As they usually did, Yuri and Minjoo had the taxi drop them off at a bus stop near the campus’ hidden entrance. Of course, the driver was curious why two young women were asking to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere, but since they offered to pay extra, he decided not to pry.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been back.” Minjoo realizes. Since her movie debut in ‘The Fault is not Yours’, she’d seen a spike in schedule requests which made it very difficult to have any free time.

“Well, there have certainly been upgrades since you’ve been gone.” Yuri says. Once she was sure the taxi driver was out of sight, she motions to start making their way in.

Stepping through the campus’ camouflage shield always felt like entering a new world. From the outside it would just look like your regular forest, but once inside, the wide dorm buildings and gym quickly became visible in the distance.

“I assume you know how to ride a bike, right?” The hamster asks Minjoo, gesturing towards the rack of two-wheeled cycles at the base of the entrance. Eunbi had Seunggi order some a couple months ago realizing it could work as both a workout and timesaver instead of constantly having to walk the kilometer over to the main campus.

“Uh, are there none with training wheels?” The dark-haired girl asks back nervously which causes Yuri to shake her head.

“Really? Well I guess you could ride the two-seater with me.” Yuri says with a chuckle.

“Ugh, what if Chaewon-unnie sees me though.” Minjoo replies in an embarrassed tone.

“Fine, I guess you're walking, Make sure to explain why I got to the meeting room first though.” The pop star teases.

“Agh fine, fine. I’ll go with you. Just don’t tell the others.” The actress finally relents. Yuri gets on the larger bike and pats the seat behind her.

“Your chariot awaits, Minjoo~” With a sigh, the aforementioned girl hops on and the two ride to campus.

~~~~

“Hi, girls! Sorry we’re late. Minjoo here had a schedule.” Yuri greets the others as she and Minjoo walk in.

“See! I told you they’d arrive first! Where’s my money?” Wonyoung says to Yujin, making the hamster realize that her girlfriend and her passengers were still missing.

“Of course the two girls we need are the last ones…” Eunbi says with a facepalm.

“Maybe we should’ve just told them to take the train.” Hyewon replies before massaging the older girl’s stressed shoulders.

Eunbi looks around the room to observe her friends. Yujin was handing over some cash to Wonyoung for losing the bet with Yuri laughing at the whole ordeal. Minjoo had walked over to Chaewon to catch up, mostly talking about the younger girl’s new movie. Meanwhile, Chaeyeon seemed to be discussing something with Sakura who had been rather quiet since she’d entered. Eunbi knew the reason, but she wanted to wait till everyone was gathered before mentioning it. Just as IZ*ONE’s leader was about to give Yena a call, she began to hear footsteps running towards the war room.

“Sorry we’re late!” A duck says as she bursts into the room with their two Japanese friends, Nako and Hitomi, behind her.

“I was trying to get back fast and just went half a kilometer over the speed limit. Can’t the police just give us a break once in a while?” Yena says apologetically.

“Wait, it actually happened?” Hyewon asks before looking at Chaeyeon who had begun laughing.

“We should’ve made a bet on that too!” The feather girl says, remembering the older girl’s joke from earlier.

“Alright, alright, everyone. Please take your seats. We have a lot to discuss.” Eunbi announces to the eleven girls who began sitting around the rectangular table. It’s been a while since all twelve of them had been gathered, and she’d almost forgotten how easy it was for everything to go off track with how much everyone talked.

~~~~

“So, as you all know, a couple months ago, Park Seoyoung infiltrated campus and stole one of Sakura’s laptops which contained detailed files on all the mutants we know about. Chaewon, Kkura, and their new team, Le Sserafim managed to apprehend Seoyoung, but not before a former I.O.I. member, Kim Sohye, wiped her memory. Despite our efforts, Seoyoung’s memories remain buried. In an operation to track Sohye down, we managed to recover the laptop, but some files were stolen using a type of malware. According to Sakura, those included files on the twelve of us, and a couple schematics for projects she was working on. For the next six months, Sohye remained uncooperative, and is currently in police custody. Things had gotten quiet until a couple days ago when Nako and Hitomi reported an attack by android robots.We believe they’re connected to another Korean syndicate that we didn’t know about. Did I get everything?” Eunbi asks after going through the briefing.

“Uh…can you go over it one more time?” Yena says, getting lost about half way through.

“Yah, just read through the file in front of you.” Yuri chides as she points towards the copy Eunbi had given everyone.

“What exactly are the stolen schematics, and why do you think they’re connected to an attack in Japan. Nako and Tomi fought an android made by Dr. Koyama before, right?” Chaeyeon queries.

“Well, for starters, the machines we fought had a Korean serial code under KYB. We had Saku-chan run that acronym through a database and found a company called KYB Holdings that owns a lot of different subsidiaries in the country.” Nako replies, remembering the late night call she’d had with her old friend a couple days ago.

