The Weight of You (and Me) | UNDER REVISION

36

RESCUE MISSION

〰・♡・〰

The docks, once a symbol of despair, now pulsed with a renewed urgency. Iñigo and Joshua, their initial animosity replaced by a fragile truce, huddled with Sarah and Liam, formulating a plan.

"We can't alert the authorities just yet," Sarah argued, her voice laced with concern. "LeeCorp has eyes everywhere. They could move Keera before we get to her."

Liam, ever the pragmatist, chimed in. "Agreed. But we need to find out where that ship is headed. Its destination, cargo manifest – anything that gives us a clue."

Iñigo, his eyes glued to a map of the harbor, pointed at a rusty tugboat docked nearby. "There. We can use that to follow the freighter. It'll be slower, but it'll give us a fighting chance."

Joshua, who had been unusually quiet, spoke up. "I might be able to help with that. I used to work on a similar tugboat before..." His voice trailed off, shame coloring his cheeks.

Sarah offered him a curt nod. "Good. Then let's get going. Every minute counts."

As they scrambled aboard the rickety tugboat, a sense of unease settled over Keera. The freighter, a hulking silhouette against the setting sun, seemed to grow smaller with every passing minute. Fear gnawed at her, a cold sensation that spread from her stomach to her limbs.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

A man with a weathered face and kind eyes, the captain of the tugboat, turned to her. "Don't you worry, miss. We're here to help you get back to your friends."

Keera offered him a grateful smile, but the worry persisted. She pulled out her phone, hoping for a signal, but the screen remained stubbornly blank.

Suddenly, the engine sputtered and died. The boat lurched forward, then drifted to a standstill. Panic surged through Keera.

"What happened?" she cried, scrambling to her feet.

"Engine trouble," the captain muttered, his brow furrowed in concern. "Looks like we're dead in the water."

Despair threatened to engulf Keera. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, with the freighter carrying Iñigo and the others disappearing into the horizon, she felt utterly helpless.

"There has to be something we can do!" she exclaimed, her voice rising with desperation.

Just then, a figure appeared on the deck. It was Joshua, his face grim.

"There might be," he said, his voice filled with a nervous determination. "But it's risky."

Keera's heart pounded in her chest. "What is it?"

Joshua took a deep breath. "I can fix the engine. But... it'll require me to go overboard. There's a chance I might get swept away by the current."

Keera stared at him, her mind racing. Here was the boy who'd kidnapped her, driven by a misguided sense of love and fear. Yet, he was willing to risk his life to help them.

"No," she said, her voice firm despite her trembling hands. "It's too dangerous."

Joshua met her gaze, his eyes filled with a newfound resolve. "Someone has to do it, Keera. And if it means getting you back to Iñigo... then it's worth the risk."

Their eyes locked, a silent conversation passing between them. In that moment, Keera saw not the lovesick teenager who'd acted out of desperation, but a boy capable of genuine courage.

"Be careful," she whispered, the words thick with unspoken emotions.

With a curt nod, Joshua disappeared over the railing, plunging into the dark water below. Keera watched him go, her heart clenching with a mixture of fear and a grudging respect.

As the minutes ticked by, an agonizing eternity stretched before them. Would Joshua resurface? Would they ever catch up to the freighter? Would they find Iñigo and the others?

The answer came with a splash and a triumphant shout. Joshua, water dripping from his hair but a triumphant grin on his face, clambered back onto the deck.

"Engine's fixed," he announced, his voice hoarse but proud. "We're good to go."

A wave of relief washed over Keera, so intense it brought tears to her eyes. 

They spent the next few hours in a tense dance with the freighter. The rickety tugboat sputtered and groaned, a testament to Joshua's hasty repairs, but it held together, slowly gaining ground. Keera stood beside the captain, her eyes glued to the horizon, willing the freighter to slow down.

"Any sign of them?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The captain shook his head, his weathered face etched with concern. "Not yet, miss. But we're getting closer."

Beside her, Joshua remained silent, his gaze fixed on the churning water. Keera couldn't decipher the emotions swirling behind his troubled eyes – regret, determination, or perhaps a mixture of both.

"Why did you do it, Joshua?" she finally asked, breaking the silence. "Kidnap me, I mean."

He flinched, then sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I... I was scared. LeeCorp threatened me, and my family. They said they'd silence anyone who spoke out. I thought if I took you away..."

"Away from what?" Keera interrupted, her voice sharp with anger. "Away from the truth? Away from fighting for what we believe in?"

Joshua hung his head, his voice barely audible. "Away from them hurting you."

Keera felt a pang of sympathy. Misguided as his actions were, they stemmed from a twisted sense of wanting to protect her. But she needed to make things clear.

"I can take care of myself, Joshua," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "And I won't let anyone, not even LeeCorp, bully me into silence."

He looked up at her, a flicker of admiration lighting up his eyes. "I know you're strong, Keera. Stronger than I ever was."

A wave of exhaustion washed over her. The ordeal of the past few days had taken its toll.

"Maybe," she said, her voice softer now. "But we're stronger together. All of us."

As dusk painted the sky in fiery hues, a shout from the lookout pierced the tense silence. "There! To the starboard side!"

Hope surged through Keera's veins. She focused her gaze and saw it – the freighter docked at a small, deserted harbor.

"They're stopping," the captain announced, his voice tinged with worry. "What now?"

Keera glanced at Iñigo, who had just emerged from the cabin, relief etched on his face.

"We get Keera back," he said, his voice resolute. "And we expose LeeCorp once and for all."