Beyond The Glowing Whirlpool

Stacie received a summon to the capital headquarters, where all the government's top-secret affairs took place. -Miss Maclay. Your exceptional expertise in artifacts study, linguistic abilities, and puzzle-solving skills have caught our attention - said the chairman of the office. - We've followed up on your work on fields, and archaeological sites, and were thoroughly impressed with your success. We could really use a person like you on a certain operation we've been working on. -Thank you, sir, I'm really honored. What is this operation? - Asked Stacie burning with curiosity. -We have made the grandest discovery of all times and really could use a person of your talents to help us with it. "A grand discovery?" Thought Stacie.  Her eyes burned with anticipation. Historical artifacts and ancient relics were her entire world. Her life. And the word "discovery" triggered a spark of excitement in her. She could barely keep still in her spot. -What kind of discovery? - she asked with evident impatience. But the chairman wasn't in a hurry to satisfy her curiosity. He slowly straightened up in his chair, while moving his laptop, with Stacie's resume on it, aside. -What I'm about to tell you, is top-secret. So, before we get down to business, there are some confidentiality documents I must go over with you, and which you must sign. - he placed a file with some paperwork on the desk and tapped it with his fingers. Then he slightly leaned forward, and with a very serious look on his face, stared straight at Stacie, who was sitting across from him, and said - Now, remember miss Maclay, it all solely depends on your own free will and choice. We are not at liberty to force you to do anything you do not wish to do. But once you have signed those documents, you're life as you know it, will change forever. So, think this through very carefully. I cannot disclose the details of this matter until you sign the contract. I can only tell you this. It is a hard, and dangerous quest. You may even be asked to stay abroad for as long as five years, without contacting your family or friends. That's how serious this mission is. Do you understand? She stiffened. What could be so serious, that would require a commitment to that extent? -Yes sir, I understand. - She replied nervously. -So then, please take a moment to consider whether you want to be a part of this or not. - He slid the file over to her side. - Please read those documents, so that you will be well aware of the requirements and its risks. And sign it, when you have made the decision. I will give you some time to think. - And he got up and walked out of the office. Stacie stared at the file in front of her, which concealed a mystery of the quest that required her expertise. Hers... Someone who isn't particularly special or had great connections or grand achievements for which she could be recognized, or anything. And yet, here she is, at the headquarters... staring at the file, chosen for this mission. A mission that will be the beginning of a whole new life for her. Why her? Why was she picked of all colleagues in the crew she was working with? Could this be her dream come true, of doing something bigger with her skills, than just translating and cataloging old relics found by her crew at archeological sites? Not that she hated that job. Or could this be something far too much for her to handle? ⚜️ This really was something to think about. A project that requires full dedication, and to leave your personal life behind. Her personal life. She doesn't have much of a personal life. The archaeology basically was her personal life.  "You may not be able to contact your family or friends for as long as five years." Rang through her mind.  Her family? Friends? Does she even have that? Her father died in a car accident when she was eighteen, and her mother... well, she hasn't seen her mom since father died. Her mom was an ambassador for a small nonprofit charity organization, that fought poverty in third world countries all over the globe, helping those less fortunate poor people. A noble profession, but it took up most of her time traveling and being away from the family, so Stacie saw her very rarely. She was practically raised by her dad. Stacie often wondered, why her dad stayed with a woman who was never there. But her father loved her mother too much, to leave her, or tear her away from her passion. She was his first love. In fact, her compassion and ambitions are what made him fall in love with her in the first place. Marrying her, he knew very well, what he signed up for, so he never complained. Not even once.  "And my mother, headstrong, driven, compassionate, with a huge heart... of course she loved my father and me as well. But she just couldn't stay put, living a happy life, while somewhere out there, there was a child, who starved."  But as a child herself, Stacie would miss her mother very much and often would be angry with her for traveling so much. She'd be gone for a month or two, then come home for about a month, then be gone again. Stacie had lost count, how many birthdays or holidays her mother had missed in all those years. But at least then, she'd still come back every so often. But when Stacie's father died, her mother was broken. She thought that her "home", her place that she could always come back to, no matter where the world takes her, was gone. And right after Stacie went to college, to study languages and archaeology, her mother disappeared and Stacie hasn't heard from her ever since. Only an occasional postcard indicated that she was alive, saving the world somewhere out there. It's been four years since she's graduated from university, and has been working on the field, traveling the world herself, so in a way, she could relate to her mother.  "Heh... No contact for up to five years huh... Would it matter? I haven't seen my mother in eight years. A few more won't make much of a difference. - thought Stacie - She's out there, somewhere, making a difference in a world. And I have a chance to be a part of something big too. So..."                                                                               ⚜️            -Have you made your decision, miss Maclay? - Asked the chairman upon returning to the office after a short while. -Yes, sir, I have. - She said determinedly and handed him the file. The chairman opened it and flipped through the pages. Then he rose from his spot and extended his hand towards Stacie. -Congratulations miss Maclay. You are now a part of the history-making venture. Welcome onboard the "Pegasus Operation" project! - And he shook her hand.