Retribution 11
Retribution | NC-17
There is a very different kind of fear to see faces you were warned about in photos and then see them come alive. In photos, the people behind the faces can’t hurt you. They can’t touch you nor can they threaten you. They’re merely faces frozen on paper. Harmless faces.
Luhan has memorized the faces in the photos. Kris and Suho taught them that these were the people they were going to be on the lookout for. These were the people they were going to run away from if they ever find them close by.
To see the faces come alive, to see them right in front of you, is more than just a nightmare coming to life. The fear isn’t anything Luhan expected. It’s worse. Much worse. He always thought he’d be able to run. But he can’t. He can’t run. It’s as if he can’t move, his legs frozen in place. There’s nothing going on in his head except that they’re here. They have Baekhyun. They have one of them. And none of them can’t run away and leave him behind in the hands of these people.
Agent Jung Yunho stands behind Baekhyun, gun still pressing in Baekhyun’s back. He’s a tall striking man dressed in a black suit that it had been difficult to spot him for he seemed to be a part of the shadows. He’s scanning all of their faces. Luhan has seen his face countless times in photos. But as their eyes meet, nothing but cold dread runs down his spine at the intensity of his gaze.
A small movement out of the corner of his eye has Luhan shift his attention. He sees Tao move to use his abilities but Yunho grabs Baekhyun’s arm, pulling him backwards so the gun digs even deeper in his back. Baekhyun whimpers at this, squeezing his eyes shut.
“I mean it.” Yunho says. “One small move.”
Chanyeol has his eyes locked on the gun pressing on Baekhyun. He’s looking at it, face livid. His hands are curled to his sides. Luhan has seen Chanyeol like this before. It was that day Luhan met him for the first time, shoulders tense and jaw tightened as he faced Luhan thinking he was a threat.
Now, they’re on the same side. Now, they’re facing a different kind of threat.
“Put your hands up where I can see it.” Yunho orders. “You think I don’t know what all of you can do?”
Every single one of them follow, afraid for Baekhyun’s life. Luhan raises his hands above his head. He has no idea how they found them this fast. They covered every track and drove for miles. How did the NSS find them?
Yunho takes out a small radio from his back and presses it to his lips.
“They’re here, Changmin,”
“All of them?” The voice on the radio responds.
Yunho turns to Kris at this.
“Is this everyone?” He asks. Silence is the only thing that replies. Kris doesn’t say anything back. He only glares at Yunho. Kris has always harbored nothing but hate for the NSS. And who wouldn’t, when they were the ones always after them.
Yunho, clearly displeased about his lack of response, pulls Baekhyun backwards to him again. He has an arm around his neck, pulling him flush against his chest. His gun is digging in his back once more. Chanyeol gives a sharp intake of breath at this while Suho gasps.
“Yes, yes.” Suho answers at once. “Please, don’t hurt him.”
Yunho turns to Suho this time.
“Doctor Kim Junmyeon.” He says. “Or Suho, as you’d like to be called.” He then turns to Kris and Tao’s direction. “Doctor Kris Wu. Huang Zitao. You don’t know how long we’ve been looking for the three of you.”
Krks only glares at him still. He’s standing in front of Tao, shielding him from Yunho’s piercing eyes. But it’s too late. Yunho has had an eyeful of him. He’s had an eyeful of everyone.
Luhan knows Suho, Kris and Tao’s identities were never a secret. Years and years ago, Suho and Kris were widely known for their scientific breakthroughs which the world frowned upon. Tao had been their first experiment apart from themselves. The NSS probably still have their files and have studied and kept them all these years.
“And you two,” Yunho shifts his gaze to where Kai and Xiumin are. “No little tricks this time.” He’s referring to the night Kai and Xiumin escaped from them. Yunho tightens his hold around Baekhyun to make his threat clear. Chanyeol seethes further at that.
“They’re all here.” Yunho confirms, speaking in his radio.
Luhan has his bottom lip in his teeth as he squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe all of this is just one horrible nightmare. If he closes his eyes long enough, maybe everything will go away. The NSS. This old shack. When he opens his eyes, they’ll all be home. They’ll be back at the house by the beach. They’ll all be safe.
But as Luhan opens his eyes, he only sees more people coming inside the shack. People in black suits with body armor and weapons in their hands. People with protective gears on, coming up to them and aiming their weapons in their faces. Sehun steps in front of him, eyeing these men and shielding him from their weapons. But it’s no use. There’s nothing they can do. They’re all outnumbered.
This isn’t happening, Luhan thinks. They’re not dangerous. They’ve never done anything to harm anyone. And these people are treating them like they’re criminals.
The door to the shack opens once more and in comes another familiar face. He’s tall and just as striking as Yunho. He’s in a black suit as well. His footsteps are light and he looks composed as he stops beside Yunho and looks at every one of them.
Agent Shim Changmin.
“I’ve always looked forward to this day. I can’t believe I’m finally meeting all of you.” Changmin begins.
“Meet us?” Kris scoffs. “You wanted to meet us yet didn’t even think twice when you almost blew us up?”
“A test.” Changmin shrugs. “We wanted to see how well you’d protect yourselves. What all of you were capable of.”
Kris laughs. A humorless laugh. “You wanted to see our abilities.”
“We wanted to see how well you can kill.” Changmin throws back. Kris only presses his lips together, eyes shooting daggers of hate at him.
“We’ve never hurt anyone. We’ve never been dangerous.” Kris says quietly.
“Let us be the judge of that.” Changmin then instructs his men. “Cuff all of them. Load them in the vans.”
Luhan watches in panic as they’re about to be taken.
“Wait!” Suho shouts. “Please, not them. These people are innocent.”
“People?” Changmin scoffs back. “You call yourselves people?”
The way he said it made Luhan loathe this person even more. They are people. They are human beings with extraordinary abilities. They’ve done nothing wrong. And yet these people see them worse than animals.
“You’re taking us because of what we did years ago. But all of them have nothing to do with it.” Suho pleads. “They’re harmless-”
“That doesn't change anything.” Changmin only says, voice low yet clear enough for everyone to understand that he’s not going to be swayed. Changmin then addresses his men again. “Load them in the vans.”
Suddenly, flames burst out where Chanyeol is standing. It’s like time flowed so slowly as Luhan watches the flames consume the whole shack. But Luhan knows it isn’t because of Tao’s doing. It’s the horror of seeing Chanyeol provoked. Luhan sees red and orange everywhere and he shields his eyes from the intensity of it. Sehun has turned his back from the fire, covering Luhan from the heat.
It’s too hot. Luhan hears people yelling. There are yells and screams. And amidst all that, he hears Suho shout at Chanyeol to stop. He hears him yell at Chanyeol to put the flames away. But it’s as if Chanyeol can’t hear him. He’s too blinded by rage to stop.
