Episode 13: Fly Me To The Moon
Tactical Tailoring Room, Yamantau Base
Amidst the constant hum of specialized machinery, officials at various stations were busily engrossed in the crafting of military uniforms and diverse styles of warrior armor. However, the most captivating sight in the room was the area housing the three jet-black space-flight suits. The female official in charge beamed a smile at the trio and gestured invitingly.
"You may try them on now. Everything has been precision-tailored to the exact measurements you provided."
Victor appeared the most adept among the three. His sturdy hands handled the armor plating and the form-fitting base layers with the expertise of a seasoned pro. After all, the foundations of these suits were an evolution of the V Sonic gear he had designed and worn during his life-or-death escape from Area 51. The moment he finished donning his own suit—holding only his helmet in his hand—he wasted no time, rushing over to assist Yuri and Chris with their straps and various joint connectors immediately.
“Hey, Chris... you’ve got to press this shoulder latch until it clicks into place. Otherwise, air will leak in when you hit high speeds,” Victor cautioned while double-checking his junior’s gear.
“Thanks, Brother. I have to say, this suit is much lighter than I expected,” Chris replied, rotating his arms to test his range of motion.
“Wow! Victor, could you take a look at my waist strap? It feels a bit loose,” Yuri giggled as she tried to adjust the slim-fit suit, which accentuated her goddess-like physique while giving her a much more rugged, tactical look.
The three of them chatted and teased one another playfully, their laughter and excitement filling the room. Even the female official standing nearby couldn't help but smile at the scene. She had no way of knowing that beneath the smiles and the banter—looking for all the world like kids obsessed with their new toys—both Chris and Victor were exchanging subtle glances and signals, mentally bracing themselves for the mission ahead.
As the final piece of armor was successfully installed, the female official brought over three sleekly designed helmets. Each one had the owner's name and suit ID clearly engraved on the rim to ensure a perfect match.
Victor was the first to take his helmet and put it on. The moment it locked into the neck interface, he spoke in a calm yet confident voice: “Hello, VSS Victor...”
Upon his command, the somber black suit, already a perfect fit, emitted the faint hum of micro-machinery. The nano-composite material contracted against Victor's physique, tightening until it gripped every contour of his body, granting him maximum agility as if it were a second skin. Seeing this, Chris and Yuri followed suit immediately.
For Chris, the sensation was worlds apart from when he wore Victor’s old V Sonic model. This new suit was incredibly light, yet felt far more secure and stable. On the HUD (Heads-Up Display) inside his helmet, an emerald green heart-rate monitor appeared, followed by scrolling text: [VSS Chris: Online]. As soon as Chris uttered a greeting, the AI system commanded the suit to cinch perfectly to his body in the blink of an eye.
As for Yuri, hers was the only suit uniquely designed to accommodate the female anatomy. When the cinching system activated, the glossy black space suit accentuated her curves and elegant silhouette with striking clarity. It became a flight suit that looked more seductive and powerful than anything the world had ever seen, so much so that even the female official couldn't help but steal an admiring glance.
"Synchronization is perfect across all three suits..." the official noted, verifying the status on her tablet before looking up with a smile. "Would you like to perform an internal flight test within this room?"
"No matter how vast this room is, it's impossible to test Supersonic levels in here," Yuri replied honestly. "Even the wind tunnel wouldn't be enough." Chris and Victor immediately exchanged a knowing look, well aware that the VSS suits required far more open space to truly show their performance.
"I am well aware that you must be eager to test the Supersonic speeds. That is why I took the liberty of requesting permission from General Nikolai on your behalf," the official replied with a smile.
"Really!" Yuri exclaimed with delight. She didn't waste a second, immediately pulling out her phone to call her father. "Ring... ring... It's me, Dad."
Before Yuri could say another word, the voice on the other end responded with fatherly affection. "I already know, sweetie. Go ahead and test the suits. But please, keep it within this general area. I don't feel like cleaning up the mess with the government again," Nikolai said, knowing his daughter all too well.
"Will do, Dad! There are three of us going: me, Brother Victor, and Chris," Yuri reported in a bright, cheerful tone.
