5
Florian, Tatiana and Huxley held on tight as their escape pod blasted through a vortex of white energy.
The pod’s metal panels rattled and screeched. Outside, blinding white light covered the windshield.
The pod shook so fiercely that it seemed as if it were going to break apart.
Florian held on to his seat, staring out the windshield resolutely.
“I hate this part,” Huxley said.
“We’ll be through any moment now,” Florian said.
And then—
CRACK!
The pod broke through a film of light, into dark, starry space. A circular shockwave of white light zoomed out around the pod, dissipating as it traveled.
In an instant, the screeching stopped and silence swept across the pod.
Florian’s ears popped, and a shiver went down his neck as they normalized. He grabbed his earlobe and opened his
