Apocalypse Before Finals by Julie Steimle (electric book reader txt) 📕

"Ok, all we have to do is use this as a shield and run to the service ladder over there. The rest will be easy," Jeff said, taking up his metal panel.

Zormna nodded. "Ok."

The man returning fire nodded as well.

Jeff had them sprint on the count of one. Immediately the fire worsened as they dashed across the room. More than a number if times Zormna felt a burning heat graze her legs, but that was all. A few hot hits thumped against their metal panels - however these panels were heat resistant as protection from ship exhaust so they made the perfect shields.

As soon as they reached the service ladder, Jeff shoved Zormna to go up first. He held his shield while taking her panel to block the laser fire. Zormna clambered up into the tunnel with as much haste as possible, noticing the People's Military officers charge towards them from the hall. She climbed into the hole and slid inside the service tunnel. Jeff let the old man climb ahead of him into the service tunnels right after Zormna. He scrambled on after, dropping one of panels as soon as he could. He blocked the entrance with the other. None of their panels would fit in the hole. They were too wide. The PM squad pursued after them, gathering at the base of the hole and firing upwards. The PMs climbed up in chase, but they were too late. It took a bit to dislodge the one panel and only one person at a time could climb through the hole. Once inside, the service tunnels broke off into seven different branches. Though the People's Military officers crawled down each tunnel, only one officer went down the correct one, and that tunnel broke off into seven other tunnels, in which by then Jeff and Zormna and the old man were too far ahead to catch.

"All extreme situations have their flashes which sometimes make us blind, sometimes illuminate us." –Victor Hugo -

Crawling in tunnels had been a way of life for Jeff a few years ago. He had found now that his knees were sore, and he was incredibly out of practice. Zormna and Jeff left the old docking bay guard at a third junction in the tunnels, and they had climbed into a better route, one that they could stand up in that would take them to the Surface Patrol Zeta District. They stood in between the dark hollows of the machine frames, a place Zormna never imagined ending up in herself but Jeff had spent hours in as part of the rebellion.

"We won't actually make it inside Zeta. A certain Surface Patrol Alea had taken the trouble to seal off all our entrances into there, so now that Alea has to come with me and enter the conventional way," he said, looking at Zormna - who was rolling her eyes at him. "I hope you still know your codes."

Zormna huffed. "Really, Jafarr...."

But what she was going to say never came. Instead she leapt back from a panel behind her. It had thumped then burst open. A head emerged from the newly opened hole and stared immediately at them. Jeff instinctively threw himself between the protruding head and Zormna.

For a moment they stared at the head and the head stared back. There was barely enough light to see. Then the face on the head blinked and grinned at them.

"Jafarr! You're back! I didn't think any one from Partha would be able to make it back with the PMs gone down there and the whole Surface Patrol locked up." The man pulled himself out of the hole entirely.

Others came out behind him, looking at Jeff and Zormna, or rather at Jafarr Zeldar and Zormna since he was among his own people and he was not known as Jeff Streigle with them. They gasped, climbed out, embraced him, yet smothered all loud exclamations of joy in case they were overheard. But soon their eyes turned to Zormna whom they also recognized with hesitant distancing.

Seeing their turned attention, Jafarr quickly addressed the first man, "Mr. Demmon. Weren't you the one who told me not to just stick your head into a corridor? You scared me to death."

The man grinned fondly at Jeff, but his eyes flickered back to Zormna like he would a spider web in his way. A trace of his grin contorted into amazement. He stepped aside and pointed to her while keeping his distance. "And who is this with you?"

He took in her saggy PM attire along with Jafarr's, especially taking in her obvious Surface Patrol orphan hair cut. His eyes raked over her face like he knew it but didn't believe it.

Jafarr cleared his throat and stepped aside to introduce her. "This is Alea Zormna Clendar of the Zeta District."

"I thought so," Mr. Demmon gasped. A hopeful gleam filled his wide gaze. "Does this mean you've negotiated with the Surface Patrol? Are they joining us?"

Heavily sighing, Jafarr side-glanced at Zormna.

She said, "We're hoping they will."

The general murmur among the people standing behind Mr. Demmon swept through a bit like a rash. It too loud for Jafarr's comfort and he shushed them.

"That's where we're going," Jafarr added. "To Zeta to negotiate an alliance."

The older man nodded, his eye still on Zormna. "I'm coming with you."

Jafarr glanced at Zormna.

She shrugged. "I don't see what it will hurt," she said. She just wanted to get Home. "Lead on, Jafarr."

He nodded then waved the others to follow them.

