Hey guys, I'm in a huge writing mood, so here goes chapter 2 of Mission Survival:
Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters, I also don't own any other copyrighted things that might be in my story.
Liftoff
Jimmy frowned, he really hated the suit. Taking off the tie he leaned back. Galileo III, the name of the mission that could reveal other conditions that could support life. It could revolutionize all current concepts of extraterrestrial intelligence. Thinking of this he remembered his other encounters with alien life, but this could help him design a way to allow humans to survive in other conditions, he could save lives. His train of thought was interrupted by a beep and a small holographic conference table floating in front of him.
He sighed, why couldn't he have a moment's peace. "Accept." With his regretful command, a life-size image of his assistant of Neutron Space division.
"Sir, regarding personnel…" The man began.
"Yes, I spoke to Richard regarding that. I'll be commanding the mission and Mr. Estevez will be co-pilot. I want Mr. Wheezer as lead biologist."
"Yes sir, but commander, I received a request from the office of the president that."
"I spoke to him earlier, I'm aware that he wants his biologist along as well. He said he would contact you with the name and his proposal."
"That's it sir, his secretary just called, they want you to take a Ms. Vortex, and they offer 750 million dollars. Of course they also agree to sign the contract protecting our innovations."
"Good then. We can…WHAT…who did you say?" Jimmy practically yelled.
"A Ms. Vortex. Have you met her before?" The assistant asked.
"You could say that. It's fine, tell Carl and Sheen and call Ms. Vortex. Tell her that a car will pick her up at her apartment."
"Very good sir." The man agreed and Jimmy terminated the link.
"Damn! Cindy kept on coming back into his life. He knew, that in reality he still loved her, but he didn't want to, he didn't want to go through another break-up." Putting the matter aside, he looked out the window and saw they were nearing the airport.
He picked up his computer and the offending tie and, as the car pulled into the airport, he sighed. This mission was just getting more and more unappealing.
The limousine stopped at a security check. After showing his ID, the driver pulled up to a smaller hangar across the plane loading area, where the planes took on passengers from the main building. He stepped out of the car as his driver pulled into the hangar.
His company hangar at the largest airport close to the nation's capital was similar to the others in many other major airports where he frequently traveled on business, and to a house he might have there.
The driver parked the limousine in a space opposite from the impressive private plane idling in the hangar. Jimmy walked over and took off his sunglasses, a scanner read his neural patterns and the electric currents they were conveying, comparing the electron movements to a database, confirming that it was Jimmy trying to enter of his own free will (It read his mind).
The pilot was going through a pre-flight check at that time, but saluted anyway.
"How many times do I have to say that you don't have to salute me? Man, It's not like it's the military."
"Oh sorry."
"Never mind." Jimmy told him.
His private jet, one of multiple, was the peak in private planes, designed by Neutron Space and Aeronautics top speed was something the military gaped at. And, outfitted with defensive weapons (Not to mention offensive ones) it wasn't sold to the general public. Sure you could buy the civilian slower version, but you couldn't match this baby.
As they taxied onto the runway the holo-conference phone rung, again. Jimmy once again answered it, but this time, it was a much less welcome face that waited for him.
"Vortex." Jimmy greeted her coldly.
"Commander Neutron. I hear that's your title now." She answered in the same tone.
"Title, more of an honorary rank." He replied.
"I see. I'm coming on your mission as your secretary doubtless has told you." She told him, her tone as cold as the ice moon they were going to explore.
"Look, can't we just put that aside?" He asked, his voice warming a little.
"Of course, this is all business." She responded.
"Sure, all business. So, how much is the government offering you for this little voyage?" He asked.
"Eight figures, why do you ask Neutron? Afraid I'll make some money?" She mocked him contemptuously.
"No. Look, why don't you sign on with the company? Carl and Sheen work there, and they make over 15 million dollars a year, they also work as my advisors, but it doesn't matter." He asked her, in a more friendly tone.
"Wait a minute, how in the world do you justify paying Carl and Sheen that much money?" She asked suspiciously.
"Well, they've done really well, Sheen's my best astronaut, he's a great pilot and head of the new wormhole drive project. And Carl, made some important discoveries." He explained.
"I see…well I don't know, why don't we talk about it when I see you at your island launch site. How exactly do you want." She began but Jimmy cut her off.
"Oh, I'll send a car, and one of my planes will take you there." He told her.
As she hung up he smiled. He still loved her, loved everything about her from her beautiful long blond hair to her sparkling green eyes. And in that moment, he knew that he would never stop loving her.
