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Angel S:1 E:1 "Pilot Part 1" By G.M. Shephard Copyright 2012-2013 Edited by: jeffusually Dear fans and first time readers. What you are about to read is a major revision to the original pilot of Angel. In preparing my completed work for publishing, I felt the fist episode was in desperate need of a serious overhaul. The first scene was just that--the first scene I had ever written. As I progressed over the course of eight months, I often felt myself returning to the pilot with a feeling of displeasure. The opening paragraph drew me into the story, but it immediately turned into a narrative backstory that I couldn't help but feel bored readers. In addition, the pilot's style differed greatly as my storytelling rapidly evolved. I could feel a sense of change between the pilot and the remaining story and subsequent sequel. To resolve this, I rewrote the pilot, taking each component of the backstory and placing it into conversations between Michael and his crew hours before he is ejected into space and his destiny is forever transformed. Now, each of the crew are introduced immediately. Michael and Megan's friendship is established in the first flashback scene. In addition to the early introductions, seasoned fans will appreciate the added foreshadowing and new readers will be immersed into the action much sooner in the story while setting up the events about to transpire. A couple quick notes. Existing fans, you will notice several changes in the story that will cause some minor continuity problems. These wil be resolved as the remaining story is revised prior to publication. New Readers, if you continue to read, also note, there will be some discrepancies. I recommend reviewing the original pilot for reference. I hope you will all enjoy this new version as much as I do. The raw emotion of the scenes draws me in, connects me with the characters and won't let up throughout the story. Enjoy. GM Shephard. ---Part I "Failure"--- My final moment was upon me. Fear took ahold of me as I checked my O2 levels for the hundredth time. 5% according to the gauge. Breathing was a growing struggle as the pressure in my suit continued to plummet. Using the mirror attached to the left wrist on my EMU suit, I savored my final glimpses of the Earth. It was the best I could do to keep the blue and green sphere that I called home in my view during the last moments I had among the world of the living. With the nitrogen in my Manned Maneuvering Unit depleted, I couldn't correct my axis to allow a full frontal view of my home. This is how it would end for me, I would die alone in the blackness of space, and my decaying corpse would drift forever throughout the cosmos. "Where had everything gone wrong?" ---Two hours ago--- "Michael, Pendleton wasn't your fault. You know that. His suit ruptured and he decompressed," Dr. Megan McCormack said as we sat in the flight deck of the ship's FAST Pack, secluded from the rest of the crew. "I did everything I could to save him, but after a long exposure to a vacuum, his lungs collapsed, causing respiratory failure. I tried, but on this cramped ship, my resources were limited. Even in a hospital, there would be little we could have done." "I know Doc. One hundred and twenty seconds. If only we could have re- pressurized him a few seconds sooner." "Perhaps, but maybe not. We all acted according to our training. No, better than our training. No one will fault us, it was a freak accident. These are the risks we take to save the world. Now Michael, we could re- run that moment over and over again, learning each time, and we would never come close to making up that time. It was simply his time." "Thanks Doc, I know, but still hurts. I'm the commander of this mission and I have to take responsibility for my crew," I explained to my friend as I checked my watch to see how much more time we had. It was a godsend that the mission planners felt it wise to have Megan as part of the crew. We needed a surgeon being so far away from Earth during our year long mission. Having a doctor who also had a P.h.D in psychology was advantageous. Some days I felt like my responsibility was to just too much to bear and having her on board to listen to my burdens restored the confidence I had in my abilities to lead my team. "Michael, You have done a remarkable job commanding this mission. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job than you. Think about what we have accomplished. We are the first international crew, a joint effort between the us and the Russians. We are flying the largest spacecraft ever built, with revolutionary nuclear propulsion, something our two countries built together. We've journeyed as far as Mars' orbit. Sean landed us on the asteroid, then Shephard and his ground team planted the devices. We had a successful detonation. Now we are a month shy of making it back home. You've made history Michael and within an hour, we should know if all this effort paid off." "What if we failed? What if the devices and our gravity tractor did little to move the Icarus off its trajectory?" I thought of the mission so far. She was right, it was remarkable what we accomplished in such a short space of three and a half years. Since the time we first discovered the asteroid in December of 1983, mankind finally pulled together. The cold war came to an immediate end as the world's two mightiest superpowers banded together. I sat conversing with my friend on board the result of the American and Soviet partnership--the Deliverance. The Soviets had been working on the design of a nuclear powered propulsion system for years. It was America's constant interference into the Soviets' atomic research that halted progress. Likewise, similar work by the Americans was impeded by espionage, or political tension. The stalemate between the two countries continued as the leaders uselessly held summit meetings, achieving little progress toward peace. A mass of debris left over from the formation of the Solar System ended most conflict on the planet in the span of a week. Now, my friend and I conversed, sharing my innermost vulnerabilities with her as I tried to deal with the mission's first casualty. Of course I felt guilty. I was nowhere near when a gas pocket erupted and punctured his hard suit. It was the tail end of the drilling phase, a couple of days away from departing after a month on the Icarus' surface when the accident happened. I listened to the drama unfold below from the safety of the Deliverance's FAST Pack. The FAST Pack was the core of the ship's systems. Essentially it was a large nuclear tugboat that mated with the modified Atlantis orbiter. Containing a revolutionary nuclear reactor engine that powered eight main thrusters, four aft, and four retro, the craft could reach Mars in a fraction of the time it would take a conventional solid fuel rocket. Upon our arrival, the Atlantis separated from the FAST Pack. Collins, my pilot, successfully piloted the Orbiter to the surface where Shephard began work planting the nuclear devices into the asteroid. As the ground team labored each day, I piloted the Fast Pack and remained in orbit around the massive asteroid, using the ship's mass to gradually tug the rock off its trajectory and supplement the effect of the nuclear devices. The journey was near its end. We spent several months after the detonation using the Deliverance as a gravity tractor, pulling the Icarus further off course, before Earth launched phase three of the operation. A volley of orbitally launched missiles, struck the asteroid, while we took refuge on the far side of the moon. Each missile struck at regular intervals, allowing time for the first blast to dissipate before the next impact. "Michael, this is something we all