The Apollo Academy (7 page)

AURORA

A
urora thought she’d already seen it all today. But when Zane walked into the cafeteria completely disheveled, covered in dirt, she was still surprised. What could have possibly happened to him in the last half hour?

He sauntered in and sat at the front of the group with that same arrogant face, thundersome eyes, and cool predator stalk she was beginning to associate him with. He didn’t even look bothered that he was covered in dirt. If it were Aurora, she knew her face would have been bright red.

Zane never once glanced in her direction, so she didn’t worry about getting caught staring this time. She let her gaze slowly travel down his fit, lean body. His hair stuck in matted, clumps to his forehead, and the dirt smeared on his face seemed to highlight his sculpted cheekbones. Stars, he was sexy.

It was only when Aurora had her fill of Zane that she saw the blond haired boy that came in with him. He went to stand by the other teachers lined up behind Ms. Lovell. He posed against the wall and crossed his arms, showing off his perfectly honed muscles. When his blue eyes met hers, they narrowed, and his face turned to disgust. Aurora quickly looked away but not before she saw the muscles in his forearms clench.

What’s his problem?

Aurora didn’t have time to worry about it because Ms. Lovell walked over to the side wall and tapped on it twice with her fingers. The opaque wall went from its normal, dull white color to what looked like a computer screen. She selected a file and pulled up an enlarged schematic of the building, allowing everyone to see it.

Ms. Lovell pointed at the screen as she spoke of each room. “The first floor is dedicated to classrooms. It also holds the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator, here, and the cafeteria which we are currently in, here. The second and third floors are dedicated to a variety of training simulators. The fourth floor houses our medical facility and staff. The fifth floor is devoted to physical training equipment. The sixth floor is dedicated to the male cadet dormitories, and the seventh floor holds the female dormitories. Floors eight through eleven house certified astronauts and other employees of the Apollo Academy and Alliance who wish to live on site. Floors twelve through fourteen consist of science labs.”

She went on. Most of the cadets had wide eyes and shocked faces by the time Ms. Lovell finished with the layout explanation. “I know that was a lot to take in, but you will also find that the elevators have the main floors identified. Just touch the screen display on the side of the elevator if you need help.

“Before we head up to the dormitories, there are a few people I’d like to introduce to you.” Ms. Lovell motioned for the thirty-something man in a white lab coat to step forward. “Everyone, please meet Dr. Stevenson. You’ll be seeing plenty of him around the Academy. Not only are you required to meet with him once a week, but he will also be onsite for many of your training exercises.”

Dr. Stevenson nodded hello and took a step back.

Ms. Lovell continued with her introductions. “Everyone, this is Lieutenant Colonel Jackson,” she said, pointing to the older man standing at perfect attention. “This year he is in charge of our flight area of concentration, and we are pleased to have such experience at our fingertips.”

The thought of getting the opportunity to train with someone who was a former Top Gun Naval instructor sent a thrill up Aurora’s spine.

“We are also lucky to have this young man as a part of our flight training AOC this semester. He graduated two years ago and has since proven himself an invaluable resource and a skilled pilot,” Ms. Lovell proudly stated as she looked at the boy with blond hair who had come in with Zane.

“Every cadet-pilot who graduates from the Academy is given a call sign. He’s earned his call sign for amassing more total hours in the air than any other cadet-pilot to come through the Academy, almost spending as much time in the air, as on the ground. Sky, appropriately named, will help train our cadets while he’s between missions.”

Sky smiled, dimples highlighting his checks. He waved, eliciting excited chatter from a few girls. With Sky’s blond hair and blue eyes, tight shirt showcasing his muscular body, and aviator glasses clipped to his collar, he was the perfect image of a hot pilot. When his cold blue eyes met Aurora’s again, heat rushed to her cheeks, and she quickly looked away, unsure of why she was embarrassed. Did his calloused looks have anything to do with having to instruct their first female pilot?

“Everyone has already had the pleasure of meeting Coach Harris.” This brought a few laughs from the cadets. “He is in charge of getting everyone physically fit.” Coach Harris waved with an evil smile on his face, as if he looked forward to whipping everyone into shape.

