The Test

A large, seemingly infinitely spanning structure bordered the space between the Upper and Lower districts. Its overwhelming framework creating a massive wall that imposed upon the poor fools on the less fortunate end of the economy.

The wall's high-tech design served as both protection to those the world considered 'valuable' and a way for those who weren't to be kept in their place.

Standing in front of the entrance was a lone man, seemingly a little above twenty years old. His silver-colored braids rested upon his shoulders, somehow unbefitting of his malnourished figure yet perfectly complimenting his amber colored eyes.

Sebastian glared at the Horizon Nexus, the very embodiment of what he despised. Sure, it offered jobs to the lucky few underprivileged that managed to get a good education. But that didn't change the fact it symbolized the selfishness that plagued every aspect of their livelihoods.

'Selfishness…'

The word echoed through Sebastian's head, causing him to shiver. Unfortunate memories began to surface, forcing him to shake his head in response.

'Get a grip, Seb! You're finally here, don't screw this up now. For her. For them.'

Taking a deep breath, he hyped himself up and entered through the Nexus' automatic doors. A mechanical whirr welcomed him as he stepped in. Rather than immediately being thrust into the Nexus' interior he was instead placed in a narrow, cramped room.

Almost as if sensing his presence, the nozzles decorating each of the room's surfaces pointed in Sebastian's direction.

"D-did I do something wrong…?"

Before he could react, he was blasted with several jets of air. It was as if his body was being pelted with high-speed paintballs, pressing against his skin in a painful barrage.

It was only a moment before the vicious pelting stopped.

"Ugh, I guess that's the air shower Baba mentioned."

Shaking his head, Sebastian looked in awe as the doors centered on the other side of the room slowly opened. Unveiling the Horizon Nexus' interior and encompassing his body with incredible warmth.

As expected, the Horizon Nexus was a beautiful display of humanity's progress since it was confined to Earth all those decades ago. Unlike the pathetic appearance of the Lower District, it was filled with futuristic devices and decor.

Drones flew throughout the building, transporting various goods and materials to the mass of researchers navigating through the interconnecting halls.

Murals adorned the Bio-Metal walls, some signified humanity's prosperity and development. Others are conquering the lifeforms that used to reside on these very planets.

It wasn't mentioned often, likely out of some sense of guilt. But everything humanity had achieved was built on blood, not even history dared to divulge the nature of their land. 

Or more specifically, the metals and materials which comprised them all.

Pushing the thought aside, he headed toward the desk in the center of the building's main floor. Behind it was a nerdy-looking woman. 

Glasses obscured her eyes, yet somehow fit her freckled face.

As she typed on her computer, her eyes glanced up at the malnourished boy. She didn't seem very pleased.

"Name and reason for visit."

Clearing his throat, Sebastian nervously muttered.

"Uh, I'm here for the Pilot Exam. Sebastian Sowle. I should've been scheduled already?"

The woman's eyes narrowed before looking back down at her screen. Her fingers moved with incredible precision across the keyboard as she searched for something.

Not even a dozen seconds afterward, she looked back up.

"Second Floor. Room 212."

Sebastian nodded as she slipped a keycard in his direction.

"Ah…thanks…"

Of course, she'd long since moved on from the conversation. Her eyes intently focused on whatever she was working on before he'd arrived.

'I wonder if she's like this to everyone?'

Somehow, he couldn't imagine her being polite to anyone, regardless of class. Maybe that was a good quality, in a way?

Rubbing his chin, Sebastian made his way toward the elevator. Giving the security who'd been standing by the keycard, which they promptly scanned before allowing him to enter.

[Fateless, this is boring.]

"Shut up!"

Sebastian glared at the panel which had just appeared in the corner of his eye. Since awakening, the messages had ceased to appear, filling him with the hope that perhaps he could simply push them aside.

Yet, just this morning they began to randomly pop up out of nowhere. Scrutinizing his every action.

It was like taking care of a cheeky toddler.

"I'm not sure who or what you are, but I need this far more than I need to be a hero. Being a pilot is safe. Simple. As long as I'm alive I can keep taking care of Liz."

[Not for yourself?]

Suddenly, Sebastian's glare grew far more hostile. As if sensing his aggression, the panel vanished.

'Who says I need to do anything for myself? I'm perfectly happy caring for others! Ecstatic, even!'

Forcing a smile, Sebastian continued through the elevator. Punctually leaving once alerted by the futuristic device's beep. 

After leaving the elevator, Sebastian was again presented with an overwhelmingly advanced sight. The likes which he couldn't have possibly imagined the Lower District to have.

The elevator opened into a massive hangar, the size of which appeared far more than the wall's width seemed capable of accommodating. In the hangar, planes and jets of various sizes were placed in an orderly manner.

Most impressively were the Specters. Compact jets made specifically for traversing the great beyond, capable of enduring space's harsh conditions just as a ship endured the sea and a plane the air. 

Its sleek Bio-Metal fuselage greeted Sebastian, as if tempting him to jump into the pilot's seat right here, right now.

'Contain yourself, Sebastian!'

With a quick shake of his head, Sebastian focused on the task at hand. 

His test.

"She's a beauty, ain't she?"

Stepping out from behind the Specter was a large, light-skinned man. 

Despite his rough appearance and thick, unkempt beard, he carried a certain presence that demanded respect. Although, even the scars covering his frame couldn't quite prove he wasn't a homeless man.

Sebastian nodded in response, once again hypnotized by the space jet's beautiful design.

"Yes, I don't think I've ever seen such a wonderful device…"

The man let out a hearty laughter and gave Sebastian a powerful slap to his spine.

"Ha! Formal now, are we? No need to be tense. I'll be your Examiner today, after all."

