Inside a small underground meeting room, thick with the scent of machine oil and recycled air, Connor and Chloe were already waiting. Two men and a woman sat around the table as well, their eyes fixed on the newcomers.
Thud... Thud...
Drago led Edward into the room, stopping at the center of their collective gaze.
"You holding up alright, kid? No complications?"
Connor asked, studying the boy's condition carefully.
"So far, no... but it feels like some of my memories are starting to come back."
Edward replied. A flicker of confusion lingered in his eyes, mixed with a growing sense of suspicion. His gaze swept across the room before he finally voiced the question that had been weighing on him the most.
"Forget everything else for now... who exactly are you people?"
"We're allies of those who live in the Outlands."
Connor answered firmly, leaning back in his chair.
"We're the ones left behind beyond the dome's walls. And we're not about to bow to the rules of the central government anymore."
Silence settled over the room. Only the steady hum of the ventilation system filled the air.
"That's a pretty long name for a group."
Edward muttered, his eyes sweeping across the meeting table.
"We don't really have an official name. It's just something people call us."
The man seated beside Connor cut in, a faint smile on his face.
"Right, I almost forgot... let me introduce everyone properly. I'm Connor, the leader of this group. And this is my sister, Chloe. You've probably met her already."
Connor began with the familiar faces before turning toward the others seated around the table.
"That's Jenkins."
He nodded toward the man who had just spoken.
"This is Kelly."
He gestured toward the only woman among the remaining members. She didn't take her eyes off the monitor in front of her, only lifting a hand in a small wave to acknowledge Edward.
"And that's Murray."
Connor introduced the slightly heavyset young man, who looked like the kindest among them. The atmosphere in the underground room eased slightly. The walls, stained with soot and marked with rough map sketches, gave the space a worn, lived-in feel. Edward nodded in response as he took in their introductions.
"This group's been around for about two years."
Connor spoke evenly, leaning back against the worn wooden chair.
"We started it after hearing that they never actually intended to develop any system to restore the environment outside the dome in the first place... because the outside world is already beyond saving."
He paused, locking eyes with Edward.
"So instead, they shifted their focus to altering human DNA to withstand those conditions."
The words left Edward frozen for a moment. Silence immediately settled over the room.
"You're saying... that whole 'world restoration project' they've been promoting is a lie?"
Edward asked, his voice trembling.
"Yes. The real goal is to select a specific group of people to be modified so they can survive. Everyone else is simply left behind to rot along with the rest of the world."
Connor replied, giving a slight nod toward Drago.
"And that's exactly why they created something like him."
"That's right. I volunteered for the experiment because of the money. And this is what I got out of it."
Drago let out a dry laugh, spreading both hands as if presenting his own altered body.
"Same goes for those P-Type."
"You're all experimental subjects... so why would you steal data from the research facility?"
Edward asked, confusion evident in his voice. The news of a massive data breach had already spread throughout the dome.
"We didn't steal anything."
Drago met his gaze, unwavering.
"No one who escaped brought anything out with them. The only thing we took was ourselves... and even that, in their eyes, still counts as property of the central government."
"Then that means the news they've been broadcasting..."
Edward began to piece it together.
"It's a lie."
Connor cut in, his tone cold.
"The central government needed justification to eliminate those who escaped. And more importantly... they need to silence witnesses like you, Edward."
The atmosphere in the room tightened instantly as the full extent of the deception within the dome came to light.
"Exactly. There are two things they don't want the public to know."
Drago continued, giving a slight nod.
"First, the true purpose behind the experiments. And second... the abilities each of us possesses."
"Yeah... that too. My memories are coming back more clearly now."
Edward spoke again, his gaze drifting as fragments of distorted memories resurfaced.
"What happened in that abandoned house... it wasn't just that I was rescued and Benjamin was neutralized."
"Benjamin could split himself into multiple bodies. And the one who called himself 23... he could regenerate, just like you."
He turned to look at Drago, his body shifting slightly in discomfort as the memory of those final moments crept back in.
"And Alicia... I only just realized she has a parasite."
Clang!
Connor's coffee cup slammed against the table.
"That's exactly why you have to die, Edward. Because you've seen the truth beyond the story the central government wants everyone to believe."
"What you saw... isn't just human modification. It's the creation of weapons of war in human form."
Connor added, his expression tightening.
"And if the truth about humans being able to split themselves apart or become effectively immortal were to leak out, the entire system of control inside the dome, built on fear, would collapse instantly."
"It's not just that. When I escaped, there were seven others who didn't come with me. They chose to stay."
Drago spoke, his tone growing heavier.
"Especially 23. He knew the purpose of the experiment from the very beginning... and still chose to take part."
"Every single one of them has a different ability."
"P-Type... right."
Edward muttered, recalling the image from the press conference seven figures standing tall on the stage.
"What about the others? Where are they now?"
He asked, concern creeping into his voice. If all of them possessed abilities like that, then the outside world could easily become a battlefield far more dangerous than anyone could imagine.
"I don't know."
Drago shook his head slowly.
"When we escaped, everyone scattered in the chaos. Some probably just want to live quietly... others might still be holding onto their anger toward the central government."
Silence fell over the room. Everyone understood at once. The remaining seventeen modified humans could become allies to rely on... or enemies far more dangerous than the P-Type themselves.
"So what's your plan?"
Edward asked, his gaze moving across the faces in the room.
"We gather all the evidence we can... and expose it to the public."
Kelly replied firmly, her fingers still flying across the keyboard.
