Tali lay on her side of the bed and waited for the call to come in. She hadn’t noticed when Simkha drifted off to sleep, but she did notice when Simkha rolled over and cuddled up to her. Tali certainly noticed when Simkha’s hand shifted across her soustaise, the joint of Simkha’s thumb settling gently about an inch below Tali’s navel.

  Tali considered the call to be a welcome distraction when the audio ping finally came through. She dismissed the “audio incoming” notification in the corner of her SIGN display and waited for Professor Elkano’s voice to be transmitted to her inner ear.

  ??Diver Prime, this is Dive Control. Repeat—this is Dive Control. Please confirm you’re receiving this call.??

  ??Heya Dive Control, this is Diver Prime. I’m receiving. Network link is live. It’s, er, really good to hear from you.??

  Tali was surprised to hear how vulnerable her voice sounded, but the professor just chuckled and responded.

  ??Oh, I remember that tone of voice. Welcome to the Deep-Diver’s Club, Talitha. Your first extended dive is always more stressful than you expect. I did my first when I was a few years older than you. During the Node Drift Crisis. I cried just from hearing my Dive Controller talk in High Tongue. And of course, your dive was not supposed to be extended. So let’s have a status report—how are you holding up???

  ??Er,?? said Tali.

  How was Tali holding up? She had felt excited when she'd slipped away on her little adventure that afternoon. But as soon as she realized she couldn’t find Simkha’s friends, that feeling of triumph turned into anxiety. Then she had been accosted by Simkha’s hot, mean friend. And then Simkha was crying. And then, well...

  ??I have no idea. Today felt a bit touch and go, but I guess I’m doing good now???

  Tali steadied her voice and shared a quick recap of her last twenty-four hours. She thought it was a pretty good recap, only slightly edited to omit the Simkha-related fumbling that she was trying to ignore.

  ??So,?? said Tali, ??How’s that rescue plan coming???

  ??Well,?? said the professor, ??that’s a bit of a mixed bag, Diver. We’ve faced more serious hologram crises, but most of them have also been much simpler than this one. Let me outline my agenda for the rest of this call.??

  ??Let’s do it, Dive Control.??

  ??First, I’ll walk you through our rescue plan. That’s going to include both the actual rescue, and the preliminary work before the rescue. Second, we’ll discuss how the department can support you. That’s going to include supporting your part of the rescue plan, and supporting your general life-needs while you’re stuck in the Hologram. You have some pretty daunting work to do. But your sister seems to think it won’t bother you. Third, you can ask any questions you have for us, or you can just tell us about anything important you think we might have missed. After this call, we’ll set up a regular exchange of compressed data bursts between your SIGN and the Bagel. We’re thinking an automatic connection for a few seconds once a day, which we can use to exchange emails, videos, and data. Now then, do you have any questions before we start???

  Tali felt overwhelmed again. She placed her hand atop Simkha’s and paused for the duration of one deep breath.

  ??I think I do have a question. Is Hanners there? You said ‘your sister’ before, and I guess you kept saying ‘we,’ and, well.??

  ??Ms. Kohen? Hannah???

  A fumbling sound crackled through the connection before Hannah spoke up.

  ??I’m here, Tal. Miss you. Our parents say ‘be safe.’ I’m gonna spend the next little while uploading a resource packet to your SIGN frame. But I’m listening to the call, and I can jump in if needed. Officially, I’m just here to keep the professor on-track with the agenda. We can talk more later.??

  ??Hi, Hanners,?? said Tali with a smile. ??You know, I just asked if you were there. Bold of you to assume I wanted to hear from you.??

  Hannah blew a dismissive raspberry.

  ??Bold of you to assume I care what you want. Love you too, sis.??

  Professor Elkano chuckled.

  ??Well then let’s put on our ‘scholar’ hats and begin, shall we? Our plan to rescue you is this: we’re going to figure out how to rescue you, and then we’re going to rescue you.??

  Tali Blinked. Professor Elkano chuckled again, more self-consciously.

  ??Now, the plan is actually much better than it sounds. We have thoroughly tested the Big Bagel, and we are confident that it is still capable of creating a link between four-dimensional space and the hologram. We can still create an anchoring gate out here.??

  ??Mmmhmmm,?? said Tali.

  ??We can’t actually test whether Bagel gates can form in the Hologram because we can’t create any new links to the inside. But all our theorists agree that it ought to be just as possible. If you had your own Bagel in there, then you could create your end of the gate.??

  ??My own... Bagel...??

  ??The real problem arises trying to connect the inside to the outside. A link must be possible, because otherwise this SIGN network would have broken and this call would not be happening. But it’s almost like the physics in there and the physics out here have gone out of alignment.??

  ??That’s not good,?? said Tali. ??Dad always said it took them decades and billions of credits to figure out gate travel with the first Bagel.??

  ??It will take us much less time,?? said Professor Elkano. ??Which is for the best, given how psychotic the Council of Cladarchs and the Antecladists are acting right now. The things they claim we’re doing... one must wonder how anyone could actually believe what they say.??

  ??Hmmm,?? said Tali. She grimaced, opened her mouth, closed it, and let out a frustrated huff.

