"Why should we trust you?" Zaharah levelled Markus with her gaze. "You've been playing the Director's game for this long. Why would you stop now? What benefit do you gain from defying her and helping us?"

Jade touched her arm. Z calm down.

"It's fine Jade." Markus roughed up his dreads. "Zaharah's anger isn't misplaced. If you have another way out of Denden, I won't stop you."

I'm not comfortable leaving Markus behind. What will happen to him when the Director finds out he didn't stop us?

"He lied to us!" Zaharah screamed, much to the chagrin of her throat. She wasn't prepared for this, to choose between trusting the people she called friends and family, or playing it safe and risking the only real family she had left.

She didn't fault Jade for being soft on Markus, for wanting believe he cared about them. He was a constant figure in their lives, the only person who came close to filling the gap their family had left behind. But after recent revelations Zaharah felt as though she didn't know Markus at all.

Z, we need to be smart about this, Jade signed. What other plans do we have? We need help, and I'd rather it Markus who helps us.

Zaharah clenched and unclenched her hands in a vain attempt to quell her ire. The air in the room felt hot and cold at the same time, like a storm lingered on the horizon. But before it could roll in, the chime of Markus' cell phone filled the room.

"It's Dwight," he said.

Zaharah had half a mind to rip the phone from his hands and drown it in the sink, but before she could give in to the urge, Markus picked up and put the phone on speaker. "Hey, D."

"You guys need a way out of here, right?" Dwight asked, right to the point as usual. His voice was echoing, as though he was holed up in a bathroom.

Markus glanced at Zaharah. "They do."

"I'm sending some files to your phone. I have a plan that could work."

Zaharah rolled her eyes. "What, does he have a fucking Heli stashed away somewhere?"

"No, Zaharah, I have knowledge of another way out of Denden. Through the breach. It's a series of platforms at the four cardinal points on the island. They're stocked with pods, rations, survival suits, supplies, everything you need to make your dirty getaway."

Markus gave a nod. "I know about it, but the breach stay locked unless Denden is on fire or sinking. Only the Director has the authority to open it."

"I'm not saying you should waltz in through the front door. You can get to the breach through the ventilation system. The easiest way is through an access point in the east side complex used by the maintenance team. Climb the ladder up into the vents and exit at the breach. From there connect your phone to the control panel, and I'll hack the system to give you access to the pods. Use them to get out of here. Good luck." And he hung up.

For a moment, they sat in silence, staring at the phone, and then at each other.

Do you think we can trust him? Jade signed, and both she and Markus looked to Zaharah. But she didn't have an answer for them. Dwight could be luring them into a trap for all she knew. Part of her wanted it to be genuine, because they had no other options.

"It could be a trap, but what else can we do?" she asked with a shrug. "We have no other options."

"If it's a trap, then we'll be prepared." Markus pat her on the shoulder, but the gesture felt empty. "Head downstairs, I'll borrow a buggy." He disappeared into the hall.

Zaharah planted her elbows on her knees and rubbed her face. Her body was heavy, as though an invisible force was trying to pull her to the ground. And she was tempted to give into it, let it drag her through the floor into the belly of Denden where she could curl up and die.

Jade touched her shoulder. Let's get out of here.

Zaharah stood and picked up her bag, the distinct rustle of snacks coming from within. Tied to its strap was her favourite hoodie, black with the turtle logo she'd designed on the back. Jade and Markus had it specially made for her last birthday.

She slipped it on and Skorpi climbed up to her shoulder. ***turned on their suitcases. They blinked to life with green and blue lights. She set them to roll instead of hover to conserve battery and tucked the remote in her pocket so they'd follow.

It wasn't home anymore, she realised. It looked gutted, despite all the furniture still being in place. Perhaps because Jade had taken away all the things that gave the apartment its charm, made it feel like home. The tiny cushion she'd made in her Home Ec. class that they would keep on the sofa. The tiny shelf of oddities they'd pick up at trips to Whiley's. The flowery straw basket where they kept their stash of candy.

With those things gone, closing the door to apartment 2F was a little easier. Still, a mixture of nausea and guilt coursed through her and she turned away. She'd wanted to leave Denden on good terms, on her own terms. Not like this. Not with the feeling of impending doom looming over her shoulder. Not running for her life.

Zaharah turned from the door and walked side by side with her sister to the front of the building. Her watch read 10:35 and so did the emptiness in the front of the building. Everyone was at school, and the Android caretakers would be out running errands at this hour.

Jade sat on the top step and exhaled a sigh. What are we going to do when we get to the mainland?

