Lost in Graviton

Lost in Graviton - Chapter 1: Project: Exo-Life

“All systems checked. Boosters are fully operational. Coordinates of Satellite Exo-Cosmo 157 already sent in your system. Two minutes until take-off …”

The announcers are all loud and clear as the NASA Space Station are getting for the take-off of “Project: Exo-Life”. Captain Sayrel McDaniel, one of the most outstanding spaceman in the whole world known for his extraordinary space discoveries, is getting ready for his first trip outside the solar system.

As he was getting ready to pick up his head gear, his phone suddenly rang.

“Hello?” said Sayrel.

“Hello, Sayrel? My love?” the phone answered.

“Oh, it’s my lovely wife. How are the kids now?” Sayrel asked.

“They’re fine. Really fine. Are all things set there?” his wife replied.

“Yes. I’m just the only one needed there. You know, like a superstar! Hah!” Sayrel happily answered as he laughs really hard.

“Hahaha. You’re always joking …”

“Not that much. You know me …”

“Uhmm, Sayrel … “, his wife said with doubt.

“Yes, my dear?”

“You are coming back home early … Right?”

Sayrel did not answer for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he replied “Yes, my dear. I’m sure of that.”

His wife smiled. “I love you!” she shouted very loud.

“I love you, too!” Sayrel answered. He hides his phone in his locker, and picked up all his things he needs for his journey. Sayrel goes straight to the launch pad.

“Are all things set, Captain McDaniel?” his commander asked.

“Yes, Commander Price. All things ready” Sayrel replied.

“Well, all I can say is, best of luck to you … Again …” Commander Price said, giving Sayrel a salute.

“Thank you, Sir”, and Sayrel salutes back.

Sayrel entered the spacecraft Apollo 109 and sat down on the pilot’s chair. He double-checked all the systems and the mainframe, as he tidied up himself for take-off.

“10 …”

“9 …”

“8 …”

“7 …”

“6 …”

“5 …”

“4 …”

“3 …”

“2 …”

“1 …”

“Apollo 109 now for take-off …”

Apollo 109 rocketed quickly on the Earth’s atmosphere as it headed now to its location, just 1 light year away from Pluto.

Three months have passed, and Sayrel is now outside the solar system, 10 thousand kilometers away from Pluto. Sayrel opens up his communication systems and connects to NASA’s mainframe system.

“Day 96 of Project Exo-Life. I’m now less than a light year away from Exo-Cosmo 157. All systems are still fully-operational. Well, I just have consumed 10% of my supplies now, if that’s important with you guys. And, umm, I’ll contact you later for other details. Sayrel McDaniel, signing out.”

Sayrel breathes deeply as he holds his controls again. Seeing the vastness of space ahead of him, he smiled and shifted his boosters to a faster speed.

Just a few minutes later, Sayrel felt his spaceship getting shaky.

“Hey. What happened?” Sayrel asked to himself as he checks every button, knob and levers in his control system.

He finally checked his navigations, and finally finds out the cause of shaking. He quickly opened up his communication system, and contacted NASA, panicking.

“Hello … Anybody there? … This is Captain Sayrel McDaniel … I detected a strong amount of … gravitational field … just near my location … I don’t know … I guess … A black hole …. HOLY SHEEZ!”

All people at NASA started to scream out, and crammed for immediate security measures for Sayrel’s spacecraft.

“Captain McDaniel … “, Commander Price told Sayrel. “Please calm down. We’ll be doing immediate security measure for your ships. Can you still hold the control?”

“No … I guess not, Sir … “, Sayrel replied. “I think … I think … it starts to … pull me in …”

The tension in the space station rose much more. Commander Price still tries to calm down Sayrel, but it’s too late now. Apollo 109 is now being sucked by the black hole.

“Commander … “, Sayrel said calmly. “I don’t know, but … I’ll still try to get back to orbit again … I don’t know when, but I’ll try … And also tell my family not to worry … Okay? … See you soon … Sayrel McDaniel signing out …”

Turning off his navigation and communication systems, Sayrel secures his seatbelts and holds his controls tightly. Slowly but strongly, Apollo 109 is being crushed into pieces. Sayrel shifted his boosters to maximum speed to lessen any more damage, and he dashed quickly in the black hole. As he felt the great force countering each other, Sayrel lose consciousness.

Still feeling headaches and a lot of body pains, Sayrel luckily wakes up in his seat. He removes his seatbelt and steps out on his spaceship.

Amazed by his location, he shouted “WHERE THE FUCK AM I?”

Still shocked and has no idea what to do, he is now standing in a cliff, in a whole new world inside a black hole …