  ??Professor,?? interrupted Hanners. ??You’re getting off-agenda.??

  ??Ah. Quite right, thank you. Miss Talitha, the calibration isn’t going to take decades this time because we’re going to be calibrating from both sides of the Hologram. Out here, we’ll run our tests with the Big Bagel. As for you in there...??

  ??Professor, it almost sounds like you want me to build my own Bagel inside the Hologram.??

  ??Well yes, we do,?? said Professor Elkano. ??But don’t panic, Tali. We will help you every step of the way.??

  ??B u i l d?m y?o w n?B a g e l . . .??

  Talitha started to shake.

  ??Diver? Talitha??? probed the Professor.

  ??THIS IS GONNA BE SO GODDAMN COOL!?? said Tali.

  ??Oh,?? said Professor Elkano.

  ??I’m gonna build a Bagel! My own Bagel! Eat it, dad!??

  ??This is what I meant,?? sighed Hannah.

  ??Talitha, I want to be sure you know how important this work is. I expected you to find it daunting. Not just your safety, but the entire future of Hologram studies could rest on this dive,?? said Professor Elkano.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  ??Like, I guess, it’s gonna be hard,?? said Tali. ??But this is, like, a dream of mine. Our dad always used to talk about building the Big Bagel. But he stopped talking after... er, we call it ‘Typhoon Tali.’ He refuses to talk about it now. Hannah thinks that he thinks I’ll blame myself for screwing up all the work he did.??

  ??Hold up,?? interjected Hannah. ??Nobody but you calls the Anomaly Incident ‘Typhoon Tali.’ This is why everybody says you blame yourself for it—what else is that name supposed to mean? It’s exactly why he thinks you’d be happier studying in a different department.??

  ??Well, now he can’t keep that over-protective crap up any more,?? said Tali. ??He’ll basically have to open up about Bagel stuff.??

  ??I mean... ugh,?? said Hannah, ??I guess you got what you want, because he already has opened up. Look at your resource packet and find the file labeled ‘Bagel Design — Annotated.’ Well dad’s the one who annotated it. He left you a little note too.??

  Sure enough, there it was. And there was the note. Just four words at the beginning. I'm proud of you. Tali was fine. She blinked her eyes clear, looked over at Simkha, set her jaw, and calmed her breathing.

  ??Okay,?? said Tali. ??I have to build that Bagel.??

  The Bagel-building plan was relatively simple. For one thing, Tali would have to take the annotated Bagel diagrams in the resource packet and re-do all the math. For yet-unclear reasons, the calculations attached to the diagrams degraded into uselessness when they were sent into the hologram. And for the same reason, Tali couldn’t send her calculations back out of the hologram for Bweim-biew physicists to check.

  ??Even if we can’t check your math,?? said Elkano, ??We have other ways to help you get the resources you need to stay alive and build your Bagel. For example, we think you could exchange several of our cultural innovations for access to resources.??

  ??Well, I guess you can’t Bagel the resources directly to me in here. And without knowing anything about the current system of resource-distribution...??

  ??Let’s put first things first,?? said Professor Elkano. ??And our first problem is the fact that you don’t speak the native language. We can’t expect you to build a machine this involved without native help.??

  ??Please tell me the linguistics department has some kind of self-teaching translation software or... something???

  ??Well, I started by asking if they had some kind of universal translator. They laughed at me and asked how I thought language works.??

  ??Sounds a little harsh.??

  ??I thought so too, but then one of them called me a ‘brainless Chomskian.’ They started arguing, and next thing I know, one of the students hit her professor with a chair. Makes me reevaluate how comparatively nice they were acting towards me.??

  ??What the professor is supposed to be telling you,?? cut in Hannah, ??is just which resources the linguists actually sent. Look in your resource packet. Your first program under ‘Languages’ is a layman’s guide to learning an undocumented language. It’ll help you determine when your pronunciation is good enough and when it might cause confusion. It’ll walk you through analyzing units of meaning and their organization. And it tells you how to puzzle all your language concepts together. You should also use the second program in there—it’s a language immersion assistant that runs in the background on your SIGN frame.??

  ??Well... I guess that’s better than nothing. I already started trying to learn their [English] language, and it’s been kicking my ass.??

  ??You’ll have to stick to it, Diver. Your rescue’s not the only thing riding on this project.??

  ??Even if it was,?? said Hannah, ??you still have to come back. That’s the most important thing for me.??

  ??I’ll do it. But maybe you could send me an advanced SIGN user guide, too? It could be, er, it could be helpful to swap my HUD to the native script as I learn it.??

  ??That’s already in your resource packet. But don’t get too narrowly focused on any one topic. We will need a wide range of information to plan what comes next. If you need a break from learning languages and doing math, then try to figure out how the natives handle resource distribution. It probably won’t be as obvious as social credits, but we will need to understand it.??

  ??Sure, I can do that too!?? said Tali. ??I’ve actually made a pretty good start already.??

  ??Just be careful, Diver,?? warned the Professor. ??Your safety is important. Ah, your sister says we are running short on our allotted time. So, what questions or information do you have for us???

