Vol. I, Part 3: Chapter 28

  Skarmory’s talons skidded against the rough stone floor as it touched down on the ledge, followed closely by the other bird Pokémon. They all managed to make their way safely through the opening, Skyla flying in right behind them. The harsh artificial glare of the Sunny Day flickered and died, plunging the cavern below them into darkness.

  Riolu hopped nimbly from Skarmory’s metal back. Nate attempted to swing his leg over, but his side seized up, riddled with sharp agony. He winced, slumping against the steel armor of the bird’s neck to support his weight. Hugh slid off, grabbing Nate’s arm to steady him.

  “Easy, buddy. Take it slow,” Hugh murmured, guiding Nate toward the stone floor.

  Nate sat on the ground with a grunt, bracing himself on trembling arms. He wanted nothing more than to collapse completely. The adrenaline was fading, bringing the memory of the Ferrothorn’s Power Whip into focus. He had darted out of the way just in time, but the maneuver had cost him, aggravating his injury.

  Mandibuzz touched down with a flap of wings and Rosa vaulted off, sprinting toward Hugh and Nate.

  “Nate!” She slid to her knees beside him as her eyes frantically scanned him.

  “Rosa! You’re okay!” An overwhelming wave of relief washed over him. She was safe. The last image he had of her was Gabby swooping in to rescue her from the Ferrothorn.

  Rosa dismissed him. “Never mind me. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Nate gritted out, squeezing his eyes shut as a wave of nausea rolled through him. “Just… winded.”

  He tried to push himself up, but a lance of pain shot up his ribs, leaving him gasping and grounded.

  “Hey, relax, man. I said take it easy,” Hugh warned, hovering his hands over Nate to keep him down.

  “Lay down, it’s okay.” Rosa gently guided his head back onto the hard cavern floor.

  Nate stopped fighting and allowed her hands to guide him. She was gentle, her touch giving him comfort in the disorienting darkness.

  He lay there and exhaled raggedly, staring up at the low ceiling of the rocky outcropping they had escaped onto. Barely any magnetic stones were around to light the cavern. Rosa released her Blitzle, letting in a little light from the pulsing sparks along its mane.

  The whole team gathered around Nate. Riolu stayed close, settling beside Blitzle. Gabby stepped into the circle of light.

  “What happened?” she asked abruptly.

  “Nothing happened,” Hugh replied. “His injury from the Aggron attack is flaring up.”

  Nate tried to take a deep breath, but an immediate, sharp sting in his ribs cut him short. He winced, puffing the air out in short exhales.

  Gabby shifted her focus, looking toward the dark tunnel ahead. “We need to get moving. Can you walk?”

  “Yeah, I can.”

  Nate started to leverage himself up again, but Rosa shot her hands out, pinning his shoulders to the ground. “No! Damn it, Nate! Stop pushing yourself!”

  Nate froze. He remained still, surrendering to her control.

  “He needs to take a break. Give him a few minutes. Please?” Rosa begged, looking between Gabby and Skyla.

  Gabby turned to Skyla, whose face was unmoved. Skyla just stared at Nate, expressionless, seemingly lost in thought.

  “Alright,” Gabby conceded. She didn’t press the issue. “We’ll go when you’re ready.”

  Guilt gnawed at Nate more than the pain. He hated holding the team back. His side was cramping, but he refused to be a burden.

  “I’m ready! I can—”

  “Nate!” Rosa glared at him. “You’re ready when I say you are.”

  Nate snapped his mouth shut. Somewhere in the shadows, he heard Hilda snicker. He met Rosa’s eyes, illuminated by the static electricity of Blitzle’s mane.

  “Okay. I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  Her expression softened. She directed Blitzle to kneel down, settling into a loaf right next to Nate, giving him more light.

  Skyla, who had been inspecting the edges of the rocky outcropping, finally broke her silence. “This pathway leads farther up the cave. The path spirals upward, cutting into the rock above the cavern we just left.”

