For Teal, swimming was just about the only thing that was easy to do on Earth. Water was a second home because of Luna City's muscular strengthening requirements. Plus, water made it easier to lug around the body's mass in Earth's ridiculous gravity well.
Things really had no right being so heavy. It seemed absurd that anyone chose to live with such pressure. The benefits of Earth—open spaces, green everywhere, the lack of vaguely worrying about cataclysmic system failure—hardly seemed worth the extra weight.
Zie tried not to think too hard about that pressure. Zie was sure that gravity would pull zer down like a rock during even a moment's pause. Teal had heard horror stories, had read horror stories, about the depths of Earth's oceans that could crush a human body if you went far enough down.
The thought sent a shudder running down zer spine. Now, especially, zie could feel the truth of that possibility. Teal didn't think swimming would be one of zer future Earth activities. Though, with luck, zer future Earth activities would only involve leaving it behind.
At least Nic turned out to be a steady swimmer. It was cause for less worry anyway. He paddled beside zer with a consistent speed that was easy enough to keep up with. He seemed to have good endurance, thought it was a slower pace than Teal would've taken alone. But that just meant Teal could stay beside him without straining. Combined, they were keeping a constant pace to the marina.
They ended their latest jaunt by climbing onto a roundabout that had turned island. It was the easiest way, hopping from one island of debris to the next, to get anywhere.
Nic pointed out a bit of rippling water ahead of them. "That there? Muy peligroso. Caution, yes? We will go around."
Teal nodded. "Okay, I'll take your word for that." Zie had never dealt with currents before, not really. Everything on the moon was a controlled environment. Every pool, every underwater chamber, was specifically designed with exacting parameters. You always knew what you'd be getting into. Zie had no idea what the water held on Earth.
Nic, on the other hand, seemed primed with hidden knowledge about the water. He pointed toward an area of serene calm near a building. "Also, there. Stay away. Deep, oculto, ah, hidden danger."
"How can you tell?" asked Teal. Zie saw nothing but a spot that would be easier to swim through. Zie had actually been considering heading in that direction.
"See along all of the street?" He waved his hand to indicate most of the avenue-turned-river. "Agitadas, rough. Much closer to the surface. Water can be seen over these."
"Huh, guesso. But couldn't that just be a dead end? You know, where the water doesn't have a way out?"
Nic shook his head. "Maybe, but even then, could be, trapping. Hard to get out. All current pushing you in."
Teal nodded. "Oh, right, no that makes sense." Zie sighed. "This planet has too many problems to avoid."
"That is true," said Nic. He smirked. "Okay, we will go."
They jumped back in, and Teal made sure to avoid those bits of danger Nic had identified. Zie still treaded close to the becalmed spot, but then there was a sucking sensation that tickled zer legs. The tug of the warned-threat zie hadn't believed.
Zer begrudging acceptance shifted toward being properly glad to have Nic around. Zie probably would've gotten stuck in there if not sucked down by some terrible underwater surge.
#
Even with their combined advantages, the swim for a boat was tiring work. And it turned out to be a longer journey than expected. They stopped several more times to rest their limbs and catch their breath. Teal wished for food, but it didn't make sense to stop and find any. Not while the others were waiting. Not when everything could go to shit at any time. Nevertheless, a day with little sleep and minimal food was wearing zer thin.
At least the roads made it easier. That, and an endless supply of mostly-submerged busses. They made for consistent places to stop, though Teal tried not to look in the windows. Zie didn't want to see if someone hadn't escaped. The rising waters had arrived suddenly, and it was delusional to think everyone had found refuge.
Atop one such bus, Teal flopped onto zer back and let out an exasperated shout.
"Very frustrating. Yeah." Nic nodded. He'd been reserved at first, distant, but that had already changed. The combination of stranger and moonborn couldn't make acceptance easy. Perhaps Teal's swimming ability brought him around, but maybe it was just their combined misery at their task.
"I just. Can't believe I'm stuck swimming around in all this muck. On a planet that isn't mine. Next to a volcano that's probably going to kill us all."
That made the young man grit his teeth. "Ah, well, could be worse."
Teal propped up on one elbow. "Yeah? Please, how could this be worse?"
He pointed beneath them. "Bus is not empty."
That made Teal scowl, both at herself and the situation. "Hooray, we're alive for a little while longer than them."
"Much longer, I hope." Nic gave a tight-lipped smile. "Must hope, anyway."
"Yeah, well I'm not gonna quit just because I'm hopeless." Teal sighed and stared up at the gray sky.
