Page 22 of Eclipse Bound (Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides #7)

Chapter Thirteen

Consciousness returned to Eclipse in fragments.

They were disconnected sensations and impressions rather than coherent thoughts.

First came awareness of containment, a sense of being compressed into a space too small for his natural form.

Then, pain radiated through what remained of his energy field.

Finally, he was conscious of his surroundings, although still without visual perception.

He attempted to expand his twilight essence to reestablish his form, but encountered resistance. There was a pulsing barrier of energy that pushed back against his efforts, maintaining his compression.

An energy-dampening field. Sophisticated. Far beyond what Earth technology should be capable of generating.

What was this trip Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides had taken them on?

Eclipse focused inward, assessing his condition. Milano's weapons had severely fragmented his essence, and portions of his energy pattern were disrupted. What remained felt depleted, barely sufficient to maintain consciousness, let alone attempt escape.

How long had he been contained? Without access to external stimuli, time was impossible to measure.

Rowan. Had she escaped? Was she safe?

The thought of her galvanized what remained of his strength. Eclipse pushed against the containment field again, searching for any weakness, any fluctuation he might exploit. The barrier flared in response, sending waves of disruption through his essence that forced him to retreat.

A mechanical sound penetrated his awareness, followed by a door opening and footsteps approaching.

"Containment field holding at eighty-seven percent capacity," a clinical voice stated. "Subject shows increased activity when probed but remains securely confined."

"Remarkable," another voice responded, this one familiar. James Petersen. "The energy signature is unlike anything we've recorded before. Neither purely light-based like Subject Solar nor shadow-based like the unidentified third entity."

"Twilight," a third voice corrected, deeper and more authoritative than the others. "We're designating this one Eclipse. That was the name we heard used by the woman. The readings suggest it exists in a state between energy and matter, a form of twilight manifestation."

Eclipse struggled to gather his scattered essence, trying desperately to form something resembling eyes. The effort was agony, but he managed to create just enough awareness to make out three blurry human shapes standing in front of the glowing cylinder that imprisoned him. His prison. His cage.

"Can it understand us?" the authoritative voice asked.

"Unknown," Petersen replied. "But the energy pattern shows responsiveness to auditory stimuli. There's intelligence there, certainly."

The authoritative figure stepped closer to the containment field. Eclipse could see him more clearly. He was an older human male with silver hair and a bearing that suggested command.

"I am Director Malcolm Vega of Milano Enterprises Special Projects Division," he stated, addressing Eclipse directly. "We know what you are. We know there are more of you. If you cooperate, your treatment will improve."

Eclipse remained silent, conserving his strength. Even if he could form words, revealing his communication abilities would provide them with valuable information.

"Still playing inert?" Vega smiled thinly. "No matter. The energy dampeners will keep you contained while we analyze your composition. Your companions will join you soon enough."

Companions. They hadn't captured the others yet. Relief surged through him, causing a momentary flare in his energy pattern that registered on the monitors surrounding his containment unit.

"Interesting response," the technician noted. "Elevated energy output when companions are mentioned."

"Make a note," Vega ordered. "We'll exploit that emotional connection later if necessary."

Vega turned to leave, then paused. "Increase the containment field to ninety-five percent capacity. I don't want any surprises from this one. The last alien who thought it could outsmart us provided valuable technology, but the cost was substantial."

The technician adjusted controls on a panel, and Eclipse felt the compression intensify. His consciousness began to fragment again under the increased pressure.

"Sir," Petersen hesitated, "what about the human woman? She was clearly involved with these entities."

"Find her," Vega replied. "She might be useful in securing cooperation from our guest here.

But our priority is to contain the other two energy beings.

Especially the solar one. His power signature could revolutionize our energy technology.

Think of the money we'd save if we hooked him up to a power grid. "

The three men exited the laboratory, leaving Eclipse alone in his cylindrical prison.

As the door sealed shut, the lights dimmed to a low blue glow that pulsed in rhythm with the containment field.

