Trillion’s communication speaker was still picking up the ramblings of General Walker. But as she got further away, the general’s voice started to drop off, making way for the team to speak freely with each other again. They still didn’t want to risk anyone hearing them until they were out of range so they kept their details sparse.

Once they were sure the General couldn’t hear them Atlas explained the plan. “We each have a specific launch pad. Because our individual brain matrixes are already loaded into them we can’t use anyone else’s spacecraft – those brain matrixes were physically built to match us as individuals. Trillion, you’re the lucky one. You’re going to launch pad A1. It’s the first one we’ll reach. From there, Angelique and I will split off to launch pads D2 and D4. Icarus, you keep going straight ahead. You’ll take off from launch pad A4.” Atlas deepened his voice. Trying to project more confidence than he had. “I know none of us were expecting to start the mission this morning, but it doesn’t mean you’re not ready.” He looked at Trillion when he as he said. “Some of us only just started training. But you were all chosen for a reason. You would not have made it onto this base if we didn’t think you could do it.” He made eye contact with all three of them one at a time. “Each of us are pioneer. We are going to be the first humans to ever visit another star system. You are going to immortalise your name, and with it, humanity – Homo Deus.”

“Does everyone remember Project Shatterling?” Angelique asked, taking over from where Atlas had left off.

They all nodded.

Angelique reminded the team anyway, with practised efficiency. “It means we each have to use the authenticator tool Trillion gave us to randomise our destination. Only your Ship will know where you end up. That reduces the risk of anyone being able to come after us once we’ve gone. You’ll wake up in a hundred or so years in a new star system.”

Angelique paused for a moment. Trillion guessed she had tried to say the words robotically, but the gravity of what she was about to say made it hard to get the words out. The little croak in her voice revealed a touch of sadness.

Trillion broke the tension by speaking first. “It means we get reborn,” she said, not quite believing the words herself.

Angelique nodded. “Atlas and I have made sure the brain scanning machines are fully activated in everyone’s ship. You should all upload your minds within the next day or two. The ships aren’t designed to carry life unless it’s frozen.”

They were silent after that, everyone deep in thought, until they reached a huge concrete wall. This wall made up the base of the launch pads. They continued along the wall until they reached a large steel door with a roller wheel on it. It was similar to an airlock door, a reliable model out on the Martian surface.

Behind the door was a long concrete trench that connected all the launch pads. Although it had no roof, it was designed to offer protection for workers and crew while spacecraft launched. A lip running all the way along the top of the trench meant the thin Martian atmosphere and dust would be pushed over the top of it during take-offs, ensuring those in the trenches could continue their work as normal.

Icarus and Angelique began turning the large roller door. They visibly strained as they struggled to budge it.

“That’s the wrong way!” Trillion called out.

They both stopped turning, slightly unsure because of what Trillion just said.

“Lefty loosey, righty tighty,” Trillion said.

“Left from the bottom, or left from the top?” Icarus said, his hands now on firmly pulling the wrong way. Trillion thought, the stress and pressure of what had just unfolded must be getting to him. Running for your life, then physically running across the Martian surface wasn’t an ideal environment for clear thinking. This was not anything any of them had trained for.

Angelique was the first to click. She began turning it the correct way. The door began to loosen, then open.

Angelique worked hard to open the heavy door, stepping through and leading the way. Icarus stepped through next, ears blazed scarlet with embarrassment.

If the team had a drone in the air, it would have looked like they were entering a maze network of trenches linking all the different launch pads together.

The four of them skip-walked along, finally reaching the launch pad of Trillion’s ship. All sixteen identical spacecrafts towered like giants above them. Almost as if she was in the middle of some great concrete and metal redwood forest. Trillion was suddenly struck by a sense of how small she was compared to the enormity of the task before her.

The spacecraft designs looked like pieces of artwork. Each ship looked like two enormous metallic eggs placed side-by-side. Both ellipsoids soared skywards and were connected about three-quarters of the way up by a huge metal ring.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Angelique said as they stopped at an elevator at the bottom of Trillion’s rocket. She lowered her head, her movements noticeably slower as she tried to hide her emotions.

