It all started ten years ago, the United States was sending up a new rocket that could carry only one person from one galaxy to the next, but in years not yet calculated by their scientists. Everyone waited for reports on the completion of the rocket and the time it would be ready to launch into space on its maiden voyage. The head technician of the rocket was a 24 year old Bill Noble, who had to make sure that the rocket was ready to launch on time. This was one of his specialties and everyone was waiting for a decision whether to scrub the mission or not. Bill knew what he was doing and in his profession, he was the one man, his superiors turned to for his kind of skills in times of great need. Bill knows about electronics, science, computers and a few others fields of expertise.
The rocket needed to be launched in just a little under a week and Bill was still working on the problem, finding mistakes here, there, almost everywhere. If they were not fixed properly, the mission would be disastrous for everyone involved with the mission and Bill found a couple things that would have shorted out in space, making the planned return impossible. Millions were riding on this rocket and Bill knew that nothing needed to go wrong. Bill knew people were depending on him to get the work done, but if they wanted the rocket to launch and work properly, they needed to wait while he worked things out before allowing the launch to happen.
There were five days left until the launch and Bill knew that he had one more day of work to do, so he camped out near the rocket. He gathered his belongings and put them in the elevator, securing them for the trip down after everything checked out for the best. He had all his tools and equipment testing the computers on board, getting ready to go. There was no sign of trouble, so he gathered his things and exited the rocket. He slept on the scaffolding that was attached to the rocket until launch time and he knew four days were left now. From where he sat, about a quarter mile off the ground, he had a perfect view of the sun coming up on the next morning, which was so beautiful to behold. There were no clouds, no storms in the distance, no rain and birds were flying back north for the summer, it was as if nothing was wrong in the world, nothing at all. He closed the door to the rocket, headed down for breakfast in the mess hall and went to the control room to tell them that the rocket was ready for lift. Bill was finished and went to the nearby hotel for rest and stayed there the next two days. No one went near the rocket for two days. During that time, a wire that was bare and overlooked, began to burn through to other wires causing an electrical fire that was not noticed until 3:00 p.m., when smoke began to the pour out of the ship. Bill was called back to repair the problem and he double checked that there were going to be no more problems of any sort, none what‑so‑ever.
That day was the last day anyone would ever see Bill Noble alive again because of an incident with a compositor in the on‑board computer which malfunctioned, turning on the self‑destruct mechanism inside the ship. Bill was unable to locate the self‑destruct device at the time and he ordered that the ship be sent into space, stating that he will miss everyone in his life. The scientists knew that he might be killed in the explosion aboard the ship or burned alive by the ship's engines when they ignite, if he made it outside the ship. Either way, he was a dead man and everyone knew it including Bill, himself.
The ship was launched into space and Bill hanging on for the ride. During the launching sequence, Bill managed to find the self‑destruct device, turn it off and found that he was trapped in space. Not knowing if he would ever return home to the ones he loved plus some very good friends. The ship's windows allowed him to see Earth slowly shrinking into nothingness and he saw a very unpleasant sight heading towards him not. What he saw was a space storm coming towards him and behind that was a black hole, something no one really knows about or successfully explored. The storm hit, Bill found that the temperature on board the ship was dropping very fast and everything was freezing, covering over with ice. He felt himself freezing as well, he rolled himself into a ball to keep himself warm and fell asleep right before being frozen in a deep sleep. He disappeared from radar and no one knew if Bill was still alive or not. They knew that if he was, he would be dead in a week, anyway and there is no way to help their missing friend at all. Bill was know frozen in a block of ice and if he was alive, no one would ever know, that knowledge hurt a lot of hearts. They built a small statue to salute Bill by stating that the launch site was where a man sacrificed himself for all his friends and that they'll always remember him, forever. No one wanted him to die in this manner, lonely and trapped, never to see his loved one's ever again. If someone was to look at Bill's cheek within the block of ice, they would be amazed at what they saw and that would be a frozen tear upon his cheek.
Three hours later, the ship that was now totally frozen, entered the black hole. Outside the ship was a spectacular sight, a sight missed by frozen eyes of a beloved hero. No one knew what the inside of a black hole held, but everyone knew that the gravity coming from these black holes were incredibly strong and scientist speculated that anything pulled inside was torn to bits. The way the ship went into the hole helped, it went into the hole like something going down a whirlpool with a spiral effect, in a clockwise fashion. The ship made it inside safe and sound, with the light from stars blazing by like the effect of taking a picture of traffic at night where all lights seem to be one. It would appear the ship was moving faster than the speed of the light and nothing on board the spacecraft was aging, thanks to the ice that covered the entire ship.
