Cosmic Energy

Chapter 5: Asteroid Shower

 Shows the Space station on the outside. The camera turns in the direction that faces toward the edge of the solar system. An asteroid shower is heading for the space station.

Suddenly, a meteorite strikes the space station and suddenly, an alarm blares as SKIZZY, TIPPER, and ALGA are thrown out of bed, and sent floating into the wall hard.

SKIZZY: Ow!

TIPPER: What happened?

SKIZZY jumps out of bed, and floats to a window to look out. He spots the meteoroid shower outside.

SKIZZY: It must be a meteoroid shower headed for Earth!

TIPPER: Do you think that my mom is okay.

Another asteroid slams into the space station.

SKIZZY: Actually, I think that those are asteroids.

TIPPER (Rushing out of the room): Let's go find my mom.

SKIZZY: What are so many asteroids doing, hurtling to Earth!

SKIZZY looks at the asteroids, and then to ALGA.

SKIZZY: They aren't too big. The atmosphere should take care of Earth, but we are the ones who should be concerned. What are so many asteroids doing this close together, this close to Earth?

SKIZZY picks up ALGA, and runs to the airlock, connecting to the space station.

SKIZZY enters the space station to find people rushing about to fix the problems of the strike.

SKIZZY (Pulling somebody aside): What is happening? What are asteroids doing this far out of the asteroid belt?

PERSON: We can't worry about the why right now, we have to make sure that nothing was damaged in the strike.

The person runs off, and SKIZZY heads deeper into the station. MRS. MELNYK comes up with TIPPER.

SKIZZY: What is happening?

MRS. MELNYK: The space station seems to be in the path of an asteroid shower. Good thing that they aren't very big, but they are definitely asteroids and not meteoroids. It is quite large, but we should be out of its path in a few minutes.

Suddenly, there is a beeping sound, and MRS. MELNYK heads to a computer, and presses a button to turn it on. MR. MELNYK's face appears.

MR. MELNYK: Is the shuttle ready to leave?

MRS. MELNYK: We restocked their supplies, but we are in the middle of an asteroid shower, and take off is not safe at the moment. We need to wait until we are out of its path before we can authorize take off.

MR. MELNYK: According to my calculations, this mission's next stop is Mars, and Mars is a direct shot from where you are right now. Now get the shuttle ready to leave, and send it off as soon as possible.

MRS. MELNYK: I will not authorize a shuttle to be sent out in the middle of an asteroid shower, especially when my son is involved. The shower appears that it will be over in around 15 minutes. If we wait a while, it should be safe enough to send them out in about an hour and a half.

MR. MELNYK: I do not have the time, or the patience to wait that long. The government put me in charge of NASA, so if I say that they leave now, they leave now.

With that, the screen goes blank.

MRS. MELNYK: He is your son too!

SKIZZY: At least he was honest about his character flaw. He has a huge lack of patience.

Shows them inside of the shuttle, and MRS. MELNYK is on the screen.

MRS. MELNYK: Are you sure about this?

SKIZZY: It's all good, I've navigated a football field before; this should be no different.

TIPPER: I'll be fine.

MRS. MELNYK: Okay, just make sure to wait until the meteorite shower is passed to activate the Cosmic Drive.

SKIZZY: Okay.

With that, SKIZZY hits a button to release them from the station, and starts to steer it through the asteroids. SKIZZY looks at an asteroid as it Whooshes past.

SKIZZY: Did that thing just make a whoosh. I thought there was no sound in space!

TIPPER: Artificial sound generation. When the radio picks up an object, it creates the appropriate sound for it in order to give a warning of oncoming objects.

SKIZZY nods, then turns back to piloting.

SKIZZY: Yea, this is just like football.

TIPPER: It's a good thing that you're so good at it then, because our lives depend on it.

Suddenly, an asteroid grazes the ship, giving it a nasty jolt.

TIPPER: This is nothing like football!

SKIZZY: The steering is a bit more complicated I suppose, but-

Another asteroid hits, grazes it, and throws them out of their seats. TIPPER looks at the now vacant controls, and leaps for them, knocking SKIZZY and ALGA aside.

TIPPER: I call the controls!

TIPPER takes them, and turns the away from an oncoming asteroid, slamming into one from the side in the process. The ship is thrown into an uncontrollable spin. Inside, TIPPER and SKIZZY try to reach for the controls, when TIPPER's hand accidentally slips, slamming on the Cosmic Energy button.

Outside, the ship suddenly shoots into hyperspace in the direction it is facing (toward Mars), which somehow also puts a stop to the spin, and sends the ship forward.

SKIZZY, TIPPER, and ALGA are thrown back against the closest thing behind them.

SKIZZY: Great! Now look what you've done! We could slam into anything on a second's notice!

The air inside begins to stabilize, and SKIZZY reaches forward to hit the button to deactivate the Cosmic Energy, and slaps it.

The ship is pulled out of hyperspace, over the surface of Mars, facing the ground at a 30° angle, slower than in hyperspace, but still fast. Upon leaving hyperspace, ALGA suddenly detects something.

EVERYBODY gives a cry of terror (except ALGA), and SKIZZY grabs the controls, leveling the ship to a 15° angle before it hits the ground, leveling it out, but sending it skidding across the ground, and out of control.

SKIZZY (Struggling with the controls): I've lost control!

TIPPER (Taking the controls): I'll do this.

TIPPER tries taking over, but suddenly, they slam into a rock, and everything goes black.

Shows MR. MELNYK in the Space Center, giving commands. Suddenly SOMEBODY comes up to him.

SOMEBODY: We lost connection of the shuttle from the Cosmic Energy mission.

MR. MELNYK stops what he is doing, and turns SOMEBODY.

MR. MELNYK: Okay.

MR. MELNYK turns away, and slowly walks to a computer. He turns it on, and tries to signal the shuttle, only to receive a message that reads, "Signal Corrupted". He tries again to the same result. He gives a sigh of guilt, and turns on a signal to MRS. MELNYK.

MR. MELNYK: I have bad news.

Shows a newspaper article reading something like, "Skizzy and Tipper presumed dead in asteroid shower". SKIZZY's mom comes up and looks at it. After a second, she collapses to her knees.

MOM: No!