27. Guinness Book of World Records

Once Garreth Lewis shared his feedback he and his colleagues agreed upon, Dr. Cider wondered if what his brother-in-law told him was true.

It was years ago, when Adam's ex-wife left him, so could Lewis still be that manipulative?

Silas faked a smile as Lewis spoke. But underneath it all, Dr. Cider's mind was not.

The information that came out of Lewis' mouth was news he could no longer focus on, as Dr. Cider had second thoughts due to Lewis's sly grin. And to his surprise, it looked like his two co-workers were intently glued to agreeing with the villain's plan.

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"My colleagues and I in SPANA Headquarters believe that it would be best if we ask prisoners who are willing to go to space and be the first ones to place the US flag on Decaorb. We figured that instead of them getting a trial that could last for days on end; flying them off to space will give them some time to think about the consequences of their crimes they committed. And hopefully when they come back to Earth, he or she will become a changed person!"

HOPEFULLY ? A CHANGED PERSON? Those are the key words! Are you for real? Just tell the truth Lewis, I think you mean SPANA will leave them there, aren't they?

Dr. Cider tried so hard to hide his smirk by pretending to cough, but Lewis caught a glimpse of Silas's reaction and winked.

"I know you all might think this thought of ours is ludicrous. But please hear me out,the actual idea isn't that preposterous as you all might think, as prisoners were foolish in the first place to even take in such mayhem. Yet, they got caught in the end. Sending untrained individuals off to space is indeed risky, but they need time to reflect on what they did and know that they need to shape up. And what better way to do it, but send them off to space! Besides you three did mention earlier that you wanted foolish travelers to land on the undiscovered orbit, did you not? So there you are!"

Lewis's cunning remarks due to Dr. Cider's facial expression were a bit reasonable, but it wasn't sincere. It sounded more like he was blaming the greedy scientists for his evil intentions.

Silas's eyes blinked in disbelief.

It's still a Crime! It's illegal! It's ...

"Don't worry Dr. Cider, I know that look. It's not illegal as I cleared it with officials and they gave me the 'go ahead with the plan' signal! I know how you must feel as this will be the first time this trial has ever been done with prisoners. I promise you no harm will be done, and we will have their consent as well."

Go ahead, signal, my foot! That was not our original agreement. You'd kill those prisoners Lewis!

Dr. Cider wanted to challenge him on this issue, but couldn't blurt out what was on his mind.

It was if Lewis wanted full advantage of the mission and become the soul discoverer of the planet they agreed on naming Decaorb.

The trio originally told him what they were planning to be named in the Guiness Book of World Records after they heard the news about the planet. Dr. Cider didn't think that SPANA would want some credit as well. And in his mind, he believed that was what Lewis wanted.

So conniving!

Dr. Cider also wondered if Lewis knew he was related to his former rival. If Lewis knew Williams was still around, it would mean this would be his payback time to get even.

This was not our agreement at all, I'm not a killer! But it seems like Dr. Jones and Dr. Fields are under his spell as they nod their heads in agreement.

Dr. Cider believed that Lewis might know something about this space voyage ahead of time, and that was why he didn't want to endanger the lives of his astronauts, but was willing to perish the prisoner's lives.

Silas wanted to ask the head administrator what the real reason was behind the scenes, but decided not to act upon it, as the scientist didn't want to anger the man. Especially not in front of his team, who held deep admiration for their boss.

Any mention of his temper tantrums to his own supervisor could get him fired.

Dr. Cider worked hard for 20 years to earn his prestigious status and wasn't about to let that go.

This is all Adam's fault. I wish I never listened to Carrie's brother in the first place. How his words haunt me!

But since the astronomers made their choice to involve SPANA, the damage was already done.

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Two men dressed in black suits and who both carried a briefcase containing important documents entered the Iron Heights lobby. Both lawyers came to the prison as directed by the SPANA headquarters to make a deal with several convicts. The men introduced themselves as Mr. Anderson and Mr. Nieman to the prisoner guards, who in turn asked the warden to entertain them.

After being searched for firearms, the SPANA lawyers were led by the warden to an entrance where all the prisoners of Warden Smith's choosing were seated.

As he opened the huge door to the visiting room to enter, the warden introduced each one. Motioning in to come inside, Smith smirked under his bushy beard. He couldn't wait to see the faces of his prisoners once they found out that they have a chance to fly to space.

"They are all in here, gentlemen. Please follow me."

Five sets of small tables were arranged in the room where the staff assigned the convicts to sit. This was also one of Warden Smith's notable days as he didn't get special treatment in his prison very often.

He wondered why Iron Heights was chosen out of all the prisons in the world. But Smith didn't bother to ask, for he figured the space agency head might change his mind if he interfered with their plans. Once he got the virtual call from Gareth Lewis and learned that the SPANA headquarters wanted his help, Smith was overjoyed. Thus, he followed a policy he learned in his training, DON'T ASK,DON'T TELL, a slogan that was once enforced in his school.

Beaming with pride, he pointed out where each inmate was seated.

"The lady sitting in front and staring at you Mr. Anderson is Martina Wade."

In turn, Martina pouted as she knew the man in black attire meant business.

"Please don't mind her as she has an attitude problem. Seated next to her is her girlfriend, Harley Grendel, and the gentleman next to her is her brother,Roman Grendel. Behind them are the conniving couple that was listed on the Most Wanted list:Bonnie Ackles and Clyde McCarthy."

Both lawyers nodded their heads to assure the warden that they were thankful for his short introduction, but now his service was no longer needed.

"Thank you Mr. Smith for accompanying us. That will be all for now."

Looking a bit disappointed the warden shrugged his shoulders and quietly walked out into the hallway. He nudged the prison guard that was looking after the entryway.

"Inform me, once the men leave."

The Guard nodded assuring his boss that he would follow his orders.

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Sitting down across from Martina, Mr, Anderson laid his briefcase down on the table. Mr. Neiman followed suit, but went to the table where Bonnie and Clyde were seated. He knew that those who sat in the back were often slackers or ones who didn't want to pay attention, so Mr. Neiman knew that was his job. To be a watchdog and observe what the mischievous couple were up to.

 The warden had an inkling that the infamous couple were going to hide in sight, so he inquired with Lewis to send two men in case something went wrong.

Harley fidgeted in her seat, as she had an idea on what was about to happen. Whispering to her girlfriend's ear, she trembled.

"Do you think these men are going to help us, Marti? Or make our lives worse?"

"Well, we're about to find out Harley. Let's treat this like a free Monopoly game card called "Get Out of Jail card". Don't you see babe? God has answered our prayers!"

Harley shook her head as she didn't like that answer.

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