Piper

“Be careful!”

“I always am, mom,” I answer. “Don’t worry. I’ll be traveling with the Federation. What could possibly go wrong?

My mother dries her tears on her handkerchief. “So many things, so many things,” she stammers.

My dad gives me a big bear hug, lifting me right off the ground.

“Our little girl is growing up, Mary,” my dad says. “Time we let this little birdie fly.”

“Thanks, dad,” I say. “I’ll miss you two.”

“And we’ll miss you, honey. You message us every day, you hear?”

“Got it.”

“Good. Now go on, get. Don’t want to be late on your big day.”

I give my parents one final kiss and hug and then I’m off. It feels like I’m walking on air as I make my way through Ferguson Spaceport with nothing but my bag and my hopes on me.

There’s people everywhere — I’ve never been anywhere this busy. Ferguson is one of the biggest transport hubs in the world (or the universe, I suppose! The human colonized part of it, anyway. Who knows what else is out there?) and it’s overwhelming in every way. All the people finding their way through the massive crowds look like busy little ants on a mission from the platform where I’m standing. All their voices, the jingles from the shops, and the messages over the PA system all mix into a symphony that sounds like adventure to me.

“Excuse me,” a man in a three-piece suit growls as he shuffles his way past me.

“Sorry,” I mumble as I clutch my bag to my chest.

That reminds me — I should go to my gate instead of daydreaming like a lunatic!

“Boarding pass?” the bored looking official asks.

With a big smile I hand her my pass. It’s my most prized possession, for it reads Piper Bell: Winner of the Sarah Granger Scholarship.

It’s my golden ticket.

This baby is the reason I’m going into space. Space! Freaking space! I’m so giddy I could break out into song and dance at any moment — but I don’t do that. That kinda thing is frowned upon in public in general, and at spaceports in particular.

I learned that lesson the hard way in high school. Fifteen years of homeschooling didn’t prepare me for that harsh reality as much as I thought…

However, it’s all been worth it, because all of it has brought me here.

Ferguson Spaceport. Golden ticket in my hand. One bag that contains everything a girl needs. Ready to rock this training camp and show the Federation that I’m the type of student they’re looking for.

When I saw the ad on the web, I knew I had to sign up straight away. A summer school for wannabe astrophysicists, in space, led by the Sarah Granger herself?! She’s, like, my hero. My mom doesn’t like her very much, ‘cause Sarah married a Zoran warrior, and after Pazar and the whole ‘forced exodus’ thing, inter-species marriage is kind of a touchy subject, but that doesn’t change the fact that Mrs. Granger is one kick-ass lady.

Also, did I stress how the summer school is in space? Okay, technically, it would take place on the planet Valure, but you’d have to travel through space to get there.

Same thing.

This study trip is also the only way I can get my parents to give me some space. I love them to death, but they put the Apache in helicopter parenting. I know they mean well, but… I’m an adult now. Even if they can’t see that yet. I need to stand on my own two legs. I had to fight tooth and nail to go to public school, and while it was hard I’m glad I did it anyway. (I can’t stress how hard it was enough. I had so many problems picking up on social cues, don’t even get me started. Apparently, a lifetime of watching high school movies from the 20th century don’t accurately prepare you for the realities of 22^nd century teenage life. Who knew people don’t wear bright pink frilly dresses to dances anymore? Thanks mom!)

If I’m honest, this Federation summer school scares the crap out of me. A whole month with a bunch of strangers, who are all as smart as me? (Let’s not kid myself: they’re probably a whole lot smarter.) It’s a lot to take in at one time. At least in high school I could go home at the end of the day and recharge. Can’t do that now. No, this summer I’m being tested to my very limits.

Despite my fear, I grab my bag and push on. The insanely big spaceship that’ll take me to my destination is within view now. The UFC Hammersmith.

I gaze up at the majestic metal beast. There’s no other way to describe the ship. It’s so massive, so threatening, like an iron bull ready to take the universe by the horns.

That must be the feel they’re going for. The Federation has changed so much in recent years, it’s crazy. I remember when they were all about intergalactic peace and cooperation… not anymore, though. After Pazar, everything changed. Now, it’s all about security, about threat-levels and keeping aliens out.

To be honest, I don’t follow the news all that much. I prefer to focus on my studies.

