Episode 92
The bunker had grown tense since the broadcast.
It wasn't fear.
It was purpose.
Men and women who once wandered without cause were now sharpening blades, tuning radios, reinforcing walls. Every pair of eyes reflected Raian's strength—and Aria's fire.
Yet under all that momentum… silence crept.
---
Underground hallway – early morning
Lina paced back and forth in the dim corridor, arms crossed tightly, her face unreadable. Ayan leaned against the wall nearby, watching her.
"You haven't slept in two days," he said.
She didn't respond.
He stepped forward. "You're angry."
"I'm focused."
"No," he said, eyes narrowing. "You're terrified."
Lina's jaw clenched. "Of what?"
Ayan didn't blink. "Of losing someone again."
She froze.
Ayan took another step, closer now. "You've been here before, haven't you? Lost someone to war. Someone you couldn't protect."
"I was seventeen," she said quietly, eyes glistening. "My brother—he was only a year older. They used him as a courier. He thought he was safe because he didn't carry a gun."
A pause.
"They found his body in a ditch. His mouth was sewn shut."
Ayan swallowed.
"I wasn't strong then," Lina whispered, her voice cracking. "But I am now. And I won't lose anyone again."
"You're not alone anymore," Ayan said, gently reaching for her hand.
She didn't pull away.
---
Command Room – Later
Noah dragged a large touchscreen map into view.
"We have two confirmed shipments of weapons moving through Malik's border zone in District 7. Intercepting them would cripple his security."
"But it's a suicide route," someone muttered.
Raian looked up. "We don't send a team. We send a ghost."
Everyone turned.
Ayan stepped forward. "I'll go. I've done it before."
Lina's eyes widened, but she said nothing.
Aria glanced at both, then nodded. "You'll need a support tech. Lina, go with him."
The air shifted.
They exchanged a quick look—one heavy with words unspoken.
---
Elsewhere – Malik's Fortress
Saira stood in front of Malik, lips pursed.
"She's planning something bigger. The broadcast was just a curtain-raiser," she said.
Malik poured himself a drink. "And Raian?"
"Alive. Burning."
"And what of your intel on the doctor?"
Saira hesitated. "She's smarter than we assumed. Her connection to Raian makes her the heartbeat of the resistance."
Malik stared into his glass.
"Then we cut the heart."
He turned to his guards. "Announce a fake ceasefire. Set up a refugee shelter in District 5. Leak it to Aria through your source."
Saira looked up sharply. "That's a trap."
Malik smirked. "It's bait. The kind only she will take."
---
District 7 – Outskirts, Night
The landscape was quiet—mountains and dry valleys under pale moonlight.
Ayan crouched behind a rusted pipeline, rifle strapped across his back. Lina worked beside him, decrypting the transport signals on a handheld screen.
"Two trucks. Moving fast. ETA five minutes," she said.
He glanced at her. "You sure you're ready for this?"
Lina smirked. "Try me."
They moved like shadows, disabling the lead truck with a burst EMP. The second swerved, tires screeching. Within moments, Ayan had subdued the drivers while Lina extracted the weapons' contents.
It wasn't just rifles.
It was intel.
Confidential documents.
Rough plans for a mass round-up.
Ayan cursed. "They were going to silence whole sectors."
Lina's voice wavered. "We have to get this back."
But just as they turned to leave, gunfire erupted.
Not soldiers.
Drones.
A dozen black drones hovered above, red lights blinking.
"RUN!"
---
Meanwhile – District 5
Aria arrived alone.
The "refugee shelter" was quiet. Too quiet.
A broken swing creaked in the wind. Abandoned toys littered the entrance. No guards. No civilians.
She stepped in.
A soft voice echoed from above.
"Such a caring soul, walking into hell for strangers."
Saira stepped out from the shadows, flanked by masked soldiers.
"You."
Aria's pulse spiked. She turned, but another squad closed the rear gate.
No escape.
Saira tilted her head. "Tell me, Doctor. What does it feel like—saving everyone else while knowing you're about to die?"
"I'm not afraid of death," Aria said, steady.
"Good," Saira whispered. "Because this is where you break."
---
Back at the bunker
Raian froze when he saw the screen—an emergency alert blinking from Aria's tracker.
Her signal had gone silent.
"Location?" he demanded.
Noah checked the logs. "District 5. She went alone."
A chilling silence fell.
Raian turned to Ishaan. "Ready the car."
"But—"
"She's not just part of the war," Raian growled. "She is the reason I still fight."
---
District 7 – Cliffside
Ayan and Lina dove behind a boulder as a drone exploded nearby. Lina was grazed on the shoulder—bleeding, but still typing.
"I just need thirty more seconds—" she hissed.
Another explosion rocked the ground.
Ayan moved without hesitation, shielding her, returning fire. His eyes were wild, but his aim was precise. He dropped two drones before yelling, "Now, Lina!"
She hit the last command, disabling the final wave.
Smoke rose. The sky cleared.
They were alive.
Barely.
---
District 5 – Holding Cell
Aria was dragged inside a dark cell, her wrists bleeding, lip split.
Saira stood outside the bars, watching.
"You could've had a quiet life," she said. "But instead, you chose him."
Aria spat blood. "I chose truth."
"Truth is irrelevant when you're forgotten."
"I'd rather die forgotten," Aria whispered, "than live remembered as a coward like you."
Saira didn't flinch.
"Then let's see how brave you are… when you hear him scream."
She turned and walked away.
Aria's heart stopped.
"No—wait—Saira! What are you going to do to him?!"
Saira didn't answer.
And somewhere, behind layers of concrete and shadows, Raian was already on his way.
To reclaim his heart.