But Ragnarok’s starhad moved to drench him in its rays once more. He was at least twolong strides away from the shade. His bundle of stakes were justwhere he’d dropped them.
How long was I standing here?He looked over to the next rows where Trish, Vikram and Terry wereworking. They were all breathing heavy, looking around in shock.
“That wasweird, right?” Terry asked. “Ikind of feel like that was weird.”
“It was weird,”Trish said.
“Should we headback?” Terry asked.
“We’re almostdone.” She squinted up at the sky. “Still time to finish and itseems like whatever that was… it’s gone now.” She pulled out astake from her bundle and drove it into the ground. “I’drather finish now than have to come back again later.”
“Seriously?”
Sheturned to face him. “We’re making a home on an alien planet. Ifwe stop and run for home every time something ‘strange’ happens,we won’t get much done.”
That got Frank moving.He picked up his bundle. It was still next to his feet, proof that hehadn’t moved back into the sunlight.
They managed tofinish in less than an hour and they loaded up into the open-sidedrunaboutthat passed for a pickuptruck on Ragnarok. Frank fed power to the grav-engines and theylifted off, turning toward the city.
They descended from thehighlands, swooping in low over the city walls. Vikram leaned out theside as they passed into the city, frowning down at the corner of thewall, ignoring his mother’s demand that he stop risking his neck.
Frank brought thetransport down onto the roof of their house where a landing pad satnext to Terry’s suite. The engines whined out the last of theirpower as the three contact points settled onto the reinforcedsurface.
“Are you tryingto give me a heart attack?” Trish demanded angrily. “Hanging outthe side like that?”
“Did you see the topof the north-east tower?” Vikram asked, too absorbed in his ownthoughts to consider how he’d scared her.
“Somethinginterrupted the pattern when the nanites were putting up the wall,”Frank told him. “We’re going to have a railing put up to keepanyone from falling off…”
He frowned,realizing his wife was now angry at more than just her son. Nowit looks like I’m not taking her concern seriously either. Healmost reminded Vikram to listen to his mother but that was a bit tooweak by this point.
“Your mother’sright,” he said. “We don’t want you getting hurt. Leaning outof a moving runaboutis a damn good way to get yourself killed. Now on, when we ride thisthing, everybody connects a tie-down to the seat rails.
“And...” He held upa warning finger. “I will make a point of dragging your recklessback-side over every roof in town if you manage to fall out.”
“Sorry,”Vikram said, sounding not the least as if he meant it, “but did younotice how the slice missing from the tower was aligned with us as wereturned to town?”
Frank sighed. “Alignedwith us?”
“Our flight path,”Vikram insisted. “The path we took to get home from the weird thingthat happened up in the highlands.” He hopped down from therunabout. “I’m going to take some measurements. Maybe…”
“Maybe you’ll donothing of the sort,” Trisha fumed. “Not until you’ve finishedunpacking your things.”
“But Mom…”
“No buts, young man!”She pointed imperiously at the stairs. “Get to it!”
The young manslouched off, grumbling, butin that uniquely teenage way, venting frustration while skatingdangerously close to the possibility of further trouble.
Terryhopped out and went to his own place, trying his best to hidehis grin.
Sheblew out a long breath, sagging against the headrest of her seat. Shelooked over at Frank, reaching out and, to his relief, taking hishand.
“What wasthat?” she asked quietly.
He hardly needed to askwhat she was talking about. “It felt like everything was beingsynchronized,” he said. “By something… someone…”
She nodded. “It wascoming from the back of the ledge we’re planting on.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “We wereall facing that way, remember?”
“Right.” Henodded absently. “And it lasted for quite a while. I was in theshade when it started but the star was shining down on me bythe time we came back to oursenses.”
“Some naturalphenomenon, perhaps?” she ventured.
“A natural energyfield, maybe.” Frank shrugged. “I mean, who knows what’s normalon an alien planet?”
Out of the cornerof his eye, he saw Vikram, through the glazed dome of the centralatrium, sneaking out of his room and heading for the stairs to themain floor. Kid’s gonna get an earful from her when hecomes back, he thought ruefully.
Unless I can keep her from checking to makesure he’s making progress with his unpacking.He raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s been a tough day,” he said.“Why don’t we go to our room and I’ll help you out of thatarmor?”
She chuckled. “You’llhelp me out of this automatically retractable suit of armor, willyou?”
“Oh, yes, please,”he whispered, leaning over to kiss her neck. “And that deliciouslysnug underarmor suit you have on might be especially tricky…”
She made a soundin her throat. “And what if Vikram should hear us, allthe way from the wall, where I presume he’s already headed?”
He leaned back to lookat her.
She giggled. “Don’tsit there with your mouth hanging open. I know my own son!” Shegrabbed the collar of his armor and pulled him in closer.
“It’s nice to knowyou’re willing to take on the arduous task of distracting me so hewon’t get in trouble.”
“Arduous almostfits,” he said, shifting in his seat. “I think we need to startwith my own suit because it’s suddenly a lot less comfortable.”
She frowned for amoment but then her eyes widened in shock and amusement. She pressedan access port on his chest and an emergency interface appeared,letting her deactivate his suit.
“I can’t walkaround like this!” he hissed in alarm. “Thisunderarmor suit leaves nothingto the imagination. “
“Vikram’salready left the house,” she said, leeringat his condition. “And I can hear Terry’s shower running. There’snobody to see you between here and our own shower, except for me andI’m allowed to look all I want.”
Terry took incrediblyshort showers, literally just enough time to apply and rinse off thesoap and shampoo. Frank didn’t think this was the time to bringthat up.
He couldn’t put hisfinger on why but it was oddly stimulating to be so
