​     KA-BLOOM!

     The whole place went up this time.

     The concussion from that explosion sent the Stargod spinning chaotically even further upwards. It took Claudia a good twenty seconds to regain navigational control, and by this time the Stargod had taken several hits from shrapnel and debris. Claudia kept Adam strapped to his control panel, so he was in no danger. For Adam, it was like an amusement park ride.​ The Stargod twisted and spun like a crazed aerial top, and Adam watched it all, land, air, land, air, smoke, fire, and now all of it so very far below.  

      "Yippee!" Adam held his hands over his head like he was on a roller coaster. "More!" 

      "You're enjoying yourself too much," Claudia said. "I'd better get you home."

     "Okay, so who's next on the list? Who's dying to hand me a billion dollars if only I..." 

     "No more assignments. So far as I can see, barring emergencies, you're free for the foreseeable future."

​     "Yippee!"

                                                        CONTINUE

​