The Secret World of Kpop (with Seagirl)

"Back off lady, I'm Seagirl and this is the best day in a while." Hanna slapped away the saving hand of Red Heron, because getting saved is for losers like Red Heron. No, this Seagirl would be better off finding a new way to not die. "Self destruct. Is that the best you can do?" With more bravado than brains, Hanna set out on a mission to find her own way out of the base before it blew its top. "Is that gas? Do you know how uninspired that is? I get that you can't die because you'll just regenerate, but next time we meet, most likely, I'll have a good day again and just beat you, so be ready for that." Everyone else in the building left already, while Hanna still thought of her way of getting out of the building before it blew up.

"This is a conundrum. When I refused an open invitation, I was pretty sure I would come up with a good idea, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to die now." More of the poisonous gas began to fill the chambers. "Yeah, I'm going to die. Jokes on you for saying you were coming for me asshole."  Gas smelled terrible, but the feeling felt so good. No wonder Major Gas loved himself so much. He was a perfume of love. Everybody love everybody. Hanna laughed at her notion and turned to Major Gas and started to laugh at him. "If I cut your head off, do you still regenerate? I wonder if..."

Before Hanna could do anything she could never take back, the ground broke beneath her, dropping her into a water shaft. "Don't worry Seagirl, we'll get you out of here!" The no longer mutated, but still enormous eel put herself under Hanna's arm and began pulling her away.

Oh my god, look at you. You're so slimy and long. Like sushi! Even Hanna's inner thoughts were intoxicated. I got the gas in my brain and my thoughts are closer than my words, so it probably sounds like I'm funny, but I'm not funny. If this place blows up and Abby is still in there, I don't have to explain anything I did and it gives me someone to cry for when I'm the biggest hero in Korea. This is great.

"Okay, you're on your own and I regret pulling you to safety."

Bye sushi! Without the assistance of the eel, water flow now possessed the sole job of getting Hanna out to the sea. A light drift carried Hanna to the surface in. "I'm the queen of the world! Now, how do I not die in that explosion?" Hanna kept drifting as she starred at the burning inferno off the coast. Even at a safe distance, Hanna knew the importance came from how she would tell the story. "I should say I punched my way through the floor using only Major General's face. Yeah. Everyone will have to believe it because makes so much sense."

Mere minutes after the disturbance off the shores of Island 121, A South Korean cruiser with search lights reached near the imaginary DMZ on the sea, near enough for Seagirl to swim to. They had some handsome korean dudes, actual Kpop stars serving their military service, calling out to Seagirl, telling her this was their ride home and if the heroes had escaped.

The Korean metahuman team showed up minutes later, flying on a large cloud summoned by Iron Monk. There was princess Fox Girl and Slave Lea Red Heron, while Dragon Girl swooped in from another direction carrying an unconscious Abby. Of course it was Dragon Girl, and she went back through a burning hell scape to save Seagirl's publicist.

"Seagirl! There you are. Looks like we did more than we were sent to do. Need a lift?" Xiao waved at Seagirl, offering her help regardless of what Abby would have thought of the idea.

Once on the boat, the mood was not entirely celebratory. In Iron Monks arms was the wrapped body of their deceased comrade, Hwarang. It seemed that for all their heroism, this man had died a horrible death just recently, and there wasn't really much they could have done anyway. The soldiers on board removed their caps and observed silence, as the man was led to the morgue below deck.

"I punched through a wall with my fist. No, with Major Gas' fists. I am the lion. The sea lion. The sea lion..." Hanna would continue to mutter on in her stupor state as Xiao pulled her onto the cloud. "Abby! Tell everyone how I punched through the walls! You gotta tell em Abby; we're on a cloud."

All Abby could do was mutter with her eyes closed, barely conscious. "You hit me with a pipe and..."

