Laura Thompson's POV (Present Year: 2023)

"We're coming in too fast! We have to abort!" A distant, feminine voice from beside me exclaims, her tone laced with horror.

I risk a glance from the device strapped to my upper thigh to the large window in front of me.

Flames licking either side of transparent section, a reddish blackish void in between.

The heat shield is doing it's job for now... But for how much longer?

A knot of fear begins to swell within me, my hands itching towards the manual override.

"Just a few more seconds, Laura." Another, this time, distinctly male voice softly urges from much closer beside me, his tone dampening my sudden panic.

My gaze is solid on the small display above my knee, the readings clearly reaching the red zone.

And fast.

"We can't withstand much more heat! Either we do something now or burn to death!" A much younger sounding male voice argues, his tone matching the woman's from earlier.

What do we do?

What do I do?

"Your spacecraft."

"Manual override initiated." The monotone voice of the computer barks out, accompanying the words I had just heard.

"My spacecraft." I reply automatically, my grasp instantly on the manual controls.

Start by getting us back on the right path...

I attempt to right our course.

Nothing happens.

"Something's not right!" I exclaim, my fear rushing back to meet me, full force. "I-I-I have no manual control!"

Almost as if the universe was answering my panic-stricken confusion, an obnoxiously loud clang sounds from outside.

Alarmed, my eyes dart to the window in front of me once more.

The sight in front of me causes me to gasp in disbelief, a lump forming in my throat.

Bits of stainless steel are rushing past us, some small, some large.

"That... That would explain the issue." I murmur softly, my thoughts instantly slowing.

This is how this ends.

"Oh hey, those are our tail fins..."

Suddenly, a rather heavy pressure resonates in my left gloved hand, startling me slightly.

I turn, tears beginning to slowly roll down my cheeks, parts of the drops of water floating up against my visor.

"I'm so sorry, Love." The man beside me mouths, his own tears falling freely, his expression one of utter defeat and heartbreak.

"I love you." I mouth back, my own heart shattering as the computer begins to blare it's warnings.

The man passes me a watery half smile as I let my right hand fall loose from the controls.

"I love you, too."

There's a flash of light.

It's blinding.

An explosion, maybe?

It's deafening.

Numbness spreads throughout my body as I hit the floor in front of me.

A tell tale hissing fills my ringing ears.

Suit is leaking.

Oxygen is leaving.

Losing pressure.

I try to breathe, but nothing happens.

I'm out of air.

Through my blurred vision, I turn slightly.

Someone else is on the floor beside me, their hand stretched out as if to reach me.

I grasp it in mine.

Limp.

He's already gone.

Once more, I attempt to fill my lungs.

Nothing comes.

My vision goes black.

Then;

Silence.

"No... No... No!" I scream, bolting upright in bed, gasping so heavily for air, I feel like I'm hyperventilating.

"Not like that... Please, not like that..." I choke, head falling into my hands as I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, my toes touching the cool floor beneath them.

I was the last one left...

Everyone else was... gone...

With a sigh, I drag a palm down my face, wiping away the few tears that had managed to fall somehow, shaking my head.

"Right... Just focus on today, Laura." I hum to myself, voice cracking.

With another, less heavy sigh, my gaze wanders around my small room, a smile finding it's way to my features as last night's events worm their way to the front of my mind.

E literally climbed through my window last night just to... well, say goodnight to me, I guess.

Speaking of windows...

My wandering gaze falls upon my window, which somehow, is firmly shut, screen back into place and everything.

He must've left through the front door last night... and closed everything up before he left.

My heart swells at the thought as I pull myself out of bed, stumbling towards the small bathroom.

"I wonder what time it is..." I murmur aloud, washing my face with cold water, my senses quickly rushing to meet me as I turn off the tap and leave the sink behind.

With a small yawn, I begin to get ready for the day, throwing on my Flight Suit and boots before checking my phone.

♡ Elon Musk ♡. 7:53 AM.

'Good morning! I'll be waiting for you outside where we were yesterday morning. See you soon.'

My heart instantly does a few backflips as a smile finds it's way to my features.

Still getting the butterflies... I wonder how long they'll stay around...

