Add on: Space missionary

[Blessed-one]

wow, that's a scary premonition that Peter's having, lambslove! i'll leave Ryan's dream to you.
----

Rachel got down to packing that night. Her parents knew of her desire to preach at Darkhell, so it didn't cause quite a scence when she imformed them of the upcoming trip. Still, they were worried, as all parents were.

"Rachel dear, take this too. It's going to keep you warm."
"Mum!" Rachel said in asperation, "I've packed too much already."
"Oh, there's no such thing as too much dear, you're going to Darkhell afterall." Rachel's mom said, then her eyes misted over.
Rachel got up and embraced her mother, "It's going to be fine, mum. God's with us."
Her mum clung to her tightly, "Oh why? Why does it have to be you?"
Rachel held silent.

 

[Hishandmaiden]

Wow...you all wrote so well... Hmm...I am having writer's block.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Colen had no difficulties in convincing his parents of their plan. His parents were devoted christains with a love for Darkhellions. They were, in fact, supportive of his Noble plan. Colen sighed. It won't be easy. That would be lots of difficulties but God would eventually make everything right. He prayed for a long moment for God's protection. Then, he went back to reading the tonnes of books he kept in his bookshelf.

 

[ZiSunka]

Ryan was also in bed dreaming...

He was in a vast, blue expanse, floating above nothing, in the middle of nothing. He was warm and comfortable and happy. He felt joy radiating around him, through him and from him. He wondered if he was in the presence of God. Every bit of his sinew and spirit relaxed in the warming glow.

Out at the distance in front of him, Ryan noticed a tiny dot of some sort. He hadn't seen it before. He squinted, trying to bring it into a sharper focus, but it was so far away, he couldn't make out any details. His body and spirit felt a bit less relaxed as he realized that this spot had appeared in this sea of perfection. It didn't belong here! Ryan thought. How could this thing be allowed to defile the presence of God!

Ryan then realized that he could move around in the blue expanse. It was a bit like swimming. He could steer his body and propel it through the space, but without any landmarks to measure by, he couldn't tell how far or how fast he was moving.

He moved off toward the red speck in the distance, and in a flash he was there! With one movement, he had arrived at the speck, only it was now a planet. Darkhell! Ryan had never seen the actual planet before, he had only studied maps and pictures. As he watched the planet revolving in front of him, fear gripped his heart like a white-hot fire. This was Darkhell, the object of all his plans. The place that he was going to try to save.

All the peace Ryan had felt before evaporated now.

Ryan discovered that he could focus in on the surface of the planet and watch the activity there. He realized that he was seeing the planet as God could see it.

He focussed in on Deathwish, the city they were headed for. What he saw immediately depressed and sickened him as he watched what was going on. The depravity and degradation of the people, the hopelessness in their hearts, the longing to know a way to stop the pain of living. No people ever needed the Savior more than the population of Deathwish.

Ryan tried to find the village of Hope, but he could not find it. He didn't know whether it had ceased to exist, or if it was being obscured somehow. But when he looked where it was supposed to be, he saw nothing.

Ryan pulled back a bit from the surface of the planet. He looked down into the main street of Deathwish and saw a single man, with a face of darkness and rage, looking back up at Ryan. The man was looking Ryan straight in the eyes, even though Ryan was thousands of miles above him, and Ryan became frightened. He saw the man open his mouth and Ryan heard the words, "I know you and what you are planning." The words were a threat, and Ryan pulled back in fear. Instantly, the planet disappeared and Ryan was alone in the blue expanse once more. But the joy and peace where shattered, and he couldn't regain the feelings.

The sun was coming up when Ryan awoke. He looked at the full travel pack sitting on his dresser and suddenly he wished they hadn't been so rash with their trip to Darkhell. He knew that the man in his dream wasn't a man at all, but was none other than Satan. Ryan knew that none of them was prepared to do any battle with Satan. They hadn't prayed or fasted, and he wasn't even convinced anymore than they were in God's will.

Still, Ryan got up and went to the ITS (interplanetary travel station) to meet the others.

 

[Blessed-one]

hey rpggal! u're good too, yeah, writer's block can be such a pain.
----

Ryan was the last to arrive, the group was standing at the check-in area, and with them was Dan.
"Sure took you long enough," Dan smiled as Ryan approached.
Rachel noticed instantly that something was wrong, "What?" and she was cut off by Ryan.
"Let's get moving then, sorry about the delay," he said brightly, and fell into steps beside Rachel.
"Ryan?"
"I'm ok," Ryan assured her, "Just had a nightmare is all."

