My blood must be filled with lead, not only does every limb feel heavy, it's also impossible to move. I can barely blink, I try to open my eyes but my eyelids feel like they've been glued shut. 

"Luna. Luna!" The voice grows louder every time I hear my name and yet it feels so far way, it might as well be coming from another planet. 

"Luna!" The ground around me shakes, more like the world, I feel everything vibrate, my head starts pounding in response. It takes a while for the muted shouting to clear and only then do I recognise Lucian's voice. 

The quaking intensifies, I feel each shudder right down to my bone. My teeth chatter and the pressure runs down my jaws, the intense ache causing my eyes to finally flutter open. Something vile climbs up my throat and I turn to the side and throw up. 

My belly convulses, clenching painfully as I retch all over the plain tiled floor. I still feel nauseous, even after I've emptied whatever was left in my stomach. My head feels like a pulsing boom box machine, each pounding sensation makes me want to claw at my scalp.

I feel someone gently pull my hair from my face and flinch. Panic shoots down my spine as I look around me, expecting to find myself back in Lazarus's room. 

The walls around me are dark but shadows dance along each surface. Bursts of blue light fill the room when a motion censored lamp is activated. Lucian stands up and another lamp lights up, illuminating the entire back wall of his room. 

Lucian. 

I've never felt more relieved in my life. A flurry of emotions burrow into my chest but I'm too exhausted to emote. Tears run down my face as I recollect what I just went through. 

An engagement, an expedition, coming home to find that my parents have basically packed my bags and kicked me out of the house, finding myself at Lazarus's and then being made to feel like a prisoner. 

My chest tightens with dread when I remember how he tried to paint me out to be unstable. That has to be the worst part of last cycle. Was it the last cycle?  

I look up at Lucian who has a towel splayed between his hands, looking ready to wipe me down or something. 

I look at his bedroom floor and the mess I just created but Lucian appears unfazed. He sits down next to me on his bed and dabs my forehead gently. It's only then that I realise I've broken out into a cold sweat. 

What is happening to me? It feels like I'm falling apart at the seams. 

"Lazarus is waiting for you outside. I haven't allowed him in." He tells me tentatively, gauging my reaction. 

My stomach clenches painfully in response. 

"What happened? How long have I been out?" I croak. My throat feels so raw, it hurts to speak. 

"What happened?" Lucian mimics me disbelievingly. "Shouldn't you be telling me? All I know is I got a call and you needed my help so I came immediately. You've been out for two cycles, Luna. You were drugged with a high level sedative, one that induces memory impairments." 

I've been out for two cycles? Two whole days of unconsciousness? What would my squad think about my unannounced absence? And the council members already witnessed me being late to Earth's expedition and now this? I've never acted like this in all my years in the army. 

Everyone must think I'm slacking off, either that or Lazarus has planted the idea that I'm unstable. Which would work in his favour as well. 

My parents are on his side. The whole of Pluto knows he's my betrothed. I've been missing work, going in late. He's been making me look more and more incompetent, his justifications being that I'm unwell. 

Why did I ever think I would stand a chance against Lazarus? If this is a game of chess, he has me cornered into check mate. Or i'm the chess piece now knocked out of his way. And now all that's left is Lucian. 

My skin burns in humiliation. I walked myself into the trap he so carefully laid out for me. 

Lucian lifts a glass of oxygen infused aqua and forces me to drink most of it. The liquid helps with the burn in my throat, refreshing me instantly. I sit up slowly, feeling a little better. 

"I've been out for two Plutonian days?" I ask him as he refills my glass and hands me another one. I try not to think about Lazarus waiting outside for me like a prison warden coming to collect his inmate and instead focus on compartmentalising my problems. 

"Yes," Lucian says exasperatedly. "I tried to revive you but there isn't any antidote for this sedative. Thankfully, your levels were below the toxicity range, I tried to induce some vomiting but it took many tries for it to work. What did he do to you?"

Rage fills every inch of his face. "I swear I was so close to shooting his head off when I saw you looking so helpless." 

Helpless. I close my eyes, registering the word. I never in my wildest dreams thought it would ever apply to me. 

"Why is he here?" I ask Lucian, venom dripping from each syllable. 

"He's been here on and off for the past two days. He keeps saying you're unwell and I have no right to keep you here. I think he called your parents, that's why I tried waking you up more urgently today. Sorry if I shook you too hard." 

I wrap my arms around him tightly, feeling safe for the first time since I came back from that trip to Lazarus's lab on Earth. 

"Thank you, Lucian. Thank you for coming for me." 

Lucian strokes my back, fingers running through my hair. It's so soothing that I want to fall back down on the bed again and succumb to more sleep.

I have to force myself to focus. Lazarus knocked me out with a drug, one that has the side effect of erasing memories only mine seem to be intact. I think. 

The point is why did he want me out of the way? What did he want me to forget? I'm assuming it's because of my skepticism in his lab but is that enough to warrant such drastic measures?Something feels off. Like I'm not looking in the right places. 

It's at times like these when I need General Lyra to help me see things from a different light. She would know what to do or at least the next step I should take. 

My hands flit to my sides, looking around for my communicator. 

"Lucian, have you seen my comm?" 

His eyebrows knit together in a tight frown. "You didn't have anything on you when I dragged you out of there." 

