Ivy and the Fluorescent Lightbulb

Chapter 30.1 - Not So Fast

Ivy listened to the sounds of the cave as the two walked in silence — the quiet dripping of water, their crunching feet as they stepped on pebbles, the quiet swishing of their clothes. He sure is quiet, Ivy thought as she glanced at Uncle Taner.

Uncle Taner, oblivious to Ivy and the cave, was practically buried in the holoscreen in front of him as he furiously swiped and typed. I wonder what he's typing about? she thought. Ivy stretched herself as tall as possible, walking on the tips of her toes and lifting her chin, to try and catch a glimpse of his screen. Ugh, I'm too short to see it, she pouted in defeat.

"So," she ventured to say, her voice ringing in the cavernous space, "what type of medicine do you use in the future?"

"...Yeah, it's pretty effective," he muttered.

Ivy frowned, watching Uncle Taner as he continued with his typing. Was that an answer to my question, or was he just talking to himself again? She twisted the bulb in her hands. And it's still bothering me that he's not as urgent as he had been all morning. I can't shake the feeling that something's off, she thought, nervously scanning the cave with renewed alert.

Ivy froze.

Just ahead, she spotted a tall figure. That can't be right, she thought, glancing at Uncle Taner. She blinked, squinting harder. Maybe I'm just seeing things. It might just be a rock. Wait — did it just move? But there's no lighting coming from it, she thought. All future-world clothes glow, don't they?

"Um," Ivy said, tearing her eyes from the shadow. "Is it just me, or does that rock out there look kinda suspicious?"

Behind her, came a low humming sound. Wait, she thought, turning around. Is that the car?

She spotted Uncle Taner's car just in time to see it lift and zoom away, disappearing from view. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "Uncle Taner, did you see what happened?"

Her heart pounded. Why did they leave? I didn't think they'd leave without me—did they override the car and drive off? I thought they needed the bulb! Did they really dislike me that much— She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. No, wait. I'm spiraling. Maybe something glitched. They wouldn't leave me on purpose...would they?

"Uncle Taner," Ivy said firmly, planting herself in place and turning to face him. "What's going on? Why did the car just drive off?"

Uncle Taner raised his head and closed the holopanel, crossing his arms as he scrutinized Ivy.

"Well," he evenly said, as if he were weighing his words, "there had been a slight change of plans, Ivy."

Ivy narrowed her eyes. "What sort of change?" she said. "Are we meeting the others some other way?"

"I've sent the kids back to Verra," he said, turning his head away. "They'll be reunited with their family, and the agents will be none the wiser of my whereabouts."

Ivy's breath quickened and her eyes widened. "What?" she said. "All of a sudden?" Then how will they get to the mainframe? she thought. She paused. "And what about me?"

"Captain Lightwell agreed to send you home in exchange for the lightbulb."

"What? What made you think I'd go along with that?"

"Because," a gruff voice said from ahead, "you have no other option."

The figure Ivy had earlier spotted shifted, moving forward. It morphed — an arm stretching to the side, then a visible pair of hands. One hand pinched at what looked to be a band of fabric around the other. The gloves! Ivy thought as a single bright pearl lit. As the figure moved, a flicker of green came, spreading from the center and gradually spreading into a bright light pattern.