Earth has become a difficult place to live. Many new diseases have surfaced in the past 50 years, and no cures have been found. Everyone lives in fear of each other, refraining from going to social events, and wears masks when they do have to go out. Many government agencies have been shut down, preserving money for food, and clothing to be distributed to those who fell on hard times. One agency that was still being funded was NASA, in the hopes to find a new planet, with less diseases, or a solution to the problems on Earth.
In 2045, NASA began to receive radio signals, that were not much more than crackles of static. However, they were able to trace them to the source: the sun. NASA immediately dove into creating an inferno proof space vessel. While developing this vessel, they also began to recruit a team to go to the sun. Wanting to send a crew that would be in their prime in 2060, NASA began to test children who were in kindergarten, searching for key aspects of their personalities.
Looking for things like intuition, bravery, good decision making, intellect, and a strong sense of survival, NASA found three worthy candidates for the mission. The selected leader was young Dylan Posey. Dylan was spunky, friendly, and extremely curious, always looking for new things to learn. He had dark brown hair, pale skin, and trustworthy brown eyes. The other two kids that were selected were loyal, and always wanting to help, and nearly as curious as young Dylan. They were Alexa Stanley and Spencer Wallace. Alexa had fire red hair, blue eyes and a freckled face. Spencer’s sandy blond hair, tan skin, and green eyes were a contrast to the other two children. The young team was to be trained and led by the most promising NASA astronaut of his day, Ian Schaefer. Schaefer had been on more space missions than any other space explorer at NASA. Together this team would train for fifteen years, and learn to trust each other. This meant no outside influence. Each child was sent to live in a NASA sanctioned home, so they had virtually no connections to anyone except for each other.
Growing up with no loving parents was difficult for the children. Their lives were regimented, and planed out for them. With only having each other and their mentor, Ian, they all became very close friends; each other’s families in fact. Dylan met the expectations of the NASA scientists, when he naturally filled the group’s leadership role, with Alexa and Spencer at his side. With still being children, Dylan and Spencer would wrestle and bicker, but were still inseparable. Dylan and Alexa, however, hit it off just as well, but not in the silly, child-like manner as with Spencer. The two of them would spend hours talking about anything and everything that interested them, which would bore Spencer, who would run off and play.
The fifteen years had finally passed, and the team was fully prepared. Being fully matured adults, the group was in top physical, mental, and emotional condition. They looked essentially the same as they did when they were children, just more mature. Spencer had hit a growth spurt in their teen years, surpassing the other two, height wise. Dylan had not grown as tall as Spencer, and was also not as bulky. His small frame looking even smaller compared to his best friend.
The group also had much the same relationships as they did when they were younger. Spencer and Dylan were like brothers, and always joking around. Alexa and Dylan still spent much of their time together just talking and sharing their opinions about everything. Alexa and Spencer also had a strong bond between them, however, were more likely to bicker with each other.
The inferno proof vessel was finally complete, and ready for take off. The expedition's leader was Ian, with Dylan being his right hand man. With the trip set to begin the next day, Ian called his team together for a meeting, before they left Earth.
“Okay, guys. This is it. This is what you have spent the last fifteen years training for, and I have to say that I am so incredibly proud of you, as well as honored to be joining you. I think we couldn’t have picked a better crew. Dylan, you are going to be my right hand man in this. Anything you want to add?” asked Ian, beaming at the three in front of him.
Dylan hated being put on the spot like that, but after what his mentor had just said, he felt compelled to add to it. “Uh, well. I guess. So you guys, you know me as well as I know me. Which means you already know how I feel about you. But I do want to say this. I wouldn’t change a single thing about our team. I know what lies ahead of us will not be easy, nor safe, but I know we will succeed” Dylan said, pride swelling in his heart as he looked at each of his friends. Alexa grabbed his hand and squeezed before grabbing Spencer’s as well. The three came together in a group hug.
The next day, when it was time for departure, the crew went to suit up before walking into the launch path, where their co-workers were waiting to wish them farewell. The launch crew lined up along the path to the loading ramp clapping and cheering as they passed. There was also a camera crew waiting at the bottom of the ramp, filming this important moment. Blowing off some steam, Dylan put his arms over Alexa and Spencer’s shoulders and threw up a peace sign at the camera. Spencer caught on and pulled Dylan’s head into a nuggie. Alexa giggled at the boys, but then continued onto the ramp after Ian.
Running out of Spencer’s grip, Dylan followed her up, laughing as well. When the whole crew was loaded, They turned around and waved one final goodbye before the doors shut. It was twenty minutes until they were due to launch.
“Guys, are you ready for this?” asked Ian, while running a hand threw his hair.
Alexa smiled and patted Ian on the shoulder. “We are so ready. We’ve been preparing for most of our lives.”
