The…building we’re approaching is nothing like I’d think of. It’s a series of beams positioned in what feels like random. Some even look like they fell in the ground from pretty high by the ground displacement. They crisscross each other, and go up so high I lose sight of it in the sky, just like I did with Gravity, only the ‘wall’ stretches so far to my left and right I lose sight of them too. Between the beams are materials, glass in places, metal plates in others, and concrete in some. “What is this?” awe drips from my voice. “A support for the space elevator,” Dad replies. “Come on.” Tuck grabs my hand and pulls me toward it, but not the doors. “Tuck!” Dad calls after us in exasperation. “It’s fine!” I call back without the slightest idea what Tuck has in mind, except that it’s going to be fun. When we’re at the foot of it, and individual beams at bigger than houses, Tuck reaches up for one of the ropes hanging over us. I crane my neck looking for where they come from, but I lose sight of them even sooner. He pulls it down and offers it to me. “Hold this for me, will you?” “What is it?” I take it, still looking up, trying to trace this specific one. When Tucker stays silent, I look at him to see the biggest cock eating grin I’ve ever seen. Before I can tell him to not do whatever he’s planning, he lets go of the rope and it yanks me in the air. “I will kill you!” I yell, before laughter explodes out of me. I go up and still up. The city shrinks under me until buildings become dots and it feels like I’m looking at a Google map. Again, I’m awed by what’s possible here. Then my vision is obstructed by humidity and I’m laughing again. I’m going through a cloud. The air feels wet as I breathe in, and the wind is cold enough, I’m not sure why I’m not shivering. Okay, maybe I won’t kill him. When I come to a stop, I’m left gently bouncing up and down and turning in place. I’m giggling still when a Koala comes into view, offering me his hand. He’s dressed in a white and blue suit that covers him completely, except for his face. The gloves are sky blue. Somehow, he seems so overdressed it’s ridiculous. “Welcome to Skyline, sir.” He motions for me to take his hand, and he pulls me onto the platform. We’re between beams and further behind him there’s a building with a door in it. “Do you need a moment to catch your breath?” I look at the rope still in my hand, at the line I’m holding, and laugh. “Sky Line! I get it now.” I open my hand, but the rope sticks to my palm. He watches me, amused, as I try to shake it loose. “Here, let me.” He takes my hand and gently peels the rope off it. I tentatively touch it, but there’s no stickiness there. A yell stops me from asking about that, and I turn to watch Tuck fly past us. When he lets go of the rope, he’s well above us, but manages to roll between crossed beams to fall next to us in…I kid you not, a superhero landing. “Oh, yeah.” He straightens, his knees not worse for wear, it seems. “I forgot how fun this is.” He grins at me. “How did you like it?” “I so ought to shove you right off this thing?” I reply, giggling. “Why didn’t you warn me?” “And miss that utterly surprised look of yours? Come on. That was priceless.” I take a step toward him, hands raise for a push. He backs up. “Okay, okay.” He smirks. “How about I make this easy on you?” He spreads his arms and falls back over the edge. “Tuck!” I rush to grab him, and stop as he remains there, at a forty-five angle, degree leaning against nothing. He laughs. “Oh, I am keeping that expression memorized.” I take a tentative step to the edge. “How are you doing that?” He pushes himself away from the…nothing and steps back onto the platform. “Unidirectional force field. We can go through coming up, but not going down. Unless our Maitre D’ allows it. Fortunately, he doesn’t know me, so he has no reasons to want to throw me out.” He grins at the koala. “Yet.” “I would never, sir,” the koala replies in a polite tone and a raise eyebrow. Tucker pats him on the shoulder as he walks by. “Never say never.” Then he slaps his ass and the koala squeaks. “Anyone else here?” “Your party started checking in ten minutes ago,” The koala replied, quickly regaining his composure. “Unfortunately, no one indicated how many we should expect. They have settled into the corporate meeting room.” “Tell your Chef you’re getting the entire Orr clan today, so they’ll want to call in help.” “I see,” the koala says, sounding worried. “Sir, as we weren’t given advanced notification, I must insist that you refrain from—” he stops talking, looks surprised, then glances at me. He nods and smiles. I look from one to the other. “Really? Hasn’t anyone told you it’s rude to talk behind someone’s back like—” I look at them again. “Okay, so you aren’t talking behind my back, but shouldn’t I hear what you said, since it’s obviously about me?” The koala opens his mouth, but Tuck shakes his head. “Remember that orientation your dad wanted you to go through,” he says as I glare at him, “before I took over your day?” “Yes.” “He’s going to explain what this is about. But I wasn’t saying anything bad. Just explaining that this will be a quiet lunch in your honor.” The koala nod