Betrayal Is Not an Option

Lost in the whirl of fleeting time,

Do we chase purpose, or a fleeting rhyme?

What are we but dreams in the haze,

Fading echoes of life’s endless maze?

---

Narya and I started running with all our strength. The astrojet had begun its maneuvers, and the gusts created by its movement struck our bodies.

“Can’t Aeon stop it?”
I shouted at Narya, trying to keep up with her, though she was running too fast.

“Even if she could, it’s right above us. Besides, look at it—if she could stop it, she would’ve done so already.”
Narya was right. But how far could we go just by running?
I don’t think either of us knew.

“It can’t shoot at us, right?”

“It can.”

“What?”
That was absolutely the last answer I wanted to hear.

“We’re talking about an astrojet. They don’t care about public mental health!”

“Oh, how wonderful...”

We were halfway there. Meanwhile, the rapid maneuvers of the train, combined with our momentum, began to push us outward. We were struggling to keep our balance while trying to reach Aeon and Kaida. The astrojet was descending. If we got caught beneath it or stood directly in front of its weapon, the result was obvious—death.

“Kaen, move faster!”
The gap between Narya and me had widened even further. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest, my body was drenched in sweat, and my legs screamed in pain.

Still, I had to keep going, no matter where this path might lead.

We were starting to see Aeon and Kaida more clearly. The security officers were almost upon us now. We could be attacked at any moment.
We needed to do something different. Otherwise, there was no way we could catch up—at least not me.

Just then, I noticed that the astrojet was taking a very different route. It didn’t seem concerned with us anymore.
Even though it was descending, it was moving diagonally toward a point ahead of the train.
I had to do something... While running, my mind started racing.

What do I have? A hook and my jumpsuit. The surface of the train we were running on was entirely metal. There was no part of it that could help me speed up or hide. I suddenly remembered the trash bag Narya had.

“Narya, stop!”

“What?!?”

Narya stopped and turned around for a moment, shouting.

“I’ve got an idea.”

“What is it? We need to keep running—there’s an astrojet behind us.”

“It’s not going to attack us, trust me.”

“What?”

“It’s after Aeon.”

“How can you be sure?”
At this point, the astrojet had gotten very close to us, hovering just above.

“I just know. Is there anything in the bag we can tie the hook to?”
My hands were trembling. I had spoken with confidence, but it was all just a gut feeling. Still, if its target was us, there was no way we’d escape anyway. The astrojet was completely unexpected.

“I—I don’t know...”
Narya panicked and tore the bag open. That’s when I found exactly what I needed—a bridge rope.

Loud noises started coming from the astrojet’s engines.

“W-what’s happening?” I asked, startled.

“The astrojet is about to accelerate. That means we’re not its target after all.”
Narya took a deep breath. I was right. But that also meant it would soon move away from us.

“We need to hurry. Narya, help me tie the hook to the rope!” I said, excitedly. We had to catch it before it left.

“What exactly are we going to do?”
Narya looked at me, confused, as she tied the knot.

“We’re going to attach ourselves to the astrojet and follow it.”

“What?”

“Narya, you have a chip, right? Hold the rope and hook. Calculate roughly how you need to throw it.”

“Kaen, this is ridiculous—”

“Just do it!”
Narya’s frightened and bewildered expression shook my confidence. If I wanted to control her, I needed to assert dominance.

Narya flinched suddenly, grabbed the rope, and stared hopelessly at the astrojet.

“We might make it, but we’ll have to jump forward.”

“Forward? You mean off the train?”
The astrojet was slowly moving away, gaining speed, so we had to act simultaneously. Everything was incredibly risky.

“Yes.”

“All right, you jump first. I’ll follow.”

“What if you can’t grab hold?”
Narya looked at me with concern.

“I’ll manage.”
Even though I wasn’t sure myself. Once Narya grabbed hold, she would be pulled slightly downward and backward. At least, that’s what physics dictated. Before that happened, I had to calculate where she’d fall and jump there.

Narya gave me one last terrified look.

“Good luck,” she said.
She took two steps back on the train car and started swinging the rope. She had to attach it to the lower part of the astrojet’s fuselage. Meanwhile, the security robots were almost upon us. If we failed, we’d either fall from this height or be destroyed where we landed.