  Gabby followed Skyla’s gaze into the winding path.

  “Castform, Sunny Day.”

  The team braced themselves and shielded their eyes.

  Castform floated upward as it summoned another artificial sun. The light flooded the plateau. The area was cramped and rocky, but a distinct path curved upward, disappearing into a tunnel that seemed to double back over the cavern they had just fled.

  “Do you think that leads to an exit?” Cheren asked.

  Skyla addressed the group, gesturing to the slope. “I think the path leads to the surface. The way it curves up... it was clearly by design.”

  Gabby’s eyes widened. “That would mean an exit to the outside!”

  Bianca let out a short gasp of hope. Hilda pulled her into a side-hug, grinning at the prospect of freedom.

  Skyla nodded, but her face remained solemn. She stared at the path, a shadow of trouble darkening her features.

  “We need to scout ahead. Figure out where the path leads,” she stated firmly.

  “Then I’ll go,” Gabby volunteered.

  “Not alone you’re not,” Skyla countered. “We’ll take a small group. Cheren, Hugh, and I will come along. The rest can stay with Nate while he recovers.”

  Hugh and Cheren traded looks and nodded in agreement. Gabby surveyed the team, assessing their state.

  “Very well,” Gabby agreed. “We’ll only see where the path leads. Stick together, no venturing out alone.”

  “Then let’s move out!” Skyla ordered.

  Hugh crouched by Nate, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Hang tight, buddy. We’re going to get you out. And for god’s sake, listen to Rosa.”

  Nate and Rosa shared a glance before Hugh stood up.

  The four departed into the upper tunnel, Castform floating in their wake. As they rounded the bend, the Sunny Day faded, plunging the remaining group back into darkness. Now, only the electric pulses from Blitzle’s mane offered any light.

  The shadows pressed in on them. Nate could barely make out the silhouettes of Hilda, Hilbert, and Bianca, though they were only a few feet away.

  “I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Rosa said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Nate felt the tension in his chest loosen. He took short, measured breaths, relaxing his muscles. “It’s alright. I won’t be stubborn anymore. Promise.”

  Rosa let out a sheepish laugh, scooting closer on her knees until she was hovering right beside him.

  Nate shuffled, but the movement triggered a spasm. He squeezed his eyes shut as pain arced up his torso, his hand instinctively flying to his side to guard the injury.

  “It’s okay.” Rosa reached out, covering his clutching hand with hers. They locked eyes from his lying down position.

  Nate felt the warmth of her palm seeping into his hand. She kept her hand on his for longer than a second. In the flickering electric light, it was hard to tell if the color on her cheeks was a blush or just a trick of the shadows, but Nate knew his own face was turning red.

  “You doing alright there, hotshot?” Hilda’s voice came through the darkness, severing the tender moment.

  Rosa snatched her hand back instantly. Hilda, Hilbert, and Bianca shuffled closer, tightening the circle around Nate. Hilda had seated herself directly behind his head, looking down at him. Nate turned his head upward to face Hilda. “My side is throbbing and it hurts like hell.”

  “Did you break your ribs or something?” Hilbert asked, peering over from the right. The Joltik clinging to his head stared down at Nate with all four eyes.

  “No, or at least I don’t think so,” Nate grunted. The pain was intense, but not enough to suggest broken bones.

  “Hugh said it was your injury from Aggron. But that was a week ago. Why is it starting to hurt now?” Bianca chimed in from near his feet.

  He craned his neck slightly to address her. “I guess because I’m stressing my body too much.”

  “How bad is the pain? Is it getting worse?” Rosa asked, her tone shifting to something more clinical.

  “Pretty bad, actually. Before it just occasionally bothered me, but right now, it’s consistent. And it hurts to breathe,” Nate admitted.

  “I’m worried you might have internal hemorrhaging. Or a punctured lung if breathing hurts.”

  “A punctured lung?” Bianca squeaked, covering her mouth with her hands.