Once they were through the security areas, they entered the waiting areas for boarding.
The ceiling and glass walls of the area were transparent, showing clearly the outside environment. Here and there dotted some distant stars, while space vehicles of every kinds flew in and out of the spaceport.

Colen gazed out at the dark expanse with thoughtful eyes, "I never realise space is so beautiful."
"Yeah, it sure is." Ryan said beside him.

 

[ZiSunka]

Ryan, Colen, Rachel, Robert, Peter and Aubrey followed Dan to the standing pads. "I can't believe we have to stand up the whole way!" Aubrey moaned.

Rachel, who's patience was thinned by the anticipation of the trip, replied, "It only takes a minute Aubrey. There will be a sensation of weightlessness for a moment, and then we will get off at Darkhell. We are launched and we arrive. There's not enough time to even notice we are moving."

Ryan butted in, "We can't go that way to Darkhell, Rachel. The Darkhellians are so afraid of monsters and Christians that they refuse to build an ITS, for fear that they will get in without warning. We have to go by ITS to a transfer station on one of the moons of Punto Ultima and then get on a PTV (physical transport vehicle) to Deathwish. You have to go through customs and prove you are worthy of entry into Darkhell. Darkhellians find it necessary to prove they are worth something, so they carry around long lists of accomplishments and awards to show people. Without one, you can't go anywhere or buy anything on Darkhell. You're a nobody, and worse, if they find out you don't have one, they automatically suspect you're a foreigner with evil intent. They throw you into prison until they can find out what you are up to. I thought you guys knew that, so I didn't say anything. You've been studying Darkhell for how long?"

"About three weeks," Rachel answered.
"About two for me," Aubrey said.
"Less than six months," said Colen.

Robert and Peter didn't answer, they just looked at the floor.

Oh God!, Ryan thought. How could You let us go on this mission without being ready? We're going to get ourselves killed! Why did Dan allow us to come? I don't want to die for no reason! Please help us somehow!

 

[ZiSunka]

Ryan remembered that they had a six-hour layover on Punto Ultima. Each of the team made a list of their accomplishments, being careful not to list anything that might hint that they were Christians, but being careful not to lie, either.

Rachel's resume read like this:

 

[ZiSunka]

Ryan collected the resumes of all the team members. They were pathetic! Rachel couldn't think of any accomplishments that weren't related to Christ, and Robert and Aubrey had nothing to list. Colen had a list a mile long, but most of it was fabricated.

Ryan said to Colen, "Colen, you can't lie on these things. Even if it weren't a sin to lie, the Darkhellians would see through your resume so fast! You'd be caught in an hour!"

Colen answered, "Whatever it takes, man! We have to get in there with the word of God, and if I have to lie to do it, that's fine with me!"

"Do you really think that God will honor you with success if you lie like this?" Ryan cried.

"Whatever it takes, I said. If it's wrong, God will stop me."

"Where'd you get that idea? Is that somewhere in the Bible?"

"No," Colen answered,"But I believe it!"

Ryan looked at the pathetic group of teenagers who were waiting to get on the transport vehicle to Darkhell. "Probably to their senseless deaths," Ryan thought. He sat down and started to pray. "Oh God, we have done a stupid thing by coming here today, completely unprepared, ready to lie and violate your word, in an attempt to do your will. We can't be doing your will if we have to sin to do it. Please help me out here! I don't think I can make these people go back, but to go on means death, senseless death for no possible gain. Not one person will hear your word, not one person will be saved, not one bit of Light will come into this dark world by what we are doing. Please help!"

A few minutes later, it was announced that the PTV station at Deathwish was closed due to terrorist activities. No transports would be going to Deathwish anytime soon. All travellers were being asked to go back to the ITS for transport home or to other destinations.

Ryan sighed with great relief as he realized that God HAD heard his prayer and was answering in an undeniable way.

They all got up and returned to the ITS. Colen was visibly angry, his face reddened and he was muttering swear words under his breath. Ryan whispered thanks to God that He had intervened. Colen clearly wasn't ready for a mission trip anywhere, let alone Darkhell.

