Day 241, October 4, 2030 - Friday

  Jisoo sighed as she spoon-fed Seohwa in her bed, “Open up. You need your energy for… you know.” Jisoo watched her eat listless.

  Seohwa was empty, void of any motivation as she hugged her knees. Jisoo pondered on what to say if Seoyong was here as she opened her mouth but hesitated.

  While Jisoo was thinking, Seohwa moved to the edge of the bed and stood up, “I can’t be like this. We need to save him.”

  Jisoo froze not knowing what to say since she knew where she was coming from but after seeing the gravity power of the Grey Leader, she couldn’t help but think it might not be possible. She then reluctantly stood up and coldly gave the reality, “We can’t.”

  “Why not?” Seohwa glared, keeping her anger in.

  “You’ve experienced what those Grey Men can do. And there is an army of them. The best you could do is just… stick to the plan. You might hate it, but remember what Seoyong told you before he left.” Jisoo calmly held her shoulders.

  Seohwa paused before replying, “To endure and survive.”

  Jisoo smiled gently, “Before that?”

  “…As long as we’re alive, we can see each other again.”

  “That’s right.” Jisoo nodded, “So, we should stick to the plan. Get out of here, get stronger and save him, yeah?”

  Seohwa reluctantly nodded, “…Ok.”

  After that, they headed to the cafeteria. As they did, they walked past some Black Mask Guards who were talking, “Did you hear? The boss wants to have a drinking party tonight at 19:30 for our ‘good work’.”

  The other laughed, “Well I’m in. But did he get permission?”

  “You know he didn’t.” The two guards passing by continued to chat on the way to their handover.

  Seohwa glanced at Jisoo after overhearing the schedule, “We should go at 19:30.”

  Jisoo nodded, “Yeah.”

  Needless to say, Seohwa and Jisoo took their time throughout the day following the same schedule they knew since they first arrived. This time though, they took notice of some guards beginning to loosen the security after they heard there was a party happening later that night.

  At 19:30, Seohwa and Jisoo quickly began to unscrew the vent from the bathroom as they helped each other up easily thanks to their continuous basic training.

  They crawled silently through the vents until they arrived at Sector B’s lab rooms, where the scientists were and not many guards could be seen.

  They gently fell down, making sure they weren’t seen as they moved over various corridors.

  When they noticed the exit door needed a keycard, they waited for a chance and quite timely, a slim scientist was passing by.

  Jisoo muffled his mouth as Seohwa punched his gut and pressure points to immobilise him according to their training. They quietly pulled the man out of plain sight and took his keycard.

  Jisoo was about to open the door when...

  Clap. Clap. Clap.

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  Seohwa turned and immediately paled upon seeing Dr 8, the Grey Leader and three other Grey Men.

  “I see your training has paid off, 8-21, 8-33. To use this slim chance, an opening of when security is lax to escape. Moreover, to immobilise a scientist to gain his keycard. I must admit, I am thoroughly impressed.” Dr 8 wickedly laughed while clapping. Each slow clap made Seohwa’s stomach sink further and further as her fingers went cold.

  “I was curious when Grey 2 here told me you two were planning an escape… so I let you be. And thank goodness I did. Now, thanks to you two, I have learnt a loophole in our defense system and will fix it shortly.” Dr 8 then placed her hands on her hips before her lips that were curved up began to curve down.

  “But, I’m sure you know, especially you, 8-33, the consequences for disobeying and rebelling.” Seohwa gripped Jisoo’s hand tightly as she put on a brave front.

  Dr 8 noticed they weren’t answering as she coldly commanded, “Take them.”

  Jisoo didn’t know what to do but seeing Seohwa pale, she had to do something. Especially since she owed Seohwa.

  If only we were fast enough…

  Jisoo felt something change inside her as she rushed forward, somehow everything and everyone was much slower. She had barely escaped from the gravity push as she punched the Grey Leader, making him stumble.

  Dr 8 felt ecstatic, “Good Good Good! Take her! But don’t harm her!”

  Unfortunately, gravity began to push Seohwa down. But, Jisoo couldn’t help her as she was surrounded by the three other Grey Men. Grey 2 and 3 rushed forward, Grey 2 attacked with some mental sonic attack as she flinched but barely dodged the fire arrows from Grey 3.

  She assessed the situation as she knocked out Grey 2, the telepath, before heading to Grey 3 who was barely reacting to her attacks. But because Grey 3 surrounded himself with some sort of fire armour, Jisoo was taking damage with every punch she gave. Seohwa could only watch helplessly as her vision blurred trying to endure the gravity on her. She could only hope for Jisoo to win.

