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

Osram Time: 05:05, February 24, 2295

Outside Door Kaamos, Vault of Primal Urges, Mare Imbrium, Near Side, Osram

Dust swirled around Lorna Weiss as she lay sprawled on the lunar surface. Her fingers twitched near the handle of Baldr, her Psytum Sword, its blue blade fading like her resolve.

"I expected more from a Psi Lynx like you, Lorna Weiss." Joon-Seok Pak stood over her, his own sword - a bright red energy blade - poised to strike her heart.

Her eyes darted to the side, taking in the battlefield. The Imperium forces, in crimson and black, were overwhelming the white and blue Alliance troops.

"Skål," she whispered bitterly, a grim toast to her imminent death.

Just as despair threatened to consume her, the sound of gunfire shattered the moment. The distinctive rattle of an SMG filled the air, bullets leaving trails of blue light as they flew. Some hit Joon-Seok's robe armor and his face.

"Baw-lah-eh See-kah!" Emmanuel Boateng charged forward, his locs flying behind him. He kept firing, creating a wall of bullets between Lorna and her attacker.

"Curse you!" Covering his bleeding face, Joon-Seok retreated behind a line of Bloodtroopers who formed a protective barrier around him, their red armor absorbing Emmanuel's enhanced bullets.

"Milord!" Dilinur cried out as she folded her silver Psi Fan and her red aura faded. She too disappeared behind the Bloodtroopers.

In that moment of chaos, Lorna saw her chance. She rolled away and got back to her feet.

Looking around, she saw several Psi Lynxes in white uniforms cutting through enemy lines. They moved quickly, blending into the chaos. One tall, dark-haired woman wielding a Psytum Sword charged forward, her blade leaving a bright trail as Bloodtroopers fell before her.

Nearby, another Lynx - a shorter man with brown hair - took down enemies with precision, his dual 10mm Magnums firing glowing rounds into the advancing forces.

To the right, a Lynx in a white trench coat moved forward with a shotgun, each blast sending shockwaves through the thin lunar air. The shots tore through groups of Imperium soldiers, their armor crumbling under the force.

"Come on, you Imperial bastards!" Emmanuel shouted, reloading his Kinetic SMG smoothly. His eyes met Lorna's for a second.

"Give them hell!" she growled, reactivating Baldr and charging back into the fight. She moved quickly between enemies, slashing with precision, pushing herself despite having no Aether left to fuel her psionic abilities.

The Psi Lynxes gathered around her, protecting their seniors as Lorna finished her attacks.

"I've got new orders from Director Otis!" Diego's voice came through Lorna's earpiece. "Thomas, lead the Armed Forces against the enemy. The rest of SIMU - get to the Space Rover and head for Door Valkyris!"

"Roger! Vanguards, Ironbears, on me!" Thomas responded firmly.

"The old man wants us to quit just when the fight gets good?" Emmanuel shouted over the noise as he floated next to Lorna.

Suddenly, the ground shook. Lorna spun around and stared in disbelief at what emerged from behind the Imperium lines.

A huge Radi-Mon, like a nightmare mix of mole rat and human, lumbered toward them. Its body dripped with slick flesh, its mouth lined with rows of jagged teeth. It let out a roar that shook Lorna to her core. Its limbs ended in claws as long as a human, slashing through the air as it advanced, towering over the Bloodtroopers behind it.

Lorna's grip tightened on Baldr as she stared at the monster.

The Imperium soldiers cheered, as if the creature was their champion.

"Flesh Pot! Devour their psions!" Dilinur commanded from behind the beast.

Before Lorna could react, the Radi-Mon charged forward with surprising speed, its red eyes fixed on the junior Psi Lynxes. Its mouth opened wide, drool dripping from its fangs as it roared again, causing a nearby Psi Lynx to stumble.

Flesh Pot pounced, its claws digging into a female Psi Lynx. The woman screamed as her sword fell to the ground. She struggled as the monster lifted her toward its mouth.

