Even though Irene is officially their camp’s leader, she truly believes that everyone else does their part and when needed, they can take care of her too. Irene notices the bed shift as Yeri wakes up first this time, and the young teleporter whispers that it’s okay for Irene to sleep in because they’ll handle it while she rests. 

 

Irene feels the blanket drape over her, and she’s quickly back to dreaming. Maybe it’s because she fell asleep with happy memories of her childhood, that even her dreams are full of nostalgia. She dreams of running over a lake and watching Yuri fly above her. She dreams of Yuri manipulating the air to lift Irene and herself up into the sky. It was the first time she did anything close to flying. Tiffany’s shriek is so loud and piercing when she sees then eight-year-old Irene off the ground that it causes Yuri to drop her accidentally and Irene dreams of Tiffany pulling her very apologetic friend by the ear. 

 

She dreams of Seohyun, making snow for her in the middle of summer because it was just too hot to do anything and she was completely bored out of her mind. She dreams of Sooyoung, the first person with superstrength she’s ever met, of how she saw how worried Tiffany was when Yuri made her fly and the teenager decided to make matters worse by playfully throwing Irene up into the air. Irene squealed the entire time, Sooyoung tossing her higher than the trees around them, and she laughed as they jumped up into a tree together, hiding as they spotted Tiffany storming out of the house with Taeyeon in tow, both her hands in flames. 

 

In her head, she’s still up in the tree, Tiffany threatening Sooyoung from down below but she’s pulled out of her slumber by gentle but hurried knocks on her door. She rubs the remaining sleep from her eyes and she manages to sit up before they knock again. 

 

“It’s open!”

 

A familiar face sticks their head inside, “Uhhhhh… Irene unnie?” 

 

“Yeah, Jinsoul? Come in.” The young girl slowly shuffles into the room, playing with the hem of her shirt. “Is anything wrong?” 

 

“Uh… not… exactly?” 

 

“What is it? You can tell me.” 

 

“Uhm… soooooo Wendy unnie and Joy unnie went to the scrapyard this morning for that special power room thing she’s working on... but don’t worry! Wendy unnie made breakfast before they left so we all got to eat! And Yeri unnie is training with Kim Lip and she’s throwing different fruit at her to see if she can slice it with her arm blade thing… so she’s busy right now… and we know you wanted to rest cause they told us to let you rest cause you’re tired but we don’t know who else to turn to...” 

 

“Just get to it, Sol.” Irene says as gentle as she possibly can, though she can already feel a headache coming on.

 

“Oh, yeah, right! So, it’s Chuu. She kinda has a fever? And when she sneezes she changes into a different animal… and it started this morning when she woke up and to be honest it was kinda funny she even turned into a frog and she jumped on the table and Vivi screamed! But now she’s still in her puppy form…? And me and Yves don’t know what to do cause we can’t talk to Chuu in that state cause she just barks at us and I think she wants to bite me. So like… Do we take her to the vet or something?”

 

“What-” Irene rubs her temples, “Why would you- she's still human- also, we have two healers-” 

 

“Oh! Uh. Yeah. Good point. Nevermind!” Jinsoul says, before swinging the bedroom door open to shout, “YVES! IRENE UNNIE SAID WE DON’T HAVE TO TAKE CHUU TO THE VET!”

 

“OH COOL! THANKS UNNIE!”

 

Irene’s headache increases tenfold as she hears a bark followed by the low growl of what is obviously still Chuu followed by an exasperated voice of Haseul shouting back, “I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT! YOU WOULDN’T GIVE HER TO US!”

 

“I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE, OKAY!” The diamond shifter responds before turning to her mentor. “Thanks unnie! Sorry to bother you, see you later!” 

 

Irene waves her off, ready to lay back down and sleep the headache away but just as her head hits the pillow, realization dawns on her. She jumps out of bed and runs out the door, “WAIT! WHAT IS YERI THROWING AT KIM LIP?!” 

 

---

 

Eventually, everything settles down, Chuu finally back to her normal bubbly human self, Kim Lip has been cleaned up from all the fruits thrown at her, Yeri has zero apologies and Wendy and Joy have returned from their trip with scrap metal and used electronics in tow.

 

She gives everyone a day free of training, not wanting to have another migraine so soon and opting to brief her team on their upcoming mission. If there’s one thing she can always count on, it’s her and Wendy being on the same page. There’s a knot in her brow as she explains that Yeri is to be included in the mission but whether it’s because it’s Taeyeon’s orders or Yeri’s utter glee at being a part of it, Wendy says nothing. 

