Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Lunar moved through the desert like a living shadow, Poppy close behind him as they descended into a hidden ravine. It provided excellent cover. It was a natural trench that ran for nearly a mile through the red rock landscape.
"The ravine should keep us hidden until full dark," Poppy whispered as they reached the bottom of the steep slope. "Then I can approach the retreat from the western side to try to make contact with your friends. I’ll bring them to where you’re hiding if I can."
“Absolutely not.” Lunar extended his shadow senses. "I will not send you into danger."
"We need to hurry," Poppy urged, her face tight with concern. "They might need our help. We need a plan. I still think I should go alone."
"No," Lunar denied. "It is better if we stay together. I’m not sure they will remain at the retreat if it is unsafe. I will track their energy signatures.”
Lunar had better tracking abilities than Solar and Eclipse combined. He had to be in tune with his terrain when living in darkness.
They traveled swiftly, stepping carefully over loose rocks and around patches of desert vegetation. Lunar's shadow form flowed effortlessly over the obstacles, while Poppy maintained an impressive pace for a human.
A sudden vibration in the earth made Lunar freeze. He extended a tendril of shadow essence upward, sensing the approach of vehicles along the ridge.
"Down," he commanded, pulling Poppy into a depression beneath an overhanging ledge.
They pressed against the cool rock as powerful beams of light swept the ravine from above. The harsh white illumination razored through the shadows, searching methodically for any sign of movement.
Lunar drew Poppy closer, extending his shadow essence to envelop them both partially. Not enough for full shadow integration as he'd done in the underwater cave passage, but sufficient to blur their outlines against the natural shadows.
"Energy scanner," he whispered, feeling the distinctive pulse of Milano's detection technology.
Poppy's heartbeat accelerated against his chest, but her breathing remained controlled.
His senses became distracted as he focused on her.
His energy tried to flow into her like it had when they came together under the bioluminescence of their first cave.
He very much wanted to transfer energy into her again.
A bright light drew his attention back into focus like a painful shock.
The lights passed over their position once, then returned for a more focused sweep.
Lunar condensed his shadow essence to its most compact form, suppressing his energy signature to the absolute minimum.
The effort created a cold pressure in his core, like compressing a star into a black hole.
For an excruciating thirty seconds, the light remained fixed near their hiding place. Then, mercifully, it moved on, continuing its systematic search pattern along the ravine.
"We should keep moving," Lunar said as the vehicles receded. “They could come back around.”
"How is any of this even possible?" Poppy asked. "I had the impression your kind hadn't been here before, but they're hunting like they know you. Or do all aliens have a signature? How many kinds of aliens are there?”
He heard a thread of panic building in her tone and didn’t like it.
"Milano appears to possess advanced knowledge of extraterrestrial biology. This significantly increases the threat level," Lunar confirmed. “No, not all aliens are the same, and there are too many to count, so I cannot give you a number.
They resumed their journey through the ravine with increased caution. Lunar extended his senses to detect pursuit. The shadows deepened around them, bringing with them a renewal of his strength.
A distant explosion shattered the quiet, its concussive force traveling through the stone beneath their feet. Lunar extended his senses toward the source, analyzing the energy patterns.
"Solar and Eclipse are engaging defensive measures."
From their position, they witnessed flashes of light coming from the retreat.
Solar's energy signature was unmistakable.
The golden flares of his defensive measures against Milano's forces illuminated the sky in brief, violent bursts until they culminated in an explosion. Now chaos emerged around the area.
"We need to hurry," Poppy urged, increasing her pace despite the treacherous footing.
The ravine began to curve toward the west, bringing them closer to the retreat. Lunar could sense a cluster of human energy signatures.
"Wait," he cautioned as they approached the end of the ravine. "Milano has deployed approximately twenty operatives on the ground with specialized equipment."
Poppy crouched beside him at the edge of their cover. "Can you see the Desert Suite from here?"
Lunar extended his shadow senses toward the retreat. The familiar structures emerged in his perception as patterns of thermal variances and electromagnetic signatures. The Desert Suite glowed with residual energy, a testament to recent conflict.
"Eclipse and Solar were there," he reported. "But their energy trails are moving underground."
"The lava tubes," Poppy realized. "There's an entrance behind the meditation garden. They must be trying to escape through the underground network."
A new explosion illuminated the sky, followed by the distinctive hum of energy weapons. That was not primitive Earth technology. The sound signature matched Zorveyan defensive systems.
"We need to intercept them," Lunar decided, calculating the optimal approach route. "They're being pursued into the caves."
"I know those tunnels. There's a secondary entrance about a quarter mile from here. We can cut through and meet them inside."
Lunar assessed the tactical advantage of her suggestion. "Yes. Lead me."
Evening was finally claiming the land as they abandoned the ravine, crossing exposed terrain with rapid, careful movements. Lunar flowed between shadow patches, materializing only when necessary to ensure Poppy remained on course.
After several tense minutes, they reached a rocky outcropping with a narrow opening at its base. Poppy dropped to her hands and knees without hesitation, crawling into the dark aperture. Lunar followed, his shadow form easily navigating the restricted space. Her heavy breathing echoed around them.