  “He doesn’t have a punctured lung,” Hilbert said, though he leaned in closer to inspect Nate. “He’d be coughing up blood, right?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” Rosa said. She looked at Nate, her gaze unwavering. “I need to see it. Can you lift your shirt up?”

  Nate felt the heat return to his face. He was about to expose his torso, not just to Rosa, but to Bianca and Hilda as well. He swallowed his embarrassment and reached down to grip the hem of his shirt. His movements were stiff, and as he pulled, a spasm forced him to recoil.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, dropping his hands.

  “Hilbert, can you help him, please?” Rosa asked.

  Hilbert shifted to Nate’s left side. Hilda reached down and held Nate’s left arm out of the way, while Hilbert gently peeled up the fabric. Nate kept his eyes fixed on Hilda to avoid looking at the injury. Bianca gasped as the skin was exposed.

  “That looks… gnarly,” Hilda remarked, her eyes widening. “You’ve been hiding that for a week?”

  “It’s not as bad as it looks. You should’ve seen it the day after I got hit,” Nate replied.

  Hilda looked down at him, shaking her head with a mixture of worry and judgement. “You’re such a weirdo.”

  Rosa leaned in, squinting. “Blitzle, can you give me a little more light?”

  Blitzle gave a soft whine, and the static arcing across its mane flared brighter. The original bruise was fading, the skin discolored with shades of yellow and green. But the area directly over his lower ribs was tense and swollen. A deep violet bloom sat in the center of the discoloration, and the definition of his ribs was lost under a mound of inflamed tissue. Just above his hip, the muscle had seized into a rigid lump.

  “The muscle is splinting,” Rosa whispered, her eyes tracing the knot. She hovered her hand over the skin without touching it. “It’s radiating heat. The inflammation is likely covering a fracture. Your body is locking up the muscle to act as a natural cast for the bone. That’s why it’s so stiff.”

  “Can you wrap it?” Hilbert asked.

  “Wrapping it will only constrict his breathing,” Rosa explained, shaking her head.

  She slid her bag off her shoulder and retrieved a first-aid kit. She pulled out a white chemical cold pack, snapped it, and shook to activate the reaction. She placed it directly over the center of the bruise.

  “Hold that,” she ordered Hilbert.

  Nate shivered. He instinctively tried to lower his arm down, but Hilda fought back, holding his arm in place. The ice pack chilled his insides, giving slight alleviation to his muscles.

  While Hilbert held the cold pack against Nate's side, Rosa folded a stack of sterile gauze pads into a thick square. She placed the gauze between Nate's skin and the pack, then secured the whole assembly with strips of medical tape.

  Hilda released his arm, and Hilbert gently tugged his shirt back down, giving Nate a reassuring pat on the chest. Nate pressed the ice pack tighter against his side, grateful for the numbness.

  “Here,” she said, offering Nate two white pills and her water bottle. “Ibuprofen. It’ll help with the swelling.”

  Nate swallowed the pills with a gulp of water. “Thank you.”

  “You think you can stand?” Bianca asked.

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  Nate looked to Rosa. She gave him a small smile and a nod.

  Bianca offered her hand. He grabbed it, and with Rosa supporting his other side, he slowly leveraged himself up. His side still throbbed, but the ice distracted the nerves enough to make it bearable. He stood, swaying slightly before finding his footing.

  “Not so bad, is it?” Hilda asked. She dusted off his back, brushing away grit and pebbles.

  “I think I’m okay.”

  Rosa studied his posture, seemingly satisfied. “I have one more ice pack. Just let me know when that one warms up.”

  “You really know your stuff.”

  Their eyes met again, sharing the same awkward, tentative smile. That familiar, stupid knot returned to Nate’s stomach, competing with the pain in his ribs.

  They heard the echo of footsteps from the tunnel above.

  “I think the scouting party is back,” Hilbert called out.

