Chapter 4 Part II

<< Guys I want to introduce you to someone, she is Chiara. We met in the dormitory under somewhat bizarre circumstances >> he explained, making her sit next to him;

<< A friend of Alice's is also our friend >> Lucia replied, shaking her hand;

<< Very pleased, I'm Orlando >> the boy introduced himself;

<< I am Leonardo >>;

<< I finally know you >> Chiara blurted out;

<< Excuse me? >> he replied;

<< Alice says that you are an expert astronaut and it's true, after all, your parents are legends of the Agency >> he defended himself, realizing the slip-up he had made.

Leonardo didn't answer her, limiting himself to a nod but as they left the canteen he asked Orlando if he knew her.

<< I'm seeing it for the first time >> his friend replied.

Leonardo, Alice and Orlando spent that day inside the "mockup" of the Pigafetta where the colonel assigned the two boys the task of simulating a spacewalk outside the spacecraft by carrying out a series of specific movements while Alice had the task of remaining inside learning to interact with Pandora.

Lucia, in a group with Chiara, had the task of climbing onto one of the "mockups" of the laboratories of the orbiting space station with the mission of completing some exercises such as wearing the EMU, carrying out extra-vehicular activities, going up or down the stairs and simulating the hatch opening for docking a spaceship.

While the boys were busy with the training, Sofia continued her investigations on Pandora, however Martoprete became suspicious after surprising her in her office without authorization.

She justified herself by saying that she was looking for an unidentified electronic code, however Martoprete well remembered the young woman's gloomy expression when she heard about the incident caused by Pandora during the meeting with Carigge.

Since he had a lot of respect for the girl he decided to break that embarrassing wall of suspicion between the two of them so he summoned her to his office with the intention of clarifying the situation once and for all even if he didn't know how she would react to what he was about to tell her.

<< Good morning Sofia, please have a seat >> he said, making her sit down;

<<Why was I summoned to the director's office?>> she asked guardedly;

<< I don't like to beat around the bush too much so let's get to the point: for some time I have been aware of the fact that you are investigating possible accidents caused by Pandora, in particular after hearing what was said some time ago during the meeting with Carigge so I want clarify this story once and for all so that we have no secrets.

I have great respect for you and if you remember, it was I who brought you into the Agency when you were very young, I still remember the skepticism of many colleagues and yet now you are a fundamental piece of that wonderful machine called Pandora.

Well I don't want to have secrets from you so I'll tell you the truth: years ago we lost a manned mission near Saturn whose task was to explore that part of the solar system in search of new Helium-3 deposits.

I cannot divulge the identity of the astronauts involved in the tragedy but the fundamental point is that initially the blame for this loss was placed on Pandora, however by re-examining the source code and analyzing the data we discovered that the demise of those poor people was caused by a excessive approach to the planet's rings >> he explained to her.

While Martoprete spoke the young woman looked at his face, realizing that he was lying shamelessly but the problem was that perhaps he was also deceiving himself.

<< I apologize sir but as we know Pandora is able to self-correct errors in its code so I wonder: what if it was also capable of fixing mistakes made during a mission? In that case we wouldn't be able to know the truth about it >> Sofia replied.

<< This is impossible and you know it well, Pandora is a quantum artificial intelligence based on neural "deep learning" and it is the closest thing to perfection that human beings have ever achieved so you are wrong >> replied the man losing the brackets;

<< With all due respect, but I think we should go deeper because if in self-correcting Pandora doesn't understand what mistakes it makes then all our space missions and the cadets who train every day making extensive use of them are at great risk, in short... >> the girl tried to say but Martoprete interrupted her abruptly.

<< Enough young lady, I don't tolerate this lack of trust towards Pandora. To doubt it means to question not only its perfection but also the competence of those who dedicated their lives to its creation, primarily myself.

Let me be extremely clear: stop making such insinuations or you will lose your job, do you understand?! >> he ordered her in a very peremptory tone.

The vein in the man's neck swelled to the point that Sofia thought he was about to have a heart attack, his face was so red, suddenly Martoprete's eyes lit up with a very rare fire for a person like him with a calm and gentle temperament.

