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Trini ran through the canyon, an ant traveling along a superhighway lined by Everest-sized sloping walls. She chased herself over rocks and debris from massive landslides, as well as ash from a nearby chain of volcanoes.
She’d pursued a hologram of her personal record for approaching an hour now through an offshoot of the Mariner Valley; the Martian canyon being the largest in the Solar System. Nico had added code to the Mariner Valley sim that created a digital version of her past runs, so she could compete against herself each time she trained. Competing with her past self provided more motivation than a timer in her explorer suit helmet, telling her if she was ahead or behind pace.
Each week she picked a new location in the Mariner Valley for a change of scenery, and on her first day in that location she’d run alone. The rest of the week, she raced against the hologram of her personal record for the sim in that area. As she became familiar with that week’s path, she would notice ways to shave off a second here or there. And with each trip through, she gained strength and endurance.
Her PR hologram leapt high to hurdle over a wide fissure, mere seconds before she did. Thanks to the reduced gravity on Mars, her PR floated in the air for a second, the way a gazelle does while bounding through the wilderness.
A camelback rested on Trini’s shoulders for hydration. A drinking tube extending from the pack had a spout that remained in place to the left of her mouth for easy access. And to counter the reduced gravity on Mars, she’d attached weights to the pack.
Up ahead, an impact crater the size of a football field marred her path. She charged into it and down the slope, maintaining pace on her PR’s heels. At the same time, she focused on not overextending her legs on the downhill, which might lead to injury. Heading into her final year at the Academy, she wanted to ensure she was in top shape for the Games season. Not only was she hoping Ursa would finally take home the Sun Trophy as league champions, but a strong senior season should ensure a professional Space City Games team drafted her next year. She had spent most of the past three years training to go pro, and she wouldn’t let up now.
Trini cruised through the middle of the crater, then pushed herself to pick up the pace as she hit the upward slope. That little extra effort propelled her past her PR hologram.
Her muscles ached, her skin slick with sweat, but she controlled her breathing. Her energy remained good. She could keep this up for at least another four or five K. And today would become her new PR. Even one second faster was improvement.
As she crested the crater, someone in a silver explorer suit and helmet to match her own stood up ahead, waving. An ID popped into the air beside the person, projected by the contacts in Trini’s eyes. Cho Tamura.
When had the girl entered the sim?
Trini gritted her teeth, hating the interruption. Rather than stop, she motioned for the younger girl to join her.
Despite being three years her junior, Cho had a few inches on her, and fell in beside her effortlessly. But Trini had been training for an hour, while Cho had fresh and longer legs. Of course, she could keep up over a short distance.
For several minutes Cho ran beside her, saying nothing. But her presence had ruined Trini’s good mood. It wasn’t that she disliked the younger girl, just that the intrusion divided her focus and prevented her from giving her best.
Her breathing grew labored, causing pain in her chest. Surprised by the dip in energy, she realized she’d been clenching her teeth since Cho had joined her. She had lost focus on her breathing and the rhythm in her stride.
Another half K would get her to the cooled lava flows. Arms pumping, she fought to smooth out her stride.
Her PR hologram appeared at her side.
Trini’s legs were turning to lead, and her chest felt like it was deflating. She groaned as she struggled to maintain her pace.
Her PR surged ahead, running flawlessly as it pulled away. Trini wanted to quit, to stop right there, but she refused to suffer that humiliation. She would at least finish.
The last two hundred and fifty meters sucked. There was no other word to describe it. Her PR reached the lava flows and vanished, the simulation complete. Seconds later, Trini reached them and doubled over, hands on her knees as she gasped for air.
“Why don’t you run with someone instead of a sim of yourself?” Cho asked, sounding only a little winded.
Trini forced herself upright. “What did you need?” She placed her hands on the back of her helmet and walked toward the nearby canyon rim while taking deep, calming breaths to slow her heart rate.
“Have you heard of the quinniq?” the other girl asked, an enthusiastic smile lighting up her face.
Trini shook her head.
“A small creature on the planet Nereus. Like a fox with no legs. At least in the winter.”
