Laura Thompson's POV (Present Year: 2022)

Something brushes my arm.

Light enough not to wake me, but still evident enough I feel it.

"Sorry," Someone murmurs, the soft sound of movement resonating from beside me before everything goes quiet once again.

"Mhm." I murmur lightly, exhaustion still wearing down on me like a pile of bricks.

Everything aches, including my head.

No... My head is actually pounding more than aching.

I give up on sleep.

With a sigh, I force my eyes open, my surroundings blurry.

These look like the back of airplane seats... I'm on an airplane?

"It's about time you woke up," A familiar masculine voice sounds from beside me, his voice lower than a whisper.

Still groggy, I lift my head from where it had been seconds ago, turning to face the source of the voice.

As I come face-to-face with the man beside me, my thoughts instantly clear.

The fog lifts.

And realization sets in.

"Oh, uh... Hi..." I murmur, a light blush dusting my cheeks as my brain begins to sort through the scenario at hand.

My head was resting against something a moment ago...

My thoughts come to an abrupt halt, my face beginning to burn.

I'd fallen asleep resting against his shoulder...

"Gosh... I... I'm sorry. I should've just moved over a seat..." I stammer, shuffling over in my seat, vainly attempting to put some distance between us.

Elon simply smiles, shaking his head.

"It's fine. No harm done."

I sigh, allowing a small grin to make it's way onto my features.

"Thanks." I murmur, turning to face him once more, my blush slowly disappearing.

His expression mirrors my own.

Happy, excited, and curious.

A silence settles between us as we both get lost in our own little worlds.

Elon, once again, quickly becomes wrapped up in his work, while I try and tackle my emotions to a manageable level.

The last thing I need is Mark and Vivi on my case because I can't get a grip on myself!

Speaking of those two...

Silently, I slip out of my seat and make my way into the open aisle, my ears popping as I do so.

We must be making our descent.

A sudden rush of adrenaline runs through me, pushing aside any previous fatigue.

I can't believe this is all happening!

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts.

Right. Mark and Vivian.

Continuing up the aisle, I nearly laugh aloud at the sight in front of me.

Both of the younger Crew members are sprawled in their seats, rather uncomfortably, might I add, dead asleep.

"Good." I mumble beneath my breath with a light smile before turning back the way I came.

Those two must be absolutely over the Moon about all that's going on.

Then again, so am I.

I chuckle lightly.

Who am I kidding? We all are.

As I near my destination, I notice a soft glow of light, filling the row of seats.

Hm?

I stop dead in my tracks, my eyes widening slightly in surprise as I gaze down the now illuminated aisle.

Elon had shoved his work aside.

No evidence of the earlier laptop or scattered papers to be seen.

Just him, his messy hair and the soft glow of the rising sun filtering through the small window beside him.

As I stand there, gawking at the man in front of me and likely looking like a smitten fool, the plane lurches forward.

Startled, I yelp in surprise, quickly sliding back into my seat and fastening the seat belt around my waist.

A light chuckle sounds from beside me.

"Oh, be quiet." I laugh along, knowing full well that Elon had just witnessed my apparently humorous stumble.

"You should be more careful, you know."

"Yeah? Well, you should stop working yourself so hard all the time!"

He sighs, chuckling once more.

"You know I can't-"

"What the heck was that?" A groggy voice from in front of us practically yells, shutting both of us up almost instantly.

The rest of the Crew is awake.

And it sounds like Marko ain't too happy.

"I think we're landing?" Another, softer voice from up front exclaims.

Vivian is awake, too.

I allow my gaze to drift past Elon and out the window beside him.

Indeed we are landing.

I can see the glowing lights of civilization that were once small, but now are shining brighter and larger than ever.

"Uh, so what now?" I murmur, my gaze returning to the man beside me who appears to be lost in thought once more. "It's not like we can just stroll to the front from the same aisle. That'll be blatantly obvious!"

He nods, gesturing to the row on the other side of the small space.

"That seems like our best bet."

It would seem so.

