Chapter 18• Mountains and molehills

(Slight language warning this chapter)

*Still Day 10 of Origenes Crisis*

/

Since building three was on the periphery of the NASA campus, anything could have happened out there and those of us in the interior complexes would have never known.

"Come on you two, we're going in", Weston said.

"What, why? Aren't we supposed to be taking pictures soon?", Arlo asked.

"They're on our time now. What are they going to take pictures of if we aren't there?", Weston replied.

"I can't argue with your logic, but I don't think we should make a habit of being late if we can help it", Arlo argued.

"I get it- we're on a tight schedule and all that, but come on. They don't even notice us right now! We just became must-see TV and we're being ignored in favor of whatever the hell's in there.", Weston insisted.

"Okay, so when we get relegated to the reserve crew, I'll tell Raisel or Walt or whoever ends up replacing you the real reason they got the job- you not having a sense of time", said Arlo.

The discussion would have made me laugh had the activity around me been normal, but I genuinely feared the possibility of being replaced.

I looked around.

Our tram driver looked at me and tapped his watch.

"Weston's right, I think, maybe Mr. Kingsley sent us here on purpose", I said.

"Boom! That's majority Mr. Arlington!", Weston said before quickly turning and beckoning for us to follow with his tail.

"Just so you know, that is not my name", Arlo grumbled to me as we followed.

Turns out, Weston knew of a door that we didn't.

The room we entered sat right next to a loading dock for semi-trucks.

After Weston opened the door, a shrill beeping erupted from a box near the lock.

Weston shut the door quickly behind us and the beeping stopped.

"There won't be an alert unless its open for 5 seconds", Weston said.

"How do you know all of this?", I asked.

"I did my fair share of exploring, this building especially", he said.

I recalled his sudden 'appearing' in front of me the day we'd met.

Weston walked us through a hallway as the noise grew louder.

"Okay, so when we walk through this door, just hug the wall and walk left. I think we're behind the line of reporters", he added.

Weston tugged on the handle, but it didn't budge.

"Okay, well, let's try another door", Arlo said.

The hallway we were in was only half-lit, but we could hear through the wall that a large group of people were moving along with us.

Every door on the right side of the hallway was locked.

"Wow, they must have remotely cut off access to this part of the building", Weston said.

"Well, we're gonna have to find something, I'm too invested now", Arlo said.

I looked down the hall and saw a door with a small square opening.

It was a doggy door.

"Hey look! Do you think they locked that?", I asked.

The three of us gathered around it.

Arlo pushed the square flap- it didn't move.

"Oh, I've got this one! You two know the trick, right?"

Weston and I looked to each other and then back to Arlo.

"I'll take that as 'no' then?", he said.

"I mean, I'm familiar with it, but most doors I go through are for humans…or vehicles", I said sheepishly.

"Wow, imagine having that kind of life! Not even being bothered with the 'intricacies' of the traditional doggy door", said Weston sarcastically.

"Well, take notes you two. This one might just save your life", Arlo said. He then plucked a hair from his head, folded it in half, and stuck it down into the latch.

"No way! You can unhook it like that?", asked Weston, dumbfounded.

"If you get it just right, you can", Arlo said, "Though it might not work with your hair, mine's just the right texture."

He pulled and we heard something move.

Arlo pushed the doggy door and it opened.

"That's what I'm talking about!", shouted Arlo.

"Shhhh, we're supposed to be quiet, remember?", Weston pressed.

Arlo went through and tried to unlock the large door from the other side. No luck.

Upon stepping through the doggy door, I realized where we were.

It was a hallway to the side of the large room where orientation had taken place days earlier.

Only a handful of NASA employees were there, and they didn't pay any mind to us.

Sitting off to the side in chairs, however, I recognized the very top of MacGyver's head.

I scurried over to him.

Next to him sat Yester and another canine pilot, a mixed breed female with pinkish-cream fur.

They all looked exhausted and irritable, almost as if they had been grounded due to bad weather- a fate I hoped we wouldn't see.