"No, Abby, that was someone else. You're not remembering right. And I didn't waterboard you either...It was the bad Koreans...We're on a cloud...Going to a boat...Then to the good Korea...Then Australia...I'm the best Abby....I'm the best around....Best girl in the sea..." Everything Hanna muttered after those lines completely devolved into gibberish, but Abby took offense to the gibberish and continued to gargle. "Abby, let's keep secrets. For life."  Eyes closed to the sun and wandering into bliss, Hanna didn't need reality to bring her down. "I'll choke you if tell. I'll fucking kill you Abby."

Abby and Hanna would later regain consciousness, just in time to get back to Korea.

The heroes returned to South Korea under clandestine conditions. After a few days of private rest and recreation, Dragon Girl and Seagirl were given generous, but not-quite-a-million-dollars in monetary compensation and Korean military decorations in recognition of their service. Dragon Girl though, was more concerned for the Korean team and the ignoble death of their leader. She was there at the private funeral (Seagirl was also invited), where almost no one save top officials and other korean metas in training were present. Hwarang had an admirable history, but not having met him, Xiao couldn't help but feel she couldn't have shared in the team's loss as she should have.

The worst part of it all was that the Korean public, at large, was told that their national metahuman team was rescued intact. Xiao could only watch in abject bewilderment on the news as some impostor Hwarang was sitting with the team at a press conference and the team had to act like he was their leader. They mentioned metahuman assistance from North America and Australia, but didn't mention them by name. For security reasons, of course.  

"I've decided to retire from the team due to the grievous injuries inflicted upon me at the hands of our Northern brethren." The impostor would explain, giving a convenient excuse as to why he would fade away from the public view now.

Xiao fell into a quiet melancholy the last day they were going to be in Korea. She and Seagirl would be given parting gifts of assorted types by the Korean team, while Red Heron made a pass at Seagirl. She added her on social media and even exchanged numbers, and invited her to call some time. Xiao said her simply goodbyes to Seagirl and was soon on her way to the United States again.

Seagirl too had a first class flight to Australia, for herself and Abby.

So everything after the mission was terrible. A medal Hanna couldn't tell anyone about and some guy she never met getting all the buzz for retiring. Hanna spent time saying goodbye to Foxgirl and letting her know that no matter what, she should not get used to nice things, because it all fades. Before any more depression could be passed from the noticeably intoxicated Seagirl. "It's an open bar! I can't drink at an open bar?! Where are we, North Korea?"

An armed escort graciously escorted Hanna to the airport along with Abby, who kept uncomfortably silent when dealing with the person she needed to publicize.

"Hey Abby. I traded in your ticket for free air mileage." A pair of dark sunglasses kept Hanna's appearance more sober. "You can turn invisible, so you can just go to the back of the plane and sit somewhere." Hanna downed a pair of pain killers while Abby faded from visibility. "See, you got it taken care of." A feint sound of footsteps pattered off as Hanna set her head back. "Hey Abby, you know what's fun. Secrets we never tell anyone. Abby..." No reply came. "Abby?" A coarse hand pat started combing over her chair. "I don't know how invisible works."

So, Abby went on with her life by helping Hanna back to her home with as little help or visibility as possible. Hanna stumbled into her home, with a few cups of coffee in her hands. Setting the cups along the counter, a few cups quickly turned over completely drained. A few lights flipped on, illuminating the living room. Hanna stumbled over over her couch, placing her chest against the seat of her couch. "Here we go." On her own, Hanna could not flip herself over the couch, but with the invisible hand of the publicist, Hanna tumbled over onto her back. "Still got it." Hanna's strength fought off the buzz and pulled herself to a sitting position and finally got her to her feet.

A floating cup of coffee made its way to Hanna, who took the cup with no questions and simply downed the coffee quickly, feeling a little more of her head decompressing. "This is a welcome sight." Outstretched hands greeted her bed.

As Seagirl entered her room and went to her bed, the door behind her quickly slammed shut and locked. Right inside her room, a fully geared up Major Gas stood, grinning.

"I told you I'd come for you... Seagirl." He mouthed, then starting laughing insidiously. From the valves in his gauntlets he allowed anesthetic gas to fill the room.