why do you care?" Stephanie kept working on the surprise decorations.

"He's just some high school kid who doesn't deserve to be the first person on Mars. It should have been me."

"Are you mad because he turned down your advances?"

"What?"

She grabbed a fresh roll of tape and started on more balloons. "You laid on your bed and tried to put out."

She bolted straight up.

"Yup, I see everything that goes on during the trip," Stephanie said. "He was into you until you blew it a few months ago."

Bitch, Teresa thought, and she could watch the trips on her computer. How?

"Being friendly to him won't change anything," Teresa countered, "not what happened to—"

"Enough."

"Move on and cope! I looked up to you. And you haphazardly picked up Connor to make up for what you did."

"He's reliable," Stephanie said, "hard to find in anyone. And don't talk to me like that. Your coping skills aren't exactly top-notch, either."

"What?"

"You started drinking and partying as soon as you got here. Your high school fantasy isn't working out for you."

"I'm having a great time."

"When high school ends, you'll party with college kids, and you'll have no one when college ends. You won't even remember their names," Stephanie said.

"I'm just trying to fit in!"

"And you are. Congrats. But your separation anxiety isn't going anywhere."

"I was the only kid in Optimal. I didn't even get a quinceanera. No friends, no sleepovers, no board games, no parties. I don't want to be the weird kid. What is wrong with that!?" Teresa screamed.

"You still have your family."

Teresa couldn't think of a response besides, Bitch.

The tension spilled out of the room as the laptop beeped. Connor had sent his signal from the now working beacon on Mars.

Stephanie wheeled Teresa aside and keyed a command to bring Connor back to the living room. "Get some pants and a shirt on."

The three women waited for Connor. Stephanie put a party hat on Joules' head while she and Teresa held party poppers. Light flashed, and beams and outlines of flesh and a suit formed on the platform. As the light dimmed, Connor flashed in, escorted by white and purple light, and landed with his feet covered in red sand.

"Happy birthday!" The two cheered and popped their poppers, one more enthusiastic than the other.

The helmet opened up as he unlatched it, and a small piece of paper that smelled like gunpowder landed on his cheek. "What?" he said.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Happy birthday," the two cheered again.

Stunned, he realized the two planned this while he was on Mars. Even his own mom didn't tell him happy birthday. A small tear formed in the corner of his eye.

"We're celebrating my birthday and not our first trip to Mars?"

"Mankind's first trip to Mars. Get out of the suit and let's eat cake," Stephanie said.

As usual, when food was involved, Connor kept his legs in the bottom half of the suit as he ate up.

"What was it like?" Stephanie asked.

"Just like the photos, sandy, some hills, red." Connor took another bite. "And thank you," Connor swallowed. "I don't know what to say."

"Did the floor get installed?" Stephanie said.

"Yeah, connected and staked into the ground."

"Then say good job," Stephanie said.

Teresa let out a sarcastic chuckle. "You can't just say good job over basic stuff. What I've been working on is far more advanced, and no one is praising me."

"What are you working on? I'd like to see it," he said.

Her fork slipped and clanged against the plate. "You're interested?" Surprised by his inquiry.

"Yeah, of course."

"Awesome!" Teresa stood up, "to the garage!"

"Hold on, maybe tomorrow, as we have a company dinner."

"Company dinner?"

"You and I are going out. Get something nice on and come back."

Teresa stepped forward. "Am I coming?"

"Nope. Employees only. To celebrate with frozen pizza is not the culinary experience worthy of today's achievement."

Wiggling out of his pants, it occurred to him it would be the two of them. Connor blurted, "Wait, wait. A date?"

"Nope. And nice try."

He turned red as he stepped out of the suit, harnessed Joules, and hurried home to change.

"Good job," Stephanie said.

Teresa tossed her paper plate into the trash and wiped the crumbs off her shirt and pants. "For what?"

"He seemed happy, seeing you saying happy birthday."

Teresa sat at the table as Stephanie went up to get ready. Connor was curious about what she was working on, and his voice perked up when he asked. Stephanie came down in a black dress and heels as she twirled her phone on the table.

Teresa gaped. "Pretty sure Connor will think it's a date with that outfit."

"Maybe it is?"

"Real funny."

Connor's footsteps thumped on the patio outside, and he stepped in. He looked good in it all with black shoes, a tucked-in shirt, and a nice winter coat. And Teresa was right, as he nearly lost all composure when he saw Stephanie in the black dress contrasted with her long braided blonde hair and gold neck-tight necklace with a blue pendant.

"Great, it's evening in France, and we'll have about two hours on the reservation."

"France?" Connor said.

"Yup. Step up on the plate with me. We'll end up in an empty back alley. Don't worry. The restaurant is top-notch."

"Do I really deserve this?"

"I would think so."

He kept a healthy distance from her as he stepped up, not risking touching her. She reached into her small purse, and they left Teresa alone in the living room. It wasn't new, and Stephanie allowed her to peruse her stuff. And even then, she couldn't figure out how the Aeon Switch worked. She spun around in the chair, and an alert popped on the monitor. A processing bar slowly reached one hundred percent, opening up a folder. It felt easy for Teresa to open it up.

Teresa observed the plate, irritated. That fucking plate.

What is Stephanie trying to pull? Teresa thought.

And the answer was evident to her. Stephanie knows I'll never figure it out. No passwords, no hoops, no obfuscation.

