The drive to Avia was quite long, and boring, seeing as I had driven this route many times before. Still, the countryside was the most beautiful place in the world, and nothing could compare. Nowhere else on Kerbin would you find the all of these features coming together. I felt like everything was finally coming into place. Matthew graduated last week, and today, I'd find myself fulfilling my dreams.
I drove the SUV into the KSP HQ parking lot, getting a slot as close to the door as possible, seeing as it would probably rain soon, and I didn't want Marissa to get sick. We both got off and began walking to the door. To either side of us were politicians, economists, bankers, merchants, children, vendors, families, people, life. No matter where you looked, something was going on. Music poured from an entertainment center across the street, and a group of teenagers walked towards an Orange Store. As we approached the door, it swished open like a door straight out of Kerb-Trek. Inside, a massive scale model of Kerbin rotated, illuminated by lights, under which the help desk was located.
"Welcome to the Kerbal Space Program Regional Headquarters, I assume you need help?" Asked the teller in a friendly, if condescending manner. I nodded a yes, and gave her the teller receipt that was included in the letter. "Alright, astro-boy. Go upstairs to floor 15, and head into the conference room, D352. Ma'am, you'll have to stay here."
"Now, miss. I'm taking my wife with me for this occasion."
"Sorry sir, administration policy. No family members in the conference room for this type of briefing."
"This type? Now, surely what kind of briefing would require that a family member stay down here? This is a civilian program, not military."
"Sir, this is not under my jurisdiction, and there is no use talking about this. Your wife will stay here, and you will go upstairs to floor 15, room D352. Got it?"
"Quite." I said with a grumph. I proceeded to the elevator and went upstairs, gliding up the plexi-glass tube to the 15th floor, where I found myself among a massive array of computers spewing out, what I thought, was massive piles of garbage, ones and zeros. Coming up to the conference room, I found a little device plastered to the door. Studying it further, I noticed its striking similarity to a device I'd seen at a hotel that would control access to the room, a lock.
Paying no mind to it, I sat down at the end of the hall to wait for my appointment time, when suddenly a high-pitched whine starting coming out of the little device. It opened, and out popped a block of goop that began expanding to shut the door. It dripped and dropped, eventually covering the entire door and surrounding areas. It seemed quite a bit like the bombs that were used in Nexvulch to clear out rooms containing enemy combatants. The bomb usually went off when the whine stopped going, or when a spark made its way in. Suddenly, the whine stopped. "Oh sh--"
All went black.
"Mon dieu. What just happened!?" I muttered, groaning heavily as I tried to move my head. I couldn't yet see where I was, so I tried looking to the right. No luck, there were the charred remains of what I thought was a desk to the right, so I looked left. To the left, a gaping hole looking out into Downtown Avia. "My God." I breathed. Then, I tried to stand up.
The time between my trying to stand and actually getting up seemed like a lifetime of pain and misery. Finally, I stood on both of my legs and looked out into the hole created by the bomb. "This is ridiculous. What kind of insane madman would do this!?" From my perch I looked out across the street, where pieces of shrapnel lay strewn across the park. Oh God. I thought. I nearly went back into unconsciousness, but then, I remembered Marissa, and wondered where she had gone after leaving the HQ. She loved parks, and the thought hit me. No, my God no. Not that. I expelled the thought from my mind, and began frantically searching for a way down, despite having recently woken up from being unconscious by bomb blast.
I heard the monotonous rounds of a helicopter pass, then get louder. The sound grew more intense as the seconds came by, and despite what my head told me, I couldn't help but think that I wouldn't like what was coming. Around the corner came a black helicopter, obviously designed for night operations, yet for some reason being used during the day. For a second, I was relieved, as that could be my ticket to safety. Then, when it opened up its side door, I found myself being captured in a net, and hauled aboard.
