Darkness all around, heavy with its oppressiveness. Humidity hanging in the air, stifling movement. His hand on the door, the muffled tones of the lock override poking holes in the silence. A rough whisper making him freeze.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He stared at the lock as it flashed orange again, the door once more solid and impenetrable. "Leaving," he said softly. He shouldn't have stopped. He shouldn't have let that voice stop him. If he had darted through the door he could have been halfway to the launch pad before the alarms caught up with him.

"Like hell you are."

There was another rustle of movement, and he heard his roommate curse again. He shied back as he felt hands reaching for him, retreating into the darkness. "I have to," he whispered. "Just let me go."

"I can't. Put some clothes on."

He hesitated, but the tone had changed. It sounded resigned, and something told him there was no arguing with those words. He obeyed silently. The room was still dark and heavy, but he could hear rattling followed by the sound of plastic on metal.

"Get the lock."

He copied his previous hack without a word. He could feel a presence at his shoulder, one that didn't fade as he slipped through the shimmering door. It was right behind him as he turned unerringly toward the exit, running for something he could barely see in the dimness of nocturnal lighting.

This door wasn't locked from the inside. The emergency exit let out into the living night, cool damp air wrapping around them as they ran. The hovers on the grounds would be monitored. The gate was easy enough to hack, and the maintenance portal to one side shimmered open just long enough to let them through.

He was free. He would have kept running, but a hand on his elbow made him stumble. The grip was irresistible, and it kept him from falling even as it held him back. It had done no less before.

"This way."

He followed without knowing why. The gleam of a hover piercing the night, the feel of metal under his skin, and his roommate pushed him roughly into the passenger seat. The stars shone a little brighter. He leaned forward impatiently, strung tight as a wire until the key clicked and the beast began to purr.

"Which direction?"

Freedom spread out around him. The tightness clenching his heart eased a little, and he turned his head slowly. The darkest direction, the least defined, the one he couldn't picture even slightly in his mind. He pointed wordlessly.

"You got it. Strap in."

He fastened the harness without complaint, though he wouldn't have bothered himself. Only when it clicked shut did the hover slide forward, released early from its nightly prison. He kept his eyes open as long as he could, letting the wind tear and pool around his face until finally he blinked.

The road was still there. He settled back, reassured. He even blinked again, just to make sure. He took a deep breath, his first since he couldn't remember when. For a moment he felt the air in his lungs, flooding in and rushing out and slowing... slowing every time.

It was so dark that he didn't notice when his eyes slid shut and stayed that way.