CHAPTER 1 SUNLIGHT Dr Henry Henshaw gritted his teeth He and his crew were starting reentry into Earth’s atmosphere in the space shuttle Excalibur and already powerful g-forces were pressing down on him The shift back to gravity after being weightless for a few days in space made Hank feel like he was slowly being crushed in a giant invisible fist Hank felt proud about the mission they’d accomplished It had been a complete success Hank and his crew had ridden the Excalibur outside of the Earth’s atmosphere past the magnetic field encircling the planet They soared into space and into the solar winds to collect cosmic rays that
were so high-frequency nobody had even proven their existence Until now Hank found proof Not only had he identified the cosmic rays he’d managed to collect and store some But he hadn’t done it alone Without his wife Terri who had invented the crystal storage container for the mysterious radiation he would never have been able to prove his theories were true Yes he’d invented the detector but the two of them were an unstoppable team Hank smiled slowly as the gravitational forces pulled at his face Hank thought about the opportunities that would open after this The resources and money The power he would have Buckle up folks barked Steven Bishop the commander of the Excalibur
It’s getting rougher all the way down said the pilot James Dobbins And we’re getting heavier Think light thoughts added Commander Steve Hank leaned into his shoulder harness striving to breathe calmly as he was shaken around in his seat They were in the outer atmosphere passing through the thermosphere toward the mesosphere The g-forces and the shaking were going to get much worse before the shuttle reached the stratosphere below Hank owed a debt of gratitude to the shuttle’s crew Steve and Jim They were like super heroes flying off the planet into outer space The journey on the Excalibur had been the trip of a lifetime and Hank was sad that it was almost over
Terri waved her hand and they turned to look at one another through their helmets Hank could only faintly see his wife’s eyes You okay she asked Hank smiled Never better he replied And you’re here which makes it perfect It was perfect They had accomplished a scientific breakthrough something that would be listed in science books forever Sailing down through the freezing bumpy mesosphere Hank caught a flare of light in the corner of the cockpit window