"Use the small gate, honey—the one at the back of the mountain. Fly out normally first, and wait until you’ve gained some altitude before testing the high speeds. Otherwise, the cameras and sensors at the gate will be fried again. You understand, right?" Nikolai emphasized, his concern showing through his instructions.
"Got it, Dad... I love you the most!" Yuri chirped before quickly hanging up in her excitement.
She tucked her phone away and turned to Chris and Victor, who were waiting. "Dad gave us the green light! We can go test the suits outside. He wants us to use the back gate so we don't interfere with the sensors at the front of the base."
Chris and Victor gave each other a silent nod. The look in their eyes behind their visors began to shift; the thrill of testing the new gear was now intermingled with the plan they were about to set in motion.
"Next time, you can just use the comms through your helmet, Yuri. I've already set up the entire connection system," Victor noted. "Oh, and Chris—I’ve integrated a special compartment for your soul orb bag right here." Victor added, pointing to a concealed spot near the waist strap of Chris's suit.
"This is your suit, and your suit alone. The AI inside is yours as well. You can name it whatever you like. If you're unsure about anything, just ask it. But remember... if you want to make it difficult for anyone to track you while flying, command the system to cut off all external communication. Leave only the private channel active between the three of us," Victor cautioned with a serious expression before adding a final note: "And most importantly... I didn't install any weapons in these suits this time. It’s just the suit itself. You’ll have to rely entirely on your own power."
"The guides are here to lead the way," the female official noted as two male officers approached.
"That's alright! I know the way by heart, and I want to get there fast. Just make sure the gates are open for us!" Yuri cut her off, her voice brimming with excitement. She immediately surged with power, hovering slightly before darting away. Victor and Chris followed suit without a second's delay.
Yuri wove and zigzagged through the wide corridors, skillfully dodging other personnel. As she streaked past Alexei, who was taking a break, she didn't stop to chat. She merely looked back, gave a quick wave, and lunged forward.
Alexei watched the black blur streak past, waving back in total confusion. "Who the hell was that?" he muttered to himself.
A few heartbeats later, Victor and Chris, clad in their matte black VSS suits, followed close behind. Both glanced at Alexei for a split second before accelerating after Yuri, leaving Alexei standing there scratching his head.
"And who are those guys? It’s a whole parade... Man, when is it going to be my turn to fly!" Alexei grumbled to himself, a mix of envy and discouragement as he watched the three fliers vanish from sight.
Every door Yuri approached slid open automatically in advance, cleared by the absolute authority of the General’s daughter. The three of them had now formed a steady, tight formation. Ahead lay a massive airfield hidden deep beneath the mountain—a labyrinth of hangars and a vast runway designed for lightning-strike missions.
Chris and Victor gazed at the sheer magnificence of Russian military engineering in awe, but there was no time for admiration. Personnel stationed around the area watched the trio with keen interest, and both Victor and Chris offered brief waves in return. Yuri led them into the final flight tunnel, which slanted upward at a sharp 45-degree angle. The ground crew cleared the path and signaled they were clear for takeoff. Yuri didn't hesitate, leading the charge toward the exit. Light from the outside world began to bleed in, and the VSS scanning system reported that the final gate was fully retracted.
Yuri was the first to blast out of the tunnel’s mouth. Her glossy black silhouette shimmered in the brilliant sunlight before she immediately banked into a vertical climb. Chris and Victor streaked out right behind her. The frigid Siberian wind slammed against their outer plating, creating a piercing whistle.
"Yuri! Calm down! Wait for us!" Victor called out over the helmet comms as he saw Yuri accelerate, leaving them in her wake. Chris remained silent, focusing on accelerating to maintain the balance of his new suit.
"Don't talk so much! Just keep up!" Yuri shot back, her voice bubbling with mischief and excitement. She ignored Victor’s protest entirely, her body piercing through the first thick layer of clouds, soaring toward altitudes where ordinary aircraft rarely venture.
Victor felt his heart begin to race as he peered down and saw the Russian landscape transform into a faint, distant pattern. Despite having absolute confidence in his own mind and designs, this was his first true confrontation with the edge of space. Anxiety began to gnaw at him, causing him to instinctively slacken his speed.
Suddenly... BOOM!!! A massive shockwave erupted in mid-air. Yuri ignited her power, breaching the sound barrier with a thunderous Sonic Boom, streaking ahead as the lead. Chris didn't hesitate; he surged with energy and followed her in the blink of an eye, leaving Victor behind in the silence.