is so eager, I just know there’s more to it than that. “If you’ll follow me.” The koala precedes Tuck to the door. Pulling my focus away from my…okay, he’s still the fun uncle, and looking around, the wall where the door is stretches far and I can see other doors along it. “Where’s Dad?” I ask as we enter. “He’s coming up on the lift. After Gravity, your old man has had enough of thrills.” He winks. “He isn’t like us.” I have a flash of irrational anger that he’d bad mouth my father, but I shake it off with the realization that it’s done in good, familial ribbing. Dad steps out of the lift and immediately glares. I hug him and before he starts; I speak. “I already threatened to throw him off the side.” Dad looks at me, eyebrow raised. “But I think I’m going to have to wait until after lunch. The Maitre d’ doesn’t know Tuck.” “Consider yourself warned, Tucker Orr,” Dad says. “It’s your best behavior, or the express down.” Tuck gives him a smirk that seems to imply he doesn’t consider that much of a threat. Dad turns me away from him and we proceed further in and enter a room filled with people at tables who stop eating to gawk at us. I squeeze against Dad and he puts an arm over my shoulder. “They aren’t looking at you. They’re surprised to see us. They never expected to be in the same room as us.” He walks and I stay with him. “You’re that popular?” “It’s not popularity.” Tuck nods to a couple, and both men’s jaw drop. “We run the corporation and the average citizen doesn’t expect to ever meet those in charge.” “So, everyone here works for you?” Dad and Tuck exchange a look, and as soon as we are on the other side of the room, with the doors closed, he stops and looks at me. “Kristoff, Orr Corp encompasses the entirety of what you know as North America.” He searches for something. “We aren’t a company. We run the country.” I stare at him. “And running the country means…” “That every decision Kade makes,” Tuck says, “trickles down to affect their lives in some way.” “He controls their lives?” “No.” Dad searches again. “No more so than the … President? Controlled yours.” “Kade doesn’t even really make decisions that affect individuals. He spends most of his time dealing with the other corps, and the Gov. About the only time he’d have to deal with something on a citizen level is if absolutely every method of conflict resolution we have in place between them and him fails.” I open my mouth, but Dad silences my questions with a finger on it. “I’ll explain everything tomorrow, okay? Just enjoy today.” I consider sucking the finger in my mouth. He rubs my cheek and kisses the top of my head. It takes all my self control not to raise it so it lands on my lips. My Dad is so hot. We lose Tuck when the koala guides us through another dining room where we ogled again. He breaks off to talk with a table of guys. I can’t hear, but they are all jumping in their seat. In the other hall, the koala opens a set of double door and we enter a room nearly as large as the other two dining rooms with tables spread throughout and tigers everywhere. They’re mostly standing, plates in hand and talking. If anyone is sitting, it’s on a table instead of a chair. All eyes turn in my direction and I have flashback to the wall of stripped fur of this morning. This time, they stay where they are instead of rushing toward me. They nod, smile and wave. “That was quick,” Dad says to Tuck as he enters. “Could even be a record.” Tuck rolls his eyes. “It’s Kristoff’s day. I’m not abandoning him, even for those guys. I’ll meet with them once Kristoff can’t stay awake anymore.” “That’s not happening,” I say, searching the crowd for a specific person. “I am never sleeping again.” “Good luck with that.” Tuck leaves for the side of the room with a long table and dishes on them. “Where’s Uncle?” I ask as Dad leads me through my relatives toward the food. “He isn’t here. Someone had to stay behind to run things.” “All day? Can’t someone go replace him? He deserves a chance to enjoy all of this.” Dad chuckles. “Uncle isn’t much for leaving the office.” “But David is,” Leroy comments between bites, then rolls his eyes at the look Dad gives him. “Who’s that?” The name rings zero bells. “You’ll meet him later. But Uncle would be here if he felt like it.” “Is he agoraphobic?” “Ago…” Dad gets that distant look again. I’ve seen it on a few people when they get to thinking. It’s weird. He chuckles. “No, he isn’t afraid of open spaces, or anything like that. He’s just something of a workaholic. Don’t worry. He’s made sure to clear his schedule for you tomorrow. How about for now you focus on eating and getting to know your family better.” I control my urge to go along and search his face. If he’s trying to distract me, that is the perfect—well, almost perfect—way to do it. “Do you want me to contact him? You can ask him directly, if you want.” “No, it’s okay.” I grin. “But if he tells me something different tomorrow, I will find a way to make you pay.” If it’s a punishment, it’s okay to have him face first in the mattress while I pound his— How about we don’t go there right now? He laughs. “Good thing I haven’t lied then.” He pushes me toward the food. “Go enjoy yourself.”