CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE LAB RATS!

❝ OPEN IT ALONE ❞

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"As you can see we have two buildings right in front of us. The white building is the training institute where the dining hall is at including the dorms and other rooms that fulfill any human's requirements such as clothes, entertainment, and so on. The smaller building is the office center. Literally where everything works! From hundreds of control panels, meeting rooms, workspace—just work in general, you name it." Yunseo continued to blabber about the different functions and rooms the buildings had and Sera mostly zoned out on a couple of them, not that she wasn't paying attention but other things may have caught her eyes.

The tour continued on and it basically lasted for about an hour. Mark didn't want Yunseo to go into too much detail since they won't even stay there for long, it would only be a waste of time, he says.

And so, the group made their way towards the dining hall. Jisung would be lying if he said he didn't find a single thing from the tour interesting because the moment he saw something unfamiliar and new, he had his eyes gawking at the item. His gaze soon trailed onto the girl recruit, wondering what made her join the rebellion too. Though it was good to have a few of his undying questions answered and finally know the other side of the society, he wished to know which one was truly on the good side.

Upon entering the dining hall, they saw a couple of people, normally in groups, occupying some of the tables. Sera's gaze flickered onto a group of boys who seemed to be messing around, although they also seemed to have finished their meals. The group of boys noticed them and stood up to greet the newcomers.

"Yunseo!" A pink-haired boy exclaimed, quickly running up to the said girl and engulfed her in a hug. "See? We knew you could do it!"

A pinkish hue dusted the girl's cheek as she looked away shyly. She laced her fingers together and mumbled, "Whatever."

Despite the wary feeling that ticked Sera off; including the fact that she had no idea about these people and their true intentions, she had decided to push away her trust issues and saw them as very nice people. She thought that Yunseo was extremely pretty, especially with her blonde hair contrasting to her pitch-black hair. She also admired the fact that the younger girl made an effort to talk to her even though it was clear just now that she had trouble with that.

Yunseo walked over to Sera and Jisung giving them a small smile then gesturing over to a clean, unoccupied table. "I bet you two are hungry after that long trip and after taking in a shit ton of information—"

"Yunseo! Language!" The pink-haired boy lightly scolds her.

The girl rolls her eyes at the boy and leads the way for the two new recruits. After they had all settled on a table, Mark and Yunseo decided to go grab their dinner for them leaving the two with the group of boys plus Yuta.

"Jisung! Sera!" Yuta calls out and signaled towards the group of boys. "These are the lab rats, plus Yunseo, of course."

Lab rats? Both recruits thought weirdly.

"Brats. Introduce yourself."

The pink-haired boy went first, giving them a faint smile. "My name is Jaemin, it's a pleasure to have you guys here!"

A boy with black hair this time spoke in a rather cold tone. He seemed uninterested either. "Renjun."

That's it? Jisung furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm Donghyuck!" His gaze shifts onto the young boy then to the girl, it seemed like he was analyzing them discreetly. "Welcome to the Resistance!"

"I'm Jeno," a boy with crescent-shaped eyes said and Sera thought his eyes were the most adorable feature she ever saw from someone. "If you guys need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask us- err... me!" He chuckles nervously when Renjun shot him a stern look.

Another boy steps out from behind Donghyuck and timidly waved his hand. "My name is Shotaro, but calling me Taro or Sho is okay too. Don't mind Renjun, he's not fond of new people."

Renjun scoffed, "I never said—"

"Your face says it all." Sera blurts out, cutting the boy off accidentally. "I mean...just saying." She shrugs off her embarrassment, looking away from the piercing glare the younger boy sent towards her direction. His fellow friends all held in their laughs but soon failed to do so causing fits of joy to emit from their mouths. Yuta snorted at her comment and held back Renjun who dared to fight her.

"Now, now, let's be nice to the recruits."

Renjun snarled and crossed his arms over his chest, lowering his head to bite back the urge to retort. Jeno merely shook his head, nudging his friend gently. "At least look...friendly."

"Not in the mood for some fake shit. Rather be normal than sugarcoat things." Renjun grumbled.

Mark and Yunseo soon returned to the table, a bit confused as to why some of them (mostly the lab rats) were busy laughing their asses off. Yunseo squinted her eyes at the boys, trying to look for answers and they all pointed towards Renjun who slumped in his seat annoyed. Yunseo placed down the trays and sighed, "Okay, what did you brats do this time?"

