The main mission control room of the Octagon Verenda was just as busy as it had been when the O 1129 spacecraft went missing. All eight Chancellors were present, and every soldier and scientist in the room had their eyes glued to the screens, not wanting to miss a single piece of information from Diane-14. Hushed voices filled the air as the team worked together, analyzing the data and trying to find any clues. The equipment's hum added to the room's sense of urgency.
"Anything new?" Madam Jessy asked in a low voice over Jupiter's shoulder. She could see the tension on her husband's face.
"Not yet, Everything's going so far well" Jupiter whispered looking at her lovely wife's tensed face.
"I'm going to connect with the voyagers, "Bell said in a cold voice. Everyone could see how pale his face was. It was second only to Elsa's paler face. Elsa went to the communication system, following Bostic behind.
"May god bless our kids" Madam Blake whispered to herself as Bell dialled. Bell gave out a breath hearing her wish.
As soon as the connection to Diane-14 was established, Elsa, Bell, and the others in the mission control room witnessed Carl kissing Olivia's neck as she sat in front of the communication system. A smile spread across Elsa's face, while Bell strained his vocals, making a funny expression.
"Hello," Elsa said in a playful tone. Carl and Olivia quickly looked up at the screen, startled. Curie, who was standing nearby, giggled at the scene.
"Are you ready for the conversation now?" Sir Bostic asked teasingly.
"Umm...yeah, yup, sorry sir" Olivia replied looking like a teenager caught up to parents doing some fault, blushing as Carl stepped away, his face also flushed.
"We're here to know about your expedition. Anything new?" Bell asked, quickly shifting the focus to the task at hand. He already knew about every detail sent. He just wanted to smooth into the topic without causing confusion to those young minds.
"Not yet, sir. All our sensors, radar, and every system are focused on finding any clue about the missing spacecraft," Olivia explained. Elsa and Bell could see that every member of the Diane-14 crew was busy, their eyes glued to the screens, gathering as much information as possible. A few hours went so peacefully.
For a few hours, Bell and Elsa had been able to relax their minds, thinking that something terrible wouldn't happen, as they had feared. But destiny was not that merciful.
Suddenly, Olivia's concerned voice caught their attention. "The sea's getting stormy," she said to Elsa, her expression filled with worry.
Elsa immediately turned her gaze to Penny, her own face etched with concern. "The storm was detected a few minutes ago. It's getting worse," Penny reported, her voice tinged with worry.
Elsa's voice was laced with concern as she asked, "How bad is it?"
Penny's response was grim. "As bad as the last one," she said, her tone horrified. Elsa and Bell exchanged a heavy glance.
Trying to keep their hopes up, Elsa turned to Olivia and said, "It's just a storm, Liv. You passed the last one without any trouble. This time, you'll all get through it too."
Olivia's worried gaze shifted to Kalvin, who was intensely focused on the control panel. She could see the worry etched on his face, and she knew that this time, it was not going to be as simple as the previous storm.
As the tension in the mission control room continued to build, another half an hour passed. Suddenly, Elsa heard Olivia's fearful voice come through the communication system.
"Mom, it's worse than expected. Kalvin asked for any helpful information from Bell," Olivia's distressed tone conveyed the gravity of the situation.
Elsa immediately turned to Bell, expecting him to provide a solution. However, the helpless look in Bell's eyes filled Elsa with dread. He solemnly shook his head, indicating that he had no helpful information to offer.
Elsa stared at him, shock written all over her face. After a moment, Bell let out a deep breath and walked over to the communication system.
Choosing his words carefully, Bell spoke as he knew scaring anyone wouldn't make any better, "Olivia, ask Kalvin what he expects me to find. I'll do my best to help."
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Elsa turned around and walked to Jupiter as Olivia continued to talk with Bell. Elsa turned and walked over to where Jupiter was sitting, monitoring the radar system and the computer screen displaying the data gathered from Diane-14's sensors about the ocean bed.
Jupiter was biting his thumb as he stared intently at the screen, his expression troubled.
"Anything helpful?" Elsa asked, her voice trembling with concern.
Jupiter glanced over at her, disappointment evident on his face. "Not yet," he sighed.
The horrified looks Elsa had seen on both Bell's and Jupiter's faces clearly indicated what was to come. As the two most experienced Chancellors about expeditions, they likely had a better understanding of the dire situation unfolding. Elsa covered her eyes, looking up with a worried expression.
"We shouldn't give up hope yet. They'll find something, for sure," Jupiter said, sensing the despair in Elsa's demeanour. Despite his past differences with her, he could understand the pain she must be feeling at the prospect of losing her only remaining family member.
