The vehicle floated in space 300 miles from earth. Ford contributed the design, in a way. Paul had collected most of the basic medal and the interior at junkyards. He modified a Ford frame and used scrap medal from Nissan, Honda, and KIA. According to Chung’s specifications, he melted the metal, added other chemicals, and tempered the mix to make a heat-resistant, lightweight alloy. He modified the package to make it fly.

He replaced the electrical components and rewired the machine because he added computers and detectors. He installed magnets on the side and bottom of the vehicle. Finally, he rebuilt the interior. The vehicle was nice, but it hardly resembled the original.

Paul, Louise, and Man Chung floated in space, admiring the view. They could see Jupiter, and Paul had a larger image on a screen … they were listening…

Through the dark of space, sound waves don’t move, at least not as they do in earth’s air. But still, the trio yearned to hear. They gazed into the blackness, into the void, hearing nothing, and expecting no more. The serenity of the moment captivated Paul, and he wondered how he might listen, how he might hear, but the still made him restless, and he longed for the better environs of earth. He gazed back at earth and looked at her oceans veiled by wistful clouds, and her trees, unseen yet still heard, calling quietly into space. He could not completely abandon the possibility of hearing something, in the quiet of time, through the universal silence.

In the dimly lit vehicle, which was now much like a cockpit, the three sat waiting. A murky green haze emanated into space. Paul noticed what seemed to be a mysterious cloud in deep space, a hydrogen cloud perhaps, and it moved slowly in front of a star or galaxy. Paul shook his head and tried to keep his eyes open.

“Nothing could move that fast,” he thought. “Maybe it was a shadow. Maybe just my eyes. Who knows? It could anything at that distance. It must be my eyes. Maybe a black hole.”

It sent chills down his spine.

In the mystery of space, one knows little. Sure, the pale lights of distant planets and stars offer hope, but unfortunately little of it. A foreboding feeling enveloped the trio in the darkness. An unsettling moment took them, and they yearned for home.