The Tides That Bind Us [AfroFuturism]

Escape

Zaharah gave to pod bay a quick sweeping look to make sure they weren't leaving anything or anyone behind—besides their vandalism, of course—and slammed to boot of the pod shut. The pods here were larger, the size of a sedan. Devin half sat, half lied in the back while Jade rode shotgun with Skorpi. Pharah and Roddi stood off to the side as they had the entire time she and Jade were packing up.

"Last chance," Zaharah said and looked at each of them, but they didn't meet her gaze.

Their eyes roamed from the pod to the floor and back again. Zaharah understood their apprehension. Even standing there, with a clear way out, she herself wasn't ready to take this step, even with the danger looming over her head. It may be unsafe here in Denden, but there could be worse waiting for them on the mainland.

Roddi exhaled a long breath through his nose, then climbed in the pod next to Devin. And all eyes turned to Pharah, who stood with her hands clasped together so tightly, her arms shook. Of them all, she had the most to lose—a budding career on the cusp of blooming. Fans who'll be left in limbo while she jumpstarted a new life with faulty cables.

"No one will judge you for staying," Roddi said. "Just take care of yourself, alright?"

Pharah's shoulders rose and bunched together near her neck. "I..." She sucked in a shaking breath. "I'm not staying." She took mechanical steps towards the pod and slid in on the other side of her brother.

Devin threw an arm over her shoulder. "You'll be alright, sis."

"We'll all be." Zaharah jumped in the driver's seat and hit the button on the panel to start their launch. With what little time they had left, she needed to get them as far away from Denden as possible. "It might get rough out there, so buckle up."

The pod eased back away from its chamber and she grabbed the throttle with one hand and the wheel with the other, her grip sure. She wouldn't fuck up this time. No one else was allowed to die, not under her watch. She'd get them all to the mainland.

Light poured in through the pod's lid as their escape opened, and Zaharah looked back at everyone. "Hang on." The pod halted for half a second, then shot into the black water with a gurgling whoosh. Zaharah locked the wheel to the right, hit the throttle hard, and the pod spun on a dime before it even surfaced. Too much of that would destroy the engines. Pods weren't made to operate like submarines, but dire circumstances called for dire action.

She pushed the pod hard through the dark water, engines keening from the effort. By the time they popped over the surface, she'd already put considerable distance between the pod and Denden. She glimpsed her rear camera, and her eyes locked on The Director who stood atop the east wing flanked by two creepers. Not the little ones from before, the big ones Zaharah saw in her most recent nightmares.

"Shit," Roddi breathed, articulating her thoughts.

"We just need to get close to the harbour." She veered to the left, nigh turning the pod on its side and arched around the east wing. "Put your heads down."

Gunfire popped like bangers over the hum of the engine, and tiny splashes erupted in the surrounding water. Her heart quickened, but she gritted her teeth and steeled her nerves to keep her composure. Too many lives depended on her not fucking up. She pulled throttle back and locked the wheel in the other direction, taking them on a serpentine path away from Denden.

Metallic pangs filled the cabin, and bullets buffeted the pod. Zaharah gripped the controls tighter to stop her hands from shaking and pushed the pod as fast as it would go. Denden shrunk behind them and the gunfire faded like a bad dream.

"Everyone okay?" Zaharah asked. She looked into the backseat camera in time to see Devin give a shaky thumbs up.

"We're good back here," Roddi replied.