Page 55 of Eclipse Bound
As they approached the mesa, Eclipse detected a familiar energy signature, faint but recognizable, emanating from a small structure nestled against the rock face.
"I see them... Lunar..."
"What? Lunar?" Rowan strained to see where he indicated.
Eclipse adjusted their course, heading for the rough cabin barely visible against the red rocks. As they drew closer, a figure emerged from the shadows. He recognized the unmistakable darkness-absorbing form of Lunar.
With a final surge of strength, Eclipse carried them the remaining distance, his twilight field collapsing as they reached the cabin's perimeter. They tumbled to the ground, Eclipse's essence barely maintaining humanoid shape as Rowan rolled free.
"Eclipse!" She scrambled to his side, her hands passing through his unstable form.
Lunar moved swiftly to them, his shadow essence reaching out to Eclipse's flickering twilight energy.
"He is severely depleted," Lunar observed, his normally detached tone carrying an edge of concern.
"Help him," Rowan pleaded, looking up as the helicopter searchlights swept closer.
"Inside," Lunar ordered, his shadow-form expanding to help gather Eclipse's dissipating essence. "The structure is shielded."
Together, they brought Eclipse into the small cabin where Poppy waited.
"What happened to him?" Poppy demanded, securing the door behind them.
"Milano," Rowan answered. "They had him in some kind of energy containment. He broke free but used everything he had to get us here."
Eclipse tried to focus and re-form his essence into something more substantial, but the effort sent waves of agony through his remaining consciousness. He was aware of Lunar's shadow energy supporting his own, providing a stable framework around which his twilight essence could gather.
"His cohesion is failing," Lunar stated. "He requires energy replenishment."
Eclipse felt himself being moved to a low cot in the corner of the cabin. Through fragmenting awareness, he registered Poppy drawing heavy curtains over the windows, plunging the room into near-darkness save for a single lamp with a purple scarf draped over it.
The diffused light created a twilight-like atmosphere, not the same as his home zone, but reminiscent enough that Eclipse felt his essence responding. Lunar continued to provide shadow support, his own energy carefully regulated to avoid overwhelming Eclipse's weakened state.
Rowan knelt beside Eclipse. "What are we going to do?
"After you left, Galaxy Brides contacted Lunar again," Poppy explained. "They said they would pick us up for an emergency extraction. Soon."
Eclipse struggled to process what was happening. His fragmented consciousness recalled something vital he'd overheard during his captivity at Milano.
"Communication... intercepted..."
He tried to form the words, to warn them, but his essence scattered with the effort. Rowan reached for him, her hand passing through his form before finding a more solid region near what would be his core.
"He's trying to tell us something," she said, her connection with him still active enough to sense his distress. "Something about communications."
Eclipse gathered what remained of his strength, focusing on the memory of what he'd heard during brief moments of clarity at the Milano facility.
"Milano intercepted... Galaxy Brides signal..."
The words formed weakly in their shared consciousness, but Rowan understood.
"Milano intercepted Galaxy Brides' communications," she translated for the others. "They know about the extraction point."
Lunar darkened, absorbing more light from the room. "That must be why Gary changed their fourteen-day plan."
"We were supposed to have more time," Poppy whispered.
"When we were training for Earth on the ship, Galaxy Brides mentioned a possible emergency protocol if Earth threats discovered our location." Lunar's shadow essence shifted uncomfortably. "They deliberately kept details vague in case one of us was compromised."
