Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Poppy woke to sunlight streaming through the cabin's single window onto her face.
For a moment, she was disoriented. Where was Lunar?
Then she felt his cool presence behind her, his shadow form pressed against the darkest corner of the narrow cot.
Even in sleep, he instinctively avoided direct light.
She carefully extricated herself, not wanting to disturb him.
The wood stove had burned down to embers overnight, leaving the cabin chilly.
Rowan sat vigil by the window, still clutching Eclipse's energy stone. She’d fashioned a necklace out of it, hanging it around her neck in a leather pouch.
From her posture, Poppy doubted she'd slept at all.
"Any change?" Poppy asked softly, though she already knew the answer.
Rowan shook her head. "The stone's energy feels weaker today. What if..." Her voice cracked. "What if that means he's...?"
"He's alive," Poppy said firmly, moving to stoke the fire. She couldn't bear to see her friend's pain. "Eclipse is too stubborn to give up. And Milano needs him alive. They wouldn't risk harming their only captive alien."
The words felt hollow even as she said them.
What did they really know about Milano's intentions?
The corporation had chased them across the desert with military precision, using technology that shouldn't exist on Earth.
The implications were terrifying if she let herself think about them too deeply.
A soft whirring sound interrupted her thoughts. Something that looked like a cross between a hummingbird and a metal dragonfly hovered outside the window.
"Lunar," she called sharply, recognizing possible alien tech. “Rowen, get away from the window!”
The shadows in the corner coalesced instantly into his more defined form.
"Galaxy Brides messenger drone," he said, not appearing worried as he moved to examine it. "Primitive but functional."
“Do they have Eclipse?” Rowan demanded, rushing toward the door to let the dragonfly drone inside.
Lunar went to the drone and lifted his hand.
Dark swirls left his hand to surround the tech.
“I’ll tell them we are safe in this cabin and that we think Milano has captured Eclipse in the caves.
I’ll ask them to look for his energy signatures from their location in space to see if they can track him. ”
“Yes, do that.” Rowan let loose an eager breath.
“It is done,” he stated.
“And…?” Rowan begged.
As if responding to them, the drone projected a flickering hologram of Bob and Gary's oversized heads floating in the cabin's dim interior. Their skin-suits looked even worse than before.
Or maybe the sickly yellow was just their actual skin. Poppy couldn’t be sure as she stared at the transparent image.
"Greetings valued clients," Gary's voice crackled through static. "We are processing your request to rescue Eclipse. Don’t you worry. We’re on the case.
Solar and Dani are on board and safe. We're pleased to inform you that a new extraction window has been calculated.
Fourteen Earth days from now, we can facilitate your return journey.
The coordinates will be transmitted separately to avoid Milano's detection systems."
Poppy's heart clenched. Fourteen days. Two weeks until she might lose Lunar forever.
The dragonfly began sputtering and spinning, taking Bob and Gary’s image with it as they projected around the room in dizzying circles.
"Stay where you are. Do not attempt to deviate from the scheduled window," Bob’s garbled voice added.
"Harris will come for you. The energy matrices are very delicate.
One wrong move and you could end up scattered across multiple dimensions.
The company's contracts you signed don't cover dimensional scattering. "
The hologram flickered out, leaving them in stunned silence. The dragonfly exploded like a firecracker and dropped to the floor in flames. Poppy instantly stomped it to put out the fire.
Fourteen days. The countdown had begun.
"But what about Eclipse?" Rowan demanded into the silence, yelling down at the exploded device on the floor like it could still transmit her worry. "On the case? Processing our request to rescue Eclipse? What the hell does that mean? That’s not an answer!"
Poppy nudged the smoking remains of the dragonfly drone with her toe.
Even their messenger tech was unreliable.
She looked up at the ceiling, imagining what their spaceship must look like.
Was it even safe for travel? How could they trust Galaxy Brides with extraction when they couldn't even make a drone that didn't explode?
"Processing the request has to mean they’re doing something about it," Poppy said, trying to sound optimistic. "At least we know Solar and Dani made it safely. They won’t let Galaxy Brides drop the ball on this, Rowan. We’re going to find him. I promise, no one is leaving without him."
Leaving. The word was meant to comfort her friend, but it caused a deep pang of agony in Poppy’s chest. She looked at Lunar, trying not to let the pain overtake her.
Fourteen days.
It wasn’t enough time.
Lunar moved to examine the drone's remains. His shadow essence flowed around the charred metal. "The transmission originated from high orbit.”
"They can find Eclipse from up there?" Rowan clutched the energy stone tighter. "There has to be something more we can do. We can't just sit here for two weeks while Milano..." She trailed off, as if unable to finish saying the thought out loud. “Please, Lunar. I can’t lose him.”
“I do not feel he is lost,” Lunar said. He awkwardly patted Rowan’s shoulder.
Rowan took the small comfort and nodded. She stared at the destroyed drone like it could give her answers.
Poppy's stomach growled, reminding her they needed to think about practical matters too. She headed to the shelves where Mack kept his supplies. "We need breakfast. Then we can figure out our next move."
“I’m not hungry,” Rowan answered.
Poppy pulled down cans of beans and fruit cocktail.
It wasn’t exactly a gourmet meal, but it would keep them going.
As she worked to heat the beans over the wood stove, her mind raced through possibilities.
They had two weeks. Two weeks to find Eclipse, two weeks until the extraction window, two weeks until. ..
She glanced at Lunar, who had positioned himself in the shadows near the door. Two weeks until she might lose him forever. The thought made her hands shake as she stirred the beans.
She wanted to beg him to stay.
Maybe she should beg him to take her with him.
Outside, a storm was brewing as if to give a visual presence to what they were feeling.
Dark clouds gathered over the canyon, promising the kind of sudden deluge that could turn desert washes into raging rivers within minutes.
At least the weather would help keep Milano's helicopters grounded even as it trapped them indoors.
As she watched the storm build, Poppy couldn't shake the feeling that it was an omen. Changes were coming, whether they were ready or not.