Fifteen years ago, our world was overrun by an unknown species—aliens unlike anything we had ever imagined. Their structures rose overnight, impossibly advanced, their technology far beyond our comprehension. We knew instantly:
humanity stood no chance.
They wiped out our governments, our industries, our armies… and eventually, our entire civilization.
The Resistance was formed, but it was hopeless. We lost a hundred humans just to kill five aliens. Our extinction felt inevitable—
until the world discovered the Apex Humans.
They were different.
Humans who had undergone continuous, rapid evolution.
Humans capable of superhuman strength, inhuman reflexes, and abilities that broke every natural law.
A single Apex could take on ten aliens and walk away victorious.
Of course, it didn't take long for the aliens to catch on.
They began hunting Apex Humans—mercilessly.
Children, mothers, fathers… it didn't matter.
To them, an Apex was the only true threat to their rule.
So they hunted us like prey.
I should also mention—there are two alien species.
The Takers
Machines in appearance. Violent by nature. They kill humans on sight.
The Verilians
They pretend to cooperate, offering deals that only benefit themselves. They avoid contact unless absolutely necessary, but don't be fooled—they're no less dangerous.
And me?
My name… is Number 153G, I'm an apex too and I'm going to save the world.
The narration fades, and it becomes clear that the voice belonged to a fifteen-year-old boy—white hair, bright blue eyes, and a dangerously cute face that didn't match his chaotic energy.
Number 153G.
Inside a broken-down house — just a messy, half-collapsed house—three surviving Apex teenagers hid from the outside world.
"So you still haven't given up on that weird goal of yours?"
Number 154G—black hair, cold eyes, cool face, gloomy attitude, and permanently lazy posture—glared at him with his usual deadpan expression. He was 153G's best friend… basically because their numbers were next to each other.
"Hell no!!! I'm not stopping until I kick all of their alien butts!" 153G shouted with explosive enthusiasm.
"Good luck with that," 154G muttered, throwing himself onto his ruined mattress like a corpse returning to its grave.
"The sun's coming up. We better get back on the road," 153G said.
154G groaned, waving his arms weakly.
"Do we really have to keep walking? I'm sooo tired. Let's just give up and die."
"That's NOT the attitude of someone who's going to save the world, 154G!!"
"I never said I was joining your stupid, unattainable, suicidal goal," 154G replied flatly. "My dream is to do nothing until I become nothing. That's my goal."
He even gave a lazy, comforting smile—one so forced you could physically feel how tired he was of existing.
"B-b-but we're best friends…" 153G whined like a child.
"I'm not your best friend. Now shut up and die," 154G said without a shred of emotion.
153G looked down, crushed for exactly three seconds… then a wicked grin spread across his face.
"I'll give you chocolate if you come with me."
154G teleported to the doorway.
"What the hell are we still doing here? Let's go."
Completely deceived by chocolate, the two boys headed out.
After a few steps, 153G stopped.
"…Wait. We're forgetting something, aren't we?"
They both stood there thinking.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty.
Thirty.
They shrugged in perfect sync and continued walking.
A moment later, screaming erupted behind them—getting closer fast.
The boys turned.
Their souls left their bodies.
A pink-haired girl—124-sub D—was sprinting toward them with murder in her eyes.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU TWO! WHY DID YOU ABANDON MEEEEEEE!?" she shrieked.
Knowing full well the world of pain approaching, both boys screamed and tried to run.
They didn't make it three steps.
She caught them, tackled them, and knocked them both out cold.
The sun filtered through the cracked ceiling panels of the ruined hallway as the three trudged forward.
153g held his cheek with both hands.
"Ugh… I can't feel my face… I think she broke my smile muscles…"
154g glanced at him with a deadpan expression, one eye half-swollen shut.
"You don't need smile muscles. You smile too much. She did the world a favor."
124-sub D snorted, arms folded like a victorious general.
"That's what you two get for leaving me behind in the burning corridor while you ran like rabbits!"
153g blinked rapidly.
