Thunderbird

honorable mention from February Flash Fiction Contest

“Did you know that the ancients believed that the angels move the planets?”

Nick turned to the man next to him and gave a bemused look. His friend and shipmate Tycho had always been an eccentric one.

“But we don’t believe that anymore. Science had proven them wrong.”

But Tycho was unimpressed. “Did it now?”

“Yes, yes,” Nick waved his hands dismissively. “You told me about the Michelson-Morley experiment and whatnot.”

“Don’t forget the Michelson-Gale experiment.”

“Whatever…”

“Regardless, everything in science tells us that our home the Earth is special. Are you sure that the angels are not involved in the movements of the cosmos?” Tycho asked.

Nick sighed in disbelief. He then pointed towards the window that the two of them had been looking out towards.

“Look at that planet down below.”

The bluish-purple Planet Zeta Prime was clear to see from the starship. The scanners from the ship had told them that the planet was filled with nothing but thunderstorms.

Nick continued on, “you’re telling me that an angel moves this?”

“It sounds fantastic,” Tycho admitted. “But have you ever thought of why we have yet to find any real alien lifeforms in two thousand years of space exploration?”

Nick chuckled as he patted his friend on the shoulder. “I’m glad to have you as my partner. You made this mission a lot more interesting.”

Tycho did not know if he should be flattered or insulted.

The Thunderbird is a manned interstellar space vessel. With its small crew of two, its official mission is to explore space for extraterrestrials. While much of the legwork in this regard was done by probes, manned missions were still sent from time to time.

After all, seeing is believing.

Having made their way back to the cockpit, Nick and Tycho were making sure that the instruments were working correctly when they saw the readings on them going haywire.

“What’s going on here?” Nick muttered as he desperately tried to get things back to normal.

Meanwhile, Tycho looked to the cockpit window and saw something that he did not expect. “Nick, look outside the window. There’s a thunderstorm.”

“Impossible! We’re in space.”

“Just take a look!”
Nick looked through the cockpit window and saw a huge ball of cloud surrounded by electricity. Lightning was going all around the spaceship. The only thing missing was a thunder, since there is no sound in space.

But the two men watched in awe as the lightning gathered around a single hold.

Lo and behold, a bird emerged out of the cloud.

A bird of prey, an eagle perhaps. But it was much bigger than any bird they’ve ever seen.

The bird generated a huge burst of electricity from it. And then it flew down to the planet Zeta Prime.

Nick grinned as he saw the bird. This was it. The proof that life exists outside of the Earth.

Nick rushed down to the base of the Thunderbird. He had prepared a shuttle for himself. Tycho could barely keep up with his friend.

“You’re going down there?” Tycho cried incredulously. “Are you crazy?”

“Tycho, this is what we had been waiting for two thousand years!” Nick said excitedly.

Tycho couldn’t help but be cringing as he saw his friend. It was as if something had been possessing him.

“Fool!” Tycho cried. “You’ll get killed by the thunderstorms!”

“A risk I’m willing to take. I must have that bird!” Nick cried in derangement.

“You won’t find anything down there!” Tycho warned sternly. “Our scanners have detected nothing down there, no signs of life!”

“Then how do you explain that bird, Tycho?”

“It is not of flesh and blood, Nick.”

“What?”

“It’s a preternatural creature,” Tycho clarified. “If it is a physical creature, it would not be able to survive. Neither in space nor on Zeta Prime.”

“And here we go again,” Nick said as he rolled his eyes. “You’re telling me that bird is an angel?”

“Perhaps not an angel per se, but definitely not a mere bird.”

Nick shook his head. “Your crazy talks had been entertaining, but I won’t let it get in the way of the most important finding in two thousand years!”

Nick attempted to board the shuttle, but he was stopped by Tycho.

“Let me go, Tycho,” Nick snarled.

“No! I won’t let you throw away your life like this!” Tycho declared as he grabbed Nick.

There was a struggle between the two astronauts. Nick attempted to get Tycho loose while Tycho attempted to prevent Nick from boarding the shuttle.

And Nick threw a punch.

Tycho was launched a few feet away to the ground. He held his hand to his bloodied nose. He did not expect Nick to be able to hit that hard. He quickly got up and attempted to reach Nick, but it was too late.

The shuttle had closed and there was nothing Tycho could do to stop it. He cried in horror as he saw the shuttle leaving the Thunderbird.

Tycho quickly ran up to the cockpit of the Thunderbird. The astronaut managed to track Nick’s shuttle with the ship’s computer.

Much as Tycho wished to follow the shuttle, he could not risk it. The thunderstorms of Zeta Prime would surely destroy the Thunderbird.

Nick was a goner. There was nothing that Tycho could do to save him.

Prayer was all he had left.