They made their way to the front using the new method of floating down the aisle, then continued out of the door and down a tunnel. It was a relaxing way to move after the journey, but difficult to control. As they bumped their way along, Zak looked out for the next checkpoint. He had to make sure he avoided going through it, but his only escape route would be back to the shuttle. He had to return and hide for long enough.
They reached the back of a queue. With people and hand luggage floating around, he couldn’t yet see the head of it, but it moved quickly.
As the last few stragglers joined the queue behind them, they arrived at the front. Waiting for them was a pod with large windows. They climbed into the seats, and began to fasten themselves in.
Then Zak jumped out of his seat.
‘I forgot my bag!’ he exclaimed. ‘It’s got Gran’s clock in.’
In that moment, he could see Mum and Dad struggle with the dilemma. They wouldn’t want him to leave it behind, yet they wouldn’t want him out of their sight either. They froze.
Zak didn’t wait for a response. He quickly climbed out to make his way back to the shuttle.
He was confronted by a huge lipstick framed smile.
‘Is this your bag?’ said a stewardess, holding it up.
Zak grimaced at her, getting a puzzled reaction.
‘Yes,’ he said, swiping it from her grasp.
He felt almost pushed back into the pod, and before he had even found his seat again, the door slid shut and the pod started moving.
Zak took a deep breath. That would not be the only opportunity, but it would only get more difficult.
The lights inside the pod were dimmed, so for a few minutes, they could see little other than the sides of a tunnel as the pod trundled along at a slow pace. Then, the large windows turned black, and the change in lighting caused them all to squint and adjust their eyes. They peered outside.