<< I understand sir, I can guarantee you that such a conversation will not be repeated >> Sofia justified herself as she was dismissed with an abrupt gesture of her hand.

Her darkest suspicions had been confirmed, she hadn't wanted to believe the hypothesis that the cover-up had been the work of her boss, in fact she thought she was wrong to be so suspicious but instead she was doing very well.

Martoprete had dedicated his life to the Pandora project and now he didn't want to admit that he had made a mistake in the design, transforming it into a sort of cult in which no objections to the dogma of the infallibility of AI were allowed.

Sofia had always looked at science as a reed capable of bending when the wind of doubt blew strong but resistant enough to be able to see what lay beyond the storm; perhaps Martoprete had lost that vision.

<< I'm sorry but I can't give up >> the young woman thought to herself as she looked out the window with her gaze turned towards Lampedusa.

Very demanding weeks took place on the island for the cadets, including flights on the T-38, exercises on the ZBH-MDK and training in the "mockups" in which Leonardo and his friends gave their best in view of the end-of-course exam .

They spent a lot of time in the Atlas simulator which had obtained an "upgrade" on the remote neural link, now the aspiring astronauts felt even better what it was like to carry out space missions.

As the exam approached, Leonardo and Sofia saw each other more and more often as they both needed each other's company and caresses to relieve the tension created during the work day.

The same thing was true for the front room where Orlando and Lucia spent every evening together stimulating each other by thinking not only about the upcoming exam but also about the next courses they would have to take.

In this period of time the friendship between Chiara and Alice deepened considerably, seeing each other every evening without arousing suspicion, facilitated by the proximity of their respective rooms in the dormitory.

By now several months had passed since Chiara had knocked on Alice's bedroom door for the first time and since then the meetings in their respective rooms had become real "musts" during which they felt that their understanding was growing more and more.

Alice finally felt at ease with someone and without realizing it she began to forget her heartache for Leonardo.

Chiara was very happy to have found a girl who understood her and with whom she had entered into harmony, she felt she could be herself with Alice but she was still afraid of showing herself fully to him, not knowing if he would accept her for who she was and yet instinct told her to open up.

Their intimacy grew visibly and when a new trio had to be formed for the simulations within the "mockups" Alice deliberately slipped away, leaving her place to Lucia, preferring to form a group with Chiara.

This did not go unnoticed by the others, however Orlando and Lucia were taken by each other and the same thing could be said for Leonardo and Sofia, furthermore the training required such commitment that it did not leave much time for investigations.

The days passed quickly, the end of July arrived and with it also the final exam of the flight training course.

The kids felt on the one hand fearful and a little anxious but on the other they were aware that they had worked seven days a week, fifteen hours a day so they knew they had done what they had to to be prepared for the exams.

On the evening of July 30, 2070, Sofia went to visit Leonardo in his room and spent the whole night together.

While they were on the bed, sweaty from the fatigue and the heat, the boy noticed a certain detachment in her, almost as if she were there out of duty and not for pleasure, therefore he decided to understand what worries were afflicting the soul of his great love.

<< Is something wrong? You're very detached and yet I'm the one who has the exam tomorrow>> he asked her;

<< Sorry, you're right but I can't get the clash I had with Martoprete out of my mind. You should have seen the look on his face when he talked about Pandora, he seemed possessed, he was worse than a maniac.

I tried to do some research on the accident but it turned out to be a flop, whoever covered it up covered his tracks very well >> he replied;

<< You should report it to the headquarters in Rome but it could also be a trivial matter, perhaps he told the truth by claiming that it was a human error and not a malfunction of Pandora.

I honestly hope so because I don't want to go into space with a faulty AI, it would be a big problem >> he told her, deeply hoping that Martoprete was right because without Pandora he could say goodbye to the hopes of going to look for his parents;

<<First of all, I'm one hundred percent sure he was lying, secondly, who should I report it to? The director the Space Agency himself is involved in matter so must be something serious.< p>

I understand that they are all scared given the importance of Pandora within the Agency, however we must not jeopardize the lives of astronauts, we can send robotic probes to search for Helium-3 in space >> Sofia asserted.

