Chapter Eleven

As Ludwig floated down the shaft, the current tossing him around more than he’d like, he felt grateful for how well-insulated their suits were. The water around him might have been nearing two hundred Celsius, but to him, it felt like nothing more than a hot tub.

Setting the anchors underwater was difficult—he couldn’t move his arm fast enough through the water to use his hammer. Instead, he had to rely on the small manual drill included in the pack of anchors. It looked like a wine bottle opener, but with each twist, it slowly drilled the anchor into the rock.

When he finally reached the bottom of the shaft, things were getting chaotic. The current was incredibly strong, and the only thing keeping him from being hurled into the shaft walls was the climbing rope. But even secured as he was, it still took considerable effort to keep moving downward.

This was taking longer than expected, and his muscles were beginning to ache from the effort. The time when they were supposed to finish working for the day had come and gone. He knew he needed to wrap things up, but he was determined to see Site Alpha today, and to do that, he needed to set all the anchors.

Ludwig was just grateful Djawadi wasn’t hassling him about his technically breaking the rules by continuing. It would have been easy to accuse him of hypocrisy, but with the framework for the fabricator still unfinished and the drilling yet to begin, they simply didn’t have enough time left in their cohesion to follow every rule to the letter.

That didn’t rid him of the guilt, however—especially since, even if his logic was sound for continuing into the night, Ludwig knew that avoiding Djawadi played an equal role in keeping him working past curfew.

But even if that were true, if he wanted to get technical, it was against the rules for them to fail the mission, and they really were running out of time. Pushing through the night to finish getting the anchors in place felt like the responsible thing to do for the sake of the mission.

So, Ludwig pushed through his weariness and kept pulling himself along the bottom of the shaft. The current was far too strong for him to place an anchor every nine meters, and based on the number of anchors he had left, he calculated he could place one per meter and still be okay. Still, it was precarious work—placing the anchors while keeping his footing against the relentless current. The only thing keeping him stable was the rocky shaft floor. There were plenty of footholds, even if the volcanic rock became treacherously slick when wet.

But with each meter, maintaining his footing became more difficult, the current shoving him unpredictably. He must have been grunting from the sheer effort because Djawadi asked if he was doing okay. Ludwig didn’t answer—just grunted back in affirmation.

Finally, he started climbing the curve at the bottom leading to Site Alpha. Now, the current worked in his favor, propelling him upward. Once he breached the waterline, only a few meters remained before the shaft opened into Site Alpha.

It was midnight when Ludwig finally pulled himself up into site alpha. The relief Ludwig felt as he knelt at the edge of the shaft washed over him. Exhausted, euphoric, and running on endorphins from the last few grueling hours, he found himself laughing.

He finally stood and walked around the cavern, the lights on his helmet casting a dim glow on its porous walls. A noticeable green and yellow haze hung in the air, and sure enough, his suit’s readings confirmed he was now in a densely corrosive environment. Dangerous, yes, but also vital—an essential part of the environmental building blocks for their colony’s future.

Ludwig had been at Site Alpha for several minutes before Djawadi checked in. “You alright?”

“I’m here,” Ludwig exhaled.

“You made it?” Djawadi asked, excitement clear in his voice.

Ludwig nodded, though of course, Djawadi couldn’t see him. “Yep,” he said aloud.

“Congratulations, Doctor,” Djawadi said.

“Thanks, Doctor,” Ludwig said, feeling the tension between them lift, if only for a moment. “Congrats to you too.”

It felt special being in Site Alpha. Ludwig was reluctant to head back to camp—not just to avoid Djawadi, but because of the sheer amazement of finally being here. A weight had lifted off his shoulders, and not just because he was free from the crushing pressure of the water current.

It would still be an incredible challenge to finish their mission in the next two days. There was a mountain of tasks ahead, but it was a relief to finally see the finish line. Yes, a lot could go wrong—both with the mission and with his companion—but he was at Site Alpha, and for now, everything was good.

An hour later, Djawadi was helping him back out of the shaft. Ludwig lay down on the ground, trying to catch his breath. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed. But he forced himself to feed the last of the rope through the pulley system he’d installed at Site Alpha. It was now a closed loop, allowing them to clip in and use the system to travel to and from Site Alpha with ease. Given that they would have otherwise needed to haul their equipment through the current, this system was an essential improvement.

