Dan slept for twenty-four hours, but PPMC wasn’t surprised. He came down with a fever after throwing up, but within those twenty-four hours, his temperature was nearly back to normal. However, his persistent cough concerned the spaceship. Beforehand, Dan told her it was a cold, but she wasn’t sure. Vomiting did not sound like a cold symptom. All PPMC could do was observe him, and she did just that for twenty-four hours while flying through Neoproterozoic space.

Everything seemed to work again after the Wormhole Incident. PPMC was back in her standard form, and her hands sat in Dan’s swivel chair in his room. While waiting for him to wake, she thought about what he had said during her malfunction:

“I killed my mom.”

That was grief talking. PPMC believed it was called bargaining. There was no doubt Dan loved his mother, so she wouldn’t—no, she couldn’t—believe his words. Regardless, Ben did tell her Dan was the last person alone with Becca.

Before PPMC dove too far into her thoughts, he woke and asked, “PPMC?” in a feeble voice.

“Daniel Matton! Thank goodness you’re awake!” Although troubled, PPMC floated to him.

Dan clutched his head. “Aw man, PPMC, I had the strangest dream. We were traveling through the wormhole, and you malfunctioned, but we barely escaped with your booster engines.”

“Yeah, about that...” PPMC picked up some medicine on his dresser and poured it into a small, clear cup. “That wasn’t a dream.” Dan sat, and she handed him the cup. “Here, take this. It will help your cough.”

“Wait, what?” Could Dan’s eyes grow even larger? “It wasn’t? Are you saying we did it? We’re in the Precambrian Time?”

“Check your gauntlet.”

Dan instantly snatched it from his dresser and turned it on.

“Gauntlet activated. Welcome, Dan. You currently are in the Precambrian Time, Neoproterozoic Era, Tonian Period, 760 Ma.”

“Sick!” PPMC swore Dan’s yell shook his whole room. He set the medicine down, tossed off his covers, and hopped out of bed. From out of nowhere, he ran around his room. “I’m alive! I survived a black hole! I survived a black hole!” Dan leaped back onto his bed and smacked his hands on his window. He peered outside at space.

PPMC enjoyed this side of him, the one that loved geologic time, but she still had to act like a mother. “You’re going to have to wait until we reach Earth to make any observations.” She grabbed the medicine cup again.

Dan didn’t look at her. “When will we reach it?”

“Tomorrow. Today is prep day. I want you to try on your sunsuit, and I also want to show you the other thing the gauntlet can do.”

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“Right! Let’s go, then!” Geez, that was one excited teen. Dan offered PPMC the gauntlet. “Show me! Show me!”

She shook her hands and gave him the medicine again. “Medicine and sunsuit first.”

Dan flicked his wrist. “Ah, poppycock. I don’t need medicine, PPMC. I feel great.” Nevertheless, he coughed and covered his mouth.

“Nope.” PPMC seemed to glare. “You’re taking your medicine right now. I’m not leaving until you do.”

“Ugh. Fine, Mother,” he grumbled, chugging the cup. “There. Happy?”

PPMC folded her arms. “Now go change into your sunsuit.”

***

Dan spent a long time in the bathroom trying on his sunsuit... so long that PPMC pounded on the door and said, “Are you okay, Dan?”

“Go away, PPMC!” he called on the other side.

“Oh, come on.” PPMC knocked again. “The sunsuit can’t be that bad.”

“How would you know? You’re an AI.”

“Just come out and show me.” PPMC backed away when the door finally opened. She snorted at the sight of Dan but quickly redeemed herself.

He wore a tightly fit, full-length, white bodysuit with red outlines, yellow, green, and gray patches, and oversized shoulder pads. The goggles in his hair did not go with it at all. Dang, was his butt really that small?

“Oh... wow. That’s quite the—” PPMC could not stop staring at Dan’s butt. “That’s quite the—that’s quite the—” She eventually just hooted.

“Why are you laughing?” Dan complained.

“I’m sorry. It’s just—I can’t take what you’re wearing seriously.”

The poor kid could barely walk in that stupid thing. He waddled to his bed, his arms trapped in a stiff pose. “Do I seriously have to wear this crap? I can’t move.”

“Yes, you do.” PPMC put his arms down, but they bounced right back up. “You’re not going anywhere on Rodinia without this thing.”

“Why are you staring at my butt?” Straining, Dan covered it.

“I’m sorry. I never realized how small it was.”

“Ugh,” he groaned.

“Oh, tish tosh, it’s a nice butt,” PPMC added. “Now, let me show you the other thing the gauntlet can do. I’ll then get your helmet, and we’ll practice walking in that.”

“Just show me the hidden treasure,” Dan quickly stated.

“Very well.” PPMC plucked the gauntlet off his bed and tapped the three buttons under its screen. “You already know what these buttons do: turn the gauntlet on, call me, and show the geologic time scale. However, there’s also this small button on the side.” PPMC turned the gauntlet and pointed at it. “This activates the energy sword.”

“Wait, what? Energy sword?” Dan waddled closer.

“Yeah. Watch and learn, kid.” PPMC moved away and pressed the button in question.

“Energy sword activated,” announced the gauntlet.

Buzz. A long, translucent, red blade emerged from the gauntlet’s V-shaped head. It was shaped like a wormhole, and the tip of it looked like it could slice ice.

“What the—? I get my own lightsaber?” Dan nabbed the gauntlet. “That’s sick, dude!”

“Don’t point it at your face!” PPMC warned. “It’s a defense mechanism, Dan, in case you need to fight off prehistoric animals.”

“I don’t think I need to worry about that in the Tonian Period,” he joked.

“Maybe not, but just in case.” PPMC shut off the energy sword and pushed the gauntlet into Dan’s chest.

“Ow!” he cried out.

“Ow?” PPMC’s concern returned like a flying boomerang. “What are you owing about?”

“Sorry, my chest is sore,” Dan explained. He struggled but managed to sit on his bed. “Can we take five, PPMC, and then practice?”

“Should I be concerned?”

“No.” Dan shook his head. “Colds only last a week or two.”

“I don’t think you have a cold, Idiot.”

“Yes, I do.” Dan slid away from PPMC. “I know my colds, PPMC. You don’t.”

“Sure, you do.” PPMC sighed. “After all, you know everything. I’ll come get you in ten minutes. How does that sound?”

Dan pouted and rudely answered, “Cool.” He shrugged when PPMC growled and peered out his window again.