- The Next Day -
I arrived at the Academy of Astronauts, now as a student. I was obviously happy about being enlisted in it. I knew I was starting a years-long journey to become the astronaut I always wished to be.
I was supposed to come to the assembly hall, and fortunately, I was given a map to memorise the locations in the academy. I made it there in half a minute and sat down. There were LOADS of people, most slightly older than me. I noticed Sebastian among them in the second row. I was in the fourth one. The principal was standing on the stage, with Einstein next to him. The thing that caught my attention was an unfamiliar logo on the wall behind the stage. It showed the Earth on a shield with 50 stars surrounding it. I've never seen this logo, and was eager to learn about it, so I started listening as the assembly began.
- Dear students, the principal started - I, Captain Nigel, would like to welcome you to the Academy of Astronauts for the Agency of Cosmic Espionage... - the principal, aka Captain Nigel, began his speech.
I was shocked. The Agency of Cosmic Espionage??! It was never mentioned on the website of the academy! Was I going to become a space spy???
- ...all of you will be training to become spies to defend the United States of America from enemies in outer space... - Captain Nigel continued, as if he had briefly read my mind.
I was going to become a space spy and serve the Agency of Cosmic Espionage, an agency I barely knew anything about. Mainly because most of the details about it are top secret. I know that it was founded in 2027, when the Second Cold War (fought between the US, Russia and China) began. The agency was supposed to defend America's belongings in space and on other celestial bodies, which mainly included the American Moon Base and the area around it. That is all I know.
- Now, to get things going, my assistant Harold will give you notes with specific numbers. These will be the numbers of your unit - As Captain Nigel was saying this, a slightly chubby man in a black suit emerged from behind his back, carrying a stack of paper. This must be Harold. My suspicions were confirmed when he started handing out pieces of paper to the students. I also received one, with the number "Unit 212" on it. That was the unit I will belong to. Wow.
I tried to focus on the speech, but it was too hard for me. My mind was in a whirl due to all of this shocking information. I couldn't focus, no matter how hard I tried. So I just sat there, trying to listen and failing...
- Time Skip (again) -
The speech ended a few minutes later, and I could only recall that various caretakers would bring together their units, calling their members by number. I heard 212, and soon realised that the person shouting it was none other than Einstein, who was apparently selected to become the caretaker of our unit. I stood in line with three other students. Sebastian (what a coincidence!), a ginger-haired girl around my age who was dressed in full black, and a blonde boy as tall as Sebastian who seemed to be some kind of mechanic, judging by his clothes.
- Come on, let me lead you to your dorms - Einstein said, and we followed him. - You'll leave your stuff there and then come to the meeting room - He finished, and I added in my mind, "Wherever that is".
I found out that my dorm was 212-D, obviously the last one. Sebastian was in 212-B, the girl in 212-A, and finally the mechanic-looking guy in 212-C. The dorm was so small that I thought the astronauts aboard the Apollo 11 lunar lander had more space than I did. The bed was white and seemed old; there was a tiny desk in the corner of the room. It was made of dark brown wood, like all of the other furniture in this building, which includes the chair next to it. On the desktop were a desktop lamp and an empty notebook. I dropped my backpack on the bed and came out. I'll make myself comfortable in here later on.
I got a better look at Einstein. He was wearing a navy blue jumpsuit with a pin showing the logo from earlier, which presumably belonged to the agency, attached to it. Today, he was wearing dirty glasses and still had his silver hair and moustache that made me think of Albert Einstein. Soon enough, the others got out of their dorms. The girl seemed happy, Sebastian was nervous, and the mechanic guy was just... there.
Einstein led us to the meeting room, which had an obviously dark brown table taking up 75% of the space, with six chairs around it. All of us, except for Einstein, sat down.
- Ok, I'll leave you alone for a bit. Introduce yourselves to each other. Teamwork is essential in this organisation - after that, our caretaker left the room. We sat there in awkward silence, not knowing what to say. So I started.
- Uhhh... hello, I'm Chris. I'm fourteen and I've always been passionate about space and science in general. I'm also a bookworm, according to my mom. I had no idea that I was going to be training to become a space spy; I just thought I'd learn how to be a regular astronaut - I sighed quietly after finishing. Sebastian spoke next.
- Okay, I'm Sebastian, and I was ordered to become our leader. I'm sixteen, and some say that I have an ego. Truth be told, I just consider myself cool. I enjoy action films... and that's really it - he said.
- I'll go next - the girl started - I'm Amber, and I'm also fourteen. My parents named me like that because I have amber eyes, and they had no other ideas. I've always dreamed of becoming a spy one day, and I think I have some predispositions for such a career. I'm very happy to be here... - she finished.
- Ah, it's my turn now - the mechanic started, and we all looked at him - I'm Claudius, and I'm fifteen. I love messing with electronics and various mechanisms, if you couldn't tell. I hope that will be useful in the spy business.
- Okay, so we're more or less done. I'll tell our caretaker - Sebastian stood up.
- What is his name, by the way? I've been calling him Einstein ever since I first saw him yesterday - I asked quietly.
- Let's stick with that - Sebastian left the room. I heard Amber mutter "Rude". Claudius and I nodded in response.
I looked around the room and briefly looked at Amber and Claudius. I noticed details unseen before. Amber really had amber eyes, and her ginger hair was short and curly. The black clothes seemed to be some kind of uniform, so I guess that she came prepared. Claudius, on the other hand, looked a bit messy. His orange and blue work uniform was covered in small splatters of an unidentified substance. Additionally, he had blue eyes and a pointy nose. Then, I heard some chatter.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeIi6YBFI5
- Can you hear that? - I asked the others. We sat silently, listening. It seemed like Captain Nigel was arguing about something with Einstein.
- ...you were supposed to oversee them! They should be learning how to interrogate by testing their skills on each other, not organising small talk! - Captain Nigel was clearly infuriated.
- It's their first day in the academy and in the agency. We should let them relax for a bit! We will have time for the training, which includes today's...! - Einstein replied, sounding annoyed by the principal's complaints.
- A spy must always work to perfect their craft - Captain Nigel cut him off and left the room, slamming the door shut as he did. We heard Einstein sigh. Suddenly, our caretaker entered the room.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVoDDkTH57
- I hope you learned something about each other, because Nigel wants you to start education already. It seems like you learned how to eavesdrop, He said jokingly. His ability to change moods so quickly was worth noting.
- I guess so - Sebastian walked over to Einstein - We're ready for the training.
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and then Add to home screen.