fear, every human on Earth is afraid. We simply did the best we could do." "I'm scared Megan, I'm afraid of the consequences if we fail," I confessed, my stomach knotting up at the thought of my wife and daughter dying in the aftermath of an impact. The size of downtown New York, the asteroid would eradicate all life on the planet and enshroud the Earth with a thick blanket of ash, reflecting the Sun's life-sustaining energy away from the planet. Those who survived would live harsh lives underground, sealed away until the dust settled two painfully long years from now. "Michael, you wouldn't be human if you, like the rest of us, didn't feel that way. I know you are a tough, strong man. I've told you before, it's okay for you to show your emotions. It's a load of crock that men are supposed to hide their emotion. It's okay for you to feel pain and show it." "I know, we've been through this. I don't like breaking down in front of my crew. It makes me feel weak." "You're not weak, you're a strong man, you just have a softer side. I wish there were more like you in the world. Liz is a very lucky woman to have such a great man. And Ashley, well most girls are going to be jealous that she has such a great dad." She paused and smiled, reaching out and touching my hand. "Speaking of, how are they?" "Liz, Liz is hanging in there. Actually she really seems like she on the edge. I'm worried about her. Worried about Ash. She's strong, but she still needs her mother to take the lead." It had been about a week since I spoke with my wife and daughter via the video conference that NASA included for the crew to remain in regular contact with their loved ones. "I know, she does look like she is getting worn out. When you let me talk to them last week, Liz did show increasing signs of anxiety. This of course is expected. You're right, it is remarkable is how positive Ashley's been. She was just as high spirited then as she was the first day I met her." "Yeah, she is a great kid, she makes her father very--" "--Commander, sorry to interrupt you two, but Houston's on the horn for you," Eugene said over the P.A., interrupting our conversation. I pressed the button below the speaker. "Thanks Gene, I will be there in a minute," I said, turning back to Megan. "Thanks Doc. I'm really glad you are part of my team. I don't know what I would have done all this time without you." I pushed myself toward her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and giving her a friendly half a hug. "I'm glad to be here. Thank you for considering me an equal." "Equal? When did I think that?" I said playfully. "I've told you a hundred times Megan, you're the smartest cookie in my crew." She opened the hatch to leading to the mid deck. Mitri and Yeltsov were sitting there, engaged in yet another fierce chess battle on their miniature magnetic chess set. "Igor, you aren't going to let Nikolai beat you again are you?" I said in near fluent Russian as I pushed past them toward the opening to the flight deck. "No Commander, this time I beat him," Yeltsov said in a thick Russian accent. "I will beat him," I said correcting his English. He repeated it several times, trying to get it right. Mitri, who was far superior with English, took over the English lesson, helping his friend as I pushed off the floor and ascended high toward the flight deck. I could hear Shephard and Collins in one of their regular debates. "Oh no, I can't leave you two alone for twenty minutes can I?" I said as I moved past them and took a seat in my command chair on the left side of the cockpit. "Hey Saint," Sean Collins, my pilot and second in command said, addressing me by my Air Force call sign. Sean, a former Naval fighter pilot himself, followed a similar career as I, but chose instead to join the Navy, where he served as Commander of the Air Group on board the U.S.S. Stennis. Collins, also a family man, had a strong Christian faith and often clashed with Dr. Shephard, our Payload Specialist who lived each moment of his life skeptical of everything. Naturally, the two were constantly arguing. "What are you two debating about now?" "Sean here is trying to convince me that the Earth is 6,000 years old." "Well it is," Sean said as I picked up my headset. I had little time to listen to their arguments and was frankly getting tired of listening to them. "Quiet a moment." I waited a second for them to be silent, then hit the talk button, "Houston, this is Deliverance, over." A reply instantly poured through the radio with minimal delay, indicating we were getting even closer to home. "This is Houston, we read you. How's it going up there Owen?" "The view is improving Dwayne, that little blue dot's getting bigger. How's it going down there?" I said to Dwayne Turner, commander of B Team, serving as the Capsule Communicator. The CAPCOM as we call, is the intermediary between the flight crew and Mission Control. Instead of being bombarded with commands from any of the Mission Control operators, all communication were passed to a single person and relayed to the crew. Since the Mercury missions, the CAPCOM has usually always been other astronauts. "Same old boring view in the smoke filled Mission Control. Thanks for rubbing it in that you are up there instead of me." "Prick," Shephard said quietly so only the three of us could hear, "if he wasn't such an ass, he probably would be up here god forbid. I gave Gene a thumbs up agreeing with his statement. Dwayne wasn't known for his friendly demeanor and would often butt heads with others, myself being his favorite. "Sorry buddy," I said, "didn't mean it that way. Anyway, you guys have an update on the Icarus over?" "Saint, trajectory calculations are still in progress. Due to instrument problems, it may be about another thirty minutes before we can determine if those nukes worked. Sorry we don't have any news just yet." "Roger, understood. Keep us posted. Anything else Houston?" "Negative, your approach is still on target. Oh, tell your boys, they are gonna get their butts handed to them by Sweden in the finals tomorrow. If we get some good news, Flight just might pipe a feed up there for you." Dwayne didn't give a crap about hockey, nor did he have an allegiance with Sweden. He just wanted to torment me and my Russian crew members. "Not a chance, the 1986 World Championship will go to our partners. Any ways, thanks for the heads up. Nikolai and Igor will be excited to hear that." "Roger. Will keep you posted as soon as we hear word on the Icarus, Houston out." 'Damn, another thirty minutes of waiting,' I thought while pressing the button to the P.A. "Ok kids, that was Houston, got another thirty before we hear whether this mission was a success or a dud. "Okay Commander, let's hear what you think. You're what, Catholic?" Eugene said without care toward my announcement. "Grew up Catholic, can't say I still am." "Right, your mother was the religious one, named you after that fairy tale being?" "Michael the Archangel you mean?" "Like I said, fairy tales," Collins rolled his eyes. "So what are you getting at Gene, I'm kinda busy? We've gone over the story on my name a dozen times. I really don't care what the religious etymology is, as long as you don't call me Mike, I really don't care where my name comes from." "So what about the Earth?" "What about it?" "How old is it? Preacher here seems to think this planet is 6,000 years old. "So what if he thinks that?" I said. "So what?" Really? Owen, it's insulting to me. NASA didn't send me on this mission for my charming looks. I have a P.h.D in Geology having studied planetary geology and done extensive work with hydrocarbons. You know you might think that I am falsifying my data to fit my skeptical world view, but don't forget, I've been paid lots of money by rich oil tycoons who