Eve took a deep breath and delicately opened her eyes. She was lying on a hospital bed. Adam smiled on her right and an androgen avatar hologram of the ship stayed quiet on her left.

'You've gone softer and softer with the process.'

'We've understood there's no need to push anyone to its limits,' said Adam reassuringly.

'Hum... Reformulating.'

'Aren't you pleased that way? It's easier for you isn't it?'

'Of course. But that doesn't prevent me to doubt you're real. You could be a physical reconstruction of Adam impersonated by the ship. And the hologram over there would be a lame attempt at convincing me that it is the only AI-controlled personae in this room.'

'That is indeed one of the possibilities you should anticipate when being awakened.'

'Yeah. Reformulating again... As if you are unable to show any hint of imagination as any proper human being would. You know what? I'll settle for assuming for now that you are really the ship's avatar disguised as Adam... So! Where is Adam?'

'I know I should feel offended, but I know you do not mean it. So I will settle for answering that you are indeed not facing the real Adam you knew but his clone and in fact the only one alive at this moment.'

'Bullshit. Even high on drugs, he wouldn't be that polite. So, again, where is Adam? And what's the current situation? Anything new from our alien friends?'

'No, the news comes from the solar system,' rejoiced Adam.

'Ah,' issued a non-plussed Eve.

'We're back home it seems, since they are saying we are entering their comfort zone.'

'Sounds like a threat to me,' commented Eve.

'Well. Yes. They're talking about obliteration... If we do not double back once again.'

'Of course.'

'Of course indeed,' summarised Adam, or the ship's impersonation of Adam.

'So what did you woke me up?'

'Same as always: together we are more equipped to face uncertainty than I alone.'

'You know, you're really giving me a hard time. How am I supposed to trust that you are not the ship waking me up once more?'

'Well, I guess I could say I brought you a gift.'

Eve was taken aback and she exhaled the reserve of breath she had unconsciously taken to shout at him.

'Ok. That makes you a good boy. Unexpected. But that's your thing indeed to keep on surprising me despite the many years we shared.'

Adam smiled widely at her, at his trick, and at the cute little puppy he produced magically out of his back.

Eve immediately went mad out of fondness for the dog. She sat straight up again to grab a thing she had not seen for too many lifespans.

'I called it Toby. I hope you like that name, because it recognises it already so it's too late to change.'

Eve ignored him, and kept on mumbling and gently stroking the head of the poor puppy. It had lamely failed to escape the inescapable embrace and was now wondering whether to duck the head, bite the hand or maybe better: lick the fingers.

'So cute,' said Eve radiating.

'Indeed,' warmly answered Adam. 'I thought our little joyful friend would do some good on-board a doomed ship.'

Eve's smile dropped immediately as if it never had existed.

'Is it that serious? I mean, the threat.'

'You can't judge a threat until it's too late. So I won't say.'

'Right.'

'But there's something weird in the warnings we received lately.'

'How come?'

'They've not reciprocated with a video feed, for one thing.'

'That's normal. They still don't want to give any information away to the aliens.'

'But the aliens have gone,' gravely informed Adam.

'What!'

'Shortly after the long range attack from the solar system...'

'But I was there and saw nothing,' she interrupted. 'Well, I acknowledge we have not exchanged any messages since but...'

'I forced the ship to hide the truth from you,' said Adam. 'But they're gone all the same. I'm sorry.'

Eve lay down again and remained silent but gave him a meaningful stare saying: go on, then.

'After the attack, it took the remaining of the Centaurian flotilla a long time to actually reverse its course. But when the ship realised it, you were already dying from the radiations of the attack. I lied to you on your deathbed, so you would leave peacefully. I didn't have the guts to act in any other way. I hope you understand.'

Adam breathed loudly and resumed. 'But then, I lied again when you woke up, and ever since. And for that, I'm truly sorry because it is childish of me since you were bound to know at some point.'

'Well, you'll notice that I'm not strangling you, so I'd say I passed the test, but I hate you nonetheless,' spat Eve.

'None of your clones ever failed the sanity check,' he fondly answered.

'Would you stop reformulating for once and tell me something I don't know!'

'Sorry. Sure. Hum, we expect the Earth to contact us tomorrow given the current trend of messages.'

'You say "we" as if you were the ship. Am I still taking the test?'

'No. I swear. I'm the real Adam and you're not anymore taking a test.'

From her bed, she smiled broadly while concluding: 'Take this then.' And she punched him on a point she had been glancing at with anticipation for quite some time: in between the legs.