The sun is about to set, casting a golden glow over the woods surrounding the safe house. Inside, Mark and Tores sit at a small table, waiting for Samantha to return from negotiations with Space-Corp.
The safe house is a secluded cabin in the woods, belonging to Samantha. It is a place where the guardians of the children can meet and plan their operations in secret.
Samantha was using her influence and was invited to the negotiation table. She was clever enough to hide her true loyalty. She is serving Space-Corp and she tries to find out the truth.
Mark and Tores are both nervous about the outcome of the negotiations. They know that Space-Corp is a powerful and ruthless organization, and they are not sure if Samantha will be able to get them what they need.
But they also know that Samantha is a skilled negotiator and that she is determined to protect the children and the people of Earth.
They hear the sound of a car approaching, and they both stand up. Samantha walks into the safe house, looking furious. Mark and Tores stand up to greet her.
MARK: What happened?
SAMANTHA: It's a disaster. Space-Corp is blaming Anya and Jax for everything. They're not admitting any wrongdoing. They say the embargo is for preserving Earth from pollution by space organisms. And they're demanding more astronauts for mining colonies in space.
TORES: That's outrageous!
MARK: What are they planning?
SAMANTHA: I don't know, but it's something big. And they're not going to stop until they get it.
MARK: We need to stop them.
SAMANTHA: I know. But I can't do it alone. I need your help.
TORES: You have it.
MARK: We'll do whatever it takes.
SAMANTHA: Thank you. I knew I could count on you.
Samantha sits down at the table and explains everything that happened at the negotiations. She tells Mark and Tores about Space-Corp's demands and her suspicions about their true motives.
When she is finished, she looks at Mark and Tores expectantly.
SAMANTHA: So, what do we do now?
MARK: We start by gathering evidence. We need to prove that Space-Corp is behind the children's kidnapping.
TORES: And we need to find out what they're really planning.
SAMANTHA: Exactly. And I need your help to do it.
MARK: You've got it.
TORES: We're in this together.
The three of them shake hands and get to work.
Mark showed Samantha a video he took of Space-Corp embarking the children on two space shuttles. Samantha already has some pictures Mark sent to her before, but she has not seen this video yet.
"This is good," Samantha says. "But it's not enough, we need more"
Mark says. "You are right. We need a confession. We need to know the names of the kidnapped children and the names of the people who infiltrated the government. We don't know who to trust."
Tores nods in agreement. "We need to put more pressure on Space-Corp. We need to make them confess."
"But how?" Tores asks. "They're a powerful and ruthless organization. They're not going to give up their secrets easily."
Mark walks around the room talking:
"Space-Corp was hacked by Anya and Jax. They must have the information we need, but they are in radio silence. We can't contact them. Except..."
Mark stops and looks up at the ceiling. He knows that Space-Corp has access to VR, and that Anya is the one who controls it.
"VR," he says to himself. "That's how I can contact Anya and Jax."
Mark's eyes widen. He remembers the VR set that Toby left behind at the hospital. He goes outside and returns to the safe house, carrying a box in his arms. He sets the box down on the table and opens it, revealing a virtual reality headset.
MARK: "This is it. Toby's VR set."
Mark picks up the headset and examines it carefully. He knows that this could be the key to communicating with Anya and Jax. He put the VR headset on and suddenly he is projected on the spaceship.
SAMANTHA: Well? What do you see?
MARK: I see...
Mark pauses, his brow furrowed. He is concentrating hard.
MARK: I see a spaceship. I'm in a hallway. There are doors on either side of me.
SAMANTHA: Can you tell me which direction you're going?
MARK: I'm not sure. I can't see the end of the hallway.
TORES: Try opening one of the doors.
MARK: Okay.
Mark reaches out and opens the door on his left. He steps inside and finds himself in a large room.
MARK I'm in a control room. There are people sitting at the console.
SAMANTHA Can you identify any of them?
ANYA and JAX are sitting at their control console, monitoring the ship's systems. Suddenly, a hologram of TOBY appears behind them in the room.
ANYA: (here someone talking, she turns) Toby? What are you doing here?
TOBY HOLOGRAM (using Mark's voice). I need your help.
ANYA, (surprised). Mark?
TOBY HOLOGRAM: (nod) I need you to help me infiltrate Space-Corp and gather information about their plans.
JAX: Infiltrate Space-Corp? Are you crazy?
TOBY HOLOGRAM: Maybe. But it's the only way to save the future.
ANYA: We're in.
JAX: (Confused) ¿Qué dices?
ANYA: He's Mark. He's a friend of mine.
JAX: But we don't even know this guy.
