mists of tangerine light. We had made it.
A door down the hall opened and Daniel stepped out.
Joshua froze. “Hey.”
Daniel glanced at Althor. “Josh, can I talk to you?”
Joshua turned to me. “Take him inside.” Then he headed down the hall to Daniel.
. Uneasy, I took Althor inside and closed the door. It was a single room, cluttered with bits and pieces of lab equipment. A bed stood against the far wall under a window with blue curtains. Shelves were on the left, crammed with books, and the right wall had a sink and cabinets built into it. A computer sat on the desk, along with a haphazard pile of books and papers. Posters of rock stars and scientists covered the walls.
I helped Althor to the bed. As he lay down, I felt sleep drop over him like a heavy blanket cut from the night sky. I sat next to him, wondering what Joshua was doing.
Several moments later the door opened and Joshua came in with Daniel. They both looked grim.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Daniel closed the door, holding the knob as if to make sure he could make a fast exit. Joshua pulled a chair over to the bed and sat facing me. But his attention was on Althor.
“Is he asleep?” Joshua asked.
“Out cold,” I said.
Joshua took a breath. “Daniel saw police sketches of you and Althor in this evening’s paper, down in the lounge. The police say Althor’s name is Ray Kolvich, that he broke out of San Quentin yesterday, and that he’s a PCP addict.”
I silently swore. “They’re lying.”
“Tina, he killed Matt Kugelmann.”
“It was self-defense.”
“Then why can’t you take him to a hospital?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Daniel spoke. “You better start telling if you don’t want us to call the police.”
“You know I’ve always trusted you,” Joshua said. “But this—I don’t know what to say.”
I pushed my hand through my hair. “You know that test plane they found this morning?”
“I heard about it,” Joshua said.
“Well, it’s not a plane. It’s Althor’s starship.”
“Yeah, right,” Daniel said. “This isn’t a joke.”
“Do you see me laughing?” I asked.
“Is that what he told you?” Joshua asked.
“Yes.”
“And you believed him?”
“For good reasons,” I said. “Besides, Josh, you saw his eyes.”
“I saw something. But it was too dark to tell much.” Although I disliked waking Althor, our choice's were limited. I shook his shoulder, but he didn’t respond. I tried again. “Althor?”
This time his lashes lifted, leaving a gold shimmer. As Joshua and Daniel watched, the shimmer retracted like a receding wave on a beach.
“Cool,” Daniel said. Then he seemed to mentally shake himself. “But it proves nothing.”
Joshua glanced at me. “You have to admit, it’s probably a birth defect.”
Regardless of their outward resistance, I knew they must have had doubts about the news report. Otherwise, they would never have given me a chance to explain, nor would either have spoken with Althor listening. “Think about it,” I said. “How could any normal man go through what’s happened to him and still be in such good shape?”
“I don’t know,” Joshua said. “But there must be a rational explanation.”
An idea came to me. “I need a pair of scissors.”
Joshua went to his desk and came back with scissors. “What are you going to do?”
“Watch.”
The bandage went all the way around Althor’s body, from below his waist to his chest. I felt around on the right side above his hip. Fortunately the bullet wound was on the opposite side. When I found the dent that marked his transcom socket, I cut away a small square and prodded the skin. Nothing happened.
Althor lifted his hand and pressed his side, fingertips pushing the skin in a circle. A membrane pulled back and the transcom slid out into his hand, leaving a small opening in his body lined with glimmering gold skin.
Daniel leaned closer. “Hey.”
“What is that?”
A door down the hall opened and Daniel stepped out.
Joshua froze. “Hey.”
Daniel glanced at Althor. “Josh, can I talk to you?”
Joshua turned to me. “Take him inside.” Then he headed down the hall to Daniel.
. Uneasy, I took Althor inside and closed the door. It was a single room, cluttered with bits and pieces of lab equipment. A bed stood against the far wall under a window with blue curtains. Shelves were on the left, crammed with books, and the right wall had a sink and cabinets built into it. A computer sat on the desk, along with a haphazard pile of books and papers. Posters of rock stars and scientists covered the walls.
I helped Althor to the bed. As he lay down, I felt sleep drop over him like a heavy blanket cut from the night sky. I sat next to him, wondering what Joshua was doing.
Several moments later the door opened and Joshua came in with Daniel. They both looked grim.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Daniel closed the door, holding the knob as if to make sure he could make a fast exit. Joshua pulled a chair over to the bed and sat facing me. But his attention was on Althor.
“Is he asleep?” Joshua asked.
“Out cold,” I said.
Joshua took a breath. “Daniel saw police sketches of you and Althor in this evening’s paper, down in the lounge. The police say Althor’s name is Ray Kolvich, that he broke out of San Quentin yesterday, and that he’s a PCP addict.”
I silently swore. “They’re lying.”
“Tina, he killed Matt Kugelmann.”
“It was self-defense.”
“Then why can’t you take him to a hospital?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Daniel spoke. “You better start telling if you don’t want us to call the police.”
“You know I’ve always trusted you,” Joshua said. “But this—I don’t know what to say.”
I pushed my hand through my hair. “You know that test plane they found this morning?”
“I heard about it,” Joshua said.
“Well, it’s not a plane. It’s Althor’s starship.”
“Yeah, right,” Daniel said. “This isn’t a joke.”
“Do you see me laughing?” I asked.
“Is that what he told you?” Joshua asked.
“Yes.”
“And you believed him?”
“For good reasons,” I said. “Besides, Josh, you saw his eyes.”
“I saw something. But it was too dark to tell much.” Although I disliked waking Althor, our choice's were limited. I shook his shoulder, but he didn’t respond. I tried again. “Althor?”
This time his lashes lifted, leaving a gold shimmer. As Joshua and Daniel watched, the shimmer retracted like a receding wave on a beach.
“Cool,” Daniel said. Then he seemed to mentally shake himself. “But it proves nothing.”
Joshua glanced at me. “You have to admit, it’s probably a birth defect.”
Regardless of their outward resistance, I knew they must have had doubts about the news report. Otherwise, they would never have given me a chance to explain, nor would either have spoken with Althor listening. “Think about it,” I said. “How could any normal man go through what’s happened to him and still be in such good shape?”
“I don’t know,” Joshua said. “But there must be a rational explanation.”
An idea came to me. “I need a pair of scissors.”
Joshua went to his desk and came back with scissors. “What are you going to do?”
“Watch.”
The bandage went all the way around Althor’s body, from below his waist to his chest. I felt around on the right side above his hip. Fortunately the bullet wound was on the opposite side. When I found the dent that marked his transcom socket, I cut away a small square and prodded the skin. Nothing happened.
Althor lifted his hand and pressed his side, fingertips pushing the skin in a circle. A membrane pulled back and the transcom slid out into his hand, leaving a small opening in his body lined with glimmering gold skin.
Daniel leaned closer. “Hey.”
“What is that?”
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