Ideal Comics
Everything Great About Comics
Space, 1951 - An Odyssey (Chapter 10)
24 February, 2010 by chris
And our two-time-a-week feature has been reduced to a weekly feature, I guess. Wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. I'll get another chapter up on Friday or Saturday. They're written. I'm just being lazy.
Space, 1951 - An Odyssey
by Chris Lawton and Mathew D. Rhys
"What. Was. That?" Kim gasps.
"He called himself a space wraith," Golden Rapid replies.
"What's that?"
"I don't know," he answers. "But, I think he's gone."
If Golden Rapid had hair on the back of his neck, he would probably feel it standing on end. His companion does. They both feel a tingling sensation within their skin, and turn to face the front of the ship.
They see the Space Wraith, as he phases through the front hull. The figure tackles Golden Rapid, knocking the alien off of his feet. Golden Rapid grabs the wraith by the waist, attempting to fling him again through the hull of the ship. A quick super-speed turn and release, but the wraith clangs against the metal wall.
"You—You didn't go through!" Golden Rapid cries, confusion entering his voice.
"You fool!" The Space Wraith answers. "If I cannot be limited by time, why would I be limited by space?!"
He lunges at the Golden Rapid's throat and our hero barely has time to catch the outstretched arms of the wraith, before his windpipe is crushed. The struggle begins, as the two men flail across the cabin. In a twirling tumult, they battle for life itself.
Kim can do nothing but watch helplessly as her beloved battles oblivion itself. It is then that she sees the windows on the front of the ship dim, as a bright white star comes into view. She looks back to the fight and sees something odd. The closer they get to the star, the Space Wraith begins to shimmer and fade, affected by the star's radiation.
She dashes over to the control panel and grabs the control wheel, turning the ship closer toward the star. She turns back to the fight, to see Golden Rapid get the upper-hand. He looks toward her and nods approvingly. She hits the deck as he, with a might strength, heaves the Space Wraith at the oncoming sun.
Weakened by the radiation of the star, the Space Wraith is grasped by the sun's gravity and pulled into the spinning orb of plasma. Yet our heroes cannot breathe deep, for they too are plunging toward that dire fate.
Golden Rapid dashes to the control wheel and gives it a heave, attempting to pull the ship out of the star's gravity. But, to no avail. The ship is pulled ever closer and the most Mar can manage, is to skim the sun's corona with death waiting in its wake.
"At least you got rid of that Space Wraith," Kim says. "If you can't beat them, join them, I guess."
"Aha!" Mar exclaims, then sets his teeth in determination. "Not yet! We'll use the gravity of the star to help us escape!"
He ramps up the progressive gradient drive, pulling the control wheel hard to one side. The ship lurches past the sun, before curving back and slingshotting into the dark. The two inhabitants of the ship are knocked off their feet, as the vessel is propelled through unimaginable distances and speeds. Everything goes dark. And just as suddenly, the ship lurches to a stop, throwing their rag doll bodies forward.
After a few minutes of quiet humming, while computers reset and systems come back online, the lights flicker to life. With a groan, Golden Rapid rises to his feet and checks the nav computer.
"Where are we?" Kim says, rising to her feet, as well.
"This can't be right," Golden Rapid answers. "According to the computer, we've arrived at Aquarius."
"That's good, right?" Kim says.
"That's not good at all," Golden Rapid replies. "Because there's nothing here."