Sheldon lowered an airlock ramp as we approached and directed us to the fabrication shop. When we got there, I saw a brand-new drone sitting in one of the output trays. I picked it up and examined it. Four propellers in a square pattern sat above a squat body festooned with a camera, small parabolic microphone, and other, less-identifiable items.

“What’s the range, Sheldon?”

“If you mean connectivity, subwave will allow me to cover the planet. If you mean power, I did not limit myself to Terran technology; I merely used the item I found online as a visual template. This unit will operate continuously for hundreds of hours before needing a recharge. And the possibility of an antimatter explosion is extremely remote.”

“Antimatter … explosion?” I replied.

“I kid. By the Maker, I’m getting better at this.”

“Debatable,” Nat muttered.

I hefted the drone a few times and tweaked the rotors. I had to admire the workmanship. This thing wouldn’t raise eyebrows at all in a normal setting. “You might as well just take it from here, Sheldon. Use your discretion, but try to get as complete a picture of the park layout and contents as possible.”

“Use that super-advanced spiral thing you were talking about,” Patrick added.

“In this case, a grid pattern would be more efficient,” Sheldon said. “But thanks for sharing.”

Nat held up a hand to forestall any further bickering. “With that operating range, we don’t have to carry it to the park to let it out. Just go outside and let it loose.”

“Acknowledged. Toss it into the air and I’ll take it from there.”

I nodded and headed for the stairs. Once I was out of the barn, I tossed the drone gently in a softball arc. It activated, flipped over in midair, and zipped off at high speed, fading into invisibility within a hundred yards. The device made a noise very much like a hummingbird zipping by—much quieter than any drone I had ever played with.

I rejoined the others, who were getting into the car. “How long until it gets to the park?” I said into the air, trusting the cling-on to pick up my voice.

“Just under five minutes,” Sheldon replied. “I should caution you that we probably won’t be getting any dramatic scenes through windows of Loranna torturing hapless Earthlings. The first phase will consist of nothing more than mapping out the park and buildings from the outside.”

“That’s fine, Sheldon. Just put up a schematic of the park and update it as you go. We’ll have a look after work.”

Nat said, “Sheldon, if you fly low enough, you could detect disguised Loranna, right?”

“I can detect a cloaking field, and we can assume anyone using one is a Lorann. I will be counting the occurrences, obviously.”

“If possible, can you get high-res 3D images?”

“Of course, but why?”