"Not hopeless at all." Nic sat down beside zer. "I know area and swim good. You are very good swimmer. We both live. Have plan."
"A plan that I still don't understand. Everyone wants to stay here. That's insane to me! Won't this thing explode again?"
"The volcano is bad, yes, but so it is done. See?" He pointed his chin toward the sky. The clouds were looking a little more cloudlike and less ash plume. Maybe the volcano was settling down. "But," he continued, "El agua de mar, er, the sea will withdraw. We will have a new island and move on."
Teal sighed. "I hope you're right."
"See, there, you have hope. Good. Thought you would be a problem."
That made zer smirk. "Well, I mean I am, but not in that way."
Nic laughed, "Okay now. Enough, must keep going." He stood up and waved his hand. "Before hope is not enough." Walking to the front of the bus, he dived back into the gray water for the next watery hop.
Surprising to Teal, the talk eased zer mind. It made the continuing journey easier as they made more progress across the city. It wasn't suddenly easier, but it was at least manageable. Zie could, in fact, hold onto that hope. It wasn't perfect, but it was something.
#
Teal made it to their next preplanned stop using the last of zer enthusiasm. None of their struggle had been fun, or exciting, not in the way adventures were supposed to be. Films always made them seem that way, exciting, but the whole ordeal had been nothing but miserable.
Zie climbed on top of a bus stop roof and collapsed on zer side. Nic was still in the water, and Teal watched his slow progress from one object to another. He was using road signs to navigate through a treacherous area of rapids. There were cars, lots of them, just under the surface. As long as you were careful, you could kind of walk on top of the vehicles. Still, little tugs of current were quick to pull your feet out from under you.
Finally, he made it to the bus stop. Teal stood up to give him room, but something seemed off.
Maybe he was more tired than zie thought. His body shook as he pulled himself toward the rooftop.
Then, without warning, his fingers slipped as he reached for the roof's edge. His body swung back as the waters pulled him away from the hard-won perch. The roof was at least a meter higher than the water level, so most of his body was still in the murk. Holding on one-handed, he kicked to attempt regaining his grip.
Teal dropped onto zer belly and grabbed his shirt with a panicked yelp. He probably would've been alright, probably would've been able to swim back, but he also could've been swept away. It wasn't worth the risk. After dealing with currents and swim-skipping from dry-clump to dry-clump, they were both nearing exhaustion.
"Hold on!" zie shouted. It was too much. The stupid gravity well was too deep. Zie hated Earth.
But, using zer grip for stability, Nic managed to climb up.
They both collapsed against each other as zie helped him the rest of the way. There wasn't a lot of room, so they leaned into one another for support, and to stay away from the edge.
For minutes, neither spoke. It was all they could do to catch their breath. To tamp down the panicked energy burning in their chests.
Teal rested zer head on Nic's shoulder. "That was too close."
"Yes. Too close." He shook his head. "I am sorry."
"No, don't be. We're doing as best we can."
"Hah. Your turn to pep talk me?" Nic gave Teal a weary grin. "But, you speak the truth. This is all we can do. Is try."
Teal sighed, and not for the first time wished the whole situation was just a case of bad dreams because of late-night munchies. "Wish I could just wake up."
"Me too," muttered Nic. "Very much."
They lapsed back into silence, and for a while it was enough to share in the companionship of making it through another struggle.
Finally, breathing returned to normal, Teal took the time to look around.
Atop the bus stop, they could survey the way toward the marina. It seemed that their job difficulty would multiply, and quickly. Nic had taken them north, along some main avenue, and now they would have to head east along a road lined in trees. There were less cars, and there weren't any buildings. A lack of busses, a lack of places to rest, made the stretch look daunting, and they were already tired.
"This is gonna suck," muttered Teal. Zie twisted around and let zer legs dangle over the edge of the red metal rooftop. Zer feet dipped into the water. "This might be our last stop for a bit. Look at that."
It was somewhat precarious, but Nic twisted around and let his own legs swing over the side. They leaned against each other, shoulder to shoulder, while surveying the way ahead. "Hm, yes, expected this, but always looks further now. All is so far when swimming."
Teal squinted, as if that would make things clearer, in an attempt to see into the mud-colored water. "What was this place?"
"Fancy area. Golf courses, clubs, through the pillars," said Nic. He tipped his chin toward a distant hotel. "Boats, there." He swept his arm north, along the road. "Past here, ah, el desagüe?"
"Des, ah? way?" Teal shook zer head. "I'm sorry, I don't."
Nic sighed. "Water, going through? No, down?"
