Nucleus 1: The Dust of Moon [Mature Sci-fi Romance]

08:55, February 10, 2295

Amber Moon Spire (琥月塔), ZenFusion Taipei branch, No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan, Imperium of Dragons territory

As they fell, Xin watched Lorna spread her arms out. The wind rushed past them, the cool breeze on his face.

Lorna's blonde hair flowed behind her, her trench coat billowing like a cape. He couldn't help thinking how beautiful she looked - fearless despite their danger.

"If you're scared, just know I've done this before," Lorna held onto Xin's arms. "Exhilarating, isn't it?"

Speechless, Xin's eyes fixed on her blue eyes. In the hour since they met, Lorna had shattered all his expectations of how a woman should behave in a society. Yet he found himself drawn to her more than anyone he'd ever met.

"Hello? Anyone still there?" Lorna grinned as she reached for Xin's chest pocket, giving the flash drive inside a playful squeeze through the fabric. "At least the flash drive made it."

"Yeah, it's there," Xin managed to say. "You..."

"Hmm?" Lorna cocked her head.

"No, I mean —" Xin struggled with his thoughts. "Thank you."

Lorna smiled as she closed her eyes and whispered, "Corpus meum leve ut pluma."

A blue light surrounded them as they flipped upside down, their descent slowing until their boots met the ground. As they landed, the light faded.

They were in a deserted alley between two buildings, hidden from public view.

Then it hit him. They needed to move. The alley wouldn't hide them from Imperial forces for long.

"We should get to the main street," Xin suggested, still processing what had happened. "My car's in a garage two blocks from here. We can move faster that way."

Lorna nodded, scanning their surroundings. "Lead the way."

As they reached Xinyi Road, Xin realized how they must look. His gray prison uniform marked him instantly, and beside him walked a tall, blonde woman radiating confidence - something the Imperium discouraged.

The morning crowd moved around them. A businessman stared openly, coffee forgotten in his hand.

Two schoolgirls whispered to each other, eyes wide.

An elderly woman selling fruit made a protective gesture as they passed.

"Everyone's staring," Xin muttered, hunching his shoulders.

Lorna smiled, unbothered as they walked through the crowd. "They're staring at you, not me."

Xin laughed, surprising himself. "I seriously doubt that." His eyes scanned the faces around them. "Want to know why?"

A hover-tram passed overhead, its shadow cooling them from the morning sun. Lorna tilted her head. "Enlighten me."

"In this society—" Xin lowered his voice and checked for surveillance drones, "—foreign women are rare. A blonde psion with weapons? You might as well be from Jupiter."

"Nah, I'd look too short for someone from Jupiter," she chuckled.

A patrol drone buzzed nearby, its Imperial insignia catching the sunlight.

"They'll be looking for us soon," Xin warned quietly. "The Imperial Legion never rests—"

Lorna slipped her arm through his, pulling him closer as they ducked under a shop awning.

"Just smile," she whispered, her breath warm against his ear. "Look like we're just another couple."

"Couple," Xin repeated softly, feeling his face warm up. "Couple."

The drone hovered briefly before moving on. Xin relaxed, but Lorna kept her arm linked with his. Her scent of lavender was impossible to ignore.

They passed a public screen showing an Atomic News Network broadcast of the Amber Moon Spire with smoke billowing from its upper floors. The reporter's voice was calm but audible: "Attack on ZenFusion headquarters…local government suspects Terra Alliance involvement! Citizens advised to report suspicious activity..."

"That was fast," Lorna remarked, watching the crowd's reaction to the news.

A street vendor selling steamed buns called out to them in Taiwanese. "*Gín-á, beh chiáh pàn-thô bô? Nn̄g-ê gō khok la!*"

Lorna pulled Xin toward the stall.

"We should blend in," she explained, raising her silver watch as she held up two fingers. "Two, please."

"You can speak my people's language?" he asked.

"No." Lorna shrugged. "But some things transcend languages."

The vendor, an older man with dimples, nodded and scanned the blue holographic bubble from Lorna's watch.

Xin saw the bubble change to text: 'Deducted: $5 Atomic Dollars.'

The vendor handed them two steaming buns.

"Beautiful wife," he said to Xin with accented English and a wink. "You very lucky man. Luckiest in all the Five Realms."

Xin felt his face heat up. "She's not—"

"Thank you," Lorna interrupted, taking a bite of her bun. "My husband is too modest."

As they walked away, Xin struggled for words. The warm bun in his hand reminded him of his childhood, before his dreams were crushed by survival.

"Sorry about that," Lorna said, seeing his discomfort. "Cover stories make things easier."

"No, it's fine," Xin said, taking a bite of his bun. The taste brought back memories. "I'm just not used to…being seen."