"We didn't run like rabbits! We ran like— like highly trained escape strategists!"
154g sighed deeply.
"You tripped over your shoelace and dragged me down with you. That was not a strategy."
153g pointed at him dramatically.
"HEY. It was tactical falling."
124-sub D flicked both their foreheads so fast they squeaked in unison.
"Tactical my butt. Next time you forget me again, I'll send both of you through a wall."
153g immediately straightened his back.
"Yes ma'am! Permission to breathe?"
"No."
154g stared ahead with his gloomy, lazy look.
"Why am I even still with you two…"
153g leaned against him with a grin despite the pain.
"Because you love us~"
"I don't," 154g muttered, cheeks heating the tiniest bit.
124-sub D raised a brow.
"Awwww, he's blushing again. Should I take a picture?"
"I'm not."
He turned away so fast it cricked his neck.
"Ugh… great. Now my neck hurts too."
153g patted his shoulder.
"I got you—"
"DON'T TOUCH ME."
They walked through the hallway filled with broken pipes and flickering lights, dust sprinkling from above as the building groaned under distant explosions.
153g peered around nervously.
"Do you think more takers are around?"
124-sub D shrugged.
"Probably. They're like cockroaches. Except they kill you instead of eating your cereal."
154g sighed again — but this time in a more serious tone.
"We're almost outside. Stay alert."
153g whispered dramatically,
"I was born alert."
124-sub D slapped him on the back of the head.
"No you weren't."
They moved into a wider hall… and suddenly 154g stopped.
153g bumped right into his back.
"Bro, why'd you stop—"
"Sh. Don't move," 154g whispered, eyes narrowing.
124-sub D immediately dropped into a crouch.
Her voice lowered.
"What did you sense?"
154g didn't answer. His gaze drifted toward the broken window up ahead… where something metallic glinted between the vines and debris.
153g squinted.
"Is that… a vending machine?"
124-sub D punched his arm.
"NO, YOU IDIOT—THAT'S A SCOUT!"
There, perched on a collapsed beam like a mechanical spider, was a Taker-class scout drone.
Silent.
Scanning.
Rotating its head with sharp metallic clicks.
Its three glowing lenses swept across the hall like a lighthouse.
The trio immediately ducked behind a shattered pillar.
153g whispered aggressively,
"Okay okay okay—plan—someone think of a plan—124 you're smart right??"
124-sub D rolled her eyes.
"I am, but I'm not suicidal! If I run at level two it'll hear the sonic pressure. If I go level three I'll blow the whole wall off!"
153g's face froze.
"Should we… pretend to be rocks?"
154g stared at him with dead, tired eyes.
"Yes. Let's evolve into minerals. Great plan."
153g puffed up.
"It worked for frogs!"
"What frogs?" 154g snapped quietly.
"…the frogs! Enough said."
124-sub D pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You two are going to be the death of me…"
153g curled beside them, whispering,
"Okay, okay. New plan: we wait for it to leave—"
But then—
The scout's metallic head jerked sharply.
The scanning lens stopped.
And turned directly toward their pillar.
The air froze.
Even 153g didn't breathe.
154g lowered his voice to an icy whisper.
"…It sensed movement."
124-sub D's pupils contracted.
153g clutched both of them.
"I DIDN'T MOVE—WHO MOVED—SOMEONE BREATHED—STOP BREATHING—"
The scout raised its rifle-arm.
A faint charging sound began to hum—
A blinding blue laser sliced through the air—
SHRAAACK!!
The scout drone exploded into shrapnel before any of the three kids could even activate their powers.
153g blinked rapidly.
"…Did… we do that…?"
154g's eyes were still glowing faintly as he muttered,
"No. Unless I secretly learned sniping."
From behind smoking rubble, footsteps echoed.
Two men armed with rifles stepped forward,
a woman carrying supplies behind them,
and a small girl—maybe ten—holding onto her sleeve.
At the front strode a tall, muscular man with a calm smile and a large laser cannon resting on his shoulder.