Sofia was scared to death of the idea of losing Leonardo and it bothered her that the latter did not understand how her concerns in this regard directly affected him. It was her love for him that pushed her to take on a super protective attitude, a bit like mothers do with their children.

<< I understand your reasoning but what are you going to do now? If you try to overstep your hand you risk being expelled from the Agency and I couldn't bear the possibility of not seeing you again >> replied Leonardo who deep down wanted to convince her to give up that investigation;

<<For the moment only thing to do is continue with my investigations, I will try be as discreet possible and if don't get a spider out of hole leave it alone but far you are concerned exam tomorrow, six ready? The colonel really tough guy also hands-off grades>> he replied;

<< Honestly I did everything I could and in these six months of training I didn't spare myself so tomorrow I want to make a good impression >> concluded Leonardo.

If there was a certain tension in their room, in Orlando and Alice's the atmosphere was much more relaxed and relaxed.

The first was spending a fiery night with Lucia and it didn't matter if a fundamental test was scheduled the following day, that was their way of getting rid of the tension and fatigue accumulated during training.

<<You're getting better>> said Lucia, sitting up in bed;

<<What would you like to say exactly?>> Orlando asked her;

<< Nothing in particular >> she replied, starting to laugh;

<<Tomorrow I hope to be perfect, worked too hard not pass the exam>> he said, crossing his arms over his head, staring at the ceiling of the room;

<<All four of us will do great>> retorted the girl;

<<All five of you meant to say, now there's also that Chiara>> he pointed out;

<< In fact she and Alice are getting closer and closer and to tell the truth I'm very pleased, she's finally forgetting Leonardo >> Lucia replied;

<<That one doesn't tell me correctly, she came out of nowhere and now she's being such a friend to Alice, something add up>> Orlando said with a thoughtful face;

<< I think it's the heat that's going to your head, she seems like a good girl to me and in any case if Alice is happy who are we to object? Now let's sleep please >> Lucia took him back.

In the girls' dormitory, in Chiara's room she and Alice exchanged their respective opinions regarding the exam they would take the next day and both agreed that they were sufficiently ready.

<<We have done many hours of training in the last few months, if we haven't now understood how and what to do should honestly change jobs>> Chiara began, laughing heartily while betraying a certain nervousness.

<< You agree with me, we are here because we have always dreamed of doing this job and now that we have the opportunity we should be grateful for it so I want to enjoy every second of this experience so away the doubts, away the fears and in with happiness > > Alice replied.

She couldn't explain where all that joy came from and yet it was there inside her and she had to throw it out, share it with someone and that someone had to be Chiara herself, the one who had given her herself back.

<< I'm happy to see you like this, to tell the truth I have to confess something to you but I don't know how you'll take it: I've been observing you for a while, ever since we got on the bus to come here.

You immediately seemed like an easy-going girl with whom I could get along well, but I didn't know how to approach you so I used your sobbing at night as an excuse to get to know you. Maybe it will seem disturbing to you and I understand if you want... >> Chiara justified herself;

<< In fact you could show up whenever you wanted but I'll tell you one thing, you did a great job knocking on my door because before I felt lost, the disappointment with Leonardo had devastated me much more than I thought and I didn't think I could smile again then you you arrived.

The only thing you should apologize for is not having come forward sooner >> Alice replied, taking her hand and looking her straight in the eyes with a very intense look, full of gratitude and affection.

His was an instinctive gesture, he hadn't planned it and yet without realizing it he clasped that silk-covered olive hand in his with the intention of not letting it go.

They both blushed and a grave silence fell in the room during which they continued to stare at each other without speaking.

Mouths remained sealed but in their place the eyes and emotions took care of expressing what needed to be said.

Their faces slowly but surely approached as if an irresistible gravitational force was attracting them to each other, they were closer and closer when Pandora suddenly appeared in the room as well as in all the others, breaking that spell.

<< Good evening everyone, tomorrow at 06.45 you will have to be on the island of Lampedusa where the flight training course exam will take place. Thanks for your attention >> announced the AI;

<< Wow it's getting late, we'd better go and rest >> Chiara began, taking her hand out of Alice's;

<< Yes, you're right, see you tomorrow >> her friend replied, rather shaken by that whirlwind of emotions.

