Airborne

by Kimberly P. Chase

  These glasses had a reflective screen and a side switch.

  Kaylana put them on, studying everyone up and down, as if she were checking them all out.

  Zane suddenly felt exposed. Would she see anything different about him?

  ‘Good news! No broken bones or ruptured organs on any of you,’ she called out.

  Zane sighed. What was Dr Stevenson thinking bringing him into this class? No one could know how different he was. Resigned, he walked back to his seat as Dr Stevenson explained the equipment. Zane recorded every word. Not because he’d be responsible for fixing it if it broke, but because he needed to know if any of it could reveal just how different he really was.

  It seemed like every time he turned around, he risked exposing himself. Even the computer he stole from Titon could be a danger if it fell into the wrong hands. Zane pushed a hand through his hair as he thought about the laptop. The encryption still held. Different combinations of letters and numbers constantly rotated on the screen as it sorted through possible passwords. He’d gotten so sick of watching the endless loop that he’d eventually stopped looking at it. The code could take years to break.

  Eventually, thankfully, the class ended pulling him from his thoughts.

  Before he could get out the door, Dr Stevenson called out for him to stay behind. Reluctantly he sat back down and waited for everyone else to leave.

  Akemi gave him a long look before Kaylana tugged his hand to follow.

  ‘Zane, I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.’ Dr Stevenson sat beside Zane. Out of instructor mode, his brown eyes seemed kinder now.

  ‘It was unexpected,’ Zane admitted.

  ‘I know. But it’s a part of your training. And because you’re the only class eight student enrolled in the tech program, you have to know how to fix everything. Even the medical equipment.’

  ‘Got it,’ Zane replied, more sharply than he’d intended.

  ‘If it makes you feel any better, I don’t believe any of this equipment could expose what we found out about you.’ Dr Stevenson was careful not to say exactly what they’d found, apparently still paranoid. ‘It took me a very long time and lots of digging to stumble across it.’ Again he referred to the Titon Technologies stamp on his genetic makeup as an ‘it’ as if by not saying it aloud, Zane would be normal.

  Dr Stevenson shook his head. ‘And even now I don’t know everything.’ The doctor met Zane’s eyes. ‘I don’t think we should do anymore testing.’

  ‘What? Why?’ Zane agreed, but wanted to know his reasons. And after this lesson, laying off all the medical stuff might be good for him.

  ‘I don’t want to draw any attention to you. At some point, someone will see how much time we spend together.’

  What the doctor said was true, but his words felt like heavy weights settling on Zane’s shoulders. He was going to be on his own with this again. ‘That’s smart.’ He didn’t allow any of the loneliness he felt to coat his words.

  ‘You’re healthy and perfectly fine. Looking into your past is just going to bring more problems for you. I suggest you forget about it and move on.’

  What happened to the doctor who was delighted at a new discovery? Apparently two words: Titon Technologies.

  The doctor was still scared, just better at hiding it.

  ‘No problem.’ Zane lifted his shoulders back up, used to the heavy burden. He didn’t mention the stolen computer as he stood to leave.

  ‘I’ll see you during your designated medical visits though.’

  Zane nodded, moving out the door.

  ‘Wait,’ Dr Stevenson whisper-yelled. ‘We’ll keep quiet as usual. Can you do this?’

  ‘Yes.’ There was no hesitation in Zane’s answer. He’d do anything to stay and alter his unknown status.

  Chapter 18

  Aurora

  There could only be one winner and Aurora was willing to do just about anything to win. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one thinking this way. Freakin’ pilots. They were all out of their minds. Every single one of them. Including her.

  At least now the jump seat spot was down to only three of them.

  Poor Jeanne-Pierre and Jeremy.

  It was finally time to find out if her late-night training sessions with Sky would pay off.

  Aurora, Nathaniel, and Rick strutted down the sim hall like they owned it. Their flight gear was strapped over their shoulders and aviator glasses covered their eyes. She’d convinced them this would be better than getting mean and competitive with one another. Aurora swung her hips, feeling like she was in a movie. The competition was way more fun this way.

