Captain Cosmic Pt. 01

"With Ms. Whitney will be Emily Sanders, Ken Jackson, Morgan Butler, Stanley Read, Ana Garrido, Hazel Paige, Julia Stokes, and Jessica Harper," Principal Davis continues as the other students scramble to find Ms. Whitney.

"With me will be Marcelo Weeks," She says as a slight smirk forms on her face. That's weird. "Adam Dean, Anthony Duncan, Shyrese Hopkins, Bianca Gálvez, Chris Roberson, Joseph Palmer, Casey Ardunk, Augustus Boyer, Riley Owen, Violet Cummings."

A bunch of people, mostly Ken Jackson and his friends, burst into laughter. Principal Davis gives them a sharp look with eyes like knives. Violet is really hot, is she the new student? "And Penny Clark. I expect you all to be on your best behavior. With that being said, everyone gets on the bus."

We all hustle to the bus, pushing and shoving as we fight for a seat. "Stick with your groups. No need to push and shove! Ken, that means you," Principal Davis says.

Abony and I get lucky and grab the same seat near the back of the bus.

"Man, it sucks we're stuck with our group the whole entire time," Abony says.

Oh my god, Lauren Day just sat behind me. Best bus ride ever! Too bad I couldn't be sitting next to her instead of Kaitlynn Cohen. God, what I would do to trade places with Cohen.

"Hey, earth Gage. You there?" Abony says.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," I spit out. "What were you saying?"

"Do you think they'll make us stick with our group?" she asks.

"I don't know, that's a lot of people to keep track of. I can imagine we'll probably do like a group tour and then have free time. Or something like that."

"Yeah, you're probably right," she says.

"Hey, did you finish that song you were working on?" I ask.

"Sorta, it's there, but I feel like it's missing something," she says.

"Hey, I couldn't help overhear," Lauren Day says. "Are you a singer?"

"More like a rapper," Abony says.

"Really? My dad's a producer. You should let me check out your music," she says.

"Wait, is your dad Carson Day?" Abony asks.

"Yeah, that's him," Lauren says. "You've heard of him?"

"No fucking way! Of course, I've heard of him. Who hasn't heard of him? He's produced Emerson and The Blades! That's so dope," Abony says.

Lauren just laughs. "Well, let me hear your tracks, maybe we can work something out."

"Yeah, for sure! I mean, you can hear my current track, it's not done yet though, so don't judge too hard. It's missing something," Abony says. She hands her big headphones over to Lauren and she puts them on.

"I can't believe you're letting her listen to your music before me!" I say.

"Oh just chill, besides her dad is fucking Carson Day!!" she says as Lauren seems to be enjoying it. She's rocking her head to the beat.

"Wow, this is sick!" She practically yells. When she finally takes off the headphones, she totally looks excited. "Wow, Abony, I never knew you were so ill with the lyrics. You have some serious game. We definitely need to work together. I'm actually trying to produce my own music and I would love to partner with you."

"Really? You're not joking, are you? Don't be playing with me," Abony says.

"I'm dead serious. You've got talent," she says.

"Oh my god, this is awesome! Yeah, let's do this!" she says. I can't help but feel a little jealous. And I know that's wrong, I shouldn't be jealous. Abony works really hard and spends a lot of time writing lyrics and recording. She definitely deserves it, but god how I wish I could be the one working with Lauren...

We finally arrive at the Museum. "Okay, everyone. Get with your groups as soon as we get off the bus. There you will be divided into smaller groups of 3 or so," Principal Davis says. "We will be doing a type of buddy system. So stick with your groups. If I hear one bad thing about any of you, so help me god, your punishment will be beyond your imagination."

"That really silenced everyone," Abony says under her breath.

"I know, right? Nothing like a threat from Principal Davis to scare the shit out of you," I laugh.

"Oh my god, do you hear yourself? You just said shit. What has gotten into you?" Abony laughs.

"What? I'm just being cool, aren't I?" I ask.

"Is this because you know who is sitting behind us?" She says in a whisper as she elbows me.

"Yea... I mean. No!" I say.

"Suure," she laughs as we get off the bus.

"Team Carcher, with me! We're going to have a little team meeting," Carcher says as we get off the bus. We follow him over to the sidewalk. The place is huge. I've never seen anything like it. The entire museum is surrounded by a moat and you have to walk this marble bridge just to get across.

The building itself looks like several giant glass cubes stacked up on top of each other. Looks more like an art piece than a building. As the entire group gather's up, Lauren and Kaitlynn walk up next to us.

