Johnny parked the car in a parking space well concealed by the shadow of an oak tree. Reed told him to place the car there so it would be well hidden for most of the night. Quietly, the five friends got out of the car, or so they tried. Ben accidentally slammed his door without even realizing it.
"Ssssshhhh! Ben! What are you trying to do? Let all of Central City know what we are doing?"
Mary whispered irately. Before Ben responded, Reed said.
"Now is not the time to bicker. We are lucky the guards were not the least bit suspicious by my coming out here this late! Now, lets go!"
Without a sound, the quintet moved through the parking lot, and to the entrance of the complex's main building. Smoothly, Reed took out a key from his pocket, and unlocked the entrance's door while his compatriots waited patiently. Once unlocked, they entered the building, and paced down the hall to where the closet at the end with the spacesuits was kept. Johnny looked as if he was in euphoria.
"Oh wow... So this is what the Spaceport is like on the inside!"
Appearing to almost roll her eyes, but did not do so, Mary said in response to Johnny's remark.
"It's just a hallway, some offices, and a few closets."
"Mary, as I said before, this is not the time to argue." Reed said tersely as they stopped at the closet containing the appropriate wardrobe for space travel.
As soon as the door was open, Mary quickly bounded into the storage room, and went towards the back in hopes of finding that smallest sized suit to wear. The others followed her. Within a period of fifteen minutes, all of them, including Mary found a uniform in their size, and got into them in separate rooms. When they came out, one of them could not help but comment on his appearance.
"Oh man! I look just like Captain Video!" Johnny muffled out from his helmet.
"I thought I saw a rather older participant in the audience on that show one day after school." Mary chuckled.
Though it was hard to see because of the helmet's tinted glass covering her face, Sue blushed because she remembered Johnny begging her to drive him down to Hollywood where they were taping Captain Video that day. She thought nobody would happen to see him in the crowd.
"Enough you two. We better get to the rocket before anybody within this place discovers us or gets suspicious!" Reed commanded.
The quintet headed towards a side exit that led to where the rocket stood. Even though she and Reed had seen it what felt like at least a million times, the rocket somehow seemed to have taken on a different appearance. The mechanical masterpiece looked larger and shimmered rather eerily in the silver moonlight. The stars above glimmered a menacing welcome. Were they doing the right thing, rebelling against the government like this? They knew very good and well that the answer was a solid no. But in a strange way, a yes could also work, for many of history's more revered heroes were rebels. This queer combination of fear, curiosity, and a hunger for fame and a place in history was what fueled the five friends' desire to get on the Richards Pocket Rocket at that moment. There was only one thing holding them back, hesitance. For a few moments, they stared in the shadows at the interstellar vehicle. Silence surrounded them. There were no crickets chirping, no leaves rusting in the trees, not a sound at all. It was an odd, almost divine quiet, the quiet that always comes before an intense storm. Finally, the leader of the motley group, Reed declared.
"We have no time to wait for an official clearance. The conditions are absolutely perfect tonight, let's go!"
And they ascended up the stairwell towards the rocket's threshold, and into the vehicle itself.
"Ssssshhhh! Ben! What are you trying to do? Let all of Central City know what we are doing?"
Mary whispered irately. Before Ben responded, Reed said.
"Now is not the time to bicker. We are lucky the guards were not the least bit suspicious by my coming out here this late! Now, lets go!"
Without a sound, the quintet moved through the parking lot, and to the entrance of the complex's main building. Smoothly, Reed took out a key from his pocket, and unlocked the entrance's door while his compatriots waited patiently. Once unlocked, they entered the building, and paced down the hall to where the closet at the end with the spacesuits was kept. Johnny looked as if he was in euphoria.
"Oh wow... So this is what the Spaceport is like on the inside!"
Appearing to almost roll her eyes, but did not do so, Mary said in response to Johnny's remark.
"It's just a hallway, some offices, and a few closets."
"Mary, as I said before, this is not the time to argue." Reed said tersely as they stopped at the closet containing the appropriate wardrobe for space travel.
As soon as the door was open, Mary quickly bounded into the storage room, and went towards the back in hopes of finding that smallest sized suit to wear. The others followed her. Within a period of fifteen minutes, all of them, including Mary found a uniform in their size, and got into them in separate rooms. When they came out, one of them could not help but comment on his appearance.
"Oh man! I look just like Captain Video!" Johnny muffled out from his helmet.
"I thought I saw a rather older participant in the audience on that show one day after school." Mary chuckled.
Though it was hard to see because of the helmet's tinted glass covering her face, Sue blushed because she remembered Johnny begging her to drive him down to Hollywood where they were taping Captain Video that day. She thought nobody would happen to see him in the crowd.
"Enough you two. We better get to the rocket before anybody within this place discovers us or gets suspicious!" Reed commanded.
The quintet headed towards a side exit that led to where the rocket stood. Even though she and Reed had seen it what felt like at least a million times, the rocket somehow seemed to have taken on a different appearance. The mechanical masterpiece looked larger and shimmered rather eerily in the silver moonlight. The stars above glimmered a menacing welcome. Were they doing the right thing, rebelling against the government like this? They knew very good and well that the answer was a solid no. But in a strange way, a yes could also work, for many of history's more revered heroes were rebels. This queer combination of fear, curiosity, and a hunger for fame and a place in history was what fueled the five friends' desire to get on the Richards Pocket Rocket at that moment. There was only one thing holding them back, hesitance. For a few moments, they stared in the shadows at the interstellar vehicle. Silence surrounded them. There were no crickets chirping, no leaves rusting in the trees, not a sound at all. It was an odd, almost divine quiet, the quiet that always comes before an intense storm. Finally, the leader of the motley group, Reed declared.
"We have no time to wait for an official clearance. The conditions are absolutely perfect tonight, let's go!"
And they ascended up the stairwell towards the rocket's threshold, and into the vehicle itself.