Mark raised a brow and sat beside Jisung who eyed the older female. "What's wrong?" Mark questioned the teen, also looking over at Sera who awkwardly scooted for Yunseo to sit down.

Yuta was about to answer when his phone buzzed and signaled him for an emergency meeting. He shoots up from his seat and spared them a glance. "I have a meeting to run to. Enjoy your dinners!" As he passed the table, he tapped on Sera's shoulder, handing her a small piece of paper before running off. "Open it alone." He had whispered.

Mark eyes Sera's closed palm and used his foot to lightly kick her under the table. "Ow!" His eyes widen when he accidentally kicks the wrong foot. "Who was that!?" Renjun grumbled, turning towards Donghyuck who immediately shook his head. "Not me!"

The boy tried again and this time Sera flinched, looking up to see Mark glaring at her. A bit weirded out, she glares back and shoved her fist into her pocket. Mark wondered what did Yuta pass onto her—Was it a piece of paper? A tissue paper? If so... what was written on it? Curiosity has never been Mark's best friend, it nearly drove him insane once and he preferred it not to happen again. He sighed and lets go of it, letting himself get drowned in the other's conversations.

After dinner, Mark and Yunseo took the recruits to the dormitory and showed them their own room, which happened to be ready and already filled with their necessities and usual antiques. "Your room can only be accessed through the master keycard and your own keycard, although the master keycard is being held by someone else, no need to worry though."

Sera sauntered into her room, marveling at the simple interior and decorations they had put up. Her eyes laid onto the desk where she saw a few unknown electronics on top of the surface. Yunseo skipped behind her, peering over the older girl's shoulder. "Those are things you need for training! I'll help you familiarize yourself with the things, although it's not that hard."

"Thank you," Sera glanced at the girl and gave her a friendly smile. "Thank you, really."

The blonde shook her head and waved it like it was nothing. "You're welcome! There aren't many girls around here, there's Riku...and a few others but I mostly feel better on my own, but don't be afraid to approach me! I'm- happy to be of help."

The two had turned their words of compliment into long sentences until finally, they had grown into a comfortable conversation wherein both of them seemed to enjoy. After tucking Jisung into bed, shocked at how earlier he slept, Mark stood by the doorway of Sera's room, a smile dawning on his lips as he watched the two girls converse. It was his first time seeing Yunseo talk so freely before and it wasn't until he started hearing Yunseo blabber more excitingly.

Throughout his time in the rebellion and being born into it, he knew Yunseo ever since they ran into their base for help. He knew her as a closed-off teen who rather spend her time alone by reading tons of books or observe the people surrounding her. Not only was she smart but she also got quite the looks and it didn't take long for some to swoon over her, she never really liked the attention given, she preferred her long-time guy friends anyway.

When Mark caught a glimpse of the time, he clears his throat and crossed his arms. His action prompted the girls to look up and Sera's face contorted into a more scornful look to which Mark scoffed at. The young male tapped his wrist and that made Yunseo check the time, gasping lightly when she realized it was nearly past her bedtime.

"Oh no, Ten's gonna kill me if he finds out I'm not in my bed!" The blonde-headed girl freaked, jolting up from her seat.

Mark sniggered, jabbing his thumb outside. "Then you better start running, Yunie." And with that, the girl sprints out after yelling out a quick "Goodnight" towards Sera.

Sera cocked a brow up and laid back onto her bed, "They have a bedtime?"

"What did you expect? They aren't 'regular' teens, Sera. They are lab rats."

"By that you mean?"

Mark walked into her room, letting the door slide close as he took a seat on the stool by the desk. "You know... they came from plantations. They're like made products- or whatever."

"Then... isn't it rude to freely call them lab rats?" She emphasized the word, bringing her head up to look at Mark who was busy roaming his eyes around the room. He responded with a short hum, then followed by, "Not really. They kinda grew up to like it- they say they feel rebellious." He uttered out with a little accent. "Ten likes to call them Brats though. I mean, he's not wrong. No matter how smart those lab rats are and how different they are, they still act like stubborn children."

Sera chuckled and her thought went back to the piece of paper. She recalls the time and crosses her arms, "And what may you be doing in my room, sir?"

Mark rolled his eyes, leaning back onto the chair's backrest, and arched a brow. "I was just checking up on you, making sure that you were settling in well."

"Yeah, but you don't really have to."

"As much as I hate it, you're my responsibility. I was the one who recruited you."

