Ender and Vic sprinted down another hallway.
“James! Ken!” Ender called.
“You have no idea where they could have gone?” Vic asked.
“Tardigan chased them this way, and there were signs of combat back there.”
They eventually emerged into the bomb room, where they found James on his knees in the tube, looking sick.
Ender slipped the hazsuit through the door for him. “James, where’s Ken?”
James shook his head. Ender and Vic traded a glance.
James emerged from the tube, now dressed. “The others?”
“Neku and Snow are fighting Tardigan,” Vic explained. “It’s Hawkeye we’re worried about. He hasn’t replied to our radio messages.”
“We’d better get moving then,” James said, glancing one final time at our empty spot of ground in front of the tube.
They jogged through the complex and returned to the roof to find a seemingly intact shuttle craft. When they entered it, they found it a mess.
Wires were sparking, metal plates and curcuitboards were scattered, and everything was covered in dents.
“Tardigan got to him,” Vic gasped. “Destroyed him.”
“Why didn’t he fly away?” James asked.
“He needed a copilot,” Ender said darkly.
“Is it fixable?” James asked.
Ender and Vic exchanged another look.
Outside, they heard a light thump. Neku had flown over, still holding Snow. He was also holding something large and shriveled
“Do we have a spare set of clothes?” Snow asked, trying to cover herself.
“Not right now, sorry,” Ender apologized, courteously averting his eyes and examining the ship. “Vic I’ll be needing your help.”
“And Neku, we’ll be needing your ability to generate electricity,” Vic said. “It’s the only thing that will be powering the ship.”
Neku nodded.
“What about Hawkeye?” Snow asked, looking worried.
“He may still be alive,” said Ender, but didn’t sound as if he believed it.
“Can we escape the quarantine zone without the shuttle?”
James shook his head. “The walls are high and heavily guarded because of Tardigan. We have to fly out.”
“And we’re not leaving Hawkeye,” Snow added fiercly. “He’s flown us too far to just abandon once he’s crippled.”
“We might not have a choice,” Vic commented. “Neku, come here, I need you to stand near this panel.”
Neku obliged, dropping the shriveled thing.
James examined it and recognized Tardigan’s head. He remembered that they’ll need to prove Tardigan’s death. “I’ll secure this to the top of the ship,” he said, grabbing some strong ropes from their supplies.
Vic and Ender worked on the ship for hours. Once the internal sensors were repaired and they’d determined that the ship was still airtight, Vic gave his hazsuit to Snow for decency. The two mechanics could now work much faster without their bulky suits on.
Throughout most of the ordeal, Snow provided moral support, Neku held on to different wires and provided charge when asked, and James took frequent breaks from securing the head to look at the skyline and think, though nobody had the time to ask him what.
Finally, Vic announced. “Done. The ship is barely flyable. We’ll get one take off, and that’s it.”
“One is all we need,” James answered. “Good thing we’re so close to the border.”
“That head is secure enough to survive a rocky flight?” Ender asked him.
James nodded. “Odysseus couldn’t get out of those ropes.”
Snow glanced at Neku, who was holding certain wires between each finger and providing a steady charge throughout this. He looked exhausted, especially since he had to keep standing. “Are you ready, Neku? Should we let you rest?”
Neku shook his head. “I’m ready, let’s go.”
Vic frowned, and seemed about to object when Ender cut over him. “We’ll need the yellow wires and the middle black one charged at 600 volts, Neku.”
Neku nodded and complied. Vic took pilot seat, Ender took copilot.
The ship shuddered and rose slowly. Unsteadily, it began to chug away from Crimson.
“ETA fifteen minutes,” Ender announced.
Neku’s legs were shaking. Unlike the others, who could sway with the rocking of the ship, he had to hold his ground.
Snow was nervously staying close to him, but couldn’t do anything for him. “Hold on,” she whispered, “you can make it.”
“Ten minutes,” Ender announced. “Hailing the guy on border patrol to verify identity.”
The ship dipped suddenly, but quickly righted itself. James and Neku kept their balance but Snow went tumbling.
“Neku, keep a consistent charge! Ender snapped. “Switch to the far left black wire, 1000 volts!”
Neku nodded, panting. His arms were killing him.
Snow scrambled to her feet. “Neku, you can do it. This is the last thing! We’re free after this!”
“We’re cleared,” Vic announced. “Hang in there, Neku!”
Neku staggered, his arms fell slightly. The left black wire slipped out of his hands. The ship nose-dived.
“The red wires, Neku!” Ender yelled. “600 volts!”
Neku scrambled to comply, and the ship unsteadily rightened.
“We’re on the reserve power system now,” Ender said crossly. “You can’t screw up again, Neku.”
“My hands are so sweaty! It slipped, I’m sorry!” Neku knew he was moments away from passing out or falling over. There was nothing he could do.
A spark of resolve flashed across Snow’s eyes. “James, can you please go into the cockpit?” she asked.
James didn’t argue. Snow sealed the door behind him.
Sweat was stinging Neku’s eyes and rolling off of his face. “Snow, what are you…?”
He broke off as she stripped out of her hazsuit, smiling. She walked seductively toward him.
“You’ve earned this,” she whispered, kneeling in front of him.
* * *
In the cockpit, Vic and Ender were watching the altimeter nervously. At the rate Neku was losing energy, they wouldn’t have enough to make it over the wall.
“We’re going to crash,” Ender said bitterly. “We’re going to crash into the quarantine wall. After all this.”
Suddenly the power shot back up to optimal. The ship’s altitude gained twenty feet and soared over the wall.
“We’re over!” Vic exclaimed. “Neku did it!”
After soaring over the wall, the power cut out drastically.
“It’s all right, we were expecting a controlled crash landing,” Ender assured. “Hold on!”
The ship leveled out and skidded along the ground. After a few loud minutes, the ship ground to a halt, completely drained of power.
Snow opened the door to the passenger bay, smiling and dressed in her suit. “He’s all right. He’s just passed out.”
Neku lay where he’d been standing, surrounded in dead wires. Vic checked his vitals. “Yeah, he’ll be fine, with some rest.”
“We did it!” James explained. “We actually made it out! Back to civilization!”
The four cheered.
“After everything we’ve gone through,” Snow hugged Vic, tears running down her face, “with the away team, with Pelvanida, with Tardigan, we’re finally safe. The air is breathable, the people are non-hostile, and we have all the time inó“
There was a knock on the door.
All four broke off.
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and that's the end! Sorry for the cliffhangar, I just thought the Away team should end things the way they began; entering a new and unfamiliar place.