When Ryan awoke in his own bed the next morning, he felt the call to Darkhell stronger than he had ever felt it before. But he knew that he would not be going with the group. He needed to find a new way, a way based submission to on God's will, not on the selfish need for adventure.

His vis-screen beeped, indicating that new email had arrived for him. The mail was an ad for a mission agency that had been informed that Ryan was interested in Darkhell. They wanted to meet with him to see if he fit into a new mission that they were planning.

 

[ZiSunka]

Ryan sat in the outer office of the missionary board's main facility. Time was ticking slowly as he waited. His appointment had been at 8 AM, and it was already noon, but he hadn't been called in yet. He was tired and hungry, and pretty achy from all that sitting. He hoped that they hadn't forgotten him.

Finally the door to the inner office opened and a nice young woman called his name. He stood up and said, "Yes?"

The young woman said that the board was ready for him now, and he entered the office. Lunch had been set out on the conference table, and the officers sat around it, eating. No one asked Ryan to sit down and eat, so he stood there, trying not to look too needy.

The table was spread with foods, but none of it was anything that Ryan recognized. It all seemed very foreign, unlike anything he was used to eating.

At last the board invited him to sit, but there was no plate set at the place where they directed him, so he refrained from asking for food. After about 20 minutes, someone said, "Well, Ryan, we just wanted to see what you look like. You can go back outside now." And the young woman opened the door to let him out.

Ryan was getting mad. Maybe this wasn't the place to be. They seemed to be playing mean games with him, and his was hungry and in no mood for games.

After another hour, the door opened again and Ryan was let in. The people were gone, but the leftovers were still on the table. The young woman said, "You may eat now, if you are hungry," and she left and closed the door. Ryan was alone with the strange food. It had been picked over, and not much of it looked edible anymore.

Ryan picked up a plate and...

 

[Hishandmaiden]

Ryan picked up a plate and wondered,what sort of treatment is this? If they were to feed him food, they ought to feed him with good food, not leftovers. But hey, maybe this is a test, to see his attitude. Beside, his stomach is groaning for food. He could almost hear his stomoach said,"Ryan, food. Give me food. Food, food."
Ryan sighed. He took out the spoon and prayed.
"Jesus, I thank you for the food that is before me. Thank you for so kindly providing me with food. I ask you to take away all grumbling thoughts I have in regard to this food. Amen."
Then, Ryan began to eat. The moment the food touched Ryan's mouth, Ryan regreted eating the food. Urg! It was the most horrible tasting food he ever ate. Worst than the food his sister cooked.
Ryan sighed. He suddenly thought of the family he left behind when he chose to serve God by entering into a bible college. He scored good grades in his high school and his father wanted him to be a doctor. Well, there was much oppostion from his family to him chosing to serve God, over anything else. His family were Christians, and they told him that he don't have to be so overly Christians to get salvation. His sister wanted to attend bible college with him, but unlike him, she had not the will to voice it out to her parents,and only told it to him, secretly,once. She is the only one in his family who gave him support, although she couldn't cook very well. But at least, it was better than this horrible stuff he is now tasting..ah... while he reflected on his family, he had already finished his food. Ryan heaved a sign of relief and put down the spoon. The door opened...

 

[ZiSunka]

I LOVE it rpgal! Looks like your writer's block is over!

**********************************************************

When Ryan was full, he put down his fork and sat back. Immediately, the door opened again and the young woman stuck her head in and said, "Thanks for coming Ryan. You can go now."

Go!? Ryan thought. Go?! They're done with me? I never even got to talk to anyone! I travelled hours to get here! Why are they sending me home?

But he left without asking the questions that filled his head. On the way home, he thought about everything he had done and said, wondering what he might have done to be sent away without an interview.

The next morning, Ryan's vis-screen wailed, letting him know that a call was waiting for him. He flicked the remote and the face of the young woman from the mission agency appeared on the screen. "Ryan, we will be in touch with you. Don't take any other position until you hear from us." Then the screen went blank. He didn't get to ask any of the questions that were haunting him, or even to ask when to expect their next call.

Months went by. Ryan went back to school and saw a few of the failed mission group members, but Robert and Aubrey had dropped out of school. Colen was a different person in some way. He seemed to have an "edge" about him that Ryan couldn't remember from before.

One day at the student center, Ryan finally saw Rachel...

