“I'm a huge fan,” Pilo said, stomping his way over to her in excitement, “You're like, the coolest person in the galaxy!”

  “Oh,” Izzy blushed as Pilo hugged her, lifting her into the air. The soft but firm clasp made her realise she'd never been hugged like that before– it was snug, like a new pair of soft slippers.

  “You're the greatest pilot to ever do it!”

  “Uhh… Thanks,” She awkwardly smiled as he put her down.

  He paused, “Why are you here?” He then looked at Riza, “Are we bust?”

  Riza looked at Izzy and shrugged, “Apparently not.”

  Pilo was all the more confused and looked at Izzy in an attempt to read the answer from her near expressionless face. He then looked over to the centre of the lab, where there was a small, circular platform on the ground with a glass cylinder that extended into the air. In the centre of it was a sleek, pearl white and silver engine with a large rectangular centrepiece and thin, long cylinders protruding vertically out of each corner.

  “Beautiful,” Pilo fawned over the technology, stepping past Riza and Izzy to take a closer look.

  “We tested it out once,” Izzy stepped toward the glass, looking out at the lot. “Wild ride,”

  “You guys put it in a drop ship?” Pilo asked, and Izzy nodded in response.

  “Isn't that against the rules?” Riza followed up.

  “Yeah, for official races. We can do whatever we want in testing.”

  “A drop ship with an AG Drive,” Pilo shook his head in excitement, “That'd be a sight to see.”

  The sport would be a completely different experience, and everyone's favourite part would be shortened significantly, but the speeds she reached as she plummeted towards the planet were ridiculous. tens of thousands of meters per second with no G-force was a great time for a pilot, but a bore for viewers. Fans wanted peril, danger and physical human feats more than sheer speed.

  “Is that yours?” Izzy pointed to the jagged-edged, cargo ship with rusty steel and dents all over it.

  “Yeah,” Riza replied, rather embarrassed. “It's a, uhh… Work in progress,”

  Again, Izzy said nothing in response and looked longingly at the vehicle with a small curl at the edge of her lips. The memory of her younger self, obsessed with being a pilot and dreaming of exploring the galaxy, always imagined doing it in a cargo ship. She chuckled to herself, uncertain of the sense of freedom that trickled in as she wandered at it. The thought of soaring through space, unobligated, unburdened, made her realise that what she'd said in the press conference was true. She wasn't the same teenage pilot who entered the league with all the confidence in the galaxy. She was a woman, ready to discover who she truly is.

  “How long will it take you to install the Drive?” Izzy asked.

  “Uhh, all night,” Pilo glanced at Riza, “I'll need your help,”

  “We'll need to leave by the morning, before they realise what’s happened,” Riza calculated.

  “Don't leave without me,” Izzy added.

  “Huh?” Riza and Pilo grunted in unison.

  “Don't leave without me.” She repeated.

  “I don't follow,” Riza said with her nose scrunched up.

  “I'm coming with you,”

  There was an awkward pause, and Riza had a contemplative look on her face before she burst out laughing, “No way,”

  “What? Why the fuck not?”

  “Are you serious? You're one of the biggest celebrities in the galaxy. No way in hell we need that much attention on us,”

  Pilo looked at Izzy, empathising with her frustrated glare, “C'mon, Boss.”

  “Yeah, Cmon, Boss.” Izzy reverberated.

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  “Seriously, Pilo? The Atlas will think we've kidnapped her.”

  “We could use a pilot,”

  “We've been getting around just fine,”

  “I can help you,” Izzy bartered.

  “No, you can’t,”

  “You're going to Silic, right? Looking for an Executive? You're going to need access.”

  Riza looked at Pilo, who had an expression that agreed with Izzy's point, and Riza rolled her eyes in irritable consideration.

  “How do we know you aren't going to rat us out?”

  Izzy took offence, “Are you saying I look like a snitch?” She stepped forward confrontationally.

  “I don’t trust an omega-rich girl,” Riza challenged her.

  Izzy wanted to bite back, the confident side of her jumped to her defence like it would in press conferences, but this time she noticed it. If she wanted to go with them, she'd probably need to get along with Riza or at the very least, stay on her good side.

