While Graham
locked the doors to the shop, I got into the Jeep, watching Rob and
Cory head for their place. In a way I envied them living
together, but I knew that would come for us eventually. I felt
bad for Cory because Rob was so insecure, despite having more than half
the brains of the family, as well as half the looks, charm, muscle and
sex appeal. I wondered if they could compensate for each other's
Achille's heel. I hoped so.
Graham jumped
into his seat and we took off, the night sky so dark every star was
lit, as the moon was just past quarter, and had long followed the sun
into the West. It was a perfect night,— crickets still buzzing
and the air just slightly cool, the smell of the fresh-tilled soil full
of promise. I put my hand on Graham's thigh and squeezed a
little, just to let him know I was close.
"Tired,
B.B.?" he asked.
"What B.B. you
talking to?" I said lazily. He'd only slipped once since I
told everyone I was Bill.
"Big Bill,
Bubble Butt Bill, Babe Bill, Beautiful Bill, Bubba Bill, my Buddy Bill,
whichever," he said in an exaggerated drawl, "The man I
love."
"Sweet
talker," I said, looking over at him through squinted eyes,
making the starlight streak over him.
"Hold that
thought," he said, jumping out to lock the front gate. I
just lazed back in the seat, staring at the firmament, completely
relaxed. I felt him get back in the seat, but I didn't
move. I just said,
"I love you,
Graham,— I really do."
"I know,
Bill. Let's get home and get in bed before you fall asleep."
"Sounds
good," I said, my hand back on his thigh, "Don't know a
soul on Earth I'd rather curl up with."
I somehow
managed to sleep all the way to the third rut before his porch, then
woke with a start. It hit me,— Graham and I were going to sleep
together in the same bed that night. Even if it was only for four
hours, it would be the first time I'd slept with a man in my
life. I wondered if I snored. If he snored. I've farted in
my sleep before. I hoped I wouldn't do it again, not with Graham
there. I wondered what his farts smelled like. T. J.'s are
awful,— like stale vomit. Would I be able to sleep with a warm
body right next to me like that? I mean,— I dozed off last night
at my place, and we were more than just close, he was inside me for
cries sake!
"Mmmmpff?"
I managed to get out as his lips covered mine in a kiss a millisecond
after we stopped. My arms went around him instinctively, holding
him to me, and my mouth opened to his.
"I need a
shave," he said, pulling his tongue out for a minute, "a
shower and a shave."
"Me, too,"
I said, "and a toothbrush. How come the optimizer doesn't
give us a shave or brush our teeth?"
"Hey!" he
said with a chuckle. "You're lucky you don't get oiled and lubed!"
I laughed
despite myself, as we got out of the Jeep, and went up the steps to the
porch. The timers shut off the lights, so Graham had a little
trouble finding the keyhole. I probably didn't help much,
squeezed up behind him, massaging his chest in the front, my cock
already half-hard in my jeans.
"You waking
up?" he said as the door finally opened. There was still a
slight smell of the roast coffee beans in the air.
"More'n
that," I said, turning him in my arms and pulling him to
me. He was awake all right. Roger was like a brick against
my thigh. "That hurt?"
"What?"
"Roger all bent
down like that?"
"Yeah,
Doc. Think you can make it better?"
He was already
breathing deep, and we hadn't even got started yet.
"I do that to
you?" I whispered in his ear, his head on my shoulder. My
hand reached down and felt him, so big. I had that in me last
night, filling me with his love and his semen. I wanted it again,
but not tonight,— not tonight.
"All I have to
do is see you across a room, and you do that to me," he said,
licking my neck. "It'll turn to stone pretty quick, if you don't
do something about it, Doc."
"Let's go,
Tiger," I said, "lead the way."
We went upstairs
to the main bedroom, just like the others on nearby farms (except mine,
which was built after the others, when the first one got blown to
smithereens by a tornado or something). It was a man's room, with
simple polished wood floors, thin carpets by the sides of the high bed,
with four posters but no side curtain rails, just at the ends, and no
curtains. There was a highboy chest of drawers, a commode with an
old thunder mug and water pitcher, and a blanket chest, dark wood,
nothing else; no blinds or shades to block the view, but those
real thick curtains that blocked out the light of early June mornings,
pulled aside. Pictures in frames, mostly black and white, all of
farm scenes.
I turned him
around to face me just as we got near the bed, and held him gently in
my arms, nuzzling his chest like a horse, smelling him, his odor, his
unique perfume, just for me. He pulled my shirt up out of my
jeans, just as I unbuckled his belt and popped the buttons of the loose
denim. We each toed off our boots, and in a few seconds he stood
before me, naked but for his socks, just like me, and I had no idea how
we got undressed, whether it was him or me who took off my shirt and
T-shirt. I just stood there for a second, looking at his
beautiful body, Roger on the verge of drooling, aimed at my
heart. I ran my fingers over his chest, feeling the soft hairs,
the smooth skin of his shoulders, his neck. I shivered under his
light touch on my stomach, his forearm briefly grazing my cock.
