The door slid open, revealing bright white lights.

Helen covered her eyes as she stepped out of the simulation room. The bracelet on her wrist tapped her forehead, a reminder of their nightmare being over.

"I still can't believe we're out of that place," Helen thought to herself. "Initially, we weren't able to leave, but after Han and the others came back with these bracelets," Helen dismissed the thought, not wanting to dwell on the past.

"It feels a little like PentaSoft," Bella commented as they all began congregating in the wide hallway.

Once everyone was out of the room, the door smoothly slid shut.

"Welcome to The Facility," A woman's voice greet them.

Helen turned to see several women in uniforms standing. The one that greeted them had waist-long straight brunette hair. If it was the world before the Modified Humans took over, Helen would've thought the woman was a model.

Each of the women had a warm smile.

The woman who had greeted them step forward, "My name is Becky, and I'm the Team Captain. Though there wasn't much time to be debriefed while we created your bracelets, I'm happy to know all of you were able to exit out of the simulation."

For some reason, hearing her words helped solidify the thoughts racing through Helen's mind. Even though they were out of the simulation, a part of her thought it was all a dream, and she'd wake up to find herself lying on the stone floor of the hallway.

Abigail quietly gave her a hug, "We're out of their, Helen." Her voice was thick with emotions as she tried to fight back the tears.

Helen felt tears beginning to form as she became infected with Abigail's emotions. Nodding, "Yeah. We're out of that place."

Seeing the two of them crying, Sheila and Michelle began to cry in happiness.

"It looks like all of you have been through some tough times," Becky quietly said.

Helen looked to see Bella nod her head.

"Ever since we ran into the girls in the PentaSoft building, it's been touch and go. Even I didn't know whether we'd be able to find a safe area." Bella explained, sighing at the memories of them rushing about in the dark.

Becky nodded as though understanding the tribulations they've been through.

A woman standing slightly behind Becky asked, "We were informed that you had used some type of portal?" She blushed, realizing how rude she had acted. "My name is Scarlett. I work in the research department, trying to understand the various phenomenons occurring in this world."

The third woman stepped forward, "My name is Sandra, and I'm the assistant to Becky, handling many of the administrative tasks to help lighten the Captain's workload."

Bella nodded understandingly, looking at Scarlett. "I can understand the desire to learn more. As someone who has worked in the field trying to gain information, I can appreciate how important it is to gather as much information as possible in order to not meet an unfortunate end." Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, "The location we were stationed had many projects it was working on, but one of the most important was related to the developments of stable portals." Grimacing at some memory going through her mind, "Though this project eventually led to the deaths of many of my fellow Special Operation members when something foreign escaped. Due to the precarious position we found ourselves in, we had to risk entering one of the portals in the hopes of finding safety."

"Allowing you to enter into the world we formerly thought of as a simulation," Scarlett finished the thought. She began to mutter to herself as though trying to work things out from the information given.

Becky looked at Scarlett before shaking her head. "You'll have to excuse Scarlett. She can get somewhat passionate about the things that interest her, making her forget social norms." She then looked at Sandra.

Nodding her head, Sandra addressed their group, "It appears that one of the simulation settings offered allows our players to access an actual version of the simulation we have them train in." Her eyes glanced towards Han, "It's a setting chosen due to the difficulty, but we discourage players from selecting it."

"I knew it!" Ivy yelled out, pointing at Han. "I kept saying it felt harder than usual, but no one believed me!"

Han laughed, "I figured it would be a great way for us to develop our skills, especially after encountering those two in the cave."

Hearing Han's words, Becky's expression turned grim.

"You guys mentioned the cave often as we were making our way here, but I still don't know the full story," Bella asked, confusion on her face.

"Would you like to explain, Han?" Becky looked at Han.

Han nodded, "During a mission to rescue members that went into a nearby forest, we had discovered a cave system that was possibly being used by the Modified Humans." He pointed at the ground and moved his finger as though painting the image of tunnels underground. "Though we encountered powerful Modified Humans, it was nothing compared to what else we discovered."

"Those things were beyond our abilities, even dwarfing what we encountered inside of that hallway in the dark." Ji-Min jumped into the conversation. Her eyes bore into Bella's, "Even worse was learning they were sent by something else even more powerful than they were."

"I can see why you said we would look fondly at our memories inside of the hallway," Katya laughed as she looked at Ji-Min.

Helen watched the discussion, not sure what to think. After what she had witnessed, it was difficult to imagine that there were scarier things in this world.

"It's the reason why I had us dive into the simulation on such a difficult setting. There's no telling what else is out there outside of The Facility waiting for us. It's imperative that we get stronger if we hope to survive." Han looked at each one of them, driving in his words.

Becky nodded her head. "I agree. It'll mean we'll need to start increasing our training efforts if we're to have a chance. It's only through sheer luck that the Modified Humans haven't decided to invade our small corner of the world."

"Captain, before we talk about anything more, how about we take them to get changed into more comfortable outfits. I think everything, including the debriefing, can wait until after we find our guests someplace they can relax."

Becky brushed back her hair, "I seem to have gotten too caught up with catching up." She chuckled. Pointing to Sandra, "I'll need to get back to some matter that requires my attention, so I'll have Sandra locate living accommodations for each of you. We also have fully operational eating areas throughout the facility. Feel free to get something to eat as you get comfortable."

Turning around, Becky and Scarlett walked away from them, heading to some other location in the building. Helen watched the two, wondering what other things could be happening in this part of the world. Looking at Sandra, Helen saw that she was patiently waiting for them to gather themselves.

"If you'll follow after me, I'll assign each of you a living area. Though, before we find a place for you to sleep, how about we locate some clothing that would be more appropriate. We'll have each of you scan yourself, not only help with getting you properly measure for clothing but also for your combat suits." Sandra indicated for them to follow her as she walked in the direction that both Becky and Scarlett walked towards.

"Combat suit?" Michelle asked.

Han grinned at the girl, "If you're going to go back into the simulation, then you'll need to wear something to help protect your body."

Hearing that they would need to be entering the world they had just left, Helen felt a chill run down her spine.