[FLASHBACK CONTINUES - May 2057 - Two Weeks Before the Sunflare Scorch]
6:00 AM - Yamashiro Institute Dormitory, Tokyo
The earthquake woke , maybe 3.2 magnitude. Tokyo was used to them, but lately they’ve been increasing in frequency. The scientists on the news called it "normal tectonic activity." The encrypted ssages on my father’s phone suggested otherwise.
Two weeks since Professor Chen had ntioned the committee. Two weeks of pretending everything was normal while watching my classmates plan futures that would never happen.
I rolled out of bed and into my morning routine. The Yamashiro Institute’s dorms were spartan but functional—everything a student needed, nothing more. I’d been here sixteen months, one of the few international students in the advanced combat program.
My phone buzzed. Father.
"It’s midnight in Copenhagen," I said by way of greeting.
"And noon tomorrow in Sydney, but ti zones don’t matter anymore when you stop sleeping." His voice was rougher than usual. "How are you?"
"Fine. There was another quake this morning."
"I know. They’re happening globally. Yellowstone showed activity yesterday. The Pacific Ring of Fire is lighting up like a Christmas tree." He paused, and I could hear the unspoken fear in his silence. "The date has been moved up."
My hand tightened on the phone. "What happened?"
"Two weeks. Maybe less."
"You’re sure?"
"The solar monitoring stations are sure. The math doesn’t lie, even when we wish it would." Another pause. "I’m flying out tomorrow."
"Dad, you have the summit in Brussels—"
"There is no summit. Half the world leaders are already in their bunkers. The rest are maintaining the facade." His laugh was bitter. "We’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic."
"Does anyone else know?"
"The selection committee. Essential personnel. The 50,000 people were selected to maintain the vaults." He cleared his throat. "You’ll receive your assignnt within days. Be ready."
---
10:30 AM - Advanced Weapons Design Class
Professor Kuroshio stood before a holographic display showing various weapon schematics. Most students were taking notes. I was designing modifications in my head, my mind already working on problems that wouldn’t exist for decades.
"Miss Kendrick," he called without looking up. "Your thoughts on the mono-molecular blade design?"
"It’s flawed," I said imdiately, standing up. "The edge alignnt degrades after seventeen strikes. You’d need to recalibrate mid-combat, which defeats the purpose."
"And your solution?"
I moved to the display, my fingers tracing the hologram. "Self-aligning carbon lattice structure here," I drew the modification, the hologram responding to my touch. "And a secondary edge that activates when the primary degrades. You lose 3% cutting efficiency but gain reliability."
"Interesting." He studied my design. "Submit the full specifications to my office. We might have used such innovations."
After class, he pulled aside. "Your official selection ca through this morning."
My heart stopped for a beat, then resud double-ti. "When?"
"You’ll be notified within 72 hours. Start making your preparations." He handed a secure tablet. "You’re permitted to submit equipnt requests. Whatever you think you’ll need when you wake up."
I took the tablet, already thinking. "Weapons?"
"Whatever you require, within reason. Though rember—you’ll be asleep for a century. Technology will advance. Your requests should be... tiless."
"A good blade never goes out of style," I said.
"Precisely."
---
7:00 PM - Campus Restaurant
Marcus was waiting again, sa table, sa concerned expression. We’ve had dinner three tis now. Each ti, I told myself it was the last.
"You look tired," he said.
"Thanks. Every girl loves hearing that."
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "You look tired but beautiful?"
"Marginally." I sat down, noticed he’d ordered my usual again. "You need to stop morizing my habits."
"Why?" he asked, his voice gentle.
"Because—" I stopped. Because in two weeks you’ll be dead and I’ll be frozen and this will all be aningless. The thought hit .
He leaned forward, his eyes searching for mine. "Scarlett, I know sothing’s wrong. The faculty, the ergency drills, the way you look at everyone like you’re morizing their faces—"
"Marcus—"
"I’m just... I’m here. If you need soone."
The kindness in his voice nearly broke . This boy who’d never hurt anyone, who wanted to heal rather than harm, who had no idea what was coming.
"Thank you," I managed, my voice thick with emotion I couldn’t show.
We ate in silence. When we parted, I hugged him—quick and fierce, our final hug.
"Take care of yourself," I said.
"You say that like goodbye."
"It’s just goodnight."
We both knew I was lying.
---
Day Before Departure - Father’s Visit
4:00 PM - Private eting Room, Yamashiro Institute
My father looked older. Two weeks had aged him two years. His suit was spotless but his eyes were haunted.
"The transport will arrive at 06:00 tomorrow," he said without even greeting . "You’ll have one hour to reach the departure point."
"Where?"
"Vault Terminus. It’s been built beneath Mount Fuji. Deepest, most secure facility on Earth. You’ll be in the cryo-wing with fourteen other candidates."
"Why so few?"
"Because you’re not ant to maintain the vault. The 50,000 regular inhabitants will do that. You’re ant to sleep through the catastrophe and wake when the world needs rebuilding." He t my eyes. "You’re humanity’s genetic lottery tickets."
"That’s freaky."
He pulled out a small device. "Your equipnt requests were approved. They’ll be waiting in your cryo-pod."
I’d asked for twin short swords, Norse-style but modernized. A mono-molecular blade with Tsurugi clan markings I’d found in the historical database. Various tactical equipnt that wouldn’t degrade over ti.
"Dad," I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. "What about you?"
"I have a bunker in Greenland. Parliantary continuation of governnt protocols." His smile was sad. "We both know it’s not gonna work, but we have to try."
"Will I ever see you again?"
He pulled into a hug—the first in years. "I don’t know. But if humanity survives, it will be because of people like you. Your mother would be so proud."
"Co with . The vault—"
"Has no room for old politicians. Besides, soone needs to maintain the order that everything’s fine until the very end. Give people a few more days of hope."
He pulled back, composed himself. "There’s sothing else. The Sunflare event—it’s not just solar radiation. Our satellites detected sothing else. Biological markers in the corona discharge."
"What?"
"We don’t know. But so scientists think it’s not random. That sothing is coming with the flare.."
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