Ms. Lovell looked down at her techiwatch. “I think that’s enough for today. Ladies, please follow me. I will take you to your rooms, and Sky will take the male cadets up momentarily.”

Aurora jumped up from her seat, pulling her luggage behind her.

The elevator ride to the seventh floor went quickly. When Aurora stepped out, she found herself in a large common area where students could gather around various wall monitors, couches, and tables. Several hallways segued off from the main room. Ms. Lovell walked to a wall screen where a list pairing roommates and room numbers were displayed. “Please find your name and room number on the screen.”

Please, please, please don’t let me be paired with Hailen.

“Right now the doors are open and unlocked, but you will need to program a four-digit number for later secured entry.”

The list was in alphabetical order, and Aurora grinned when she saw her name next to Kaylana’s.

“Your techiwatches have been synched and will notify you of your schedule. Tomorrow will be mainly reserved for area of concentration meetings, but please feel free to contact me if there’s anything you need before then. Take the rest of the night to get settled.” Ms. Lovell turned to leave.

Kaylana hooked her arm through Aurora’s and led her down the second left hallway where most of the doors were open for the new students. Hailen and two other girls Aurora recognized from initiation walked ahead of them, loudly laughing and giggling.

Who would have thought that the girls accepted into the Apollo Academy would be so cliquey?

The three suddenly came to a stop in front of an open dorm room and clustered in the hallway, still talking.

Aurora couldn’t help but overhear their conversation as she attempted to squeeze by them.

“So glad we’re here together.”

Aurora recognized the girl from their initiation jump. She’d been sitting in the seat next to Hailen on the hoverbus.

Kaylana managed to scoot by without incident, but Aurora didn’t have her luck.

“What? Are you too good to talk to us?”

Aurora clearly heard the derision in Hailen’s shrill, falsetto voice. She turned back around, noticing all of the girls in the hallway looking at her. After all of the attention she had received today, this somehow didn’t bother her.

“No, not at all. I was just trying to get to my room.” Aurora focused on the girls’ she didn’t know. Brianna and Kylie scrolled across their tags.

“Just because your last name’s Titon doesn’t mean you’re better than everyone else.” Hailen flipped her hair back in a clear dismissal, and Brianna and Kylie took their cue from her, turning their backs on her as well.

Aurora grabbed her bag. Before she turned around, Kaylana came stomping over until she stood in front of Hailen. She crossed her arms across her chest. “What is your major malfunction?”

“I just don’t think it’s fair,” Hailen stated, her face completely serious as she looked directly at Aurora. “Money shouldn’t get you everything. No one else here
bought
their way in.”

Kaylana laughed. “Oh, that’s complete crap.” She leaned forward and quietly spoke. “You’re just jealous. Makes me wonder . . . ” Kaylana placed her finger against her chin in mock contemplation. “Who did you have to screw to get in?” Kaylana grabbed Aurora’s arm, not waiting for a response.

Aurora barely glimpsed the hurt in Hailen’s eyes before she covered it with contempt.

Linked arm to arm, Kaylana pulled Aurora down the hall until they found room 711.
Great
, Aurora groaned. Their room was only two doors down from Hailen’s.

Kaylana slammed the door. “What a bitch!”

Aurora sat down on the closest twin bed and touched her mother’s necklace, a nervous habit she was quickly picking up.

Kaylana paced the floor in front of her, and Aurora thought Kaylana may have been more upset by Hailen’s behavior than she was. That was usually the case though. Aurora would never forget the time Kaylana chased a group of overly eager reporters away from her with one of her dad’s remote controlled Snake bots. While she stood there not knowing what to do, Kaylana had mischievously devised a plan. Using an eight-foot long snake, a reconnaissance vehicle her dad built for the military, to get rid of them.

Aurora smiled at the memory. She should be used to such negative reactions, but now they were really starting to piss her off. Aurora decided she’d rather go down publicly in a giant ball of flames than sit on the sidelines, watching and wondering what if. “Thanks for sticking up for me, but you won’t have to anymore.”

Kaylana looked surprised. “That girl, Hailen, is completely—

“I think I should start sticking up for myself.” Aurora paused. “And I’m not going to hide anymore.” She refused to live the rest of her life in the shadow of her father. And hadn’t she decided earlier that she was going to live the life she wanted? She couldn’t do that if she was too afraid to come out of the shell she had built around herself.

