Chapter 4 - Invaded and Defenseless

Dae Hyun made sure Ja Young was warm and dry before she went to bed, but she fell asleep by the fireplace in the middle of the night. He draped a fleece blanket on her before he made a makeshift bed on one of the couches near her. He woke up before her so he didn’t raise any suspicion from the other members, especially Yong Guk. When he was about to take his blanket and pillow back to his room, he stole one more glance at her sleeping form with a soft expression and quietly went upstairs.

Ja Young was dreaming so vividly that she thought for a second it was real. She dreamt of laying in a meadow of colourful flowers. She recognized the field - Hye Young’s and Wu Fan’s gravesite: Seizo. She was laying in the middle with Hye Young, soundlessly laughing with her under the serene sun. After gazing at the clear sky, she turned her head when she felt her hand holding hers, but it wasn’t Hye Young.

It was Kai, giving her a smile she loved so much. She didn’t smile back, but had eyes of longing. He drew her closer to his body and enclosed his arms around her, taking in her scent. She sighed in his chest and looked up at his face.

It was when he was about to kiss her when she woke up. She didn’t shoot up to a sitting position like she would have, but she only blinked, reminding her that her eyes were slightly swollen. She rubbed them while realizing a blanket was covering her and a pillow was slipped under her head sometime in the night. “Dae Hyun,” she thought. Grateful, she neatly folded the blanket and placed it on the sofa with the pillow. No one was awake yet, so she thought it was a perfect time to go somewhere.

She left the house without a word for a day quite often - quietly because the crew and Ji Eun knew exactly why. She grabbed a clean set of clothes and took a quick shower before sneaking out. She strapped her sword and jumped out of the window and went into the garage. She looked through the museum of cars, tanks, jeeps and bikes until she found her motorcycle under a beige tarp. She whipped it off and put on her silver helmet that matched the black and silver bike. She ignited the engine and sped off into the wilderness.

Ja Young learned how to ride the motorcycle and how to drive a car from Dae Hyun when she turned twenty. She used her skills to her advantage but occasionally punished by Yong Guk’s wrath. The rushing wind against her skin became very addicting, because she wanted to feel some kind of thrill aside from her past events as an argent. She couldn’t stay still or be caged inside the base training with the crew. She needed some adrenaline on her own, and she used her bike to accommodate it. 

Ja Young used the time while riding to think about what to say until she arrived at the train station in Notro. She walked her bike to the hidden parking she found. She grabbed the tarp there and covered it and the helmet. Trying not to make any suspicious actions, she walked to the ticket fare and bought a round trip to Seizo. When the transport was taking her there, she fell asleep again with her head on the window ignoring the rattles and vibrations. Despite feeling tired, she had a nudging feeling that someone was watching her, but she didn’t check her surroundings. She only managed to gain an extra hour of sleep before she reached her destination.

Ja Young finally arrived at the gravesite and paid the cab. She sighed and walked into the field of flowers with the sun beaming down from above. From afar, she saw the gravestones standing beside each other in the middle where the dark castle used to be. 

Hong Hye Young
Dear Sister and Beloved
Aged 19 Upon Death

Wu Fan
Dear Friend and Renowned Hero
Aged 24 Upon Second Death

Ja Young went on her knees and bowed until her forehead nearly touched the ground. She rose up but stayed sitting with a sad smile.

“Hey, Hye Young. Hello, Wu Fan,” she greeted, but barely above a whisper.

“Can you hear me, Hye Young? Of course, I won’t know because you don’t necessarily answer. Are you doing alright up there? Were you watching me somehow?” Ja Young decided that it was enough with the introductions and got to the point.

“It’s been three years, Hye Young. I’m trying to live well, but,” she trailed off but collected herself. “I thought I would be alright after I left the society. It turned out that I still feel incomplete when I’m with the crew. I still miss them. I still miss Kai,” she quietly added.