"I want
you," he whispered as he pulled me to him, as we fell the few
inches to the bed. It felt cold beneath us. We wriggled
under the covers, somehow never losing full-body contact, his body
pressed to mine, showing his readiness for me. Roger was drooling
and so was my cock.
I wanted to make
it last forever, make love to him until the sun came up, try to give
him the ecstasy he brought me the night before, but that was just a
dream. Before I realized where things stood, I was at his door,
trying to get in, his legs over my shoulders, his hand guiding my cock,
smearing my clear stuff all over the hole. It took a minute to
get the head of me into him, and we stopped for a minute to catch our
breath, let him get used to me.
"I love
you," I said, reaching down to kiss him, trying not to move
inside him, trying not to come yet. "You're why God made me."
"Come inside me,
Bill," he said on my lips, "Come into me and come inside
me, make me come with your lovin.’"
Slowly, using
the expression in his eyes as a gauge of his reaction of me inside him,
I fucked into him, a little bit with each stroke, kissing his wonderful
lips softly, whispering to him how it felt, the tight ring moving down
on my cock, the warmth of him inside, the love I felt for him.
Roger went a
little soft, and I took him in hand, getting some of Graham's juices
from a puddle on his belly, and stroked him to hardness again, just as
I hit bottom, as far in as there was to go.
"You're the only
man's ever been there," he said to me. "I’m proud it's
you. I love you."
He shifted his
legs a little, wrapping them around my middle, like we had learned to
do the night before, a pillow under his butt from somewhere, me
hunching into him slow, long. I reached back to Roger, and
stroked him gently in our rhythm. Somehow, I knew Graham wasn't
going to be able to come without my hand, that was something only I was
able to achieve under him, only he could bring out in me. No
matter,— we were as close to being one person as any two may ever be,
and my heart was beating at a gallop for him, for this thing we were
building towards.
I found that by
hunching 'just so,' I struck a cord in him that must have been like
when he was fucking me last night, sending a huge shiver through me on
each in and out stroke, and I moved over that spot again and again, a
little faster, desperately trying not to come before he did, counting
the hairs on his eyebrow, breathing mostly his air, letting him pull
fresh air through my nose, and too soon, just in time, I was rewarded.
"Bill, I'm
gonna’ go. I'm gonna’ shoot!"
His muscles
around my cock squeezed down, and I felt Roger's head expand in my
hand, my man's entire body shudder underneath me, and it set me off,
the liquid steel pouring through my cock, sending waves of overload
through me, pushing my cock as deeply into him as it would ever get,
firing my semen into him in spasm after spasm, just as his seed was
roaring out the head of his cock, shooting right under his chin,
collecting there until I lapped it up, even as I was shooting into
him. He shouted his release, and I moved my head down, just a
little further, and I had his cock in my mouth, or at least the head,
and felt a weak jet of his seed on my palate, another, then no more,
just a slight flow as I continued hunching into him, still spewing.
His hands were
on my shoulders, caressing, as I swallowed his semen, then tried to
suck more of his seed out,— but no more came. He started to go
soft a little in my mouth, even as I took more of his cock into me, and
as I began to cool down a little, my breath catching up. I let
him out of my mouth and kissed my way up his belly, kissing up the seed
I found there, licking him clean and almost dry, finally reaching his
lips, just as I came out of him, grabbing at a T-shirt to wipe myself,
just in case, throwing it over the side of the bed after I wiped him as
well.
"I love you,
Bill," he said over and over, like waves on a beach. I
curled up with him, kissing his face, his ears, his temples. I
never felt more peaceful than when I was with him like that, making
love, after making love, saying the sweet things you feel for each
other. The inhibitions are gone, you can say mushy things without
fear of looking foolish.
We slept in each
other's arms most of the night. I think I was more in his than he
in mine, but that's all right. I think we're both natural alpha
males, it's just that he's a little more alpha than me, and that suits
me right down to the roots. He didn't fart once all night, which
left another mystery unsolved. But his body smelled so good, it
was all I could do to keep from licking at it all night.
His damned
rooster Chester woke us at the ungodly hour of four fifteen. My first
words after "I love you" were "we're having rooster for Sunday dinner."