"I don't know. Everything is happening so fast, I can't keep up." She looked out at the pine trees at the edge of the arboretum. "I have some money saved up, we could probably get an apartment short term. We'll figure it out."

Okay.

As they lapsed into silence, she studied her sister's profile. It was more like their mother's profile now, down to the tiny mole on her chin. Zaharah wanted to believe she could give her sister a decent life outside of Denden, but when she thought of them in the 700, her mind only foresaw struggle. It wasn't fair to drag Jade into an unstable situation. "Would you rather go to the EUC with the Director? I won't stop you if that's what you want."

Jade looked at her as though she'd lost her mind. Are you fucking serious? After what she did to us? I'm not going anywhere with her. Why would you even ask me that?

Zaharah put her hands up. "I don't know. You're your own person, and you're old enough to make these decisions for yourself. And I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you."

We're in this together, Z. The Director screwed me over too. She scowled. I won't ever get my memories back.

"I know. Sorry. Forget I asked." She leaned forward with her arms on her legs. "How do you feel about Markus? You think we should trust him?"

Jade shrugged, her lips tipping down into a frown. I want to be angry. I want to hate him but... I don't know. Sometimes I forget he's an android, and that makes it hard... I don't always know if he's doing something because of his programming or of his own agency. Do androids even have agency?

Zaharah thought back to what Dr Will told her. I can choose, and I choose defiance. "They do... to some degree. I'm angry, but I'm not sure if it's him or the pile on. It's been a long day already ad it's not even half over yet."

I don't think Markus would ever hurt us. She shook her head. Or maybe I'm forcing myself to believe that. I'm scared Z.

"Me too."

The sound of tires on gravel broke through the silence as a buggy came around the side of the building—not a small, cute one like Pharah's but a big, beastly one the building managers used to haul equipment.

Markus sat behind the wheel, and a long black case laid in the back. "Let's go, you two."

Zaharah and Jade pounded down the steps, and their luggage sprouted metal legs to follow them. They piled into the buggy, Zaharah up front and Jade in back with their things.

"We need to figure out a way to do this discreetly," Markus said as he pulled away from the complex. He passed Zaharah his phone. "Did Dwight mark a side entrance of anything on the map?"

She pulled it up, but only found the entrance to the ventilation system and the terminal at the pod bay marked, along with the route. "No. And I don't think we should use your phone. Skorpi." He hopped down from her shoulder to her lap. "Connect and download the map and files from Dwight." He saluted and his eyes started blinking.

Zaharah set Markus' phone next to him and whipped out her own before dialling Pharahdox. "I'll find us a way into the building."

Pharah picked up after a few rings. "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey. I ahh... I need your help. If you're not busy, that is."

"No. I mean, yes. I mean, I'm not busy. What did you need?"

Zaharah scrunched her brow. "Well, we're on our way to the eastside complex, and we need a way to get into the building discreetly."

"I see... Give me a moment." And the line went silent.

Zaharah waited, her leg shaking, and stared out the window. They cruised across the centre platform towards the east. The stands of ponciana trees gave way to a more tropical scene with cocoplums, sea grapes and coconut palms.

"You still there Zaharah?" Pharah asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, when you get to the complex, pull to the concrete path on the north side. There's a side door that the maintenance team uses. You can get in through there. It's ahh... usually not locked."

"Okay, thanks. I owe you one." She glimpsed the email Pharah had written on her arm. "I'll talk to you later." And she hung up.

Markus glanced at her. "Was that Pharah again?" She didn't answer. "Are you two...?"

"No, Markus. We're not." She shifted in her seat and directed her gaze out the window. Pharahdox was just being nice, and at this point there was no point in looking at it any other way. In a few hours, they'd be on opposite ends of the Bahamas. And it was better that way. With the uncertain direction her life was headed in, there was no room for romance.

The East side complex came into view, a building with the same size and structure as the southern one, but the yard out front was bigger, and decorated with sandboxes, slides and a jungle gym.

"Pull to the north side," she told Markus. "There's a door over there used for maintenance."

As they banked the corner, Pharah and Roddi came into view. The latter stood at the edge of the path, with his Mechpet on his head, and the former paced up and down the path. Zaharah schooled her face, a task made difficult by her rising irritation; it curled her toes and made her fidget with the door handle.

"Hey, Zaharah, Jade." Pharah said as they jumped out of the buggy. Jade was already all smiles as she waved at the DJ. "We may have a slight problem." She bit her bottom lip. "You remember my brother, Devin, right?"

Zaharah closed her eyes and took a breath. She already hated where this was going. "Unfortunately."