  “Ugh.”

  Jisoo paused, panting for a bit. Her fists burnt black. It was expected considering this was her first time awakening and using her powers. Moreover, her opponents were experienced awakeners. But to think she would be out of steam so soon.

  She felt someone behind her but before she could dodge, she was injected with a paralysis poison. It was the Fourth Grey Man who didn’t move until now.

  Jisoo used all her energy to limp back to Seohwa as she fell on the floor. Jisoo weakly whispered, “I’m… I’m sorry, Seohwa… I couldn’t…”

  “You tried your best.” Seohwa whispered, holding her hand on the floor. She noticed Grey 2 getting back up as she felt a sense of dread.

  And when the Grey Leader increased the gravity on them, Seohwa and Jisoo were trapped. Seohwa noticed how pale Jisoo was as she could only lay on the ground. She glanced up as much as she could, noticing the Grey Men coming towards them.

  Her breathing grew heavy, her heart beating louder like a drum.

  No! If only I can endure this… if only I can free myself… if only I can remove this poison…

  And as if to answer her prayers, Seohwa’s hair began to flutter as a gust of wind began to surround her. The gravity which was weighing her down no longer affected her as the earth supported her. Her lavender eyes shone brighter. Dr 8 widened her eyes in shock, realising what was happening before roaring, “Get her! Get her! Hurt her if you must! Just don’t kill her!

  Whoosh!

  Seohwa dashed forward with wind supporting her as she took out Grey 2, the telepath, with a wind blast. Then Grey 3, the fire wielder, shot fire arrows at her as the earth rose up and took the damage before she slammed the earth wall onto Grey 3. After the Grey Men put some distance between them, she leaned down to Jisoo and pulled out the poison in her system and absorbed it into her arms, purple veins popping up as a result.

  Dr 8 had her mouth gaped open as she yelled, “A… tri-awakener! She is a tri-awakener! Give me some time! I’ll call for back up.” She ran to the nearest comms as the Grey Men guarded her.

  Seohwa faced the Grey Leader. She wanted nothing more than to take him out. After everything he did, after he took her brother, after he was about to take them again and lock them up. But Seohwa knew that she couldn’t just focus on him.

  Grey 3 fired at her with a large tornado flame to which she surrounded herself with a wind sphere, letting his flames surround her and attack his fellow allies, accidentally burning Grey 2 who was the closest. Grey 3 removed his flames but Grey 2 was incinerated to ash.

  The Grey Leader raised both his hands up and used his gravity to pull her out of her sphere but when she did, she used her wind, combined with the poison she absorbed from Jisoo, and blasted it onto the Grey Leader’s face. She kicked him in the gut, making him fall back and immobilising him.

  She turned to see who was left. Grey 3 and 4 merely fought her to tire her out. But Seohwa didn’t give them the chance. She groaned, feeling her limits as she raised her hands together. Giant earth hands clapped them together. However, when the earth fell, Grey 3 got knocked out but there was no sign of Grey 4.

  During this whole fight, Seohwa had never once seen Grey 4 use his powers but the fact he disappeared meant he used it.

  Teleportation? No. If it was, he would’ve reappeared somewhere. Then, invisib—

  Whooosh!

  Just as she was thinking, Grey 4 appeared behind her like a silent assassin as she barely dodged his dagger. If it weren’t for her wind to push her from her side, she wouldn’t have dodged it.

  Grey 4 turned invisible once more as she closed her eyes to use the wind and earth.

  Even if I can’t see him, I should hear and feel him.

  She barely dodged his second attack on her right side as she stumbled. Grey 4 noticed this as he used his other dagger to attack her while she fell.

  But, she used an earth pillar to attack him on the side before he could stab her.

  Grey 4 groaned as he felt the crushing weight of the earth. Seohwa barely lifted herself up, keeping an eye on him.

  She felt her eyelids getting heavy as she walked towards Jisoo and lifted her up. She slid the stolen keycard and opened the exit door.

  Finally…

  But, the hope was short-lived as hundreds of Grey Men lined up, ready to attack. Before she could notice, she was tased from behind and fell to the ground.

  She could only hear the soft but chilling voice of Dr 8, “Goodness, you have exceeded my expectations 8-33… but as I said, for this rebellion, you will pay for it. Take them to room 66 on the 6th basement floor.”

  She was lifted off the ground and was carried like a potato sack. A heavy sense of drowsiness pervaded over her as she fluttered her eyelids shut.