A thermal is an updraft of heated air. Flying into one is like flying into an elevator or drop shaft. The updraft catches your wings and lifts you up and up and up.
It is a fantastic, giddy, wild feeling.
53 I wheeled and turned to stay within the thermal, following Tobias higher and higher.
"We want to get above the gulls," Tobias instructed. "Sometimes seagulls get obnoxious.
They'll swarm a hawk if they're in the wrong mood."
It was exhilarating. We were thousands of feet above the ground. Down below, humans lay on the beach wearing less clothing than usual. Clothing is a strange human habit. They must wear it all the time. Except at the beach, when they may wear less.
I don't understand this. The World Almanac had no explanation. Although I did know that the United States imported 36.7 billion dollars' worth of clothing.
"Keep an eye on that guy up there," Tobias said.
"Where? What?" I asked, shaken out of my dreamy thoughts.
"A peregrine falcon. He's probably looking to pick off a few tasty seagulls. But he may decide we look more tender. He's small but fast. Mean, too." I decided to keep an eye on the falcon. Earth is a dangerous, wild place. At least, if you're a bird.
I thought it must be terrible sometimes for Tobias. He lives in fear of things that no human would need to fear. He has lost his position at the top of the food chain of Earth. Hawks are predators, but they are also prey. Yet he seemed to have accepted his fate. Was it possible he even preferred being a hawk? Was that why he never asked me what I might know about him being a nothlit?
Or did he think I would refuse to answer, or worse yet, lie?
Fortunately, the falcon ignored us and we flew on, following the coastline. Soon we had left the city behind. The beaches were gone, too. The coastline grew more rugged, with waves that crashed in explosions of foam against jagged broken rocks.
A single road wound along the coast below us.
There were cars on it, but few buildings. Then, in the distance, I saw a large white structure.
Actually, several structures. There was a tall building with a dome top. And arrayed around it in various positions were several large white flattened bowls. It took me several seconds to figure out their purpose.
"That's the radio telescope?" I laughed. "You're still using dish arrays?"
"Won't they work for ... for whatever it is you're doing?" Tobias asked.
"Oh, yes, they should work. If I can gain access to the computers, they should work very well. It's just that they're so primitives "I don't suppose you want to tell me what we're doing, huh?" 54 "Doing? We're flying," I said.
"Very funny. Suddenly you have a sense of humor. Great."
" I he large building with the dome?" I asked Tobias as I swept above the observatory. "Is that where the computers would be?"
"Maybe. That's where they have the regular telescope, I think. But they may have the control centers and computers there, too."
I looked with my incredible hawk vision. There was a huge, rectangular opening in the top of the dome. Inside I could see a vast circle of glass. I laughed in recognition. "A telescope? An actual optical telescope? What can they possibly believe that'll show them?"
"It will show them a red-tail and a harrier flying around together, looking like lost tourists," Tobias said. "According to Marco, this place isn't really operating yet. So I don't know how many people will be around. But we need to find a place to land, so you can morph into something useful, and do ... whatever."
"Tobias. Is that sarcasm? The way you ask me what I'm doing?"
"No, it's not sarcasm. I think it's called being snide."
"Ah. Thanks for explaining. Why not fly straight into the dome?" I asked.
"Why not?" Tobias agreed. He led the way down.
We dived at high speed, rocketing down through the air. The brilliant white dome rushed up at us. I shot through the open rectangle and banked sharply right.
It was much darker inside than outside. Below me was the incredibly long tube of the telescope.
"I see doors down below. Those are probably offices," Tobias said. "They'll probably have computers in all the offices. If we can find one that's empty."
"Yes. That would be good. But I will need fingers."
"For. . ."
"For whatever it is I'm doing," I said.
We circled swiftly around the inside of the dome. As I flew, I kept expecting to see humans below. But none ever appeared.
"This place is awfully empty," Tobias said.
"Yes. It seems almost abandoned," I agreed. "Tobias, I am going down. My morph time is running short. Now is when I should go on alone."
55 "Yeah. Gotcha. Good luck, Ax-man. Whatever you're doing, be careful." Tobias swept up and out of the dome. I was alone.
I drifted down toward the floor. Down and down, to land on a table. There was a computer console workstation. But no humans in sight.
I saw an open door leading to what seemed to be a dark and empty office. I flapped my wings twice and was inside.
Harrier eyes, like hawk eyes, are adapted for daylight. They are not very good in the dark.
But the harrier also has extremely good hearing. I dimly saw a desk and came to rest on it.
Then I concentrated on listening.
I was alone in the room. I was certain of that. The only human sounds I heard came through the walls.
Conversation. I could not make out the sounds, but they all seemed to be concentrated in one area.
"Ax can - hear me?"
It was Tobias. His thought-speech was faint.
"Just barely," I answered.
"I'm outside. I'm looking -- a window -- here. I see - ven--- in a room. -- like some kind of meeting."
"Yes, I can hear them," I said. "Can you keep watch over them? Let me know if they come this way?"
"Yeah. If any -- leaves the - ting, I'll know -- ," Tobias said.
"I can barely hear you," I said. "I'm going to morph."
"Can't ---- very well, but go --- "
My plan was to morph to my normal Andalite form, then quickly move into my human morph, just in case any humans saw me. But I was tired from the flight. And morphing is very tiring. Especially quick morphing. And if I had to make a quick escape it would mean passing through my Andalite body to move back to harrier.
I would never be able to handle that many changes in a short time. I decided to risk staying in Andalite form.
Besides ... if it worked and I reached my home, I wanted my parents to know me when they saw me.
I began the demorphing. I could only hope that Tobias would be able to give me enough warning.
56 Even though I loved being a bird, it was a good feeling when my tail began to form again. An Andalite without a tail is just sad.
And no matter how powerful a hawk's eyes may be, they can still only look in one direction at a time. As my stalk eyes reformed, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could once again see in all directions.
There was no computer in the office. I was very annoyed by that fact. It meant I would have to go back into the observatory to use the computer there.
My hooves slipped on the polished floor. I swung my eyes in every direction, keeping a sharp lookout.