'Soojung!' A voice squealed as the girls got out of the car after a hour drive.

The older cyrokinetic was tackled into a hug by a shorter girl with blonde hair. 

'So glad you're safe.' She said and gave the girl a tight hug. 

'Sorry I got you worried. I could have done better on that mission.' Soojung sighed into her sister's hair.

'Forget the mission; all that matters is that you're safe.' The blonde turned to the rest of the girls who were standing in a semi-circle behind them and smiled. 'Thank you for saving my sister.' 

'No problem at all. It's what anyone would have done.' Mina nodded. 

'Come, Taeyeon is waiting. Everyone is expecting you. Oh yes, where are my manners. Jung Sooyeon.' The said girl bowed and all of them followed suit. 

'Jihyo! It's been quite some time!' A light voice exclaimed as they entered the mansion. The entrance was grand and had a more colonial style as compared to their usual Victorian theme. 

Jihyo stepped up to hug a lady who was of a similar height. 

'It's great to see you Taeng. That's the new member that you haven't seen before. Jihyo motioned at Mina who gave a warm smile and bowed to the older lady.

'Welcome to Garden Grove College.' Taeyeon smiled. 

'Nice to meet you. I'm Mina. A pyrokinetic.' 

'Pyrokinetic? Very rare indeed. It's an honor to meet one. Never thought I would get the chance to really.' Taeyeon chuckled. 'Let's get down to business shall we? I hear we have quite a few pressing issues.' 

'Yes, let's.' 

They proceeded to the meeting room where the rest of the members had already taken their seats.

'So, what did you see at the meeting? Speak freely, since everyone was there, I'm sure you can fill in the gaps and put together the whole story.' 

Mina began first, explaining what she learnt from the boy that she ran into from the alley and then what happened at the warehouse. Jihyo filled in about what had happened when Mina was gone and how they had initiated the impromptu rescue operation. Soojung was last, recounting what she had overheard from the guards from within the secret prison and the plans that they had.

'They seem to kill mutants that disagree with their ideology but they have a bigger plan under wraps. Remember those alchemists? They are working on a potion, one they created themselves, that will convert humans into mutants.'

'Is that even possible?' 

'Supposedly. But I heard the gossiping guards say something about a missing ingredient and the last part of the scroll is missing.' 

'How will we ever track down the location of that one piece? It could be anywhere!' Mina slumped in her chair.

'You could follow the expedition teams. They've been receiving intel from other rebels all over the world.' Soojung suggested.

'I'll go. The rarest is the strongest right?' Mina said.

'I'll go too. Partners.' Sana said, whispering the last word to Mina whilst making eye contact.

'We'll stay to guard our bases. In case they try an ambush.' Yuri nodded firmly.

'I'll open a portal for you.' Nayeon stood up and waved her hand at the wall. A small warp opened and they walked through before disappearing. 

'Meanwhile, we should start working on the counter potion.' 

'Come, I'll take you to the lab. I have a small sample which I prepared shortly after I heard about

The moment they turned the corner, Mina stepped back and pulled Sana with her, pressing her against the wall.

'Wha-' Mina placed a finger on her lips, telling her to be quiet. She peeked out from behind the wall and saw the guard looking around. 

'Guard.' The pyrokinetic mouthed. 

'What do we do?' 

'Wait here.' 

Mina ducked out and Sana peered around the corner. She almost screamed when the guard turned around and swung his fist at Mina but she caught it and twisted his hand around his back. With a swift kick to the back of his knee, he was shoved to the ground and knocked out cold with a chop to the neck.

The girl dragged the unconscious body back towards their hiding spot and took off the jacket. She zipped it up on herself and it was luckily a perfect fit. She took his utility belt as well. 

'Is everything clear out?' The walkie talkie sounded. 

'Everything is clear. Requesting a change of shift.' Mina spoke in the deepest voice she could muster.

'I'll be right over.' 

'Alright when he comes, we'll do the same to him.' Mina said and Sana looked a little dumbfounded. 'What?' She said looking behind her.

'How did you do that? With your voice?' 

