Searching for Toby
Samantha and Mark must search for Toby but things go wrong.
Mark felt the pressure mounting. He had just talked to Anya, and she was counting on him to find Toby. The only lead he had was the nurse at the hospital. He knew that Samantha was investigating the nurse, but she had yet to return to his office with any updates.
Samantha burst into Mark's office, her face pale. "Mark," she said, "we need to go to the hospital. Now."
Mark jumped to his feet. "What happened?" he asked.
"The nurse," Samantha said. "She's new and I'm afraid she will disappear before we can interrogate her."
Mark's heart sank. "What do you mean?"
"She may be a Space Corp agent," Samantha said. "
Mark didn't hesitate. "Let's go," he said.
They rushed out of the office and headed to the hospital. When they arrived, they went straight to the nurse's office. It was empty.
"Now what?" Samantha asked.
Mark looked around. "Let's ask the manager," he said.
They found the manager in his office. He was a stern-looking man with a shaved head.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"We're looking for the nurse," Mark said. "Do you know where she is?"
The manager shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he said. "She hasn't been here all day."
Mark's frown deepened. "Is she new?" he asked.
The manager nodded. "Yes," he said. "She started just a few days ago."
"Can you tell me anything about her?" Mark asked.
The manager shrugged. "Not much," he said. "She was quiet and kept to herself. I didn't get to know her very well."
Mark sighed. "Thank you for your time," he said.
He and Samantha left the manager's office and walked down the hallway.
"What now?" Samantha asked.
"I don't know," Mark said. "But I'm starting to think that Toby isn't the only one who's missing."
He took out his phone and dialed a number. "Police," he said. "I'd like to report a missing person."
He explained the situation to the police officer on the other end of the line. When he was finished, the officer was silent for a moment.
"I see," the officer said. "I'm afraid I have some more bad news. There have been several other reports of missing boys from hospitals in the area. All of the boys have the same symptoms as Toby."
Mark's heart sank. "What's going on?" he asked.
"I don't know," the officer said. "But we're working on it."
Mark hung up the phone and looked at Samantha.
"I don't know what to think," he said. "But I know we need to find Toby and the other boys. And fast."
Samantha nodded in agreement.
They stood there for a moment, lost in thought. Then, Mark turned and started walking down the hallway.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get to work."
Samantha followed him, her determination burning bright. They were going to find Toby and the other boys, no matter what.
Mark decided to call Anya and tell her about the kidnapping and the nurse's disappearance. He knew that she would be worried, but he also knew that she needed to know the truth.
He took a deep breath and dialed her number.
"Hello?" Anya said on the other end of the line.
"Anya, it's Mark," he said.
"Mark!" Anya said. "Is everything okay?"
Mark hesitated. He didn't know how to tell her.
"I'm afraid not," he said. "Toby's been kidnapped."
Anya gasped. "Oh my God," she said. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm doing everything I can to find him," Mark said. "But I need your help."
"Anything," Anya said. "Just tell me what to do."
Mark told Anya about the nurse and how she had disappeared. He also told her about the other missing boys.
"I think that the nurse might be involved in the kidnappings," Mark said. "But I need more information."
"I can help you with that," Anya said. "I have access to Space Corp's computer system. I can try to find out more about the nurse and the other missing boys."
"That would be a great help," Mark said. "Thank you, Anya."
"You're welcome," Anya said. "I'll do everything I can to help find Toby."
They hung up the phone, and Mark felt a little bit better. He had Anya's help, and that meant a lot.
He knew that it would be a difficult task to find Toby, but he was determined to do it. He wouldn't stop until Toby was safe and sound.
"Jax," Anya said, "we have to find out what's happening. Why does Space Corp want our boys?"
"I don't know," Jax said. "But we'll find out."
"I'm going back into VR," Anya said. "I'm going to ask around and see if the other boys know anything about the activities there."
"Be careful," Jax said. "Space Corp is watching."
"I will," Anya said. "But I have to do this."
Anya turned and walked towards the VR headset. Jax watched her go, his heart filled with worry. He knew that Anya was in danger, but he also knew that she was determined to find Toby.
Anya put on the headset and entered VR. She found herself in the same room where she had been last time. She took a monitor on the virtual console and she observed the job she set up had been finished. She transformed herself into a different person. And she left the room.
Anya continued to explore the VR simulation as a little girl, looking for information about Toby and what Space Corp was planning. She soon came across a girl named Roxana. Roxana was the only girl in the simulation, and she was excited to see another girl.
Two girls dressed as space cadets are talking, and some space cadets are nearby playing.
One of the girls: "I'm Roxana," she said. "What's your name?"
"Anya," Anya said.