"We all know the truth in advance," Elsa said, lowering her hand.
Jupiter looked back at the screen, his jaw set with determination. "Then we have to find some clue before the ship disappears," he said, leaving Elsa to grapple with the weight of his words.
For a few more minutes, the mission control room fell silent, save for the hum of the machines and the hushed whispers of the working crew. Elsa stood beside Jupiter, her eyes fixed on the screens displaying the data from the Diane-14. She could see the concern etched on the faces of her fellow Chancellors as they pored over the information, searching for any clue that could help them locate the missing spacecraft.
The silence was broken only by the occasional beep of an alert or the soft murmur of a scientist relaying an update to their colleagues. Elsa could feel the tension building, as everyone in the room was desperate for any sign of hope.
Across the room, Bell stood at the communication system, his brow furrowed as he listened intently to Olivia's updates from the Diane-14. Elsa could see the worry in his eyes, and she knew that he was doing everything in his power to find a way to bring them home safely.
Suddenly, the eerie silence was shattered by the blaring of an alarm, its piercing sound echoing through the mission control room.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!" Elsa turned her head towards the source of the alarm, her eyes immediately seeking out Bell's. As she approached him, she noticed the cautious exchange of glances between him and Jupiter.
"What does it mean?" Elsa asked in a low voice, leaning in close to Bell's ear, not wanting Olivia to hear their conversation. Elsa knew what it meant but the motherly part of her soul didn't want to admit it.
Bell's eyes met hers, his expression grave. "You know what it means Elsa, no need of fake hopes. It means we have only a few minutes left," he whispered, his words laced with a sense of finality. "The situation is no longer controllable."
Elsa felt a chill run down her spine as Bell's words sank in. She barely had a chance to process the information when Olivia's voice suddenly rang out, a tone of astonishment and alarm in her words.
" What's that? Carl? was it a light? " She was talking to Carl who was standing near Kalvin staring outside of the huge glass curiously.
" Are you sure? Wasn't it a flash of lightning" Olivia shouted again.
"Olivia, what did you see? answer! " Bell shouted urgently.
" Oh my gosh! Kalvin, did you see it? " Olivia screamed. She no longer paid attention to the communication system—actually, none of them did!
" Olivia answer, What's going on, For god's sake answer!" Bell shouted desperately to know what was happening. But Olivia didn't think she could answer. She was astonished by whatever ever was happening there.
" Look at Erien! Tara lay him down! " Olivia shouted running to help.
"Olivia!" Elsa shouted nervously. Suddenly the video of the diane-14 became blurred. Eolsa stared at it with eyes widened by fear.
"What's going on?"Bell asked turning to Jupiter.
"Our signals getting interrupted," Jupiter said nervously running hs fingers across the keyboard restlessly.
"Oh...my...goodness..." Olivia's voice and the video feed grew increasingly unclear and distorted.
"Answer Diane-14, answer!" Bell sounded desperate, his voice tinged with panic.
"Ohhh Gr...a...ce..." The sound became robotic and garbled.
"This is getting worse. We need to focus on the data," Bell said, turning to Jupiter. The video was blurred and the sound was severely muffled.
"Our signals are getting jammed," Jupiter said as Bell approached him. Elsa continued to call out to Olivia endlessly, but Bell knew it was no use.
"Could it be some kind of magnetic field or a new element?" Madam Evens asked, turning to Jupiter.
"It looks more like a weather condition," Chancellor Jessy answered.
"No weather condition causes this kind of effect. The details our systems are showing make no sense," Madam Evens explained.
"We need to focus on gathering that data. We can analyze it later to make some sense," Jupiter said, staring intently at the radar.
"What do you think about those hexagonal cloud theories?" Sir Johnson asked curiously.
"I think it's just a small part of the scene. There could be something bigger causing this, something we haven't even thought of. The ocean has so many mysteries," Madam Browns elaborated.
"Save the discussion for later. We're losing radar signals," Jupiter said, pointing to the system.
"No use trying now. As you said, our systems are gathering every piece of information," Madam Evens said, letting out a breath.
"It went off!" Madam Blake shouted, standing up. Bell closed his eyes for a moment, realizing he had just lost his son.
"It's gone," Jupiter whispered, pointing to the radar system. Elsa stared at the system, her eyes wide with fear.
"Do something!" she cried out desperately. The other seven Chancellors exchanged heavy looks, while Bell was lost in his thoughts. No one had an answer to give to this mother weeping over her child.