“Cat!” I yelled, “Cat! CAT! CAT WAKE UP!”

My sister had been propped up on the couch. Spitfire stood nearby, with her wings still exposed, as I slapped the unconscious woman in the face.

“She seems like a heavy sleeper,” Spits said.

“You don’t say?” I laughed.

“Oh shut up,” she laughed as she smacked me with one of her wings.

“Here,” I said, “Keep smacking her. I’m gonna go get a bucket of water.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah I spray her with water whenever she faints.”

“No I mean me smacking her. You sure about that?”

“Well you don’t have too,” I said as I returned to the room with a small bucket, “Here, watch this.”

I tossed the bucket and watched the water sail towards the couch and slap my sister in the face.

She shot up like a bullet, flinging water off of her head in the process. She sat up on the couch. Spitfire quickly retracted her wings behind her back.

“Jett?! What the hell happened?” she asked before suddenly grasping her head, “Oh dear lord! Did I get drunk again? God my head hurts.”

“No,” I said remembering what happened last time, “You fainted and smacked your head on the floor. You don’t have a concussion or anything but you did hit the floor pretty hard.”

“Well that makes sense I guess,” she said, “I had the weirdest dream that there was this winged girl in one of the bedrooms. I woke up here after that. Actually,” she pointed at Spits, “It was her. Who did you say she was again?”

I turned to Spitfire, “Heh heh, yeah. Um, there’s a funny story about that. Ya see, you weren’t dreaming. I introduced her to you and then you collapsed to the ground. Funny huh?”

Spitfire gave a sheepish look before mildly extending her wings, “Nice to meet you? Again?”

Cat backed up against the couch, “Jett! Who is this and why does she have WINGS?”

“Uh, like I said earlier,” I said, “This is Spitfire. And as you can see, she’s not exactly from around here.”

“I CAN SEE THAT YOU STUPID BOY! I mean who is she?! Last time I checked the world wasn’t ending and angels weren’t descending from heaven!”

“Well that’s the thing,” I said. I pulled out my TAC pad and showed her the BIO data, “She isn’t exactly from our world.”

“Where did you find her?” Cat asked as she looked over the file.

“Well you already know part of it. I found her unconscious in a clearing in that god forsaken forest, about to be mauled by… Uh I think it was panther or something. But that’s beside the point. When I got her and myself out and towards some town we were found by a guard who helped us out.”

“So then what?”

“Well the guard had to leave and help with a man hunt. And when she woke up we uh… got into an argument shall we say?”

“So that’s what happened to your face. Angel girl over here punched you in the face. Well good for you girl. He probably needed that.”

“Uh, thanks?” Spitfire said.

“Wait,” Cat said, “You said her name was Spitfire? Like the Spitfire from that show you watch? Because she does bear a striking resemblance.”

Hair on the back of my neck rising function activate, “Uh, yeah, Kinda hard to dispute that. I mean, the girl does have wings and a skeletal structure unlike any that exists in known humans. That and the hair.”

“I guess but that still doesn’t explain the humanism.”

“Humanism?” Spitfire asked, “What are you talking about? What else would I be?”

“Wait!” Cat said, “You mean you were always like this?”

“Yeah, again, what else would I be?”

Cat and I both exchanged glances. Well this was going to be an awkward conversation later. I knew exactly what show Cat was talking about. MLP. She even sat in a few times to watch it, saying that it was so she could “Spend time with her little bro,” even though she claimed to never like the show I could tell she enjoyed watching the crazy antics on it to a degree.

Spitfire began to take notice of our nonverbal conversation and began tapping her foot.

“Oh lord this is going to be awkward,” Cat said, “Why didn’t you tell her?!”

“Well excuse me,” I hissed back, “How do you think that conversation would have gone without the PROOF?!”

“You still should have said SOMETHING!”

“I DID! I thought it through and my mind came to the conclusion that it should WAIT until we got back to Ganymede!”

“You never think things like this through adequately!”

“Do you NOT realize the stupidity and irony of that statement?!”

We stood fuming at each other. Neither of us refusing to back down. We glared daggers at each other. I could’ve sworn Cat was getting ready to shoot lasers out of her eyes.

Suddenly we both burst out laughing at each other. As much as we both hated each other sometimes we couldn’t stay mad at each other forever. Cat tried to keep a rage face but failed.