  Skyla was the first to emerge from the darkness of the cave.

  “It’s a way out,” Skyla announced, her voice echoing slightly. “The path spirals up, connecting to a tunnel. It probably opens up onto the mountainside. We felt a breeze coming from above.”

  “Thank goodness,” Bianca exhaled.

  Gabby stepped forward and faced Nate. “Are you well enough to continue?”

  “I am.”

  “Excellent. We leave immediately. Everyone, gather your things. We are evacuating.”

  Hugh navigated the uneven ground over to Nate and offered a hand.

  Nate shook his head. “I’m alright, don’t worry about me.”

  Hugh smiled, lowering his hand. “When we get out of here, we have to take a look at that injury.”

  “Already ahead of you.” Nate lifted the hem of his shirt just enough for Hugh to see the ice pack taped securely to his side. “Rosa gave it to me,” he said, glancing down at the red bruising spreading across his skin.

  Hugh nodded in approval. “Glad she’s here to look out for you.”

  “Yeah. No kidding.”

  The team marched on up the pathway as it curled back around toward the ceiling. The path widened, which alleviated the claustrophobic feeling of the climb. Nate’s spirits were high. Between the adrenaline of battling dozens of Ferroseed and the memory of Rosa’s soft hand gently touching his, he felt he had endured enough for one day.

  Riolu walked close to Nate, his aura radiating a protective vigilance. His presence kept Nate comforted.

  Back inside the Ferroseed cave, Nate had been at his breaking point. He had collapsed trying to flee the Seismitoad. If it wasn’t for Rosa and Hugh, he would be dead. The reality shook his core. He needed his teammates. They were his lifeline, yet he had put their lives in jeopardy. It made him feel weak.

  He thought about the conversation he had with Rosa, the promise to visit Aspertia and see the stars. He fully intended to take her, and now that salvation was waiting at the end of a breezy tunnel, the wishful promise seemed more like an inevitable reality.

  “Straight ahead,” Cheren said, pointing toward a faint, pulsating glow.

  “The tunnel,” Skyla proclaimed.

  The path opened into a vast, cavernous tunnel. It was significantly brighter here, blue sparks dancing on the walls, similar to the entrance where they had first arrived.

  “I can feel it!” Hilda exclaimed, looking up. “The wind!”

  “Careful Joltik! Don’t get too excited,” Hilbert said, clutching the small Pokémon to his chest as the bug squirmed for freedom.

  The tunnel sloped upwards. Nate felt a breeze drifting down from the top of the incline. He wouldn’t have noticed it had he not been so desperate for the outside world. It was warmer than the stagnant air in the cavern and humid, indicating the rain had not ceased since they arrived.

  “Alright, stay close everyone,” Gabby instructed. “We follow the tunnel up.”

  “Gabby,” Skyla said, her voice fragile. “There’s something about this that bothers me.”

  “What is it?”

  Skyla stepped toward the walls, placing her gloved hand on the slick surface. “This tunnel... it’s smooth. Perfectly round. It was cut out. Like the quarry.”

  “Skyla, that’s irrelevant,” Gabby replied.

  “But don’t you see? This was intentionally made to lead to the surface. That means whatever is at the bottom could be what we’re looking for! It’s a perfect entrance to a facility.”

  “It doesn’t matter who dug it. It’s an exit. We are taking it.”

  Skyla’s voice grew sharp with frustration. “We all saw those Pokémon in the lake. You said it yourself, they were drained. Someone is killing these Pokémon! This is our chance to find out who’s responsible!”

  Gabby snapped, her patience fraying. “And then what? What will we do if we find them?”

  Skyla scoffed, her face flushing with rage. “So you’re just going to be a coward, then? Turn your back on innocent Pokémon?”

  “I’m not sending these kids down there just after they were nearly killed twice! They’re not soldiers!” Gabby’s tone was final.

  “Surely, I thought you of all people would want to bring justice to those who commit evil on Pokémon!”