With a sickening crunch, Flesh Pot bit her in half. Lorna watched in horror as the top half of the woman was devoured while the bottom half floated in the low gravity, blood pouring from the remains.

"This is the weapon they have," Lorna said under her breath, her heart racing. She had no time to think, only to survive.

"Jessica, no!" Emmanuel yelled in shock.

"Just go!" Thomas urged over the comm.

"Manny," Lorna said through clenched teeth, her breath visible in the cold lunar air. She turned away, deactivating Baldr. The blue jewel in the hilt went dark. "The mission comes first."

"Hurry! We can't let them stop us from getting the Crystal!" Diego's voice came urgently through the comm. "I have to bail out too."

"The mission comes first," Emmanuel lowered his gun with a sigh and headed toward the Space Rover waiting behind them.

"Good luck, Thomas..." Diego's StarWhale shuttle was already flying above the rover, cables hanging beneath it as it rose into the sky.

"No problem. Say hi to that Crystal for me!" Thomas replied bravely.

"Pedis Leporis Lunaris!" Lorna jumped forward, blue energy propelling her across the moon's surface.

Her boots kicked up dust as she reached Xin, noticing two arrows piercing his jacket.

"Xin!" she called, her voice gentle but urgent. She touched his cheek.

His eyes fluttered open, confused and distant, his glasses reflecting Earth's light.

"Snap out of it, Xin," she urged, looking into his eyes.

Recognition flickered in his gaze. "Lorna. Where—?"

"The Space Rover," she said softly but firmly as she helped him up. Together, they stumbled toward the rover, their escape amidst the chaos.

"Let's move!" Emmanuel called from the open hatch of the Space Rover.

Pawan, the Omni-drone, floated inside. Lorna guided Xin in, her mind racing with plans.

"Strap in," she ordered, her voice sharp with adrenaline. The rover's interior lit up, consoles glowing. The Gauss Machine Gun on top sat unused.

"Thomas will do his best," Emmanuel said calmly despite the chaos outside. "We need to make this count."

Lorna worked the console, starting the auto-drive with a hum. She looked at Xin, slumped in the driver's seat, his beige jacket stained red around the arrows.

"Hang in there," she said, holding back tears. "Manny? Can you?"

"Yep." Emmanuel leaned forward from the back seat and pressed a Medi-Vap vial to Xin's lips.

Lorna carefully removed the bloody fabric and pulled out the arrows with a wet sound, her hands covered in his blood. Outside, the Space Rover sped across the lunar landscape, fleeing the Imperium's attack.

Xin's body tensed as he turned his head to the side, exhaling blue mist. Tears ran down his dirty face.

"Give him another dose," Lorna told Emmanuel, holding Xin up with her arms around his waist. She felt his heart beating against hers.

"Okay," Emmanuel pushed the Medi-Vap vial to Xin's mouth again, the teal liquid entering with a soft hiss. "Deep breaths, buddy."

"It'll be alright," she whispered, her breath mixing with his. Her hand cradled the back of his head comfortingly.

"Hey, Xin, you're one hell of a SIMU warrior," Emmanuel added encouragingly. "You're gonna pull through."

Xin's breathing began to slow. Lorna leaned back to meet his eyes, offering a small smile.

"Thank you... thank you both," Xin said, still in pain.

The Space Rover continued its auto-piloted journey, leaving the Door Kaamos behind.

"Ugh. Thirsty," Lorna muttered as she reached into her coat pocket for her potion bottle. She uncorked the Indra-Sprite and took a long drink, emptying about a third of it. As she drank, the cold feeling in her body began to fade as her Aether replenished.