I don't think I
said another word until we hollered in each other's mouths as he forced
me to come again just by moving inside me, my legs squeezing him to me,
my hands pulling his hips into me. He licked up my semen from my
chest, just like I did. He was tentative at first,— Graham never
tasted anybody's come, not even his own, before he tasted mine. I
can't say quite the same, seeing as how I tasted my own a couple of
times, and I tasted T. J.'s once after he came in my hand when I was
corn-holing him. But that was an accident, so we agreed that
Graham's was the first I ever tasted and swallowed.
We both knew
that it was not only good, but it was good for us.
Our morning
consisted of the usual Keystone Cops stuff. We took the Jeep back
to my place, did the chores, grabbed some clean clothes, the milk and
eggs, dashed back to Graham's for me to shower and dress while he did
his chores, then I gathered eggs for mom and candled them while Graham
was in the shower. I don't know how we did it, but we got to the
cafe right on time, a minute after Pete got there, just before Ralph
Dreeson plowed through the door.
We were already
considered the regular occupants of the booth. Ralph moved
to Graham's customary seat, Gary was now at the end of the counter, and
Andy was now the occupant of the one-place "L" at the end of the
counter. I figured that suited him down to the water table,
because he could see mom most of the time while he was enjoying his
breakfast. Everybody knew Andy was sleeping at my mom's house
now, of course. I figure everybody was a little relieved to see
mom getting into a relationship with someone who wasn't nobody's
husband. That kind of stuff can ruin a whole town,— tear people
apart worse than a tornado. Nothing as dangerous as a single man
or woman in a town full of married couples, especially one as
good-looking as my mom. Far as I know, though, she never had any
man at all after my dad died, at least not before Andy.
Dan poured two
mugs for us just as we got in, Graham put the eggs in the basket for
mom, we said our greetings to all, then sat to sip the fresh coffee
while mom cooked us up the usual, with a side of flaps for me.
Except that morning it wasn't quite exactly the same.
"Graham?"
I looked up, and
it was Andy, standing there with a sort of serious look on his
face. I moved over, and Andy sat down beside me.
"S'up,
Andy?" asked Graham. He was in good spirits, open and
friendly, but I felt his tenseness underneath.
"Thought I ought
to let you know,— just between friends and all." He spoke in a
quiet, low voice, like he didn't want anybody at the counter to hear
what he was saying. I got this awful feeling in the pit of my
stomach. Somebody suspected Graham and me was queers. Somebody
turned us in, spread the word.
"What's
that?" said Graham, calm as a warm rattler,— coiled, but not yet
ready to shake a warning.
"The inspectors
are hassling about Pete's Pump again." he said, "Asked him
where his business licence was on the telephone. County asked
about Pete, too,— yesterday afternoon, down at the Clerk's office where
my Aunt Liz is the recorder. Then they asked her about you,—
whether you had a permit from the county to operate a garage or an
airport. Wanted to know about the hangar. Said it was
confidential, they didn't want nobody to know they was askin' about
you."
I started
breathing again, but only after Andy said they were coming to the
hangar.
"I got a county
business licence,— permit, too," said Graham, "Only fer a
garage, though. Ain't planning on learnin' ta fly."
He was laying
back on his accent. Funny,— he lost it somewhere over the past
four days. He almost sounded like a Californian,— no accent at
all.
"Another funny
thing, too," Andy continued, "The district office of KP&L,
where my Bess' brother Bart is the straw boss, got a visit yesterday
from some mucky-muck from the County,— asking about how much power your
place was using. Bart said there's not that much being drawn at
all, about what you'd expect from a small machine shop. Guy asked
him to recheck, run a power monitor on your place for a few days, then
get back to him, give him an hour-by-hour breakdown of power use."
"Why you think
they're doin' that?" Graham asked without so much as a blink.
"I figure they's
worried about drugs or some ‘um like ‘at," Andy said real
quietly. "They busted an operation up in Michigan or summers what
was growing weed in a warehouse big as the hangar. Fitted out
with grow-lights and everything. Caught the sucker 'cause he
didn't have a big enough deposit for the juice he was using, and the
power people came a-calling. The guy off’ed 'em both and got
away. Ain't caught him yet."
"Nothin' like
that goin' on in my hangar," said Graham with a broad grin. "I
only use the maintenance shop. The hanger’s empty. You can
come look anytime you want, if'n it'll put your mind at ease.
Probably ought a’ come look it over anyway, more to put Charlene's mind
at rest."
"You're
right," said Andy, "I don't want Char to get no more bad
news."
He was looking
right at me. I stared right back at him.
"I'm a’ fixing
to ask yore’ mom for her hand, Bill. I ain't gonna’ ask your
permission ‘cause you ain't her paw or nothing, but I would appreciate
your blessin,’ Son. So’s I figured you ought a’ know first
off. I wanna’ try to make her happy fer as long as He's gonna
give us together."