Ludwig’s body shook from his weariness, but he couldn’t help but laugh again. Despite his fatigue, he felt undeniably great. For the first time in weeks, he was exhilarated. His bloodstream was flooded with endorphins from both the effort and the triumph of success.

“That good, huh?” Djawadi asked.

“It’s beautiful down there,” Ludwig said.

He was already feeling stiff enough to worry about how sore he’d be in the morning. He’d need to take an iron supplement before bed to help mitigate it. They had both retired to the pod when Ludwig realized they’d left their equipment cases outside. Djawadi was already in the process of removing his pressure suit, but now that Ludwig was inside, he genuinely didn’t know if he had enough energy to go back out there and grab the cases.

“Hey, Doctor,” Ludwig said. “Could you do me a huge favor?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“We forgot to stow the equipment cases in exterior storage,” Ludwig said. “I’d grab them, but—”

“It’s fine,” Djawadi said, pulling his pressure suit back on and zipping up. “I should have done it earlier.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ludwig said. Though it actually was. He remembered asking Djawadi to stow them earlier, but it was probably best to be agreeable with the man who was having violent thoughts about him.

While Djawadi was outside the pod, Ludwig peeled off his suit. His joints ached from exhaustion as he did so. He plopped down onto his cot, too tired to think, staring at his feet as he stretched his back.

When he lifted his head from stretching, Ludwig’s eyes fell on Djawadi’s pillow. The utility knives. Were they still there?

Without thinking, he sprang from his cot, rushed to his partner’s bed, and flipped the pillow. There they were—neatly lined up.

The airlock machinery sprang to life—Djawadi must have finished stowing the equipment. Ludwig grabbed the utility knives and rushed back to his cot, shoving them between the frame and the thin foam pad he slept on.

By the time Djawadi came back into the pod, Ludwig was already in his cot, sleeping bag pulled over him, feigning sleep. He tried to hide how out of breath he was as Djawadi puttered around the pod, getting ready for bed. His partner was acting normal, so Ludwig was fairly certain he’d pulled it off. Finally, he rolled over to face the wall, closing his eyes.

It had been a satisfying day. Tomorrow would be even better—they’d both go down into Site Alpha to confirm whether it would be a suitable site for their colony’s geothermal power plant and water recycling facility.

They had less than sixty hours left before they were supposed to finish their mission and return to the surface for extraction. But with the immense progress they’d made today—and now with the utility knives out of Djawadi’s possession—Ludwig was starting to believe they might actually succeed.

***

The next morning, they woke to their alarm with grim determination. No words were exchanged as they readied for the day. Ludwig was fairly certain Djawadi was acting normal—perhaps he hadn’t noticed the utility knives were missing?

With their pressure suits on, standing in the airlock, Ludwig turned to Djawadi. “You ready?”     

“Let’s do it,” Djawadi said curtly.

Ludwig was the first to reach Site Alpha. Djawadi sent their equipment along next. The pulley system attached to their simple power drill worked surprisingly well. Other than the ropes occasionally slipping as they were pulled along the bottom of the shaft, fighting the current, there were no major issues. Thankfully, their equipment cases weren’t as heavy as the drill, so when Djawadi sent them down, they made it without issue. Once Ludwig had pulled the cases up into Site Alpha, he radioed Djawadi, “Your turn, whenever you’re ready.”

Ten minutes later, they were both unpacking equipment at Site Alpha, preparing to set up the final series of tests. As they worked, Ludwig kept glancing at Djawadi, wondering when he’d realize the utility knives were missing. Lost in thought, considering what he might do if Djawadi figured it out, he looked up—only to find his partner watching him.

Ludwig quickly looked away, embarrassed.

They suffered through another meal of protein slurry while waiting for the computer to confirm whether this would be an ideal site. It was quiet as they sucked down the chalky mixture through the tubes in their suits. Ludwig tried to joke with Djawadi about choosing marshmallow flavoring—calling back to their protein bar conversation. Of course, there was no marshmallow-flavored protein slurry, but Ludwig, now worried he was acting too nervous around his partner, thought humor might disguise it. Djawadi just grunted—the absolute minimum response beyond saying nothing. Ludwig felt a little stupid, wondering if his attempt at humor had actually been so out of character that it made Djawadi even more suspicious.

