When Beckett descended the three floors, the landing was waist deep in water. The second Beckett’s leg plunged in, he knew this wasn’t right. Shoving the door open was difficult, and it stayed open, stuck, then wading across the expanse of the 118th floor was near impossible. Oh, no no no no.

Luna was turned away from him at the far windows near her paddleboard tightening a knot. Hard at work, preparing for her journey. Beckett held the backpack of supplies and the water filter overhead and waded toward her, while inside a litany of, no no no no no no, continued in his mind. Upstairs the scenario had played out effortlessly, sensibly. Down here, where water was overtaking land, the plan made no sense at all.

“Anna!” He shoved one leg forward and then the other, with swells and currents surging and pulling on his body. “Anna!” His brain repeated, no no no no no.

She smiled over her shoulder, “Did you get everything done?”

Beckett closed the gap between them. “Anna, you have to come with me on the helicopter. You have to, this is—” He deposited the supplies on her board. “Come with me.”

“I can’t Beckett, how would that work?”

“We can tell them you’re injured, that I have to get you to a hospital. Ride with me to the mainland. Please.”

Anna dropped the rope and placed her hands on his chest, smoothing the front of his t-shirt. “You have a job, work, you can’t risk it. And I can’t leave my things behind. What about Tree? My paddleboard?”

“No no no, Anna, none of it makes sense—you have to come—look at this water, god, the water is everywhere.” His hands went up to his head and he rubbed them all around on his barely existent hair.

Anna stroked down the side of his face, soothing, appeasing. “Shhhhhh, shhhhhh, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Your plan is good.”

Beckett closed his eyes. “Don’t.”

“I’m a paddler. I don’t fly in helicopters, it’s not my style.”

Beckett wrapped his arms around her.

She said, “We have a plan, right?”

He nodded into her hair.

“Me and you and a future.” He nodded again. “I have to go though, I have a lot of paddling ahead of me.”

“This just doesn’t feel right.”

They could hear the faint sound of a helicopter growing louder.

“I know, nothing feels right, but it’s the way the world is.”

Beckett took a deep breath and exhaled. He kissed the top of her hair. He grabbed the pack, opened it, and introduced her to the contents. “I added some extra food. I wrote my name and my service number here. He pointed to a place inside the pack. And then I wrote it here and here.” He pointed to the side of the water filtration kit. “And here.”

“I’ll remember.” She stood looking at him. One hand on her paddleboard.

“The helicopter is coming any minute now.”

Luna nodded.

“Anna, please.”

“I’ll see you soon Beckett.”

She turned away, climbed onto the paddleboard and knelt, bringing Boosy into loading position and strapping down the pack and filtration kit. The helicopter sounds loomed closer and closer. She pushed Boosy back and away and stood with two graceful motions, paddle in hand.

Beckett held the nose of her board. “Be safe. Go fast.”

She smiled, “You saw me right? I’m super fast.”

“Due east.”

The water around the Outpost rippled with the wind created by the helicopter’s rotors.

Beckett said, “Wait, here’s the marker.” He pulled a fat marker from his pocket and handed it up to Luna.

“The marker?”

“Yeah, to change the marks on the Outpost wall, for your family.”

She clipped it to the front of her top. “I’ll tell them to grab packs from the rooftop, then meet me.”

She paddled her conveyance backward, away from the opening. Beckett clung to the board before it pulled away from his hands. “Anna!”

Luna concentrated on her paddling.

He said, “Be safe.”

Luna grabbed the water behind her with the paddle, spinning the paddleboard into the right direction. She wouldn’t look at him, she looked at her paddling arm as she said, “We’ll see each other soon.”

“Anna!” He wanted to stop her. Needed her to look at him. None of this seemed right, and she wouldn’t look at him.

She took the first stroke.

“Anna!”

She turned the board by degrees to face him, looking him in the eyes from across a precipice of feet and deep ocean plunging to the depths between them. He inside and she out and both going away. He had nothing else to say but, “Don’t go.”

Luna said, “I love you,” and shoved her paddle deep into the water, stroking away, fast, without looking back, leaving him standing in waist deep water. No no no no no.