The space shuttle touched down with barely a whisper, its blue-white drive light dimming to nothing as the craft settled onto the runway. Heat shimmer rose from the tarmac around it, distorting the air.
The boarding platform began its descent, and standing on it was a figure in casual clothes that somehow looked anything but casual.
Liam stepped off the platform before it reached the ground, dropping the last meter with ease that suggested the fall was nothing. The platform reversed direction immediately, ascending back into the shuttle as if eager to return to its proper place.
He looked at the three men waiting for him and smiled with a genuine, warm expression. He raised one hand in a wave and started walking toward them.