Trillion sensed the mood changing. Until that moment she hadn’t stopped to think about how they were actually leaving everyone behind; she’d been too distracted by running away. Suddenly everything hit her at once. “I thought I was going to have a chance to say goodbye to my mum,” She had tears in her eyes as she remembered she wouldn’t see her mother on her final birthday. Her mind screamed at her not to leave. To turn around and head back to the base. But she felt like she was on an escalator moving forwards regardless of what she wanted.

Just then she heard Ship come through her earpiece. “Trillion, if everyone doesn’t leave now they might not make it to their Ship on time.”

Trillion looked around. “What’s happening, Ship?”

“There are a lot of spacecraft approaching. I don’t think it’s wise for us to be here when they arrive. And Angelique still has a long way to travel by foot before she can leave. Any longer and she might not make it. I suggest you enter the elevator leave now.”

Trillion stepped towards the elevator. She paused and turned around. She hugged Icarus, then Angelique, then Atlas. With a heavy heart she entered the elevator. She pressed the button and started her ascent into the starship.

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The countdown sequence was quick. Trillion had barely left the elevator before Ship had started the engines.

The airlock door closed and the ship began to rumble around her as the power to the engines increased. Trillion slumped down in the large cushioned chair that took up most of the airlock compartment she was in. As she lay down she was overcome with exhaustion after their near escape – and feeling a little light headed as blood was pushed to her feet by the accelerating rocket. The doughnut shaped brain scan machine guided itself to the top of her head and hummed gently, a reminder of what lay ahead.

Robotic arms began to reach out and remove her spacesuit. She let it happen; she was drained. She felt heavy and sleepy as she heard Ship speaking in her ear.

“Sorry, Trillion. I’ve been speaking with the other Ships. We need to leave now. The wake and debris we create needs time to settle before Icarus can launch. Every second we stay on Mars is a second we add to everyone else’s departure time.”

Trillion didn’t mind. Her sleepy brain was still processing the idea of never seeing her mother again as she dropped off to sleep. Her hallucinations becoming more vivid as Ship begun the brain scanning process.

*

Trillion walked along the road toward her mother’s apartment. The moon was full outside, but she couldn’t tell. The buildings were tall and stacked so close together, that the moon light struggled to make its way down that far.

She carried four object in her handbag. A bottle

of champagne, a bottle of sauvignon, a house key, and a letter. The two bottles were heavy and she kept having to change the arm holding the handbag.

She moved to the side of the road. Pressing herself up against a wall as a car rolled by – its headlights briefly lighting up her path. It was cold and dark in the street – made colder by her back pressed against the wall.

She regretted the decision to jump out of the taxi so early as she walked the final block.

A few moments later she arrived outside her mum’s apartment. They were designed to make maximum use of space. So there wasn’t a lobby or stairs – or any type of place to wait. There was an elevator that opened directly onto the road – or footpath as she was currently using it. She wondered how anyone with small kids would keep them safe from cars.

She text her mum to ask her to let her up. And a few moments later the elevator door opened to reveal a small, one maybe two-person box. She stepped inside and it creaked – it wasn’t the kind of sound she wanted it to make.

The elevator smelt mouldy and felt colder than on the street. She held her breath and unconsciously made herself smaller in the centre of the contraption. Moving as much of herself away from the walls as she was moved upwards finally reaching her mother’s apartment.

The elevator door chimed open, and she gave her mother a hug. “Happy birthday mum.”

Her mother had short grey hair. Her face had the kind of laugh lines around her mouth of someone who spent a lot of time enjoying life. She was in a green dress.

“I’ve missed you daughter.” Her mother said squeezing her tighter.

Her mother’s house was small. They were stood in a tiny lobby with two doors – other than to elevator. One going off into her mother’s bedroom and another the lead to the open plan kitchen/lounge space.

Trillion put down her bag and pulled out the bottle of champagne. “I got you this.”

“Oh fancy. You didn’t have to do that – my palate would be just as happy with cheap stuff.” Trillion’s mum said. She noticed the other bottle and pointed at it. “What’s that for? Don’t tell me you have somewhere to rush off to?”

Trillion pushed her hair behind her ears. “It’s in case you didn’t want to drink champagne now. I need a drink before we see Sunday.”

“Speaking of your sister. I promised to put her on the TV. Come into the lounge and we’ll put her on.”

