While I wasn't sure about a new mission happening, something "bad" being "in the air" indirectly meant one. After all, if someone wanted us dead, we had to go and defeat them, right?
However, I thought of another approach. Maybe Einstein and Anthony wanted to bring me to a bunker with the rest of the crew, so that we can wait it out while adult agents deal with the assassins?
It would make sense, considering Justine. If Captain Nigel was apologising to her while sending me on another undercover mission, it would just be dulpicity. A very bad kind of duplicity.
Without much to do, I was just watching buildings and other cars flash by us as we continued our journey. Nothing caught my attention, besides the Academy of Astronauts. Looking at the futuristic building, I felt a connection with it. It was the building in which the grueling space spy training takes place. It's also the base of operations for the Agency, at least for the junior agents. I got used to being here. It was almost my second home, judging by how I spent majority of my week in the academy. Of course, my house was still my true home, but I felt bad with possibly leaving the Agency behind.119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPw0lkEMZmB
There were so many doubts. About my future, my career, my family and just now, my very life. This was a moment of great uncertainty. I couldn't predict anything accurately, which was annoying. After all, it's nice to know that you'll live to see another day instead of fearing things like: "Is there an assassin behind that bush?".
This was the main downside of being a young space spy. You couldn't be certain about your own safety when going on a dangerous mission. Danger can lurk behind every corner, sparking fear almost all the time. While I've gotten more or less accustomed to this climate, it still kept me up at night every now and then. Especially since my enemies were especially vicious.
The Perseids were a large consortium of mostly Russian criminals who wanted to help their homeland by hindering the operations of the other superpowers while gaining wealth and power for themselves. They were ready to kill, destroy, lie, even break hearts. Sebastian had a crush on Dawn, the Russian mole, before her true colors were exposed. Afterwards, he was obviously heartbroken, but from what I knew, he is recovering.
There was also Lim Yazhu and his league of Chinese spies. He was a deceiving and calculating villain. Behind the mask of science and discovery, he and his company manipulated biology to create ever more deadly weapons, to the point where the Perseids noticed and tried to rob them. Even though both groups have disbanded, danger still loomed. Not all members of the Perseids were captured, not every BIORBITAL scientist vanished. And now, there's a new team hellbent to bring us down.
Maybe it is better to be living a normal, safe life than being constantly threatened?
I felt like I was in the threshhold of a life-changing decision, but I didn't have the energy needed to make it. I was tired of... everything, really.
Wanting to get at least some questions answered, I finally spoke up.
- Are we going to space again? - I asked. After doing so, I realised that I didn't sound enthusiastic about it at all. Space is my greatest passion and I was happy every time that I got to go there. What is happening with me?
- Yes - Anthony confirmed.
I paused before asking any other question. I felt bad about going to space because I knew that instead of pushing the boundries of exploration and science, I was going there to fight for my life with a highly dangerous group of criminals again. If space tasted somehow, it would have normally been sweet for me, but now, it would definitely be sour.
- Is it for a mission? - I added.
- No - Anthony denied.
What?!119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsSpy3PFiB
That was a combination that I didn't expect. In the Agency, space means missions. Why else would Nigel and his people bother to launch us into orbit?
Maybe it's a reward for all we've gone through? Perhaps it will be a scientific expedition that I've always dreamed about?119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡger5r6HgKh
I had enough of speculating by now. I wanted to see reality. Suddenly, I got to see it.
While I was out thinking, Einstein brought us to a previously unseen complex located near the academy. It consisted of a solid white dome connected to an elevator shaft. Some agents were guarding the shaft. Einstein left the car to meet them while Anthony made sure to keep watch over the assassin. It seems like Einstein gave the killer a sedative of somekind to keep him at bay, as he was asleep.
Einstein came back with two agents dressed in black. The duo was armed with guns, ready to shoot if they saw anything suspicious. I emerged out of the car, not knowing what to expect. At this point, I felt like giving up on predicting anything and just letting events flow. The two agents weren't sure who I was.
- Hey kid, this place is goverment property. It's no playground - one of them welcomed me in a very nice way.
