The lever gives an agonising squeal, and jerks down. Carver and I fall backwards into the icy water.
There’s a split second where I get a good look at Prophet. He’s almost done, barely able to keep himself upright. His eyes find mine. He might be chest-deep in freezing water, but the hatred in those eyes is hotter than the surface of the sun.
Then the bulkhead door drops, slamming into the passage with a giant boom, sending a wave of water slapping against my face.
“Can he get through?” says Carver. He puts his feet on the bottom, doing his best to hold his arms above the water. Not that it matters. We’re both soaked.
I don’t think so,” I say. I’m slurring my words. “If it took two of us to work that lever, there’s no way he’s doing it on his own.”
We may have saved the ship, but we’re trapped. The realisation is starting to sink in. I’m already looking around the corridor, hunting for an exit. This side of the door, the water is still climbing fast. The corridor tilts away from us, the water lapping at the ceiling a few yards away.
Could we wait it out? Wait for Prophet to die, and then open the door? Carver sees where I’m looking. “There’s no way we’re getting that door open again,” he says.
I wade over to him, trying to keep my arms above the water. It’s a struggle to get the words out. “So we swim out of here.”
“You’re crazy.”
“There’s a hole from the explosion, right? We make our way along the passage, and we find it.”
He laughs, shaking his head. “Oh, man. Oh, shit.”
I can see the terror on his face, and feel it in my heart. Everything below our chests is frozen, and there’s no telling how long we’ll last if we’re completely submerged. Even if we make it out, we’ll be a mile from shore, floating in open water.
“All right,” he says, steeling himself. “Here we go.” He takes two quick breaths, his hand finding mine. We’ll go under together.
“Wait,” I say.
“There’s no time.”
“I have to say this.”
And I do. I should have said it a long time ago. I’ve known it ever since I kissed Carver, back on Outer Earth. I’ve tried to tell myself that I wanted to be with Prakesh, that it would be wrong not to be with him, after everything we’ve been through.
But I’ve been through just as much with Carver. He understands me in a way Prakesh couldn’t. I’ve tried to ignore it, tried to run from it, but that doesn’t stop it being true. Prakesh is one of the best men I know, but Carver is the one who’s always been there for me. He’s never let me down.
And I knew this, even before we came down here to try and save the ship. I knew it back on the bridge, when he was telling me about the bulkhead doors. He didn’t need me–I could have let him do it himself. He’s just as capable as I am.
But that would have meant letting him go. It would have meant being apart from him. And I’m not going to let that happen again. Not ever.
I look into his eyes. “You remember back on the Shinso? I told you I still loved Prakesh? You asked me who you had left.”
“Riley, I don’t—”
“I was wrong, Aaron,” I say, barely able to get the words out. “I love you. You have me, and you’ll always have me.”
It doesn’t matter that always may only be a few minutes more. It’s the truth. No one should ever have to make this choice, but, right now, in the depths of this ship, I’m glad I’ve made mine.
I don’t give him a chance to answer. I wrap my arms around him, and pull him close. Our lips touch, but we’re shivering so badly that we can’t hold the kiss.
He’s got that weird smile on his face, like he can’t quite believe what’s happening. He runs a finger along my cheek, then leans close, his forehead against mine.
And in that moment, it’s as if the water isn’t even there. There’s nothing but us.
I try to hold it for as long as I can. But the water is almost at our necks. Carver kisses me once more, then says, “Let’s get out of here.”
I nod. “Yeah.”
He holds me tight. “On zero,” he says. “Three. Two. One.”
“Zero,” I whisper, and we sink below the surface of the water.