Synthetic Saints by Jason Rolfe

shelves. He could see the memories at work here, but this room was different. It lacked absence.

Maria’s commanding voice still echoed through his mind. Amanda is either dead or she is no longer aboard the Cochrane observatory.

He sat behind the small computer console and accessed Amanda’s personal log. He knew that while the log might not contain information relevant to her disappearance, at the very least it would shed some light on Amanda’s state of mind. He began with the last entry she had made before contact had been lost.

She was sitting in the same chair Alex now occupied. She wore a bath towel and held a glass of red wine. Despite her obvious excitement, there was still a persistent sadness in her blue-jean eyes. It was a brief entry, one he wished she had expanded on.

“I’ve recalled the probe,” she said. “I think I’ve found something.”