'Ready,' Dylan asked, stepping out of the ground car.

Nodding Kallan took a deep breath and looked sideways toward her friend. He'd agreed to bring her here at some undefined point in the future. This morning Dylan Beyda made good on his promise. She'd be lying, if she didn't admit to butterflies in her stomach and a more than a passing apprehension. It had always been the same, every time she tried something new.

After breakfast, they headed for the vehicle garage and a secret location known only to Dylan. He couldn't hide the elation in his expression. Driving them away from Arcology, Cadet Beyda reached into the back of the car. Opening the bag, Kallan understood their destination. Under his watchful eye, she changed.

A chain of hill's separated the island's only habitation from their target. A five kilometre roadway wedged between the sea and the mountain chain led to the opposite end of Arcology Island. Finally arriving she got out of the car and scrutinised her surroundings.

'I'm as ready,' she answered the question belatedly, 'as I'm ever going to be.'

'Hey,' grabbing her hand, Cadet Beyda demonstrated a rare smile, 'remember, I got back into one of these after crashing. I thought getting into the cockpit for the first time difficult, take what you're feeling now and magnify it by a thousand.'

Green eyes wide, Kallan couldn't miss the twinkle. 'You really love flying that much,' she asked, astounded by the transformation in her best friends personality.

'Yes,' he gave a euphoric laugh. 'Come on. Let's get this show on the road. I can't wait to show you why. By the time I'm finished with you, you're going to be hooked.'

Tugging at her hand, Dylan led Kallan from the parking area towards the runway. Taking an electronic tag from his pocket, he headed for a small building. Inside the hanger sat an old white single prop aircraft.

'We're going up in that?' she managed, shocked tone.

'Safest training plane around,' Dylan teased. 'It's been in service since the turn of the century.'

'Looks like it,' Kallan fired back.

'Did you want to start on Super Stream jets?' he tormented. They both knew the consequences the last time Dylan attempted to fly one.

'It's only got one seat,' Kallan observed looking into the cockpit, sarcasm dripping from her words.

'That's a very astute observation, Cadet,' openly laughing at her, Dylan climbed in. Strapping in, he used a hand to pat his knee. 'Climb on board,' his tone dared.

Shaking her head, feeling this couldn't end well, Kallan obeyed. Pulling on her flight jacket, she gingerly lowered her weight onto Dylan. Before she could protest, his arms surrounded her. He'd used some kind of training attachment to strap her to his harness. Reaching forward, towards the dash, Cadet Beyda turned the key in the ignition. The blade at the front of the small aircraft kicked in. Sliding the plastic canopy closed dimmed the noise somewhat.

Before Kallan could protest, Dylan had the plane moving. Unprepared, she felt herself pushed into his body with the initial movement. This model had an old fashioned stick. Normally some quip would have come to the front of her mind. Apprehension failed her usual sense of humour. Nudging the craft forward, Dylan increased their forward speed to taxi onto the runway.

'Arcology Tower this is Zulu Whisky Alpha,' he fell into the old speak easily. 'I'm in position and request flight clearance for planed student flight zero one niner.'

'Rodger Zulu Whisky Alpha,' acknowledged a voice they both knew. Sharon Tate, completing her fourth year would soon enter a career in air traffic control. 'Plan received and logged. Traffics light, so you shouldn't encounter any obstacles. Show that girl of yours a good time, Dylan. You're good to go.'

'Roger that Tower,' he failed to hide the excitement within his body language. 'Zulu Whisky Alpha out.'

'Your girl?' Kallan questioned, momentarily speechless at Sharon's audacity.

Trying to contain his mirth and jockeying the aircraft into position, Dylan paused at the head of the runway. 'She means the plane,' he quipped.

Not giving Kallan a moment to take in that bit of information he pushed the stick forward. The prop whizzed, the engine revved but still they didn't move. When the sound reached a peak, he released the break. Surging forward, Kallan couldn't help her body moulding to Dylan's, the increased force intensifying their contact. Accelerating down the runway from this view, even though she experienced it a hundred times before in the sim, became a completely novel experience.

Exuberant as they continued to climb, Dylan forced Kallan's hand onto the control lever. Keeping his palm surrounding hers, he guided the little plane higher, keeping their airspeed up. Moving his feet, he made room for Kallan to take the foot rudders.

'Bank to the left,' he suggested in her ear, 'and you'll get a spectacular view.' As he'd expected, the sight forced a gasp. 'You can play in the sim, but nothing beats the real thing.'

Around them the hills diminished, allowing a glimpse of Arcology on the horizon. From this distance, Kallan understood the size of the construction standing so far above the ocean. In every direction lay clear blue sea. On the horizon, a distant blob marked The Bubualoo Island group.

'Seen enough,' Dylan teased a few minutes later, 'to try flying my girl.'

'This is your plane?' Kallan questioned, her sensibilities finally kicking in.

'Pop's,' he loosened his grip to give the woman between his legs more control, 'not that he gets to fly her much these days. Pop taught Dad and he taught me. Danny's started to learn.'

'Sharon obviously knows about your girl,' Kallan teased, 'how often do you get to fly?'

She didn't need to see his expression. Dylan laughed at her. 'How many times have I been missing long enough to make it all the way out here without you knowing?'

'I can tell you,' she returned, elation in her tone, 'you won't be again. I can see the attraction.'

'Told you,' he teased, 'I'd get you hooked.'

'I'm not sure if it's the flying,' Kallan's teasing humour returned, 'or my interesting position in the cockpit.'

'Kallan,' he growled as she moved ever so slightly. 'You might find yourself ejected if you're not careful.'

'Turns you on, ah,' she glanced over her shoulder. The look in his eyes said more than the ridged part creating a hump in her seat. 'Me too,' she whispered softly, 'I've imagined joining the mile high club.'