 

[Blessed-one]

She was hurrying to the exit, walking quickly with a sign of anticipation on her face. Ryan was just about to call her when she looked up, her eyes widened.
"Ryan!" she said enthusiastically, pulling him to a corner with ease. Ryan followed.
"You look.... kind of different......" Ryan began cautiously.
Rachel smiled, "Ryan, i heard that you joined the mission."
Ryan looked startled, "Yeah, i was trying to, but i'm not sure now."
Rachel frowned, "But your name's on the list," she brightened, "and mine too!"

 

[ZiSunka]

"What list?" Ryan said. He suddenly had a complex of fears and anxieties, hoping that the whole thing with running off you Darkhell unprepared wouldn't start happening all over again.

Rachel held out a paper for him to read. It was a list of people who had indicated interest in missions. General interest in general missions. It wasn't about Darkhell specifically at all! Whew! Ryan thought. I can't get caught up in a rush to get to Darkhell again. This is just about a get-acquainted party for students and mission boards. Ryan noted the time and place and handed the list back to Rachel. "Are you going?" he asked her.

"Yep," she answered. "I still want to do missions, but I don't know if I want to do Darkhell. That was too scary. We came pretty close to dying senselessly. Thank God for those terrorists!"

Yes, thank God, Ryan thought.

It was nice to see Rachel. She had something special about her that appealed to Ryan. But he was not in a position to have a girlfriend right now. He had to wait and pray and see what God would call him to, first.

Ryan could see Rachel smiling at him, looking expectant, like she was hoping he would ask her out. "Rachel," he said, "I'm going on a silent retreat to seek God's will for my life this weekend. But I was going to do a lunch fast all next week, and I was wondering if you would join me during my prayer time?"

Rachel's face showed her disappointment, but she said, "Yes. I will." Ryan gave her the time and place and they parted. But Ryan couldn't help looking back over his shoulder at Rachel, and wondering where she might fit into God's plan for him. He'd be seeing her the next evening at the missions party, and he was happy about that.

Ryan put on his best clothes and went to the student center, where the missions get-acquainted party was being held. He registered and put on his name tag as he walked through the door. He looked around, but Rachel wasn't there yet. But Ryan was startled to see who WAS there...

 

[Hishandmaiden]

Ryan was startled to see who WAS there,it was Fern. And of all people, Fern. Fern, whom he would least expect to see.
"Fern? Why are you here?" asked Ryan in surprize.
"Well, I come in place of Rachel." replied Fern.

"Rachel, what of her ?" asked Ryan.
"She had an accident. While she was on her way home. She is now in hospital," sighed Fern.
Hospital? Rachel? Ryan felt a sudden sadness in his heart. A weird sadness he was not accustomed to. Why was he feeling sad? As if, someone close to him.... nay, God's mission comes first. But, what of Rachel? Shouldn't he at least visit her?

 

[Blessed-one]

"How was she?" Ryan said concernedly.
Fern shrugged, "She'll do fine, went into shock i suppose."
"Fern!" Ryan protested at her neutral tone.
Fern turned serious, "I think it's better this way anyway. Now that she's in hospital, she doesn't need to go." There was an edge in her voice.
"But.. that's her goal, her life Fern. How could you say that!" Ryan said, shocked.
Fern spun around, her eyes afire, then they softened as she regarded Ryan's shocked and confused face, "Hey, maybe it's part of God's plan," she winked and walked over to the refreshment stand.

 

[ZiSunka]

"How could it be part of God's plan, Fern?"

"Maybe she'll take the time to grow in the Lord and get ready to go to Darkhell, instead of running off after everything that looks ike it might make her happy," Fern replied. "You don't know Rachel well, Ryan. You don't know that she tends to be impulsive over Darkhell. The trip you guys took wasn't her first attempt to go there. Auntie Jen and Uncle Mike found her at the ITS on Punto Ulitma before, when she was 14, trying to sneak aboard a PTV to Deathwish. It's been hard to keep her from just running off to Darkhell. We think she was getting ready to try it again. That's why we think it might be God's will for her to have had the accident."

Ryan was stunned. He didn't know any of these things about Rachel. She must really love the people of Darkhell to do so many risky things to get there! Ryan felt proud of Rachel's determination, but at the same time, some uneasiness had settled into him. With this, and the anxiety of not hearing from the mission agency, Ryan had never felt worse. What was going on with him? Why did everything seem to be against him?