Once back in her room Alice got into bed and instinctively touched her stomach, feeling it different than usual: this time there were many butterflies inside.

That night neither she nor Chiara fell asleep, they both brooded over what had happened shortly before and, despite trying hard, they were unable to get the events preceding Pandora's arrival out of their heads, wondering what would have happened if the AI had not burst into the room and the response it scared them a lot.

The following morning, July 31, 2070, at the appointed time the cadets found themselves in front of the "Space Hardware Test Center" waiting to find out what the exam they would have to take that day consisted of.

<< Good morning everyone and thank you for your punctuality, today has finally come the day in which you will put the skills acquired during 6 long months of training to the test.

The test is very simple: you will enter the "mockup" of the Pigafetta one at a time, docking with the "mockup" of the orbiting space station, after which you will enter its main module by carrying out some exercises, then you will return to the Pigafetta and that's it.

If there are no questions please follow me so we can start immediately, you are the first of the three groups of 20 who will take the exam >> explained the colonel;

<<It all seems quite easy to me>> Orlando whispered as they went up to the second floor of the center where the "mockups" were located;

<<I think it's too simple, there will certainly be unforeseen events>> Leonardo replied, mindful of what happened during the first exam.

Arriving on the second floor they saw the various "mockups", with the exception of the Magellan, gathered under a single, large bell of tempered glass except for the entrance hatch of the Pigafetta which was located outside to allow the cadets to enter.

<< The moment you set foot in the spacecraft the exam will begin. The entry order has been drawn by lot and the first will be Mr. Leonardo >> announced the colonel.

The boy stepped forward, placing himself right in front of the entrance to the spaceship, he felt the tension rising inside him and yet he couldn't panic, he had to remain calm and concentrated, aware of being ready to face any obstacle that came his way.

<< Go! >> ordered the colonel.

Leonardo entered the Pigafetta, closed the door and put on the intravehicular suit, immediately going to the control room where he turned on the engines, starting the detachment procedure from the Brunelleschi, moving immediately afterwards towards the main module of the orbiting space station.

When the spacecraft moved it had to face strong turbulence, that environment was able to perfectly reproduce what they would have found in real space, in fact the Pigafetta shook violently as if it were in a stormy sea while holographic virtual objects hit it from everywhere causing it to jump Leonardo.

<< Easy as not >> said Alice from the outside, scolding Orlando for what he said;

<<What could I know?>> the friend defended himself while the Pigafetta with Leonardo inside swayed left and right;

<< Come on Leo, you can do it! >> Lucia exclaimed shaking Orlando's hand.

Their friend had a great effort in keeping the spacecraft on the right simulated course towards the space station as the Pigafetta changed direction several times in an attempt to dodge the holographic virtual objects, all in microgravity conditions.

<< Now I understand the meaning of the word "turbulence" >> thought Leonardo, holding the control joystick firmly in his hands, mindful of his experience on the T-38.

By interacting with Pandora he managed to stabilize the Pigafetta, bringing it back on the right virtual route for docking with the orbiting space station and then prepared to dock by delicately maneuvering the joystick.

<<It seems to me that it works perfectly, maybe Sofia is wrong this time>> he thought, watching the AI act as usual.

He was instrumental in helping him ferry the Pigafetta out of that virtual storm of space debris caused by the explosion in orbit of a long-unused satellite that had just been hit in a military test by an anti-satellite weapon.

With the spacecraft he approached the docking hatch of the space station, starting the boarding maneuvers with extreme delicacy, he moved the joystick with such caution that it seemed as if he was holding it still.

Meanwhile, his friends outside were looking at him anxiously, hoping that he would do it also because that would most likely be their exam and therefore, compared to him, they had the advantage of knowing in advance what they would have to do.

When Leonardo made a slight mistake that for a few moments raised fears of an error in docking to the space station, Alice instinctively grabbed Chiara's hand and squeezed it tightly, making her companion blush.

