Sci-fi novel: A ‘posthuman’ wants to circumnavigate the Earth, the most iconic orb in the universe

When I awoke from the reality-transit sedative, my body felt like it had been rolled between two sheets of rock. While all the humans inside her were unconscious, Chedi had shifted her body to the Solar System.

Somya lay on a cushioned mat between me and Huy, both of them still asleep. I sat up, stretched, and slightly regretted my decision to eschew the high-oxygen bedroom with my parents. Remarkably, my mother hadn’t objected to my choice to spend the night outside with my friends. She would probably make an I-told-you-so face if I mentioned my aching muscles, so I resolved to keep them to myself.

The trees around us rustled in a gentle breeze, oblivious to my discomfort. Artificial morning light filtered through their leaves and painted the rosebushes with their shadows. What would sunrise be like on Earth? I’d seen it in immersives and pictures, but those couldn’t substitute for the real thing. Birdsong, golden clouds, the deep blue of the sky – I couldn’t wait to experience them for myself.

Somya rolled and mumbled in their sleep. I reached out a hand and rubbed their back gently. They’d always been a restless sleeper. It was why we put them in the middle – so they...

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