“I’m starting to forget how his voice sounded, how he looked like, how warm his embraces were. I guess this is what love could do to you,” she weakly chuckled. “Did you know, Hye Young? Se Hun was in love with you ever since we were detained inside that damn camp? He never gave up on you, and I think he still does.” She drew in a deep breath and turned to Wu Fan’s stone.

“If you had someone who is believed to be dead, what would you do? Would you seek out the murderer or would you try to move on? Is it difficult if I try either of them?” Only silence answered her. “I got a message and Kai’s ring, but I don’t know if he’s still alive, but my heart is telling me to do something. Is there anything I can do about it on my own?”

Ja Young let her body collapse in front of the gravestones with the flowers cushioning her fall. She lay on her side with forget-me-nots towering her eyes. She grew drowsy and tired again from mental exhaustion. She kept all her thoughts to herself for a while, but it was time to let some of them go, a little bit at a time. The rhythmic pulsing resounding in her system lulled her to sleep, refueling her strength.

Meanwhile, back at the base, it was very quiet without her. Him Chan wasn’t as loud and silly like he usually was with Ja Young, and Dae Hyun kept to himself while keeping a monthly inventory of their weapons. Young Jae stayed up all night trying to track some evidence and clues about Kai’s ring. Jong Up holed up in the gym thinking. Yong Guk and Zelo continued to train by themselves at the base. Despite their unusual behavior, they weren’t concerned about her whereabouts, knowing that she only went out on her own just to visit her sister.

Jong Up was on the treadmill with music blasting from the speakers, but bouncing off the soundproof walls and ceiling. With the late night discussion replaying in his mind, he thought to himself, if he were to stay hidden for a while, it wouldn’t hurt to train up a little more anyway. The small television was still glaring into the dim room but there were subtitles replacing the sound. His nearly sleepy eyes darted over to the screen and saw key words that stood out to him, “Super machines that will benefit us citizens from the wretched and untrustworthy beings they call themselves Argents.”

He smashed his fist on the stop button, grabbed his towel and rushed upstairs into the living room. He pressed the emergency alarm for the crew to come to the living room. He the TV and one by one, each member of the crew walked in and watched the news. The screen showed an unusually handsome man in his early thirties boasting about his creation of “super machines”. He also reported that they were approved by the international government, which meant that this man named Kang Ta, managed to sway the hearts of the highest politicians to think that Argents are Shugo’s enemies.

“This isn’t fair,” Jong Up said.

“This guy, Kang Ta, must have something to do with the society. I’m actually surprised that he’s keeping quiet about it, by the way,” Young Jae thoughtfully commented.

“He’s luring them out, and he’s trying to catch them in the act,” Dae Hyun analyzed.

“But, we Argents, are ultimately providing justice, but not in an obvious fashion,” Jong Up testified.

“With the circumstances now, Argents don’t have a chance to justify themselves,” Yong Guk said and sighed. He asked shortly after, “Is Private Ja Young not back yet?”

“Probably staying at her sister’s gravesite for as long as she needs,” Him Chan slumped his shoulders a little. Dae Hyun had a hunch that she went there for some time alone. She never acted this way when she left. She was usually in her same complex mood the day before and return in the same manner.

“Nevertheless, she needs to come back soon. This will be getting out of our hands if this Kang Ta decides to become a new enemy to the argents,” Yong Guk warned. “Dae Hyun, call her tonight.” The quiet man gave a quick salute.

After a quiet dinner with Ji Eun and her friends, the crew headed off to bed. Dae Hyun, on the other hand, went up to the rooftop for some fresh air before going to sleep. He had his phone in his pocket, ready to call Ja Young like Yong Guk ordered him to. He inwardly chuckled to himself. The leader was like a father to her during her stay, despite his gruff and violent demeanor. He did care for her like a daughter, but he couldn’t show it in a way his wife did. Instead, he treated her like a son, indifferent from the rest of the crew. He did admit before that her world record of the number of times Him Chan's nose got repeatedly broken was most definitely amusing.