TOBY HOLOGRAM: (Sighing) There's no time to explain everything. Just trust me. We need to start planning now.
Jax looks at Anya, who gives him a reassuring nod.
JAX: Fine. I'm in.
TOBY HOLOGRAM: Good.
The three of them start to discuss their plan. They know that it is a dangerous mission, but they are determined to save the future.
Mark is in the middle of the control room, as Toby's hologram. Anya sits at the computer, typing furiously and talking at the same time.
ANYA (To herself in Italian) Allora, vediamo...
She clicks on a few buttons, and the screen shows a database of Space-Corp employees.
ANYA (To Mark) Alright, here's the plan. I'm going to create a fake identity for you in the Space-Corp database. I'll make you a corrupted cop who's been infiltrated into the police.
MARK (In a muffled voice) That's perfect.
ANYA Once I'm done, you'll be able to visit Space-Corp without raising any suspicion.
MARK (In a muffled voice) Thanks, Anya. You're the best.
Anya smiles and continues typing. Mark watches her for a moment.
MARK (In a muffled voice) (To himself) I wish I could tell Samantha and Tores about this.
At the SAFE HOUSE - Night already
Tores, and Samantha sit at the table, waiting. Mark is wearing the VR set standing in the middle of the room. He looks frozen and has stopped talking.
SAMANTHA (To Tores) I wonder how Mark is doing.
She gets up and walks to the window. She looks out at the cars in front of the house. There is nobody around. For now, they are safe.
SAMANTHA (To Tores) I hope he's okay.
At SPACE STATION in the CONTROL ROOM
Anya finishes typing and clicks on a button.
ANYA All done. You're now officially a Space-Corp employee.
MARK (To Anya) So, what's next?
ANYA You have a new identity at Spce-Corp. You can start planning your visit and play your new role.
MARK Sounds good. Mark smiles at Anya raises his hands towards his ears, then disappears. He was taking of the VR set.
In the safe house, Mark starts moving. For a moment he looks disoriented and he is shaking his head. Mark turns to Samantha and Tores with the VR in his hands.
MARK: (To Samantha and Tores) I'm going to be okay.
SAMANTHA: (relieved) Here you are. How was it?
MARK: It was...intense. But I think it's going to work. Anya created a fake identity for me as a corrupted cop who's been infiltrated into the police. I should be able to visit Space-Corp without raising any suspicion.
SAMANTHA: That's great news, Mark. But please be careful. These people are dangerous. We must go together. I could introduce you.
MARK: That's a great idea, Samantha. Thanks.
SAMANTHA: No problem. We're in this together.
MARK: I'm going to need you to teach me everything you know about Space-Corp. I need to be prepared for anything.
SAMANTHA: Of course. I'll tell you everything I know.
TORES: (To Samantha) I don't trust you, Samantha. But I'm willing to give Mark a chance. You better be on our side.
SAMANTHA: (To Tores) Thank you, Tores.
Mark smiles at Samantha. He's grateful for her trust. He knows that Tores is a tough customer, but he's determined to win her over.
SAMANTHA: (To Mark and Tores) Now, let's talk about our plan...
Samantha and Mark start to discuss their plans. They know that they need to be careful, but they are confident that they can succeed. They are determined to save the children.
The next day, Mark and Samantha visited Space-Corp. As they approached the front door, it opened automatically. People were busy walking around, and service robots passed by, ignoring them. Some Space-Corp employees saluted Samantha. She headed straight for her office.
Mark was surprised. "You have an office here?" he asked.
Samantha smiled. "Of course I do. I'm a Space-Corp employee, after all."
Mark was confused. "But... how?"
Samantha sighed. "It's a long story. But let's just say that I have my ways."
Mark looked around the Space-Corp headquarters in amazement. He couldn't believe that Samantha was able to move around so freely here.
"This is incredible," he said.
"I know, right?" Samantha said. "It's like a whole other world."
Samantha verified her computer and printed a new badge for Mark. She handed it to him with a smile.
"Anya has done a good job. Now you're officially a Space-Corp employee," she said. "Your credentials are much higher than mine.
Mark took the badge and examined it. It had his name, photo, QR code, a chip and job title printed on it. "Chief of Space-Corp Security"
"Thanks, Samantha," he said. "This is crazy."
"No problem," Samantha said. "Now, let's get you started on your first assignment."
Mark and Samantha walked out of her office and headed down the hallway towards the elevators. Mark was excited to be here. He knew that he had a dangerous mission ahead of him, but he was determined to succeed. He was determined to save the children.
To be continued: Will Mark find the evidence he needs to stop Space-Corp?