"Strike!" he declared proudly.
The second man jogged up beside him, grinning.
"Damn, Yandere, your aim is getting real good!"
The little girl jumped excitedly.
"Yeah!! Big brother Yandere!! Do you think I'll use your laser gun one day!?"
Yandere knelt down, ruffling her hair.
"Sure, missy. One day, when you're strong enough."
153g exhaled in relief.
"Oh thank goodness… they're normal humans."
He began stepping out—
but 124-sub D GRABBED his collar and yanked him back so hard he choked.
"Are you stupid?!" she hissed.
"They could be bandits! Or butchers! We don't mess with people holding giant guns, GOT IT?!"
153g froze.
"…oh."
154g added, deadpan,
"Ohhhhhh. Yeah that makes sense."
A voice echoed from across the hall.
"We hear you, you know."
Yandere's eyes narrowed.
"Come out with your hands in the air."
All weapons turned toward the pillar the trio hid behind.
The barrels of three weapons aimed at the exact pillar between the ruins where the trio hid.
124 inhaled once, quietly.
Then stepped out alone.
Her boots scraped against rubble with steady, determined rhythm.
The woman tightened her grip on her gun.
"Stop right there."
But 124 didn't stop.
Her pace increased.
Every step sharper than the last.
Her eyes locked on the armed group—unblinking.
Yandere's stance changed.
"Final warning."
The speed in 124's steps intensified, the dirt rippling around her ankles.
The next moment—
GUNFIRE ERUPTED.
Bullets screamed through the air.
124 moved.
Her body snapped forward like a released bowstring.
A pink blur tore through the gunfire, weaving between bullets by centimeters.
She closed the distance before the woman could adjust her aim.
CRACK!
124's knee slammed into the woman's gun, snapping it sideways as the shot fired harmlessly into the ground.
The woman reacted fast—military trained.
She stepped in and threw a hard right elbow.
124 ducked, her hair slicing through the air, and countered with a palm strike aimed at the woman's sternum—
—but the second man charged in with a knife, forcing her to twist away mid-strike.
124 pivoted sharply, planting her foot and driving a kick into the man's ribs.
THUD!
He staggered, gasping.
Yandere was already raising the laser cannon.
124's eyes flicked toward him—
—and she vanished sideways with a burst of speed.
BOOOOM—!!
The cannon fired, obliterating a chunk of concrete where she'd stood.
Heat washed across the battlefield.
Stone fragments rained down in burning shrapnel.
124 slid across the ground on one knee, then pushed off, sprinting in a wide arc.
The world blurred around her.
Air pressure rippled in her wake.
The woman regained position and aimed again—
but 124 was already there.
WHAM!
A sharp elbow smashed into the woman's jaw, turning her head violently.
The woman staggered—only for 124 to sweep her legs.
She slammed into the rubble.
124 pivoted instantly—
the second man was charging again, knife low.
He swung upward—
she side-stepped, caught his wrist, and drove him backward into a fallen concrete slab.
The sound echoed:
CRACK!
The man collapsed.
But before she could finish him, the laser cannon roared.
FWOOOOO—!!
Heat singed her shoulder as she barely rolled out of its path.
The beam carved a smoking trench into the earth.
Yandere advanced, steps heavy, expression hard.
"A speed-type…? She's not normal."
124 steadied her breathing.
Her eyes narrowed.
Her hair lifted slightly from the static wind around her.
Then—
She launched forward again.
Yandere swung the cannon like a massive hammer—
but she ducked under it, slid across the dirt, and drove a kick into his knee.
It made him stumble—
—but not fall.
He twisted, grabbed the back of her vest mid-motion, and hurled her across the ground.
124 hit the rubble, rolled, and recovered instantly, skidding to a halt.
Blood trickled from her lip.
She wiped it.
Her expression hardened.
Her boots dug into the earth.
Her spine straightened.
Right foot behind left.
Hands open.
Eyes locked onto all three combatants at once.
She wasn't fighting to win.
She was fighting to survive.
