Cruising steadily downward in the middle of the river of air, their progress was slowed by a strong headwind, but for the most part it was clear sailing. In fact, the only obstacle to their progress had been the ‘snakes’, Tony’s term for something he’d spotted on the radar fifteen hours into the flight, an odd meandering tube that had suddenly poked out from the cloudy edge of the river of air. Jeanne Warren saw it, too, from her radar station aboard Tai Chi. Comparing notes, they watched it on their screens. It stayed on the scope for several minutes, writhing and twisting slowly and bending with the flow of air toward the two approaching ships. Alex switched on the running lights to full strength, but before they reached it the thing withdrew back into the wall of cloud.While the rest of the crew debated about the nature of the snake, Professor Baltadonis had been listening to the conversation over the intercom in the darkness and sanctity of his instrument cocoon. Finally he stopped their conversation with a word.