"Everybody here?" Carcher asks as he pushes up his giant glasses that make him look like he just walked out of a Microsoft meeting back in the 90s. "As the principal said, we're going to divide into mini-groups. She even took the time to organize your groups for you, so when you get time, give her a big thank you. Just don't get into trouble here and you might find yourself on her good side. Trust me, you want to be on her good side."

Carcher lets out a chuckle at his own words as if he just told an inside joke, but he's the only one in on it and he's the only one laughing. After he realizes that, he straightens up. "So, the groups will be this. Gage Adkins, Abony Fields, and Wendy Wang are going to be Team A. I got to pick the group names by the way. Jordan Taylor, Makenzie Manchester, and Aubrey Henderson are on team 1."

"Shouldn't it be team B?" Wendy asks.

"Well, I was just thinking I didn't want to make anyone feel lesser. Everyone deserves to feel like they're on team A," Carcher says, giving a cheesy smile with a thumbs up.

"That just seems illogical. It is not a competition, so why would it matter what team you're on?" Wendy says.

"I agree, people need to grow a pair of balls," Tim says, trying to act tough as he scootches up to Kaitlynn Cohen. "Right, Kaitlynn? Please tell me we're in the same group."

He gives her a smile that is both creepy, pathetic, and weirdly humorous. She shutters and shuffles away and acts like she's throwing up. "Not even in your wildest dreams, ratboy."

"Let's not hurl insults at each other, come on guys. Let's all be civil," Carcher remarks. "T. E. W R. guys. T. E. W. R. Treat everybody with respect."

Kaitlyn migrates further away from Tim. "Just stop being a perv."

"What? I was just talking about balls. It's not like I was talking about my balls. Or you touching my balls. But if you really want to, I'm not going to stop you or anything," he goes on with an impish grin.

"That's gross, just go away," she says.

"Next is Jordan Taylor, Mackenzie Manchester, and Aubrey Henderson will be in Team Alpha," Carcher says. "Skylar Richmond, Dan Holver, and Austin Schwarts will be in Team numeral uno."

"And on Team... Um... Team Awesome?" Carcher says making everyone cringe. "You know what? You guys can come up with your own team names, that's a much better idea. Anyways, Lauren Day, Kaitlynn Cohen will be with Timothy Garrison."

Kaitlynn lets out a sob. "Seriously? You're going to put me with ratboy? Worst day ever! Can I switch groups? I want to be in Team Alpha with Jordan Taylor. Our starting quarterback needs me."

"I do not need you. I don't need anyone," Jordan says.

"Really?" Makenzie asks.

"Well..." Jordan's cheeks go red.

Makenzie looks up at Jordan, then her eyes widen with a gleam as she nods. What was that about?

"Kaitlynn, you're just going to ditch me like that?!" Lauren groans. Tim scoots closer next to Lauren with those hopeful eyes. Seriously? She backs up and bumps into me.

Her eyes light up with relief as she looks at me and then back up to Carcher. "Can I please be in Gage's group?"

"No one's switching groups. This list was made up by Principal Davis. Do you seriously want to be on her bad list? Besides, it's not like you can't be with another group. Your group can pair up with other groups if you really want to. I don't see anything wrong with that. You just have to make sure everyone in your group is accounted for," Carcher says.

"Then come on Lauren, let's go with Team Alpha," Kaitlynn says.

"Not after you just tried to ditch me," she says with a little sarcasm. You can tell they're not really mad at each other. "Besides, I really want to hear Gage's opinion on some of the exhibits. It'd be nice to talk to someone who actually appreciates the museum."

Does she really mean that? Am I dead? Is this heaven?

"Come on everyone, we should get going," Mr. Carcher says. We all follow him inside. As we enter the museum, everyone awes at its wonder. The entire place is like a maze of architecture. Each hall leads to a different type of architecture depending on the genre of the exhibit. As we approach the desk, Mr. Carcher gets us checked in.

A tall blonde woman walks up to us with Mr. Carcher. She's in a business suit and has her hair done up. "Hello everyone, I will be your tour guide today. My name is Melenia Belinger. Now, we will start in the history exhibit and then move through the technology exhibit, and lastly arrive at the space exhibit. Any questions?"

"Alrighty then, follow me and we will begin," she says. We follow Ms. Belinger down the left hallway and arrive at a large door. "Here's where the history exhibit will begin. I will ask that you all take one of the headsets. The tour will be a virtual one."

