It all begins when he wakes up on a gurney in the med tent on a morning some days before Operation Deliverance…

Kai sits up fast and is surprised to find that nothing hurts. His memory is blurry, but he’s pretty sure he died the night before. The mimic had cornered him against a fallen transporter. He’d run to the fiery metal carcass hoping to use it as cover, but instead it had served as his end. Kai fired his entire magazine into the alien being, but the mimic had still lashed out with one of its ever-moving tentacles, catching him across the chest. His metal suit had broken and shut down, leaving him immobile. He’d closed his eyes and awaited death as the beast hovered closer, gaping maw wide.

Yet he is alive.

How on Earth is he still alive?

“About time you were up,” a deep, smooth voice says. A soldier with raven-black hair stands at the tent opening. He’s small by army standards, with narrow shoulders and a short torso, but he strides forward like he owns the world. Most captains walk like that. Very few deliver the implied threat. But by the gaze this man levels at him—hard and cold as steel—Kai doesn’t doubt he can deliver any offer of pain that comes out of his lush mouth.

Kai musters a quick salute after checking the man’s insignia and tag. Captain D.O. The name doesn’t ring any bells and Kai frowns. He thought he knew all the higher ups stationed on base.

“I have orders from General Wu himself,” D.O. says. “You’ll be serving time with XO squad from now on, soldier. So, if you’re done with your beauty sleep, put on some boots and follow me.”

The man about faces and is ready to go, but he looks over his shoulder once more before striding away. There’s something familiar about his wide brown eyes that Kai can’t pin-point right at the moment. His brain is too busy trying to figure out what the hell happened—is happening. He finds boots underneath the gurney, puts them on, and tightens the laces. Kai figures that whatever is about to happen will be better faced with sharply tightened boots.

Outside the tent is a flurry of activity. Kai shields his eyes against the sunlight and tries to make a sense of the chaos—trucks rolling noisily along, troops marching to a strict military beat, official higher ups shouting commands every which way, and endless instructions being given through the intercom system. The Jeju International Airport base has always been like this, but Kai feels an extra tension in the air which can only mean they’re getting ready for a big mission. What day is it? How long was he out exactly?

Kai jogs up to the captain who waits for him by a Jeep. “Sir, what’s happening?”

“Operation Deliverance in forty-eight hours.”

The last time he remembers, there had been a month left until mission day. He’d been asleep for four weeks? “But I…How?”

“All questions will be answered soon,” the captain says and hauls himself onto the driver seat.

“But, sir—”

D.O. puts on a pair of sunglasses. “Get in.”

Kai isn’t particularly happy about not getting answers, but that’s how it usually goes in the military. It’s been six long years since the mimics invaded Earth and Kai joined the army. In his experience, it’s always better to go along with what his superiors’ demand of him. That is, until he gets to the battlefield and then he does what he wants.

For now, he jumps into the passenger seat and holds on tight as the captain drives like a lunatic away from the base. They head down the main runway and out, towards the coast. The area, previously filled with houses and businesses, was cleared up to make space for more military hangars, warehouses, and barracks. Their destination is one of the smaller structures by the shore.

The unmarked building does nothing to calm Kai’s nervousness. But he breathes deep and follows the captain inside. They walk down a long and empty hallway, and enter a wide office space at the end. Captain D.O. motions him to take a seat and so he does, waiting for further instructions. There’s still that feeling of familiarity whenever he looks at the captain, but his mind shies away from the answer.

It’s not long until the door opens again and nine other soldiers walk in. They each take their seats in silence and wait, just as he had done. Kai tries really hard not to stare at the others, but he’s hoping to recognize someone, anyone that can tell him what the heck is happening.

“Do you remember what happened to you, soldier?” Kyungsoo asks him suddenly, while turning on the table screen.

Kai removes his hands from the table. “Yes, sir. I was in the Busan evacuation,” he says. “A storm was approaching and we had to move fast, but there were too many people. We were told to hold the perimeter while everyone boarded the s