The whole shack is collapsing fast from it being burned. Luhan watches in horror as one of the men hit Xiumin hard in the back of his head, causing him to collapse. He had been fighting them but with Chanyeol’s flames, his ability to freeze things keep on melting. Lay yells his name, getting to Xiumin, but someone steps in between them, aiming their weapon at Lay to keep him from moving. On another side is Chen and Kris being cornered while Tao has his wrists bound tight by someone else. Someone is yelling at Suho, ordering him to control Chanyeol. Sehun tries to keep the fire from coming at them with his abilities but it only spreads even further from the wind, that he almost sets fire to a few men holding Kyungsoo and Kai captive. One of them manage to get out of it but still has Kai in their hold that Kyungsoo can’t do anything and risk Kai’s safety.
“Someone stop him!” Luhan hears one of the men yell. He then hears the barrel of a gun being pulled and in his panic, Luhan wrenches himself from Sehun’s grasp so he can push Chanyeol out of the way. The flames around Chanyeol are too hot but Luhan ignores the burn as he collides with him. The sound of a gun going off echoes in the room and the flames finally die.
No. Luhan gasps, pulling himself up. The gun going off is still ringing in his ears. His eyes scan the whole room for his friends. Let everyone be alright, let everyone be alright, he repeats in his head. They are. They have their hands covering their ears. Luhan feels Chanyeol shift and he turns to face him, relief spreading through him to find no blood and no gunshot wound. He then turns to Sehun quick, thankful to find him still on his feet. Sehun has a horrified expression on his face as he meets his eyes but then it quickly turns to relief as well to see Luhan alright.
He then sees Yunho with his gun aimed upwards. He had set his gun off to get their attention. And now that he has, he aims his gun back to Baekhyun. But this time, he aims it on the back of his head.
Baekhyun is crying. He’s looking at Chanyeol and crying. Chanyeol lifts himself up on his feet as he hears him. Tears stream down his face at the sight of his pair like this.
“Stop,” Baekhyun pleads at him. “Chanyeol, please. Stop. Don’t do this.”
Luhan watches as Chanyeol’s lips tremble and he begins to sob quietly. His legs give out and he kneels on the ground in surrender.
The shack is burned. Some men closest to Chanyeol are burned and dead. Changmin and Yunho look around them in awe. Chanyeol gave them exactly what they wanted to see. A reason to fear them. A reason to take them in as criminals. To see how they kill. They’re murderers now. They’re nothing but dangerous in their eyes.
“Harmless, huh.” Changmin says under his breath as he glances at Suho. Suho only looks back, a pleading look on his face.
The gun is still pressed to the back of Baekhyun’s head, his sobs filling the shack. Changmin orders the rest of his men to load them in the vans.
This time, everyone has no choice but to comply.
* * *
They’re sitting at the back of the van, heads hung low as they’re being driven off somewhere. They don’t know where. It doesn’t matter. They’re all held captive and there’s nothing they can do.
They’re all cuffed. They’re familiar cuffs. Luhan has seen these cuffs used on Sehun before years and years ago. It’s rendering them all weak. The NSS were ready for them, developing such technology to suppress their abilities. It’s insane how it looks and functions exactly alike as the old one. Luhan feels the energy being drained from him as he sits there thinking about it.
Baekhyun isn’t with them. They’ve used him as leverage now. Chanyeol looks out of it. Even Suho. Everyone doesn’t seem to be doing so well with one of them missing.
Sehun is breathing hard by his side. He’s the only one apart from all of them fighting off the effect of the cuffs on his wrist. He’s not giving in to it. He’s fighting back. But it only causes him to lose more of his strength. Nothing Luhan or Kai can say can appease him.
“I’m sorry.”
Luhan looks up to find it was Suho that spoke. His face is smudged with ash from the debris that burned around him. He looks like a wreck. All of them are.
“I wanted to turn myself in. But I never wanted this. I never imagined… All of you…”
Suho looks at Chanyeol who only has his eyes trained on the ground.
“Baekhyun is my responsibility. I’m sorry.”
It wasn’t Suho’s fault. They’ve done all that they can to run and hide. It just wasn’t enough.
No one says anything. They all sit there silently. Kris only takes Suho’s cuffed hand in his with Tao’s, all three of them together in this predicament again.
The ride goes on for hours. Not once has anyone checked up on them. They’re probably scared of them, Luhan thinks. After what happened back at the shack, they’re all dangerous freaks to them.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the van stops. Kris raises his head at this. Luhan can tell he’s trying to keep it together for the rest but he’s also clearly afraid.
The doors to the van finally opens. Luhan squints as blinding light welcomes him. The men that had held them captive, these guards, are joined by men and women in white. They’re wearing white lab coats and surgical masks on their faces. Luhan’s heart starts beating fast, the sight of these people bringing back certain memories.
They lead them inside what seems like a facility. There are long hallways with people in white going about. They all have surgical masks on their faces as well, passing by and looking at all of them. Luhan can’t breathe. It’s too familiar. Everything about this is bringing back things he never wanted to experience again.
They’re being led further inside the facility. Sehun sticks close by him. Luhan is somewhat glad that they’re together. It’s terrifying, being where they are. The only silver lining Luhan sees through all this is that he’s not alone.
There’s a commotion from behind them and Luhan stops walking to turn around. He sees Tao fighting off the guards, wrenching himself away from their hold. But it’s no use. He’s being held tight and his wrists are bound, making him unable to break free.
He’s terrified. He was always afraid this would happen again. A guard forces him to continue walking, taking out his weapon to threaten him. Kris manages to shake off his own captors as he gets to Tao, stepping in between him and the guard aiming his weapon.
“He’ll walk. He’ll follow. Just don’t aim that thing at him.” Kris says to all of them.
The guard doesn’t drop his weapon. Kris ignores him then, turning to Tao.
“Tao? Hey. It’s alright. I’m right here.”
Tao shakes his head. “No. They’ll take me again. They’ll keep me away. Kris-” Tao looks at him with wide eyes. “It’s happening again.”
Something tugs painfully at Luhan’s chest as he hears him. He sounds delirious. Luhan wishes he can do something to help his friend, something to make the horrors go away.
“Ssshh,” Kris coos at him. “I’m here. We’re all here. I’ll be with you. Walk with me, okay? Come on. Take one step. One step, Tao. That’s it. Don’t look at any of them. Close your eyes if you have to. Just listen to my voice. Come on, Tao. That’s it. You’re doing really well.”
They continue to walk, Tao’s whimpers echoing around them along with Kris coaxing him along gently. The guards don’t push him this time since he’s following orders.
Luhan shivers as he walks through the hallways. The sounds of their footsteps are loud against the silence of the place. There are so many rooms and so many halls. It’s like a maze, one hallway leading to another. He’s not even sure how these people know where to go.
Finally, the guard in front of them stops walking. There’s a door to their right that opens. They’re led inside a room with people in white standing to one side. Yunho and Changmin are in the middle, still in their black sharp suits along with a man in a white lab coat. He looks at them with eyes growing wide as they all enter. Beside them is Baekhyun still cuffed, and Chanyeol barrels through the men holding them captive to get to him. Baekhyun meets him, burying his face in his chest when they meet. Chanyeol, kisses his forehead, relieved to see he’s alright.
“You’ll all be shown to your cells in a moment.” Yunho starts. Luhan is unable to swallow down his discomfort at the mention of a cell. “Each one of you is to stay in it while we start classifying all of you.”
