Ari swallowed. She didn't dare move for a good few seconds. Her left hand clutched her necklace. It didn't store much electricity, particularly after all the cameras she'd broken, but it would probably be enough to disable one or two people so she could flee.

The shuffling continued. A few stones were knocked rolling to the ground. The panting increased; the thing was approaching.

Ari glanced around the room. There was no light to see by. A table was to her right, the broken cupboard and collapsed bed to her left. She couldn't hide inside anything. One glance inside and they would see her, if they wielded some sort of light.

The footsteps stopped. The thing sniffed. Ari held her breath, turning her body into stone. Blood drummed in her ears. If she were caught now, she'd be arrested for trespassing for sure. And once they searched her, they would find the document and know her link. The Peacekeepers must be aware of the scientists' potential link to the explosions this time. Not even Shon could get her out of that, for sure.

A dark shape stopped at the doorway. Bright eyes gleamed at her like glowstones.

Ari's heart stopped.

That wasn't a Peacekeeper.

An animalistic snarl ripped through the air.

The creature rushed towards her. There was a clumsiness in its gait, but Ari wasn't going to stay and observe how sharp its teeth or claws were. She'd seen animal projects in class videos and knew how vicious animals had evolved to be, although there were none to be seen in March City. She threw herself to the side, gasping with pain as she rolled over rocks. She heard her long-sleeved top tear. Pain throbbed over her back.

The animal passed by, causing a gust. Ari could barely see it, but it was obvious that thing didn't use sight as its primarily sense.

She wasted no time. Her feet hit the floor and she ran to the door. The creature followed her closely. She narrowly avoided another attack. It skimmed by and slammed into the wall. The floor vibrated beneath her feet.

Her heart thumping, Ari didn't care to look behind her. Adrenaline pumped through her body. Sweat broke out. The corridor seemed endless. The panting and rustling continued behind her. It sounded like there were more than one of them on her tail.

Her hair plastered to her head. Her chest burned with each breath. Every step hitched her breath as she expected to fall onto her face and be savaged.

Try as she might, there was no way of seeing in the dark. The stairs from which she'd descended seemed to be the only way out. The basement flats had no windows, no light, and no holes. Before her, melting into the darkness, the corridor stretched. Eager pants filled her ears, bloodthirsty and close.

Something caught her foot. Her heart rose to her throat. Her feet left the ground.

Wind rushed past her ears. Pain exploded on her hands and knees as she crashed onto the ground in a heap. She let out a yell of pain. The injured skin stung.

One of the animals sailed over her, slamming into the nearby wall.

To her surprise, a grumble filled the air. Cracks then ensued and she felt dust flow over her as the structure collapsed. She reached out. A jagged hole, large enough for her to crawl through. At the base of the wall was the heaving creature, dazed from the contact. She didn't waste time. Diving head-long, she squeezed through. Some of the bricks gave way as she wriggled. She clawed at the sides desperately, yanking her body through just in time.

The other pursuers arrived, sniffing and panting at the hole. They clamoured over each other, clawing at the wall, to no avail.

Ari backed away from the hole. Her legs gave way and she slid down the far wall. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She could make out the hole and the shapes moving about. Their feet pattered on the floor. She was in another room. A wider one.  Perhaps one inhabited by students who weren't at the direct bottom of the economic ladder.

She swiped at her torch. Relief slowed her racing heart somewhat as her sight was restored. It was a dining area. Upturned tables and chairs were shoved into the corner. They didn't have the mobile pod chairs Ari had grown up with. In the corner were cooking units, rusted and dusty beyond utility. A ventilation window was on the ceiling, the only source of ridding cooking smells in the enclosed underground room.

She had to get out of there. Those animals didn't look like they could be reasoned with, and they looked wholly unnatural. She flashed her light towards the hole again. Her heart skipped a beat.

The animals had hair. Mops of hair grew like wild bushes over their heads. Their eyes glowed red, but there was no hair on the cheeks and chins. Their facial features looked distinctly human.

And yet they walked on all fours.

Bile rose in her throat. What in the blazes were those things?

A dull thud made Ari jump. She got to her feet, her heart thumping. Another thud sounded.

She swallowed. The creatures were ramming against the wall. She shone the torch at them again. It seemed to agitate them. They scrabbled at the wall. More thuds reached her ears. They were ramming at the wall, trying to get to her. Even as she watched, cracks spread across from the hole.

She had to get out of there.

"Dammit, Rale," she said under her breath. The journalist said nothing of these terrifying creatures here. He said the place was abandoned, empty.

She flicked the torchlight at the door to the dining area. Even from across the room, she could hear the pattering of footsteps. It was only a matter of time before they got to her.

No windows.

No doors.