 

“We’ll be fine, I trust Yeri, and I trust our team. The only way it’ll work anyway is if we work together.” Irene says with as much confidence as possible. Wendy raises her brow, ever so slightly, and Irene knows that she can tell that Irene is saying it to reassure herself too. 

 

They make final preparations throughout the afternoon before they call the kids in, Joy suggesting that it’s better that they know what’s going to happen. After all, this is the first non-rescue mission they’ve had with children being left behind at the camp.

 

The look of wonder present in their eyes as they file in, stepping inside the briefing room for the first time. She leans back and lets Wendy and Joy take over, their enthusiasm and energy hopefully lightening the situation. As she usually does, Irene studies them one by one, she notes the way Kim Lip has her arms folded across her little chest as she processes the information. How Jinsoul tugs on Haseul’s sleeve, most probably wondering if it’s okay to interrupt, and the latter tells her to keep quiet.

 

They’re all just kids, Irene reminds herself. Kids who’ve had their whole world turned upside down. At first, comprehending rescue and transport missions is easy, they’ve all experienced it after all. But this mission introduces them to a reality that Irene wishes she could have sheltered them from for a little bit longer. 

 

“So!” Joy claps her hands together, “Does anyone have any questions?” 

 

There’s a beat of silence before their hands fly into the air. But Chuu jumps up to claim attention, “So Minho oppa is a double agent?!” 

 

“That’s why he was able to get me out of the cage!” Kim Lip gasps, “I just thought he fought everyone!” 

 

Joy has a hand on her hip, her face absolutely smug, “Please. He may have marine training but he’s not stronger than me.” 

 

“Irene unnie, Irene unnie!” Jinsoul raises her hand, “So if two normal people can have a Rogue baby what happens when you have a baby? Will they automatically be a Rogue too?” 

 

“What?! Why are you asking me?” 

 

“Cause you’re the oldest! You’ll be the first one!” 

 

“Yah… Jinsoul, watch what you say.” Irene glares, ignoring Yeri and Joy’s snickering. The shapeshifter, for her part, just flashes their leader the biggest smile she can manage and fine, even Irene isn’t immune to that.

 

Haseul turns to Wendy, “Will you have tracking devices and everything too?”

 

“Yeah, we’ll have the usual and once Jennie’s team sets up the safe house we’ll need to build the data transfer hub for us to use.” 

 

“What do we do while you’re gone?” 

 

“We’ll have Jennie and Lisa here to guard the camp, just in case. Of course, the four of you have to be alert as well. Haseul and Vivi, you’ll be with me in the tower, monitoring communications and activity.” 

 

The children murmur amongst themselves for a while until Vivi raises her hand, her voice so soft that Irene has to strain her ears to hear it. “Is it a dangerous mission?” 

 

“I won’t lie, yes, there is a degree of danger to this mission because we will be infiltrating the Sentinels. But that’s why we take necessary precautions and planning.” Irene answers, and for the first time, she notices the look of worry that flashes on their faces. “Any more questions? If there’s nothing else, I believe Joy promised she’d make dinner today?” 

 

The mood shifts instantly, Yeri leading the cheer at the prospect of annoying Joy while she makes dinner. Yeri drags the taller girl out of the briefing room first, and the rest of the kids file out excitedly. Everyone, except Yves. Throughout the entire briefing, she remained quiet and unmoving. The normally inquisitive girl didn’t ask any questions, and Irene couldn’t help but notice how she had her hands on her legs, her nails digging into the fabric of her sweatpants, as if she were trying to hold herself back.

 

“What’s with her?” Wendy asks, when the demon morpher leaves the room in silence.  

 

“Maybe she’s still processing. I’ll talk to her if I feel it’s still bothering her, okay?” 

 

Wendy nods, absentmindedly fiddling with a broken radio, “Unnie, I have this weird feeling about this mission.” 

 

“Bad?” 

 

“No, not really. Nerves, maybe? Maybe it’s cause of Yeri… she’s technically an unknown factor for a mission of this scale.” 

 

“I’m nervous too but let’s trust, okay? I trust Yeri-” 

 

They hear a loud bang, followed by the unmistakable sound of pots crashing to the ground and Joy’s booming voice, “YAH! YERI! GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN BEFORE I TURN YOU INTO FRIED CHICKEN!” 

 

“-Except maybe when it comes to cooking.”

 

Wendy laughs as she hops off her stool, “I guess it’s time to make sure my girlfriend doesn’t attempt murder once again.” 

