Four weeks later.

Just like any other town, ground rules were straightforward and clear: no fighting, no vandalizing, and no frets. Ration distributions weren't hard to get through since there was plenty to share, but due to the size of their group, food and water will eventually run out soon, despite their abundance of supplies. So to encourage everyone, Ruann suggested Greens, Blues and Golds to work side by side and get used to cooperating around here. Some worked in the motor garage, repairing all sorts of vehicles, then testing the new engines. Most Greens stayed in the hardware store to enhance some weapons they’d brought along, including ones from the rundown police station. Zoa and May mostly worked together enhancing the handguns, making them a little more dangerous to handle. Therefore, heavy safety measures had to be set. Jihan and Jaehee were searching for more vehicles to repair at the garage, one lifting heavy weights while the other helped power remodeled engines. They were the best duo in town, so many kids looked forward to working with them. Meanwhile, Monday and Jiyoon were off taking a break in the arcade, both teaming up to stop alien invaders on their spaceship. A few kids got attracted by their rowdiness and noticed them beating the highest score, resulting in their own cheering squad forming behind them. Lastly, Soeun didn’t really know what kind of job she was supposed to do. Soojin had been working with Ruann for four weeks to plan another scouting mission, which hadn’t been since the trio’s journey. Therefore, Soeun couldn’t ask her for another date, although they still talk about it together a lot, much like dorks in love. 

Her feelings felt so foreign, which would’ve made her chicken out of asking if she hadn’t talked to their other friends. Jihan and Jaehee in particular helped a great deal the first time, the others generously gave their own advice as well. Now though, everyone’s busy with improving the town. That being said, just a few days ago, a group of ten more kids had arrived after hearing the girl’s radio message, thus making it a success. They celebrated with yet another concert by Weeekly, the audience constantly chanting their names. Aside from that fiesta, Soeun simply remained at home for the time being and did most of the chores in their house. To ease her boredom, she’d binge watch shows for hours, waiting for either of the girls to arrive home and tell her about their day. They’d occasionally hold late night ‘sleepover’ parties that served as celebrations for their hard work in town. It was a blessing to see it so lively, thus looking back on the first day felt like years ago. The girls last did this two weeks ago because of the workload, but Soeun didn’t mind since everyone had so much passion regarding this. Besides, it didn’t seem like she needed to use her powers at the moment. Later in the day, Ruann and Soojin finished with their meeting, thus the older girl was free to head home. Once through the door, she noticed Soeun cooking lunch in the kitchen while humming a song to herself. Soojin smiled before tiptoeing inside, wrapping her arms around the girl’s waist. She didn’t have to look behind to know who it was and chuckled.

“You’re home earlier than usual.” 

“Yeah, I requested a break for once since things are getting a bit more serious, now that the town has been fully revived.”

“How’s your work going?”

“I wouldn’t really call it ‘work’, just a meeting with some friends to discuss important matters.” 

“So, work.” Soeun teased, earning a light smack on her shoulder. 

“Anyways, what are you cooking?” 

“Spaghetti, one of our group’s favorite dishes.” 

Soojin giggled because it was so true. That one time they had to share resulted in a mess, no one wanted to give their portions away. “I hope you made enough. Don’t want another food fight on our hands because I’m not helping to clean up this time.” 

“It made me realize just how chaotic they were.” 

“I still can’t believe you mind controlled Jihan and stopped her from throwing our only plate of pie at Jiyoon.” 

“I had to! I mean—I didn’t want to, but you know….” 

“Yeah, it’s understandable. The girls’ reactions were priceless.” Soojin smiled even wider thinking about Monday making Jihan do funny faces while she remained in an utter blank state. “What else have you been up to?” 

“Chores, binge watching shows, and sleeping. That’s pretty much it.”

“That must’ve been nice. I wish I could stay home all day.”

“Why do you go to these meetings anyways?” 

“Ruann recommended I do so because I seem like a leader? Strange, if you ask me.”

“Nah, it’s not that. You do seem like one after all. And you’re probably the oldest around here.” 

“I suppose, I just don’t want all of that stress to grow even more than it already does.” 

“Don’t worry, you’ll be less stressed when I finish cooking.” 

“Thank you.”

