Macie Burns was, in fact, in my History class. So was Clarice Armstrong.

It had taken me a few uses of Observe to recognize them, and then resolve to stay the hell away.

History class was taught by Mr. Fickle, who - in complete contrast to his name - ruled the class with an iron fist. Which I appreciated, since it kept the two huntresses out of my hair.

“We’ll start today with a quiz,” rasped Mr. Fickle, “to test how much each of you forgot over the break. Who can tell me the date Fortress Skyguard first appeared?”

Hands shot up. Mr. Fickle nodded at a lanky teen. “Go on, Warrick.”

“Second January 2060, Mr. Fickle.”

“Correct. And when did the first Hierarchy ships appear? Ms. Armstrong?”

“A year later, Mr. Fickle.”

“Exact date, Ms. Armstrong.”

“Uh… mid-January 2061?”

“Seventh January 2061, Ms. Armstrong. Dates are important. Which nation responded first to the Hierarchy’s incursion? … Yes, Mr. Wylie?”

Noah Wylie, a slender teen with a mullet, stood up. “Seven Hierarchy ships were approached by the United States Space Force, they attempted peaceful communication but were shot down. Then the aliens carved their message on the moon.”

“A bit more detailed than I’d wanted, but good answer. Please keep in mind, though, that the correct term for aircraft and ships being destroyed outside the Shield is not ‘shot down’. Shot down applies to atmosphere.” He turned to another student. “Under what doctrine did the USSF approach the ships?”

“Uh…”

“Come on, this is an easy question. They talk about it all the time on TV.”

“The Outer Space treaty of 1967,” responded the boy.

“Correct. The Outer Space treaty states that the space beyond Earth’s atmosphere is free for all. What nation owns Fortress Skyguard?.... Macie?”

“It’s international waters, sir.”

“International space. Yes, Fortress Skyguard was recognized as a celestial object in 2060, so it was covered under the Outer Space Treaty and free for anyone to enter. What happened after the USSF spacecraft were fired at?”

“Uh… Fortress Skyguard fired back at the aliens?”

“Correct, Fortress Skyguard fired a beam of an unknown type at the aliens, which was visible to people on the ground as a green line. The beam is known to have been at least six hundred feet in diameter, and clearly visible from the ground on Earth. At which point the aliens did what?... Mr. DeWitt?”

“Uh, they retreated to the orbit of the moon?”

“First they destroyed all space-based satellites and human orbital stations outside the shield, then they retreated. Over five hundred astronauts died that day, Mr. DeWitt. You should remember their sacrifice.”

DeWitt gulped. “Yes, sir.”

“Mr. Kelly. Who was the first human to set foot on Fortress Skyguard?”

“The hero Bastion, sir. On 4th February 2063.”

“Very good. Which brings us to the topic of today’s class. Chapter Sixty-Eight, everyone.” Mr. Fickle turned to the classroom’s main screen - a ten-foot flatscreen - and activated it. “Fortress Skyguard and the Sled.”

A picture filled the screen. A round, central disc, with seven blocky, rectangular sections radiating outwards from it, dark grey in colour against the backdrop of the stars.

Fortress Skyguard looked eerily spider-like.

“Fortress Skyguard, as some of you know,” intoned Mr. Fickle, “has a central command hub, which is roughly three hundred metres across. The Fortress has seven outer sections, evenly spaced. Each section is roughly sixty metres across and six hundred metres long. Also, each outer section is almost forty metres tall, and the central command section is nearly a hundred metres tall at its highest point.”

The picture rotated, showing us a view of Fortress Skyguard from the side. The central hub looked like a flattened globe of dark metal, with the sections sticking out like the legs of a crab.

I reminded myself that this was supposed to be the primary defence of Earth, gifted to us by some unknown benevolent aliens.

“As you all know, Fortress Skyguard can’t be entered by conventional means,” continued Mr. Fickle, “which is what makes the Sled so important. Previous attempts by astronauts to enter had all been rebuffed. Even before the Hierarchy appeared, there had been four missions to enter Skyguard, and all had failed - because the astronauts could not find a door.

“When Bastion approached Fortress Skyguard on that night of 4th February, the space station revealed that it did, in fact, have a ‘door’ of sorts. Skyguard opened up its access gate to allow an object to exit.” The picture changed.

Stolen story; please report.

A featureless white plane of light floated against the star-filled sky.

I was reminded of a carpet. If carpets were made out of pure light and could float in space.

“The Sled,” intoned Mr. Fickle. “This is the first photograph of the object we call the Sled, taken by Bastion with his smartphone camera just before he stepped on it. Can anyone tell me what he said before taking that step?”

“Let’s hope this isn’t a frying pan,” replied Noah Wylie.

“Correct, Mr. Wylie. Those famous words are the reason the Sled is also often nicknamed the Flying Pan. As of today, the Sled remains the only way for an ultrahuman to enter Fortress Skyguard for the first time. Of course, once you enter, you can’t return to Earth for long - not more than a few hours at a time, as was discovered later.

“Upon entering Fortress Skyguard for the first time, Bastion was able to find his way to the central hub and establish himself in what we believe to be the command centre of the station. However, despite the best efforts of scientists across the world, very little is known about the actual controls of Skyguard - which is why we cannot replicate Skyguard’s famous green beam at will.

“Now, who can tell me about the social conventions surrounding the Sled?”

Marcie Burns’ hand shot up. “If you’re picked by the Sled, you have to go,” she said.

“Correct. The Sled isn’t restricted to just outside Skyguard - every now and then, it circles the world, picks an ultrahuman, and keeps following that ultrahuman until they get onto it. Once the ultrahuman has boarded, it whisks them off to Fortress Skyguard. How many ultrahumans have been chosen by the Sled?.... Anyone?”

