Chapter Forty-Five

Viktoriya launched a snowball at CLEFF, who hid behind the makeshift snow fort they’d built together earlier in the day. It was one of the warmest days of the month, hovering at around minus two Celsius. Though still freezing, it was a welcome respite from the negative ten they typically endured that time of year.

Some of the neighborhood kids were out playing on the street, ignoring her as usual. But she’d grown used to it. It had upset her when she was younger, but not nearly as much as being bullied. Back then, she relied on Choe to help her get through the bullying—well, they helped each other, really.

But now, she had CLEFF by her side.

A snowball came whirling out of nowhere, smacking Viktoriya square in the face. Her CyberArm almost deflected it without her even knowing, but alas, it was a bit too late. Her hands went to her nose, where the icy ball had struck.

“Ow!” she yelled toward her droid. “Be careful, CLEFF, that kinda hurt.”

CLEFF popped his head out from behind the ice wall of the fort.

“Sorry, Vik! You moved—I was aiming to miss by just an inch.”

“Well, I don’t want you to do that either!” she said, slamming her hands down at her side. “You’re not supposed to just let me win.”

He stood, now fully exposing himself as a target. She crouched low and picked up a handful of snow. He was so flustered that he didn’t even notice her covert movements.

“Miss Viktori-Ya, I am truly sorry to have to inform you,” he stumbled. “But if this were a proper match by any means, I would win one hundred percent of the time—”

Thud.

Her snowball landed square in the middle of CLEFF’s face.

“You’d win each time, eh?” she said, a burst of lighthearted laughter ringing out between words. “Really?”

“You cheated!” he complained, “You manipulated, distracted me and—”

She waved him off, not wanting to listen to any more of his rant. Besides, the remains of the snowball he launched were seeping into her scarf, and it was getting quite cold.

She yelled to her friend that it was time to go inside. The two trudged through the snow, passing the swings and roundabout, then down the driveway, lined with pine trees, to the entrance of their house.

“The trees smell so wonderf—wait… can you smell things, CLEFF?”

“I have emissive odor sensors, if that is what you mean?”

“Um, never mind, that just sounds gross. Really gross.”

She couldn’t help but find it a little funny that her home—almost entirely white and modern on the outside—seemed to grow increasingly invisible as the Frost grew worse.

CLEFF opened the massive front door for Viktoriya, who thanked him as she passed. She began peeling off the HyperVolt coat and scarves layers while he used one of his heaters to dry her boots.

Once all her winter gear was put away, and it satisfied CLEFF he wouldn’t track snow into the house, they proceeded down the hall and into the living room.

Her parents sat lounged on the couch with their eyes fixed on the television.

“What are you watching—” she started before glimpsing the screen. She should have known. They tuned into the news every afternoon just to watch this: the Mothership Ark update. She rolled her eyes.

“This again?”

“Hey! This is breaking news! The better question is, why aren’t you watching?” her dad said defensively, though she was confident from the goofy look on his face that he was kidding.

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It was certainly not breaking news, after all. The Mothership Ark project started a long, long time ago.

“Sarcasm?” she asked.

She couldn’t quite tell, but thought that it probably was.

Her father chuckled.

“Yes, you brilliant girl, sarcasm. Good one! You got it.”

“Um, more sarcasm?” she queried again, smiling and raising an eyebrow.

This time, both her parents laughed.

“No, darling,” her mother replied on behalf of them both. Her bright eyes shone in the evening light pouring in through the window.

“He really meant good one. Sarcasm is very difficult sometimes, even for the neurotypical.”

Viktoriya raised her chin and smiled big, proud of herself.

“I suppose the virtual sessions with Dr. Maribelle are working after all.”

She hated virtual medicine, but it was the safest- and warmest- option with temperatures so cold on most winter days to even leave the house.

“So, what’s new with the Mothership?” she asked as she walked over and plopped herself on the couch between her parents. CLEFF followed her like a puppy and sat in the corner section, customized just for him.