MacGyver looked up and literally jumped out of his seat when we got close.

"Well, look at the trio of the hour! I hope you don't forget us when they start casting pups to play you all in a movie recollecting your space heroics!"

"I wouldn't dream of it! I still might pass out you know", I said jokingly.

"You'd better not- it'd make us both look bad", he shot back.

"Oh, I nearly cried when I saw you up there with your mission insignia and all those cameras going", said the pinkish- furred pup as she feverishly shook Weston's paw up and down.

I quickly put together that each of these pilots had trained a couple of the astronaut candidates separately, and MacGyver just happened to be the one I was assigned to.

"So, what are you all doing here?", I asked.

"Yeah, and why do you all look like you just took a standardized test?", Arlo inquired.

Yester sighed as the others shook their heads.

"We were told not to say, but I don't know if they can punish us any more than they already have", he said.

"NASA is in a bit of a….legal snafu at the moment. Something that they're trying to keep far from the spotlight right now…", MacGyver said.

"Legal snafu?", Arlo pressed, "We talking… like- distant past dirty laundry? Or like…something more recent?"

"It's actually something way less serious and a lot more…. annoying", Yester said, "It's a dispute over Cygnus- the actual name of the rocket, you see."

MacGyver opened up a padfolio and read from a sheet.

"The first Cygnus spacecraft was an expendable American cargo spacecraft developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation- manufactured and launched by Northrop Grumman Space Systems as part of NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program.", he read.

"Basically, NASA forgot a little detail in the 'naming rights' section of their agreement- at the time that they started building the first rocket with that name. Northrop Grumman apparently wanted to 'stand out' and be identified as its own company- rockets included, even if it's a part of the collaboration!"

"Why does that matter? I'm pretty sure we've re-used 'endeavor' a bunch. Who cares about the name?", Weston said.

"NASA's argument is that the original Cygnus is a cargo ship and the one you all will fly isn't. Plus, Northop's launch vehicle is called Antares", said MacGyver.

Yester sighed, "We just sat through hours of deliberating, this company holds a grudge it seems. At this rate, they'll drag out the arguing longer than we have to save the telescope."

I was shocked, "Well….Um….We could just rename it- easy fix!", I said.

"I mean, we can always just call it the Command Module's name- Germania", Arlo added.

I didn't like the idea, for some reason, but I couldn't stomach losing the entire mission over branding concerns.

"All great points", said the pink-furred pup, "All considered- but 'Cygnus' is everywhere- if NASA had any hope to stop this from spiraling out of control- they would have needed to omit it from the press conference, but they couldn't."

Cygnus was indeed all over the place, and rightfully so.

What concerned me most was that they chose to make their concerns known then, when we were so close.

"Well, in any case, we've been forbidden to fly by higher-ups- you won't need us now", MacGyver said.

"What! That's so unfair!", Weston shouted.

"Everyone wants us to be very cautious, apparently if anything from a fire to a fatality occurs, it would just add fuel to their counterpoints. Not everyone out there is excited about this mission, you know", said Yester.

"That's the same mentality that holds us back- the same one that killed the space age. Isn't there anything we can do?", I pleaded.

"On the contrary. It's almost entirely on you now. You have to take the risks that we can't afford to. You have to keep on going, because if you give up, the mission's doomed", MacGyver said.

I was in disbelief. Just when I had figured so much out, here came another curveball.

It stuck with me long after we bid farewell to the others.

They assured us that they'd be there on launch day.

But I could tell, after we snuck out of the building and back to the tram, the others were just as disturbed.

Once we got to our planned destination, it was cold and quiet.

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures.

We took so many pictures by ourselves, smiling began to hurt.

Then they brought the three of us together.

We sat in front of a small-scale model of the moon.

A red pin marked our planned landing site- the Eastern half of Mare Imbrium.

Mare Imbrium itself is a huge lava plain that makes up the 'Imbrium Basin' on the Moon. It's one of the larger craters in the solar system, supposedly formed by a collision with a proto-planet during the Late Heavy Bombardment- At least that's what textbooks said.