have these very lavish lifestyles, lifestyles that my successful research helps drive. The reason they continue to grow rich is because my data is correct. Face it, the Earth has been around billions of years. "Well, I must say Gene, that is a good point you bring up about petroleum. Sean, I am going to side with the Doctor here. All the scientific evidence points towards a universe that is quite old. Having said that, Gene, all you're doing is disproving the Earth's young age. Doesn't mean that God doesn't exist." "Still, you wanna believe in that-" "-Gene, sorry I have other things I wanna think about. Honestly unlike you and Collins here, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it one way or another. Chances are, that rock we call home might now be around much longer, so what do you two say. Can we just get along and quit bickering about religion?" I left without letting them reply, joining up with Mitri and Igor. "I just heard the Soviet Union will play Sweden tomorrow in the finals," I said to my two Russian friends, watching Igor ponder where to place his bishop. "That is good. We crush Sweden easily," Mitri said, smiling as Igor committed his bishop right into the trap he laid out. "Michael, when this is over, Igor and I take you to game in Moscow. This sound good, yes?" Mitri spoke in English as was our custom. I would speak to them in Russian, while they used my native language. We would stop every now and then, correcting each other. In the span of time I had been working with them, my Russian evolved from passible, to near fluency. "Nikolai, that is very sweet," Megan said as she ate her lunch, floating over the fierce match. "It's been a joy seeing how close the three of you are. You are a small model of what I know is coming between our two countries. "Check," Mitri said, taking Igor's bishop with his rook while unblocking a direct path where his queen threatened the king. "Oops, that was dumb," Igor said aloud. He tried to counter, but found he did nothing but seal his fate. "Comrade, looks like checkmate-" Mitri's victory was interrupted as the miniature chess set exploded, sending pieces flying throughout the cabin. The hissing of escaping atmosphere flooded the cabin seconds before the ship's master alarm sounded a warning about our diminishing life support. "IGOR!" Megan yelled, throwing her meal aside, lunging toward Igor. I looked up at the commotion to see droplets of blood floating in the micro gravity around my friend's neck. Blood squirted through his fingers as he clutched his neck. "Hull breach," Collins shouted as the sound of objects striking the hull outside increased. A large impact jolted the deliverance, knocking us around. "Stations everyone. Sean, flood the cabin," I ordered while scrambling to help Megan stabilize Igor. Shephard rushed toward the infirmary grabbing the trauma kit off the wall. "Commander, I got this," Eugene yelled. I turned my attention to my bleeding ship, as the fire extinguisher erupted, launching itself across the cabin where it struck Sean in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Doubling over in pain, he fought to secure the canister, his hand freezing to the rapidly cooling metal cylinder. "Warning, Warning, Warning. Cabin depressurization," Bitching Betty, the ship's computer started flooding the cabin, warning us after we all ready determined the problem. "Deliverance, this is Houston, come in over. We are reading multiple alarms, report," Dwayne yelled through the P.A. Igor's blood drifted across the cabin, splitting into two separate trails, attracted to the breaches in the side of the hull. There was no time to think. I left Collins and scrambled to the airlock, pulling myself up into the upper half of my space suit as fast as I could, powering on the life support systems. Gene rushed over, leaving Megan alone, understanding immediately what I was up to. "Owen, we need approval from Houston before we go EVA," Gene uselessly quoted regulations." "No time Shephard, we are going to bleed out. Help me with the lower." Gene didn't argue, instead grabbing the lower half of my suit and mating the connecting collar around my waist. "Systems online Commander, you are 100% charged," he said, handing me my helmet. "Get me the hull breach kit," I yelled, pulling my snoopy cap over my head before putting my helmet on. With the final seal closed shut, the suit began to pressurize. I didn't wait for Gene before scrambling into the airlock. Gene kicked himself off the far wall with the gun in hand, tossing the lanyard around my wrist. "Good luck commander." He gave a thumbs up and and closed the airlock door, locking it shut. "Deliverance to Houston, Mayday, Mayday. Come in over," I said over the radio. "This is Houston. We are reading multiple cabin depressurization alarms, and FAST Pack separation. What's going on up there Saint?" The light above the outer door turned green indicating the airlock was depressurized. I quickly opened the outer door and pushed my way to the Manned Maneuvering Unit as the Atlantis' massive payload doors opened above, filling the cargo bay with Sunlight. "Houston, we have multiple hull breaches from unknown source. Deliverance is rapidly depressurizing, I'm going EVA to stop the outgassing." I backed up to into the large pack until a small green light inside my helmet lit up informing me my life support pack successfully mated with the MMU. I pulled down my visor, then took the controls, firing my thruster, lifting myself up and clear of the cargo hold, witnessing the FAST Pack drifting away from the Atlantis. "Houston, affirmative confirmation of FPU separation. I have a visual of the FAST Pack moving away from the Orbiter. She's a lost cause, spinning on her Y axis. We won't be able to re-mate with her." "Roger Saint. Let's focus on the breach. EECOM says sensors indicate breaches on port side panels E-25, F-30, and D-18. Repeat, port panels, E-25, F-30, and D-18." "Affirmative, making way to F-30," the first along the route towards the bow. I turned on the lights attached to the pack, scanning the surface of my ship as I progressed forward. "Michael, turn your camera on, I have eyes on screen," Megan called over the radio. I switched on the remote camera below the light cluster to begin feeding her video of what appeared before me, "excellent, you're on the air and coming in clear. I'm seeing lots of damage." "MM/OD shower, Houston, can you see this?" "Roger, receiving the feed now," the voice replied as I approached the first panel. The red crimson stain from Igor's blood helped me quickly hone in on the first breach. "This is Saint, I am at F-30, what's the current atmosphere reading?" I asked as I brought my MMU to a stop and rotated my axis to face the panel. I reached out with a large suction cup attached to a tether and attached it to the smooth thermal panel to keep me from drifting while I made the repairs. "Saint, cabin pressure is at 78% and falling," Turner relayed the EECOM's system readings. "Roger, 78%," Shephard said, confirming Houston's numbers, "flooding cabin now." I could hear a gas leak over the radio as Gene released the colored gas to further help identify small punctures in the hull. The debris clearly punched through the multiple layers. First line of defense is the aluminum shell that breaks the debris into smaller pieces. After, layers of kevlar shields stop or slow the micro meteoroids. Anything the kevlar fails to stop is usually caught by a foam layer just outside the inner shell. This debris went clean through all the layers. I quickly placed the cone at the end of the breach kit over the puncture and pulled the large three finger long trigger to inject the foam. The cone provided a soft seal, protecting the hole from the vacuum by allowing the foam to