“What brought you to the station today, Amanda-unnie?” Ariel asks.

“Well, I am a coach for my father’s Hapkido team. I used to compete a lot! And so, I was travelling with the team today because we were supposed to have a match tomorrow. Not sure if we can even attend now with all the chaos going on.”

“Oh, wow! That’s really cool! You beat people up?”

Amanda sighs. This kid. “Well, kind of. In tournaments, you’re usually not supposed to hurt anyone. Injuring someone on purpose is against the rules. You lose right away.”

Amanda really doesn’t want to mention the countless final matches where she got bloodied. Against her.

“You said ‘kind of’, though. What do you mean by that?” Ariel pipes.

“I hope you didn’t actually… hurt someone…” Ashley mumbles.

Amanda has no choice now. “I guess I did, but it was really only one person. And I fought this person countless times. We battled in many finals for years. They eventually made exceptions for us because we were too evenly matched.”

“That doesn’t make a lot of sense…” Ashley says. “Both of you could have gotten really hurt!”

“Well we both did. We emptied our tanks. By the time I won my last match, we had won the same amount of trophies. That’s when I decided to quit competing. And that time I really could have injured my knee. Plus, we didn’t break each other’s arms or legs or anything. Maybe a few bloody noses and several bruises.”

Ariel surveys Amanda’s arms and legs. There aren’t any bruises to speak of. Is she lying about all this? “But you don’t have any now, right?”

“Well, yeah, because I ‘retired’ a year ago. I’ve been coaching since my last win. I won’t have to deal with all the cuts, bruises, and all that jazz for now.”

“I see… well how old are you, Ashley-unnie?”

“Oh… I’m 12… my birthday was early February…” Ashley replies in a soft voice.

“I guess I’m the oldest of us… I’m 15, Ashley. My birthday was in March.”

Ashley nods her head. “A-again… thank you for offering your help…”

“Oh! Not at all!” Amanda says with a bright smile. Her eyes also seem like they’re smiling. Ashley begins to smile a little more.

Then there’s a loud mic screech outside. The three of them flinch.

-

“Quick! Before those hooded weirdos get us!”

The three girls ran frantically with Andrea at the lead. She knew where she was going. To the other two girls, it seemed like they were running in circles as they made countless turns.

“You sure you know where you’re going?!” Aisha yells.

“I’m watching the signs, don’t worry!”

“How on earth did you find me here?” Adele calls.

“Sheer coincidence, now run!”

The girls are lucky the hooded men aren’t particularly fast, and they also don’t have guns on them or anything. Just their bricky legs.

Soon, Andrea finds her way out. No hooded men to be seen. Descending the stairs, sliding down the railing, the three find themselves in a barren, barely-lit hall.

“Spooky…” quips Aisha.

Then, a mic screech. Their spines shiver as they run behind a nearby counter to hide.

“Attention, South Bay Passengers. Do as we say and you will be spared.”

The three recognize the voice. It’s the same as the supposed “boss” of the hooded men. Their jaws drop to the floor.

“We the members of the organization Scorn are here on orders to secure the station. No one is to leave the premises, or else you will be made an example of. We have already captured hundreds of disobedient commuters and they will be promptly executed upon week’s end. If you wish to leave with your life, then you must do as you are told. Under no circumstances shall anyone found escaping be permitted to do so, lest your lives will be ended. Good day.”

The three girls are wide-eyed, jaws still on the floor.

“What now?!” Aisha whispers.

“We’ll just have to make a break for an exit far from the station.” Andrea sighs.

“How can you be so sure that we can do it? What if those hooded men are actually here in the mall looking for us?”

“Yea, I’m surprised you didn't get us lost!” Adele chimes in.

“Oh, come on! If we end up running into those weirdos, we can just run to a convenience store and hide in the closet or something.”

“THAT’S your idea?” Adele murmurs, squinting her eyes.

“…it was the best I could think of, okay?”

“Hmm… I guess if that ends up being the case it wouldn’t be too bad…” Then Aisha’s eyes widen. “Wait… we could feast on all the snacks we want!”

“Oh, wow! I didn’t think of that!”

Adele, however, hits both of them on the shoulder. “We’re not looters, here. We just need a place to hide in case if we need to. Let’s just follow Andrea and see how it goes.”

-

There’s silence under the desk. Ashley begins to crumple up, still holding Amanda’s hand.

“Oh, no… what if we get caught?” Ashley murmurs, eyes full of terror.

“Well, Amanda-unnie is here… she can kick those guys’ butts! Right?”

“Not if there’s a swarm of them. Also, fists can’t stop bullets.” I can’t even right now.

“Well, we could still try to make way for an exit, right?” Ariel asks innocently.

“Hmm… it hasn’t been too long, so we can try.”

Amanda then crawls out from under the desk. “Hold hands, you two. We’ll have to sneak our way over. Follow me.”

Ashley allows the darkness in the room to recede before the three make their way out back into the quiet hall.

“I’ll check the corner.”

Amanda glances over the corner. She begins to hear light footsteps. In the distance is the figure of a girl about Ashley’s age. Huh?

“There’s someone coming… stay put!”

The girl in the distance is holding a piece of paper and a backpack. She’s looking for something. But she then notices Amanda peering over the corner. Immediately, she raises her hands in the air. Amanda notices this too and slowly reveals herself.

“Uhhh… what are you doing down here?” Amanda asks.

“You’re not one of those Scorn cronies, are you?”

“Does it look like I have a hood on?”

“…no…”

“Well, there you go.”

The girl gulps. “I’m just here looking for the toy store.”

“…why on earth are you doing that?”

“…why should I tell you?”

“Because we were just there, and we can guide you over.”

The girl seems hesitant but nods her head. “Then take me over. Thank you for your help.”