"Come on! Get it together! You can't wimp out now... I have to trust in what I’ve built, dammit!" Victor roared inside his helmet to pump himself up. Making his decision, he pushed to full throttle, lunging forward to shatter the sound barrier and pursue them immediately.
The three black figures pierced through layer after layer of the atmosphere. The HUD reported the sky changing from cloud-thick white to a brilliant azure, then gradually darkening into a deep, pitch-black void adorned with countless stars.
"We have reached The Karman Line, Miss Yuri... but you haven't given me a name yet," the AI in Yuri’s helmet noted in a polite tone.
Yuri finally decelerated and came to a halt. She turned back to gaze at the world below—the horizon curved in a beauty beyond words from an altitude of 100 kilometers above sea level. It was the same moment Victor and Chris caught up. The three of them drifted there, suspended in the vast emptiness of near-perfect weightlessness.
“My suit works! It works perfectly!” Victor roared through the comms, his voice brimming with pure elation. The anxiety that had gripped him earlier vanished instantly now that he saw the gear he’d poured his soul into could truly protect them from such extreme conditions.
“We’re falling back down, everyone!” Chris shouted in alarm as his body suddenly lost balance, plunging toward the earth under the pull of gravity. He had to quickly surge his flight power to stabilize himself and climb back up toward his friends, looking a bit clumsy as he struggled with the lack of air resistance.
Yuri and Victor watched Chris wobbling through the void with affectionate amusement. “Chris... you have to maintain your velocity! See? I’m not actually standing still. It only looks like we’re hovering because we’re moving at orbital speed along with the Earth. Even Brother Victor is doing it!” Yuri explained fluently, drawing from her rigorous training.
Victor, having regained his composure, looked at Yuri in awe. “You’ve never actually been to space before, have you? How do you understand orbital mechanics like this, Yuri?”
“I practiced in the vacuum tunnels, of course! Didn’t they have training rooms like that at Area 51, Brother Victor?” Yuri asked curiously.
“They did... but I learned from the real deal,” Victor replied with a hint of pride. “I’ve been to space before in the alien craft the project confiscated. That’s where I learned how to handle these maneuvers. It’s just that this time, it’s in a suit I built myself. The feeling is... a little different.”
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Chris focused his energy, finally managing to stabilize his flight and rejoin the group. “Thanks, Brother Victor... the situational report system in your helmet design really helped a lot.”
Once Chris had stabilized his flight and adapted to the conditions of space, he paused for a moment. Then, with a voice heavy with guilt, he finally voiced the secret he had been harboring.
"Guys... I'm sorry. I have to go my own way," Chris confessed his urgent mission, immediately tensing his body to surge forward and leave them behind.
But before Chris could move an inch, Yuri, who was hovering nearby, reached out and gripped his arm firmly. "Where do you think you're going? We’re a supersonic team now! Just hitting Mach 5 back on Earth is boring... don't you want to try Hypersonic speeds, Mach 20 and beyond?" Yuri challenged him, her eyes playful yet filled with underlying seriousness.
"But I have to go alone! You guys have to go back and tell the base that I escaped. Please don't be mad... I really have to do this. Once my mission is finished, I promise I'll come back as fast as I can," Chris pleaded, trying to make them understand his reasons.
Yuri let out a soft chuckle through the comms and stared deep into Chris’s visor. "Did you really think I didn't know what you were planning... you little blondie? Dad told me everything about your 'escape' plan!"
Yuri’s confession left Chris utterly speechless. The plan he thought was his absolute secret had leaked to General Nikolai and been passed straight to his daughter. The silence of space suddenly felt even more suffocating.
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Flight Communication Command Center, Yamantau Base
The previously tense atmosphere in the secret space communication room plummeted into a sudden, awkward silence. Technical officers and military personnel exchanged darting, uneasy glances as Yuri’s voice blared through the central speakers, broadcasting every word from her VSS helmet—completely exposing Chris’s "escape" plan for everyone to hear.
Master Oon, standing nearby with his arms crossed, let a subtle, amused smirk play on his lips. Meanwhile, General Nikolai—Yuri’s father—wiped his face with his hand in utter exasperation.
