Fleeing Again
X-ExperimentsIndex:
(DH) – Daehyun speaking
(L) – Myungsoo speaking
(SY) – Sungyeol speaking
(YA) – Yoona speaking
(JE) – Jieun speaking
(J) – Jessica speaking
(Y) – Grandmother speaking
(GO) – Byunghee speaking
(LJ) - Joon speaking
(CL) – Chaerin speaking
(MH) – Minho speaking
(JU) – Jongup speaking
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“Have a good day!” (DH) Daehyun grinned happily as he waved goodbye to one of the people that he had done a minor job for. Only about a week has passed since their arrival at Arten City and already, they had learned so much about the outside world. They were able to take on small jobs after a few days, allowing them to make the money that they needed to buy whatever it was that they needed… or wanted. Thanks to this, they were able to learn how to count, add, or even subtract. Though… they weren’t exactly that far in their learning yet.
As Daehyun walked down the street, he pressed the button on his earpiece to see the amount of money that he had been given for helping an old woman carry her groceries home. The earpiece, also called the ‘Cryston’ after the crystallized power it uses, is apparently a vital machine for all civilians and soldiers alike. It was just a small device that looped around the outside of a person’s ears, then simply hung there. When it was pressed, however, a holographic visor would expand and rotate around the wearer’s eyes. Usually, there was enough space for it to be comfortable and simply rotating the button used to activate it can change the distance of the visor. The color of the visor could also change as well within the settings, which Daehyun really liked. Daehyun recalled some of the scientists and guards back at the lab having something like this, but he hadn’t questioned it.
The Cryston is not only used to look up information, but it can unlock doors, activate security systems, manage the money or ‘credits’ earned, or even let a person go through a barrier if their Cryston has been synched up with it. Basically, it was used for almost everything and although it was very confusing, Daehyun was having a lot of fun learning how to use it. “Wow! I made two-hundred credits this time!” (DH)
Pressing the button once again, the visor retracted back into the earpiece as his grin only seemed to become brighter. Normally with these jobs, he would only make about fifty to a hundred credits simply because they weren’t big jobs. It may not have been much, but with the old woman’s help, him and his companions were working hard to save up for emergencies. Well, at least that’s what she told them to do. Still, it was definitely worth the effort to have this many credits on hand.
“Have you seen these people?” Daehyun’s curiosity had him look towards whomever was talking. At first, his need to help people had been kicking in. However, the second he realized the armor that the person was wearing, the blood seemed to drain from his face as he quickly turned away and began walking faster.
How did they find them here? From what he had been told, the Channites had been looking for them and if they ever saw anyone associated with the Channites, then they had to run. Byunghee had been preparing for something like this, but Daehyun didn’t know what that preparation entailed. Still, he needed to make sure to get back to the others before any of the Channites were found. Maybe a warning would be a good idea as well.
Pressing the button on his Cryston once more, Daehyun’s eyes moved here and there as he gathered the names of his friends into a group call. Once it began ringing, a small microphone of sorts expanded from the Cryston before stopping just barely in front of his mouth. The visor had also retracted back into the Cryston to ensure that he didn’t walk into anything or anyone.
“Hello?” Five different hello’s erupted at either similar or different times, which helped Daehyun feel a little more relieved to know that his friends were alright enough to answer the call. Still, he can be relieved later on when he knew for certain that everyone was back at home.
“I saw a Channite just now. I think we should all start heading back.” (DH)
“A Channite? What was that again?” (L)
“The soldiers that kept us in the laboratory.” (J)
“What?! They’re here?! Then we should be fighting them!” (L)
“Byunhee said that we have to stay away if we see them, so we should listen to him.” (JE) Daehyun heard a bit of mumbling, most likely coming from Myungsoo. Still, even if he did want to fight them too, Daehyun knew better than to let them all get caught once again. They only had a small taste of freedom and Daehyun wanted his friends to stay free… and alive.
“I’ll see you all back at home. We have to ask Byunghee what his plan is.” (DH) Confirmation from each of his friends allowed Daehyun to end the call before he quickened his pace even further. Hopefully, his friends wouldn’t have any problems on their way home.