“Koyama has worked with Ahn Joonyoung before though. How are you sure it’s connected to whoever Sohye was working for and not someone from his side?” Minjoo asks curiously.

“It’s because from what Nako described, they share some qualities that match my schematics. You see, I was studying the android that was transported here and made a couple rough drafts of a version we could possibly use in the future.” Sakura suddenly interjects, causing all eyes to look at her.

“Wait, you mean those magnetic ones we just tested?” Wonyoung says, remembering the training from a couple days ago. Sakura nods before continuing.

“During my free time, I’ve tried to track down the missing files, but whoever has them either has intense security or is completely off the grid. Given Nako and Tomi’s description, the robots appear to be completely developed which means that whoever has them has a lot of funding; hence, our suspicions on KYB Holdings.” The room goes silent for a couple seconds as everyone tries to process the information. Another big bad seemed to be preparing for an upcoming battle, and they had to stop them.

“Why would you think making androids would be a good idea? Have you not watched the movies?” Yena asks, a mix of confusion and irritation on her face.

“Yena, now isn’t the time for pointing fingers.” Eunbi tries to intervene, but that only seems to agitate the duck more.

“You also had a database on all of our strengths and weaknesses. Like, do you not trust us?” Yena had never expressed it, but she had been quite upset when she’d heard of the mess Sakura had found herself in, and this stuff with the androids was finally pushing her over the edge.

“She still tried to make up for it, Yena. You heard her talk about how she was looking for the files. She even managed to get most of it back!” Chaeyeon then replies, trying to stick up for her girlfriend who had her hanging down, not trying to talk back.

“Yeah, but she wouldn’t have had to get it back if the data didn’t exist in the first place.” The duck continues to argue. Yes, she was good friends with Sakura. They would even play video games together with Yenal even guesting on the Japanese girl’s livestreams a couple times. But, it was because of that same strong bond Yena shared with everyone that made her be the one to call out the members even more for doing wrong actions. With Sakura in particular, it wasn’t the first time she’d caused a problem. One of the first interactions that the Japanese girl had with some of them was her explaining how she was an undercover agent sent to steal data and send it to her superiors. Back then, Yena was angry as a person who didn’t know the girl well. Now though, she was upset as a friend, a friend who felt like the tech girl had not completely learned her lesson.

“Yena. That’s enough.” Yuri’s stern voice suddenly says. When the duck turned, there was a look of disappointment on her girlfriend’s face.

“I… sorry. I let myself get carried away again.” Yena says apologetically, allowing Eunbi a chance to retake control of the discussion.

“Listen, Yena. I understand why Kkura did it. I feel her only mistake was not asking us about it beforehand so we could give that information voluntarily. As for the androids, she did that to help us train better. She noticed that capture-the-flag was too repetitive, and felt that a new training mission here on campus would help develop everyone’s skills more.” The leader says.

“I agree with Eunbi-unnie. I realized from that new exercise how I was lacking as a leader. Kkura-unnie had a point. Besides, according to her, what was stolen was just a draft which meant that whoever took the schematics still had to develop the androids themselves.” Yujin speaks up, also defending Sakura.

“I can vouch for Kkura-unnie too. Since we’ve begun working closer, I realized how much effort she puts in during her free time to find clues that could lead us to the mastermind of this operation.” Chaewon then says.The others quietly nod in agreement at their friends’ words. Despite her mistakes, Sakura always did try to remedy them. Her actions always had good intentions. It’s just that they were sometimes a bit misguided.

Yena looks again at Sakura, a sense of guilt rising in her. The Japanese girl was still quietly sitting in her seat, waiting for everyone to make their point until speaking again.

“Girls, I know that you’re trying to defend me, but Yena does also have a point. I screwed up again. I should’ve consulted with you all before doing something that important. Just because I meant well, doesn’t mean I’m absolved from how it backfired on me. I want to fix things, but I need your help.”

“Mhm, so with that. We have some investigating to do. This is officially an IZ*ONE level threat.” Eunbi says before turning around and opening a television that was connected to her laptop showing a powerpoint.

“Our information is leading us to KYB Holdings, but as I’ve mentioned, they have a lot of subsidiaries. We’re going to have to investigate some of them independently because we don’t know where exactly they’re developing the robots, if they are.” The leader then goes to the next slide which displays three companies in particular- KYB Mechanic Repair, KYB Science and Research, and KYB Programming.

“So, we’re splitting up into fours for this mission?” Hitomi guesses..

“No, Tomi. Actually, I think this a good time to activate our other teams to help us out.” Eunbi replies, looking at both Chaewon and Yujin. The short-haired girl nodded, but the puppy looked a bit on edge.

“Wait, you think we’re ready?” Yujin asks, remembering how Eunbi had just said a couple days ago that she in particular had improvements to make as a leader.

