Airborne

by Kimberly P. Chase

  ‘Don’t forget about me.’ Sky tried to sound teasing, but wasn’t positive he pulled it off. Aurora was healthy, alive, and happy. Sky tried to be happy for her, but a small piece of him hurt that he wasn’t the one making her so. Sky felt like banging his head against the wall. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed Aurora’s response.

  ‘Want to help me win?’

  Sky didn’t need to ask what Aurora wanted help winning. Like him, she lived and breathed flying. ‘I am the best,’ he replied calmly.

  ‘Can you sync with me from there?’ Aurora questioned.

  ‘Of course I can.’ Though Ms Lovell would know how much they were communicating. But whatever. ‘Every night at midnight?’

  When Aurora bit her lip, Sky decided not to give her a chance to back out. ‘See you tonight.’ He closed the communication link.

  Sky’s shoulders relaxed as he felt the first sense of peace since he’d left Earth three months ago. He would make their time count, even if it was from thousands of miles away.

  Chapter 16

  Aurora

  When the call to Sky ended, it felt like Aurora’s heart split in two different directions. Even from the moon, he stirred things within her. For some twisted reason, she missed Sky’s overbearing ways. The Lieutenant Colonel instructed in a serious, commanding manner. Yet, Sky’s approach to motivate her by pissing her off beyond belief, a style she thought she’d hated, somehow managed to make her a better pilot.

  Aurora pulled her shirt off, wanting to get out of her sweat-slicked clothes. She hadn’t missed the heat in Sky’s eyes as she’d almost unknowingly undressed in front of him. But Sky wasn’t here … and something good was finally happening between her and Zane.

  She could tell from the way Sky had looked at her that things between them had changed. The determined anger in his eyes had turned into something else entirely—and while there was still a challenge in his gaze, it was now accompanied with heat and a demand she wasn’t sure she should answer.

  Kaylana pranced into their room, giving Aurora the perfect excuse to stop thinking. She flung herself down on the bed and her long blonde hair spread out on the pillow behind her. Kay’s lips were swollen.

  ‘Where have you been?’ Aurora asked while she changed into her pajamas.

  ‘Nowhere.’ Kaylana smothered her smile in the pillow.

  ‘Uh-huh. And your lips and cheeks are all red for no reason?’ Not to mention the dreamy look in her eyes.

  ‘I may have been visiting Akemi,’ Kaylana admitted as she stared off at nothing.

  Aurora could tell Kaylana wasn’t in the room with her, too busy daydreaming about the boy she’d just left.

  ‘Alone?’ Aurora pushed, loving that she could tease Kaylana about something.

  ‘Yup.’

  Of course, Aurora already knew this. Aurora had seen Zane working out after she’d finished her run, which meant they’d had a rare chance to be alone. Kaylana had yet to admit how far they’d gone, but Aurora already knew that too.

  ‘So I take it things are going well?’

  ‘He’s just so sweet and smart.’ Kaylana traced her lips. ‘And a damn fine kisser.’

  Aurora chuckled. ‘Is that all?’ It wasn’t like her not to tell Aurora all the details. That could only mean one thing … Kaylana really liked Akemi.

  Aurora quickly ducked under the pillow Kaylana threw her way as she sat up.

  ‘I don’t want to jinx anything,’ she admitted, way more serious than she ever was.

  ‘I know. You don’t have to tell me all the details.’

  ‘Let’s just say we’ve studied each other’s bodies.’ Kaylana’s brief moment of seriousness vanished. ‘You know … for medical sake. We are training to be doctors.’

  Aurora chuckled, not knowing what to say in response to that. Maybe she should change the subject before this got weird. Should she tell Kaylana about Sky’s call? How he’d looked at her?

  Aurora fidgeted with the bottom of her pajamas. Twirling the light fabric between her fingers, she confessed. ‘Sky called.’

  Kaylana sat straight up like a rocket. ‘From the moon?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Kaylana’s mouth formed an O. When she’d recovered, she said, ‘Wow. So how’d it go?’

  ‘Good. A little weird,’ Aurora answered honestly.

  Kaylana waved her hand in the air, wanting her to go on.