All my life I’ve dreamed of being an astrophysicist. Now, it’s within reach. It’s so close I can smell it. It smells like… perfume?

At that moment a suitcase is jammed roughly into my knee, and I yelp from the pain, my daydreams thoroughly interrupted.

“Excuse you?!” a girl sneers at me. “Ugh.” She flips her intricate golden braid over her shoulder and continues on her way, pushing past me while quite literally lifting her nose up at me.

I hope she’s not part of the class. If so, this’ll be high school all over again…

I present my boarding pass to the gruff looking Federation soldier standing outside the Hammersmith. This is the fourth checkpoint I’ve been through. What’s next, a cavity search?

Oh crap I hope not.

I eye his jet-black laser rifle nervously. He’s got one hand casually resting on the stock, like he’s expecting an alien invasion at any moment.

“Go on,” he says as he waves me through.

I make my way up the metal walkway, the wheels of my bag making quite a racket behind me. I stare with big eyes at the sign at the entrance to the Hammersmith. There’s more than enough decks on this ship to make my head spin.

Where am I supposed to go?

“You green?”

I whirl around. Another soldier is looking at me, though luckily, this one isn’t holding his rifle and scowling like he’s constipated.

“I’m wh-what?”

“Green,” he quips, his eyes lighting up. “That’s what we’re calling you newbies. You’re part of the training group, right? The Granger folk?”

“G-green?” I stammer again like a fool.

I’m surprised such an attractive soldier is talking to me. No, not just talking, smiling at me. Warmly. The boys back at school certainly never did that.

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re inexperienced. Get it?”

“Oh, yeah,” I laugh nervously.

He has no idea how on the money he is. All my experience with men is based on books. That’s another reason why I need to put some space between my (well meaning) parents and myself. Can’t lose your V-card with your mom walking in every two minutes…

“Let me show you the way,” the soldier says. “Name’s Frank, by the way.”

“P-Piper,” I say. I cough and clear my throat — where has this damn stammer come from?! I’m not twelve. I’m a adult. Act like one! “Piper!” I say again, clearly. So clear I nearly shout it in his chiseled face.

“Piper, okay, got it,” the soldier smirks.

I follow him into the ship. I’m glad he’s showing me the way, or I would have definitely have gotten lost in here. There’s decks upon decks with people everywhere; doctors, scientists, diplomats and soldiers pushing their way past us, all with grim expressions on their faces. It all makes me feel very out of place.

“Don’t worry about them,” Frank says. “Everyone gets a little stressed when it’s so close to launch. Almost there.”

My heart is thumping like mad, and I feel so silly.

I thought I was an adult, I thought I could handle all of this, but seeing all these people makes me realize just how inexperienced I am.

Or maybe it’s just Frank who’s making me feel that way.

Was it a mistake coming here? Is it too late to turn back?

“Here you are.”

We arrive at a large room, filled with icy-blue pods. There’s dozens of other girls already there mingling, all of them around my age. To my dismay I see the golden-braid girl who scoffed at me as well, surrounded by a throng of girls. Every group must have a queen bee, it seems.

I take a deep breath to calm my thumping heart. This is the jungle I know (and fear). I’ve survived before, I can survive again. I got this.

Frank taps my arm to get my attention — which nearly makes me jump.

“Hey, don’t worry,” he says softly. “You’ll be fine. Everyone’s a bit nervous, and no one knows anyone here. Just be yourself.”

“Easy for you to say.”

It just slipped out.

Frank raises his eyebrows. “How’s that?”

Because you’re already fine.

“Cause,” I say. “Just ‘cause.”

The soldier laughs.

“You’re a weird one, Piper. Don’t let them change that.”

“Who? The girls?”

“No, the Federation,” he says, tapping the logo on his helmet. “See you on the other side.”

The soldier leaves, and just like that I’m alone again. I drop my bag at my feet and look around, hoping that I don’t look as out of place as I feel.

A young woman wearing the Federation colors walks up to me.

“Hi, I’m Meredith, and you must be Piper. Can I see your pass?”

I hand her my boarding pass and wait anxiously, biting my bottom lip. I know I’m in the right place, and she even used my name, but I still feel like she’s going to tell me my pass is a fake and is about to publicly shame me in front of the whole class.

Unrealistic, I know. But that’s just how my brain works.

