Chapter 12 #2
Poppy slowed the car as they approached the ship. “It’s too soon. We had more time.”
A hatch opened on the side, and a familiar yellow face peered out, wearing an expression of forced cheerfulness. "Hello! Yoo-hoo! We've come to rescue you!"
"They're going to get us all killed," Solar muttered, watching as Gary clambered awkwardly from the craft, followed by Bob's smaller form. They didn’t get out of the vehicle.
"Are those your alien matchmakers?" Dani asked.
"Unfortunately," Solar confirmed.
Gary waved enthusiastically, as if they were meeting at a social gathering rather than hiding from a ruthless corporate security force. "There you are. We saw the fire signal and came as quickly as we could!"
"Fire signal?" Dani whispered.
"Your diversion," Solar explained. "They must have mistaken it for a deliberate communication."
Gary and Bob hurried toward them, both wearing what appeared to be hastily modified skin-suits that made them look like particularly unattractive Earth children with oversized heads.
"We've been searching everywhere for you," Gary announced as they reached the jeep. "The extraction coordinates have been compromised. Milano has the entire area under surveillance." He peered into the vehicle, counting occupants. "Oh dear. We weren't expecting so many of you."
"The extraction is still proceeding?" Solar demanded.
"Of course," Bob interjected, speaking for the first time. "Just relocated. And accelerated. As in, right now. Our window is closing rapidly."
“Weren’t there three of you?” Gary frowned.
“We can’t find Eclipse,” Rowan said. “Can you track him?”
“Eclipse, that’s right,” Gary said.
“Ignore him. He bumped his foot,” Bob slapped a hand in the general direction of Gary’s mouth.
"Your pod cannot accommodate all of us," Lunar observed.
"Well, no," Gary admitted, tugging nervously at his skin-suit. "It's really only designed for three passengers plus pilot. Four if everyone breathes in shifts."
"Then it's useless to us," Rowan stated firmly. "We're not leaving anyone behind."
"Actually," Bob said, his expression turning surprisingly serious, "Milano's forces are converging on this location as we speak. They might have detected our landing."
"What?" Poppy hissed. "You led them straight to us?"
"Not intentionally," Gary protested. "But our stealth systems were, shall we say, somewhat compromised by the emergency repairs."
Solar processed this new information. "How long until they reach us?"
"Twenty Earth minutes, perhaps less," Bob replied. "They're mobilizing from multiple directions."
"We need to split up," Lunar stated, his tactical assessment aligning with Solar's own. "Increase survival probability through diversification of targets."
"Precisely what we were thinking," Gary exclaimed, too loudly for their precarious situation. “Inverse targets.”
"No," Rowan denied immediately. "We stay together until we find Eclipse."
"The pod can transport the two of you to the new extraction coordinates,” Bob said. "The humans can continue by ground as decoys."
“Eclipse can take care of himself,” Lunar stated in a poor attempt to comfort Rowan.
"The cabin I was telling you about is still the safest immediate option," Poppy insisted. "We should all go there and regroup."
"But you are already grouped," Gary said. "We need you to ungroup."
“The others can continue to the cabin location in the Earth vehicle, where we can arrange secondary extraction once the heat is off,” Bob persisted, directing his attention at Solar and Lunar. He gave a small wave for them to follow.
Solar exchanged a glance with Lunar, and a rare moment of perfect understanding passed between them.
Tactically, the Galaxy Brides representatives were correct, despite their general incompetence.
Splitting up would increase the overall chances of mission success, even if it increased the risk to the three women.
"Solar and Dani should go with them," Lunar said, surprising everyone. "Solar's energy signature is the most detectable, especially now as we face darkness. He is the most likely to draw Milano to all of us. And Dani requires medical attention that the extraction vessel can provide."
"What? No," Dani protested. "My ankle is fine. We're not leaving you guys to face Milano alone."
"It's strategically sound," Solar said quietly, though the prospect of separating from the group troubled him more than he would have expected. "Milano developed specific countermeasures for our energy signatures. If Lunar and I remain together, the capture probability increases substantially."
Dani looked at him in protest. "But?—"
A distant rumble interrupted her, followed by the distinctive thump of helicopter rotors.
"Decision time," Gary urged, his yellow skin paling noticeably. "Milano's air support is incoming."
Solar decided for them. "Dani and I will go with you. Lunar, protect them." He nodded toward Rowan and Poppy. "We will search for Eclipse from the sky, and we will rendezvous at the secondary extraction point once it's secured."
