Ride the bus.

It isn't much longer before the ship pulls up to its next dock in City-4. Many people depart, but others board, and you for better or for worse don't see the child anymore. You grab onto an unbroken handle, lean your head back and sigh. You've hardly been conscious for an hour and everything has already been so chaotic.

"We're almost there. Don't look so worried, Julie," Dr. Freling speaks up.

"Is it so easy to tell how I'm feeling?" you ask.

"I mean yes, I can just check on my wrist, but that isn't what I did. It's written all over your face."

You stare between your shoes. "As a robot, I would have thought I'd have a better poker face... Wait, you can just check stuff like that? Do I have any privacy?"

The doctor laughs. "Oh yeah. I mean I can't read your thoughts. Unless I plug in and download them of course. I can just check your numbers, so that way I can tell if something's wrong. For example." She looks down at the screen. After an uncomfortable pause, she slowly raises her eyes back to you with a wide smile. "20%, huh?"

"Stop looking!" You grab her arm and **** it back down.

"If it makes you feel better, I'd probably be about there too." She glances to the window, and speaks before you're able to respond. "We're almost there. Look, there's the transportation bridge to City-3."

"What kind of crew are we leaving with, Doctor?"

She clears her throat. Then, she leans in close, and whispers into your ear. It tickles. "Well, let's just call them... smugglers, of sorts. Best not speak too much about it here."

You put your hand over your face. "Will our adventure ever stop being sketchy?"