“It frightened him to think what must have gone to the making of her eyes.”

— Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence

Seulgi can tell from her eyes that life has no mercy on her. Wendy, the stranger with no past and only a name that leads her to nowhere, now cuffed to a bed hopelessly looking at a woman called Irene. She sighs behind the glass panel of the now-unlocked door.

She remembers she has seen that look before, long before she is thrown into this weird, haphazard situation. It was probably one or two years after she had finished training. Still a rookie in the drug task force, her team was double-crossed and ambushed, and Seulgi had to stick her gun on a man’s head for the first time to save her captain’s life. He did not drop his however, instead he just looked over his shoulder with a sad smile. The captain broke free and Seulgi’s finger was on the trigger, already to take his life.

He killed himself. A crooked man’s end.

He was the kingpin’s right-hand man, his trustful butcher. The team had been trying to track him down for the last few months and their leads once brought Seulgi to a kindergarten. It was his mother’s.

Kang Seulgi could have been a teacher. Her grandfather is a principal of a prestigious boarding school, her father is a professor in architecture, her mother is a high school history teacher, her brother is a researcher in biochemistry. The rest of the Kang family are holding pens and test tubs for a living, and here she is, holding a gun.

Pretending to be a social worker, Seulgi paid the mother a visit. It turned out she was pregnant with him when she was only 17. Everyone makes mistakes but hers was too huge to bear. The father was scared away, while her parents insisted that she should still give birth to the baby. She was ready to go against the world with him.

Seulgi could see a mother cradling her baby with loving gaze, wishing upon him the best she could ever imagine.

Who could have foreseen that her parents would pass away in an awful accident when her child just reached school age? Who could have known a drunk, irresponsible driver would ruin the lives of a mother and her child?

There was not much left from her parents, only the old house she grew up in. And soon, she had to work two jobs to support her and her boy. When he was 13, he started working as a busboy in a fancy dinner near his school behind his mother’s back. He was still her baby boy and there was no way for her to make him work at such a young age. A mother is always right though. He was way too young for this big, big world and all of its shadows. He did not know how to ask questions while all he cared was fast money.

There was once a guest who left his branded jacket behind and he was the only one who noticed it. The man was more than pleased as he was looking for young blood and eager eyes. And then, the boy got recruited by the kingpin himself.

The mother never asked where his money was from. Perhaps she already knew what was going on when he came home one day and said he was quitting school after the summer break, or, when the thugs in their neighborhood stopped harassing them for protection money. A mother always knows best. Her eyes would not have missed the notorious gang tattoo on his neck even though he never really spent the night at their house anymore after he claimed to “take a construction job in another city.” But he never forgot to send her money. She had intended to save them all up for him but later decided to open a kindergarten for families with financial difficulties.

Seulgi gripped tighter onto her pen when the mother proudly introduced her to all the kids, saying how much she loved her children.

Maybe she really should have been a teacher instead. Maybe she could have saved some young lives from falling into the rabbit hole and letting themselves get consumed like he did. Maybe she could have saved more lives than going undercover, gathering intel, and shooting up dealers.

The kind woman even gave her a bag of cookies that she made with some older kids that morning.

A few months later, her son shot himself in the head in front of her eyes. She nearly vomited at the sight of his body with the thought of his mother.

He was not innocent, she told herself.

He deserved his faith.

But then who is really innocent?

“Hey, you still here?” The warmth of Sooyoung’s hand on hers makes Seulgi shiver. “Geez, you look so pale. Did you even manage to hear a word from the college kids just now? They really look up to you, you know. It’ll crush their little hearts if they find out you just spaced out on them, poor darlings.”

“Yeah. Hey there.” Seulgi does not fail to notice the more-than-friendly gesture from the young physicist but decides to leave it for now. Propping herself up on one elbow in front of the computer, she reaches out to fiddle with the flight recorder she retrieved from the helicopter which Irene arrived with. “Sorry, I was…… I mean, I didn’t mean to space out like this. It’s just-”

Sooyoung, or Joy as some would call her, worriedly scans the drug task force officer from head to toe, “Gosh, you are not alright. Sweetie, can I get you something? Tea? Hot cocoa? I would’ve bought you a decent drink if we weren’t stuck here.”