Once more, I glance at my phone, being sure to check the time.

It reads 8:02 AM.

"I better get going then." I hum to myself, pushing aside any leftover thoughts from my nightmare. "Training starts at 9 sharp."

And with that, I grab my ID badge and head out the door, ready to face the day.

Bring on the Training!

****

"Ah! There she is!" His familiarly cheery voice sounds from the picnic table as I approach, waving as a greeting.

The air is warm and so is the breeze.

Good day to spend half of it in a pool.

"Morning!" I smile as a sit down across from Elon, his own expression practically mirroring my own. "How's it going?"

He nods, taking a sip of his Coffee, before continuing.

"Pretty good. I think we've managed to deflect the Media's speculation for now."

"That's good to hear!"

"Definitely. Seeing as things are ramping up around here."

I nod slowly, my thoughts begin to wander aimlessly as I stare at the man in front of me.

How can someone be so handsome and so brilliant at the same time?

"How are you feeling about training today?" Elon muses aloud, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Uh," I stammer, sort of caught off guard by the sudden question. "Nervous, I guess."

He grins reassuringly.

"You'll be fine, Love. I'll be down there with you, you'll have assistant divers all around at all times... There's absolutely nothing to worry about."

"You're probably right," I sigh, leaning forward slightly, my head in my hands. "Though I just can't shake the feeling that-"

I cut myself off, the same images from my nightmare obnoxiously forcing their way to the forefront of my mind.

His limp arm stretched out for me, the ringing in my ears...

"Talk to me, Lori..." Elon urges, sensing my sudden shift in thought.

With yet another sigh, I lift my head towards him, our gazes meeting.

"I... I had a brutal nightmare last night." I start to explain, my voice instinctively lowering. "We we're on our Mars descent and then everything went wrong."

I had no control.

I couldn't do anything.

"We came in too fast, our entry angle wasn't steep enough... We..." I stop, a lump forming in my throat.

"You're alright. I'm here. Tell me what happened..." My boyfriend urges softly once more, taking my hands in his and gently squeezing.

That's what he did before we-

I pull away quickly.

"We were burning up. We waited to see if the computers would fix our path, but they never did. So I took manual control and nothing happened."

Shaking my head, I continue.

"Chunks of Starship's body blurred past us as the alarms rang out, signaling something was wrong. Then there was an explosion which tossed everyone to the floor..."

I bite my lip, attempting to keep my emotions at bay.

"I was the last one left. Everyone else was..."

I trail off, not wanting to finish my sentence as I bury my head in my hands once more, too overcome with emotions to do much else.

Everyone else was dead.

Gone.

"But yeah," I conclude as I let out a shaky sigh, sitting up once more. "That's that."

"Geez." Is the only thing the man across from me says as he also sighs, running a hand through his hair, his expression going from apologetic to thoughtful in an instant.

Now I've started his thoughts down a dark path... One that he might've already been walking...

"I'm sorry, E..." I begin to fumble, a wave of guilt washing over me. "I shouldn't have bothered to say anything..."

He shakes his head, pulling himself from his own train of thought as our gazes meet once again.

"I'm glad you did say something. If our relationship is actually going to work, communication between each other is key." Elon explains, a sudden look of disgust falling across his features. "That would probably be why none of my other relationships in the past have worked out so well, but that's besides the point here..."

I can't help but laugh lightly.

"If I'm going to be open with you, you have to be open with me. We're not walking a one-way street, ya know."

Now it's his turn to laugh, as I gently grasp his hands in mine.

"I can't make any promises, but I can work on it."

I allow a grin to fall upon my features.

"We'll both work on it; together."

"Speaking of working together, we should probably get going, huh?"

Quickly, I glance at my watch, surprise chorusing through me.

"How can time fly by so quickly?" I muse aloud as I make my way to my feet, my boyfriend hot on my heels.

"It's just because you're with me, Sweetheart." He smirks, appearing at my side as we leave the picnic table behind, heading towards the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory building.

"Oh, be quiet!" I chuckle, elbowing him gently.

"But then you'd be lonely, wouldn't you be?"

I roll my eyes as our cadences sync up.

"Elon, you are such a card."