- This is no ordinary kid - Anthony joined me - This is my son, Christopher Smith.
- Oh, Anthony, it's you! - the other agent reacted.119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi8kFq6RgY
- Why did you bring your son here? He doesn't have permission to be here, does he? - the first agent continued.
- My son is an agent-in-training and he's a member of the unit which thwarted BIORBITAL - Anthony recalled our previous mission.
- There was a unit who did that, but I didn't hear much about it - the guy barely recognised us.
- Are you living under a rock? Unit 212 is one of, if not, THE best junior space spy team out there! - the second agent was a big fan of our unit, as he heard about our accomplishments.
In contrast to the other spy, he welcomed me like a celebrity upon realising who I am. This was met with disdain from the first agent.
- Why is he here, with his father and Agent Edward? - he asked.
- Bring him to the Remedy - Einstein gave the agent a file with a note inside. The spy quickly read it and immediately understood the matter. The two spies promptly escorted us into the elevator, which brought us into the dome.
- The Remedy? What even is that? - I was even more confused than before. First arguments, then assassins, and now a... something? I have no idea what Einstein is talking about.
- It's that thing - Anthony pointed to the biggest rocket that I've physically seen in my life.
It had a white fuselage that was twice as tall as my house, connected to four massive boosters with extra fuel tanks, coloured orange. A fifth, even larger engine was hidden between them, beneath the fuselage. The top resembled the cockpit of our spaceplane, but enlarged and mounted onto a rocket. Next to the entrance hatch was the name "REMEDY".119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxs13iUuQCO
A catwalk capped off by a staircase led us into the cockpit. I was too overwhelmed by the rocket's size to say anything. I forgot about my worries, focused on the childlike wonder of being next to a massive rocket. Seeing something this giant was pretty much a childhood dream of mine.
Einstein carefully unlocked the hatch and allowed us inside. The two spies left us to bring the sleepy assassin to jail. I basically forgot about them upon seeing the Remedy's cockpit on the inside.
The cockpit was practically a small house combined with a miniature control center for navigation. There was a living area, some weird devices that I had no idea about, a storage room, a zero-gravity vertical farm and a sleeping area with beds around the whole room, even on the ceiling! Forget the purpose, this is insane!
I encountered the other members of my unit, along with Arika. Everyone was brought into the Remedy, but why?
- Hey, Chris! You're finally here - Sebastian welcomed me in a cheerful tone. The others were also happy to see me.
- Can someone tell me why we're here in the first place? - I responded, still wanting to learn the details of this... operation? I can't call it a mission, because it simply isn't one.
- We've got intel on a new evil organization who's primary goal is eliminating our entire unit, myself included - Einstein started - It isn't safe to be here on the Earth. It's easy to wreck a rocket orbiting our planet and the Moon isn't the best place either. We're going to stay much further while we let professionals deal with the assassins, because the risk is too great for us to fight them ourselves.
- So, where are we going? - I added.
- To Mars. The journey will only be a month long, thanks to our advanced fusion engine at the bottom of the rocket. Anyhow, there's only a few scattered outposts on the Red Planet, without much interaction between them. It's the perfect hiding spot, since nobody thinks that we'll go this far to escape some murderers - Einstein finished.
Mars is a place I didn't see myself visiting in the forseeable future. It's the second celestial body colonized by humans, after the Moon. I read a lot about the colonization and Mars itself, because it is a fascinating planet, despite being seemingly barren and boring.
However, going this far was not a thing I expected. Especially since the problem of mom still lingered. She'll go absolutely crazy when she finds out that the Agency sent me to Mars!
While Einstein was busy explaining the plan to us, preparations for launch took place. The dome loudly opened up, revealing the clear sky above. The catwalk detatched itself from the rocket.
- Get your spacesuits - Anthony instructed us and we listend to him.
After getting dressed, we sat down in the seats located in the mini control center. Conveniently, there were six of them. We strapped ourselves in as the countdown began.
- 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Lift off!119Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3UAsU8pAy
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and then Add to home screen.