Descension

CHAPTER 28

Joaquin shields Dannika with his body as shrapnel careens at them from beyond the smoke. He cradles her to his side with one arm, the other lifting to the side of his face to activate his respirator, then hoists them up atop a crate. He kneels above her as he shuts his eyes and pulls up a map, searching for the quickest exit. Once he plots their route, he scoops her up again and begins to run, his legs calculated to follow the path without even needing to think about it. Dannika gasps for breath once they clear the smoke, Joaquin setting her down and taking her hand as he continues to run.

"Are you hurt?" Joaquin asks rapidly, the words condensing to one fluid sound.

"Nyet!" Dannika replies, ignoring translation in favor of urgency.

Joaquin gives a nod of satisfaction and pounds his feet harder against the ground, gaining traction to pick up speed. Every guard in the Ternary has their focus on York, leaving Joaquin and Dannika a clear path to safety. They clamber up a set of rusted stairs, then whip around a concrete tower to safety.

Joaquin slides down the wall of the tower into a squat and pulls up his comm, "K, Zeline, come in!"

Zeline replies, "I read you, Joaquin!"

"Meet us in the Slavic base at 1700! Bring all the allies you can!"

"That's a lot of people, are you sure?"

"Yes! Dannika and I will form a plan, you and K just worry about resource acquisition and protecting the march!"

"Copy that! K and Zeline out!"

The comm goes silent and Joaquin snaps back to reality. Dannika grabs his hand as he stands up, then laces their fingers together. She stares up into his eyes, and he can feel the emotions within her tingling through their palms and into his chest: panic, adrenaline, hope, and the desire to fight. Joaquin squeezes her hand and leans his face down to press his forehead to hers, then closes his eyes. I know.

Dannika takes in a deep breath through her nose, then pulls away, staring into his eyes before turning around and taking off into a jog, their hands interlaced.

At the cusp before sunset, they reach the Slavic ternary once again. Panting for breath, they collapse to the ground once they reach the inside of the building. Dannika tosses Joaquin a bottle of water, cracking open the cap and guzzling down the cool fluid. She sighs and carefully wipes the corners of her lips, then closes her eyes and allows herself to slide further down the wall, still catching her breath. Joaquin, although less exhausted, still leans against a metal beam with questionable integrity. The rusted beam groans as he removes his weight and shuffles over to Dannika, plopping down beside her. She nuzzles her cheek into his shoulder comfortably and closes her eyes. Joaquin idly plays with her hair as he stares out to the horizon beyond the broken windows of the building.

"Joaquin?..." Dannika murmurs.

He refocuses his attention to Dannika, "Hm?"

She pauses, collecting her thoughts. Joaquin can feel her fluttering pulse between them, the sense making his own heart race.

"What if we were to die tomorrow?" She asks, her brows knitting tightly, creating a deep groove in her forehead.

Joaquin's chest thunders with a sudden feeling of panic at the words. Dannika must feel it too, as her eyes flick up to his suddenly.

"...I-"

Then, a swarm of people carrying full bounties of resources acquired from the ports burst into the building, taking cover within the shadowed corners of the room with their newfound allies.

Zeline and Khenan will situate them. Joaquin thinks.

Joaquin turns back to Dannika and motions with a tilt of his head for them to continue their conversation outside. They stand up and shuffle out between the doorframe and the people still filtering into the refinery. They slow to a stroll once out of the abandoned building, walking in silence for a while as they travel further into the Slavic Ternary. Dannika stops beside a birch tree and begins to trace her fingers over the burls.