  Gabby’s expression frosted over.

  Silence filled the air. The breeze picked up, a mournful whistle of wind. The sound of Joltik climbing up Hilbert’s jacket as he wrestled it back into place broke the tension, causing Riolu to perk up his ears.

  “I already told you this, Skyla,” Gabby’s voice lowered. It was hard, fierce, and unnervingly calm. “When I say we leave, we leave.”

  Gabby turned to the staring teens. “Cheren, Hugh, take point. The rest of you follow them.”

  The team obeyed. Cheren and Hugh moved to the front, leading the group up the slope, toward the source of the breeze.

  Nate caught Rosa’s eye. She looked at him briefly before turning toward the path, her face clouded with gloom.

  His conversation with her in the Ferroseed cave returned to his mind. Her words echoed in his ears, the fear palpable in her voice, and the indignation he had felt then came rushing back.

  ‘Do you think we can stop whatever did that?’

  ‘We have to. Ms. Gabby was right. This isn’t natural. It’s a slaughterhouse.’

  It was clear. Nate would not abandon the Pokémon. No matter how much his side ached.

  “We can’t!” Nate shouted.

  Everyone stopped. Including Gabby and Skyla.

  “We can’t just leave!” Nate repeated, louder this time, his voice bouncing off the smooth walls.

  Gabby stared directly at him. “Nate, look at you. You’re injured. We’re not having this debate. I am getting us out of here. I’m getting you out of here.”

  “And what about the Pokémon in the lake?” Nate shot back. “Whatever did that is still down there. We have a chance to stop it.”

  “We’re already here, Ms. Gabby,” Rosa said, stepping up next to Nate. She looked terrified, but she stood her ground. ”If there’s a weapon down there hurting Pokémon, we can’t just turn our backs on them.”

  Gabby sighed. Her expression softened to a deep concern. “I understand. But right now—”

  “Hey! Joltik!” Hilbert screamed.

  Joltik leaped out of Hilbert’s arms, scurrying across the floor and heading deeper into the tunnel. Hilbert sucked his finger and gasped.

  “Joltik bit me!” Hilbert exclaimed.

  “Where’d it go?” Hilda asked, spinning around.

  “Down the tunnel!” Hilbert pointed into the dark. “Joltik, wait!”

  Hilbert bolted to catch up with Joltik.

  “Hilbert!” Gabby yelled after him.

  “Nate, follow him!” Riolu’s voice came to Nate’s mind in a panic.

  “Riolu?”

  “Follow Joltik! I heard it yelling for its ‘Mother.’ It’s saying ‘they took Mother here.’”

  “They…”

  “Hilbert, don’t lose Joltik!” Nate shouted after Hilbert. Fire lanced through his injury with his first step, nearly buckling his knees, but he forced himself into a grueling jog. Riolu dashed ahead.

  Hilbert nodded and kept up his pursuit of the fleeing Pokémon. Joltik scurried over the rocky floor, its yellow fuzz serving as a beacon for Nate and Hilbert to track in the cavern light.

  “Hilbert! Nate! Stop!” Gabby yelled as the boys ran past her.

  “I’m not leaving him alone,” Hugh declared, sprinting after his best friend. Rosa followed without a word, leaving Gabby with no choice but to chase after the entire rogue group.

  “Where is Joltik leading us?” Nate projected to Riolu.

  “I’m not sure, but it seems to know exactly what it's looking for,” Riolu replied.

  “Its Mother… Could its Mother be a victim?”

  “Almost certainly.”

  The path curved, winding deeper and deeper back underground. It felt like they had chased Joltik all the way to the bottom, yet the tunnel continued. The whole team was following Nate and Hilbert now, trailing a good twenty yards behind.

  Suddenly, the tunnel came to an abrupt halt. It was a dead end. The path terminated at a flat wall of rock where two massive stones interlocked together, jutting from the wall face.

