The last escape pod plunged into the atmosphere of Cetos V at nearly thirty thousand kilometers per hour, crashing with unrelenting force through the upper layers of air. The frictional energy released was so intense that it ignited the air particles in front of the heat shield, surrounding the pod in a fiery ball of glowing plasma. Inside, the four surviving space travelers were violently shaken. Out of the corner of his eye, the boy saw a spray of sparks outside the window, which soon faded into a warm, almost unnatural, or simply unfamiliar shade of blue.
Just as he felt the pull of gravity gently press him into his seat, he instinctively went to undo his seatbelt and stand up, but the doctor stopped him just in time. Three parachutes suddenly shot out of the pod and snapped open, jerking the craft with a force that could have snapped the boy’s neck.
Where there had once been searing heat, frost now clung to the edge of the porthole. Through the foggy perimeter of the window, the scene outside seemed like a vivid dream: a cyan-blue sky arched over a massive coastal city of white. Despite descending from several miles up, the glittering megalopolis stretched far beyond the visible horizon. High above the buildings, tiny airborne vehicles moved in lines, like they were following invisible roads, traveling in opposite directions.
The landing, even with reverse thrusters and dampeners, felt like a crash. Sweat dripped down the mechanic’s temples, and a loud sigh of relief escaped him as he realized that miracles still existed. Moments later, a pneumatic hiss sounded, and the pod door swung open, letting daylight flood in. Lex, squinting against the bright light, freed himself from his seat and only realized when he stood up how heavy his legs felt—like the muscles in his thighs were still fast asleep. He had been weightless for the last forty-eight hours, and his body hadn’t had a chance to readjust to its own weight. He stumbled forward—and for the first time, set foot on an alien planet.
No dome over his head.
He was free.
White-hot sun.
The salty sea breeze tousled his hair, and he breathed in the damp air—air full of life, so different from the artificial breathing mix on Limbo.
It smelled fresh, natural.
In the distance, he saw a group of corporate guards. They were approaching him. He thought they might try to stop him. But something pulled him toward the edge of the platform. It was as if a strange power had awoken inside him, and his feet moved on their own. He walked up to the railing, resting his forearms on the heated plastic, and opened his mouth, slowly, softly.
He was standing in the middle of the city of billions, yet it felt as if he was seeing Vega Prime from far away. Evening had fallen. The city below was already cast in the shadow of the towering skyline. From up here, even the shortest buildings looked like skyscrapers, and the streets were barely visible in the depths below. He looked up at the sky; a thin air lane disappeared into the evening sun. It warmed his face. Warmed his face. Reflected in the countless windows of the sleek, curving skyscrapers that towered over the dark ocean of buildings.
In the distance, he spotted the Thandros Tower—the massive gold logo adorned the slender structure made mostly of glass and metal, which seemed to be the tallest building in the megalopolis.
The sweeping spotlights on countless rooftops, the rapidly changing ads on the city tower facades, the gliders in the air, and the massive airships displaying First News reports on their sides. Neon lights and a chaotic blend of sounds rose up to meet him, even from hundreds of meters below—sights and sounds beyond his understanding of the world. Of this world.
Suddenly, he was startled by a fluttering sound, something completely foreign to him: a flock of swift birds chirped as they swooped around him and soared into the sunset.
******
He strolled across a sunlit platform filled with well-dressed people. There was an observation deck nearby, and a large flower bed where colorful blooms of all kinds thrived on three levels. These flowers shared a lineage with the plants of Old Earth. Among them were vibrant hyacinths, purple sea lavender, and lush wild roses—he made a point of remembering the names on the signs, especially the one for the most beautiful flower of all: the sunflower.
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Now, he sat on a bench by the lookout, watching his first-ever sunset. The sky turned crimson red above the skyline, and high up in the sky, Kronos appeared as a faint crescent. Only the upper third of the gas giant was visible, and on a similar line stood Chiron, the great moon that orbited the boy’s new world.
After a while, he stood from the bench and approached the skyscraper’s railing, adorned with green hedges and palm trees. From this dizzying height, he could see so far into the alien world that he could make out the curve of the planet, watching as the megacity sloped toward the distant horizon. In the distance, he spotted a pale, almost thread-thin line stretching up into the sky, fading somewhere around the moon’s height. At first, he thought he was imagining it, and even after some time, he couldn’t explain what he was seeing.
