As it was, it struck our expanding defensive shield. I don't think it had any shield activated as it probably had been stripped off by transitting tha...t downthrust. It struck our triple layer indenting it and pushing the outer layer out from between, thinning it down to the point that there was a handsbreadth area of contact with the anti-electronics layer which caused the shut down of all electronics on the ship, including the inertial compensator. The bounce imparted to it by our recovering. Turning back she called to Thomas, ‘Downtown Cabs will be here shortly. You can wait outside the lobby doors.’. Not thinking about Monica’s address, just the way her hips swayed as she walked, Thomas left the bar and exited the hotel. Not 10 minutes passed before the taxi arrived. It felt like eternity. After Thomas walked out Stacey made one more telephone call. Monica, she now thought of herself as Monica truly adopting her chosen role, had not had a boyfriend in several months so she had. She was in a long gown, slit up the side, her hair and make-up perfect. She stood in the entryway from the hall, surveying the room. My breath caught, remembering the last time I'd seen her there. She saw us and smiled, nearly lighting up the room.Tamara greeted both Summer and me with long hugs and a kiss on the cheek. My blood raced a little, but I was able to relax by remembering this was the same mom that wore jeans and no makeup as she cooked dinner for Billy and me."Good flight?" she. "Charlie's car was parked in front of the house as we drove up. We pulled in the driveway and were on our way to the stairs when Mary opened the kitchen door."Hey, guys. You got a few minutes?"I looked at Jack and he nodded. "Sure. Give us about five minutes."Bozo was waiting to go downstairs as soon as we opened the door. I just stood there at the top of the stairs as he went into the back yard and did his best to distribute his urine evenly among four bushes, one chimney and a couple of trees.