She sat in an unlocked home in an ordinary town, but within the house was a power more remarkable than any other human achievement. Despite the secrets within reach, they may as well be hidden in another universe.

God. Teresa got pissed that she couldn't discover it.

After double-clicking on the new file, a video played.

Connor wore his usual garb while walking in the jungle and went out of view of the camera. After some testing, Teresa realized she could move the mouse like a video game to move in the recorded Lucid Passage, and she caught the camera back up to Connor. With each movement she made, the video rerendered.

Connor walked into a small clearing that veered off the path. Flowers illuminated the scenery with purple and pink hues and some teal. These flowers did not exist in reality but only in Connor's mind.

Stephanie stepped in, but not in the gown she wore. It looked like the lab coat, and as she stepped further into the dark light from the flowers, she had nothing on underneath except some underwear. Unlike Teresa, who wore it nearly tumbling down the stairs, Stephanie walked straight to Connor with decisiveness.

Okay, Connor, Teresa moved the camera. Where is the real Stephanie at? Teresa perused the scene until she spotted her near Connor, but the real Stephanie watched in the black dress from a distance. She pivoted the camera back to Connor and his imaginary Stephanie.

Imaginary Stephanie pushed him down, straddled him, and grabbed his hair, "Is this what you want? To feel good?" She repeated the phrase as she opened up the lab coat more. Connor looked around. As the fake Stephanie continued, Connor held one of her bare breasts, and she took the lab coat off.

"Do you want to feel good?" Stephanie grabbed his head and pulled him in.

"Yes."

Whoa. The scene escalated as more clothes came off, and Connor caressed her entire body. Teresa spun around the chair as the scene got her adrenaline pumping, but she quickly spun back to the screen.

Imaginary Stephanie prepared to mount him. Panting, rubbing, and pleasure all came to a sudden climax—nope, it stopped. Connor removed his nervous hands from her body. Surprised, Teresa would have guessed Connor would have gone all the way. Teresa's shameless watching of this Lucid Passage sex tape made her wish she hadn't interrupted Connor when he imagined her before, in the suit, on their way to the Moon. She didn't like the idea, but she preferred his fantasies involving her to Stephanie. It's not real, Teresa told herself, no different than her mentally making a move on him. It's all in their heads.

"This is enough." Connor relaxed. "Doesn't feel right."

"Is this what you want?" Stephanie asked.

"I don't know," he murmured.

Stephanie looked down at him, "Why stop me?"

Connor closed his eyes and said, "I don't know."

The video transitioned, almost like a glitch. Connor was on his feet, and as he opened his eyes, it shocked him to see not Stephanie but a floating imaginary Connor no longer vertical as if he was lifeless in water. Blue neon lit the sky like lights in a pool.

The trees and bright flowers transformed into faceless people, minus a few. Axel, Neville, Olivya, Christian, and in the middle, Teresa. Lifeless and staring at the drowning Connor. Murmurs and whispers were coming from all directions, yet no one moved their mouths. Teresa knew Connor wished to see Stephanie again. It was apparent even through the computer monitor. No. She hoped for it.

"Do you feel good?" The floating Conner inquired.

Connor couldn't respond as gigantic Joules came barreling through the crowd. Bodies got tossed around like rag dolls. Her paws crushed those around her. Limbs ripped apart in her jaws, blood stained her fur, and she worked her way to an imaginary Teresa.

The imaginary Teresa didn't run, and she just watched as the predator reached her and opened her jaws. Joules relished as Teresa got crushed in her mouth. The enormous wolf bore its teeth, and Teresa's head hung on by a small amount of flesh between a pair of fangs, swaying.

"Stop!" Connor ran up to the beast.

Hanging upside down with blood dripping from her face, Teresa said, "Is this what you want?"

The video stopped.

Holy shit, Teresa thought and tapped her head a few times, wondering how he felt about her. He seemed happy before he left.

She stared at the frozen Joules and her dismembered body. She knew she had messed up. But to change someone like Connor to imagine people getting devoured was shocking. It brought a tear to her eye.

I gotta think of something else. She wiped her face.

Teresa went back a few minutes into the video to find the real Stephanie, but she wasn't there. Teresa reversed the timestamp to when she first saw her and played. As Stephanie watched her imaginary self get on Connor, she stepped away.

"Good for you," Stephanie whispered to herself.

Teresa followed her to another clearing. Stephanie's feet kicked up sand, and the moonlit night displayed only the foam portion of the waves, a neon orange. She slowed down when she saw two dark figures. One was much taller than the other, and they focused on the sand.

"Let's add the moat," the boy said.

The two started digging around the sand castle, and Stephanie kneeled beside the two like a parent watching over her children. The sand castle grew as the two worked on it like machines. They made no mistakes. Every tower, wall, and window was perfect. Stephanie had an endearing smile on her face.

"Hand me that other shovel," the boy said. The girl with the same gold and blue pendant necklace Stephanie wore didn't respond, fixating on her portion of the sand castle. "Steph."

"Yeah?"

"Hand me that shovel."

"Sorry, I didn't hear you over the waves," and she tossed the shovel to him.

Stephanie cried, watching their interactions, and the clip ended.

Teresa closed the file and made her way across the living room. She stepped on the plate—Aeon Switch—like a rug, not caring. Because she knew the Aeon Switch Connor has been using isn't the actual Aeon Switch. The plate does nothing.

How is that bitch doing it?

She then went to another party.