Page 42 of Eclipse Bound
They emerged into another chamber where the ceiling rose high above them, disappearing into darkness. Shafts of sunlight penetrated through cracks in the rock, creating spotlights on the cave floor.
"We're getting closer to the surface," Rowan said, hope kindling in her chest.
A flash of movement in the shadows made her freeze. Solar immediately dimmed his light, but it was too late.
"Don’t move," a voice ordered.
They'd been found.
Chapter
Eleven
Eclipse flowed backward through the narrow tunnel, his twilight essence compressing into the confined space as he moved away from Rowan and Solar. Every instinct urged him to stay with her, to protect her directly, but logic dictated otherwise. If Milano captured all of them, there would be no hope.
One of them had to create a diversion.
The energy weapons Milano wielded were unlike anything Eclipse expected to encounter on Earth. They were clearly derived from non-terrestrial technology. The blue pulses disturbed his twilight field in ways that suggested precise calibration for energy-based lifeforms.
They knew exactly what they were hunting.
Eclipse reached the wider section of the tunnel where the underground stream cut across the path. Shouts and flashlight beams reflected off the water. Milano operatives waded upstream, all six of them equipped with the specialized weapons and what appeared to be scanning devices.
Eclipse expanded his twilight form to fill the chamber, becoming a diffuse purple-blue mist that clung to the ceiling and walls. The first operative emerged into the chamber, his scanner emitting an urgent beeping as it detected Eclipse's energy signature.
"Contact!" the man shouted, raising his weapon toward the ceiling.
Eclipse surged forward, enveloping the operative in twilight energy. The man fired wildly, the blue pulse dissipating harmlessly into Eclipse's diffuse form. Eclipse concentrated his energy around the man's weapon, disrupting its power source. The device overloaded with a crackle of electricity, forcing the operative to drop it with a yelp of pain.
"Williams is down! Target is—" Another operative's shout cut off as Eclipse swept through the chamber, creating a disorienting whirlwind of twilight energy. The man grabbed his head, screaming in pain.
Eclipse had never used his abilities as weapons before. On Zorveya, he was a diplomat, a mediator, the twilight between extremes. But here, with Rowan's safety at stake, he found himself drawing on aspects of his nature he'd rarely explored.
The Milano team regrouped, forming a defensive circle. Their leader barked commands into a communication device, "Target Twilight is engaged. Proceed with containment protocol Echo."
Two operatives fired simultaneously, their energy pulses converging on Eclipse's most concentrated area. Pain lanced through his twilight form as the pulses disrupted his energy pattern. Eclipse recoiled, flowing along the ceiling to regroup.
The weapons hurt. That was unexpected and concerning.
"Adjusting to frequency pattern Alpha," one operative announced, turning a dial on his weapon. "Fire on my mark."
Eclipse didn't wait for them to coordinate. He dropped from the ceiling directly onto the leader, condensing his twilight form around the man's head and shoulders. The operative stumbled backward, clawing at the twilight energy that obscured his vision and filtered his oxygen.
"Can't... breathe!" the man gasped.
Eclipse felt a moment of remorse. He had no wish to harm these humans, but Rowan's face flashed in his mind. They hunted her. These people would capture her, experiment on her, just for having been in contact with him. He couldn't allow that.
"Jones is compromised! Switch to pattern Beta!" Another operative adjusted his weapon.
Eclipse released the leader, who collapsed gasping to his knees, and surged toward the new threat. As he moved, a blue pulse caught the edge of his form, sending a shock of disruption through his energy field. Eclipse faltered, his twilight essence momentarily destabilizing.
The Milano operatives pressed their advantage, firing in a coordinated pattern that herded Eclipse against the chamber wall. Each pulse further disrupted his ability to maintain cohesion.
Eclipse needed a new strategy. Changing tactics, he condensed into a more humanoid form and dropped into the underground stream. The cold water interfered with his energy signature, just as it had with Solar's. It was uncomfortable, but it also disrupted the scanners' ability to get a clean lock on him.
"Lost the signal! Spread out!"
Eclipse moved downstream, away from the direction Rowan and Solar had gone. His plan was working, drawing the Milano team away from his companions. But he needed to do more than just distract them temporarily.
