Michael settles Alex on the bed, excited as he brings out the metallic case where he's been keeping it. His fingers brush against the alien materials and watch as it shimmers and glows, even if it's lined with earth metals inside to weigh it down with flexible titanium.

"I think," he says, "that if I open up a connection through you, I can sense how it's doing," he admits, reaching for the new sock to slide it on, adjusting the prosthetic and attaching it, tracking the length and feeling good about the shape of the foot and the shape of it, so close to the other.

He's spent plenty of time staring at Alex's legs, after all.