“Everything is in order,” she says with a smile. “Follow me to your pod, please.”

“My pod?” I ask as I grab my bag.

The woman nods. “You will be placed in cryogenic sleep for the duration of the journey towards Valure.”

My eyes widen. “What?!” I blurt out. “That wasn’t in the brochure!”

Meredith shows me my pod. The glass covering it is transparent, but tinged an icy blue. The seat itself is red and plush, and looks quite comfortable actually.

“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe,” she says. “Plus, there’s several different dream-modules to choose from to make your journey a pleasant one.”

Dream modules? Now that catches my attention.

“Err, thank you,” I say. Meredith walks away again, welcoming a new arrival, leaving me alone with my somehow-comfortable-looking-yet-still-kinda-creepy-sleeping-pod.

How does this thing even work?

“Pretty sweet, huh?”

I glance up. A girl with short brown hair and glasses offers me her hand. A tattoo of a skull peeks out from under her sleeve. She’s already way cooler than I’ll ever be.

“Name’s Rose.”

“Piper,” I answer.

Rose pats her sleeping pod. “Word on the street is that the dreams this baby can conjure are more realistic than even the strongest Jet high. Not that I’d know, of course,” she says.

“Uh huh. Of course.” I don’t know what else to say.

“Have you picked your dream module yet?”

“Not yet. Any suggestions?”

“Depends on what you’re into.”

Rose presses a button on the side of her pod and a holographic screen pops up. She scrolls through the dreams, and my mouth just about falls open.

“Let’s see, there’s Italian Rose, where you run a vineyard in medieval Italy, along with your faithful husband, Donatello.”

A beautiful, cozy house appears, overlooking a valley of grapes on vines, a winding river cutting through the green fields. I’ve never seen anything as majestic. The megacities have swallowed up every inch of space on Earth, so I’ve only ever read about sights likes these.

“That’s amazing,” I say.

“You think? Sounds kinda boring to me,” Rose says. “This is more my style: Run the Shadows. You play as a cyber-ninja working for the Berlin underground in a future dystopia.”

A holographic image of a woman clad in black leather wielding a katana appears.

“I don’t understand how this thing works,” I admit. “How real does it all feel?”

“It’s as real as you want it to be,” Rose answers. “You can’t die or get hurt in real life, but all your senses work perfectly fine.”

“So you can feel pain?”

“Oh yeah.”

No cyber-ninja for me then! I’ll stick to the quaint, rustic Italian village, thank you very much.

Rose’s lopsided grin catches my attention.

“What’s so funny?” I ask.”

“I also have some other dreams,” the tattooed brunette says in a conspiratorial whisper, “if you know what I mean.”

“I do not.”

She leans in closely and flashes me a Federation badge. It’s got Meredith’s face plastered on it.

“You swiped her badge?!” I gasp.

“Keep it down, will you,” she scolds as she glances from side to side.

No one’s paying any attention to us. Thankfully.

“The Federation’s only gives us greens a small taste of what the dream-world has to offer. Here, check this out,” Rose says.

She holds the badge against her pod, and it bleeps. Instantly, a new selection of possible dream-scenarios are added to the roster. I see various battle-simulations with names like Battle of Exon, The Tyk’ix Encounter and Zorans at the Gate. That last one makes me shiver.

The seven foot tall alien warriors are banned from Earth since Pazar. I’ve never seen one in real life, and I’m both intrigued by them, and terribly afraid of them. My parents say they’re savage, bloodthirsty monsters who can rip humans apart with nothing but their bare hands.

If they were so bad though, Sarah Granger never would have married Kazim.

So they can’t be that bad. Or perhaps Sarah just got one of the good ones…

“Check this one out,” Rose says as she scrolls all the way down. The dreams change from combat missions to something much… steamier.

My cheeks turn red as I watch a holographic image of a single woman on a bed, surrounded by three barely dressed men. Their naked chests glisten with oil as they all move in on her, six pair of hands roaming the woman’s body lingerie-clad body, and my eyes snap up at Rose.

“Turn it off,” I whisper. “Before someone sees!”

Rose smirks at me. “Why? Is this making you uncomfortable, green?”

“Yes!”

“You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

I haven’t even had one guy yet — I can’t imagine taking on three at the same time. Sounds exhausting!