"I need to be dealt with, do I now?" He teases, elbowing me back.

"Yes. Yes you do."

"Whatchu gonna do 'bout it?"

"I'd watch yourself, Sir!"

"Nah, this is more fun."

"Oh, shut up already! We're gonna be late!"

"No we're not! We're right on time." He smirks as we walk through the main doors and into a quaint lobby, unlike the main training building's.

The space is small, whitewashed walls, the same standard salt and peppered carpet accompanied by various pictures in frames on the walls.

"Can I help you two?" A sudden, rather annoyed voice pipes up from off to my side, startling both Elon and I equally.

Confused, I slowly turn to face the source of the voice.

It's an older woman, reading glasses and all, peering at us from behind a desk shoved off into the corner.

I didn't even notice it.

"Yes. We're here for our 9 AM training session." The man beside me replies neutrally, making his way closer to the desk and the woman.

"Do you have an appointment?" She rasps as I join Elon at his side, the pair of us exchanging bewildered glances.

He literally just said-

"Appointment? Time-slot? Whatever ya'll call it these days." The woman demands once more, her voice not much more than a hoarse whisper.

"9:00 AM." My partner repeats once more.

"Right now, actually." I pipe up, glancing at my watch absentmindedly.

"Last names?"

"Musk, Thompson."

The older woman begins to flip through a stack of papers clipped to a clipboard, her eyes squinting at the writing through her glasses.

"Ah, yes..." She murmurs, picking up a pen and shakily checking two boxes. "I swear, I'm gonna retire someday soon..."

Looking back up at us, she passes a small smile.

"Someone will be up to escort you to the suit up room, shortly." She explains, her tone sounding beyond bored.

"Great, thank you." Elon nods, turning to leave, his arm brushing mine as a sign to follow.

I return the older woman's small grin, figuring it might lighten her mood a bit, as I trail behind my Flight partner, who somehow already found a seat in the small room.

"She seems awfully old to be working here," I whisper, quickly seating myself. "I feel bad."

"Me too. I'm sure she's seen plenty of history unfold here, though."

"I think she should take her own advice and retire."

A comfortable silence falls between us as we wait, my nerves beginning to get the best of me as time wears on.

The sound of my booted foot bouncing against the carpet as well as Elon's low whistling he had somehow started without me noticing, pierces the atmosphere.

He must be nervous too...

I allow my gaze to swiftly glance at him from the side.

Eyes wandering the room, jaw clenched as if he's lost in thought - which he no doubt likely is - and his hands.

He's wringing them together rather... anxiously.

That confirms that, then.

"Commander," Yet another sudden voice, this time male, greets formally from across the room.

It's an older man, around the same age as Mary, I'd say, and he's striding towards the pair of us, a genuinely pleasant expression on his features.

"Please, it's just Elon," The man beside me insists, making his way to his feet before offering a hand to me.

I gladly accept it.

"Well, Mr. Musk, it's an honor to have you here today." The man beams, turning to face me. "You must be Ms. Thompson. Pilot, correct?"

I nod, grinning.

"That's me!"

"I've heard quite a few things about the pair of you. Apparently, ya'll work together like a well oiled machine." The man smiles once more as he leads us away from the lobby, our footsteps echoing in the quiet space.

"Is that so?" I hum, my gaze meeting Elon's as I shrug.

"Sure is, ma'am. In fact, I hear you yourself have been quite literally flying through all of the simulation tasks they've put in front of ya." Our guide compliments, throwing me yet another grin over his shoulder.

"I... I... guess that would be correct." I stammer, unsure of really what to say.

It's not like I'm that good.

I don't even begin to have half of the skill and expertise that Neil Armstrong had! Or any other Astronaut for that matter!

"And you, Elon," The man starts once again. "You went from a busy man working multiple jobs to Commander of the first manned mission to Mars! That's pretty crazy, is it not?"

At this, the man beside me chuckles, shaking his head.

"Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it..."

I allow the two other's chatter to fade into the background as I focus on the simple task of walking, my thoughts beginning to wander.

Forty feet under water...

In a bulky EMU suit.

My breath hitches, a sudden pressure forming in my chest.

Stay calm, Lori... You'll be fine.

