Outside of Sacred Heart Academy stood a gleaming white limousine, where a man attired in a gray suit was waiting.
"She always takes her time like Master Reed. Always takes her time." Rex muttered to himself.
Finally, after what felt like forever, but was actually only thirty minutes, Mary departed from the private school, and towards the limousine. It was a sight for Rex's impatiently sore eyes. Rex opened the door to the driver's compartment, got out, walked around, and opened the door to the right side of the back seat where Mary always sat. When she reached the limousine, Mary thanked Rex, and sat down. She took the backpack off of her shoulders, and let out a yawn while Rex reentered the driver's compartment. Once situated, he spoke to Mary.
"Good afternoon Marilyn, and how was your final day of school?"
"It went well Rex. My farewells to the teachers worked out smoothly, and other than the usual taunts in the halls, the day was perfect."
"Well, that is pleasant to hear. I am afraid that my taking you back to the mansion will not happen today."
A feeling of surprise overtook Mary.
"Why?"
"Your father called me up around lunchtime, and requested your presence at the Spaceport. He did not say why he wanted you there."
Mary found it quite odd how her stepfather asked Rex to bring her to the rocket base, for it was a Wednesday, and he usually did not want her there unless it was a Friday, when he usually got off a couple of hours early.
"Rex, how did Father sound?"
"He sounded fine to me, but was extremely persistent over the fact that he wanted you there."
Mary decided not to question Rex any more over the matter. She figured her stepfather wanted her there to share the absolute moment of the rocket nearing completion, or its actual completion.
"If it is possibly a joyous occasion Father has wished for me to attend with him, why do I get an ominous feeling for what lies ahead?"
Mary thought to herself as the limousine neared the Spaceport. Three minutes later, Rex entered into their destination, and parked outside of its main building, where the offices were. Rex got out, and opened Mary's door. He allowed her to grab her backpack and leave the car, then promptly closed the door, and went back to the driver's compartment where he said to her.
"Marilyn, unless something happens to your father's car, he will be driving you home. I shall see you and him at approximately 5:15 this afternoon. Farewell."
"Good bye Rex!" Mary shouted back as the limousine glided out of the complex.
Mary strided onward into the building, and went towards the lobby, where a woman with fiery red hair, and wearing a green dress sat behind a desk. A few feet away from the desk were a door that led to the Spaceport founder's office. The woman looked up, and saw Mary before her. She said to the young girl.
"Good afternoon. Want me to check if your father is ready for you to come in?"
"I guess." Mary responded, then continued.
"Tell me something Mrs. Freeman, does Father seem like he's been feeling under the weather today? It is awful strange of him to request my being here like this."
"Well, the only thing I've noticed is that he's not in the bright, chipper mood he usually is always in. Maybe he's had a heavy workload. He did get quite a bit of mail around lunchtime."
"Thank you Mrs. Freeman. Looks like I'll truly get to find what's wrong with him in a moment. Tell Father I'm waiting out here."
"Very well." Mrs. Freeman said as she pressed a button. A rather drab voice sounded.
"Yes?"
"Dr. Richards, Marilyn is waiting out here. You want her to come in?"
"Yes, I most certainly do. Thank you Heather."
Mary quickly strolled to the door that led to her stepfather's office carrying her backpack beside of her, opened the door, and came on in. Silence, the back of an immense leather chair behind an even more colossal desk, and a small steady stream of smoke rising from behind that chair greeted her.
"Hi Father, how are you doing?" Mary asked, with a bit of reluctance.
She knew that when Reed had the back of his chair facing his office's entrance, and was smoking his pipe that he was not in the best of moods.
"I was doing well, until I received this."
As the man who possessed brown hair and white at his temples, and was clothed in a medium blue suit let out those words, he turned around fleetly, presenting in his hand a neatly opened envelope. Mary grasped the envelope from Reed, and read out loud to herself what was printed on the front.
"NASA"
She turned to her stepfather, and proclaimed.
"Father, you said you were awaiting more funds from NASA!"
"I am afraid that it is something slightly different my child, read what is inside."
