The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over Leo's bedroom. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, taking a moment to enjoy the peacefulness before the busy day ahead. Today was a special day—his adoptive father, Dr. Viktor Halsey, was being honored at a NASA ceremony for his groundbreaking work on the hibernation drug, C47.
Leo dressed quickly in his school uniform and headed downstairs, where he found Delbert, the house butler, setting the breakfast table. The aroma of freshly baked bread and scrambled eggs filled the room, making Leo's stomach rumble.
"Good morning, Master Leo," Delbert greeted with a smile. "Excited for the big day?"
Leo nodded enthusiastically as he took a seat. "Absolutely! I can't wait,I wasn't able to sleep last night at all.But first i should deal with school."
Delbert poured orange juice into a glass and handed it to Leo. "Remember, enjoy your day, but be on your best behavior. It's a significant event tonight."
Leo took a sip and grinned. "I will. Thanks, Delbert."
As he finished breakfast, the doorbell rang. He jumped up, knowing it would be his best friend, Kai. Moments later, Kai burst into the dining room, his face lit up with excitement.
"Leo, are you ready for today?" Kai asked, barely able to contain his energy.
"Totally! But first, we've got school," Leo replied, grinning.
They grabbed their backpacks and headed out the door, waving goodbye to Delbert. The walk to school was filled with chatter about the upcoming ceremony. Leo could barely focus on the mundane surroundings of the suburban streets, his mind already racing ahead to the evening.
"Did you hear about the rumors,"asked Kai excitedly."What rumors?"replied Leo with a raised eyebrow."Come on, don't tell me you haven't heard already."Kai replied looking down on Leo."Just say it already,I'm dying to know,"replied a grinning Leo.
Kai turned to Leo with a cold gaze"Nasa intends to use your father's drug on astronauts and let them visit distant habitabal planets.Who knows, they might actually find an alien or something and bring instant doom to us"
"Obviously.What else would they use it for, other than enabling astronauts to visit other planet? Honestly are you dumb,how come you never realised this uptill now?"replied Leo as he mocked Kai."Not all of us are geeks like you,you know.Plus what good would it be if they went to other planet?"Kai said puffing his cheecks
"I'm not answering that,you should've paid attention in class.Now look at you,"said Leo.Their conversation was interrupted as they came to school."Alright,we should stop talking so that we don't draw attention to ourselves"Leo said to Kai with a piercing look.
The school building loomed, a mix of modern architecture and ivy-covered brick walls. As soon as they walked through the gates, their classmates swarmed them, buzzing with questions.
"Is it true your dad's getting a Nobel Prize?" one student asked.
"Are you going to meet astronauts?" another chimed in.
Leo and Kai exchanged excited glances. "Yeah, it's all true," Leo replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "We're going to NASA tonight for the ceremony."
The morning passed in a blur of lessons and congratulations from teachers and students alike. During lunch, Leo and Kai sat with their friends, who couldn't stop talking about the upcoming event.
"Do you think you'll get to see a rocket launch?" a friend asked, wide-eyed.
"I hope so," Kai replied, grinning. "It's going to be awesome!"
"Your dad is so cool, Leo," another friend said. "I wish I could go with you."
"Don't worry.You will see us on television,I think,"replied Leo holding his chin
Leo smiled, feeling a mix of pride and nervousness. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing. But it's also kind of scary, you know? So much attention."
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and the boys headed back to class. Leo tried to focus on the lessons, but his mind kept drifting to the evening's event. He couldn't wait to see the rocket launch and all the incredible things at NASA.
Finally, the school day came to an end. Leo and Kai hurried home, eager to prepare for the big night. As they walked through the door, Delbert was waiting for them with matching tuxedos.
"These are for you," Delbert said, handing them the suits. "You need to look your best for the ceremony."
Leo and Kai quickly changed into their tuxedos, excitement bubbling up inside them. The tiredness from the school day melted away as they admired their reflections in the mirror. They met Delbert at the front door, and he handed them each a small, neatly wrapped package.
"These are for you, to remember this special day," Delbert said with a warm smile.
Leo and Kai opened the packages to find matching cufflinks engraved with the NASA logo. They thanked Delbert and eagerly pinned them on before stepping outside to board the waiting helicopter.
The rotors roared to life as the helicopter lifted off, carrying them away from the familiar surroundings of their home. The cityscape below shrank, replaced by the sprawling complex of NASA headquarters.
Upon arrival, the boys were in awe. They were greeted by Ms. Malena, their guide for the day, who led them through a tour of the facility. They marveled at the intricate models of the solar system, the moon rocks, and the constellation displays. The sheer scale and wonder of the space exhibitions left them breathless.
"This place is amazing," Kai said, his eyes wide with wonder.
