Chase followed Avery out of the science room and through a series of corridors leading to what she referred to as the observation dome. She took out a small, flat box from her purse as they walked, and offered it to him.
"These are called recentes," she said. "They will help with dizziness."
His disorientation had long since passed, but he opened it anyway. The box was filled with small white candies. They were jagged—like shards of broken rock, each with a unique shape and size. He helped himself to one and passed it back.
It tasted so wonderful to Chase that he hummed without even realizing it. It was minty, but also sweet. The flavor was impossible to identify. It was incredibly refreshing, and even though it was warm to the touch it somehow tasted cold.
"This is fantastic!" he exclaimed. "Can I have another one?"
She laughed and handed him back the box after taking one herself.
"The last time I had recentes," Avery said reflectively, "was the day I first met you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, remember that interrogation room?"
"How can I forget," Chase grunted. "You know, that was also the last day I had a beer."
She smiled and put the box back into her purse. "It seems like we haven't had a moment of peace since then."
"No we haven't," he agreed.
As she led him through the door, he could see that the observation dome was much less formal than he expected. There were no telescopes or scientific viewing equipment. Instead, the room opened up into what looked like a lounge. Chairs, couches, and other oddly shaped relax furniture were scattered about in an unusually casual setting. There was even a bar with a dark gray granite top and a full complement of beverages in square-ish shaped bottles.
An elevated dais in the middle seemed to be the prime viewing spot, nicely configured with the translucent domed ceiling in order to give a 360 degree view of the sky. Carpeted stairs twisted around the dais, giving easy access to its first class view.
Avery had Chase take off his shoes, and she did the same, leading him toward a supply cabinet where she pulled out a dark green folded blanket and a small crystal cube about the size of his fist. She passed both to him and flashed a smile, motioning him to follow up the stairs.
The stairs wound onto the center platform about ten feet off the floor. The raised platform was large enough for a dozen people to sit side by side and see the spectacular view offered by the domed walls and ceiling. The floor was soft. It looked to be made of some type of carpeted microfiber, and there were additional folded blankets and neatly stacked pillows all around. Avery took the blanket and spread it out, while asking him to shake the cube.
Confused, he shook the small cube and watched as it began to emit a soft amber light, barely visible.
"When I turn down the lights," she explained, "we won't be able to see anything. The glowcube will give us just enough light without spoiling the view."
Avery sat down on her legs and smoothed out her blue dress comfortably, then pulled Chase down next to her on the blanket. He set the cube off to the side and straightened his arms behind him, leaning back to look through the domed ceiling.
Avery turned to her tablet and dragged a slider bar down, instantly lowering the light levels in the room. The view exploded into stars—everywhere. Neither the Earth nor moon was visible from this vantage point, but the panorama was filled with an amazing star field. He was overwhelmed with how many there were. They nearly filled his entire vision.
