Chapter 143: Endeavour Space Shuttle Accident

Should we rescue the powerless space shuttle?

How could that be! Not even going up to set off fireworks is already the utmost expression of conscience.

As long as that thing doesn't come to burn this plane, Henry would never go out of his way to show off.

Henry calmly sat back down in his seat and continued flipping through the literary masterpiece in his hands.

Even the other passengers on the plane, after seeing such scenery over and over, eventually grew indifferent. Those with cameras took a few photos, then went back to whatever they were doing.

The plane landed smoothly at Geneva International Airport in Switzerland; the pre-booked airport transfer driver was already waiting in the arrivals hall holding a sign.

The two returned without incident to Lady He Ben's home in Trognon, Switzerland — an 18th-century farmhouse, two stories tall, with a small attic, a very plain old house.

It came with its own orchard, vegetable and flower garden, and a lush green courtyard lawn, all of which Lady He Ben had personally tended. But in recent years, busy with United Nations activities, she had neglected them.

Robert Wards also lived here, but he did not tend the courtyard with the same care as Lady He Ben. He preferred walking the dogs, taking all five Jack Luo Su terriers out for runs, a grand spectacle.

Misch, Toby, Penny, Picheri, and Jec — these were the fifty-birthday gift Lady He Ben gave Robert.

Besides these two, a maid came daily to clean the house. Lady He Ben's children were all adults and visited only occasionally to see their mother.

Henry was the third semi-permanent resident of the house, occupying a guest room. He had originally planned to rent a house in town, but since the lady's farmhouse was large enough, she simply allotted him one room.

After all, Henry's work followed Lady He Ben around; living closer made communication easier and allowed him to be summoned at a moment's notice for any odd task — very much like a long-term servant in an old wealthy household.

There was no iron gate blocking the farmhouse entrance, only a hedge and stone archway separating inside from outside. So the driver easily drove the car in.

The familiar barking of the dogs lifted Lady He Ben's spirits, making her seem no longer like someone who had just finished a long flight.

Henry got out first, opened the car door for the lady, helped her step down, then took the luggage. At that moment, five white dogs with brown spots came sprinting over, tails wagging wildly, nearly burying Lady He Ben's frail body in a frenzy.

Lady He Ben, well aware of her dogs' habits, had already prepared herself to handle their enthusiastic welcome. She stroked one side, then the other, ensuring equal attention, favoring none.

"Welcome home," Robert Wards stepped forward from the doorway, embracing Lady He Ben warmly.

The dogs, now ignored, lined up pitifully in front of Henry, tongues lolling, tails wagging.

Henry, who didn't much like small animals, patted two of their heads casually as a greeting, then carried the luggage inside. The Jack Luo Su terriers, unsatisfied, kept wagging their tails and darting between his legs, trying to hinder his entry.

Lady He Ben, entering the house a step behind, told Robert about the strange sight she'd seen on the plane. "You know, we saw a peculiar cluster of flames above the cloud layer."

"It was very beautiful, but also a bit eerie. We took photos, though we're not sure how well they turned out. Let Henry develop them, and you'll see."

"Ah, I know what you mean," Robert said. "It was on last night's news. NASA announced the light in the sky was a solar flare approaching Earth."

"Unfortunately, the Endeavour space shuttle suffered severe damage during its first STS-49 mission due to the solar flare impact. No one knows how things will turn out — whether a rescue has been launched."

Lady He Ben, upon hearing this, showed a flicker of anxiety. "Really? I hope they're all safe and get rescued."

Robert comforted his close companion. "Don't worry. Even if NASA can't handle it themselves, don't forget the X-Men. Mutants have so many strange abilities — one of them must be useful."

Robert Wards' remark was one of the reasons Henry found it hard to adapt to this world. Everyone treated mutants as ordinary — wary, yet always dumping problems onto them.

It wasn't quite like reliance on superheroes. Here, when trouble arose, you sent the mutants to deal with it; or if you were analyzing the source of the trouble, it was always the mutants' fault.

Henry's appearance allowed him to blend easily into the ordinary crowd, and he had no intention of seeking trouble.

Besides, that thing in the sky was called a solar flare? And not a single astronomer or physicist came forward to dispute it! Clearly something was fishy.

Coronal mass ejections on the Sun's surface, even if carrying clouds of flaring plasma toward Earth, could not linger or persist for long.

Moreover, a flare of that scale approaching Earth would generate electromagnetic waves and ion storms capable of causing widespread surface damage — not just damage to one passing space shuttle.

Whatever. Not my concern, not my problem. Henry settled comfortably into his routine, busy with his own matters — unpacking, laundry to do.

When evening news time came, Robert sat in the living room, petting the dogs while watching the news. Henry was in the kitchen helping Lady He Ben prepare dinner.

This wasn't because Henry was a sycophant or because Robert was a chauvinist. Originally, when it was just the two of them, Lady He Ben could prepare dinner quickly on her own.

But Henry could eat enough for three or four people, so preparing meals for him alone was like cooking a feast every night — she'd have to start as early as noon.

So Henry simply helped out. Both Lady He Ben and Robert were happy to have more dishes and try different flavors. Even if each person only took one bite, Henry would finish every last scrap.

As long as nothing was wasted, no one cared how much food was prepared.

But Robert, watching the news, suddenly shouted: "Ha! Just as I thought!"

"What's wrong?" Lady He Ben called from the kitchen.

Robert, still seated in the living room, shouted loudly: "The Endeavour space shuttle incident last night — the U. S. President dispatched the X-Men, who successfully rescued all the astronauts. Professor X was publicly praised and awarded honors. The news is running it now."

"Oh, are everyone all right?" Lady He Ben asked from the kitchen.

"The news didn't say — probably still under check-up or the injuries weren't serious. If there had been casualties, they'd have announced it already. But they did say the solar flare crisis has been resolved."

Henry remained silent throughout, lost in thought — the familiarity of "solar flare" and "X-Men"… could this be the movie "X-Men: The Last Stand"? That film everyone criticized as full of lunatics — neither heroic nor wise, neither alien nor human.

(End of Chapter)