 

---

 

Despite having to train literal children how to fight and defend themselves, Irene must admit that she feels a certain sense of pride every time they improve. It’s a well known fact among them that no one comes in fully powered or at their peak. Some even develop new abilities years after. So it takes time, and it takes training. When Irene was initially found, she could run as fast as a car. But now, she could outrun bullet trains in her sleep. Taeyeon too could initially only control fire with her hands, but now she can engulf her whole body in flames. It’s a completely messy journey, with a lot of accidents involved and Irene enjoys watching it unfold. 

 

From the hangar’s second floor, she gets a full view of the training area below. On one corner, Joy demonstrates various defensive techniques to Jinsoul and Kim Lip without using their powers, and she notes the confidence that surrounds the older Rogue and the respect that the two have for her. Opposite them, Yeri teaches Chuu and Yves how to anticipate an opponent’s next moves, explaining the importance of observation as they watch her subtle movements before she blinks out and appears again. Then, off to the back are the healers with Wendy, the blonde instructing them on how to take notes about each of their Rogue friends. 

 

She clears her voice and in an instant, everyone stops what they’re doing to look up at her. “Are you guys up for a spar today?” 

 

“Yes, unnie!” rings out. 

 

“Great! I’ll give you all half an hour to recharge.”

 

As the metamorphs prepare, Irene waits under the shade of the hangar with everyone else. “What are their numbers?”

 

Haseul clears and the older girls give her an encouraging smile. “Uh, so, Chuu can last ten minutes but she can only switch between two animals. She tried three once but it faded instantly. Jinsoul’s diamond shifting lasts fifteen minutes on defense, but only eight when she focuses on attack. Kim Lip, however, can last half an hour at most but by the ten minute mark, the blades are obviously duller. 

 

“And Yves?” 

 

“9 minutes, versus Jinsoul and Kim Lip.” 

 

Irene turns to the young woman beside her, “Yeri, what do you think we should do?” 

 

“I think Yves should try for 9 minutes again, but add Chuu in too.” 

 

“Good idea, Yerm. Joy, any assumptions?” 

 

“Three versus one, they still don’t know how to fully use their powers together so they’ll obviously attack all at once.” Joy shrugs. “So Haseul and Vivi, there’s a lot of things for you to note. You need to consider what each one of them do, if there’s any synchronization between members, and also how Yves reacts.” 

 

“Great job, you two. So, let’s get started, shall we?”  

 

When the match begins, it’s clear to see that Joy’s assumption is more or less correct. The three jump forward to overwhelm Yves, but Chuu chooses to remain in human form, waiting to see what the demon will do. 

 

Yves intercepts a blow from Kim Lip, the blade causing blood to gush out from her arm and she hisses in pain as Chuu strikes the same wound but she manages to defends herself by headbutting Jinsoul with her horns. Attacking all at once gives Yves a second of peace as they catch their breath, and she uses the temporary reprieve to allow her black leathery wings to form fully and to shoot into the air. 

 

Chuu finally shifts after that, choosing a small but quick hummingbird, too small and fast for Yves to reach but capable enough to peck at the demon’s wings. Chuu continues to peck, causing Yves to drop in altitude and just as she’s low enough, the diamond shifter grabs her leg and slams her to the ground, wing first. Kim Lip uses the momentary daze to shove a blade straight through Yves’ thigh and though Yves’ howls in pain, she’s able to extract Lip’s arm blade from her leg and physically throw her to the end of the airstrip. 

 

Jinsoul attacks once more, but Yves dodges it, and the two, who are matched in strength, exchange blows. Jinsoul manages to knee Yves in the side, and when she’s about to go in for another  kick, Yves catches her leg at the last second, punching Jinsoul hard enough to cause her to stagger back. Chuu then attacks from behind in her wolf form, biting Yves’ injured leg but all the demon has to do is to kick and the wolf crashes into both of her teammates. 

 

They assess each other for a second, Yves’ wings no longer usable and her tail unwilling to even morph since the beginning of the match, Chuu is out of shifts, Kim Lip and Jinsoul exhausted. The demon stands her ground as the trio rushes forward without warning but Irene notices the horns shrinking ever so slightly just as all three pounce, and in a flash, she steps in and carries the young girl away from danger. 

 

“Thanks unnie, I thought I was done for.”

 

Irene calls out, “How long?” 

 

“Seven minutes.” 

 

Seeing as Yves visibly deflates at that, Irene pats her head reassuringly, “Hey, it’s okay. Good effort. Every little thing counts. You were against three of them today so seven minutes isn’t bad.” 