(Miles away, Sheen's home away from home, his apartment on Jimmy's launch island)
The sizeable apartment was full of two very different themes. One part had Spaceship models, pictures of a handsome young man with his two best friends, accompanied occasionally by an award podium, a rocket in the background or various areas in scattered countries, and pictures and models of cars, motorcycles or Sheen in one of the two. This part reflected Sheen's obsessions, flying, traveling and speed. He loved going fast, whether it was in the cockpit of a new spaceship or straddling a motorcycle. He hadn't completely given up on Ultralord and probably never would, this was apparent on his space flight-suit which was purple with the emblem emblazoned on the chest. And in a hardcover book, a copy of which was in a glass case the title was Ultra-Fast, and it was an autobiography of the famous astronaut who had shown the world just what the word speed-demon really means.
He wasn't famous like his best friend, the brown haired 23-year-old standing next to him with his arm around his best friend on the cover. They're both astronauts, but Jimmy was also the richest and arguably the most powerful man alive. On the cover in question, they were both wearing light blue space-flight-suits and grinning, helmets tucked under their arms as they stood on the ramp of the spaceship that they had piloted into the history books at the fastest speed any human has ever attained in any vehicle whatsoever, and lived.
The rest of the apartment was music. It was decked in posters, a huge stereo system. CD's, guitars, it was all music. This was the part that his wife, Libby had decorated. She stayed with him whenever he was away from their estate home in Hawaii, or at least when she wasn't on tour, doing an album or performing at a concert.
Right now though, she was writing a song, lying on a couch, she would sing the lyrics and a computer would write them down.
Sheen however, was outside, running, he was in perfect shape, you needed to be in order to go into space. Jogging around the track provided for the astronauts when they were on the island. He squinted into the sky, shading his eyes from the glare of the Pacific sun. He saw a sleek black jet sporting a red atom symbol that had a capital N in the middle, the logo for Neutron Advanced Sciences.
It looked like an ordinary company jet, but if you looked hard, you could see the overly-powerful afterburners. Sheen waved, and the pilot tipped his wings in response.
Up in the air, in the same jet Sheen was waving at, Jimmy decided to have a little fun. He picked up what appeared to be a very slim backpack. And, deactivating the security systems, he yelled to the pilot.
"Take her around, I'm going to do a jump."
Used to this kind of thing from Sheen who he also flew, the pilot grinned and threw him a pair of black sunglasses.
Slipping the protective goggle replacements on, he felt them squeeze his head tight, and he slammed his hand onto a black panel. It scanned his fingerprints before the door near the front of the plane opened.
As ordered, the pilot doubled back, and shut off the intake engines, the plane glided by and Jimmy let go of the safety handle.
He was sucked out of the plane and started to free-fall. The pilot grinned and re-started the engines. Going to land. Jimmy felt the wind roar past his ears. At the last minute, he pressed a button on his watch and the parachute in the backpack flew open. As he glided down, he saw Sheen on the track beneath him and angled toward his friend.
"Hey man. What's up?" Jimmy asked.
Sheen, completely unsurprised by his friend's unusual arrival gave him a high five and yelled over the roar of a rocket being tested. "Nothin' much, except that Chase says Cindy's coming on the Galileo mission. Is that right?"
"Unfortunately so. The government offered me 750 mil if she could come along, so I took it." He told him.
"Got it. 750, well, that's a tidy sum." Sheen said impressed.
"Damn right, although, compared to what we're going to make off of this deal." He agreed.
Sheen threw a towel around his shoulders and they walked down the road to the main building.
"Hello Mr. Neutron, Mr. Estevez." The receptionist greeted them as they entered the building.
She showed no sign of surprise to see Sheen in a running outfit and Jimmy wearing parachute glasses and holding a parachute, which had put itself back in the bag over his shoulder.
"Hey Jim, Sheen. Where you been?" They turned around to see Carl behind them, coming out of the door to their right.
"Hey Carl." Jimmy and Sheen said.
"Oh and Jimmy, I don't know how she got here so fast, but Cindy's waiting in your office."
"Man! I told him not to send the scramjet, I told him NOT to send the scramjet!" Jimmy complained as he walked over to the shining metallic stairs and dashed up them. He sprinted up to the second to top floor. Dashing down a hallway, he ran up to what appeared to be a closet. He put his finger on the gel biometric scanner and the door slid open. He stepped in and it slid closed. Pressing a button on a black panel. He took off the sunglasses and dropped the parachute on the floor. The door slid open again to reveal his private office. It was a comfortable area with floor to ceiling windows and leather couches. Walking over to a set of impressive antique wood double doors, he pushed them open to reveal his spacious public office. It was space age. With a desk whose surface was a touchscreen computer, sleek metallic yet comfortable chairs and a polished black floor with the Neutron logo in the middle. The windows revealed a breathtaking view of the ocean and could also be used as monitors, screens or televisions.
