“You all have a good night's sleep?” Eunbi asks everyone as they sit in the cafeteria eating breakfast. It had honestly been a while since they’d all eaten together, and Eunbi wishes the circumstances were a bit different for her to actually enjoy it.

Though most of the girls nod at her question, Eunbi could definitely see that not everyone was telling the truth. Nako and Hitomi in particular looked pretty sleep deprived.

“So, what happened last night, unnie? I heard the Fromis police squad arrived last night.” Yuri says.

“Yes, they did, but they already left for their station an hour ago. We exchanged some information, and that’s actually going to be our agenda for today.” The leader replies. Eunbi had actually offered them breakfast, but Saerom said they had to get back before anyone got suspicious.

“Are you sure we can trust them? The other members of their team, I mean.” Sakura asks, eye bags also visible from staying up in her lab all night, something Eunbi had specifically told her not to do.

“I think we can. They seemed genuine when we talked. Saerom and Hayoung are mutants, and they still came with them. I’d like to think that’s a good sign.” Chaeyeon replies, having been one of the ones present at the meeting last night.

“Anyway, to get it out of the way, Saerom said there’s going to be several attacks around Seoul. KYB is going to use the androids to scan for mutants through the water they drank.” Eunbi says, and at those words, she could just feel the mood at the table drop.

“The water as in Jirisan Spring Water?” Minjoo asks, and when Eunbi nods, guilt begins rising up within her knowing she promoted this product. She’d tried calling her agency the other day about it, but they said they were bound by contract to keep the ads up.

“Oh no… this is my fault. So many people probably drank it because of me…” She mumbles, prompting the others to quickly comfort her.

“No, you didn’t know about it at the time, Min. It’s not your fault.” Chaewon says, giving her girlfriend’s shoulder a supportive squeeze.

“Chaewon’s right, Minjoo. Don’t beat yourself up over it when we still have time to stop them.” Eunbi adds before Yena brings up what everyone else was thinking.

“If it’s going to be multiple attack points, that must mean they have a lot of androids, right? We can barely take out one of those model 5s, I don’t like our chances at fighting off a whole army.” The duck says.

“Yeah, we discussed that last night too. We have a couple days until the planned attack, so we should spend that time looking for where Kim Yong-bum is hiding. If we take him down, we can stop the attack before it even begins.”

“And I don’t suppose you have a lead on where that somewhere is?” Wonyoung asks in a hopeful tone.

“Uh… no. That’s kind of where we started drawing blanks.” The leader replies. That’s when the sound of someone clearing their throat sends everyone’s attention to Nako.

“Well, do we have some useful news for you then.” The short girl announces.

“Yeah, last night, we got a call from Jurina. She gave us a location KYB might be at.” Hitomi says before going over their talk.

~~~~

Last night…

“Yah, it’s been more than a week. Where have you been?” Nako asks.

“I was in a coma, remember? Sorry that I couldn’t just wake up and call.” Jurina bickers back.

“Enough of the arguing please. We’re kind of short on time right now.” Hitomi interjects. “Tell us what happened to you, Jurina. You fell unconscious with androids chasing you the last time we met.”

“Yes, I remember. Not one of my best moments.” Jurina grunts before continuing. “I was sneaking around, cleaning up the mess left by Koyama at some of her labs when I caught wind of a transmission. It was in Korean. When I looked up the frequency, it said it was coming from Ulleung Island, a Korean landmass in the Japanese sea. They were asking about the androids, so I figured it was one of Koyama’s connections and went there myself.”

The older girl then pauses for a second, which indicates to Nako and Hitomi that the result was not good.

“Anyway, I found out there was a completely separate operation being planned in Korea. I wanted to report it to you two since your buddies might need the info, but I was tailed. Those androids were stronger than the one from the ZOZI project. I apologize for leading them right to you.” Jurina concludes.

“If you’re really sorry, you’d pay for the renovations.” Nako quips before Hitomi gags her with a vine.

“I’m glad you’re okay now, Jurina. We both are. Right, Nako?” The peach-cheeked girl says.

“Y-yeah. That’s actually some really big information considering what we’ve gone through the past week.” Nako says, trying to wipe the taste of plants out of .

“There’s a big corporation out here trying to enslave mutants. Apparently, Eunbi’s team fought an android version of him, so we don’t even know where the original is.” Hitomi says to move the conversation along.

“That sounds like your guy then. I remember hearing a guy’s voice, but never saw his face.” Jurina replies.

“Well, since you’re feeling better now… it’d be great if you could come over here and help us in Seoul.” Hitomi then proposes to which the older girl laughs.

“Korea’s problems should remain Korea’s problems. Maybe you two should consider coming back to Japan with Sakura. Mutants are starting to get more respect over here after we exposed Koyama after all.” Jurina counters.

“Not until we fix things over here. These girls are our friends, and we’re not going to leave them behind.” Hitomi says determinedly.

“Always the idealist, huh? You’re letting those Koreans rub off on you.” The older girl replies.

“Listen, we’re glad you’re okay and we’re thankful for the info. If you don’t want to help us though, so be it. Just remember that KYB won’t just stop with Korea. If they take control over here, you best believe they’ll look to expand. I guess you can continue to hide away there if you’re that afraid though.” Nako says, her tone sounding as if she was challenging Jurina.

The call goes quiet for a few seconds before Jurina finally talks again.

“I gave you the info. That’s the best I got for you right now. You should probably go tell your leader as soon as possible.” She says, but just before Hitomi cuts the call, Jurina whispers one more thing.

“Good luck.”

