When Thirteen's senses returned, the darkness hadn't let up. A groan escaped his lips when he attempted raising his head only to be met with snaking pain in his neck. What did they hit him with? His ears, despite the constant ringing, registered a scuffle of footsteps and hushed voices arguing. Someone clicked their tongue. Female.

A force gripped the top of his head. Then, it pulled. Light flooded Thirteen's eyes, worsening the blurry haze crippling them. He winced. When he attempted to rub his eyes, his arms snagged beside him. Oh, they tied him up. Great.

"You took your time, sweetheart." Karrel's voice matched the bundle of hay-colored curls and blobs of beige skin standing in front of him. "You just had to be a diva about it."

Thirteen scowled. "You need to work on your insults."

The pain in his neck had ebbed to a manageable degree. Then, the memories flooded in. "The fortress," he spat. "How did you get inside?"

His vision had improved to a notch where he could see a menacing smile spread Karrel's lips apart. "You sent all your pawns to the battlefield, forgetting to defend your walls," she said. "It's easy to infiltrate when the key you need is by the door."

Seven. Before he fell unconscious, he remembered the characteristic air ripple that occurs whenever Seven was near and he forgot to turn his ability off. The key by the door...

"Did you replicate Seven's ability?" Thirteen raised his head towards Karrel to see three...four more silhouettes against the intense backdrop. Where were they? In Section H's headquarters? No. They weren't too careless to shove a captive in their own turf. Karrel wasn't stupid. Bold, maybe, but not stupid.

Karrel reached out and punched his arm lightly. If not for the ropes latching him to a wooden chair, he would have slapped it away. How dare they touch him? "Come on, you're smart enough to know that," she teased. "Why ask me?"

Thirteen chewed on his lip. His tongue tasted rust. Did he burst his lip on his fall? "How did you come up with this plan?" he asked, buying time. For what? He had to figure that out. Fast. "I don't hand out information, and I make sure none of my comrades talk."

He just did it to Two. Everyone else knew what awaited them should they cross Thirteen's way. "Which front did I fail?"

A malicious glint shone in Karrel's eyes. Maybe they were a little too alike in that regard. Egocentric assholes never miss the chance to make someone feel like shit by flaunting their superior intellect. Today, Thirteen let her. His desire to get out of this room while the counter still went on outweighed his will to be a prick.

"You really should have sealed the sewers," Karrel answered. "Backdoors are risks you don't want to take."

That was why the only way in and out of Section H's headquarters was the lobby. It was a foolish move in case of disasters, but in their case, it made sense. Where did she find information about the sewers?

She must have read the question from his face because she chuckled. "Remember when I told you there are certain places I can't go?" she said. "I discovered the opposite in one of them."

"You saw me slipping in and out, didn't you?" Thirteen concluded. Of course. If it was after a counter, Karrel could have borrowed Seven's ability as long as the boy was in the vicinity and followed Thirteen until he slipped under the radar. That was the risk he didn't think about, going out collecting the chips after counters. A risk that eventually led to a mistake.

When Karrel didn't confirm nor deny, Thirteen halted down that road. "Why?" he asked next. Not like he didn't have a clue. He merely needed to get her to talk. "What are you planning this time?"

Karrel hummed, tucking her hands behind her back. Her goons fanned out beside her. Abelle, Verez, the plant girl, Kalyani, and the lanky boy, Jason—those were her only companions. Did Five and the others weather down the remaining sections? He watched Abelle stalk towards the metal doors thrown wide open. They weren't afraid to be disrupted by someone walking in on them.

"I know you're not much of a fighter, Thirteen. Despite having pointed a gun at me, you don't look like the type to start swinging a sword or throwing a punch," Karrel was saying. Thirteen kept his eyes on the metallic walls, the ceiling at the end of the void-like space from his head, and the drafts of air blowing through the long-bladed industrial fans strolling in calculated circles above them. A warehouse. But...where?

She started pacing, just like how he did whenever he felt like throwing a lecture to those who didn't need it. "So, I thought to myself—how come he managed to survive this long despite not being on the front lines. Then, it occurred to me. You must be the brains behind every operation there is since we started." She smoothed the fabric of her red jacket. Her trousers sported no stain, not even a stray drop of blood. Someone was in charge of laundry, then.

He was busy running through every possible spot where a warehouse could stand. Then, his throat closed up. His portable screen...where was it? What else did they find on him? The chips—

"You're one of a kind, aren't you?" Karrel tilted her head to the side. Thirteen's vision has improved significantly to see her curls spill down her shoulders. "Not everyone can train a crowd to blindly follow them like you did."