Chiara looked at her for a few moments while Alice stared at the enormous glass bell inside which Leonardo was juggling the spacecraft and on her face first a light smile of satisfaction appeared then a slight emotion flared up inside her so much so that a few tears of emotion came out of her. joy.

He would have liked to tell her everything right there, now and immediately and yet he couldn't given the context in which they found themselves, however he promised himself to face her as soon as possible.

That gesture did not escape Lucia's attentive eye who, however, did not give it much weight, too focused on following the friend under scrutiny.

In the end the docking was successful and Leonardo was able to enter the space station where a series of tests awaited him: making specific movements, interacting with Pandora, directing the engines to correct the incorrect orbit of the module and other activities.

At a certain point a red light turned on on the control display, something had been damaged outside and this required a virtual spacewalk so he had to take off the intravehicular suit and put on the EMU to go and see what had happened.

The operation was very complex, he was usually helped by another astronaut to put on the EMU, however the exam required him to be able to do it alone.

<< Damn suit >> he thought taking a breath.

He gathered his concentration and one piece at a time began to dress her.

He found it particularly difficult to arrange the SAFER, usually the Agency supplied it already attached to the other parts but in the exam the astronaut had to be able to take it and assemble it manually as an additional piece however he didn't want to have it remain attached behind his back and yet without he couldn't get out of the space station.

The procedure was very clear in this regard: without SAFER the astronaut would not have to go into space but if he was unable to do so then he would not have been able to fix the fault and would have been rejected.

He tried several times but to no avail, he was about to give up when he had the right intuition.

<< Pandora show me the "slow motion" procedure to manually attach the SAFER to the EMU >> he asked the AI;

<< SAFER manual coupling procedure in playback >> was answered.

He realized he was always making the same mistake as he reversed the first two assembly steps, compromising the final result.

Having solved the problem, he exited the module with a screwdriver and fixed the fault, then went back inside, removed the EMU wearing the intravehicular suit, finished the exercises to be carried out and returned to the Pigafetta where the last part of the exam awaited him, i.e. disengaging from the space station to return to the starting position.

It was one of the most delicate phases because the exam required manual maneuvering by the candidate, whereas during a real mission those types of operations were carried out automatically by Pandora.

Leonardo sat down in the armchair in the control room of the spacecraft, took a deep breath and relaxed for a moment, he had been under examination for a couple of hours and the tiredness was starting to make itself felt, especially the mental one.

<<Come on, you can do it, one last effort>> he said to himself, patting himself on the chest.

He began the separation maneuvers calmly and calmly, completing them successfully, but when he was about to return to the starting position he found his way blocked by the hologram of a large drifting disused satellite whose trajectory was pointing straight at him.

He absolutely had to avoid it otherwise it would have irreparably damaged the Pigafetta so he swerved sharply to the left hoping that he had been fast enough in avoiding the path of the satellite.

He had made a mistake because when he sat in the command chair on the display he had not noticed the presence of an unidentified object advancing towards him at great speed, now those moments could have cost him 6 months of great sacrifices.

<< I can still do it >> I thought to myself as I moved the joystick to the left.

The manual clearly stated that in such a situation the pilot had to pass as quickly as possible to the nearest free orbit avoiding impact with the object so as not to damage the spacecraft, regardless of how abrupt the maneuver had to be.

One of the first lessons that the cadets learned was that sudden maneuvers in space should be avoided as much as possible in favor of gentle and predictable ones. However, even more important was knowing how to think quickly in the event of an error or unexpected event and Leonardo was a phenomenon in this.

He suddenly moved the entire spacecraft to his left and yet the satellite became larger and larger as it approached, its dimensions were far greater than Leonardo expected and therefore the chances of avoiding it decreased more and more.

<< Pandora calculate the inclination angle of the spacecraft to avoid the impact and tell me how long it will take for the satellite to be on us >> she asked the AI;

<< The inclination angle to avoid impact is 45° and we still have 20 seconds before we are hit. I calculate that the related damage will be such as to prevent the spacecraft from successfully completing the assigned mission >> replied the female voice.

