“You’re right. Even though it’s empty now, if someone saw it, they might make the connection.”

“But if someone sees us dropping it off at the recycler, they might make the connection anyway,” Patrick pointed out.

“Dammit.” I pulled out the communicator. “Sheldon, we’re going to load the freezer into the ship. Lower the cargo elevator when we’re ready.”

“Acknowledged. Question: would this be an appropriate use of the pejorative shitstorm?”

“Oh hell yes.”

“Nailed it!” Sheldon crowed.

Patrick and I quickly dead-lifted the freezer onto the pallet jack, which hadn’t gone with the truck to the shop, and moved it to the middle of the barn. As we approached the ship, the cargo elevator lowered from its center, a solid cylinder with an inset door appearing out of midair. We loaded the freezer and the elevator doors closed behind us.

“Sheldon, is there a storage room or something we can put this in?” I said into the air.

“Follow the rose-colored line on the wall to the open door on your left,” Sheldon replied.

The elevator doors opened and I looked around. One of the corridors had a slowly pulsating line along the wall at about chest height. I pulled the pallet jack in that direction, to find an open door on the left side. The turn was too tight, and we had to raise and lower the freezer several times to maneuver it in, but finally we got the appliance inside the room, among a lot of unidentifiable items.

Patrick looked around with his fists on his hips. “Jeez, we keep saying we should be asking about this or that or the other thing. But even standing in the goddam broom closet generates mysteries.” He pointed at one odd mechanical item, which resembled nothing less than a giant folded-up insect. “Like that. What the hell is that? It looks like a Transformer in sleep mode. It’s like we’ve just gone numb.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “Of course, it would help if we had some actual, you know, spare time.”

“Yeah, nothing like a planetary invasion to screw up your schedule.”

Patrick had gone home to have a talk with his little brother, which might or might not end in mayhem. Nat had elected to stay, since the day was still relatively young.

I headed to the house to get some munchies and possibly coffee. My mother was in the kitchen, and turned as I came in. “Oh, Jack. I didn’t realize you were back.”

“How could you miss Patrick’s car roaring past?”

She chuckled, apparently buying the bluff. “I may be used to it by now. Would you like some breakfast?”

“You read my mind. I’m going to make a couple of coffees as well.”

“Only two?”

“Patrick already left.”