 

Then, she turns to everyone else, “Joy, Yeri, have everyone rest and recharge for an hour maybe? I want to see Jinsoul against Kim Lip next. Jinsoul on offense, Lip on defense. As for Chuu, Wendy are you up for it?” 

 

Wendy nods firmly, “Sure. Let’s have Chuu try to break my forcefield in three shapeshifts.” 

 

“What about me, unnie?” Yves asks.

 

“Vivi will take a look at you. Just rest up for the day.” 

 

“What?! No!! I can still fight! I can still spar!! I can go against anyone!!” Yves shouts, startling everyone around them. 

 

“Yves, you’re injured… you’re still bleeding.” 

 

“So what! I’m strong enough!! Let me go again!!” 

 

“It’s a no, Yves. I want you to heal.” 

 

Yves starts to whine and even stomp her foot, “Unnie please-”

 

“Not until you’re fully healed. This will take a day at least.” 

 

“I can still fight though! Right, guys??” Yves turns to her friends for back-up but they all refuse to meet her eye. “Guys???” 

 

“Yves, it’s time for you to rest.” Haseul repeats, gently placing a hand on Yves but she shrugs it off and jabs a finger onto Haseul’s shoulder, the healer wincing in pain.

 

“You. Are. Not. The. Boss. Of. Me.” 

 

“Unnie, just heal first, okay?” Chuu calls out, her head still bent low. 

 

Jinsoul takes the chance to speak up, “Yeah, Yves, just rest. We did a number on you.”

 

Yves says nothing, but the betrayal she feels is evident on her face before she storms off as quick as her injured leg will allow her. 

 

Vivi quickly follows after her, “I’ll make sure she doesn’t make her injuries worse.” 

 

Yeri pulls the other healer towards the rest of the kids, “Haseul and I will go make sure Chuu doesn’t start crying.”

 

“She’s lucky she wasn’t speaking to me directly. I would’ve electrocuted that little demon.” Joy huffs. 

 

Wendy rubs her temples, “Is this...? Is this pre-teen angst? I’m too young! I’m not capable enough to deal with it! Haseul was already telling me that she feels useless and that was so hard to talk through!”

 

“But you still did a great job, babe!” Joy beams. 

 

“Wan, relax. She’s just going through something so let’s let her heal and cool down first. I’ll talk to her.”

 

“You do know that if you go into a mission with her still acting up it’ll add another unknown factor to our already new mission dynamic right? Cause we’ve never had to think about the emotional toil of someone else and I’m not saying we’re going to get distracted by this but I can’t guarantee that we won’t get distracted by this. I don’t know what’s gonna happen I can’t calculate the possibilities either cause we’ve only known Yves for a couple of months and-

 

“Wan. Deep breaths. I got this, okay? Why don’t you tinker with the power room or make out or something, I dunno, just relax.” 

 

A deep red rushes up from Wendy’s neck to the tip of her ears while Joy simply pulls her girlfriend close and salutes,  “You got it, captain! Come on, babe, you heard her. Let’s relax!” 

 

---

 

Yves, as expected, ignores everyone. 

 

She chooses to let her self-healing powers do the work, instead of speeding it up with the help of Vivi. According to Chuu, who is also dejected that she has been ignored, Yves is in her bed, pretending to be asleep. They tell her when it’s time to eat, but she says she’s not hungry and Yeri pretends not to notice when she hears movement in their dining room when it’s close to midnight. 

 

The next day isn’t any better as the demon morpher only shows herself once everyone is done with their meals, slinking into the dining room to fill her plate before she disappears and hides in some place within their camp. The other kids try to talk to her, but she either grunts or gives non-committal responses, and well, when they try to apologize the demon’s eyes just turn red, causing them to run away. 

 

The day passses, and then another, and Irene can see how it’s affecting everyone. Wendy is on edge because their mission is tomorrow and yet Yves is even difficult to pin down. Haseul and Vivi seem to be feeding off the blonde’s nerves because they too are on edge, suddenly very cautious during training sessions and stepping in as soon as they see a scratch. The other morphers are constantly distracted, as if they’re hoping Yves will pop up and join them again and the two trainers are frustrated at their lack of focus. 

 

It’s already a couple of hours after dinner and Yves hasn’t shown up to claim her share, so Irene decides to actively search for her. Tonight, it turns out to be easier than normal, as she spots a lone figure on the roof of the control tower, legs dangling on the edge as they look up at the sky. 