Soojin continued smiling, continuing to embrace Soeun until the stove turned off and she served their lunch on plates. They both stayed at the kitchen table for half an hour just talking about whatever came up to mind. One topic had their sides hurting from all the laughter that filled the room, the food now taking a back seat. They talked about last week, how everyone was working and hanging out like usual. However, Monday, Jiyoon, Jihan and Jaehee were all playing ‘sword fighting’ with sticks in their backyard, and while things were peaceful, that was short-lived once Monday decided to draw out the actual sword. Thankfully, Jihan easily disarmed her as she got pinned to the ground, allowing Jiyoon to take off her shoes before tossing it way up onto the utility wires. None of the girls were ever going to let Monday live that down, but she found it funny as well, and that event became a running joke between them since. After several hours, Soeun and Soojin were washing their own dishes when knocking caught their attention, then quickly walked up to open the door, only to see Ruann at their steps.

“Oh, hey. What’s up?” Soojin greeted. 

“Sorry to appear out of the blue, but we need your guys’ help with something.” 

“Both of us?” Soeun raised her eyebrow. 

“Yes. I’ll explain when we get there. It’s better to show it to you in person.” 

They glanced at each other when Soeun realized that Ruann was truthfully being serious, giving Soojin a nod. Afterwards, all three headed towards the motel where many Greens, including Zoa, were trying to figure out what was going on with their radio, the same they’d used to create the code. When Zoa noticed her friends’ presence, she immediately walked up to greet them. “Hi guys, glad you could make it. You need to listen to this.” As the tension grew, Soojin and Soeun sat in front of the radio as she turned it on. For the first few seconds, all they heard were static noises, until it stopped in an eerie silence, a voice on the other side breaking through, though their words kept glitching out.

……if—if anyone is listening—right now…please help! M-M-My name is Ji—! We’ve b-been caught—by m…m-military at camp……! Need help…please…!

Then it cut off completely, a soft buzzing sound that indicated an ending to what was left of the message. “We received this just now, but judging by how far radiograms travel, this was sent eight hours ago.” Zoa informed. 

“So…” Soeun spoke hesitantly, “what do we do with this?” 

“We’re going to save them.” Ruann answered nonchalantly.

“But—we can’t go back! My friends and I had escaped from one.”

“You guys can escape from there again.” 

Zoa frowned. “We barely survived.” 

“Because you didn’t use your powers to their fullest potentials.” 

“What do you mean?” Soeun asked as Ruann smiled. 

“Don’t worry, I got this under control. All of the kids that I’d brought with me here were from those camps. That’s why those bounty hunters knew me. So, how did I do it? By training myself.” 

“‘Training’? How do you do that?” 

“Easy. I just experimented a little, then before I even realized it, my powers got better the more I practiced. And trust me, knowing how to stop bullets it’s extremely essential.” 

“Then where do we even begin?” Soojin asked as Lucy walked up to Ruann’s side, then raised a hand to display. Within seconds, electricity traveled through her fingers as she effortlessly controlled them. Not once did the electricity abruptly shoot out like how Monday and Jaehee always did. 

After the show was done, Lucy spoke up. “Start with what you’re already capable of, then you’ll definitely get the hang of it.” Soojin was fascinated. 

“Woah…that would explain why you’re not wearing any gloves!” 

“Exactly. While we may have our powers, it’s crucial to control them.”

“Lucy and I can train all the Blues and Golds in some desolate area, if you guys don’t mind. And you and friends can join, too, Soojin.” 

Both her and Soeun, as well as Zoa contemplated on the idea for a bit, wondering if the other girls would agree. Despite the fact that the training process could take a toll on their minds, they’d definitely benefit from fully controlling it. And most importantly of all, the girls would likely become dependent on themselves. Therefore, the three nodded to each other before Soojin spoke up. “Alright, we’re in.” She asked herself: how bad could training possibly be?