"Wait," Dani began, but Solar had already moved, lifting her carefully from the jeep despite her protests. "We can't go into… We can't fly… I mean, up there?"
Dani looked up at the sky and trembled. She shook her head.
"Perfectly safe," Gary said.
"Your injuries require treatment," he said firmly, not putting her down as he held her in his arms. "And I can better protect you in a smaller group."
She looked up again at the sky. "That's not?—"
"No time to argue," Gary interrupted, already hurrying back toward the pod. "Those helicopters will be on us in minutes."
"Do you want me to put her to sleep?" Bob offered Solar. "It would be the kind thing to do."
"No!" Dani protested, leaning into Solar's chest. "Don't you touch me."
Solar carried Dani toward the pod. She clutched her backpack of supplies to her chest. He set her down gently at the pod's entrance.
"We will see them again," he assured her, though he had no tactical basis for such certainty.
Dani looked back at the jeep, where Poppy was already restarting the engine. "This feels wrong."
"I know," Solar agreed. "But it is necessary."
"I don't think I can do this," she whispered, looking up to the sky. "I mean, this is a spaceship. They crashed the last one you were in."
"That was Harris," Gary yelled. "Come on then."
Solar urged her into the pod, finding the interior even more cramped than its external appearance suggested.
Gary took the pilot's seat, while Bob squeezed in beside him at what passed for a control panel.
Solar and Dani were left with a space barely large enough for one adult human, let alone an alien warrior and his injured companion.
Their estimate of being able to fit Lunar and Eclipse in here with Solar at the same time only worked if they were willing to comingle their essences for the duration of the flight.
Gross. He didn't want his essence floating inside the other two.
"Um, you might want to hold onto something," Gary advised as he initiated the launch sequence. "The stabilizers are a bit theoretical at this point."
“Where are the straps?” Solar demanded.
“Also theoretical,” Gary said.
Solar positioned himself to brace Dani against the inevitable turbulence, his arm encircling her protectively as the pod's engines whined to life. She trembled, and he felt the shift in her energy as it flowed into him. In return, he tried to give her his calm. It worked. Her shaking subsided.
Through the small viewport, he watched as the jeep sped away, vanishing into the darkness of the canyon. The helicopters were visible now, their searchlights sweeping the terrain as they approached.
The pod lurched upward, then sideways, then into a spin that caused warning lights to flash across the control panel. Gary and Bob shouted technical jargon at each other that Solar strongly suspected they didn't actually understand.
"Compensating for rotational torque," Gary called out.
"That's not what rotational torque means," Bob shouted back.
"Well, whatever it is, I'm compensating for it!"
Dani closed her eyes tightly and gripped him. Her breathing became labored. The frantic beat of her heart drummed in his ears.
The pod stabilized momentarily before dipping toward the ground, then shooting upward so rapidly that Solar had to brace himself and Dani against the ceiling.
"Sorry," Gary called cheerfully. "Still getting used to the Earth’s atmosphere. Very thick."
"Is it too late to go back to the Milano agents?" Dani muttered against Solar's chest. She pressed her hand against her mouth and closed her eyes tightly.
Despite the dangerous absurdity of their situation, Solar felt his energy responding to her proximity.
Her nearness made him feel braver. She remained pressed against him during their chaotic ascent.
Something had changed between them in the short time they'd known each other. It was profound and unexpected.
When the time came, he didn’t think he’d be able to let her go.
The pod finally achieved a somewhat stable flight path, climbing above the canyon walls and accelerating eastward. Below them, the helicopter searchlights converged on their launch point, finding nothing but disturbed dust and tire tracks leading in the opposite direction.
"See? Flawless escape!" Gary declared, as a panel beside him sparked and fell off entirely. "Now, who's hungry? I've packed Earth snacks. Very authentic. We have cheese dust cylinders and sugar discs."
Dani looked up at Solar, her expression caught between disbelief and reluctant amusement. "Are we sure this is better than the cave full of Milano agents?"
"That remains to be determined," Solar replied honestly. "But I find I prefer facing either threat with you by my side."
Her smile in response was like a sunrise after the darkness of the cave. Whatever dangers awaited them, whatever absurdities they would endure with Bob and Gary as their pilots, Solar knew with a certainty that transcended strategic analysis that he was precisely where he needed to be.
Dani's eyes turned to the viewing screen as they watched the ground disappearing below. He felt her soft breath against his skin as she whispered, "Fuck me. I'm in outer space."