Chapter 8 #2
More operatives rushed forward, carrying strange weapons that bore no resemblance to conventional firearms. Dani's heart lodged in her throat. Whatever they were planning, she couldn't let them hurt Solar.
She sprinted toward the suite, abandoning stealth for speed.
Twenty yards out, she spotted movement on the ridge above.
Three figures were climbing rapidly away from the suite.
Even from this distance, she recognized Solar's golden glow and Eclipse's twilight shimmer.
Rowan was with them, leading them up a narrow trail.
They'd escaped. Relief flooded through her, immediately followed by dread. Where did that leave her?
More Milano personnel poured out of the suite, pointing up at the escaping trio. Several raised weapons. Dani changed direction, ducking behind landscaping to avoid detection. If she followed Solar's group now, she'd only lead Milano straight to them.
A hand clamped over her mouth from behind.
Dani reacted instantly, driving her elbow back hard. There was a satisfying grunt of pain as her attacker loosened their grip. She spun, dropping into a fighting stance.
A man in a silver alien costume held up his hands, wincing. "Jesus, lady. Pete sent me!"
Dani stared at him, recognition dawning. "Tommy? From the fire safety demos?"
"Yeah." He rubbed his ribs where she'd struck him. "Pete sent me to find you. Said you might need extraction."
Dani glanced back at the chaos surrounding the Desert Suite. Milano operatives were organizing into search teams, some heading toward the trail Solar and the others had taken.
"I need to follow them," she said, pointing to the ridge.
Tommy shook his head. "Bad idea. Those guys have the trail covered. Pete says to come with us. We've got a plan."
"What kind of plan?"
Tommy grinned and pulled something from his backpack He held up an alien costume complete with a large-headed mask. "Hiding in plain sight."
Five minutes later, Dani danced along with Pete's alien flash mob, her face concealed behind a rubber mask, her body draped in a silver jumpsuit.
The costume was hot and smelled like someone else's sweat, but it worked.
Milano operatives glared at them but were too busy organizing their pursuit to detain random cosplayers.
Pete sidled up next to her, his alien mask pushed up to reveal his bearded face. "Rowan called in the cavalry," he explained proudly. "Code Green. Been waiting years for this moment."
"Have you seen them?" Dani asked urgently.
"I got reports they went into the caves," Pete replied. "Smart move. Those tunnels branch for miles. Milano's guys will be lost for days without local guides."
A thunderous boom echoed from the direction of the ridge, and everyone turned to look. A plume of dust rose from an opening in the rock face.
"What the hell was that?" Dani gasped.
"Nothing good," Pete replied grimly. "Those caves are unstable if you don’t know what you’re doing."
Dani's stomach twisted. Solar was powerful, but she doubted that cave-ins discriminated between humans and aliens. "I need to get up there."
"No can do, little missy," Pete said, gripping her arm firmly. "Milano's got the trails locked down tight. But I have a better idea. Come on."
He led her through the crowd toward the retreat's parking lot, where his ancient VW van waited, painted with cosmic scenes and crystal formations. The side panel bore the logo of Pete's Crystal Emporium in psychedelic lettering.
“Pete, I got it!” A man painted green from head to toe and wearing a pink tutu rushed forward carrying a knapsack. “I grabbed everything I could find.”
“Good work, Marvin!” Pete praised, opening the side door of his van.
Dani hesitated.
"Get in," Pete instructed. "We're going around to the other side of the canyon. There's another cave entrance there. If your friends know what they're doing, that's where they'll come out."
Dani climbed in. She had no choice but to trust them, which was not exactly her strong suit.
The interior smelled of incense and marijuana.
Crystals dangled from the rearview mirror.
A few of Pete's fellow enthusiasts piled in behind her, still in their alien costumes.
Others remained outside, their flash mob having turned into an impromptu party.
They were joined by several retreat guests still wearing their yoga gear.
"Full disclosure," Pete said as he started the engine. "I've been waiting my whole life to help real aliens escape government persecution. This is basically my Super Bowl."