The woman stood again, bruised but focused.
The second man limped back into position, gripping a spare pistol.
Yandere planted his feet, recharging the cannon for another shot.
124 exhaled slowly.
Her hair fluttered.
The wind shifted.
And then—
Her body blurred again.
Faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
Her steps were barely audible.
Her presence barely visible.
The three humans braced themselves.
They still didn't know—
She wasn't human like them.
She was an Apex.
And if pushed further, Level 1 was only the beginning.
124-sub D's chest heaved, her back pressed against a stack of broken concrete as three armed scouts spread out, cutting off every escape angle.
Vanessa leveled her rifle.
Michael spun a combat knife.
Yandere aimed his laser gun directly at her forehead.
Their footsteps tightened the circle.
The dust trembled.
124's pupils narrowed.
"...I warned you."
Her hair lifted slightly—like static.
A faint buzzing filled the air.
Then—
LEVEL 2.
A thunderclap of force burst from the ground as she vanished.
Michael's eyes didn't even have time to widen before her heel smashed into his sternum.
CRACK!
He flew backward like a ragdoll, slamming through a dead tree.
Vanessa blinked, raising her rifle—
—but 124 was already behind her.
A palm strike to the spine.
A sweep kick to her ankles.
A punch to the stomach that expelled all the air from her lungs.
Vanessa hit the ground hard, rolling away and coughing violently.
Yandere fired the laser.
124 sidestepped—just a slight twitch of her neck—
and the beam carved a glowing line through the concrete beside her.
She appeared at his flank, pivoted, and kicked his wrist.
The laser gun flew from his hand, spinning across the dirt.
124 grabbed his collar, yanked him down, and slammed her knee into his face.
Blood burst from his nose.
He collapsed on one knee, dizzy.
She drew her fist back—
A scream pierced the air.
"BIG BROTHER!!"
The little girl, Missy, sprinted toward them.
Her tiny arms wrapped around Yandere's torso, shielding him.
124 froze mid-swing.
Her fist hovered an inch from the child's head.
Yandere's blood dripped onto her knuckles.
Silence.
Then 124 exhaled sharply and lowered her hand.
"We… don't want to fight you," she said, voice low but steady. "We just want to leave."
Vanessa, still gasping on the ground, raised her head.
Her tone softened.
"Seriously? We never wanted to fight you in the first place," she said.
"We thought you were bandits."
124 blinked, confused.
Vanessa pointed weakly at her.
"You're… fast. Too fast. You're an Apex, aren't you?"
124 stumbled back like she'd been slapped.
Her heartbeat spiked.
"You—how did—"
Apex humans were hunted.
Sold out.
Traded to Verilians for food, shelter, and protection.
Her legs bent instinctively, preparing to run.
But instead of hatred—
Vanessa's eyes lit up.
"Oh my god, she really is one!" she said, a grin forming. "I knew the stories weren't exaggerated!"
Michael, still crushed into a bush, groaned, "Y-yeah… that speed wasn't normal."
Missy's eyes sparkled like stars.
"She's like a superhero!"
124 stared, stunned.
This reaction wasn't normal.
At all.
Vanessa steadied herself and stood.
"We're Resistance," she explained. "Humans who protect Apexes. Early on we didn't understand your value… but your little display proved everything."
124's shoulders dropped.
Her breath came out in a shaky sigh of relief.
She finally yelled behind her:
"You can come out now, guys!"
A bush rumbled.
Branches shook.
153g stepped out, clapping proudly as if he had just watched a professional arena match.
154g followed, arms crossed… clapping halfheartedly out of pity.
Yandere stared at them.
"…They were watching the whole time?" he said, disbelief heavy in his voice.
124 crossed her arms.
"Yeah. They're idiots."
153g gasped. "HEY!!"
154g shrugged. "I accept this."
Yandere wiped blood from his nose and sighed.
"Okay… let's just introduce ourselves."
He pointed to himself.
"I'm Yandere, leader of this scout group."
He gestured to Vanessa.