  “Look… Boss... Captain. I don't want to cause you any trouble, I'm just sick of all this bullshit, playing dress up to impress politicians and investors that’re the shittiest, slimiest scumbags in the galaxy. I'm not cut out for it anymore, and when I saw you, I figured I could get out of here,”

  Riza paused, arms crossed and reading into Izzy as though she had a lie detector. But there was a subtle endearment in Riza's eyes when she responded, “Nice sob story,”

  “Boss!” Pilo objected.

  “Whatever,” Riza rolled her eyes. “If she rats us out, it’s on you,”

  Izzy fist bumped, “Yesss,”

  “We’ll wait till after your race, but you'd better not leave us waiting. If we get caught, or the Atlas turns up–”

  “Yeah-yeah, you can leave without me and yada yada,” Izzy interrupted, “Thanks, Captain!”

  This was her chance to pursue the life she'd always wanted to, and she knew she couldn't miss it. She felt giddy, like she did when she was younger and playing with her spaceships. The unknowns excited her the most, the possibilities. She wasn’t sure what spurred all of this on so suddenly. Seeing Riza in the DRC and all the shenanigans involving her and Kythera made it seem like Izzy would at least be on the right side of things if she went with them. Realising how she felt made it that much clearer that the company was eating away at a part of her. Decaying despite turning a blind eye to it.

  “You think you're gonna win tomorrow?” Pilo asked in excitement.

  She shrugged with that confident grin of hers, “Something like that,”

  “Izzy, where've you been?!” Mother chided as Izzy entered her apartment to see Father and Pearl with disapproving glares of their own.

  “I just needed some fresh air,” She said, walking past them.

  “Isabella Montoya! Don't you dare ignore me,”

  Izzy froze in place and felt the overly familiar concoction of frustration and anxiety swelling inside her.

  “The least you could do is show us some respect.” Her Father added.

  “After everything we've done for you!” Her Mother's rage continued to build, “You continue to act like a delinquent.”

  “What's gotten into you?” Father asked, the sort of rhetorical question that was meant to poke at her more than understand her.

  Izzy wanted to respond with the aggression and confidence they instilled in her, but she knew that, ironically, they wouldn't take it well if she did.

  “I'm sorry,” She said, the weight of the situation eased off her shoulder as the thought of her future came to mind.

  She wouldn't have to do this much longer. This, pretending as though what she'd gone through hadn't dissected her sense of self.

  “We expect better from you, Dear,” Mother added, softening her tone to match Izzy's.

  “We want what's best for you,” Father said.

  Izzy lowered her head, surprised by how easy it was for her to pretend. But, she didn't feel the need to continue doing so. She looked at them both with teary eyes and told them the truth in the best way she knew how.

  “I miss Aahriya,” A tear fell down her cheek.

  It was true, and a thought she'd bottled up for nearly ten years since she'd left for the Atlas when Izzy was eighteen. Izzy had just realised how the family hadn't been the same since Aahriya left. Was it for the same reason? Izzy wondered. She'd never realised that her big sister was the reason she could tolerate all the struggles she endured, and the thought of her carried Izzy through the years. Aahriay wasn’t coming back, and she finally understood why.

  “Mi amorito,” Her Mother hugged her, and Izzy couldn't hold back the tears as they streamed from her eyes.

  “I haven't spoken to her in years, Mama,” She sobbed, completely unaware she'd been holding back all of this emotion.

  Her Father joined the hug, “We miss her too.”

  “I’ll see if I can get in contact with her,” Mother said. “After your race tomorrow, okay?”

  Izzy had been trying for years, but there was little to no response from Aahriya. She'd come back with the intention of making a point during the race tomorrow– she wanted to burn out and crash her dropship just shy of the finish line. A statement before she left that would leave her investors and family in awe. A final, ‘fuck you’. But, in this moment, she realised that despite her parents' flaws. Despite how they manipulate and control her… Maybe it was their best effort. She knew she couldn't stay, but she no longer had the vengeful intent she had when she'd walked in. The memory of her sister walking out was a blueprint for her that highlighted the priority of her potential future. Attending the race tomorrow wasn’t worth the risk if it meant her ride out of here could get caught by the Atlas.

  “Okay,” She sniffed, releasing the hug from her parents. “I love you,” She said.

  “We love you too, Isabella,” They replied.

  “You should get to bed,” Mother added, “You have a big day tomorrow.”

  “Yeah,” Izzy agreed.