The woman found Jane Clarke in an alley one evening, just as Jane was bringing the spree of two violent bank robbers to an end by means of broken bones and concussions. The woman said her name was Commander Fields, and that she was from an organization that might have a place for Jane, should she prove herself in training and pass their tests. They were called Laika Academy.
“We operate underground, but we reach for the stars,” Fields told Jane that night. She had graying hair that was always kept in a top bun and a perpetually stern expression on her wrinkled face.
Jane wanted to say that she’d been to the stars already, and that they were full of monsters. Instead, she said, “I’ll join you.”
“What’s your name?”
“Jade Armstrong,” Jane lied.
“How old are you?”
“Seventeen,” she lied again.
“You got a family?”
“Not anymore.”
Fields drove Jade to a laundromat with a hidden back room. The room held an elevator that went down forty floors, all underground.
Laika Academy was named for a dog who’d been plucked off the streets of Moscow and sent into orbit. She hadn’t survived the trip, nor had she been intended to. Jade found this distressing. Fields used the story to go into a tangent about sacrifices for the greater good. Jade found that more distressing.
“We do testing once a year to allow new students into our program,” Fields told Jade during her tour of the facilities. “They’re coming up at the end of December. You won’t have much time to prepare, but you’re welcome to try. If you fail to make the 1976 class, there’s always next year.”
Jade nodded, already determined to pass. Fields explained that there would be a flight simulation, a physical, and a written exam. Jade was assigned a temporary dorm and given access to training rooms and a small library of textbooks.
The computer that gave Jade her lightning reflexes made flying easy. And after countless hours of studying, her mind finally activated a camera she’d had no idea existed. She quickly learned her storage space was limited, but she condensed her notes as much as possible, took images, and aced her exams.
On January second—her twenty-fourth birthday—she was formally inducted into the academy, along with twenty-seven other kids. Some were assigned to be pilots, like Jade, while some were assigned to engineering, others to research, and more.
Jade kept her distance from other students, putting all her focus into becoming the best pilot. It paid off. In December, Fields came to Jade and informed her she’d been selected for a mission. The launch date was set for March 1, 1977. Jade was moved to a new room so that she and the others on the mission could develop “strong team chemistry.”
Holly Farr, the designated “astronaut” was a moody, angsty loner. Dax Cho, the medic, was shy and didn’t talk much. Thea Smith, the engineer, was nice enough, though she spent most of her time focused on one of her many screens.
Jade had no hope of flying to Kronos in a simple spacecraft. But if she could find a warp station, the journey would be doable. She’d learned during her time on Kronos that warp stations around the galaxy allowed large ships to carry cargo between star systems. Once the team returned from the mission, and Jade had learned all she could about Laika’s flight and security protocols, she could steal a spaceship and head to Kronos on her own.
Her initial plan was to keep her head down and count down the days until they went to space. That changed when she caught Holly shapeshifting in the bathroom.
Jade watched her for a long moment before speaking. “Your real family name is Faye.”
Holly’s eyes went wide. Her pale green skin changed to a more human color, her slitted pupils rounded out, and her ears lost their point. Her thick mane of red hair thinned out and fell around her shoulders. She spun around. “What the hell?”
“The Kronosian elite family. The Fayes. Shapeshifters.”
“How do you know anything about Kronos?” Holly demanded.
“I’ve been.” Jade leaned against the doorway and smirked, not entirely sure why she was so delighted. Maybe it was the realization that someone here might actually be able to understand a fraction of what she’d been through.
Then again, Holly wasn’t exactly chatty. Jade wasn’t sure there was a point in attempting to bond with her.
Holly shook her head. “You’ve been to the Janus System? And back? How?”
“I’ll tell you,” Jade replied. “If you tell me what you’re doing on Earth.”
“That’s my business.”
Jade shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Before walking away, she glanced back and added, “Your secret’s safe with me, though.” She didn’t care about the Faye family and had never given the missing child Hollixa much thought. Whatever Holly’s reasons for running away, though, Jade had a feeling they were good.
The team was given new details as the launch date approached but still weren’t told exactly what the mission was, beyond that it was an investigation into an anomaly.
The night before, no one could sleep.
Holly was the first one out of bed. Jade rolled over in a half-awake state and watched her move to stand by the window.
“Not much of a view,” Jade said quietly as she climbed out of bed. She walked to Holly’s side and stared at the concrete outside. Faint lights from other parts of the facility filtered in through the gap. “I mean, why even bother?”
Holly didn’t answer. She rested a hand on the glass.
Jade watched her trace circles with her finger. “Are you trying to get back to Kronos?” Maybe they could work together.
Holly scoffed. “I’d rather die than go back.”
Or not.
Holly’s hand lowered. “I came here to escape, and I stayed because I didn’t know where else to go.”
“How’d you wind up at Laika?” Jade asked.
“They found me. I didn’t do as well on my own as I thought I would, so I figured I’d work for them if they put a roof over my head.”
“What’s going on?” Dax mumbled as he pulled himself out of bed. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.
Thea sat up. “You guys can’t sleep either?”
Jade leaned against the wall by the window and slid to the floor. “I wish they’d give us more details about the anomaly.” She ran a hand through her hair. It reached her shoulders, now, and was finally even thanks to Laika Academy’s barber.
“They probably don’t know more than we do,” Dax said.
“Sure, they don’t know what it is.” Jade rested her arms on her knees. “But they won’t even tell us how they found it. Was it weird readings? Did they see something in a telescope? All we know is that it’s past Mars.”
Holly sat down next to her, and Dax and Thea formed a loose circle with them.
“Thea,” Holly said. “You’re good with tech. Could you hack into their system and find out what they know?”
“I considered looking into it, actually, but I’ve been busy with another project.” Thea leaned over to reach under her bed. When she straightened back up, she held a small computer chip. “Meet Mia.”
“What is it?” Jade asked.
Thea held up the handheld computer she’d built herself and slid the chip in. “She’s an artificial intelligence program I’ve been working on for a couple years.”
Holly frowned. “What does she do?”
“Pretty much everything. She’s a real powerhouse.” The barest hint of a smug smile touched Thea’s lips as she pressed the on button. “Mia, what time is it?”
A feminine and slightly robotic voice responded. “It is two-fifteen a.m.”
“Wow. Mind blowing.” Holly rolled her eyes.
“She can do a lot more. I just have to put some final touches on her device integration code.” Thea turned the handheld off and set it aside. “So, you guys scared?”
Holly scoffed. “No.”
“Kind of,” Dax admitted.
They all looked at Jade, who shrugged. “I’ve been in much more terrifying places.”