The first thing Zora heard that morning wasn't the chirping of birds. It was the screeching sound of the bunker alarm.
She sat up, groaning as she covered her ears, "Oh perfect, just what I needed to start the day."
Micah appeared at her door with a grin. "Morning, sunshine."
She squinted at him with a soft smile on her face "You people love panic, don't you?"
"Only on training days," he replied. "Come on, it's time for breakfast.
In the Dining Chamber
The dining hall was far less dramatic than she expected.The chamber was lined with long steel tables, scattered with mismatched chairs and chipped plastic plates. Rebels, mechans and children gathered in casual groups... Talking, laughing and eating.
Micah handed her a tray with something that looked like toast… if toast was silver, warm, and made of protein fiber.
She poked it with a finger. "So... not pancakes."
"It's better. This is high efficiency synth-bread, zero calories, all function." Senn says ecstatically.
They laughed and sat down, just as a little girl across the table tugged at Zora's sleeve. Her mechanical eye blinked softly as she spoke.
"Is it true you were a princess?"
Zora looked around, then smiled, unsure. "Kind of... I guess."
"What was it like?" the girl asked wide-eyed.
Zora leaned back, her eyes drifting upward as fragments of half-formed memories danced at the edge of her mind.
"I don't remember much," she admitted. " I remember feelings more than memories honestly."
She paused and said,"I remember my mother's warm hands and my mother laughing while fitting me into a suit of armor too big for my shoulders."
The little girl giggled.
"And I remember wanting to be her," Zora added quietly. "Not a queen, Just her."
Before the moment could stretch too far, Senn's voice cut through the hall.
"Micah and Zora gear up, we're heading out."
"Out where?", Zora asked eagerly.
" We're heading into the town, you've got a new assignment today," Senn said.
She instinctively turned to look for Vektar, but he wasn't nearby. "Wait, He's not coming?"
Senn smiled. "He's staying behind."
Panic filled her chest, "You can't be serious."
Vektar appeared at her side a second later. He leaned in and whispered," Don't worry, I will be right behind you, walking a few feet away and where they can't see me."
Zora gave a slow nod but her expression dimmed. She wasn't used to going outside without Vektar but she raised her chin up and consoled herself." At least I'll be with Micah." She said as she hurriedly finishes up breakfast.
The path ahead was narrow, damp and muddy, lit only by the occasional flickering bulb embedded in the wall. Footsteps echoed behind them... Vektar's, probably, but the silence between Zora and Micah was growing heavier than the air.
Zora broke the silence with a sideways glance.
"So… you've heard enough about my tragic soap opera," she began with a light tone "What about you? Do you, uh… mind talking about your family?"
"Now?" Micah blinks, facing her.
She shrugged. "We're in a tunnel with no entertainment."
He chuckled. " Yeah, I can talk about it."
Zora crossed her arms and her tone softened slightly. "You don't have to if it hurts."
Micah shook his head. "It hurts but silence hurts even more."
She smiled faintly. " That's a fair reason. So… Gorthmic, right? That was your home?"
He gave a nostalgic sigh. "Yup, Gorthmic. A tiny kingdom that was peaceful, big on music, pottery, and weaponized flowers."
Zora squinted trying to hold back her laughter. "I'm sorry… what now?"
"Floral explosives," he said, with a wide grin. "They ranged from tulip mines to orchid bombs and a peony that bites your fingers off if you insult its scent."
Zora burst out laughing. "You're messing with me, right?"
"I wish I was," he said. "We had the weirdest royal tech development council. Some guy thought nature should fight wars and next thing you know, we had daisy drones. They are completely impractical but very colorful."
"Okay, now I need a daisy drone for my aesthetic." Zora said, laughing still.
Micah laughed, then the humor faded slightly from his eyes. "Then Horam came."
Zora's smile faded. "What happened?"
Micah stared ahead as they walked. "It all happened so fast. He sent his mechan army in under the guise of trade negotiations. My father welcomed them like guests."
Zora's jaw clenched. "That bastard."
"Yeah. First thing he did was seize the central power grid. Then he poisoned the rivers and then... He stormed the palace with his army."
"Were you there?"
Micah nodded. "I was 14 and I watched from a vent shaft as they executed my father in the garden. My mother told me to run. So I did. I ran and I never saw her again."
Zora went quiet. "I'm sorry, I can't imagine how you felt in that moment."
