First class was something else. Instead of a cramped seat designed for someone with no legs in a corridor with barely any heating in front of some feral child, it was a room. An entire room was reserved just for them. 

The sky outside was an array of colourful flashing shuttle lights, visible through the enormous window that filled the outer wall of the vessel. Somehow, it felt prettier than it should have. It wasn’t like Atticus had never seen a starport before, but this was the first time he’d seen it from the outside. The tiny window seats in economy cost extra, and there was no convincing Dion to spend money he didn’t need to. 

“I’m sorry about the poor quality. This is the most expensive room they have.” Hyejin sounded genuinely dejected. “I had hoped it wouldn’t be this bad in person, but…”

“It’s fine, it’s not a long flight. We’ll make do.” Dion assured her, though he gave Atticus a look with his eyes that said: Is this woman crazy? 

The cabin also came equipped with a fancy leather couch, though it was a little worn, a mini fridge and a holodisplay for room service. It was pretty much the same amount of furniture they had at home, but on a larger scale. The biggest difference was that it smelled like cinnamon and citrus, with dim lighting and soft classical music playing in the background. Their apartment in Morrian looked like a hole in the ground in comparison.

Naturally, Dion’s first action was to raid the mini-fridge. Before Atticus could blink, he’d already gulped down two tumblers of amber. “Either of you want any before I finish it?” He asked, pouring his third.

“Are you planning to drink the whole bottle if we say no?” Hyejin scoffed, rolling her eyes and taking a seat on the couch. She immediately made a face like she had sat in something wet.

Dion sank into the couch next to her, full tumbler and bottle in hand. “Absolutely. I get bad ‘gate sickness’. It doesn’t stop it, but it helps on an emotional level.” 

Hyejin shifted away from Dion slightly. She was glancing at him, but trying hard not to make eye contact. Eventually, she settled for asking Atticus instead. “Is it that bad?” 

“It doesn’t hurt, but it’s a bit of a shock to the system.” Atticus perched on the arm of the couch and used his hands to demonstrate. “Kind of like someone is squeezing your stomach like a tube of toothpaste while spinning you around in circles really fast. Some people feel it worse than others and you never get used to it.” 

“Right. You’ve travelled a lot, I gather.” Atty could see Hyejin’s face pale at the idea of what was about to come, even in the dim lighting. “Have you ever been to Tollindo?”

“Tollindo?” Atticus suddenly perked up, “We’re going to Tollindo?” He could hardly contain his excitement. At this time of year, huge crowds were travelling to Agafra’s main tourist attraction. No wonder the shuttle was packed with people. 

Dion gave him a look, and Atticus rolled his eyes, settling down again. 

“Tollindo is a dangerous place. So is the rest of Agafra. Tell us more about these unregistered folk,” Dion encouraged after downing another tumbler. “I’d like to know what we are expecting beforehand.”

“They’re something called ‘engine rats’. I don’t know what that means, but E.Mortal says they’d have the skills to get in and out of tight situations,” she explained, bringing up some blurry photos on her DataCuff.

“They’re slaves,” Atticus explain, sucking in a breath. “Unwanted children sold to mining companies.”

Hyejin was horrified. “What? But slavery is illegal!”

Atticus nodded. “That’s why they call them ‘rats’ and not ‘children’. Drones are expensive in the border worlds, so they buy kids to maintain the mining machinery instead. I heard they literally live in the engines.”

“He didn’t say anything about children! We can’t—”

“Don’t stress. Tollindo isn’t a mining colony. The only way an engine rat could have left one is if they died or ran away.” Dion assured her. “They’re likely not kids anymore. E.Mortal doesn’t recommend just anybody for high-profile jobs. It does explain why they’re unregistered, though. Even if they wanted to, they have no records to prove their identity. If they don’t exist, no one will miss them.”

Hyejin was quiet for a long time. She held her forehead between her thumb and index fingers, leaning forward like her world was falling apart around her. Maybe it was. If she was reacting like this already, Atticus wondered what she would be like once they reached the border worlds. Most of the population out there had a hard life for one reason or another. 

It made him wonder how different life was for the social elite. Atticus had never met someone like Hyejin. If Dion ever had, he’d never mentioned it to him before. It was fascinating how she reacted to the world around her. She reminded him of spoiled rich girls from the dramas he’d been watching on Old Fart.

The silence was awkward, even when he and Dion exchanged another look over her head. Atticus knew that look well enough. It was the same look of pity he got from his brother after an ‘episode’; like the person in front of him was so fragile that they would shatter the moment a mild breeze touched them. Atticus hated that look. 

“Are all unregistered… slaves?” Hyejin asked in a soft voice. He almost didn't hear her.