  ‘I’m not really sure why he called.’ Aurora thought about Sky’s eyes. They’d quickly gone from heated, to happy, to sad, and then started the cycle all over again. He hadn’t seemed his usual self. ‘I think he might be lonely.’

  ‘He misses you,’ Kaylana said as if that was obvious.

  Is that what it was? But why? Sky was doing exactly what Aurora dreamed of doing one day. His life was totally devoted to flying, not to mention, he was helping the planet. What could be more perfect? ‘Maybe,’ Aurora muttered.

  ‘And do you miss him?’ Kaylana prodded.

  Aurora missed the fun, caring guy he’d become toward the end of last semester. The guy she’d briefly glimpsed before he’d left. But he’d also been hiding a part of himself from her at the time. Although she completely understood his reasoning, Aurora craved a relationship with no barriers.

  Aurora thought she could have that with Zane now that his unknown status wasn’t keeping them apart anymore. She didn’t respond to Kay’s question, there was no good answer.

  ‘What is happening between you and Zane then?’ Kaylana prodded.

  ‘We’re together …’ Sort of. They were taking things slow. They hung out whenever they had free time and she thought they were together. But now that she thought about it, the two of them had never really discussed it.

  And why in the hell had she complicated matters by agreeing to meet with Sky every night? Aurora reminded herself that she was doing it to win the front seat launch to Aviary.

  Kaylana huffed. ‘Look, I’m not trying to talk you into or out of either guy. I’m just trying to help you figure out what you want. It’s okay to like more than one person. In fact, it’s probably normal. You’re young, trying to figure out who you are, who you like, and what works best for you.’

  ‘Wow. When did you get so mature?’ Aurora winked, letting her know she was teasing.

  ‘When will Sky be back?’ Kaylana asked.

  ‘Next semester.’ Though Aurora wasn’t really sure. The Alliance dictated Sky’s schedule.

  ‘That’s awhile.’

  Aurora shrugged, not mentioning she’d be seeing him a lot very soon.

  ‘I don’t see Sky giving up that easily.’

  Aurora swallowed. She was worried about that too. Sky didn’t take no for an answer and for some insane reason Aurora didn’t see herself telling him no anytime soon either. Aurora groaned. How the hell did she find herself torn between two guys?

  ‘I’m with Zane. Sky will just have to get used to it,’ Aurora said, her words firm. They’d just be flying at night, so there was nothing to be worried about. Sky couldn’t possibly make any moves on her in a simulation. He was two hundred thousand miles away from her for star’s sake.

  ‘Okie dokey,’ Kaylana said like she didn’t believe her. She hopped off Aurora’s bed and jumped into her own.

  When the lights went out, Aurora tried to relax as she pretended to sleep.

  At ten to midnight, she grabbed her flight gear and left the room.

  ***

  Aurora had made a big mistake.

  She was so colossally screwed.

  Flying with Sky in the abandoned simulator bay at night while he whispered instructions through her earpiece was incredibly intimate.

  ‘Okay. Now clear the caution warning memory. Verify no unexpected errors.’

  Even from the moon his whispered words managed to fluster her. Aurora couldn’t see Sky, so she imagined him sitting beside her. Because he’d linked to her simulator band, Sky was able to see everyth
ing she saw even though she couldn’t see him.

  ‘Caution memory cleared. No unexpected errors.’ Aurora briefly wondered if her whispered words sounded as intimate to him.

  ‘Close and lock your visor and initiate O2 flow,’ Sky continued.

  She did as instructed and a few moments later they were flying. Together.

  ‘How was your day?’ he asked when she’d finished her departure checklist.

  She’d been sneaking away for these nightly sessions for two weeks now and his interest in her life still surprised her. Every night seemed to be a stolen moment from reality. Like a dream they flew a different aircraft and practiced different maneuvers. Aurora was becoming addicted to their lessons … and their talks.

  ‘It was okay.’ Aurora bit her lip, hesitant to tell him. ‘But the Lieutenant Colonel thinks I’m still struggling to control the shuttle when there’s no hydraulics.’ Aurora sighed, remembering what Sky had once said to her. ‘I guess I do fly like a girl.’

  Sky chuckled, sending a chill up her spine.