"That ain’t
nothin' but good news fer my ma," I said, consciously adopting
his old Kansas drawl, the one our teachers worked a lifetime to get out
of our heads. "Certainly you got my blessin’, Andy. Can't
think of nobody who would make mom a better husband in these parts than
you."
"That so?"
said Andy. "That's real good news to get from the source."
Then he says to
Graham, "I pray you're not up to nothin' bad, the two of you."
"Nothin'
illegal," Graham said, "Everything's all above board,
permits and all. Come by after breakfast, we’ll show you around."
"We gotta' make
sure the inspectors believe that," said Andy, "I'll be
there soon's you eat."
Then, in a big
voice, Andy said, "Well, I'm darned pleased it's going so well
fer ya,’ Graham! You tell me if'n you need any help out
there. You men be good, now, ya’ hear?"
He got up, waved
at my mom, said, "See you tonight, hon," and went through the corridor
by the toilet to the back door, out to his cruiser.
"We got
trouble?" I asked softly.
"Not if I can
help it," said Graham. "Gimme’ a sec." When he got
up, I looked in the mirror behind him,— he was the same old Graham
everybody in town knew. I wondered how long the disguise would
work. What would happen when the ship left. He went to the
phone box in the corridor and made a call to somebody. I just sat
there thinking about what might happen if the inspectors came to the
hangar. They wouldn't see nothin' but the jackhammer, the
concrete box, and the pallet jack; nothing to give the ship away;
certainly no marijuana plants; no lights.
"Groth?" I
thought. "You hear me?"
"Yes."
"How much
energy?"
"Several hundred
megawatts until you installed the probe. A score or fewer
kilowatts of imbalance in the fields now. A thousand megawatts
when the funnel is in operation. Hundreds of thousands when the
ship slows and enters, but only for a minute or so. The hangar is
not on the power grid at all right now. All power is taken from
the ship’s surplus."
"Detectable from
a satellite? One of those defense department things? Radar?
Radio antenna?"
"Regrettably,
yes. Only notable when the ships move outside the full cloak."
"How many more
times are the ships going to have to use the funnel?"
"Three times."
"When?"
"Tonight, ship
five brings more units. Half of the rest of them. In a day
or so, if there's a late night thunderstorm, it will sneak out using
the funnel, float a few miles away, then leave. Ship seven will
enter at precisely the same time, with the remaining units. As
soon as the units are installed and tested, ship seven and the ship
will leave, probably in four days, now that we have help from Rob and
Cory."
"What about the
ship here now?"
"Ship two left
this morning before dawn. Incomplete remaining units were first
transferred to the ship for completion of the growth cycle. The
funnel was in operation for twelve seconds. It was not practical
to bring ship five in simultaneously."
Will the drive
be down all the time?"
"It will be down
for three and a half more days, at the least. We have no way to
speed the process. There are physical limitations."
"What?"
"A,— the four of
you can not work any faster."
"We could find
more help,— maybe."
"It would be of
little help. Because B, some of the units will not be fully grown
for sixty-two hours."
"Do you do
concurrent testing?"
"Yes,— all the
units connected last night are optimally configured and fully
operational."
"Can the drive
operate without some of the units being fully grown?"
"Units can not
mature if installed in the drive before they are ripened."
"What if?"
"The drive will
not operate at full power. We must have full power when we leave,
or the mission will fail."
"Why fail?
If the Earth will be here for at least another umpty-thousands of
years, what's the rush?"
"As I told you
yesterday, the calculations will not be complete for another four days
from tonight. I will not be able to answer your question until
they are complete."
Mom came over
with our platters, and I got up for a hug and a kiss.
"I swear, Bill,
you're losing weight around your middle and moving it up to your
shoulders." she laughed, "That old man's done you a power
of good."
"Uh, Mom, I
gotta tell you something,— I guess." I spoke in as soft a voice
as I could.
"No,— you don't,
Bill. I'm your mother,— remember?" she whispered, making
like she was wiping the table. "Mommas know their cubs.
I’ve known you was gonna’ be a man's man from the time you was six."
I must have
looked like I got hit by a two-by-four across the forehead.
"Now, don't you
fret none, ya’ hear? I'm a little sorry you couldn't find you a
decent one round about your own age, but it ain't my choice. It's
yours. I been worrying about Graham near twenty years, too,
so it takes away two worries in one."
"You don't have
to worry about Graham at all, Mom," I said softly, "He's
changed,— he's not as old as he might look to some."
"I noticed him
changin' some," Mom said, about to turn back, as Gary Boyce was
coming up the steps. "Growin' in new hair and all, least in back
and front, heavy beard and no redneck no more. Then all of a
sudden, he's the old Graham again. I know somethin's goin'
on. I know, Son,— but it don't worry me none."