Hundreds of Astronauts have done the same thing before you! It's not like you're any different!

"-keep things balanced... Laura?" Elon's concerned tone breaks me from my thoughts as I drift back to the conversation at hand.

Blinking hastily a few times, I turn to face my Flight partner, forcing a grin onto my features.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay..."

He raises an eyebrow questioningly, his now rather stern gaze wandering me over.

"Alright! Here we are!" Our guide's cheery voice disrupts us both as we're ushered quickly inside the now unlocked door.

The room is once again, whitewashed, along with the same carpet from outside in the hallway.

A variety of spacesuits line the one wall, the first layer of cooling suits lining the other.

"I'll leave you two to get into your first layers. Bathrooms and change rooms are down that way," The man who greeted us in the lobby explains, gesturing to the small hallway off to the side of the room, opposite to the two walls of suits. "Once yous are done here, just follow the signs in the main hallway labeled NBL. The rest of the suit up crew will be waiting there to help you into your EMUs!"

Elon curtly nods in thanks as the man leaves us both alone in the room, a rather uneasy air of quietness settling between the pair of us.

Without really thinking, I make my way towards the rack of first layers, sorting through them, looking for the one with my name on it.

"Your nightmare bothering you again?" He muses aloud, breaking the silence.

"Nope," I reply simply, tossing his inner layer towards him while I grab my own, heading in the direction of the change rooms.

"The fact we're about to be completely submerged under forty feet of water in bulky EMU suits for roughly four hours?" His voice echos as I lock the door of the small stall behind me, shedding my own clothing and changing into my new one.

Surprise runs through me and I can't help but laugh lightly.

"Yes." I shout back, a slight hint of laughter in my tone still, as I zip up the front of the cooling suit and gather my now discarded Flight suit. "You good out there?"

"Yep." Comes his simple reply as I leave the stall behind, heading back towards the main area.

I stop dead in my tracks, a goofy grin sliding it's way onto my features.

Elon is sitting on the large bench in the middle of the room, a look of such discomfort on his features, it looks more like disbelief.

Then add the fact we're both decked out in ugly white suits with hoses running all over them...

Needless to say, he looks sort of ridiculous.

Who am I kidding? We both look ridiculous.

"Lookin' snazzy." I chuckle, joining him at his side.

He just shakes his head with a sigh.

"If you consider your so called 'snazzy' to be wearing a bodysuit covered in hoses, you've got issues."

"Maybe I do have issues!" I laugh once more, elbowing him playfully.

He stays quiet, looking me over once again, his gaze turning from humorous to thoughtful in an instant.

"Elon?" I muse aloud, my own gaze turning to match his gaze's concern. "Talk to me."

The man beside me sighs again, running a hand through his hair.

"Neither of us are really ready for this, huh?"

I nod slowly, pondering his words over.

"It would seem that way," I agree, shifting closer to his side. "We'll be fine though, right?"

"Right," He hums, throwing his arm around my torso, giving me a reassuring side hug.

I lean into his touch, relishing the small moment.

And then, it's gone.

"Let's get going," My partner nods, pulling my form up off the bench along with him as he heads towards the exit.

"Likely a good idea. Don't want to keep everyone else waiting."

As the sound of the door shutting behind us resonates with me and we begin our journey towards the pool, I can't help but feel oddly at ease.

Things are going to be fine.

Right?

****

"Thompson, this is Control. Do you read me? Over." The faint crackle of the radio in my helmet startles me slightly.

"Control, this is Thompson. You're a bit fuzzy on my end. Over." I reply, my helmeted gaze wandering over the scene in front of me.

My Flight partner is also suited up across from me, both of us standing on the large platforms attached to cranes that'll lower us into the 40 foot deep pool beside us.

Well, I've made it this far.

I chuckle at the thought.

Who knew I'd be here today...

I've spent just over a year training to go to Mars...

Alongside some of the greatest people I've ever met...

I've learned to literally fly the world's largest rocket ship...

The same one I've worked on for ages...

Now, I'm technically dating Elon Musk, of all people...

"Unbelievable." I murmur, raising my suited arm in a wave towards the man across from me.

He waves back, a huge grin plastered to his face.