Seulgi looks up just to be greeted by a pair of limpid eyes, which somehow makes her feel safer than her rifle which is strapped to her back as usual. At least at this very moment. She has seen her fair share of ed up things, but Kang Seulgi is still a trusting person. Having the computer mouse hovering on a secured tab which has been hastily hidden a while ago, she does not break the stare trying to find that little something from Sooyoung’s eyes, “You know, I…… I have some bad memories.”

“Like war flashbacks?” Sooyoung tones her flirting down for a bit after sensing the unusual aura from the other girl. “Well, I ain’t your dentist but open up, miss. I’m ready.”

“Ha. Right. Have you seen Wendy? The girl in the ward, in case you’ve forgotten already.” Seulgi habitually cracks her knuckles before having both of her hands on the keyboard, working her way to a seemingly highly secured system. “I mean, taking a good look at her? She reminds me of someone I, hm, I met before.”

“I bet it isn’t your ex- sorry, it sounded funnier in my head.”

“It’s fine…… Nah, no, not at all. I was trying to look her up in the regular system, the one which has all the records of every citizen in our city by facial recognition. But no luck so far. We don’t even know her name, well, she doesn’t even know her own name. She’s someone with no record at all. I have a hunch but I’m too scared to check it out.”

Sooyoung’s eyes widen when she spares a glance at the screen of what the officer is trying to do, agape, “No freaking way. She looks so fragile and all that!”

“I don’t know.” Seulgi buries her face into her palm, not having the courage to continue with her search. “And yes, I heard the kids. That’s why I freaked out. So, she isn’t with the Spectres. She isn’t with the Order, which Irene might be a part of actually. Ugh, I don’t even know. Joy, she has a weird watch-like device attached onto her which shows the location of this university. Who is she? Who is Wendy? What if the Base might be real, and she is from the Base? Or, is she a secret agent of some sort who happens to lose their memory by accident?”

Sooyoung holds the flustered woman by both of her shoulders to calm her down. Though slightly taken aback by how sudden Seulgi has lost her cool, she draws one deep breath to keep her composure, “Either way, we are stuck with them. Seulgi, that’s why we have to know who they are! Wendy, Irene, whoever. Let alone as far as I know, Irene is an attorney and if she is with the government, she wouldn’t have been here in the first place. You said she could barely fire a gun! I used to watch news every day and her face was right beside with the Jessica Jung’s when that dude who killed his father for his mother was on trial! And don’t forget our kids were the ones who literally ambushed Wendy and knocked her out. A secret agent wouldn’t have been outsmarted by some college kids with no training. Right, officer? This ain’t no Trojan horse -”

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

“Her face, on TV.”

“Irene? Yes, hate to admit it but she looked gorgeous, and well, she can pass as a model-”

“Wendy’s. I have seen her face on TV before.”

-

“Wendy, what do you remember?” Irene can feel her lips quiver as she speaks. She has to look away before her eyes inundate her with a gust of warmth that makes her hair stick to her neck. Weird as it is, Irene, an experienced attorney who does not bat an eyelid facing the most sharp-tongued jury in the court, feels an unknown fear sitting at the bedside of a girl in cuffs who has no memory of her past.

“Just that.” Wendy lets out a light, bitter chuckle while she scans around the room they are in once again. She sees a shadow at the corridor from the bottom of the door, diminishing slowly. The person who just unlocked the door. A sign of trust.

“So, you remember you were locked up by the people who accused you of doing terrible things because you are locked up in the same way now?” Irene’s fingers trace the hem of her suit pants, for that is one of the few ways that can comfort the pensive woman. “Wow, memory is a funny thing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Wendy uses her free hand to fix her overgrown bangs. “I remember my family. But I just can’t recall their faces. I know I am Wendy, but what is my family name? Is it too ashamed to think of my family with what I did that my brain just shut them out? It could be. I am terrible.”

Irene has heard many confessions from guilty men, women, and people in between. She has heard them plead, cry, mourn, riled. Wendy, however, reacts in a way which does not make sense at all. What is she culpable of to deserve such fate? And how on earth she can accept it at such ease? Who is she, really?

