Verity: Chapter One, part two

 

Verity turned away and pressed her head against the wall, closing her eyes. What had just happened? She pressed her shaking hands flat to the wall next to her head. Without warning, memories began to trickle into her head like water through a crack in a dam. She was on a quantum ship. She was part of a force fighting an enemy of Earth. Earth was destroyed. Earth was destroyed.

With a gasp of shock, she spun back to Ferryn.

“The… but there was… Earth?” she gaped

Ferryn shook her head and grasped Verity’s arm, dragging her along as she hurried down the hallway.

“I don’t know what your deal is but pull yourself together, k? We cannot be late to flight simulation again,” Ferryn hissed. Ferryn made a quick left and an even quicker right. The place was a maze; every hallway looked the same- dirty metal walls and pale blue light. As they raced along, Verity felt more memories creeping back in and she suddenly remembered the directions to the flight simulation room. And the mess hall. And her dorm room.

It was a strange sensation- the feeling that she had lived on this ship her entire life and knew these halls inside and out while at the same time feeling like she was in a strange and confusing place, where nothing was familiar at all.

They had arrived at the door and took their paces in line, both breathing heavily.

Ferryn looked at her apprehensively. “You OK now?” she asked.

Verity nodded, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. “I’m good. I’m fine,” she said and offered a weak smile.

A group of smartly-dressed officers came down the hall, heads bent in discussion. The students automatically pressed themselves back against the wall to make way. One of the officers glanced up at Verity as he walked by and gave her a friendly grin.

“Hey sweetheart!” he said.

It was her father. Her father who had died when she was fourteen. Her dead father.

Verity felt the blood drain out of her face and her mouth drop open. She couldn’t utter a word. She wanted to run at him and hug him; she wanted to burst into tears of joy. But he was already at the corner, turning with the group of officers and heading out of sight. He had looked amazing- healthy and full of life, no sign of the heart disease that had killed him. Verity took in her breath with a loud gasp.

Ferryn hadn’t noticed her brief lapse; the door to the classroom had opened and students were filing in noisily. Verity took one last wistful glance back down the hall and then followed her friend.

 

Ferryn had found a seat on the aisle and waved Verity over.

“God, I hope we’re done with the foggy planet simulation. How can you shoot at something you can’t see?” Ferryn said under her breath.

The instructor was up at the front, rapidly typing on a large and complicated computer system. CB4500 Flight Simulator- released last year, Verity’s memory helpfully reminded her.

 

“Alright people, today we are moving on to harsh weather conditions,” said the instructor, with an authoritative voice. The class immediately quieted and focused on the large screen behind the him.

“In each simulation pod, you will encounter storms, lightning, winds, and possible volcanic eruptions- weather as you might encounter on a variety of planets in the system we are currently docked in. Now, I know some of you think you don’t need all this training, that you are already perfectly amazing pilots,” he glanced down at a group of young men who were sitting in the front row; they all shifted uncomfortably, “but listen closely- just because you know how to fly, doesn’t mean you know how to survive. Keep your complaints to yourself and show me what you are made of in the simulation pods,” he finished sharply.

I know how to fly a ship? Verity thought in amazement. Memory rushed in- the feel of her hands on the throttle, the years of pilot training aboard this very ship, the thrill of pulling a 360 in a tiny-but-powerful star fighter. I know how to fly! Verity’s thoughts concluded, a smile growing on her face. She suddenly wondered where Biron was, if he was hereon this ship, and if he was somewhere doing advanced science. She tried to search her memories for him but nothing popped up.

Ferryn nudged her and Verity realized that the students were all rising and moving toward a door set in the side of the room. This led to a hallway with endless doors lining each side: the simulation rooms. The students were shuffling around, each trying to find an empty pod. Suddenly, Verity was jostled hard from behind.

“Hey, be careful,” she said. She glanced back and froze- Jaret. He was here! He shot her an extremely dirty look and pushed past her without a word. She watched him go in bewilderment; what was wrong with him? He had acted like he hated her! Searching her memory, she saw that he had always disliked her, from the first moment they met in their very first training class. She felt her heart sink as she watched him duck into an empty simulation room.

Verity found an empty pod across from his and slipped in to the cockpit chair, buckling her straps tightly with ease. She found this room to be very familiar, mixed up again with that disconcerting feeling of total unfamiliarity. The screen came alive before her and the cockpit lights dimmed.

The simulated world in front of her was sharp and detailed, though the landscape was sporadically dimmed by clouds of flying dust; it was hard to believe it wasn’t real. Storms raged around her; her ship was pushed and shaken by the powerful winds. How on earth was she supposed to fly in this?