Solaris

Sweat trickled down my back, sending an icy chill up my spine. Winter was definitely coming. I ignored the cold and focused on the smack of my vintage Converse on the tarmac. I was almost there. The airplane hangar was like a beacon in the darkness, the shiny white metal brilliant against the backdrop of night. The red and white flag on its domed roof flapped furiously in the wind, an ominous reminder of where I was.

Tires squealed just behind me, and I dove behind a stack of wooden crates. My breath came hard and fast. Now that my footfalls weren’t drowning out the sound, my panting was all I could hear. Relax, Solaris! I inhaled slowly, forcing my out-of-control heartbeat to slow.

The green camo-colored Hummer came into view under the dim lamppost, but dark tinted windows made it impossible to see how many soldiers were inside. That was probably a good thing. The car slowed, and my heart leapt into my throat. I ducked further down and held my breath. A second later, it drove right by me. I checked my watch – eleven o’clock on the dot.

I closed my eyes and slumped back against the crate, wrapping my coat more tightly around me. No time for a break. I hauled myself up and peered over the edge of the wooden box, ignoring the bold black lettering stamped across the top. The Collective. Malcolm would be so pissed if he knew what I was doing. Too late to turn back now.

I raced the last few yards across the tarmac and darted behind the hangar, golden wisps of hair whipping across my face in the frosty breeze. I pressed my body up against the structure. The cold metal siding seeped through my faux fur coat, chilling my bones. I checked my watch and waited a few more seconds to make sure the coast was clear. The guard shouldn’t be making his next round for another ten minutes.

I had to move now. According to the diagram I snagged from Malcolm’s desk, the back door should’ve been just around the corner. I tiptoed the remaining distance, hugging the wall as I went.

Bingo! I stared up at the thick steel door. It would have been the end of my adventure if I hadn’t brought this bad boy. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the badge. Another treasure from Malcolm’s desk. I swiped it across the keypad, and a computerized voice rang out in the dead silence. “Malcolm Levant: level two clearance. Please proceed.” I almost peed my pants at the unwelcome noise.

The lock clicked, and the door swung open. All my fears vanished when my eyes locked on the Cessna CJ4 in the middle of the enormous space. My breath caught. It was the fastest single-pilot plane in the world. Only the Collective could own such a luxurious vessel.

Tonight it was going to be mine.

I stepped closer, barely breathing. The hangar’s halogen emergency lights reflected off the smooth surface, giving the jet an ethereal glow. My arm shot out, my fingers itching to touch it. I traced the blue insignia of two interlocking hands over the wing as excitement rippled through my veins.

I ran around to the pilot’s side and pulled my sneakers off. I hauled myself up onto the wing, stepping lightly so not to damage it. I sidled up against the body of the jet and stretched across to the engine, weaving my hand through the propeller blades. Cold metal grazed my fingertips, and I snatched the key ring. Malcolm had been right.

I hopped down onto the retractable stairs and swung the cabin door open. The smell of leather wafted up to my nose as I took a quick glance in the passenger area. Six large, sumptuous tan leather seats, each with personal home entertainment systems, filled the well-appointed cabin. It was lavishly designed in dark wood and gold accents. I could almost see Turstan, the Head Minister of Equality, smoking his cigar with that snide grin on his face. So much for equality for all. I shook my head and pushed the unwanted vision to the far corners of my mind. If I was being honest with myself, half of the reason I was stealing the plane was to piss him off. The other half was purely for the thrill of it.

I turned toward the cockpit: this is where the magic really happened. I slid into the bucket seat, my jeans squeaking on new leather. As I inserted the key into the ignition, a rush of adrenaline hemorrhaged through my veins. The feeling was addictive. This was the reason I did stupid stuff all the time and spent half my life in trouble. If Malcolm hadn’t been a prominent official in the Collective, I would’ve been in jail instead of just grounded.

I smiled as I imagined the look on Turstan’s face when he discovered I stole his precious plane. The most fun would be weaseling my way out of it like I always did. Thanks to Malcolm. If they weren’t so close, I might have reconsidered such a reckless act.

