FIGHT
UNTOUCHABLESeulgi and Yerim went back inside and saw Sooyoung, Krystal, and Amber, all standing looking out the window.
"What's our status?" asked Seulgi, putting Yerim down to make sure the kid won't see what's outside.
"There's a lot of them, Cap. And they are attacking the barriers," said Krystal. Seulgi peeked through the window and saw Evens lurking just outside Sanctuary Four.
"It would probably take them about thirty minutes to get past those," said Amber. "Why do you guys think they're all here now?"
"They're probably starving and knows we're here," said Sooyoung. "I experienced the same when I was assigned to Jinhwa. Most of the Evens were aggressive as they haven't eaten for weeks. Maybe that's the reason for the attack this morning too. That's one proof that this area is going to be Even-free soon."
"But how come they gather just around here?" asked Krystal.
"Blood," said Seulgi, turning to the team. "They can still sense the blood from the attack that happened earlier. And the movement they detect from us tells them we're preys. This is going to be perfect for the bombing later."
"Speaking of bombing, why don't we try using one of the Retter bombs Doc Minho gave us?" said Amber, holding the bomb in front of everyone. "Maybe it'll help clear a path for us."
"Good idea. Let's go ahead and try that." Seulgi gestured outside. Amber followed her.
"Eat this, arseholes!" Amber detonated the bomb and threw it outside Sanctuary Four.
"Language, Amber! There's a child in here!" shouted Krystal.
They waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened.
Amber went back in. "The prototype's not working, Cap. I'm sure I've detonated it."
Seulgi scratched her head absently, disappointed. "I guess we'd have to clear the road first. It's either we attack them now, or we wait for them to attack us."
"There are about three pairs of Evens in sight, Cap." Sooyoung peeked through the window again. "Amber, Krystal, and I could take them down in about fifteen to twenty minutes."
Seulgi shook her head. "No. That'll leave you exhausted. We still have a long way to go. Plus, with that time, one of them might get in here. I say we all go out together. We'll take them down by pair. I'll pair up with Sooyoung. Krystal and Amber, you work together."
Amber smirked. Krystal rolled her eyes. "But what about Yerim, Cap?"
Seulgi looked at the little kid who's staring up innocently at them. "It's best if we'll leave her here while we clear the path."
"You sure about this?" asked Sooyoung.
"She'll be safer here." Seulgi stooped down to level the kid's eyes. "Hey, sweetie. You're a good girl, right?"
"Mmm-mmm. Vewy good giwl." Yerim nodded.
"Good. Now, I and the others are going out for a few minutes to clean up the road for you. Could you promise me you'll stay here while waiting for us?"
The kid looked at everyone before looking back at Seulgi. "I pwomise."
"That's my girl." Seulgi patted Yerim's head. She stood up. "We'll be going now. Stay here."
The kid hugged Seulgi's leg. "Yewim will wait fow you hewe."
"Awe,. She really likes you, Cap," said Krystal. "So cute."
Amber, Sooyoung, and Seulgi exchanged glances.
"Let's go out," said Seulgi.
They left the room with Yerim waving at them goodbye.
---
"They are doing the right thing: cleaning up the road so Yerim won't have to see those monsters," said Joohyun's mom. She turned to her daughter. "I can see that she's really good at this, huh?"
"Wow. I'm surprised that you're giving her compliments now," said Joohyun, sarcastic.
"SAU members deserve all the respect they could get. They are risking their lives for us."
Joohyun shook her head. "You should've shown that respect to her even when we're together."
"It was different at that time. You know for a fact that I never approved of your relationship with her. It was just your dad who tolerated you."
"It's because he knows we were in love."
"If that was really love, then how come you two aren't together now?"
Joohyun took a deep breath and stared at her mom.
Seeing that her daughter is speechless, the older lady continued, "If you were really in love with her, as you've claimed, then how come you still end up marrying a man?"
"Mom, our breakup doesn't mean what we had wasn't real. We wouldn't have lasted seven years if it wasn't. And you saw how badly wrecked I was after the breakup."
"Were you able to find out why Junmyeon kept calling you that night when you and Seulgi were in the hotel room?" asked Seungwan.
Joohyun shook her head. "I was too occupied at that time. I didn't answer any of his texts nor calls for days until I forgot about it."
"It was me," said Joohyun's mom. "It was me who asked him to call you."
Joohyun's eyes widened. "Wh--"
"You two are starting to get along well. I saw that as an opportunity," admitted the older lady. "After I was certain that you're already with her, I called him. Knowing he likes you already, I told him that I was getting worried and can't contact you."
Joohyun opened but couldn't speak a word. She looked at her mother with disgust. "W-why? H-how...? Is that how bad you want us to break up?"
"I just think you deserve better, Hyun-ah."
"Well, it's not just about me, Mom." Joohyun pointed at the big screen. "You've hurt not only me but her as well. And she didn't deserve any of it."
"Joohyun, I did that because I wanted you to be happy. She hasn't been around when you needed her, and I couldn't take seeing you sad all the time. Every time she goes away, you die. Do you know how hard it is for me to see you like that?"
Joohyun rubbed her eyes, preventing any tears from falling. "I am not questioning your motherly attempt to protect me and make me happy. I understand every part of it. I just wish you hadn't hurt Seulgi in the process. She's all about loving me and making me happy."
"Control Room, coming in," Seulgi's voice echoed in the room. Seungwan, Joohyun, and her mom all looked up at the screen. The troop is now at the gate of Sanctuary Four, equipped and ready.