Kaylana grabbed onto this piece of news like it was a lifeline. “I think that’s nova!” She nodded emphatically. “I know people will just
loooove
you once they get to know you.”

Aurora smiled and watched as Kaylana focused her excessive energy on unpacking.

“Where should we hang these?”

Aurora looked at the virtual photos in Kaylana’s hands. There were a few of Kaylana’s mom and dad, but most were of the two of them from various stages growing up.

“Here.” Aurora pointed to the wall between their two beds. “Love the one of your mom and dad.”

Aurora turned her attention to her overloaded bag. When she unlocked it, it exploded in a cloud of clothes, shoes, and books.

Kaylana laughed when she heaved an armful of books out of her bag and began to place them on shelves. “No wonder your bag was so heavy.”

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t leave them behind.” Not many people understood her passion for the old leather-bound books that smelled of history long forgotten.

They spent the rest of the evening in hushed chatter. Aurora already knew her area of concentration, so they talked about what Kaylana’s would be. Kaylana wanted to be placed in the medical AOC, and Aurora was sure that’s where she would be. It was nice giving Kaylana the same kind of pep talk that she always seemed to need.

Before they realized it, it was past midnight. Aurora’s last thought before drifting to sleep was if Zane would like the new her.

AURORA

A
urora awoke to a beeping noise. She looked around. What was that incessant sound?

Beep. Beep.

The noise was coming from her techiwatch. She tried to turn the stupid warning off but then remembered where she was. She had set her alarm early because training began today. Aurora jumped out of bed and noticed Kaylana sprawled out on the bed opposite hers, passed out and drooling on her nice pillows. There was no way Kaylana would believe her when she told her she drooled.

With a snort, she turned her watch toward Kaylana and snapped a picture for future blackmail.

She pulled herself off the bed and focused on her techiwatch.

0900 swim training

Aurora went to their shared closet to find the Apollo Academy physical training clothes that she and Kaylana had put away the evening before. She rifled through all of the clothing stacked in the closet, trying to find the swimsuit she’d seen last night. There were white T-shirts, polos, khaki shorts, and skirts that all included the swirling Apollo Academy logo somewhere on them. She yelled in triumph when she found the standard white swimsuit at the bottom.

Aurora covered her mouth and looked at Kaylana, but she was still in the same position. The girl was so not a morning person.

“Kay, babe, it’s time to get up.” Aurora shook her shoulder lightly.

“Hmmpf.” Kaylana groaned and rolled over.

Aurora knew from experience that this would require more drastic measures, so she shook her again and yelled, “Kaylana!”

Kaylana barely opened her eyes. “Huh? What is it?”

“It’s time to get up.”

“How are you already ready?” Kaylana growled.

“The early bird gets the worm.”

“What are you, ninety? And why are you so perky?”

“We have swim training. I bet you have an appointment with Ms. Lovell sometime after that too. Let’s go get breakfast.”

Kaylana sat up at the mention of food.

“Did you say swim training?’

“Yeah.” Aurora sat down to braid her hair. If she didn’t manage her hair somehow, she wouldn’t be able to function in the pool. Her hair was so long that, if left free, she could see it wrapping around her like colorful seaweed, happily suffocating her.

Kaylana leaned back on her pillow. “Ewww, why are my pillows all wet?”

With a laugh Aurora said, “Because apparently you drool in your sleep.”

Kaylana’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “I do not!”

Aurora couldn’t help the huge grin that spread across her face. She quickly tied off her braid and didn’t say anything as she pulled up the picture she had taken just a few minutes before. She turned her techiwatch screen where Kaylana could see it. “Really? Then who is the blonde drooling in this picture?”

Kaylana screamed. “Oh, you did not! Delete that picture right now. You post that on the Grid and you’re toast, Aurora Titon!” Kaylana lunged at Aurora who quickly sidestepped her attempt.

“We better get going or we won’t get breakfast,” Aurora teased, knowing full well that would get Kaylana moving.