Dae Hyun remembered when Ja Young first came to the base with Kai to restore her sword, which was still faithfully serving her well. She looked so lost because he learned from Ji Eun that she had lost her memories for a long time. When she returned to their crew as Hong Ja Young, she only captivated him more. It started small, but it grew little by little each day he spent with her, whether they were training or even picking up Ji Eun’s groceries.

There was a certain softness in her personality he adored, which was her sensitivity to Yong Guk’s son. After the first few weeks of his birth, she took the initiative to take care of him while the tired mother was recovering from labour. Perhaps it was another chance to take care of a sibling after the loss of Hye Young. He was very happy for her in a way he didn’t expect. He opened up more when she was around, because he rarely showed his true colours to the other members, including Young Jae who he was closest to.

Dae Hyun spent so much time thinking that by the time he checked his phone for the time, it was already very late. He heard his stomach grumbling and just remembered not eating a lot of Ji Eun’s delicious food for dinner. Hoping for some leftovers in the kitchen, he snuck back downstairs for a quick bite before bed. As he warmed up some pasta, he did a double take on the window for a shadow that slipped by in a blink of an eye.

He turned off the lights and opened the window for a peek. He spotted something enter Ja Young’s secret passage into the base. Thinking it was her, he leaned out further. Suddenly, there was an explosion that burst the doors open and the figure dashed inside.

An invasion, he thought. Dae Hyun slammed the window shut and smashed the emergency button that alarmed everyone in the house. There was trouble and it wasn’t going to be easy to fix without Ja Young.

The invasion started with explosions in different parts of the base as rookies, trainees and novices tried to fight them back. The crew gathered on the rooftop of their house and jumped into a hidden passage that led them to the weapon chamber. The androids were strong, and Yong Guk tossed each member an arm-held cannon and a sack of bullets each.

Yong Guk used his brute strength and cannon to repel the enemies, with a result of some hits from them. Him Chan stayed on the high ground and ceilings while pinpointing some enemies that tried to outnumber his comrades. Young Jae was already prepared as he went into his hidden computer chamber to detonate many y traps he placed around the base. His cannon was just sitting in the corner of his room, not even bothering to use it. Zelo couldn’t even feel the damage the androids inflicted and just shot each one in the head. His accuracy was perfect, thanks to Yong Guk’s hard work and creativity. Jong Up had the hardest time because most of the androids were after him. He used up his bullets quicker than the rest before he took advantage of his Argentic ability to deflect the blows they gave. Dae Hyun kept himself hidden in narrow corridors others weren’t aware of. While he had the chance, he flipped his phone on and dialed Ja Young’s number to warn her.

The skies were mixed with orange, blue and pink when Ja Young woke up in the field, the flowers serving as her makeshift bed. She glanced at her sister’s grave and tiredly smiled.

“I guess I should be alright now. So will you, right Hye Young?” she asked the stone. She stood up, wiped the dirt off her jeans and straightened her jacket. She ran her fingers through her short hair and left the field towards the road. She dialed on her phone for a taxi and waited for it to come. By the time it arrived to pick her up, it was already dark. There were no streetlights until she would be near town, and it was making her feel uneasy.

When she thought she could get some more peace and quiet inside the car, the driver suddenly stopped and said, “Oh, it looks like the car had broken down. Could you give me a hand and see what’s going on?”

“Sure,” she replied as they both got out of the taxi. They opened the hood but Ja Young didn’t see any problem with it. Before she could say anything, the hood of the car was almost slammed on her. She jerked back in shock but a strong hand took a hold of her neck. Choking on her breath, she saw the taxi driver’s eyes gleamed at her with familiar crystal blue eyes.

It was another android. With all her strength, she kicked him back while she tried to soothe the pain. Thinking back to the conversation the previous night, she was indeed a target for slaughter. The android pounded his fists onto the road and an earthquake ensued. Ja Young’s phone was ringing in her pocket with Dae Hyun’s ringtone. She was about to dig into her jeans but the rumble knocked her off balance.

