"Yes it would," I agree with a slow nod. "And I don't really know about the philosophical side of that, the definition of what's real and isn't -- If we remember something with clarity that didn't happen, is it real, etcetera. But of all the crazy possibilities -- And let's be clear, they're all pretty far out there -- that's the one that seems most plausible to me."

It was clear enough the concept wasn't one she was happy to be considering, but who would be? It definitely doesn't help me sleep better at night to think that everything I went through to get back from Mars was just somebody's idea of a cool backstory.

"I might be wrong," I allow with a shrug. "I just know that there's pretty clear evidence for us being in some sort of simulation, and that puts us one step closer to complete mental manipulation rather than quantum physics."