Soon enough the thick crowd dissipated as the series of elevators completed roundtrips from the surface into the underground and back. Not even minding even if they collided with anyone, they kept pursuing the doors that would inevitably bring them to safety.

“LILY!!!”

Seth shouted from the top of his lungs, forcing every bit of air to make the loudest voice possible. Frustration crept within his heart as he searched for her small figure, the calm and collected demeanor was nowhere to be found.

The island possessed the latest technology in almost all fields of Science, therefore erasing its existence from the globe wasn’t impossible if one would think about it. But then, the unthinkable happened. Everyone felt nothing but hostility from those bombarding explosions.

After getting lost within his thoughts, Seth shook his head as to reaffirm the present situation.

The sea of panicking white coats was eventually reduced to a number that can be counted in one hand. And there, a bit further away from where Seth stopped his tracks, the little girl that seemed out of place was squatted on the floor. Quiet sobs reached his ears as he approached the girl that was trembling from fear.

“Lily…”

He muttered in a voice that was only loud enough for her to hear. As if it was a switch, the trembling of the girl stopped. Her face, that was hidden by both her tear drenched arms, meekly peered at the boy.

“Can you walk?”

Lily shook her head in response.

Unsteadily, she tried to stand from her current posture. Her form noticeably unstable after Seth saw her left feet, not fully planted on the tiled floor.

He grimaced in front of the sight that resulted from his carelessness but quickly shifted his gears for more important matters.

“I’ll carry you. “

He said after kneeling with his back facing Lily, urging her to ride on his back. A smile that carried not a hint of irritation or frustration appeared on his face.

Even though he only knew Lily for quite a short time, it felt like years worth of memories had already been made.

Lily moved here at such a young age. Surrounded by adults, without someone to play or relate with, she lived through the days by quickly adapting from her surroundings. It's quite similar to Seth’s situation when he came here after he was adopted. He quickly learned many difficult things so that he could at least carry himself around with dignity.

As he was spacing out yet again, Seth was taken aback by the warm feeling that was transmitted on his back.

“Alright, we need to hurry now.”

“-yeah.”

After affirming that Lily was properly secured, Seth stood up steadily, a bit thankful that she was light enough for him to carry around.

“Hold on tight okay.”

“......... “

Seth didn't heard a response but didn't mind it since she complied, tightening the arms around his neck. Lily was beet red as she did that but later recovered as she entrusted herself to this reliable back.

____________________________________

All elevators were closed tightly as soon as the two of them reached their destination.

Electronic panels that were situated beside each door indicated that the trip down to the shelter was still ongoing.

All they could do right now was wait for one to return. As each nerve wracking seconds passed, unease grew within Seth bit by bit. Who knows what might happen to them if they were delayed even further. Even so, they had no choice but to wait.

“Come to think of it, why did Lily come here?”

He asked a question, wanting to dispel the tension in the air.

Lily on the other hand blinked in confusion for a few seconds but soon realized what he meant to say.

“So I can be with Daddy.”

She answered briefly without a hint of hesitation.

“To be with family huh..”

A somewhat sad look was reflected on his eyes as he stared at the door in wonder. The only family he could think of was only the Professor. Not even knowing where he came from, Seth had no memories of his biological parents. He brooded over this fact for a long time during his childhood days but it soon became a needless worry as soon as he was adopted.

Gaining access to this island must’ve required a lot of connections. Professor William really did something unbelievable, acquiring permission for his daughter to enter this top secret facility.

….!!!

Their idle talk soon came to a close when they felt the ground shaking. Unnatural tremors occurred at repeated intervals, as if it was orchestrated with the loud explosions that still continued even now.

“Open the damn door! ”

“I don't want to die!!”

“Shit! Shit! Shit!!”

Cries of despair resounded and throughout the hall as the people left began to panic.

Some were hopelessly crying some showed violent behavior by repeatedly banging the steel doors with their bare hands.

The lights that illuminate the place then began to flicker and soon lost their shine as the explosions continued to wreak havoc. Fear swallowed the remaining white coats, causing them to fall on their knees.

“......”

Nevertheless, Seth remained unfazed as he closed his eyes while deep in thought.

The both of them would surely meet their demise if they end up like the others. A calm mind even in the midst of chaos, an important trait of an ideal Scientist, his father always told. Lucky for him the Professor hammered this to his brain ever since he started living here. He was almost invulnerable from provocations or anything of that sort.