She was already getting dizzy from the swaying earth when the android initiated close combat. She attempted to block and parry his punches but she missed some of them, bruising her body. She was finally thrown to the ground from a painful uppercut. Her teeth accidentally dug into her lips as they bled. She rolled away before another powerful blow could crush her head and swung her leg to try and trip him.

Ja Young’s phone rang again with the same ringtone and she finally took the opportunity to answer it.

“Ja Young! Where are you?” he frantically called, making her panic a little.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she stumbled to her feet to avoid him.

“The base is under attack! Androids are here!” Her heart began to freeze and her blood ran dry.

“How? What are they after? Or who?” Ja Young had a good guess, but she hoped from the bottom of her heart that she was wrong.

“Young Jae said there was a transmitter in the dead android’s brain, hence the invasion. Most of them were heading towards Jong Up. I think they’re after him!” She was about to respond but her enemy suddenly appeared in front of her and dug his fist into her stomach.

“Ja Young! What’s wrong!?” Her cell phone was abruptly flung out of her hand and fell into the cracks of the earth with Dae Hyun’s concerned voice shouting through. In retaliation, she let out a scream and regained her focus to make a counterattack.

As she charged towards him, she swayed from his punch and kneed him in the stomach before sending a series of punches in the most vital parts of the human body, hoping to find a weakness. She flipped him over and he landed on his back with a sickening crack. She placed a foot on his chest and attempted to strangle him but his semi-free arms grabbed a hold of her upper arms and slowly crushed them with raw strength. He flung her back several feet away, who was painfully grunting in agony of her broken arms. She couldn’t even stand up without them. It didn’t compare to the pain she experienced when her arm was severed, but as a human, the pain was excruciating.

She weakly saw the android about to deliver the final blow to finish her, but she could barely register a new figure dragging her enemy away and engaging in combat. She heard nothing but the sound of the android’s head forcibly ripped from his body and tumbled on the cement. Ja Young turned her head and just realized that her feather-symbol ring was still on her hand. She couldn’t think clearly when someone gently lifted her up.

There was warmth, but her consciousness was too far away to figure out what was going on. Her head was on someone’s chest as she felt the person walking with her in his or her arms. The pain of her broken arms was numbing her, and she drifted off into darkness for another moment. 

Just one moment.

The B.A.P crew were distressed as they sat among dead and broken androids in the training facility. Jong Up, fortunately was safe and sound, but heavily injured in the head. Young Jae was barely able to repel them from finding him in the computer chamber. Dae Hyun had gained a few broken ribs after the phone call, but it was enough for him to sustain his posture for a while. Yong Guk, Zelo and Him Chan had the least injuries, since they were the most experienced in combat.

There was no celebration of victory. It was just the beginning of another war against the Argents, and many of the trainees in the base were either fatally injured or killed. 

“We can’t let this pass. We initiate a counter attack as soon as we finalize a plan,” Yong Guk gravely ordered.

“We’re out of bullets for our cannons, and they are our most powerful weapons in our inventory,” Dae Hyun expressed his concern.

“None of the other weapons could effectively eliminate them,” Him Chan added.

“In that case, we have to stock up, and prepare for perhaps our death scene,” Yong Guk concluded. The others solemnly nodded in agreement. Jong Up glanced around and said, “I hope Ja Young is safe.” In all his honesty, he had a strong feeling that she wasn’t.

“Dae Hyun, did you contact her?” Him Chan asked with worry laced in his voice.

“I did, but...” he trailed off, remembering that her phone was suddenly turned off.

“She may have been under attack,” Young Jae guessed.

“Wherever she may be, she needs to return here as soon as possible,” said the leader. Zelo perked up and reported, “Someone’s here.” B.A.P tensed up and warily stared at the door. “He’s waiting right outside.” Yong Guk silently put a finger to his lips to tell them to be quiet. When he reached the door, it was suddenly opened to reveal a familiar figure the crew never thought of meeting, holding an incapacitated Ja Young firmly in his arms. The man kindly but tiredly smiled and said, “She’s alright.”