Thirteen wiggled his legs. A blade of relief passed through him to find the chips largely untouched. Karrel didn't find what she ought to because she focused too much on what she wanted to. That was where they differed. Karrel moved with one plan ironed to the last kink. He had at least three stewing at the back of his head. She didn't like losing. He would use this loss to think of another way of dealing a blow later on.

"You want to know why I bothered bringing you here?" Karrel said, drawing closer to him. Her hands closed around his throat, squeezing the air out of his lungs. Then, with her other hand, she plucked the comms from his ear. "Since you've got a loyal crowd, I bet they'll come running once I tell them I have their prized gem."

Thirteen's eyes widened. She would never—

Karrel put the comms in her ear and tapped it once. It went straight to Five's channel. A string of curses went alive in Thirteen's head. He lurched forward, as much distance his bound body could generate. The ropes bit against his skin, but they left his feet free. He barreled towards Karrel, aiming to knock the comms out of her senses.

Instead, a foot slammed into his gut, throwing him a hundred yards back. He crashed to the ground, the wooden chair clattering with him. His cheek skidded across the rough stone floor. The dust in this place was atrocious.

He coughed, wheezing at the impact which drove the air out of his lungs. Something rusty might have gone back out. His ears were empty with the comms. With a grunt, he turned his face towards Karrel and pushed himself upright. Or at least, as far as the chair allowed him.

"Meet me by the old warehouse in the Northern Region," Karrel was saying. "If you want to get your leader back, that is."

Thirteen crawled forward. "No! This is a trap!" he screamed as loud as the warehouse dared to amplify his voice. "Don't come for me! Wait for the counter to fin—"

A shadow fell over him, and his gut exploded with another kind of pain. The chair stayed where it was, but his ribs took the brunt. Black spots hung in his vision. Pain wrung his entire being. His consciousness slipped farther and farther from his grip. Karrel. This bitch. She called entire Section M to get her revenge. And Thirteen offered the pieces to her because he wasn't thinking. He didn't think enough.

He panted, each breath stabbing mind-numbing pain up his spine. Karrel turned back to him. Her eyebrows perked a little when she found him on the floor and beat up. She didn't comment on it though. She even gave her goons an acknowledging nod. Verez reached down, gripped the edge of the chair, and tipped it up, taking Thirteen along with it. The ghastly boy smiled at him and tapped him in the cheek. "Just stay put and don't make any mess," Verez said. "Karrel has to let all that tension out on your friends. It's been driving us nuts too, don't worry. You people make excellent and satisfying punching bags."

Thirteen glared at him. In his state, it probably looked like a grimace.

A series of footsteps appeared soon after. Thirteen shook his head despite the motion driving more black spots in his vision. Five's white hair burst into view. "Thirteen, I—"

"Get out!" Thirteen screamed. "The counter—"

Another blow to the head. His face slapped the ground once more. The ropes loosened a bit as his body sagged. If only he could stop fighting...

"How dare you," Five hissed. Thirteen was far too out of it, but he imagined her clenching her fists. They shouldn't have this much loyalty towards him. They should have gone their merry way and ignored Karrel's provocation. None of them should die here, and now, most of them might. Even Thirteen's calculations couldn't save them this time. He didn't—couldn't—think of the possibility that he was inside the equation.

Before he could tell them to scram like the cowards they were, the entirety of Section M rushed inside the warehouse. Karrel ran her thumb against her nose. "Jason, watch that wimp," she ordered. "The rest, with me."

They rushed forward and clashed with their enemies. Bile climbed up Thirteen's throat. His mind lurched through various paths, but none of them good enough. Someone would die no matter which road he took. To save the largest amount of people...

A scream ripped through the warehouse. Everyone flat on the ground, crushed by some invisible force. Fifteen's power...

Karrel stalked forward, picking the girl from the crowd of squirming bodies. She gripped Fifteen's neck and shoved her down. Deeper. "What does it feel like?" Section' H's leader growled. "To be crushed by your own ability?"

Before Fifteen could reply, Karrel slammed her face on the ground, dousing her body with the rest of her power. From his distance, he heard bones crack and organs burst with the pressure. Within seconds, Fifteen stilled. Blue light pulsed from her wrist. Just like that.

Shit. If he didn't take any road at all, they would all die. Karrel would pick them off like grapes off a vine. Verez and the others stood on the side, watching their leader get her revenge. They would only help if she had trouble.

Then, Karrel yanked a knife from Five's belt and chucked it sideways. Towards empty air. It twirled before hitting its target. A pained gasp fell from the veil of rippling light. Seven tumbled into view, too dazed to understand what hit him. He crashed to the ground, clutching his bleeding arm. A few meters off Thirteen...