 

“Yves? I brought you some tteokbokki. I heard it’s your favorite too.” Irene says softly, careful not to startle the young girl and sets the container full of rice cakes down beside her, “At least eat something, okay? We worry about you, you know.” 

 

She begins to walk away when she hears the shapeshifter ask, “When will I go on a mission?” 

 

“Not for a long time, Yves.” 

 

“But when I do, what will happen?” 

 

Irene shakes her head in disbelief, is this what she was worried about? Not being prepared to go on a mission? Did she want to go on the mission and felt bad she was being excluded? “Then, we’ll guide you.” 

 

“Will you?” 

 

“Of course I will, Yves.”

 

Yves takes a deep breath, and even in the moonlight, Irene can see that her shoulders have begun to shake. Finally, she turns to face her, “What if… what if you’re not around anymore?” 

 

Irene rushes to the girl’s side, wiping away tears that have already begun to fall, “Hey, hey, where is this coming from? I’m right here, Yves. We’re all right here.” 

 

“But you can’t promise that!” Yves says as she tries to push Irene away. But Irene is nothing but patient, and she continues to rub Yves’ back until the sobs slowly subside. 

 

“Do you want to tell me what you’re thinking about?”

 

“I-I saw your picture. When there were five of you. And when you were telling us you were going on a mission, I, thought, unnie, what if after this, there’s only three of you left? And then two? And then-” Yves shakes her head, “I need to be strong, unnie. I need to fight. I need to protect you too! And Chuu, and even Jinsoul!” 

 

“You don’t have to, Yves. You’re twelve, you’re-” 

 

“I have to help!” Yves says and she’s gripping onto Irene’s arm as if she’s afraid she’ll disappear right before her very eyes. “I lost my parents. They were dumb and tried to protect me, unnie. I lost them. You saved me. You can’t disappear on me like that too! I won’t let you!” 

 

Irene wraps the girl into an embrace, allowing her to soak her shirt with newly formed tears. “Shh, Yves. It’s okay. I got you. I’m not going to leave you.” 

 

“I have to keep fighting, unnie. I have to.” 

 

Irene holds Yves by the shoulders, nudging at her to look at her. “Listen to me. You have no idea how much you mean to us. And we’ll be careful because we want to be with you all for a very long time. We’re a team, okay? You, me and everyone. We’ll do our part in the field, and you do your part here. And sometimes, doing your part means listening when I tell you to rest-” 

 

“But-” 

 

“If you had sparred again while you were bleeding and injured, what if it got worse and your healing factor doesn’t cover it? Or what if, instead of taking a day to heal, it’ll take a week? Or longer and we needed you? I understand, Yves, that you want to help. And I’m glad you do, but you also have to help yourself too. We take care of each other. Okay?” 

 

Yves nods slowly, “I’m sorry, unnie.” 

 

Eventually, Yves relaxes enough for Irene to get her to eat. They don’t talk about much as Yves wolfs down the tteokbokki, and she takes the chance to remind her to apologize to all her friends. When she’s done, they walk back to the house behind the hangar, Yves clearly in a better mood than before.

 

“Unnie, wait. Before we go in… can I ask… uhm… what was her name? The one in the picture?” 

 

“Her name is Seulgi.” 

 

“Can you tell me - well, us - about her?” When Yves sees her nod, she raises her pinky up to Irene’s face, “Promise? When you get back?” 

 

Irene locks their pinkies together, “I promise,” and for the first time in the past couple of days, Yves beams.

 

As they step inside the dorm, Chuu and Yeri are playing video games while Jinsoul watches from behind, Kim Lip is there too but she’s barely staying awake, the girl a natural early sleeper. Haseul and Vivi are the first to notice their arrival. Irene pushes the demon forward who stutters out a sincere but awkward apology and judging by the way Chuu tackles her in full puppy form and Jinsoul throws her over her shoulder, it’s easy to see that she’s forgiven. 

 

“Unnie, I have an idea!” Yeri whispers and a smile forms on Irene’s face. 

 

“Don’t forget to knock, we don’t want a repeat of last time.” 

 

Yeri cackles before she blinks out and when she returns, she has pillows, then she returns with blankets, then with a disheveled Joy and in her last blink back, she returns with a disheveled and slightly grumpy Wendy. 

 

“And yes, I did knock!” Yeri defends, before she orders the kids around, pushing bed frames aside and gathering all their mattresses in the center. It’s the first time they’ve done something like this, and everyone seems to enjoy the prospect of a giant sleepover. There’s a huge pillow fight going on and Haseul screams at Jinsoul when the latter uses her powers to literally knock the wind out of her. At one point, Joy has a blast with Chuu’s shapeshifting. And Wendy even manages to download a movie for them to watch, “I mean, if we’re technically wanted criminals, what’s a pirated movie, right?” 