"Through. Down? Water going down?" Teal raised an eyebrow. "Drain? The water is draining?"
A smirk tugged at Nic's lips. He nodded. "Yes, that. Drain, there." He pointed between four apartment towers on the right side of the road. "For buildings, to keep them dry. A strong current will pull."
Teal nodded. "Alright, so this is going to really suck."
Nic raised a brow, but then he chuckled. "Yes, yes it will."
"Well." Teal looked back toward their destination. "At least we're in sight now, right?"
That said, the distance was several times further than any they'd covered before. After leaving the rooftop, they had been able to stop after every ten or twenty meters. The next buildings were at least half a kilometer away. The big hotel, where the boats were, was at least twice that.
"Will the distance be a problem for you?" asked Teal.
"For me? I worry for you, moonborn. Does the gravity tire you more?"
"Well, yeah, but it tires you too, right?" In truth, Teal was probably less likely to be tired. The assistive nature of zer clothing was extremely helpful at easing any activity.
"Yes, this is true," admitted Nic. He smirked. "Anyway, we should go."
"Right." Teal nodded. "No time like the present." Zie wasn't ready.
"Alright, together?" Nic nodded. They both shifted to the edge of the bus stop's roof. "Uno, dos."
They leapt forward and dove into choppy water.
Those were the moments that really terrified Teal. Underwater, zie could feel the overwhelming push of weight on all sides. It was partially imagination, zie knew that, because of course even the moon's pools had pressure differences. It was partially the sudden proximity to the unknown. Who knew what lurked in the deep? What unseen objects were waiting to grab a foot? To slash a leg? There was also a very real possibility of being grabbed and pulled under by the disaster's surging flood.
But they both surfaced a moment later, and the fear only served as a shot of adrenaline to push Teal forward. They both broke into a modified front crawl stroke. Neither of them had goggles, of course not, and it didn't seem wise to keep dunking your face into floodwater. Who knew what substances would be polluting the area? And that was before you took the volcano into consideration.
So, they swam with their heads out of the water, and they occasionally switched which side they favored to balance out the strain.
The first few hundred meters went fine. The water actually calmed as they got across the submerged boulevard. Then, as they maneuvered around the stone pillars of a plaza, they felt the pull.
It started shifting them to the left, and so they pointed themselves away to compensate.
Further along the tree-lined road, the pull got stronger.
Teal had figured that there would be extra currents, because of the nearby storm drains, but knowing something didn't equal understanding. However, as each stroke became more difficult, Teal began to realize the danger of their situation. Though, had zie known the full story, that realization may have transformed into terror.
Cancun had a network of drainage systems to stop storm surges and flooding during the rainy season. Major developers were especially interested in keeping their property dry, and the nearby apartment complex, the four towering buildings, were no exception. Manmade drainage was everywhere around the streets. Nature, of course, also had some additions to that complexity.
#
Of course, a storm drain can only process so much water at once. And, if everything's covered with water, then the water has nowhere to go. The drain is just another cave filled with water.
However, some of those drains were decades old, and they had been sluicing runoff underground through storm after storm. Over time, pipes had sprung leaks and concrete had crumbled. In a place like Cancun, on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, a leak was almost always the originator of some underground chamber.
This is because the Yucatan Peninsula is made up of limestone, and dolomite, and other water-soluble minerals. Most peninsulas are, after all, raised bits of seabed that are largely porous, and the area around Cancun was no different. So, with a combination of the forever-march of time and the gulf's constant ebb and flow, Cancun's surroundings were ever changing.
More importantly, at least in this case, is that Cancun's underground was also ever changing. In fact, the entire peninsula is dotted and pocked with an always-shifting array of caves and sinkholes. A limestone bedrock, interacting with a mix of rainwater, seawater and groundwater, breeds missing chunks of land. A natural erosive process has changed all of the Yucatan peninsula into a fractured region of porous land, a karst, full of unseen pockets of air and water.
As a benefit, this has always meant a quick absorption of floodwater in the region. Usually, Cancun's high waters hardly rise past the shin, if even the ankle.
However, it can also mean an abundance of new sinkholes when the season is especially wet. Further, it can mean that manmade drainage systems might begin emptying into unseen hollows buried under the streets.
In such a case, being pulled beneath the water might lead to disappearing into the earth.
#
They had nearly reached their next stopping point. Teal was gasping for air, clinging to a tree, and staring across a break in the tall palms. There were short, decorative trees, but they were just short enough to be obstacles. Mostly dangerous because they were mostly hidden.
