The sun wasn't up yet, just a hint of yellow on the steel horizon, swallowed by the thick smog over the city. Neon lights still flickered beneath the mist, stretching shadows across the military base. The air was tense, but today it wasn't because of war. Today it was different anticipation.
They were here for her.
Captain Rina Hunter.
Her boots were pressed firm to the ground, polished but scarred from the field. The standard-issue soldier uniform fit her like a second skin nothing special, just dark fabric hugging a strong frame. No glowing armor, no sword in her hand. Today she was not a legend. She was just a soldier.
And she liked it that way.
But the eyes on her were saying otherwise. They knew her name.
Not the one buried in history Hunterrina, the immortal force of old.
No. They knew the name she made with blood and sweat in this life.
Captain Hunter the soldier who led the rescue mission under fire.
The woman who pulled five hostages out of a building before it collapsed and the bombs went off.
The one who defused the last explosive with seconds to go and death whispering in her ear.
And she smiled. Because this was her playground.
The crowd murmured as the General stepped forward, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.
"Captain Rina Hunter. Step forward."
She did, every step calculated, confident but not arrogant. The soldiers standing in rows straightened up as she passed. Whispers went around her name like a prayer.
"That's her…"
"The best we've got."
"Did you hear? She doesn't even flinch in the face of death."
She stood before the General. His face was lined with years of war, his eyes sharp, but there was respect in them. He pinned the medal to her uniform silver shining in the dull city light.
A symbol of honor. Recognition.
But to her just another piece of metal.
What mattered was the mission. The lives saved.
"Captain Hunter," the General boomed. "Your bravery under fire has not gone unnoticed. You led the team. You defused the crisis that could have killed hundreds more."The crowd cheered, camera drones buzzing around her. Her face would be on the news. Her name would be on every street.
Rina Hunter the city's savior.
She raised her hand to her chest, her face smooth. But inside the old part of her was waking up.
The warrior who had seen kings fall.
The woman who had held the power to kill armies.
But they would never see that.
Because Rina Hunter was human.
And that was all they needed to see.
For now.