  ‘Actually, I believe I said you would just have to work harder because you’re a girl. Without the autopilot, you’ll have to rely on strength. That puts you at a disadvantage. But now that I’m thinking about it …’ Sky’s voice seemed to drop an octave. ‘The last time I saw you, you were looking … more fit.’

  ‘Um.’ Heat rushed to Aurora’s face. Holy hell.

  ‘I think I know how to help.’ Sky began barking out orders. ‘Disengage autopilot. Take control of the aircraft and descend.’

  Aurora felt like she had an evil angel on her shoulder. Constantly pushing her to her limits. Testing boundaries.

  He cut the hydraulics. ‘Maintain your speed!’ Sky yelled.

  The nose of the shuttle dipped. Aurora gripped the joystick, trying to maintain control.

  ‘Add power. Use the shuttle’s strengths to your advantage.’

  Aurora listened to every word. Using his experience to her advantage she began to regain control. In between him yelling at her to add more pitch, decrease power, to follow protocol, he began to tell her other things—things that had nothing to do with flying. Things that made her heart flutter.

  ‘Watching you fly …’ Sky sucked in a breath. ‘The way your chest heaves in excitement …’

  His words made her feel beautiful, even as sweat ran down her brow from the intense lesson.

  ‘Are you trying to distract me?’ Aurora struggled to stay focused.

  At first, she’d told herself that her time with Sky only had to do with becoming a better pilot. Not because Sky was completely himself and honest with her in their stolen moments. The night he’d opened up to her about his past had changed everything. She’d never forget how Sky’s voice had hardened when he’d told her how his dad had paid off his mom and the media to keep him hidden. How Ms Lovell had been a close friend of his mother’s and had gotten him into flying. How to this day, flying still saved him.

  Aurora felt like she was discovering who Sky really was. A Sky that not many people got to know.

  Their time was so precious for all these things and for so much more. Aurora was free in the simulator with him. No pressure. No cameras. There was no question of whether she should be there with him or not. Their friendship and shared desire to fly the best pushed them to be better.

  Sometimes when she’d finish, Zane would pop into her mind. Would he understand her desire to be the best? Would he understand her draw to Sky? Often, she’d wish Sky and Zane could be friends too. Both seemed so vital to her life that it shocked her when she remembered they didn’t really know one another.

  ‘Okay, just ease back on the power a little.’ Sky’s whispered instructions brought her back to the present.

  She adjusted the throttle setting.

  ‘That’s it,’ Sky continued in a smooth voice as she maneuvered the shuttle into landing position. She slowly pitched up. ‘Thaaaaat’s it. Right there. Hold that course.’ His voice grew deeper, sending shivers down Aurora’s spine. She struggled to concentrate on holding her position.

  ‘Damn … ohhh yeah … doesn’t that feel good?’

  The nose touched down.

  ‘Yeah,’ she breathed. It did feel good.

  She knew neither of them were referring to her effortless landing.

  There was no more hiding from it … Aurora wanted Sky too.

  Chapter 17

  Zane

  Zane racked his brain for a plausible excuse to miss this class. When his schedule had appeared on his techiwatch this morning, he’d fought the urge to throw it. But he could never really destroy a piece of tech even if he didn’t like what it said.

  Instruction with Dr Stevenson. Medical Bay One. 0900 hours.

  This had to be a joke. Why would he need to be here for this class? He wasn’t in the medical area of concentration. As he looked around the room, he noted he was the only one not wearing a lab coat.

  He didn’t belong here.

  Zane bolted for the door, but before he made it Dr Stevenson strode through and closed it behind him.

  ‘Zane, is something wrong?’ Dr Stevenson asked.

  ‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I …’

  ‘Why don’t you sit at the front of the class today?’ Dr Stevenson gestured toward the seat Zane had just vacated.

  Now that he’d caught everyone’s attention, Zane had no choice but to clench his jaw and return to his seat. He perched on its edge, ready to get out of there at the earliest opportunity.

  Kaylana, who was seated at the desk next to him, leaned forward and whispered, ‘Whatcha doing here?’

  Glaring at Dr Stevenson, Zane shrugged. He let the doctor see his frustration, but his face showed no sympathy.

