The Sealed Sanctuary
Kang Seorin spent a while silently scanning the surroundings. Corners, ceiling, ventilation ducts, blind spots in her line of sight. Her movements were practiced, like someone who knew this space well.
"You were here for a long time," I said.
She nodded. "During the collapse, I was part of the security team."
The collapse. I mulled over the word. It sounded less like a simple accident and more like a planned event.
"Let's move. This synthesis chamber won't stay safe for long. The noise from the earlier fight will draw attention."
She took the lead, and I followed. The corridor led toward the central section of the facility. Faded zone markings still clung to the walls.
[Third Synthesis Wing] [Storage Sector] [Security Control Room]
"Where are we headed?"
"The safety zone," she answered curtly. "Right after the collapse, they sealed off several sections. A few remain airtight."
I walked behind her, watching the black ponytail sway. Her bodysuit was streaked with blood and mucus, yet it showed almost no damage.
Kang Seorin stopped and glanced back. Her gaze lingered on my upper body for a moment before flickering away.
"...Are you planning to keep walking around like that?"
"Like what?"
"Your clothes."
I looked down. I was still wearing nothing but the tattered remains of a lab coat.
"We were fighting."
"Even so." She cleared her throat. "There's spare gear in the supply room. Let's get you something first."
Her voice stayed carefully neutral, but the tips of her ears had turned a faint shade of red. I nodded without thinking much of it.
After passing through a bulkhead, the air quality changed. This area was relatively clean. The ceiling lights glowed steadily, and the ventilation system hummed.
"This section still has power," Kang Seorin said.
She opened the supply room door. Metal shelves lined the walls, stocked with weapons, magazines, emergency kits, and several black packages. She grabbed one and tossed it to me.
"Put it on."
Inside the package was a bundle of thin black fibers. It looked like ordinary cloth, but the texture felt strange.
"A bodysuit?"
"Bio-nanoparticle fiber," she explained. "It conforms to your body the moment it touches skin. Standard issue for security combat gear."
Her eyes swept over me again.
"...Hurry up and change."
The words carried a hint of irritation, yet she avoided meeting my gaze. I stripped off the remaining lab coat. Cool air brushed directly against my skin. Kang Seorin immediately turned her head toward the wall.
"I won't look."
While she faced away, I pulled the suit over my body. The instant the fibers touched my skin, a faint vibration ran through them. Then, like liquid, the material flowed and sealed itself over my entire frame. When I inhaled, the suit expanded microscopically to match.
"It really fits perfectly."
Kang Seorin turned back. "......How is it?"
"Easy to move in."
She hesitated, then murmured, "......It suits you."
Her voice was barely audible, but I heard it clearly.
We entered the central hall of the safety zone. The circular chamber held a floating holographic map at its center. Kang Seorin pressed the activation button, and a cross-section of the facility appeared.
"This lab has six underground levels. We're on the third floor—the synthesis wing."
Red dots bloomed across the map.
"Most of the failed subjects have moved to the fourth floor and below. They prefer the cold and dark."
"So going up would be safer?"
"In theory." Her expression hardened. "But the corporation won't leave this incident alone."
The corporation. The ones who ran this facility.
"How will they respond?"
"Once they confirm containment failure......" She stopped. "......They'll detonate the entire lab."
"There could still be survivors. What about rescue teams?"
"There aren't any." Her voice was firm. "This project doesn't exist in any official record. When something goes wrong, erasing evidence comes first. Besides, even if we rescued someone, the risk of an infected subject escaping to the outside is too great."
I studied the map. "How do we get out?"
"The upper-level exits to the surface are already sealed. That leaves the ventilation shafts or the waste disposal tunnels."
And the ventilation shafts were crawling with infected.
"So the waste tunnels are our best bet."
I understood the escape route well enough. But something else bothered me.
"You said you were security."
"Yeah."
"Did you know what kind of experiments were happening here?"
Her gaze wavered for a moment.
"At first, no. I thought it was just an infection control research facility."
She leaned against the wall and continued.