Classify. Luhan can’t believe they’re being treated like this.
“This is Doctor Kim Junsu,” Changmin motions to the doctor on his side who looks uncomfortable at the sight of them. “He’s the resident scientist assigned to this project.”
“I…” Doctor Kim Junsu looks at Changmin. “I didn’t know Project X meant taking humans captive.”
“When you take their blood samples, you tell me whether they’re humans or not.” Changmin replies.
Luhan feels like shouting at them. They are humans. They’re the ones who are monsters.
“How did you even find them?” Doctor Kim Junsu asks.
“With your substance, doctor. You were right. The substance is attracted to non humans. All we had to do was follow the contamination. It was very easy when another town had a massive 'rabies' outbreak within minutes they arrived.”
So this was him. The man responsible for the contamination. The man responsible for turning Kai and Xiumin into monsters. Kyungsoo, realizing this, locks his eyes on the scientist. Luhan watches as his cuffs suddenly breaks. There’s nothing but hatred in his eyes for what they did to Xiumin, to Kai, and Luhan watches as Kyungsoo pulls his wrists free.
“Kyungsoo, don’t!” Suho yells. Kyungsoo ignores him as his chest heaves, drawing up his strength.
One of the guards nearby hit him in the back of the head hard before he can do anything. Suho and Kai try to get to him but they’re restrained. They all watch as Kyungsoo slump to the ground. He’s not unconscious yet and he groans. He’s only cuffed again pulled up, a guard pointing his weapon at him should Kyungsoo do something again.
Yunho and Changmin are taking this scene quietly but Luhan knows it’s another thing added to their list on why they’re dangerous.
One by one, they’re all being placed with something around their necks, like collars, only with numbers to classify every one of them. They’re all being stripped naked as well and forced to dress into something Luhan finds familiar and something he hates. White shirts. White pants. They’re all in white and it’s sickening, the old memories filling Luhan.
They’re then led to another door and onto another hallway. Luhan wonders where they’re taking them when the rooms to each of their sides open. There’s nothing but darkness in it. They’re all shown inside and the realization of what this is hits Luhan. It’s their cell. They’re all being separated. Luhan hears Kris yell out for Tao but he’s being pulled to a different room. He hears Xiumin fight them off and Lay managing to use his ability to render a guard weak. But he’s not able to use his powers well with the cuffs on his wrist and the guard hits him with his fist. Another one yells for someone else only to have their voices muffled from the door closing behind them. Luhan is being led inside his own cell but he refuses as he struggles from his guard’s grasp.
“Get in.” He threatens. Luhan shakes his head, scared of the darkness inside. The guard only pushes him at that. “I said, get in.”
“Hey, leave him alone!” Sehun yells, struggling with his own captors. “Luhan! Lu-”
Sehun’s voice is cut off as the door to his own cell closes. Luhan gasps, turning around to get to Sehun when the guard finally pushes him inside his cell. He stumbles, falling on the ground as the guard takes one last look at him before closing the door.
Silence fills his ears and Luhan looks around for a way out but sees nothing. It’s dark. There’s nothing but the four walls of his cell that only reminds him of how this all started years ago.
Luhan starts hyperventilating, his breathing all jagged. He closes his eyes, blocking all the horrible memories out of his head.
But it’s no use.
He’s back.
* * *
Fear.
That is all Luhan feels. Fear, day in and day out. He doesn’t know how long he’s been in the dark without anyone checking up on him. He’s not hungry or thirsty. He doesn’t even try to fall asleep. It’s fear he only feels.
He hasn’t moved an inch from where they shoved him inside his cell for a long time until he realizes no one’s coming for him. He sits there, knees to his chest as he brings his cuffed wrists to sort of hug his knees. Luhan feels delirious. He feels insane. He desperately thinks of his friends. Of Sehun. Where they are. If they’re being treated well. If they’re alright. Luhan rocks himself back and forth from where he’s sitting, desperate for answers.
It’s exactly the same as before. The cuffs. The clothes. The facility. He’s back. For days, Luhan thinks about this. How exactly alike everything is. The more he thinks about this, the more he wonders if their freedom had been a dream. The old house by the sea. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo laughing in the kitchen. Suho, Kris and Tao working in the basement. Kai, Chen and Chanyeol goofing around while fixing the cars back at the garage. Xiumin and Lay coming home in the afternoons with smiles on their faces from the daycare. Sehun… Luhan’s heart aches when he thinks of him the most. Was he a dream too? Was falling in love, having him in his arms, seeing him smile and feel his kiss all a dream?
His body is too weak and his mind is playing tricks on him every single day. Luhan is ready to accept his fate, to accept that the past was nothing but a sweet dream, to forget about his friends and Sehun so his heart doesn’t long for them anymore, when the door to his cell opens. Luhan blinks, taking in the light. He lets whoever it is pull him to his feet. They don’t uncuff him. They only pull him along. Luhan walks sluggishly to wherever he’s being led to, just desperate to get out of the dark.
He’s led to a room. A bigger one this time. And when he steps in, he finally sees his friends. Relief spreads through him to find they weren’t a dream. They’re real. Luhan sees them all accounted for. But they don’t look like the people he remembers. The people Luhan has lived with for years and grown to love as a family always had smiles on their faces and meat in their bones. The people Luhan is staring at now looks lifeless.
They’re all pale, lips chapped and eyes sunken. Some of them have bruises on their arms and faces, probably from fighting off their captors. Sehun has the most bruises among them. Dried blood is caked on his lips where someone had hit him. Their eyes meet from across the room. Luhan sees Sehun smile in relief despite the bruises on his face and it’s enough to have Luhan feel better in days. He smiles back, assuring him he’s fine.
Luhan is led to them. They’re seated in a line. Baekhyun is sitting on the farthest side, Chanyeol next to him with his head leaning against his shoulder. Kai and Kyungsoo are together with their shoulders hunched. Chen has Suho’s cuffed wrists in his own, their fingers locked. Next to him, Xiumin and Lay are huddled close.
Tao looks worse out of all of them. He’s shaking. He has dark circles under his eyes. He has his head tucked underneath Kris’s chin.
Luhan takes his seat next to Sehun, tipping Sehun’s chin up with his cuffed wrists to look at him better. Sehun closes his eyes and breathes when Luhan’s fingers touch his cheek. He sees the bruises are still fresh. Sehun has been fighting off his captors every single day.
“Did they hurt you?” Sehun asks, voice cracking at the end. Luhan shakes his head as he looks at all of his bruises.
“You shouldn’t have fought them off.” Luhan replies.
“I was scared. I didn’t know what they were doing to any of you. They didn’t let me see you.” Sehun places his lips to the side of his temple and Luhan closes his eyes, relishing at how close he is to him now. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything.”
“Don’t say that. It’s not your fault.” It’s none of their faults. He’s just glad he’s alive.
The doors open once more and the doctor they were introduced before enters. Doctor Kim Junsu is dressed in the same lab coat and accompanied by two guards. To protect him against us, Luhan thinks. The rest of the guards leave, leaving only the two with the doctor. They have no need of them. Luhan and the rest are too weak to fight back anyway.