It would be easy, they said. It would be fun…they said. Lots of kids had passed out from exerting too much strength and energy into their minds, causing mild headaches and fatigue. Although they got some strength from sleep, that wasn’t enough to continue with more training. Some persisted through the exercises and a rather decent amount at that. They too, however,, passed out from exhaustion. Afterwards, Ruann and Lucy decided to take baby steps instead of rushing ahead. Both them and May could only hope that whoever sent them the message remained well enough before they came to their rescue. Meanwhile, Zoa, Soeun and Jiyoon were helping their friends head back home, struggling more than expected. They all soon made it to the door as everyone crashed to the ground and sofa. Jiyoon and Soeun hastily grabbed loads of snacks from the cabinets before dumping them all out for her friends to eat, while Zoa remained in the living room treating their headaches with ice packs. Thankfully, Jaehee and Monday didn’t have to wear their gloves anymore, and Soojin and Jihan could move almost any objects around with ease. Ruann had advised that an eight hour rest would help with the fatigue, so now all of them were getting ready to sleep. Upstairs in the bedrooms, Zoa entered hers after helping the two kids who could barely walk on their own. With a heavy sigh, she plopped onto the bed and took out her phone, looking up the news. 

There wasn’t anything new, rather the usual weather forecasting, as well as latest upcoming shows that not many people seemed to have found interesting, judging by the views. Zoa was thoroughly amused how these adults lived in their own world without kids. They created this stigma that children like her weren’t mature and intelligent like grown ups because they’re always so spoiled, as if that was ever their fault. While watching some thirty year olds acting terribly in a low budget movie, Zoa thought about what would happen in the next few weeks, even months. Though things seemed to be going fine, she felt a little odd about running this town with her friends. Even before they’d discovered this place, Zoa imagined what it would be like if they were able to move back into the city on their own after becoming adults themselves. Would it even be allowed despite that? And would they still have their powers? Or will it just vanish once they hit twenty? Sighing, she turned off her phone and set it on her nightstand. The possibilities were endless. Zoa even wondered if the current adults in this day and age were reproducing new babies to replace them. She slumped just thinking about that. Her and Soojin’s parents wouldn’t do that…right?

“Wait.” Something clicked. “That must explain the League…but…are there actually good people out there…willing to help us out?” Whispering to herself. She was about to head outside and tell the girls about her thoughts, only to quickly realize that they might be too tired to even listen. Therefore, she decided to do so tomorrow morning if given the chance. Afterwards, Zoa tucked herself, turning off the light to sleep at last.

A sudden crash in the kitchen jolted everyone awake. Soojin was the first to rush downstairs, despite still feeling a little weary. Luckily, her worries were immediately gone when she entered to see Jiyoon and Monday picking several broken dishes. Soojin sighed in relief before asking them if they were alright, as both quickly dismissed it, calling it an accident. Soon, the rest of the girls came downstairs for breakfast and talked about the tasks they were going to do today. Jihan and Jaehee were finally visiting the arcade, the trio were planning on writing their own songs, and Soeun was secretly looking forward to asking Soojin out for another date. Overall, the girls were excited with their individual activities for the day. However, everything was immediately thrown out the window when knocking interrupted them. Monday answered the door to see May before letting her inside. Needless to say, there were already plans for them, unfortunately.

“Hey guys…sorry to come by without notice, but we’re having a food problem. There’s not much left and we might run out by the end of this month.” 

“Jeez, how much are people eating??” Jihan frowned in confusion. 

“More than expected, I guess. Ruann unnie is planning on making a more strict policy about taking rations, so, until then, we need to go out and find more to live by.” 

“Wait, why are you coming to us specifically?” Zoa questioned, but May was just as confused. 

“Well—you guys found this place first, right? It’s only fair you’re all a part of the leading group.” 

Jaehee was taken aback. “I-I’ve never done anything like that before.” 

“Ok so, what is Ruann proposing?” Soeun asked. 

“She just wants to create a team willing to travel outside of this town to get what we need. Maybe then, we’ll have time to save that person from the radio message.” 

Zoa grew more nervous. “Then…I’m assuming we should all meet up to decide who’s going?” May nodded to her inquiry. 

“Yeah. It seems so.” 

The rest of the girls slumped at the suggestion. Sure, they haven’t been out in a while, but that was what kept them at ease. Not needing to leave home to find more food for everyone was a luxury in itself. Thus, now that the time had come again, they were more concerned than anything. But Soojin knew a way to encourage her friends. “Don’t worry, we’ll be able to do it. We managed to find more help than we needed, so this mission shouldn’t be too bad.” 

“You may be right…but—what about the camps? The security measures are literally ten times worse than before. There might be heavily armed guards everywhere now.” Jihan really did have a good point. 