Ryan left the missions gathering. He thought about stopping by the hospital to see Rachel. In the end, though, he merely dropped off flowers for her at the visitor's services desk, and then he left on his silent retreat weekend. Ryan had never needed time alone with God so much in his life!

On the PTV to the retreat center, Ryan couldn't help thinking about Rachel. He had a feeling about her that made him think she might be part of his future, but clearly, if she was so obsessed that she would run away to Darkhell against her parent's and God's wishes, then maybe she wasn't who he needed in his life right now. Eventually the motion of the PTV put Ryan to sleep.

He started to dream again...

 

[Blessed-one]

It was her first time on a mission trip, and she was nevertheless, quite excited yet nervous on the prospect of doing God's work. Melody beamed and smiled to her team members as the car took them to the spaceport.
----

*RING RING*

It was a fax from the mission agency. Ryan's eyes widened, putting the fax down onto the table, he dailled his dad.
"Dad, i'm going on a mission trip tonight."
"What?" his dad said incrediously.
"Don't worry dad, it's just for a week, and the trip's to Sunshade."
A visible sigh escaped his dad's lips. "Well, I wish you good trip, son."
"Thanks dad, I love you. Tell mom not to worry about me."
The dream hovered at the back of his head as he took up the bag of belongings he packed for the trip to Darkhell, which he never did have the chance of using.

Sunshade...
Sunshade was the third planet nearest to the planet Earth. A lot of humans had migrated there to set up businesses and thus flourished upon the planet's rich resources. Money, entertainment and a material life had led many astray, Sunshade was often among the prime planets of missionary goals.
----
"Gotta wait for one more person."
"Who's it?" one team member asked.
"Ryan," Melody heard clearly.

 

[Blessed-one]

The group soon boarded the space shuttle, it was a medium shuttle, and Ryan as always, was fascinated as he sat gazing out into the endless darkness of space, yet it wasn't totally dark as millions of stars shone around. God was truly a creator of beauty and wonders.

 

[ZiSunka]

Ryan awoke with a start. That old nightmare again! He was back on the failed mission trip, hurling through space, outside of God's will. He never wanted that to happen again! That's why he was taking this retreat, so he could be sure to be in God's will.

The PTV arrived at the retreat center and Ryan disembarked with his single bag. At the check-in desk, he handed his card to the auto-clerk, one of the many robots which had taken over some of the more menial tasks, who asked for his passport before it applied a pass-code to the back of Ryan's hand. The pass-code would enable Ryan to access his room and his meditation chapel, as well as the dining facilities.

As Ryan was leaving the check-in desk, he saw another man his age come in. Ryan was kind of relieved that he would not be the only human here this weekend. He didn't mind the service-bots, as the robots were called, but he liked having other humans around, too.

Ryan had opted to have a companion for the weekend. He had reserved a dog, which would be waiting for him in his room. The dog would be his for the entire three days, and because it was a robot dog, it would be programmed to be completely devoted to him as if it had been Ryan's dog all its life. When Ryan got near his cottage, the dog was waiting on the porch. The tag on his collar gave instructions on how to teach the dog to respond to whatever name Ryan chose for it. Ryan had decided on his way up in the PTV that he would call the dog Rover, because that is how Ryan felt. He felt like he was roving through life without direction. He followed the instructions, and immediately Rover responded to this name as if he had always been called that.

Ryan went into his cottage and took a nap. The trip was not tiring, but he wanted to make a definite line between being in the world and being in the retreat.

When he awoke, he ate and took a walk with Rover. For two days, Ryan read and walked and meditated and prayed, but he didn't feel God's call on him. He didn't know what to do with his life, and he didn't know what to think. Maybe God wasn't calling him to anything at all. Many are called and few are chosen, after all. Maybe Ryan had been called, but had not been chosen. Or maybe he had never even been called.

It was on the third and final day that Ryan and Rover had accidentally come upon the other human at the retreat center. He was swimming in a shaded pool in the creek. When the man saw Ryan, he invited him in for a swim. "This is the most refreshing thing!" they both agreed. Ryan relaxed a bit, thankful to be in human company, and thankful to be thinking about something besides his quest for God's voice.

"I'm Peter," the other young man said, lounging against the riverbank. Ryan introduced himself. "Are you here looking for something, too?" he asked.