The engine rumbled to life, sending a mad swarm of butterflies aflutter in my stomach. I pulled out the pre-flight checklist and went through each point like my instructor, Gavin, had taught me. I may not have been a fan of our government, but if I wanted to fly, it meant enlisting in AirComm. And I wanted to fly more than anything in the world ... even more than I hated Turstan.

I fastened my seat belt and performed a quick brake test, my heartbeat thumping in time with the vibrations of the engine. I flipped on the avionics master switch and pumped the throttle a few times. I checked for fuel flow, pressure and temperature. All good.

I stared out through the front canopy at the massive thirty-foot metal hangar door. Fudge. How was I going to get out? I swiveled around in the captain’s seat but didn’t feel anything under my butt. The side panel on the door held nothing but a half-empty water bottle. I dug around under the seat until my fingers landed on a familiar rectangular shape. I yanked it out. It looked just like our garage door opener—must be it. I pointed it at the door and held my breath.

A crack of light filtered in from the bottom as the enormous door rose up. I glanced at my watch—only three more minutes until the guards came back around. I didn’t have a second to waste.

I advanced the throttle half way and pulled back on the control wheel. The jet lurched forward, taking me along with it. I sat back and adjusted my posture, more firmly gripping the yoke. Once I cleared the hangar, I fully opened up the throttle.

The engine roared, igniting a trail of goose bumps over my skin. Relax, Solaris, you’ve done this hundreds of times. I took a deep breath as the dark buildings of the AirComm base sped by me in a blur. The airspeed indicator climbed to 50 knots. Almost there.

Neon headlights flashed across the windshield. I squinted, momentarily blinded by the bright lights. A Hummer raced down the runway straight toward me. Blast it.

I tilted the nose up and yanked back on the yoke harder than I should have. The jet pitched forward, the engine spluttering. My sweaty palms nearly lost their grip, my knuckles turning white from the effort. The thundering of my heart almost drowned out the blaring horn as the car raced closer. The window was down, and a soldier was madly waving his arms for me to stop.

“Pull up! Pull up!” I yelled out loud.

The soldier’s faces were so close that I could make out the color of their hair through the canopy. This was so not good. “Come on, baby!” I smacked the control panel and as if the magnificent jet had heard me, the nose angled up. My stomach dropped, and the earth fell away in an instant. I glanced down and caught an up-close and personal view of the top of the Hummer.

I let out a long breath. That had been way too close.

As the jet climbed higher in the night sky, I engaged the stealth mode button. Try and track me now suckers. I switched on the autopilot and took a minute to enjoy the view. The twinkling lights of New Isos shimmered below, the dark Hesperia Mountains forming a natural barrier on the eastern side of the capital. Beyond the treacherous terrain was nothing but black. The Shadow Lands were deserted and had been for nearly a century. Their only purpose was to strengthen the divide between Imera and Draconis. I stared across the expanse and not for the first time wondered what life was like in nocturne territory. Too bad I’d never get to find out.

I turned off the autopilot and resumed control of the jet. I didn’t understand why pilots used it anyway. Where was the fun in that? I liked the feel of the yoke in my hands, relishing every sway and tilt of the aircraft. I turned the control wheel thirty degrees north to follow the Hesperia up toward the lake region. Malcolm had taken me there the summer before mom died. We hadn’t been back since. My throat tightened, a thick lump forming.

The lakes were overrated anyway.

I jerked the yoke to the right, continuing east instead. Maybe I’d catch a glance of the border patrols.

I’d get the privilege of spending at least a few months stationed on the boundary between Imera and the Shadow Lands too. It was part of training for AirComm. All my classmates at the academy said it was pointless. No one ever dared cross over, but we still had to guard it. I descended a few hundred feet to get a better look at the terrain below. The Shadow Lands were a no-fly zone for anyone but the Collective. Luckily, I was in one of their planes. I soared over the fifty-foot wall that stretched across the border, my heartbeat accelerating. Not many citizens had crossed that line, let alone seventeen-year-old girls. I had to get as far as I could before the cavalry came after me. I just hoped Malcolm wouldn’t be too mad when he got the call.