“Um… Good morning.” The doctor looks at all of them. He still looks uncomfortable like the last time they saw him. “I’m to take blood samples from each and everyone of you. To classify all of your abilities.”
No one replies. Luhan only sits there, content to have his family with him.
“Okay.” Junsu sits when it’s clear no one is going to talk to him. A table is brought in with empty vials on a rack. The doctor then prepares the syringe. When he’s done, he calls out the first one in line.
A guard hauls Baekhyun off of his seat, separating him from Chanyeol. Chanyeol glares at him. Baekhyun wobbles on his feet, finding his balance.
“Move… You monster.” A guard says, prodding him. Chanyeol is up in his feet so fast, slamming his head in the guard’s face.
“Don’t call him that.” Chanyeol snarls only to be silenced by another guard who punches him in the stomach. Chanyeol groans, keeling over.
Baekhyun gasps. “Chanyeol- Please, don’t hurt him.”
“I’m not going to hurt him.” Doctor Kim Junsu says, looking at Chanyeol on the ground and making the guards step back. “I promise.”
Of course they don’t believe him. The guard shoves Chanyeol back to his seat, keeping an eye on him.
Baekhyun sits next to the doctor and the guards unlock his cuffs. The doctor gives him a full medical check up and then lastly, extracts his blood and places it on a vial, marking it with the number on his collar. Now, they not only have copies of Suho, Kris and Tao. They’ll have copies of everyone.
It’s Chanyeol who’s up next. He doesn’t fight back this time as he’s being classified. The doctor extracts his blood too. Luhan sees the doctor applying something on the bruises on his face afterwards. “So it’ll heal faster,” He explains. Chanyeol doesn’t thank him. He only looks away.
It’s Kai’s turn afterwards. Then Kyungsoo’s. Each one of them are being checked and treated. The guards always cuff them back when Junsu is done with them.
Suho’s turn comes up next. Chen eyes the guards carefully. Suho gives his hand a squeeze before he leaves him. He sits beside the doctor, his cuffs unlocked.
“We already have a copy of your sample. We just need to update them.” Junsu says. Suho nods. He watches intently as the syringe is inserted and blood is drawn out.
“Are you a medical doctor or a scientist?” Suho asks, voice calm and soft. Junsu, surprised to have one of them talk to him, takes a moment to reply.
“Scientist, mostly.”
“I’m Suho.”
“I know.” Junsu replies. “Kim Junmyeon. I… I’ve heard a lot about you. Your works. What you and Kris did before.” The doctor looks at him and smiles. “What both of you did for science is incredible. It’s still amazing having to read about it and see it come to life-”
A guard clears his throat, cutting Junsu off. Junsu drops the smile he’s holding as he quiets down. Suho continues to look at Junsu who’s continuing to extract blood from him.
“I can make things easier for you so you don’t have to go through all this trouble to classify our abilities.” Suho motions with his face to Baekhyun. “Baekhyun, the guy you extracted blood from first, has the ability to produce light.” Junsu turns his face to Baekhyun who’s leaning against Chanyeol with his eyes closed. “It’s not much if you think about it. But it’s blinding light. He can play with your eyesight and create illusions too.”
Junsu has stopped working on Suho as he listens. Luhan doesn’t know why Suho is like this. Being nice to a man who works for the NSS.
“Chanyeol,” Suho smiles. “Well, you’ve obviously been filled in on what he does. He can set anything on fire. A very beautiful ability I might add.”
“Suho.” Kris speaks up from his seat, his tone disapproving. He’s clearly not pleased with Suho revealing all of their powers to a person working for the NSS.
Suho only smiles at him. “I’m making things easier for the doctor, Kris.
Kris presses his lips together at that. Junsu is silent, shifting his gaze from Suho to Kris as he continues to listen, curiosity filling his face.
“Kai over there can teleport.” Suho continues. “He can get out of here anytime he wants. Even now. He’s just… Figuring out the perfect time to do so.”
Junsu’s eyes widen at this. Kai only blinks back, confused.
“Kyungsoo has the ability to shake the earth. Very powerful ability.” Suho goes on. “He can bury thousands underneath the ground with what he does. He can do it. Right now. He can bury this facility. He can bury us all in here.”
Luhan turns to Sehun only to see him sporting the same look as him. They’re confused as to what Suho is doing.
“Luhan,” Suho turns to him and smiles. There are dark circles under his eyes but it seems to lighten up when he smiles. “He can move things with his mind.”
The guards beside Suho exchange glances and that’s when Luhan understands what Suho is doing. He’s scaring them. The guards look creeped out by Luhan now.
“Not all of us have to use our hands to do things.” Suho says, his tone so light and eerie and it fills the room. This is a lie. Luhan’s strength comes from his mind but he has to use his hands to help carry out his abilities. But he doesn’t say anything. He lets Suho continue to scare them, making them think the cuffs on his hands are useless to him.
“Beside him is Sehun. He has massive wind power and causes the most beautiful destruction. Chen here,” Suho looks at Chen and Luhan sees so much admiration for him. “He has the power of electricity in his fingertips. He’s very good at what he does. Imagine getting hit by lightning, only so much worse.”
Chen smiles back and glances at the two guards who take a step back at this.
“Kris here can fly. His speed is unmatched. You should be careful not to let him go. Your vehicles are nothing compared to how fast he goes. Beside him is Tao. You’ve heard of him. He can stop time.” Suho lowers his voice for the doctor. “You won’t know what’ll hit you when he gets out of those cuffs.”
Suho is taunting them and scaring them and Luhan thinks it’s working. The guards look so pale, their hands clutching at their weapons tight.
“Xiumin over there can freeze things. He can have your whole head on a block of ice if he wants. Lay’s ability is amazing. He can heal people but also suck the life out of them.” Suho glances at the two guards. “He can do it. Just a single touch and you’ll go out like a light.”
The guards are scared. Luhan can’t believe he’s seeing fear in their eyes. The doctor however… If Junsu is scared, he doesn’t show it. He looks curious still.
“And what about you?” Junsu turns to Suho. “What is it again that you can do?”
Suho smiles at him. It’s as if he’s delighted to be asked this question. With his cuffs still unlocked, Suho moves so fast, knocking the syringe off of him. He gets up from his seat and takes Junsu’s arms from behind him. The guards aim their weapons at him but Suho has Junsu in his hold, using him as leverage. Junsu grunts in his hold and struggles, but stops when he sees water suddenly pooling at his feet.
The guards stare at the rising puddle on their own feet and then at Suho.
“I can drown you.” Suho whispers in Junsu’s ear, yet his eyes are on the two guards in front of them. “I can drown all of you. Slowly. Painfully. Until your lungs stop working and you’re choking, gasping, finding every possible way to breathe.”
Luhan glances at the floor and sees the water rising. Junsu looks horrified by this but Suho only tightens his hold on him.
“So do as I say from now on and let my family go.” Suho says through his teeth. “Before I drown you all to death.”
a/n: I'll be sure to update weekly!