He glanced at her and shrugged, half-heartedly. "What matters is that I survived and I lived to tell the story."
Zora bumped his shoulder with hers. "Still, that sucks on a royal level."
Micah smiled faintly. "That's why I joined the resistance, not just for revenge… but for a second chance... for all of us."
They walked in silence for a moment, the tension lingering for a while.
Then Zora cleared her throat. "So… do the flower bombs come with perfume settings? Asking for war armor fashion purposes."
Micah grinned again. "I'll see what I can whip up for your next training session. Rose-scented grenades, maybe?"
"Ooh, yes. Nothing says warrior princess like 'boom' and bloom."
He looked at her, with warm eyes "You know, for someone with world-ending trauma, you're remarkably sarcastic."
Zora smiled softly "That's because sarcasm is free therapy and unlike actual therapy, it doesn't make me talk about my feelings."
Micah laughed, nearly choking on his saliva. "You're impossible."
In the Open Town
They traveled through tunnels, hidden passages beneath the city. Eventually, they emerged onto the outskirts of a half-functioning district that still breathed with life.
The open town was a strange contrast to the bunker. It was loud and vibrant. Neon signs flickered over street shops and children played in every corner. Drones buzzed overhead and it smelled like smoke, oil, and life.
Zora paused gazing with awe "It's... beautiful."
Micah smiled beside her. "This is the last functioning trade zone. Even Horam leaves it alone. He knows that there are too many spies and too many traps."
"Convenient," she muttered.
Senn stepped forward. "We're here for training and this is your first real test."
"Fantastic," Zora said, interlocking her fingers "Does it come with a helmet?"
"No." Senn grinned. "It comes with a bomb."
Before she could process that, he shoved her hard, and Zora hit the ground with a gasp. A small frag device clattered beside her... ticking.
Senn shouted, "Activate your shield! Do it now!"
Zora's heart leapt into her throat. "You absolute—ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
"No time!" Micah yelled loudly. "Focus!"
The bomb exploded.
The blinding lights and rush of heat forced Zora to squeeze her eyes shut. She placed her arms over her head.
"This is it," she muttered. "I've died and I'm in robot heaven. Which, by the way, smells suspiciously like burnt flesh."
But slowly… the smoke cleared.
She opened one eye... and there it was: a translucent dome of energy surrounding her—shimmering . Her arm vibrated with power, still slightly warm from channeling the shield.
Zora sat up, stunned."...Did I just not die?"
Senn beamed like a proud father. "You did it."
Zora stood as the shield flickered gently before dissolving. Her breath caught in her chest. She felt lighter, like part of her just woke up.
Senn clapped her shoulder. "You've barely scratched the surface. Next stop: the training zone in the ruins."
They were just leaving the town square when every screen around them flickered and turned blank.
A transmission overrode the noise. People stopped in their tracks and vendors stopped moving.
Zora turned, already sensing something was wrong, and then… there she was.
Queen Moira.
She was bound by her arms strung between glowing electric pillars. Her body was marked with dark lashes, and blood streamed down her face. Her voice trembled as she was forced to speak.
"This is Queen Moira of Songrin… and I plead with my daughter… wherever she is… to surrender."
Zora's knees nearly gave.
Horam stepped into view, a mad grin splitting his face. His voice was like rusted wire, evil and smug.
"Oh, look at her, once the great Moira, now, just another screaming corpse-to-be."He chuckled, stepping closer to the queen.
"If Zora doesn't surrender, her mother dies. I will make sure it is slow and painful... And you know I love slow."
Moira coughed hard, falling to her knees prompting one of the guards to hit her again.
Horam leaned into the screen. "Come home, princess, let's finish what we started."
The screen cuts out. Senn and Micah stood frozen with a pale expression.
"What could he have done to force her to say that?" Micah whispered. "Moira would never—"
"She's stronger than any of us," Senn added. "He must've broken something."
But neither of them noticed that Zora hadn't said a word. She was staring at the blank screen, her fists clenched so tight her mechanical fingers dug into her palms.
Micah turned to her. "Zora—?"
She whispered. "I have to surrender."
Both men stared at her.
"I have to save her," she said louder. "She's still alive and I won't let him kill her because of me."
Zora wasn't ready for war but she was done watching from the sidelines, especially if her silence meant losing the last piece of her heart.