From space, with death

Halfway There

Chapter 2

Halfway there

It's been one year since I have seen Heather.

During graduation.

I finally maned up enough to ask her to marry me. She gave me this puppy dog look and said" If you only had asked the question earlier. I'm sorry Leon but but I'm getting married to someone else this summer." Right now it feels like a elephant decided to sit on my heart. She continues after a long pause " You seemed so caught up in going to space, and there was no time in your life for any thing else, including me..." She trails off as she starts to cry. She looks one last time at me before running into another mans arms, not even 30 feet away!

After that, I sat in an apartment and took up drinking. Not because I wanted to but because I had to. The next Friday a C.E.S.T representative called and asked if I was still willing to go and work with the "Elites". I sat and though about my options, and decided to go. Not even 3 hours later, the limo with the C.E.S.T symbol landed in front of the apartments. Within 30 seconds the limo was surrounded by a crowd that had come from nowhere. I somehow heard wired facts about the limo like: "fastest Aerocar in the world," and " the generator in this is the micro version of the ones in spacecraft!" Everyone was in awe! It's not often you see a C.E.S.T limo flying around, let alone land nearby. My thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Mr. Leonardo L. Young? I am here on behalf of C.E.S.T to deliver..."said a man outside the door.

He didn't have time to finish. I rushed to the door to greet him. "Hi!" I shouted in his face. Oops, not the way I wanted that to come out, shouting at the man in a suit who is here to provide a way closer to my dream. "Oh sorry, I just got excited."

"Well, Mr Leonardo, your going to have to put a gun up to my head to even startle me. I've been doing this for years, so much so it takes a lot to get any reaction out of me." He jokes around." My name is Dominic Smith, chief of recruitment and space flight personal logistics. Basically, I bring people in and send others out on shuttles to the nearest asteroid."

"Sound like your a a people person." I say

"You could say I am," just as a man in an identical suit to Dominic's runs up the stairs, " Dom! Take forever why don't you! We have a mob around the limo. We need to go like," the man looks at his watch, "right now!

Dominic looks to me and says, " Ever play football?" The Dom and the other man smile at each other and start for the stairs. They are down the first flight before I realize what he means. I take off running. by the time I get to the lobby of the apartment, I'm panting like a dog.

"You see Dom, all brains, no brawn" the other guy says

Dom and I chuckle as the other guy says," Names Rick, recruit fitness analyst. So far your ranked 4 out of 20 overall, which unfortunately better then most of the recruits we get!" Rick looks to Dom and says, " Bowler or Tank?"

"Tank! I haven't done that in forever! I'll take lead!"

Before I can react, Dom and Rick take my shoulders and force me through the double doors in the front lobby. The sun shines brightly in my eyes as I feel bodies start to hit me! There shoving me through the crowd! As I try to stop, I see the limos door open so quickly,it looks like it disappeared. Only five feet from the limo, both Rick and Dom shove me in, simultaneously throw people out,and close the door.

"Like high school all over again!" shouts Rick, happily. He quickly knocks on the front wall inside the limo.

" Maybe your high school, but definitely not mine. President of student council for all four years and leader of mock trial, all four years." Dom stated proudly. he then turns to me," You ok?"

"Just fine! What is this stuff anyways?" It was soft like a pillow when I was thrown in but now it's stiff like I brand new couch cushion.

"Well, it's a polymorphic carbon tetra-nylonate fabric skin with a hydrophobic helium polycarbonate, stretches under pressure but solidifies under normal weight. A higher concentrations of carbon are used in the space shuttles to give a higher resistance to the forces of the rockets lifting off."

"Cool, but what if you used a hydro poly-Teflon mix with a titanium hyper-cylonate so it can also remove waste water impurities?"

"You see Rick, this is why we have the most funding and, diplomatic immunity, almost everywhere! Because of the smartasses like him!"Dom says as he punches Rick in the shoulder.

"Dom, just remember we are over the Atlantic Ocean right now and I'm not afraid to kick you of right now!"

At this point I'm starring out the window, in wonder. The takeoff and acceleration was so smooth, it felt like we hadn't moved. The midday sun glistens off the smooth sea below as we hurtle passed at something like Mach 3(2290 mph).

Dom then says," Driver, take us up to 400,000 meters above Command, then dead drop us."

"Backwards or forwards? And artificial gravity?" A voice says over the intercom.

"Backwards and no gravity! Ready, Rick and Leon, for free fall?"

"Yes! But won't the car melt?!" I say

"Nope, electropulse shielding will prevent heat buildup, but make some nice reentry effects."