“Maybe you should leave. It’s not a good thing to be in the same room with me after all.” Wendy sighs before speaking again. This time Irene can hear the pain in her voice, the angst of isolation and loneliness. What a contrast to her bright smiles and kindness. But her eyes, her eyes, those are the scariest part about her.

And perhaps there is still empathy left in the attorney that her heart sinks a bit. She has gathered enough courage to search for Wendy’s eyes again but in vain. The other woman has her eyes downcast, locked on her own hand. “No, Wendy. We said we’ll take care of you. And we will. I’m not leaving. Yerim is coming back soon and she will treat you.”

“You don’t even know me.” Wendy turns her body away from Irene, wanting to escape from the conversation in any way possible. “I don’t even know me.”

“I am not scared of you.”

“I am.”

“Wendy.”

“You don’t have to be so nice to me.”

“It’s my own call. Not yours.” Irene straightens her back, trying to toughen up, just like what she used to do whenever a biased judge was too stubborn to right their own wrongs. “You do know that I am an attorney, right?”

“Right.” Wendy lazily looks over her shoulder, eyes shimmering with curiosity. “Yes, I overheard. I bet I used to have one before, and they probably big time, or else why would I end up having my locked up?”

Irene can’t help but laugh a little, “You know what? Maybe you should’ve hired me back then.”

“Haha, you’re funny.”

“I wish I am. I should be a comedian if I ever survive this.”

“Is that what you wanna do after this? Like, what’s that one thing that you will do when this is over? I mean, if there is an end to this.”

“Hm, to meet my family?”

Irene regrets saying that right after those words left but then Wendy smiles, “How nice.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay. I’m okay.” Wendy has to move a pillow to support her sore back from all the walking and hiking before. “Now, tell me about your family members, Irene.”

“My parents and my sister.” Somehow Irene is not afraid to tell Wendy things about herself, revealing bits and parts about Joohyun. “Her name’s Jiyeon. Left them back in Daegu to secure a job in Seoul. She hates me to death for it. I don’t blame her though. We would never make the cut for the Order if I did not try. Now I don’t even know where they are. If you’re terrible, I’m miserable.”

“You did what you think is best.” Wendy carefully studies the change of look on Irene’s face, which intrigues her so much. Irene’s thoughts. The woman who seems to be too meticulous for their own good but deep down powerless, desperately clutching onto the armor made of her sorrow and solitude.

“Maybe it’s the same for you too. You did what you think is right, Wendy.”

“Define ‘right’, Irene.”

Irene has to blink twice at that sliver tongue of Wendy’s. This woman who seems so intelligent and quick on her feet just effortlessly put the ball back in her court and caught her off guard. Whilst she herself is someone who makes a living off outsmarting and outtalking people.

Clearing , the woman in suit retorts, “Even justice means different things to different people.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Wendy hums, not failing to notice the little frustration written on Irene’s face, and changes the subject. “Well, your sister will understand.”

“Okay, miss,” She an eyebrow. “How do you know?”

“I’m not a person of faith.” She shrugs. “But I have faith. You do love your family.”

“Heeeeey!” Yerim, hugging a box almost half her size, barges in not even bothering to knock first, successfully startling the two people in the room. “Brought you ladies a surprise. Found something that might help!”

Side-eyeing Irene who is obviously deep in thought, Wendy slumps back into her bed, “It’s okay. We are just introducing ourselves. Thank you for treating my wounds earlier by the way. Feeling much better now.”

Irene, on the other hand, cannot hide her furrowed brows but still manages to welcome the medic with a polite smile, “Thank you, Yerim. What did you get for Wendy?”

“Hehe, don't mention it! Patience, my friend!” The young medic places the box on the ground before dragging a cart from the door. “Ta-da!”

Irene watches as Yerim pulls off the cloth covering the old projector on the cart, “Ugh, movies?”

“No!” The younger girl whines and picks up a deck of huge cards from the box at her feet. “It’s a kind of therapy for patients like Wendy!”

“I’m listening.” The patient patiently awaits sitting on her bed, wiggling her feet under the blanket like a child waking up at the morning of their birthday.