 

Irene refuses to fall asleep just yet, waiting for everyone else to go on ahead, and the truth is, she knows she can’t guarantee she’ll be around forever. The fact that she’s twenty one and alive is a miracle in itself… but if anything happens to her, she hopes they’ll remember this moment. She hopes they’ll remember her, and how much she truly did care for them. Yves is the last to fall asleep, murmuring a, “Good night, Irene unnie. Thank you.” 

 

“Good night, Yves.” She replies, and as she looks at the sleeping forms of everyone around her, she whispers, “I’ll be your family for as long as I possibly can.”

 

---

 

“Everyone know what to do?” Wendy asks as their comms buzz to life. 

 

“I’ll disable their security, Irene unnie and Yeri will take out the Sentinels surrounding the area, we get to the room, get the database, unnie returns to the safe house to send the data while Yeri and I destroy their data center. Then we get out of there. Easy peasy.” Joy replies, as they’re all crouched low in the forested area near the Sentinel facility. 

 

“Okay, good. You’re all green for me, comms are clear. I have the building schematics up as well so I can see your movements. Jisoo will be on the line monitoring for Taeyeon’s end.”

 

“Got it, Wendy. T-minus 5 minutes.” 

 

“Unnie, this is a private line. Just you and me. How are you feeling? Still nervous?” 

 

Irene moves a couple of meters away, “A bit. But nothing unusual. You?” 

 

“Same, same. By the way, it’s hilarious here. Yves doesn’t seem to like the fact that you sent another demon here and she’s staking her claim as the alpha demon or something. It’s cute.” 

 

“Can’t wait to see it.” 

 

“See you soon, unnie.” 

 

“Roger that.” 

 

As soon as Wendy gives off her signal, they set into motion. Joy uses her electricity to disable each of the cameras, and the two make quick work of the guards around the area. Another blast of electricity and they’re in the facility, taking men out left and right. 

 

It goes so well that before she even realizes it, she’s back in the safe house, uploading the database to their own server. 

 

“Unnie- private-” 

 

“I know, I know, Wendy. It’s going too well.” Irene sighs, as she watches the upload tick ever so slowly, “How are JoyRi doing?” 

 

“They’re about to destroy the data center right about now- how’s the upload?”

 

“70%.” 

 

“Okay should take a minute or so- wait- Yeri’s screaming- switching to main-”  Yeri’s voice comes through, she’s speaking too fast for any of them to understand, panic clear in her tone. “Yeri, slow down, unnie and I can’t understand you.” 

 

“IRENE UNNIE! HURRY! YOU HAVE TO COME HERE, NOW!”

 

“What? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

 

Joy’s voice breaks, “There are kids!” 

 

“What do you mean?!” 

 

“There are kids locked up!” 

 

“, it’s still uploading.” Irene says. 

 

“Screw the upload, it should be fine. Go, unnie.” Wendy comments. 

 

In a second, she’s by Joy and Yeri’s side as they stand in front of a metal door, with only a small circular window to show what’s inside. 

 

“Unnie! They have things around their necks!!” Yeri says. 

 

Joy tugs at her arm, “Unnie… we have to get them out.” 

 

“Can you teleport in?” 

 

Yeri shakes her head, “I tried. The entire room is power dampening.” 

 

Wendy’s voice pierces through, “Guys, you need to hurry up. None of you are showing up on our dashboard. It’s not in the blueprints.” 

 

“Okay, we’re losing time, Wendy, send Jin and JK to this location now. We’ll try to get in, I can’t run with kids so Yeri will have to teleport them out of the building but we’ll need aerial support.”

 

“On it.” 

 

“Joy, I need you to concentrate, give me a level four wattage. That should be enough to overpower the lock system and open the doors, and hopefully disable the power dampening around it as well.” 

 

Joy has her fingers pointed at the digital touchpad, and with a small zap, the touchpad begins to spark, and the door creaks open. As soon as it does, an alarm rings out all around them, a flurry of red lights and as the three burst into the room, the kids start to wake up and wail. 

 

“The Sentinels should still be out cold.” Joy comments. 

 

“We’re the good guys, okay? We’re here to help.” Irene says to the children then points at the metal around their neck. “We’ll help you get it off, will you come with us?” 

