The Apollo Academy (13 page)

SKY

T
he humming buzz and beep of instruments echoed through the once-quiet simulator bay as Sky marched around the room. Eight shuttle simulators were running simultaneously while Sky barked out instructions.

“We’ll repeat these maneuvers until you can do them in your sleep!” Sky snapped. With his shoulders back, chest out, and chin held high, he knew he looked like an arrogant ass, but he needed to make an impression. The attack on the Apollo Alliance space shuttle two weeks ago had pissed him off. There was no way in hell he’d let his cadets fail.

If he didn’t ensure each pilot cadet completed the appropriate maneuvers and followed the correct procedures, then it would be his fault if anything ever happened to them. Even though the Academy knew they all wouldn’t make it, he’d be damned if he had any of their deaths on his hands. And with the limited selection the Academy had to choose from, they needed every single one of them.

Sky turned to one of the cadets at the beginning of the simulator row. “Rick, it’s time to burn. If you don’t do your de-orbit burn now, you won’t have directional control when the shuttle re-enters atmosphere.”

Sky watched as Rick flicked three engine-firing switches into the upright position and began his simulated de-orbital burn. Rick simultaneously pulled the joystick back, slightly pitching the shuttle for a better re-entry angle. Usually, the shuttles were operated by a crew, but for this training assignment, Sky wanted to see if they were able to handle the lengthy re-entry procedure without help.

The glass navigational screen lit green as Rick finished his burn. “Great job, Rick. Now land that sucker.”

Sky left Rick to land his shuttle, watching for anyone else he could help as he passed by simulator after simulator. His thoughts drifted to TerraUnited. They were becoming a much larger problem than he anticipated. Why couldn’t they see that the world was out of options?

Oh, right, because most don’t see.
After living at the Academy and in space for the past four years, he’d gotten used to seeing everyone’s eyes. But that wasn’t normal. Not many lived like that outside the Academy.

He paced behind the last simulator in the bay where he had an unobstructed view of Aurora Titon’s screen. He watched Aurora expertly maneuver through the de-orbital burn procedure and position the shuttle for re-entry. The navigational screen turned green.

Impressive.

Maybe the late-night sessions in the simulators were doing her some good. He knew Aurora didn’t think anyone noticed her late night dates with the sims, but he had. How could he not? His office overlooked the simulator bay.

The other night when she failed to correctly dock with the space station, she had yelled out at the simulator and proceeded to stomp out of the bay. The maneuver was too advanced for her at this point in flight training, but he had no doubt she would go back every night until she got it.

Sky smiled at the memory. He hated to admit it, but the heiress was proving herself to be a decent pilot.

As Aurora’s shuttle streaked down through Earth’s upper atmosphere at over twenty thousand miles per hour, a red glow appeared outside the window screen. When the air molecules outside of the shuttle continued to heat to over three thousand degrees Fahrenheit, the red glow grew brighter until it almost matched the color of Aurora’s hair.

Sky’s breath caught in his throat. He felt like he should say something instructional, but nothing came to mind. She was handling everything extremely well.

While the shuttle descended toward the SpacePort, Aurora steered the shuttle for landing. Her body looked so small in the instrument-intense environment, yet she handled everything with ease. Aurora pulled the joystick back, pitching to land.

Her arms strained to hold the heavy nose of the shuttle up.

She wasn’t going to make it.

Sky watched as Aurora struggled to keep the nose of the shuttle pitched up and keep her feet on the rudders simultaneously.

The shuttle pitched.

Aurora slammed all of her weight down onto the right rudder, trying to control the shuttle. But as her focus moved to correcting her rudder pressure, she lost her battle with the joystick.

The shuttle’s nose gear hit the runway first.

“Umpf.” Aurora’s body shook with the simulated impact, hitting her head on the screen.

Fuck, the girl wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. Maybe she wasn’t ready for this.

“Aurora, why aren’t you strapped in?” Sky moved into the simulator, taking a seat in the back instructor chair.

Aurora’s head whipped around and a strand of hair stuck to her forehead. “I couldn’t reach everything without un-buckling.” Aurora’s shoulders slumped.