  ??Er,?? said Tali. ??What about... can I ask for support for Simkha, too???

  Simkha shifted in her sleep, nuzzling Tali’s shoulder.

  ??Hmmm,?? said Professor Elkano. ??Support for your Simkha? What do you mean by ‘support?’??

  ??Erm, right,?? said Tali. ??I just want to help Simkha make the most of her SIGN frame. After all, I need her to keep using it. And the best way to do that is to make sure she wants to keep using it.??

  ??I think that sounds reasonable, ?? mused Elkano, ??so it should be fine. We ought to deal as fairly as possible with our native contacts, especially as we move out of our current crisis.??

  Tali held her breath, waiting for Hannah to object. When Hannah said nothing, Tali cleared her throat and spoke as confidently as she could.

  ??So Simkha’s SIGN frame isn’t taking her readings right. Like, it won’t automatically calibrate. I’m trying to do it manually, but I’m not sure I’m doing it right. I don’t know how to fix it.??

  ??Hmmm,?? said Professor Elkano, ??did you turn on ND mode???

  ??What, er, what is ND mode???

  ??Talitha, I believe this is a question you can answer yourself if you think it through,?? said Professor Elkano. ??Ask yourself: how does a SIGN frame usually take readings???

  ??I guess,?? said Tali, ??it, like, takes data from those laser pulse things, and compares that against the signals it hijacks from your body’s own, er, its own synaptic structure???

  ??That’s right. And why might that system fail for Simkha???

  ??Riiight,?? groaned Tali. ??Because her synaptic feedback will be all muddled—from the Autism and from the dimensional scarring.??

  ??Then what should ND mode do??? asked Professor Elkano.

  ??I guess it must, like, turn off the synaptic information feed???

  ??Just so,?? said Professor Elkano. ??It will give her less information than she might otherwise have, but it will give her correct information. And it will even show her the most likely reasons for the information she’s getting. Her information will improve if you can build a Bagel over there, since it will be able to supplement the sensors in her frame. You still have to calibrate her SIGN manually, though. Look up ND mode in the advanced user guide. Okay???

  ??Okay,?? said Tali. ??I will do that. I feel silly that my answer was in the guide. But while we’re talking about Simkha, would you also send us a learner’s guide for High Tongue? I think it would help her navigate her HUD better. And you would understand the situation better if you could just talk to her.??

  ??Mmm...?? said Professor Elkano. ??Hannah???

  ??I, er,?? said Hannah. ??I’ll send it. I think, well, yes we can send that to you. But also it may behoove us to be... circumspect? I want us to maintain a nice, clean, professional relationship with Simkha. Let’s not forget what we talked about yesterday regarding emotional distance. And avoiding complications. Maybe even avoiding actions that could lead to complications???

  Tali looked down at Simkha’s sleeping form. Simkha had curled up with her nose pressed against Tali’s upper arm and her knees by Tali’s hip.

  ??Yeah. I’ll be careful, sis.?The last thing Simmie needs right now is another Typhoon Tali. Heck, that’s the last thing the Hologram needs, without the Big Bagel working.??

  ??...??

  ??Tal, did you just call her ‘Simmie.’??

  Tali groaned.

  ??Oh my God it’s fine,?? said Tali. ??Don’t worry about it.??

  ??Hmmmmrngh...?? Simkha groaned. Simkha blinked her eyes open.

  ??Ogh... Tal?... Leafste... Esyebleaft. Stil te bwezen pesygye. Ig... E?ns, ?t fery?t. Tocht bwet ty sear???

  ??...??

  ??...??

  ??...??

  ??Bwerom pyndl?g syochsto. Is m?sg?en gyo oprop yn heraldmodus? Spregge.??

  ??Tali...?? said Hannah. ??Where are you... in relation to Simkha... right now???

  ??It’s fine!?? Tali squeaked. ??It’s not like that! Simkha’s putting me up, right, but her flat is small... So my futon is right next to her bed.??

  ??I’m sure that’s the case,?? said professor Elkano. ??But I still must remind you that you are on a university dive. While you are an adult who may act as she likes in her free time, you are still expected to uphold university standards of professionalism. Your extracurricular activities must not endanger the integrity of our rescue mission.??

  ??Got it,?? said Tali. ??No problem.??

  ??Sis...?? sniffled Tali. ??Please play it safe. Please. We need you here, yeah???

  ??Ferdomme. Hew ?g gyo plen ferwune??? mumbled Simkha. ??Ferdomme! T?nge se tet bwy tegearre sl?epe? No, ?g tegearre neugen pedoel . Net sl?epe.??

  ??OkayGottaGo,?? said Tali. ??MessageYouTomorrow—Bye!??

  beauties.

  i do legal work for my career, and that work’s had me pretty busy for the last month or so. it’s all about this new bad law that came into effect for my relevant judicial system. it's just a lot.

  i don’t know if or when i’ll get back to writing as often as i want to. i expect that'll depend on when and how i sort this legal situation out. but i do know that i still really like writing these characters and this story. so Sim HUD Simkha will continue. i just don’t know how frequent the new chapters will come.

  love,

  ash