These photographers, hired by NASA, wanted to hype up the nation's new heroes.

But none of us were feeling particularly cheerful.

It was hard to, seeing as how our mission appeared to be on the verge of death, courtesy of a lawyer in a suit somewhere.

After a long onslaught of flashes and poses around this model of the moon, we wrapped up picture day.

They assured us that the worst of it was over. They were satisfied.

Then we were left, the three of us standing in a room, not sure of what to say to one another.

"What are you both going to do if we wake up tomorrow and we get a call telling us to pack up and go back home?", Arlo asked.

"I'm not anticipating that- not speaking it into existence. We-", Weston paused, looked at me and then back to Arlo, "Well, you and I- have been working towards this for years. No way in Hell we let it slip now."

"But it's not up to us. I mean, we could be the best astronaut team on the face of the Earth right now. If NASA backs down to avoid controversy over the name, we may never fly again-period. Our faces are now forever going to be associated with the 'new Cygnus' vehicle", he huffed, "One more failure to add to the list I guess."

"Okay, so we lost our flight instructors. They taught us well, and they're still counting on us to do this. We haven't seen anything that has explicitly told us we can't go, so let's not act like it!", I insisted, trying to form some positive out of the mess.

Arlo shook his head, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not anticipating anything but a pleasant liftoff on the 28th. But, we should at least be ready to hear the word 'no' at some point."

I remembered hearing something hauntingly similar regarding me being selected for the mission in the first place.

Arlo knew what he was talking about though, and they both likely had some experience in seeing a space mission cancelled.

And so, the three of us parted ways.

Once I had gotten back to my room I fell into my beanbag.

I was upset at a lot of things. But I didn't want to let it dampen my spirits.

The day had gone by quick, but so much had happened.

Through it all, I didn't forget what was weighing on me.

Since I was often passed out in my room, I hadn't used any of the tech they had given me.

NASA provided me with a computer and tablets of varying sizes.

I grabbed a random tablet off of the table, still in a neat stack from my first day.

The PAW Patrol had its own specific URL code. One that we could program into our pup-pads of they were damaged or required a restart.

The software only worked in specific places outside of Adventure Bay.

Since the population had grown so much, the PAW Patrol needed our home city to be the focus.

Even so, there was a way to access it no matter where you were, and the pups had given it to me.

The code they lightly scrawled on the back of their note was my key to a video chat that could only be traced by PAW Patrol tech.

Either the people who brought me my mail didn't notice it when they checked, or they simply didn't pay it any mind.

I just so happened to know the code by heart.

I downloaded the application and plugged the code in.

It sat there, loading…

Minutes passed and I glanced at the clock.

It was nearing 11pm.

Just as I thought to reload and try again, the videocall went through.

My heart skipped a beat.

What greeted me was the inside of the lookout and a dozing Marshall.

The beep must have woken him up.

He jumped to his feet; his tail wagging almost as fast as mine.

"ROCKYYY!", he yelled.

"MARSHALL!", I yelled back.

"Oh my gosh, you're famous! Hang on….Wait! Let me get the others!", he scampered away.

One by one, the pups came to the screen.

Zuma, Skye, Rubble, Chase, and Marshall.

I could tell they were tired, but they all looked as though my presence shot them full of caffeine and adrenaline.

Ryder brought up the rear along with Everest, which surprised me considering she was usually at Jake's Mountain, even when on-call for Patrol duties.

Maybe she spent the night at the lookout, and this just so happened to be a coincidence.

Long story short, they had about a million questions for me:

"Rocky! How are you?"

"You got our care package, right?"

"Did they make you go underwater?"

"How many other astronauts did you beat?"

"Have you been in the rocket yet?"

"Wait, so how fast does it go?"

"Are they feeding you alright?"

"Did they put you in that spinny thing?

"They haven't threatened your physical safety, right?

But, unlike the endless rush I had experienced earlier that day, I sincerely wanted them to know everything that had happened.

Well, what I really wanted to do was hug each one of them and tell them how much I loved them.