"I know, right? I can't believe we get to be here.I wish I brought my phone to record," Leo replied, equally entranced.
Ms. Malena smiled at their enthusiasm. "It is against our rules to take any photos or videos,I hope you understand.Now there's so much more left to see. Follow me, and I'll show you the rocket control room."
As they walked through the corridors, they passed by various laboratories where scientists were engrossed in their work. Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and intimidation. These were some of the brightest minds in the world, working on projects that could change humanity's future.
They finally arrived at the control room, a large space filled with monitors, control panels, and busy technicians. The air buzzed with energy and anticipation.
"This is where we monitor all our missions," Ms. Malena explained. "Tonight's rocket launch is particularly special, as it will be carrying supplies and experiments to the International Space Station."
Leo and Kai gazed at the screens showing real-time data and live feeds from various points around the launch site. The scale of the operation was staggering.
"Wow," Leo whispered. "This is incredible."
After the tour, they joined the crowd of guests and scientists in the grand hall. Leo felt a mix of pride and nervousness as he was congratulated for having such a genius father. The other scientists' cheerful personalities were a stark contrast to Dr. Halsey's cold demeanor.
"Wow the real ceremony is way better than I fantasized"said an excited Kai."Shhh,shut up,the ceremony is about to start."Leo said as he gazed at the stage smiling.
The ceremony began, and Leo watched with bated breath as his father took the stage. Dr. Halsey accepted the Nobel Prize with a polished smile, answering the media's questions with ease. The applause was deafening, and Leo couldn't help but feel a swell of pride.
Then came the announcement from NASA. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat for you tonight. Please turn to your left and behold the grand R368 rocket, ready for launch!"
The audience gasped in awe as the massive rocket came into view. Leo's heart swelled with excitement, but Dr. Halsey remained calm, his expression unreadable.
"No way a real life rocket,this is so cool.No wonder everyone at school was so excited about it and I get to be here, Awesome",said Kai as he bubbled with excitement.
But Leo on the other hand wasn't that excited.If anything he felt fear."I don't know but I have a bad feeling about this.the moment I saw the rocket I felt a shiver run down my spine,"replied a confused Leo.
"Honestly,you're just no fun to be with,"as Kai said those words the rocket countdown began and the rocket launched breaking it's way to the heavens.
The rocket soared into the sky, leaving a trail of fire and smoke. The crowd cheered, unaware of the horror about to unfold. As the rocket breached the atmosphere, out of the blue it detonated in a spectacular explosion.No one expected it at all.Fire and debris rained down, and with it, the deadly C47 virus. Dr. Halsey's plan had come to fruition—the virus spread faster in the presence of fire, and now it was unleashed upon the city.
Chaos erupted. NASA officials, shocked and bewildered, tried to contain the situation, but it was too late. The crowd panicked as chunks of rocket debrey descended upon them,and just when it couldn't get worse all sorts of insects came down raining on top of them. Screams filled the air as people ran for their lives
The insects who exited out of the destroyed rocket started to pursue people and bite them.The bite of the insects had great effect on human blood, mutating anyone who was bitten into the insect who bit them.Some of the insects didn't even exist as there among them were, flying spiders,wasps the size of a human baby and even caterpillars that were huge, almost 7 feet long.
Leo and Kai watched in horror as the insects bit into people, causing some to mutate instantly. Human caterpillars writhed on the ground, and flying spiders with wasp wings stung anyone in their path. Panic-stricken guests fled in every direction, adding to the chaos.
"Where's my father?" Leo shouted, trying to be heard over the din.
"I don't know!" Kai replied, his voice trembling with fear. "But we can't stay here,otherwise we might turn to one of them.""Leo agreed with him and they both started to flee
Unbeknownst to them, Dr. Halsey had slipped away the moment the rocket launched. He watched from a safe distance as his plan unfolded, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
Leo and Kai ran through the pandemonium, dodging the monstrous insects and mutated humans. They ran to their a helicopter being commandeered by desperate people, only to be shot down moments later, crashing in a fiery explosion right before their eyes.
The scene grew more horrific as mutated humans began to explode, releasing green goo that added to the mayhem.This being the effect of human blood rejecting the C47 virus.Leo and Kai, driven by sheer survival instinct, found refuge in one of the laboratories, barricading themselves inside.
"We're safe,for now," Leo panted, trying to catch his breath. "But what if we're found and turn into green goo,"asked Kai,his eyes widening from the previous encounter."If that happens all we can do is to run.Come on, let's see if we can contact Delbert.He will surely come to help us,"said Leo as he soothed Kai.
Little did they know, the nightmare was not confined to NASA headquarters. Across the globe, similar scenes of horror played out as the C47 virus spread, bringing with it swarms of mutated insects and unimaginable terror.