Jafarr led them through several narrow tunnels weaving in and out large and dusty humming machinery which felt warm to the touch. Air vents by the sound of them. His method of going along in the dark had lots of pauses, feeling the walls and counting steps. Zormna didn't like the long dark stretches and she kept close to Jafarr who knew almost instinctively which direction to take. Eventually he paused, slipping his fingers through a break in a loose wall panel. He lifted it a crack, much like a swinging door. After a peek into the dim area on the others side, he climbed out. Standing in a faintly lit corridor, he helped Zormna through and pulled her along, making sure she was with him. The others in the crew followed, emptying the machine space while watching the pair ahead of them. They peered down the long passage way.

Zormna recognized where she was almost immediately.

Just a few feet ahead stood the entrance to the Zeta district. The entrance was shut, the enormous titanium security door locked. All the regular travel lights were off, leaving only the singular emergency strip to light the long tunnel. It made the long six-sided tunnel seem deathly still. 

Zormna turned to face the two doors of the entrance, where Jafarr was beckoning them. He was approaching the pedestrian door, remaining on the red painted walkway and keeping out of the main thoroughfare, which was wide enough for a small hatchback car to drive through. Zormna stared at the familiar green walls, the Arrassian writing, and the oh-so-familiar warning signs notifying those approaching the Zeta district to slow down for entry. It was a bit like coming home to find things quite dead.

"Are we going in that way?" a woman murmured, pointing at the individual access door.

Zormna nodded, walking toward the pedestrian entrance to where Jeff was waiting. He lifted his eyebrows with a little impatience, his eyes saying, "Are you done?"

She nodded to him, yet she turned with a stare at the closed doors. These doors hardly ever closed in her day. They had been open on most occasions with ships constantly going in and out the large door. The small door was for the odd person on foot who wanted to keep out of traffic. Zormna felt a pang that she couldn't describe, seeing the doors shut like this. She tried to shake it off. Reaching the keypad next to the door, she typed in the first code that came to her.

<<ACCESS DENIED>>

Zormna blanched.

"Are you sure she's the real Alea Zormna Clendar?" Mr. Demmon asked, walking over to Jafarr. Zormna was not sure he was teasing or being sincere. There was that tone, which reminded her of how Alzdar spoke, which was often tongue-in-cheek.

Jafarr nodded. "Positive. Zormna, try again. Maybe you forgot the code."

"I didn't forget the code," Zormna growled. "Something's wrong with it. They've changed things. You forget, I was sort of in exile."

She punched in another one, pounding the keys furiously.

<<ACCESS DENIED>>

Jafarr let out an audible sigh.

The crowd behind him murmured, especially over her remark about being in exile.

She frowned.

"Maybe I could hack our way in," he offered.

Zormna scowled. "Of course not. First off, there is a guard just inside the door. Once a code doesn't match, people inside are on alert. They are watching us. They're waiting to see what I will do next."

"Can they see you well?" Mr. Demmon asked, looking around at the switched-off lights. Normally three strips of lights would have illuminated the hallway, allowing hardly any shadow in the tunnel.

Jafarr seemed nonplussed. "So what are you going to do next?"

Narrowing her eyes she typed in another code. "If this doesn't get us in then nothing will."

Again the machine buzzed. <<ACCESS DENIED>>

Zormna clenched her fist and punched the narrow door. The thump echoed slightly in the metal as she shouted. "Alea Brren, you open this door!"

The entire group behind them stepped back together in one decided move, knowing that that act would get the Surface Patrol to open its doors, if only to arrest them. Only Jafarr did not retreat.

<<Whoever you are, leave the premises immediately, or we will be forced to take action against you.>>

"I think he means it," Mr. Demmon said, backing toward their gap in the wall.

Zormna kicked the door again. "This is Alea Zormna! Do you hear me? Open up and let us in!"

Something on the other side of the door groaned and rumbled. A heavy metal lock was moving, a lock which was rarely fixed except in emergencies.

<<You are not. Alea Zormna of Zeta is dead. You will leave now. This is your last warning.>>

"Maybe their cameras are broken?" Jafarr muttered.

Zormna glared at him but continued to pound on the door. "I am most certainly not dead, Alea Brren! You let me in! Do you hear me? Let me in!"

The door rumbled with a whining creak. It sounded stuck actually, and was pushing to get unstuck. Yet the small door did not move. Instead, a crack of light split in the middle of the large door, opening wider with heavy groans.

Jafarr pulled Zormna back by her arm. She shook him off and stepped toward the opening.

"Zormna, you're still dressed as a PM," he hissed.

"They'll recognize me." She marched to the center of the hallway, standing militaristically in front of the wide door as if she would take on her own army to get in.

Huffing, Jafarr marched after her, quickly getting to her side. He hissed in her ear, "They didn't recognize you at the door."

"The lights were bad," she muttered.

The others, however, stumbled