Mary gently opened the envelope, and pulled out the letter inside. As she read the letter, Mary's eyes increased in size with each word. She brought her head up, glanced at Reed, and bellowed.
"Father, they could not do this to you, they just could not take away your rocket's funding!"
Reed sighed, and said.
"But indeed they did Mary. I could not believe it myself."
"Father, what are you going to do? You needed that money to provide the rocket with radiation shielding."
There was nothing but silence between the middle aged scientist and his beloved stepdaughter for a few moments. Then finally, Reed spoke.
"I am afraid that for once, I do not know my child."
Reed paced towards the picture window next to his desk. He opened the blind, then beckoned Mary over.
"Come over here Mary, and look."
Mary trotted over, and stood at her stepfather's side. Both peered out the window at the rocket that gleamed in the California afternoon sun outside.
"Mary, just think, I have put over ten years, two billion dollars, and not to mention my own heart, soul, and pride into this vehicle..."
Mary knew he was getting ready to go off into another tangent on how except for her, Ben, Sue, and Johnny, the rocket was his life. Yet, the times when Reed would orate this speech in the past to her, it was because he was proud. This time, Mary knew he was full of rage over what the government had done to him. In the six years she had known him, Mary had been through, and remembered Reed's bouts with anger. He either did one of two things. Reed would sit somewhere by himself be it his study or library at the mansion or the library in downtown Central City, and just remain there brooding for at least two hours. Or, he would talk someone's ear off, like he was doing to Mary at the moment. At long last, when he was finished speaking, Mary said.
"Father, I would like to think you could afford shielding, if that is all the rocket needs. Don't you have at least a few thousand to spend on that?"
Again, there was quiet for at least five minutes. Then, Reed suddenly went over to the hat and coat hanger in his office, grabbed his hat, and said to Mary.
"I rather brood upon this situation later, why don't you and I just head home Mary."
Mary, surprised by Reed's spontaneous action was getting ready to ask.
"What did I say?"
When she decided to hold back, and let him cool off. Which, she hoped the drive back to their mansion would just do for him.
"She always takes her time like Master Reed. Always takes her time." Rex muttered to himself.
Finally, after what felt like forever, but was actually only thirty minutes, Mary departed from the private school, and towards the limousine. It was a sight for Rex's impatiently sore eyes. Rex opened the door to the driver's compartment, got out, walked around, and opened the door to the right side of the back seat where Mary always sat. When she reached the limousine, Mary thanked Rex, and sat down. She took the backpack off of her shoulders, and let out a yawn while Rex reentered the driver's compartment. Once situated, he spoke to Mary.
"Good afternoon Marilyn, and how was your final day of school?"
"It went well Rex. My farewells to the teachers worked out smoothly, and other than the usual taunts in the halls, the day was perfect."
"Well, that is pleasant to hear. I am afraid that my taking you back to the mansion will not happen today."
A feeling of surprise overtook Mary.
"Why?"
"Your father called me up around lunchtime, and requested your presence at the Spaceport. He did not say why he wanted you there."
Mary found it quite odd how her stepfather asked Rex to bring her to the rocket base, for it was a Wednesday, and he usually did not want her there unless it was a Friday, when he usually got off a couple of hours early.
"Rex, how did Father sound?"
"He sounded fine to me, but was extremely persistent over the fact that he wanted you there."
Mary decided not to question Rex any more over the matter. She figured her stepfather wanted her there to share the absolute moment of the rocket nearing completion, or its actual completion.
"If it is possibly a joyous occasion Father has wished for me to attend with him, why do I get an ominous feeling for what lies ahead?"
Mary thought to herself as the limousine neared the Spaceport. Three minutes later, Rex entered into their destination, and parked outside of its main building, where the offices were. Rex got out, and opened Mary's door. He allowed her to grab her backpack and leave the car, then promptly closed the door, and went back to the driver's compartment where he said to her.
"Marilyn, unless something happens to your father's car, he will be driving you home. I shall see you and him at approximately 5:15 this afternoon. Farewell."