"There goes my daughter... she’s so obsessed with having fun that she’s forgotten the mission. Everything I told her to keep quiet, she just blurted out!" Nikolai muttered loudly amidst the stares of his subordinates. He was caught between amusement and embarrassment, watching a national secret take a backseat to Yuri’s insatiable curiosity.
"It seems the General's daughter is having too much fun to let Chris go off on his own, sir," one communication officer whispered jokingly, prompting a sharp, warning glare from the private secretary.
Nikolai let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "I went through all that trouble to emphasize that she must pretend to be oblivious to that blond kid’s plan... and what does the little brat do? She exposes the whole thing in the middle of space just so she can invite him to go racing!”
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The Karman Line (The Edge of Space)
"Since we were going to let Chris go anyway, why bother with all the exhausting planning? I’m going too! Tee-hee!" Yuri chirped back to the command center, her voice brimming with the playful confidence of a General’s daughter who knew her father would eventually cave.
"Very well... it is of no great consequence," Master Oon’s voice cut through the comms. "I simply didn't want our adversaries to realize we have astronauts who don't require spacecraft... but stay where you are for now. I have ordered Ren to fly up and join you. Should any complications arise, Ren will be there to assist you immediately."
Upon hearing the Great God’s command, Victor clutched his temples in frustration. "Wait... so when exactly did our escape plan fall apart?" he muttered irritably. "I was planning to split from Chris and take a detour to find my mother!"
"You're not going anywhere yet, Brother Victor! For now, we move together—we go with Chris!" Yuri interrupted with absolute determination.
Before she could even finish her sentence, a figure in pure, brilliant white soared through the atmosphere and came to a graceful halt right before the three of them. Everyone was struck with awe as they realized Ren required no space suit or life-support equipment whatsoever. He remained in his form-fitting white uniform—the divine attire of the gods, identical to that worn by Master Oon and Lady Meia.
"How is that even possible... You just came out here with nothing?" Victor exclaims in total disbelief, watching Ren exist in the vacuum of space without any life-support gear.
"I can manifest my own protective barrier. I have no need for suits or equipment," Ren replies to the group, his voice as calm and stoic as ever.
"Of course, you're a god... that’s next-level mastery," Yuri adds in admiration. Meanwhile, Chris remains stunned, realizing that the plan he had fought so hard to keep secret was common knowledge to everyone all along.
"Is... is everyone not mad at me?" Chris asks, his voice laced with anxiety.
"Everyone already knew what you were planning, but how could anyone be angry with you?" Master Oon’s voice resonates from the command center, filled with compassion. "You are going to save your parents, your siblings, your grandfather, and the family you love. None of us would ever stop you. Go now... and from this moment on, deactivate all external communication. Leave it off. Keep only your private group channel active."
"But what about Ren? How will we stay in touch with him?" Yuri asks curiously.
"Ren is just like me... he communicates through telepathy. You don't need to worry about him," Master Oon explains, clearing her doubts.
"We must ascend higher," Ren interjects with a serious tone.
"He's right. We need to climb to 200 kilometers above the Earth's surface—into the Thermosphere. From there, we can initiate Hypersonic speeds. The velocity we'll reach will be beyond anything we've ever imagined," Yuri adds, reinforcing the plan.
With the plan set, everyone begins to surge with power, accelerating as they climb deeper into the void of space, exactly as envisioned.
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Tactical Aerial Detection Command Center, Area 51
"We’ve been monitoring the movements for several days now, sir, but we haven't detected any border crossings or unusual signals whatsoever," a technical officer reported to General Miller inside an office filled with monitors tracking unidentified flight signatures from around the globe.
"The Indian military at the Longka base, with whom we’ve coordinated, has also been on high alert for days. Still, there is no sign of our projected target," another officer added, repeatedly scanning the map for thermal signatures.
General Miller stood with his arms crossed, staring into the void on the monitors with a piercing gaze. He showed no signs of restlessness; instead, he grew even more cautious.
"It doesn't matter what we see or don't see right now... keep a close watch on every movement," General Miller commanded with absolute authority. "A target of this caliber won't let themselves be caught easily."
The personnel acknowledged the order and returned to their stations, focusing intently on their screens.
