Rolling Thunder by John Varley Page A

there was still fire in her eyes. She looked at Kelly as she took her seat beside Granddaddy.
    “Kelly, I know you planned this all out. It’s what you’re good at, and the citizens of Mars are lucky you are. But I decided this is going to be my show.” Kelly nodded, and started to clap, and we all joined in, but Gran waved us quiet.
    “That’s enough of that,” she said. “I figure you were going to have everybody come up here one at a time and spout a lot of lies about what a wonderful person I was. Am I right?”
    Kelly nodded.
    “Well, bless you, sweetie. But I’m too tired for that. I think what I’ll do is make a few remarks, and then get this show on the road. You first. Kelly, you are the best daughter-in-law a mom could ever have wished for. I won’t lie to you, I didn’t think you were going to be, what with dragging my son off to Mars and all in a leaky old ship like Tom Swift or some damn thing …” That got a big laugh, while Kelly pretended to be offended by the accusation.
    “Okay, okay, so maybe Manny had something to do with it, too. Anyway, you two nearly killed me with worry, but the real danger was when y’all got back, and I thought my heart was going to bust with pride. And I got to say, life sure has been interesting with you around. I got to meet and shake the hands of some of the most famous and powerful people in the world … and nine out of ten of ‘em made me wish I could wash my hand right after. I don’t know how you stood it as long as you did.”
    Laughter, and applause. And could that be a tear leaking from the corner of Grandma Kelly’s eye? It is, it is, ladies and gentlemen! Quickly wiped away, but there it was, the first liquid I’d ever seen come from that eye when she wasn’t chopping onions. I felt a little moisture in my own eyes, but I cry over old country and western songs.
    “So, before we go any further,” Gran was saying, “where is Travis? He ought to be here for the whole silly shivaree. What were you going to do, have a grand unveiling or something?”
    “Something like that,” Kelly admitted.
    “Well, roll his disreputable ass on out here and let’s unveil the mother—oops, sorry kids. I want one more look at Peter Pan, the man who decided never to grow old or grow up, before I go.”
    That got Kelly hurrying to the doors, and soon they were opened and a white electric forklift came silently into the room with a load full of … nothing.
    Not strictly true, of course. A black bubble looks like a hole in space. There was no way to tell it was spherical, if it was standing alone. To handle them, since they are frictionless and just about everything-else-less, you have to put them in a net. Just a tracery of strong thread; black bubbles have no mass.
    The driver put the platform with the net down, and a small cap came down from the ceiling to hold the bubble in place. He cut away the netting. Gran was coming around the podium, helped again by Grand-daddy. Kelly went over and whispered something into Gran’s ear. Gran gave her a wicked smile.
    “That’s a great idea,” she said. “Wish I’d thought of that. Everybody,” Gran announced, smiling and gesturing, “come on over here. We’ve got a surprise for Travis.” I hurried over close to her.
    “I almost did this last time he came out of his shell,” she whispered to me.
    “I don’t get it.”
    “You will. Everybody …” She waited until she had everyone’s attention. “I want you all to stand like this.” She put her hands in the air, like a holdup victim. I looked around. Everybody was standing with their hands in the air. I shrugged, held my hands up, and saw Kelly nod to the technician. He pushed a button.
    The black ball vanished with no fuss at all. For Travis, one scene would be replaced by another in the blink of an eye. If things had gone well, it would be a very similar scene, here at the bubble factory. But he expected to be inside for five years. God knows Travis had