Chapter 2: Beneath the Surface
The next morning came cold and gray.
Lena stood in formation with the rest of the cadets at the Republic Military Academy, the wind nipping at their uniforms as the morning inspection dragged on. Everything around her looked the same—bright-white buildings, polished boots, stiff postures. But she saw through it now.
She wasn't like them anymore.
Her gaze drifted to the officers barking orders ahead. Behind their crisp words and sharp uniforms lay something rotten. The Republic's peace was a lie, maintained by the suffering of the Eighty-Six.
She kept her face still. Her heartbeat steady.
No one could know she already understood.
---
Later – Military History Lecture
Lena sat in the back row, notebook open. The instructor droned on about the Republic's "autonomous" war machines and the "honor" of defending the nation.
All scripted lies.
She kept her pen moving, but her eyes weren't on the board. She was watching the faces around her. Blank. Bored. Obedient.
They didn't question the words. Didn't want to.
That used to be her.
Her grip tightened slightly on the pen.
But now, the truth hummed beneath her skin like a warning.
And still, she said nothing.
---
Afternoon – Library Archives
Lena slipped into a forgotten corner of the academy library, where the automated record terminals were rarely used. She plugged in her father's encrypted drive.
Lines of restricted files flashed across the screen—declassified footage, uncensored reports, names and numbers stripped from public knowledge.
The truth.
The first file she opened showed footage from a drone camera—combat footage deep within the internment zones. Reginleif mechs—Juggernauts, they called them—fighting, breaking, burning. But the camera lingered too long, caught a glimpse inside a shattered cockpit.
A face. A young boy's face, slumped in the pilot seat, blood staining his forehead.
A human.
She covered her mouth.
Her stomach twisted, but she didn't look away.
This was what they'd been calling "drones."
The Eighty-Six had always been people. Children. Disposable soldiers sacrificed for the comfort of the Alba citizens.
Lena closed the file, breathing carefully.
She couldn't cry here.
Not anymore.
---
Evening – Vaclav's Study
"You used the drive."
Vaclav's voice was quiet, but not surprised.
Lena sat across from him, back straight. "They're not drones," she said. "They never were."
"No," he said. "But the public believes they are. It's easier that way."
"I want to be assigned to active command," she said firmly. "When the time comes, I want front-line handler work."
Vaclav didn't answer right away. He studied her for a long moment. Then he nodded.
"You're serious about this."
"I won't be another voice pretending it's all okay. If they're going to assign someone to those children, it should be someone who sees them."
"You'll be watched," he warned. "Stepping out of line—asking the wrong questions—could end your career. Or worse."
"I know," she said.
There was no fire in her words. Just certainty.
Vaclav leaned back. "Then I'll prepare what I can. Quietly. You'll need people in the right places if you're going to make it that far."
Lena bowed her head.
"Thank you, Father."
This time, she meant it.
---
Night – Republic Military Academy
Back in her dorm, Lena lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
The memories came in waves. His voice. The battlefield. That final moment when his eyes no longer looked at her the same.
Shin.
She turned on her side, eyes burning.
Not yet. He didn't know her anymore. She hadn't even met him—this version of him.
But she would. And this time, she would earn his trust properly.
No assumptions.
No shortcuts.
No sentimental speeches.
Just quiet steps, one at a time.
And when the world around them tried to crush them again—
She'd be ready.
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End of Chapter 2