He walked around the desk and shook hands with the equally beautiful woman waiting for him. Her beautiful blond hair perfectly contrasted her emerald green eyes.
"Hello Ms. Vortex. I'm glad you could come so fast." He said politely.
"Well, what did you expect, the great James Neutron tells me to come soon. Oh, and that's a damn fast plane."
"Thanks." He smiled. A smile she didn't return, not totally past that yet then. He thought to himself.
"That's a beautiful view." She said, gesturing to the windows.
"I know, Sheen wanted it, but I beat him to it." He agreed.
"So, where's this spaceship, what's the name?" She asked, trying to remember.
"That would be the Shadow Hunter. Here." He provided, standing up and walking back through to his private office.
"What happened to the space age?" She asked jokingly.
"Oh, it's right here." He said. Walking over to his desk he pressed a button on the touch-screen there too and the black walls and ceiling turned transparent, revealing a spectacular view of the island.
"There it is, the Shadow Hunter. And there's one of my favorite things, the multi-situational-stimulator. It uses a holographic projector in combination with well "frozen" energy to stimulate any situation, from creating an entire stimulated space-ship, to a British Man-of-War to a medieval castle complete with opposing army." He explained proudly.
"So it's like the ultimate video game."
"Well, officially, it's for testing different mission scenarios, but yes."
"Okay, in that case, I'm going to go get used to traveling at the speeds that your ship supposedly attains."
"Call Libby, she's here on the island and she can help you. I don't think she's busy."
With that, Cindy walked out of his office.
"Warning Warning hostile approach repeat hostile approach!" Came a cool female voice over the intercom.
"What the?" Jimmy whirled around, there was a radar feed on one of the windows showing armed foreign fighters approaching the island.
He dashed out the door, grabbing a walkie talkie from his desk as he went.
"What's the situation?" He asked into it as he ran.
"Hold on. Okay, we have five military-grade fighters approaching the island, they don't belong to any friendly government and have entered the no-fly zone. Should I have them shot down?"
"No, scramble fighters, I want to see what these guys can do. Get four of our latest JSF's on the strip and get me one as well, I want them ready to go by the time I get there."
"Yes sir."
They had government permission to have weapons such as these fighters in order to defend their headquarters. This came as a result of numerous attempted terrorist attacks on NAS territory. The launch island was particularly well guarded featuring attack fighters, surface to air missile emplacements (SAM batteries) AA guns and other weapons.
Jimmy sprinted down the stairs, he reached the high-speed floating monorail that connected the various building on the compound and dashed inside.
"Runway F/325." He gasped and the computer sent the car rocketing towards the runway. It stopped inside the hangar and Jimmy ran out, dashing down the stairs and out onto the runway. He stopped in front of the lead plane there and grabbed the helmet offered to him by a mechanic.
Jumping up to the cockpit, he got in and closed the canopy. Looking to both sides, he checked that his wingmates were ready to go and headed down the runway. In a mere 4 seconds of taxiing he was in the air.
"You are in restricted airspace, alter flight path or we will engage. Repeat, we will engage." Jimmy spoke into his helmet radio.
There was no answer from the enemy fighters so he pressed the black Air to Air button on his console. It armed his supersonic air to air missiles.
"Alter flight path. Repeat Alter flight path." He warned the enemy pilots.
His wingmates armed their missiles as well and he depressed the firing stud on his control yoke (Like a joystick type thing on planes, and spaceships for that matter) The missile flew out from a bay on the bottom of his fighter (Like on the F-22's) and rocketed toward the lead enemy.
He went into a spin to try to avoid it, but it doubled around and slammed into his engines, detonating and utterly destroying the lead plane and the one to it's right.
"You have been warned. Alter flight path or prepare to be destroyed." He repeated.
The now lead enemy plane responded with a missile, aimed, not at the fighters, but at the spaceship prepared for launch below.
Jimmy's wingmate targeted and destroyed the missile with his automatic depleted uranium cannon (Not really a cannon, sort of a chain-gun like weapon).
Jimmy's other wing-mate swerved to avoid a missile that turned with him. Going into a spin, he avoided the missile again, only for it to turn with him. He was rescued by the pilot behind him and his gun, and they targeted the remaining planes with sidewinders.