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Thermosphere, 200 km above Earth's surface
"28,000 kilometers per hour! We’re blazing at Mach 23... Sonic, run a diagnostic on the protective suits. Check mine, Chris’s, and... uh... my darling Yuri’s as well," Victor blurted out to his AI, whom he had named Sonic, momentarily forgetting himself.
"The suits you designed are performing exceptionally. No signs of damage or wear. All three suits remain in pristine condition," Sonic replied in its steady tone.
"Oh... I haven't even named my AI yet," Yuri said out of the blue, making Victor jump. "Wait, Yuri! You heard what I was saying to Sonic?"
"I heard it too, Brother... you called Sister Yuri 'darling'," Chris chimed in instantly, a hidden smirk beneath his visor.
"Uh... I... well... uh..." Victor was completely caught off guard, stuttering helplessly in the vast emptiness of space.
"Then I’ll name my AI 'Sonic 2' so we can be a team," Yuri responded cheerfully, seemingly unfazed by Victor’s slip of the tongue.
"Then mine will be 'Sonic 3'!" Chris added quickly, trying to save face for his older brother.
"Chris... go ahead and order Sonic 3 to calculate the trajectory to your destination. And don't forget to share the coordinates with us," Yuri added, knowing exactly what needed to be done.
Ren flew alongside them in silence, observing the three of them teasing and chatting through their comms. His body continued to pierce through the darkness, holding a steady Mach 23 without relying on any calculations, guided only by his superior divine senses.
"Alright... I've shared the route with everyone. Follow me!" No sooner had Chris finished his sentence than Yuri surged forward, streaking ahead so fast she was nearly a blur.
"Mach 28... 29... 30! Even at Hypersonic levels, I feel like I could go even faster. But let’s cap it here—I don't want to overshoot the target and end up on the moon! Hahaha!" Yuri’s cheerful laughter rang through the communication system.
"So, what's down there at those coordinates Chris shared?" Yuri asked as Victor and Chris accelerated to catch up with her.
"Kailash... Mount Kailash," Chris answered briefly, his voice turning serious as they regained their tight formation at speeds beyond imagination.
"Lord Ren... could I stop here for just thirty seconds?" Yuri turned to ask the deity flying beside her.
"What for, child?" Ren asked curiously.
"I just want to stop and admire the beauty of the Earth from here for a moment," Yuri replied in a clear, bright voice.
"Very well... thirty seconds is of little consequence," Ren agreed. "I must admit, you all have achieved a velocity far beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals."
As Yuri hovered, mesmerized by the sight of the blue planet below, Victor seized the moment to command his system to run a deep scan on all three VSS suits. He looked for any flaws or frictional damage caused by the Mach 30 sprint, but the results were flawless. The suits dissipated heat perfectly, showing not even a single trace of wear and tear.
The four of them hovered in silence within the Thermosphere, suspended directly above the coordinates of Mount Kailash. Amidst that vast emptiness, a peculiar sense of profound happiness washed over them—a tranquility unlike anything they had ever experienced in their lives.
"Alright... let’s head down. Once we start feeling the drag from gravity, decelerate until we're under 200 kilometers per hour. Got it, everyone?" Victor spoke up, breaking the silence to focus the group. "If we don't, either a Sonic Boom or the friction flares will trip their sensors. They're watching us!"
With that, Victor tipped forward, accelerating into the descent first. The others followed immediately.
"This part is going to take a while before we hit the surface. We’re looking at at least thirty minutes, so stay patient," Victor cautioned through the comms. "We’re crossing back through the Karman Line now. Drop your speed back to Mach 20!"
"Everyone's going to start hearing the atmosphere getting thicker inside your helmets. Don't panic!" Yuri interjected, her voice bright and playful. "'Yuri Space Tours' is going to ensure the smoothest landing possible!"
"I've pushed a velocity schedule to all your suits, detailing exactly when to drop speed at each altitude. I guarantee no noise and definitely no flaming reentry like a meteor!" Yuri added, transmitting the data via the Sonic 1-2-3 system. Everyone checked the tables on their HUDs and adjusted their speed for what was intended to be the world's quietest landing.
“Solar storm arrival in 8 minutes and 14 seconds!” Sonic 1’s AI reported in a flat tone, though its message sent a shiver through everyone. “Victor, the suit design focuses solely on standard atmospheric protection; it will not withstand this. Your suits and your bodies will suffer severe radiation damage.”