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“Stop right there!” (JU) Yoona gasped as she suddenly felt her arm roughly tugged. She turned and glared at her captor, seeing the determined look on his face as he pulled her arm even more. Yoona attempted to pull her arm out of his grasp, but he seemed to have a rather good hold on her. “I… I need you to come with me!” (JU)
“I don’t think so!” (YA) Turning quickly in place, Yoona stuck her foot to the side, thus tripping the soldier and causing him to lose his grip on her. She didn’t bother waiting to see if he would get back up. Instead, she took advantage of the situation and began running. Since they were supposed to be blending in with the rest of society, they were all told to leave their weapons back home. So it was a little difficult to fight anyone, especially when she had little to no knowledge on any of the soldiers.
“Come back!” (JU)
“Go away!” (YA) Gasps and footsteps could be heard as the guard chased after Yoona through the crowded streets of Arten. Here and there, people either managed to move out of the way in time or they were pushed out of the way. Either way, it wasn’t exactly a nice situation to be put into for the time being and one way or another, Yoona had to find a way to lose her pursuer.
Looking around quickly, Yoona spotted an alleyway with some pipes moving up like a staircase. A thought sparked in her head as she quickly turned before running towards the alleyway. She risked taking a peek over her shoulder, taking note that her pursuer was currently still on her tail. However, there did seem to be a few people trying to stop him in his tracks. She was happy that people were trying to help, but all she could do was silently thank them as she turned her attention back towards where she was going.
The second she was close enough, Yoona jumped upwards before taking hold of the metal pipes and swinging forward. Using the momentum from her running jump, she was able to swing forward just enough to grab onto the next pipe. She repeated this process a number of times before she managed to grab onto the ledge of the rooftop. As she began climbing upwards, a voice down below briefly caught her attention. “…-ome back here!” (JU)
“No!” (YA) Now that she was on the rooftops, Yoona took advantage of her situation as she began traveling from one rooftop to the next. It was the best way to stay off the streets and, hopefully, to stay out of their sight. She was going to have to be more careful since she was technically out in the open, but at least she had a better chance of getting away as opposed to getting surrounded by a team of guards.
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“Dammit…” (JU) The guard stared up at where his target had escaped him before turning around and walking to where he assumed his target was heading. He may not know where they are currently based, but he still had to close the distance between himself and his quarry. Raising his hand up to his Cryston, the guard cleared his throat as he pressed the button to activate his Cryston. “Ma’am. This is Jongup of group C. I lost sight of the target at Sector three.” (JU)
“Good enough work. Try to track them down until I get there.” (CL)
“Yes ma’am.” (JU) Jongup turned his Cryston off before he picked up the pace a bit. He hated working for these people, but what else could he do? Yes, he could have tried running away, but that was a little difficult. With the fact that they had a tracking chip on him, he probably would have went with that idea. Sadly, thanks to this little group, he was forced to do Himchan’s bidding.
“Newbie! Focus. You could have caught her. Next time, I’m shooting.” (MH) Another guard had walked up to Jongup and after speaking; he shoved Jongup before he began jogging forward. Jongup watched as the sniper rifle on the other guard’s back bobbled along with his movement. Even though he wanted to blame the escapees for the predicament that he’s in, he still shared a common ground with them. So… maybe this was more of an incentive to capture them instead of letting them get killed.
With a small sigh, Jongup rubbed the back of his head before looking around. Where could she have gone off to anyway? There was clearly somewhere that she could retreat to for shelter, but how was he supposed to find that place? Well… there were maybe one or two things he could do to locate this secret base and that would have to be to ask around. It may be a lot of work to gather the necessary information to capture his targets, but it will be well worth it in the end.
The cost of freedom…
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There it was! Now that he was safely back home, he could talk with the others on what they should do next. Rushing into the house, Sungyeol was about to call out to the others, but ended up nearly falling backwards when weapons had barely came to a stop in front of his face. With the help of someone else, he managed to stay firmly on his feet, as a relieved sigh seemed to escape from everyone. “Sungyeol! You scared us…” (J)
“Is that everyone? I think everyone’s here.” (DH) Daehyun made certain to take a quick head count before nodding. Now that everyone was safely home, Byunghee can tell him exactly what they were supposed to do next. He did remember seeing a few bags lined up somewhere before, but he wasn’t certain if that was for them or if it was for something else.