~~~~

“Ulleung Island, huh? That sounds exactly like the remote place Yong-bum could be hiding at. It’s even further out than Jeju too.” Hyewon says.

“I guess we can plan around that. If the end of the week means Saturday, that gives us three days to get to the source and shut down the attack before it even begins.” Eunbi says just before a voice begins shouting her name from across the cafeteria.

“Eunbi-unnie! Eunbi-unnie!” When everyone turns, they see it was Leeseo running towards them, Eunchae right behind her.

“What is it, girls? Is something wrong?” The leader asks.

“T-turn on the TV! It’s bad. Really bad!” Leeseo says, panting and out of breath.

The group does as is instructed, and the second they see the headline on the screen, everyone lets out a collective groan.

“Breaking news, we have reports from the commotion from KYB Holdings building last night of a mutant attack!” The reporter says. “President of the company, Kim Yong-bum, who was holding a celebratory dinner for the release of his new drink line, Jirisan Spring Water, was injured in the attack that he claims was organized by mutants from the PD campus.”

The screen then cuts to a video of KYB in a hospital bed, gauze wrapped around his chest area.

“Those mutant vigilantes must be stopped. They snoop around looking for crimes that aren’t there and exert force without any repercussions. We need to put an end to this!” He says just as the broadcast begins playing security footage from the KYB building last night. Oddly enough, a lot of segments were cut, especially the ones involving the androids.

“Why that slimy little rat. That’s obviously still his android! They’re just hiding his wiring!” Yena’s hands begin crackling with electricity from the irritation, and Eunbi immediately knew where this was going.

“No, Yena. Do you know how much it cost to replace the last time?” The leader says before the duck could fry the TV which was now playing an interview from officer Hwang.

“Oh, great…” Chaeyeon mutters.

“This is not the first time these groups have caused incidents in public and private spaces. As such, I do not think we can give them any more leeway. We have issued an arrest warrant for the members of IZ*ONE and a surveillance warrant on the PD campus for the time being.” He says.

“Wait, arrest warrant?” Chaewon asks incredulously, the others sharing her surprise.

“Calm down, girls. We have some time to plan-” Just as Eunbi begins to speak, a phone ringing grabs her attention. When she checks who it’s from, she sees it was Seunggi.

“Yes, sunbae?” She asks, turning the speaker on.

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll get right into it. The police are at the front gates. I don’t know how, but they found the campus.”

“WHAT?” Some of the girls all react at the same time.

“Did those Fromis girls really rat us out???” Yujin asks.

“No, they wouldn’t. It must’ve been Seoyoung.” Chaeyeon replies, thinking a bit more rationally.

“In any case, you cannot fight the police when they show up. That’ll make you look worse. Just go along with it while I work on a way to get you girls out.” Seunggi interjects to get back on topic.

