Eight Minutes

BEFORE <3>

Asher's eyes slowly slide open. He looks around, still half asleep then wakes up completely as he realises what's happened. He fell asleep.

"Morning, sleeping beauty!" Jax laughs from where he's leaning over the controls, driving the shuttle.

"I'm so sorry!" Asher replies, smiling with relief.

Serena enters the room, yawning loudly.

"Today's the day!" She says, excitement in her voice, "It's good you've got your beauty sleep Ash!"

Jax pauses, Serena's words replaying in his head, 'today's the day.'

The friends change into their solar suits in silence, each lost in thoughts of home and safety. Asher used to be in awe of the speed of the shuttle but now he wishes it would take years to reach the sun instead of a few minutes.

Jax leaves the room to get some food and Serena turns to Asher.

"Did you leave the note, Ash?" Serena asks, lowering her voice to almost a whisper.

He nods, not daring himself to speak. After a while he says, "She will know."

Jax comes running back into the room, eyes wide with excitement and fear.

"It's ready! Come now!"

Sharing a nervous glance, Asher and Serena stand and pull on their sun suits, following Jax out of the room.

The group visibly slows as they near the door, nerves overtaking excitement. Asher closes his eyes and sucks in a deep breath through his nose, exhaling slowly through his mouth. They attach their elastic to the hooks on the wall and ensure they are secure. They won't get lost now. No way.

"Now or never my friends." Jax says, hiding a grimace.

Asher and Serena nod, unable to speak for fear. Serena steps forward and pulls open the thick metal door. The room fills with blinding light that takes the group a few moments to get used to. Then, all trying to remain emotionless, they step out of the ship.

The feeling of weightlessness grasps them immediately and if it weren't for their situation, Asher and Serena might have enjoyed the sensation. That is until a force stronger than anything any of them had ever known snatches them and begins to drag them towards the ball of fire. It is so massive that none of them can see more than a tiny bit of its surface, before t a tiny bit is all they need, all the world needs to feel at peace with the sun.

They allow the currant to pull them in, the strong elastic attached to the ship doing enough to slow their movement to a slightly more manageable pace. They all have tiny devices in their hands that must be attached to the sun for their mission to have been successful.

The heat grows unbearable as they near the cylinder of gas. That is understandable. Their suits protect them from the rays but the heat is still a problem.

After what seems like a lifetime, the group reach the surface. Just as Serena and Asher exchange a fearful glance they notice a commotion from where Jax was pulled in. He is writhing about, attempting to get away from the advancing fiery surface. Serena's eyes fill with horror as she realises what is happening. Jax had lost his elastic. He is being pulled into the sun. Asher and Serena instinctively begin to push themselves over to where he is struggling against the force pulling him to his death. His screams are silent, completely muffled by the helmet as they try to take him away from the heat, their mission forgotten in their attempt to save their best friend.

Their attempt went disastrously wrong as they hauled on Jax's arms they too were pulled into the flowing ball of heat, still clutching the devices. Their identical final words were lost in the suns beautiful danger.

Remi.