"This is Vanessa."
He pointed toward the place where Michael lay face-up, eyes spinning.
"That disaster is Michael."
Missy lifted her hand adorably.
"And I'm Missy!"
124 pointed at herself.
"I'm 124-sub D."
Then she jabbed her thumb at 153g.
"He's an idiot."
153g whined, voice cracking, "Stop saying it like it's my entire personality!"
Then she pointed at 154g.
"And he's a freak."
154g raised a lazy hand. "Can confirm."
The scouts exchanged glances.
Vanessa leaned forward. "Well, what are your real names?"
153g brightened instantly.
"Oh! We don't have those. I'm 153g, and he's 154g!"
Vanessa froze.
"…Numbers? You don't… have actual names?"
"Nope," 153g said happily, as if talking about the weather.
The scouts looked horrified.
124 sighed.
"This is our life now. Welcome to our nightmare."
"Names… numbers… wow," Vanessa muttered, staring at the boys like she was trying to solve a math equation.
Meanwhile, Missy had already skipped up to 154g, staring at him with huge sparkling eyes.
"You're really tall," she said.
154g blinked, exhausted already. "Yeah."
"You have cool eyes."
"…Yeah."
"Why are you always frowning?"
"Genetics."
Missy gasped dramatically. "You're cursed?!"
"Please don't start rumors," 154g sighed.
Yandere clapped his hands loudly.
"Alright! Enough chaos. Let's get moving before more drones swing by. We're setting up camp at Outpost F-13. You three can come with us. You're safe there."
153g raised both arms as if he just won a prize.
"FREE FOOD!!"
124 immediately punched him in the back of the head.
"For the love of sanity, stop yelling free food in front of strangers!"
" Can we go? Pleaaaaaaaassssseeeee 124-sub D?"
"Fine"
Vanessa snorted.
Missy giggled.
Yandere wiped more blood from his nose and nodded for the group to begin walking in formation.
The group moved through the ruins of an old highway, cracked asphalt swallowed by vines.
The sky was grey, warm wind brushing through broken towers leaning like tired giants.
153g walked ahead with Missy, enthusiastically pointing at random rocks, trees, and occasionally nothing.
"And this tree—this exact tree—looks EXACTLY like the tree I saw yesterday!"
Missy stared. "…So it's a tree."
"Yes. But THIS one is more TREE than the others."
Missy nodded, impressed beyond reason. "Wow…"
124 facepalmed.
Vanessa actually laughed.
Behind them, 154g walked lazily, hands in pockets, looking like he could fall asleep while walking upright.
Yandere glanced back at him.
"You really don't talk much, huh?"
"Nope."
"You always look this dead?"
"Yep."
"…You planning to actually do anything with your life?"
"Not really."
Yandere choked on air.
Michael patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"That's just how he is. Emotionally flat as a wooden plank."
154g shrugged. "Nice."
124 made a strangled noise. "STOP AGREEING WITH INSULTS."
They reached a safe area between collapsed buses and began setting up a small fire pit.
Vanessa distributed food rations—small, bland energy bars.
Missy handed them out proudly.
"One for you! One for you! And for you—"
She gave 154g two.
"Extra for being cool!"
154g stared at the bars like they were priceless artifacts.
"…Thanks."
153g gasped. "WHAT?! Why does he get TWO?!"
124 elbowed him.
"Because you act like a toddler with super strength."
"That's discrimination against toddlers ya know?!!"
While they bickered, Vanessa watched them closely.
"You three really are… different."
124 tilted her head. "In a good way?"
Vanessa smiled.
"Yeah. In a refreshing way. You're not like the broken survivors we usually find. You actually… have energy. Hope."
153g puffed his chest. "Of course! We're gonna save the world!"
154g groaned. "He dragged me into it."
"I WILL DRAG YOU TO THE END OF THE EARTH IF I HAVE TO!"
"Please don't."
Vanessa laughed softly at their dynamic.
As the others ate, Yandere sat beside 124-sub D, lowering his voice.
