The buds had appeared on the stem's branches overnight, and now they opened in sequence — first one, then another, then another — until the plant was crowned with a dozen soft, glowing blooms. The light reached the walls now, pushing back the shadows. Oriko noticed something strange. The concrete around the pot was cracking. Tiny green shoots were pushing through — weeds, she thought at first, but no. They were more sunflowers. Dozens of them. Sprouting from the dead floor.
Oriko turned off her headlamp.
She went back to the hydroponic bays and began filling her pockets with more seeds. Himawari Wa Yoru Ni Saku