"We are heroes
Heroes in the darkest times
When there is no light
We are heroes
Heroes in the darkest times
But we'll rise above."
~ Heroes by Zayde Wolf
A cool crisp autumn breeze fluttered around Adalynn's face and teased the loose strands of her hair as she waited in the open doorway of the Academy.
"Hey Stanton, you ready to roll?" Leo queried as he sauntered through the lobby to join her.
Adalynn cracked a smile. "Why are you always calling me by my last name, Leo?"
Leo shrugged. "That's just what I do ... Stanton."
Adalynn rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance.
Just then, a pitter-patter of footsteps reached her ears and she turned around to see Emma scampering across the floor towards her and Leo.
"Hi," Emma greeted them shyly as she held out a packet of cookies. "I - I thought you might like these to eat on the way. I made them myself."
"Aww, cookies!" Adalynn rubbed her stomach as she accepted the packet from Emma's hand. "Thank you."
"I'm so jealous right now," Emma groaned. "I wish I was going to the launch."
"Do you want my ticket?" Adalynn asked.
"NO!" Jason's voice boomed out as he emerged from the school hall. "You and Leo have been chosen to attend the launch and it's gonna stay that way."
"This is going to be a nightmare," Adalynn sighed.
Tugging on his jacket and tucking a briefcase under his arm, Jason brushed past Adalynn and Leo and said, "Let's go."
It was a very uncomfortably silent drive to the NASA building. A chauffeur was hired to drive them there in a specially prepared limo. Jason bagged the front seat and Adalynn and Leo were in the back. No one spoke a word. There was nothing to say, nothing to talk about. Adalynn just fiddled with her hands in her lap, glancing up at Jason every now and then. She noticed that he was going through the contents of his briefcase, but from her vantage point, she couldn't see WHAT he was looking at. It made her nervous and scared and all tingly inside. She wished she HADN'T been chosen to attend the launch; there were THAT many students who would've LOVED to go in her stead, Max and Emma for example.
Something bad was going to happen, she just knew it.
Finally, the limo pulled up before some huge ivory gates. A buzzer sounded and two security guards unlocked the gates, admitting the vehicle after checking the driver's I.D. The car crawled up the gravel driveway, passing by an impressive water fountain and an overload of flower-filled gardens. A massive, silver-themed building rose up in front of them. A large plaque with the words, "NASA's SPACE DEPARTMENT" hung over the double glass doors gracing the front of the building. Adalynn stared at the place in awe. She had never been somewhere quite so magnificent.
The limo pulled up to a stop in front of the doors and Leo, Adalynn and Jason, wearing the Academy colours, stepped out onto the pavement. The two teens followed Jason as he made his way up the stairs, through the doors and to the reception desk in the lobby.
They were directed to a nearby lift which took them right up to the highest level of the NASA construction. They were met and greeted by an elderly man who looked like someone very important and from there, he led them to a large room filled with scrimped-up guests and speakers with tight-looking collars. Floor-length windows spanned the entire length of the room, overlooking the launch pad that was situated around the back. The ceiling of the room rose into a large dome and pictures of scientists and government officials littered the freshly-painted walls.
"Wow," Leo mumbled under his breath. "This is ... incredible!"
Adalynn smiled and nodded. "Yeah ..."
"Adalynn!"
Adalynn turned around, a surprised and curious look on her face. Suddenly, she stopped stock-still. An overweight man with a receding hair line and a bright red tie hurried over to her, a massive grin plastered on his face. A tag attached to a string that hung around his neck read, "CEO President of NASA".
"Uh ... Mr Evans! Hi," Adalynn stepped forward and stuck out her hand.
"Look at you in your Greenhouse uniform," Mr Evans smiled fondly at her as he took her hand and shook it firmly.
"Uh, do you know this guy?" Leo whispered in Adalynn's ear.