“I hate you!” she laughed at me.

“I hate you too!” I laughed back.

“Uh, what just happened?” Spitfire asked.

We hugged and made up, “Do you have any siblings?”

“No, but I have a Soarin’,” she laughed.

I pulled away, “Well then I guess that counts.”

We quieted down. I took a seat on the couch.

“So…” Spitfire said, “What was it you wanted to tell me?”

Shit, should’ve kept mine and Cat’s mouth shut when I had the chance. Well that’s life.

“Uh, again. I hate to do this to you,” I said sadly, “But we can’t really adequately explain until we get to Ganymede. I’m sorry but we can’t really say until then.”

Spitfire sighed and held her head, “Oh well.”

Cat’s face grew soft, “Listen. There is an explanation for this but it will have to wait until we’re home. I know this probably hasn’t been the easiest few days for you but we’re trying our best.”

Spitfire gave a small smile, “I guess that’s all I can ask for.”

Cat stood up, “Come on, go get settled in your room. I’ll get the rest of our stuff.”

“Ok.”

She stood up and walked up towards the bedrooms before slipping inside. Once she was out of ear shot, Cat turned to me.

“Ok, number one, I thought that Spitfire was supposed to be a pony. Not a human with wings.”

“Yeah I’m still trying to figure that one out too. I’d guess that it makes sense in accordance with the Omniverse theory,” I said.

“Omniverse theory?”

“It’s a theory that makes the most sense in this type of situation. Basically it’s every possible universe with all possible laws of physics. In laymen’s terms it allows for anything conceivable to exist in some universe out there.”

“So she’s most likely from a humanized version of that world?”

“That’s what I would guess.”

Cat rubbed her temples, “Ok, let’s just figure the rest of this out later at home. All this talk of universes is giving me a headache.”

“Uh technically it’s an infinite number of infinite universes.”

“Stop it.”

I laughed. Spitfire emerged from her room.

“Alright,” she said, “I unpacked everything and got set up. So what’s up?”

“Well I guess we’re gonna stay here for tonight,” Cat said, “And tomorrow we’ll see about booking flights home.”

“Ooh,” I yipped, “Can we do a space cruise home? Please please please please?”

“Jett! Do you know how much credits that costs?”

“Yeah, about 1000 a ticket I think.”

“Well I don’t feel like spending that much on a cruise right now. Especially under these circumstances.”

“Aw come on,” I pulled Spitfire close, “Please? For us?”

“I’m sorry Jett but no.”

I sighed, “Fine then, I’ll pay for it and you can take the plane home.”

“What do you mean ‘you’ll pay for it’?”

“Well I have the card with 35000 left on it; sooo… I’m buying the tickets!”

“WHAT?! 35000?!”

“Uh, yeah. I didn’t know how much I was gonna need. I was only about 628,300,000 kilometers away from home. And this part of the system isn’t exactly the most stable at the moment so I came prepared. And now I’m indulging myself.”

“You cannot be serious about this,” Cat said, “Spitfire, tell him he’s being crazy!”

“Actually I kinda like the idea of a cruise. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to relax, ever. All it’s been for the past few months in the Wonderbolts is training and practice day after day,” Spitfire said.

“Well that’s two to one,” I grinned, “I guess we win.”

“You truly are insufferable aren’t you?” Cat sighed.

“Yes. The stubbornness of a mule with the tenacity of a honey badger all packed into one.”

Cat face palmed, “FINE. I’ll buy the tickets tomorrow. For now, I’m unpacking for the night.”

She walked up the stairs to her room. She turned with an evil grin on her face, “Oh, and since I bought the hotel room and since there are no other rooms available, you two are sharing a room.”

Oh god no. I can barely talk to girls! Hell I’m only friends with about two in my entire class of 200! The only reason I’m not locked in a closet (No pun intended) is because I guess… Ok, I don’t have a good reason. I’m just a socially awkward Steve. I mean, Spitfire is cool and all but I mean we’re cool and all but we’ve only known each other for a few days. I bet Cat did this on purpose.

I cringed, “Uh, how about NO? I’ll take the couch, or the floor, or the closet, or the under part of the bed, or the freakin dining room table. NOT THE BED.”

Cat smiled in sadistic glee, “Why not?”

“You know why not!”

“You are not sleeping on the couch,” Cat said, “That’s an order.”