She gave me a
kiss on the cheek then whispered " Graham's not the only one
who's changin'. Your birthmark stayed off, but the scar is
back." Then she went back behind the counter, leaving me
completely bewildered. What birthmark?
"You had a small
red birthmark on the back of your right ear." Groth said, "I did
not include it in the personal cloak you wear, as it seemed
inconsequential. Your mother was right when she said females know
their young."
Graham came back
from the telephone.
"We got bad news
coming, I think." said Graham.
"From all
sides," I said. "Mom just told me she knows about you and
me."
"You already
figured that."
"She told me
she's know’d since I was six I was a man's man."
"Yer mom's a
good woman. She'd never do or say nothing to harm you."
"Yeah, I know.
It's just,— "
"Goin' too fast
for you?"
"No!" I
said a little too loud. Ralph looked over his shoulder at me,
winked and turned back. "I just have to get used to it for a few
minutes. What's the bad news coming?"
We piled into
the food, while Graham told me what his friend said. The one up
at the Power and Light. It wasn't just the County people who were
asking questions. The FAA asked about unusual sightings of
aircraft or any known major power surges in the past ten days that
might explain large radar anomalies in the Katy/Salina area. The
FBI was rumored to be bringing a passel of people into Salina, where
they only have a sub-office, and appeared to be behind a series of
questions being raised on whether there were any strangers or
odd-looking people nosing around the area.
"Oh, Graham?"
"Yeah?"
"Groth moved the
second ship out last night. Moved all the units in incubators
into our ship,— moving half the rest in tonight."
"Figures.
I thought about that last night, Groth must have thought it wasn't too
bad an idea."
"It was
previously considered and rejected as a tactic, as there would be too
much power required for the incubators. The probe simplifies
that." Groth was apparently now speaking to both of us.
We finished
shoveling down our food, got up and left, saying 'so long' to everyone,
we had a mess of tractors in line for service we had to get done by
dusk. I paid, 'cause I was a little disquieted Graham felt he had
to pay for most everything; perhaps, because I was a sharecropper, or
just because I was younger. We sorted that out on the way to the
hangar,— the money thing. It was our first spat, I guess.
Not a bad one. He just didn't realize I wanted to pull my own
weight, to fifty percent or more if I could get away with it.
When we got to
the garage, Andy was already there. So were Rob and Cory.
They were all smiling and laughing a little, Rob braying at something
or other just as we got out of Jeep.
"Hey,
Boss!" Rob yelled out, "Morning!"
Cory said the
same, then he kinda moseyed over to us, not rushed at all, but he would
a’ won a three-legged race hands down.
"He got here a
few minutes ago, just when we was unlockin," Cory reported,
"Said you told him it was okay to take a look around, but he'd wait
until you got here, as long as we wasn't comfortable with lettin' him
in."
"You done
exactly right, Son,— " Graham said clapping him on the back,
"exactly right!"
We walked over
to the others, giving Rob a big grin behind Andy's back, who was
obviously in the middle of some tall tale. Rob winked at me, then
gave a look at Cory that said the night had been good to them.
" . . . and the
guy says 'ma'am, we done established that as a fact a while ago.
Now we's jus' haggling over the price!" Andy said. Rob bust
out laughing, so it must have been a pretty good one.
"You been
tellin' that same tired joke for nigh on ten years, Andy. Can't
believe Rob here ain't never heard it," Graham said as Rob opened
the door, following Graham's nod that it was all right.
"I heard
something like it once," said Rob. "Cept the hooker was a
judge and the john was a lawyer dealing a bribe."
"You boys ate
quick," Andy said, ignoring Graham's remark.
"Didn't want to
keep you waiting," Graham said quickly.
"Got a ton of
business, I see," Andy said, looking at the four tractors ready
for pick-up, two in the bays and one waiting.
"Early
days," Graham said, "I'm hopeful."
"Looks good in
here," said the cop. "Can I see inside the hangar a minute?
Never saw inside one a them before."
"Sure,
Andy." Graham said, and walked to the doors. "See these
here doors? Got a counter-weight system like I never seen
afore." I thought he was laying it on a little thick, but Groth
said I was not to worry, Graham was doing just fine. Rob and Cory
looked like they were about to bust from the need to tell me
something. Something I figured Andy definitely did not want to
overhear.
Graham finally
opened the doors, and "switched on" the low-level lights, which, of
course, were powered by the ship now.
The hangar was
empty! Even the concrete blocks, the drive, the pallet jack,— all
of it was gone. All that remained was just a dusty floor, barely
letting the yellow centerline show through, except at the rear door,
where the wind had scoured the dust away. The old tug was still
in the far corner. I almost cracked a laugh, it was so
good. There were even a few footprints in the dust, showing how
little use the hangar got.