Chapter 12
There is a very different kind of fear to see faces you were warned about in photos and then see them come alive. In photos, the people behind the faces can’t hurt you. They can’t touch you nor can they threaten you. They’re merely faces frozen on paper. Harmless faces.
Luhan has memorized the faces in the photos. Kris and Suho taught them that these were the people they were going to be on the lookout for. These were the people they were going to run away from if they ever find them close by.
To see the faces come alive, to see them right in front of you, is more than just a nightmare coming to life. The fear isn’t anything Luhan expected. It’s worse. Much worse. He always thought he’d be able to run. But he can’t. He can’t run. It’s as if he can’t move, his legs frozen in place. There’s nothing going on in his head except that they’re here. They have Baekhyun. They have one of them. And none of them can’t run away and leave him behind in the hands of these people.
Agent Jung Yunho stands behind Baekhyun, gun still pressing in Baekhyun’s back. He’s a tall striking man dressed in a black suit that it had been difficult to spot him for he seemed to be a part of the shadows. He’s scanning all of their faces. Luhan has seen his face countless times in photos. But as their eyes meet, nothing but cold dread runs down his spine at the intensity of his gaze.
A small movement out of the corner of his eye has Luhan shift his attention. He sees Tao move to use his abilities but Yunho grabs Baekhyun’s arm, pulling him backwards so the gun digs even deeper in his back. Baekhyun whimpers at this, squeezing his eyes shut.
“I mean it.” Yunho says. “One small move.”
Chanyeol has his eyes locked on the gun pressing on Baekhyun. He’s looking at it, face livid. His hands are curled to his sides. Luhan has seen Chanyeol like this before. It was that day Luhan met him for the first time, shoulders tense and jaw tightened as he faced Luhan thinking he was a threat.
Now, they’re on the same side. Now, they’re facing a different kind of threat.
“Put your hands up where I can see it.” Yunho orders. “You think I don’t know what all of you can do?”
Every single one of them follow, afraid for Baekhyun’s life. Luhan raises his hands above his head. He has no idea how they found them this fast. They covered every track and drove for miles. How did the NSS find them?
Yunho takes out a small radio from his back and presses it to his lips.
“They’re here, Changmin,”
“All of them?” The voice on the radio responds.
Yunho turns to Kris at this.
“Is this everyone?” He asks. Silence is the only thing that replies. Kris doesn’t say anything back. He only glares at Yunho. Kris has always harbored nothing but hate for the NSS. And who wouldn’t, when they were the ones always after them.
Yunho, clearly displeased about his lack of response, pulls Baekhyun backwards to him again. He has an arm around his neck, pulling him flush against his chest. His gun is digging in his back once more. Chanyeol gives a sharp intake of breath at this while Suho gasps.
“Yes, yes.” Suho answers at once. “Please, don’t hurt him.”
Yunho turns to Suho this time.
“Doctor Kim Junmyeon.” He says. “Or Suho, as you’d like to be called.” He then turns to Kris and Tao’s direction. “Doctor Kris Wu. Huang Zitao. You don’t know how long we’ve been looking for the three of you.”
Krks only glares at him still. He’s standing in front of Tao, shielding him from Yunho’s piercing eyes. But it’s too late. Yunho has had an eyeful of him. He’s had an eyeful of everyone.
Luhan knows Suho, Kris and Tao’s identities were never a secret. Years and years ago, Suho and Kris were widely known for their scientific breakthroughs which the world frowned upon. Tao had been their first experiment apart from themselves. The NSS probably still have their files and have studied and kept them all these years.
“And you two,” Yunho shifts his gaze to where Kai and Xiumin are. “No little tricks this time.” He’s referring to the night Kai and Xiumin escaped from them. Yunho tightens his hold around Baekhyun to make his threat clear. Chanyeol seethes further at that.
“They’re all here.” Yunho confirms, speaking in his radio.
Luhan has his bottom lip in his teeth as he squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe all of this is just one horrible nightmare. If he closes his eyes long enough, maybe everything will go away. The NSS. This old shack. When he opens his eyes, they’ll all be home. They’ll be back at the house by the beach. They’ll all be safe.
But as Luhan opens his eyes, he only sees more people coming inside the shack. People in black suits with body armor and weapons in their hands. People with protective gears on, coming up to them and aiming their weapons in their faces. Sehun steps in front of him, eyeing these men and shielding him from their weapons. But it’s no use. There’s nothing they can do. They’re all outnumbered.
This isn’t happening, Luhan thinks. They’re not dangerous. They’ve never done anything to harm anyone. And these people are treating them like they’re criminals.
The door to the shack opens once more and in comes another familiar face. He’s tall and just as striking as Yunho. He’s in a black suit as well. His footsteps are light and he looks composed as he stops beside Yunho and looks at every one of them.
Agent Shim Changmin.
“I’ve always looked forward to this day. I can’t believe I’m finally meeting all of you.” Changmin begins.
“Meet us?” Kris scoffs. “You wanted to meet us yet didn’t even think twice when you almost blew us up?”
“A test.” Changmin shrugs. “We wanted to see how well you’d protect yourselves. What all of you were capable of.”
Kris laughs. A humorless laugh. “You wanted to see our abilities.”
“We wanted to see how well you can kill.” Changmin throws back. Kris only presses his lips together, eyes shooting daggers of hate at him.
“We’ve never hurt anyone. We’ve never been dangerous.” Kris says quietly.
“Let us be the judge of that.” Changmin then instructs his men. “Cuff all of them. Load them in the vans.”
Luhan watches in panic as they’re about to be taken.
“Wait!” Suho shouts. “Please, not them. These people are innocent.”
“People?” Changmin scoffs back. “You call yourselves people?”
The way he said it made Luhan loathe this person even more. They are people. They are human beings with extraordinary abilities. They’ve done nothing wrong. And yet these people see them worse than animals.
“You’re taking us because of what we did years ago. But all of them have nothing to do with it.” Suho pleads. “They’re harmless-”
“That doesn't change anything.” Changmin only says, voice low yet clear enough for everyone to understand that he’s not going to be swayed. Changmin then addresses his men again. “Load them in the vans.”
Suddenly, flames burst out where Chanyeol is standing. It’s like time flowed so slowly as Luhan watches the flames consume the whole shack. But Luhan knows it isn’t because of Tao’s doing. It’s the horror of seeing Chanyeol provoked. Luhan sees red and orange everywhere and he shields his eyes from the intensity of it. Sehun has turned his back from the fire, covering Luhan from the heat.
It’s too hot. Luhan hears people yelling. There are yells and screams. And amidst all that, he hears Suho shout at Chanyeol to stop. He hears him yell at Chanyeol to put the flames away. But it’s as if Chanyeol can’t hear him. He’s too blinded by rage to stop.
