The transition from Earth's atmosphere to the cold silence of space happened so fast that if you blinked, you would have missed it entirely.
Inside the command bridge of the Titanium Eagle, there was no violent shaking, no deafening roar of rocket fuel, and no agonizing g-force pinning anyone to their seats. The ship's localized gravitational dampeners simply neutralized the acceleration.
One moment, the group was looking out at the turquoise waters of the South Pacific; seconds later, the sky turned from tropical blue to deep violet, and then to the pitch-black velvet of outer space, studded with millions of unblinking stars.
"Whoa..." Alex breathed, stepping up to the forward viewport. "Guys... look down."
Below them, planet Earth floated like a radiant blue marble, swirling with white storm clouds and glowing atmosphere.
