CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE OTHER SIDE!

❝ DO YOU EVER WONDER WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE ON THE OTHER SIDE? ❞

╍╍╍╍╍⬖⬘⬗╍╍╍╍╍

Scared.

The scientist was beyond terrified at this point. His eyes were nearly gouging out of his eye sockets, his mouth dry and no sentences could be formed in his brain. It was as if everything went blank.

"I'm from the Rebellion, of course."

That phrase kept echoing in his empty mind. He wanted to dodge the situation so bad, he wanted to run and never look back, but his answers were right in front of him. Everything—every single ounce of curiosity he had in him could be solved by the person right in front of him.

The Hidden. The doctor in front of him is a hidden. Kim Dongyoung — who rather used Doyoung — is a hidden member of the Rebellion. One of the glitches in the society that causes all the errors in the system. He was on that side of their world.

The black-haired doctor that sat in front of him hummed much to his amusement. Seeing the usually frantic and ebullient scientist so silent made him cackle. Not so science-y now, huh? Doyoung glances down at his wristwatch, scowling at the time. He lets out a sigh, drumming his fingers rhythmically on Hansol's desk. "Well? Are you gonna sit here and stare at me like I'm some sore of ghost?"

Hansol snaps out of his trance, coughing violently and shook his head vigorously. "W-What? You're... you are one of them." He muttered and from the looks of his face, Doyoung was sure that he wasn't talking about his fellow irregular's outside the laboratory—Hansol was referring to Doyoung's friends that were currently locked up in isolation rooms and might as well being driven from their own sanities.

"You don't have to join, though that would be a huge disaster if ever you rat us out to the UA officials." Doyoung shrugged his shoulders, his stance suggested that he was more comfortable than he usually was. Doyoung was a confident man and he sure knows how to work his way through people, some tend to overlook that, honestly. Hansol furrowed his eyebrows, having a mental debate with himself. He wasn't sure whether to trust Doyoung or not; he wasn't sure whether Doyoung was indeed one of the officials and this was all just a test to trial his loyalty towards the UA.

Hansol nods slowly, taking deep breaths to calm himself down from his visibly agitated figure. He chooses the latter. Believing that Doyoung was actually an official and was there to test his loyalty—yes, that seemed almost right to him. Regaining his composure, he straightened up, giving the faintest smirk back at Doyoung who looked rather confused.

Why is he smirking? Is he over-analyzing the situation?

"Okay, cut the cameras! I've proven my loyalty—"

His little speech was cut off when Doyoung bursted out laugh. Catching the scientist off-guard, the black-haired doctor bends and clutches his stomach, laughter bubbling from the back of his throat and seemed very unlikely to stop any minute from now. It continued on until Doyoung got tired, releasing a few contented sighs, wiping his nonexistent tears of joy with his index finger.

He flickers his eyes over at the scientist who's body slumped in his seat, eyebrows knitted together in annoyance. "Are you fucking with me, Doyoung?"

"Listen here, old man," Doyoung stops laughing and the once stoic, serious attitude came back on as if a switch triggered it. He stares blankly into Hansol's eyes, shaking his head. "I'm not kidding. It's not the time to 'kid'. I have a future to save and if you care about the future too, then make your choice."

"And why do you think I'd choose you?" His response nearly came out as a full scoff.

Doyoung cocked a brow up before a smile dawns on the lower half of his face. "Do you ever wonder what it feels like to be on the other side?" And with that one simple question, Hansol was thrown off into a pit full of his curiosity. He grits his teeth together, trying to contain the overwhelming feeling of wanting to burst the bubble and ask everything his heart desires for, but could he do that? Could he betray the UA? The ever so 'absolute truth' the UA keeps on branding into their minds?

Oh, certainly he was. Hansol was a man of his own and he the thought of being played by the government itself made him shudder. Having the privilege of being one of the insiders, he knew a handful of what the UA shuts away from the public. There were moments he questioned those actions but completely shrugged them away like it was nothing. But no, they were not just nothing. What they were doing was horrible and Hansol could confirm that just by being a scientist in that remote laboratory.

"Fuck you."

Doyoung was taken aback at first but grins when he had finally reeled in his fish. He outstretched an arm towards Hansol who reluctantly grabs onto it. "You won't regret it, doctor."

"So what's the plan?"

≫≫≫

"Get up." The sound of one of the soldier's gruff voice made Yangyang stir in his sleep. His body aching at how uncomfortable it was to sleep in the rock-hard bed he had in his isolation room. Groaning, the boy glanced down at the chains secured around his ankles, wincing at how heavy they have gotten.

"What are you waiting for? I said GET UP!"

Yangyang let out a brash scoff, forehead creasing as he slowly sat up, still a bit groggy from just waking up. "The hell do you want?" He spat out.

"Talk back to me again and I'll make sure you're the one who gets to sit on the electric chair and not that Sicheng freak."