Hushed and hurriedly, I gather my belongings, slinging my backpack over my shoulder before slipping out from the shared aisle I had just been in.

I practically leap across the middle section, landing in the middle seat with a rather loud thud.

"Geez." I hiss, scolding myself. "Keep it down!"

Glancing once more over towards Elon, our gazes meet.

'After you,' He seems to say, a small smirk tugging at his lips, our previous bickering still carrying on.

I just roll my eyes as I make my way to my feet once more, extra cautiously this time.

"Morning." I yawn, feigning my exhaustion as I make my way towards the younger pair, who are now awake and alert.

Vivian waves with a cheery smile on her features, moving her backpack off of the seat beside her.

"How'd you sleep, Lori?" She questions as I slip into the now cleared seat.

My cheeks begin to burn again, my thoughts drifting to the way I had awoke.

He just let me use his shoulder... Didn't even push me away...

"Pretty decent." I nod, shaking myself from my thoughts.

Focus on the here and now, Laura.

"Great!" My friend cheers, her smile not wavering as she continues. "You know, time changes have never really bothered me."

Time change?

"Oh!" I exclaim, realization washing over me.

That's right! Houston is two hours ahead of us back in Cali!

"Really? Well then, you're lucky." I smile as I fish my phone from my jacket pocket, peering at the small screen.

It reads 5:25 AM.

Almost instantly, a heaviness falls upon me.

Not quite exhaustion or fatigue, rather a sudden awareness of how much time we'd just suddenly gained, and how much sleep I'd lost.

"This whole time change thing is gonna take awhile to get used to." Mark chimes in from where he's leaning back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, eyes closed.

I nod in agreeance.

"That's for sure."

The three of us sit there, the only sound coming from the aircraft we're currently seated in.

I wonder what's taking Elon so long to get up here...

He's probably wrapped up in another email chain.

"What do you think accommodations will be like?" Vivi muses aloud from beside me.

"Who cares." Mark yawns, leaning forward to set his hands on the table in front of us. "As long as there's A/C, food and somewhere to sleep, I'll be fine."

I can't help but laugh at the younger man.

"You're not wrong!"

"TV would be nice, too." He adds, laughing along with me.

"Yeah, it would be." Vivian pipes up as we all go quiet once more.

Now that I think about it, the idea of living quarters at JSC had never even crossed my mind.

Things could get awkward real fast...

Stop that!

I mentally scold myself.

For all I know, I'm just overreacting!

He probably just sees me as a friend, a co-worker, a Crew member.

But what if he doesn't?

What if he feels the same way I do?

I sigh, dragging my palm down my face.

"You good?" The younger man across the table asks, his expression filled with genuine concern.

"Hm?" I muse, not completely aware that he's talking to me. "Oh! Yeah! I'm fine. Just thinking, that's all."

"If you say so. You just looked awfully stressed out..."

"I'm perfectly fine, Marko!" I insist with a small smile as we all go silent once more.

We should be touching down soon... Shouldn't we?

"Don't you guys think-" I start, however, I'm cut off as the plane bounces off the runway now beneath us. "Never mind!"

We've arrived in Houston.

"Alright!" Elon's familiar lighthearted tone sounds from behind me, causing my lips to twitch upwards into a slight smile. "Here we are!"

He sounds so excited.

It's almost humorous, the sheer amount of excitement radiating from the CEO.

As the vehicle we're in comes to a halt, I make my way to my feet, my gaze flicking back and fourth between both Crew members in front of me, as well as the one behind me.

"Well. We're now one step closer to space." I state, my own tone laced with excitement that matches Elon's.

"That we are..." Vivian muses aloud, seeming to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Welcome to Houston, Texas!" One of the flight attendants declares as she begins to open the main access door.

I watch through wide, eager eyes as the door is slowly lowered, the brightly lit tarmac as well as the ever brightening horizon filling my vision.

I feel a light pressure on my shoulder, the same one that creepo in the parking lot of my apartment had roughly grabbed yesterday afternoon.

Though, this time, I know who this person is.

I turn around slightly to face the man behind me, a smile once again tugging at my lips.

