by John White

Created on: January 27, 2010

The Abduction of Laura 

Laura Myers loved her early morning jogs.  She loved the routine: waking early, showering, eating a light breakfast and jogging four miles down the road and back before dawn. There was very little traffic out that early, so usually, she jogged on the road.  The cool air and the rhythmic beat of her tennis shoes on the asphalt comforted her. Today, she needed all the comfort she could get.  Two weeks ago, her husband Bill, broke the horrible news that when this last Space Shuttle mission was completed, his company, ISA, planned to lay him off.  If that wasn’t bad enough, they also told him that since he only had 19 years with the company instead of the 20 needed for retirement he won’t be receiving a pension or benefits. 

Endeavour, Houston. MCC ‘go’ for deorbit burn.

Roger, Houston go for deorbit burn. 

Bill handled the news better than Laura.  Laura was angry.  She was angry at NASA, angry at ISA, angry at everything associated with the space program. The day of the launch she went to her church and prayed for God to destroy the Shuttle.  She wanted the people who destroyed her life to lose their jobs.  Let them see what it feels like.

When her prayers failed, and the Shuttle launched, she returned to church and prayed for the mission to fail. Now, as she ran through the darkness, the Shuttle was scheduled to land in one hour.  She prayed to God.  She prayed that the Shuttle would crash on re-entry. 

Endeavour, Houston. MS seat ingress, single APU start.

Roger, Houston. Single APU start. Houston? ETA 07:22 hours?

Roger, Endeavour. 

She heard a familiar noise behind her on the road.  She had heard it many times before during her runs.  It was the sound a car makes when driving over a speed bump. Instinctively, she moved off the road and onto the grass.  A slight wind hit her as the car passed. The idiot could kill someone driving with the headlights off.

The brake lights blinked on and off a hundred feet in front of her. He must have turned off onto the causeway road ahead. The causeway was her checkpoint for turning back home.  She stopped at the intersection and stooped over to catch her breath before continuing the run home.

When she turned to head back, a large man grabbed her from behind.  He held a knife to her neck, cupped her mouth with his left hand and dragged her backwards toward his car. Laura screamed

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