With the pair of binoculars lifted to her eyes, Yuri checked the perimeters of their site for suspicious activity. Her instincts told her that there might be some threat and she had learnt better to trust them.

G7 had received a highly secured report that one of the remaining largest group, Thanatos, second only to Black Mamba had decided to yield to G7. If that were true and if there were no trickeries involved, their surrender of power would make G7 the largest community.

As co-captain of this mission, Yuri was in charge of a section and had taken her group of people to the east wing of Thanatos territory. If it was as what the report had said, Thanatos would have left all their weapons in their East building. Yuri had thought that their facilities would have been more lavish since there were the second largest group and was disappointed to find that the East building they had claimed was more like a dilapidated shed. However, Yuri was careful not to let her guards down and reported as was deem fit.

Concealing themselves behind a boulder, the co-captain looked to her fellow teammates and understanding in the form of a series of muted nods passed between them. Yuri lifted her left wrist and spoke into it. “East building spotted. Seems like it is an all clear. Permission for Leopard 1 to enter.”

“Understood. Permission granted.” The command that came back from the captain was as firm as ever and that invoked a sense of pride in Yuri. The co-captain had never been gladder to accept instructions from someone. Someone whose decision-making was definite and judgement was nearly faultless. What made her captain stand out from other leaders Yuri had seen was the trust the captain placed in her comrades and also her sense of responsibility. Those characteristics of hers could make anyone feel comfortable working with her.  

“Received,” Yuri conveyed back and checked one last time.

“Take up your positions,” the co-captain instructed her small group of seven, herself included. With that, her team made their way as stealthily and as silently towards the small edifice like a leopard with their focus trained entirely on their game. 

Unbeknownst to the other teams, the pink-haired captain was all by herself. The soloist had a device that was small enough to be strapped to her wrist and concealed beneath her left boiled-leather glove.  The device was an explosive, one that was developed by none other than their organisation’s famed researcher, Tiffany.

**

“Tiffany.” Seohyun had wanted to clarify something with the more senior researcher but she had decided to hold back her tongue. However, the younger researcher knew it was too late when her eyes met that of Tiffany’s. The senior researcher’s eyes was hard as ever and despite having worked together closely for the past four years, Seohyun was sometimes still wary about approaching Tiffany especially if it involved non-work-related matters.

Ever since that incident which robbed off Tiffany’s mobility, the co-leader of G7 had turned into a person that was wholly different from what she was before. The former co-leader had retreated into her own world and only came out when necessary and Seohyun knew that that had saddened their leader, Taeyeon greatly. Having cloistered up in her own shell for so long, the rest of the G7 members had initially gave up hopes of getting Tiffany involved in any of their work. Yet, if any good came out from them declaring war with Black Mamba when they had rescued Hyomin, it was that they had regained not only Hyomin but also rekindled the fighting spirit in Tiffany. Even though, the researcher’s working style had changed markedly from before, from being casual to having a no-nonsense attitude, it was still of a great contribution to G7.

Seohyun mustered up her courage and asked boldly, “I saw you passing Hyomin something and I am curious to know what it was.”  

Evidently, the troubled expression on Tiffany had told Seohyun that it was a question that she should have kept to herself. The younger researcher was met with the silent hard stare from Tiffany and immediately understood that there would not be any more questions to be asked that day. 

**

The captive slipped in and out of consciousness and what little time she was conscious, she had spent it trying to figure out what orientation she was in. It had not taken much of her wits to know that she was being held captive in G7’s dungeons. However, the prisoner could not make out which was the ceiling and which was the ground since her world had been spinning ceaselessly. This time when she was awake, she recalled what had happened. Her plans had foiled and felt hate coursing through every part of her body. Jiyeon was her name, the co-leader of Thanatos which now ceased to be. She had sustained cuts from all over the body and she was almost certain that her occasional loss of consciousness was from a fever, likely from a festered wound. She let out a hollow laughter and saw the unease on the guardsmen faces. G7 had at least put five men to watch over her and that made her feel slightly better, after all they had punished her by capturing her alive. She did not laugh for long before drowsiness had kicked in and claimed her consciousness once more.

Her dreams were filled with pains, dull throbbing ones that slowly spread throughout her body. When she awoke, her vision was filled with the top of a headful of fiery pink hair and that seemed to invoke rage from every particle of her body. There were no signs of any other beings in their dungeons, the five guardsmen were gone during the time she was out and in their place was a pink-headed witch. Jiyeon wanted to bring a sword down and slash it across the witch’s body but found her arm bound above her. The chains rattled incessantly as the captive let out animalistic growls.

“Seems like you do need more help than I had expected.” There was a pop sound as the pink-haired girl stood up, it was likely from her knee from long hours of squatting. The pink-haired warrior was almost as tall as Jiyeon was. Jiyeon’s eyes caught the cotton swab in her hand and a bottle of what is likely to be disinfectant. “Good morning, you have been asleep for an entire day. Should have done this on your wounds earlier, you have a festered wound but not from my doing. How many people have you offended exactly?”

“What enemies I have made is not of your concern, you pink-haired monster!” Jiyeon knew that mere words could not provoke veteran fighters easily, especially not a captain as calm as such.

The pink-haired captain’s lips curved into a smile, one that was so warm and genial that Jiyeon had detested vehemently. It would have agitated the captive less if there was no reaction from the pink-haired monster.

