4. Project IZ*ONE III

Chapter 26- Hold the Line

Saerom continued to walk around with her thoughts, occasionally touching objects to get an idea of the kind of people who were in the area, until she came across a crumpled piece of paper on the ground that gave her some important information. It was an info card on the Pledis mutant facility, which meant that somewhere in this crowd was a mutant who could be in danger. Saerom closes her eyes to look back at the item's history and sees the hand of a woman looking at the card. The one thing she hated about her ability was she could never see who the person holding an item was unless they were near a mirror.

You have a dangerous power, Gyuri. Please, just consider it. You won't be able to hide it forever. A man says to a girl who Saerom assumed was named Gyuri.

Come on, dad. It'll be fine. I promise to keep working on controlling it. Gyuri replies in a tone that sounded half upset and half disappointed.

Where do you think you're going? Her father then asks as Gyuri appears to stand up and begins walking away, the lights flickering as she passes.

To Namsan tower. I'm meeting a friend there. I'll be back by dinner. And with that, the memory dissipates.

Saerom opens her eyes and takes a look around knowing full well that she didn't even know what this Gyuri girl looked like.

"I need to find her before they do..." She mumbles, but at that moment, a familiar voice speaks out. When she turns around, she's face to face with Officer Hwang Jinseon.

"Saerom! Fancy meeting you here. I wasn't aware you would be patrolling here today." The chief says.

"Oh, apologies, sir. I was just... taking a breather. The city can get really cramped sometimes, you know?" Saerom replies.

"And your first thought was to head here where it is definitely not known for its solitude." Hwang says, looking unconvinced, and when he notices Saerom's expression falter, he chuckles.

"Listen, I'm going to cut right to the chase. I know what you and your team have been doing, and I'm going to give you one chance to explain yourself." He then says.

"I should be the one asking you that, sir. We've heard about you colluding with KYB!" Saerom replies, putting as much bravado into her voice as she can.

"So, you admit to snooping around? KYB has been a big help for us recently. They even have the support of the district board. That confession of yours just put you and your team in a lot of trouble." Hwang says before clicking a button. At this, several people in the crowd turn to face her, and Saerom could immediately tell they were androids.

"How many people in your team are mutants?" He asks.

"Why would I tell you anything?" Saerom replies through gritted teeth, looking around desperately for a way out.

"You would rather us hunt them down then? That's not a very good decision for a leader of your caliber."

"Yah, leave them out of this!" Saerom yells, the crowd starting to take notice of the commotion around them.

"You're not giving me much of a choice. I leaked the information of the attack to see if you were really traitors, and I was proven right. It's my responsibility to keep the city safe, and those mutants you contacted from PD campus need to be kept in check." Hwang says.

"Those girls helped you out on more than one occasion. You're the one who turned your back on them first!" Saerom replies.

"I do what I must. Your friends are walking into a trap, and you'll probably meet them soon after we take you in." At these words, three androids shift their arms into energy cannons and aim at Saerom. The crowd that had gathered was shocked, and immediately began to scatter. Saerom takes out her pistol, not knowing who to aim it at.