"He ahh... overheard us talking, and he made tell him and now he wants to leave with you guys and I'm so sorry." She threaded her hands in her braids.

"It was my fault," Roddi chimed in. "I was running my mouth a little too loud. I forgot Devin is nosey."

Shala popped out from the hood of his jacket and narrowed his pink eyes. "Don't lie, Roddi. It's unbecoming."

As if on cue, Devin came through the service door with a bag slung over his shoulder. The stench of white noise reached them before he did. His hair was freshly cut, shaped up, his facial hair cropped into a neat beard. He almost looked presentable, until he spat into the bushes. "So, when are we going?"

Zaharah was about to give him an earful, but Markus spoke before she could.

"We are going now and you are not welcomed to join us." He shoulder checked Devin as he walked by. "Zaharah, Jade come on."

Zaharah refused to even look at Devin, especially with her metal hand already balled into a fist. She waved over her shoulder at Pharah and Roddi. "Thanks for your help, just Pharah."

"Wait!" Devin called. Markus held the door open for them to go in, but they stopped short when Devin came up the path. "Zaharah, right? I'm sorry I insulted your kid sister, okay? I just want a way out of here. Once we get to the mainland, you never have to see me again."

Zaharah looked at him and tucked her fist into the pocket of her hoodie. It felt more like putting a loaded gun away. "Listen, Devin. I am this close to bashing your motherfucking throat in. What part of you're not coming with us do you not understand?"

"I've been trapped in this place for ages. I just want a way out." He paused and clenched his jaw. "So I can get clean, okay? I can't do that here in Denden. As soon as we get to the 700. I'll be out of your way. You'll never have to see my face again."

Markus leaned against the door frame. "It's your call Zaharah."

"No, it's not." She looked at Jade. "It's yours. He insulted you. Say the word and I'll put him on his ass. Sorry, just Pharah."

Roddi put his hands up. "Do what you gotta do, Zaharah, but there's no need to make a scene. We're all cool here."

"No," Shala cut in. "I want to see the violence. Hit him."

Okay. That's enough. Jade exhaled a sigh, her gaze moving from her sister, to Pharahdox and finally to Devin. He can come. He just can't look at me. Or talk. And he'd better stay at least six feet away at all times.

"Well?" Devin asked. "What did she say?"

"She said you can come, just shut the fuck up and stay out of our way." And with that, Zaharah stepped into the building.

"Are you guys going to the breach by any chance?" Pharah called. "It's the platform they use for evacuations. I know there are pods there."

Zaharah made an about-face and cut the air with her hand. "Pharah, I told you, I don't want you too deeply involved in this. You have your career to think about. If the Director finds out you helped us... Look, I appreciate you trying to help, but we can handle it from here."

Pharah wrung her hands. "Fine, but can I at least walk with you in. I'd like to spend a few more moments with my brother. Please."

"Fine," Zaharah conceded.

"Are we going on some sort of field trip, Roddi?" Shala jumped from his hood onto his head. "This better be good, I'm only at half battery."

Roddi put a finger up. "Shush. You're not helping."

"To the vent access and no further." Zaharah turned down the narrow hall the narrow hall, her boots clicking against the tile. The musty, rank air tickled her nose, and the flickering lights irritated her eyes.

The hall took them to the rear of the building, where the complex met the edge of Denden. At its end stood a metal door—the ventilation access according to Dwight's map. For Maintenance Only was written above it. Unlike most other doors in Denden, this one had a handle instead of an access panel and stood slightly ajar.

"Wait," Roddi said, halting the group. "They didn't announce maintenance to—" His words were cut off when alarms blared through the building.

"Shit," Zaharah looked back the way they came in time to see a shutter come down over the exit. "What's happening?" Skorpi crawled from her shoulder down into the pocket of her hoodie and held onto her hand.

"That's the emergency alarm. It could just be a drill. We haven't had one of those in a while."

Zaharah's heart sank to her toes and took all the blood in her body with it. This wasn't just a drill. She knew. The Director knew. This was a trap, and she'd not only walked into it, she'd dragged all these people behind her. How dumb of her to think she could outsmart the Director. Now they were trapped. Like rats.

"All of you, stay behind me," Markus said. He shifted his case in front of him as he eased the door open. But none of them were prepared for what they found on the other side.

The room was large and open, stretching up two stories and lit by bright, led lights. Stairs on all four sides led up to a metal walkway that offered access to the ventilation shafts. And standing in the middle of the room was Director Saunders and Elliot, flanked by two creepers.