Valkyhn looked down again at his invitation. I can’t believe this. Why would I be invited by Virgin to go on the first commercial flight to the moon? Something’s not right here…

A voice sounded from above, through an intercom. “ Please fasten your seatbelts. We shall be landing on the moon in just a few minutes. We expect it to be very bumpy.” A click sounded, signaling the intercom turning off. Valkyhn did as he was told and buckled all four of his seat belts. He felt like a twenty year old in a three year old’s car seat. He looked around at the other passengers. All five. Three of them were celebrities, invited by Virgin, yet still had to pay. One was a waiter, there to accompany the passengers and bring them food and refreshments. The other one was a complete stranger. Valkyhn wasn’t sure who it was, but he could feel a tingling sensation, one of the signs of a powerful force.

Suddenly, the craft started to shake. Valkyhn quickly looked out his window, discovering the surface of the moon slowly rising to meet him. They were to land right outside a huge crater, in which the center was a tall shadow. Valkyhn, curious, stared at it with a furrow in his brow. He wasn’t sure what it was, but his heart beat fast, and his body tingling violently.

A sharp jar roused the passengers suddenly and then all was silent. For a few seconds, nervous silence accompanied the passengers, then the intercom clicked and a voice once again came upon it. “We have arrived safely on the moon. Congratulations, you are all now a part of history.”

Yes, I’m sure we are.

The voice continued. “Now please, listen to the instructions of your waiter. He will tell you what to do and help you with getting your gear on. Welcome to the moon!”



I feel so….wrong without my sword. Plus, my tingling sensation doesn’t really help me. Valkyhn cautiously stepped out of the shuttle and onto the moon’s surface. Though his stomach was flying with butterflies, it wasn’t because he had just made history, but because he sensed a danger. Valkyhn was the first man out of the shuttle, followed by the mysterious stranger. The three celebrities were next, but before they were able to step out, the stranger behind Valkyhn shoved the one in front sending all three sprawling back into the shuttle. The stranger then sprinted into a half run/half leap towards the huge crater. What the—

But before Valkyhn could finish his thought, the craft suddenly exploded, sending Valkyhn flying forward into the crater. He screamed loudly as he sped through the low-gravity air. As he passed over the center of the crater, a shadow, the same shadow he saw in fact, suddenly leaped into the air. A hand grabbed Valkyhn by the arm and threw him to the ground. He flew down toward the ground, landing hard on his back, which, unknowing to Valkyhn, formed a small crack in his oxygen tank. The wind was knocked out of him, and so he gasped hard for breath, further emptying his tank. The shadow fell down to the moon and landed softly right beside him.

“Welcome…to the moon.”

“Are…you the one who…sent me here?”

“No, but I too have been invited. And so has the other standing back behind me.” Valkyhn noticed his voice was emotionless, robotic.

“Then, who invited you? And the other two?” The “man” shook his head. Valkyhn noticed that he had no eyes. Who, no, what is this?

Suddenly, the one behind Valkyhn and the robot man spoke. “Thank god. No more crap like Gigli!”

Valkyhn slowly got up, still gasping for breath. “So then, now what?”

“We fight.”

“Wait, what? Fight? But, I don’t even know you? Or what you are! Did I miss a memo?”

“Prepare, human. We fight to the death here.”

I’m never buying anything from Virgin again!

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