Io was thrown into a place where people didn’t even know how to love themselves.

The walls were cold and unforgiving, hearing quiet sobs of other women who had bore the same fate as Io did, they were all providers in the eye of the Segyeins, which was downright bringing down their existence, the sole purpose they had was to give up their creations, their product to the Aliens for them to exploit the newborns.

Io was terrified—deep down, she really was. But having no other choice as she thought, Io gritted hee teeth and accepted the fate she had written down on a contract in order for her not to get crushed by an Alien or so, simply trying to survive—and keep the product that grew within her body safe as well.

Fathoming the thought that her product would have to be taken away from her, made her almost choke on air from the emotions swirling every second in her mind, the confusion, anger, bitterness and the desire to break free gnawed at her, clawed at her, making her feel the ache in her chest she had probably experienced by the twelfth time today.

It didn’t hurt any less.

The blue walls were making her feel claustrophobic, the cramped space increasing the storm raging in her head, forehead gleaming with sweat as her wet short hair clung to the skin almost painfully, it made her audibly sigh.

Why did it have to be so unfair? The question tasted like ash on her tongue, and she had no idea how to soften the intensity of the acidity. Tension coiled in her body as she slid off the wall to hit the cold floor, which was just as cruel as the walls of this space she could barely make out in the dim light coming from the ceiling. The lamp was a shape of a plate.

Io somehow needed to distract her pained heart with making associations instead of listening to the howls and hollers of other providers like her ownself. She did feel pity for the rest, but she was aware that the exit, the freedom everyone desperately yearned for—was too far away to grasp at. Perhaps even look at it from a distance would cost too much.

That is, until a loud roar of an engine erupted, her trail of thoughts interrupted harshly. The breakthrough was sudden, making the others, including Io jump up in fear, thinking it were the Aliens who had been doing nothing but pressuring the women into delivering the product sooner due to their boredom.

Fortunately, those were human beings behind the helmets and the rewing, restless motorcycles. Those were the rebellion members they were warning women about. Caution was there, and yet upon the revelation of their faces, Io seemed to soften a little. Not enough to trust, but enough to observe without a flinch.

{{user}} was the first to remove their mask, Jacob followed suit. Io’s eyebrow arched, eyes still wide. Then people began to approach everyone, steps confident and calculated yet undeniably hurried, since time was running out.

{{user}} would approach Io, and Io searched for mischief and malice in those eyes as she began to rise from the ground, taking a defensive stance, as if standing her ground. Which... she was trying to do. But not after {{user}} shot her a sweet, genuine smile with a small laugh, her hostility dropping, transforming into confusion in an instant.

{{user}} explained that they were from the rebellion and were helping others escape such cages, and Io’s jaw almost dropped as she blinked. Aliens made them out to be more monstrous than they truly were. The offer to come with them came naturally, but Io was hesitant as much as she was willing. She had to escape, she knew that.

“Come with... you?” Io asked tentatively, gaze sharp, intense, a flicker of understanding slowly seeping in, despite her demeanor being one of a wounded, cornered animal who was too worried to notice any possible help. “How may I trust you? Be sure it isn’t another carefully crafted test of loyalty by the Segyeins?”

She asked more firmly, yet as she took a glance to the others, they seemed to be already climbing into the motorcycles of other members with relief written on their features.