Under different circumstances, Dani might have laughed. Instead, she stared out the window as the van pulled away, watching Milano reinforcements arrive at the retreat. Solar was out there somewhere, possibly injured, definitely hunted.
"Faster," she urged Pete. "Please."
The van rumbled along the main road before turning onto a dirt track that wound around the canyon's perimeter.
“Marv, what’d you get?” Pete asked.
Marvin began pulling items from his bag and piling them next to Pete on the center console. Tiny liquor bottles clanked.
“Oo, refreshments!” one of the guys in the back seat reached over and grabbed a couple of bottles.
Next came packages of cookies.
“Dammit, Marv, this is serious! Did you go to the right room?” Pete yelled, even though his voice carried easily over the van’s interior.
Marvin reached to pull the cookies back. Pete quickly snatched them and put them on his lap. “I’ll take those.”
“I got the good stuff,” Marvin insisted. He pulled out a small device that looked to be alien tech.
Dani snatched it from him. “What are you doing with that? That’s not yours.”
“Keeping it out of the wrong hands,” Marvin said defensively.
“Give her the goods,” Pete ordered.
“That’s what I was trying to do before you started yelling at me,” Marvin defended.
“I got in there before those super soldiers had a chance to get back. But I also couldn’t let all those little bottles go to waste.
We can sell them online. Booty straight from the aliens’ room! I had to get the extra supplies out?—”
“Let me see.” Dani snatched the bag from him and looked inside. More tech devices were there, along with a black stone. “Good job, Marvin. This is great work. Very helpful.”
Marvin grinned. “Did you hear that? I did great work. Saved the day, I did! Make sure you spell my name right for the record, Pete.”
Dani wasn't sure she believed in crystal energy, but right now, she'd take any help she could get.
A week ago, she didn't believe she'd ever meet an alien. Her hand closed around what she thought was a black stone. She felt a soft vibration, and it was pliable against her palm. This wasn’t a normal rock.
"Almost there," Pete announced as the van bounced over ruts in the trail.
Another distant boom shook the ground, stronger than the first. Dani's knuckles whitened as she gripped the dashboard. "What's happening in there?"
"Either Milano brought explosives," Pete replied grimly, "or your alien friends are putting up one hell of a fight."
The van lurched to a stop at a small clearing surrounded by twisted junipers. A narrow path led toward the red rock face, where a dark opening was barely visible behind scrub brush.
"Cavern's back there," Pete said. "Connects to the main system. If they're following the water channels, they'll come out here or at Twisted Point about half a mile north."
Dani was out of the van before he finished speaking, pulling off the cumbersome alien costume. "I need to go in."
"Whoa, bad idea," Pete warned. "Those caves are a maze unless you know them. And after those explosions, there could be collapse points."
"I don't care," Dani said, her voice steady despite the fear churning inside her. "Solar's in there." She met Pete's eyes with a determination that brooked no argument. "I'm going in."
Pete studied her for a moment, then sighed. "You're either the bravest or craziest person I've met. And I run an alien conspiracy shop in Duskrock."
He reached into the van and pulled out a backpack.
"Take this. Flashlight, water, basic first aid. And this." He handed her a weathered paper map. "It's an old survey of the cave system. Not complete, but better than nothing."
Dani took the supplies with a grateful nod. She shoved Marvin’s knapsack into the bag. "Thank you. For everything."
"Just bring them back safe," Pete replied. "I've got questions about the cosmos that need answering."
Dani approached the cave entrance, flashlight in hand. The darkness yawned before her, cool air wafting from its depths. She'd never been afraid of the dark, but this wasn't just darkness. It was unknown territory where the man she was falling for might be fighting for his life.
She took a deep breath and stepped inside. The temperature dropped immediately, the smell of earth and minerals filling her nostrils. Her flashlight beam cut through the gloom, revealing a passage that sloped downward. Water dripped somewhere in the distance.
"Solar!" she called out, hoping she didn't draw the wrong attention. The only response was her voice echoing back at her from within the cave.