Suddenly, a sharp pain hit Lorna's stomach, making her grip the bottle tighter. She briefly wondered if Doctor Nikki had fully removed the Nucleus Virus, but quickly dismissed the thought. This was probably just from the fight, from their narrow escape. Besides, the pain felt different from the burning the Virus caused - deeper, more natural. The discomfort faded as the Indra-Sprite worked through her system, leaving a strange warmth she couldn't explain.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

She sighed as she put the bottle back in her pocket. Loosening her hair, she let it fall onto her shoulders. The Space Rover raced across the barren moon, tires kicking up clouds of dust. She glanced back at Emmanuel, whose eyes were wide with amazement.

"Holy smokes, Lorna," he said, sounding impressed, "you went through that hell back there without a scratch. How'd you manage that?"

She gave him a half-smile, touching the Nordic pendant on her neck. "It wasn't just me," she said with her Midwest accent. "Xin had Pawan watching my back. That little drone's faster than a Bone Fiend in heat."

From the driver's seat, Xin nodded modestly, his eyes meeting hers. "Your Aether helped more, Lorna. You powered both of our Psi Shields." His voice was full of respect.

Turning to Emmanuel, Lorna added, her voice heavier now, thinking of those they left behind, "Thanks for saving us, Manny."

"Just doing my job," Emmanuel nodded seriously. "Wish Thomas and the other soldiers good luck."

"That Radi-Mon that the Imperium sent after us was brutal," Lorna said grimly.

"Yeah, no surprise the Legion controls half of Mars if they have weapons like that," Emmanuel shook his head. "We scouted ahead and cleared the path to Door Valkyris. Should be the closest vault entrance from here."

"We'll make it," Xin added as he started working the rover's controls.

"Why take over? Let the AI do it," Lorna said, watching Xin carefully.

Emmanuel joined in, clearly concerned. "Yeah, man, don't need you passing out on us."

Xin gripped the steering wheel, determined despite his injuries. "I looked at the AI algorithm before our flight," he explained, wincing as he shifted gears. "It's a power hog — uses five times the energy we need for manual driving. Might need that extra battery if things go wrong again."

Lorna leaned forward, searching his face for any sign of weakness. The smell of blood mixed with Medi-Vap filled the cabin.

"Alright," she agreed with a playful tone, "but you keep yourself in one piece, hear?"

"Promise," he whispered back with a slight smile as he focused on driving.

Minutes later, the Space Rover stopped at the edge of Door Valkyris, sending dust and pebbles flying as Xin parked near the massive structure. It looked like a giant bowl with high edges and a deep center. Lorna looked out at the large crater before them as she opened her door.

Her boots crunched on the moon's surface as she got out, with Emmanuel right behind her.

"Why do they have to make these doors so big? Ugh," Lorna muttered as they approached the center. Below them was a pattern of strange hieroglyphs carved into the stone — an alien language of curves and angles that seemed beautiful but made no sense to her.

Xin joined them, staring at the symbols. "Those aren't just decorative," he said as he stood beside Lorna. "According to the Moondust Crystal's data, these symbols on the vault doors are oracle bone script. Used by Primordial China — back when that mattered."

"Oracle bones, huh?" Lorna traced a symbol with her finger. "At least it's not one of those weird Neptunian texts."

"I have a cheat sheet, too," Xin tapped his Quantum Watch, the green light glowing on his face. The device projected images in the air.

"Been wanting to buy myself one of those fancy watches," Emmanuel commented lightly.

Lorna watched Xin work, his fingers scrolling through ancient scripts, lines of green code floating above his watch. She stood close, unconsciously leaning toward him.

"And — got it. This is a rough translation," Xin announced triumphantly, looking at his watch as it showed holographic symbols with English text next to them. "On this Door Valkyris, we the followers of the Sand Lotus present to you two riddles. Write your answers as one, and the Door shall judge."

"Wonder what this 'Sand Lotus' is," Lorna said, looking at the door beneath them. "Seen this term several times since I joined."

"I could look into it when we go back. Anyway, here's the riddle," Xin said, his eyes reflecting the green light from his watch. "Two sisters walk hand in hand, but never see each other. Their gaze turns to the world, forever longing for one another. What are they?"

