Chapter 19Adam stood in the shade, his slender figure protected from the unforgiving desert sun. Nonetheless, the heat was sweltering, and his white cotton polo shirt was wet with perspiration and stuck uncomfortably to the nape of his neck. Walking back a few steps, he craned his head upward and looked toward the sky. Towering some three hundred feet above was the black underside of a colossal spacecraft. He tried to focus on the perfectly flat, black surface, but his head began to spin. Lowering his gaze to the ground he took a few seconds, waiting for the nausea to pass. Gradually feeling better, he walked for what seemed like an age, shielded by the massive hull of the craft that loomed ominously overhead. Despite pounding his way hurriedly over the highly-compacted sand and his labour