“And that’s what we trained for. I could move things from further distances than usual because my mind is clearer, if that makes sense.” 

“Yeah, Soojin unnie is right.” Monday agreed, nodding her head. “This team can do anything.”

After a brief moment of thinking, the girls lightened up, feeling more motivated. “I’m in! Should we meet up with Ruann now?” Jiyoon asked. 

Shortly afterwards, May led the way towards the old radio station where some Greens and Golds were helping her locate the specific area that the person had sent their message from. So far, there was nothing, despite how hard they tried to solve the puzzle, even May herself was having issues. While the girls sat down by a large round table waiting for Ruann, Zoa decided to help with finding the signal. She took her seat by a radio before pressing some buttons and tuning in on the frequency, then squinted at their radar. However, nothing popped up like she expected. “Hm. Something’s jamming the connection….”

Then May gasped. “That would explain why their message was so glitchy.” 

“Yeah. We should figure out what kind of satellite they were trying to use, then perhaps it’ll be easier to decode it’s programming and locate their campsite.” 

“Wait, like a military base satellite?? They’ll find us if we try to connect to it.” 

“Don’t worry, they won’t. I configured our router’s software so that it’s not detectable by anything outside of town...hopefully.” 

“Wow…you’re a genius! I don’t think that’s ever been done before.” 

Zoa chuckled and shyly rubbed her neck. “Thanks. It’s no big deal. We’ll see a lot of possible connections on here after finding some satellites, but when comparing them with this frequency formula,” she wrote it on the white board, displaying it for everyone to gaze at, “we can find their location.” With that being said, everyone immediately got to work as fast as they could. 

“That’s so cool! You really are like Albert Einstein, maybe even smarter.” 

“I-it’s just what I do.” Zoa nervously laughed before rejoining her friends at the round table.

“Oooo look at the new popular girl.” Monday teased as everyone giggled at the joke while the younger girl playfully rolled her eyes. 

“Let’s just get on with the meeting please.” 

Ruann nodded before finally starting. “I’m sure you all are aware of the problem we’re facing right now. I feel like it’s best to have one person from every category of power: one Green, Blue, Gold, Orange, and Red.” Soeun and Jiyoon glanced at each other, then back to her.

“How exactly will this work?” Soojin asked curiously, which was when Ruann laid out a piece of paper full of her ideas. 

“Since security measures are much heavier than before, we’ll need to be as stealthy as possible, which means mistakes cannot be tolerated. Our weaponry storage in the police station currently holds ten handguns, fifteen machine guns, twenty pocket knives, eighteen batons, nine bulletproof vests, and dozens of grenades, so to be safe, we should take some. The Greens worked together to create silent engines and motors, so we’ll be able to get that campsite quietly. Once we find and look at its layout, our plan will be complete. Then after that, we just execute it.” 

“Hm…so did either you, May or Lucy agree to go?” Zoa asked.

“I-I’d rather stay. I don’t wanna go anywhere near those places….” May quickly opted out, which everyone understood wholeheartedly. 

“Lucy and I are coming along.” 

“Then I guess I’ll go, too.” 

“Wait—” Soojin was about to object, but then Jiyoon interrupted. 

“Do I actually have to go? I feel like my powers will only cause a mess.” 

“Don’t worry, we’re not going till everyone’s trained and ready.” Ruann reassured, though that didn’t really seem to enlighten their responses.

“Alright…if you say so.” 

Soeun nodded. “I’ll do my best.” 

“W-wait. I know you only need one Blue, but is it alright if I come, too?” 

Ruann and May looked at each other to decide, then the younger girl just shrugged. “Sure! Honestly, the more help, the merrier.”

Afterwards, the girls continued discussing for the whole day in order to ensure their safe return. This definitely went well as everyone pitched in with their ideas and specific techniques, like disguising as a soldier to sneak around, even better since Lucy, Monday and Soeun were the tallest, thus, both could easily walk around without being suspected. And if the military were to find this out, they’ll definitely start distrusting their own teammates and turn against one another, which would be a grand sight to see. Through meticulous plots, they pinpointed what the most important tasks were, then laid them out in sequential order. This went on for hours and as more and more conclusions popped up, the girls became quite confident with their plan. Then even better, the Greens in the radio station finally discovered the specific location of the campsite. Now, it was game time.