He walked over to a telescope mounted on the balustrade, aimed it at the distant line, and peered through, only to see a black void. He examined the device again and then paid the five credits the machine required.
The telescope brought the landscape twenty times closer. The faint line in the sky revealed itself to be a massive space elevator. A cargo lift was gliding up the endless structure, passing another cabin making its long journey down to Earth. It seemed that the Thandros Tower was only the second tallest building after all, he thought, as he followed the narrow line up with the telescope, trying to see what the corporation was building in space. But the outline of the elevator vanished somewhere in the deep blue of the sky.
He swung the telescope back to Earth and spotted a slender television tower made of concrete and steel on the horizon. Hundreds of satellite dishes were mounted on its antenna mast, broadcasting 24-hour news via radio and television to the entire population of Vega Prime. A high-speed elevator was gliding up the shaft toward the eight-story, slanted observation deck. The rows of windows only reflected the sky and clouds, leaving the boy unable to see inside the offices. Circling around the antenna mast were the holographic letters TCC—Thandros Communications Center.
His PDA suddenly chimed.
He stepped away from the telescope and opened the hologram on his data assistant, displaying the new message he’d received. It was from someone named Kyoko Lee. In the message, Lee provided the date and time for his meeting with Zara Thandros. She also gave him the coordinates for his new accommodation. They’d waived the rent for the next two weeks, but after that, he’d have to cover it himself or move out.
He tapped the hyperlink in the message—a new hologram appeared, showing the route to his apartment. It was located in a company-owned complex on the edge of a neighboring district. According to the map, there was a shuttle stop a mile away on another platform, which would drop him off near his new home.
******
The platform was in the university district; life here was beyond his imagination; young people his age gathered just to sit in the evening sun together. Many of the students shot him suspicious looks—the outsider in his recruit uniform. He didn’t belong here at all, not in the way he looked, not in the way he carried himself. Everything about him was different. Even in this peaceful setting, he felt like a foreign object.
The next shuttle to Delaraan wouldn’t leave for another fifteen minutes. He strolled over to a vending machine, scanned the huge selection of unfamiliar flavors, and chose the only drink with alcohol. He grabbed the can from the dispenser and climbed a sweeping glass staircase that led to a futuristic library. On the steps, students in the university’s uniform, bearing the Thandros Technology Corporation logo on their jackets, were sitting and chatting. He sat down among them, soaking in the atmosphere of this strange new life. As he sat there on the steps with the students, sipping the sickly-sweet drink, he saw her for the first time. Just two steps below him, she sat in the gentle breeze of the megacity, laughing into her hand.
It hit him completely out of nowhere.
The girl glanced over her shoulder at him briefly. He quickly looked away from her mysterious eyes. He took a long sip from the can, staring into the evening sun, trying to stay calm, but his heart pounded wildly beneath his shirt. He set the can down between his boots and looked at her again. She had a finely sculpted face with sharp features. Her hair was chestnut brown, her lips a pale red, like a summer rose touched by frost. What was her name, he wondered? What kind of person was she?
She was deep in conversation with her friend, and he had all the time in the world to wonder about her, to make guesses, to observe her. And as he did, he came to one conclusion: he had never seen anything as beautiful as her.
The shuttle to Delaraan had left five minutes ago, and his drink was now empty. He bought the same drink again, climbed back up to his old spot on the steps, and enjoyed the faintly weightless feeling, whether from the alcohol or from just looking at the girl.
As the last light of day faded and the wind turned colder, she was sitting there alone, and he thought she wouldn’t stay here forever. He would, for her. But not the other way around. In a city like this, he’d never see her again. Never. Not once. And in that moment, as he moved down a step, about to approach her, he felt like he’d lost control over his actions. As if he’d placed his entire existence into the open hands of fate. He heard the blood rushing in his ears as he suddenly found himself sitting next to her, and she noticed him.
He had no idea how to talk to a girl, so he just held out his can and said, "You can have some. Tastes like soap, though."
Hesitantly, she took the can from him. She took a cautious sip, wrinkled her nose, and clicked her tongue as she eyed the can skeptically.
"You’re right. It’s awful. Who sells this stuff?"
He shrugged. Took the drink back from her, read the label and pressed the can against his lower lip.
"The machine back there," he said.