inject itself into the cavity where it would expand, sealing off the venting. A light lit up indicating enough time passed for the foam to permanently seal. Typically, shuttle missions and MIR relied on this shielding alone as emergency EVAs took days to coordinate with the Mission Control. In the Deliverance's case, a hull breach en route would result in not only the crew's death, but the planet's. "F-30 sealed, what's our status?" "74%. Still dropping, but not as fast," Shephard said, beating Houston to the punch. "Roger, moving to E-25." My small inertia control thrusters on my maneuvering pack propelled me forward along the fuselage. I stopped, reaching section 25, and lowered myself to the E panels running below the F row. There, I repeated the process, injecting the expanding airtight foam, sealing the second puncture before moving on to the last. "Collins, you copy?" "He is in bad shape Commander," Mitri responded. "Listen Mitri, you need to shut down RCS. The Verniers took some damage. Can you get a reading on the reactor?" "Already shut all propulsion down. Reactor normal, she's Russian designed. Very strong." "Don't forget who helped build it. We also paid for most of it." I mustered a joke to help calm my nerves "We make good team, yes Comrade Michael?" "Mitri, how is Igor?" I said as I approached the final breach, taking position. The blood stopped, but the colored gas was pouring through, "Mitri, did you copy, how is Igor?" Nothing but silence as I worked the breach kit. "I'm sorry Michael," Megan's voice said, "the micro meteoroid ruptured the artery in his-" she paused as my hands started to shake, breaking the seal around the cone. I pressed harder, resealing it and waiting for the light to signal my job was done. "-Igor's gone. Michael, I'm so sorry" "Good job Saint," Shephard said, breaking up the emotional moment, returning the crew to the job at hand. "Cabin pressure at 69% and rising. O2 reserves coming online. The seals are holding. "Thanks Gene, good work team." I lifted up and maneuvered the MMU toward the flight deck window--coming to a hover over the cluster of Vernier thrusters that made up the ship's Retro rockets, allowing the vehicle to counter the inertia of forward travel. "Retro looks good. It appears all damage is along the port side." Megan appeared in the cockpit window and looked out at me. Her jumpsuit was covered in blood." "Houston, this is Saint, come in over." "Houston, go ahead." "Hull breach sealed. Cabin pressure rising. Permission to remain EVA and check for further damage. Several Verniers appear to be damaged. Without the FPU's nuclear reactor control system, and a damaged cluster on Atlantis, we could be dead in the water." "Negative Saint, end your EVA and use SRMS to survey damage." "Copy. The arm can't survey the thermal tiles, request manual survey of the heat shield, and topside survey with the Canadarm. Advise, over." "Negative Saint, terminate EVA. Proceed with SRMS survey. We will have you Rendezvous with MIR and take refuge there." "Refuge? What do you mean? How are you going to get us home? Over." Silence. I waited for what seemed like an eternity before repeating. "Houston, advise on homecoming alternatives over." "Commander, it's Frank. Good work up there." "Frank, What's going on?" It was strange Frank Thompson, the Flight Director, took the com. As soon as I asked, Dwayne's sudden silence became clear. We failed, there wasn't going to be a home to go to. "Michael, trajectory analysis has been completed. It is my sad duty to inform you the mission did not succeed. Impact with the Icarus is imminent. I repeat, there will be an impact." "Heaven help us. What's the ETA?" Shephard asked. "Two weeks. New calculations have an impact site along the Eastern Seaboard with smaller debris hitting North America, Europe, China and Japan. We were close damn it. Another 500 kilometers, and it would have bounced off the atmosphere." "Understood," I said as my worst fears surfaced. Inside my gloves, my hands were violently shaking, my stomach clenching into a tight knot. Megan stood in the window watching me, her face displaying her own dread regarding the news of our failure. "Frank, what are the casualty estimates?" "Higher, into the 85 to 89 percen--." "--MICHAEL, LOOK OUT." I didn't have a second to process what she was yelling about when I suddenly felt as if I was struck by a freight train. My head jerked sideways, hitting the inside of my helmet while jerking my neck. I felt as if a bone in my shoulder cracked as I was suddenly ejected at a high velocity away from the ship, "OH MY GOD MICHAEL. HELP, SOMEONE HELP," was all I could hear as my vision went black. --- "Doc, what's the matter?" Mitri yelled, pulling himself up alongside Megan in the cockpit. She was screaming Michael's name. She was looking out the starboard side trying to see something. "Michael, can you hear me. Please Michael say something," she kept saying into the radio, ignoring Mitri. "Houston, we have situation," Mitri reported as Megan kept trying his direct com channel. He peered out the window, seeing the larger debris passing the ship. "Deliverance, what's going on up there? Owen's heart monitor spiked, then suddenly calmed to very low levels." McCormack was about to reply when the whole ship jolted again, knocking her into a control panel. "We have to get out of here," Sean said with a weak voice, pulling himself up to the flight deck while ignoring the searing pain of his broken ribs shifting. "Deliverance, report, master alarm is flashing." "Houston, larger debris hit the hull and..." Megan paused, "Michael was hit." "Copy do you have visual?" "Negative visual on Owen," Megan said, doing everything she could to keep her calm in front of the crew. Collins struggled to pull himself forward into the cockpit. "No Sean, don't," Mitri yelled as he saw Sean bringing the ship's systems online. "We have to go after him," he retorted, continuing with his emergency start up procedure." "Sean, we can't go after him, RCS is damaged, you'll kill us." Sean stopped flipping the switches engaging the fuel pumps. "We have to do something, we can't let him die out there." Megan grabbed Sean's shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. "Sean, Mitri's right, we all want to go after him, but if the Verniers are leaking fuel, a burn will destroy the ship. We have to think of something else." "What else is there?" Gene piped in with a voice of dread behind it. "I say we survey the vessel for damage. If it's in good shape we go after Owen. "Negative," a faint voice came in through the speaker. "I'm a lost cause. Stand down, do not attempt a rescue." "Michael! Oh god, I'm glad you're ok." "I'm not Doc. Would be much easier if that would have been it. I'm in bad shape. My head's bleeding and I think I have a broken collar bone." "Ok, but we can still come get you if the systems check out." "Negative, my pack's leaking O2. You won't be able to run a full damage report in time." "What rate are you loosing O2?" McCormack asked, trying to hold on to some array of hope. "I already ran the numbers. With my reserve, I have about 20 minutes." "Can you still see the ship?" She said, moving to the SRMS controls. Megan switched on the video displays, then changed the camera feed. The large robotic arm in the shuttle cargo bay was still configured for external surveillance. "Negative. I used all my Nitrogen to stop my spin. My attitude is fixed. I can't see the Earth or the Deliverance. "Okay Michael, I'm gonna see if I can see you in the F.L.I.R camera" "Won't do any good Doc. EMU suits have too much insulation, Infrared won't pick him up," Gene added, crushing the last of her hopes. "Listen, I don't want to waste this time trying to save me, so all of you get it out of your heads right