Sky fought the urge to coddle her. Just because she was a girl and a Titon didn’t mean she’d get special treatment from him. “That’s why most pilots are male. Physically we’re just stronger.” Sky wasn’t trying to be sexist. It was a fact.

“Are you saying I fly like a girl?”

Sky laughed. “Um, I guess so.”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Right. Women can’t do what men can do, right? What century
is
this?” she muttered.

Sky licked his lips. “I so don’t want to go there. I was just saying that women are smaller,
physically
. You don’t have the height, reach, or muscle strength that men do. I’m not saying women can’t be pilots. I’m just saying you’ll have to work harder.”

Aurora clenched her jaw. Sweat had her shirt sticking to her curvy frame. Sky tried to remain unaffected.
This is why women shouldn’t be in the cockpit. They’re distracting!

“What
are
you saying, Sky?” Aurora looked at her feet. “Normally my co-pilot would reach the instruments on his side of the panel. I’m not wearing heels because you told me not to. If I had that extra height today, I would have been able to use full deflection on the rudder and reach everything else I needed to.”

“You know the shuttle rudders move, right?” Sky asked before he was able to stop himself.

When Aurora spoke, it was in a voice so soft that Sky leaned forward to hear her. “No, I obviously didn’t know that,” she whispered. “I mean, I don’t usually need the extra height, but that would’ve been good to know.”

A bead of sweat trickled from her collarbone and down the front of her v-neck Apollo Academy T-shirt. Sky watched its slow path until it disappeared underneath Aurora’s shirt. He imagined following its trail with his tongue.

When Aurora cleared her throat, Sky averted his gaze, hastily standing up. He obviously needed to get laid. Pushing those thoughts aside, Sky wiped his sweaty hands against his pant legs. When they were dry, he pointed to the small control unit on the lower left side of the captain’s chair. “There’s the control.”

“Thanks. I wish you would have told me that sooner.” Aurora smiled.

Yeah, but he wasn’t giving her special treatment.
You would have told anyone else.

“Well, you should’ve asked. Either way, you lost control of the shuttle. Even if the rudder pedals were extended, you still would’ve struggled keeping the nose up. I’m going to talk to Coach Harris. He’s going to have to get you stronger.”

Sky maneuvered out of the simulator, bumping into the back instructor control panel as he did so.
Shit.
If he didn’t stop bulking up, he was going to have a hard time fitting in the cockpit.

Not looking back to see if Aurora was laughing, he yelled, “Class dismissed.” Sky pulled the aviator glasses from his polo, slipping them on as he stalked out of the room. He couldn’t let Aurora Titon, of all girls, get to him. She had the power to ruin everything for him, and he wasn’t going to let her.

AURORA

A
urora woke up before the sun even had a chance to make its lovely orange debut over the Atlantic Ocean. She had tossed and turned all night, thinking of the day ahead. Her teachers thought it was time to move on from simulation training to a few actual flights. She couldn’t be more excited to get a chance to fly the XT-101, but the attack on the shuttle a few weeks ago still haunted her. She pushed those dark thoughts away; they weren’t attacking the Academy and she was tired of the simulator.

The Apollo Alliance shuttle was designed with transportation and safety in mind, not for agility, which was what saved the crew the day it was attacked. The XT-101, on the other hand, was an extremely advanced high-altitude supersonic trainer. No one would be able to shoot her down, and if they tried, she felt safe knowing the second seat was occupied by a UAV computer processor, which allowed a ground pilot to take over in an emergency.

Either way she would have to complete the training, so that’s what she would focus on. Today’s training flight would allow her hands-on experience in the safest manner possible, while also forcing her to make fast decisions. They would be operating at extremely high speeds and altitudes where they would have to make life and death decisions in a timely and efficient manner while also under extreme pressure.

Beep. Beep.

Aurora’s techiwatch reminded her that she wasn’t flying but still in bed, going through all of the emergency procedures that had been drilled into her the past two months.

Her techiwatch alarm began beeping repeatedly; incessantly reminding her it was time for her day to officially begin. Like she could forget. Aurora turned the alarm off, pushed the warm covers back, and jumped out of bed. She hastily dressed in her jumpsuit and pulled her hair back into its usual French braid. When she finished, she looked in the mirror and liked the way the flight suit looked on her. She pulled on her favorite pair of lace-up boots. Sensible and stylish.

