Page 30 of Solar Bound
Dani reacted instantly, driving her elbow back hard. There was a satisfying grunt of pain as her attacker loosened their grip. She spun, dropping into a fighting stance.
A man in a silver alien costume held up his hands, wincing. "Jesus, lady. Pete sent me!"
Dani stared at him, recognition dawning. "Tommy? From the fire safety demos?"
"Yeah." He rubbed his ribs where she'd struck him. "Pete sent me to find you. Said you might need extraction."
Dani glanced back at the chaos surrounding the Desert Suite. Milano operatives were organizing into search teams, some heading toward the trail Solar and the others had taken.
"I need to follow them," she said, pointing to the ridge.
Tommy shook his head. "Bad idea. Those guys have the trail covered. Pete says to come with us. We've got a plan."
"What kind of plan?"
Tommy grinned and pulled something from his backpack He held up an alien costume complete with a large-headed mask. "Hiding in plain sight."
Five minutes later, Dani danced along with Pete's alien flash mob, her face concealed behind a rubber mask, her body draped in a silver jumpsuit. The costume was hot and smelled like someone else's sweat, but it worked. Milano operatives glared at them but were too busy organizing their pursuit to detain random cosplayers.
Pete sidled up next to her, his alien mask pushed up to reveal his bearded face. "Rowan called in the cavalry," he explained proudly. "Code Green. Been waiting years for this moment."
"Have you seen them?" Dani asked urgently.
"I got reports they went into the caves," Pete replied. "Smart move. Those tunnels branch for miles. Milano's guys will be lost for days without local guides."
A thunderous boom echoed from the direction of the ridge, and everyone turned to look. A plume of dust rose from an opening in the rock face.
"What the hell was that?" Dani gasped.
"Nothing good," Pete replied grimly. "Those caves are unstable if you don’t know what you’re doing."
Dani's stomach twisted. Solar was powerful, but she doubted that cave-ins discriminated between humans and aliens. "I need to get up there."
"No can do, little missy," Pete said, gripping her arm firmly. "Milano's got the trails locked down tight. But I have a better idea. Come on."
He led her through the crowd toward the retreat's parking lot, where his ancient VW van waited, painted with cosmic scenes and crystal formations. The side panel bore the logo of Pete's Crystal Emporium in psychedelic lettering.
“Pete, I got it!” A man painted green from head to toe and wearing a pink tutu rushed forward carrying a knapsack. “I grabbed everything I could find.”
“Good work, Marvin!” Pete praised, opening the side door of his van.
Dani hesitated.
"Get in," Pete instructed. "We're going around to the other side of the canyon. There's another cave entrance there. If your friends know what they're doing, that's where they'll come out."
Dani climbed in. She had no choice but to trust them, which was not exactly her strong suit.
The interior smelled of incense and marijuana. Crystals dangled from the rearview mirror. A few of Pete's fellow enthusiasts piled in behind her, still in their alien costumes. Others remained outside, their flash mob having turned into an impromptu party. They were joined by several retreat guests still wearing their yoga gear.
"Full disclosure," Pete said as he started the engine. "I've been waiting my whole life to help real aliens escape government persecution. This is basically my Super Bowl."
Under different circumstances, Dani might have laughed. Instead, she stared out the window as the van pulled away, watching Milano reinforcements arrive at the retreat. Solar was out there somewhere, possibly injured, definitely hunted.
"Faster," she urged Pete. "Please."
The van rumbled along the main road before turning onto a dirt track that wound around the canyon's perimeter.
“Marv, what’d you get?” Pete asked.
