THE PROJECTMy name is not important. What is important is that somehow, I have been dragged into this inane scheme to get a team of three people with IQs barely into the single digits into space. How did it happen? I have no clue. Why me? If I could answer that one, I'd be at a circus telling people's fortunes. This is my story.
Me: So this is your facility? Heh, what a hole.
James: Yeah. We didn't really get much funding for this. Don't stamp on the floor, or the building might fall over.
Me: Eheh, so why am I here again?
James: To design a rocket for us.
James seemed like a pretty nice guy at the time. Oh, how wrong I was to be proven.
James: This is our engineering bay. We don't have much of a selection, so be careful with what you break.
Me: Not much of a selection?! All I see is an engine, a parachute and a seperator! How am I supposed to get people into space with THIS?!
James: Very carefully. Have fun!
He just walked right the fuck out the door. I cracked my knuckles and set to work. Several hours later, the prototype of the D.I.E. Unity was finished. James walked back in while I was painting the name on the side of this tin can.
James: Good job. Let's get this thing out to the launchpad.
Me: You have a launchpad? I thought we were going to hurl this thing into the air with a medieval catapult.
James: Less lip, or we'll strap you to the side of this deathtrap.
We walked out to the launchpad. It was quite a breathtaking sight. To think we were about to launch people into the air on this.
Me: So what now?
James: Press the button.
I did so. The rocket vanished into the sky like a... well, a rocket. I watched the altimeter. 1000m... 2000... The counter levelled out at 2500m. I punched the button twice more, once to seperate the empty rocket and again to activate the parachute.
As the rocket began to fall, I turned to James.
Me: So how are we going to get those guys back here?
James: Get them back?
Me: Oh, for the love of... Get me a speedboat.
James: If you insist.
Me: And a drink. Get me a fucking drink.
James: Sure, your highness.
I watched the capsule float on the waves as James went to get me a speedboat and a can of soft drink.
This was going to be a loooong week. I watched the cameras. The three idiots strapped into that metal monstrosity were having the time of their fucking lives.
As James waved at me from the ground, I watched a small truck drive into the engineering bay. More parts. Maybe there was something useful in that junk. The elevator dinged, and I stepped inside. I had some morons to rescue.