Trillion grabbed her mother’s hand stopping her from walking off. “I want to tell you something first.”

Her mother pulled her arm. Dragging Trillion with her into the other room where there was a small kitchen on one side and a sofa on the other. In between both was a small table and one of the walls had a TV. “You can tell me in the lounge while we open your bubbles,” Trillions mum said, as she opened up one of the cupboards to grab two flutes.

Trillion grabbed the letter out of her bag “I wanted to show you this. I’ve been accepted into the Beta Explorers programme that Peter Atreus started.”

“The trillionaire?”

Trillion nodded with a grin.

“I’m so proud of you Trillion. This is exactly what you wanted.” Trillions mother grabbed the bottle of champagne. “Forget my birthday. We’re celebrating your new job!” She popped the bottle open and poured two glasses. “Does that mean you’re going back to Mars?”

“Yes.” Trillion said excitedly.

“My child, I knew you’d get back to your birthplace.”

“Mum,” Trillion said, placing her hand on top of her mothers. “I also get paid a lot more. It means I can afford to get you a new house – somewhere nice, and big. I can afford to pay for you to visit me in Mars – I’ll have my own places there. And if I get selected to be an official Beta Explorer, then we’ll be rich and you’ll never have to worry about money again. I’ll be able to afford us those life extension treatments so we’ll never have to go into the metaverse.” Trillion handed her mother the key. “I’ve got you your own place now. It’s got a backyard, there’s places to walk, and you can get sunlight.”

“I can’t accept this daughter. That has to be quite expensive. What happens if you don’t have the job this time next year?”

Trillion was still holding the key out in front of her mother. “It’s a ten-year contract mum.”

Trillions mother stayed there, looking at the key. Not taking it, deep in thought like there was something she had something she wanted to say, but didn’t know how.

Trillion’s mothers phone started to ring. “That’s your sister, can we put her on the TV?” She said getting up to grab the remote.

Trillion nodded “you can tell her about the job, but not that it’s with Peter Atreus – she believes a few conspiracies about that him.”

“Good thinking.” Trillions mum said as she switched on the television. “Hello my eldest daughter.”

“Happy birthday mum, I love you.” Sunday said as she appeared on the screen.

“Hi Sunday,” Trillion said. “I wish you were here in person so I could hug you.”

“You could hug me, if you just put on your VR gear.”

“I could, but then I wouldn’t be drinking this drink,” Trillion said, waving her glass at the screen.

“I could just give you some champagne in the meta. We could drink it in our old hab on Mars.”

Trillion took a sip of her champagne. “I’m enjoying this one.”

“Girls, girls. You two stop fighting.”

“Sorry mum.” Sunday said winking at Trillion. “Have you told her yet?”

“Told me what!?” Trillion asked. But, neither of them answered. Her eyes started darting back between her mother and the screen. The longer the question was left unsaid, the clearer the answer became. The answer hung there for a while. Unsaid, but everyone knew. “Don’t you go to the metaverse mum!”

“She can move here if she wants,” Sunday snapped back. “You don’t get old in here; you don’t get sick. Mum’s not getting any younger.”

“I was going to tell you Trillion. But you had such good news to tell me. I didn’t want to ruin your mood. I have a few ‘issues’ that would go away if I became a simulant.” She didn’t say they were health issues but Trillion knew it’s what she meant.

“Mum you’re not done yet. You still have many many years to live.” Trillion protested but she knew it was a losing battle. Once humanity had perfected mind uploading it had become like gravity – ultimately most people got it done. Everyone who wanted to live forever, and that seems to be a lot of people, ran through the various life extension options until the only one left was becoming a simulant. And now that the meta population outnumbered the beta, the easiest way for a government to lose an election was to propose taking something away from simulants.

Trillion’s mother sighed deeply. “I’ll still be living. All my friends are moving there these days… Look, I can get a house 4 times as big for a quarter of the cost.”

“Shouldn’t it be free?” Trillion asked. “How do you run out of space in a simulation? Isn’t a selling point infinite worlds? How do houses even cost money if you have unlimited supply?”

Trillion’s mother looked down. “I don’t have to go now. I can come visit you on Mars. Maybe stay for a few years. But I want to go into the meta eventually.”