Beyond our Earth

31: Abroad

"Lovely, I've found a flaw." Althazar whispered, peeping his head into my room.

I looked up from what I was doing and nodded at him.

"What's that you've got?" He asked, stepping in and letting the door close behind him.

"It's just a key chain." I said, holding it up showing my two keys dangling from it.

"What are they for?" He asked.

"Unlocking things." I said.

I ran my finger over the serrated edge.

Althazar joined me on the floor where I was sitting cross legged. He sat down facing me.

"Are we landing soon?" I asked.

"Hope so." He said.

"So where's the flaw?" I questioned.

Althazar smirked. "The food growth facility. It has all these shafts that let the air flow in and out. one of them leads to a filtration room, which has a door leading to the outside world that opens whenever we land to let fresh air in."

"Fucking A" I said.

"I don't know what that means." Althazar stated.

I laughed, "It means that's very good." I said, smiling at him.

His violet eyes were glowing with happiness. He leaned in, taking the keys from my hand. Dangling the shiny silver pieces in front of his face, he stared at them almost cross eyed.

"Unlocking things." He murmured.

"You're good at that." I said.

The ship rocked beneath us.

"Landing?" I asked, standing up.

Althazar followed me to the door and we looked out, watching the lit up tiles on the walls flash and change colour. We were definitely landing.

I looked up at him, grinning. I don't know why I was so happy we were landing.

He took my hand and led me into the stairs, where we made our way up a few floors until we got to the food growth facility.

Althazar opened the door with force, placing his two hands at the bottom and pushing it upwards.

"Go, go, go." He said.

I slipped under the small opening, winding up inside what felt like a cross between a greenhouse and a laboratory. Plants were hooked up to machines, growing in rows of tightly packed density. Everything looked so perfect, all the fruits and vegetables, unnaturally perfect, unnaturally large.

Althazar came up behind me, placing his hand in mine. He pulled me away from the gardens.

We walked to the edge of the room. A large opening was set in the floor as well as the ceiling above.

"So this is the vent?" I asked.

He nodded.

"I'll carry you down, love." He said, lifting me up in his arms.

I felt so light when he held me, like I was a doll.

Gripping me tightly, holding me close to his warm body, he used his other hand to lower us into the vent. Then, ever so slowly, he slid us down, releasing a bit the pressure created by his constant pushing out on the sides with his legs.

We dropped at a comfortable rate, into a very dark area for some moments. I wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing.

"Almost there." He said, comforting.