Wanna bet?

    ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’

    ‘Not a clue! Go on, just push something and see what happens. You’ll never get another chance like this.’

    Jez looked dubiously at the array of buttons and switches surrounding them. A green light blinked on the corner of the screen in front of him, the heartbeat of a mighty mechanical beast reduced to a single winking pinprick – why had she chosen this one of all of them? Did she know?

    Lexi watched him, her eyes bright and eager, waiting for him to back down.

    ‘I’m not sure-‘ He could feel what little street cred he had rapidly evaporating. ‘Look, what if they… Alright, Lexi – why did you ask me out here, really?’

    Her grin was a leer in the darkened cockpit. ‘It was a dare. The others said you’d bottle it; looks like they were right.’

    Jez stared at his hands, picking at the fabric covering his seat. ‘I guessed it might be.’

    ‘Then why agree to come?’

    He shrugged. ‘Perhaps I just hoped I was wrong, and that just for once somebody actually wanted my company.’

    ‘Then prove them wrong.’ She watched him intently, the blinking light reflected in her eyes.

    Jez gritted his teeth; he understood. ‘How much? How much is the bet worth?’

    Lexi’s white teeth flashed green as she grinned. ‘Enough. Will you do it?’

    ‘If you split it.’

    ‘Done!’

    Lexi was wild and vibrant, she was life to the full, and she was the talk of all the ark. All the other girls wished they were like her, and all the guys wished they had her; they aped her every style choice, and every time they did, she changed again. For Lexi, ‘different’ was a way of life, for Jez, it was a road he hated but couldn’t leave.

    He didn’t care about the money. All the reward Jez could ever have wanted was in Lexi’s wide shining eyes as he clicked the harness tight and settled his hands over the sticks.

    ‘You need to do your harness too – it won’t take off otherwise.’

    Her fingers fumbled the buckles as she complied, but Lexi would never back down while he was there to see. Jez grinned to himself; she’d only expected he might try to start it, push a few buttons, set off an alarm or two. Well she’d learn.

    Jez rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. In a way, she’d been right; he’d never get another chance like this. His fingers found the start-up sequence – those nights alone surfing the net for training vids had not been wasted. The harnesses adjusted themselves, tightening and pulling them back into the seats.

    Jez gripped the collective with his left hand and tapped out answers to a series of queries; a few went wide but enough were accepted. A deep hum started somewhere behind them and the visuals flashed into life. Open space.

    ‘We’re really doing this.’

    He glanced at her then returned to checking the readouts. ‘It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?’

    Lexi swallowed, but remained admirably resolute. ‘Of course!’

    With a clunk that resonated through the cockpit, the craft was released from its docking and floated free.

    ‘Whooaa!’ Lexi strained forward against the straps, trying to see everything through the window.

    ‘It’s just a visual – you won’t be able to see round the corners.’ Jez concentrated on the controls.

    ‘I knew that;’ she clearly hadn’t. ‘It’s just habit - careful!’

    He gritted his teeth and focussed on flying.

    ‘Whooaa!’ She exclaimed again as the craft turned about and the ark came into view. ‘We’re so far away already. It didn’t feel like we were going that fast at all.’

    ‘You’ve got no point of reference just looking out to space, so it’s hard to tell. Watch this.’

    Jez dropped the nose and pulled up on the collective; the craft began to accelerate and the ark grew rapidly closer.

    ‘Slow down!’ Lexi looked green, and it wasn’t just the light.

    Jez prayed that he hadn’t misinterpreted the sign on the entrance chute. He locked the controls, leant back and folded his arms. ‘You wanted daring – you got it.’

    The ark filled the visuals and Lexi grabbed at her own sticks for the first time. ‘You’re crazy! Stop this thing! Please, Jez!’ She hammered on the buttons.

    Closer, ever closer, and Lexi screamed. Then impact. The visuals went black.

    Jez watched the blinking light and waited for Lexi to stop screaming. Ten, twenty, thirty seconds and the whole cockpit flared with light; game over, time to leave.

    The lights cut Lexi off choking mid breath. Jez was already unbuckling his harness.

    ‘That was awesome, thank you so much for inviting me! I’ve always wanted to try one of these things.’

    ‘What?’ Her voice was weak. ‘What happened? We died. How?’ She ran her hands down the harness and over the seat cover, assuring herself of their reality.

    ‘The sign on the door of this craft’s chute? T stands for “trainer” – it’s a simulator not a real craft. Didn’t you notice when you picked it?’ He beamed at her discomfort. ‘We should get out of here before they find us – and I believe you owe me some money.’