The whole shack is collapsing fast from it being burned. Luhan watches in horror as one of the men hit Xiumin hard in the back of his head, causing him to collapse. He had been fighting them but with Chanyeol’s flames, his ability to freeze things keep on melting. Lay yells his name, getting to Xiumin, but someone steps in between them, aiming their weapon at Lay to keep him from moving. On another side is Chen and Kris being cornered while Tao has his wrists bound tight by someone else. Someone is yelling at Suho, ordering him to control Chanyeol. Sehun tries to keep the fire from coming at them with his abilities but it only spreads even further from the wind, that he almost sets fire to a few men holding Kyungsoo and Kai captive. One of them manage to get out of it but still has Kai in their hold that Kyungsoo can’t do anything and risk Kai’s safety.
“Someone stop him!” Luhan hears one of the men yell. He then hears the barrel of a gun being pulled and in his panic, Luhan wrenches himself from Sehun’s grasp so he can push Chanyeol out of the way. The flames around Chanyeol are too hot but Luhan ignores the burn as he collides with him. The sound of a gun going off echoes in the room and the flames finally die.
No. Luhan gasps, pulling himself up. The gun going off is still ringing in his ears. His eyes scan the whole room for his friends. Let everyone be alright, let everyone be alright, he repeats in his head. They are. They have their hands covering their ears. Luhan feels Chanyeol shift and he turns to face him, relief spreading through him to find no blood and no gunshot wound. He then turns to Sehun quick, thankful to find him still on his feet. Sehun has a horrified expression on his face as he meets his eyes but then it quickly turns to relief as well to see Luhan alright.
He then sees Yunho with his gun aimed upwards. He had set his gun off to get their attention. And now that he has, he aims his gun back to Baekhyun. But this time, he aims it on the back of his head.
Baekhyun is crying. He’s looking at Chanyeol and crying. Chanyeol lifts himself up on his feet as he hears him. Tears stream down his face at the sight of his pair like this.
“Stop,” Baekhyun pleads at him. “Chanyeol, please. Stop. Don’t do this.”
Luhan watches as Chanyeol’s lips tremble and he begins to sob quietly. His legs give out and he kneels on the ground in surrender.
The shack is burned. Some men closest to Chanyeol are burned and dead. Changmin and Yunho look around them in awe. Chanyeol gave them exactly what they wanted to see. A reason to fear them. A reason to take them in as criminals. To see how they kill. They’re murderers now. They’re nothing but dangerous in their eyes.
“Harmless, huh.” Changmin says under his breath as he glances at Suho. Suho only looks back, a pleading look on his face.
The gun is still pressed to the back of Baekhyun’s head, his sobs filling the shack. Changmin orders the rest of his men to load them in the vans.
This time, everyone has no choice but to comply.
* * *
They’re sitting at the back of the van, heads hung low as they’re being driven off somewhere. They don’t know where. It doesn’t matter. They’re all held captive and there’s nothing they can do.
They’re all cuffed. They’re familiar cuffs. Luhan has seen these cuffs used on Sehun before years and years ago. It’s rendering them all weak. The NSS were ready for them, developing such technology to suppress their abilities. It’s insane how it looks and functions exactly alike as the old one. Luhan feels the energy being drained from him as he sits there thinking about it.
Baekhyun isn’t with them. They’ve used him as leverage now. Chanyeol looks out of it. Even Suho. Everyone doesn’t seem to be doing so well with one of them missing.
Sehun is breathing hard by his side. He’s the only one apart from all of them fighting off the effect of the cuffs on his wrist. He’s not giving in to it. He’s fighting back. But it only causes him to lose more of his strength. Nothing Luhan or Kai can say can appease him.
“I’m sorry.”
Luhan looks up to find it was Suho that spoke. His face is smudged with ash from the debris that burned around him. He looks like a wreck. All of them are.
“I wanted to turn myself in. But I never wanted this. I never imagined… All of you…”
Suho looks at Chanyeol who only has his eyes trained on the ground.
“Baekhyun is my responsibility. I’m sorry.”
It wasn’t Suho’s fault. They’ve done all that they can to run and hide. It just wasn’t enough.
No one says anything. They all sit there silently. Kris only takes Suho’s cuffed hand in his with Tao’s, all three of them together in this predicament again.
The ride goes on for hours. Not once has anyone checked up on them. They’re probably scared of them, Luhan thinks. After what happened back at the shack, they’re all dangerous freaks to them.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the van stops. Kris raises his head at this. Luhan can tell he’s trying to keep it together for the rest but he’s also clearly afraid.
The doors to the van finally opens. Luhan squints as blinding light welcomes him. The men that had held them captive, these guards, are joined by men and women in white. They’re wearing white lab coats and surgical masks on their faces. Luhan’s heart starts beating fast, the sight of these people bringing back certain memories.
They lead them inside what seems like a facility. There are long hallways with people in white going about. They all have surgical masks on their faces as well, passing by and looking at all of them. Luhan can’t breathe. It’s too familiar. Everything about this is bringing back things he never wanted to experience again.
They’re being led further inside the facility. Sehun sticks close by him. Luhan is somewhat glad that they’re together. It’s terrifying, being where they are. The only silver lining Luhan sees through all this is that he’s not alone.
There’s a commotion from behind them and Luhan stops walking to turn around. He sees Tao fighting off the guards, wrenching himself away from their hold. But it’s no use. He’s being held tight and his wrists are bound, making him unable to break free.
He’s terrified. He was always afraid this would happen again. A guard forces him to continue walking, taking out his weapon to threaten him. Kris manages to shake off his own captors as he gets to Tao, stepping in between him and the guard aiming his weapon.
“He’ll walk. He’ll follow. Just don’t aim that thing at him.” Kris says to all of them.
The guard doesn’t drop his weapon. Kris ignores him then, turning to Tao.
“Tao? Hey. It’s alright. I’m right here.”
Tao shakes his head. “No. They’ll take me again. They’ll keep me away. Kris-” Tao looks at him with wide eyes. “It’s happening again.”
Something tugs painfully at Luhan’s chest as he hears him. He sounds delirious. Luhan wishes he can do something to help his friend, something to make the horrors go away.
“Ssshh,” Kris coos at him. “I’m here. We’re all here. I’ll be with you. Walk with me, okay? Come on. Take one step. One step, Tao. That’s it. Don’t look at any of them. Close your eyes if you have to. Just listen to my voice. Come on, Tao. That’s it. You’re doing really well.”
They continue to walk, Tao’s whimpers echoing around them along with Kris coaxing him along gently. The guards don’t push him this time since he’s following orders.
Luhan shivers as he walks through the hallways. The sounds of their footsteps are loud against the silence of the place. There are so many rooms and so many halls. It’s like a maze, one hallway leading to another. He’s not even sure how these people know where to go.
Finally, the guard in front of them stops walking. There’s a door to their right that opens. They’re led inside a room with people in white standing to one side. Yunho and Changmin are in the middle, still in their black sharp suits along with a man in a white lab coat. He looks at them with eyes growing wide as they all enter. Beside them is Baekhyun still cuffed, and Chanyeol barrels through the men holding them captive to get to him. Baekhyun meets him, burying his face in his chest when they meet. Chanyeol, kisses his forehead, relieved to see he’s alright.
“You’ll all be shown to your cells in a moment.” Yunho starts. Luhan is unable to swallow down his discomfort at the mention of a cell. “Each one of you is to stay in it while we start classifying all of you.”
