“What are you, my mother?” Mitzi snapped, but she took the recommended cube of grey chalk and washed it down with the apple juice.

Both Mitzi and the AI were silent for the following fifteen minutes, as the car carried her through the industrial part of the city, past another housing sector, around the outskirts of a pristine public park, and towards the more business-focussed suburbs around Central’s ports.

“I’ve just been alerted to a potential hazard on our path,” the AI said, startling Mitzi out of her reverie. “I’ll be adjusting our route.”

“What?” Mitzi glanced at the clock on the dashboard; she had only ten minutes until the ship’s launch. “Will that take long?”

“Expected time to destination: twelve minutes.”

Mitzi swore. “You’ve got to get me there faster! I’ve got a ship to catch!”

“I will take you there in the fastest legal and safe manner,” the AI replied. “Please enjoy your trip!”

Mitzi hunched over, pressing her palms against her closed eyelids. Next to the shuttles, the taxis were the fastest form of transport. She had no option but to grit her teeth and hope the car’s time estimate wasn’t accurate. “What caused the hazard?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm and level. “Is it another riot?”

“That’s correct. Good guess!” the car chirped. “In fact, there are multiple riots in our pathway.”

“Terrific,” Mitzi groaned. I can’t wait to get off this stupid planet.

She kept flicking her eyes from the clock to the streets every few seconds for the rest of the trip. She could see plumes of smoke in the distance, and once, they passed a street that had been looted. Windows had been smashed, and broken bricks and discarded goods filled the street.

It’s getting worse. People are panicking because they know something’s wrong, but they don’t know what it is or how they can help. If Central just explained the situation properly, we might stand a chance of banding together.

“How long now?” she asked when the clock read two minutes to two.

“Four minutes to destination. We’re right on schedule!”

“No, we’re not.” Mitzi scratched at her scalp. Fear of losing the ship and losing her last chance to get back on the defence force made her want to lash out. She watched as the clock ticked past 2:00, then 2:01, and finally 2:02.

“You have arrived at your destination,” the AI said, all bubbles and rainbows. “I hope you’ve enjoyed your trip!”

“And I hope you die in a fire,” Mitzi spat back, tugging on her seatbelt until the car came to a stop and allowed Mitzi to unlock it.

She was at the front gates for Port Four. The building, all grey stones and metal accents, rose like a mammoth wall in front of her. Mitzi ran for the front doors, hoping desperately that something had delayed her ship, but knowing the ports ran to a precise timetable that was almost never disturbed.

The inside of the port’s foyer was large, airy, and almost disturbingly white. Screens lined the walls, each flashing different departure and arrival times for the hundreds of docking areas. Terminals—some advertising available seats on commercial flights, others for checking in—filled most of the vast room. Mitzi ran to the nearest information desk, which was mercifully free.