“Okay. You see,” Yerim fixes her wrinkly white coat since there is unfortunately not a functionable iron or whatsoever at the lab and the entrance to the laundry room in the next building has been blocked by rubbles. “I have done a full checkup on Wendy before and there is no sign of recent surgery or injury to the head that will cause this kind of memory loss. Blood tests too. No sign of medication. So, I’m taking a more organic, non-intrusive approach.”

“Like flash cards for children?” Irene admits that she is not taking Yerim seriously when the medic is going to show Wendy flash cards with pictures as a form of treatment.

“Hey, it might just work!” Yerim glares at a giggly Irene with a pout. “Don’t ever underestimate the power of visual memory. The endurance of vision. Just now Wendy remembered something when she saw her being chained up, oh- no offense, but, cuffed to a bed. That’s some progress, no?”

“None taken, pal.” Wendy reassures them with a gentle smile. “Yeah and sure. Carry on.”

“So, now,” Yerim finishes setting up the projector and is now struggling to push the cart to the right position so that Wendy can see the projections clearly. Irene, reluctantly, steps in and lends her a hand. “Thanks. Wendy, I’m going to ask you a few questions. Which are all very simple and straightforward. Take it easy, okay? Not trying to overwork your delicate little brain here. You ready?”

“I’m always ready.” Wendy is actually grateful that people here are really willing to help her although they cannot be sure if she is indeed a bad person. A kindness that asks for nothing in return. How rare it is in a world like this. She wonders if she has ever been this kind in her life. Gosh, what terrible things did she even do to be locked up and treated like a monster? It’s not like she is a serial killer or something, right? At least she never has an urge to kill everyone in the room.

Yerim readies herself in front of the projector, “Here we go—can you count from 1 to 6 for me?”

“Oh, come on-”

“Irene, with all due respect, you aren’t the patient here.”

“Okay, I’ll shut up.”

“Ahm. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.”

“Perfect. Moving on—now I’m going to play you a short video. Tell me how many squirrels have appeared.”

“……. I counted 21.”

“Correct! Good eyesight, aye? Attention span, checked. Ah, anyway…… You mentioned you woke up in a strange house which you had never been to before. What color is that house’s roof?”

“…… Grey, a darker shade of grey.”

“Oh, that was quick. Your memory is actually good. Do you happen to remember what type of gun is Seulgi carrying? The drug task force officer.”

“Yeah, I know who she is. I am not a gun expert, but I do know it’s a rifle, HK416 with silencer.”

“Wow, even the model? Luckily, I’ve asked her beforehand. And yep, that’s correct.”

“It’s……. because I used to play a lot of games, I guess? Oh, I used to be such a huge gamer when I was a teen that I actually did research on the games I played. Now I remember.”

“See, Irene? We’re making progress! What’s your favorite game?”

“Ehmm, I d-don’t remember…… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Let’s take it slow. How many bathrooms are there in these two storeys of the lab?”

“3.”

“Good. Speaking of math, what is 5+18?”

“23.”

“572-427?”

“145.”

“221 x 329?”

“72, 709.”

Yerim who has been checking off items on her clipboard almost drops her pen, “Damn- I mean, wow. You didn’t even blink. Have you ever had to use calculator in your life? I’d admit that the last question is totally unnecessary to the test but, like, wow.”

While Wendy just nonchalantly scratches her head, “I don’t know. I just had the numbers in my head in an instant.”

“Maybe you are a math genius.” And Irene casually chimes in from Wendy’s bedside. “Can’t picture you as an accountant though.”

“One last thing to do,” The medic’s proud smile gleams under the cool lighting in the room. “Let’s go back to the projector and my flash cards that are ‘for children’.”

“Yerim, are you holding a grudge against me?”

“I am not!”

“Stop it you two. Just focus on this first. Save the arguing for later.”

“Alrighty. Anything for you, Wendy.” Yerim smiles sweetly towards her patient and then makes a face at Irene who is now speechless at the medic’s childlike antics. “Now I’m going to show you a series of cards with pictures. Just tell me what the objects are. You good to go?”

Nodding, Wendy spares Irene one more glance as she gives her utmost attention to the projections on the wall.

“3, 2, 1— there.”

“Banana.”

“Next.”

“Penguins. King penguins, to be exact.”

“Smarty-pants.”

“Football.”

“Yep.”

“Saxophone."

“Yeah.”