 

That seems to help calm them down enough, and as soon as one of them nods, Irene hands the baby to Yeri. “Go, Jin should be there waiting.” 

 

“Unnie! The alarm sent out a distress signal, there should be back-up arriving in 10 minutes.” 

 

“, okay, there’s still five more of them.” 

 

Yeri pops back in and stumbles her landing, “Are you okay? I know it’s draining.”

 

The teleporter waves her off, “I got it. Give me them.” 

 

And Yeri disappears with another child.

 

There are four more kids, and Irene wishes she could take them with her but it’s a known fact that high speeds and children, powered or not, do not mix. She knows time is ticking and she’s also very away that that Yeri would take a while, bringing other people with her are draining her powers and making the recovery time between jumps longer. 

 

“Joy, we need to make a run for it. I’m going to go ahead and clear a path just in case, okay?” 

 

“We’ll be right behind you.” Joy says, just as Yeri pops in to get one more kid out, and the other three clutch onto Joy’s clothes as tightly as they can.

 

There are some Sentinels that regain consciousness, but she knocks them out easily again. She spots the exit, and notices a wire running through it. Seems simple enough. All she needs is to trigger it and whatever it is, she’ll most probably be faster than it anyway. 

 

She jumps up to pull at the wire, but as she does so, she feels a hand on her shoulder. On any normal day, it would have taken less than a blink of an eye for her to yank the hand off of her, but the hand grips on her hard, and Irene’s shoulder begins to throb in pain. She tries to shake it off but a second later, she is pulled back, her arm pulled out of its socket and she’s slammed into the wall. 

 

“UNNIE! WHAT’S HAPPENING!” Wendy screams into her earpiece, “I can locate you, you’re by the exit!” 

 

She’s slammed into the wall again and she hollers in pain as blood begins to trickle down her head. There’s a ringing in her ear and her vision is blurry from the impact. She tries to kick, to flail, but it’s futile as she’s pinned against the wall, her feet off the ground. 

 

“I can’t let you leave.” 

 

The voice sounds eerily familiar but in her daze, Irene can’t seem to place it. 

 

“UNNIE!” 

 

“Joy… don’t…” Irene breathes out. 

 

She hears Joy’s footsteps, and she opens her eyes just enough to see Joy at the end of the hallway, now with only two kids behind her. “UNNIE!”

 

“Give me the children, and you’ll get her back.” 

 

Irene’s brain clicks. She knows that voice. How could she not have recognized sooner? She closes her eyes tight for a second, and when she opens them and her eyes readjust, she meets those eyes that she has memorized over and over again. There is anger in them, something Irene isn’t used to seeing but it’s still beautiful, still so damn beautiful that Irene’s heart hurts more than her currently bleeding head. 

 

“Seulgi…” Her captor tilts her head. “Please… it’s me.”  

 

“LET HER GO!” Joy screams and Seulgi looks at her once friend, a bored expression on her face. 

 

“Fine.” Seulgi drops Irene on the ground and without hesitation, she stomps on Irene’s leg, and a sickening crunch is heard as Irene shouts out in pain. 

 

The children are cowering behind Joy, electricity already leaving her finger tips. 

 

But Seulgi continues to look at her blankly, “Those are our property. Give her to me.”

 

“Yah, unnie. Why are you talking like that?” Joy says, further stepping in front of the children. 

 

“SEULGI UNNIE!” Yeri shouts, as she pops into view again. 

 

“She doesn’t recognize us.” 

 

“Those children are our property. Give her to me.” Seulgi says again. 

 

“I missed when you were all cuddly.” Yeri says, moving behind Joy and reaching for the remaining children. “See you later!” 

 

Seulgi grunts out of frustration, and she lifts Irene up once more, grabbing her by the neck. “Return them or I kill her.” 

 

Seulgi pushes Irene up further, her grip firm and she manages to say. “Joy, give me an eight.”

 

“Unnie- I can’t control- if I miss-” 

 

Irene’s vision begins to get spotty, “Joy, hurry.” 

 

Joy extends her palm, and a blast of blue lightning hits Seulgi square on the back. She drops Irene and they fall to the ground, Irene gasping for air and groaning in pain.

 

Joy rushes forward, “Did I kill her?” 

 

“No, she’s just unconscious.” 

 

“Uh… not to worry you or anything but reinforcements are two minutes away.” Wendy chimes in.

 

Yeri stumbles as she pops back in but they don’t have time. “Yeri, take Joy and Seulgi and go!” 

 

“What about you?” 

 

“I’ll be right behind you.” 

 

“You promise?” 