They were very excited moments during which Leonardo had to rotate the engines without breaking the control axis that managed their movements, however he had to take on a high dose of risk otherwise he would have failed.

<<I'm sweating for him>> Orlando said outside the bell jar;

<<If this is the exam we are in serious trouble>> replied Lucia who did not like the unexpected.

Alice and Chiara remained in religious silence, astonished at the many difficulties that they too would have to face in a few hours and yet that handshake instilled courage in both of them, almost as if it were something mystical.

<< Full speed ahead >> thought Leonardo as he married the Pigafetta on his left.

The spacecraft tilted as the holographic satellite accelerated further reducing the impact time, the countdown read "15 seconds to impact" then "10 seconds to impact" then "5 seconds to impact".

Leonardo no longer had time, if he wanted to make a difference he had to make it now and immediately otherwise goodbye dreams of glory, there would be neither space travel nor the search for his parents, nothing at all except a gigantic hole in the water.

He held the joystick tilted for so long that he strained his arm but at the moment it didn't matter, all that mattered was finishing the mission successfully, he would have time to rest.

The countdown read "0 seconds to impact" and then the boy closed his eyes hoping he had done enough to avoid hitting that steel carcass left in space by some less than responsible nation.

He reopened his eyes and when on the display he read "Impact avoided, vital systems of the spacecraft functioning" he had a flash of joy but immediately recovered his concentration.

He had a mission to finish so he resumed the right course by repositioning the Pigafetta where he had taken it at the beginning of the exam.

<< Congratulations candidate, the exam was successfully completed in all its parts >> announced Pandora.

Leonardo was shaken by hysterical laughter caused by the enormous stress accumulated in the previous hours, so he unfastened his seat belts and opened the hatch to exit the glass bell that reproduced the void, returning to the mainland where he re-embraced gravity.

When he got off the Pigafetta, his friends, who had heard Pandora's announcement, ran towards him, hugging him warmly while he could barely stand, exhausted from fatigue and drenched in sweat.

<<You made us feel sorry for you>> Orlando began by giving him a smack on the head;

<< You were very good, especially with the satellite carcass. I couldn't have done better, I really mean it >> added Alice;

<< Even though we've only known each other for a short time, you did great, I congratulate you >> Chiara said, shaking his hand;

<< Guys, thank you, it was really hard work but now it's your turn. I'm going to change and then I'll come back here to cheer you on >> replied Leonardo who couldn't wait to take off his sweat-soaked uniform, it looked like he'd taken a shower in it.

He went down to the first floor of the "Space Hardware Test Center" where the changing rooms were located, changed into a standard cadet uniform (he would find the new tailor-made one that same evening in his room) and went back upstairs to cheer on his friends .

By a strange twist of fate, the second in order of extraction was Orlando and when Leonardo returned to the second floor the boy was juggling with docking to the space station after encountering various difficulties with the holographic debris.

<< How's it going? >> he asked suddenly reappearing;

<<He has had many uncertainties but for the moment he is holding up well although I fear will have big problems with EMU>> Lucia replied, anxious for her beloved.

Leonardo immediately noticed the strong handshake between Chiara and Alice, understanding that it was not a simple gesture of affinity, a particular feeling had arisen between the two girls, something much deeper and more intimate that friendship alone could not explain.

He wanted to know more but his attention was taken by Orlando who, as Lucia predicted, encountered major obstacles in putting on the EMU.

Orlando tried to copy what Leonardo had done shortly before by asking Pandora for help but unlike his friend he made a further hole in the water and yet he couldn't give up unless he had said goodbye to promotion.

He looked out the window of the space station module, meeting the gaze of his friends who were there cheering for him, then met Lucia's gaze.

<< I can't disappoint her, if I did I wouldn't have the courage to look her in the eyes again >> he said to himself so he regained his concentration and finally managed to put on the suit.

Although he struggled to complete the exam successfully, he nevertheless obtained a lower score than Leonardo, putting him at risk of not passing the two-year course given that all the other participants achieved the maximum score including Lucia, Chiara and Alice.