now. If we are smart, we can use these 20 minutes and let me help save you. Now first of all, how is Collins?" "Right here Saint. In a lot of pain, but I should manage." "Can you dock with MIR?" "I should be able to if we can safely initiate a burn. If not, it won't matter." Ok, Mitri, you and McCormack get on the Canadarm and start a full exterior damage analysis. Gene, pull the ship's schematics and coordinate with Houston. Collins, have the doc treat your wounds, then I want you to relax. I don't want you to do anything that can further injure yourself. I'm not coming back, so the Deliverance is yours. It's up to you to bring everyone home, understand?" "Roger, understood," Sean said, wondering to himself what home Michael expected him to return to. All his prayers had gone unanswered. The whole planet below were holding vigils, praying for a miracle. Either God didn't care, or perhaps Gene was right. If this was the end of the world, then the book of Revelation got it all wrong. The falling star would only kill one third, Icarus was projected to destroy up to 85% of the world's population. "Houston, can you get in touch with Liz for me? I have things I want to tell her." "I'm very sorry Michael, we are on lockdown, no outbound calls," Thompson said, taking over direct communication. "Where is she? Where's my daughter? How come they are not at JSC right now?" "Michael, as soon as we can we will send someone to take them to safety." "Houston, Repeat, I didn't catch that. You're breaking up." A crackling sound emitted from the P.A. The crew was losing communication with him as he drifted out of range of the shortwave radio. EVAs were always performed within close proximity to the vehicle, and relied on the communications array on the Deliverance to relay the signal to Houston. In a matter of minutes, they were going to loose touch. Megan took control of herself, knowing they had little time to say goodbye. "Michael, it's Me, listen, Listen to my voice. We are going to be fine, so I don't want you to worry about us. We each have things to say." "Yes Michael, I'm here too. We're all here," Mitri said, following suit and helping Megan shift the focus toward Michael's final moments. "Say goodbye to them for me. If somehow you make it home, tell Liz and Ash that I love them. Tell them I'm sorry. "Michael, you know I will." Megan, a strong woman, who never showed her emotion, finally broke. She managed to restrain the sorrow in her voice, lest Michael hear, but a flood of tears ran down her face. Mitri reached out to her, handing her a cloth to catch her tears. "Michael, I have enjoyed every moment since the day I first met you and Liz. You are a wonderful man. As long as I live, I will never let my memories of you fade. I love you in a most special way." "Doc, I can't tell you how special you are to me. I don't know how I would have got to this point without your friendship, without your advice. It's stupid I know, there's no hope, but please take care of my girls for me. They're going to need you more than ever." "Michael, it's not stupid. We will find a way. I will take good care of them for you." Nikolai held Megan, offering his chest to bury her face and muffle her cries so Michael couldn't hear. "Comrade Michael," Mitri said into the mic, allowing Megan time to regain her composure, "thank you for your friendship. Igor and I were afraid to work with Americans. I had doubt you would want to be friends us, yet you were true friend. A shame our countries wasted so much time fighting each other. Like Doc, you accepted us as one of your own. Remember special vodka I have at home, Yes? I will drink your half when I return. I drink in your honor my friend." Mitri nodded and laughed as Michael replied in Russian expressing his affection. Eugene took the radio next, holding the mic up to his mouth. After several false starts, he finally spoke, "Commander, it's been an honor working with you. Soon you will be free of this cruel world," he paused, still thinking what to say. "Oh well, this is Eugene, signing out," Collins took the mic next. "Saint. It just occurred to me, you might end up being made a real saint when this is over." "Wouldn't that be something? Would wind up as the patron saint of drifting astronauts." "Leave it to you to sneak a joke in at this time. Anyway, Michael, we've been friends for a while, we've flown together and I just have to say how blessed I am to have known you. You are one heck of a good guy. Lord, I take this time to lift our friend Michael up to you." Gene rolled his eyes as Sean started praying out loud. Megan took Sean's hand to encourage him to continue. "Lord, be with our brother during his final moments. Take away his suffering as you call him home. In your name, Amen." He concluded his prayer, skeptical his heart was behind the words he said aloud. After all the prayers he led the team on, this was one moment he couldn't announce his rapidly diminishing faith. The truth was, he wasn't so sure there was anyone other than the crew listening. "Thanks Sean. Just a couple of words, and I am going to depart early." Michael spoke slowly, pausing periodically to gasp for enough air to speak. "I'm not good at these goodbyes. You guys were the best crew I have ever worked with, and the best friends one can ever hope for in life. I love each and every one of you. Hopefully this is goodbye. I wish to God it is, but if not, I will see you all again real soon. Either way, Goodbye and Godspeed." "Michael, wait," Megan called out, but there was no response. All they heard was some grunting and rustling around for a few seconds before they heard Michael cussing. "Damn it." "Michael, what's the matter?" "My helmet's jammed." Mitri's emotions finally surfaced, envisioning his friend desperate to quicken his inevitable death, but unable. The sudden alarm sounding though Michael's radio startled him until he recognized the warning. Michael had finally exhausted his air supply. He held Megan tight as they listened to his fading grunting and gasping for whatever air he had remaining. The crackling of the static intensified, drowning out the sounds of suffocation as their commander drifted further away from the shortwave radio. Then, there was nothing but the noise produced by the cosmic background radiation, left over from the universe's beginning. Gene reached up to turn off the speaker, bringing their farewell party to an end, when Michael's barely audible voice spoke his final words. "Wow! Light. Beautiful light." Then true silence. To be sure, they suffered through the noise for five minutes before killing the speaker. The four remaining astronauts of the Deliverance floated in each others' arms sharing a moment of silence as Michael passed on into the next life. ---Heaven--- I opened my eyes to see nothing but bright white light flooding my retinas everywhere I looked. Rubbing my eyes and squinting several times trying to adjust to my transition from darkness to light helped my eyesight come into focus, allowing me to see more clearly. It came to my attention that I was lying down and no longer wearing my bulky spacesuit; instead my body was clothed in Angelic white. "Am I dead?" I said aloud. "You are very much alive," A soft voice said. The Angel appeared out of nowhere and stood beside me, kneeling down so that her face was level with mine. She reached out to touch my face causing me to retract in fear and back up. "It's ok, I am not going to harm you, you are perfectly safe and sound," She looked human, long wavy blond hair, stunningly beautiful slender face and light blue eyes like radiating topaz. She had an almost metallic white suit on that was hugging her slender body very tightly emphasizing an absolutely perfect figure. The Angel before me was the most perfect example of