'I don't know. Bad audio quality helps my.. slightly low voice too.' Mina said and plucked the cap off the man's head, pulling it over her head to slightly cover her eyes. 'Wait for my signal.' 

She walked back out and stood around until she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. 

'Go take a break.' He said and Mina nodded. 'Wait.' He suddenly said, suspicion lacing his voice. The moment his hand landed on Mina's shoulder, he had slumped to the floor in a heap, Sana standing with her arm still raised. 

'Nice one.' Mina grinned and took his jacket off, handing it to the girl, along with the utility belt. They hid the bodies in a bush and bound their hands and feet, gagging them too. 

'Let's walk around the garage or something. Somewhere where they store their modes of transport. Since there are groups that go to hunt for it, we would probably have more luck there.' Sana said and Mina nodded. 

Walking along the perimeter, they saw a vehicle drive in and a couple of people got out. 

'Hey.' One of the girls greeted.

'Hello.' Mina returned the greeting while Sana nodded.

'I haven't seen you around before. New guards?' 

'Yes. Recently transferred here.' Sana quickly replied.

'Ah I see. Well, see you around!' She smiled and ran off to catch up with her friends.

'That was close. But at least we know where our getaway vehicle is.' Mina nodded towards a fleet of assorted vehicles.

'Let's follow them. They should be on their way to report new findings.' Sana said and pulled Mina along. The older girl slipped her hand into Mina's warm ones and they walked into the building together. 

'Would this be obvious? Not that I'm complaining.' Mina swung their hands. 

'Just let go if you see someone.' Sana tightened her grip and Mina's insides felt a little warmer. 

Venturing down the corridor, they could hear the group that they saw eariler chatting in a excited manner.

'They must have discovered something. One more thing, don't use your powers later if we need to make an emergency getaway. We still need to keep you under wraps for as long as possible. I'll get us out.' Sana whispered. 

Mina nodded although she didn't really want to keep hiding. She knows why the rest are so protective of her but it makes her feel.. small. Inferior. She could be the strongest, no, she was the strongest, but yet she couldn't openly protect her friends. Her family. It felt terrible being suppressed. Giving her all during practice but she can barely use any of her moves when attacked. 

There was one thing that made her confused. She already used her powers back when they were ambushed during their overnight stay at the cabin. Those mutants that saw her would know and they would have definitely reported it to Zafir. So why should she still hide? 

'Mina? Are you okay?' 

'What? Yes I am. Why?' Mina snapped out of her daze. 

'Your eyebrows were furrowed and you looked a little stressed out.' she could feel the girl's thumb rubbing against the back of her hand. 

'It's nothing. Look, they went in. Let's guard the door and see what we can hear from outside.' Mina walked towards the door, leaving a slightly confused and worried Sana following behind. 

They positioned themselves outside the door and listened in silence. The conversation was slightly muffled but audible nonetheless.

'We have a breakthrough!' 

'We found a copy of the ancient scroll, intact and in perfect condition.'

'Did you bring it with you?' A more authoritative voice asked.

'We would love to but it is locked up deep within the Gongju National Museum. It's marked under a national treasure.'

'Then we will have to break in and take it.'

'Steal it?'

'Take it. It belongs to us mutants. Not the humans. They have no right to be in posession of something beyond their abilities and power. An ancient scroll, passed down only to the highest ranking alchemist is being displayed for public appreciation. Outrageous.' 

'Alright, when shall we take it back?'

'You and your team deserve a rest. I will send a group of agents to retrieve it.' 

'Yes sir.' 

'Time to go.' Mina whispered and gestured for Sana to start walking. 

They began to walk down the corridor as they heard the door open. 

'Guards? Hey you two. Stop.' The same authoritative voice ordered. 

Mina and Sana froze, exchanging looks from the corner of their eyes but they didn't turn around.

'I saw those guards at the garage earlier. They're new.' The girl said.

'New. We don't have transferees here. If we do, they would have a special arm band to note them as one.' 

He began walking towards them, each step echoing down the corridor in menace and suspense.