"I can't believe this is all happening..." I breathe as I come face to face with Elon, who's own grin mirrors mine.

"Nor can I." He murmurs in reply before brushing his way past me towards the exit and turning to face the trio now in front of him.

"As much as this trip in this fancy tin-can has been lovely, I'd like to be leaving now." Mark declares from his seat, before the man at the exit could even say a word.

Elon just chuckles, shaking his head.

"I was going to say something, but you beat me to it."

His gaze scans the small group of us, reading our expressions.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Vivian pipes up from beside where she had been sitting moments ago, backpack slung over her shoulder.

My smile doesn't vanish as we all make our way down the same steps we had come up three and a half hours ago, thanking the Flight Crew as we do so before leaving the luxury jet behind.

The warm early morning Texas air, along with a breeze, whistles by me, just adding to my elated state.

"Lori!" My friend hisses from beside me as I turn to face her.

"What - oh..." I trail off, following Vivian's gaze.

Now I see why she's suddenly so excited.

Yet another Tesla Model X, this time in white, is parked farther down the way.

The NASA insignia is boldly displayed on either side.

"That's our ride!" Elon cheers from the front of our small pack, flashing us a double thumbs up.

I can't help but laugh.

"I would've never taken him as the type of guy who'd act so... goofy?" The younger woman from beside me muses aloud, shaking her head with a light chuckle.

"Neither would I." I chuckle in response.

Neither would I...

And yet, here we are.

****

The trip to JSC had been one of constant chatter.

The large majority of it likely delirious nonsense.

The sudden shift in time is slowly catching up with everyone, including myself.

"Good luck to you all." The driver smiles, putting the vehicle in park outside the main building at the Space Center's complex. "Training is tough, but I'm sure you all can handle it."

"Hopefully so. Thanks for the lift!" I reply as I make my way out of the vehicle towards where everyone else had already gathered.

Silently, the vehicle pulls away, leaving the four of us standing in the middle of a rather empty looking parking lot.

"What now, Boss?" Mark inquires, breaking the unsure silence that had fallen over us.

"We wait." Elon replies matter-of-factly. "I'm sure whoever is supposed to greet us will be out shortly."

"Patience is a virtue, Marko." I tease, elbowing him playfully.

"Your elbows, Lau! Sharp!"

I back away with a chuckle.

"Right."

Time seems to drag as we wait outside under the ever warming sunshine, our exhaustion continuing to build.

"They should've been out here by now..." I mumble as I plop down on a nearby curb, watching absentmindedly as Elon paces back and fourth, talking to someone back at HQ.

He's just so-

"You good?"

That's Vivian's voice.

I nod silently, tearing my gaze from Elon and focusing on the woman now in front of me.

"Yep! Just tired, that's all."

She tilts her head slightly, a look of judgement falling on her features as she stares me down, almost as if evaluating me.

"Aren't we all..." She hums, a hint of doubt laced in her tone as she joins me on the curb. "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything?"

I stiffen slightly.

Have I been that obvious?

If she's noticed, surely he has too!

"Y...Yeah." I nod, stammering over my words slightly. "Thanks for that. I appreciate it."

Vivi smiles.

"Hey, that's what friends are for."

"I've already informed you of this in the last email!" Elon's rather frustrated tone fills the silence between the rest of us. "Yes, I understand. I'll attend anything Press related via video chat until we break this news and they hunt us down. Of course. Thank you, bye."

As the CEO hangs up from his heated phone call, I can't help but feel a wave of sympathy wash over me.

I can't imagine what it must be like to have people wanting to snoop around in stuff that doesn't need to be advertised!

The poor man needs to learn how to take a break... Stop working himself till he practically drops dead from exhaustion...

And hopefully, this training will be able to take his mind off the Media pressure...

"Ah! Welcome to JSC!" A sudden, cheery sounding voice sounds from behind our small group.

Instantly, we all turn to face the source of the voice.

She's an older woman, maybe in her late fifties, middle sixties, and she's surprisingly short.

