"What was it like to witness the creation of the universe?"
"Terrifying."
When Atara, Merc, Cal and Lilith wake to darkness, they're each more than a little afraid. With no memory of who they were before, and with the universe bursting violently to...
The window looks upon a starless void. In a normal universe, this sought of darkness would be dangerous. It would be like a cloak, concealing cosmic debris, meteors, planets – a cloak that turns the universe into an obstacle course you have to take blindfolded. But this universe is not like others. This one is empty. There is nothing to stumble into here.
Except, of course, the base planet – a planet that was formed by USO from matter in our own universe and flung through the portal into this one. It still amazes me to think about it, all these years after the event, when we watched it happen on a screen while camped out in the dining hall.
The monitors alert me that we're on approach, warning that our current course would mean impact and certain death. One of the screens shows a diagram of the planet in its current state of formation. I press a few buttons and the diagram is projected life-size onto the window.
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I reach for the PA mic, ready to call everyone to Control. "A–
"Don't say it," Atara whisper-shouts, suddenly at my side. She turns off the mic.
I stare at her. "What are you doing? We have to land. We need everyone in Control."
She shakes her head and takes her seat in the pilot's chair. "We can't."
"What kind of an answer is that?"
"Cal, please. Can you seal the doors to this room? So no one else can get in?"
She switches off auto-pilot, taking control of the ship and lining it up with the optimal flight path. Slowly, something dawns on me. "Atara, what's happened?" I ask cautiously.
She looks at me sharply. "Lock the doors. Now." When I don't move, she adds, "Do you trust me?"
The answer comes to me immediately. Yes, completely. I trust her with my life.
I head for the doors to the room and close them, locking them from the inside. "Is it Lilith?" I ask, still facing the doors.
She doesn't answer. Thinking maybe she didn't hear me, I join her by the window. "Is it Lilith?" I repeat. She doesn't – or won't – look at me.
"Atara?"
"It's me."
I don't know what to say. For what feels like the longest time, I simply stand there. "Why do you–"
"You should take your seat," she interrupts. "It's about to get turbulent."
"What about the others?"
She thinks about it for a second. "Let them know we're on approach over the PA. They'll be fine."
I step over to the mic and turn it on. "Approaching base planet," I say, and my voice is transformed into a metallic sound, amplified throughout the ship. I take my seat.
About halfway into the descent, there comes a series of slams on the doors.
"Don't open it," Atara warns. "It's Lilith."
Later still, I hear muted shouts:
"Cal! Cal, don't trust her!"
"She's not who you think she is!"
"Cal, you have to open the doors!"
I look to Atara, who's still flying the ship, albeit much more tensely. "Atara, you need to explain what's going on."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
"The most important thing right now is landing this ship safely. If we let Lilith in here, or if we get into an argument, we could crash. And if we survive the crash, we'll have no way home. You can hate me later."
"Why would I hate you?"
But she doesn't reply.
The banging and shouting continues for a little longer before stopping. Then it's a smooth trip around the planet and a shaky decent through it's atmosphere. Atara is about to start the landing when the banging starts up again.
"Cal! Please listen to me! She's not natural!" Lilith again, shouting at the door. "She's been erasing our memories!"
For the first time, I feel my confidence in Atara start to waver. "What is she talking about?" I ask her.
"It's nothing."
"She's tried to hurt us! She tried to kill us!"
I stare at her. "Is this true?"
"No. Of course not."
"Cal! You have to let us in!"
I don't know what to do. I am the genius with all the answers. I am Cal Coltrain, the youngest space engineer in history. And I don't know what to do, or who to trust: a pleading Lilith or a rational Atara. Where are my answers? I reach inwards for them and find I have none. Eventually, I realise: you can't always rely on your mind. Sometimes you have to choose with your heart.
"Cal!"
"I'm sorry, Atara. I have to open the door."
"What?" She sounds so panicked that for a moment I second-guess myself.
"We can't lock them out. I don't know what's going on, and therefore I shouldn't be made pick a side. The only way to keep this fair is to let them in."
"Cal, there are no sides. If you open up those doors– Cal, don't!"
But I've already flipped the lock.
Atara lands the ship on the planet's rocky surface with a resounding pound. And the doors burst open.