"You're strong. And you kept yourself from hurting the kid. That tells me a lot."
124 blinked, caught off guard.
"…And what does it tell you?"
"That you have a good heart," Yandere replied warmly. "Most Apexes we've met… fear has changed them. Hardened them. But you're still human."
124 looked down, taken aback by the sincerity.
She hated how warm her chest felt.
"…Don't say cheesy crap like that," she muttered.
But she smiled a little.
Yandere smirked.
"There it is—the real expression."
She immediately slapped his arm. "SHUT. UP."
Missy watched them and whispered to Vanessa,
"She hits him because she likes him!"
Vanessa gasped like it was breaking news.
"Oh my god, it's true—"
124 snapped her head around.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO SAYING?!"
Everyone went silent.
124 glared.
Even the fire crackled awkwardly.
Then—
154g lazily raised a hand.
"Can we continue walking? I wanna lie down somewhere."
They packed up again and continued toward Outpost F-13.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Quiet.
Almost comfortable.
153g kept talking.
Missy kept asking questions.
Vanessa kept smiling at the trio's odd charm.
124 walked in the center like she was finally relaxing.
And 154g…
well…
He fell asleep while walking.
153g screamed as he caught him before he faceplanted into a rock.
"BRO, WAKE UP!!!"
"I was conserving energy…"
154g mumbled, not fully conscious.
124 sighed loudly.
Yandere chuckled.
"Yeah," he said. "These Apex kids… they're something else."
The ruined world around them felt just a little less bleak as they continued their quiet journey forward.
The forest quieted around them as the adrenaline faded. Leaves whispered underfoot. The scouts kept throwing subtle glances at 124-sub D as though she might vanish if they blinked.
Yandere rubbed his jaw where she had nearly caved it in.
"Just so we're clear… you could've killed all four of us in like… one second, right?"
124 shrugged. "Level 2 is… fast."
Vanessa muttered, "Fast? FAST? Girl, I blinked and you rearranged Michael's skeleton."
Michael, still limping behind them, raised a thumb. "I'm… good." Then immediately tripped on a bush and face-planted.
153 whispered to 154, "How are these people surviving out here?"
154 whispered back, "I think they rely on luck. Or stupidity. Or both."
"WE CAN HEAR YOU," Vanessa snapped.
153 smiled innocently. "I wasn't hiding it."
Missy, the little girl, stared up at 124 with sparkly eyes as if she were witnessing a living fairy tale.
"You're so cool… You moved like voof-voof-zoom-bam!"
124 blinked. "That's… surprisingly accurate."
The trees eventually parted to reveal the hidden settlement—tents, makeshift metal structures, lights powered by crackling generators. People were repairing walls, carrying crates, cooking over fires.
But the moment the group stepped in, everything froze.
Someone dropped a toolbox.
Someone screamed.
Someone fainted.
Someone shouted, "SWEET MOTHER OF THE ANCIENTS—THEY BROUGHT APEX!"
And then—
Chaos. Worshipful, hysterical chaos.
People swarmed the three like they were celebrities who had just stepped off a divine chariot.
"Is that pink-haired one an apex? She's glowing!"
"No, she's just mad," 153 corrected politely.
"IS THAT A WHITE-HAIRED BOY?? OH MY STARS HE LOOKS LIKE A LEGEND."
"I'm normal," 154 insisted, lying blatantly.
"THERE'S A THIRD ONE TOO?? A TRIPLE BLESSING???"
Someone tried to hand 124 a baby.
Someone else gave 154 a basket of fruit like he was an ancient warlord.
A very elderly man fell to his knees and declared, "I CAN DIE HAPPY! I HAVE WITNESSED THEM!"
153 leaned to Yandere, whispering, "Are they… okay?"
Yandere sighed. "They're fine. This is the most exciting thing they've experienced in fifteen years."
Vanessa added, "The last cool thing to happen here was when the generator didn't explode for a whole week."
Inside the Command Tent
The "authorities" were basically four exhausted people sitting around a worn map. But the moment they saw the trio—
They SCREAMED.