Whether from excitement or nervousness, it's hard to tell.

Likely a bit of both, I suppose.

That's the same way I'm feeling, too.

My stomach is tied in knots, but at the same time, adrenaline is chorusing through my body, my head abuzz with enthusiasm.

"Thompson, this is Control. How do you read us now? Over." My radio crackles again, this time much clearer than before.

"Control, this is Thompson. I read you loud and clear, now. Over."

"Glad to hear it. Suit techs are checking over your seals now. After that, we'll begin descent. Over."

"Roger that. Standing by."

Almost instantly, the feeling of pressure around various latches and connectors on my suit becomes evident.

The techs are following Control's orders to a tee.

Finally, one of the younger looking female techs - out of the numerous older ones - pats me on the shoulder, flashing me a double thumbs up in front of my field of view.

All I can do is smile in response.

However, as the suit technicians leave my side, as well as Elon's across from me, a sudden jolt of recognition runs through me.

Was that?

I attempt to turn slightly to see where the group of people had gone, but with no avail.

EMUs aren't designed for mobility, Laura.

"I could've sworn that was Jessica... Vivi's instructor..." I mumble, confusion racing through my thoughts.

Why the heck would she be here?

She specializes in laboratory stuff... Geology!

"Musk, Thompson, this is Control. Beginning the descent now. Over."

"Copy." Comes Elon's familiar voice, which eases me a bit.

"Copy that." I reply before my voice goes hoarse.

The platform I'm standing on begins to move, the muffled whine of the electronic crane behind me telling me that much.

But it isn't the sound of the crane that causes my sudden icy state.

It's the woman who is waving at me from off to the side.

Hair tied back in a bun, white jumpsuit...

That look of absolute smugness...

That was her.

Jessica just did the final seal check on my suit.

I sigh, attempting to calm myself down and focus on the task at hand.

"She wouldn't do anything to actually hurt me... There's literally nothing to worry about..."

My brain says otherwise.

Something about that woman isn't right!

She had that crazy gleam of satisfaction in her eyes after what happened in the lab yesterday!

"Lowering." Someone else's voice states through the radio, pulling me away from my nagging thoughts.

We're over the pool now.

Well, here goes nothing, I guess.

My gaze wanders over to the man across from me, his grin still very evident, as we begin to descent, the pool's water very quickly coming up and over my visor.

Ironically, I instinctively close my eyes and hold my breath, however, there's no need for that.

I'm completely dry.

In a spacesuit.

Divers instantly swarm me, patting the exterior of my suit down one last time, checking for any faulty seals or tears in the fabric.

Once they're done, the man closest to me gives me a thumbs up.

We're good to go.

I mentally scold myself for being so panicked.

See? Nothing to worry about.

"Thompson, this is Control. The divers will assist you towards your first objective. Over." My radio comes to life once more, replacing the various creaking sounds around me momentarily.

"Copy." I reply, my own voice, as well as my now steadied breathing, echoing back at me.

It's a strangely surreal feeling.

Being isolated in a personal little habitat only capable of sustaining one singular person.

Crazy.

Slowly, I ease myself off of the platform, almost weightless, but not quite.

I guess that's why they call this neutral buoyancy and not weightlessness.

The divers follow Control's instructions to a tee.

Just like the techs above water.

Everyone around here forms one hell of a team.

It's amazing that I get to play such a small part in it.

"Control, this is Thompson. Nearing objective now. Over." I announce through the radio as the divers gently push me towards the large mock up of Starship's exterior, my objective clearly marked with an X.

As I near the X, I finally realize just what kind of emergency scenario this training is for.

There is, essentially, a massive hole in the siding of what should be beautiful stainless steel.

"Control, I've reached the objective. Awaiting instruction. Over."

But I already know what they're gonna say.

All I have to do is plug the hole.

Without floating away or losing any of my supplies.

How hard can it be?

Alright.

It's probably gonna be pretty difficult.

Even more so in literal zero G.

Let's just hope that doesn't happen.

"Thompson, this is Control. Stand by for instruction. Over."

I can't help but sigh as I watch the divers around me, their bubbles floating past me to the surface.

This is going to be one interesting afternoon.