"Yes, Captain?" the male operator answered.
"We're going out to clean up the road. Please look over the kid. If you sense something's going to happen, contact me right away."
The male operator looked at the screen below Seulgi, showing Yerim who's sitting on the chair inside Sanctuary Four.
"Copy, Captain."
"Alright. Now, Troop C, it's time for some action."
---
Troop C started taking down Evens by pair: Amber's with Krystal and Seulgi's with Sooyoung.
Attack and attack until stagger, then perform the finishing blow--that's their usual tactics in dealing with Evens.
A normal human eye won't be able to catch up on the action. Because of the Booster, SAUs heightened abilities are matching up with those monsters.
It wasn't an easy encounter. The hard rainfall makes it hard for them to take down an Even. They've already taken down about half of the Evens around when the ground started shaking again.
"W-what was that?" said Amber. Everyone stopped moving for a bit.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Sooyoung.
The ground kept shaking. The intensity is increasing.
Seulgi felt her heartbeat rising. She knows something not good is coming towards them. She hoped it's not what she's thinking. But she's proven wrong when Krystal shouted:
"HERD ATTACK!"
---
Joohyun stood up from the couch. She looked around, breathing hard. She saw the shocked faces from the personnel inside. Her eyes travelled back to the screen where her daughter is, peacefully sitting on the chair, her feet rocking back and forth.
"Commander Sunny!"
Joohyun saw a small woman enter the room. Her face is serious.
"What the hell is happening?"
"Commander, herd attack. It means that there's a colony nearby."
"I know. How come we didn't see this beforehand?"
"T-they suddenly appeared, Commander. We don't know what triggered them."
"How many?"
The personnel looked at the area using the satellite camera. "About thirty Evens, Commander."
"Tsk. ing Evens." Commander Sunny turned to the other personnel. "Get a chopper there now and drop bombs right away."
"B-but Commander, the chopper will be ready in about fifteen minutes, and the travel time will be about the same."
"I don't ing care. Just send two choppers there now!"
The poor personnel obeyed and went out of the room right away.
Commander Sunny motioned towards the mic. "Captain Seulgi, can you hear me?"
"Yes, Commander?"
"I'm sending two choppers there now to help you get out. Do you think you can last for about thirty minutes?"
There was a long silence before Seulgi answered, "I can't confirm, Commander."
Joohyun sat back down on the couch, a hand to her chest.
"Don't you think it's a good idea to stay in the Sanctuary while waiting for the choppers?"
"I'm afraid that's a suicide, Commander. With the number of Evens approaching, they will be able to take down the barriers easily."
"What do you suppose we do, Cap?"
Seulgi's breathing can be heard on the line. "We'll try to hold them as much as we can. We can buy time. What's important is the kid's safety."
Commander Sunny massaged her head. "Captain Seulgi, I command all of you to stay alive."
Seulgi's exhaustion is evident now in her voice. It took her seconds before finally able to say something.
"We'll try our best, Commander."
---
"What's our game plan, Cap, to stay alive?" asked Amber, panting.
Seulgi looked around. "I think it's best if we lure them away from the Sanctuary Four so Yerim would be safe."
"Agree with you there, Cap," said Sooyoung. "Let's take them to the outskirts."
The troop looked at each other, everyone breathing hard.
"This... this is something we knew could happen, right?" asked Krystal. "We all knew the risk even before we joined SAU..."
"For... for the safety of mankind," said Seulgi.
Everyone agreed by nodding their heads. "For the safety of mankind," they all said in unison.
After that, they dashed away from the Sanctuary. The herd followed them.
Then out of nowhere, a loud sound of an explosion was heard near the Sanctuary Four.
The troop stopped.
"Was that the bom--" before Amber could finish her sentence, a huge white smoke spread around the area, covering the whole place. "What the ? I can't see a thing! Whoa!"
"Hey, it's me! And that's my !" shouted Krystal, slapping Amber. "Captain? Sooyoung?"
"We're here," said Sooyoung. ". It's harder to see now."
All of them stand closer, swords out.
"Let's stay like this for now. If you see any figure coming in, don't hesitate to attack," said Seulgi. She motioned to her radio. "Control Room, visibility in the Sanctuary Four?"
"Zero, Cap. Can't see a thing."
"Can you locate us using our transmitters?"
"Yes, Captain. Sanctuary Four is located one-hundred metres away from you, ten o'clock."
Troop C walked towards the Sanctuary with guidance from the Control Room. There were few Evens they encountered along the way, but they weren't as aggressive as before. The Evens seemed weak.
"Do you think it's because of the bomb?" asked Sooyoung. "We can take them down now with one or two blows."
"Probably. And it seems that a lot of them are already dead," said Krystal, stepping on one corpse.
"I will kiss Doc Minho once we get back. That bomb saved us," said Amber.
"Don't celebrate yet," said Seulgi, attacking one of the Evens approaching her. "They may be weak now, but they can still kill us if we're reckless."
It was easy for them now to fight back because the ones who survived the blast were sort of drunk.
They keep on fighting and killing Evens until the smoke started to vanish.
"Captain Seulgi?" Control Room called. "I have visibility of Sanctuary Four now."
Seulgi felt relieved. "Where's Yerim?"
There was silence on the line and the repetitive sound of clicking mouse. After a few more seconds, the person spoke:
"I can't find the kid anywhere in the Sanctuary, Cap. She's not there."
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