Thankfully, Ludwig’s overthinking was interrupted when the computer pinged with good news. Site Alpha would indeed function as an ideal site for their geothermal power plant and water recycling facility. In fact, the readings were even more promising than expected. The water table beneath them was larger than predicted, meaning the entire endeavor would be more efficient and last longer than previously calculated.

Ludwig gulped as he scanned through the data, his body reacting with familiar symptoms of panic—except this time, it was from relief. He thought he was going to cry, but instead, he barked out a laugh.

Ludwig turned to his partner, whose stoic demeanor finally cracked into a grin at the infectious laughter.

“Ready to set up the drill rig?” Ludwig asked.

“Let’s get it done,” Djawadi said.

Ludwig nodded, and they got started.

It only took a few hours to set up the drill rig. Ludwig thought about suggesting a break before starting on the fabricator framework, but was feeling too eager to stop.

The fabricator was descended from the 3D printers of old. Its framework consisted of four truss frames bolted into the cavern floor, followed by a metal track system for the fabricator itself. Once placed on the tracks, the fabricator could move side to side or up and down within the framework, capable of fabricating even the most complex industrial equipment.

The fabricator would be hooked up to the drill’s reservoir, which would slowly collect molten iron from the planet’s crust as they drilled. It could then use that iron to “print” the bulk of the facility, which the next cohesion team would use to get the geothermal power system running.

Ludwig always enjoyed this type of work. With his engineering background, he could have easily assembled it without even glancing at the instructions on their visors. But there was something satisfying about turning his mind off and focusing on the fabricator framework—slotting the truss frame into place, tightening bolts, and ensuring everything was square so the fabricator would move freely on the tracks without getting stuck. Finally, they finished by welding the joints the computer flagged as needing extra support.

With everything finished except for the drilling they would do tomorrow, they finally decided to call it a night.

Not long after, they entered the airlock of their pod, and the detoxification process began—high-pressure air blasting away the corrosive residue from their suits. Ludwig used his override software to manually start up the airlock pressure cycle, and soon, they were inside.

Technically, they were supposed to complete their nightly planning before bed, but after two brutally strenuous days, Ludwig was too tired and sore to care—he just wanted to sleep. Besides, what was there to plan for tomorrow besides finishing the drilling and heading back up the cavern? It was their last day, after all.

Also, Ludwig wanted to get into his cot quickly, nervous about the utility knives still hidden there.

Djawadi didn’t even bother taking off his pressure suit—just dropped his helmet and plopped down into bed. Ludwig followed suit, hoping the airlock detoxification process was as thorough as it should be. He didn’t like even the slightest chance of getting corrosive residue in his cot.

He had his eyes closed when he realized he should probably take off his suit and plug it in to charge for the night. Djawadi hadn’t done it either. Ludwig sighed, deciding to lie there for a moment before getting up.

It wasn’t even a big deal. Their suits had enough battery power to last at least two days without recharging. He’d charged his suit the night before, so as long as he charged it again tomorrow night, he’d have enough power to finish the mission and reach his next assigned cohesion without issue.

When they woke up in the morning, it would officially be the last day of their cohesion. Ludwig was almost giddy with excitement, eager to put this whole ordeal behind him.

He wondered if he should get up and plug in his suit. But he was too comfortable, and Djawadi was already snoring quietly across the pod. Maybe in a few minutes. First, he just wanted to lie here a moment.

Ludwig was jerked awake by flashing red lights and a blaring alarm. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep, but it felt like he’d merely blinked before the emergency alarm went off. It took him a moment to get his bearings—the alarm and lights overloading his senses in his groggy state.

The danger he was in didn’t sink in until he realized Djawadi was gone.

“Son of a bitch,” Ludwig muttered, swinging out of bed.

He hurried to the middle of the pod, scanning for any clue where Djawadi might have gone or why the alarm was blaring. But when he looked into the airlock, Djawadi was standing there—staring at him, his expression unreadable.