“Yeah, we’ve got this, old man,” said Spencer with a small laugh. He loved picking on Ian for his age, even though he was only 35. Both Alexa and Ian laughed at this, but Dylan stayed deep in thought. He was sitting in his seat, chewing on his finger nails while bouncing his leg in nervousness. Alexa caught on and walked over to him, taking his hand in hers.
“Hey, Mr. Confidence. What’s going on in that head of yours? You look like you’re going to be sick” she asked, taking her seat, while still holding his hand. His usually pale skin was even paler than ever, and his brown eyes filled with so many emotions that Alexa couldn’t read them.
He kept her gaze for a moment before taking a deep breath and gave a small smile. “I’m sorry. Cold feet. I’m glad you’re here though,” he said, squeezing her hand for reassurance.
“Gross, stop it you two, before I barf,” said Spencer, coming up from behind, earning a glare from Alexa, and an elbow to the leg from Dylan. He limped away to his seat while laughing. His laughter was drowned out by the sound of the launching countdown beginning. Everyone rushed to their seats and buckled in. Dylan took a few deep breaths as they waited for the countdown to finish. Ian would be piloting the vessel for them, with Spencer at the GPS station. Dylan and Alexa were to listen for radio signals. The trip would not last long with the vessel traveling at 100 times the speed of light. It would take them a little less than half a month.
The rockets firing pulled Dylan out of his thoughts. He felt a pressure on his chest as they started to move up. he reached out for Alexa’s hand again, grasping it as if it were a life preserver. The roar continued for a few minutes before it quieted a bit. Ian and Spencer whooped, making Dylan open his eyes that he didn’t remember shutting. They were out of Earth’s atmosphere, and the Earth was shrinking fast.
“Oh, man. That was… something,” said Dylan absently. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling disoriented by the sudden weightlessness. ‘This is normal,’ he thought. ‘Good, this is a good thing. I can’t believe I am in space finally!’ he thought excitedly, looking around. “Hey Ian. How fast are we going now?” asked Dylan, as he moved up front with Spencer.
“Right now we are going at 60 times the speed of light, and getting faster. We should be passing Mars right about.. Now!” he shouted. The whole crew looked to the right and saw the red planet. There was an expedition there about forty years ago that turned out to be a waste of time. What ever resources Mars had were long gone.
“Alrighty guys, we are at full speed! We should be arriving at the sun in about 8 days, so lets rest up,” said Ian, ushering the younger members to the sleeping quarters. Grateful for the excuse to stop watching the lights speed by, Dylan went to his and Spencer’s sleeping quarters, flopping down on to his bed. He was so glad this ship simulated gravity, otherwise he would be sleeping in mid air. It was only a few minutes before his queasy stomach got the better of him and Dylan had to run to the bathroom with a hand over his mouth. Afterward he washed his face and brushed his teeth before going back to the room.
“Hey man, are you alright?” asked Spencer from his bunk. He was looking at Dylan with a worried expression.
“Yeah, I think so. I’m not sure what happened. I’ve never had motion sickness in my life,” said Dylan, running through his brain for possible explanations. ‘It must be nerves,’ he concluded as he went back to his bed, earning another worried look from his friend, but he ignored it.
Dylan felt no better the next morning. No, infact he felt much worse. The first thing he did was run to the bathroom with the same queesyness he had the day before, but worse. He was in there for a while, washing his face when Spencer knocked on the door.
“Dylan, man. What’s going on in there? I thought you just had motion sickness?” Spencer said through the door. His voice was muffled. Dylan sighed and looked in the mirror. His cheeks were flushed, the only color on his white face. There were deep blue circles under his eyes, both telling him that it was not just motion sickness. He had an idea now, but needed to wait it out a few days before he could be certain.
“Yeah, I’m good. It’s still motion sickness. I’ll be out in a minute,” he called back to his worried friend, who he knew wouldn’t buy it. He was relieved when he heard retreating foot steps a moment later. Dylan took a deep breath to prep himself for the walk back to his station.
Finally making it to his chair out in the main control station of the ship, Dylan collapsed into his seat. He got a few looks from his team, but just shook his head at them, signaling that he didn’t want to discuss it. They all respected his plea, and got back to work.
The days passed slowly and Dylan got worse. On day four, he was fairly certain of what was going on now, needed to do a bit of research on it. His symptoms included nausea, fever, dizziness, lack of appetite, and a flushed face. These were all symptoms of one of the less common, also more unforgiving, diseases that were devastating the Earth. This one was also not contagious through the air or water, but genetic. It was even more rare for this disease to actually take effect before someone was in their forties. It was called Geneticae Morbo, or in English simply genetic disease. Of course, there was no cure, and hardly any research on it. On the outside, it appeared that he had a simple flu, but the symptoms that were unseen were the ones that told him what it was.
