Chapter 10 #2
Before Solar could respond, he sensed a shift in the darkness.
"We need to keep moving," Rowan urged, her human eyes seeming to be nearly blind in the darkness. She had been relying on Solar's faint glow to navigate the treacherous terrain.
"Agreed." Solar helped her up a particularly steep incline, careful to moderate his temperature. Humans were so fragile, their skin burning at temperatures his people considered comfortable. Not Dani, though. She liked his fire.
They continued in relative silence, Solar scanning constantly for signs of pursuit. Milano's operatives had proven more resourceful than anticipated, their technology approaching Zorveyan capabilities.
"What exactly are these weapons Milano possesses?" Solar asked. The question had been burning in his mind since the attack. The energy dampeners, in particular, suggested an advanced understanding of extraterrestrial physiology.
Rowan's breathing was labored as she climbed. "I don’t know. I've ever seen them before.”
They emerged into another chamber where the ceiling rose high above them, disappearing into darkness.
All of these caves looked the same. Shafts of sunlight penetrated through cracks in the rock, creating spotlights on the cave floor.
Solar automatically walked to stand within the light and soaked in what energy he could.
"We're getting closer to the surface," Rowan said.
Before he could answer, Solar felt the darkness shift. He immediately dimmed his light, but it was too late. They'd been spotted.
"Don't move," a familiar voice commanded as Lunar's figure materialized, literally flowing out of the shadows like liquid night.
"Lunar," Solar identified, his tone a mixture of relief and irritation.
Lunar grabbed Rowan by the arm and pulled her away from a deep hole in the cave floor.
Where have you been while we fought for our lives?" Solar asked.
"Observing and preparing an escape route," Lunar replied coolly. He turned his gaze toward Rowan. "Where is Eclipse?"
Solar watched as Rowan flinched at the question.
"He stayed behind," she said, her voice tight, "to hold them off."
Something shifted in Lunar's expression. Concern, perhaps? It was difficult to read emotions on his shadowy features, even for Solar who had known him longer than these humans.
"Milano has deployed energy-dampening technology," Solar explained, his irritation at the situation bleeding into his tone. "They found us at the Desert Suite and attacked in force."
"I am aware," Lunar said. "Poppy and I witnessed their deployment from the canyon rim. She's securing transportation while I tracked your energy signatures to find you." His gaze returned to Rowan. "You left a rather obvious trail."
"I'm sorry I don't have shadow-walking powers," Rowan snapped.
Solar hid his amusement at her defiance. It would seem he was not the only one irritated by Lunar.
Another distant rumble shook the cave, this one weaker than before. Solar's energy pulsed with concern. Each explosion represented Eclipse fighting, or possibly falling prey to, Milano's forces.
"We must keep moving," Lunar urged. "An exit suitable to your dimensions is this way."
He led them through a series of increasingly narrow passages, at times seeming to merge with the shadows completely. Solar followed behind Rowan, providing light for her to navigate the difficult terrain. His mind, however, was increasingly occupied with a single thought.
Dani. Where was Dani?
If Lunar had found Poppy, surely he would know about Dani as well.
But Solar hesitated to ask, unwilling to reveal the depth of his concern before Rowan and Lunar.
Such emotional attachments were not the way of the Solarus Elite Guard.
They were tactical disadvantages, vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
Yet the question burned within him, brighter than his physical form.
"Wait," Rowan gasped as they climbed a particularly steep section. "I need to catch my breath."
"There is no time," Lunar insisted. "Milano's forces are deploying throughout the canyon. They have devices that flash with light when they detect our energy signatures."
"Energy scanners," Rowan mumbled to herself. "Like the ones they used to find us at the retreat."
"Precisely," Lunar confirmed. "We must reach Poppy's vehicle before they establish a perimeter."
Solar helped Rowan up a particularly difficult incline, his mind still divided between immediate survival and concern for Dani. As they ascended, the air grew fresher, the sense of oppressive darkness lifting. They were nearing the surface.
"What about Eclipse?" Rowan insisted again. "We can't just leave him."
"Eclipse is capable of defending himself," Lunar said. "And he would prioritize the mission over his individual safety."
"This isn't a mission anymore," Rowan argued. "This is survival."
"Same objective, different terminology," Solar stated, though he understood her emotional response. Humans formed attachments quickly and invested a kind of meaning in personal connections that his people viewed as secondary to duty.
Yet wasn't that exactly what he was doing with his concern for Dani?
They climbed quietly for a few minutes before reaching a narrow crevice illuminated by natural light filtering from above. Lunar indicated a sequence of handholds etched into the rock face.
"This leads to the surface," he explained. "Poppy will be waiting with transportation approximately half a kilometer north of the exit point."
Solar watched as Rowan began the ascent, her human frailty evident in her trembling limbs and labored breathing.
Despite this, she persisted with admirable determination.
Solar followed after her, his restored energy making the climb effortless for him.
Lunar flowed up last, barely distinguishable from the shadows cast by the rocks.
As they neared the opening, a human hand reached down from above. Poppy's face appeared, her expression a mix of concern and determination.
"Hurry," Poppy urged. "Helicopters are coming back around."
With effort, Rowan pulled herself out of the crevice and onto the sunbaked red rock of the canyon rim.
Solar emerged next, his golden form immediately absorbing the sunlight.
His energy surged, restoring depleted reserves and strengthening his physical cohesion.
Lunar flowed up last, immediately contracting his shadow form to avoid detection in the daylight.
"Where's Eclipse?" Poppy asked.
"Still in the caves," Rowan said, her voice tight. "He stayed behind to fight off Milano."
Poppy's eyes widened. "We need to go back for him. No one gets left behind."
"No time," Lunar said, pointing skyward.
A black helicopter appeared over the canyon ridge, its rotors slicing through the desert air. Below it, dust clouds rose from multiple vehicles traversing the off-road trails.
"They're preparing to flush us out," Lunar observed.
"This way," Poppy urged, leading them toward a cluster of boulders where, improbably, an ancient vehicle with a flimsy top was hidden. Solar frowned at the questionable transportation. What kind of haphazard rescue operation was this?
Solar scanned the area, searching for any sign of Dani. His energy pulsed with increasing anxiety.
"Where is Dani?" he finally asked, unable to contain the question any longer.
No one seemed to hear him as they all climbed into the vehicle. He found himself squished in the back, too close to Lunar for comfort. The jeep’s engine sputtered to life like a spaceship on its last takeoff.
"What about Dani?" Rowan asked. "She was supposed to warn you about the attack."
Solar leaned forward to hear the answer.
"We found her in the caves looking for you," Poppy explained, throwing the jeep into gear. "She escaped the retreat in an alien flash mob of all things. She's meeting us at the rendezvous point with supplies."
Relief washed through Solar, causing his light to flare momentarily before he brought it under control. She was safe. The knowledge settled in him like a stabilizing force, allowing him to focus on immediate concerns.
As the jeep bounced along the rugged canyon trail, Solar found the vibrations unpleasant and the entire machine inefficient.
His gaze remained fixed on the horizon, searching for any sign of Milano's forces or the rendezvous point where Dani waited.
The Earth's sun beat down on his skin, replenishing his depleted energy reserves with each passing moment.
He would need his full strength for whatever came next.
The thought of Dani, with her fierce independence, her mastery of fire, and her fearlessness in the face of his alien nature, sparked something unfamiliar within his energy core.
These humans had awakened sensations that the Elite Guard training had never prepared him for.
Emotions that should have been tactical weaknesses instead felt like sources of power.
And if Milano harmed Dani, they would discover just how dangerous a fully charged Solarus warrior could truly be.