PROVIDERS HEADQUARTERS
COMMAND ROOM:
A heavy silence hangs as screens flicker with reports from the last battle.
Commander Curl steps forward, voice stern, echoing through the hall.
Commander Curl:
Alright.
Fifty-three Providers… forty-six Rebellions… wiped in the last war.
We "won" ,at what cost?
He slams the report on the desk.
Commander Curl:
Who gave the order to kill civilians?
This wasn't meant to turn into a war.
Our soldiers died for nothing!
Officer Margot steps up, her tone coated with a fake sense of righteousness.
Officer Margot:
Sir, we were forced to.
Rebellions aren't common people, they're terrorists.
A threat to our peace.
If they enter our area, our civilians are in danger.
We had to stop them.
Commander Curl's eyes narrow sharply.
Commander Curl:
Rebellions are human too.
Questioning the government doesn't make them terrorists.
And Officer Margot…
Who do you work for?
Follow my orders .
Don't act too smart.
Margot smiles. A cold, knowing smile.
Officer Margot:
Humans?
A "civilian" killed 31 trained soldiers by herself.
No common seeker can do that.
Curl inhales deeply, fighting frustration.
Commander Curl:
Terrorist groups brainwash people. I know that.
There are dangerous activities among Seekers, yes.
And this girl… Airis… must be watched.
He turns to the officers.
Commander Curl:
I assign Aren Vale for this operation.
Undercover.
No civilians must be hurt.
No violence, we're protectors, not tyrants.
Officer Margot's expression twitches, a crack in her mask, but she says nothing.
She turns and walks out of the room.
The door shuts with a metallic echo.
SEEKER UNDERGROUND — SAFE ZONE
A dim bunker filled with tired faces, wounded bodies, and silent hope.
Airis stands before her people, fierce but grieving.
Airis:
We are not settling on this.
We need justice for our forty-six Rebellions…
they were civilians, killed for questioning Providers.
Valerine and Yura stand beside her, unshaken pillars.
Valerine:
They weren't soldiers…
they were families.
People who deserved answers.
Yura:
Providers call it "peace,"
but peace built on fear…
that's control.
From the back, a worn-out man steps forward, voice trembling.
Rebel Civilian:
We're not ready to fight anymore…
We're tired, Airis.
We're civilians, not soldiers.
Every time we stand up… someone doesn't come home.
His voice breaks.
Rebel Civilian:
We can't lose more people.
Not again.
Airis walks to him, placing a steady hand on his shoulder.
Airis:
I know you're tired.
I'm tired too.
Every name we lost still echoes in me.
She looks at the crowd...tired, afraid, desperate.
Airis:
Standing up isn't the same as fighting.
We're not here to start a war…
We're here to prove we're human.
To show the world they killed civilians not criminals.
Her voice strengthens, rising through the underground.
Airis:
We won't pick weapons.
We'll pick truth.
And no one else dies for nothing.
Not while I stand here.
Her people breathe again
not with strength,
but with hope.
A NEW SHADOW — AREN VALE ENTERS
Hours later, the tunnels quiet down.
Airis remains, staring at the flickering lights.
Soft footsteps echo.
A hooded figure moves through the shadows —
calm, controlled, blending with the seekers perfectly.
Aren Vale.
He walks like a civilian…
but his eyes belong to a soldier.
He stops the moment he sees her.
Aren (thinking):
That's her…
Airis.
The girl who killed 31 trained soldiers.
A rebel approaches him cautiously.
Random Rebel:
You're new.
Where did you come from?
Aren gives a tired smile flawless, practiced.
Aren:
East tunnels.
Lost my home after the last Provider sweep.
The rebel nods and walks away.
Aren's eyes shift back to Airis with cold suspicion.
Aren (thinking):
How did a seeker kill 31 soldiers?
Is she leading the underground activity…
or is someone using her?
He scans every movement, every detail.
Aren (thinking):
Whoever it is…
I won't let them become a threat to my people.