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In the Stars
#WritcoStoryChallenge
"The asteroid is heading undeterred towards us. We're doomed," the newsreader quoted, her face ashen, and her eyes wide. Unbeknownst to her, 75 miles away, some scientists in an underground laboratory were in panic.
"Stevens. Stevens! Wake up you goose! The asteroid hasn't changed path like we predicted!"
Stevens jolted awake in his chair, unable to comprehend anything except Professor Yvonne's face staring at him.
"Wha- ?" he stammered, getting to his feet and stumbling towards her. In his dazed state, he tripped over his shoelace and fell onto her.
"Gosh Steven, I worry about you." she said, resting her hands on his shoulders and stabilizing him. "Take a look at this."
Steven peered into the telescope eye, keeping balance by resting his knee on the stool and his hand on the lens.
"This is not good..." he said, looking at the hurling rock, spitting flames as it entered the far reaches of Earth's atmosphere.
"How much time do we have? " he asked the curly blonde head bent over astral charts. She looked up at him gravely, and replied "12 hours"
Detecting the incoming projectile, alarms began blaring inside the lab, and the whole place turned dark. Steven moved closer to Yvonne. She looked at him, for a split second longer than a heartbeat. " You know what has to be done." she said. "Project Nautical X"
Many years ago, Yvonne's father Albert owned the lab. For such an emergency, he created Project Nautical X. The plan was to send an astronaut into space, onto a collision course with the asteroid. The impact would be enough to shatter the asteroid, and debris would fall into the ocean. It had to be a manned rocket, to divert the crash into the ocean.
Steven looked directly into Yvonne's eyes, and realized what she meant.
"No. no no no. Vinnie, I know what you are thinking. We aren't sending you up there, you're the best we've got! Yvonne was never the brave kind, and it took more than she had to say "That's why it has to be me. Also, my father.... I can't not do it. "
Yvonne had a flashback. Back to when she was five. Standing at her gate, clutching her mother's hand. "Daddy! she yelled. "Aren't you coming back? "
Her father was walking to his car. He turned round to look at his family.
"Oh you know sweetheart.." he said, "the lab needs me."
He walked over and bent down to her eye level. He took both her tiny hands into his and said, "But promise me this BonBon, someday, it'll need you. And that day, you be there for it. "
Yvonne started boarding the rocket. Steven was trailing behind, stammering. He grabbed her shoulder, and spun her round. Yvonne, startled, tried to wriggle herself free.
"You can't. Please. Don't. There has to be another way." he murmured.
She smiled. A smile once dripping with pain, it had been wrung out. But it was still damp with the pain. "Sorry Sty...."
She clambered into the rocket and blocked the doors. At once, hot smoke flooded the area, and it did a good job masking Steven's face. He didn't want Yvonne to see tears in his eyes.
"Three..... Two.... One" a mechanical voice warned him. "Prepare for impact" He stepped back, knowing what was to come next.
The rocket, as planned, was directed straight into the incoming asteroid. It went flawlessly, and the whole word erupted into cheers. Except.... for Steven. He stood in the lab, looking through the telescope at the falling debris.
"And I never got to tell her." he sobbed, looking at a small note in his hand. On the paper were etched "I lovee you! "
"The asteroid is heading undeterred towards us. We're doomed," the newsreader quoted, her face ashen, and her eyes wide. Unbeknownst to her, 75 miles away, some scientists in an underground laboratory were in panic.
"Stevens. Stevens! Wake up you goose! The asteroid hasn't changed path like we predicted!"
Stevens jolted awake in his chair, unable to comprehend anything except Professor Yvonne's face staring at him.
"Wha- ?" he stammered, getting to his feet and stumbling towards her. In his dazed state, he tripped over his shoelace and fell onto her.
"Gosh Steven, I worry about you." she said, resting her hands on his shoulders and stabilizing him. "Take a look at this."
Steven peered into the telescope eye, keeping balance by resting his knee on the stool and his hand on the lens.
"This is not good..." he said, looking at the hurling rock, spitting flames as it entered the far reaches of Earth's atmosphere.
"How much time do we have? " he asked the curly blonde head bent over astral charts. She looked up at him gravely, and replied "12 hours"
Detecting the incoming projectile, alarms began blaring inside the lab, and the whole place turned dark. Steven moved closer to Yvonne. She looked at him, for a split second longer than a heartbeat. " You know what has to be done." she said. "Project Nautical X"
Many years ago, Yvonne's father Albert owned the lab. For such an emergency, he created Project Nautical X. The plan was to send an astronaut into space, onto a collision course with the asteroid. The impact would be enough to shatter the asteroid, and debris would fall into the ocean. It had to be a manned rocket, to divert the crash into the ocean.
Steven looked directly into Yvonne's eyes, and realized what she meant.
"No. no no no. Vinnie, I know what you are thinking. We aren't sending you up there, you're the best we've got! Yvonne was never the brave kind, and it took more than she had to say "That's why it has to be me. Also, my father.... I can't not do it. "
Yvonne had a flashback. Back to when she was five. Standing at her gate, clutching her mother's hand. "Daddy! she yelled. "Aren't you coming back? "
Her father was walking to his car. He turned round to look at his family.
"Oh you know sweetheart.." he said, "the lab needs me."
He walked over and bent down to her eye level. He took both her tiny hands into his and said, "But promise me this BonBon, someday, it'll need you. And that day, you be there for it. "
Yvonne started boarding the rocket. Steven was trailing behind, stammering. He grabbed her shoulder, and spun her round. Yvonne, startled, tried to wriggle herself free.
"You can't. Please. Don't. There has to be another way." he murmured.
She smiled. A smile once dripping with pain, it had been wrung out. But it was still damp with the pain. "Sorry Sty...."
She clambered into the rocket and blocked the doors. At once, hot smoke flooded the area, and it did a good job masking Steven's face. He didn't want Yvonne to see tears in his eyes.
"Three..... Two.... One" a mechanical voice warned him. "Prepare for impact" He stepped back, knowing what was to come next.
The rocket, as planned, was directed straight into the incoming asteroid. It went flawlessly, and the whole word erupted into cheers. Except.... for Steven. He stood in the lab, looking through the telescope at the falling debris.
"And I never got to tell her." he sobbed, looking at a small note in his hand. On the paper were etched "I lovee you! "