But then, Lily was not the same. Her arms that was wrapped around his neck tightened, her body trembled nonstop.

“Don't worry.”

Emergency lights began to illuminate the hall, revealing the sorry state of those who were left.

“I will bring you to safety, I promise!”

He declared while beaming a sincere smile that was not visible to Alice, unfortunately. Nonetheless it definitely had its effect, Lily calmed down to some extent.

Seth heaved a breath of relief as she loosened the hug. He certainly needed a lot more room for air as he dashed and kicked the floor with all his might.

______________________________________________________________________________

Crimson eyes that seemed to belong to a nocturnal beast. A pure black body that resembled the form of a human being. As if it was the incarnation of the devil, it trudged through the tiled floor, leaving not a single sound from its footsteps.

Wielding a sort of weapon that resembled rifles but differs in a way that it was large enough to be mistaken as a 50 calibre sniper rifle. The monster-esque entity was not alone, it moved in groups of 5 while carrying those guns effortlessly.

Not a single voice could be heard mouths but they seemed to have a form of communication as they moved in perfect coordination. Under the guise of the darkness only the pair of glowing orbs were visible to the naked eye.

Not a single thing could stop their advance, demolishing through anything that stood their way. The island’s main defense system composed mostly of humanoid robots but most of them were left nonfunctional due to the explosions that occurred earlier.

Remnants eventually found the intruders but never stood a chance against them.

The weapon held by the enemy whirled as electricity flowed from their suits. Faint light could clearly be seen within the gaps of the metal that made up the unusual gun.

With a pull of the trigger, the state of the art security bots were demolished, leaving a huge hole that hollowed the torso of the machine.

The attack didn’t emit any kind of sound but the sound of metal hitting the walls did. Chunks of metal made loud clattering noises but the group were unperturbed.

They kept advancing, albeit slowly, as if time was not really an issue.

And soon enough, the eyes that held not a hint of life was laid on the figures of the white coats, despairing on a hall lined with elevators that were shut tightly.

“Have Mercy!!”

“I’ll do anything! Please don't kill me!!”

They begged shamelessly and threw away all the pride left from their once proud selves. Snot mixed with tears covered their unsightly faces as they prostrated in front of the intruders.

But then, not all of them shared the same trail of judgement.

A lone white coat, who was situated at a corner that was far from the others, readied himself. Possessing a fairly muscular body, he was quite confident that he could escape from the intruding party. The hall was wide enough for around a hundred of people, the enemy which only numbered five couldn't possibly block his way that easily. Even though he clearly saw their unusual weapons, his guts told him that death was the only thing waiting for him here.

Luckily, he wasn't just the one who thought of these. As soon as the enemy noticed their bawling colleagues, another white coat took a run for it.

Now!!

Adrenaline was pumped into his system as soon as he kicked against the tiled floor. Not a shred of hesitation could be seen from his form as he dashed with all his might.

It was his only chance to break through he thought. The other one who ran a bit earlier than him may very well be considered as a diversion for his escape.

I can make it! I can make it!

He chanted over and over again as he neared the exit of the hall, not noticing the faint light that flashed behind him.

****************************************************

Seth sped through the dimly lit halls frantically while carrying Lily on his back.

Instead of competing with those who wanted to enter the elevators, he decided an abrupt change of plan.

His senses, even though a little rusty after being secluded for a while, told him to do so.

He felt they needed to move continuously or else they would be in serious trouble.

……..

Only silence could be heard with those occasional explosions that came from the outside as he traversed through the dark maze without even coming across a single soul.

It was as expected since almost of all of the people we're waiting in line to be transported to the underground facility. But for both Seth and Lily, their destination was changed not long ago.

It was the detached research facility that Seth managed ever since he came here.

It may sound idiotic to seek shelter in such a lowly secured place, but his intuition told him the opposite.

“Almost there.”

He chanted, wanting to forget the burden that he was currently experiencing.

Seth’s physical capabilities was undoubtedly below average but due to the fact that their lives were on the line, he needn't concern himself with the fatigue.

Luckily, as if his luck was at its peak today, he didn't come across any danger as he dashed and walked, conserving energy as much as possible.

“huff...huff...huff”

After retracing the path he took before, he finally reached his objective. Even though he was panting quite heavily, his hands deftly accessed the terminal that was installed outside the shell like barrier, containing the transport pod.

