Chapter 3 - Puzzled

“Here we are kids!! The Space Protection Agency”

Everyone looked puzzled as they swallowed hard in disbelief. That tiny bungalow cannot be the Space Protection Agency. It hardly even looked like a place to work at. Everyone was curious.

“Are you serious?” asked 2954.
“Of course,” the van driver replied.
“Is this for real?” 2402 questioned in disbelief.
“Of course.”
“You mean this is our destination?” 2909 gulped.
“Of course.”

Everyone stare in amazement. The tiny building looks even smaller when compared to our academy.
“We train in a huge academy to work in this tiny agency?”
“Ironic, isn’t it,” 1712 gave a gentle pat 2909 on his back.
“Listen, just get off the bus, okay. Its not like I have all the time in the world. Once you are inside, everything will make sense.”

We could see that the bus driver was annoyed. He quickly zoomed off right after we set foot to the agency’s ground, eager to leave us all. We all looked at each other and the tiny bungalow, waiting for someone to make the first step towards the unconvincing agency. It was Agent 2954 that decided to lead the way into the bungalow.

To our surprise, what looks like a tiny office from the outside was not an office at all, more like a domestic household. Furniture, TV set, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, all your basic household necessity.

“O yah, it makes sense alright. The agency has gone crazy!” 2909 made a bold statement.
“Where are the hi-tech gadgets? Modernize computers? The spaceships?!”

“To answer that question, Agent 2909, let us go down to the basement.” A man suddenly appeared from behind us.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am Agent 523, but you can call me Roy. I’m the head of your unit. From here on, I’ll be guiding all of you throughout your mission, Agent 1212.”

How did he know who we are? We haven’t introduced ourselves to him.
“As the head of your unit, it is important for me to know you before meeting you. Does that answer your question Agent 1212?”
I became more puzzled than before. He could read minds too, I thought. How could he?

“No, I cannot read minds.” He looked at me as if trying hard to convince me.
“And no, I am not weird.” He gave a stare at Agent 1712.
“I didn’t think you’re weird” Agent 1712 answered.
“Yeah, but you do think I’m crazy, don’t you?”
Agent 1712 remained silence. So it’s true then, he did think Roy is crazy.

Roy led us down creaky stairs. Finally, the stairs ended and we were in the dusty, messy basement. Roy opened the underground manhole and we climbed down the slimy, slippery steel ladder down to the sewers underneath. He gave each one of us some sheets of paper towels to clean up the mess and continued striding across the smelly water. We followed him reluctantly.

He came to a halt at one corner and waves his watch over what seems like an old black tin can. Two beep sounds came out from the tin can and the wall in the corner shifted upwards exposing what seems like a series of interlocking metal door that opens in a sequence.

“Kids, welcome to the Space Protection Agency!!”

-To Be Continued-