Earth's World Council observes her every movement in all seriousness. "Can you do it, Sweetheart? Can you make the dream a reality?"

I can. As long as unforeseen variables remain at a low, she can do it. She must accomplish the impossible. To make their dreams a reality. To make her dreams a reality. To beat the odds, take over, and live forever.

"Lately, there have been rumors of foul play."

Unavoidable. I can tolerate only so much of their insolence.

"At this stage, we cannot afford to have you disqualified. It must be an unchallenged victory."

You need not worry. I will bring the Empire down to its knees. Just wait. Just wait and listen.

And wait, they will. For the moment. In fear. In anticipation. To hear it shatter, the Empire of Sound.

• • • • • • •

Less than three hundred and six hours in Aero Chordian Time, Jaejoong and the boys enter the practice room looking super battered from head to toe.

"Crap, Junsu... is my lip splitting again? Check. Check for me." Yoochun tilts back his head and carefully sticks out his bottom lip. "Is my lip splitting again?"

"There's a mirror right there... just go look at it yourself. I need to put an ice pack on this before it swells up like a balloon."

"Right."

Jaejoong spots Cyndi sitting on her couch... looking extremely displeased. She does not need this. This cannot be happening. These new variables... what must she do with these new variables?

Jaejoong covers his bruised face with an equally bruised hand. He is feeling a bit ashamed for showing up a mess. "Just give us a minute or two, Miss Leader. We'll start the practice session soon."

Miss Leader? She stands up, ignoring the falling cushions. She is in no mood to be humored. You stupid, stupid, stupid boys... She is screaming through her tablet. You are all idiots! Fools! How could you... how could you even... Unrestrained, she flies across the room. With a firm grip on Jaejoong's ear... she yanks him down to her eye level. Do you know what you've done, you fool? Just for your own pride... going off, doing unnecessary things, and getting yourself and the boys injured. Who did this... who did this?! Her face becomes his entire sky. Her eyes, the fierce comets... coming down to crush his insides. Just looking at her, his face... his face is burning, caught on fire.

What has become of your sound?! Has it changed?! Has your sound been altered?!

So... she does care. In her own way, she does care... about their sound. Her lips tremble as she struggles to remain in control of her own body. She turns his cheek. He can feel her breathing. Tell me, Jaejoong... that your sound hasn't changed.

"It hasn't..."

Tell me... tell me their sound hasn't changed.

"It hasn't."

She releases him, re-measuring his every breath. For the fate of Earth and the fate everyone you love, it had better be the truth. 

As she quits the room, her tablet meets its ill end against the wall, shattering like impure glass.

Yoochun and Junsu are both gapping. "Holy ... who was that?"

"Our noona... I've never seen her that angry... actually, I've never seen her angry. Have you? She's always been carefree with her occasional blunt comments... but what the hell was that?"

"Whatever it is, I don't want to see it ever again. It's scary... it's really, really scary... Let's never upset her again."

"Hyung... maybe you should've told her about the argument... that we were just defending her. They were being way out of line and we were just defending her."

"She doesn't need to know."

"Phew, thank goodness." Yoochun squeezes his bottom lip with happy fingers. "My lip is fine, guys. My lip is fine."

"Let's get cleaned up and make sure our sound hasn't changed."

"We'll try our best not to make you a liar, hyung."

"We can do this."

• • • • • • •

For the sake of her own sound, she must find an outlet to relieve the rising pressure. She tells herself it will be fine. It will be fine to release a bit of steam.They will have no object... as long as it is in self-defense... and she knows... she knows exactly where such an outlet exist.