I tried not to show it, but I was on the verge of tears.

As exhausted as I was, they were worth it. I matched their excitement and tried to answer them as well as I could.

Overall, they were concerned about not hearing from me, but Ryder reminded them that I really didn't have a lot of free time in such a tight window.

After about ten rounds of question roulette, Ryder rerouted the conversation.

"So, I'm sure this isn't a super easy-to-answer question, but what was it like to be chosen like that?", Zuma asked me.

"We knew you would, never had a doubt in my mind!", Chase added.

"Chase cried. We all saw- he cried, Rocky", Everest snickered.

"I- got a little emotional, sure. I'm not too proud to admit it", Chase said, embarrassed yet genuine in his words.

"What I guess Zuma means is, how does it feel to know you're leaving Earth soon?". Everest finished Zuma's question.

"Now that's….tough", I said, "thank you for putting me on the spot."

They all chuckled, but I was serious.

"I just feel like this came out of nowhere, especially as something I've dreamed about since I was young. Now, it's right in front of me, so I just try to absorb as much information as possible and stay in the moment", I said.

"That's just… so freaking cool though", said Marshall, "we know someone who's going to the moon. And its Rocky!"

"Hey, if we're being honest, you all have done much more difficult things here just doing our jobs in Adventure Bay", I reasoned.

"Well PAW Patrol is one thing- leaving the planet though, that's a whole other level!", Skye exclaimed.

Everyone agreed.

"Think about it, Rocky, you're about to be a part of the first extra-planetary mission in PAW Patrol history! Not to mention the fact that canine astronauts might just become a regular thing now. You're a hero!", Zuma said.

Looking at their faces, I could tell Ryder was proud, Chase and Rubble seemed happy-but worried, and the rest of the pups were bursting at the seams with excitement.

Honestly, I knew I should have called sooner. They were my support system, and a stellar one at that.

I felt 100% better as soon as I heard their voices.

And so, they continued to enlighten me on how things were going back home.

Apparently, most of their free time consisted of someone waiting in front of the screen for me to call.

Even at night, they would wait in shifts and fall asleep in front of the screen.

I felt awful that anyone was losing sleep over me- they didn't seem to mind.

Apparently, people in Adventure Bay had been calling for assistance less and less once they heard I was gone, so it was far less stress for them, according to Ryder.

After about an hour, Ryder had insisted that the pups let me sleep, but they resisted.

"But Ryder, who knows when we'll get to see him again!?", Rubble whined.

"I don't mind staying up, but you all need sleep too!", I said.

"No, we don't, we have priorities. Most people are taking care of their own issues anyway- especially Alex and Chickaletta", Chase assured.

"That's great to hear", I laughed, "Man, I miss them. I miss everything! I miss you all!"

"We miss you more", insisted Zuma, "Please Ryder…."

Before they could all break out the invincible pleading puppy eyes, Ryder gave in.

"Okay, fine pups. But as soon as Rocky says goodnight, you all have to let him sleep. He's got big things on his plate", Ryder said.

"Absolutely sir, promise!", Chase assured.

Ryder took his exit without saying goodbye. I noticed but didn't think to say anything.

I figured I'd see them before I actually left, or at least I hoped.

So, the pups and I kept talking.

At one point Skye raised the question, "So Rocky, those other two. They're your 'co-pilots', right?"

"Well, technically they're both worlds more qualified for their jobs than I am. Weston's the Lunar module pilot and Arlo is the Command Module pilot- he's the Mission commander", I replied.

"I don't know", said Marshall, "If they're flying with you, I think they automatically qualify for co-pilot status."

"Are they…nice to you?", Skye added.

I paused.

"They aren't like you all. I mean, they're capable and reliable, sure. But they don't really see this as an opportunity to make friends. They would much rather form an 'Amiable working relationship' if anything else", I said.

"That's sad", said Chase.

"I think so too, I don't know. I just really can't work my best that way, then again, I'm not in charge of this. They're fine though, we're going to make it work", I said.

