The Tides That Bind Us [AfroFuturism]

Hindsight

Zaharah stifled a hiss as she laid a hand on the cold metal wall of the vent. The shaft was big enough for them to move at a crouch and wide enough for two to creep side by side. But their progress was made slow by Devin, who dragged himself like a wounded animal. Pharah kept stopping to check on him, which in turn forced Roddi to stop to urge her on.

Up here the whir of the system was deafening enough to drown out conversation. And in some areas it made the shaft vibrate so much, Zaharah feared it would collapse. By now the Director was probably hot on their heels. There could be an army of creepers waiting for them in the pod bay. They had no weapons with which to defend themselves, and her knife didn't count.

How did the saying go? Don't bring a knife to an advanced military weaponry fight. Did Markus predict this when he'd yelled at her that morning about not being ready to take on responsibility?

They weren't out of Denden yet and she was already so far out of her depth, drowning with no one to rescue her or throw her a lifeline. She could chant her mantra until she grew hoarse; it wouldn't get her and Jade safely to the mainland.

"There's a junction up here!" Roddy yelled over the noise.

Zaharah snapped out of her self-deprecating trance and plucked Skorpi out her pocket. "Give us the map Skorpi."

The mechpet saluted and turned to the wall. His left eye remained green while the other became a glaring white and projected the image of the map on the opposite wall. Zaharah followed the markings Dwight had made. They were in duct E, and they needed to go through the main duct, A, to duct G. That would get them to the pod bays.

"We're going left Roddi!" Zaharah yelled. He waved his understanding, and they continued on their way.

Zaharah took a moment to tuck Skorpi in her pocket, and when she set her hand down, it slipped on something wet and sticky.

And red.

She angled her body to look ahead at Devin. He crawled, with one hand holding his wounded side a grunt escaping him every other moment. It would be better if you left him here, Elliot had said. She swore under her breath and followed the group, being more diligent about where she placed her hands.

After a few more minutes of crawling, they came to another junction, where the roar of the system made her bones rattle. A breeze whipped up her braids and ruffled her clothes. A fan sat on the opposite end of duct A, blowing a chilling gale through the shaft.

Zaharah pulled her hood up over her head and yanked her sleeves over her good hand. "Go fast!" The wind pushed them along, lashing at their clothes, forcing the luggage to put on brakes to not run into the walls or Zaharah. She shivered, gooseflesh raising her skin. Roddi and Pharah all but dragged Devin through the shaft. Up ahead the entrance to duct G beckoned them onward, like a lighthouse guiding them to safe harbour.

They scrambled the last few metres, and all but dived into the vent. While it was still cold, the wind wasn't as harsh, and lightened considerably once they moved further.

"That's it!" Roddi called from the front of the group. He pointed ahead to a vent sitting on the wall, its slats shut tight. "If I can work the pins loose, I can get it open." He pressed his hands against the vent, felt around the edges. "Anyone got a knife? Or something long and flat?"

"I do." Zaharah pushed the button on her arm, and the knife popped from her palm. When she slid it towards him, he stared at it for half a second before picking it up with a nod. While he worked the vent off, she tightened the strap on her bags and dialled up the power on their suitcases in case they needed to run.

Jade nudge her arm. I'm worried about Devin. She looked towards where Pharah had him braced against the side of the vent. His eyes were closed and lips fixed in a grimace, and his chest rose and fell in sporadic bursts.