The current hadn't gotten much stronger, but it was constant. Everything was pulling them north, probably back into the gulf, and it was wearing them out completely. They were no longer just swimming, they were fighting for progress.
Zie glanced across the street toward Nic. "Are you okay?"
He nodded, slowly, but it was still a nod. "Yes. You?"
Teal nodded. "Yes. Ready?"
His eyes closed for a moment. His teeth were chattering. "No, but what choice is there? We cannot cling to trees forever."
"Right. Let's go?"
He nodded again, and he squirreled himself on the side of the tree. His body contorted so he could press his feet on the trunk. Then he sprang forward and began swimming toward a lightpost.
Teal mimicked his actions, though he had practice with that sort of bodily gravity manipulation. Zer leap into the water was hardly more than a plop.
Struggling to gain momentum, zie swam toward another tree. It was almost too short, but it was something. Zie could at least kick off, or wade through its branches if tall enough, to give zer arms a rest.
Then they crossed into open water, hardly more than two swimming pools in length. Normally a distance that would mean nothing, but after so much exertion, it was everything they could do to keep their heads above water. At a point, Teal had to stop watching for Nic. It was hard enough to keep track of zer own progress.
Luckily, they never faltered enough to fall backward. That would've broken Teal's heart. Zie didn't think it would've been a recoverable loss. The image played in zer head, reaching out, missing just enough, scraping zer fingernails to grab at a tree, and then being swept away toward a watery death.
Luckily, they reached the next clump of trees so they could take another break.
"Almost there," called Nic. He was wrapped around a tree by hugging it with his arms and legs. He looked terrible. "Almost there."
Just ahead, a four-story building stood amidst the murky waters. Teal eyed it and cursed as zie saw an outdoor staircase. That would be perfect. They could walk right out of the water. "Almost there," zie repeated. "Ready?"
"Fuck no," shouted Nic.
They plunged back in anyway.
#
Teal could not breath. Zie felt like zer lungs were literally non-existent, dysfunctional, and that zer chest was too heavy and too painful.
Everything hurt, but zie was nearly safe.
The current had picked up. The storm surge was receding. The flood was draining back, withdrawing, into the gulf. There were meters, ten at most, between zer and the outdoor stairway. The four-story building was right overhead.
They were both almost safe.
Nic had made it ahead, and he was already climbing out onto a dry surface. He had chosen a path that went around to the right of a nearby roadway. He had picked his way along the top of a soggy hedge. Moving further upstream, he jumped in from further ahead than needed. He had let the current pull him back toward the building.
Teal, on the other hand, had chosen the left side of the road. There was a wall, fully submerged, but it had been easy to keep zer feet planted on its broad top while paddling above water. However, the wall had stopped abruptly. Probably for a parking lot entrance.
Now zie would have to make a mad-dash sprinting swim the last few meters.
"Fuck," muttered Teal.
Nic turned around, looking for zer probably, and then he waved. "Come on!" he shouted. Or, that's what it sounded like. Looked like. It was half reading lips and half wishful-thinking.
The waters were beginning to churn, and the current was growing noisy. White noise surrounded them.
"Okay," she grumbled to zerself. "Come on."
Zie just needed this last burst of energy. Then zie could rest. Zie could get out of the water for a little bit. Maybe even take a nap.
No, not that. If Teal went to sleep now, it would last for days. They still had one last stint, four hundred meters at least, before they truly arrived at the marina.
How the hell were they going to do that?
Teal didn't know, but zie would have to take things one step at a time.
Swaying back, then forward, and then back again, zie surged forward and stretched zer arms as far as they could go. Teal kicked and threw all of the effort possible into making it to the stairway.
But zie was ripped to the side like a twig caught in a river. Like a fleck of seafoam thrown under crashing waves.
Zie had forgotten one of Nic's lessons. The surface just ahead of zer had shown a constant rippling. The surface to the side, where a parking lot was, or had been, was deathly still.
Maybe, Teal thought, he hadn't said 'Come on.' Maybe, zie thought, he had said, 'Go around.'
Zie swam with all zer might, but the current was wickedly fast. It pulled zer under, and zie spluttered after what felt like a minute of being submerged. Teal took as deep a breath as possible in that moment. Zie knew it would pull zer under again.
And zie was dragged down. Something below was creating a whorl of force that was inescapable. Every attempt at kicking, or paddling away, hardly slowed the descent.
So, already too tired to think, Teal did all zie could. Zie balled zerself up and went with the draining waters.
Zie disappeared into a sinkhole and let it swallow zer whole.