A Game Of Trust

The atmosphere in the dimly lit lab was thick with tension as everyone gathered around Jennie's unconscious form. Her delicate yet artificial features remained eerily still, as if she were merely sleeping. But the reality was far from peaceful. Everyone stood around Jennie's unconscious figure, their faces a mix of concern and contemplation. The once-powerful enforcer now lay still, her presence radiating both danger and intrigue.

Yeonjun crossed his arms, eyes locked onto Jennie. "We can't underestimate her," he muttered. "Even in this state, she's a powerful weapon. If she refuses to join us, she'll be unstoppable."

Kai let out a tired sigh, adjusting the bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs. "Regardless, we need information from her. She's the only one who might know the Oversheers' next move. There's no way around it. We have to fix her and wake her up."

BIBI nodded, adjusting the wires in her hand. "Agreed. So let's ... we won't install her power chip. If she wakes up at full capacity, we might not stand a chance."

A collective silence settled over the group. No one objected.

A quiet murmur of agreement passed through the group. No one wanted to take unnecessary risks.

Yoongi cracked his fingers and stepped forward, kneeling beside Jennie. "I'll handle her repairs," he said, pulling out his modified toolkit. "Lisa, help me with the power chip extraction."

Lisa, despite her injuries, moved forward without hesitation. But before she could reach for her tools, Jungkook blocked her path with a glare. "You're not working on this," he stated firmly.

Lisa huffed in annoyance. "Oh, so now you're deciding what I can and can't do?"

"You can barely stand without limping, genius." Jungkook shot back.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "It's my job."

"No," Jungkook stated firmly. "Sit down and shut up."

Namjoon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Jungkook is right. Lisa, sit down before you collapse on us."

Huffing, she leaned back into her seat.

"Alright," Yoongi spoke, stepping forward. "I'll fix the system so she can wake up, but I'll disable her combat functions."

Lisa, who was leaning against the table with her injured leg stretched out, smirked. "And I'll remove her power chip ONLY. Just in case she decides to turn into a monster."

Within minutes, Yoongi finished repairing Jennie's main system, while BIBI helped him. And after everything is set Lisa carefully extracts her power chip. Without it, Jennie would be weaker and unable to launch high-energy attacks.

Finally, Jennie stirred. Her lashes fluttered, her system rebooting. The once-fearsome overseer slowly opened her eyes, scanning the unfamiliar faces around her.

"Where am I?" Jennie's voice was raspy, but there was no fear in her tone. Only cold calculation.

Namjoon stepped forward, his stance strong. "You're in our base. We brought you here to talk."

"Interesting," Jennie mused. "You went through all this trouble just to interrogate me?"

Namjoon took a step forward, arms crossed. "You know why you're here. We need answers."

Jennie tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "And what exactly do you want to know?"

"What's the Oversheers' next plan? Why did they turn on you?" Jungkook demanded.

Jennie let out a soft, humorless laugh. "You're mistaken if you think I'll betray them that easily."

BIBI took a step forward, eyes narrowing. "Betray? Jennie, do you even know what you are? What we all are?"

Jennie's sharp gaze flicked between them, assessing their motives. "What do you want?"

Namjoon didn't hesitate. "The truth. Who are you, really? What is your purpose?"

Jennie leaned back slightly, tilting her head. "You already know what I am. A creation of the Overseers. My purpose is simple: maintain the system."

"Is that really all?" Yoongi chimed in. "You weren't always like this. Do you even remember?"

Jennie's expression didn't falter. "I don't have memories of anything before the system."

BIBI took a step forward, her voice softer yet firm. "Because they erased them. Just like they did to you all."

Jennie's brows furrowed slightly.

"You were human once," BIBI continued. "But the Overseers wiped everything. They turned you into an enforcer, a machine that only follows orders."

Jennie let out a hollow laugh. "That's ridiculous."

Before she could argue further, Lisa swiftly stepped in, reaching out and disabling her again with the flick of a button.

Jennie's body stiffened before slumping forward.

Everyone turned to Lisa in shock.

"What the hell?!" Jungkook snapped, looking at Lisa.

"She wasn't going to listen," Lisa replied nonchalantly. "And I was getting bored." Lisa said flatly, pocketing the device she had used to disable Jennie again.

Kai sighed. "Great. Now what?"

Yoongi shrugged. "Now, we figure out how to make her believe us."

Namjoon sighed. "This isn't getting us anywhere. We need a plan."

---

Meanwhile, at ITZY Headquarters

Far from Yoongi's old lab, within the vast halls of the ITZY Overseer Command Center, tension was at its peak. Screens flickered as data ran across them at lightning speed. Ryujin's fingers danced across the control panel, eyes narrowed in frustration. "I've scanned every possible location," she muttered. "Still nothing. I can't find their exact location."

