From space, with death

C for Command and Control

Chapter 3

C for Command and Control

"ETA, five minutes till dead drop!"

I could feel the limo start to slow down as we got pass 300,000 meters. from my seat I can see the earthly glow of the atmosphere, set in a background of specks of light on the black of space. It's so beautiful, the moments the cameras can capture, but can never explain in full detail the huge vastness of the almost empty area called space.

"So Leon, did you know we are only 300 kilometers from the eternal blackness of space?" Dom asked.

" Well if this is what space looks like I can't wait to come back!" I say.

"Well actual, you will be back in," Dom pulls out a tablet and taps the screen until he finds what he was looking for, "5 days, along with Ricks crew. Until then, basic data and zero G training will take place in the T building."

"T building?"

"Oh right!"as Dom smacks hit forehead. "Sorry, forgot that the only pictures are from ground level. The acronym, C.E.S.T, the buildings spell it out when viewed from above."

"What about..." I try to say when the driver comes on over the intercom

"Artificial gravity off in 5,4,3,2,1,0. Finally altitude reached and dead drop in progress."

Suddenly I get that feeling of free falling. Its kinda like where your stomach feels like its has jumped in your lungs. I start to float off the seat and laugh. I start flapping my arms to spin myself but to no avail. To my surprise both Dom and Rick are strapped in, looking towards the the limos back window. Floating in the middle of the cabin, I remember about gravity and air. When I'm close enough to a wall, I push off towards where I was siting. I quickly grab the seat harness and clip in.

" 7 out of 20, much better Leon," Rick states calmly, still looking out the window.

"How? How did my score go up?" I asked, shocked if anything.

" Able to maneuver in space, and do it before the limo hits the atmosphere and starts to rapidly decelerate." he turns to me showing a small screen in the lower corner of the limos rear window. On the screen, there I was, back to a camera in the limo. Watching me the whole time, well I guess he would.

After about 30 seconds, the back of the limo starts to hit the higher atmosphere, and quickly lights up with the almost blue flame from going 7,000 mph. Its like putting a camera in the center of a alcohol fire. This lasted for one minute before I noticed the flames disappear, and be replaced by Mach effects. When the limo hits the cloud layer, I finally see what Dom was taking about. Down on the ground, were the initials of the company. A giant C.E.S.T. logo rises 300 feet above the sands of the African desert with a 20mile long by 1mile wide runway stretching all the way out to the sea that underlines the logo. To the north of the logo and runway, hundreds of radio telescopes rotate on bases to communicate with spacecraft in orbit and in interstellar space.

" Prepare for deceleration!" Dom shouts over the roar of the wind that passes by the limo.

I'm immediately pulled against the restraints as we decelerate to 100mph. The limo flips right side up and glides down to the center of the C building. With giant willows flanking the main doors in the center, a large court for basketball and tennis to the right and three sand volleyball courts to the left. From what it looks like it must be somewhere in the high 80s(F), with all the guys and girls in shorts and T-shirts, with sweat glistening of there skin. But what really confuses me is that above the complex, there's a low cloud cover with only few glances of sun here and there.

"Your probably wondering why everyone's in shorts?" Dom asks, then Bursts out laughing, "You should see the look on your face! Anyway, the main reactor for the first two buildings is underground here, so one way we get rid of heat, is to release it into the ground and let it radiate out. Along with that, the windows are heat reflective so even when it's snowing this area is a minimum of 75 degrees."

"So summer all year long?" I ask wanting to see how warm it is actually outside.

" Well it's command, you want the happiest people who are relaxed enough to do there job amazingly but not to fall asleep. First things first. You need to get registered in the system." Dom says as he nods to Rick.

Rick opens the door and the heatwave from outside enters. WOW, he wasn't kidding, its warm outside! And to think 2 hours ago I was in North Carolina, in 40 degree weather.

"Come on Leon, you will have time to admire this later." Rick says as he drags me out of the limo.

He pulls me out onto the fake warm grass as Dom gets out and let's the driver know what to do next.

" Time for registration, ready?" Dom asks as he leads the way to the front doors. " Just as a reminder when you sign the contract you are forced to stay here for a minimum of 10 years, with no outside contact for 3 years. All consumption and exercise will be monitored and logged for qualification data. But in other words, welcome to the best prison in the world for the insanely smart."

We are almost to the quadruple glass sliding doors when the security guard stops us.