Birth of a Pilot

Angelo attempts to dismount the robot by putting his weight on the right pedal, but as he does, something feels wrong. The ground beneath him begins to shift.

Mia’s the first to call it out. “Is the Starwalker speeding up?”

The pilot almost sits back down, but below, he can see his brother frantically waving for him to jump. Angelo places his weight back on the pedal, preparing to jump, but before he can, the momentum of the Starwalker throws him back into his seat. Leon tries to grab on to the lasso, but it’s swiftly yanked out of his hand.

With an explosion of dust underneath its feet, the Starwalker begins running again.

“Ángie!” Leon cries out. “Huh?? The claws! The claws broke off!”

After he wipes the dust from his helmet, Angelo lifts one of the robot’s arms. Sure enough, a metallic point surrounded by wires replaces the spot where the claw once was. It doesn’t take very long for him to resume his previous speed, in fact…

The navigator lady from yesterday speaks up. “Hold up, you’re going 60 in Mars miles!” Angelo reads his speedometer. It’s hovering between 67 and 68 mph.

Scrambling for some way to save himself, he tries dragging the robot’s arms along the ground again, but without the width of the claws, any dirt he picks up just passes by it. He sees the flashing red lights of the emergency vehicles on the horizon. They’re not going to make it in time. He can feel it. There’s no hope for him now that he’s going this fast.

Unless...

Angelo looks over to his right to see his brother making a fruitless effort to catch up to the rope still attached to him. It’s not going to work. Time’s running out.

I’m so sorry, everyone.

In a fit of panic, Angelo steps on both pedals at the same time, veering to the left and increasing speed.

“Angelo, what are you doing??” Mia rarely ever shouts, but she is now.

“He’s approaching the ice field at 61… 65… 68 mph??” The navigator reads off his speed with growing concern.

“I don’t have much t-time left! I’m sorry!! I just have to try this one last thing.”

“No… No, you’re not--!!” Mia seems to be catching on to his plan. “Angelo, you’re gonna--!”

“Ángie, hold on! You don’t have to do this!” Leon still manages to be keeping up in his truck, but just barely. Angelo’s chances of surviving his plan might be slim, but right now, it’s the only way he can survive.

“I-I don’t know if I’m going to make it through this...” The pilot bats back tears as the ice field comes into view. “But if I don’t… t-t-tell everyone I lo…” He can’t bring himself to say the words. Of all the times to get tongue-tied… “You all did your best. Th-thank you…” 

“Dang it, Ángie!” Leon’s voice breaks Angelo’s heart. “Don’t talk like that! You’re gonna make it, I promise…! I love you too!” At least one of us isn’t too chicken to say it. You deserve so much better...

“I believe in him.” The navigator sounds more serious than ever. “It’s our last chance, but this might work! Let’s not give up yet!”

“Angelo…” Mia takes a deep breath. “Make a left.”

“What?” He’s approaching the ice so quickly that no amount of turning could make him avoid it. 

“Do it now!” 

Angelo obeys.

“If you can, get out of the cockpit, but don’t jump! Leon, get on his left side!”

Despite none of Mia’s previous orders making sense, suddenly, a feeling of clarity almost devine overcomes Angelo. He knows what he must do. Quickly, he lifts the robot’s arms, remembering something Romero told him to do if he ever felt like the Starwalker was going to fall. He uses his legs to climb on top of the leg divider, making sure his legs didn’t rest on the right. 

Just steps away from the ice, Angelo takes what might be his last breath. He crouches into a ball.

The Starwalker falls on its right side as the world crashes down around him. Its pilot topples onto the ice. He holds his arm as he slides across the frozen ground, and the open shield barely misses scooping him up as the rest of the robot accelerates further away. It continues kicking its legs and writhing before it suddenly stops moving. Angelo can’t process much of what’s going on right now, but some part of him feels sad.

“Angelo?” He hears a voice. “Ángie?”

“Is he still alive?” Not that Angelo can understand what’s being said right now, but he would also like to know.

“I think I hear breathing…” Breathing is all he can do right now. “Angelo, can you hear me?”

Angelo makes some kind of sound that not even he’s able to decipher.

“I… I think we did it!”

“Did what, Mia?” Someone asks from farther away. Angelo recognizes the voice, but can’t place a name to it. Fun guy.

“The boy! Is the boy okay?”

Ugh. It’s Romero.

Suddenly, he’s being picked up by someone. Their mouth moves. “Ángie, you’re okay...!”

“Big… Br… Bleon? Leon?” It’s Leon. Leon’s here! Angelo is so glad that Leon’s here. “I’m… ‘live?” 

“Yeah, you’re alive! I told you so.” Leon laughs. There’s some dust on his visor, but  tears can be seen on his face. Angelo begins sobbing for reasons he can’t even begin to understand right now, but the searing pain in his body might be part of it. 

More voices join in, but they all meld into mush. The colors also start blurring together. Angelo feels very tired. He closes his eyes.