A gentle afternoon wind drifted through the air.
But it brought no sense of peace.
Only the smell of metal.
And something that—
shouldn't exist.
The Dominion facility stood before them.
Too large.
Too quiet.
Like a place deliberately hidden from the rest of the world.
Tall fences.
Watchtowers.
Security lights still glowing despite the daylight.
Silent.
Yet somehow—
watching.
From behind a crumbling warehouse, the team observed the compound.
No one spoke loudly.
Because everyone knew—
one mistake would be enough.
Sinta pointed ahead.
"The western side."
"The service corridor."
Lila zoomed in on the map.
"Security is lighter there."
Farhan nodded.
"Still dangerous."
Bimo smirked.
"If it were safe, it wouldn't be us."
Tono moved first.
Whoosh.
He climbed up swiftly and silently.
A few seconds later—
click.
The door unlocked.
Sinta raised her hand.
"Move."
One by one, they slipped past the fence.
Without a sound—
they entered enemy territory.
Inside, everything was larger than expected.
Logistics trucks moved through the compound.
Generators hummed constantly.
White lights illuminated every corner.
Too bright.
Too sterile.
Bimo lowered his voice.
"This isn't a laboratory."
"It's a factory."
Farhan stared at his screen.
"The energy levels here are enormous."
Lila nodded.
"And highly concentrated."
Kai looked toward the main building.
His expression changed.
"That's the place."
"The place where they made us."
Arga opened his lunch box.
The ten rice grains glowed.
Faster.
Brighter.
But this time—
their light felt unstable.
As if they were rejecting something.
"This is wrong," he said quietly.
Sinta looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Arga closed the box.
"The energy here..."
"...isn't alive."
Silence followed.
The team moved through a narrow passage.
Cold metal walls surrounded them.
The deeper they went, the heavier the air became.
At the end stood a massive door.
A digital security panel blocked the way.
Farhan immediately got to work.
Lila assisted him.
The seconds dragged on.
Click.
Green.
The door slid open.
A wave of cold air rushed out.
Like a breath from something hidden deep inside.
Kai froze.
"This is the way."
They stepped into a long corridor.
Their footsteps echoed softly.
Bright white lights stretched endlessly overhead.
Machines hummed in the background.
And behind the glass walls—
capsules.
Rows and rows of them.
Far too many.
Blue liquid shimmered inside.
Tiny bubbles drifted upward.
And within those capsules—
children.
Motionless.
Silent.
Cables were attached to their bodies.
Monitors blinked steadily.
Energy was being extracted.
Forced.
And behind their closed eyes—
a faint golden glow remained.
Small.
But unmistakable.
Rani stopped walking.
"...This..."
Farhan swallowed.
"Dominion prototypes."
Kai stepped closer.
His hand trembled slightly.
"...they're..."
His voice almost broke.
"...my friends."
No one joked anymore.
Even Bimo could only whisper.
"This isn't a mission anymore."
"It's a rescue."
Then—
a tiny crack appeared on one of the capsules.
Almost invisible.
Inside—
a finger twitched.
BEEP.
Everyone froze.
The lights instantly changed.
RED.
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
Lila looked at her tablet.
Her face turned pale.
"...They found us."
Footsteps echoed through the facility.
Many of them.
Fast.
Approaching.
Not chaotic.
Organized.
As if—
they had been waiting all along.
Sinta reacted immediately.
"Team!"
"Formation!"
There would be no sneaking out now.
Arga opened his lunch box again.
The ten rice grains burst into light.
Brighter than ever.
Energy flowed outward.
Fast.
Powerful.
Yet—
unstable.
Kai turned toward the capsules.
"...They're waking up."
Everyone followed his gaze.
The cracked capsule glowed from within.
Golden light intensified.
The fracture spread wider.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
And then—
the eyes inside opened.
Golden.
Awake.
They had come here to infiltrate.
But now—
they were no longer facing guards.
They were facing—
something that was never meant to live.