“Rollercoaster.”

“Cool. Shall we go faster then?”

“Sure.”

“Superb! Buckle up!”

“Spider. Sunflower. Scissors. Truck.”

“We’re halfway there.”

“Window. Butter knife. Pills. Clo-”

“Yes? Wendy?” Yerim hears the stuttering but does not bother to turn and check on her patient as she thinks maybe it’s because they are going too fast.

Tick, tock.

A slivery clink echoes the room, followed by whimpering from the woman, “Clo…… I- I, please don’t electrocute me! Please stop, I beg you! I’d stop! I’d be good!”

Tick, tock.

Irene can only watch in horror when Wendy cowers away from the two, covering her trembling body with the blanket with her free hand to block herself from “that thing”. Her other hand, however, does not struggle for a bit and dangles lifelessly on her side from the bar of her bed. As if she has been long accustomed to this “electrocuting punishment” knowing that more shall come if she ever tries to break free.

Tick.

Tock.

They now come back to her.

And are not going away from her head no matter how loud she screams, cries, pleads, and prays.

“, I just stepped right onto a land mine, didn’t I?” Yerim curses under her breath while she quickly flings herself to Wendy’s side, attempting to calm the woman down. “Hey, I’m here. I’m Yerim. No one is hurting you here. It’s okay……. She can’t hear us. Irene, do something!”

“What should I do?” Irene widens her eyes at the medic’s request. “I’m not trained for this! , she was fine a second ago!”

“I don’t know! Maybe it is what triggered her memory loss in the first place! Ever heard of aversion therapy?” Yerim’s chest heaves as she rushes to the bedside cabinet, one hand fishing a key from her coat pocket while her other holding onto Wendy’s cold, pale hand as tight as she can. “She has definitely been through that .”

Irene’s mind is completely occupied by Wendy’s hopeless cries. It takes all of her might to move her hand and reach out for the woman’s head. Irene sees both the innocence of a child and the despair of a sinner from her. And it pains her just to imagine how Wendy still manages to be so kind and ingenuous after everything she has been through. She searches for the source of the soft whimpers which reminds her of a newborn puppy and pats her head with gentle .

“There.” Then it finally stops. Those haunting voices that almost swallow the two women up. Yerim’s raspy, tired tone takes over the void of this room as she stands up from a kneeling position and disposes an empty syringe to the bin. “It’s a very mild dosage of tranquillizer. She should wake up in one or two hours.”

“So,” Irene finds herself still Wendy’s head, and goes on to help Yerim to adjust the girl to a more comfortable sleeping position. “You are saying she has been through that Clockwork Orange .”

“Yeah. Seems like it.” Yerim drags her heavy body to pick up the clipboard that she dropped to the floor. “And apparently, ‘clock’ is what triggers her?”

“A ticking clock.” Irene adds on to Yerim’s conclusion. “See, she has a digital wristwatch thing with her. We only have digital clocks in this university. I bet there is no ticking clock in the house she was in too.”

“And you’re implying that everything can be a setup.” The younger woman turns on her heels, jaw tightened. “Just like how you can somehow survive after passing out for a week in a helicopter crash. Well, it makes some sense.”

“But the question remains.” Irene heaves a sigh, gazing deeply at the now-close eyes of Wendy’s. “Who is Wendy?”

-

“Seulgi, talk to me.”

Sooyoung does not like how the armed woman is so quiet all of the sudden, her expression so hard to read. They have been walking for 20 minutes even since they have left the security control room with empty hands. How would Kang Seulgi, an ordinary drug task force officer, have the authority to access the more advanced system for an unordinary civilian like Wendy? If someone does not want anyone to know who Wendy is, it is certainly not up to Seulgi to find out.

The silence is not unbearable, but suffocating, stifling, uncomfortable, like a smile with too many teeth.

But Sooyoung is one strong, independent woman. She would rather go trekking up these trails with a grumpy, hot lady than sitting ducks at that dim boring security control room by herself. Even though it means she has to traverse those bumpy, grassy tracks in one of her favorite skirts. Why can’t this be a normal date?

Seulgi, who is two steps ahead, probably notices the shortness of breaths behind her and finally stops, “You should catch your breath first. Then we’ll talk.”

