Free The Gentle Seduction by Marc Stiegler Page B

the truck. It was hopeless, he thought; Autumn must have died, or he would still feel something . Nevertheless he ran, and pulled at the crushed door. It came off easily in his hands.
    There was another Couple in the truck. They seemed unhurt, yet they clawed at each other and wept, oblivious to the danger around them. "Autumn!" Veddin cried, peering through the smoke. She wasn't there. New fire belched from the truck's belly. He turned back to the hysterical Couple. "Get out!" Veddin screamed. "You'll be killed!"
    They didn't respond. There wasn't time to coax. Veddin grabbed the man and hurled him from the wreckage. He took the woman's arm and dragged her away from the flames. The truck exploded. The Couple was still too close to the flames, but they seemed vaguely aware now, and they struggled away from the disaster.
    Veddin wiped his brow. Where was Autumn? His eyes bulged as he saw a hoverplane slide over the horizon, canting to one side. Autumn's hoverplane! Still breathing hard, he ran for his ship.
    His shiplink hadn't been affected by whatever calamity had struck the Couples; the DareDrop responded calmly to his commands. "Lock onto that plane," his urgent thought rang out. Through his ship's sensors, he watched the craft come down at a crazy angle toward the port. "Tractors on—hold the plane off the ground" —but as he gave the order his ship's computer told him the plane was too far away, and the angle was wrong. Veddin cursed; he'd have to launch to catch her.
    But Autumn's parents were right next to his ship; they'd be crisped if the DareDrop took off now. He turned away from the airlock. One half of his mind watched the plane through his ship's eyes, one half sorted out the pathetic humans there by the landing struts. Pair by pair he dragged them onto their hovacar.
    He coaxed Tarn Westfall into pressing the accelerator. As the hovacar rocked away, Veddin rushed back to his ship.
    Only the fact that the hoverplane started high in the sky had spared it from crashing; its rate of descent had increased dramatically. The plane was slowing down now, but it wasn't slowing down fast enough.
    Veddin fell into his chair as the boosters blazed. He still shook with exertion, but he had to get into the air now .
    The DareDrop lurched into position. As the tractors locked on, the plane actually fought against their guidance; but despite the plane's most furious counterthrusts Veddin landed it with a feather touch. He landed close by and jumped out.
    Autumn leaped lightly from the plane. She looked awfully young in person. But, Lords of Tarantell, she was beautiful! Her deep blue one-piece jumpsuit held flickering threads of silver that outlined her long, supple body; the ocean wind whipped through her strawberry blonde hair, to set it shimmering in the sunlight. Her golden eyes blazed with angry fire.
    Veddin paused as he realized she was angry.
    "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled at him. She had a thick accent, a more distorted form of Standard than even the language of Kaylanx. She stamped her foot. "I have to get to the space port. I don't have time for idiots."
    "I'm sorry," Veddin muttered, blushing. With a start, he realized how unjust her attack on him was. "Wait a minute. Your plane was about to crash. I just saved your life."
    She stared at him. "Man, what planet're you from? Haven't you ever ridden a plane before? That's the way they always fly. Computer controlled. Multiple redundancy. Nothing can go wrong." She muttered something under her breath.
    This time Veddin turned bright red. "I'm sorry. It's just that, I'm from Kaylanx, and I've never—"
    "You're from where ?" Autumn had started to turn away, but now she turned back. "Veddin!" Her voice softened; indeed, Veddin wouldn't have guessed it was the same person speaking. "Are you, are you Veddin Zhukpokrovsk?"
    Veddin nodded. "Yes, I'm, uh . . ." He was lost in her eyes. She approached him slowly, held out her hand, and his hand was