“You’re not in the military.”

“DIA still counts and if you’re gonna be that way; I can have Dad on the phone in ten.”

“And what would you say? Jet refuses to share a room with an angel girl? Yeah I can see how that conversation will go.”

“No it would go like this, ‘Jet is being insubordinate.’ I don’t even think father would ask what you were refusing to do.”

“Fine, I’ll take the floor.”

“No, do you even know what’s on the floor in these hotels?”

“Do I want to?”

“No. These suites tend to attract the more… eccentric kind of people.”

“Then I’ll move in the middle of the night.”

“You are not staying on the couch and that’s final.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so!”

Spitfire spoke up, “Why are you so against sharing a room? In the Wonderbolts we have to share hotel rooms sometimes whenever we’re away from HQ.”

“My brother is a panzy,” Cat rolled her eyes; “He never quite got out of that awkward phase.”

Cat walked back down the stairs, “Hey if you want to go on the cruise, you will do what I say. I’m in charge.”

I hate her sometimes and this happened to be one of those times.

***

Night time was always the best for doing anything. Being quiet was a little more challenging as there was no background noise to mask your movement but it was something I could compensate for.

I opened up the door. It was night time, which on the moon simply meant that the lights were off. I stepped out and onto the balcony. Just as I was getting to Cat’s room, the door shot open and smacked me in the face.

I fell to the floor holding my nose. Cat stepped out from behind the door.

“Well, well,” She said, “I see you didn’t listen.”

“You didn’t need to hit me with the door!” I said.

“I know. But I thought it would be fun.”

***

I now stared at the ceiling with a small bandage over the bridge of my nose. The bed was huge but to me it seemed small. Spitfire was rolled over on her stomach quietly snoring. This was one of the most awkward moments of my life so far. Never been very comfortable around girls. I mean, Spitfire’s from another world entirely so it’d be just plain rude to avoid her like the plague. And now it would be impossible but this right here was just plain avoidable.

I was never the most sociable person at school. Sure I would talk to people but I would avoid parties and dances more than I would girls. I didn’t hate them but guys were always more understanding. I’d been judged far too many times by them to want to stay around them.

But this was a situation I’d never been in before. I’d never even attended a summer camp to even know how one was supposed to react in a situation like this. Nothing made sense.

I sighed as one of Spitfire’s wings draped itself over my face. This was going to be a long night.

***

Well it is still awake.

At this time on the moon?

Yes. All the bio monitors say it’s still awake.

Any abnormalities?

No but at some point in the night it suffered some form of blunt force trauma.

We can confirm it’s on the moon?

Yes. Camera’s caught it getting a soda from a vending machine in the hallway. It’s there.

What about the other?

Number 8? It left. Currently it’s on a flight to Mars.

Do we know where this one’s going?

Home most likely. School starts in four weeks so it will want to be home by then.

Check its subroutines.

Emotional subroutines are still active. All internal and external systems are functioning normally.

Good. Is that shrapnel going to cause any more problems?

No. it’s firmly lodged just above its ER processor and underneath its DM card. Both are vital but the shard seems to be harmless at the moment.

What do we know about it?

It’s part of the nose cone of a Boeing WB 1010 heavy transport. It is comprised of Tritanium alloy and Molybdenum trioxide.

Any chance we can remove it?

No. Removal would do more harm than good. We would have to do a lot of digging to get to it. And after what happened to number 4 I don’t think that the Office of Naval Intelligence would appreciate us killing their prime candidate.

No I guess not. How are its behavior subroutines?

Operating normally, though I’m not sure normal applies to number 7.

But they are functioning as they should?

Consistent with a normal human being.

Good. And the blocks are still in place?

Yes.

Good. Knock it out. It could use the rest.

***

I was dreaming. Figured as much. Lucid dreaming came easy to me. It was the same dream as before. Haven’t visited this place in a while.

I’m walking with my mother. We’re in a space port. People are walking by us. I know what’s going to happen but here I can’t stop it. We walk past the restaurants and stores towards the number 23 gate. Dad will be waiting for us.

We approach the gate. Dad is talking with Cat in the waiting area. She seems excited, happy, jubilant. I already know what she’s saying. We arrive.