Outgoing transport requests were not that strict since he only needed a password and a quick Iris scan before gaining access.

[Access is granted to Mr. Seth Alberts. ID No. 21217211697.

Have a safe trip.]

Seth didn't even let the synthetic voice finish its farewell as he quickly entered an available pod.

“Lily you can sit there for now.”

He urged, as his legs were about to give up. In response, Lily meekly removed her arms that was wrapped around his neck and obediently sat at the only available chair inside the transport.

Not long after that, the capsule moved automatically and immediately sped through the transparent tunnel, showing the chaos that was happening outside the headquarters.

A sea of fire enveloped almost half of the forest that covered the whole island. The experimental animals running rampant here and there, trees that flourished through the years of his stay we're being incinerated.

Instead of fear as to who had caused all of this, only rage dominated his heart.

It was his only home, and now it was being destroyed within a matter of hours.

He felt powerless as he stood there, clenching his fists in vexation.

Lily on the other hand, watched the scene in a daze. Not entirely believing what's happening right now.

****************************************************

Soon enough, the transport pod reached its destination. The lush green forests that surrounded his research laboratory was left untouched since it was situated at the northernmost edge of the island.

Judging from the smoke that could be seen even from their location, almost all of the attacks were concentrated at the headquarters.

Seth immediately carried Lily on his back yet again, right after the door of the pod popped open.

Even though he stood throughout the trip, his legs were once again filled with energy after witnessing the destruction that would undoubtedly find its way to them.

Not wanting to waste any time, he dashed straight while facing north. Lily kept her silence ever since she was carried. Her face buried at Seth's back, not wanting to witness anymore devastation.

And not long after that, the sight of his prided home came into view. It was still the same with no signs of destruction anywhere. Seth was convinced that the intruders still hadn't found this place which he made it more safer than staying at the headquarters.

He fished out a key from one of his pockets as he approached the door that was locked in an old fashion way. Seth unlocked the doors skillfully and made his way inside the facility. The door was then locked from the inside, with the same security that was seen from the outside.

“It's already safe, you can let go now.”

He urged Lily as he knelt, making it easy for her to get off his back.

“Ok.”

She muttered timidly while loosening her arms that were wrapped around his neck.

Right after breaking free, Seth scanned the area briefly.

The interior was sufficiently lit since the power source of this facility is independent from the main power grid of the island. Standing out from the rest of the machines that were scattered here and there was his current project.

The teleportation machine, albeit a prototype, boasted an unimaginable potential now that he had acquired a compatible and sustainable power source which was the mysterious medallion.

It was their only hope of getting out of this island even though using it had a lot of dangers of its own. Nevertheless, it gave a percentage of success and that was enough for Seth.

“Success rate should be 50% at best. “

He proclaimed as he began to access the terminal that was attached to the machine. His fingers tapped on the keyboard at an extraordinary speed while his pupils moved in sync with the data that was displayed on the monitor.

“The destination should be the nearest body of land.”

A virtual map was projected inside his mind as he kept on inputting information into the machine. The coordinates of the nearest landmass were added to his inputs without even the slightest doubt of his own knowledge of the world's geography.

Seth was in full work mode and Lily, who sat at a nearby chair, couldn't help but blink her eyes in surprise. It was as if Seth was a completely different person.

But things don't really go as planned all of the time.

[INTRUDER ALERT!]

[INTRUDER ALERT!]

Even though the security of the door was quite mediocre, a security net that surrounded the vicinity of the facility was installed to make up for it.

And now something or someone triggered the alarm.

Damn it! I need more time!

Frustration crept inside him as he increased his speed further. He didn't have the leisure to check for the intruder as he focused all of his attention on the screen in from of him.

As if responding to his demands, the machine which was warming up for quite some time, began to vibrate erratically.

The medallion that was harnessed to the machine started to shine and emit sparks.

Lily was confused as to where she was supposed to look, the machine or the door where the both of them came in. There was something ominous at the other side of that door that she couldn't help but stare at it intently.

“This is it! Finally!”

Seth exclaimed in pure bliss. Even though it was not the appropriate time to celebrate, he couldn't help but be overjoyed now that his greatest creation was coming to life.

The part of the machine, that resembled a large mirror frame, began to emit light. The light filled the frame but it didn't end there, the blinding brilliance continued to increase without any signs of stopping.

“What the-.”

He muttered, his emerald pupils constricting in response to the light that was drowning his vision.