Page 52 of Eclipse Bound
This was her window.
Rowan crept closer, using a drainage ditch that ran near the fence line for cover. When she was within fifty yards of the entrance, she removed her backpack and left it hidden behind a rock. She would move faster without it, and if everything went wrong, it would be waiting for her escape… assuming she made it that far.
She kept only the stone, which still pulsed with Eclipse's presence, and a small multi-tool from Poppy's kit. Not much of a weapon, but better than nothing.
Twenty yards from the fence, Rowan froze as a patrol vehicle rounded the corner of the building. She pressed herself flat against the earth, hardly daring to breathe as the vehicle passed slowly along the perimeter. Once it disappeared around the far side, she continued her approach.
The fence was her first real obstacle, with ten feet of chain link topped with razor wire. But Eclipse had shown her something else, a place where the earth had eroded beneath the fence, creating a gap just barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through.
Rowan found it exactly where he'd indicated, partially concealed by a clump of desert brush. She lay flat and began to wriggle beneath the fence, ignoring the sharp stones that dug into her skin and the metal links that snagged her clothing.
Halfway through, she caught the back of her shirt on the fence. The slight noise made the guard glance up from his phone. Rowan froze.
After what felt like an eternity, the guard returned his attention to his screen. Rowan carefully disentangled herself and finished squeezing through the gap.
Now inside the perimeter, she stayed low, using the scattered maintenance equipment for cover as she approached the building. The service door was just several feet away, requiring a key card she didn't have.
The stone pulsed against her skin, three rapid beats followed by a pause, then three more. Rowan understood. She needed to wait.
Three minutes later, a maintenance worker emerged, a cigarette already between his lips. He propped the door open with a small rock and moved a few paces away to light up, his back to the entrance.
Rowan didn't hesitate. She darted forward, keeping the worker between herself and the guard, and slipped through the open door. She was in.
The corridor beyond was dimly lit and utilitarian, lined with pipes and electrical conduits. Rowan pressed herself against the wall, listening for any sign she'd been detected. The stone grew warmer against her skin, pulsing in a different pattern like a kind of directional guidance.
"Left," she whispered, interpreting its signals. "Then right at the junction."
She followed the stone's guidance through a maze of service corridors, occasionally ducking into doorways or maintenance closets when footsteps approached. The facility was larger than it had appeared from outside, much of it extending deep into the mesa itself.
The pulse of the stone grew stronger, more insistent as she descended a metal staircase to a lower level. The air here was cooler, with the distinct hum of advanced equipment. Signs on the walls warned of restricted areas and security protocols.
Rowan rounded a corner and nearly collided with a woman in a lab coat. Both froze in surprise.
"You're not authorized to be here," the scientist said, reaching for an ID badge that presumably contained an alarm.
Rowan reacted on instinct. "Actually, I am," she said with all the confidence she could muster. "Director Vega sent me to check on the twilight subject. There's been an energy fluctuation."
The scientist's hand hesitated. "I wasn't informed?—"
"It just happened," Rowan interrupted. "He's waiting for my report. You can call him if you want, but you know how he gets when he's kept waiting."
It was a gamble, but one based on the fragments of information she'd gleaned from Eclipse's communications. The scientist's expression shifted from suspicion to uncertainty.
"Fine," she said finally. "But you'll need to sign in at the security station."
"Already did," Rowan lied smoothly. "Look, just point me to Containment Lab 7, and I'll get out of your hair."
The scientist's eyes narrowed. "Lab 7?"
Rowan's heart sank. Wrong guess. But before she could backpedal, the stone against her chest grew searingly hot, and words seemed to form in her mind, Eclipse's voice clearer than she'd ever heard it.
"Sector 7. Not Lab 7. Authorization code 25-Twilight-9."
"Sorry, long day. Sector 7," Rowan corrected. "Authorization code 25-Twilight-9."
The scientist relaxed slightly. "Through those doors, then take the elevator to sublevel three. You'll need your access card."
"Got it right here," Rowan patted her pocket. "Thanks."