Eclipse allowed what remained of his consciousness to drift, conserving strength while assessing his condition.

His twilight essence was severely compromised.

The weapons Milano deployed had been specifically calibrated to disrupt energy-based lifeforms, fragmenting his cohesion at the quantum level.

In his home zone on Zorveya, surrounded by the natural twilight energies, recovery would have been swift.

Here, trapped in this dampening field, regeneration was painfully slow.

Time passed. Eclipse had no way to measure it precisely. The laboratory remained empty for the most part, although technicians entered to adjust settings and take readings. They never spoke directly to him, discussing him as if he were merely an interesting specimen.

"Subject maintains a cohesive field despite fragmentation," one noted. "Remarkable resilience compared to the Bevlonian we processed last year."

"Different energy pattern entirely," another replied. "The twilight signature shows properties of both absorption and emission. Neither fully light nor shadow."

Bevlonian. The word registered in Eclipse's fragmented consciousness. A species from the Omega quadrant, notorious for their aggressive territorial expansion. Had Milano encountered them before? Had they captured one?

This confirmed what Eclipse had suspected. Milano had prior experience with extraterrestrial beings. Their technology was too advanced, too specifically tailored to be the result of theoretical research alone.

Eclipse forced himself to remain passive, to reveal nothing of his intelligence or comprehension. Every piece of information they gleaned from him would be weaponized against Solar and Lunar. Against Rowan.

Rowan. Her name rippled through his essence, creating a momentary surge that registered on the monitoring equipment. A technician made note of it, but thankfully didn't seem to understand the cause.

Eclipse retreated deeper into himself, focusing on the connection he had formed with her. Their resonance had been unprecedented, a harmonic convergence that transcended normal energy interactions. If any trace of that connection remained, perhaps he could use it.

The pain of containment faded as Eclipse concentrated on the memory of Rowan's energy signature, the unique rhythm of her human bioelectrical field.

He had never attempted to form a connection across distance before.

On Zorveya, such abilities were theoretical at best, the subject of ancient legends rather than scientific study.

But desperate circumstances required desperate measures.

Eclipse gathered what remained of his fragmented essence, concentrating it into a focused pulse attuned to the specific frequency of Rowan's energy pattern. The effort was agonizing, like tearing apart what little cohesion he had managed to maintain.

The containment field flared in response, tightening around him. Alarms blared. The door burst open as technicians rushed in.

"Containment surge. Energy spike in Subject Eclipse!"

"Increase damping field to maximum!"

The pressure intensified unbearably, but Eclipse had already released his pulse. A microscopic fragment of his twilight essence, encoded with his consciousness, projected outward through the quantum field. Whether it would reach Rowan, whether she could even receive it, he couldn't know.

The effort had cost him dearly. Eclipse's consciousness began to dissolve under the increased pressure of the containment field. His form collapsed inward, no longer able to maintain even the barest semblance of structure.

The last thing he registered before perception failed entirely was a technician's voice, "Subject showing critical destabilization. Alert Director Vega immediately."

Darkness claimed him, deeper than any he had known before.

Eclipse drifted in a void, neither conscious nor unconscious. Time had no meaning. His essence existed in a state of suspended animation, prevented from dissolution by the containment field yet unable to regenerate.

Occasionally, awareness would flicker briefly, snippets of conversation, the sensation of being moved, sharp bursts of pain as his energy was sampled and analyzed. But these moments were disconnected, impossible to organize into a coherent timeline.

"...molecular resonance suggests an entirely different evolutionary path..."

"...energy conversion efficiency exceeding ninety-seven percent..."

"...subject remains unresponsive to stimuli..."

"...prepare for phase two testing..."

In these brief moments of semi-consciousness, Eclipse focused on a single thought, a name that anchored what remained of his identity. Rowan.

Rowan.

Rowan.

Had she escaped the caves? Had his sacrifice been worthwhile? Were Solar and Lunar still free? These questions circled endlessly without answers.