feminine beauty one can ever hope to savor with their eyes. "Who are you, where am I?" I asked her. She smiled, pushing her tongue against the back of her teeth and gave a soft cute laugh. "I'm a friend" She replied, "you are on board my ship," Now it was my turn to laugh. "Hahaha, very funny," I said as I looked around trying to locate the deity with the sense of humor behind the cosmic prank, breaking in the newly deceased. "I am serious, you are not dead, I found you drifting in space and brought you back to my ship. Luckily for you, I came by and found you when I did. You would have been dead for real had I come by a few minutes later." I sat up and looked at my Angelic prankster. "Look, it couldn't have been real. I'm a scientist and what you did back there is impossible, one can not move through space on their own without protection." "Quite a scientist, appealing to the supernatural over a rational explanation, but It's ok, I am going to tell you everything," the Angel replied. "Rest assured, you are safe and if you listen to what I am going to tell you, you will still have the chance to save your home. Are you willing to listen to me?" I nodded yes. "Good, I am glad to hear that, because I need your help saving my home as well," the Angel continued. "My name is Kaaren. I am from another world far away in another part of the galaxy. My planet is doomed much like yours, but our sun is dying and will explode in about 80 years killing, everyone on the planet. My father was a great scientist and has figured out that our planet has little time, but the high council is made up of many who take to silly religions over hard science and are ignoring the dangers, choosing instead to silence even noble high ranking people such my father. Our people are being lied to and all opposition trying to expose the truth to the people are dealt with swiftly. My father, in an act of rebellion against the high council, planned to come to Earth in order to bring back hope for the people of my planet. To keep me safe, he brought me along to remain safely on planet Earth while he returned to free our people and save them. As we were making our escape, my planet's security forces attacked us and crippled our ship, mortally wounding my father as we made our way into the wormhole. Now, in order to save the people of my planet, I must carry out the mission he set out to do," I started laughing uncontrollably. The Angel looked at me smiling, knowing full well that her story was hard to believe. "You're kidding? So let me get something straight, you are not an Angel, but an alien, and you have come to Earth to get something that is going to stop your sun from exploding? We can't even stop an asteroid and you came here to stop a star from going supernova?" I continued, "I figured God to have a sense of humor, but this is taking it a little too far. OK, jokes over, can I get my harp now?" Angel again smiled at me. "Michael, I know this all sounds weird. Come let me show you. Will you take my hand and follow me?" She stood up and reached out offering her hand. "How did she know my first name? All my suit had on it was my last name. Regardless, there was something calming and trustworthy about her, so I reached up and took her hand, and stood up. I realized for the first time I was no longer in a zero G environment, but had both feet firmly planted on the ground. Maybe it was true and I was indeed still alive having escaped death and not yet crossed over into the spirit world. The world surrounding me, while strange, still had a familiar physical and tangible feel to it leading me to conclude, my last breath had not yet come. ---The Ship--- My savior led me out of the room. I looked around and noticed all the walls appeared to be some kind of crystal-like material. It didn't look like a ship at all. Certainly not like we would make. We passed by several rooms with the same look, nothing mechanical or metal. We came before a door. She reached out and touched a crystal on what looked like a console to the right. The crystal lit up and the door opened. Before me I saw the blackness of space all around. "Come, it's ok," She caressed my hand and gave me this reassuring trust, that it was ok. It was amazing. Our space vehicles only had very small windows that we would peer out of to witness the wonders of the galaxy. The observation deck of her ship gave me an almost panoramic view of the universe around me. Kaaren touched another panel and the ship seemed to turn. Space began to pan to the right. Suddenly the Earth began appearing in the view. At our distance the Earth was about half the size the moon appears ed to be in the night sky. Kaaren touched the screen where the earth was and with both index fingers pulled on imaginary edges around the small planet, pulling them in opposite directions. Suddenly the image of Earth magnified. "How cool was that?" I thought to myself. The technology on board this ship was amazing and sophisticated, yet organic. It was not made up of bulky machines and masses of wires. I continued to watch as the pale blue dot, grew until I could see the clouds, the land and the oceans in great detail. I started sobbing. "Are you ok?" she said. "I am fine, I never thought I would see that again. Is this really real, this is not come kind of joke?" "It is perfectly real, I never lie. You are safe, and soon so shall be your people. If you choose to help me, you and you alone can save them, while saving the people of my planet at the same time," She swiped her hand across the screen and the Earth disappeared to the left as if her hand was pushing an object off a table. The image of Earth quickly panned out of sight and asteroid 1983 RQ 36 or the Icarus as the International Astronomical Union officially named it came into view. My heart lifted, I was filled with excitement. I was alive, and there was hope. I would see my wife and daughter, the crew of my ship, and all my friends again. "What do we need to do," I asked. She looked at me and smiled. She had the prettiest smile in the world, I was willing to do anything she wanted. "Come, let us talk some more." She gently took my hand and led me to another room. "Here, have a seat," she said guiding me to a small seat with a white metallic looking cushion. It was nice and soft. Kaaren, my Angel stood before me. I couldn't help looking at her figure in that tight outfit. I overcame my feelings and looked her in her eyes that that seemed to radiate. "The star in the the center of your solar system is unique," she said as a 3 dimensional model of my solar system appeared in the room. "Its temperature and size are unique in this galaxy. It is a middle-aged star that will continue to burn its hydrogen and helium fuel for another 5 billion years. Unlike the people of your planet, my people, while we look human, have a much different molecular structure. We absorb the energy from your star and it endows us tremendous power. Only a handful of people on our planet know of that fact and to protect your people a secret society was formed whose members will die to keep that fact safe. On your planet we are capable of almost anything, and are essentially gods, immortal and capable of amazing wonders." I was starting to think all of this as a joke again. 'Is she serious?' I thought to myself. 