"Thank
you," said Groth.
"What the hell
you want all this space for, anyway?" Andy said to my man.
"Comes as part
of the garage, Andy. Gary can't rent the place out to nobody what
wants hangar-type space. I just rent the shop. It pays his
property tax plus a little, what he ain't had in rent since his pa
died, and I get garage space what I couldn't rent cheaper nowhere
else. Win-Win."
Andy strolled
out into the hangar a little, looked all around, then walked
back. His steps reverberated through the hangar, loudly.
"Well,— I’ll
tell ya something, Graham," he said. "I'm real glad you
showed me this. I can tell they ain't no illegal stuff going on
in there. I was powerful curious,— worried, I guess."
"I 'preciate you
taking the time to come by, Andy, I really do. Most cops wouldn't
bother trying to protect a little fish like me from them bureaucrats."
"No problem,
Graham,— no problem," Andy said. "Yer practically part of
the family." He was pulling a cigar out of his pocket.
Cory looked at
the cigar like it was a King Cobra. I just about crapped my
trousers. Jeeesus! Did Andy know about us, too?
"Uh,— gotta' ask
you not to smoke inside, Sheriff!" Rob called out from behind me,
"State regulations!" Since when was Rob a stickler on
regulations? I laughed a little inside as I stood by the hangar
doors, and Cory and Rob moved up on either side of me.
"Cory was
suffering from Asthma," Groth murmured, "I have not yet
informed him his condition has been corrected."
Andy gave me a
half grin and a wave, then he and Graham walked quickly to the door and
out. Andy's not allowed to smoke in the cruiser any more, so he's
hard pressed to get in his five a day.
"You guys are
okay," I said, mock-punching Rob in the gut, when the door closed
behind them. "What's with the hangar. Where's the drive?"
I got blank
stares and hunched shoulders. I went back to the doors to the
hangar, opening them part way. The equipment was all back where
it was supposed to be.
"Groth," I
said, "what did you do?"
"Just a
low-level hypnotic," Groth said aloud. "The human mind is
quite suggestible."
"Tell me,"
I said.
"Tell you
what?" Groth said.
"Just an
expression,” I said, a little irritated, "It means I
concur, but in a slightly sarcastic manner."
"You are
irritable?"
"No, no,—
Groth, just apprehensive. We’ve got to get going. I don't
like this."
"I concur.
The probability of discovery is increasing."
"Has Trothwell's
car left yet?"
"He’s getting
inside it."
"How many
control units are ready?"
"Twenty-six are
available right now. Approximately eight per hour for twelve
hours thereafter, then four per hour. A total of one hundred and
forty-four between now and midnight, the time ship five will
dock. There will be three hundred units,— fully matured,— on ship
five when it arrives, and forty-two mature units on other ships, with
two hundred and twenty-six still incubating."
"We'd better get
started," I said to Rob and Cory. "One of you with me in
the hangar, the other with Graham in the shop. We'll swap after
dinner."
"I'll take first
shift with you," said Cory. He looked at Rob as he said it,
and they must have agreed it was okay.
"The patrolman
has left," said Groth, just as the shop door opened.
Graham gave me a
thumbs-up, and we plunged into the work of the day. Rob met Graham to
explain to him what we were doing, and Cory and I went into the hangar.
While we worked,
we were mostly just hauling units and positioning them in the slots as
Groth directed. It only took me a minute or so per unit to make
the neural connections to the unit next to it. The tools Groth
provided worked exactly as I learned at the learning center.
We didn't spend
much time in talk, as it was mostly just passing each other, or him
dropping a unit off and heading back for another while I was doing the
connections. We were pretty well-suited as a team, him getting
units to me almost as fast as I could slide them into position and do
the connections. We actually got a little ahead of the production
maturing at one point, so we took a quick break and sat on the probe
housing. Groth said we would be more efficient that way.
"You and Rob
okay now?" I asked as we drank the iced tea I'd fetched from the
fridge. They'd kind of sorted themselves out the night before at
the supper table, Rob saying (apparently for the first time) to Cory he
was in love with him, wanted to make things work for them long-term,
was scared of losing him. That's why they looked so bubbly.
"We're a lot
better," Cory said, looking between his feet at the floor.
"He told me he didn't want to live without me. Rob asked me to
marry him."
"Marry?"
"I know, it
ain't legal, but we've been going to my church, pretty regular, and
there's a minister in Kansas City what blesses unions between guys, if
they show him that they 're serious. Girls, too." Cory was
a little more animated. "Rob says if he, if we,— get married,
maybe we'll think a little harder about what he means to me, what I
mean to him, before we do anything stupid like break up, walk out, or
whatever."