“Good luck to you too,” I said.
Since I didn’t have a chip, I couldn’t perform such instantaneous calculations.

But I’d try anyway.

Narya ran forward and threw the rope. At the same time, she started falling downward. The rope caught onto the astrojet’s fuselage. The astrojet tried to shake it off, but the hook was jammed. Still, it continued moving forward.

It was my turn. The rope had gone taut, and Narya, after her initial forward pull, was starting to swing backward.
I stepped back. The place I had to jump to was far. Deep down, I felt like I wouldn’t make it.

I looked around. Security robots were closing in from everywhere. Small, four-legged security units were rapidly advancing on the train’s roof.

It was now or never...

I ran forward and jumped with all my might.
Even so, I think I jumped a bit early. I ended up almost parallel with Narya. Within seconds, everything would play out.

“KAEN!”
Narya screamed at the top of her lungs.

We made eye contact, but before she could reach me, half my body was already below hers.
If things continued like this, I’d miss her entirely.

But...
Things wouldn’t continue like this. While moving through the tunnel in the dark earlier, I had done something.
I had ripped the sleeves off my jumpsuit.

It was just clothing, after all, offering no protection. I tied the two sleeves together end-to-end and fastened them around my waist. Narya had stared at me with suspicion but hadn’t bothered to ask.

Now, as I fell, I grabbed the makeshift rope around my waist with my left hand and pulled it free. With my right hand, I grabbed the other end. Narya and I were positioned diagonally, almost beneath one another. I raised my arms quickly.

“GRAB IT!”
 I shouted. I had positioned my arms like a bridge for Narya to hold.

Narya reached out with her hand. Every second, every millisecond, we drifted further apart. I was dangerously close to the ground—collision was imminent.

Please grab it... Please let this work...

Narya reached out to grab me. Every second, every fraction of a second, we drifted farther apart. I was so close to the ground now. Impact was imminent.

Please grab me... Please let this work...

At the last moment, Narya grabbed hold of the harness with her left hand—the one not holding the rope. She held on so tightly that I almost slipped from her grip.

We lost our balance, and a sharp scream escaped my lips.

“HANG ON!”
Narya was holding the rope connecting us to the astrojet with one hand and trying to steady me with the other. Meanwhile, the astrojet had fully engaged its thrusters and was approaching the front of the train at a speed far greater than the train’s own.

I began pulling myself forward. After one, two pulls, I finally reached Narya’s hand. The moment I touched it, an indescribable joy surged through me. I made it!

Narya gripped my hand tightly and pulled me towards her. Grabbing onto her legs, I hoisted myself up. Once we were level, I clung to her, my breaths shallow and erratic from the adrenaline.

“YOU IDIOT!”
Narya was gripping me tightly, tears streaming from her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m here, and I’m okay.”
Though I was surprised by how much she cared, I couldn’t help but feel happy. Then again, even when we first met, she had been so thoughtful and kind...

“Do you realize how risky that was?”

“I do.”

“I knew you were up to something crazy when you started tearing your suit in that tunnel!”
I could hear the tremor in her voice. Her hair whipped across my face, the wind seemingly intent on flinging us off the astrojet. We clung tightly to both each other and the rope.

“Still, we made it,” I said, my voice filled with happiness.

“That’s why you’re an idiot…”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”
I turned my head slightly. The astrojet was speeding toward the Aeons. Within seconds, we’d reach the front of the massive train.

“You do realize we’ll have to make another risky jump, right? All because of you,” Narya grumbled, turning to face the astrojet’s trajectory.

“I’m sorry. I know,” I replied with a small smile.

“What are we going to do when the astrojet attacks them?” she asked, her voice laced with worry.

“It won’t attack, because Aeon will stop it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because that’s how we’ve made it this far. That’s why we need to time our jump perfectly, just as we’re about to reach them.”
There was a brief silence.

“Alright, as much as I hate it, I’ll trust you,”
Narya said, her voice uneasy. Her white hair fluttered wildly in the wind, swept back by the rushing air.

Now things were really about to heat up.