I take a seat in a chair and stare out the window. Cat calls mom and dad away to the far side of the seats. She’s going to tell them about her job. It will come as a surprise. I turn and watch. Mother and father are happy. They smile and pat Cat on the shoulder.

‘I’m so proud of you…’

They continue to talk. They’re far enough away for me to tone out the conversation. I stare out the window at the ship that will take Cat and I home.

A WB 1010. It rests on its landing claw with a water line hooked up to it. Water is pouring into the fuel tanks that will power the ships fusion reactor. I stare out the window.

There’s a commotion on the launch pad. A girl is running. She has a large bag on her back. There are guards chasing her. One of them pulls out a gun and fires. The round hits the girl in the shoulder. But she keeps on running. She has a tattoo of a hammer smashing the earth on her arm. She looks up and the window; at me. She gives me a malevolent smile.

She keeps running. She heads to the landing claw. The guards shoot again but she continues on. She reaches the claw.

“Ah!” I shot up in the bed. Spitfire’s wing flies off of my face. The Wonderbolt rolls over and shoots awake herself.

I was in a cold sweat. I hate that dream. My hands gripped the blanket with white knuckle tightness.

“Jett what’s wrong?!” Spitfire asked worried. She reaches over to put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I jumped away and onto the floor. I was still jumpy from the dream and my face must have said something as Spitfire looked confused and hurt.

I stood up and bolted out of the room. I made it down the stairs and near the door. I sat down and held my head.

Cat was in the kitchen making breakfast. She turned as Spitfire made it down the stairs. She ran out of the kitchen to meet Spits.

“What happened?” she asked.

“I don’t know!” Spitfire said, “He woke up with a scream. I tried to comfort him but he just bolted into the corner right there.”

Cat sighed, “I know what happened. Go get dressed; I’ll get him out of the corner.”

Spitfire gave me a worried look before complying. Cat walked over.

I was still breathing heavily when she couched down next to me, “The dream again?”

“The dream,” I panted.

“Take all the time you need,” Cat said. She stood up and walked up the stairs to the bed rooms.

***

Spitfire was confused. Did she do something wrong? Why was he so suddenly afraid of her like that? He was fine with her the last few days. But why did he run like that?

She tucked her wings down and pulled a shirt on and a pair of pants. There was a knock at the door.

“Hey,” Cat said, “Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

The door opened and Cat walked in.

“Listen,” she began, “I’m sure you’re wondering what’s happening.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah he’ll be fine in a few. He just needs to sort some things out.”

“Why was he afraid of me earlier? Did I do something wrong?”

Cat sat down on the bed, “No not you. You didn’t do anything. He just sort of suffered a nervous breakdown.”

“Just a nervous breakdown. Pardon me but that doesn’t sound like something minor.”

“This happens every once in a while. He has this recurring dream that has that effect on him. Don’t take it too personally but it’s a bit stressful for him and makes him fearful of people like you.”

“Does this have anything to do with him not wanting to share a room with me?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I probably should have thought about that when I paired you two up. But it’s not something I’m at liberty to talk about. But put simply, it makes him awkward socially. He doesn't do well in situations where his behavior might be judged.”

"Why is that?”

“It's more of a psychological disorder. Strange I know but it’s not something he always had.”

“What happened? Does this have anything to do with that dream he had?”

“Yes but I can’t tell you. That’s something personal that he’ll have to tell you himself. But what did happen drastically changed his personality.”

“How drastically?”

“I can't say. But he used to be more outgoing and random. Now he's more solid and predictable”

Spitfire sat on the bed, mulling it over. So it wasn’t her but something did happen that made him afraid of her. Something that changed his personality? He seemed fun and happy enough. So how did he change?

They got up and stepped out of the room. Jett was sitting on the couch watching the news.

He turned around, “Morning Cat, Spits.” He returned to watching the news.

Cat walked down the stairs and finished cooking. Spitfire took a seat in one of the unoccupied chairs. Something was wrong. No one just freaks like that and then goes back to normal without some explanation.

What the hell was wrong with him?

DO YOU HAVE MY CUPCAKE MONEY?

NO PINKIE! GET BACK INSIDE THE FOURTH WALL!

You silly billy! You humans can never build

a fourth wall that can hold PINKIE PIE!

No get back inside the WALL!

Fine. But I'll be back! Tell Jett I'm not done with

him yet!

Are you kidding me?!

I'll be back!