Into unknown

It's been three months since the past events. Leo has currently quit his job as a police officer. He earned enough to be able to return to therapy, this time at another corporation called Aduencco. Their building was located a kilometer outside the city and looked like it was taken straight from a sci-fi movie. It was about two hundred meters tall and had a strange spiral base with a pointed tip, illuminated by neon lights. About a hundred meters away, there was a launch platform for spaceships, on which one ship was standing. It looked unearthly and resembled a fighter jet, but was too large. It had a pointed tip and two steering engines for turning, as well as five wheels. At the back, the ship had four boosters that enabled it to be lifted into orbit with a new generation propulsion system. They didn't require any fuel or anything else, just electricity. These boosters used it to pull the wind into the engine, where it accelerated and then released all the accumulated pressure like a cannon. In this way, the ship reached a speed of 500,000 km/h, which was only 0.0000462582% of the speed of light. When it reached orbit, it fired an electric motor there to reach the corporation's space station.

When Leo entered the building, he noticed three power generators which, like ship engines, were using wind. They were located right by the entrance. He walked towards the elevator and went to the office area on the thirteenth floor, where he spoke with a company representative.

"Good morning," said Leo.

"Good morning, Mr. Leon. I'm preparing the papers for you to sign the contract," replied the representative, adding, "you will also need to undergo some preliminary medical tests, and we will inform you about what comes next."

Meanwhile, Leo went to the medical office, where they conducted preliminary tests to check his blood pressure and blood sugar level. "Everything is normal," said the doctor, giving Leo a report to give to the representative.

As Leo returned to the office, he looked out the window, reflecting on what had happened and what could have gone differently. Could he have saved that woman's life? He asked himself over and over again. We only know that life is fragile like cookies, and to make it easier, we must be aware that something or someone can change it at any moment. Each of our decisions is unique in its own way, even though sometimes we may misinterpret what others want from us.

However, returning to Leo, who had already arrived at the office, I must warn you about how his story may unfold. It is not like any other that can end happily. Our hero is an ordinary human being with ordinary needs, just like you and me. He suffers and enjoys life in his own way. When he entered the office, where stacks of papers awaited him that he had to sign.

"Here is the paper the doctor gave me," said Leo, handing over the note the doctor had given him. "Okay, I'll read it later," replied Kevin, the company representative, adding, "in the meantime, please read the contract and sign it here and here if everything is in order."

Leo read the contract, which stated that if he signed it, he would be stationed at a research station for the next three years, where a new fifth-generation simulator was located. He would participate in various tests, ranging from survival on an alien planet to surviving a spaceship crash. All these simulations would help develop a new emotional and human-like artificial intelligence. There were so many unknowns, and so little time. There was also a note saying that he would have a seven-day preparatory training for the space flight.

"And are you signing?" Kevin asked Leo after a while. Leo signed and replied, "Of course, that's why I came here."

Leo began his preparations on the first day by starting with a G-force simulator. Without proper training, the intense G-forces experienced during liftoff could quickly cause him to lose consciousness. During the simulator, the blood flows out of his eyes, causing a loss of color vision, also known as a "grey-out", and tunnel vision. This happens just moments before the brain completely shuts down due to the rapidly increasing G-forces. The machine allows him to experience G-forces ranging from small - four to six Gs to enormous, up to the point of spaceflight. By the end of the second day, he had had enough.

He was taught how to handle situations where he loses complete control over the situation, using a device that simulates the disorientation that one can feel during a flat spin, possible during descent to Earth.

On the third day, he became accustomed to the lack of gravity in an airplane that flew a parabolic trajectory, allowing him to experience weightlessness for several seconds up to half a minute. He did this more than 60 times.

On the fourth day, he was taught how to handle extreme conditions by entering a pool wearing a spacesuit, where he spent ten hours in simulated conditions of reduced gravity.

On the fifth day, he repeated everything he had done before and was prepared for the sixth day when he had to get used to eating space food from silver packets, which may not look appetizing on a tray, but fresh tomatoes won't be a concern once he's on the research station.

The seventh day was the day of the launch and the day for more blood pressure tests and other medical examinations. After that, he put on his space suit and headed to the launch platform. He boarded the spacecraft, settled into his seat, and the countdown began... Ten... Nine...