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person.” Well fear not my faithful citizens, if you have a skill you believe may be of assistance to us, or you know someone with suitable skills who has not come forward, simply speak to your nearest friendly Confederate guard. Don’t miss the opportunity to upgrade your classification and become eligible for clean housing, hot water, clothing, food rations...’
    At those words, p eople in the street turned to listen to the drones. Some glanced at their neighbours as though they were a free meal, just waiting to be claimed.
    Short-sighted fools , thought Sarah.
     
    The voice repeated the message as the drones moved on, the noise fading as Sarah took them along the beach of the lake. It might have been romantic, if not for the piles of garbage that had collected there. The gulls defended their territory, almost as dangerous as the endless sea of the homeless, many of whom looked eagerly at Sarah. Her clean clothing, and her well-nourished, toned body was a sign of skill the Confederates would be interested in putting to use. The beggars' desperation sickened Sarah, but she felt a stab of pity after she gave them a harsh glare. They slunk back to their makeshift sleeping holes in the rubbish piles, ashamed.
    Finally Sarah and Joshua reached the spot she was looking for. She retrieved a small raft from underneath a decrepit old wharf, and pushed it into the lake. The water parted before her jumpsuit like magic as she waded after it. She hopped out of the water and into the raft, still dry as a bone.
    ‘How...?’ Joshua gulped. ‘You have a plan, I assume?’
    The lake seemed to stretch on into infinity.
    ‘Always,’ said Sarah, patting the seat next to her.
     
     

Chapter 7
     
    Joshua couldn’t see a thing. He gripped the side of the raft with both hands, his only reassurance against the pitch-black depths.
    ‘How far can this bucket take us?’ he asked.
    ‘Canada,’ Sarah responded matter-of-factly.
    Joshua swallowed his next question, though he couldn’t help but keep his eyes glued to the shapely outline in front of him. She kept her back to him, concentrating on navigation, and Joshua didn’t mind in the least. The view was the best he’d had in years.
    The trip continued in silence, the only sound was the gentle slap of the waves against the raft as it powered through the night. He wondered how they could move so fast without hearing so much as a purr from the engine. Another question to save for later.
    He sighed. What had he got himself into? At least the smell out here was a huge improvement over the city, their sweaty stench mixing with the freshwater spray in the air.
    The repetitive motion of the boat lulled him into a sleepy stupor. His first decent rest in what seemed like days.
     
    All too soon, Joshua was awakened by a soft noise from out in the inky blackness. As it got closer he could make out a distinct whump, whump, whump.
    Sarah killed the engine and they drifted. Something whooshed overhead, blocking the stars from view. The downward air pressure flattened Joshua to the bottom of the raft. The next moment they struck something solid and the raft came to a sudden stop. Sarah hopped out, her boots softly padding on solid ground.
    ‘Aren’t we in the middle of the lake any more?’ Joshua asked as he peeked over the edge of the raft. Softly glowing runway lights on a dull metal surface greeted him. He could reach out and brush them with his hand.
    ‘Come on, help me pull this up, lazy,’ Sarah said with a laugh.
    Joshua jumped over the side and leant a hand, pulling the raft up a short ramp to level ground.
    ‘What is this?’ he asked, dumping the boat at the top.
    Sarah just looked ahead as a light came on in a doorway and a man stepped through.
    He wore a dull green flight suit, hanging loosely off a lanky frame and tanned skin. He had a baseball cap pushed over a mess of sandy hair, with a fringe peeking out the front down to his smiling green eyes.
    ‘Hey man, welcome aboard