NASA scientists had pulled Dylan aside many years ago and told him there was a possibility that he might have Geneticae Morbo, but they told him it was a slight chance, yet here he was. Dylan had to tell the rest of the crew what he knew.
On the sixth day when Dylan shuffled into the common room that they all shared, he all but collapsed on the couch, breathing heavily. The world was spinning around him at a million miles a minute. Ian got up and turned off the radio. “You alright there Dylan?” he asked, feeling Dylan’s burning forehead.
Swatting away the cool hand, Dylan sat up. He took a deep breath and looked at each of his friends. “I’m fine. Well, no I’m actually not. Well, hang on I need a minute,” he stuttered as he tried to explain how he felt, while his brain spun.
“What do you mean you’re not okay? What’s going on, Dylan?” asked Alexa, as she scooted over to Dylan. She studied him for a minute. The fire in his brown eyes was duller than she had ever seen, and his dark circles looked more like bruises. His cheeks were more hollow than when they first boarded the ship, and the blush burned fire red against the white of the rest of his face.
Spencer moved his chair closer, waiting for Dylan to explain, studying him the same as Alexa had. Finally, Dylan sighed and pulled his head out of his hands. “I have Geneticae Morbo. I think it started the first day on the ship, and at first I thought it was motion sickness, but now I know that this is what it is. The scientists told me a while back that I carried the gene, but they said there was a small chance it would ever surface. Huh, so much for that,” he finished bitterly.
The room had gone completely silent. Alexa and Spencer paled and exchanged worried glances. Ian ran a hand through his hair and then walked over to Dylan and put a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Dylan. I had no idea. Just hang in there for us, okay?” Ian said, holding Dylan’s gaze. Dylan nodded slightly before Alexa pulled him into a hug. She didn’t say anything, but looked at him with reassuring eyes.
Spencer waited his turn to hug his best friend. “Don’t worry, bro. We will figure something out. We will, I swear,” he said, more to himself than to anyone else.
“We have two days left before we will reach the Sun. Alexa’s radio signals have been getting stronger. Let’s focus on the task at hand,” said Dylan, trying to pep up his team again. He needed the pep talk himself.
The next two days were spent mostly in silence. Dylan’s condition slowly got worse, but his spirits stayed high. It was finally the arrival day. Ian passed out some protective eyewear for the crew. The Sun was spectacular. The crew marveled at its beauty. The radio signals that were coming in were still full of static, but they figured out that whoever was trying to contact them, was using Morse Code. Some of the words that they got were “come”, “land”, and “safe.” They were filled with new determination.
It was about three hours until they were to arrive, when they all felt a jolt in the ship. Looking outside for what might have caused it, and seeing nothing, they started brainstorming. It was about fifteen minutes before they felt another one. It was also then that it dawned on Dylan what was causing them. Gravity. The Sun’s gravity was affecting the controls of the ship.
“We need to turn off the rockets,” Dylan suggested. “The Sun’s gravity will pull us in, and we will save fuel, rather than trying and wrestle with it.”
They all agreed that this was the best plan, and Ian powered down the rockets. Dylan had been right. When they were fifteen minutes from breaching the Sun’s surface, they all strapped themselves back into their seats. It was a very bumpy ride. The ship felt like it was being tossed, and even some of the paint on the outside was melting off.
All the rocking was making Dylan want to vomit again, but he held it together. They were at the surface of the Sun. Dylan grabbed Alexa’s hand, though he couldn’t see her. It was impossible to see anything for how bright it was. He heard Ian trying to say something, but he couldn’t make it out. As they passed through the surface, he heard some pops and creaks, and then they were through. Dylan rubbed his eyes, and then took in the sight around him.
The ship was still steaming, and the metal looked scorched, but still intact. Around them was a sky full of swirling colors and shadows. There was a green patch of what looked like a landing platform that Ian was directing them to. At the platform were some extremely tall beings, that had long flowing bodies, and hovered just above the ground. The ship finally touched down, and the team put on their helmets so they could step out to greet the beings.
Carrying all the extra weight was taking a lot out of Dylan, but he pressed on. They opened the door of the ship and a ramp unfolded so they could walk down to the ground. Ian and Dylan led the way with Alexa and Spencer right behind. They approached the giant beings with their hands raised; the universal signal of peace. The beings greeted them with a low, sweeping bow.
“Welcome, Earthlings,” one of the beings said softly, and surprisingly, in English. “We welcome you. You may take off your helmets if you wish. The Sun can harbor any sort of life,” the being continued. In awe, the humans all complied with the offer and were even more surprised when they found they could breathe.
“Thank you. We have come because we received radio signals from, presumably you?” said Ian, raising his eyebrows. One of the beings nodded. “Why, if I may, did you send the signals?” he continued.