Sooyoung throws Seulgi a displeased glare. “It’s not how you treat a lady.”

“Joy,” She sighs. “I’m scared.”

“As much as I want to hit on you,” The taller woman sighs harder. “I’ve been trying to lighten up the mood here for the longest time. Thanks for noticing.”

“I’m sorry.” The officer has her thumb hovering on the safety of her rifle, “What if Wendy is a criminal? She was on the news of some sort. I remember seeing her face on TV.”

“You have literally cuffed her to a bed.” Sooyoung too knows the gravity of the situation but it does not help if the most experienced person among them is freaking out. “And you have secretly left Irene your pistol. You know, I’m still a little jealous that you gave her one-on-one shooting lessons instead of me.”

Seulgi cracks a small smile, “I said I’m sorry, okay? And you’re with me now. You don’t need any shooting lesson. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Aw, that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Sooyoung dramatically clutches her chest, successfully making Seulgi chuckle.

“You should be an actress someday.” She tries to make a clever remark while continues to scout the area around them. “Don’t tell anyone about this yet. We need answers, not speculations. Now all we can be sure is that the flight recorder has been tempered. It was supposed to reach an island. Six national guards have been killed, not by Irene but someone belongs to the Spectres whose surname is Kim—meaning the Spectre must know about this place too. Irene is supposed to be out for a week, but she magically survived. Someone wants Wendy’s identity to be kept a secret.”

“You’re right. But where shall we even begin?” She tries to think along but then a string of heavy footsteps can be heard coming their way.

“Who is it? Identify yourself!” Seulgi, the more experienced one, of coruse is already alerted.

“It’s us! Chaeyeon and Eunbi!” The two girls’ heads peep from the tip of the other side of the slope as they shout.

“What happened? Why did you girls come looking for us?” Sooyoung’s motherly nature strikes again when she sees the girls drenched in sweat.

“A bunch of people just showed up in the gym! Our security system has been breached so no one saw them coming! We cannot reach you through the intercom as well. Taeyeon and Amber managed to get most of us to the bunker.”

-

It takes Seulgi almost 10 minutes to convince Sooyoung and the two girls to let her go in by herself.

“But they have like 6, 7 people!” Sooyoung mouths as she holds the two girls in her arms.

“I’ll be fine.” Seulgi comforts them with a playful wink and places her hand on the handle of the back door to the gym stadium. “I’ve seen worse.”

“Don’t try anything funny.” A cold voice immediately shatters Seulgi’s plan. “I see your rifle.”

“Sojung, we didn’t come to fight.” Another woman interrupts. “Please show yourself. I’m Hyunjung.”

Seulgi stands up from the farthest row of the stadium with her signature dumb-bear smile, both hands in the air. “I’m Seulgi, Kang Seulgi. I like my milkshake blended, not stirred.”

“Haha. O-” The girl who guards the nearest exit can’t hold her laughter and receives an intimidating glare from Sojung. “That’s funny. I understood the reference. I’m Juyeon by the way.”

“I’m not trying to ruin the mood here, but you guys are heavily armed.” Seulgi quickly spots the rest when they start showing themselves from different hidden corners, thinking maybe she would be dead in a second if they did not come in peace and started shooting the second she walked in. “And you technically broke into this university.”

“It’s not for you.” Hyunjung explains as she walks towards the centre of the gym court where the sunlight shines. “And, sorry about that. That’s for safety measure. We need this element of surprise for later. Also, we’d have to ask your three friends to come in too. It’ll get dangerous out there soon.”

“So, you knew there are more people outside.” Seulgi secretly rolls her eyes at how stupid her plan was. “Anyway, what do you mean?”

“National guards.” Sooyoung’s charming voice just sounds so sweet to Seulgi’s ears right now. “Dawon and Dayoung here told us when they invited us to come in.”

The two said girls kindly wave at Seulgi, guns in their other hand.

Seulgi takes a good half minute to process all of these, “You mean, national guards are coming. And you guys happened to know about it before we did. So, you hacked us and broke in here so that you can ambush them?”

“Yep.” Sojung, the chic-looking one, loads her gun and nods.

“So, who are you guys?” Sooyoung is bold enough to raise the question. “You could’ve just let us die.”