  ‘Balls to the wall,’ Rick called out, when he stopped at the simulator assigned to him.

  Nathaniel snickered and Aurora hid her grin. She was becoming quite attached to these guys. She couldn’t believe she was thinking this, but Aurora kind of liked them better than most girls. With the exception of Kaylana of course. They were easy and fun to be around.

  They were friends.

  Nathaniel didn’t have anything clever to say when he crossed the ramp to his sim.

  ‘Keep your knots up,’ Aurora yelled at him.

  Nathaniel shot her a quick smile and boarded.

  Aurora continued down the line until she crossed the ramp to her simulator and closed the door behind her.

  Today would be hell. Every bad scenario a shuttle could potentially run into during lift off, she’d have to handle. The last one to crash would claim the prized seat on the real shuttle flight to Aviary.

  An hour into the training, Nathaniel was out and sweat poured down her back.

  Rick was good. Real good. Aurora felt the first seed of doubt plant deep in her mind. She might not be the one to win. They’d gone through four launch runs already and this was their final test.

  The Lieutenant Colonel cut three of her six engines five seconds after lift off.

  Shit. There wasn’t much she could do with only three remaining engines. Only try and land the shuttle. Which was like flying a stick. A dead stick. The control levers were practically useless in her hands.

  While Aurora maneuvered the shuttle for the best crash landing possible, Rick’s laughter echoed over the radio.

  ‘I bet you can’t make the runway,’ he taunted.

  How he was talking during an emergency like this was beyond her.

  She struggled to get the shuttle’s nose up, hoping to skid along the ground on the shuttle’s belly.

  From what Aurora gathered over the radio, while she was trying to land as safely as possible, Rick was trying to regain control of the shuttle instead of bringing it down.

  Then Rick cursed and Aurora heard loud, piercing wails coming from his simulator. His ego had cost him the prize.

  Aurora smiled. Sometimes it was a good thing that she wasn’t one of the boys. She was cooler, calmer, maybe even better under pressure.

  ‘Congratulations!’ The Lieutenant Colonel’s praise floated over the mic.

  As she unbuckled, she imagined how Sky’s face would light up when he heard she’d won.

  Rick was nowhere to be found when she exited.

  Nathaniel patted her on the back. ‘Good job.’ He leaned closer. ‘Rick will come around. Just give him some time.’

  Aurora nodded and picked up her flight gear.

  There was an extra bounce in her step as she left the simulator bay. Aurora was going to be where she belonged when she left this world for the first time. The cockpit.

  Chapter 19

  Zane

  Every class eight cadet huddled around one another in Dr Stevenson’s medical lab. Zane took deep breaths, trying to remain calm.

  Ms Lovell paced the room as she explained why they were all gathered. ‘We’re going to go through a series of vaccinations and physical exams today. With the launch less than a week away, we need to make sure everyone is healthy enough to go. After Brianna’s …’ Ms Lovell’s words faltered and she took a moment to compose herself. ‘After the accid
ent, we don’t want to make the same mistake again.’ Ms Lovell motioned around the room. ‘Dr Stevenson and his assistants will get you through this process as quickly as possible.’

  Great.

  Dr Stevenson’s assistants consisted of two class seven medical cadets in training and a hand full of AI bots.

  The class eight cadets lined up against the wall, seated in a row. All three doctors went down the line, administering a series of shots. The AI cleaners picked up their discarded needles behind them.

  Zane was used to feeling like a lab rat, but he wondered if he’d ever get comfortable with it.

  ‘Take care of Aurora for me, Stacey.’ Dr Stevenson skipped ahead in line so that he could be the one to give Zane his shot. Dr Stevenson pushed Zane’s sleeve up and inserted a needle into his arm. Dr Stevenson pushed whatever was in the shot into Zane’s arm, then pretended to drop something so he could lean close enough to Zane to whisper, ‘Don’t worry. None of this should affect you.’

  Zane kept his face blank when Dr Stevenson shuffled on to the next person. As he impatiently waited for the next round of vaccinations, he noticed Aurora had seen their exchange and was still watching him. When he faced her, she glanced away, biting her lip.