"Damn me," he said when the girls had finished the exam;

<< You don't have to get discouraged, the important thing was the promotion and there are still a lot of tough challenges ahead of us >> Leonardo cheered him up;

<< There are 10 places available out of 60 participants, there are five of us so we all have what it takes to be astronauts, furthermore I took a look at the training of the other groups and I can guarantee you that we are by far the best >> added Chiara while all together they took the eVTOL back to Palermo;

<< Shall we go out to celebrate this evening? >> asked Lucia;

<< I really need it, I'll book a table at "Atlantide" and I'll pay since I was the worst of all >> Orlando replied falling into the arms of his beloved;

<< Bring her too, I think it's time for her to join the group >> Alice whispered in Leonardo's ear, leaving him astonished;

<<Are you sure?>> the churches;

<< Absolutely yes, now I have something else to think about >> the friend replied, looking at Chiara who was joking with Orlando;

<<Okay, I think there will be. wanted to tell you but the truth is that have no excuses, was a coward for not immediately clarifying situation with you, owe an apology>> he replied sincerely saddened by her cowardice;

<<Your apologies are accepted but know that you really hurt me, if want advice as a woman don't behave the same way towards her otherwise will lose her, it is always better to face truth openly even hurts>> she advised him .

As she spoke Leonardo understood that she was sincere, she wasn't bluffing to find out if he was already busy confirming his suspicions about what he had seen during Orlando's exam.

Alice had really changed but she couldn't say in what direction.

<< Since we are in flight and you can't escape I have to ask you: recently I have noticed a certain change in you and I believe that your evolution began with meeting Chiara or am I wrong? >> he asked her as they sighted Palermo;

<< Maybe you're right or maybe this part of me has always been inside me but until now I had tried to repress it because I came from a social context in which certain attitudes and inclinations are viewed with suspicion but here it managed to manifest itself >> Alice explained to him while looking towards the horizon;

<<Do you know?>> Leonardo asked pointing to Chiara;

<<My instinct tells me yes but if it weren't so would be a real tragedy for me, I couldn't stand another such big disappointment want to take slowly>> she retorted.

<< You should talk to us and be honest, I think you could get a nice surprise. In any case, I'm happy to have clarified, our friendship is very important to me >> said Leonardo;

<< I'm happy about this too, but now call her, before she makes other commitments >> she urged him.

Leonardo took the "Delfi" headset from his uniform pocket, put it in his ear, dialed Sofia's number and waited, hoping that she would answer and accept his invitation to go out.

For a long time he had wanted to show her to his friends and although they had decided to keep their love story a secret he hoped that at least for one evening they could make an exception also because he didn't know how long Alice would be well disposed towards him so it was better to take advantage of it presenting them as soon as possible.

He was so tired from the exam and excited to be able to introduce her to his friends that he made a mistake in dialing the number three times, the fourth attempt was the good one, leaving him anxiously waiting.

<< Go ahead and answer >> he thought, nervously moving his left leg.

The "Delfi" was an autonomous headset for augmented reality capable of displaying 3D images, videos and information inside the eyes.

It was enough to take it from the pocket and wear it in the ear after which, thanks to an intelligent coating, upon contact with human skin it connected wirelessly with the nervous system of its user who was then free to use it as he saw fit.

As big as a coffee bean, made up of materials more resistant than steel and more elastic than plastic, it was able to withstand temperatures ranging from -200°C to +8000°C and was also equipped with a 10G quantum connection with which it could connect to the metaverse from which to make online purchases, a synthetic diamond 0.7 nanometers large in place of the obsolete silicon chips, a photonic quantum memory of 12 picometers and a graphene nano-battery.

"Delfi" had replaced the smartphone and was created by "Pantognóstis Corp.", a company founded ten years earlier by some researchers previously employed in the fifth level of the Astronautical Headquarters.

The headset was equipped with multiple functions including receiving and/or sending calls and messages projected directly into the user's eye, taking photos and shooting videos with augmented reality and saving terabytes of data thanks to quantum memory.

The "Delfi" was an integral part of the intravehicular and extravehicular spacesuits as the "Pantognóstis Corp." produced a specially modified version for the Space Agency with which astronauts could connect at any time to the "Space Telecommunication Network".