The Departure Protocol

Chapter 19

Wared jumped out of the rover and dropped to his knees a few feet in front of it. He took off his goggles and ran his fingers through his hair. Fifty yards down a shallow slope, the dry ground gave way to a steep ravine that stretched as far as the eye could see in each direction.

Shea sat down next to him while Randee remained standing. "That wasn't on the map," she said and jabbed her finger in the direction of the ravine.

Wared glanced over his shoulder at the cloud of dust approaching behind them. "So this is it then, is it?"

Shea shrugged and took a shaky breath. "There's no way to get across, is there?"

"There might be," Randee said and took a couple of steps forward and pointed towards the ridge they had been following. "See, the tube is going further underground the closer it gets to the ravine."

"So?" Wared said. "I don't see it cross the ravine."

"Of course not," Randee continued, and pointed. "It's further down. We can't see it from here."

Wared felt his heartbeat quicken as he understood that Randee was saying. . He jumped to his feet and started down the slope towards the ravine.

"Follow me," he yelled over his shoulder as his legs pumped as quickly as he could manage. The stumbled over rocks and low bushes but kept running. As he reached the edge of the ravine, sweat was pouring down his face and he was out of breath. He leaned over the edge and grinned. Randee was right.

Shea joined him, breathing heavily, while Randee drove the rover down the hill.

"Look," Wared said and pointed into the ravine. Ten yards below the edge, the tube emerged from the ravine wall and stretched across the dark abyss below to the other side where it disappeared into the wall on the opposite side only to re-emerged closer to the surface. "We can cross on the tube."

"How?" Shea said and leaned down on one knee as she studied the structure. "We need to get down but also up on the other side."

"I think the support system could work," Wared said and pointed towards the intricate system that supported the weight of the tube. It was anchored in the ravine wall and stretched down towards the tube itself, then back up on the other side of the ravine. It was a suspension bridge.

"I don't know," Shea said, hesitation in her voice. "I don't like it."

The rover stopped behind them and Randee joined them. "What's the plan?" he said, breathing heavy. "We don't have much time. They'll be here in the next ten minutes."

Wared pointed towards the suspension cables.

Randee made a face and rubbed his chin. "You want to cross on the tube?"

"I don't see any other way. Do you?"

Randee looked across his shoulder. The Protectorate could be there at any moment. He nodded and put his hand on Wared's shoulder. "Help me with the backpack, will you?"

They left Shea by the edge and returned to the rover to fetch the bags. While behind the rover, Randee put his hand on Wared's arm. "Listen, I agree crossing here is the only option but Shea is not going to like it."

"Why not?" Wared said and glanced towards Shea.

"She's afraid of heights and gets unsteady and dizzy. You'll have to help me keep an eye on her so she doesn't fall. Got it?"

"Of course," Wared said and hoisted the bag onto his back.

Randee smiled and slapped Wared's back. "Let's move then."