  Joltik was there, throwing itself against the stones. It clawed at them, sparks flying from its mandibles as it tried to slash away at the sleek rocks.

  “It’s a dead end, Joltik. Please, calm down,” Hilbert said, approaching the frantic bug.

  Joltik snapped at him, then turned back to the wall, emitting high-pitched cries.

  “‘Mother’,” Riolu projected. “It keeps repeating: ‘Mother,’ ‘Taken,’ ‘Mother,’ ‘Taken.’”

  “I don’t get it. There’s nothing here,” Nate replied back.

  “Not here. Inside there.” Riolu walked to the wall and pressed his ear against it. He shut his eyes, listening. “There’s something here. I feel it. But I cannot say what it is. A machine? People? Pokémon?”

  “Nate, what’s going on?” Hilbert asked, confused by the scene.

  Nate swallowed hard.

  This is it. This is the weapon.

  “Hilbert,” Nate’s voice dropped. “I think there’s something behind those stones. Look at Joltik. It’s trying to make its way inside.”

  Joltik clawed relentlessly at the stone.

  Hilbert stared at the rock face, desperately trying to understand the situation.

  “‘Mother! Mother! Come back! Mother!’” Riolu projected Joltik’s aura to Nate. Its small voice was desperate, frightened, pleading with the rock to return its mother. Nate felt Joltik’s pain. He felt its sorrow.

  “Hilbert, Nate!” Gabby appeared behind them, with the rest of the team close on her heels.

  She grabbed both of them by the arm, dragging them backward.

  “Hey! Ms. Gabby!” Nate struggled out of her grasp.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled back at him.

  “Joltik!” Nate pointed. “It found the entrance. The weapon!” Nate couldn’t put the words together fast enough.

  “There’s nothing here,” Gabby said, scanning the room.

  “But, Joltik…” Hilbert said, looking back at the frantic bug. “I’m not leaving it behind.”

  “Yes, you are,” Gabby said sternly. “Look at it! Clearly it has lost its mind.”

  Joltik sliced, bit, clawed, and headbutted the enormous stone, all efforts proving ineffective at even making a dent. It kept attacking, making high-pitched whines of frustration.

  “No, I’m not!” Hilbert yelled defiantly.

  He ran to Joltik and scooped it up. It squirmed frantically, fighting him. “Joltik, please, we have to go.”

  Joltik fired webs all around Hilbert and the stones in an attempt to escape. The webs crackled with electricity, Electroweb, stinging Hilbert with menacing zaps.

  “Arggh!” Hilbert yelped, falling to the floor. He was tangled in yellow silk, his muscles seizing as continuous static shocks surged through the webbing.

  “Hilbert!” Hilda sprinted to his side.

  She immediately began peeling the webs off him. Nate ran down to his side and began helping Hilda, their hands stinging with electrical zaps as they worked. Hilbert was freed, shaking from the attack.

  “Hilbert! Are you okay?” Hilda screamed with worry.

  “Hilda,” he coughed violently, struggling to pull in a breath.

  Nate looked to the wall.

  The stones reacted to the electrical webs that landed on it, absorbing into the surface. Joltik continued to scratch its way into the wall.

  “‘Mother! Mother! Come back! Mother!’”

  Hilbert regained his composure, sitting up from the floor. His eyes locked onto Joltik, its back facing them. “I said I wasn’t leaving you!”

  He reached over, grabbed a Poké Ball, and threw it right at Joltik’s backside. The ball opened with a concussive burst, whisking Joltik away in a flash of red light.

  Everyone stared at the ball as it shook on the rugged ground.

  Click.

  Nate, Hilbert, and Hilda stared at the ball. Hilbert shot up and retrieved it, placing it on his belt.

  Hilda stood up, facing him, her face shaken by the event.

  “Bert?” She whispered, her voice fragile.

  “I’m ready to leave now,” he replied. He balled two fists to his heart, staring at the floor, then immediately dropped them. He walked past Hilda toward the rest of the team.

