PPMC assumed Dan was in his Cool Boy stage. Chenoa warned her about it. It was when he was too cool to say he loved Ben back. However, he was going to regret it if he didn’t.

“Dan, would it kill you to look at your father one more time?” PPMC pushed.

Ben mouthed Thank you, but Dan answered with a huff and closed his eyes.

Chenoa waited for Ben at the hatch, tablet under her arm.

He approached Dan one last time and clamped his shoulder. He still didn’t look at him, but that didn’t stop Ben from squeezing him and asking PPMC, “PPMC, look after my little boy, will you?”

“I’m not a boy!” he finally shouted, clenching his fist. “I’m a man! A man!”

A man, huh? He sure wasn’t acting like one.

Ben remained calm—“Right. I’m sorry, Dan”—and released him. With that, he went to Chenoa and waved at PPMC.

“I don’t know how you do it, Ben,” she heard Chenoa say.

Ben was gutsy—that was how—but PPMC wondered if other factors were involved. She waited until the two scientists returned outside before attempting to befriend Dan with her amateur mother skills. “Dan, do you want me to get the gift your father left for you?”

“A one-night stand?” he quickly questioned. “Sure, PPMC, I would love that one-night stand.”

And that was where PPMC’s lack of knowledge showed. “What’s a one-night stand?”

Dan burst out laughing. PPMC didn’t know if it was a good thing. “You seriously don’t know?” he wickedly said. “And you say you want to be my mother?”

“Hey! I’m just trying to learn how the world works!” PPMC almost punched her time machine. “I’ve been stuck in the workshop for 200 years.” 200 years of guilt was the better thing to say, but Dan wasn’t ready to hear her whole story. The microphone in his helmet sounded—thank goodness. Something told PPMC that she and Dan needed to avoid the topic of one-night stands.

Chenoa’s voice came from his helmet. “Dan, do you read me? This is Chenoa. Over.”

In hearing another human, Dan’s face showed… relief? “I read you, Professor.” He yawned but coughed through it.

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“Awesome!” It looked like Chenoa’s excitement was back. “I want to let you know that we’re down to T-minus twenty minutes. Over.” Just like that, she cut off.

“Wait, Professor! Don’t leave me!” Dan begged. “No, we are not over!” His fear finally overcame his snarkiness.

It looked like PPMC was getting somewhere, so she tried again. “Dan, do you want me to get the gift your father left? That or the fossil?”

He scoffed. “A man doesn’t need a gift from his dad.”

You’re not a man, Dan, PPMC thought to herself. You’re a boy and an idiot. She excused herself and went to get Ben’s gift. Her hands moved through her walls and dropped out of a hole into Dan’s room.

The space center attempted to make it as homely as possible. It didn’t look homely now because PPMC buttoned it down for blast off. Dan’s bed, drawer, and TV were stuck in the wall and ceiling, but PPMC could barely see the crowd eagerly awaiting the big launch from his window.

She opened the holographic door of his closet and pulled out Ben’s wrapped gift. The wrapping paper was prehistoric-themed with a red bow. PPMC tucked it into her arms and returned to the hole she came from.

“What’s that?” Dan inquired once she reached the cockpit again.

“Oh, just the gift your father got you,” PPMC sarcastically answered. “But wait—a man doesn’t need a gift from his dad.”

“Shut up.” Dan shuffled in his seat.

PPMC enjoyed messing with him. “Your words. Not mine.”

“I said shut up!”

“Very well.” PPMC opened a small compartment next to her time machine and slipped the present into it. “It’ll be here when you want it later.”

Dan huffed.

Eventually, his helmet microphone sounded again. “Daniel Matton, do you read me? This is Professor Chenoa. Over.”

“Thank goodness,” he said. “I read you, Professor, and please don’t leave me with the starship again.”

PPMC chuckled. “Sorry, Dan, but you’re stuck with me.”

“Just try to make friends with her.” Chenoa almost sounded desperate. “Anyway, we’re down to T-minus five minutes. Over.”

“Wait, Professor!” but she cut off again.

PPMC’s engine roared to life, and her cockpit’s buttons began to flash. She could do this, she could do this, even with a pain in the butt passenger.

“I’m doomed,” Dan whimpered.

The next four minutes felt longer than they should have. PPMC and Dan didn’t speak; they merely waited. PPMC thought about that fateful day and promised she would take extra good care of Dan. The man’s injuries worsened over time until…

Chenoa broke her thoughts. “Daniel Matton, are you ready for blast off?”

“No, but I have no choice,” he answered. His body tensed.

Chenoa let him have it. “You’re right about that, son. We’re down to T-minus one minute until blast off.”

PPMC’s body shook at the speed of an aerotrim. She steadied her hands and peered out the windshield to the cloudless, blue sky.

“T-minus thirty seconds until blast off,” Chenoa announced.

“Professor, you and Dad owe me!” Dan shouted, tightly shutting his eyes.

“Prepare to blast off Daniel Matton.”

“You owe me!”

Before PPMC knew it, the countdown began, and Chenoa sounded over-the-top enthusiastic. “In T-minus five, four, three, two, one—”

“Blast off!” PPMC roared.