Something huge was happening. Because the moon mission was to launch in September and it was already July, the final test for the rocket to the moon was to take place in Belize, beside the Caribbean sea.
It was a good warm and clear day, all the preparations had been done. The cryogenic engine was supposed to be the best ever made. With the help of wizardry, they were able to make something called fuel bombs. These were tiny balls with expanded storage in them, they were to store excess fuel. This way, even though the rocket was going to be too big, it can still reach space.
Bobby reached the launch station on his private jet to oversee everything. "Alright, let's get this done, everyone. We have all done this many times before, this should be a piece of cake at this point,"
"Mr Armstrong, you coffee," his secretary brought him a nice big mug of black coffee. He had been working overtime these days and needed it to focus.
He felt weird telling a bunch of men decades older than him what to do. But, he had already proven himself to them, and he paid their salaries. It was a simple automated flight test, the rocket had to go up and then land back down. Yes, they were going to attempt a vertical landing on the moon, for this they had created a huge expanding landing system at the base of the rocket that can adjust itself to the terrain according to the gyro sensors in it.
Their main reason to be sending this big rocket was the cargo they will be taking along. There was a single living unit that could house three men on the moon, and it would become a temporary moon base for their stay. Then there was a Lunar Roving Vehicle, a few more sensor machines, communication equipment, power generators and whatnot.
The other reason was that they were going to bring back a lot of extracted minerals with the rocket.
"9"
"8"
The countdown started. One by one all things were clear and the thunderous roar of Merlin 1, the rocket engine, bellowed throughout the area. The bright light from the ignition made everything seem white near the launchpad.
The booming breaking noise increased when the giant rocketship started lifting off, it was really slow initially, then it picked up the speed, a metre, a dozen metres, it continued to soar towards the sky uninterrupted.
*BEEP BEEP*
But when everything was going well and people were cheering, something happened and a red light appeared on one of the computer stations. The man quickly called the mission commander, "The pressure pipes for the stabilisers are leaking, we're losing control from the left side,"
And that did happen, on the big projector screen, the live cameras showed the view from the clear sky. The Rocket had tilted towards its left and was soon going to break apart due to the extreme pressure and speed.
Bobby frowned, they had done these exercises dozens of times in the past one and half years. The engine had no problems, it was tested more than enough times even in extreme conditions, it was even coated with special magical potions to make it more durable.
He quickly took out the walkie talkie and ordered, "Secure it,"
Immediately, a team of 5 wizards, all hidden under expensive invisibility cloaks flew to the falling rocket, their job was to ensure that the rocket does not fall apart so much that their Reparo can't fix it.
The mood became depressed in the mission control room. All those who were cheering not long ago felt dejected, blankly looking at their screens. Bobby had to do something, "Everyone, we shall have the rocket back soon, do a diagnosis on it and start preparing for another test next week, we have a spare rocket. The mission to the moon, however, I think it will need to be pushed up a little, Steve, when's the next window?"
Steve, the flight path director, quickly looked at his notepad and charts, "Umm, December 20th, sir."
Bobby sighed, "Fine, prepare for that. I will reveal the news to Magnus,"
He went to his office cabin and called Magnus, telling him about what happened. Magnus was only disgruntled about not being able to see his siblings on their birthday on the 25th, the rest he didn't care. Though now some things will need to be changed, as his coronation was supposed to happen in October. Now, he will be going to space not as the crown prince, but as the King of Britain.
That entire day, he had to work constantly in the space centre to find out the fault in the rocket they sent. Yet, no matter what they tried, no real plausible reason could be ascertained why the pressure pipes burst.
Late at night, he headed to get some restful sleep. He did not wake up until the next day's noon, something happened, he started to feel a burning sensation in his chest. Initially, he thought it was indigestion, so he took a pill for it. But the sensation only increased, eventually reaching the point where it started hurting.
*Cough*
He had a loud cough, instinctively putting his palm on the mouth, but then felt something wet on it, looking down, there was red blood. "FUCK!" he cursed and took out his phone. He pressed one button three times, and then dropped down, unconscious.
...
London,
Magnus parked his car in front of the Continental Hotel. The valet was there to take it. He had already been recognised by most of the people around, as a few people who were coming in and out were staring daggers at him while their mouths nearly drooled.
He was the golden goose in their eyes. But the thing was, Magnus too saw all of them as a golden goose. It was the ultimate reversal. He walked into the hotel lobby, straight to the reception. 3 more people were sitting on the visitor's chairs, they were fixated on him as soon as he stepped inside.
He talked to the man at the reception, "I would like to meet the manager of this hotel, and no, my name is not Karen,"
The man, not even bothered by his status, replied in a monotonous voice, "I'm sorry, we only serve the members,"
"Oh really? How do I get my membership then? I've killed my fair share of people, even beasts." Magnus replied, instantly making them aware that he too knew everything about them.
"You need to be sponsored by one of the area leaders to get the membership." the receptionist said.