Once Kaylana was dressed in the same swimsuit, shorts, and shirt, they made their way down to the main floor. There were plenty of people in the cafeteria, but no one Aurora recognized from her class. They ordered their food from the tablet screen up front and made their way to an empty table. Older students, graduated astronauts, and other Apollo Academy employees looked at them as they passed by. Keeping her promise to herself, Aurora kept her head held high and smiled at those who seemed to stare at her.

But her vanilla yogurt and granola went sour when she saw Hailen and her group of friends stroll into the cafeteria like they already owned the place. She forcefully swallowed her yogurt and watched as they sat down at their table. Kaylana just raised her eyebrows and kept shoveling her imitation eggs and bacon into her mouth, but Aurora had lost her appetite. She was sure the reason for their presence was so Hailen could insult her again.

Acting as though the confrontation the night before had not occurred, Hailen plastered a big smile on her face and tried to make conversation. “Morning, ladies. Hope you don’t mind if we join you.” It was said as a statement, not a polite question. And for some bizarre reason Brianna and Kylie began to giggle. What were they, five?

Hailen waved toward the cafeteria doors. “Look who’s headed our way.” She twitched her eyebrows suggestively.

“What about Rowan?” Brianna whispered loud enough that Aurora heard the question anyway.

Hailen gave her a look that clearly told her to shut up. “We’re not exclusive.” Hailen posed herself seductively on the table and watched as a group of guys made their way toward them.

Aurora only vaguely heard the rest of the girls’ conversation because when she looked over her shoulder, she made eye contact with Zane’s gray eyes. She watched him walk around the table and sit in the seat directly across from her, the seat next to Hailen.

He looked much better this morning. His hair was still wet from his shower and was swept back like black ink. He was no longer smeared with dirt as he had been yesterday, though the oil stains remained under his fingernails. Aurora thought he must work with tech or something.

His chiseled features were set in stone as he looked around the cafeteria. Free to continue her perusal, she noticed he’d changed from yesterday’s dark attire to the white Apollo Academy training clothes. Damn, he even managed to make the uniform look good.

When he glanced her way, Aurora nervously began stirring her yogurt. She didn’t understand the connection she had with him. Maybe it was because she hadn’t ever given someone the chance to date her with the whole avoid-people thing. Or maybe she just knew he was different.

With the arrival of the male students, Hailen had started up a delighted cheery-girl banter with no sign of her earlier unpleasantness. A tall Asian guy introduced himself to Kaylana as Akemi. A dark-haired boy named Jeremy and a blond-haired boy named Jean-Pierre also sat down at the table, but Aurora wasn’t interested in them.

Ms. Lovell’s voice boomed through the over-head speakers, halting all conversation. “Everyone, please remain within the building. The Apollo Alliance has trespassers on the property, and as a safety precaution we will be under lockdown until they are removed. Please stay inside the building until further notice. Class Eight swim training is canceled, but the area of concentration meetings will continue as scheduled.”

Aurora looked at the other cadets for an explanation, but they all looked just as confused.

“Does anyone know what’s going on?” Kaylana asked.

Zane enlarged the screen on his techiwatch. “No, but I bet it’s on the Grid.”

Everyone gathered around Zane as he pulled up the local news Grid. Aurora had never seen fingers move so fast.

The same reporter that seemed to be in the middle of everything these days appeared on the screen. “This is Veronica Harley reporting for Broadcast 5 News. I’m standing outside of the Apollo Alliance’s SpacePort in Cape Canaveral where an angry mob of demonstrators is protesting. This group of protesters has aligned themselves with TerraUnited, an organization that believes the alteration of anything beyond our planet is unacceptable.

“As you may already know, in a highly controversial move, the Apollo Alliance recently broke ground on its mining operation on the moon, making it the first organization in history to mine outside of the earth’s atmosphere. Their justification for this decision is that the moon is incredibly rich in minerals that we desperately need.

“Not only is the moon the closest aerial body to Earth, but its low specific gravity makes it a relatively easy place to dig to great depths. The Apollo Alliance has concluded that large mineral deposits will be found below the moon’s surface since, like Earth, the moon has been saturated with asteroid impacts over its lifetime, which we know from experience contain high yields of minerals such as gold, platinum, silver and, most importantly, Helium 3, an isotope used in nuclear fusion.”