“That can wait. They are coming.” Hyunjung shakes her head and readies her weapon as well. “No, we can’t. We need your help. I need to know where Galahad is.”

“Gala-what?” Seulgi, puzzled, looks around for some explanation.

“King Arthur's knight?” Chaeyeon exclaims in glee when Eunbi looks at her all surprised. “What? I paid attention in my English literature classes.”

“You’re half correct.” Hyunjung thanks the student with a smile and turns to Seulgi, “It’s a code name. Galahad 02. She is in your university. Never heard of her? We need to know where the girl is. We are here for her.”

“What girl?” Sooyoung asks again. “This is an all-girls’ university, we got tons of girls.”

“In-coming!” Warns Yeorum.

A grenade explodes right above where they were standing a minute ago.

“This gym won’t last if they are so liberal with explosives.” Chengxiao presses her hand on a security door to bypass the electronic lock and gestures to the group that it is their way out.

Sooyoung is too shocked to say anything when she sees the blue hue in her eyes while Seulgi aims her gun at a guard descending from the hole of the gym roof, hesitant to pull the trigger. Who should she trust? What is the right thing to do here?

“We should leave at once when we get rid of the vanguard of their team.” Sojung finishes two more guards off before rushing to cover Seulgi’s position. “Man, she used to work for the government too, ain’t it?”

“Just keep shooting.” Hyunjung empties a clip quick. “These bastards dare not to come after us so soon if we stop them here. And, her uniform, drug task force, not police.”

“Yeorum, your two o’clock.” Dawon and Dayoung who have been trying to outflank the national guards on the other side of the gym are now back to join the rest of the group.

“Snipers on the second floor!” Juyeon ducks as a bullet flies past her head. “One on the left, one near the emergency exit.”

“I got you.” Sojung tries to move to a different angle for a better shot but is pinned down by the caliber of the sniper rifles. “Well, I guess taking a bullet doesn’t hurt but Luda is so going to give me an earful for it.”

“No, let me.” Seulgi steadies her breath and takes out the two remaining snipers in two consecutive clean shots, not missing a beat.

“What a show-off.” Juyeon laughs and pats Seulgi on the back. “Thanks anyway.”

Without the snipers who had the advantage of the higher ground, the other guards do not last long. The group wipes them out in a breeze.

The smoke and smell of gunpowder sting Sooyoung’s eyes and nose. Dayoung is nice enough to offer her and two students some water. Sojung goes on to snatches some of the guards’ intercoms while Hyunjung looks at Seulgi as if she is waiting for something.

Juyeon and Chengxiao stand by the open door, then Seulgi walks up to join them, “She’s in the ward. I’ll lead the way.”

-

“Enoch.”

“Wendy, my friend.”

“I ain’t your friend.” The said woman growls looking at the man who keeps sizing her up. “If you are here to kill me, do it. Don’t drag them into this.”

“I’m surprised that you remember me at all. You see, Wendy. I’m not here to kill you. In their eyes, I’m just one of their many failed test subjects and you, god, you are the perfect specimen. How could I even kill you?” Enoch removes one of his gloves, revealing a metallic hand, and orders his subordinates to tie the other two women up. “As for them, I’d have to invite them to our base as well. You don’t have to worry.”

“I can sense you coming.” Wendy gives Irene and Yerim a look as she tries to focus on her hearing. The electricity flowing through the circuits in those concrete walls, the bugs and rats under the sewage, the heartbeat of someone else from the staircase. “That’s why I was awake when you came in. You reek of corruption, stupidity, flaw, and foul.”

“Ouch.” Enoch grimaces at the rude remark. “Wendy, would you just come with me? Or else, I am not sure what I’ll do to your friends over there.”

When Seulgi finally bursts the boor open, she freezes at the sight of a man holding her friends hostage. Well, technically, Wendy is still cuffed to the bed when the man is threatening to kill the other two women.

“, they are smart.” Sojung knows this is going to happen when they saw military trucks outside the lab and had to take out another small platoon of national guards on their way in. And she decides to turn to her reliable teammate through her earpiece, “Meiqi, did they hack our channel?”

“Not on my watch.” Meiqi replies from the security control room Seulgi and Sooyung were in a while ago. “Did they manage to track her down?”

