The stench of burning metal and ozone lingered in the air long after the gunship touched down at one of the resistance's hidden strongholds deep in the ravaged northern forest. The compound was buzzing with medics, engineers, and returning fighters, each one carrying the weight of loss, victory, and exhaustion. Kirion stepped down from the ship slowly, his balance uneasy.
He didn't say a word.
Not when Juno tried to help him. Not when Zae called out his name.
He barely acknowledged the blood trickling down from his brow or the deep, pulsing pain in his head. The explosion that had helped clear their exit hadn't just torn apart the wall—it had taken a part of his vision with it. Now, one eye was dark, unresponsive. The other struggled to compensate.
But he refused to stop.
Zae reached him first. Her hand found his arm, steadying him. "Dad… You're hurt."
Kirion looked toward her voice, blinking hard. The shapes were there, but dimmed. "I'll be fine," he muttered, though even he didn't believe it.
The next few hours passed in a haze of movement. A field medic attempted to assess Kirion's injuries, but he brushed them off. "Others need more care. I'm still breathing."
"You're barely standing," Juno snapped, stepping in. "You want to help us? Sit still for ten minutes."
When he finally relented, Zae hovered beside him. Her own wounds were emotional more than physical—the weight of losing her mother a second time, the betrayal, the reconciliation, the sacrifice. Her silence spoke volumes.
The medic cleaned the wounds around Kirion's eyes and temples, grimacing. "There's retinal trauma. We'll need a full scan, maybe neural repair. You might lose partial sight permanently."
Kirion didn't flinch. "As long as I can still see my daughter."
Zae looked at him then, truly looked. He was battered, bruised, and barely stitched together—but he was here. He had come for her. Risked everything for her. Again.
"I saw her," Zae whispered. "In that last moment… she looked proud of me."
Kirion nodded. "She was."
They didn't speak much after that, both needing time to process. Outside, the compound prepared for further assaults. Surveillance feeds indicated the government had traced the raid back to their sector. Retaliation was inevitable.
Juno gathered the senior operatives for a tactical meeting that night. Kirion, bandaged and pale, joined them.
"We lost seven fighters during the extraction," Juno began, "and three more during the decoy operation. But we have Zae back. The intel we recovered from the facility confirms new cyber warfare divisions being built in the capital. They're preparing for an all-out digital and physical offensive."
"They'll use Zae's escape as justification," Drex added grimly.
"We need to relocate," Kirion said, voice rough. "And fast."
Zae stood in the doorway, arms crossed. "No. We need to hit back. We've run long enough."
Everyone turned to her—young, worn, and burning with purpose.
Kirion gave a faint smile. "Looks like I'm not the only one wired for battle."
Outside, the night wind howled, but inside, the flame of resistance burned brighter than ever.