Before they could answer, Dylan collapsed. His dizziness became too much and he went to his knees. “I’m sorry. I’m fine, I promise,” he said to Alexa. “I am sorry about that, I will be fine,” he directed to the beings.
The being on the right moved forward toward him. “No, my child, you will not. Not without our cures. That is why we sent the signals. We are the protectors of this galaxy, and cannot let one of the planets fail. Especially not Earth. Come, child. Let us heal you,” said the being, helping Dylan stand. It helped him move a few feet away before it put one hand on his head and the other one his chest.
Dylan felt as if both warm and cool water were running through his veins at the same time. As soon as it began, it was over. looked down at himself and at his hands. He felt eons better than he had a few seconds ago. He felt… healed.
“Wha- H- How did you do that?” he asked the being, awe struck.
The creature chuckled and stepped back. “We have healing powers, child. We cannot come back with you, however, we can send cures to your diseases. We will also fix your vessel to make your journey much faster and safer. Time is of the essence. We have already loaded your ship with the cures, and the instructions on how to use them. We must bid you farewell now. Good luck young Dylan, Alexa, Spencer, and Ian. We wish you safe travels,” the being finished, shuffling them back up the ramp. Seeing it best not to argue, the crew just followed directions and went up the ramp, calling their thank you’s and goodbye’s behind them.
The ship powered up effortlessly, and then they were back in the air. The swirling colors, smearing together as they flew through them. The being was correct when they said the ship would travel faster. At this rate, they would be back on Earth in less than an hour.
“Dylan, are you really feeling better?” asked Spencer from the seat in front of him. They were all still in shock of the short meeting they just had.
Dylan nodded, and then was laughing. “I feel better than I ever have in my life, Spencer. It’s amazing! One moment I’m near death and the next, I could do cartwheels! It’s amazing!” Dylan said as he pulled Alexa into a hug. Not only was he feeling better physically, but he was more confident. His happiness was contagious as she laughed and hugged him back.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Alexa whispered. She was starting to blush under the gaze that Dylan was giving her. Rather than responding, he kissed her. Alexa was surprised at first, but then kissed back.
“Geeze, guys! Get a room!” teased Spencer. Ian lightly smacked Spencer’s head.
“Leave them alone! I say it’s about time, you two. I mean, you have been staring lovingly at each other for the past five years!” Ian said smiling. “But you do need to sit down, we will be arriving in a few minutes.
Dylan and Alexa took their seats, and watched as the Earth grew larger and larger. In a few minutes they would be home. Maybe they could get back with their families. Landing on Earth was much smoother than landing on the Sun had been. They were greeted by many cameras and the entire NASA community. When the ramp went down, the crew walked out slowly.
They were swarmed by scientists and reporters who were trying to figure out how the trip went and what they found out. Finally, Ian raised his hands, calling for silence. “We were greeted by Sun beings, who said they were the protectors of our galaxy. Dylan here, had contracted Geneticae Morbo, and they somehow healed him. They sent back the cures to our diseases. That was why they contacted us,” Ian explained. There was another flood of questions, but he raised his hand again. “We will not take anymore questions at this time,” he said, leading the rest of the crew into the space station.
The next day was a press conference and award ceremony for the astronauts. They all received medals for their bravery in exploration. The cures were distributed to disease centers around the world, curing everyone of their disease.
Later in that day, after everything calmed down, Alexa and Dylan were taking a walk around the station hand in hand. “So, what are you going to do now?” asked Alexa.
Dylan thought for a second before stopping. “I’m going to find my family, and actually get to know them. Fifteen years is way too long to be away from them. I have a mother, a father, and a little sister, who probably doesn’t even remember me. What about you?” he asked her.
“I was planning on doing the exact same thing. Let’s spend some time with our families, and then we need to make them all meet. Deal?” Alexa asked, smiling.
Dylan grinned. “Deal.” He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before continuing their walk.
The next day Dylan, Alexa, Spencer, and Ian said their goodbyes. They would all continue working for NASA, but on an actual scheduled time, rather than living there. And of course, after a two month vacation.
Dylan traveled back to San Francisco, where his family was from. He got off of his train and took a taxi to his childhood home. When he paid the cabbie, he turned around and took a deep breath. He walked up to the door and knocked. It was a moment before a young girl opened the door. She looked to be about fifteen years old. It was Lucy, his younger sister. She even had the same brown eyes. Dylan felt tears form in his eyes, and cleared his throat. “Hello, Lucy. My name is Dylan, do you-” he started, but Lucy cut him off with a hug.
“I thought I was never going to see you! I can’t believe you’re finally home! Mom, Dad! It’s Dylan! He’s home!” she shouted back into the house. Dylan was hugging her tightly, with tear of happiness streaming down his face. His mother and father appeared in the door for a split second before joining in on the hug. The family was finally reunited, after fifteen long years.