“Hurry up. Go to the backroom, then downstairs into the basement.” (GO) Byunghee began guiding the group, not really letting them get the chance to say or do anything else. His job was to get them back to their main base in one piece. Why? Well, because they were apparently vital to their victory against Himchan. Thanks to a certain seer’s ability, he couldn’t help but believe that they were necessary for whatever the future had in store for them.
With everyone safely in the basement, Byunghee was about to close the door when someone kept the door open. The old woman appeared from behind the door, holding a rather large bundle. She smiled a bit as she held the bundle out to Byunghee. “Give this to them. I don’t want them to go hungry on their trip to Kanum. You know how far that is.” (Y)
“Alright, grandma. They’ll be fine with him watching over them.” (GO)
“Oh…! You know how I don’t like that boy. He is always so reckless and shooting things all willy nilly! You know, back in my day-” (Y)
“Grandma… I know that you want to tell a story, but now’s not the time.” (GO) Yuri gave a quiet laugh as she nodded a bit. Placing a hand on the bundle, she gave it a small pat before looking back up at her grandson.
“I have faith. Now… I will distract them if they come to the house. Hurry along now.” (Y) Once Byunghee gave a nod, the old woman smiled once more before heading off towards wherever she needed to be. Once the basement door was closed, Byunghee looked down at the bundle before turning around and making his way downstairs to where everyone should be waiting at the moment.
“… -e greatest sniper around! Don’t worry about anything. I’ll keep everyone safe.” (LJ) Byunghee shook his head slightly as he set the bundle down by the group. Changsun, or Joon as he prefers to be called by, is one of the best snipers within the rebellion. The only problem with him is that he gets a bit… cocky with his sniping and thus, he tends to boast about it. No matter how many times he has scolded Joon for it, he continues to do it anyway.
“Alright. Joon here will take you to a safer place. Don’t get lost.” (GO)
“We’re not gonna stay and fight?” (L) Byunghee was a bit surprised to see the looks of hopefulness and determination on their faces, but he knew that he couldn’t let them get hurt. No… their fighting will be done at a different time. The second he gave a shake of his head, looks of disappointment spread across each and every one of them. The only one who looked angry or frustrated was Myungsoo, but he seemed to remain quiet about it all.
“I understand that you want to help protect this place, but someone has seen the future and they predict that you all will play a major factor later. Right now, you need to head out and hone your… skills. It’s different out here than in that… program thing that you were part of. Just trust me, okay? Go on. Joon, take care of them and take this seriously.” (GO) Byunghee gave Joon’s shoulder a brief squeeze before he gave a small wave and went back upstairs. Joon took in a deep breath before grinning and slinging his rifle over his back. Turning towards the others, he held his grin as he saw that everyone was ready for their trip. Sure, they were a little disappointed, but they’ll get over it sooner or later.
“Alrighty! Let’s get this show on the road. Come come, follow me!” (LJ)
“What’s a show?” (SY) Joon rubbed the back of his neck as he thought on it for a moment. He was about to give an answer, but he didn’t exactly know how best to explain it. Plus, they didn’t exactly have the time for this! They needed to leave the city as soon as possible if they were going to make it to their destination with little to no trouble.
“Don’t worry about it! Let’s just get going.” (LJ) Without another word, Joon turned before making his way over to the wall. Daehyun picked up the bundle that Byunghee had left for them before following after the rest of the group. When everyone was there and accounted for, Joon carefully felt along the walls surface before pausing for a moment. With a grin, Joon pressed a button on his glove, which had something similar to a holographic knife appear. Slowly, he slid the knife through the wall, which cause a circle to start glowing on the wall itself before that section of the wall disappeared. Pressing the button on his glove once more to make the knife disappear, Joon held his grin as he turned towards the others. “Alright! Get on inside. It’s straightforward, so just keep walking until you get to the other room!” (LJ)
One by one, they filed through the opening in the wall until Joon was the last one there. Looking around, he made certain that they weren’t leaving anything behind before he stepped into the opening as well. Once inside, Joon pressed a button on the wall to his right, which caused the opening behind him to immediately close up once more.