“Graham told me
what Groth said about Rob's mom. He's afraid you'll leave him."
"I could never
do that," Cory said. "I love him too much. He’d never
do nothing to hurt me, neither. He told me about,— about the
men's restroom thing with you,— swore to me he'd never do nothing like
that again, as long as we were together."
"How do you feel
about that?" I asked, not quite sure of what he meant. His voice
was steady,— he only glanced at me when he said it, then looked at the
floor again.
"It would hurt
me to think he was unhappy with me enough to go to one of those places,
take all them chances, be with a guy he didn't love just to taste some
come what wasn't mine, but,— if that's what he wanted, what he needed,
I could live with it,— I guess,— as long as he don't stop loving
me. Long as I don't know, I guess. No, I don't know about
that. I think I'd hafta know. I couldn't,— couldn't take it
if he wasn't honest with me. I think I'd know he wasn't,— if,— I
don't think he could hide it from me."
"Is that what he
wants?" I felt a chill on my back. God, why can't people
ever be happy with what they have?
"He says
not. Says he only did it because he was so lonely he cried
sometimes,— said he felt dirty after."
"You guys get
tested?"
"What,— ?"
he looked at me sharply. "Yeah, I got tested at the hospital,
last December, when they thought maybe I might be diabetic. I
ain't gone with nobody but Rob, except my best friend in high school,
and we never done it with nobody else. I was just him and me, and
we never did it all the way. Rob got tested last summer before he
would do it with me without a rubber."
"That's another
reason," I said.
"What?"
"Either of you
ever have sex with another guy, you'll never be able to have sex
without a rubber again."
"Yeah. I
hate them. Rob uses them sometimes to keep from coming too fast,
but I make him cut off the end."
"Why?"
"I want it to
stay in me, just like I want mine to stay in him when we do it that
way."
"Can I ask you a
question?" I asked, looking down at the ground. Cory just
sat and waited for me to ask.
"Are you mad at
me?"
"Me? At
you? Why?"
"For what
happened?"
"You mean with
Rob? In the restroom?"
"Yeah."
"No,— why,—
should I be?"
"I don't know.
It's just,— I told Graham."
"And?"
"He wasn't mad
either."
"What's wrong,
then?"
"I guess I
wanted him to be. I wanted him to tell me he'd never stand for
that from me. I wanted him to yell at me for doing something that
stupid, that dangerous. I guess I wanted him to be jealous."
"Why?"
"I don't
know." I suddenly felt like a fool, "Let's get back to
work."
I chewed over
what I'd said as I hauled the units, slipped them into the slots Groth
indicated, pushed them home, felt the circuits connect, made the neural
links when needed, went for more when Cory didn't already have two more
moved up to me. Why did I want Graham to be jealous? Cave man
instinct? Possess and be possessed? Raise my self-esteem?
My social standing? If a hunk like Graham fought for me, did that
make me better?
"Your race is
still young," said Groth once as I walked back to the stairway
for the umpteenth time, in the midst of these thoughts. "Too
close to the period where your intelligence has not ripened enough to
suppress individual mating instincts urging natural selection of the
strongest, using factors of strength, power and cunning more than
intelligence, beauty and sensitivity."
I said something
utterly rude,— he let me alone. I apologized. I knew he was
right, I just didn't want it rubbed in my face.
Cory and I
managed to get fourteen inner ring and fifty-seven outer ring units
into their slots by the time we knocked off. Graham asked what we
wanted him to order up for dinner. Mom had a special of meatloaf
with olives and pimentos and tomato gravy for the meat and potatoes,
and we all chose that. Cory and Rob went to fetch dinner, while
Graham did all the soldering on the inner ring units we just
installed. He kept at it while I put a few more units into the
outer ring. A couple of times, I had to wait at the bottom of the
stairway for units to come down.
"We have
replaced most of the cards which are rapid in growth," Groth told
us while we were eating. "There are more arriving at midnight,
but the rest are slow to mature, and a few will not be ready to place
in their cradles for three days."
"Are we on
schedule?" Graham asked.
Groth said we
were doing fine,— we were caught up with production.
"When we finish,
can we,— " Rob started to ask.
"I would be
honored if you would allow me to take you all on a demonstration
ride," Groth cut his question off.
"Really?"
I almost shouted. I think we all did. "Really?"
"Of course."
"Wow!"
I think Groth
was using psychology on us. We finished dinner in half the
allotted time, and Graham and I went back into the hangar. I
thought Graham would have wanted Rob to go in, but he reminded me I
knew nothing at all about tractor maintenance, and he was the only one
who knew the soldering routines. He also had a business to run,—
there were still two tractors to be done by the morning, and four being
picked up that night.