"My name is Mary Lee! Sorry about the wait! I was running a wee bit behind today, that's all!" The lady continues to jabber as we all make our way over to her, leaving the hot, empty parking lot behind.

"If you'll follow me, I'll get you all ready to go!"

So, that's what we decide to do.

We follow Mary.

The woman scans her NASA ID against the locking mechanism on the outside of the door and the lock light turns from red to green.

"Come quickly, now." She exclaims, ushering us inside a cool, air conditioned hallway.

The walls are a generic white.

Various pictures decorate them, making the space feel less officey and more... homey...

The floor is covered in a standard grey and white flecked industrial carpet that seems to stretch forever...

"This is what I like to call our 'top secret' entrance." Mary beams, continuing on down the hallway in front of us. "You know, it's been quite awhile since we've actually had anybody like you fine folks around! Especially under these rather-"

She stops, mid-stride, turning to face us.

"Mysterious circumstances."

Ms. Lee continues to lead us down the narrow passage, her chatter filling the eerily quiet space.

"Where do you think she's taking us?" Vivi hisses from behind me, confusion evident in her tone.

"This time, I have no idea." I reply with a heavy sigh.

I'm not sure how much of this pointless yik-yak I can take.

Finally, after what seems to be an eternity, Mary comes to a halt outside a rather plain looking door.

"Now here, we'll measure everyone for your Flight Suits! These will basically become your uniforms around here." She explains excitedly as she pushes open the door and once more ushers us hurridly inside the room.

A few other NASA employees are waiting, smiles on all of their features.

"These fine folks will just be taking some basic measurements. They'll also be handing you some various papers to read over and sign. Once all that is done, we'll head off to pick up your new ID badges!"

"Great. We get to sign our lives away. Again." Mark groans sarcastically from the back of the group.

I can't help but laugh at his comment.

Nothing like signing papers.

****

Measurements? Check.

NASA ID badges? Check.

The briefest medical examination I've ever done in my life? Check.

Somewhere to get some well needed rest?

Soon enough.

Hopefully.

"Now, if you'll follow me once more, I'm finally able to show you to your living quarters while you're with us here at JSC!" Ms. Lee bubbles, her enthusiasm still very much so vibrant.

"Finally," I mutter, "Somewhere where I can lay down and get some shut eye."

The time change's effects are slowly becoming more and more evident.

Needless to say, the entire lot of us, even Elon, are beginning to look sort of like sleep deprived zombies.

"I don't care if we're sleeping on air mattresses at this point." Vivi yawns, shaking her head slightly as if to keep herself awake.

"It could be a rock slab, for all I care." Mark pipes up, yawning as well.

Once more, Mary stops at yet another locked door and scans her ID badge, ushering us into yet another hallway.

Though, this time, the hallway is much wider and adorning the walls are quite a few more pictures.

"We'll head to the common areas first." Our guide explains as we continue to follow her, almost mindlessly at this point. "The common area of our Crew Quarters here includes a kitchen, pantry, dining room, lounge, gym... You name it, and we probably have it."

Our footsteps echo in the now silent hallway.

I'm suddenly missing Mary's constant chatter.

"Here's the lounge as well as our dining room!" The woman leading us declares, walking us into a fairly large room with various couches, coffee tables, chairs as well as a large flat screen TV.

"Over there is the kitchen as well as the pantry."

A large industrial grade kitchen is off to the side, the pantry at the kitchen's far end.

"Everything is already stocked and ready to go." She adds, as we all stand there, simply taking in our new surroundings.

Mary's gaze skims over us, a look of mild confusion settling upon her features before it's replaced by understanding.

"I'll show you to your lot of rooms." She declares softly as we follow the older woman back out into the hallway once again.

We head deeper into the building, passing door after door after door.

This section almost looks like a Hotel hallway...

We must be getting close.

"And here we are!" Our guide finally stops, turning to us with a small smile.

A small window at the end signaled that we'd reached the end of the hallway.

"These rooms are all ready for yous. Your ID badges act as the door key." Mary explains, her voice still quiet as she quickly turns on her heel and begins back the way we had just came. "If you need anything, just let me know!