“This tunnel is of volcanic origin. Ancient lava flows created a network of tubes beneath the surface,” Poppy said, running her hand over the smooth walls that bore the swirling patterns of molten rock.
She lifted her red light just enough to illuminate the path, allowing her to navigate safely.
"This way. These tubes connect to the larger cave system. "
They moved swiftly through the underground passage, the sounds of conflict growing louder ahead. Shouts echoed through the stone corridors, punctuated by the distinctive discharge of energy weapons.
A powerful vibration shook loose stones from the ceiling. Dust filled the air.
"They're using explosives," Poppy coughed, covering her mouth. “They can’t do that. These caves are precious.”
Lunar frowned as he detected a pressure wave. “That’s not Milano. It feels like Eclipse. He wouldn’t do that unless they were trying to escape.”
Poppy increased her pace, navigating the twisting passage. "There's a junction ahead where multiple tunnels converge. If we can reach it first—"
Another explosion, closer this time, sent a shock wave through the tunnel system. Poppy fell back against the wall. Larger rocks began to fall around them.
"Structural integrity compromised," Lunar warned, extending his shadow field to deflect falling debris away from Poppy.
He swept her forward until they reached a larger chamber where three tunnels converged into a natural cavern. The space bore evidence of recent conflict, including scorch marks on the walls, scattered equipment, and the lingering resonance of Solar's energy discharges.
"They were here," Poppy confirmed, examining fresh footprints in the dust. "Not long ago."
Lunar extended his senses, searching for familiar energy signatures. "Solar's pattern is detectable. Moving away from us, deeper into the system." He paused, focusing on a fainter trace. "Eclipse's signature is weaker. Possibly injured."
"Which tunnel?" Poppy asked urgently.
Before Lunar could respond, a new sound reached them. It was the methodical approach of multiple pursuers. Flashlight beams played across the walls of the tunnel they had just emerged from.
"Milano forces," Lunar warned, pulling Poppy toward the far side of the chamber where shadows were deepest.
They pressed against the wall as four black-clad operatives entered the cavern, their equipment emitting the distinctive hum of energy scanners. Each carried weapons, but unlike standard Earth firearms, they were more compact with a bluish glow emanating from their power cores.
"Energy signatures detected in section B-7," one reported into a communication device. "Proceeding with containment protocol. Don’t let this one get away."
Lunar analyzed their equipment with growing concern. The weapons appeared to be modified versions of Zorveyan technology, specifically designed to counter shadow manipulation.
His essence condensed into its most defensive configuration as he kept Poppy trapped behind him. He felt her trembling.
The operatives searched the chamber, their scanners sweeping across the walls and floor. When one of the beams passed near their position, it emitted a higher-pitched tone.
"Contact," the operative announced sharply. "Northwest quadrant."
All four turned in their direction, weapons raised. Lunar made an instant tactical decision.
"When I move, run to the right tunnel," he instructed Poppy through their connection so the others couldn't hear. "Find Solar and Eclipse. I will divert them."
Before she could protest, Lunar expanded his shadow essence explosively outward, plunging the entire chamber into absolute darkness by absorbing all available light. The Milano operatives shouted in confusion as their flashlights and scanners suddenly became useless.
Poppy did not hesitate. She slipped away in the direction Lunar had indicated, her footsteps nearly silent on the stone floor.
Lunar projected multiple shadow decoys throughout the chamber, each emitting a partial energy signature to confuse the scanners. The Milano operatives fired blindly, their weapons releasing pulses of disruptive energy that stung when they passed through his dispersed form.
One operative activated a different device, and suddenly, harsh white light flooded the chamber, powerful enough to penetrate even Lunar's shadow manipulation. The tactical disadvantage was immediate and severe. His shadow form recoiled from the intense illumination, forced to consolidate.
"Target acquired," the operative announced. "Deploying energy containment field."
Lunar did not wait to be trapped. He flowed across the chamber like liquid darkness, engulfing the light source and the operative who held it.
The human shouted in alarm as cold shadow essence enveloped him.
He dropped the device as he grabbed for his neck, choking for air.
Lunar did not kill him. When the device dropped, he crushed it, plunging the chamber back into darkness.
The remaining operatives fired in the direction of the disturbance. The human who dropped the light was struck by several of the stray blasts. He screamed in pain.
Their energy pulses disrupted portions of Lunar's shadow field. The sensation was painful but manageable. He reacted by generating a whirl of shadow energy to confuse their sensors.
With the operatives temporarily disoriented, Lunar flowed toward the tunnel Poppy had taken. He detected her energy signature moving swiftly ahead, already beyond immediate danger. Relief filled him.
As Lunar retreated into the tunnel, the operatives regrouped, activating secondary light sources and preparing to pursue. He needed to delay them further to ensure Poppy's escape.
Reaching out with tendrils of shadow essence, Lunar located structural weaknesses in the tunnel ceiling.
He pressed hard to trigger a controlled collapse behind him.
Rocks tumbled down, blocking the passage without causing catastrophic failure of the entire system.
Poppy would not like it, but he did it to protect her.