“Why is this even in there?” I say as I twirl one lock of hair around my finger. “What’s even the point?”

Rose shrugs. “Perhaps it’s training as well. For a courtesan.”

“A what?”

Rose rolls her eyes. “You really are green, aren’t you?”

“Shut up. What’s a courtesan?”

“It’s like… a diplomat who uses every tool in her arsenal.”

“You mean her body.”

“That’s right. And she’s using it to her full potential,” she says, motioning at the holographic foursome taking place.

“That’s disgusting.” That’s a lie.

“Don’t be such a prude,” Rose says.

“Prepare prepare to get in your pod, ladies,” Meredith calls out from the center of the room. “We’re getting ready for take-off.”

“Oh shit,” Rose says as she quickly scrolls away. To my horror, she ducks over to my pod and bleeps it as well with Meredith’s keycard.

“Enjoy,” she winks.

Great. Now I have a whole bunch of saucy dreams to choose from.

I never asked for that.

But looking at them won’t hurt, right?

We all get ready for our pods. A large line instantly forms for the bathrooms (I’m not quite sure how these pods work exactly, but going to the bathroom first seems like a safe bet) and by the time I get back, Meredith is yelling at us to hurry.

To my surprise, most girls are in various stages of undressing themselves. I stand still, dumbfounded and embarrassed. Did I mention I always skipped gym for this exact reason? I don’t do nudity, and especially don’t do public nudity.

“What are you waiting for?” Meredith snaps. “Get your suit on!”

“My what?”

“Under your pod,” she sighs.

I’m not sure what briefing I missed, but this is all new to me. True to Meredith’s word, there is a white body suit underneath my pod. I’m not quite sure it’s my size, though.

However, with how agitated Meredith is looking, I’m not about to ask her for a new one. I keep my eyes down as I undress, and slip the bodysuit on. The material is stretchy, and to my surprise it fits, but only barely. It’s hugging all of my curves, and it makes me feel exposed in a way that I’m not comfortable with.

Luckily, Frank is not here to see me like this.

I climb into the pod, and sink right into the red, plushy bed. The icy-blue door closes automatically. If the doors weren’t transparent I’d have a panic attack, but this is… okay. Not great, but okay.

I’m an adult. I put my big girl panties on this morning. I can survive this as well.

“Welcome to the UFC Hammersmith,” a female voice says. She rattles off an introduction, but to be honest, I’m looking forward to the list of dreams already.

When she’s done talking, said list appears. I scroll through it until I find Italian Rose. That’s the one I wanted.

…right?

My heart thumps, and my palms feel sweaty.

It doesn’t hurt to take a look. Just a look. At the titles only. Nothing more.

I did nothing wrong. It was all Rose’s doing! I’m innocent.

Yes. Innocent Piper.

That’s what I tell myself as I scroll down, down, down, until I get to the good stuff, my stomach in knots.

The titles of these dreams alone make my ears burn. Why would Snowed in with a Zoran be on here? My finger hovers over the title, my heart race increasing. Should I…?

“Title selected,” the automated voice says. “Enjoy.”

“What? No! Stop! Go back!”

I slam my palms against the door, but it’s too late. The room slowly fades away, snowflakes falling down all around me, and when I look down at my feet I see that they’re planted knee-deep in pure, white snow.

Whoa.

I run my finger across the pristine snow. It’s cold to the touch, and feels extremely realistic. It’s like I’m really there.

“Come inside,” a deep voice growls.

I look up, and my heart leaps into my throat. A seven foot tall, silver-skinned alien warrior is standing in the opening of a rustic cabin, his radiant eyes focused on me.

“I’ll keep you warm,” he says.

His lips curl up into a cocky grin.

Oh god. What have I gotten myself into?

I turn around, but all I see is snow — everywhere. Thick banks of it, every passage blocked, and thick clouds are on the horizon. There’s nowhere else to go but inside.

With the Zoran warrior.

“Cancel dream,” I say out loud. “Load new scenario. Escape. Exit.” I try every keyword I know (There’s got to be some way to cancel this stupid dream!) but nothing works.

The Zoran warrior takes a step toward me, the snow crunching under his big feet, and he tilts my chin up.

“There’s no escape here,” he growls. “We’re snowed in.”

Oh boy.