“But sunbae, we only have until Saturday before KYB’s attack!” Eunbi argues, quickly going over what they’d talk about till that point.

“Just have patience.That’s enough time. Just trust your friends.” He says as the cafeteria doors burst open, a SWAT team running in with guns aimed everywhere.

“Everybody, hands where I can see them!” The captain orders. “We’re here for IZ*ONE. Hand them over before anyone gets hurt!”

Eunbi can see her team members looking antsy, not sure about what course of action to take. With a deep sigh, she raises her hand.

“Over here. We’re over here. Just don’t hurt anyone else.” Eunbi announces, all the rifles immediately turning to point at her.

“Unnie! We can’t do this!” Nako argues.

“It’ll be fine.” The older girl says, before glancing at Leeseo and Eunchae who were both stunned at what was happening. “Trust in the others.”

The police soon surround the twelve girls and handcuff each one of them before leading them out. All their friends could do was watch, unable to step in.

~~~~

“Oh my god, what’re we going to do???” Leeseo asks worriedly. With IZ*ONE under arrest, the remaining members of IVE and Le Sserafim gathered in the war room at Seunggi’s request. The campus was in a bit of disarray right now with all that’s happened.

“They already have wires on the campus borders too, so we can’t even get out the normal way.” Eunchae adds.

“Where even is the principal anyway? I thought he asked us to meet here.” Liz complains until a new voice catches her off guard.

“Yes, I am here.” Seunggi says as the monitor in the room turns on to show his face.

“Apologies, sir!” The blonde girl replies quickly.

“It’s okay, I’m sure you’re all worried about your friends.” He says.

“Sunbae, what do we do? We’re stuck here.” Gaeul asks.

“The reason I concurred with Eunbi to create more teams was for moments like these. You are all strong in your own ways. One of our sources will be in contact with you soon to help you free your friends.” Seunggi replies just as Eunbi’s phone, which had been left behind, begins to buzz.

“I’m going to have a chat with the police chief now. I wish you good luck.” And with that, the screen goes dark again.

Yunjin then picks up Eunbi’s phone and answers the call.

“Hello? Who am I speaking to right now?” The voice asks.

“It’s Yunjin. One of Eunbi’s friends.” She replies.

“Oh, thank goodness. This is Saerom. We heard from the chief what happened. I promise none of my members leaked where the campus was!” The voice says frantically.

“Don’t worry. What matters right now is getting them back. Do you know where the girls were taken?” Yunjin asks.

“No, at least not yet. Hayoung and I are planning to look into it after this call. We just wanted to let you know we’re still on your side.” Saerom says.

“Thanks. You think you can help us sneak out of campus too? They’ve set up a fence on the perimeter.”

“Sure, I’ll send some of my team members to give you an opening. I…con-...aga.” Yunjin’s expression turns confused when the connection suddenly becomes choppy.

“Saerom-ssi? You still there?” She asks, but after a few seconds, the call is cut. “Ugh, they must be jamming our signals now too.”

“What did Saerom tell you?” Gaeul queries, the others also looking at Yunjin expectantly.

“Fromis is going to look into where IZ*ONE is. For now, we have to wait for more info. Saerom said she’d send some people to help us get out of here unnoticed, but the connection cut before she could give more details.” The long-haired girl replies.

“So, what? We just sit around while waiting?” Kazuha asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Isn’t there a deadline too? What if they take too long? We don’t even know if Saerom was being completely truthful.” Rei speaks up as well.

“Girls, we can’t just fight our way out. It’ll make it harder to get close to where our friends are if we make a big scene. Also, Saerom and Hayoung are mutants like us. We have to give them the benefit of the doubt. They’ve already helped us before, after all.” Yunjin says, holding a hand up to get everyone to quiet.

“I agree with Yunjin. We don’t have many options right now either. Let’s just train while waiting for them to show up.” Gaeul adds, and with the two older girls thinking similarly, the others couldn’t help but nod.

“Fine, but if they don’t contact us by tomorrow night, we’re breaking out ourselves.” Rei says.

~~~~

“Any idea where we’re going?” Yujin asks.

