Page 25 of Lunar Bound
When they reached the ridge, Poppy crouched behind a large juniper and checked her communication device. "Two bars. Not great, but it should work. Who do we call first?
"Eclipse," Lunar decided. "He will coordinate with Solar."
Poppy nodded and initiated the call. After several seconds, she shook her head. "Dammit. It's not going through."
From their elevated position, Lunar could see the expanse of the canyon below. In the distance, a familiar energy caught his attention.
"There," he pointed. "Energy discharges consistent with Solar's signature. He's there."
Poppy pulled out binoculars and adjusted her position to see better. "That's the retreat."
"Perhaps I should go to him," Lunar stated. "You should find somewhere safe to hide until this is over."
"Until what is over? Your Earth visit?" Poppy frowned and shook her head. "I'm not leaving you. We should move to lower ground before sunset. There's a hidden ravine about half a mile from here where we can wait for full darkness. The reception might be better there."
Lunar nodded.
He followed her for several minutes in silence. His mind calculated approach routes and tactical options. If Milano had deployed specialized countermeasures for Zorveyan energy signatures, direct confrontation would be ineffective. They needed an alternative strategy.
If anything happened to her, he would not survive it.
Suddenly, she stopped and leaned over. "We're going to need to find water before?—"
A ringing noise interrupted her, and she straightened in surprise. Poppy grabbed her communication device and looked at it.
"It's Dani."
"Solar's fire tamer?"
Instead of answering him, she answered the call. "Dani? Is that you? Can you hear me?"
She paused speaking and frowned.
"We've got trouble. Some guys in Milano Enterprise SUVs found my place this morning. They've been hunting us. We're hiding in the canyon caves." Another pause. "Yes, he's with me. We're both fine."
She listened for a moment longer.
"We're about a mile past the big ridge," she said before relaying a condensed version of what happened to them.
She looked around before coming closer to him.
"Hold on. I'll put you on speaker." Poppy pushed a button. "Lunar is with me."
Lunar eyed the primitive communication tool.
"Eclipse and Solar?" Lunar asked.
"Safe. Here," Dani said. "Galaxy Brides has made contact with Solar. They're going to send coordinates where you can meet them."
"Extraction?" Lunar asked.
"Yes. In forty-eight hours," Dani confirmed.
"So soon?" Poppy stared at him, but he didn't know what she was trying to tell him with the look.
"Inform Eclipse that this Milano group has advanced tracking technology," Lunar said. "Their search protocols suggest military training and specialized equipment for detecting non-Earth energy signatures."
"That's what we were thinking," Dani agreed. "James Petersen, a Milano representative, approached Rowan and Eclipse last night. He referenced satellite data and electromagnetic anomalies from your arrival. Can you return to the retreat safely?"