"Good bye Rex!" Mary shouted back as the limousine glided out of the complex.
Mary strided onward into the building, and went towards the lobby, where a woman with fiery red hair, and wearing a green dress sat behind a desk. A few feet away from the desk were a door that led to the Spaceport founder's office. The woman looked up, and saw Mary before her. She said to the young girl.
"Good afternoon. Want me to check if your father is ready for you to come in?"
"I guess." Mary responded, then continued.
"Tell me something Mrs. Freeman, does Father seem like he's been feeling under the weather today? It is awful strange of him to request my being here like this."
"Well, the only thing I've noticed is that he's not in the bright, chipper mood he usually is always in. Maybe he's had a heavy workload. He did get quite a bit of mail around lunchtime."
"Thank you Mrs. Freeman. Looks like I'll truly get to find what's wrong with him in a moment. Tell Father I'm waiting out here."
"Very well." Mrs. Freeman said as she pressed a button. A rather drab voice sounded.
"Yes?"
"Dr. Richards, Marilyn is waiting out here. You want her to come in?"
"Yes, I most certainly do. Thank you Heather."
Mary quickly strolled to the door that led to her stepfather's office carrying her backpack beside of her, opened the door, and came on in. Silence, the back of an immense leather chair behind an even more colossal desk, and a small steady stream of smoke rising from behind that chair greeted her.
"Hi Father, how are you doing?" Mary asked, with a bit of reluctance.
She knew that when Reed had the back of his chair facing his office's entrance, and was smoking his pipe that he was not in the best of moods.
"I was doing well, until I received this."
As the man who possessed brown hair and white at his temples, and was clothed in a medium blue suit let out those words, he turned around fleetly, presenting in his hand a neatly opened envelope. Mary grasped the envelope from Reed, and read out loud to herself what was printed on the front.
"NASA"
She turned to her stepfather, and proclaimed.
"Father, you said you were awaiting more funds from NASA!"
"I am afraid that it is something slightly different my child, read what is inside."
Mary gently opened the envelope, and pulled out the letter inside. As she read the letter, Mary's eyes increased in size with each word. She brought her head up, glanced at Reed, and bellowed.
"Father, they could not do this to you, they just could not take away your rocket's funding!"
Reed sighed, and said.
"But indeed they did Mary. I could not believe it myself."
"Father, what are you going to do? You needed that money to provide the rocket with radiation shielding."
There was nothing but silence between the middle aged scientist and his beloved stepdaughter for a few moments. Then finally, Reed spoke.
"I am afraid that for once, I do not know my child."
Reed paced towards the picture window next to his desk. He opened the blind, then beckoned Mary over.
"Come over here Mary, and look."
Mary trotted over, and stood at her stepfather's side. Both peered out the window at the rocket that gleamed in the California afternoon sun outside.
"Mary, just think, I have put over ten years, two billion dollars, and not to mention my own heart, soul, and pride into this vehicle..."
Mary knew he was getting ready to go off into another tangent on how except for her, Ben, Sue, and Johnny, the rocket was his life. Yet, the times when Reed would orate this speech in the past to her, it was because he was proud. This time, Mary knew he was full of rage over what the government had done to him. In the six years she had known him, Mary had been through, and remembered Reed's bouts with anger. He either did one of two things. Reed would sit somewhere by himself be it his study or library at the mansion or the library in downtown Central City, and just remain there brooding for at least two hours. Or, he would talk someone's ear off, like he was doing to Mary at the moment. At long last, when he was finished speaking, Mary said.
"Father, I would like to think you could afford shielding, if that is all the rocket needs. Don't you have at least a few thousand to spend on that?"
Again, there was quiet for at least five minutes. Then, Reed suddenly went over to the hat and coat hanger in his office, grabbed his hat, and said to Mary.
"I rather brood upon this situation later, why don't you and I just head home Mary."
Mary, surprised by Reed's spontaneous action was getting ready to ask.
"What did I say?"
When she decided to hold back, and let him cool off. Which, she hoped the drive back to their mansion would just do for him.