“Her watch.” Hyunjung points with her chin and happens to lock eyes with Wendy who is also looking her way. “They must’ve tracked the signal.”

“You brought some friends. I’m losing my patience, Wendy.” Enoch clenches his teeth, already for the fight that is coming.

“You should just shut the up, Enoch.” Wendy who does not budge an inch regardless of Enoch’s threats and all the guns surrounding her slowly closes her eyes.

And the room goes dark.

She even kills the central air-conditioning, which creates waves of blowing fusses in almost all directions, disorienting the national guards and Enoch.

Hyunjung is smart enough to read through Wendy’s looks and signals the group to move in on Enoch’s underlings. The inability of hearing and seeing in the dark do not hinder their movements at all. Both Wendy and Sojung’s group.

On the other hand, Juyeon has to drag Seulgi along to save Yerim and Irene.

“ you, Wendy!” Enoch who cannot see a thing in the dark struggles to locate the woman whom he hates so much and flails around the room with his metallic punches. 

Wendy, despite being cuffed to the bed still, dodges the man’s unorganized attacks as she restores the lights, “Here, you .”

“It should be me.” He squints at the sudden brightness and trots towards Wendy. His well-groomed hair now disheveled, his suit jacket open. “I am the dedicated disciple. I am the one is going to liberate the world of malignance. I am the one they really need!”

She swiftly jumps down from her bed and lands a kick on his chest, “You and all those acolytes of the Order are just a bunch of clowns.”

Enoch stumbles backward in defeat and grabs the gun which is secretly pointed at him, “I am done playing with you kids.”

“Seulgi, step back!” Wendy hastily calls out to the woman but is too late. The man is too robust to be a human and knocks the well-trained officer to the ground with the grip of her rifle.

“See?” He laughs menacingly, throwing the rifle away. “They are just finicky creatures. So fragile. So unaware.”

“Enough.” Wendy dashes to Enoch, with the heavy bed tailing behind, when he has his back turned to her after being distracted by Seulgi, and then chokes him with the silver cuffs. “I’ve heard enough, you Frankenstein rip-off.”

Seulgi gets back on her feet and witnesses Wendy, a woman with such a small build, choking a 6-foot-two man, to death with her hands and her handcuffs. His hands bend backwards, wanting to grab Wendy’s face, but Wendy is just too strong for him. Just like he said, a flawed speciment is no match for a perfect one.  

While Irene, who is not sure if her appetite is still there at a sight like that, slips the officer her pistol. Yerim who has been observing all this time can almost be certain that some of the people in this room are not ordinary human.

His legs jerk, her hold even tighter. Nobody utters a word in the room of dead bodies.

The cuffs eventually break as Seulgi picks up the gun and gives him two shots in the head. For safety sake.

“Now what?” Sojung’s monotone voice pulls everyone out of their own trance. “Thankfully I got Dawon and Dayoung to take Joy and the kids to the bunker.”

“Search the university. It seems to be important to the Order.” Hyunjung replies as she offers Wendy a hand to pull her up.

“Thanks guys.” Lying on the floor to take a short break after finally being freed from the bed, Wendy gladly takes the hand.

Seulgi approaches Wendy with a bright smile, not caring how dangerous she really is. “Thanks back there.”

“Nah, I’m the one who is thanking you.” Wendy returns an even brighter one. “You could’ve done nothing. Given the fact that you must have known something about who I am now.”

“So, Galahad. Or, hm, Wendy.” Hyunjung turns back to Wendy with open arms. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”

“No.” She shakes her head, voice laced with grief and desolation. “I am not Wendy. I am no one, I am nothing. I am only bearing her sins.”

So, guys, I'm finally back! I'm really sorry for not updating for so long.

Life hasn't been the kindest to me. But I am now done with my master thesis. I'll definitely finish this story.

In case some of you feel lost, please also read "Chekhov's Gun" and the test report in the previous chapter for more details about the Order and the WJSN girls (also the part about Galahad).

Meanwhile, I am re-planning the whole plot with major changes in characters. The next chapter will be up in March (not til next year, haha, I swear!).

Hope you guys still enjoy this.

Let me know how you think of this in the comments too!

xo