Magnus rubbed his chin, "Is that so, then does this mean I can not enjoy the services here until I become a member? Until then this is just a building for me?"
"Y-yes" The man stuttered, not having a great feeling about all this.
*CLAP*
He cheered, "Amazing, this means the rules don't apply to me."
All of a sudden his staff appeared in his hand, he sent a big wave of magical energy at the three assassins sitting there, planning to kill him the moment he leaves the building. The three dropped dead with a fist-wide hole in their chest.
The receptionist panicked, he pressed a secret red button under the marble counter while trying to deescalate. "Sir, please calm down. Killing is not allowed inside the hotel grounds,"
A vein popped on Magnus' forehead, he grabbed the receptionist by his hair and dragged him down, "You fucking little twigs, I don't even see you worthy enough to be stepped on. You are all twigs that get drowned under pigeon poop and rot away. And remember, I'm not a member, rules don't apply to me,"
He dragged the man inside, ending up in some sort of VIP sitting lounge for the members, it was full of assassins, men, women, heck there was an 80-year-old guy.
Not stopping, he dragged the receptionist all the way to an empty sofa seat, then made the receptionist kneel down on all limbs. He put his feet on his back to relax, "So, which motherfucker from you wants to earn 500 million dollars? If nobody wants, I'd like to claim the prize as I brought myself here,"
*Puff*
A middle-aged black man walked in, wearing an expensive suit, what caught the eye was a rolled joint that he was smoking. He took a seat in front of Magnus and also put his feet on the receptionist, "Damn, never thought I could use this useless guy like this. By the way, it's a pleasure to meet you, your highness, or majesty. Anyway, I am Harlem Chaplin, aka Smoke Dog. I have a special talent for sniffing around secrets and killing people with my sweet joint. *Puff* see this smoke, it's toxic, it can kill a man, each of my teeth is empty and has special liquid in it, I can mix it with my smoke to make all kinds of poison,"
"And? what am I supposed to do with this information?" Magnus asked him.
Harlem coughed, "Ah, damn, I forgot to say, I'm the manager here. Seriously, I was telling those mofos not to mess with you, they didn't listen. A true fan, by the way,"
*BEEP BEEP*
Magnus' phone beeped, he read the text message, it was from Adrian, ~Bobby was poisoned, condition stable, recovery in a day,~
His blood boiled at this point as he faced Harlem Chaplin, the man who just claimed he was a poison expert, "Tell me, was it you?"
Something huge was happening. Because the moon mission was to launch in September and it was already July, the final test for the rocket to the moon was to take place in Belize, beside the Caribbean sea.
It was a good warm and clear day, all the preparations had been done. The cryogenic engine was supposed to be the best ever made. With the help of wizardry, they were able to make something called fuel bombs. These were tiny balls with expanded storage in them, they were to store excess fuel. This way, even though the rocket was going to be too big, it can still reach space.
Bobby reached the launch station on his private jet to oversee everything. "Alright, let's get this done, everyone. We have all done this many times before, this should be a piece of cake at this point,"
"Mr Armstrong, you coffee," his secretary brought him a nice big mug of black coffee. He had been working overtime these days and needed it to focus.
He felt weird telling a bunch of men decades older than him what to do. But, he had already proven himself to them, and he paid their salaries. It was a simple automated flight test, the rocket had to go up and then land back down. Yes, they were going to attempt a vertical landing on the moon, for this they had created a huge expanding landing system at the base of the rocket that can adjust itself to the terrain according to the gyro sensors in it.
Their main reason to be sending this big rocket was the cargo they will be taking along. There was a single living unit that could house three men on the moon, and it would become a temporary moon base for their stay. Then there was a Lunar Roving Vehicle, a few more sensor machines, communication equipment, power generators and whatnot.
The other reason was that they were going to bring back a lot of extracted minerals with the rocket.
"9"
"8"
The countdown started. One by one all things were clear and the thunderous roar of Merlin 1, the rocket engine, bellowed throughout the area. The bright light from the ignition made everything seem white near the launchpad.
The booming breaking noise increased when the giant rocketship started lifting off, it was really slow initially, then it picked up the speed, a metre, a dozen metres, it continued to soar towards the sky uninterrupted.
*BEEP BEEP*
But when everything was going well and people were cheering, something happened and a red light appeared on one of the computer stations. The man quickly called the mission commander, "The pressure pipes for the stabilisers are leaking, we're losing control from the left side,"
And that did happen, on the big projector screen, the live cameras showed the view from the clear sky. The Rocket had tilted towards its left and was soon going to break apart due to the extreme pressure and speed.
Bobby frowned, they had done these exercises dozens of times in the past one and half years. The engine had no problems, it was tested more than enough times even in extreme conditions, it was even coated with special magical potions to make it more durable.
