Ivy and the Fluorescent Lightbulb

Chapter 29.1 - The Car in the Cave

"Ivy, you can stop now! Let us catch up," Syndria called as the kids struggled to keep pace.

"Are they following us?" Ivy said, tilting her feet and slowing to a hover.

The group surrounded Ivy, staring up at her as she floated. She leaned back, making a seat out of air. I'm surprised I'm already used to this thing! she thought, readjusting her hands on the warm bulb. Her palms no longer stung and she could hold the stick with little effort. After I lowered the power level, it's not nearly as hot as it was before.

"Pretty sure we lost them a few turns ago," Oak grumbled. "So," he said with a wary glare, "when were you going to tell us the bulb made you fly?"

Ivy winced at his sharp tone. I don't get it. Why is he so mad at me? "Don't worry about it," she sniffed. "It's probably just a fluke since I'm a time anomaly."

"Time anomalies don't wreck our technology," Oak retorted.

"And how is flying wrecking your dumb technology?" Ivy snapped, her cheeks flushing. "If anything, it improves it!"

"Woah, hey, let's time out," Syndria said, stepping forward. "This is not the time to start arguing."

"I agree," Augaley said. "Ivy, are you hurt? You hit the ceiling pretty hard."

"Just my shoulder," Ivy said, turning her head away from Oak and trying to reassure the others with a shrug. She winced. Ouch.

"I wish your health bar was working!" Augaley groaned. "We'd be able to sort out your injuries in a nano..." She trailed off, staring at Ivy's shirt.

"What?" Ivy said, looking down. "Is it that I'm still floating? Look, I can turn it off if—"

"No, your health bar," Augaley said. "It's working again!"

It is? she thought. The health bar no longer displayed an error symbol, instead being back to its usual black center. The four strips of color on the bar weren't at its usual green, however. Three of them shone yellow. Only the first strip remained the green Ivy was familiar with. "Oh," she said with a nervous chuckle, trying to remember what Augaley had explained to her earlier. "What does this mean?"

"It's a scale," Augaley said, her eyebrows knitting. "One yellow bar means you're a little scratched up, two means you might need ice or something, three means you need rest, and four means you need to get immediate medical attention."

"So I need to rest?" Ivy said, staring at the bar in dismay. "But we can't stop now!"

"We should be able to get away with it since you're floating. We can still run without you hurting your shoulders!"

Somewhere down the hall came the distant sounds of clanging feet. "Where are they?" an angry voice yelled.

Ivy flinched. Captain Lightwell!

"We've got to go. I'm supposed to lead us to the main entrance at Zone 85," Carbon urgently said.

"Do you have the blueprint yet?" Ivy said. "Lead the way."

"In a nanosec," Carbon said as he typed and swiped on his panel. His head shot up. "This way!" he said, breaking into a run.

"Hey, wait!" Syndria called, racing after him. "Don't leave us behind!"

Ivy tilted her feet, gaining speed and catching up to Carbon at the lead of the pack. "I didn't know you were a runner!" Ivy said as she matched his pace, the sterile base's air wooshing past her face.

Carbon grinned. "I...am not...quite athletic," he gasped between breaths, "but...I've...won...races! The next corner," Carbon panted, "is the exit!"

The hallway spilled into a large, atrium-like space. The entrance! Ivy thought, blinking in recognition at the place Uncle Taner had first taken them into.

Carbon flicked open a panel, furiously typing.

"Oak!" he said, turning to look behind Ivy. "Can you open the door? I can't!"

"Because you have to use the door's physical holopad," Oak said, bursting from behind to the head of the pack, narrowly missing Ivy.

"Hey, watch it!" Ivy retorted.

Oak ignored her, rushing through the doorway and skidding to a halt in the large, expansive corridor. With ease, he typed into an oddly-placed panel on the wall. He stepped aside as the others caught up.

"You're welcome," he said with a scowl.

"For what?" Syndria said. "Nothing's happening."

To the side of them, the ground rumbled, opening the floor and revealing stairs below.

"Like I said," he said, pushing through the kids and bounding down the stairs. "You're welcome."

Ivy and the kids exchanged glances before following. Racing through the cave, the kids navigated the twisting curves they had previously walked through.

"In the cave!" Captain Lightwell distantly yelled, his voice echoing loudly against the rock walls.

Ivy's heart (and shoulder) pounded as she struggled to keep her focus on the urgent task of escape. No, not now! she thought. I can't lose my focus now! We're almost there—get to Uncle Taner's car, out of here, and then the mainframe.

The cave was eerily silent, save for the sound of rocks as their feet kicked up the gravel and their quiet breaths. Ivy stared ahead, focusing on the shadows that were cast on the walls from the glow of their clothes. Gray, pink, blue, and green lights cast long and colorful shadows that whizzed by at a dizzying rate — boulders, stalagmites, and crevices were all illuminated in their wake.

"Look!" Kronalia said with a grin. "There it is!" She pointed ahead to Uncle Taner's vehicle as it came into focus.

The kids breathlessly stopped in front of his car, grinning at each other in relief. "We made it!" Syndria cheered, sliding open the car door.

They piled into the car, catching their breath as they found seats. Ivy turned the dial off and floated to the ground, steadying her wobbly legs as she plopped into a seat by the door. I almost got too used to flying, she thought with a weak smile. I can barely keep myself up.

"Uncle Taner should be right behind us, shouldn't he? What's taking him so long?" Syndria said, peering out of the window into the inky blackness of the cave. "I thought I had heard them in the cave."

"Maybe he has to shake Captain Lightwell off his trail?" Ivy suggested.

"Look, there he is!" Carbon said, plastering his face against the car's window.

Ivy squinted out, spotting the orange glow of Uncle Taner's clothes. It looks like he's alone! she thought with a smile as she noticed the glow remained alone, no signs of Captain Lightwell's green clothing.

As the light grew closer, so did Uncle Taner's figure. It trudged forward, without the urgency that Ivy had expected to see. Why isn't he hurrying? she wondered. His face came into view, the orange lighting casting shadows over his face.

"Is it just me," Carbon said, leaning away, "but does Uncle Taner look upset?"