Dylan swallowed several times to get his head back in the right space. Both of them, he silently berated. He'd flown this plane a thousand times before. This particular flight had to be the most invigorating he'd managed yet. Considering the logistics of granting his best friends wish, Dylan knew they'd have to wait. When Kallan could concentrate and fly at the same time he'd be able to use his hand to control something else entirely.

'Maybe next time,' unable to hide his raging hormones and the physical display accompanying them, 'right now you need to take control. You've done more than straight flying in the simulator. Let's practice some touch and go landing and take offs. No one else is due to use the strip until this afternoon.'

'So we don't have to hurry back to the academy,' Kallan's smile doubled as her concentration and influence over the craft increased.

Boyed with certainty in her skills, Kallan sank into a groove. Allowing the hours of personal tutoring to take over, she began to relax into her first real flight. She didn't feel the moment Dylan's guiding hands fell away, or when he stopped scrutinising her every movement. Shear enjoyment, a sense of freedom she never experienced before surrounded her. How much of that she owed to Dylan's close quarters and gentle handling, she'd never know. One thing Kallan took away from her first experience, she'd always love flying, even more with her best friend at her side.

'Well,' Dylan asked.

The single word encompassed so much more as she climbed out of the small aircraft two hours later. Sensing Dylan trying to supress a glance at her backside, an imp inside accomplished the action with a slow tease. She felt stimulated by their activities and didn't mind letting Dylan know.

'How much time do we have,' she asked with a suggestive wink, 'before going back.'

Chuckling, he understood her sudden need. 'Enough,' Dylan answered. 'Now you understand why the flyboys have such a reputation. The adrenalin build up has to be used up when you're back on the ground. There's a place we could stop on the way back.'

'Not too far I hope,' Kallan returned, her gaze filled with the need to get closer, to share another experience with her best friend, 'after sitting in that cockpit for a couple of hours, feeling something amazing between my legs, I'm not sure how long I can hold out.'

'It'll be worth the wait,' Dylan promised, grabbing her hand and rushing them back to the air car.

'OK,' Kate couldn't keep a straight face when Kallan entered their room just before lunch, 'who is he and…no don't tell me what you've done, I'll get jealous.'

'Dylan,' fielding a look that said I should have guessed, Kallan continued over her roommates astonishment, 'finally took me flying. Turns out his grandfather keeps a training aircraft at the academy airfield.'

'Oh, of course he does,' Kate's smirk dripped with irony. 'Here I am thinking his mother had finally shown you the light, turning this friendship into something more. What else could it be but more work to keep you at the top of the class.'

'I did tell you,' managing to wipe the exuberance from her expression, Kallan's green eyes still sparkled, 'he promised to take me out in a real plane this year. I didn't expect it to be two weeks after starting at the academy.'

'Well,' Kate returned, 'if that look is anything to go by, you must have had a great time.'

Managing to hold off a blush, Kallan couldn't tell her roommate exactly how good a time. The flight had been fantastic, the mind blowing sex afterward the best they managed so far. 'I guess you could say that. For the first time in my life, I felt free. I can't wait to go up again. Dylan's says I'll be flying solo before I know it. He had to take her up, but after that it was my show. Kate, you have to try it.'

'I will,' she sobered, 'with the rest of the class next year. I bet you'll have enough logged hours for your unrestricted or maybe even commercial licence by then.'

'Maybe I could ask Dylan…'

'No,' Kate shook her head, 'I don't have the right to impose on your friendship or Dylan's good nature like that. Besides,' her natural good humour returned with a hint of a serious undertone, 'you bring something out in Dylan the rest of us can't. He's still closed and self-sufficient, even with you, Kallan, but it's different. It's like the trusts you and isn't afraid to show the occasional emotion. I guess that's why you're such good friends. I can't believe how competitive you are with each other and still stay companions.'

'Truth,' Cadet James felt she owed her roommate an explanation, 'we have the same goals and aspirations. It's easier to get there, bouncing ideas off someone like minded than battling them the entire way. This way, Dylan's strengths compensate for my weaknesses and I do the same for him. It makes staying at the top much easier. You're right, Dylan does trust me, but no more than I trust him.'

'It shows,' Kate commented, 'and it's easy to see why people believe you're in a relationship.'

'Being someone's friend,' Kallan's quick wit fired, 'isn't that a relationship.'

Rolling her eyes, Kate responded, 'not the kind I'm talking about and you know it. Sometimes I think the two of you deliberately lead people think you're oblivious when you're not really. What are you looking for in a man, Kallan, which Dylan doesn't have?'

Opened mouthed, Cadet James wide eyes demonstrated her surprise at Kate's assessment. 'What do you mean?'

'He's hansom by most people's standards, his family like you and are well connected to aid your career goals, Dylan would rather spend time with you than anyone else at the academy and yet,' shrugging her shoulders and struggling to get her point across, 'you don't see him as anything more than a friend. So what are you really looking for?'

'When,' Kallan asked slyly, 'do I get the chance to meet men, apart from those in the academy and form relationships?'

'Yet,' Kate managed, 'if rumour is to be believed, Dylan manages fine.'

'I'm sure he does,' Kallan smiled, 'but it's not the kind of thing he'd talk to me about, even if I am his best friend.'

Shaking her head as Kallan disappeared into the bathroom, Kate had to wonder. Could Kallan be that romantically inept? She seemed to tease and torment the young man enough, but Dylan took it easily, never returning the obvious flirting. Maybe one day I'll figure the pair of them out, she sighed, closed down her data pad and prepared to go to lunch, but the thought of the two of them together is laughable. If it ever did happen, they'd be too busy arguing about the best way to do it and miss the opportunity completely.