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some of the glasses. I couldn ’ t figure out where they go, so I left them on the counter. ”
    Dexim ’ s eyes skimmed the room as she talked, trying to piece together the puzzle.
    “ I vacuumed the upstairs, ” she continued, “ but Mrs. Healy said not to worry about down here. ” She shook her head and shifted gears. “ I thought you guys weren ’ t going to be back until next week. ”
    A grin formed on Dexim ’ s face as he realized how perfect this was. “ I decided to come home early. ”
    Just then, a jingling came from the staircase. Four legs pattered down the carpeted steps, and when they reached the bottom, the sound of nails on hardwood brought an aging golden retriever around the corner. She headed right for the intruder. Dexim hoped for the best as the old dog sniffed at his pant leg.
    “ Oh, and I picked up your mail and put it on the table, ” Ally added. “ Mrs. Healy said not to worry about it, but I walk right by the mailbox on my way over. ”
    Dexim watched as the weathered old dog stopped her sniffing with a gruff snort. She wasn ’ t going to pursue it. She was too old to play security guard. She ’ d leave that to the younger generation. She turned away and looked for a cool spot to lie down.
    Dexim realized Ally had been talking the whole time. From her expression, it didn ’ t seem as though she required a response, so he simply smiled at her.
    In the cornfield, Lyntic guided Tobi up to the edge of the stalks, the shirt shrouding his view. She watched Ally walk down the driveway. Dexim appeared at the back of the house and motioned for Lyntic to come. He knew they caught a break stumbling across a farmhouse — secluded and well stocked.
    Inside the house, Dexim and Lyntic went to work gathering supplies. Dexim grabbed two gallons of bleach from beside the washing machine and collected some towels and washcloths from the bathroom. Lyntic pulled a bottle of liquor from the cabinet and checked the fridge for beer or anything else with alcohol. There was nothing. Lyntic rounded up a bucket from a utility closet and delivered it to the kitchen counter where the rest of the supplies were assembled, next to a row of NASCAR collector glasses that Ally hadn ’ t been able to put away. There was a sense of urgency. They knew Tobi ’ s well-being depended on quick action.
    Lyntic grumbled off a few coarse words in a strange dialect. Dexim stopped in his tracks. Even with Tobi ’ s health on the line and precious seconds draining away, this was more important. He raised a stiff arm to Lyntic, pointing a stern finger at her. Lyntic stopped. Her face was instantly apologetic, and she was angry at herself. She nodded compliance. No words needed to be exchanged. Lyntic had made a major mistake, and it wouldn ’ t happen again.
    With the multitude of contingencies that could go wrong with this type of mission, there was one universal, undeniable rule to which everyone must adhere: at all times, no matter what, you must maintain the appearance of being a native to whatever planet you are on. There can never be any evidence of being a trespasser. This meant that only local dialects could be spoken. Dexim ’ s mind quickly shifted back to the crisis at hand.
    There were seven steps to the field guide for preparing an improvised vaccination. Dexim could remember four of them. He didn ’ t want to alarm Tobi with that detail; he chose instead to portray an image of total confidence, as if he ’ d done this a million and one times. He had, in fact, done it exactly a million times fewer than that.
    “ Put his head over the sink, ” Dexim instructed, “ and take that shirt off his face. ”
    Lyntic, still in a bra, swung the faucet head out of the way and guided Tobi over the sink. Dexim immediately started pouring the vodka on the back of Tobi ’ s head, letting it soak his hair and stream off into the sink. Dexim massaged his fingers through Tobi ’ s hair, saturating all of it. And just that