  Shit. Had she heard that?

  Striving for calm, Zane didn’t say anything and didn’t look at Aurora again. He took all the shots, pokes, and prods silently. Desperately afraid if he moved, he’d give everything away. Zane knew he was being paranoid, but Aurora had a way of breaking down his barriers. This was one secret she could never know.

  ‘How many more?’ Nathaniel asked, clearly frustrated. ‘That’s like the tenth shot.’ He glanced at his arm. ‘I’m going to have a wicked bruise.’

  ‘Aww, want me to kiss it?’ Rick teased.

  Nathaniel frowned. ‘I’m switching arms.’

  ‘These are standard vaccinations,’ Dr Stevenson announced. ‘Next we’ll be drawing blood.’

  ‘I thought there were no more diseases?’ Nathaniel questioned.

  ‘That’s not true. Most are just vaccinated. Like you.’ Stacey placed another needle into Nathaniel’s arm as if to prove her point.

  Zane bottled all of his emotions, crushing the idea that all of this had been done to him before. Only the last time he hadn’t been a willing participant.

  Chapter 20

  Aurora

  Aurora couldn’t avoid this conversation any longer. Her dad had been emailing and hailing her for the past few weeks. And like a child, she’d ignored them all. It was only a matter of time before he showed up at her room.

  ‘Hey, Dad,’ she answered breezily, like she hadn’t been purposely ignoring him. Arguing with him about staying at the Academy was the last thing she wanted to do after a long day of training.

  ‘It’s about time.’ Her father’s familiar face appeared on the holographic image above her watch.

  ‘Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been a little busy.’ And that wasn’t a lie. Training this semester had been intense.

  ‘Tell me you’ve at least been reading my messages.’

  Crap.

  Her dad must have gotten the truth from her face because his voice turned grave. ‘I’ve been sending you the investigators findings on Rowan.’

  ‘Oh.’ She’d assumed all of his notes were about coming home. ‘Why don’t you catch me up on all of that?’ If her dad thought Rowan was doing something that would affect her, he wouldn’t have waited for her to answer his hails.

  ‘Needless to say, everything Rowan does seems suspicious.’ Her father rubbed his forehead as he spoke. ‘But I can’t make any sense of it. I’m going to forward you the latest.’ He gave her a stare that said she better not argue. ‘And you’re going to read it.’

  ‘All right. Though if it makes you feel any better, I’ll be literally out of his reach by tomorrow.’

  ‘Don’t remind me.’ He smiled sadly. ‘Let’s hope Rowan’s reach doesn’t extend to space.’

  ‘I probably won’t be able to talk to you much once I’m up.’

  ‘Please. If I need to get a hold of you, I will,’ he said in his typical ‘I’m Collin Titon and there’s nothing I can’t do’ sort of way. ‘I’ll be there tomorrow. It seems fitting that the day I watch you leave this world will be nineteen years after I watched you first come into it.’

  Aurora smiled. ‘I love you, Dad.’

  ‘I love you too.’

  They spoke for a few more minutes, but really there was nothing left they needed to say. For the first time in awhile, they weren’t arguing. It was the best birthday present he could give her.

  As soon as she ended the call, her phone beeped with a message. Wanting to keep her promise, she scrolled through it.

  Message sent by CollinTiton101 at 8.30am on 2 April 2164 to AuroraTiton525.

  Status: Read

  Aurora,

  Here’s the latest from my private investigator. At this point it’s clear Rowan is up to something, but whether or not this has anything to do with you or the Academy is still up for debate. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

  1 April 2164 Subject left home at 10.48 am and drove an hour outside of Orlando to Magnolia Farms. He entered the building at 11.56 am and remained inside for 35 minutes. As he exited, an unidentified male wearing a white lab coat followed. Subject and unidentified male spoke for approximately ten minutes before subject returned to vehicle carrying a package. Subject drove straight home and remained there for the rest of the day.