“Yes, Yujin. It’s just a reconnaissance mission anyway. It’ll be a good experience for your team.” Eunbi says, trying to reassure IVE’s leader.

“We can do this…” Wonyoung quietly whispers to Yujin, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Alright, so as for the assignments. IVE will head to KYB Mechanic Repair. We feel they might be the ones putting the robots together. If they already had at least eight, that means they must have a place that can put them together in high quantities. I want Rei there in particular in case any metal related problems arise. Next, Le Sserafim will be dispatched to KYB Programming. It’s a tech firm they own, and I feel like Sakura will be most needed there. I’m also assigning Minjoo and Chaeyeon to your team though so you have more support. As for everyone else, we’ll be heading to KYB Science and Research. It’s the location in the middle of the two other suspect companies that could work as a middleman. It’s also the closest to KYB Holdings main office, which might make it more heavily secure. The plan is to infiltrate them tonight before they can make any more progress.” Everyone listens to their leader’s instructions in awe at how much she’d researched in the past couple days. Hyewon had a proud smile, knowing that her girlfriend hadn’t slept much recently in an effort to put this together. She’d actually helped Eunbi and Sakura the other day and saw first hand how serious they were about solving this mess.

“I have a couple briefings for IVE and Le Sserafim, so I’m going to trust you two to give them all the details while I handle my team, okay?” Eunbi then says towards the two subgroup leaders who nod in response.

With all the main points discussed, Eunbi was about to motion for everyone to meet up with their respective teams until a phone began ringing.

“Oh, sorry, unnie. Forgot to put this on mute.” Chaeyeon apologizes as she takes a look at who it was only for her expression to dampen.

“It’s Chaeryeong. Can you give me a second? She doesn’t usually call unless it’s an emergency.” Eunbi nods and from across the table, Hyewon can feel something off, remembering that Chaeyeon said her sister was attending a meeting at JYP.

“Ryeong-ah, what’s wrong?” The older Lee asks. “Woah, woah, slow down. I can’t understand. Are those explosions?”

The others couldn’t hear what their friend from ITZY was saying, but judging from the range of emotions appearing on Chaeyeon’s face, they knew it wasn’t good.

“Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just hold out a bit longer.” She says before dropping the call.

“What was it?” Eunbi asks.

“I have to go to JYP. They’re under attack… by robots.” The feather girl replies, making everyone do a double take to check if they heard correctly.

“Don’t tell me…” Hyewon says to which Chaeyeon nods.

“Familiar description with Nako and Tomi’s.” The younger girl says before looking at Sakura.

“What’re their weaknesses? Chaeryeong told me Yeji’s fire wasn’t working.” The tech girl thinks hard for a bit before remembering a key detail and pulling up the schematic from her laptop.

“When I saw that the android’s main flaw was its reliance on light, I tried to change it. Its power source is a battery secured in its back. If fire isn’t working, that might mean they’ve changed to more durable materials, but that spot should still be a little soft. You just have to aim right for it.” The tech girl says, pointing at a spot on its upper right.

“Okay, I’m sorry girls, but I need to go now. Maybe I’ll be able to find some new details from this too.” Chaeyeon announces.

“Wait, we’re not leaving for another hour or two. We can help!” Eunbi says, not wanting their friend to go alone.

“You girls need to prepare and brief your teams on your assignments, and JYP is under attack right now. I’m the only one who’s fast enough to get there and in time. I promise I’ll meet up with you after we’re done.” Chaeyeon says while shaking her head, and before the others could talk her out of it, the feather girl zips out the door and leaves them in her dust.

“Good luck, Chaeyeon…” Sakura thinks, knowing that her girlfriend’s sister was now in danger because of her lapse in judgment.

Eunbi looks around the room that was a bit shaken by what just happened and claps her hands together to get everyone’s attention.

“We have to trust Chaeyeon. ITZY is pretty strong, so I’m sure they’ll figure it out.” She says to allay the members’ concerns. Deep down though, she was also worrying about Chaeyeon. The world had been quiet for a few months, and in a matter of days, things were back to being messed up.

“Go meet with your squads now, girls. We have to move quickly.” 

 

A/N: Hello again! Back with a quick update because it was a holiday today giving me time to write. This was basically a setup chapter for the action in the coming chapters, but there was still a lot of important info i needed to put here.

the teams are about to split up with chaeyeon running to help itzy, that gives us a neat 6 per group lol. it's gonna be a lot of fighting and spying, so i hope y'all are excited for that!

anyway, this was a quick turnaround since i just posted a chapter yesterday, so i want to ask about it. do y'all want me to upload a chapter once im done with it, or do y'all want to give each chapter a couple days to breathe so there aren't that many long breaks? 

i'm fine with either since all it changes is when i upload them. 

Thanks again for the support so far! I appreciate the likes and comments, and am always open to discussion too about the story.

Have a nice day, and see y'all in the next chapter!