  Nate understood the gesture, loud and clear.

  Hilbert’s had enough.

  Riolu stepped up beside Nate, ears drooping down.

  “Let’s go home,” Gabby said softly. She guided Hilbert with a hand on his back as he passed her. They all started walking back up the tunnel.

  Hilda turned to Nate, her eyes glistening in the cavern light.

  “Hilda,” Nate said, locking eyes with her. “There is something behind those stones—”

  “Forget it,” Hilda said, defeated. “We’re going home.”

  She turned around, but Nate lunged and grabbed her arm, ignoring the immediate pain.

  “Hilda, listen. Riolu said someone took Joltik’s Mother in there. He could sense them inside."

  “Riolu told you this?”

  Nate nodded. “Joltik was desperate to find its Mother. I need your help, please.”

  She paused, staring at the wall with an expressionless look. “What do you want to do about it? It’s a dead end.”

  “When Joltik fired the Electroweb, the electricity was absorbed into the stones. If we charge both stones, maybe they will react and float away like the other stones in the cave.”

  Hilda turned her head around. The team was almost out of view as they climbed up the tunnel.

  “Charge both stones, huh?” Hilda put a hand on her hip. She grabbed a Poké Ball. “Emolga, Thunder Shock on the stones!”

  She shouted the command as Emolga burst out of the Poké Ball. The flying rodent buzzed its cheeks and sent a flashing bolt toward the stone on the right.

  It reacted. The stone absorbed the electricity, glowing a faint blue. It shook in place but remained lodged in the wall.

  Nate followed Hilda’s example. “Elekid, Thunder Shock!”

  Elekid materialized next to Emolga. The two Pokémon shut their eyes, their bodies shaking from the effort as they scraped the very bottom of their energy reserves. Sparks arced weakly at first, then flared as they pushed through the exhaustion.

  Both stones glowed intensely. They shook and jiggled until, slowly, they started drifting apart.

  “What are you doing?” Gabby called from behind. The team had made their way back to the dead end, only this time, it was no longer a dead end.

  The stones flew apart, but instead of floating away, they shot into the recesses of the wall. They retreated into artificial slits that locked them into place, revealing a passageway.

  The natural cave ended abruptly. Behind the stones lay a metal corridor. Emergency LED strips ran along the floor, casting a harsh red glow.

  “This…” Cheren stepped forward. “This is a facility. Inside the mountain.”

  Gabby stood still. Motionless. Her eyes wide, chest heaving.

  “I can’t believe it,” Skyla walked to the front, keeping a distance from the entrance.

  “The weapon,” Nate whispered. He saw every member of the team staring into the red glare of the corridor. It was a sight more ominous, more deadly, than anything they had encountered so far.

  “We have to go in and find out who’s behind all this!” Skyla declared.

  “Then let’s get moving,” Nate said, his gut swelling with determination.

  “No!” Gabby shouted. She moved up to Skyla. “I’ll scout it out. Stay here with the kids. Make sure everyone is safe.”

  “What?” Skyla frowned. “Don’t be stupid. We stick together.”

  “No. It's time I start acting like the adult.”

  She darted for the entrance. Skyla grabbed Gabby’s arm, fighting to hold her back. “Gabby! Stop! What are you doing?”

  “Castform!”

  Without needing an order, Castform summoned a surprise Sunny Day right in the middle of the group. The light blinded Nate. He saw nothing but white, the glare so intense he was forced to shut his eyes.

  “Gabriella!” Skyla cried out.

  There was a loud hiss of mechanics and a sudden thud. The Sunny Day faded instantly, plunging the team back into the dim, blue light of the cave.

  Nate blinked the spots from his vision. At the entrance to the facility, two metal blast doors were sealed shut. Gabby and Castform were gone.

  Skyla hammered her fists against the thick metal. “Gabby! Open the door! Gabby!”

  There was no answer. Just the electrical hum of the cave around them.