 

“GO!!” Irene shouts. As soon as they blink out, Irene tries to shift onto her belly, hoping she can somehow drag herself to a utility closet. She pulls her body as fast as she possibly can with one working arm and one working leg, and she’s right against the door when Wendy’s voice comes in again, “Unnie, they’ll be there in less than a minute.” 

 

“Okay.” 

 

“Unnie, thirty seconds.” 

 

Irene can hear the cars pull up, the shout of orders, the thunder of footsteps, “Wan? Private line please.”

 

“Unnie-” Wendy’s voice breaks.

 

“Did the data come through?” 

 

“Y-yes.” 

 

“Good, good. Hey, you got this right?” 

 

“Unnie-” 

 

“Please tell Yeri and Yves I’m sorry. And to you too. And tell Taeyeon thank you for putting Yeri on this mission.” 

 

“Unnie-” 

 

With her remaining strength, she pulls the earpiece out and disables it, just like Wendy taught her and all the other Rogues. 

 

She closes her eyes, and she can hear the ground shake as they thunder around in search of her and the children they just abducted. She hears footsteps approaching and just as she expects pain, she feels herself being lifted up instead.

 

“Irene, you gotta stay awake.” 

 

“RM?”

 

“Yeah, it’s me.” Irene opens her eyes and she can see the tall man grinning down at her. She wants to laugh and cry, she truly thought she was going to die or suffer whatever happened to Seulgi. “I’ll get you out of here, just stay awake.”

 

“I’m tired,” 

 

“I know, you did well. I got to punch Onew, I did it twice, one for you too.” 

 

“Thanks.” 

 

Irene’s heart begins to pound in her chest, and she can feel RM’s as well as the Sentinel approaches. They aim their guns at them, and RM tries his best to lean into the wall, hoping that even if they can’t see them, they can’t feel their presence either. 

 

“There was one here, lots of blood, but they managed to get away.” one of the Sentinels reports. 

 

The group disperses, and the duo manages to walk past the chaos with ease. As soon as they’re deep into the surrounding forest, they’re tackled into a hug. 

 

“I was so worried!” 

 

“What? She’s small, she’s hard to find in such a huge facility.” 

 

Jin gently wipes away the blood sticking to Irene’s forehead with a handkerchief, “Glad to know you’re safe too.” 

 

“Thanks. Is everyone okay?” 

 

Jin nods. “Yeri was able to teleport all the way to your camp with Seulgi and Joy in tow but… they’re all unconscious. The kids you rescued are all safe as well.” 

 

They hear a soft flutter of wings followed by a gentle thud and Irene smiles as another figure emerges from the shadows. 

 

“Oh my god, Wendy and Jisoo told me- and I- you idiot- if you had died-” 

 

“Don’t cry, please. I don’t know what to do if you start crying.” 

 

“I’m not letting you die, you grumpy pants.” Irene hums in response, and she allows RM to transfer her to her best friend. “Hold on tight, yeah? And stay awake.” 

 

Jennie adjusts her hold, and Irene can barely keep her eyes open, the pain continuing to ring throughout her body. She can feel the wind as Jennie soars into the air, the demon tries to keep Irene conscious, engaging her in conversation. “Your demon kid thinks she’s better than me by the way.” 

 

“She most probably is.” 

 

“We’re almost there.” 

 

“You’re so slow.” 

 

“I”d say shut up but if it keeps you awake, then fine. I can see the airstrip. Just a little more.” 

 

The landing is rough, and Irene can no longer tell who’s handling her, who’s checking her head and making sure she’s showing signs of healing. She thinks she hears Tiffany’s voice, ordering everyone around, she hears RM mention their own healer to look after Joy and she can hear Chuu’s growl as the others try to crowd around her. She forces herself to stay awake, to hold onto every single voice, every single feeling around her. 

 

She finds herself in bed, she knows it’s hers because it smells like lavender, but it’s empty, there is no Yeri to teleport into it in the middle of the night and the pain seems to increase tenfold. 

 

Irene ebbs in and out of consciousness, her body already beginning to repair itself. Her mind is screaming at her to rest, to relax, but the other part is worried, she needs to make sure they’re okay. Eventually, she feels a gentle warmth on her hand coupled with Wendy’s reassuring voice, “You’re safe. You’re all safe. You’re home, unnie.” 

 

A couple of minutes pass, and she feels warm tears on her knuckles, “Unnie… you have to wake up. All of you have to wake up. You- you can’t all leave me and… you have to see her. She’s home, unnie. Seulgi’s home.”