"Yes. He's my godfather," she returned. As her gaze flickered away from Leo, she caught sight of Jason's shocked expression and smirked. He definitely wasn't expecting that!
Leo nodded and shrugged, obviously impressed. "Hi," he greeted Mr Evans. "Leo Cruz."
"Oh, Captain of the Ravens," Mr Evans dipped his head towards him in recognition. "Very impressive."
Jason glanced from Adalynn to Leo and hurriedly stepped forward with the proclamation, "Jason Osmond, Dean of the Greenhouse. It's an honour to meet you."
"You're Louis' kid," Mr Evans commented before turning his attention back to Adalynn.
"How's your Dad? Mum? Ben?" Mr Evans questioned.
"They're good, thanks for asking," Adalynn replied.
"Sooo," Jason interrupted briskly. "Since we are NASA's guests of honour, we were hoping for a little VIP tour around the facility."
"Maybe some other time," Mr Evans returned bluntly. "I think you can see we're a little busy right now."
"Of course, of course," Jason waved a hand in the air dismissively.
"Tell your mother I said hi, and your father too," Mr Evans told Adalynn. "In the meanwhile, make yourselves at home, I promise you this is the best view in the house."
"Thank you," Adalynn smiled appreciatively at him as he walked away.
"You're on friendly terms with NASA's CEO?" Jason demanded, eye-balling Adalynn.
"Yes," Adalynn shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be? He's my godfather."
Jason couldn't believe his ears. "He's your what?"
"I think you heard her the first time, Jason," Leo piped up. "There's no need for her to repeat herself."
"Okay, first of all, I'm the Dean of the Greenhouse and I deserve some respect," Jason growled at them. "Second of all, stop giving me snark because I will not tolerate it, do you understand me?"
Neither Leo or Adalynn responded.
"I'm going to take your silence as a yes," Jason continued in a domineering tone. "Look, I've gotta go to the bathroom, stay here, all other areas are restricted," and with that, he spun around on his heel and stalked off.
"Uh ... well, good luck in there!" Leo called out after him. Turning back to Adalynn, he huffed and rolled his eyes.
Adalynn watched as Jason manoeuvred his way out of the packed room and into the hall. However, he went straight past the bathroom sign and into the lift.
Adalynn gulped. "Um, Leo, I - I should probably go to the bathroom too, you know, before the launch starts."
Leo shrugged. "Well, hurry up. You don't wanna miss it."
Adalynn shook her head. "I won't." She shoved her way through the growing crowd and burst out into the passageway. Where would Jason go?
She sprinted down a flight of stairs and arrived on the second-highest floor. She glanced around, panic rising up within her. She couldn't see Jason anywhere and from the looks of it, he could be doing anything. She had to protect that satellite!
With these thoughts racing through her mind, Adalynn took to the stairs again, checking each floor as she came to it. Nope. No Jason.
Finally, completely winded and out of breath, Adalynn arrived at the level 3 floor just as the elevator nearby sent out a BING.
With a startled gasp, Adalynn scampered behind a large bin situated at the foot of the steps. She could hear the elevator doors open and someone's footsteps as they walked hastily across the room.
She took a few minutes to still her beating heart and regain her breath before cautiously poking her head up and over the bin.
Her eyes widened in horror and she clapped a hand over her mouth, for there, fiddling with the lock of a large metal door leading into a clearly restricted area, was Jason ... and he was breaking into the apartment!
~~~~
Gif: Jason attempts to unlock the restricted door.
A/N: Jason, my man, you're gonna be in some serious trouble if you don't stop, like, right now! What's the reason for his breaking into a restricted area? Why is he trying to stop the satellite from launching? Why is he working for Judy? Is there some complicated reason behind all of his actions or he just an asshole in general? What would YOU do if you were in Adalynn's shoes? Please voice your opinions in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you! Sorry for the long-ish chapter, I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! Also, thank you so much for 1.2k reads! I'm soooo excited right now! THANK YOU!!!! I love you all!!!! xx