For Owen, it's been a matter of months: some of the people claim to have been here years. The more things change, the more they stay the same--and vice versa. No one seems to have concrete answers, no matter how long their tenure. Even Mark seems surprised by the curves the Observers throw them for, this far in.

"Pretty much every day since I arrived," he confirms. "This stuff on display? It's just the plants, and just the ones that seem to do something. I've run into bats that bite like snakes, make you go blind. Seen birds that reflect the world to blend in. It's just enough like home to feel even more alien when it isn't."