He quickly took out the walkie talkie and ordered, "Secure it,"
Immediately, a team of 5 wizards, all hidden under expensive invisibility cloaks flew to the falling rocket, their job was to ensure that the rocket does not fall apart so much that their Reparo can't fix it.
The mood became depressed in the mission control room. All those who were cheering not long ago felt dejected, blankly looking at their screens. Bobby had to do something, "Everyone, we shall have the rocket back soon, do a diagnosis on it and start preparing for another test next week, we have a spare rocket. The mission to the moon, however, I think it will need to be pushed up a little, Steve, when's the next window?"
Steve, the flight path director, quickly looked at his notepad and charts, "Umm, December 20th, sir."
Bobby sighed, "Fine, prepare for that. I will reveal the news to Magnus,"
He went to his office cabin and called Magnus, telling him about what happened. Magnus was only disgruntled about not being able to see his siblings on their birthday on the 25th, the rest he didn't care. Though now some things will need to be changed, as his coronation was supposed to happen in October. Now, he will be going to space not as the crown prince, but as the King of Britain.
That entire day, he had to work constantly in the space centre to find out the fault in the rocket they sent. Yet, no matter what they tried, no real plausible reason could be ascertained why the pressure pipes burst.
Late at night, he headed to get some restful sleep. He did not wake up until the next day's noon, something happened, he started to feel a burning sensation in his chest. Initially, he thought it was indigestion, so he took a pill for it. But the sensation only increased, eventually reaching the point where it started hurting.
*Cough*
He had a loud cough, instinctively putting his palm on the mouth, but then felt something wet on it, looking down, there was red blood. "FUCK!" he cursed and took out his phone. He pressed one button three times, and then dropped down, unconscious.
...
London,
Magnus parked his car in front of the Continental Hotel. The valet was there to take it. He had already been recognised by most of the people around, as a few people who were coming in and out were staring daggers at him while their mouths nearly drooled.
He was the golden goose in their eyes. But the thing was, Magnus too saw all of them as a golden goose. It was the ultimate reversal. He walked into the hotel lobby, straight to the reception. 3 more people were sitting on the visitor's chairs, they were fixated on him as soon as he stepped inside.
He talked to the man at the reception, "I would like to meet the manager of this hotel, and no, my name is not Karen,"
The man, not even bothered by his status, replied in a monotonous voice, "I'm sorry, we only serve the members,"
"Oh really? How do I get my membership then? I've killed my fair share of people, even beasts." Magnus replied, instantly making them aware that he too knew everything about them.
"You need to be sponsored by one of the area leaders to get the membership." the receptionist said.
Magnus rubbed his chin, "Is that so, then does this mean I can not enjoy the services here until I become a member? Until then this is just a building for me?"
"Y-yes" The man stuttered, not having a great feeling about all this.
*CLAP*
He cheered, "Amazing, this means the rules don't apply to me."
All of a sudden his staff appeared in his hand, he sent a big wave of magical energy at the three assassins sitting there, planning to kill him the moment he leaves the building. The three dropped dead with a fist-wide hole in their chest.
The receptionist panicked, he pressed a secret red button under the marble counter while trying to deescalate. "Sir, please calm down. Killing is not allowed inside the hotel grounds,"
A vein popped on Magnus' forehead, he grabbed the receptionist by his hair and dragged him down, "You fucking little twigs, I don't even see you worthy enough to be stepped on. You are all twigs that get drowned under pigeon poop and rot away. And remember, I'm not a member, rules don't apply to me,"
He dragged the man inside, ending up in some sort of VIP sitting lounge for the members, it was full of assassins, men, women, heck there was an 80-year-old guy.
Not stopping, he dragged the receptionist all the way to an empty sofa seat, then made the receptionist kneel down on all limbs. He put his feet on his back to relax, "So, which motherfucker from you wants to earn 500 million dollars? If nobody wants, I'd like to claim the prize as I brought myself here,"
*Puff*
A middle-aged black man walked in, wearing an expensive suit, what caught the eye was a rolled joint that he was smoking. He took a seat in front of Magnus and also put his feet on the receptionist, "Damn, never thought I could use this useless guy like this. By the way, it's a pleasure to meet you, your highness, or majesty. Anyway, I am Harlem Chaplin, aka Smoke Dog. I have a special talent for sniffing around secrets and killing people with my sweet joint. *Puff* see this smoke, it's toxic, it can kill a man, each of my teeth is empty and has special liquid in it, I can mix it with my smoke to make all kinds of poison,"
"And? what am I supposed to do with this information?" Magnus asked him.
Harlem coughed, "Ah, damn, I forgot to say, I'm the manager here. Seriously, I was telling those mofos not to mess with you, they didn't listen. A true fan, by the way,"
*BEEP BEEP*
Magnus' phone beeped, he read the text message, it was from Adrian, ~Bobby was poisoned, condition stable, recovery in a day,~
His blood boiled at this point as he faced Harlem Chaplin, the man who just claimed he was a poison expert, "Tell me, was it you?"
