A spaceship arrived near a massive white structure shaped like a human figure in space, next to a blue planet.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Ladies and Gentlemen," the captain's voice boomed through the intercom. "This is Captain Osvaldo Alvarez of the A221B45 Spaceship. Please make sure your seat belts are fastened as we have arrived at our destination, the International Space Station D-981."
The structure opened its mouth, allowing the ship to enter. Bobby and his family stepped out and were greeted by a tall blonde man. Approaching, "Sir, may I see your tickets?" he requested.
And Bobby passed four golden tickets.
"Oh, VIPs! Please follow me. Don't worry about your belongings. We have arranged for someone to carry them out." The man said with a warm smile checking the tickets and leading the group forward.
Jeremy Bradford was still holding onto his old suitcase.
"Pass me the suitcase, sir." The man asked politely.
"No, I'm good." Jeremy Bradford responded with a stern tone.
Then the group came out of to a vast hall.
"This place is massive and looks all the same," Margaret White marveled. "I'd be lost in no time if I were alone here." And they approached a corner.
Upon reaching the elevator, a holographic image of a lady appeared, requesting, "Authentication please.".
Taking out an ID card, the blonde man showed it to the holographic lady. With a creaking noise, from the holographic lady's eyes, a red beam flashed and started skimming over the card.
Beep! Next with a beeping sound chimed, the card reacted by emitting a greenish light under the exposure of the red light.
"Authentication, success!" She spoke and continued, "Activating Passengers identifications protocol. Please stay still, please stay still..."
"10 9 8…..."
"This may take a couple of minutes." The handsome blonde man explained with an apologetic smile. "Please do understand. These days, we've faced frequent cases of Angles's spies infiltration. So, the security system became even tighter."
"3 2 1. The screening begins now!" The holographic female AI spoke. Then, another flash of red light came out of her eyes, and started scanning through all of them.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Five green colors flashed out from their bodies.
"No angelic genes detected!" The female AI announced, repeating two more times.
Tring! The sound of the elevator doors opening echoed throughout the room.
"Please, enter!" The female AI greeted the group warmly, her smile accompanied by a slight bow and a polite gesture toward the elevator. The five of them stepped inside
Tring! The doors closed and the 3D holographic projection of the attractive AI reappeared within the lift. "What floor are you headed to?" she asked politely.
"Space Pod station number DFFR395, VIP level," the burly blonde man replied.
"Understood. Moving to Space Pod station number DFFR395, VIP level," the AI repeated. With that, the elevator began its descent.
"This is amazing," Margaret White breathed out in awe. She then turned to Bobby and pouted, "When are you going to keep your promise to me?"
"What do you mean?" Bobby asked, his confusion evident.
Margaret pouted and responded: "My AI pod you promised to make for me on my birthday last year. Don't forget, you owe me a birthday gift."
Bobby's heart swelled with a strange warmth. 'She's so cute,' he thought to himself.
"Okay, I promise your AI pod will be ready by the weekend," Bobby smiled.
"And make sure it looks exactly like you," Margaret added, smiling back at him. They both continued to smile at each other.
"Are you all family?" the blonde man, Ben Stokes, finally interjected.
"Yes, we're all heading to the Delta belt region," Mia Bradford responded.
"And these two," Ben continued, nodding towards Bobby and Margaret.
"Oh, they're siblings. And they've been close since childhood," Mia explained.
Ben smiled at Margaret, who ignored him.
"Excuse me, may I know your name?" Ben asked, extending his hand for a handshake and flirting with her.
"I'm Margaret White," Margaret replied, shaking his hand politely before quickly releasing it.
"And are you single?" Ben probed.
"Yes, she is," Mia interjected before Margaret could respond.
"Mom, please stop," Margaret said, her tone brisk.
Margaret and Jeremy laughed together at Mia's comment. Margaret was clearly not amused.
"Margaret, could I have your contact information? I'd like to take you out to dinner sometime," Ben asked, trying to ask her out on a date.
"No, I'm busy and not interested," Margaret declined flatly.
"Come on, at this rate you'll end up a spinster," Mia said with a hint of annoyance.
"Mom, please stop interfering in my dating life. I'm an adult and can make my own decisions," Margaret responded, frowning.
"Well then, act like one," Mia retorted.
"So, you've never been on a date before?" Ben asked, clearly surprised. "Never mind, it's none of my business," he added, trying to maintain a professional demeanor.
Bobby had been quiet throughout the exchange, but he couldn't shake the strange feeling in his heart. When Ben asked Margaret out, he felt like something was lost. He clenched his fists tightly and smiled when Margaret declined. He realized his feelings for her were not just those of a sibling, but he wasn't sure how to react. Plus, he didn't want to hurt Margaret or complicate their relationship.
And he thought, 'Yes, this is Margaret we are talking about. Dating is a foreign thing to her... But why am I feeling this way?' After pondering and recollecting how he felt, he finally understood his feeling for her that it was not just simple as a sibling's affection anymore.
Bobby looked at her and wondered, 'Should I just ask her out before something like this happen again? No, I must consider her feelings too before things get escalate between us. Especially when I'm going to see her all the time.'
Margaret looked at him meaningfully.
The elevator suddenly stopped moving. And stringing sound chimed as the elevator opened.
(please, stay tuned!)
(Re-edited: 26th Feb 2023!)