"What do you mean?"

He hesitated. "In the Imperium, especially for someone like me, the goal is to be invisible. Do your job, keep your head down, don't attract attention."

"Too late for that," Lorna said, scanning ahead. "You're walking through Taipei with an Alliance agent, after helping steal classified data and escaping from the most secure building in the city."

It sounded absurd. Xin laughed again. "Exactly."

"It's not that bad. You'll get used to it," she grinned.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Lorna," he suddenly looked at her. "We forgot your pistol."

"Oh, right!" Lorna quickly swallowed a bite of her bun and let go of his arm. She gave him her half-eaten bun. "Hold this for me."

"Okay, but—" Before Xin could finish, Lorna's posture changed. Her eyes narrowed, looking past his shoulder.

She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around the corner into another alley. The sudden move pressed them close together, her coat brushing against him.

"What's wrong?" Xin whispered, awkwardly holding both buns while trying to look back at the street.

"Shh." Lorna put a finger to her lips, her eyes intense. She tilted her head, listening, then seemed satisfied they weren't followed.

Raising her right hand, palm up, she closed her eyes in concentration. When she opened them, they had a new gleam. Her voice was soft but commanding: "Váli, hör meinen Ruf."

The air before her hand shimmered, then opened into a swirling blue vortex. Through this window, Xin glimpsed parts of the server room they'd left. Lorna's white 10mm pistol floated through the portal into her waiting hand. The vortex closed, leaving only a faint ozone smell.

"Amazing," Xin muttered, unable to hide his wonder. Even with quantum computing and cold fusion, such psionics remained rare and tightly controlled in the Imperium.

Lorna checked her weapon before looking up with a small smile. "My 10mm, Váli, has an Echo Sapphire that lets me summon it when needed." She tucked the pistol into her coat. "Same goes for my Psytum Sword, Baldr. Handy when I need to look unarmed for security."

"How many missions have you been on?" Xin asked, leaning against the wall. The way she'd performed such powerful magic and moved with such certainty suggested years of experience.

Lorna took out a dark magazine and reloaded her 10mm with practiced ease. She caught him watching and winked. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"In that case," Xin replied with a growing grin, "I'll die happy."

Her laugh echoed softly in the alley. She put the reloaded pistol back in her coat and gave him an appraising look. "Thanks for your help back there. If you hand me the flash drive now, I'll compensate you properly. Does five thousand Atomic Dollars sound fair?"

"That, uh," Xin swallowed. He straightened up, meeting her gaze. "I don't need it."

Lorna frowned. "Okay, I admit five thousand for something this valuable is lowballing. How about ten thousand?"

"No, really," he insisted. Something had awakened in him—perhaps it had always been there, buried beneath Imperial conditioning and corporate servitude. "It's not about the money."

"Well, I have to give you something. The Alliance always pays its debts." She crossed her arms, both businesslike and playful.

"In that case..." Xin gathered his courage. The alley felt private, making this moment intense. "I'd like to become one of you. That's the payment I want."

"Excuse me?" Lorna's eyebrow shot up.

"I want to join you—the Alliance," Xin repeated, then added softly, "And you."

Lorna's eyes darted around the alley, suddenly alert again. "What's your reason?"

The question hung between them. Xin could have mentioned hating the Imperium's control, wanting freedom, or his technical skills. All would have been true. But another truth demanded to be spoken.

"You," he said simply.

"Hmm." Lorna thoughtfully studied him with new intensity. "What's so special about me?"

Xin took a deep breath, ignoring the Imperial social rules screaming at him to stop.

"I-I find you attractive," he stammered. "You're my type."

A tense silence followed as Lorna blinked, caught off guard. The alley seemed to hold its breath with them.

"Hey, Xin," she finally said, her tone gentler. "Look. That whole 'couple' thing was really just for show." She ran a hand through her blonde hair nervously. Her black boots clicked against the ground as she shifted her weight. "Besides, we kinda just met."

"I understand," Xin nodded, clearing his throat. He handed back her half-eaten bun with a small smile. "Timing is terrible, isn't it? Running from Imperial forces, stolen data, possible interplanetary incident... And here I am, telling you I'm drawn to you. But that's the thing about meeting someone like you in a place like this — it clarifies what matters."

Lorna stood there looking at him. A blush crept over her cheeks, her lips parted slightly as if about to speak, but no words came out.

"Look, I'm not asking for anything," Xin added, his voice softer but steady. "After years in ZenFusion, you learn to bury everything real. Today I chose not to. That's all."

"It's not that I—" Lorna began, shifting her weight and tapping her boots nervously. She paused, caught between professional detachment and something else. "In my line of work, connections are complicated. They become vulnerabilities. Weapons that others can use against you."