Now that she was dressed with plenty of time to spare, she thought a light breakfast might settle her nerves. She looked over to Kaylana’s bed, hoping to find her awake, and willing to have breakfast with her at such an early hour. To her surprise, Kaylana looked halfway awake, angrily rubbing her eyes. And since she was already waking up, Aurora decided to take her chances with a grumpy Kaylana.

“Want to go get breakfast with me?”

Kaylana moved a pillow to cover her face.

Aurora sighed and was about to give up when she heard Kaylana mumbling something underneath her pillow. She moved forward, trying to hear her better. “What?”

Kaylana lifted the pillow. “Yeah, yeah, sure. Just let me get ready.”

A few minutes later they made their way into the cafeteria. The smell of synthetic eggs, bacon, and toast filled the air, unsettling her stomach. They might be running out of energy resources, but at least they had food covered. Nothing was natural anymore, but she wouldn’t know the difference anyway.

As usual, she selected a bowl of yogurt with granola, not wanting to have an upset stomach later in the day. If she puked, she’d never live it down.

Kaylana, on the other hand, selected a large plate of eggs and bacon and followed her to their usual table, the alcove where a few secluded tables sat.

Zane strolled alone through the cafeteria door a few moments later. Aurora hadn’t talked to him since the attack on the Apollo Alliance shuttle, when for some stupid reason she’d made out with him.

That first kiss had been perfect. Sweet. If you didn’t count all the things that had come out of his mouth five minutes prior. And the following make-out session had been anything but sweet. Aurora had never been more turned on in her life. She probably would’ve given him her virginity right then and there if he hadn’t stopped.

“Babe, you look a little out of it. Are you all right?” Kaylana asked, bringing her back to the present and to the fact that she held a spoonful of yogurt in front of her.

Aurora put her spoon down. “Yeah, just nervous and over-thinking everything, as usual. I have the XT-101 flight today.”

“Oh, right, I forgot about that.” Kaylana looked at her, momentarily forgetting her breakfast. “I’m sure you’ll do great. I heard you muttering procedures in your sleep last night.”

“I did not.” Aurora laughed. “Seriously, I’m really worried about who I’ll be partnered with. What if it’s Sky?”

“That would suck, even though he’s a total hottie. But it’s not like he can do anything to jeopardize your flight.” She shrugged. “Besides, I thought you said he stopped verbally harassing you.”

Aurora nodded. Sky’s behavior toward her had changed over the past few weeks. He had gone from an overbearing, arrogant know-it-all, to a calmer, more reserved instructor. He still watched her like a hawk and reprimanded her when she messed up, but now he didn’t publicly humiliate her when he did it.

“Yeah, that’s true. And if all goes well, I won’t even need my teammate’s help.” Aurora stirred the yogurt in her bowl and glanced back up to the front where Zane held a plate overflowing with food.

She dragged her gaze back to Kaylana, not wanting him to see her staring. She couldn’t avoid the topic with Kaylana any longer. “
Zane
just walked into the cafeteria alone.”

Kaylana glanced over her shoulder and spotted Zane, who looked around for a table to eat at. “That boy is weird. Maybe his childhood really messed him up.”

Aurora had heard the gossip of Zane’s past. She’d even heard a rumor that on his first day here he had beaten up a security guard for looking at him the wrong way, but that was just absurd. She knew better than anyone not to believe everything she heard.

“I know you’re still mad at him about the whole spoiled brat thing, but he did apologize,” Aurora said.

“Yeah, and then you made out with him.”

Aurora’s shoulders slumped. “I know that was stupid. I mean, it was also good. I just . . . ”Aurora shrugged. “I really feel like he likes me, but something’s holding him back. But we did agree to be friends.”

When Zane reached their alcove and realized they were the only ones there, he stopped walking It wouldn’t have surprised Aurora if he sat down at a table by himself, but he eventually made his way toward their table.

Now that he was closer, Aurora saw that he was wearing the designated Apollo Academy T-shirt, running shorts, and tennis shoes required for physical training. Coach Harris seemed to really enjoy testing what Zane could handle.