An idea came to mind. He just needed to get rid of Jason.

With an unsophisticated shove, he jabbed the chair sideways. The tip of the stile dug into Jason's gut. Thirteen lashed out, catching the boy's chin on the ornate top rail on his way down. Jason was out cold before he hit the ground. Good riddance.

Thirteen whipped towards Seven. An understanding passed between them. Seven yanked the dagger off his arm and slid it towards Thirteen. He threw himself to the ground. Beyond them, Five had crawled out of the influence of Fifteen's trump card, snarling at Karrel as she clashed weapons with the leader. The others dealt with Abelle, Verez, and Kalyani. The three's attacks pushed most of the fighting unit back, with the operations unit not even making a dent on Karrel in between Five's barrages.

Thirteen's fingers closed around the dagger's hilt. He started sawing. By the time the ropes loosened around him, Karrel had gotten a hold of Twenty. With a flash, his ability froze him in place. With a calculated swing of her sword, she sliced the boy's rigid body in half. Before their eyes, he crumbled into pieces like a marble statue worn by time. No time. Thirteen had no time left.

He freed himself from the chair and urged Seven to his feet. "Pass out later," he hissed, slapping the boy awake. "I'll get you out of here."

Seven gurgled and coughed but staggered up. His entire arm burned red. The pain must be devillish as well. Who came up with this plan? They knew Karrel could sense abilities whenever they were active. Thirteen pushed Seven deeper into the darkness, eager to stay out of Verez's eyes. If he caught them, it'd be game over.

"What are you doing?" Seven demanded as Thirteen pushed his sleeve up, revealing the cut on his wrist which hasn't quite healed. He didn't bother answering and just turned away to the shadows. His teeth dug on his cracked lip as he ran Five's dagger across the same gash. Hot streams of liquid flowed out of his arm. With his other hand, he felt around his pockets and drew the first chip he grasped.

He bit back a scream as he stuck the chip deep into his wrist, placing it roughly in the same spot he got his chip in. Then, he tore a significant amount of his stained sleeve and wrapped it around his wound. With his teeth, he tightened the knots, locking the chip and the blood in place. His breaths were shallow in his ears, and most of his bones ached, but he pushed himself up and eyed the exit.

"Vanish," he instructed Seven. "Lead the others out. Five will provide the distraction as always. Move out."

They crept out of the shadows just to walk in Karrel pulling her sword out of Nine's body. The girl fell forward, blood trailing after her. Thirteen clenched his jaw and tracked the ripple of air where Seven was. A risk, but if he played it well, it would not be a mistake. Not this time.

Thirteen burst into the battlefield. The first and only time he had been in a similar situation was during the first counter. He didn't know what he was doing then. Today wasn't any better. He aimed for Karrel's back, recalling what they said about activating one's ability. It was a lot like...telling an arm to move or a leg to step forward. It could be as easy as breathing. A part of one's system. That was the key.

Karrel swung around Fourteen, kicking her in the back, before closing a hand around Eighteen's neck. No. Not one more. Thirteen screamed, swinging his arm and calling for an ability—any other ability—to his arm. Before his eyes, ice shards formed on his skin, taking moisture from the air and hardening it into cold shards. He slammed into Karrel, the tapered end of his fist digging into her side. Eighteen plopped backward.

"Go!" Thirteen barked, urging the girl to her feet. "Take the others."

He made to follow, only to get knocked to the ground. Karrel's sword rushed towards him, aiming to cleave his head in half. He rolled away too late—

A mass of black and white slammed into Karrel from the side. Five's bobbed locks bounced against her chin as she pinned the leader to the ground. "Get out of here!" she yelled. "Three's waiting in the front."

Thirteen's eyes widened. Not Three. He was way too valuable. That thought alone propelled him to his feet. He dashed towards the warehouse's exit, keeping the others in his periphery. Eight was reduced to slapping Verez's and Abelle's attacks out of trajectory, knowing she couldn't stir up hurricanes in a closed space. Sixteen drove Verez back, but each of her moves, no matter how gracefully and cleverly executed, got blocked or parried. Seventeen ran around, blocking Kalyani's plant-based attacks as he shielded the rest on their way out of the warehouse.

Thirteen made it to the warehouse's rim when Karrel's scream and Five's pained grunt rang behind him. He turned to find Karrel pushing Five's dazed form away and yanking a gun from the latter girl's belt. Then, she leveled it towards Thirteen. Her eyes narrowed. Her finger clicked the trigger.

A bullet flew.