"But what if the hormigas get you?"
"The hormigas aren't going to get me, Mono. They're not going to get any of us. That's why we're hurrying to warn everyone, so that no one else gets hurt."
Victor wanted to tell Mono that he would return soon and that the two of them would be a team again when this was all over. Mono could continue as his apprentice. They'd learn the rest of the ship together. They'd invent things, build things, repair things.
But Victor said none of that because he knew it wasn't true. He wouldn't be coming back. Probably ever.
"El Cavador needs you here, Mono. My father needs you. When I'm gone you'll have to do more repairs around here. He'll be counting on you for all the small-hand work. He can't do it all himself. Listen to him. He's the best mechanic in the Belt. He'll teach you far more about this ship than I can."
"I don't want anyone else teaching me about the ship. I want to be your apprentice." Mono threw his arms around Victor's neck and cried into his shoulder.
Over the next few days Father ignored his work elsewhere on the ship and spent his time in the cargo bay helping Victor and Mono make final preparations for the ship. Mother found excuses to be there as well, doing small jobs to the quickship to make it as comfortable as possible. Father inspected Victor's work and kindly pointed out a few flaws. The two of them then selected the appropriate tools and addressed the issues together. It reminded Victor of all the years he had spent as Father's apprentice, following Father around the ship and handing him tools whenever Father needed them. Father had been indestructible then, as far as Victor was concerned. There was no machine in the universe Father couldn't repair. And even now, with Victor older and all of Father's weaknesses glaringly obvious, Victor still regarded Father with that same sense of awe--though now Victor's respect wasn't born from Father's capacity to fix things; it came from Father's capacity to love, his willingness to make any sacrifice for Victor and Mother and the family. Victor could see that now. Father and Mother were making the biggest sacrifice of their lives here. As painful as it was for them to see Victor go, somehow they knew that it would be more painful for him if he stayed.
Victor left the following morning. Nearly the whole family came to see him off. The quickship was ready in the airlock, having passed Father's meticulous inspection. All the supplies were boarded and secured. Victor's modified suit, which several of the women had prepared under Isabella's and Concepcion's instructions, fit him better than he could have hoped. He noticed the catheter and the other uncomfortable devices he had to wear, but he found them more manageable than he had expected.
Isabella embraced him and made him promise he'd take his pills and follow the diet plan she had outlined. Victor carried his helmet under his arm, and Bahzim and the other miners knocked on it for good luck.
Edimar hugged him. "Get to Earth safe, Vico. When humans kill all the hormigas, I want to know it was you who told them to."
Next came Concepcion. "The data cube is in the ship," she said. "Don't let anyone ignore you because you're young. Even though you have overwhelming evidence, it's going to be tough to find anyone to listen to you. You're a free miner. You're space born. That's two strikes against you on Luna. Don't give up. Find someone you can trust and follow your instincts."
"I'll do my best," Victor said.
Mother embraced him and gave him a small data card for his handheld. "This is from your father and me. Don't watch it until you're a month out."
Victor didn't question her. "I promise."
"I love you, Vico. If you weren't as smart and resourceful as you are I'd be scared to death. But if anyone can do this, you can."
"I love you, too, Mother."
Father wrapped him in his long, thick arms. "I'm proud of you. Don't take risks. Your goal is to get to Earth alive. Be smart. Whenever you have to make a decision ask yourself what your mother would do and then do that. She hasn't made a mistake yet that I know of."
Mother smiled.
Small arms wrapped around Victor's waist, and Mono looked up at him. "I'll be waiting for you, Vico. When you get back, I'll know this ship better than you do."
Victor smiled and tousled Mono's hair. "I don't doubt it, monkey brains."
He didn't linger after that. He moved into the airlock and climbed into the cockpit. Two miners in suits removed the anchor harnesses, opened the airlock, and pushed him outside.
All was silent. Before strapping himself in, Victor allowed himself one last look back at El Cavador. The airlock was already closed. As he watched, the ship began its slow acceleration toward Weigh Station Four.
He was alone. He looked at the data card Mother had given him and slid it into the slot on the side of his handheld. The icon appeared on the screen, but he didn't click it. He checked and rechecked his hoses and attachments. He did a sweep with the Geiger counter and found no signs of radiation, though he didn't expect to, not this early in the trip. He put the gear away and buckled in. The gel cushioning of the seat was thick and malleable. Once the rockets engaged, he would be pressed against it like a fist into bread dough. He clicked through his handheld and found the launch program to Luna. He had watched the miners initiate the program countless times before as they sent cylinders on to Luna. The rockets would accelerate quickly, far faster than a human could withstand. Victor had already researched human tolerance levels and altered the program to decrease the acceleration and lessen the Gs. But as his finger hovered over the launch button, he wondered if he had pulled back the rockets enough. He needed to get up to speed as quickly as he could, but he needed to be careful, too. He hadn't trained for this. His body wasn't ready. He pulled back the acceleration setting a little more, just to be sure, then pressed the button.
The program initiated. The rockets flared. The ship moved forward, slowly at first. Then the rockets went hot, and the quickship took off. Victor felt himself pushed back into the seat and knew immediately that he had misjudged. He should have pulled back farther. His face felt slack. His body felt heavy. He reached out for the handheld but his hand wouldn't obey him. His vision began to tunnel. His windpipe felt constricted. He was going to die. Two minutes into his journey and he was going to die. He thought of Janda and wondered if he would see her after this life. Mother believed such things, but Victor wasn't so sure. He hoped it was true, of course. He wanted nothing more than to see Janda again. Only, not now. Not yet.
His mind went
blank.
Then all went black.
*
He woke sometime later, his body weightless. The ship was moving at an incredible speed, but it was no longer accelerating. No more Gs; this was a cruising speed. Victor shook his head and blinked his eyes, feeling foolish for his mistake. This didn't bode well for a successful trip. I nearly kill myself right from the start. Brilliant.
He blinked his eyes again. They no longer felt like they were boring into the back of his skull. His throat felt open and free. His whole body felt numb, as if all of his muscles were asleep from lack of circulation, which they probably were. His head pounded from a migraine. He felt nauseated and disoriented.