'How can a star make someone immortal, that made no logical sense to me and violated so many laws of physics.' She continued before I could verbalize what my brain was thinking. "For example, when you saw me the first time, unprotected in the vacuum of space, I was able to move freely without aid of machines because my body absorbs radiation from your Sun. This energy in turn can be used to propel myself at great speeds through space while seemingly impervious to harm. This body of mine may not look like much, but I can exert amazing force on matter allowing me to move the heaviest of objects, much like that asteroid that is threatening your world," It did indeed explain what I saw, but I was skeptical. "I'm sorry, but this is a little much for me," That enlightening smile returned. "I never lie. Believe me." Somehow I knew she was not blowing smoke up my backside. "Everything I am telling you is the truth. I can spend time proving to you, or we can save our people." "I want to save my wife and daughter along with my crew, and the rest of humanity. So my Sun gives you powers, how am I going to be able to do anything?" "Like us, you have a unique physiology," Kaaren continued. "On Earth, you are like us on our world, but you will be empowered with similar abilities charged by a radiation given off by our planet. This is my world," The solar system started to become very small disappearing into the blackness of space between the Cygnus-Orion and Carina-Sagittarius arms of the Milky Way. The image stopped to show the full galaxy as if we were on top of it looking down. There was a long bar running across the middle of the Galactic Center where the two sets of arms were joined. "Is this what our actual Galaxy looks like?" No one has ever, nor will likely ever, see what our galaxy looks like. It is over 100,000 Light years in diameter. At best we can detect the radiation given off by cooled hydrogen 1 atoms visible in the microwave radio wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. The long, low energy waves are able to penetrate the dark gas clouds and allow us to map out what we think the galaxy looks like. "Yes, it is based on direct observations from outside the galaxy. Amazing isn't it?" she said while I tried to memorize every detail of the image before it was gone. The image zoomed back in to show her home in relation to ours. By calculations, her world was possibly only 20-50 Light Years away. "Amazing, yes, I stand here in awe of what you just showed me. That data alone is worth so much back home, with it I could advance our knowledge of the galaxy that would otherwise take about 30 years to achieve. So, what you are telling me, is I will have the same power you have now, but on your world? Incredible! I will then save your planet from destruction, while you save mine? Just how will I be able to stop a star from dying?" For the first time since I met her, Kaaren's face got very serious. "You can't save our world. It is inevitable that our star will die, it can't be stopped, yet we do have the capability to evacuate. My people can be saved by moving them to other habitable planets near us, but the plan will take decades and that time is running out. My people need a hero to overthrow the corruption and lead them to safety. One that could not be me made silent by our corrupt leaders," It was starting to make sense to me. She continued. "Time is running out, I have already lost precious time due to damage done to my ship's superdrive that allows faster-than-light travel between two wormhole points. We had to take an emergency exit from our faster-than- light journey in order to repair this ship. It was one of my father's final act before succumbing to his wounds. I have enough power to finish my mission here, and head home." "Faster-than-light travel - impossible, yet somehow possible," I thought. Something else was causing me to scratch my head. "Kaaren, I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Um, how is it you can speak my language?" She started laughing. "Michael, it was planned that I would live on your planet until my father's mission was complete, it would only be beneficial for me to learn how to speak the local languages in order to blend in among your people. Others from my planet have surveyed your world in the past and returned with vast data about your culture and languages. During my journey here, I studied all the data available, data which I will make available to you. Your world has so much diversity amongst your people. We are rather boring in comparison only having one language and culture." "How could I resist such an offer. I'm completely sold. I will become the first human to travel beyond our solar system and visit another civilized planet." Something bothered me. "Kaaren, when you were talking about your ship having enough power, you said you will head home, don't you mean I will be going?" "Michael, I watched as you risked your life trying to save your crew. You knew this would be a one way ticket, and you left your Liz and Ashley behind in exchange for a greater good because your character is a strong one. Your life was worth risking in order to save a people who didn't deserve salvation. You love the people of your planet and have high hope for them that one day they will finally mature and put an end their childish behavior. I could have traveled to the planet and looked for others to help me, but I chose you, Michael, because I believe it was fate that one of Earth's finest humans would drift right in front of me. My jaw was wide open," how do you know that, how do you know my wife and daughter's names, what is it you chose me to do?" "Even on my planet, apart from the powers given by your Sun, I can see into people's hearts and read whatever they are thinking at the time. I have seen your heart Michael, and for that, I will entrust my life into your possession. Come, I want to introduce you to someone." Kaaren took my hand and led me to another room. In it there was a crystal case about the size of a coffin. She led me to the side. "This is my father. This was his mission, his plan. I swore I would carry out his mission and save our people." ---The Mission--- I looked at the body, he was wrapped in white metallic clothes and had an emblem on his chest. "He looked like quite a man, I am sorry for your loss," A tear ran from her face. She turned and looked at me. "Time is running out. Will you help me do what my father could not?" I nodded yes. "My father's knew our people well. He was an elder, and a great scientist. He knew it wouldn't be enough to find a human to go to our home and lead a people that they would know nothing about. He knew he would have to be the one to carry it out. His mission, the mission I have sworn to accomplish is to find a human of noble character to who he would entrust great power to." "I am confused. Am I supposed to go your your planet or not?" She nodded. "No, you will stay here, I will go back." she said. "Ok, now I am really confused," I was starting to get impatient like listening to a little green dyslexic Jedi master speaking in riddles. Kaaren put her hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye. "Listen to me very carefully - my father devised a way to switch one's spirit with another. He intended to switch places with whomever he chose until his work was accomplished and our people safe. Then he would return and relinquish his power. That is why he wanted someone such as yourself, someone who will give up that power when the time is right." "Wait a second, you want to switch bodies with me?" The weight of the idea came crashing down on me. All this knowledge and power in exchange for my body. "Why me, why not find woman to switch with?" In case you haven't realized, we are different. You want to become a man, and you want me to become you?" "No Michael, I need to become a man. It would have been easier if my father was alive, but I am all that is left to follow his plan through. You are thinking like the people of my planet. Women have no regard in upper levels of power. Even one endowed with super power, the religious leaders would deem me to be an abomination and convince the people to follow them into damnation rather than following a woman." "I'm sorry Kaaren, it's