Sera's face fell and her arms dropped to her side, "Wasn't it Jungwoo?"

"Both of us, actually. But do you seem him here yet?"

"No."

"Exactly." Mark spat and stood up from his seated position, taking a few steps towards Sera making her stand up and walk away, avoiding him. "Where are you going?"

Sera frowns, "And what are you planning?"

Mark didn't answer, instead, he continued walking towards her and she stepped back until she couldn't. Her back hits the wall and she gulps, trying not to be intimidated by the boy. "What the fuck are you thinking, Mark!?"

"I'm not going to hurt you, just," he pulls something out of his pocket and flips it, turning it into a makeshift pocket knife. Sera's eyes widens in horror and were about to yell again when he shook his head. "No wait, let me explain."

"DAMN RIGHT YOU SHOULD. You keep doing things and don't even care to explain! Don't wonder why I hate you!"

"You hate me? That kinda hurts, infant." Mark murmured and stretched out his hand to her. "Let me look at your left arm."

Subconsciously, Sera's hand reached up to her arm and touched it. She felt a mark but she knew she got it from the vaccine when she was a baby, that's what Sejeong told her before when she questioned about it. The vaccine was to protect them from certain viruses, she could remember Sejeong saying but she never really told what the virus was.

"Why?"

Mark sighed, "The UA implants trackers on babies. You have a transmitter implanted on your arm and if we don't remove it, we'll get caught."

"I don't think the UA even keeps track of everyone- that's impossible!"

"The UA can do a lot of things that can surpass what you call impossible. A former recruit was caught before they could even reach the base because of these transmitters- it didn't end very well."

Sera felt her blood run cold as the nerves punching her gut went back. She shuts her eyes tight, afraid of what may possibly happen. A sigh left her lips, "H-How... how do they even know?"

"Babies are usually sent to specific guardians. These guardians take care of the baby and are signed to raise them. Basically, the UA is building a fake family. But enough of that shit because if I don't get that tracker out and that sister of yours realizes you're gone...we're all fucked." Mark raises both of his hands, "Look, if you don't want me to do it, we can ask Ten instead."

"Fine. I'll let Ten do it."

Moments after, Ten smiles as he carefully pulls out the transmitter that was covered in dark red blood, dropping it into the metal tray with a loud clang. He cleans up the wound and wraps it in a bandage before patting the top of her head. "See? You're all good to go." Ten said nonchalantly, handing Mark the metal tray and let the younger do the honors of breaking the chip.

"That didn't hurt much like I expected it to," Sera murmured, rubbing the sore part of her arm.

Ten chuckled, "I guess you don't trust Mark that much for him to do it, huh? I mean- you'd rather have someone you just met take the chip out of you."

Mark scoffed loudly and shot a glare towards their direction. "I can hear you."

Sera hops off the medical bed and glanced over to Mark who crushed the chip into tiny pieces. She shakes her head and smiled back at Ten. "It's not that. He just scares me."

"Huhhh?!" Mark feigned a hurt look, mouth wide open as he stared at her in disbelief. "I scare you? If anything- YOU scare ME!"

Ten pushes himself in between them and stopped them from arguing any further. "Brats, it's past bedtime, I don't want you two waking up my kids, now go along, get some sleep."

Mark huffed and marched his way out of the clinic, leaving Sera standing by the edge of the bed. "Sera?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Well, aren't you already asking me one?"

Ten laughs, shaking his head. "Teens. Really."

"What is it?"

Ten hesitated to speak, looking down at his hands as he had a little battle with himself and his thoughts. He wasn't sure if it was the right time to tell or at least give hints, he didn't want to cause any conflict during her first days. He sighs, dismissing the thought. "It's nothing- just... don't wander off on the third floor, left-wing of the dorms."

Sera sniggered and sarcastically crossed her arms over her chest, giving him an eye-roll. "Why? Cuz there are ghosts?"

Ten rubbed his nape and thought for a while, nodding playfully at her. "Yeah, ghosts you may say." He waves her off and wiggled his eyebrows. "Wouldn't want to see those headless ghosts."

Sera nodded her head curtly and spun around to take her leave. She glances down at her pocket, digging out the crumpled piece of paper. She looks around, carefully checking if she was alone before she opened it and began to read its contents. Her eyes widen for a split second, eyebrows furrowing together as curiosity started to linger around her.

Meet me in my room. Third floor. Left-wing.
I have something important to show/tell you
- Yuta

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