It seemed like hours, days, years were passing by and Bill had not aged a bit, but his world was and his friends were changing as well. His girlfriend was on the street, a friend was becoming very rich, keeping it from going to his head and this was all in the same town being watched from beyond the black hole, light years away. At the same time, they were awaiting the arrival of something coming from the black hole, ready to take control of it. This thing is frozen solid and has no power at all to stop it when it leaves the hole.
This planet is somewhat like ours, but far advanced in their technology and has been studying our world to see how far we have advanced over the years. They are surprised at some of our technology and disappointed in other things in our world. Something's they find displeasing are war, drugs, guns, violence, hunger among a third of the world and the way we treat people of different colors, race, and sex. They hate us polluting and destroying Earth. They want to help, but know that any interference might change the course that our world takes through our evaluation throughout the years. They want to help, but do not know how to and are afraid we will destroy ourselves trying to improve our world, trying to make it a better place to live.
The thing they were waiting for, just exited the black hole at incredible speed, thanks to the speed it had traveled through it and are trying to take control of it. With the way it is frozen, taking control is a little difficult, but they know a life is at stake here. They are watching the speed and noticing the speed is thawing the ship out, making controlling the craft a little easier now. Bill has thawed a little and was bounced around like a ball bounced off a wall or floor. The aliens fear that he would die or suffer irreparable brain damage. They had to move fast, if they did not want their visitor damaged beyond repair and lose a chance at studying something from another world or galaxy. A few moments later, the craft stopped bouncing as did its occupant and the ship is brought in safely.
The ship is opened and entered. The beings took Bill's body with them to be examined for any severe damage, which needs repair or replacing. They discover that everything is intact except for the blood, veins, bone, skin, eyes and they worked on him as soon as they thawed the rest of his body out. He was in a coma for over two years, he was unable to do anything when he awoke and they had some work ahead of them to make him normal again or as close as they could. Eventually, they would have to return him back to his planet, home to his family and friends, Earth, were he belonged in the first place. It took five years to get him to walk again, but the thought and vocal part of him were taking longer then they expected. They found one other thing wrong with his recovery and that was, when he got angry, nothing calmed him down except for flax or in Earth's language, "sex." This, they worked on controlling, too, but to no prevail.
They found that the creature's memory was intact and eventually, he would be using his mind again to run a perfect life back on Earth. Some of the memories they saw were of a girl, pretty, young and in love with the creature they had in their possession. They knew the creature needed to get back for full recovery.
Now, it has been ten Earth years since the creature has been a way from his home planet and it was time to take him home to "Lonely Gulch".
Home
It was a dark, gloomy night and not a soul was roaming the street, except for the police. The police patrol the streets every night and make sure nothing happens to the civilians who are sleeping in their beds at this time, 1 a.m. The last couple of nights have been very quiet and that's good because the officers are paid for driving around making sure that it stays quiet. The silence could be broken by many different situations and they are common in every town in the United States. The quiet will be broken by something that no one will know about until mid‑afternoon.
The day began very nicely, the sun rising, traffic starting to build up on major highways, and more police coming to work to take care of it all. When the sun rose this morning, a haze was laying close to the ground leaving dew on everyone's car windows. It was a nice, warm morning in July, and the birds were chirping away in the park in the town of Lonely Gulch.
People were going to jobs they owned or the ones they just worked at and others are looking for jobs because they were laid off, fired, or just could not get a job because of their backgrounds. Some are skillful workers, who run from one job to another just to have a job that fits their background. Many people would love to help, but they just do not know how. The homeless are being put down by everyone, like they were animals or something not human. These people were kicked, hit, and spit on, but keep on going because only those who are stingy and cruel will get their just desserts in the end.
One of these people, who goes to work , is planning to open up a store of his own, which means a couple of the unemployed may get a chance to get off the streets and make something of themselves. They may even improve their lives, making money, get food, a change of clothes, and a roof over their heads. This person is Jonathan Brown, a young computer expert and construction supervisor. The business he wants to open is developing programs for construction workers to help improve their blueprints and find different ways to make the building or home safer. It will be a rough job, but someone has to do it and he is the man to do it. He wants to take people off the streets, cloth them, train them for the job, and put them to work on a computer. The training will be long and hard, but those looking for a good opportunity or a chance to change their lives around is what these people have been looking for. Jonathan looked at all the applicants and decided to look at the applications of all the homeless first to see what background some of them have before hiring anyone.
