Calm and confidence replace the shaky feeling that I used to experience in the past.
Here we go...
"Make the music louder!" I yell back.
Someone at the front hears that - probably J-Hope, also recognizing the familiar scenario - and the music gets turned up.
Beats, rhythms, pitch, melody... all of it amplifies.
"I do, what I do,
So mind your own business ~"
The threads on my hands start thrumming in excitement.
"YOU CAN'T STOP MY LOVING MYSELF!!"
I grab onto the satisfying beat drop by making a fist with my right hand, and then I use all my built-up energy in the golden threads to push outwards.
The soundwaves make an impact in the air. Much bigger this time.
BOOM.
The soldiers nearby are thrown off their feet. Jin takes a really sharp turn, making the truck wheels skid on the ground, and we manage to get past the wall. It goes much smoother than last time.
"YES! You did it Y/n!"
Namjoon gives me a high-five and Jungkook rushes in for a proud hug. I take this moment to bathe in the sensation of glorious victory.
It must've been the training. My hard work paid off!
... then the truck starts slowing down.
"Bad news," Taehyung calls out to us. "It was a distraction."
And a distraction it was - while all of our attention was caught on navigating past the earth wall, the other Fighters had caught up to us. We're slowing down because they're loosening up the dirt underneath us. It's like driving in quicksand.
We look at each other in mutual understanding. Dread settles in my stomach.
Then we all turn Namjoon for help.
He quickly analyses the situation and shakes his head. "There's too many of them. We need to leave."
"But Jimin," I say. "And Suga - what about them -?"
"There might not be enough time," he mutters.
It's so quiet that normally it'd remain unheard, but I'm so dialed-in to his voice that the sound waves amplify and I hear it anyway.
I almost wish I didn't, because now I feel even more sick.
"Y/n, I need you to send my voice across the entire parking lot so Suga and Jimin have a chance of hearing me, okay? Can you do that for me?"
I nod, unable to speak. I look down and force myself to hold on to the last few golden threads on my hands. Then seeing that I'm ready, Namjoon holds his hands up to his mouth and yells.
"It's a losing battle!" I take his voice and raise the volume so it echoes across the parking lot. "We need to get out of here!"
There's no reply. I dial in to try and locate Jimin and Suga by sound, but it's all in vain.
The battle seemed to be in our favor at first, but the surprise factor has died down and now we've lost our upper hand. A little team of seven against an army of trained Fighters?
Did we ever stand a chance in the first place?
I feel Jungkook next to me using the disturbance in the air to give himself energy and boost the truck forward. I want to help him, but I'm torn because I also want to give Jimin and Suga more time.
My eyes scan the parking lot desperately.
The Fighters, now gathered together into one huge mass, start tearing up the ground around us. The 'quicksand' beneath us becomes more bubbly and they throw large bundles of rock and dirt in the air too. We're forced to curl up in the cargo bed so we don't get hit.
"Can you counter this, Taehyung?"
Taehyung looks up at Namjoon, then shakes his head. "They're throwing so fast I can't use it against them. And quicksand is beyond my skill set."
"Y/n? Jungkook?"
"They're controlling the earth directly, so using wind won't work," Jungkook points out.
We're out of options.
"WE GOTTA GO!" J-Hope's voice comes from the front. "They're taking us down. Permission to retreat?"
Namjoon steels himself and risks a glance over the cargo bed one more time. Then he sighs in defeat, seeing no sign of the other two members. "Go ahead!"
The truck zooms forward again. Jungkook motions for me to help him speed up the truck, which I do reluctantly. My heart sinks at the thought of leaving Jimin and Suga behind, but there's no way we can save them now.
We drive off.
I take a peek behind us at all the Fighters again, hoping for any signs of them, but it doesn't make a difference.
They'll be alright... won't they?
When we emerge from the parking lot and we're back onto the road once more, it's like we've crossed dimensions into a different world.
No more sparks fly in the air, no more beams of fire, no more earth launching.
It's just darkness.
Darkness and silence.
~
EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT
The Commander strides up to the crowd. "That was a hefty one, wasn't it?"
The Fighters take heavy breaths. They were ordered to act like they had lots of stamina to intimidate the enemy - in reality, they wouldn't have been able to keep it up for a minute longer.
"Well done. We didn't get the girl... but we did capture one of them. That'll have to do for now."
He glances at Suga.
Suga looks back with a glare more dangerous than any he's ever given before. It's one of revenge and fury and hatred - a warning of what's to come.
But the Commander just chuckles.
"You won't be laughing when we become the victors," Suga says.
"You don't really think that, do you? They just left you. They retreated! What makes you think they'll come back?"
Before Suga has a chance to reply, the Commander straightens up and gestures at his Fighters. "Take him away for now. I need to have a private... talk... with Jimin here -" he gestures at Jimin standing a few feet away "- about his loyalty. Make sure this guy doesn't escape. Should be easy since his powers are exhausted."
