Episode 100: The Quiet After
The morning sky was still bruised with smoke when they returned to the hideout—scarred, exhausted, and silent.
No one spoke for a long time.
Ashen sat on the steps of the old hall, blood drying on his knuckles, watching the frost melt off the trees. Raian stood beside him, arms crossed, gaze lost in the treeline.
Inside, Aria moved through the rescued children—twenty-four in total—checking pulses, temperatures, vitals. They were malnourished, dazed, barely conscious… but alive.
Lina handed her another medkit. "We're running low on antibiotics."
"We'll make do," Aria whispered, brushing a girl's hair off her pale face. "They've already been through hell. I won't let them go back."
Ayan entered quietly, arms full of thermal blankets. "We've rerouted power from the backup grid. Ishaan's sealing the tunnel in case of retaliation."
Lina looked at him. "And Malik?"
"Dead." Ayan's voice didn't waver. "No data survived the blast."
Aria glanced toward the entrance, where Raian and Ashen still hadn't moved.
"He needs time," Lina said gently.
---
Outside
Ashen lit a cigarette, staring into the distance.
Raian didn't stop him.
"I don't remember the first time I died," Ashen said finally. "But I remember the first time I begged them not to bring me back."
Raian looked at him, pain flickering in his eyes.
"I always thought my pain made me stronger," Ashen went on. "That love was a distraction. That mother's voice was a weakness I had to erase."
He exhaled slowly.
"But last night… I remembered the way she kissed my forehead before they took me away."
Raian sat beside him. "You're not a weapon anymore."
Ashen turned to him.
"And you? Still running from who you are?"
Raian didn't answer right away. The wind picked up, scattering ash from the burned facility into the snow.
"I killed so many people believing I was righteous," Raian finally said. "That justice was worth the cost."
He looked toward the hall where Aria worked tirelessly, her white coat streaked with blood and soot.
"She's the only one who ever made me want to live for something instead of die for revenge."
Ashen chuckled. "You really love her."
"I think I always did. Even before I knew what that meant."
Ashen stood and tossed the cigarette. "Then don't waste time. We never had much of it, brother."
---
Inside
Aria slumped against a wall, eyes burning from sleeplessness. She hadn't let go of the little boy in her lap for over an hour. He hadn't spoken a word—just clung to her like she was the last warm thing left in the world.
Raian stepped in, his presence silent but grounding.
"You haven't rested," he said.
She shook her head. "They're all reacting differently. Some haven't moved. Others flinch at every sound. Their nervous systems are unstable. They've been through experimental testing—probably partial neuroprogramming."
He kneeled beside her. "You're doing everything you can."
Aria looked up. "I'm a surgeon, Raian. I was never trained for this kind of trauma."
"You were trained to heal. That's what they need."
She watched him for a moment—his eyes less stormy, more grounded. He reached out and gently brushed the strands of hair off her damp forehead.
"Can we really save them?" she whispered.
Raian took her hand.
"We'll try. Together."
---
Later That Night
Ishaan worked with Ayan in the comms room. Satellite systems were blocked, but they'd intercepted something strange—a short encrypted message bouncing between abandoned relay stations.
"It's not from Malik's side," Ishaan said. "Signal's too clean."
Ayan ran the decryption software.
Lines of code unraveled.
Then: "SEE YOU SOON, BROTHER."
Ayan stiffened.
Lina appeared behind them. "What is it?"
Ayan turned slowly, pale.
"Someone else survived."
---
In the Medical Wing
Ashen stood quietly in the doorway, watching Aria check on one of the older girls—fifteen, maybe sixteen—who'd curled up with fever.
"You didn't have to stay," he said after a while.
Aria didn't look up. "They didn't have a choice. Neither did you."
"You're still angry."
"I'm tired," she said honestly. "Of watching children suffer. Of seeing men like Malik win over and over."
Ashen stepped closer.
"You remind me of her," he said. "My mother. Gentle, but unbreakable."
Aria finally looked at him. "You're her son. She'd be proud."
For a moment, Ashen almost smiled.
"I don't know who I am without war."
"Maybe it's time to find out."
---
Elsewhere – Deep Underground
A shadow moved through a tunnel, dragging a breathing mask from his face.
He coughed blood into his palm.
A figure in a long coat approached.
"It's done," the voice rasped. "Malik is dead. But Ashen and Raian survived."
The figure stepped into the light.
A man with eyes eerily similar to Ashen.
"I know," he said calmly. "And now the real game begins."
---
Dawn – A Quiet Moment
Raian sat at the edge of the compound roof, watching the sunrise. The smoke was finally gone. For once, the sky was clear.
Aria joined him, pulling her coat tighter around her.
"You okay?" she asked.
He nodded. "For the first time in years… I think I am."
She leaned her head against his shoulder. "What happens now?"
"We rebuild. Find a place for the children. Erase Malik's shadow from every lab, every system."
"And us?"
Raian looked at her.
"I don't want to keep fighting. Not like before."
Aria smiled softly. "Then don't. Let's write a new ending."
He pulled her into his arms, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.
"No more blood. Just heart."
And for the first time, it wasn't a vow of vengeance… but a promise of peace.
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