CHEERS
UNTOUCHABLE (KRYBER)"I heard from my roommate, Seohyun, that Krystal wants to transfer rooms."
Amber lifted her head from the grass to look at Yuri who's lying down beside her. "Really? How did Seohyun know that?"
It's only been a week since the class started, which means that Amber has been living with Krystal for a week now. The things between them didn't turn out the way she's expecting it. The first and last time they talked was during the Freshmen Orientation when they introduced themselves. But since they came to their rooms, Krystal had this invisible wall around her that says: "I don't want to make friends with you."
"Seohyun's also a nursing student like Krystal. Maybe they're classmates or what," said Yuri, turning sideways to look at Amber. "Admin didn't allow her though. Said that all rooms for Dorm A and B are already filled. Dorm C's already finished but they're planning to have it ready for occupancy by next semester. Did you annoy your roommate or something?"
Amber lay back and stared into the leaves overhead. "I don't know... We're not even talking. I couldn't start a conversation because she’s treating me like I don't exist."
"Is she mean to you?"
"No. But I can tell that she feels awkward. Maybe she doesn't have plans of being good terms with me. Just plain platonic roommates."
"Why do you think so?"
Amber sighed, knowing what the reason is. "I think she feels awkward for being paired with someone like me -- a lesbian."
"Dude, I'm a lesbian too but my roommate's all fine with me," said Yuri, sitting up. "Seohyun's already introduced me to her friends when they stayed there one time for a group assignment."
"That's nice of her," said Amber sadly. This is her first shot of trying to mingle with the world again. She’s both scared and excited about it. However, that excitement has been blown away by this roommate of hers.
"Do you like her?" asked Yuri.
"Huh?"
"You're roommate -- Krystal. Do you like her?"
"Why'd you ask?"
"Because you're too affected right now. Look at you. You look like someone who's been dumped by her crush." Yuri chuckled.
Amber tilted her head away from Yuri to hide her blushing face. "It's... it's not like that..."
"I can introduce you to my roommate and her friends. They are really nice. Who knows, you might find yourself a girlfriend."
"No, thanks. I didn't come here to look for a girlfriend anyway. I came here for a cause: and that is to help the world eradicate Evens completely. I want to be like my dad who helped the entire world with his research," said Amber seriously. But the truth is she's disappointed with the turnout of events between her and Krystal.
"Truly heroic, what your dad did, bud. And it's my honor to meet and be classmates with his daughter here in school," said Yuri, smiling warmly. "So, you're planning to get into SAU, huh?"
"I hope I can. It was SAU who rescued me that time when my dad died. I felt safe when they came. It's like I can take on the world as long as I'm with them. I want to have that kind of effect on people."
"Me too. I admire them so much. My dad died after a massive attack in our village when I was a kid. Like you, I want to get rid of those monsters too."
"Do you think we'd be qualified to get into SAU? They are very picky, right?" asked Amber.
"They are because getting into SAU means commitment. And they only want people who are truly committed. And we're going down that path now. Training to be part of AEF is the first step towards becoming a SAU member."
"You're right. And even if we don't get to be selected of SAU, being an AEF military means doing the same, right?"
"I agree. Just lesser action."
Amber laughed. "You're right. Just lesser action."
"But I know we'll get there," said Yuri, her eyes dreamy. "I am already envisioning a world free of Evens. Kids freely running outside, people finally living peacefully. Ah. What a beautiful sight that would be."
"And we're going to be part of the team who could contribute to that," said Amber, raising her closed fist towards Yuri for a fist bump. "To SAU?"
Yuri smiled, bumping her fist with Amber. "To SAU."
---
"She's in the Control Room now with her mom and Jiwon. The one who was captured was her husband’s mother," said Yuri, fixing her suit.
Amber felt uncomfortable hearing "her" and "husband" in one sentence. She silently nodded instead while counting the bullets on the table.
"Do you guys have any idea of what's the kid's real name?" asked Tiffany.
"It’s Katrien. I’ve read the papers from Commander In earlier," answered Yuri. She noticed Amber's head turned to her direction, eyes bulging. "What’s the matter, Cap?"
"Uh… nothing." Amber looked away. "How's the weather by the way?"
"Not really good. It will be a rainy day. We might be expecting one in an hour," said Yuri, stuffing a Retter Sword handle into one of her holsters.
"In that case, let's hurry. Are you guys done?" asked Amber, turning to Taeyeon and Tiffany. "Packed with extra bullets and boosters?"
"Yes, Cap. Tiffany's brought too much, enough to supply the whole troop even though she's only babysitting," said Taeyeon, getting an arm punch from Tiffany.
