The stars have aligned tonight, precisely in my favour. Lazarus is held up after the celebratory dinner above the pits. He exits the room after giving me a deep kiss - purely for show - and last I heard he accompanied a few commanders to the training rooms to congratulate the human winners. 

I don't want to delve too much into it, considering we don't party with the humans to begin with. This might be my one and only opportunity to find some time with Lucian. 

I've been carrying the pocket sized comm he gave me and I shoot him a quick message. I know he told me to wait for his signal but I can't allow such an opportunity to escape. My parents are busy as well, I catch them talking to General Lyra and Mondric. 

Her eyes flit to mine briefly before I cross the threshold and slip into one of the lifts. Thankfully, this one is empty. I slip off my heels just as a message comes in, telling me Lucian is waiting for me by the back entrance. 

We're still in the experimental phase when it comes to blocking off or disrupting the camera signals on Pluto, so all I can do is duck under the doors and hope that the camera above didn't catch my face. 

I rush to Lucian's glider, thankful that he's using a basic one without our signature symbol plastered on each side. Keeping my head low, I slip in and the doors whizz shut with a soft buzz beside me. 

I let out a long exhale and he kicks off immediately, both of us aware than the longer we spend away, the more likely we are to be tracked. 

"I checked the glider for bugs, don't worry," Lucian tells me, silencing my worries as I shift around and scan the compartments. 

"Whose glider is this anyway? Haven't seen you in a model like this for months," I chide him. Lucian's a glider geek, always getting the latest models on the market before anyone else. 

"Borrowed it from Cyscus." He grins at me and I can only imagine his chief attendant reluctantly lending this reckless driver his ride. Poor Cyscus. 

We drive past the checkpoints, Lucian showing the drones his face briefly before swerving off track and heading for our safe place. 

My nerves spike just as we head straight for the crack in the rocky mountain wall. In the distance it appears to be a crack between two hard surfaces but we glide through as Lucian makes a sharp turn, the glider turning almost ninety degrees when he does so. 

I only ever do this on a rider but this madman makes it work with a much larger vehicle. We make it to the small cave overlooking outer space without scraping against any rock and I step outside, our breather suits already activated. 

Even though my breathing is controlled by the suit, I take in a long and steady breath, feeling like I'm inhaling fresh air after years. I can't remember the last time I felt this...free. 

I walk over to the edge of the promontory, watching the barely moving stars and asteroids in the distance, all far away and idle. Only the clusters of Planet X are fast approaching, the ones predicted to collide with Pluto in a dozen or so Earth years. 

And the only reason we've timed the collision in Earth years is because we expect to settle there by then. 

I turn on the static device we Sympathizers use to make eavesdropping impossible even though we are miles away from civilisation. If paranoia was a disease, I am certain I would be diagnosed with it.

"There's a human who came to me for help. He works in Onyx as a waiter. His name is Ron." I tell Lucian while he sits in his favourite spot, legs dangling precariously over the edge. "His brother went missing after volunteering for a job."

His eyebrows raise but his gaze is knowing. "It is the same with the girl in the human quarters. I heard rumours amongst the humans of their friends going missing. I checked the records for their deaths but none have been recorded. Their logs have been deleted, it is as if they never existed."

"That's illegal, isn't it?" I murmur and he nods in confirmation. 

"But only a general can make someone go missing, only a general has access to do something like that covertly." He eyes me and I know he's talking about my father. 

General Grievous has been working closely with Lazarus. He must be the one who enabled this. The question is why did they need to steal humans from here when they have test subjects on Earth already?

"Do you think the commanders know about it?" I ask, referring to the War Council.

He leans back, placing his palms across the grey floor. Below him a bunch of Tessniens swarm away in all directions, millions of tiny orange dots swimming away from his shadow. 

He shakes his head. "I highly doubt it. My parents remain unaware, if I didn't have someone amongst the human slaves I wouldn't have known either." 

It's true. If Ron hadn't come to me for help, I would remain oblivious. 

"We picked up heat signatures from below the lab." I decide to bare it all to Lucian since he's doing the same. He's the only one I can trust now, aside from the Sympathizers. 

He glances up at me, looking impressed. "You picked that up as well?" 

I nod and it's not entirely surprising that he's been spying on Lazarus as well. Lucian isn't a part of the Sympathizers, it occurs to me briefly that he may be a part of another secret organisation like myself because it was almost impossible to bug Lazarus's lab alone. 

It piques my curiosity and I wonder if General Lyra knows what her son has been up to. 

"You tracked those signatures by yourself? Under Lazarus's watchful eye? You a part of a secret organisation I don't know of?" I joke flippantly, eyeing him in a casual way but he looks ahead unbothered. 