"I spent fifteen years designing systems that predict human behavior," Xin said sheepishly. "But I couldn't predict how meeting you would make me feel like I've been asleep my whole life. Pathetic, right?"

"Not pathetic," Lorna answered, still blushing. "Just... inconvenient. And possibly terrible judgment on both our parts." A hint of a smile played at her mouth.

"Wouldn't be the first time my judgment's been questioned," Xin replied. "I once crashed an entire server farm because I refused to believe a colleague's code could work. To hear Dilinur say it, ZenFusion almost lost a million that day. That was terrible judgment. This?" He gestured between them. "This feels like the first clear thought I've had in years."

Lorna's expression softened, briefly showing vulnerability. "Xin, I—"

Suddenly, from above them, a deep voice pierced the air. "*Fanginn eigi lengur! Rís, mínir þrælar. Rís!*"

"Him?" Lorna's whole body shook at the sound, her confidence vanishing instantly. "That can only be him."

"That voice. I heard it once while locked up. I wonder what it could be," Xin looked up at the towering Amber Moon Spire.

Even from below, the spire was impressive. Shaped like a pagoda, it rose into the sky, its tiers glowing softly in the cloudy morning.

"Xin, have you heard of this place being used to imprison Radi-Mons?" Lorna leaned closer to him.

"Do you think that voice belongs to one of those monsters?" Xin asked.

"Not just any monster," Lorna replied, shaking her head as she looked up at the spire. "But it couldn't possibly be him...unless..."

"*Min tid for hefnd er kominn! Þessi reikistjarna verður mín aftur!*" The deep voice sounded again.

"Diego, link Thomas's location with my Quantum Watch," Lorna said, pressing her hand to her ear while raising her left wrist, revealing a silver watch glowing blue.

"You have a Quantum Watch too?" Xin asked, looking at the intricate device on her wrist.

"Yeah, it's a gift from someone," Lorna replied. "I'll let my team decide if you're SIMU material after we make it out."

"I understand," Xin nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"My team said to rally at the Songnei Starport. Can you get us there?"

"I can. Faster if we take my car —" Xin looked around.

Without warning, a deafening explosion shattered the view of the Amber Moon Spire. The ground trembled as a massive fireball erupted from the side of the building, sending glass and twisted metal through the air. The shockwave swept through the alley, forcing them against the walls.

Through the smoke and debris, something huge and nightmarish emerged from the gaping hole in the spire. The creature was unlike anything Xin had ever seen, its grotesque form barely fitting through the opening it had made. Its head was monstrous, a mass of flesh and armored plates, with rows of sharp teeth gleaming wetly. Its eyes burned red, showing a feral intelligence.

As it forced its massive body through the wreckage, the creature's lower half appeared — a mix of writhing tentacles and muscled limbs supporting its five-meter frame. The tentacles clung to the building, tearing at it as they propelled the beast downward. Its legs gouged deep furrows into the spire's walls as it descended rapidly.

From their hidden spot, Lorna and Xin watched in horror as the creature fell toward the city. They couldn't see where it landed, but the impact reached them like thunder — metal screeched and buckled, glass shattered, and the ground shook. Distant screams filled the air, followed by alarms across the city.

"The Concordat. They never honored it." Lorna muttered.

"What is that thing?" Xin whispered, unable to look away.

Lorna's face had gone pale, her usual confidence replaced by grim recognition.

"A Radi-Mon Primarch," she said quietly. "The worst among them. It's what we thought the Imperium had contained."

"So that's what Dilinur imprisoned in the Spire?" Xin asked, connecting ideas. "Is that related to the data we took?"

Lorna turned to him, her eyes sharp with renewed focus. "The Moondust Crystal data isn't just valuable intelligence. It's the key to controlling creatures like that — or stopping them." She pressed her hand against the flash drive in his pocket. "What you've got there might be the difference between the Five Realms' survival and extinction."

The weight of her words settled over him. Whatever attraction he'd felt before now seemed secondary to something much more important. He straightened up, making a decision.

"Then we need to get it to your people." His voice was steadier than expected. "My car's green, parked in the underground lot two blocks east. If we cut through the maintenance corridors, we can avoid the main streets and whatever chaos that Primarch is causing."

Lorna studied him for a moment, something new in her expression.

"Let's finish our steam buns first." she said, a hint of her earlier warmth returning as she extended her arm. "And try not to die."

"I won't. Not when there's finally something worth living for." Xin gave Lorna her steam bun back as he met her gaze.

The air filled with approaching Imperial sirens and the distant roar of the creature. He turned and led the way through the shadows.

"This way." he said, each step taking them closer to whatever future waited beyond Taipei's burning skyline.