One Rotation

Almost out of the Atmosphere

The cameras flash, and we try to smile without looking too pained. The photos last way longer than I thought, and it gets annoying after a while.  The people take group photos and individual photos as well.  They take the most photos of just Ava and me though.  When they are finished we sit down, and rub our cheeks, trying to get feeling in them again.  We all sip on our waters, and wait for the questions to start.  We wait for all of the reporters to sit back down before the questions start flying by. The first question is asked towards Ryan.

  The reporter is a small Asian lady, and she talks in a rough voice.  “Ryan,” she says, “What is it like being the only man in the mission who is from the NASA part?”  Ryan smiles, and stifles a laugh.  “Well,” he says, “’It seems like a good thing as of now, but I will let your know when we get back from the moon.”  The other men in the room laugh, and the next question is asked.  The next question is geared towards me.  “Molly, what was your job, what college did you go to, and when did you first know that you wanted to something with space in your career?”   I think for a moment, and then answer.  “Well, I am now an aerospace engineer, but I used to be an FBI agent.  I went to North Maine University, and I wanted to be an aerospace engineer ever since I was in seventh grade.”

 The interviewers write some things down, and the next question is asked.  The next question is asked from the first lady again.  This question is directed towards Ava, but is about me as well.  “So Ava, what was it like having to fight against Molly?” Ava looks at me, and smiles, because she has had many opportunities to fight me.  “So I have had to fight Molly many times to get onto the team.  The thing with Molly is that she will beat you every time, but she is always concerned with your wellbeing.  She is a tough competitor, and I think that I could fight her thirty more times without beating her once.”  I zone out for a few moments, because none of the questions are geared towards me. 

The next question that is asked towards me is about the suits. I explain to them what the Zercoranium is, and what exactly it can do.  The question after that is also geared towards me.  They asked me what I did before I was an aerospace engineer.  “I was an FBI agent, like I said before, but that career did not last long.  When I first got out of college, I joined the FBI, and it was my job to protect the president.  That only lasted until the day that Mike Sherling attacked though.  I was injured in battle, and was taken out of the unit shortly after.  While I was injured I went back to college, and got my degree in aerospace engineering.  When my wounds healed up, I decided that I would rather stay as an aerospace engineer.  Now I can see that it was one of the best decisions that I have made.”

The people nod, and look over to Olivia.  They ask her what kind of training we did for the mission, and what she thought about it.  “Um,” Olivia says, as she thinks for a moment.  “We did a lot of strength training, and a lot of agility, but we mostly played games, so it didn’t really feel like training.”  The next two hours go by in a blur, and I cannot wait for it to end.  When I start yawning, I can tell that it is almost time to be done with the questions.

The last question is asked for me.  “What are you looking forward to the most in the mission?”  I tell them that I am looking forward to being able to see the surface of Earth from the Moon.  The interviewers take some more photos, and we are finally done.  The interviewers stand up, and leave the room.  When all of the interviewers are gone, we head back to our dorm rooms.  We walk into the room, and we are met with a new pair of pajamas.  We change into our new pajamas and slip into our beds.  We get the day off tomorrow, but we have to stay inside the NASA building.  Tomorrow is the day that the last competition will take place, between the FBI agents. 

Now that there are only four of us left, there is no need for five FBI agents.  We are told that we can help with the competition if we want, but we do not have to.  We decide that we will help them tomorrow, and Ava says that I should go ask Ryan.  I sigh, and get back out of my bed.  I keep my pajamas on, and I don’t really care if Ryan sees me in them.  I slip on a pair of flip flops though, and make my way out of the room.  Before I leave though, I grab a blanket from the bed, in case there are other scientists walking around the building.  I drape the blanket over my shoulders, and walk towards Ryan’s room.  The walk is fairly quiet, and there is no one in the hallway.