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3.

CHAPTER THREE.

The moment I step outside, the fresh air hits me like a wave. I inhale deeply, savoring the crisp, unfiltered oxygen. It feels almost foreign after years of breathing in the stagnant, recycled air of the prison. I don’t look back as we walk toward Caitlyn’s car. There’s nothing behind me worth remembering. Still, a part of me regrets not thanking Alejandro for the opportunity, for putting my name on the list. He may have been a bastard, but in his own twisted way, he saved me.

“Where to now?” I ask as I slide into the passenger seat, my voice still hoarse from lack of use.

Caitlyn gives me a smile. One that seems professional. I notice her side dimples and the little crease on her shirt. “To the NASA office. The branch here in New York.”

“And you are in charge of taking me over there,” I say, watching her start the car. She drives away from the parking spot with a sort of accuracy that shows she's an expert driver that probably belongs as a stunt manager in a James Bond sort of movie. “Aren't you scared that I'd escape?”

She glances at me, her lips curling into a half-smile. “You’re free to try, Ophelia.”

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. “And why do you say that?”

“Because I’d catch you,” she responds without missing a beat, her tone casual but laced with an underlying threat.

Taking a closer look at her, I can tell there’s more to her than meets the eye. The way she holds herself, the efficiency in her movements—it screams military. “Were you in the military before NASA?” I probe.

She doesn’t deny it. “You could say that.” I observe that she's not really a speaker, unlike me. I'm an extrovert. A big one. Even the six years in prison can't take away my extroverted personality.

“So, a new planet was discovered?” I probed.

“Yes.”

“Is it huge?”

“Bigger than the sun,” Caitlyn replies calmly, her eyes still focused on the road.

I whistle, impressed. “That’s massive.”

“Indeed.”

“Huge!” I exclaim.

Caitlyn just nods, her gaze unflinching. The scenery outside is dull, just dry forests passing by. I’m restless, the silence between us growing heavy. I ponder on telling Caitlyn to put on her stereo and play some Lady gaga, but I don't want to seem like a bother than I'm feeling already.

“Do you have any idea why we're being sent to that planet instead of trained astronauts?” I ask after a while.

At my question, Caitlyn’s grip on the steering wheel tightens slightly. Her smile falters, replaced by a more stoic expression. “That’s confidential. You’ll be briefed once we arrive at NASA.”

I press on, unwilling to let it drop. “Alejandro mentioned that it might have something to do with humanity’s survival.”

Caitlyn’s jaw tenses. “Who’s Alejandro?”

“Just a guard from the prison,” I explain, then add cautiously, “Is it true, though? Is humanity really in danger?”

She hesitates for a moment, then exhales sharply. “Signs of life were detected on this new planet. And what worries scientists is that the planet seems to be moving toward Earth—closer with each passing minute.”

I sit up straighter, alarmed. “If it’s as big as the sun, wouldn’t that... I don’t know, destroy us?”

Caitlyn nods grimly. She takes out a stick of cigarettes and places it in-between her lips. “If the planet collides with Earth, the impact will be catastrophic. The tectonic plates will shift globally, causing earthquakes, tsunamis... The extinction of humanity is almost certain- — hope you don't mind if I smoke?”

I shake my head and watch her light up the cigarette. “You still haven't answered my question though.”

“About?” she inquires.

“Why are we being sent instead of astronauts? I don't understand,” I tell her my mind.

“I told you, that information is classified. You’ll learn more soon.”

The rest of the ride passes in silence, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Seven hours later, we finally reach NASA’s New York office. As a child who was once obsessed with being an astronaut, I have seen the NASA office before. They have different branches. However, I know them all, especially the one in New York. The office is huge, different from the other skyscrapers in New York. There's something about the building that just screams milky way. It towers over the surrounding skyscrapers, a sleek, futuristic structure that seems almost alien in its design. The outside world feels distant, unimportant compared to what awaits inside.

Caitlyn leads me through the front doors, and I’m surprised at how many people greet her. She’s clearly well-known here. We take an elevator down, not up, which strikes me as odd. When the elevator comes to a halt we step out of it and Caitlyn leads me towards a door. She twists the door knob and we both go through.

My breath almost catches when I see the place we've entered. It looks like the galaxy itself and there are screens everywhere, with live images of the planet and its orbits. It feels surreal here. It's a bit crowded with people who are all dressed similar to me. I can tell they're the other forty nine people who have been granted the pardon just like me.

“Is she the last one?” A man who's wearing a lab coat asks. He's wearing huge rim glasses. I can tell he's a scientist with his nerdy look. Dr. Steinberg Creed — that's what the name tag on his coat reads.

“Yes,” Caitlyn replies efficiently as she tugs on the band holding her ponytail. It releases and lets her hair flow down to her shoulder. She looks even more beautiful with her hair down. “This is Ophelia.”

Dr. Steinberg scribbles something — probably my name, on his clipboard before looking up again. “Good. We're just waiting for Dr. Alericap now. She’ll explain everything.”

I glance around the room, taking in the scale of it all. The other inmates; now fellow recruits, I suppose—look just as confused and out of place as I feel. Some stare at the massive screens, their eyes wide with awe, while others keep their heads down, their bodies tense with uncertainty.

Caitlyn stands beside me, her posture as stiff as ever, arms crossed. “You’ll want to pay close attention to the briefing,” she says, her voice low, but I sense a subtle urgency beneath her calm exterior. “Everything will make sense soon enough.”

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