not something I was expecting. I am very much a man. It might be easy for a woman to take on male body, but the other way around is, it's, um -" "- Degrading? Yes, I know. From what I have read, woman of your planet deal with the same thing as we do. It's sad really, but I envy your women. You are light years behind our most basic technology, yet females of Earth have a much higher place in life and have made much progress in achieving equality." "Well I didn't really mean it like that, but as men, we are taught to be strong and tough and not allowed to show our soft sides." "Michael, in this body, you will never be weak or frail. You can be strong, yet show any emotion you want. There is really no difference between males and females, our spirits have no gender, we simply pilot different machinery, surely you of all people can understand that concept. Our bodies have different capabilities, responses, and advantages. We are taught from the moment of birth how to only control one vehicle to carry us through life. Wouldn't you like to know what is it like to handle a sexy curvy body with a hell of an engine underneath the hood?" That is so not fair, her using her mind reading to appeal to the pilot in me as well as the man in me. The entire time she was talking, I was thinking of my Porsche back home. She was indeed sexy and fast and more fun to drive. Still the thought of being a woman was not appealing to me at all. ---The Decision--- 'I gotta man up,' I thought to myself. 'Seriously, what choice do I have? My wife and daughter along with about 85% of Earth's inhabitants are going to die when the asteroid hits Earth. Kaaren is about to bestow the second greatest gift man kind has ever received and I am reluctant because it involves me becoming a woman?' "Think about it, you will be the most powerful woman in all of human history," Kaaren said aloud, as if reading my thoughts. "Unlike all other females, you will never have to submit to the egos of men. They will never have power over you. But greater than all that, imagine what you can do for your world. What was your job before this happened? You were a scientist, a pilot, and a space explorer. Imagine all that, free from the bounds of your frail body. You can boldly go where no one has gone before and explore the worlds in your solar system freed from the confines of special ships and suits. You can soar through the clouds of your planet free as a bird and see things your people wouldn't believe. Vast knowledge of two worlds will be yours to know and use for the good of all." "Wow, I never thought about it like that. How can I pass this up? Of course, of course. I am sorry, I was a fool, how could I turn this down. Besides, you will be back right?" "It will take some time, but I anticipate completing my mission and returning in about ten to twelve years. My trip will be a near instantaneous journey unlike the last trip now that the superdrive is repaired, but two years will pass before you until I reach home. I will barely have enough power left in my ship when I do. I anticipate ten years to be able to take control of my planet and lead my people safely to a new world. Then I will be able to return and you can return to your wife and daughter. So if this is this what you want, are you ready to change your world?" ---The Change--- Kaaren led me into a room deep in the ship. The room was made of more crystal. Many researchers on Earth have proposed the benefit of using crystals for data storage and other applications, but it was apparent that wherever she was from, they built a whole technology around manipulating various types of crystals for all kinds of applications. In the middle of the room, there were two large crystal like chambers. "Is this where the magic is going to happen?" I asked. "It's not magic, but science. Built for other reasons, My father discovered a way to separate and transfer one's inner spirit to another host. Our spirits are immortal, yet our bodies eventually die. If one could create new bodies and transfer one's spirit into a more robust body, one might be able to live longer. His young apprentice, my lover, whom I will miss, was working on other discoveries that might help us move off our dying planet and hopefully live longer lives elsewhere." "So how does this work?" I asked, wanting to know just what I was getting involved with. "What will happen is this: I will go into one chamber, while you go into the other. After a short painless process, you will emerge as me, and I as you. My ship has the capability of storing my planet's radiation and as soon as you leave, I will expose my human body to it while I return home. Upon arrival, I will be powerful enough to begin my crusade. If my calculations are correct, I will arrive with just enough power to return home," She paused, "Do you have any questions?" Actually..,"About a million of them. How will I know how to control my abilities, what limitations do I have, will there be any that can cause me harm?" Kaaren replied, "As for control, you will learn as you go. I have not fully grasped it myself, relax and concentrate on where you want to go. You will be able to survive in a vacuum and exposure to all known radiation will not harm you. Your body will be extremely dense and give you great strength. There is much more, but I will let you be surprised, the scientist in you will know at once, what I am talking about. We will not meet again after the transfer," She held three crystals in her hand and showed them to me. "In my my suit, you will find these three crystals," She held up two crystals, one clear, one blue. "The clear one contains all the collected data we possess from your world and ours. I have added new information relevant to our new modified plan. Everything I know about using my powers, to understanding the intricacies of my anatomy. All my knowledge will become yours for you to use and I will make sure that you are not alone in your journey, but I will always be by your side in spirit to guide you in until I return. Good, I didn't have to figure this all out on my own. With any luck, She will be back before I know it. "The blue crystal will create the means for you to read the data on the clear crystal, while the magenta colored crystal will serve as a beacon announcing my return. It will glow bright letting you know it's time to return to your family," She put all three into pouches on a belt tightly hugging her slender waist above her curvy hips. "Quit staring Michael, they will be yours in a few minutes," she said making me a little uncomfortable, "Are you ready?" She reached out to me and led me to my chamber then looked at me and smiled. "Thank you Michael. Enjoy all the discoveries you make while in my body for everything it has to offer is yours to explore and cherish. Promise me you will respect the gift I have bestowed you and never use it to cause pain, instead, use this opportunity to do good by bringing your people together and furthering its technology for all. Will you promise me?" She asked while looking down into my eyes. She was so tall, easily six feet or more. "Yes, I promise," I said looking up into her sparkling blue eyes. "Now close your eyes and keep them closed," I closed them and before I could react, I felt a very warm kiss on the cheek that seemed to persist for an eternity. As she pulled away, a loud hissing sound signified that the door to the chamber was closing. There was no turning back. Episode 2 Pilot Part II "The Switch" Join my mailing list for announcements or send feedback, questions, editorial mistakes or comments to: [email protected] Like "Angel" on facebook and receive exclusive updates and sneak peaks before episodes are released. facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Angel/507706609254340