“The Auroras are going to be more beautiful than usual, don’t you think?” Yuri remarked amidst the tension, her eyes fixed on the horizon as it began to shift colors.
“You... you can actually smile in a situation like this?” Ren said tonelessly, though he looked at Yuri with newfound respect for her sheer nerve.
“What is a solar storm, Yuri? Is it really that dangerous?” Chris asked through the comms, his voice laced with anxiety.
“A solar storm is a massive burst of high-energy particles ejected from the sun, Chris,” Yuri replied in a clear, sharp voice, as if giving a lecture. “It starts with an explosion on the sun's surface called a Solar Flare. When it erupts, it blasts intense electromagnetic waves and concentrated radiation toward Earth at incredible speeds.”
She continued, “If we stay at this altitude without a thick atmosphere to filter the radiation, our bodies will take the full force of X-rays and UV rays. It’ll be like putting yourself inside a microwave oven while it’s running, Victor! Plus, it’ll fry all the electronics in our VSS suits until they’re completely burnt out.”
“High-energy particle storms... concentrated X-rays and UV radiation... I didn't account for this at all! What do we do?!” Victor began to panic, his hands trembling as he frantically checked the power readings on his suit.
While Victor was losing his nerve, Yuri remained beaming as if nothing was wrong. She glanced at the calculation display in her helmet and spoke up. "Then we just have to accelerate! In these remaining 8 minutes, we need to dive into the Earth’s magnetic field as fast as possible. That’ll soften the blow. My calculations show this storm isn't strong enough to cause major damage to the surface—at most, it’ll just glitch the GPS systems a bit!"
Yuri’s words acted like a tether, pulling everyone’s focus back to the only escape route available.
"But if we hurtle toward the surface at that speed, we’ll all end up as roasted chickens!" Victor roared through the comms, his voice trembling with panic. "No matter how good the cooling system I designed for these VSS suits is, it’s not enough to shield our bodies from that much thermal intensity!"
"Oh, come on... we just have to manifest a protective barrier and regulate our internal body temperature to reinforce it from the inside. I’ve been doing that since we started the trip," Yuri replied calmly, surging with energy until a faint aura enveloped her body.
"I’m doing the same thing, Brother Victor," Chris added as he struggled to maintain his descent alongside them.
"But I don't know how to do that! I can only fly!" Victor blurted out, his fear reaching a breaking point. He was an engineer who had always relied on machinery; the concept of manipulating internal energy like Yuri and Chris was something he had yet to master.
“And there it is... exactly why I had to come along. I knew there was something gnawing at my intuition,” Lord Ren spoke with a deep, steady, yet commanding voice. He recognized Victor’s limitations instantly. “I’ve eaten well and slept plenty; my power should be more than enough to shield everyone,” Ren added calmly, but it provided an immense boost of confidence to the team.
The moment he finished speaking, the three of them lunged toward Ren, clinging to him tightly. Victor, fueled by a sheer terror of death, held on with an exceptionally tight grip. “Not that tight! Just enough so we don’t drift apart!” Ren quickly cautioned before detonating a surge of divine energy that enveloped them all.
At first, the energy barrier was invisible. But as they plunged into the increasingly dense layers of the atmosphere, violent friction began to ignite. A sphere of brilliant fire formed around the four of them. Miraculously, however, the immense heat didn't even graze their skin or affect the internal temperature of the suits in the slightest.
“They’re going to see us for sure! We’re a massive ball of fire!” Yuri exclaimed, watching the flames roaring around Ren’s barrier.
“We have no choice but to maintain this speed. My power right now isn't enough to counteract the force needed to slow us down. We must let gravity take us and find a way to brake when we're closer to the ground!” Ren announced over the piercing whistle of the air.
“Suit pressure is normal. No impact from external friction detected. Lord Ren’s protective barrier is operating at 100%,” the Sonic AI reported continuously.
Despite the instruments confirming their safety, Victor—still frantic—shouted in sheer terror, “Mach 23! We can’t pierce through the atmosphere at this speed! It’s too dangerous!” He stared at the display, where the speed figures continued to climb at a horrifying rate.
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