It all clicked for Ludwig. Djawadi was forcing a system reboot of the airlock. He must have wedged the interior door open—just like Ludwig had done the other day.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ludwig asked.

“You must have known I’d have to defend myself,” Djawadi said.

He knows about the knives, Ludwig realized. He didn’t have time for a plan—before he even processed what he was doing, he had already rushed into the airlock, grabbing Djawadi by the neck. He was about to slam Djawadi to the ground when a sudden, searing pain shot across his belly—like a hot poker slicing into his flesh. He cried out.

Ludwig looked down—Djawadi had slashed him with one of the utility knives. The blade had torn through his jumpsuit.

How the hell did he get that? Ludwig thought.

He didn’t have time to check how bad the wound was. Instead, Ludwig drove his fist into Djawadi’s face, then seized his wrist and slammed it against the ground, trying to force him to drop the knife.

With his free. hand, Djawadi grabbed Ludwig’s hair and pulled hard.

Ludwig cried out and drove his elbow into Djawadi’s face. He pried the knife from Djawadi’s grip and flung it into the pod. But as he did, Djawadi landed a solid punch to his jaw.

It hurt. Bad.

Ludwig had never been punched in the face before. Stars exploded in his vision.

He knew he didn’t want to fight his partner—but he also didn’t want to die. With the alarm still blaring, he lunged to pin Djawadi’s arms, trying to keep him from struggling. If he could just restrain him long enough, he might be able to use Djawadi’s wristpad to manually stop the reboot.

Their faces were inches apart when Djawadi smashed his forehead into Ludwig’s. Blackness flickered at the edges of Ludwig’s vision.

Ludwig fought to stay in control, but dazed and reeling, he felt Djawadi twist beneath him and suddenly flip him onto his back.

Djawadi drove his knee into Ludwig’s chest, crushing the air from his lungs. Pinned beneath him, Ludwig was suddenly aware of something he hadn’t noticed before—Djawadi was bigger than him.

How had he never noticed? Despite his inexperience in fighting, he’d never seriously considered that he might lose.

It was a ridiculous thought—but there he was, pinned beneath the man who had confessed to dreaming about killing him, completely at his mercy.

“You can still stop this,” Ludwig gasped, desperation thick in his voice. “The override I coded—it can. Stop. The door.”

“I know,” Djawadi said, holding up his wristpad. Ludwig’s override software was already pulled up on the screen. The reboot process was paused.

There was still a chance—he could stop this before the airlock blew.

“You shouldn’t have taken those knives from me,” Djawadi said, pressing his knee deeper into Ludwig’s chest.

Rage flared in Ludwig. What was he supposed to have done? Let Djawadi keep the knives? He was so sick of this—sick of this cohesion, sick of his partner, sick of the fear. He wasn’t thinking when he opened his mouth. “If that door opens, I will fucking kill you.”

Ludwig locked eyes with Djawadi and saw a raw, murderous hatred. And in that instant, he knew—he was about to die.

Djawadi slammed his palm onto the wristpad. The software booted up, and the reboot process resumed.

Ludwig thrashed against Djawadi, desperately trying to break free—to stop him. But he couldn’t. Djawadi was bigger, stronger, and Ludwig was already pinned. It was useless.

The airlock’s exterior door shuddered, then whirred to life. Slowly, it began to open. A violent rush of air tore through the pod as depressurization began. Ludwig knew that if the airlock gave way, the pod would crumple like an aluminum can.

But even if the airlock somehow held, they were both about to suffocate—slowly and painfully. Ludwig gasped for one last breath as the air ripped from his lungs.

“Why?” Ludwig gasped through clenched teeth, his lungs already screaming for air. Djawadi didn’t have his helmet on either—he’d die too. So why was he doing this?

Djawadi didn’t answer. His eyes were vacant—cold and predatory, like a sharks before it strikes.

The air roared past them, deafening—like a freight train tearing through the pod. Darkness edged into Ludwig’s vision. His mind raced in freefall, thoughts, feelings, memories flashing by in fragments. Beneath the chaos, he heard it—a deep metallic groan. The airlock machinery straining, buckling under the pressure. And then, just before everything went black, he saw it. A look of satisfaction in Djawadi’s eyes.