“Stop that smile!” Jiyeon screamed with such force that it hurt her chest. “Stop it!” The captive did not let the numerous pains on her battered body stop her from thrashing. No matter how futile her attempt was, the captive was to prove that she would not be mocked at. Jiyeon had opened to scream again but the pink-haired captor had forcefully stuffed a piece cloth into , effectively gagging her. The cloth had been stuffed so deep that it was pressing against and that made the captive feel like retching. Jiyeon thrashed harder, so powerfully that the thick chains were beginning to chafe her skin.

The smile on the pink-haired warrior’s face was gone and yet that did not appease Jiyeon. Her wild thrashings soon diminished to feeble squirming as her energy failed her.

“Shouting will do no good. Are you ready to listen now?”

Jiyeon let out a ‘humph’ in rebellion and looked away. With her energy sapped, that was the most she could do. Her eyes widened as she felt her cheeks being squeezed by strong fingers. Her head was forcefully turned to look in front, right at the pink-haired warrior’s face. So the pink-haired monster has finally decided to demonstrate her superiority in this situation. That thought amused the captive and she believed she would have laughed and spat at the captain if had not been gagged.

The pink-haired warrior raised her left arm and Jiyeon was expecting a blow to her and yet none came. She was forced to see what the captain wanted her to see. A device strapped to her wrist. It took only a moment for Jiyeon to realise what that device was, an explosive.

“Your plan had almost succeeded you know. If it comforts you even a little, I was prepared to go down with all of Thanatos. This little guy here is packed with enough power to blow up your main compound and this body before you would be nothing more than dusts.” The pink-haired captor then paused meaningfully and Jiyeon felt the captor’s eyes roving over her body. The captive let out a grunt, such revelation did not make her feel the slightest remorse in her and there should have been any. Jiyeon knew her decision was right.

Then, the pink-haired captor spoke again.

“You wanted me to believe that Thanatos was fooling G7 when in fact you were the only one in the whole group that was doing so. Thanatos was in fact sincere in yielding to G7 yet you tried to put up an act of betrayal. We aimed for the access to Thanato’s surveillance and we got our best team of computer analysts who could then retrieve footages and give reasons for your suspicious behaviour.

“What was more? It was fortunate that Yuri, my co-captain had a keen sense and did not step into the building, into the trap you have laid for them.”

Earlier, Hyomin had sent down another team, led by Sooyoung to Thanatos’ computer systems in case there were traps. It was a clever move. Even if Seohyun had concluded that the chances of deception by Thanatos was almost close to zero, it was always good to make certain of things. During all that time, the captain had expected the threat to be within Thanatos’ main compound if there was any. Yet, she had misjudged. Hyomin would have regretted it her entire life for giving Yuri’s group the permission to proceed.

When the computer analysts in G7 had received the footages. They were baffled to find out that Thanatos had lied to them and had hidden numerous traps in the building east of their main compound, where Yuri and her team were headed towards.

“Yuri! Abort the mission! Do not enter the building! I repeat, do not enter the building!”

Hyomin had shouted desperately into her wrist bracelet.

“Mission aborted. No casualties from Leopard 1. Retreating back to area B2.”

The captain’s legs almost gave out when she heard the reply. Her men were safe, for now. Her fears were not entirely allayed. Thinking that she was facing a hostile host and with her men still in Thanatos territory, she had to keep up with the act and the captain thought that it would eventually be necessary for her to use that device. She was prepared to give her life to take down the hostile group. Fortunately, more reports came from the G7 forces in time. After much detailed analysis, they found out that Thanatos had been truthful in their promise to yield to G7 and that it was only a small group within Thanatos that was staging the act of betrayal. That act was led by none other than the co-leader of Thanatos, Jiyeon.

“Why have you decided to go against you group’s wishes and stage such an act? Or rather… what did Black Mamba offer you that made the co-leader of Thanatos willing to sacrifice the lives of her own men?”

The captive scoffed again. Jiyeon was still adamant that she was right. Her leader was a fool for even suggesting to submit to the G7 forces. She was right to take up Jessica’s offer. Together with Black Mamba, Thanatos could have been much stronger, invincible even.

The pink-haired warrior wrenched out the piece of cloth from . Jiyeon had not realised how sore her jaws were until then. The prisoner did not speak. She would not, not even if they kept and tortured her for eternity, nor even if the pink-haired witch had cleaned her wounds. Jiyeon disliked the pink-haired warrior. However, the ex-member of Thanatos was beginning to find it difficult to look into her captain’s dark brown orbs that was focused intently on hers. Even though no words were exchanged that day in the cells, the eye contact they had made with each other spoke greater volumes than anything. 

**

A/N: 

Hi guys, back with another chapter and this time it introduces a new character, Jiyeon :P and features quite a bit of interaction between jiyeon and hyomin. 

it might seem odd to some that jiyeon has such intense dislike for hyomin in this chapter since minyeon are always lovey dovey in real life. 

believe me, most of the time i cannot take this seriously but i really enjoyed it a lot... it was fun to imagine them that way :D

jiyeon will appear a lot in this story so look forward to those minyeon moments :)

Back to the usual :D thank you for all the subscribes, upvotes and comments :) see you guys real soon!