Yangyang rolls his eyes, "Insult us again and you would never see the light of day ever again." He was about to throw another retort when a certain blue-haired man was yanked behind another soldier, his hardened gaze faltering. "Kun...?"

"Just do as he says, Yang. Don't want to waste our energy on some worthless scums."

The sound of an electric shock echoed the arid hallways making Yangyang gasp and reached towards the door only to pulled back by the chains. He grits his teeth, "Don't hurt him!"

"Kun! Are you okay?!"

"Calling us worthless scums? Do I have to remind you who has the authority and power here?" The soldier spoke with a tantalizing smirk, looking down at the blue-haired subject he gave an electric shock.

"Soren. Kyel. Didn't the CSO order you to already bring them to their eating area? They're going to be late on their meals." The two soldiers froze as they heard a feminine voice waver down the hallway. They find the scientist's assistant and immediately nodded in fear. Although she was just an assistant, the scientist had control over them as she works beside the one who is in charge of the experiments.

"Soren? Kyel? What weird names." Yangyang muttered under his breath letting one of the soldiers unlock his chains only to be clipped with cuffs that automatically electrocutes them with a push of a button. They were dragged into their specified eating area and were thrown inside, the sound of the door being locked behind them.

Yangyang finds the rest of their friends inside the room and sighed, stretching his limbs and scratching the skin above the black choker that was around his neck. Irritated, he takes a seat beside Lucas who kept whimpering in pain. "I almost forget I had this fucking choker."

Sicheng tightly shut his eyes, hands clamped on his ears to suppress the sound of Lucas' soft whimpers. It kept reminding him of what happened and why he was in so much pain. The bandage wrapped around Lucas' upper body was a big reminder.

The door opens again and Hendery was thrown inside, his whole body dripping wet from the test they forced him in. Kun furrowed his eyebrows, looking up at the black-haired male who had just been put inside with them. "Wait, they already did tests on you?"

Hendery took a deep breath, shivering from the cold air. "Is it that obvious?" He retorted, his tone laced with sarcasm that even a dense person could tell.

Kun rolled his eyes at Hendery, looking down at his tray of food. "How did their experiment go on you?"

Hendery shrugged, taking a seat next to Xiaojun. He had a stoic look on, eyes almost empty as his already torn soul. "The usual. It didn't work. This time, I wasn't afraid if they left me to drown."

"What are they trying to work with you anyway? Breathing underwater? What? First they turn Lucas into..." Yangyang huffs, "I don't know! A giant bird-man of some sort- those wings- his wings! Now what? They're going to turn you into a fish? A shark, perhaps?"

"Now that sounds terrible and ridiculous. Is that even possible?" Xiaojun pointed out, shuddering at the thought of becoming a fish.

Hendery snorted, waving them off calmly. "You wanna talk about UA and possibility? Maybe that's one of the disadvantages the Rebellion has- we're lacking this 'possibility' of us freeing the world from devils themselves."

Yangyang sighed, burying his face into his arms, not having the appetite to eat nor taste the food. "I've already freed myself from the plantation-" he pauses and takes note of the choker around his neck, "well, almost. And now, I'm gonna free myself again from this hell hole."

"They don't even do much on you." Lucas muttered, thinking about how Yangyang rarely comes out of his cell. "They can't even dare to slice your skin open and that's probably because of you being one of those Seventh Sense project they were trying to succeed."

"Ugh, I hate that name. Seventh Sense."

"Why was it named Seventh Sense anyway?" Xiaojun's ears perked up, eager to know more about Yangyang's past with the lab rats.

Yangyang shrugged, "We never really knew much but our blood isn't technically 'normal' and they called us that because we were a highly-intelligent genus. Of course to the UA, we were a threat for our intelligence. These chokers were trackers and though Yuta has disabled them all, they can't be removed without the special key." The boy recalls his past at the house and frowns when he realizes that the place was probably still ongoing and there were more kids being used and experimented on.

Before anyone could even say anything else, a familiar black-haired doctor almost waltzes into their eating hall, catching them all off guard. They had been dying to get the signal and here it was, right it front of them, smiling like he had won the lotto. There were a lot of times wherein the six boys sat in their cells, wondering if they'd ever get the signal that their plan had succeeded or at least any updates on it, but no, there were absolutely none. Ever since Ten had escaped all they ever got was a load more of excruciating pain.

"Y-You're..." Xiaojun looks around suspiciously before whispering. "Here." He finishes, staring wide-eyed at their undercover.

Kim Dongyoung; his silver badge glinted under the light once more.

Doyoung kept a straight face but strode forward, placing his hand on the table. With the use of his thumb, he did subtle taps against the table and the rest immediately understood what he was trying to say.

We've got the scientist on our side. Prepare for the escape.

╍╍╍╍╍⬖⬘⬗╍╍╍╍╍