“Someone’s coming,” Reader said. “Look sharp. If we’re going to have issues, we’ll have them here.”
Several metal people arrived. They were mostly silvery, but they all had gold and copper in there somewhere, too. They were also varied in final shapes. One was like C-3PO—mostly metal but with wires connecting the stomach area to the upper torso and hips—two were fully humanoid, one looked very much like a collection of filigree and wires while still clearly being a complete person, and the fifth was a metal skeleton a lot like the Terminator.
Their eyes and teeth and hair, for those who had it, were also metal. The metal in their eyes looked more liquid than the metal on their bodies but basically they looked like there wasn’t anything nonmetallic in any part of them.
However, they didn’t look fake or mechanical. They looked very real and very alive.
The humanoid one that was clearly female bowed to Wruck. He bowed back. They spoke—as near as I could tell, introductions were being made. Took a wild one and assumed the female humanoid one was Fathade.
The metal skeleton one produced a round ball of what looked like gold from somewhere—dude was not wearing clothing so it wasn’t like he had a pocket. Assumed male based on skeletal structure, but was willing to be unsurprised if its gender was different.
Wruck took the golden ball, they spoke some more, then Fathade and her group backed up, and Wruck hit the button to close the airlock door.
Drax hit the intercom button. “John, are you alright?”
“Yes.” Wruck turned to us. “They gave me what they call a Moon Suit. They’ve had a few visitors in the past—the distant past now—and they created something that allowed those visitors to survive and enjoy their world. I’m going to test it and be sure it doesn’t harm me. After that, we’ll test it on Kristie, then John Butler, Cameron, Joe, and Randy. If we’re all okay, then we’ll test on a hybrid, an A-C, and then a human.”
“That’s a lot of testing. I’m not complaining about it, but why?”
Wruck shrugged. “Because what this is supposed to do is cover the wearer in breathable metal. The metal will filter out whatever is toxic to the wearer and alter it into what isn’t. So, for us, it will give us oxygen. Also, the suits protect against Spehidon’s radiation.”
“Just from a small ball of metal?” Jeff asked suspiciously.
“I think it’s gold and I can also believe it.” I could. But then, I knew Algar personally. And others.
“It may be gold,” Jeff said, “but I’m still having an issue with belief.”
Shrugged. “When I was in Bizarro World, the Alfred there had created something very similar. It was about a million times better than Kevlar, as malleable as any fabric, totally breathable, and a little bit covered you from head to toe. I could even put some on a cat.” Took a moment to miss Stripes. I was definitely asking Mother to make a set of three-way mirrors for me sooner as opposed to later. “And on my purse.”
“Oh, well, on your purse,” Reader said. “Well, that sells it for me.”
“Careful, James, you’re close enough for me to kick.”
He flashed the cover boy smile. “Not that you ever would.”
“True . . . true . . .”
“Can you two do me a favor and not try to make me jealous right now?” Jeff asked. “At least not until we’ve seen if this miracle stuff works.”
“Oh, I suppose,” Reader said. “By the way, I’m the human who’ll be doing the test. And, Jeff, before you say a word, you are not the A-C who will be doing the test, and that’s final.”
“Well, we have to either use Paul or Abigail to do the hybrid test,” I pointed out. “Because you’re high if you think any of us are going to let one of the kids do it.”
“Let’s get through John and the rest of us,” the Kristie-Bot said. “Then we can fret about who is or isn’t getting to risk themselves.”
“Oh, sure, go be logical. However, one more thing before you use that, John.”
“What?” Wruck asked.
“What about our eyes, nostrils, and mouths, let alone our internal organs? What I can see of theirs are all metallic and I’m willing to bet that their internal organs are as well. I doubt very much that we can swallow this metal safely, and while you said the metal was breathable, I still object to any of us being blinded. In Bizarro World, Alfred had goggles and we were on Earth, so breathing wasn’t an issue. Here, I’m not as convinced.”
“Fathade said they’ve used these on other oxygen breathers,” Chuckie said calmly.
“Our ears are cavities, too,” Reader countered. “And while I know you questioned her, Chuck, and I’m also tentatively willing to believe they mean us no harm, I’m kind of with Kitty on all of this. Will this work and is it even worth the risk to find out?”
Wruck smiled. “I asked about all of that.”
“And?” Jeff asked.
In reply, Wruck placed the ball of metal against his chest.
Results, as happened so often, were immediate.
CHAPTER 59
THE METAL SLID OVER WRUCK. It went under his clothes and on top of them, too, as if it was far more liquid than solid, doing its best to cover every part of anything touching him.
It was his face and head I was most worried about. The metal went over him, into his mouth, nose, and ears, and over his eyes.
“Tito, if this goes badly, how are you as an ENT?”
“I do my continuing education at Dulce, Kitty. I’m trained in, literally, everything by now and in things almost no human doctors are. I’m good, and ready, if something goes wrong. Plus, Claudia and Lorraine are on board, so if I need help, two of the best backups are here.”
Heard Randy talking softly to someone. Looked over my shoulder. He was on his phone. Had a feeling he was already calling in our medical backup, just in case.
Sure enough, the girls arrived just as the metal finished attaching to every hair on Wruck’s head. Joe and Randy quietly caught their wives up on what had transpired while the rest of us waited for Wruck to writhe or scream in agony or drop down dead.
None of those things happened. Instead, he nodded to us and hit the button to open the airlock again.
Did the usual wait. As the door opened he looked over his shoulder. “I’m fine. I’m going to test the atmosphere and how well this works.” Then he stepped out to be greeted by Fathade and the others. They all walked off.
“This is going to take forever,” the Kristie-Bot groaned.
“Can’t argue with your assessment. Then again, I don’t want to discover that the magic metal doesn’t work as advertised. Call me a worrywart.” We all leaned against an available wall and hung out, idly chatting. “What were the kids doing when you left?” I asked Lorraine.
“Playing a trivia game. It was getting intense.”
Claudia nodded. “Wasim really knows his stuff. Most of the adults were playing, too.”
“The hackers especially,” Lorraine added. “It was fun, everyone was into it.”
Something nudged at me. “Were Christopher and Amy into it, too?”
“Yeah, all of us,” Claudia said.