A hand up at the back - Jeff Blume, a nerdy teenager with acne. “Two hundred and sixty-seven, sir.”

“Very good, Jeff. The two hundred and sixty-seven who have been chosen by the Sled have served in the defence of Earth multiple times. As you all know, Skyguard has itself been attacked many times, and at any point of time there are no more than fifty heroes on board. So the fifty heroes have to defend Skyguard against alien incursions on a regular basis.”

“Like in Fate’s Finest Hour," commented a boy in front.

“I would not count a summer blockbuster as an adequately researched historical source, Mr. Simmons. However, if you are interested in the visualization of the attacks on Skyguard, you may refer to the many excellent documentaries on the subject. Now, as part of your course, you will each have to write an essay on one of the ultrahumans chosen by the Sled, their career before Skyguard, the service they rendered on it, and the public reaction to them afterwards.”

“Do we get to choose the heroes, sir?” asked Kelly.

Mr. Fickle smiled. It was an unsettling smile. “You can pick any ultrahuman, including both the heroes and the villains who chose to serve. No two students can pick the same subject, but I also reward and appreciate courage. So those of you who pick villains - and can address the morally complex questions associated with their service and the public reaction - will automatically get a slightly higher grade for the same quality of work. An essay that would get a B plus if written about a hero will be given an A minus if written about a villain.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” exclaimed a voice from the back. “You shouldn’t favour the villains!”

“I would remind you, Mr. Glenn, that those who serve on Skyguard are also acquitted of any past criminal charges,” replied Fickle. “And it is hardly ‘favouring’ when the ultrahuman in question is deceased. As will, I suppose, be the case with most of your subjects. Essay topics need to be submitted by tomorrow; please suggest your first, second, and third choices.”

“So what did you cover in class today?” asked Anne at lunch.

“Fortress Skyguard,” I replied, “and the Sled.”

“Ooh, that’s a nice topic. There’s a ton of good movies about it. Like Fate’s Finest Hour.”

“So I’m told,” I commented, munching my sandwich. “I have to pick an ultrahuman who served on the Fortress to write about. Anyone you’d suggest?”

“Well, there’s the Huntsman, or Volkrath,” Anne replied. “Both famous heroes. But really, there’s a lot of them.”

“Two hundred and sixty-seven,” I replied. “Say, Mr. Fickle said that no more than fifty people can fit on the Fortress at a time? For an object that size? It seemed … strange.”

“It’s not about the size,” Anne replied. “If you’re not recognized by the Fortress, the doors won’t open for you. The Sled selects the worthy ultrahumans, and only they get to board.”

“So then how do they retire? The Sled must be dropping them off at some point.”

“Um….” Anne bit her lip. “Ultras don’t retire from Skyguard, Andrew. They serve until they die.”

“But that’s not possible. Two hundred and sixty seven ultras, a maximum of fifty, means that the remaining two hundred and seventeen died.”

“Yeah.”

“In… twenty years.”

“Seventeen.”

“That’s….” I did a quick calculation. “That’s a death a month.”

“Well, yeah. It’s one of the reasons why people respect those who serve on Skyguard.” She shrugged. “Every time someone who serves on the Fortress dies, we observe a minute of silence at school.”

“Why so dangerous?”

“Because they get attacked by aliens every few days, silly.” Anne bit into her apple. “There’s been battles when more than a dozen ultras were killed at the same time.”

“Good God. And our school observes a moment of silence every time that happens?”

“Not just our school. Every school.”

“Every school in Tanisport?”

“Every school in the world.”

…. Oh.

No wonder Mr. Fickle had set us those assignments, then.

Before I could ask my next question, Jimmy Reagan plopped himself into the seat next to Anne. Mike Halloran slid himself into the chair next to me, while Lou squeezed himself into the chair on the opposite side of Jimmy.

“Hey, dude,” Jimmy grinned. “We saw you sitting here all by your lonesome so we thought we’d drop by and say hi.”

“‘Sup,” intoned Mike.

Lou huffed. “This place needs wider chairs.”

“Well you need to run more,” commented Jimmy. He glanced at Anne, then turned to me. “So, the kid?”

“My sister Anne,” I replied. “Anne, Jimmy Reagan. Lou Armstrong. Mike Halloran.”

“I know you guys,” Anne added. “You three were in the school play last year.”

“See that? We’re famous.”

“Notorious, maybe,” I remarked.

“Ah! It has a sense of humour! And methought ‘twas just a machine!” exclaimed Jimmy.

Lou rolled his eyes. “You need a sense of sanity.”

“Well, that’d be no fun.”

“So, what’s up with you guys?” I asked.

“Oh, the usual. There’s a party this Saturday, and we thought you’d like to come.”

“Afraid I can’t. On Saturdays we need to spend time with our dad.”

“Controlling, eh?”

“Comatose. He got hurt in the attack.”

“Ouch, sorry.” Jimmy winced. “I know how bad that is. My dad’s a doctor and he saw a lot of cases after the attack. Bad ones.”

“Your dad’s an eye doctor,” remarked Lou.

“Well, he saw a lot of damaged eyeballs.”

Lou nodded, acknowledging the point. Then he turned to me. “Do you do anything fun? Apart from lift weights and stuff?”

“Guys, I don't lift weights and stuff.”

Lou snorted. “No way. You got that buff without strength training? Try again.”

“He really doesn’t do any of that,” piped up Anne. “He’s just pretty strong.”

I gave Anne a sharp look.

“Well, you sure won the lottery,” Jimmy commented. “Most people have to exercise like mad to get to that body. And you have the endurance, too.”

“Damn, and I was hoping for exercise tips,” grumbled Lou.