We all receive a VR headset. Once we put them on, we can still see everything including each other. But as soon as we step through the door, we walk into a desert. It even feels like a desert. It's hot and it's like the moisture was stripped out of my mouth.

"Welcome to Ancient Egypt," Ms. Belinger says as we travel through what feels like real sand. "Here we have the ancient city of Memphis. Even though the Egyptians were not the first ones to practice mathematics, they did create an instruction manual for students in arithmetic and geometry called the Rhind papyrus."

"Want to hear a math joke?" Mr. Carcher asks. "An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first orders a beer, the second orders half a beer, the third orders a quarter of a beer, and so on. ... After the seventh order, the bartender pours two beers and says, You fellas ought to know your limits."

"Lame... Math jokes never work on me," Kaitlynn sighs.

"Would you say you have trouble differentiating them?" I ask. Lauren snickers while Wendy facepalms. "Or is it because they're not an integral part of your life?"

Lauren chuckles even harder, while Wendy lets out a long sigh.

"What are you talking about?" Kaitlynn asks. "I just don't find them very funny."

"Sometimes they just don't add up, huh?" I ask.

"Yes! Exactly," she says. "They just don't make sense."

This time even Wendy lets out a giggle while Lauren is cracking up. "Well maybe you didn't have the right change," Lauren snorts out.

"Math is the only subject that counts," I laugh. Lauren and Wendy snicker.

"Nerds..." Abony sighs.

"I thought it was pretty funny," Mackenzie says.

"I still don't get what's so funny," Kaitlynn sighs.

"He's referring to differential calculus and using integrals. It's basic mathematics," Jordan says without a drop of emotion. "Only a primitive and inferior mind would not comprehend such simplicity."

"For being a jock, you're kind of..."

"Apathetic?" Lauren asks.

"More like robotic," Abony says.

"Definitely not stereotypical," I say. We get no response from Jordan.

"Continuing on," Ms. Belinger says. "We can explore the streets of Memphis, you'll notice slavery was quite prevalent. Along with mercantilism. Memphis was believed to be under the protection of the god Ptah, the patron of craftsmen. As we arrive at Saqqara, you'll see the oldest complete stone building complex that was built: Djoser's step pyramid."

"The Egyptians were infamously known for their practice of slavery. Most have heard of the biblical tale of Moses and how he took the Hebrews out of Egypt, but not many know of the tale of the twins of Saqqara. They were both slaves. Fraternal twins. Brother and sister. Their individual names were never written down, but we have obtained ancient texts that describe the tale of how these twins overthrew the Pharaoh of Egypt at the time and ending slavery. Of course, it didn't last all that long before a new Pharaoh took back the scepter."

We all look up at the giant Pyramid in awe. Tim walks up to touch it. "Hey, we should touch stuff," Mr. Carcher says.

"It is quite alright. Everything in the AR exhibits are meant to be interactive," Ms. Belinger says.

"Holy crap, it's completely made out of stone!" Tim says.

We all walk up and touch it. "It feels so real," Lauren says.

"That's because she said it was AR, not VR. This is all Augmented, isn't it?" I ask.

"Good observation. Some of it is real and some of it is virtual," Ms. Belinger says. "Shall we continue?"

Everyone nods. We walk over to one of the huts and as she opens the door, we walk out into what would appear to be ancient Greece.

"Man, this whole thing is trippy as hell," Aubrey says.

"We don't need a mathematician to know why you're tripped out," Kaitlynn snickers.

"And why is that, Kaitlynn?" Aubrey spits out. She glares at her. Aubrey's a bit eccentric, but I don't think she's a bad person by any means. She just has the whole me against the world vibe going. Her purple hair is probably a dead giveaway. But I think it looks good on her. I know she's been through a lot with her dad leaving and all. I guess that's why she smokes pot.

"Let's just calm down everyone," Lauren says.

"Shall we begin the tour of Athens?" Ms. Belinger says.

"That would be splendid," Mr. Carcher says with a nervous hitch.

"Welcome to Athens, home of some of the greatest minds of the time. Playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides flourished in Athens during this time, as did the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, the physician Hippocrates, and the philosopher Socrates. This is a place where scholars thrived."

It literally feels like we're walking down the street of ancient Greece. The streets are made out of stones. The buildings are made with stone and have the giant pillars that look like the capitol buildings back home. People wear robes with sandals, strapped to their feet. Merchants throughout, trading their wares.