"You know I've always been a tech guy. Never needed an organisation to bug someone, Luna."

He has a point, amongst the three of us, Lucian has always been the most tech savvy and borderline genius with his building designs when we were growing up. 

I sit down next to him, keeping a safe distance because of what I said to him when I left his room today. I don't want to complicate things with him when my heart is as confused as ever. 

"The same could be said for you though," Lucian says suddenly and I cast him a querulous look. "About being a part of a secret group." 

My ears burn, blood rushing to my head while I keep my expression schooled. "I picked up a thing or two during training, Lucian. You're not the only one." 

I nudge him playfully and he just smiles. 

"Plus Lazarus has always suspected you, not me." I add. 

Lucian's gaze is pensive when he replies. "I don't know about that."

I think back to a few cycles ago when Lazarus tried to cut me off from everyone else and then Axis telling me my position has been compromised. Lazarus insists he trusts me but his actions scream otherwise. 

I sigh, realising we need to brainstorm and head back before he starts looking for me. Who would have thought getting married would be like entering prison?

"We need to get in there, search the lower floors. We know there's something down there in those labs, we just don't know what." I say. 

"It can't be either of us. Or any of our squad members." Lucian adds and I nod, wondering how to go about this. 

"Drones?" Lucian suggests but I'm quick to dispute. 

"They were deactivated before they could pick up much. We need someone on the inside." I bite my lip, thinking hard. Maybe we could bribe one of his staff there but the risk is too high, what if they reported to Lazarus or my father? 

A thought then occurs, albeit not the safest one. "What if we sent in a human?" 

"A volunteer?" Lucian frowns. "They'd be risking their lives though." 

"I know. But it might be the only way. And I think I know someone who would not hesitate."

***

It is later in the night that I find myself partying in Onyx with Lucian and our friends as the perfect cover. Lazarus would have spotted us here by now and if I know him well, he'd be on the way to join us. 

I catch Ron eyeing me from the bar and signal to the restrooms where the turn off to the meat room lies. 

"You sure you can get this done?" Lucian whispers in my ear whilst we clink our glasses and cheers with our friends. Chatva, an ambassador's daughter laughs loudly next to us, nearly drowning out his words. 

"Cover me for ten minutes and I will," I tell him reassuringly before finishing my drink in one gulp. 

He nods, knowing I'm talking about Lazarus and if anyone can distract Lazarus it's him. The only Plutonian Lazarus fixates on more than me, is Lucian. 

I excuse myself to the ladies room and pretend to drunk walk to the back. Ron joins me in the darkened corridor right after. I take the drink he gives me and we both step inside the meat room, the cold sending shivers down my spine.

"Your honour, you found him?" Ron addresses me formally and I wave him off. 

"PG Luna," I say impatiently. "It makes me feel younger." 

He nods and I catch his cheeks turning pink from the cold. He's human, so I better keep this short. 

"I found your brother. His file was amongst the few that I believe are involved with the experiments." I don't tell him that the file was on General Grievous's desk. 

"Is he dead?" He struggles to get the words out and under the harsh white lights, he looks paler than ever, almost Plutonian. 

"I can't say. We need further confirmation but for that we need to send someone in." 

He just stares at me, his dark brown eyes vacant. 

"We need to send in a human as our eyes and ears." I spell it out for him and only then does it click. A small flicker of guilt passes through me because the chances of him surviving and coming back here are close to zero but I brush it aside before I change my mind. 

We need to find out what is going on underneath the labs and this might be the only plausible way. 

"And I will be experimented on? Once I'm there?" 

I nod grimly, maybe if he makes the decision himself I won't feel as bad. 

I still feel it though when he slowly nods. 

"I'll do it. If Roman is there, I have to know. But promise me, if he's alive we will save him." 

"I can't do that. Sending you in and trying to get you back will be a huge risk in itself." The air is so cold that my exhales come out in small puffs of condensation.

"If he's alive, you save him. That is my only condition." Ron holds his ground, despite being a foot shorter than I am. I have to give him credit for that, the human is brave. 

"I'll do anything you want." He quickly adds. 

"Alright," I sigh, even though I don't believe that would be possible. I'll have to figure it out as the plan unfolds. 

"It's settled then." He puts his palm out for a handshake but that isn't Plutonian custom and I'm already reaching for the door. Lazarus might be here already. Now I need to figure out how to send Ron in and the devices we will need to bug him with. 

"Stay put. I'll let you know when." I tell Ron and then exit the room, leaving him behind but I hear the words he says in parting. 

"Thank you." 

The guilt grows with every step I take in the darkness.