Page 39 of Obsessed

"Self-flagellation won't help find her."

"No." I straighten up, studying the deepening shadows. "But it might keep me focused on not screwing up again."

I notice a patch of crushed luminescent moss - the same kind Alice showed me last week. The broken strands still pulse with a faint blue glow, marking where someone carelessly stepped through.

"They went this way." I touch the damaged plant gently. "Alice taught me these take decades to grow back."

"Fascinating botany lesson. Can we focus on the tracking?"

I scan the ground ahead. "I am focusing. See those bent stalks? The red ones Alice says always grow straight up unless disturbed? They're leading northwest."

Moving carefully to avoid creating my own trail, I follow the signs. A broken vine here, scraped bark there. All the little details Alice pointed out during our walks, teaching me to read the forest like one of her research papers.

"There's something different about the canopy ahead," Navi observes.

I pause, studying the treetops. The leaves hang differently, some branches bent at unnatural angles. "They needed clearance for something big. A ship."

"The electromagnetic interference is stronger here too."

"Alice showed me how these trees grow toward the sunlight." I trace the odd pattern with my finger. "These weren't shaped by nature. They were forced aside to make room."

A flutter of movement draws my attention. One of the local flying creatures - Alice would know its proper name - circles overhead, refusing to cross a certain point in the sky.

"The wildlife's avoiding that area," I say. "Just like they avoid the station's shield barrier."

"A cloaking field would create similar disturbances in their natural patterns."

I press forward, every skill I've learned from Alice guiding my steps. She might have thought she was just sharing her passion for this world, but she was teaching me how to find her all along.

"The trail ends here," I whisper, reaching out to touch empty air. My fingers meet resistance - the invisible hull of a cloaked ship.

Heavy footsteps crunch through the underbrush. I duck behind a massive trunk, pressing my back against rough bark.

"Can't believe this. Can't believe this!" A deep voice growls.

"Would you shut up? Your whining isn't helping."

Their comms crackle with static and panicked voices. I strain to make out the words, but the interference from the cloaking field garbles most of it.

"Boss is going to skin us alive for this mess." The first voice again, closer now.

"How was I supposed to know she'd be such a pain? She's just some human scientist!"

I bite back a smile. That's my girl.

"Did you see what she did to Kraz? That shit she threw in his face? His scales are still burning!"

"Boss said grab her quick and clean. Instead we've got half the crew chasing her through the ship like idiots. This payload better be worth it."

"According to Kraz, it's worth all this and more. We can retire on that shit, you understand? No more fuck ups now."

Their boots crunch past my hiding spot. Two burly pirates, scales gleaming dully in what little light filters through the canopy. Their weapons hang loose at their sides - sloppy.

"Can't believe a tiny human female is giving us this much trouble," the taller one grumbles, adjusting his comm unit.

The device squeals with feedback. "She's loose! The human escaped into the mess hall!"

"What?" Both pirates spin toward their ship. "How did she-"

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