“Gee, Yuj, maybe I should take off my blindfold right now and look. Oh wait, my hands are cuffed, and this van has no windows.” Yena replies sarcastically. The group had been on the road for over an hour, but with the lack of visuals, no one could really tell.

“I was just confused because the Seoul Jail isn’t this far.” Yujin barks back.

“Yah, you two, quit yapping. You think we’d be sending you to that place after the last time you were there?” The guard in the front interjects, banging his baton on the metal divider.

Did you two forget we have a mental link? Sakura whispers into the girls’ minds.

Oh yeah. Sorry, Kkura. They both apologize.

Be lucky you can still talk. They still want to keep me from using my charmspeak. Yuri says. When the members were loaded up into the van, the guards had made sure to try and restrain the use of their powers. For example, Chaeyeon had her feet chained together and Minjoo had a tracker placed in her shoe to keep her from disappearing without a trace. They didn’t exactly have much to hold the others down though. They were pretty much trusting that Nako didn’t suddenly decide to break her bonds or that Hyewon wouldn’t choose to freeze the whole van. This just irked even more because couldn’t they just trust her to now charm them into letting them go?

After what felt like a couple more minutes, the van finally stopped. They could hear the officers step out and unlock the back.

“Step out slowly. No funny business.” One man says as he pushes the line forward.

You girls sense anything? Eunbi asks through the mental link.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a few computers in the distance. Sakura replies.

No big bodies of water around either. We’re not near the ocean, that’s for sure. Yujin says.

That’s because we’re surrounded by a forest. Hitomi says, sensing a lot of trees in their vicinity. We must be somewhere off-road.

The group is led through a bunch of halls for the next few minutes until the guard tells them to stop.

“Step inside one by one.” The man says, stopping the line after half of the girls enter. The rest of the girls are directed to another cell right next to it. Sakura could definitely sense something was wrong though the second she stepped in. The mental link was cut off.

“Don’t tell me…” She says out loud. “These rooms are like the ones in Chuo Ward. They can nullify our powers.”

“You were always the smart one, Sakura.” A new voice says through an intercom, one that Eunbi could clearly recognize.

“Yah, Kim Yong-bum! I thought we were being arrested by the authorities!” The leader shouts.

“Again with the naivety, Kwon. My connections are everywhere, remember? My company developed these rooms at the police department’s request. We can’t exactly hold your friends in normal cells, now can we?” The man replies.

“When we get out of here and find you-” Yena begins to say but is cut off.

“You’ll what, exactly? You don’t even know where I am. You don’t even know where you are.” KYB taunts. “Which reminds me, where are my manners? Guards, you can remove their blindfolds now. I want them to see how hopeless this situation is for them.”

One by one, the guards pull off the pieces of cloth to reveal a white room, the only splash of color being the steel gray entrance.

“So original. Just like those android schematics you stole.” Nako yells, fruitlessly trying to punch her way through the door.

“Of course a feeble-minded person like you wouldn’t understand. Yes, I took some inspiration from Dr. Koyama’s work, but I improved on it! I made her inventions stronger, and now you’ll have to watch helplessly as all the mutants around the country are captured and forced to work for me or be eliminated.” KYB says with a maniacal laugh before the intercom goes quiet again.

“I severely underestimated KYB. I didn’t think we’d have to deal with something like this…” Eunbi mutters to herself, clearly frustrated.

Maybe we should’ve just fought. Maybe we should’ve tried to run. Maybe-

“Eunbi. It’ll be fine. Yunjin and the others got this.” Hyewon says, patting the older girl’s shoulder.

“I just hope they get here before it’s too late…” 

 

A/N: Hello again, and welcome to another chapter!

So, it seems the gang has finally ran out of luck. They've been arrested by police working with KYB and are being held in a facility in the middle of nowhere. With less than 3 days until the supposed attacks, the girls are going to have to rely on their other friends to get them out of this mess.

This implies that next chapter, we're going to be focusing away from the IZ girls for once and onto ivessera and fromis. I hope everyone's okay with that! I just thought it'd be an interesting change of pace as we approach the ending.

Anyways, thank you again to everyone supporting this series! All the comments and votes mean a lot to me.

Have a nice day, and I'll see y'all in the next one!