Everest chuckled, "I think Rubble fell asleep", she said before she yawned herself.

We kept talking, as they all bowed out one by one.

Always bidding me a sleepy farewell, assuring me that they would be watching, and wishing me a good night.

Chase and Skye were the last two standing.

Chase yawned and nearly fell over.

"You calling it quits there?", Skye asked.

"No, no! I had a….question. But I forgot what it was", Chase said, barely conscious.

"Chase, Skye, really. I appreciate you both doing this for me, but I'm used to staying up late. It's almost 3am! Please go to sleep!", I pleaded.

"Wait, I almost remembered it!", he said before he buried his face in a pillow.

Skye went over to him and poked his side.

Nothing.

"I think he's out", Skye said.

"Wow, I'm surprised. But you should be sleeping too- what if someone needs aerial assistance!", I said.

"They will be fine, I'm sure of it", she said, "Actually, will you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what do you need? Keep in mind I'm also seconds away from passing out", I said with a smile.

"Just, don't close the chat window for a bit, okay?", she said.

I nodded.

For a few seconds the screen went black only to come back on with Skye in the center. She had linked the call to her pup-pad and stepped outside of the lookout.

"Rocky, I know this isn't my area of expertise, but Rubble is panicking about something. He has been for a while, actually", she said.

"Oh yeah, well what's he upset about?", I asked.

"He read something somewhere about some time dilation theory in space travel. Something about- if a person left Earth at age 15 in a spaceship that was traveling at the speed of light and you spent 5 years in space, you'd be twenty when you get back to Earth, right? But everyone who was 15 when you left would be 65 by the time you got back. Like, they were left behind or…like the person got left behind."

I found such a wild scenario to be funny in a way, "Well, did you tell Rubble that the rocket physically can't do that even if I wanted it to? Sure, I'll be going faster than the speed of sound, but..."

"Well, that's what I told him, we don't have anything that travels at light-speed. I think seeing that just put into perspective…...well…...some things", she said.

I frowned.

"Things like…", I said, hoping she'd finish the sentence.

"Well, listen I don't want to say it. You don't want me to say it", she said, "I think he just has it in his mind…that there's a chance you won't come back."

I could tell it pained her to even suggest such a possibility.

I chuckled, in a sleepy attempt to keep her from worrying.

"Hey, when you think about it. We run that risk every time we go outside, y'know? Us even more, with the work we do", I said.

She didn't say anything.

Once again, I hated the way I sounded.

"Skye", I huffed, "How is everyone doing there, really?"

"I'm just… worried. We all are, and It's not just because we didn't hear from you. It's like, something went….different when you left, and not in a good way", she said.

I could see she was upset, which made me upset with myself.

"I mean, you saying you'll be going faster than the speed of sound, just now. That…scares me", she said, "Especially because I know what flying close to that fast is like- the others really don't."

Something prompted me to reach out, as if I were physically there with her.

When your fellow pup was in distress, you comforted them. That was how it always was, but I wasn't sure what I could do from the other side of a screen.

"I'm sorry, really. I'm sorry. I know it's scary. This isn't like the Air Patrol at all. I won't lie, it was harder than I thought it would be. But I'm okay. Everything is going to be fine!", I assured her.

"Are you sure?", she asked.

"I promise", I said.

"Have you…. always had those dark circles under your eyes?", she asked.

I rubbed my eyes, as if that would do anything.

Skye laughed.

"Just…be honest with us first next time, okay? We want to help-I do anyway", she said.

"Thank you, I really am sorry", I said.

She yawned, "Oh, would you stop apologizing!"

I smiled and said, "Okay, I will", before yawning again.

"That's definitely my cue. Get some sleep Mister 'I'm used to staying up late'", she said.

"Okay, Goodnight Skye", I said.

"Goodnight"

She ended the call.

I rolled over in my bed, endless thoughts swirling around in my head.

I missed them a lot, so much so that I considered stepping away for the first time in days.

I shook my head.

'No! I'm doing this', was my last thought before I fell into yet another night of dreamless sleep.

***End of Chapter 18***