Atticus beamed a smile at her, hoping to lighten the mood. “Nah, I wasn’t registered until I was four. Hospitals are expensive. Anyone born outside of one won’t be automatically registered. Those chips burn like crazy the first time they go in.” He snapped Old Fart off his wrist and poked at his chip scar for good measure. “It takes a long time to sync properly.”

That did the trick. Hyejin leaned back on the couch again and took a deep breath. “Okay. Yeah. That makes sense.” She was talking to herself. “I suppose your parents did it as soon as they could.” 

Atticus didn’t like the way she said ‘your parents’ as though they were somehow inferior. Dion paused as well, staring into his empty glass. Without another word, he stood up and left the room, taking the bottle of alcohol with him. 

“Dion registered me. There was an accident,” Atticus explained, watching the door, even after Dion left. “I don’t remember anything about them, but Dion still has nightmares. I don’t think he knows he screams in his sleep.” He sighed and shrugged, trying to play the issue off again. 

“I’m so sorry! I didn't mean... I just… I mean, I lost my mother too…” Hyejin muttered, looking down at her hands. Her face was as red as one of those tomatoes from the restaurant.

“Don’t worry about him. He’ll come back in his own time.”

“What about you? They were your parents, too.”

Atticus nearly fell off the arm of the couch. He’d never been asked that before, not even by Dion. He genuinely had to think about it for a moment. It wasn’t like he could bring the dead back. “I don’t remember them. I know they were mechanics on Koros. I know they died in a gas tank explosion, but they’re like… phantoms or ghosts or something, I guess. They must have existed at some point, but all I know about them is what’s written in my file. Dion is the only family I’ve ever had.” 

Dion never talked about their parents, no matter how many times he asked as a child. Until this moment, Atticus hadn’t realised he’d stopped asking about them.

‘Interworld Shuttle 5550-X32 is now taking off. Please remain seated until we break orbit. In the meantime, please help yourself to the minibar and in-flight menu,’ announced a recorded voice over the speaker.

With an excited gasp, Atticus slipped down onto the couch next to Hyejin. “Here we go. Remember to breathe. The worst part only lasts a few seconds. It helps if you count them”

The floor lurched aggressively as the shuttle detached from the elevator tube. The joints in the hull creaked and groaned, drowning out the music in the background. The window shade lowered, jerking every so often. 

Hyejin dug her fingernails into the arm of the couch and whimpered slightly. She looked genuinely terrified. Her knuckles had turned white and she was biting her lip hard enough to leave a mark. They’d done a good job of scaring the poor woman. It made Atticus feel a bit guilty.

He reached into the mini-fridge and pulled out two bottles of water, holding one out to her. “Relax. If you tense up like that, you might get sick,” he said as she hesitantly took the bottle from him.

“I’m just nervous,” she insisted, but her smile faltered. “I heard Yesterday’s Children shut off the drone feeds. I can’t help but think anything could happen. Everyone’s pretty spooked.”

Atticus choked on his water. “Oh, that…” He cleared his throat and tried to find something interesting to look at. It was good that the drone incident was being blamed on someone else, but it looked like someone else could do his job. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t bother him that someone else was taking the credit. 

“You saw how much security patrolled the port. I doubt they care much about a shuttle to Agafra, anyway.”

Hyejin sighed and held her head again. “You’re not wrong…”

“I know,” Atticus teased, taking another sip and encouraging her to do the same.

The shuttle shook and trembled as they left the atmosphere. The heat could be felt through the shuttered window. It was like standing inside a furnace. Without the water, they would have felt parched very quickly.

“Breathe, it’ll be over soon,” Atticus cooed softly, leaning back to prepare. Everyone hated this next bit. “Remember not to tense up. Think about… I don’t know, whatever rich girls think about. Makeup and like hairspray and stuff.”

Hyejin shot daggers at him with her eyes. “What are you on about?”

The ride soon smoothed out and a voice announced, ‘Inter-world Shuttle 5550-X32 has broken orbit. Please remain seated. This vessel will now jump through the gate.’

There was barely any time for the warning to register before a heavy, yet intangible weight crashed into Atticus’ stomach and squeezed the wind out of his lungs. The interior of the shuttle swayed and twisted, groaning under the stress. Then in a split second, all the sensations were gone and the ride was smooth again except for a lingering dizziness.

Hyejin gasped for an enormous breath, her eyes wide and in shock.

“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Atticus grinned at her. He got up to make space, stretching his legs. “Lie down for a bit. It’ll be another twenty minutes to reach the planet.”

“You seem far too excited and energetic.” She complained in the barest of forced whispers. 

Atticus nodded. “Stoked! We’re right on time for one of the biggest shows in The Glowridge Arm. Have you heard of The Tillindo Bi-Annual Annihilation Trial?”