The soldering
was going well, because when five o'clock rolled around, and I
installed the last of the pairs of units that came to the bottom of the
steps, Graham moved right to them as soon as they clicked into place, I
watched his concentration, his calm, his hands deftly moving over the
soldering device, following some plan of which I had no concept.
He flexes his jaw muscles when he concentrates, and I watched as they
alternately grew and contracted.
Rob and Cory
came in about the same time, saying the tractors were finished, but
they wanted to watch, find out what time we were coming back that night.
"How are we
doing, Groth?" Graham asked as he stood up from the last
unit. His back was stiff, I could see. I wondered if it
would be more practical to raise the drive donut higher, so the
soldering unit was at a more comfortable position for Graham's work.
"You have now
installed one hundred and ninety units. There will be thirty-four
more ready from the ship tonight, and when the fifth ship arrives just
after midnight, there will be three hundred more ready for
installation. At current rate of progress, the ship will be ready
for service in three days and one hour. The limitation is not
your assistance. It is the rate of maturation of the control
units, the last of which will not ripen until three hours before the
drive can be fully operational."
In three days
Groth would leave and the adventure would be over. I wondered if
going back to the farm would be enough, now. It seemed to pale a
little in comparison to what we were accomplishing here.
"There is a
vehicle carrying five men turning into the hangar driveway."
We all ran out
of the hangar, closing the doors behind us, as Groth continued.
"It is the same men who brought the tractors earlier. They have
no suspicions of your activity. They will drive the tractors
away. You have left an ignition wire loose on the second Deere
unit from the front."
"I got
it!" Cory said, already headed towards the tractor. He
didn't question Groth's statement at all.
By the time Star
Fleet left, it was almost half past five. (I had to suppress a
giggle as I watched them,— there was a strong resemblance, I had to
admit. None of the guys looked like Ohura, though.)
"What time do we
need to be back?" asked Rob. His arm was around Cory's waist, and they
both had bulges in their jeans that told us what their current priority
would be.
"If you please,
it would be best if you arrived somewhat before the arrival of the
ship. Midnight would be the most appropriate, as the ship will be
at the hangar door at seventeen minutes, six seconds after twelve
o'clock. You will need the optimizer for three minutes now, and
for two minutes when you return at midnight."
"Let's go,
then." said Graham, looking at my crotch. "I think we all
have some things to take care of before we get back."
He had no reason
at all to talk,— jolly Old Roger was definitely not fast asleep.
We all went through the optimizer for a couple of minutes, then closed
the shop doors and drove home.
None of us took
any note of the red and white soda pop truck sitting by the side of
Katy Road across from Gary Boyce's place. Graham and I went over
on Post Road, so we didn't pass it, and I doubt Rob bothered to look in
his rear view mirror all that much as he and Cory turned North, towards
the Interstate. Groth saw it, though.
While Graham and
I did the chores, Groth was analyzing all wave lengths that came from
it, whether sound, heat, light, ultraviolet, whatever.
While we were
fixing supper at Graham's, Groth was bringing another ship overhead,
just to confirm the readings coming from the truck. While we were
making love to each other for the first time in a new way, Groth
neutralized the problem. But after we were apart, Graham swung
around to hold me, and we were just kissing little pecks in between
saying sweet nothings, Groth did his throat-clearing imitation and got
our attention.
"I am afraid
your security services may have strong suspicions of the origins of
local energy broadcasts. I have taken defensive steps."
"What kind of
steps?" I said lazily. I felt like dozing after the
pleasure of taking Graham's semen into my mouth, just as he was
getting mine in his. It's nowhere near as good as taking it in my
butt, but it's streets ahead of what I was used to.
"The cloak has
been upgraded from visual to all observable wavelengths in the
direction of any vehicle monitoring the hangar."
I failed to see
how this would solve the problem. There would be still more
excess energy that couldn't be dissipated through the probe.
"The cloak
upgrade is a temporary fix. A more urgent need is the
decommissioning of the monitoring vehicle."
"What
vehicle?" Graham said, sitting up.
"An electronics
monitoring vehicle has been parked near the hangar for some
hours. It can detect the heat and energy anomalies, as well as
monitor sound and electric power consumption, telephone communications,
and broadcast the information to a satellite overhead."
"What do we do
next?" Graham said. He got out of bed, pulled me to my
feet, nuzzled my neck.
"There is going
to be a rather major storm," Groth said. "Lightning,
thunder, several inches of rain, a few small tornados, all localized,
quite tightly defined. It's forming to the West of Gove, right
this moment. I want you in the hangar."
I groaned a
little as Graham kissed me hard on my left nipple. I wanted him
again, but I knew we didn’t have time.