"On the day of the collapse, an internal lockdown order came down. That was the first time I saw a failed subject."
Her voice dropped lower.
"They looked human, but they weren't. Bio-roids."
"Bio-roid," I repeated.
She nodded. "They were created that way from the beginning."
Her hand trembled slightly.
"That day, the entire security team was wiped out. Only I survived. During the chaos, I met Yoon Harin."
The name was unfamiliar.
"She's a researcher. Specializes in infection theory."
Kang Seorin took a steadying breath.
"And NK365 was with her."
When I opened the infirmary door, the scent of medicine drifted out. A woman inside lifted her head. Long brown hair, gentle features. The kind of presence that made you want to protect her.
"Seorin?" she said. "You're back. Thank goodness."
Kang Seorin nodded. "Harin, I rescued a bio-roid that was fighting the failed subjects."
Her gaze shifted to me.
"What's your designation?"
"N221."
Her eyes flickered.
"I see......"
Complex emotions colored the words.
"Infection level?"
"Five percent."
"That's fortunate. It's still low enough for autonomous control."
"You were involved in these experiments too, weren't you?"
At my question, she closed her eyes briefly.
"Yes."
"You look like you regret it."
Her hands clenched tightly.
"......It's all I think about every day."
Still, she continued, "But right now, escaping safely is what matters most."
Behind the infirmary, the isolation room door opened. A woman stepped out. Light brown skin, white hair, gray eyes. Her harness-style outfit left only a single thin strap across her upper body, exposing both her upper and lower chest. The lower half was little more than panties, making her appear almost naked.
"Seorin," she said softly. Her voice was warm.
"There were more survivors?"
This was probably NK365. Her eyes found me.
"And this is?"
"A protective-type bio-roid," Yoon Harin explained. "She's not strong in combat, but she's specialized in protection and stabilization."
NK365 approached me. Though the distance was close, there was no threat in her presence.
"May I hold your hand?"
I nodded. Her hand clasped mine. Warm. A different kind of contact than Kang Seorin's.
> Infection Level: 5%
> Stabilization Response: Active
The number hadn't changed, but the stabilization effect was apparently working as intended.
"Looks like you're fine," she said with a smile.
I looked at the three women. A security officer, a researcher burdened with guilt, and a warm bio-roid. The facility was wrong. Given time, the corporation would erase every trace. So we had to escape on our own.
Yoon Harin stood before the data panel, her fingers trembling.
"The detonation countdown has been activated."
"How much time do we have?"
"Seventy-two hours."
Silence settled over the room.
"The official announcement will cite 'infection containment failure.' All records will be deleted, and any remaining personnel will be treated as if they never existed."
I leaned against the wall. NK365 sat quietly beside me. Her revealing harness outfit looked less strange than I expected. Where skin showed, faint patterns were visible—thin, glove-like structures that only became noticeable up close.
"It looks exposed, but the actual defensive capability exceeds standard security suits," Kang Seorin said. "The exposed areas have higher bio-armor density. It's a reactive defense structure."
NK365 smiled. "They made it look appealing on purpose, too."
Her tone was soft and human. "But in actual combat, it's reliable."
I nodded. Yoon Harin manipulated the panel. The facility's internal network was still connected.
"The central control AI is still active."
"Can we use it?" Kang Seorin asked.
If the central AI could operate the bulkheads, we could reach the upper levels safely and escape.
"To do that, we'd need to reach the core. It's on the fifth floor."
And that floor was swarming with failed subjects.
Yoon Harin zoomed in on the screen.
"This project was a phased experiment. Not all failed subjects were meant for disposal."
"What do you mean?"
"Environmental response testing. They throw subjects into specific situations and record survival patterns and evolutionary reactions. The failed subjects are used for that."
I recalled waking up. A pistol with a loaded magazine had been hanging on the wall. That hadn't been coincidence.
"There's a clause that provides minimal survival tools to awakened subjects."
"I had a gun when I woke up too."
Clearly, this facility hadn't collapsed by accident. Maybe someone was still watching even now.