"Yah! Stop teasing me!" Tiffany's annoyed face shifted into nice when she looked at Amber. "We're all good now, Cap."
"Good. Our objective is to retrieve the kid and get out of that place as soon as possible," said Amber in a formal tone. "Avoid encounters with Evens as much as we can. There are four Sanctuaries set up inside the village. We can stay on one of those if it rains. Let's make this clean as possible. We don't want the kid seeing anything violent. Any questions?"
"All clear, Cap," said Yuri, Taeyeon, and Tiffany in unison.
Amber looked at everyone's eyes first before nodding. "Okay. Let's go."
As the troop was walking to the exit of Gate A, they’ve been greeted with cheers and luck wishes from the staffs they are passing by. This has been a norm now whenever SAU is going out for a mission. Everyone knows how dangerous it is to have a face-to-face encounter with Evens, reason why people are wishing these brave warriors luck and trying to cheer them up.
Since Gate A is located below the Control Room, staffs in the said room stood up to show their support through the glass wall. Troop C stopped and looked up to acknowledge them.
"Wow. I didn’t know that the mom of the child we’re saving is pretty hot," said Taeyeon, looking up at the people and waving at them.
Hearing that, Amber’s head automatically followed Taeyeon’s line of sight and caught the image of the woman who’s already looking down at them – at her.
Amber suddenly felt exposed, her heart beating hard against her chest. There’s a sense of awkwardness that’s running all throughout her body. It was easy for her to stare at Krystal earlier in the Interview Room because the latter isn’t aware that she’s in the other room, creepily staring through the mirror. However, right now there’s nothing between them, just her and Krystal with their eyes gazing at each other.
"Pretty, ain't she, Cap?"
Amber turned to Taeyeon, a perfect excuse to break the gaze. "Y-yeah."
"Wait, is that Doctor Jiwon on her side?" asked Taeyeon.
"Yes, that's Doctor Jiwon," said Tiffany, looking up as well. "And the other older lady is..."
"That's Krystal's mom," answered Yuri. "Jiwon is best friends with Krystal."
"Awe. That's sweet of her to be by her best friend’s side during times like this," said Tiffany, placing a hand on her chest.
"Wait a minute. That's Doctor Jiwon's best friend? The mother of the child we're saving?" Taeyeon looked at Yuri and Amber with skeptic expression.
"Yeah. What's the matter?" asked Yuri.
Finally connecting the dots, Taeyeon stared at Amber, opened. "Holy. ."
Amber simply closed her eyes and nodded to confirm.
"Captain Amber! Captain Amber!" a voice from the back was heard. The troop turned and saw a man running towards them.
"Doctor Minho, what's up?" asked Amber.
Doctor Minho, who's still trying to catch his breath, handed Amber three devices that are about the size of a communication radio. "Here..."
"What are these, doc?"
"Those are... bombs. Retter Bombs..."
"Bombs? But this doesn't look like the typical bomb we're throwing during Cleansing."
"Yeah, that's... that's a different one... It's a prototype," said Doctor Minho, finally able to stand straight. "We've only tested it indoors. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
"How is this different from the other bombs, Doc?" asked Tiffany, stepping closer to Amber.
"The usual bombs don't kill Evens on one shot. That's why we use about 20 to 30 bombs during Cleansing, especially if we're dealing with about 50 to 100 Evens. And these three," said Doctor Minho, pointing at the bombs, "they are designed to kill all Evens within a 10-km radius in one blast."
"Wow. That's wide. By kill, you meant like total kill? No more berserk mode?" asked Yuri, getting interested as well.
"Like a one-shot kill, yes, something like that. These bombs have higher solution content compared to the normal bombs. It took us about 15 dead Even bodies to create one. And like the normal Retter Bombs, they aren't dangerous to humans but are lethal to Evens. We can just simply blast it even with people around and Evens will die without berserking."
"Wow. It's truly amazing, doc!" said Taeyeon, getting excited. "Can we try it in the field later?"
"That's what we're hoping for. These prototypes need testing. I would suggest test them when you're convenient, not during emergencies. Don't depend your lives on them as they may not work," warned Doctor Minho.
"Copy, Doc. Thanks for these." Amber kept one of the prototypes and handled the other two to Yuri and Taeyeon. "No bombs for you, for now, Tiffany. Focus on the kid's safety."
"Roger, Captain!" said Tiffany confidently. She punched Taeyeon in the stomach when the latter whispered, "Heroic!"
Before resuming her steps, Amber looked up once again and saw the same people still looking at them. She saw Jiwon waved a hand. Amber nodded to acknowledge her.
Amber turned back to the Gate A with a serious face. "Let's go, guys," she said, walking towards the GAZ Tiger armored vehicle that's waiting for them.
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