"Athens is where you will find the masters of the craft. Artisan blacksmiths, sculptures, and stoneworkers. We've collected quite a fine library of ancient Greek texts that give details on ancient greek society. Any questions so far?"

"Didn't they sculpt a lot of nude statues?" Tim asks.

"Stop being a perv," Kaitlynn says.

"What? I was just curious," Tim says.

"When can we get to the tech exhibit?" Austin asks.

"That will be next and then we will finish at the space exhibit. Then I believe you will have some time to browse in your groups."

"Best for last, right?" Lauren asks me.

"I know, I can't wait!" I say full of excitement.

As we stroll down the roads of Athens, Ms. Bellinger recounts all the tales of how the city developed and it's struggles with war against Sparta. After she finishes her lecture, we end the history exhibit as we stroll through the temple doors into the Museum room. We give them back the headsets before continuing on.

"That was really cool. I definitely didn't expect that. It felt so real," Lauren says.

"I know, right? It was like we literally took a time machine and went to ancient Greece," Abony says.

"The way technology is advancing, I wouldn't be surprised if we can one day do that," Tim says. "Seriously, I bet you they're already cloning people. I would definitely make a clone of you, Kaitlynn..."

He gets a wicked smile on his face. "That's just gross. Besides, my clone wouldn't even spend a second with you."

"Right this way and we will enter the Technology exhibit," Ms. Bellinger says ignoring the continued banter of the students. "Here you will see some of the most technological advances of the 21st century. We've not only developed AI technology, but we have created some of the most advanced synthetic robots yet seen in the history of the world."

We walk through the doors into the vast open room full of different stuff. There are robots walking around in all different variations. Some of them look human. Robots aren't the only technology displayed. They have anti-gravity chambers, hoverboards, even flying cars. There's even a man displaying what looks like a lightsaber. "All of this technology is brought to you by the innovators at Prometheus Corporation founded by John Farrell. The engineers and scientists there work tirelessly to push the envelope on what was once considered science fiction."

As we stroll through the exhibit, Ms. Belinger explains how Prometheus Technology works next to Gennecho University in Detroit as an open campus where students can learn alongside the experts. Both students and tech experts work side by side to create innovations that have changed the world. The technology produced by Prometheus Corporation along with the students at Gennecho have already changed the medical field. The advances in technology in the medical industry caused by the innovations of the techs at Prometheus have not only helped develop cures for various diseases, but they have also developed the technology to manufacture and distribute these cures so that everyone has access to them.

"We are changing the world, one innovation at a time," she finishes. "Any questions?"

"Where can I apply?" Austin asks. "I want to work at Prometheus Corporation."

"Well, first you'll need to graduate, and then you will want to enroll in Gennecho University," Ms. Belinger says. "After that, all that is required is a good attitude, a hard work ethic, and a willingness to learn."

"Moving on, we will now check out the space exhibit," she says. Lauren elbows me with a vibrant smile as we follow Ms. Belinger into the next exhibit.

As soon as we enter the space exhibit, it's like walking into a space station. It's got windows, looking out at them you can see outer space and the earth.

"Oh man, this is trippy," Aubrey says.

It almost feels as if we're moving. Like on a rotation. "This is all surreal," I say.

"Right?" Lauren asks.

"Man, how much did this all cost to make?" Abony asks.

"Approximately 2.3 billion dollars," Ms. Belinger says.

Everyone's jaw dropped after hearing that. "Mr. Farrell was able to finance it with just a small fraction of Prometheus Corporation's profits."

"Say what?" Abony asks.

"He uses a method he calls trickle-down philanthropy," she says. "The profits of the subsidiaries of Prometheus Corporation get invested back into the economy. A little less than half of the money earned from the interest and dividends from those investments get used for philanthropic purposes such as this museum," she says.

"And what happens to the other half of the dividends and interest?" Lauren asks.

"It gets reinvested back into the economy, earning compound interest. Mr. Farrell has successfully created a fountain of wealth he is using to solve the world's problems and help alleviate people from suffering," she says.

"Now, let us get back to the exhibit. On the left, you'll see one of the star findings discovered by an exploration into the asteroid belt. A crystal teeming with blue energy," Ms. Belinger says.

"Oh my god, this is exactly what I was talking about earlier. The crystal," I squeak out, overflowing with excitement as I stare at the glowing blue crystal. It hums vibrantly with energy. Am I crazy or does it feel like it's saying something?