“No legs in the winter?” Trini asked. Was Cho making the creature up?
Cho nodded. “That’s what the Nuukimak say. It grows short legs in the summer to move around, but sheds them in the winter to slither through the snow as it hunts unsuspecting prey.”
Trini snorted. This had to be fake. Some of her fellow students, disbelieving that she’d encountered the thought-to-be-mythical creature Satu the previous summer, and envious that the Space City historical database listed her as discoverer, had begun making up fake creatures, thinking she’d go searching on rumor alone.
But Cho’s smile appeared genuine, not smug like those thinking they could pull one over on her.
“What do you think?” Cho asked. “Want to travel with me to Nereus to look for one?”
Trini bent over again, this time to stretch her legs. “I don’t know. I’m training hard right now, getting ready for the Games this fall. It’s my last year and I need to be in top shape.”
Besides, she hadn’t gone to Letos last year to hunt for Satu. Her aunt had forced her to go help with an outbreak among the Ukka. She’d only learned about the creature after Otso, a local child, had shown her its tracks.
Cho’s shoulders slumped, the smile dropping off her face.
Not a make-believe creature then. At least not in her mind, Trini thought. She genuinely wants to search for this... what did she call it?
“Aren’t you supposed to be working out, too?” Trini asked as she resumed walking. “I thought you wanted to try out for the Games this year?”
“I have been. A lot,” Cho assured her. “Jiro’s given me some exercises. I work on them almost every day.” Cho and Jiro were cousins—his mother and her father.
There was a “but” coming, Trini knew. She could see it in the younger girl’s expression.
“I just... I haven’t been off ship yet.” Cho ducked her head, as if embarrassed by the omission.
Trini had taken Cho on a couple of tours of alien worlds within the sims, and was sure the girl had gone on others, but as realistic as the sims looked, they couldn’t match the real thing.
“When I heard about the quinniq, I thought it might interest you to confirm their existence. Our database still lists them as unconfirmed. Plus, mom and your aunt said I could travel to Nereus if it was with you.”
Trini stifled a groan. Her aunt would volunteer her to go with Cho. Aunt Teresa always helped others, or voluntold Trini for duty. And Naomi Tamura, Cho’s mother, worked with her aunt in the university infirmary. It was the main reason Cho and Trini had developed a friendship, albeit more on Cho’s side than her own.
“I saw Nuukimak drawings of the quinniq,” Cho added. “They’re cute. Plus, if you confirmed their existence, you’d be in the database as the discoverer.”
Trini stifled a smile. It had been cool to learn her name was listed as the discoverer of Satu for as long as Space City existed. Though she’d had them co-list Otso with her, since he and his grandfather had been the real discoverers.
They neared the canyon rim, revealing enormous volcanoes in the distance around the Tharsis region.
“Oh, wow! Are those volcanoes?” Cho asked, eyes widening. “They’re huge!”
“Yes, the Tharsis Montes volcanoes,” Trini answered. “The smallest is twenty kilometers high, more than double the largest on Earth. Mt. Everest is only a little under nine kilometers for comparison.”
The sheer size underscored the foreignness of the area, one reason Trini loved to train here. Loved visiting alien worlds, whether in person or in sims.
“Okay, why not,” Trini said. She’d worked hard all summer, and it wasn’t like traveling to Nereus and searching for a rare species would involve sitting on her butt being lazy.
Cho squealed, her face brightening into a broad smile once more. “Thank you!”
“But I have to be back in a week,” Trini warned. “I promised Otso we’d visit Letos before summer ended. He hasn’t been back since he came to live with us. He wants to visit his village.”
“A week is more than enough time,” Cho replied, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “You’ll see.”
Trini typed on her wrist-comp, preparing to end the sim. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to shower before breakfast.”
“Of course,” Cho agreed. “I’ll go pack. Nereus is in the middle of an ice age, so you’ll need all your best winter gear.”
Trini hoped the smile plastered to her face didn’t appear as fake as it felt. An ice age? Really? Aunt Teresa owed her big for this one.