Aurora was well aware of the benefits of mining on the moon; they desperately needed more power sources. She had never experienced the power outages, but she knew in most suburbs the power went off for extended periods of time.

“Despite the fact that few resources remain on our planet, as you can see behind me, many are against this method of obtaining more. A supporter would argue we have simply run out of other options due to overpopulation.

“The latest statistics from the World Retinal Database show that the world now has over twenty-two billion inhabitants, confirming the belief that we can no longer sustain our own needs. It was for this reason that the Apollo Alliance was originally formed by an influential group of people whose own mission statement shows they are determined to ensure the survival of the human race. They feel it’s now evident that in order to do this, we need to look above for our answers. Through partnership with the Apollo Academy, these objectives are becoming obtainable but are causing much controversy.”

Aurora swallowed as the weight of what she trained for settled on her shoulders again. She hadn’t realized there were that many people in the world. She should have kept herself more informed instead of hiding from everything. Her awareness of the world was almost as bad as people who wore alternate-reality tech all the time and didn’t even realize what was happening.

“Initially it was believed that we would be able to curb reproduction rates, disease susceptibility, and other health problems through Eugenics. However, in the United States and other western countries most forms of Eugenics have been deemed unconstitutional, and mandatory sterilizations have all but ceased.

“The question of whether or not we will entirely run out of resources is no longer debatable; it’s only a question of what happens when we do and how much further our quality of life will deteriorate.

“Many believed that the enormous city ships that travel the ocean would be a more comfortable place to live but that has proved problematic.”

“You got that right,” Hailen huffed.

“Others still place their hopes in the technology sector that so far has only been able to produce technology, commonly known as tech candy. But some believe those products are what distract many from the problems we face. None have been more successful than Titon Technologies and Frontier Solutions, but despite their many technological and medical advancements, neither has put forward a viable solution to the problem.”

Everyone around the table glanced at Aurora. She bit her lip and purposefully looked back at Zane’s techiwatch. It’s not like she was the one who did it. Could people really blame her father? He only wanted to make people’s lives better, but maybe alternate-reality tech candy wasn’t the best way. And what about Frontier Solutions? Her dad’s company wasn’t the only one that distributed technology. Hadn’t anyone heard of self-control? It was called tech candy for a reason.

“So is the Apollo Alliance’s solution to ‘look above’ that unacceptable? Or do you agree with the protestors behind me, and TerraUnited? Our Gridlink is open, so please tell us what you think. For Broadcast 5 News, this is Veronica Harley reporting outside of the Apollo Alliance SpacePort in Cape Canaveral, Florida.”

The cafeteria was completely quiet when Zane minimized his screen.

“Damn,” Kaylana said, breaking the silence.

Conversation immediately started again as people discussed the news.

Kaylana pulled Aurora closer. “TerraUnited. I’ve never heard of them. You?”

Aurora shook her head. “I’m not sure what they think we’re supposed to do. It’s not like we really have a choice.” Aurora remembered how sick she felt the time she saw a bulldozer knock down one of the last tress in Orlando to make way for a bigger highway. The only thing green she had seen since then, were the four palm trees outside. Her planet was dying, but if they didn’t do something, it wouldn’t be the trees dying this time.

“Yeah,” Kaylana agreed, looking around. “No one’s paying any attention to the real world because their alternate reality distorts it.”

Heat rushed to Aurora’s cheeks. She looked around to see who was listening and was thankful to find Hailen completely absorbed in conversation. Zane, on the other hand, quietly watched them, but she couldn’t make herself care. The news report gave her a whole new perspective. She’d never had to beg for food, money, or anything for that matter. While she’d hidden from what she thought were problems— absent father, fame— others out there were truly suffering.

Kaylana still rambled on. “I know what you’re thinking, so stop. It can’t all be blamed on your dad. That’s ridiculous. It’s not like he’s holding a gun to everyone’s head saying ‘Buy my products or else—’”

Aurora interrupted her before she continued what was sure to be a long-winded tirade. “It doesn’t matter anyway.” She looked around at the cadets talking to one another. “This isn’t our generation’s or even our parents’ generation’s fault really. Tech addicts and over-population happened a long time ago.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “But we’re the ones that have to save it.”