  Was Dr Stevenson planning to talk about his genetic anomaly? Were they going to experiment on him? Make him the class lab rat? Why was he the only non-medical AOC cadet in the room? Panicked questions ran wild through Zane’s mind. He wracked his brain for an early childhood memory, any memory, but nothing stirred.

  He forced his shoulders to relax and returned to the blank mask that had always kept him safe.

  He could do this. He would not panic.

  ‘Class, today’s lesson will cover the medical equipment found on Aviary.’ Dr Stevenson motioned toward Zane, giving him a look that said why did you think you were here? ‘I’ve invited Zane to join us today because as the tech engineer, he’ll need to know how everything on the station works, including medical equipment.’

  No, thank you. The last thing Zane wanted to touch was a medical device.

  ‘So when something in the medical lab isn’t functioning, we should call Zane?’ Kaylana asked.

  ‘If you can’t determine and fix the problem yourself, then, yes. Call the tech engineer for help. For today’s lesson that will be Zane.’ Dr Stevenson gestured toward the table he stood beside. It held all sorts of torture devices. Needles, injection-looking things, tablets … Zane glanced away.

  There was no way in hell Zane was going to pick up a needle. And if they made him touch one, he was running to the closest trash dispenser and throwing it away. Just because he’d allowed Dr Stevenson to draw his blood didn’t mean he’d accepted them. That had been for a purpose.

  Dr Stevenson interrupted his thoughts. ‘Zane, I’ll just have you watch for now. You can see the equipment’s intended use, that way you’ll get a better understanding of what you may have to fix in the future.’

  Zane nodded silently. He could probably do that. Observing was his specialty.

  The class eight medical cadets consisted of four students. Calculating the reasons for why their numbers were so low helped keep him in the room. Twenty-two cadets, minus Brianna, divided into the five different areas of study averaged four point two people per area of concentration. Though the cadets weren’t only separated by numbers, but by intelligence and skill as well. This was why the number of cadets was heavier in some areas of concentrations than others.

  Righ
t now, there were six people in the room, due to the addition of himself and Dr Stevenson.

  Kaylana, Akemi, Quinn and Reed moved toward the lab table. Zane hadn’t spent much time with Quinn or Reed, so he studied them. Both wore white lab coats, but other than that, they couldn’t have looked more different from one another.

  Quinn was a short guy with chopped blond hair and a dimpled chin.

  Reed, ironically like his name, was tall and thin. His dark skin made the white lab coat gleam.

  Dr Stevenson handed Quinn a small object. After looking at it for a moment, he then passed it to Reed.

  Before Zane even realized what he was doing, he’d inched forward to see what they were looking at so intently. He stopped when he noticed he was only a few feet from the table.

  Kaylana held the object as she asked Dr Stevenson a barrage of questions. Despite his feelings about medical equipment, Zane found himself interested.

  Now that he was closer, he could see they were studying a flat rectangular glass screen.

  ‘So when we place this into the generator, it will tell us what’s wrong?’

  ‘Yes. The AI equipment holds a record of every disease. Once it’s identified, it will also give you the proper vaccination ingredients.’

  ‘And what if there isn’t one?’ Zane asked, before he could stop himself.

  Everyone turned in his direction.

  ‘That’s never really happened before,’ Dr Stevenson responded.

  Right. But what would happen if he put his blood in there? Would it tell them that he had a genetic defect for heart failure?

  Dr Stevenson slightly nodded, answering Zane’s unspoken question. He then cleared his throat and moved on with their discussion. ‘If the AI identifier stops working, Zane or your tech engineer will have to shut it down and reprogram it. I’m afraid if it goes beyond that, you’re on your own.’

  Zane nodded. ‘I think there’s some medical equipment in our tech lab.’ He’d never gone near it before, but maybe he would. Someday.

  Moving on, Dr Stevenson selected a pair of glasses to pass around. They were bigger than the sim glasses most people wore, as if there were made to fit over them when needed. We wouldn’t want to alter anyone’s perfect world! Zane thought. Having dealt techcandy for years he knew firsthand how crazy people got without them. As if the sight of the real world burned their eyes.