The Risk

Kai knew he couldn't save everyone in the world. As long as there are those who live, there will always be those who resist, and those who dispute. The killer and the killed always coexist.

In an ideal world, everyone gets choices. But the real one demands sacrifices—so he makes them, whether he likes it or not.

To Kai, it was always the choices he didn't like making, but they were nevertheless necessary.

His body felt lighter than usual, the pain almost non-existent, his mind at peace. But he knew it was just the calm before the storm.

"...!"

A lump of pain, like cancer, appeared out of nowhere in the pit of his stomach. His vision went blank. The acidic sensation of spitting out whatever he had in his stomach was all he could feel.

"Aaarh...!"

His eyes snapped open, staring upward. Kai spat out a black stone.

"..?"

Despite the pain in his head, he saw that the process was over.

The black stone started to disintegrate as soon as it was exposed to air. Like burning coal, it emitted smoke slowly until it vanished completely.

Kai had no time to waste. He had just lost his source of power. Now all the tools he brought with him were useless. He had to throw them all out and pretend to be a civilian. If that didn't work, he'd die anyway.

My powers are useless to me right now. In my condition, I can't continue to fight. I have to hide until I figure something out.

He immediately started walking in the direction the fox had told him. He was deep in the infirmary, and there was only one place with the most people.

There's always a backup route to escape when people are in the base. There's no way the gate is the only exit. If I can blend in with them, I can get out too.

His plan was mostly simple, but involved a lot of risk. If he was caught at any point before reaching the outside, they'd kill him - and he had no chance of fighting back.

There was a rag of clothing on the ground, probably from a deceased patient. Kai took it without hesitation and changed.

Soon, he saw light as a few people walked down a different corridor. Most were injured and heading toward the area where the soldiers had taken others.

This is it.

***

The soldiers were instructed to bring everyone to the main hall. One of them was in charge of Bucky's sister and a unit captain, Scarlett.

The red-haired woman who was still unconscious from her previous battle with the base invaders. She had been brought in on a wheelchair to Area Four's infirmary. The soldier accompanying her was ordered to bring her, along with everyone else, to the main hall.

I don't know what's happening anymore. But I need to protect the captain at all costs. I can't leave her like this.

He was one of the soldiers under her command, but his squad had died with the others in Area Two. He was doing what he could to save those he still knew.

While heading to the main hall, in a corridor that joined his, a dark-haired young man stepped out. Suddenly alert, the soldier raised his gun.

"..!"

"Wait, wait! Don't kill me!" the person cried, falling to the ground as soon as he saw the weapon.

"...Sorry," the soldier apologized, lowering his gun and returning it to the holster at his waist. "I was surprised, that's all. Who are you and where did you come from?"

"I'm just a civilian working in Area Three. I was sent down here during the emergency lockdown."

The soldier felt like he had seen the man before. He was suspicious, but pushed the thought aside - he was in a hurry.

"Everyone's ordered to meet in the main hall. Let's go," he said, continuing to escort the captain.

The man followed shortly after and successfully merged with the group heading toward the hall. He was sweating and trembling with fear - until he saw the other people.

A little fox hidden inside his coat made a noise, calming him down.

It was Kai. For a moment, he feared the worst when his first encounter was with a soldier.

Good thing he didn't recognize me.

Now, just as he had planned, he was among the crowd.

Now I just need to find the backup escape route the military uses.

***

In Area Four, where everyone was being held, one of the quarters hissed open. It belonged to the Grants. Valer stepped out.

"Will you be alright?" William asked. He was doing what she had asked and hoped all of this would turn out okay.

"You don't have to worry about me," she replied. "Take your family to where I told you. You need to be in position when the tunnel opens."

William had plenty of questions for the girl - how she knew what she did, and more importantly, why she was helping them. Surely, she could survive and escape on her own. But she was risking everything to help them.

I have to trust her, he thought.

Valer ran toward the largest building in the area. The infirmary had the most people. To execute her plan and help the family, she needed to sneak in and get everyone out.

Bucky had already arrived at the infirmary with his troops. There was still a bit of smoke in the air, making everything blurry. Then, a shadow appeared—

A man walked out with his hands raised, as if surrendering. But as soon as Bucky saw the red hair, he raised his gun.

"It's you!"

"Yes, it's me," Crimson replied.

He smiled at the soldiers, as if their guns were mere toys. Sure, they were better than the primitive weapons from before the apocalypse, but still nothing compared to him. He was calm, while the others were tense.

"Don't mistake this," he said. "I'm only raising my hands because I don't want to keep fighting. I know about the Plaguebeast and our situation. So I'm offering a truce."

Bucky immediately saw what was happening.

A truce?

Crimson must've realized there was no other way out. In this situation, only Bucky knew how to access the bunkers. But it was risky—those bunkers were next to the nuclear warheads.

If this man came all the way here, then he must be holding the infirmary residents as hostages.

I see where you're going with this.

Crimson was basically saying: Even with your knowledge of the bunkers, if I don't get out, no one does.

"And if we don't agree?" Bucky raised an eyebrow. He needed to understand this man, especially if they were going to be forced into cooperation.

"You'll die with me. I know about that place," Crimson said, pointing toward his right, where the nukes were. His ability to control fire made his threat more real than Bucky liked.

The lieutenant's eyes narrowed. He was in a difficult position. Shaking hands with a man he had sworn to eliminate, a murderer, was disgusting, even as a thought.

But the alternative was letting everyone die.

"What do you want, really?" he asked.

"Same as you, right now," Crimson replied, his expression turning serious. "To get out of here."

Meanwhile, Valer sneaked around the infirmary to slip in from behind.

She knew her way around the building like she had been to this place before, countless times.

She reached the central command room where the head doctor was being held hostage by someone from Crimson's team. No one had noticed her yet. Before anyone could act, Valer moved faster than air, grabbed the one in control, and struck her from behind.

"What...?" Koul reacted. Someone had just come in and knocked out one of his men.

There were two more left, and they saw her. Valer grabbed a knife from one of them and threw it at another faster than Koul could see it coming.

"Who are...?"

She hit Koul with the hilt of his own knife. Damn it, who is this? Someone this powerful was hiding the whole time?

His thoughts ran wildly as he fell down, but she didn't knock him out completely.

Crimson had given Koul one mission, to hold the place hostage until the others accepted the truce. He would be furious if he found out someone got the better of him in a fight. Losing the hostage now meant losing everything.

I can't let her contact her pals and let the army come in.

Koul misunderstood whose side she was on. She didn't work for the military or the awakened. Valer didn't care about either side until William's family got involved. Her background remained a mystery, but William trusted her to protect his family, and that was the only thing she cared about right now.

The head doctor thought he was saved, but she just threw a punch and knocked him out too.

What she did next was even more unexpected.

She started accessing the computers to send out some kind of command. Valer somehow knew everything she needed to access the systems.

Who is this, really? Koul thought, genuinely curious. He tried to stand and stop her, assuming she was up to no good, especially after attacking him.

"Don't," she said, her eyes briefly turning red for a moment. "You'll only hurt yourself if you fight me."

Koul stopped, fear gripping him. He realized he was no match for her. There was nothing he could do against her.