Chapter 2 #2
One human female caught his attention specifically.
She moved with purpose between buildings, carrying an injured animal in her arms. Unlike the others, she didn't speak into devices or move with the distracted gait of those absorbed in their own concerns.
Her focus was entirely on the creature she held, as she murmured soothingly to it.
The animal, some small, furry quadruped, appeared to be in distress. Yet instead of eliminating the weakened creature, the female was clearly providing care. An interesting behavior pattern. Inefficient from an evolutionary perspective, but perhaps indicative of social structures worth studying.
Lunar followed at a distance, his curiosity piqued.
The female entered a building labeled "Desert Animal Rescue" and disappeared inside.
Through the window, he could see her carefully placing the animal on a treatment surface while another human approached with what appeared to be medical implements.
Caring for non-sentient species, he noted mentally. This empathy response could be exploited.
Her eyes lifted, and she stared out the window in his direction like she could see him. That was impossible, of course. A current ran through his body. Lunar retreated into the shadows.
He left the mysterious woman to continue exploring the settlement.
As darkness finally fell, Lunar felt his strength returning.
Earth's night offered him a chance to move more freely without the skin-suit.
He located several promising areas of deep shadow and chose a narrow space between buildings to strip out of the disguise.
He hid the outfit so he could retrieve it later before meeting back up with Eclipse and Solar.
He didn't need them knowing that he wandered the planet uncovered.
When he emerged from the alley, it was in a dark area by a social gathering place named The Crash Zone.
This location proved most interesting. Humans were entering the front of the building in significant numbers, many wearing garments decorated with crude representations of extraterrestrial beings.
Some even wore wrinkled metallic coverings on their heads, a puzzling choice with no obvious practical purpose.
Through a partially open door, Lunar glimpsed the interior.
He swept through the shadows of the club undetected, only to exit on the other side.
The space was dimly lit with strange-colored artificial lights, filled with people using substances and engaging in behaviors that seemed related to mating.
So this was how Earth species initiated reproductive connections.
Chaotic and inefficient, but potentially useful knowledge for their mission.
It would be so much easier to tap into their personal biorhythms.
He was about to move on when a female emerged from the rear exit, separated from his position by only a narrow alley.
He recognized her from earlier when she cared for the injured animal.
She stepped into the dim light, breathing deeply as if the interior atmosphere had been unpleasant to her respiratory system.
Lunar froze, allowing his natural abilities to render him virtually invisible against the darkened wall. The woman should have continued on, unaware of his presence.
Instead, she turned directly toward him.
"Don't run away. I know you're there," she said, her voice carrying clearly through the still air. "I followed you from the clinic. I felt you watching me."
Impossible. No human should be able to detect a shadow-walker in darkness. Their visual systems were inadequate, their perception limited to basic electromagnetic wavelengths.
Yet this female looked directly at his position. Her eyes, unusual in coloration, almost luminous, seemed to pierce his concealment.
"It's okay," she said, stepping toward him instead of back, completely defying any survival instincts. "I'm not afraid. You don't have to hide."
Lunar remained perfectly still. Any movement would confirm his presence. The female was likely experiencing a perceptual anomaly, not actually detecting him.
She took another step forward, and Lunar noticed something unusual.
The ambient light didn't reflect from her skin in the expected pattern.
Instead, it seemed to be absorbed and redistributed, creating a subtle aura effect that his shadow-adapted vision could detect but ordinary human perception would miss.
"I'm Poppy," she said, still addressing the apparently empty darkness where he stood. "You're one of them, aren't you? One of the visitors who arrived today."
The corporation's information had mentioned nothing about humans with enhanced perception. This was an unexpected variable. Potentially dangerous. Definitely worthy of further study.
Before Lunar could decide on a course of action, the female reached into her garment and extracted a small object. She placed it carefully on the ground between them.
"A peace offering," she explained, stepping back. "It's a shadow stone. Black tourmaline. For protection and grounding. You seem like you could use both."
Then, most surprisingly of all, she smiled directly at him before turning and walking away, leaving the small dark object on the ground where she'd placed it.
Lunar remained motionless until she had disappeared around the corner of the building. Only then did he emerge from the shadows to examine what she'd left.
The object was indeed a stone, black and crystalline, cool to the touch. It was unremarkable by interplanetary standards, definitely not the sophisticated technology he had briefly suspected. Just a piece of mineral composite with no obvious purpose.
Yet she had given it specifically to him, an entity she shouldn't have been able to perceive.
Personal Log, Supplemental:
I have encountered a human female with unusual perceptual abilities. She detected my presence despite shadow concealment. This suggests some Earth humans may possess capabilities not documented in our briefing materials.
The female, self-identified as Poppy, displayed no fear response upon apparent detection of a non-Earth entity. Instead, she initiated a potential social exchange protocol, offering a mineral object of unknown significance.
This requires further investigation. If some humans can detect shadow-walkers, our mission parameters may need adjustment. Additionally, the female's unusual energy signature warrants closer observation. I will consider making contact with her under a more controlled setting.
I will return to the dwelling to evaluate this development. The mineral object will be analyzed for properties.
Lunar kept the stone and made his way to his skin-suit and clothes before heading back to the Crimson Rock Inn, staying within the deep shadows of evening. This mission had just become marginally more interesting than expected.
Perhaps Earth wasn't entirely without secrets worth discovering after all.