“Oof!”

Just as the girl walks towards Amanda, the two turn around and raise their hands as another girl stumbles over behind them a few meters away. Amanda then lowers her hands, recognizing who it is.

“…Andrea?”

“Urg… how… are you here?”

“I should ask you the same question.”

“Well, I was here to send off my team before all hell broke loose.”

“I guess we’re in the same boat, except I was actually going to the tournament.”

Amanda realizes that Ariel and Ashley are still huddled behind the corner. “It’s okay, you two. It’s safe right now.”

“You have people with you?” Andrea asks. Heh… we really are in the same boat…” she mutters.

“Unnie!” a voice says.

“Oh, it’s fine, Aisha. Hey, Adele! This is the person I told you about.”

“You mean the one who stole trophies from you?” another voice says.

Two girls emerge from around another corner.

“I don’t know, Andrea… this unnie looks like the type that simply beat you fair and square…”

“Hey!”

Amanda’s lips tremble. She’s trying hard not to laugh.

“Err… anyhow. Let me introduce myself to those who don’t know me. I’m Amanda. And this is Ariel and Ashley.” By this point, the two timid girls have already grabbed hold of Amanda’s arms.

“Well, I’m Andrea. This is Aisha and Adele.”

“Who are you, then?”

The girl in the middle looks about wide-eyed, wondering what on earth just happened. “Uhh… my name is Alexa. Alexa Hong. I’m 11 but will turn 12 in September. And I need to find the toy store.”

“Geez… everyone is so stingy about age…” Adele says.

“Well you’re not the oldest here, so who are you to say that?!” Aisha yells.

“PFFFF…” Amanda sputters. She then hastily moves her hands to her reddening face. “Oh… I’m sorry,” she says in a soft tone.

Andrea stares in shock. This isn’t the Amanda she knew.

“Alexa-unnie, the toy store is this way. Amanda-unnie can take you there.”

“Well, it isn’t just any toy store. It’s the super small one closest to the station. I know where we can hide there.”

“Shouldn’t we just escape from here?” Adele asks.

“I just came from the exit furthest from the station. Those Scorn cronies are already there blocking it. They’re stationed at every exit.”

“But not the one that we came from.” Aisha says.

“Because they’re already combing the station. I heard. They know that even if people come down here, they won’t be able to escape. It’s only a matter of time before they send their people down here. I had to sneak my way over here. We can go to this place I know of that I bet that nobody else does. And this is the key to getting there.” Alexa reaches down for the piece of paper that she dropped. There’s a sequence of numbers on it.

“Well, we were in a super tiny one earlier, so maybe we’re talking about the same one!” Ariel pipes.

“Well, it’s settled, then,” Amanda says. “Let’s go. And keep it quiet. We don’t want to be heard by those freaks.”

“What about us?” Andrea asks?

“You want to stay here and get caught?!” Aisha blurts.

“SHHH!!!” Adele says as she hits Aisha on the shoulder.

Amanda’s lips tremble again. She doesn’t want to be caught like earlier. But she sees Ashley turn around, holding her fist close to her face. She’s smiling lightly, eyes down. Amanda is quite relieved to see this girl lighten up a bit more.

-

Back at the toy store, Alexa searches about.

“Where’s the storage closet?”

“Right over there.”

They slowly creak the door open.

“Let’s see… large safe…” Alexa mutters. “There!”

Alexa dashes over to what she wants. Immediately, she begins turning the combination lock, glancing at her piece of paper now and then. Afterwards, she enters a series of numbers on the keypad. There’s then an old contraption resembling an old telephone that Alexa also handles. The other girls watch in fascination as they begin to hear cranking noises from behind the door. Within a minute, Alexa steps back.

“That should be it.”

Alexa grabs the handle of the safe.

“We’re just going to hide in some dark safe box?” Andrea inquires.

“No. Much better.”

Alexa opens the door, revealing a dimly-lit staircase.

“Follow me. And close the door behind you.”

“Whoa…” Aisha sighs. “There’s been this weird staircase here in a tiny toy store all along?”

“I’ll explain more on that later.”

The staircase twists and turns, often with a few hallways interspersed between, as the girls descend further below the mall. Soon, there is a large, metallic door. Alexa places her hand into a device next to it.

“Welcome, Alexa Hong,” a robotic voice says. The door slid open.

“Alright. Here we are. Welcome to Chamber Beta.”

“Chamber what?” Andrea asks.

“Chamber Beta. The government used it as a testing ground for a safe house in the event of an emergency. My father helped develop the systems here almost three decades ago. It was known as Y2K, after the year it was made.”

“Y2K?” Amanda asks.

“The year 2000.” Ariel says. “I heard it in a newspaper once that my grandmother gave to me.”

This kid… Amanda thought.

“Err… precisely. Nobody outside of my family and a few members of the government know about this place, and even fewer people know how to crack the codes that break that first door open. Only my father and I have access through the door we just came through. Therefore, you can rest assured that no Scorn crony is going find us here.”

“What have I gotten myself into…” Aisha sighs.

“Anyhow, I’m going to get the computers running here. Feel free to make yourself at home! Ariel, you seem pretty bright. Why don’t you come and help me out?”

“Sure, Alexa-unnie!”

-

Now that the seven girls have found a hideout, what will they do from here? What about the families of Ashley and Ariel? Find out next chapter!

-

A/N: Yookyung has now emerged in the story, and it seems like she's going to be key cog for the girls...
And yes, I did put a few moments in for the girls in line with how ships are, because we all love to talk about them as pandas, don't we? Don't expect an escalation of ships into romance, though, but at least we might skim the surface kind of like how it is in real life... are they? Are they not? Who knows...
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Playlist: Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones