First published: July 16th, 2023

Young-ja can't get her agape mouth to close.

ITs, like the first time Young-ja saw them, don't travel as a flock. Their custom-built radioactive shields, thicker with each incrementing size, cause a ripple effect when they fly close. Thus, causing a string of spontaneous collisions that can in turn explode, scattering radioactivity over a fifty-mile radius.

So, they fly in troops of hexagonal sheets, THS, as Dae-ho termed it during their discussion years ago, the mean distance of seperation about 3 - 5 yards, 10 if it's windy.

Now why is Young-ja flooding her mind with these observations? Because that's what she sees right now. Huge troops of ITs. Hovering in the clear blue sky.

Beautiful as a school of piranhas.

"Young-ja," Seol-hee calls, her electric wheelchair gliding through the cobblestone pathway of Hyochang park.

"We need to get going," Young-ja cuts in, gaze still on the magbots. They're getting dangerously close to the skyline. No cop, soldier or agent will know how to deal with it the right way.

Dae-ho might have known; he knows more about the menacing creatures than her. His way of coping with the traumatic past.

Where is he now?

"We don't have to go anywhere," Seol-hee says. She's there before her.

"What do you mean? Look there." Young-ja points to the sky. "We need to get out of here to come up with a way."

Young-ja grabs the handles of Seol-hee's wheelchair. But she can't seem to move it, although she's pushing it. Hard.

She's changed her wheelchair again. It's navy blue, not monochrome. With the tiny built-ins, Seol-hee must have brought it from the US.

"Stop," Seol-hee says, shaking her head. Her hand covers her wheelchair's controls. "You don't have to do this."

Young-ja glances at her, brows furrowed. "Do you have a way of eliminating them?"

"Kind of." Seol-hee casts an awkward grin before turning back to the magbots. The wheelchair slides out of Young-ja's grip, making her stumble a bit.

"What are you going to do?" Young-ja asks, placing her hands on her hips, and then in her coat pockets when she finds them shaking.

Seol-hee does not respond. She watches the hexagonal troops of magbots hovering above them. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. Her hand, meanwhile, slithers through the compartments in her wheelchair, fishing out a long, tubular object.

Why a whistle? Young-ja muses. Then her brows arch. Salma, she's not going to-

A shrill hoot cuts through the serenity of the park and the collecting flapping of the magbot's intricate wings.

"Seol-hee," Young-ja trails off, gasping when she sees the magbots getting close to each other.

They're going to launch an attack.

She flits her gaze to her paraplegic friend. Why did she do that? Her feet take off, taking her to Seol-hee.

"We need to get out of here," Young-ja says, running out of breath. She places her weight on Seol-hee's wheelchair, her sweaty hands unable to grab its handles.

Seol-hee places a warm hand over hers, gaze locked on the magbots above. "They're not what you think they are."

That's what Young-ja thought of before. But not now. The screeching calls and the nearing distance...it's real.

Seol-hee frowns when Young-ja's hands slip out of hers. She can hear the grass munching as her friend begins to flee. They won't do anything.

Unnie, she muses, calling someone telepathically.

Yeah? Eun-kyung's voice comes in. She's much louder in here. But she's glad she's here, and not in some cell.

Seol-hee says this instead. Is it done?

Yeah, 3 down, 1 to go. I can't find her anywhere.

She's with me. She stops Young-ja from taking her via her wheelchair.

Wait, why are you outside? Don't you need to be in the bank?

I know. She was going to see Dae-ho disappear. She exhales slowly, watching the magbots slowly descend, approaching in her direction. Unnie, let's just tell them.

They won't accept. I know them. You know them. They'll never want to do this again.

But if you tell about-

Then they'll definitely not go.

Seol-hee shakes her head when she sees Young-ja telling her to move.

This is the right thing to do.

Seol-hee sneezes. That's what happens when someone disconnects telepathically for her. She hasn't seen Eun-kyung's yet.

"Why do you want to die?" Young-ja says. The bots are just meters away. She can hear the drumming, alright. Both her heart and from the wings of the magbot.

They won't understand. Seol-hee replays what Eun-kyung said. "Sorry, Young-ja."

Before Young-ja could ask why, the magbots fly over her. She ducks, covering herself. As if that helps. And when the sounds reduce she peers out, panting. She buries her head when she sees the bots surrounding her.

But not exactly.

Young-ja lifts her head slowly, seeing the bots fly through her.

What the heck?

No pain. Nothing. She can feel nothing.

Young-ja collapses as the last of the magbots fly though her. She gets her breathing in check. So Seol-hee was right. They're not real. Wait, how did she know about this?

She looks around but Seol-hee isn't there. Where did she go?

Her phone rings. Its her senior, Kwak Nam-il. Yeah, she has to tell the magbot's not real. For a moment, doubt creeps in. Then how did it peck. She shakes her head. May be selective permeation. Harmless, nevertheless.

Madam Lee's Celedon Vase can blast to bits. She doesn't care. They're all alive and safe.

"Yes, seonbae," Young says when she answers the call. "About the bird at the station."

"Who cares anout thag hologram?" Nam-il says. He's panicking. "Two people dissappeared because of it."

"What?" Young-ja says. Glancing up at the magbots that dissappear.

"Kang Jae-seong and another person, that president of Cheongguk Hotels. Keep forgetting his name. You know, the futute chairman of HGS Corp-"

"Choi Ha-neul," Young-ja says. How were these two together? Doesn't matter. "Seonbae, you sure they've disappeared."

"Ya, you thinking I'm lying at a time like this? Check social media if you want to."

Young-ja disconnects the call and taps the social. It doesn't take long to find this. Jae-seong is trending at #1.

And then she sees, the clip of her friend disintegrating. The camera is shaky since the recorser is running away. That's the only one. How-

The phone drops to the ground. Young-ja's hand disintegrating.

It's happening to her too. She tries to grabs her phone with her other arm that's still there. Meanwhile her legs disintegrate too.

As the dial to Nam-il, Young-ja tries to lean forward. Who lets the ITs out? They can't cause disintegration, but they haven't been there for long.

She realises Dae-ho's screen. Did he disappear?

The call gets accepted. "Hello, Young-ja?"

But there's nobody to respond.