Classify. Luhan can’t believe they’re being treated like this.
“This is Doctor Kim Junsu,” Changmin motions to the doctor on his side who looks uncomfortable at the sight of them. “He’s the resident scientist assigned to this project.”
“I…” Doctor Kim Junsu looks at Changmin. “I didn’t know Project X meant taking humans captive.”
“When you take their blood samples, you tell me whether they’re humans or not.” Changmin replies.
Luhan feels like shouting at them. They are humans. They’re the ones who are monsters.
“How did you even find them?” Doctor Kim Junsu asks.
“With your substance, doctor. You were right. The substance is attracted to non humans. All we had to do was follow the contamination. It was very easy when another town had a massive 'rabies' outbreak within minutes they arrived.”
So this was him. The man responsible for the contamination. The man responsible for turning Kai and Xiumin into monsters. Kyungsoo, realizing this, locks his eyes on the scientist. Luhan watches as his cuffs suddenly breaks. There’s nothing but hatred in his eyes for what they did to Xiumin, to Kai, and Luhan watches as Kyungsoo pulls his wrists free.
“Kyungsoo, don’t!” Suho yells. Kyungsoo ignores him as his chest heaves, drawing up his strength.
One of the guards nearby hit him in the back of the head hard before he can do anything. Suho and Kai try to get to him but they’re restrained. They all watch as Kyungsoo slump to the ground. He’s not unconscious yet and he groans. He’s only cuffed again pulled up, a guard pointing his weapon at him should Kyungsoo do something again.
Yunho and Changmin are taking this scene quietly but Luhan knows it’s another thing added to their list on why they’re dangerous.
One by one, they’re all being placed with something around their necks, like collars, only with numbers to classify every one of them. They’re all being stripped naked as well and forced to dress into something Luhan finds familiar and something he hates. White shirts. White pants. They’re all in white and it’s sickening, the old memories filling Luhan.
They’re then led to another door and onto another hallway. Luhan wonders where they’re taking them when the rooms to each of their sides open. There’s nothing but darkness in it. They’re all shown inside and the realization of what this is hits Luhan. It’s their cell. They’re all being separated. Luhan hears Kris yell out for Tao but he’s being pulled to a different room. He hears Xiumin fight them off and Lay managing to use his ability to render a guard weak. But he’s not able to use his powers well with the cuffs on his wrist and the guard hits him with his fist. Another one yells for someone else only to have their voices muffled from the door closing behind them. Luhan is being led inside his own cell but he refuses as he struggles from his guard’s grasp.
“Get in.” He threatens. Luhan shakes his head, scared of the darkness inside. The guard only pushes him at that. “I said, get in.”
“Hey, leave him alone!” Sehun yells, struggling with his own captors. “Luhan! Lu-”
Sehun’s voice is cut off as the door to his own cell closes. Luhan gasps, turning around to get to Sehun when the guard finally pushes him inside his cell. He stumbles, falling on the ground as the guard takes one last look at him before closing the door.
Silence fills his ears and Luhan looks around for a way out but sees nothing. It’s dark. There’s nothing but the four walls of his cell that only reminds him of how this all started years ago.
Luhan starts hyperventilating, his breathing all jagged. He closes his eyes, blocking all the horrible memories out of his head.
But it’s no use.
He’s back.
* * *
Fear.
That is all Luhan feels. Fear, day in and day out. He doesn’t know how long he’s been in the dark without anyone checking up on him. He’s not hungry or thirsty. He doesn’t even try to fall asleep. It’s fear he only feels.
He hasn’t moved an inch from where they shoved him inside his cell for a long time until he realizes no one’s coming for him. He sits there, knees to his chest as he brings his cuffed wrists to sort of hug his knees. Luhan feels delirious. He feels insane. He desperately thinks of his friends. Of Sehun. Where they are. If they’re being treated well. If they’re alright. Luhan rocks himself back and forth from where he’s sitting, desperate for answers.
It’s exactly the same as before. The cuffs. The clothes. The facility. He’s back. For days, Luhan thinks about this. How exactly alike everything is. The more he thinks about this, the more he wonders if their freedom had been a dream. The old house by the sea. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo laughing in the kitchen. Suho, Kris and Tao working in the basement. Kai, Chen and Chanyeol goofing around while fixing the cars back at the garage. Xiumin and Lay coming home in the afternoons with smiles on their faces from the daycare. Sehun… Luhan’s heart aches when he thinks of him the most. Was he a dream too? Was falling in love, having him in his arms, seeing him smile and feel his kiss all a dream?
His body is too weak and his mind is playing tricks on him every single day. Luhan is ready to accept his fate, to accept that the past was nothing but a sweet dream, to forget about his friends and Sehun so his heart doesn’t long for them anymore, when the door to his cell opens. Luhan blinks, taking in the light. He lets whoever it is pull him to his feet. They don’t uncuff him. They only pull him along. Luhan walks sluggishly to wherever he’s being led to, just desperate to get out of the dark.
He’s led to a room. A bigger one this time. And when he steps in, he finally sees his friends. Relief spreads through him to find they weren’t a dream. They’re real. Luhan sees them all accounted for. But they don’t look like the people he remembers. The people Luhan has lived with for years and grown to love as a family always had smiles on their faces and meat in their bones. The people Luhan is staring at now looks lifeless.
They’re all pale, lips chapped and eyes sunken. Some of them have bruises on their arms and faces, probably from fighting off their captors. Sehun has the most bruises among them. Dried blood is caked on his lips where someone had hit him. Their eyes meet from across the room. Luhan sees Sehun smile in relief despite the bruises on his face and it’s enough to have Luhan feel better in days. He smiles back, assuring him he’s fine.
Luhan is led to them. They’re seated in a line. Baekhyun is sitting on the farthest side, Chanyeol next to him with his head leaning against his shoulder. Kai and Kyungsoo are together with their shoulders hunched. Chen has Suho’s cuffed wrists in his own, their fingers locked. Next to him, Xiumin and Lay are huddled close.
Tao looks worse out of all of them. He’s shaking. He has dark circles under his eyes. He has his head tucked underneath Kris’s chin.
Luhan takes his seat next to Sehun, tipping Sehun’s chin up with his cuffed wrists to look at him better. Sehun closes his eyes and breathes when Luhan’s fingers touch his cheek. He sees the bruises are still fresh. Sehun has been fighting off his captors every single day.
“Did they hurt you?” Sehun asks, voice cracking at the end. Luhan shakes his head as he looks at all of his bruises.
“You shouldn’t have fought them off.” Luhan replies.
“I was scared. I didn’t know what they were doing to any of you. They didn’t let me see you.” Sehun places his lips to the side of his temple and Luhan closes his eyes, relishing at how close he is to him now. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything.”
“Don’t say that. It’s not your fault.” It’s none of their faults. He’s just glad he’s alive.
The doors open once more and the doctor they were introduced before enters. Doctor Kim Junsu is dressed in the same lab coat and accompanied by two guards. To protect him against us, Luhan thinks. The rest of the guards leave, leaving only the two with the doctor. They have no need of them. Luhan and the rest are too weak to fight back anyway.