A pang of guilt jabbed at my gut. I ignored it.

I dipped the jet’s nose downward, the moonless night not helping with my attempt at sightseeing. I had only seen the legendary ruins of the Shadow Lands in textbooks and on unofficial websites. This was my only chance to see them in person—at least until I graduated and became an officer. The way things were going lately, the chances of that were zero to none.

Towering buildings sprawled below me. I flicked on the spotlight and was finally able to get a better look. It was a risky move, sure to alert the soldiers to my location, but I couldn’t come this far and not see anything. I switched to autopilot and peered out the window.

A long river wound through the center of what probably used to be a bustling metropolis. A strange, corncob-shaped building stood next to a series of crumbling bridges that connected the downtown area. It was eerily beautiful. Some sort of arena sat at the edge of another large body of water, and I wondered what kind of events would have been held there. I couldn’t imagine a world where humans and nocturnes lived side by side. Run-down skyscrapers stretched all the way to the Draconis border. Only a glowing red light marked the divide, unlike our imposing wall. Apparently they were less afraid of intruders than the Collective.

I flicked off the spotlight, not wanting to alert the nocturnes of my presence. Turstan I could handle, but whatever was on the other side of that creepy red light was another story.

I glanced at my watch—almost midnight.

I was amazed I hadn’t been caught, even with stealth mode. No point in pushing my luck. I grabbed hold of the control wheel and flipped the switch back to manual. Rotating the yoke forty-five degrees, I headed home, my shoulders beginning to sag just from the thought. My final year of classes started tomorrow, which meant summer break was over and no more flying lessons with Gavin. After this year, I’d be shipped off to AirComm training, and they’d own me for two years. I glanced down at my red Converse and frowned. I’d be trading in my old friends for regulation combat boots in no time. But at least I’d get to fly.

A blinking red light on the control panel grabbed my attention. The navigation system went black.

“No, no, no!” I flipped the switch back and forth. The entire flight deck lit up like a Christmas tree. The fuel meter, oil temperature and pressure indicators all shone red, and the jet dipped. My hands shot out and gripped the arm rests as my stomach dropped. The entire avionics system was shutting down. I frantically pressed buttons, all my hours of training with Gavin forgotten. The engines cut off, and the plane’s nose dipped down. No, no, no. This cannot be happening.

I froze in the abrupt and deafening silence of the cabin. My heart smacked up against my ribcage, trying to break out. My eyes widened as I looked out the windshield and saw the rapidly approaching earth instead of the night sky.

Snap out of it, Solaris.

I checked the altitude indicator; it was the only instrument still functioning and it showed fewer than two thousand feet and falling fast. I had to get the engines running again. I flipped the key to the off position and restarted the engines, going through an abbreviated version of my pre-flight checklist.

I whizzed by a tall tower, the wing scraping along a crumbling corner. The screech of metal grinding against metal made my teeth chatter. I pulled back on the throttle, hoping to the universe that the engines would come back online. A low rumble vibrated the port side of the plane. Yes! I could work with one engine. I tugged back on the yoke with everything I had. Five hundred feet and falling. My muscles strained as the jet hurtled toward the ground, the only thing stopping the descent my flimsy biceps.

“Come on, come on!”

I gritted my teeth and dug my heels into the floor mat, pulling back until I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore. The nose lifted slightly as I weaved in between two buildings. I engaged the landing gear with one hand, the other never letting up on the control wheel. I applied ten degrees of flaps, hoping I was downwind.

The dark city below zoomed ever closer across the windshield. Well you wanted to see it close up, Solaris… The dilapidated cement buildings fell away, and an enormous body of water filled my vision.

No! If I landed in the freezing lake, I’d be dead in minutes.

I yanked the yoke to the right as a steel gray structure blotted out the windshield. It was too late. I squeezed my eyes shut and smashed right into it.