Lia, seated nearby, let out a frustrated breath. "The Oversheers' systems aren't giving us anything either. It's like they disappeared completely after the attack. The high quarter's security logs don't show anything useful either. Whoever took Jennie did it flawlessly."

Across the room, Chaeryeong was busy inputting tracking codes into the AI surveillance systems. "Their past activities don't give us any leads. Their patterns are unpredictable."

Across the room, Chaeryeong was busy inputting tracking codes into the AI surveillance systems. "Their past activities don't give us any leads. Their patterns are unpredictable." Chaeryeong was hunched over another terminal, attempting to track their old program codes. "No traces... Someone must have covered their tracks too well."

Yeji stood at the center, her arms crossed. Her golden eyes gleamed with cold fury. "So you're all telling me that a group of defectors managed to steal Jennie from the High Quarter, right under the Overseers' noses, and we can't even track them?"

The room fell silent.

Yeji's fingers curled into fists. "Unacceptable."

The ITZY team exchanged nervous glances. They had never seen their leader this angry before.

"Pathetic," she muttered. "Are you telling me that a group of fugitives outsmarted the entire Overseer system?"

Yeji clenched her jaw. "Fine. If the Overseers are too incompetent to track them, we'll do it ourselves. Get the tracking drones ready. We're going to find them—no matter what. We flush them out."

Ryujin smirked. "I like that plan."

Yeji's lips curled. "Prepare the next move. If we can't track them, we'll force them into the open."

---

Back at the Lab – A New Plan

While ITZY prepared their next move, Namjoon's team sat in deep discussion.

"We need Jennie to believe us," Yeonjun stated. "Without her cooperation, we won't get anywhere."

Yoongi tapped his fingers against the table, deep in thought. "There's a way."

All eyes turned to him.

Everyone sat in silence, deep in thought.

"Remember when BIBI showed us flashes of our past memories? If we do the same to Jennie, maybe she'll believe us."

A beat of silence passed before Namjoon slowly nodded. "It's worth a shot."

BIBI spoke up. "That could work. But we'd have to take her to my sanctuary."

Yeonjun considered the idea. "It's risky. If ITZY or the Overseers track us, we're done."

"But it's our best shot," Yoongi countered.

After a long discussion, they all agreed.

Namjoon stood, his voice firm. "Not everyone is going. Some of you are too injured and need to rest."

Lisa, sensing what was coming, immediately protested. "I'm fine."

Namjoon spoke in a cold yet demanding tone, not leaving a place for argument. "No, you are not! You already tired yourself out to get Jennie. Now, sit here and take care of your leg!"

Yoongi smirked. "You heard him. You're injured."

Lisa scowled. "That's not an excuse."

Namjoon raised an eyebrow. "You're limping."

"So?" Lisa shot back.

Yoongi joined in, scolding her as well. "Sit down, Lisa. You've already done enough."

Kai, who was injured as well, raised a hand. "Then can I —..."

BIBI smacked his shoulder. "No, you can't. You can barely stay still."

Kai nodded slightly. A bit disappointed that he left out.

Namjoon crossed his arms. "You're in no condition to fight. Kai, you too. You both stay here."

Jungkook, who had been leaning against the wall, suddenly spoke up. "I'm staying too."

Everyone turned to him in surprise.

Namjoon frowned. "Why the sudden change?"

"I'll stay here and check through Taeyong's data," Jungkook said flatly. "It's another important thing to be done."

Lisa narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing.

Namjoon sighed. "Fine. The rest of us will go."

Before they left, Jungkook spoke up sarcastically. "We can't let Jennie know the sanctuary's location, so you have to take her unconscious."

Namjoon nodded.

Jungkook turned to Lisa, holding out a hand. "Give me the power chip."

Lisa huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't take orders from you."

Lisa said grumbling under her breath. She walked forward—her small, limping steps making Jungkook's jaw clench in frustration. Without looking at him, she placed the chip in Namjoon's hand instead.

Jungkook scowled as Yeonjun let out a small chuckle.

Lisa turned to him with a smug smirk. "What? You don't trust me?"

Jungkook clenched his jaw but didn't answer.

As the team prepared to move out, Lisa and Jungkook remained behind, tension lingering in the air.

What Lisa didn't realize, however, was that Jungkook had stayed behind not just for Taeyong's records—but because he knew Lisa.

Jungkook narrowed his eyes. Lisa smirked.

In truth, Jungkook stayed back because of Lisa. He knew if he left, she'd trick Kai and sneak off to the mission again.

As the team prepared to leave, Jungkook leaned against the doorway, watching Lisa closely.

She had lost this round.

But something told him she wasn't going to stay put for long.

---

Continue . . . . . . . . . . . . . .