As Xin finished speaking, Lorna's heart pounded, hearing her father Harald's voice whispering the same riddle during her Norwegian childhood. Her fingers touched the pendant at her throat as she breathed in the sterile smell of moon dust.

"Ah crap..." Xin muttered, clearly embarrassed. "I — I don't know the answer."

Emmanuel shrugged casually, running a hand through his locs with a grin. "Well, I'm no help with Imperial proverbs either."

"Øynene," Lorna whispered, the word crisp and clear. "It's not Imperial — it's Nordling. Øynene, the two eyes that we have. That's the answer."

Xin looked surprised but hopeful. Emmanuel chuckled softly, which was somehow comforting.

"Leave it to the Valoran lady," Emmanuel said steadily, despite the strange situation. "But I'm glad to have you both here."

Lorna nodded, feeling more determined. This was more than just a test of knowledge; it connected to who she really was — and who she needed to be for them now.

Lorna stepped forward, her boots leaving prints in the dust as she approached the massive door. "And what's the second one?"

"I hold you close, but when you grow too heavy, I must let you go, like a song in the wind." Xin read the second riddle from the inner circle of the vault door. "What am I?"

"Et hjerte," she said quietly, the words feeling like a sacred chant. Her voice seemed to resonate with the stone, as if an unseen force recognized her words. "A Heart."

Xin paused over his Quantum Watch, green light casting strange shadows on his face as he looked up at her. "I love it. I love it so much."

"What?" Lorna asked, pushing her golden hair back as the moon's wind blew behind her, suddenly aware of how Xin was looking at her.

"Well, I mean — learning about a culture different from your own is fascinating, isn't it?" he looked down again, hesitating briefly before he started writing their answer on the dusty surface of the vault door. "Alright, here we go. Two eyes —"

"I hope this works," Emmanuel urged, scanning the horizon for danger. "Time isn't on our side."

Lorna looked back at the door, watching as Xin's movements became more confident. She felt energy building around them, the air crackling with potential.

The door began to hum — a deep sound that seemed to come from the moon itself. Lorna's heart pounded, each beat reminding her of Norwegian lullabies from her childhood, songs of legends from a world that felt both distant and close.

Then, without warning, the ground beneath them moved. The stone door spiraled open, revealing the dark abyss below.

"It's working," Xin said quietly, but with triumph in his voice. "Just need to write the second answer now —"

Before Xin could continue, Lorna heard the roar of engines and snapped out of her thoughts. She turned to see a blood-red shuttle landing at the edge of Door Valkyris. The ship touched down, and figures emerged from its shadow.

"Is that..." she whispered, recognizing the threatening figure from the shuttle. She always remembered those who wronged her, especially one who had helped torture her just a week ago.

Iron Roach, the cruel Imperial, was surrounded by Amber-Eye archers. Their Kinetic Crossbows aimed at Lorna and her friends as they spread into formation.

"Thought you could hide, huh?" Iron Roach shouted, his voice echoing across the lunar surface. A cruel smile twisted his lips as he raised a cybernetic hand, signaling the archers to prepare to fire.

The air grew tense in the moment before battle. But Emmanuel stepped forward, his locs swaying like a lion's mane. His hands moved precisely, tracing glowing symbols.

"N-soo-oh eh-dah meh hoh!" he chanted, his words filled with ancient power. As he finished, a blue barrier appeared around them. Arrows fired from the crossbows turned to dust when they hit the shimmering dome.

"Xin!" Lorna shouted, her blue eyes urgent. "Write the answer, now!"

Xin nodded, his fingers tracing the final symbols needed to unlock the door.

Lorna watched the barrier, seeing the archers regroup as they realized their weapons weren't working.

"Keep chanting, Emmanuel," she said quietly, partly to reassure herself. She needed to believe they were safe inside the psionic shield, even as doubt nagged at her.

"Always," Emmanuel replied through gritted teeth as the barrier pulsed with each chant. "Sa-moo-dra chen-chi, ma yen a-som-dwoe wo saa as-rem yi moo!"

