Cobra Alliance

'Well... it's better than not getting any respect at all.'

Jonny snorted. 'Thanks a lot,' he said wryly. 'I'd rather be picked on.'

A sign of life at last. Jame pressed ahead, afraid of losing the spark. 'You know, Dader and I have been talking about the shop. You remember that we didn't have enough equipment for three workers?'

'Yes—and you still don't.'

'Right. But what stops us from having you and Dader run the place while I go out and work somewhere else for a few months?'

Jonny was silent for a moment, but then shook his head. 'Thanks, but no. It wouldn't be fair.'

'Why not? That job used to be yours. It's not like you were butting in. Actually, I'd kind of like to try something else for a while.'

'I'd probably drive away all the customers if I was there.'

Jame's lip twisted. 'That won't fly, and you know it. Dader's customers are there because they like him and his work. They don't give two hoots who handles the actual repairs as long as Dader supervises everything. You're just making excuses.'

Jonny closed his eyes briefly. 'And what if I am?'

'I suppose it doesn't matter to you right now whether or not you let your life go down the drain,' Jame gritted. 'But you might take a moment to consider what you're doing to Gwen.'

'Yeah. The other kids are pretty hard on her, aren't they?'

'I'm not referring to them. Sure, she's lost most of her friends, but there are a couple who're sticking by her. What's killing her is having to watch her big brother tearing himself to shreds.'

Jonny looked up for the first time. 'What do you mean?'

'Just want I said. She's been putting up a good front for your sake, but the rest of us know how much it hurts her to see the brother she adores sitting in his room and—' He groped for the right words.

'Wallowing in self-pity?'

'Yeah. You owe her better than that, Jonny. She's already lost most of her friends; she deserves to keep her brother.'

Jonny looked back out the window for a long moment, then glanced down at the college applications. 'You're right.' He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. 'Okay. You can tell Dader he's got himself a new worker,' he said, collecting the magforms together into a neat pile. 'I'll start whenever he's ready for me.'

Jame grinned and gripped his brother's shoulder. 'Thanks,' he said quietly. 'Can I tell Momer and Gwen, too?'

'Sure. No; just Momer.' He stood up and gave Jane a passable attempt at a smile. 'I'll go tell Gwen myself.'

The tiny spot of bluish light, brilliant even through the de-contrast goggles, crawled to the edge of the metal and vanished. Pushing up the goggles, Jonny set the laser down and inspected the seam. Spotting a minor flaw, he corrected it and then began removing the fender from its clamps. He had not quite finished the job when a gentle buzz signaled that a car had pulled into the drive. Grimacing, Jonny took off his goggles and headed for the front of the shop.

Mayor Stillman was out of his car and walking toward the door when Jonny emerged from the building. 'Hello, Jonny,' he smiled, holding out his hand with no trace of hesitation. 'How are you doing?'

'Fine, Mr. Stillman,' Jonny said, feeling awkward as he shook hands. He'd been working here for three weeks now, but still didn't feel comfortable dealing directly with his father's customers. 'Dader's out right now; can I help you with something?'

Stillman shook his head. 'I really just dropped by to say hello to you and to bring you some news. I heard this morning that Wyatt Brothers Contracting is putting together a group to demolish the old Lamplighter Hotel. Would you be interested in applying for a job with them?'

'No, I don't think so. I'm doing okay here right now. But thanks for—'

He was cut off by a dull thunderclap. 'What was that?' Stillman asked, glancing at the cloudless sky.

'Explosion,' Jonny said curtly, eyes searching the southwest sky for evidence of fire. For an instant he was back on Adirondack. 'A big one, southwest of us. There!' He pointed to a thin plume of smoke that had suddenly appeared.

'The cesium extractor, I'll bet,' Stillman muttered. 'Damn! Come on, let's go.'

The deja vu vanished. 'I can't go with you,' Jonny said.

'Never mind the shop. No one will steal anything.' Stillman was already getting into his car.

'But—' There would be crowds there! 'I just can't.'

'This is no time for shyness,' the mayor snapped. 'If that blast really was all the way over at the extraction plant, there's probably one hell of a fire there now. They might need our help. Come on!'

Jonny obeyed. The smoke plume, he noted, was growing darker by the second.

Stillman was right on all counts. The four-story cesium extraction plant was indeed burning furiously as they roared up to the edge of the growing crowd of spectators. The patrollers and fireters were already there, the latter pouring a white liquid through the doors and windows of the building. The flames, Jonny saw as he and the mayor pushed through the crowd, seemed largely confined to the first floor. The entire floor was burning, however, with flames extending even a meter or two onto the ground outside the building. Clearly, the fire was being fueled by one or more liquids.