Ari looked around, desperation closing like an elastic band around her chest. Her breathing came in gasps. Sweat rolled down her face.

She looked up. She could use the vent.

Kicking a chair across the room, she grabbed another. Stepping higher, she swung the chair in her hand against the thin bars across the vent. It broke with ease. She dropped the chair and forced her fingertips onto the cool metal. She tested it. It creaked, but would probably take her weight.

The wall collapsed with a loud rumble as she scrambled up. Yelps emanated from the animals below; they poured in, circling beneath her. Ari withdrew her feet with haste and started crawling forward, her heart racing again. She had to get out of there somehow. Perhaps the vent would lead to the outside – the cooking smell had to go somewhere.

Or it could go to a filter and then transformed to normal air again, to be recycled down the basement.

She gulped. There was no way back now, though. She started crawling. The metal was cool to touch through her sleeves. Her passage was too narrow, so she was forced to use a mix of wriggling on her belly and propelling awkwardly with her knees. All she could hear was the banging of her joints against the sides. The worries of being caught by the Peacekeepers seemed insignificant considering how many humanoid beasts are waiting to devour her just metres below.  They continued to howl on the ground.

She crawled. There must be an opening somewhere. Another vent to a different kitchen, maybe. Another room where there wouldn't be beasts. The surface continued without a break beneath her outstretched fingers. The air was stale and suffocating. Ari tried to ignore the claustrophobic feeling, but her heart beat faster, if that was even possible. She wasn't sure how long she could survive like this.

When she was unable to bear it any longer, she flicked on her torch. There was little to see. The shiny metal chute went on without a branch, swallowed at the far end by the blackness. She swiped it off again.

To her surprise and relief, several minutes later a light breeze caressed her cheeks. The coldness came as a blessing. She sucked it in with hunger. There must be an opening coming up. With renewed vigour, she crept on, trembling fingers darting blindly in front of her.

Something ridged and light came into contact with her hand. She closed her hand over it and with her other hand flicked her torch on again. The blinding whiteness fell onto a stack of papers, unexpectedly well-preserved. Ari supposed it was probably due to protection from the damp and animals as it was hidden in the shaft.

It was a March City student profile. Ari frowned, her misadventures forgotten all of a sudden. The files were not available for public access as they documented Users' abilities and exam analysis. Usually only the highest administrators, who worked with the city's examination program, could view it.

So what was this User's file doing here, hidden away in the basement of an abandoned block of flats in Area Nine?

Ari flicked her torch over the top of the file. She didn't recognise the face shot. A gaunt-looking boy of about fifteen stared without much enthusiasm at the camera. His hair was thin and matted, his eyes hungry. His shirt was crumpled and buttoned up wrong.

Noan of Class 5A, Rank E User.

Ari re-read the page again. No, there was no mistake. This boy was meant to be in her class. She racked her brains. Although she attended very few lessons, she was sure she'd recognise such a peculiar-looking boy if they attended the same class. She was sure she'd never set eyes on him before. But then again, she couldn't recall the face of Hine, the class monitor, either, and she'd been on the receiving end of his rants often enough for her poor attendance.

The rest of his profile was unremarkable. He was a Morpher, categorised under 'miscellaneous', which meant it was of so little significance it wouldn't be of any use. He repeatedly failed his exams, resitting numerous theory and practical tests and then was given multiple compulsory remedial classes to improve his performance. He also resided in this block of flats.

The other documents had nothing to do with Noan. They were another stack of research papers. She skim-read the first few paragraphs and gasped. Although it was punctuated with a lot of specific research jargon, the core was obvious: enhancing user abilities.

Rale was right – sort of.

These researchers didn't capture students to experiment on their bodies. They were experimenting with their abilities and ways of increasing their potentials. In March City, where abilities determine one's life, it was of no surprise it was a topic people were keen to explore – if it wasn't hugely unethical and illegal.

And amidst all these tests, their results were students exploding, likely because their amplified powers went out of their control and they peaked.

So did that mean with every explosion – every failed experiment – they would need replacements?

Was that why Mina was captured? To replace whoever it was that had blown up during the first grade grand exams?

Ari felt sick. Abilities were born, not made. Artificially altering them was dangerous. It was impossible to think these scientists felt justified in capturing Users against their will and increasing their potentials – and essentially killing them when it went wrong.

She clutched the rest of the papers in her hand. She would study them later, maybe show them to Rale. He would want to know. Footsteps echoed down the stairs. Sweat breaking out, she swiped at her torch, throwing her surroundings into darkness again.

They moved deeper into the basement and then stopped directly beneath her. Voices came through the vent.

"Search the surroundings. Something must be bothering these things. Dust every corner."

Peacekeepers.

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