One fainted.
One ran in circles chanting "APEX! APEX! APEX!"
One tried to bow but hit their head on the table.
The last one grabbed 124's face dramatically.
"YOUR EXISTENCE IS A MIRACLE! TEACH ME HOW TO PUNCH A HOLE THROUGH A SPACESHIP!"
124 blinked. "…No."
153 tapped the table. "Uh, we just want a place to stay?"
154 added, "And maybe a sandwich or twelve."
The commanders saluted so hard their bones cracked.
"YES! ANYTHING! ANY ROOM YOU WANT! YOU WANT A CASTLE? WE CAN BUILD A CASTLE!"
"We don't need a castle," 153 said gently.
"But if you insist," 154 murmured.
"No," 124 deadpanned, grabbing his collar.
The Tour
Yandere showed them around—cafeteria, infirmary, weapon storage (154 lingered there suspiciously long), the control tower.
Every single person they passed stared like they were staring at god-descended royalty.
A few whispered prayers.
One child threw flower petals at them.
Another tried to hug 153's leg and refused to let go for three minutes.
124 muttered, "This is… weird."
"This is awesome," 154 countered.
153 smiled awkwardly. "We should be… humble."
154: "We should ask for a statue."
Their Room
Instead of the usual cramped bunk room, they were given a VIP guest quarter that the resistance had definitely built in a panic in the last 20 minutes.
The sign on the door read:
"APEX SUITE – DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THEM WITHOUT PERMISSION."
124 facepalmed.
153 giggled.
154 nodded in approval.
Later that night, air quiet, lamps dimmed, Missy slipped into their room holding a notebook almost as big as she was.
124 sat on the bed cleaning her gloves.
153 was reading a manual he stole from the storage.
154 was trying to arm-wrestle a metal pipe.
Missy cleared her throat dramatically.
"I've decided," she said, "to give you three real names."
All three froze.
"For… us?" 153 asked, sounding unsure for the first time.
She nodded. "Numbers sound lonely."
124's eyes softened.
Missy pointed at 153 first.
"You're warm, gentle, and think before you act. You're like… a quiet light."
She scribbled a word.
"Your name is Lumen."
153—now Lumen—blinked hard, eyes getting glassy.
Then she pointed to 154.
"You're strong and honest and… um… a little weird."
154 opened his mouth to object, but Missy continued:
"So your name is Vex. Because you vex everyone without meaning to."
Vex blinked. "…That's fair."
Finally, she turned to 124.
"You protect people even when you're scared. You're fast and fierce and cool… like a spark."
She wrote slowly, carefully.
"Your name is… Astra."
124—Astra—turned away sharply, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
Missy closed her notebook with a proud nod.
"There. No more numbers. You're people."
The room stayed quiet for a moment.
Then Vex sniffed loudly.
"I'm not crying, the pipe got dust in my eyes."
Lumen smiled warmly.
"Astra suits you."
Astra whispered,
"…Thank you."
Missy yawned. "Good. Now I'm sleepy. Don't fight aliens without me."
And with that, she toddled out, leaving the three sitting in stunned silence, holding something they never thought they'd be given:
Names.
" Lumen?, sounds crappy but a cute little girl gave it to me so I'll take it like that, I'm just glad to actually have a name " he said dropping on the soft bed
"At least you aren't called Vex " he said with a deadpan stare
"Pfffft! Vex " lumen could barely hold in his laughter " it's so stupid"
" YOU'RE, stupid" he said calmly but it hit Lumen like an insult to the family he never had
He bounces back with an insult and these two began bickering.
Astra stared at the ceiling excited... She blushes gently " Astra" she said softly
STARE
Lumen and Vex stared silent lyrics at her weirded out, with disgusted looks on their faces...
" WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT WEIRDOS?! GO TO SLEEP ALREADY!"
" You're weird " Vex said as he laid back to sleep
"Good night guys, we made our first step towards saving the world." Lumen said also laying down to sleep.