During a brief period of increased lucidity, Eclipse became aware that he was no longer in the same laboratory. The energy signature of the containment field had changed, becoming more sophisticated. The space around him felt larger, designed for more extensive testing.

"Director Vega, the subject has been successfully transferred to the primary research facility," a voice reported. "Initial molecular mapping is complete."

"Excellent." Vega's voice was unmistakable. "And the progress on locating the others?"

"Still negative, sir. The desert terrain makes tracking difficult, especially with their ability to mask energy signatures. But we've established checkpoints on all major roads leaving Duskrock."

"Unacceptable. I want the search parameters expanded. Bring in the orbital scanner if necessary."

"Sir, that would require authorization from?—"

"I'll handle the authorization. Those entities represent the most significant scientific discovery since our first contact event. I will not lose them due to bureaucratic timidity."

The voices faded as Eclipse's awareness dimmed again. But a new thought had formed. They hadn't found the others yet. His sacrifice had bought them time. Perhaps they had reached safety. Maybe they had even gone home.

Home.

Rowan.

More time passed in the void. Eclipse felt his twilight essence slowly begin to regenerate, as the natural processes of his physiology adapted to work within the constraints of the containment field.

It wasn't enough to escape, not nearly enough to challenge the sophisticated technology surrounding him, but it was something.

With this minimal regeneration came greater awareness of his surroundings.

Eclipse could now perceive that he was contained within a specialized chamber filled with various analytical devices.

He was not the only specimen. Other containment fields housed objects of alien origin, though none appeared to contain living entities.

During one testing session, Eclipse heard something that triggered a surge of fear.

"Sir, we've detected an unusual energy fluctuation in the desert sector, approximately twenty miles northwest of the original contact site."

"Show me," Vega demanded.

A holographic display flickered to life, showing a topographical map with a pulsing indicator.

"It's faint, sir. Intermittent. But the signature bears similarities to our captured subject."

"Twilight energy?" Vega leaned closer to the display.

"Not exactly. It's like an echo, or a resonance pattern. Almost as if something is responding to our subject here. I think they may be talking to each other."

Eclipse felt a jolt of recognition. His energy stone. It had to be. If Rowan had it, if she was trying to use it... That meant she got his message.

"Deploy a reconnaissance team immediately," Vega ordered. "Minimal personnel, maximum stealth. I want confirmation before we commit resources."

"Yes, sir. And the subject?"

Vega turned toward Eclipse's containment field. Though Eclipse couldn't see his expression clearly, he sensed the human's assessment.

"Prepare it for transport to Sector 7. If this is what I think it is, we may need our guest as leverage."

Eclipse forced himself to remain passive, to show no reaction that might register on their instruments. Inside, however, his essence surged with renewed purpose. If Milano was detecting his energy stone, it meant Rowan not only had it but was attempting to use it. Perhaps even trying to find him.

It had to be her. Solar and Lunar would never try to find him that way.

For the first time since his capture, Eclipse allowed himself to experience something dangerous: hope.

But also, still fear.

Rowan could be in danger.

As technicians prepared to move his containment unit, Eclipse focused all his awareness on gathering his strength. Milano believed him to be incapacitated, barely conscious. Let them maintain that belief. Let them underestimate what remained of his abilities.

They had studied his energy patterns, but they didn't understand what motivated them. They didn't comprehend the power of the connection he shared with Rowan, a quantum entanglement that transcended physical distance.

Eclipse retreated into the deepest part of his consciousness, to where the essence of his true self remained uncompromised. There, he nurtured a small, hidden spark, a reservoir of twilight energy shielded from Milano's detection.

Rowan was out there. She was searching for him. And when the moment came, he would be ready.

The containment field hummed as it was prepared for transport. Eclipse allowed himself to drift again, conserving strength for whatever came next. His last coherent thought before returning to the void was simple but profound.

Rowan. I am here, waiting in the twilight between worlds.