'Scramble.' Mina mouthed and they took off down the corridor, making a left turn. They could hear the thundering of footsteps behind them as the rebels gave chase.

Sana held Mina's hand, interlocking their fingers and touched the wall beside her, creating a layer of ice to spread down the corridor. 

'Make a left then another left.' Mina instructed as they began to surf down the ice.

'Go straight at the intersection then right!' 

They zipped down the hallway, alarms blaring as they made their way to the garage. They could see guards appearing but each time they tried to snatch them off the ice, Mina would throw a punch or land a kick where it hurts. 

Mina punched the button to the garage so hard it caved in as the door opened. They slid under and ran past the vans and trucks. 

'Here!' Mina shouted as she opened the door to a Mustang at the last row of cars.

'Can you drive? I could get us out a faster way!' Sana asked. She didn't want to doubt Mina but the girl doesn't even have a licence yet.

They got in and Mina checked the side pocket for the keys, then the visor but there were none. 

'Buy me time. Five minutes, just five minutes.' Mina ignored her and got out of the car. 

'What? Hey where are you going?' Sana asked frantically as she got out. Mina wasn't giving her an answer so she had no choice but to do as she was told. Five minutes shouldn't be too hard. 

She could see the rebels coming her way. Sana slammed her hands on the floor and frost began to form, spidering across the tarmac and towards the rebels. Then she swiped her hands and sent some of them slipping on the ice. 

She created a thick wall of ice to buy more time as well as making sure there's a safe distance between them.

Mina had popped the hood open and removed the covers of the battery. There were plenty of cars but no cables. 

Stepping back, she took a deep breath and brought her hands to her stomach. It didn't take long before the lights above flickered and arcs of lightning surrounded Mina. Sana watched in both terror and awe as Mina directed it to the battery. 

She had expected the car to blow up but instead the engine rumbled to life and the blue arcs disappeared. Mina had already jumped back in the car and Sana followed suit. 

Turning the wheel to its limit, Mina switched gear and floored the pedal, sending the car back first towards the glass door before switching gears again and slamming the break, turning the car 180°. 

Just as they crashed through the doors, the ice wall broke and vehicles burst through the slabs of ice, racing after the mustang. 

'I should hide my powers isn't it? Start shooting then.' Mina ordered as she glanced in the rear view mirror. There were at least five or six behind her and losing them won't be easy. 'Careful please.' Mina said as Sana unbuckled her seatbelt and crawled to the back. 

A rock smashed the rear window into tiny fragments but none of them hurt Sana. The girl peeled off the tempered glass and shot a spike of ice at the tyres, popping the right one and the car veered off, smashing into another car behind. 

'Two down, three to go!' Sana yelled. 

They turned at the intersection and Sana froze the road, causing the car that was almost at their bumper to slip and crash into a traffic light. There were still two more but they split, going onto the highways on either side of the road. 

'I think we're about to get cornered.' Sana said and climbed back to the front. 

'The one time I don't bring my phone.' Mina grumbled. 'What do we do now? We got a full tank but we can't keep running.' 

Sana was silent, watching the buildings zip by as they sped down the streets. Suddenly she caught sight of a car dealer.

'There! Get in!' 

Mina turned the wheel and almost missed the turn if she hadn't jammed the brakes and put the car into a drift. The cars honked in angry protest as they almost caused an accident. Mina stuck her hand out of the window in apology before driving into the dealer as Sana had instructed. 

There was a deafening bang and Mina looked into the side mirror. 

'Are you serious right now?' She groaned exasperatedly. One of the cars had driven off the highway and dropped to the road below just to keep up the chase.

'In there!' Sana yelled as the car behind gained on them.

'I think this is as fast as this guy can go!' Mina said. The accelerator was almost touching the floor but the meter was still slowly crawling along. 

She made a false left then a hard right, swerving them into a warehouse for scrap cars. Finding a empty spot, she quickly drove in and switched off the headlights, praying that the low hum of the engine wasn't loud enough to attract unwanted attention. 

The suspense was choking Mina and she felt like she could barely breathe. 