Flinching, Sebastian narrowed his eyes in the man's direction. At first, he didn't appear even remotely capable of piloting a ship. A soldier maybe, but a pilot?

Nevertheless, the calluses plaguing his hands were enough proof of his endless amount of experience. Along with his wounds.

'I wonder if this guy was around when Pluto was still being excavated?'

Noticing Sebastian's frozen posture, the Examiner let out a sigh.

"Call me Barron. I'm actually the man who made this jet here! Or well, designed it. Back in the day Specter's had to be a bit more customized for individual riders. Unfortunately, all you newbies will be stuck with the mass-produced junk they throw out."

Sebastian grinned in agreement.

"Even junk seems like a luxury to me. The fact I'm even here right now is a miracle."

Barron looked at him a bit disappointedly, but nodded nevertheless. Clapping his hands together, he let out a preparatory sigh as he smiled in Sebastian's direction.

"That's enough talk for now, we gotta get you ready to fly! C'mon!"

Sebastian's jaw dropped instantly, a cold sweat began to run down his skin.

"Fly? Now? Isn't there like a written exam or something?"

Barron shrugged as if it were standard procedure, not even an ounce of doubt was present in his expression.

"What's the fun in that? Think carefully, everything in the back's basically garbage to the company. We can afford to lose one or two. And I'd rather test your knowledge in a field test, rather than a written exam."

Swallowing his saliva, Sebastian gave a nervous gesture of understanding and obediently followed Barron deeper into the hangar.

'Calm down, Seb! You're just going to pilot one of the most advanced aircrafts in human history for the first time in your life. No biggie!'

For some reason, he felt as if it wouldn't be as easy as he tried to convince himself it'd be.

***

"By the stars! Where's my keycard!?"

Fumbling around in her pocket, a young scientist skittishly muttered to herself. Her white coat seemed to almost blend with her sickly complexion. Her eyes carried deep bags beneath them, yet somehow they still carried a youthful vigor.

Puffy orange curls barely allowed her eyes to poke through, which constantly darted between her pocket and the receptionist as she rummaged through her clothing.

Finally, an excited smile appeared on her face as her hands clasped around something. Causing her to instantly pull the keycard out of her pocket, throwing it onto the desk.

"See? See? I told you I had it!"

The freckled receptionist rolled her eyes, promptly grabbing the keycard and inserted it into a port on the desktop.

After a loud beep, she returned the card to its owner.

"Welcome, Doctor Vulcan. Your room has already been prepared."

The young scientist shook her head, pushing her curls aside and staring down the receptionist with an almost impish smile.

"Not here for that! I need to know, have you seen a guy come in here recently?"

The receptionist raised a brow.

"Many."

Palming her face at her own stupidity, Vulcan cleared her throat and asked again. This time more specifically.

"No, like. About six foot, real skinny, dark skin, silver hair. Ring any bells?"

The receptionist nodded.

"Exam. Second Floor. Room 212. I assume he's with Senior Barron."

"Thanks for the help!"

Before the receptionist could continue further, Vulcan had already darted off towards the elevator. Her impish grin grew into a full-blown fiendish smile.

'You're not getting away from me this time, you damned wheel!'

Dashing through the halls, the young scientist repeated his description in her mind. She'd been awaiting 'his' arrival for quite some time now, and she'd be damned if she missed this opportunity to capitalize on his appearance.

***

Sebastian stared in awe of the aircraft in front of him. Despite the fact it hadn't quite measured up to the one he'd seen when he first entered the hangar, this Specter was still incredible from his perspective.

As it wasn't constructed of Bio-Metal, it wasn't capable of repairing itself like the other aircraft. But the aluminum which it did consist of made it appear just as beautiful — if not more — due to its far more creative design.

With the advancement of technology, vehicles that'd remain on their respective planets could lean further away from practicality in favor of aesthetics, as there was hardly any risk of crashes.

This design in particular looked almost like the 'Whale Shark'. An animal he'd seen in a textbook once, although it appeared far more mechanical of course.

Additionally, it was outfitted with various different wings and turbines. Making it appear more like an amalgamation of beast and machinery. Coupled with the single 'fin' that stretched from the top of it, it truly looked like a force of nature.

"Am I…driving this?"

Sebastian chewed on his lip.

Barron laughed and slapped Sebastian again.

"Heavens no! Or, yes, but not really. You'll have an assisted auto-pilot to make its functions a little less…impractical. It'll still simulate the real thing pretty well, but it'll be nowhere near as difficult as piloting this hunk of junk."

He kicked the side of the massive aircraft with an expression that resembled both disgust and amusement.

"Can't believe people actually use these things!"

Although he was a little disappointed, Sebastian couldn't help but feel relieved. 

The size of that thing was probably a massive hazard if piloted by the wrong person. He couldn't imagine to what extent the damage would be if he rode it on its usual settings.

"Alright then, come on! We don't got all day."

Slapping the side of the aircraft once more, Barron got into the cockpit and waited for Sebastian.

The pilot-in-training chewed on his lip. He wasn't exactly fearful that he couldn't pilot the aircraft, but studying was entirely different from the real thing.

In other words, he was scared.

Almost instinctively, he summoned the Sphinx. The cat looked at him with narrowed eyes and hissed disdainfully.

"I mean, it couldn't hurt right?"

Swallowing his saliva, Sebastian nodded at the strange cat. For a moment, he could've sworn the thing flashed a devious smile.

Swinging its paw, the Sphinx spun the wheel. Rapidly, the strange letter inscribed on its surface rotated, tempting Sebastian with the possible boon he'd receive.

It wasn't long before that hope was crushed, however.

[ Bad Spin: Fortune looks upon you with disgust. ]

"...Shit."

Chewing his lip, Sebastian calmed his nerves and headed into the cockpit.

'I mean, how bad could it possibly be?'