Shit. How am I supposed to reach out to her or Axis for that matter? He was supposed to relay findings from the lab. 

"I think I saw a broken comm on the floor when I got there. But I'm not sure. Sorry," Lucian looks crestfallen at the obvious disappointment on my face. 

It's hardly his fault. Although I'm now trying to rack my brain, wondering how it broke and if Lazarus has been looking through it. My messages are all encrypted, the ones involving Axis all self destruct after I receive or send them. I doubt he would find anything. I hope. 

An attendant taps on the door and Lucian instructs for him to enter. 

"Lucian, does your comm carry self destructing, untraceable calls?" I ask him and he almost looks offended that I asked. 

Of course he does. We are a paranoid bunch of Plutonians after all. 

"Can I borrow yours for a minute?" 

He nods, retrieving his comm for me immediately. I dial Axis's number and walk to the back of the room for some privacy. Lucian notices and he excuses himself, telling me he's going to check on the situation downstairs. 

I walk over to the library in his room which is filled with documents and books. There's an entire shelf of encyclopedias, detailing findings from numerous star systems. The floor buzzes slightly below me, I feel the tremor for only a second and realise that his library has motion sensors. 

What is he keeping here? And why does it require so much surveillance? 

Curiosity draws me to the stacks of documents lining the wall on the opposite side. I walk over to it but Axis answers, drawing my attention back to the comm by my ear. 

"It's me." I whisper and I hear a click on the other end. He's activated the voice decoding system, a software we use to demarcate fake voice imitations to the real ones. He then presses on a few other buttons and I wait patiently. 

"The line is secure," He finally says. 

"Did you find anything?" I get straight to the point, not knowing when I will be able to reach him again. 

"Yes." 

That one word sends a jolt of excitement through me. I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!

"But the bugs we placed have been deactivated. Happened yesterday so I wasn't able to save anything. I think they knew we were going to place something there." Axis tells me. "But based on our intel, they aren't aware of the bugs being there. They swept the place as a precaution." 

I chew on my lower lip, wondering if they fired frequencies that deactivate all spying devices as a routine procedure or if they did it because we were there. 

Did Lazarus suspect me?

"What did you find?" My head has started throbbing again, I need good news now more than ever. 

"There were heat signatures traced from underground. Significant heat signatures." 

"Heat signatures," I repeat. Either they're keeping lifeforms underneath the lab or the real work is going on under there. "We're going to have to go in and take a look. Have you informed command?"

For Plutonians command refers to the white region in the SyStem or the centre that grants access to all ships landing and taking off from the base. Those areas are governed by the generals and to some extent the Trinity and war council members. 

But for us Command means General Lyra, the current head of the Sympathizers. 

"They have specific instructions for you to lay low. Our target has reason to suspect you." Axis's statement feels like bullets piercing my skin. 

Is this why they're trying to lock me up? But what gave me away?

"I can't go back there. I need to speak to command," I say suddenly, the desperation in my voice evident. 

"You must remain with them. Those are command's specific instructions. Do not show any sign of resistance." 

My skin feels cold, the blood slowly draining from my face. Does General Lyra know what's being done to me? That I'm being locked up and drugged. Of course she does, the Sympathizers know everything that happens on Pluto. 

Which only makes her decision worse. 

"Be strong, commander." Axis says in a low voice. "They will reach out when they can. Till then you must do as you've been doing." 

The line cuts before I can refute or ask for help. My head starts pounding again and Lucian walks into the room soon after. 

"Your parents are here, Luna. They've come to take you home." 

Of course the cavalry has arrived. I run a hand through my hair, wondering how I'm going to deal with them. The only comfort I have is that Lucian is here and I'm not alone. 

Lucian's shoulders slump with defeat. "I'm sorry, Luna. I could hold off Lazarus but I can't with the generals." 

My conversation with Axis is fresh in my mind. The only thing I can do is wait till General Lyra reaches out to me. If anyone can find a way, it's her. Of that I have no doubt. 

There are heat signatures below the lab. My father and Lazarus have not been as forthcoming of their experiments as they would like us to think. Which is not entirely surprising.

"I guess I'd better go then," I tell Lucian. 

"Please call me if you need me." He slips a new communicator into my pocket. "This is a pocket sized one. You can hide it if needed and it's a secure line" 

I smile at him thankfully. I'll never feel alone as long as I have him in my life. 

"I love you." It slips out before I can stop myself and his eyes widen in surprise. He holds on to my wrist, thumb brushing my skin. 

"Forget I said that," I quickly say, it was selfish of me to involve him in this to begin with. 

I proceed to leave but he holds on to me, his grip firm yet careful. "I love you too. So much."

The hurt on his face is palpable. I can only imagine how long he's been waiting to say those words. 

"I'll do anything. Just let me help," He holds on to my cheek, stepping closer but I can hear the voices echoing from the far away foyer. Lucian's mansion is huge but every sound echoes off the walls, carrying through the corridors easily. 

"It's too late," I tell him and it feels like a pile of stones have been piled over my chest. Why does it feel so physically painful to walk away from him?

"No," He says adamantly but I slip away from his hold and walk towards the lifts. Each step of mine forced. 

I don't hear his footsteps behind me and the resultant emptiness makes me want to cry.