"Even if you have proof... you can't actually bring them down, can you?"
Edward countered, grounded in the reality of a world where absolute power rested in the hands of the central government.
"Yeah. We can't bring them down."
Jenkins nodded in agreement, arms crossed.
"But at the very least, people deserve to know the truth, that the world outside can no longer be fixed. Forcing people to struggle just to get into the dome, only to bleed them dry with taxes and inflated living costs... it should never have happened in the first place."
"The space inside the dome should belong to everyone, not just the wealthy."
Murray added, his voice trembling slightly.
"And making working-class people like us grind ourselves to the brink just to afford the air we breathe... that's nothing short of profiting off death."
The room filled with a suffocating tension, years of frustration hanging thick in the air. Edward fell silent, realizing that all the safes he had searched for, all the gold he had risked his life to collect... meant nothing compared to the truth these people were trying to reveal.
"Still... even if we know what they're doing, we don't have enough evidence. And we don't even have a way to get the truth out there."
Chloe spoke up, letting out a weary sigh.
"Good thing Drago came to us first."
Connor said, nodding toward his old friend.
"Yeah... didn't really have anywhere else to go once I couldn't stay in there."
Drago replied with a low chuckle.
"You two knew each other before?"
Edward asked, surprised by the connection between them.
"Yeah. We go way back, to our days in the military."
Drago leaned back in his chair as he spoke.
"He was a combat medic. I was part of an assault unit. Most of our missions involved tracking down criminals who had escaped beyond the dome."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"When I found out he had joined this group, I didn't agree with it at first. But after seeing the truth for myself... I understood."
The atmosphere in the room softened, a trace of old camaraderie surfacing amid the ruins of the world outside. Edward listened quietly, studying the faces of the two former soldiers, men who had become rebels simply to hold on to what they believed was right.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
A rapid series of alerts cut through the room from Kelly's console, instantly putting everyone on edge.
"I'm picking up something... give me a second to tune the signal."
Kelly's fingers flew across the control panel as her brows tightened in focus. All eyes locked onto the monitor.
"Enemy?"
Connor asked, shifting his posture, ready to move at a moment's notice.
"No... looks like a distress signal. It's being broadcast randomly within a ten-mile radius."
Kelly replied, her eyes never leaving the incoming data.
"Could be a trap."
Jenkins muttered, suspicion evident in his tone.
"Unlikely... aside from that signal, I'm also detecting a fast-moving object heading straight toward its source."
Kelly reported, her voice steady despite the escalating situation. The atmosphere in the room tightened instantly. At that speed, it wasn't something an ordinary human in the Outlands should be capable of.
"At that speed, it's not something a regular transport vehicle could pull off. Even we would be taking a risk... visibility ahead would be almost nonexistent."
Chloe said, frowning as she studied the radar screen.
"Do we move?"
She turned to Connor, waiting for a decisive call.
"Run a reconnaissance first. If it's someone genuinely calling for help, we assist. If not, pull back immediately."
Connor ordered, his tone firm.
"Maintain surveillance across the entire ten-mile radius at all times."
Without hesitation, Chloe and Drago stood and headed straight out of the meeting room toward the garage.
"Wait! Can I come with you?"
Edward blurted out. He had no intention of sitting around in that underground room any longer. Drago stopped mid-step and glanced toward Connor, silently asking for approval. Connor paused briefly before giving a small nod.
Green light.
"Alright... let's move."
Drago replied, quickening his pace.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of boots striking concrete echoed rapidly as they rushed toward a massive off-road vehicle waiting in the garage, ready to head out and uncover the source of the mysterious signal.
.....
Huff... Huff... Huff...
Ragged breaths tore through the silence of the dust-choked Outlands. The unfortunate man staggered forward, forcing his body through the thick orange haze without so much as a mask. His cracked lips parted desperately, dragging in air thick with toxic particles.
VROOOOM…!
The roar of an engine thundered close behind. Headlights sliced through the dust, revealing the looming silhouette of a heavily modified pickup truck built for the hunt.
"Don't let him get away!"
A man riding in the truck shouted.
"I recognize him! He's one of those fugitives who escaped from the research facility. Might not have a bounty yet, but if we turn in his body... we're cashing in big!"
Behind the massive pickup, a lifted sedan kept pace, while a dirt bike sped ahead, cutting off every possible escape route and forcing the prey into an ever-tightening circle.
The fleeing man stumbled, his foot catching on a chunk of broken concrete, and crashed hard into the dust-covered ground.
Crash!
The lead motorcycle skidded to a halt, kicking up a storm of dust as it blocked his path.
Moments later, the pickup and the lifted sedan rolled in from behind, sealing off his escape completely.
The large man stepped down from the driver's seat of the pickup. His dust mask bore a deep, deliberate slash across it, like a personal mark.
He strode straight toward the prey lying on the ground, gasping for breath. Another man followed behind him, his mask spray-painted white with a grotesque skull design that stood out eerily against the orange haze.
"Where do you think you're going...?"
The man with the slashed mask let out a low chuckle.
"You look exhausted."
"Who the hell are you people?!"
The man on the ground shouted hoarsely. The skull-masked man stepped closer, his gaze sweeping over the pitiful figure.
"Hmm... walking around in this dust without a mask and still alive?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Yeah. No doubt about it. You're one of the ones who escaped from the research facility. One hundred percent."
"Who are you...?"
The man forced the question out again, struggling to push himself up, only for the slashed-mask man to step right in front of him.
"We're Out Law."
A faint grin crept into his voice.
"Nice to meet you."