The cafeteria became the Sahara. The wall screens turned to a deep blue sky with steep sand dunes to each side. A caravan of camels trudged the desert, their feet leaving deep gouges in the sand. The sun shone blinding my view for an instant. I closed my eyes momentarily. When I opened them, a large tent had materialized. A blue oriental rug seemed to beckon me. I knelt and ran my fingers through its luxurious pile. The computer replicated some things very well, but I had an appetite for the real thing. When I sat back up, Shish kebab, rice, and lentils had appeared on a white tablecloth. I grabbed a piece of pita bread and scooped up some of the spiced beans.

“Salaam Aleichem,” a deep voice interrupted my meal.

I almost choked. A man in Western clothing stood outside the tent blocking the sun. He certainly didn’t belong in the Sahara.

Where did a man come from? I didn’t request company for this meal? Did Computer create him or was it possible he had been hibernating in one of the pods below? He didn’t look familiar, but every single one was very important since there were only a total of four hundred beings alive in the human race except for the crazy Avengers. I didn’t know everyone in hibernation by name.

He entered the tent and sat across from me. His skin was smooth and his hair dark. Thick eyebrows framed his almond-shaped eyes.

Something inside me stirred. I didn’t have this kind of reaction to holograms. Hard to believe I could have seen this man and forgotten him? He was gorgeous – perfect – not a flaw on him and he was all man.

I stifled my attraction. “What are you doing awake?”

“Awake?” He looked at me as if he didn’t understand.

Odd reaction. “Did the attack awaken you?” Maybe the temporary interruption in the power caused his pod to malfunction. If that happened, he was lucky to be alive.

“Do you mean that terrible racket?” He was smiling, and looking even more irresistible. He looked happy - not the kind of reaction I’d expect from someone jolted out of their pod by the attack.

The inside of the tent was dark. I wanted to see him better. “Computer. Caribbean. Evening.”

The tent and dunes disappeared. Waves lazily lapped against the tropical beach and the sun was now a pinkish ball disappearing below the horizon.

“Much better,” he said.

His eyes were a deep brown, his hair parted on the side and combed over to a crisp line above his prominent forehead. He wore the same uniform our crew wore, but it fit much better. In fact, it hugged every inch of his physique.

It had been years since I’d even seen a real man.

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