Prodigy (Complete)

Chapter Forty-Five

To breach the atmosphere, the craft used antigravity scramblers to minimize Earth's strong gravitational pull, while two large thrusters propelled the craft skyward.

Alex remained strapped into her seat beside her dad.

"Are you doing alright, Alex?" Maxim's voice echoed through Alex's headphones.

"Yes, I'm fine."

The loud rumble of the twin turbo thrusters engaged, lifting the ship off the ground. Alex looked out the window closest to her and saw the trees and mountains becoming increasingly smaller as the ship rose. It was the first time Alex had been up so high. Despite the monumental burden that was resting on her shoulders, she was actually excited.

Alex gripped onto her seat harness and gritted her teeth as the g-force caused her discomfort. The craft soared beyond the clouds and continued to rocket upward. Eventually, the golden atmosphere dissipated and seamlessly merged with the blackness of space. As they pushed through the stratosphere, Alex had the most spectacular view of the golden planet. She held her gaze to capture the moment in her mind forever. Once passed the ionosphere, the main thrusters shut off, leaving an audible void in her ears as the ship floated blissfully. Looking down on the entire planet, everything appeared to be so small. In the grand scope of the universe, any trivial differences people had on Earth suddenly seemed insignificant.

As the ship rotated, the view from the window was replaced by the star-clustered Milky Way. The gleaming clusters of sparkling stars littered the dark canvas like a snapshot of a fireworks display. It gave her a new perspective of the vast expanse of the universe. Every few seconds, a shooting star streaked across her window as if the void universe was bristling with life.

She reluctantly brought her attention back inside for a moment to look at her dad. He had an expression on his face of pure joy as it was undoubtedly his first experience in space as well. To see the inner child come out of a man who was arguably the most powerful person in human history was perhaps just as beautiful. He turned his gaze inside, looked at Alex, and smiled. They shared a brief moment together inside the dark cockpit that no words could adequately describe. For those few seconds, Alex felt like a kid on an adventure with her dad. All the problems of the world and the issues with her father no longer seemed to exist.

The shimmering gold planet was still in their peripheries, luminously spinning in its celestial orbit. Maxim stole one last glance out the window before returning to the controls. After performing a systems check, he engaged the auxiliary thrusters, propelling the massive ship through the dark matter. Alex watched as her beloved home, along with everyone she knew and loved, became increasingly distant.

"You may undo your harnesses," Maxim said.

Alex followed her father's advice and unbuckled herself from the chair. After fidgeting with the straps, they finally came loose. She made brief eye contact with Agent Archimedes, then turned away. His suspicious glare made her feel uncomfortable as he always seemed to have a watchful eye on her. Alex clearly had an alternative agenda for being onboard the Pegasus and it did not take a genius to figure that out. Agent Archimedes was the Leader's right-hand person for a reason – his superior genetics was the prototype for many of the guardian clones. He was not a clone himself, but had several genetic modifications to make him a more advanced agent. Even with his genetic prowess, he was not as intelligent as Alex. Nevertheless, he knew there was more to her being onboard than she was letting on.

Once in space, the gravity scramblers converted into gravity enablers, mimicking Earth's gravity. The scramblers worked well, but they were not exact. Trying to walk around felt a little strange at first, but at least it performed a necessary function for any prolonged voyage into space. If the body is weightless for too long, the lack of resistance eventually causes muscles and bones to deteriorate. In addition, they had purified oxygen circulating through the vents. Even after being on the ship for a few short hours, everyone felt better than they had in weeks.

"Is it okay if I go see the animals?" Alex asked.

"Sure, make yourself at home," Maxim said, trying to make up for all the years he had not been there for her.

As she was about to leave, Agent Archimedes offered to accompany her. Alex immediately dismissed the idea.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Maxim said. "Why don't we all take a tour together? I'll show you around and introduce you to everyone."

Maxim led the way, taking her on a tour of the ship. Alex was genuinely interested to see what new and exciting things would be revealed behind each door. It reminded her of the tour Mara had provided a week prior, although vastly different.

"This here is my living quarters," Maxim said.

The luxury room was equipped with everything a five-star presidential suite would offer. It had an office area that had a window overlooking the cosmos, a fully stocked bar and entertainment area, and a large bathroom fit for a king. Above the large bed was a flag, representing planet Earth. Alex wasn't sure where she would be staying, but assumed it wouldn't be as nice as this.

The tour was like any other – a detailed description was given for every room along with introductions to each of the crew members. Everyone was very pleased to meet Alex in person as most of them had heard of her before. They were even more in awe to learn that she was the long-lost daughter of the great Leader. With the two together side by side, the resemblance was unmistakable.

With her charm, good looks, and endearing story, she found a place in the hearts of the crew immediately. She had everyone convinced she was just there to be with her father. They knew nothing of her alternative plans. Agent Archimedes was the only exception to this. In fact, he was the only one who knew the truth about her — that she had sent a video blowing the whistle on their entire operation — but he opted not to mention it for the time being since he was not sure how the Leader would react to such news. Instead, he chose to wait and keep an eye on Alex to see what she was up to. After all, she seemed harmless and it was not obvious how a teenager could thwart such a comprehensive mission with nothing but her mind, no matter how brilliant that mind was. It occurred to him briefly that maybe she really was just there to be with her dad.

The tour continued, taking up over two hours. They covered every inch of the ship, meanwhile Alex took mental notes of every detail. The whole time Alex was nervous about what would be revealed once they arrived at the matter transporter room. Laying on the floor right in plain view was a strange looking device that would surely pique the interest of anyone who happened to stumble upon it. She went over and over in her mind what she would do if it was discovered – deny, run, hide... When the moment finally came, she opted for a preventative measure rather than a cure.

"Over here is our matter transporter," Maxim said proudly, "but I'm sure you're already familiar with this room."

Before anybody looked in the room, Alex flopped on the ground, releasing an obviously manufactured moan.

"Oh my goodness, Alex are you okay?" Maxim said as he rushed to her.

Agent Archimedes was not buying the performance. He looked down at Alex and the Leader, then asked himself, why would she fake a collapse right before the transporter room?

When no one was looking, he took a couple steps forward and peeked inside.