One applicant, Jane Holliday, has been homeless for over two years now and she had her children taken away from her because she did not have the money to support herself or her children. She was told that if she got a job, got an apartment, and had enough money saved up that she could get her children back. She was told that over a year and a half ago, but she has not heard anything since. She hoped that she could get the job, this way she make some money, get off the street, and hopefully get her children back. She told John that she needs to get off the street or she would be beaten up by the local police to move from where she is and that she had been moving ever since she became homeless.
Jane's background includes computer programming, electric wiring installation, and manager experience. She has had jobs in all these areas with well‑known companies and she went to a well‑known college for all of her working skills. On the part of the application asking why she would be good for the position she put, "I have worked all areas listed above, hard working, live nearby, on time, and not shy about showing a man I can do the work he can do, maybe better."
"Do you have any questions you would like to ask me," asked Jonathan.
"Yes, just a few. First, do you help the homeless people you hire get a place to live nearby," responded Jane.
"Yes, I do. If I hire you, you will be living in an apartment about a block away and the rates are reasonable, about $300 a month."
"How much will you be paying your employees, will it be weekly or bi‑weekly."
"The pay is $7 an hour and you will get paid bi‑weekly. The rent on the apartment is free for the first two months and then you will start paying the rent that I have already mentioned."
" How many rooms do they offer at that price?"
"One‑bedroom that is large with walk‑in closets, big bathroom or a small two‑bedroom with kitchen, dining room, 1 & a ½ bath."
"If I get the job, when would I be starting?"
"You would be starting in a week and I will tell what your position will be?
"I don't have a phone right now and was wondering when it would be a good idea to come back to see if I have a job or not?"
"I would say, come back in three hours and I'll tell you then, also tell my secretary that it's an appointment. Tell her that and she won't turn you away, OK.?"
"Thank you very much sir, I thank you for all you're doing for the homeless by giving us a chance to prove ourselves and improve our lives."
"You're welcome, don't forget to be back in three hours."
As soon as Jane left, John got on the intercom to his secretary, Debbie Brown, and asked her to get him information on Jane Holliday as soon as she could, then thanked her. While he waited for the information, he went on interviewing other people and checked out their references to find all the employees he would need to make his business take flight as soon as he had all the right people. As soon as he finished interviewing for the day, Debbie came in with the file he requested on Jane Holliday.
"Here's the file on Ms. Holliday that you asked for Mr. Brown."
"Debbie, I am waiting for Ms. Holliday to return, so when she arrives, please let her into the office. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Call if you need anything else."
"OK, that will be all for now."
Debbie went back to her desk, very angry at knowing someone like Jane will be the boss and not her. She also hates the fact that Jane is a homeless person and she doesn't deserve to be manager, just an ordinary employee who starts out with low pay, nothing more. She can't stand the idea, but doesn't know how to tell her boss how she feels. While sitting at her desk thinking about what to do or say, Jane walked in with a smile on her face. Debbie didn't want to be rude, so she faked a smile and let her in to see Jonathan.
"Hello, how are you doing? I have some very good news for you and I'd like you to have a seat."
"I'm fine, thank you very much."
"You got the job, but you won't be a regular employee. You are going to be the manager of the store and my secretary will be your assistant. How does that sound to you?"
Jane couldn't believe what was happening, she had a job now and a place to live. She might even be able to get her children back, but she didn't know how to answer her new boss and she hasn't been eating much because she didn't have any money. John looked at her and noticed that she started to turn pale, he told Debbie to call an ambulance. Debbie ran in, after making the call, to see what was going on and was shocked at the sight of Jane lying on the floor, pale as a ghost.
It took five minutes for the ambulance to arrive, they looked at Jane, and decided that Jane need to get to the hospital fast or she would be in for serious problems. They raced to the nearest hospital and admitted her very quickly, then decided to get some information from John and Debbie. The information didn't help much, but they knew what was needed and decided to keep her overnight for observation. They needed to make sure she would be all right, then they would release her tomorrow to the care of John. They heard of what John was doing and thought it was a very good idea, it saved Jane's life.
"John, what will you do when Jane's in your care?"
"Jane has a place to stay, food to eat, a job to go to, and money coming in that will that will help with bills. I will also keep an eye on her to see that nothing else happens to her."
"OK, thank you very much and I'll see in the morning around 10."
John left, went back tohis office and started to figure out the schedule for the grand opening, whiletrying not to think about Jane until tomorrow morning. He called Debbie into the office to give hera copy of the schedule he worked on for a week before arranging everything thatis needed done before the company opens. Debbie sat down in front of John with sorrowful eyes and had a hard timekeep the tears back. She didn't want anything to happen to Jane because sheknew and hated the thought that it could be her in the hospital.