Her mother sighed. “Not much really, the vessel is still under construction, but supplies are already going up to the ship.”

Many kinks were still being worked out, like who would get a prized invitation to be a part of those selected to survive and where they would find the nuclear resources needed to fuel the ship. All that uncertainty considered, though, it seemed to be going pretty well.

“What are they sending up today?” she asked. She noticed her parents had a small bowl of snacks tucked between them and pounced on it, stealing it from under their noses.

“More construction components mostly, to complete the hull,” her mom replied.

“Going a little slow, isn’t it?” she said, stuffing a chip in her mouth.

“A little,” they both replied together.

She crunched on the salt and vinegar snack, then crossed her hands across her chest. They both seemed uneasy. Time was of the essence, after all.

“Too slow?” she asked cautiously. She knew the Frost was getting worse—it was just an inescapable part of their world’s reality. But would they complete the Mothership Ark before the planet became too cold? Before it became uninhabitable?

“Perhaps,” her father said. He grabbed the remote and changed the screen back to the guide. “But there is nothing we can do about that right now. Only a few people are willing to work on something they were not guaranteed a place on. And I do not blame them at all,” he said. He sighed. “So, what would you ladies—”

A beep rang from beside Viktoriya. She turned to see CLEFF eyeing her dad.

Her dad held up his hands jokingly. “My apologies. What would you girls and CLEFF like to watch?”

She chuckled and leaned back into the sofa while her mom and CLEFF got into a debate over which show would be best suited for the evening.

Viktoriya smiled.

Life was pretty all right.

“Mom, Dad. I’m glad to simply sit here. With just… us,” she affectionately chimed while she took each of their hands into hers, interlacing her fingers with theirs.

“I’m happy that you are my parents.”

Her mom and dad both started wiping their eyes with their free hand, pretending as though maybe some spontaneous dust had appeared there, causing the tears to form.

They all sat on the plush, comfy couch and chatted about a planned trip to visit the ark once it was breathable, a new lasagna recipe that Vik and her mom wanted to try out, and some new electromagnets that her dad had found and ordered online for her collection.

“I’m getting really tired. I’m going to go lay down. G’nite, you two. I love you,” Viktoriya said and kissed them both on the cheek.

Later that night, as Viktoriya lay in bed staring at her ceiling, she ventured into the nothingness.

Time disappeared, and the silky silver web flowed all around her—everything entirely in sync with the buzzing of the void.

She followed the web segment to HH190—a place it had often led her now, as if she was being pulled along like a magnet. And, as she did on most nights, she hovered, observing the planet, observing the web, and the endless strands that flowed out in various directions.

That night was a little different, though. There was something else there. Something small, just hanging there in the far orbit of the blue-green planet.

She moved closer to the floating orb, which appeared about a quarter of the planet’s diameter. There, floating in orbit around the planet, was a vertical, round, circular spaceship.

Her eyes widened.

It wasn’t just any ship.

It was the ark, in orbit around HH190.

Her mind tumbled in infinite directions—did this somehow mean they would make it there?

Was she seeing the future?

Did this mean humanity would indeed survive and reach HH190?

She whipped around as something caught her eye, as if from behind.

An explosive, percussive boom thundered in her ears, then one by one, three more crashes.

Her eyes widened, having to do a double-take to believe what she was witnessing, as she turned away from the planet to see what was happening.

In front of her, coming out of the distance of space, there were more arks, four of them.

“This, this is incredible!”

They had snapped out of nothing, appearing instantly, speeding out of nowhere along the strand of the web until they slowed to a crawl as they marched the last stretch toward the planet’s orbit.

“It’s beautiful; if only Mom and Dad could see this.”

The arks flowed into a far orbit around the planet in a perfect line, as if lined up by a teacher, taking an eager group of children out on a field trip to see something spectacular, to witness something new.

To behold a destination that could only be imagined by the most curious of us, vivid and exciting—appearing only in the mind’s eye of the most ingenious explorers that are capable of trekking across the universe, on the most elegant horses.

Incredible horses, born of their very own souls.