A few moments later Zane stood in front of their table with his tray of food in his hands, looking down at the two of them. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

Kaylana spoke up before Aurora had the chance to intervene. “Of course we do.”

Aurora smacked Kaylana’s shoulder. “Don’t be rude. You can sit here.” She gestured for Zane to take a seat and gave Kaylana a pointed look when Zane took a seat by Kaylana, probably just to annoy her.

The instant Zane sat down he began shoveling food into his mouth. Aurora wasn’t sure if he was eating so quickly because he was really hungry, because he was trying to avoid speaking to her, or because he wasn’t used to having all the food he wanted. Aurora hoped it wasn’t the latter, even if it meant he was still uncomfortable talking to her.

When he noticed they were watching him instead of talking, he quickly put his fork down and looked embarrassed. It was the first time she had seen such an emotion so obviously written on his face. Aurora watched in fascination as he took a sip of his orange juice, resumed his usual blank face, and only then had the courage to make eye contact with her. She hated that he thought he needed to wear a mask around anyone, especially her.

“Do you have physical training this morning?” Aurora asked, trying to prove that they could be friends. From his clothing, he obviously did, but the conversation needed to start somewhere and that was the only thing her mind came up with. And Kaylana was staring at something else.

“Yeah, I’m scheduled for a virtual marathon in an hour.” Zane put his juice down.

Aurora loved running. It was the only physical training that she enjoyed, but a marathon was crazy. “Whoa. What did you do to piss Coach Harris off?”

Zane only shrugged his shoulders, so she tried to make polite conversation again. She was going to get him to open up even if it killed her. “Where do you like to run at?”

Zane scrunched his eyebrows like he had never considered this before. “I usually just program the run for a standard track”

Aurora frowned.

“Why? What do you look at?” Zane asked.

“Oh, I usually program it for a night run on a deserted country road.”
Damn, that sounded lame.
Embarrassed by her honest response, she tried to explain. “It’s peaceful, and it gives me time to think.”

Zane nodded. “I’ll have to give that program a try. Maybe I’ll use it today.” He looked over at her roommate. “Do you use that too, Kaylana?”

Kaylana wasn’t listening, and her head was still turned away from them. It was unlike her to not talk for this long. Aurora looked in the direction Kaylana was focused on.
Oh
, Aurora thought as she saw who Kaylana was so intently looking at. Akemi had walked into the cafeteria sometime during their conversation.

Aurora cleared her throat and tried to get her attention. “Earth to Kay.”

Kaylana gave no indication that she heard her. She looked over at Zane, hoping he was clueless, but as always he was way ahead of the situation, already understanding why Kaylana was not paying attention.

Aurora burst out laughing. Kaylana was openly staring at Akemi, regardless of the fact that his roommate and best friend sat at their table witnessing it all. She was still laughing when she looked over at Zane, and to her astonishment there was a small smile on his face. The joy she felt seeing Zane smile caused her to laugh even harder. No, that probably wasn’t the sanest response, but she blamed it on the nerves.

Aurora’s constant laughter finally filtered through Kaylana’s blank stare. “Huh? Did I miss something?” she asked, totally oblivious that she was caught staring and daydreaming at Akemi.

At her dumbfounded look, Aurora continued laughing. Her stomach was starting to hurt. At the same time both Zane and Aurora replied, “Yeah.” Aurora swung her eyes over to Akemi, who was walking toward them, and Kaylana finally got the joke.

“Oh, sorry. My mind must have been somewhere else.” She started to look self-conscious then just shrugged her shoulders and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Aurora wished she could be more like Kaylana; the girl was never embarrassed by anything.

Aurora’s techiwatch beeped. If she didn’t get going, she was going to be late. It felt like things were beginning to get better between her and Zane, and it would have been fun to watch Kaylana and Akemi interact, but flying was more important.

“Well, I gotta get going.” She bent down to give Kaylana a quick hug.

Kaylana hugged her back. “Good luck. Come find me the second you get back.” She winked. “You’ll be great.”

Aurora hugged her friend again and pulled her close to whisper that they would be talking about Akemi later. With one last smile, she glanced at Zane. As their gazes locked, she couldn’t understand what exactly was written in his eyes. But she didn’t have time to contemplate it.