“How was your human?” asked Elec eventually.
“Disgusting and boring. Yours?”
“Same.”
More silence.
“Sorry you lost, by the way,” said Elec after a while.
“No, you lost,” responded Doric.
“I think you’ll find …” started Elec but was interrupted by his comms chip bleeping. “Hold on, I need to take this call.” He got up and loped out of the lounge and took the call in an alcove in the hallway. “Yes?”
“Elec!” came Billy’s breathless voice. “You need to come back to the arrivals lounge. Something terrible has happened. That hundredth rock. Mickey Dobbs went down into the engine room to get it. And now it’s wrapped round his face! Like in that movie. Turns out it wasn’t a rock at all, but some kind of alien, face-hugger thing!”
Elec’s mouth dropped open. He blinked a few times, unsure wh