"It's nice to meet you, Anya," Roxana said. "I'm glad there's finally another girl here."
"I can't believe we're finally here," one of the girls says. "We've been dreaming of this day for so long."
"I know," the other girl says. "It's like a dream come true."
They look around at the other space cadets, who are all boys.
"What do you think they think of us?" the first girl asks.
"I don't know," the other girl says. "But I don't care. We're here to learn and train, just like they are."
They walk over to a group of boys who are playing a game of tag.
"Can we play?" the first girl asks.
The boys stop playing and look at the girls.
"Sure," one of the boys says. "But be warned, we're pretty good."
The girls smile and join the game. They play for a while, and the girls are surprised to find that they're quite good.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," one of the girls says, "but I'm having fun."
"Me too," the other girl says.
They finish playing the game, and the boys and girls start talking. They quickly realize that they have a lot in common. They're all passionate about space and exploration, and they're all determined to be the best space cadets they can be.
"I'm glad we meet you," one of the boys says. "We need more girls in the space program."
The girls smile. "We're glad to be here," one of them says.
The boys and girls continue to talk, and they quickly become friends. They know that they're going to have a lot of adventures together as space cadets.
Anya and Roxana started talking again, and Anya learned that Roxana had been kidnapped by Space Corp when she was very young. She had been raised in the VR simulation, and she thought that it was the real world.
"I'm special," Roxana said. "I'm stronger than any other girl. My father told me so."
Anya nodded. She could tell that Roxana was proud of her strength.
"What do you do in VR?" Anya asked.
"We train," Roxana said. "We train to be pilots and astronauts."
Anya's heart sank. She realized that Space Corp was training these children to be soldiers.
"Do you know what happens after we finish training?" Anya asked.
Roxana smiled. "Of course," she said. "We get to fly to the Moon."
Anya's stomach churned. She had to get out of VR and warn Jax.
"I have to go," she said. "It was nice talking to you, Roxana."
"It was nice talking to you too, Anya," Roxana said. "I hope you come back and visit soon."
Anya exited VR and took off the headset. Jax was waiting for her.
"What did you find out?" he asked.
Anya told him everything that Roxana had told her.
"They're training them to be soldiers," Anya said. "And they're going to send them to the Moon."
Jax's eyes widened. "That's bad," he said. "We have to stop them."
"I know," Anya said. "But how?"
Jax shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "But we'll figure it out."
Anya and Jax looked at each other, determined to find a way to stop Space Corp from sending these children to their deaths.
Anya quickly called Mark and told him what she had learned.
"Mark," she said, "Space Corp is training these children to be soldiers and sending them to the Moon. We have to stop them."
Mark was shocked. "That's insane," he said. "But what can we do?"
"I don't know yet," Anya said. "But I need you to go to Space Corp and watch for any unusual activity. See if you can figure out what they're planning."
"I'm on my way," Mark said.
Mark hung up the phone and grabbed his binoculars. He rushed out the door and headed for Space Corp.
He found a good vantage point and started watching. He saw two large shuttles being prepared for launch.
"This doesn't look good," Mark said to himself.
He called Anya and told her what he had seen.
"I think they're getting ready to launch the children to the Moon," he said.
"We have to stop them," Anya said. "But how?"
"I don't know," Mark said. "But we'll figure it out."
Anya and Mark hung up the phone and started thinking. They knew that they had to act fast, or the children would be lost forever.
But what could they do? They were just two people against a powerful corporation.
Mark knew that he needed help, so he called Samantha. Samantha was a powerful woman with a lot of influence. She could get things done that Mark couldn't.
"Samantha," Mark said, "I need your help. Space Corp is kidnapping children and training them to be soldiers. They're getting ready to send them to the Moon."
Samantha was shocked. "That's insane," she said. "But how do we know this is true?"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Mark said. "I need you to send help. We have to stop them before they launch the shuttles."
"I need proof," Samantha said. "Can you get me pictures or something?"
"I'll try," Mark said.
Mark hung up the phone and went back to watching Space Corp. He took some pictures of the shuttles being prepared for launch, but he couldn't find the children.
He watched late into the night, but he eventually fell asleep. When he woke up in the morning, he saw that the children were boarding the shuttles.
He quickly took pictures and sent them to Samantha.
"They're launching!" he texted her. "We have to hurry!"
Samantha promised to send help, but by the time it arrived, the shuttles had already taken off.
The police were powerless to stop them.
Mark and Samantha watched in horror as the shuttles disappeared into the sky. They knew that they had failed to save the children.
But they also knew that they couldn't give up. They had to find a way to stop Space Corp from training these children to be soldiers.
To be continued ... how is going Jax and Anya bring back the children?