"Yessir."
As the Fighters mutter their reply and take Suga away, dread fills Jimin's stomach at the thought of being left alone with the Commander.
They say nothing at first.
Tension hangs in the air. Jimin is afraid to look up while the Commander gazes down at him with an amused expression.
"Ah, Jimin." The Commander sighs, which slowly turns into a laugh of disbelief. "Jimin, Jimin, Jimin. What was the friendship speech about? That wasn't part of the plan."
"... a lot of what happened wasn't in the plan."
The Commander raises an eyebrow. "Oh? But some of it was deliberately caused by you, was it not?"
Jimin can't lie - that would result in punishment. But he doesn't want to openly admit it, either.
"Gotcha there, didn't I?" The Commander sneers. "You're not as sly as you think. No actor in the world would have been able to say those words with such... ah, authenticity."
Jimin says nothing.
"You believed in what you said, didn't you? I could feel it. You're slipping away from me," the Commander sighs. "At least we had that fight planned out, I can't even imagine how bad that would've gone if I let you improvise."
Jimin suppresses a smile - he was the one who suggested that, to distract the Commander from targeting Y/n in the first place.
The Commander starts pacing around him. "You're changing where your loyalties lie. I can't tolerate that. I don't want to bring this up again, but it seems that you've forgotten what's on the line."
Forgotten what? Jimin lifts his head.
"Freedom Academy. Training Headquarters."
"No." came the frightened response.
The Commander just smiles.
"Don't bring me back there." Jimin hates how his voice shakes, but he can't control it. "You wouldn't do that."
The Commander raises an eyebrow. "Not to you, no. But to a traitor?"
Training Headquarters is a nightmare. Students who fall behind in their elemental classes go through harsh training sessions to 'catch up' to their classmates. And if they can't complete the training...
Jimin fights to keep his breathing steady.
"It helps that your case is worse," the Commander says casually. "You got punished the most, didn't you?"
No response.
"Your power of imitation... it's so strange. You can control all the elements, but you can't do it until someone else uses the power first. That's what made you fail, right? You couldn't do anything by yourself -"
"You don't have to remind me," Jimin mumbles.
"Well, what I'm saying is you matter. And it helps that you've got the ability to make others trust you, just by touching them."
"That's only because it's easier to pull on their energy and imitate their element when people trust me. So I kind of need it to survive."
"But the point still stands," the Commander shakes his head. "You've got persuasion. You've got imitation. You give us the edge we need. But if you betray us, remember, I have the power to send you right back to Training Headquarters. And you'll probably never see the light of day again - all because you chose to side with our enemy."
Jimin barely stops himself from shivering at the thought.
"But remember who saved you," the Commander continues. "Remember who gave you a second chance to prove yourself. Remember who I am to you. You're useful and important Jimin, and I trust you. Don't let me down like this."
Don't let me down like this.
Jimin sighs in defeat.
"Do yourself a favor and help me, yeah? I'll promote you from Fighter to Guard. And you'll never even have to think about Training Headquarters ever again." The Commander's eyes gleam in amusement. "All you have to do is bring the girl back to me."
There's no hesitation when Jimin nods. He turns to leave.
"One last thing, Jimin."
He pauses midstep. The Commander walks up behind him and gives his final orders with a gleeful smirk. "Don't just bring her to me. Use your touch, for trust. Make her want to come back."
Jimin nods resolutely.
"SIR! He's - he's gone!!"
"WHAT?" The Commander whirls around in anger. The Fighters have gathered around and one of them - a brave soul - stands at the front to deliver the news.
"The one we captured. He got away, sir."
And sure enough, there is no trace of him. The Commander turns back to question Jimin about it but he's already nowhere in sight - probably off to a head start on his mission.
"YOU FIGHTERS HAD ONE JOB! ONE!" The Commander yells in fury. "There are SO MANY of you watching ONE PERSON. How did he get away?!"
"He used his ice mist again, sir. Apparently he still had some energy left. And it hurt."
"You couldn't defend yourselves?"
"We used all our energy to follow your orders and throw dirt at the truck, remember? To "intimidate the enemy", is what you said!"
The Commander exhales in annoyance. "Alright, listen up! One of you - report this to the Principal. This is getting out of hand."
"The... Principal? Sir?"
"Yes, you duck. The principal." The Commander gestures at the abandoned parking lot around them. "None of this went to plan. Y/n and her accomplices should be captured for treason, a capital offense. We gave them a diplomatic peaceful chance, but the girl herself refused. And all of them got away."
He gazes down at his Fighters, who look away to avoid eye contact. "I trust that I've secured Jimin's loyalty, but it won't be enough. We need to consult the principal and bring everything we've got next time. Understand?"
The group nods in unison. Clasping his hands behind his back, the Commander looks out into the dark night.
It's cold and damp outside. But that doesn't stop the hot fire of determination and revenge burning inside him.
"Next time... they won't stand a chance."