The chair Adam sat in fell back so that he was now lying down rather than sitting up. Any safety straps fell away. Cords and cables and metallic fingers appeared from all around him. 

     "So, I'm going to this shindig. Is that what you're saying?"

​     "In about one hour, forty-five minutes."

     "Without an invitation?"

​     "I'm working on that."

​     "Oh boy, I'm going into space today."

​     "You and the five hundred richest people in the world."

​     "Really? H.P. Crawford's is going to be there?"

​     "With his wife."

​     "Bucky Cooper?"

     "He's definitely on the list." 

​     "Woo." Adam whistled. As he did, he felt Claudia slip a pair of tuxedo trousers over his waist. "I'm impressed. How much is it going to set us back to get into this event, anyway?"

     "It's free. No one's paying. Invited guests only."

     "Really? And when did these invitations go out again?"

     "Exactly twenty-four hours ago."

​     "Twenty..." Adam sat up, that information startled him so, and that was not the smartest thing to do at that moment. Claudia was in the process of wrapping Adam up in his crisp, white shirt, and the shirt flew every whichaway. "You're telling me that the richest people in the world all said yes to these invitations, even though they were given out one day ago and even though it involves going into space, and even though no one had ever heard of this guy before?"​​

     "Here." A slot next to Adam opened, and out popped Adam's own personal invitation. He tucked it into his breast pocket, now that Claudia had provided him with a breast pocket.

​     "That invitation should pass any security check. I made it myself, and, believe me, it was not easy."

​     "That's why you're the best. And my assignment is...what? And, more importantly, who's paying for this? Who am I working for right now?"

​     "I'll bring your answer up on the screen."

                                               CONTINUE