Whatever his thoughts about Ava, which are decidedly mixed, Pal can’t help the pleasure that shows on his face when she quickly catches on. He nods eagerly. “Precisely. We’ve all seen the results of the lack of decay aboard the ship, but this is the first time I’ve observed it under controlled conditions in living cells of organisms that originated in other universes. Length of time aboard has no effect, either: this individual,” he points to a sample, which is labeled with a three-digit number, “has been here for only a couple of months, whereas this one has spent nearly a year aboard.”

He picks up his notebook and flips to a new page. “Tell me about this molecular condition. What do you mean it’s ‘paused’?”