Page 37 of Solar Bound
"Not exactly," she admitted. "I've hiked these canyons, but I've never gone deep into the cave system. I'm following the water and hoping it leads out."
Hope. Not the most strategic approach, but their options were limited. Solar expanded his senses, searching for any energy signature that might indicate an exit. Sunlight, fresh air currents, even the subtle electromagnetic fields of the outside world, anything to guide them.
"This way," he indicated a passage where a faint breeze could be detected. "Air flow suggests an opening."
They followed the new path, which gradually began to slope upward. Solar's energy reserves were depleting without direct solar radiation to replenish them. The constant suppression of his natural emissions taxed him further. Soon, he would be forced to either release his energy, potentially alerting Milano to their location, or risk losing his physical cohesion entirely.
Another explosion shook the cave, this one closer and more violent. The passage behind them collapsed in a cloud of dust and falling rock.
"Move!" Solar shouted, pushing Rowan forward as the ceiling began to give way.
They sprinted through the tunnel, rocks crashing down mere inches behind them. Solar's natural instinct was to burn through the obstruction, but doing so might trigger further collapse. Instead, he focused his remaining energy on speed, practically carrying Rowan as they fled.
They burst into a larger chamber just as the passage sealed itself with rubble. Dust filled the air, causing Rowan to cough violently. Solar created a small energy field around them, filtering the particulates from the air she breathed.
"Thanks," she gasped, leaning against him for support. "But you're getting brighter again."
Solar looked down to see his skin pulsing with golden light, his control slipping as his reserves diminished. "I require solar radiation soon."
"We'll find a way out," Rowan promised, though her expression betrayed doubt.
The chamber they had entered was vast, with a high ceiling that disappeared into darkness. The sound of running water echoed from somewhere ahead. As their eyes adjusted, they could make out strange formations rising from the floor and descending from above. Stalagmites and stalactites, Solar recalled from the Earth educational data packet.
"This is the heart of the system," Rowan whispered, her voice filled with awe despite their predicament. "The Central Chamber."
"You recognize this location?" Solar asked.
"From descriptions. Local guides talk about it. If we're where I think we are, there's a skylight somewhere above us. A natural opening in the ceiling."
Solar immediately looked up, scanning the darkness overhead. If there was an opening, even a small one...
There. A faint, almost imperceptible difference in the quality of darkness above. Without warning, Solar released a controlled pulse of energy, sending a sphere of golden light shooting upward.
The sphere illuminated the chamber in a brief, brilliant flash before striking the ceiling. In that moment of light, they saw the full magnificence of the cave, massive columns of stone, glittering crystal formations, and, crucially, a small circular opening near the highest point of the ceiling.
"There," Solar pointed as darkness returned. "Approximately thirty meters up."
"We can't climb that," Rowan said, her voice tinged with despair. "The walls are too smooth."
Solar assessed their options. His energy was depleting rapidly, but if he could reach that opening, even briefly expose himself to direct sunlight, he could recharge enough to help them both escape.
"I can reach it," he said, his decision made.
"How?" Rowan asked.
Instead of answering, Solar released the restraints on his energy. Golden light exploded outward, illuminating the chamber in a brilliant glow. His physical form began to shift, becoming less solid, more radiant.
"What are you doing?" Rowan shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness.
"Emergency protocol," Solar explained, his voice taking on a resonant quality as his energy expanded. "Temporary conversion to pure energy state. It will allow me to reach the opening."
"And then what?"
"I recharge, return, and we both escape." The plan was logical, though not without risk. In his energy state, he would be vulnerable to Milano's dampening technology if they were nearby. But the alternative was eventual energy depletion and inability to maintain physical form at all.
"Hurry," Rowan urged. "Milano could find us any minute."
Solar nodded, then surrendered to his true nature. His humanoid form dissolved into a column of golden light that shot upward toward the ceiling opening. The sensation was both freedom from physical constraints and, conversely, exposure to detection.