  Follow up Information:

  On 1 April 2164 I exited my vehicle and explored Magnolia Farms while subject remained inside. Typical farm set up—pigsties, chicken coops, and cow pastures surrounded the facility. From my research, I can tell you that Magnolia Farms opened in 1984 and is one of the last farms where animals are still slaughtered for food.

  When the subject left the main building I used binoculars to try and pick up the conversation between subject and unidentified man. I tried reading their lips but was unable to pick up much. (Research, pig blood, and hybrid.) They did appear to be having a heated conversation.

  2 April 2164 Subject left home at 8.45 am and drove straight to work. At 12.35 pm he left work and drove to Thai Sushi & Cuisine where he entered the building carrying a package. Subject and an unidentified male remained inside together for forty-five minutes. When subject returned he was no longer carrying the package.

  Follow Up Information:

  2 April 2164 Activity—I can only assume that whatever package the subject picked up from Magnolia Farms was given to the unidentified male. Will keep following.

  END OF REPORT.

  Aurora stared at the report as if the longer she looked at it the more sense it would make. She had no clue what Rowan would need from a farm or what it could possibly have to do with her.

  She shook her head. As much as she wanted to finally prove Rowan Dagan had been behind her attacks, the one who had convinced Hailen to do his dirty work, it felt like her dad was grasping at straws.

  This wasn’t the kind of thing she needed on her mind the night before the launch.

  ***

  Ms Lovell was in her office when Aurora knocked on the door.

  ‘May I come in?’ she asked.

  Ms Lovell glanced up from her desk. ‘Of course. What can I do for you?’

  Aurora hesitated. She knew Ms Lovell had been patching Sky through to her, but it still made her uncomfortable having to ask her about it face to face. ‘I … um … I wanted to talk to Sky … before tomorrow.’

  ‘Sure.’ Ms Lovell smiled. ‘I’ll have to send a hail to the lunar station and then they’ll patch me into Sky. Once he’s on the line, I can send the communication through to you. That will take about fifteen minutes.’

  ‘So every time Sky and I have practiced in the sim, you’ve had to patch him through?’

  Ms Lovell nodded.

  ‘And you’re okay with that?’

  ‘Yes. It’s okay to practice with your in
structor,’ Ms Lovell said cryptically.

  ‘And what if it weren’t just an instructor and student practicing?’ Aurora’s heart beat faster. She couldn’t believe she’d just asked about that.

  ‘You already know there are no rules about who you—’ Ms Lovell cleared her throat, ‘—see.’

  ‘Right.’ Aurora backed out of the room before she embarrassed herself further. ‘I’ll just wait for you to connect us. Thanks,’ she hollered over her shoulder.

  Aurora berated herself for asking such a stupid question the entire walk back to her room. She’d already known the Academy didn’t care who hooked up as long as it didn’t interfere with training.

  When she walked through the door, Sky’s voice called out to her.

  ‘Aurora?’

  ‘Hi,’ she squeaked. When they trained in the sim, she hadn’t been able to see him and that made ignoring her feelings a little easier. But here in her room … she could see everything she’d been missing. Sky’s blond hair was ruffled as his blue eyes locked on hers.

  ‘You had Ms Lovell hail me?’ Sky smiled, showing off his dimple.

  ‘I can’t believe you have to go through Ms Lovell every time we talk!’ So Ms Lovell knew every time they talked.

  ‘Are you embarrassed?’ Sky teased.

  ‘I-I just—’

  ‘We need the Academy’s stronger signal. We can’t talk on your techiwatch without being linked to the Academy first.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘That’s not why you called, is it?’ Sky sat down on what must have been his bed on the lunar station.

  ‘No.’ Aurora stopped talking when Sky unzipped the top half of his Alliance flight suit, revealing his tan chest and strong arms.

  He glanced up as he chucked off his boots. ‘See something you like?’

  Aurora’s mouth opened up and down like a fish.

  Sky chuckled. ‘I just got back from a cargo-run.’ He leaned back on his pillow, thankfully keeping the rest of his suit on. Lying back like that … she could see his taut stomach and a golden happy trail … Sky cleared his throat and put his hands behind his head.