“Um… Good morning.” The doctor looks at all of them. He still looks uncomfortable like the last time they saw him. “I’m to take blood samples from each and everyone of you. To classify all of your abilities.”
No one replies. Luhan only sits there, content to have his family with him.
“Okay.” Junsu sits when it’s clear no one is going to talk to him. A table is brought in with empty vials on a rack. The doctor then prepares the syringe. When he’s done, he calls out the first one in line.
A guard hauls Baekhyun off of his seat, separating him from Chanyeol. Chanyeol glares at him. Baekhyun wobbles on his feet, finding his balance.
“Move… You monster.” A guard says, prodding him. Chanyeol is up in his feet so fast, slamming his head in the guard’s face.
“Don’t call him that.” Chanyeol snarls only to be silenced by another guard who punches him in the stomach. Chanyeol groans, keeling over.
Baekhyun gasps. “Chanyeol- Please, don’t hurt him.”
“I’m not going to hurt him.” Doctor Kim Junsu says, looking at Chanyeol on the ground and making the guards step back. “I promise.”
Of course they don’t believe him. The guard shoves Chanyeol back to his seat, keeping an eye on him.
Baekhyun sits next to the doctor and the guards unlock his cuffs. The doctor gives him a full medical check up and then lastly, extracts his blood and places it on a vial, marking it with the number on his collar. Now, they not only have copies of Suho, Kris and Tao. They’ll have copies of everyone.
It’s Chanyeol who’s up next. He doesn’t fight back this time as he’s being classified. The doctor extracts his blood too. Luhan sees the doctor applying something on the bruises on his face afterwards. “So it’ll heal faster,” He explains. Chanyeol doesn’t thank him. He only looks away.
It’s Kai’s turn afterwards. Then Kyungsoo’s. Each one of them are being checked and treated. The guards always cuff them back when Junsu is done with them.
Suho’s turn comes up next. Chen eyes the guards carefully. Suho gives his hand a squeeze before he leaves him. He sits beside the doctor, his cuffs unlocked.
“We already have a copy of your sample. We just need to update them.” Junsu says. Suho nods. He watches intently as the syringe is inserted and blood is drawn out.
“Are you a medical doctor or a scientist?” Suho asks, voice calm and soft. Junsu, surprised to have one of them talk to him, takes a moment to reply.
“Scientist, mostly.”
“I’m Suho.”
“I know.” Junsu replies. “Kim Junmyeon. I… I’ve heard a lot about you. Your works. What you and Kris did before.” The doctor looks at him and smiles. “What both of you did for science is incredible. It’s still amazing having to read about it and see it come to life-”
A guard clears his throat, cutting Junsu off. Junsu drops the smile he’s holding as he quiets down. Suho continues to look at Junsu who’s continuing to extract blood from him.
“I can make things easier for you so you don’t have to go through all this trouble to classify our abilities.” Suho motions with his face to Baekhyun. “Baekhyun, the guy you extracted blood from first, has the ability to produce light.” Junsu turns his face to Baekhyun who’s leaning against Chanyeol with his eyes closed. “It’s not much if you think about it. But it’s blinding light. He can play with your eyesight and create illusions too.”
Junsu has stopped working on Suho as he listens. Luhan doesn’t know why Suho is like this. Being nice to a man who works for the NSS.
“Chanyeol,” Suho smiles. “Well, you’ve obviously been filled in on what he does. He can set anything on fire. A very beautiful ability I might add.”
“Suho.” Kris speaks up from his seat, his tone disapproving. He’s clearly not pleased with Suho revealing all of their powers to a person working for the NSS.
Suho only smiles at him. “I’m making things easier for the doctor, Kris.
Kris presses his lips together at that. Junsu is silent, shifting his gaze from Suho to Kris as he continues to listen, curiosity filling his face.
“Kai over there can teleport.” Suho continues. “He can get out of here anytime he wants. Even now. He’s just… Figuring out the perfect time to do so.”
Junsu’s eyes widen at this. Kai only blinks back, confused.
“Kyungsoo has the ability to shake the earth. Very powerful ability.” Suho goes on. “He can bury thousands underneath the ground with what he does. He can do it. Right now. He can bury this facility. He can bury us all in here.”
Luhan turns to Sehun only to see him sporting the same look as him. They’re confused as to what Suho is doing.
“Luhan,” Suho turns to him and smiles. There are dark circles under his eyes but it seems to lighten up when he smiles. “He can move things with his mind.”
The guards beside Suho exchange glances and that’s when Luhan understands what Suho is doing. He’s scaring them. The guards look creeped out by Luhan now.
“Not all of us have to use our hands to do things.” Suho says, his tone so light and eerie and it fills the room. This is a lie. Luhan’s strength comes from his mind but he has to use his hands to help carry out his abilities. But he doesn’t say anything. He lets Suho continue to scare them, making them think the cuffs on his hands are useless to him.
“Beside him is Sehun. He has massive wind power and causes the most beautiful destruction. Chen here,” Suho looks at Chen and Luhan sees so much admiration for him. “He has the power of electricity in his fingertips. He’s very good at what he does. Imagine getting hit by lightning, only so much worse.”
Chen smiles back and glances at the two guards who take a step back at this.
“Kris here can fly. His speed is unmatched. You should be careful not to let him go. Your vehicles are nothing compared to how fast he goes. Beside him is Tao. You’ve heard of him. He can stop time.” Suho lowers his voice for the doctor. “You won’t know what’ll hit you when he gets out of those cuffs.”
Suho is taunting them and scaring them and Luhan thinks it’s working. The guards look so pale, their hands clutching at their weapons tight.
“Xiumin over there can freeze things. He can have your whole head on a block of ice if he wants. Lay’s ability is amazing. He can heal people but also suck the life out of them.” Suho glances at the two guards. “He can do it. Just a single touch and you’ll go out like a light.”
The guards are scared. Luhan can’t believe he’s seeing fear in their eyes. The doctor however… If Junsu is scared, he doesn’t show it. He looks curious still.
“And what about you?” Junsu turns to Suho. “What is it again that you can do?”
Suho smiles at him. It’s as if he’s delighted to be asked this question. With his cuffs still unlocked, Suho moves so fast, knocking the syringe off of him. He gets up from his seat and takes Junsu’s arms from behind him. The guards aim their weapons at him but Suho has Junsu in his hold, using him as leverage. Junsu grunts in his hold and struggles, but stops when he sees water suddenly pooling at his feet.
The guards stare at the rising puddle on their own feet and then at Suho.
“I can drown you.” Suho whispers in Junsu’s ear, yet his eyes are on the two guards in front of them. “I can drown all of you. Slowly. Painfully. Until your lungs stop working and you’re choking, gasping, finding every possible way to breathe.”
Luhan glances at the floor and sees the water rising. Junsu looks horrified by this but Suho only tightens his hold on him.
“So do as I say from now on and let my family go.” Suho says through his teeth. “Before I drown you all to death.”
a/n: I'll be sure to update weekly!
Chapter 12