'On my mark.' Sana said as she trained her eyes on the black car that burst into the warehouse. There seems to be only three people in the car but she wasn't taking any chances. The black car had reduced speed and was slowly cruising past the cars, carefully looking through each one. 

'Hide.' Mina whispered as they neared and she pulled Sana down and over the gear stick. They could hear the car driving by and Mina snuck a quick glance, they were only half way past the bumper of the mustang but that was all she needed. 

'Go go go go go!' Sana chanted and held on to the grab handle as Mina raced out from the small gap between the black car's back bumper and the pillar. 

'I think we lost them.' Mina said, checking the mirrors. 'But just to be safe.' She turned into a small road and began driving in the opposite direction from the mansion.

'Didn't know you could drive like that. You've impressed me.' Sana smiled but Mina only nodded. The girl bit her lip.

'Are you angry at me?' Sana asked.

'No. Why?' 

'You seem annoyed and.. I don't know. Cold?' 

'I'm not angry at you. I just feel annoyed. Irritated. I might not be the most trained one but I'm sure I could protect everyone because well.. Fire is powerful. But I have to hide my powers for the upper hand later and it just feels like I'm being.. Suppressed. I mean, I already fought off those guys at the cabin so what's the point of hiding? They probably already know there's a pyrokinetic.' The driver ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

'I understand what you mean. I'm sorry. Maybe I could convince Jihyo to let you use it openly?' 

'Maybe.' Mina sighed. She reached out and tapped the navigation system.

'Let me help you with that.' Sana said gently and helped Mina key in the address.

'Thank you.' 

Sana wordlessly took Mina's hand off the gear stick and held it in her own, rubbing circles on the back of her hand. 

'What if I crash?' Mina joked but didn't pull away.

'You already done all of that crazy driving. I have complete trust in you.'

'But I'll need to shift gears.'

'There's a flap behind the steering wheel. Use that.' 

'How did you know about that?' 

'Spirit Corp deals with car parts too. Of course I know.'

'Daughter of a CEO.' Mina nodded in approval and Sana lightly slapped her hand.

'This is distracting.' Mina said as she drove onto the freeway. 

'Should I stop?' 

'No. You are distracting.' Mina glanced at Sana who became red in the face. 

Sana didn't know when it started. Sure, she and Mina have teased each other loads and became one of the most shipped couples in the academy. Maybe it was because of their constant teasing that made Sana feel.. Extra feelings. 

Recently she noticed that her senses seemed to be heightened around Mina. She would notice everything about the girl. Her little habits and every motion she does. Sometimes she has to remind herself that Mina might not feel the same or she might unintentionally creep the girl out. 

Mina switched on the radio but regretted it the next instant. 

'..word that the Gongju National Museum is about to become the target of a mutant attack. Officials have confirmed mutant sightings as well as two arrests. It is still unsure what they are trying to obtain from the museum but the police along with some government officials have stationed themselves around the museum in hopes of deterring the possible attack.'

'They must have jumped right into it when they discovered us. Didn't want us to foil their plan.' Sana frowned.

'We're almost there.' Mina checked the GPS and made a exit.

They pulled into the driveway and Mina sounded the horn a couple of times. The double doors opened and the girls came running out. 

'What happened? Where did you even get this car? Since when can you drive?' Dahyun asked as the pair got out of the car. 

'Long story, we stole it, I always could.' Mina replied as she walked up to the group.

'We should get in and discuss more.' Sana said and herded the girls back inside.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

'Start from the beginning.' Taeyeon placed two cups of hot chocolate down on the table.

Recounting their encounter and close escape, Jihyo and Taeyeon's eyes became bigger with worry. 

'Did you hear the news?' 

'About the sightings? It was on the radio. Sana guessed they must have got right to work to prevent us from stopping them.' 

'The police and officials are there but I doubt they would be any use. We have to go down personally to help secure the area.' Joohyun said.

'Discreetly. They think all mutants are the same and won't care less about who claims to be good or bad. They would think it's an act anyway. Just blend in with the crowd and keep a lookout.' Sana said.

'I agree. Let's depart immediately.'