Then the ground shook under Lorna's feet, the dust and stone swirling like a cyclone as Xin finished the last symbol on the ancient surface. The vault door hummed deeply.

"Got it! It's really it. Two Eyes, One Heart!" Xin exclaimed excitedly. His eyes sparkled with delight, reflecting the intricate stonework spinning beneath them.

"You incompetent retards!" Roach shouted in frustration, his voice cutting through the battle noise beyond their safe bubble. Lorna could almost feel the arrows breaking against the psionic barrier, their energy dispersing into blue particles as the Imperial continued. "Keep fucking shooting!"

"Nothing's getting past me, Lorna," Emmanuel grunted, standing firm amid the chaos.

"Diego! We're going under Door Valkyris. Don't know if this communication will hold. Wish us luck," Lorna called into her earpiece.

"Got it, amiga. Good luck down there!" Diego's smooth voice replied.

And then, suddenly, there was no ground at all. Lorna's stomach lurched as she felt herself floating, her body drifting alongside her companions.

They descended. Gravity pulled them down gently but firmly as the SIMU team fell through the hidden shaft. The walls of the deep well were smooth with ancient volcanic glass, remnants of a fiery past long cooled.

They floated in darkness, the vault door above closing with finality.

"No way back now," she breathed, spreading her arms as they fell. Her blonde hair floated around her like golden flames, catching stray bits of light from unseen sources.

"These stoneworks are incredible," Xin marveled, staring at the alien patterns framing their descent. "And our fall isn't accelerating either, this gravity well is working, however ancient it is."

Lorna had to agree, the rush of falling lighting up her nerves. Her dark blue turtleneck hugged her body, as the Pendant of Mánagrát's chain rubbed against her skin, making her very aware of the air rushing past her.

"Where is this taking us though?" Emmanuel asked uneasily, looking into the depths below.

"Don't really care," Lorna replied, surprisingly calm. "Let's just...go with the flow." Her blue eyes stayed fixed on the blur of architecture passing by.

A minute passed as they fell deeper, the sensation both thrilling and terrifying. But slowly, Lorna began to feel drowsy despite the adrenaline in her veins. The walls, once bare stone, now pulsed with an alien rhythm, lined with purple veins that throbbed like a giant heart beneath a transparent skin.

"Hold on...these don't feel man-made..." Xin's voice cut through the growing fog as he raised his Quantum Watch to scan the strange organism. Then, his voice sharpened urgently. "It's Radi-Mon!"

Lorna tried to focus, but her eyelids grew heavy. The sweet smell coming from the living walls was overwhelming, a syrupy scent that clung to her throat and clouded her mind.

A glance at Emmanuel showed him clenching his jaw, eyes narrowed at the pulsing walls. They were all trapped in this living tunnel, its intentions unknown, its smell disarming.

"Fight it!" Emmanuel ordered, noticing her struggle and his own. "Stay awake — we must — stay awake..."

Fighting against the tempting drowsiness, part of Lorna screamed to resist. Yet another, darker part whispered to surrender, tempting her to close her eyes and give in.

"Can't... it's too strong," she murmured, barely audible against the wind of their descent. Her vision blurred, the stonework merging with the purple flesh that now covered the gravity well.

"Lorna! Stay with me —" Xin's plea reached her, distant and distorted, like an echo from another life. She wanted to answer, to tell him she would never let go, but the thought dissolved before she could speak.

"Let's sleep, Xin," Her consciousness faded, her mind growing foggy as the sweet smell seeped into her brain. Lorna's blue eyes flickered, losing the battle against her heavy eyelids. The last thing she saw was the panic on Xin's face as words that didn't feel like her own left her lips. "I just want to sleep..."

A final thought crossed Lorna's fading mind: this was no ordinary descent. A dangerous journey awaited, her allies' voices drowned out by the silence of her own unconsciousness.