With that, he gave a small nod as he followed after the group.
“Wooooah…! What is this thing?” (DH) Daehyun’s fingers delicately trailed along the smooth, metallic surface of the machine in front of them. He had seen something similar to it a few times before, but he hadn’t received any sort of answer about what these things were. Now that they were right next to this thing, it just seemed to pique his interest that much further.
“That, my friends, is a vehicle! We’re gonna ride in it to get to where we need to be. So go on inside.” (LJ) Joon had to show them how to open the vehicle before showing them how to get in. Luckily, this vehicle was big enough for all of them to fit. If it wasn’t for the fact that they needed to transport resistance members from one location to another in a quick manner, then they may not have had this kind of vehicle for this moment.
With everyone sitting comfortably inside the vehicle, Joon started it up before looking around. Since Byunghee was usually the one who drove it, Joon had to figure out where the button was to open up the tunnel that would lead outside of the city. “Where… was… tha- aah hah!” (LJ)
Joon pressed a button that was hidden underneath the corner of the padding on the ceiling. Instantly, the wall in front of them began opening up, revealing a tunnel that continued to open up before them. Grinning with eagerness, Joon brought the vehicle into drive before they began moving forward. Everyone other than Joon was caught off guard by the sudden movement. Some of them grabbed onto whatever they could for dear life while a few others were more or less amazed by the vehicle.
The vehicle itself wasn’t like the old wagons that had to be drawn by horses or magic. With the help of the crystals, vehicles could move simply by hovering along the ground. It solved the problem of bumpy rides, so the vehicle could run move faster without too many drawbacks. If it wasn’t for the fact that crystals can regenerate their energy, then they may not have used crystals as the energy source for many things in the first place.
When the rest of the group felt reassured that they were safe within the vehicle, most of them managed to calm down to enjoy just how fast the tunnel seemed to be passing them by. The lights that the vehicle was emanating seemed to also be rather entrancing as the lights bounced and moved along the smooth tunnel surfaces. Joon couldn’t help but quietly laugh to himself as he watched the group marvel at what was currently going on.
After a few minutes had passed, the tunnel seemed to finally come to an end as a bright light revealed itself to the group. Emerging from the tunnel, it took a moment or so for their eyes to adjust to the light before they were able to look at their surroundings.
All around them, there were crystals are shining delicately along the cavern surfaces. Whether it was a pillar, the wall, the floor, the ceiling, or even other crystals, there were crystals all around. It wasn’t too dark or too bright, but it was just enough to be able to see what was in the cavern. “Wow… So we’re in another cave?” (JE)
“Noot… exactly. I guess we are? But we’re in something called mines. People who want these crystals dig all these out then sell them to make a profit. Luckily, the miner aren’t working at the moment, so we don’t have to worry about getting caught.” (LJ) Joon held his grin, as he made sure to carefully navigate through the mines. From having traveled through these mines quite a number of times, Joon already knew that it would take them a few hours before they made it on the opposite side of the mountain. As long as there was nothing down here to give away their position, then there shouldn’t be any sort of delay in their travel.
“Are we safe in here?” (JE)
“As safe as we’ll ever get… for now anyway. Ah, lighten up! Not like we’ll get caught anyway.” (LJ) Joon nodded at his own statement, quite certain that he was correct with his assumption. Besides the miners, no one ever came down to the mines. It wasn’t haunted or abandoned or anything like that, it was just more or less dangerous for them to just come waltzing in. “Anyway, just sit back and relax. It’ll be a bit before we make it out of here.” (LJ)
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[[ My Own Thoughts:
Hey there!
Sorry that it’s a bit short, buuut…
It felt like a good place to cut the chapter off at. X3
So, hopefully that’s alright for everyone!
Hope everyone’s enjoying the fanfic thus far.
Comments are loved. X3
I love talking with everyone >3<
It’s also nice to know how I’m doing with each chapter. ]]
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