Peter stretched out and said, "No, I'm getting ready to leave on an extended mission trip, and I came here to rest and gather myself before I leave. I know I won't have much time alone with the Lord once I get there, and I will need the peace and rest that He is giving me now."

"Where are you going?" asked Ryan.

"Darkhell."

Ryan was startled and shocked. This man was going on the mission Ryan was long for. Jealousy rushed through Ryan like a raging forest fire. He had to turn his face so Peter couldn't see how red it was. He tried to calm himself, but it was incredibly difficult. Darkhell! Darkhell! Had God brought this man into Ryan's retreat to mock him?

Ryan was so upset, he could barely whisper. "What are you going to do there? Where are you going? Who is sending you?" The questions were forming in his mind faster than he could ask them.

"Let's go have some lunch," was all Peter would say. "We'll talk at lunch."

 

[ZiSunka]

Ryan and Peter sat down at the table while the servo-bots brought them lunch. Ryan had no appetite, but Peter ate with obvious zeal and relish. Ryan realized that this would be among the last Earth meals that Peter would likely have for a long time, and Darkhellian food was not as satisfying. Jealousy flooded back through Ryan. He wished it were his last Earth meal! But he would probably be stuck on Earth forever, he thought.

As if reading his mind, Peter said, "I can see that you are upset, Ryan, and I think I know why. You had wanted to go on the mission to Darkhell, but you weren't selected."

Ryan's heart raced with pain. He HADN'T been selected after all! The mission board didn't choose him, but they hadn't told him so, either. That was mean! To keep him on the hook like that!

"Don't be angry like that Ryan," Peter said. "You weren't selected for good reasons. I was on the team that evaluated the candidates. We liked you, but you have some growing in the Lord to do before you can take on a Darkhell mission. You can't run off to the most dangerous place without preparation."

"They were supposed to prepared me!" Ryan nearly shouted. "They were supposed to train me and get me ready."

"They were supposed to train you, but you and God had to prepare you. They couldn't make you grow and get ready. You have to see to that yourself."

Both were silent at the table for a moment. Ryan understood what Peter had said. Somewhere in his heart, he knew that he wasn't growing or preparing. He was still the same helpless kid that was running off to Darkhell out of peer pressure. He hadn't wanted Rachel to think that he was chicken, so he went, knowing full well that the Lord was against the trip. Ryan felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to cry.

"Go ahead, Ryan. Crying lets it all out. You'll be emptied by the tears. God can start to build in you once you've cleared out the junk."

Ryan fell to the floor in big sobs, waves of sobs. He wasn't ashamed to cry in front of Peter, because he was crying, too.

"We wanted to take you Ryan," Peter said softly. "We really did. But as we observed you through these last months and read your online diary, we could see that Darkhell is the last place you need to be. This is the first Christian mission to Darkhell since the massacres, and we couldn't take the chance that you'd make a mess of it for us. It's too important to take an immature lad."

Ryan sighed deeply. He knew that these too were the words of truth. He now had to choose whether to build up a resentment that would cripple his career and life, or if he would allow this to spur him on toward his goal.

"How do I start?" was all he could say.

Before he left the retreat center, Peter gave Ryan the name of a church that had a good history of preparing and sending missionaries into space.

Ryan called the church from the visi-screen in the PTV on the way home. Within the week, Ryan had left the school behind and went to live at the church. He was not going to become bitter, he was going to become better.

At the church, his first job was to scrub the toilets at the homeless shelter. Ryan didn't like it...

 

[ZiSunka]

but he constantly reminded himself that the ones who take the lowliest positions in this life will be the most honored ones in heaven.

After two weeks of scrubbing toilets and showers, and emptying trash and swabbing floors, he entered the mission-in-training class for the first time.

His instructor was Silas Fresher, a middle-aged man with little hair, but a big heart. Mr. Fresher told them on the first day, "You will be in this class as long as it takes. Your one goal, your only assignment is to discover the mission statement for your life. If it takes one day, that's fine. If it takes six years, that's okay. But until your know your life's mission, you cann't advance to any other class. All the remainder of your life depends on you finding your mission statement now."

Ryan gulped. Find his mission statement? Why did that sound too easy?

Ryan wrote on his card, "To go to Darkhell," and turned it in. The next day, his card was waiting on his desk. Mr. Silas had written in red, "This is not a mission statement. It is a travel destination. Try again."