I should really try to update Seasons Change, but I'm feeling a lot more motivated to work on this story right now. That kinda makes things difficult, though, because I keep thinking about stuff to write for the next chapter when I should be focusing on what I'm currently writing. So, this chapter focuses on Sungjong, Dongwoo, and Sungyeol and it should answer at least some of the questions you guys probably have by now. Also, I'm not a doctor or scientist, but let's pretend I know what I'm talking about. Okay, I'll stop talking now. Enjoy~

This is all Sungjong's fault. He knew this was coming—he saw it before anyone else even knew about it. So, knowing the future he should've done something to stop it or at least change the outcome. That's what he's always thought his powers were for. He was given them to make a difference; to affect the future for the better. But now he's failed.

He lets his head fall back against the wall. There's no way of knowing how long he's been in this room or even where he is. His memory is completely blank after he finished his shift at the café. He knows he had been alone and the nagging uneasiness still hadn't left him. And then he woke up in an empty room with no windows and a hard-to-find door. Rather than being scared, though, Sungjong only feels disappointed. He's disappointed with himself. The other guys would tell him not to be so hard on himself. It's not like he knew the date and time that they would be found. But he should've been more careful. He'd been too worried about making a big deal out of nothing. He should've let Dongwoo tell Sunggyu and Woohyun. They should've all stayed together.

There's nothing he can do about it now, though. His vision didn't tell him what would happen to them, but he can guess. Half of them have superhuman abilities and the other half could be useful in some way or another. His stomach drops at the possibilities.

The sound of the door sliding open pulls Sungjong from his thoughts. He presses his back flat against the wall as if that'll make him less visible in a room with absolutely nothing else in it. A man comes in holding a metal tray. He looks a bit older than Sungjong, but not as old as the man in his vision. The stranger sets the tray down next to the door without a word and leaves the room just as suddenly as he'd entered. From the other side of the small room, Sungjong can see that he's been brought food. He finds the gesture odd seeing as he has no reason or intention to trust whoever kidnapped him. The meal looks harmless. There's generous portion of rice and a good amount of side dishes and even a bottle of water. But with no way of knowing what else they might've added to the food, he's wary of touching it.

Unfortunately, only his mind appears to be cautious. His stomach growls as the scent of tofu stew wafts over to him. He doesn't know how long it's been since the last time he ate. After skipping breakfast, his lunch had been a small sandwich from the café and he never managed to eat dinner. He couldn't have been unconscious for more than twelve hours, but as he has no idea how he became unconscious in the first place, it's still a possibility. So now that he finally has an opportunity to eat, telling himself there could be sedatives or poison in the meal isn't working.

Sungjong decides to test the water first. Once he crawls closer to the tray, he examines the bowls more intently. Nothing looks suspicious, though he notices that the utensils are all metal. It's like they expect him to just let them hold him captive. Picking up the unopened water bottle, he turns it upside down to check if it’s been tampered with or injected with something. He hesitates before twisting the cap off. The water is cool on his tongue. He doesn't realize how thirsty he'd been until he stops for a breath and sees that he's already drunk half of it.

At first, he resolves to only eat the rice. It seems like the safest bet and he's sure he can be full with just that. But after a few spoonfuls the taste becomes bland. He tries a sip of the stew and then another. In a matter of minutes, he's halfway through the stew and moving on to the radish salad and seasoned bean sprouts. He focuses on filling his stomach as quickly as he can, all caution set aside. It only takes him another five minutes or so before he's sure he can't eat any more.

Pushing the empty tray in front of the door, Sungjong leans against the wall next to it. He's not any closer to trusting whoever took him, but he's slowly starting to believe that they might not want to hurt him. Or maybe that's what they want him to think. Maybe they want him to let his guard down. He doesn't see how he can be of any use to them, though. It's not like he has any control over what he sees or when he sees it. They can't force anything out of him, but he doubts that'll stop them.

Just as he has that thought, a sudden wave of dizziness overcomes him. Luckily, he's already sitting down. He closes his eyes, pulls up his legs and puts his head between his knees. Although it helps, Sungjong knows the feeling isn't going away any time soon. Along with the dizziness comes temporary paralysis as he experiences the future firsthand.

The feeling comes first. Sweat beads on his forehead, like the temperature of the room has gone up twenty degrees. Breathing becomes harder. Sungjong coughs to try to clear his lungs. As he takes a few deep breaths, the smell of smoke fills his nose. When he opens his eyes again he's no longer in the empty room. There's almost too much smoke to see, but he's sure he's in a hallway. Covering his mouth and nose with one hand, he uses the other to feel around. His hand slides along the wall while he inches forward slowly. He doesn't know where the fire is or if there still is one. He should either find a way out or find the others, neither of which seems very possible at the moment. He doesn't realize his hearing is gone until he feels a strong grip on his arm. He's expecting someone trying to stop him from escaping, but instead he spins around to find Howon. The concern and fear on his face are evident even if Sungjong can't hear the words coming out of his mouth. Howon seems to be asking if he's okay judging by the way he looks Sungjong over, so the younger man nods in assent. He's pulled into a tight hug by Howon after he lets out a big sigh of relief. Sungjong returns the gesture, though he's more confused than anything else.

And just as suddenly as it came, the vision ends. Sungjong blinks up at the white ceiling. His skin feels cool again and the tightness in his chest is gone, but his heart is still thudding. He wishes he'd had more time; that he could've talked to Howon and found out what was happening. Unfortunately, all he's left with are more questions than answers.

---

It's not until the door shuts behind Dr. Moon that Dongwoo lets his fatigue show. He slumps onto the table, whatever strength he'd pretended to have leaving him. What he'd just gone through wasn't exactly torture, but he doesn't think he can take any more. Whenever he uses his powers it's never this exhausting. This stressful. But then again, he's never been forced to use it or had someone drawing his blood and measuring his brain waves at the same time. To make things harder, he’d been looking at Hyuna's memories. He saw their first meeting, a couple of the dates they had gone on, and even some of her childhood memories. Now that it's all over Dongwoo feels more tired than he's felt in a long time. As well as a deep sadness that he's not sure is really his own emotion.

Hyuna's light touch on his arm reminds him that she's still in the room. She hasn't said anything since her father came in. Her silence continues as she tapes a piece of gauze over the needle puncture on Dongwoo's forearm. The sadness Dongwoo feels doubles when their eyes meet.

"You have a power, too, don't you?" Dongwoo weakly reaches for her hand when she starts to turn away from him. She could easily shake him off, but she doesn't. "What is it?"

"It's..." Her voice trails off like she's not sure how to say it or if she should tell him. He squeezes her hand to let her know he's there for her. (Ironically, given his current situation.) "I was like your friend at first," Hyuna says slowly. "The mind reader. It started when I was ten. I hid it from my family for a few years until my father found out. I thought he would kick me out or send me somewhere to hide that I wasn't normal. But he didn't push me away. He was actually happy for me. Together we figured out how I could control my powers and what else I was capable of. It's not just telepathy now. I can do so much with my mind. And with anyone else's mind. He calls my powers a gift, something that can be used to make a difference."

"So now you work for him."

"I work with him," Hyuna corrected Dongwoo as she turned to face him fully. Her hand slipped out of his. "I'm helping him."

Dongwoo musters what little strength he has left to pull himself up into a sitting position. "He’s using you," he insists, his voice pleading with her. "Just like he's using me and my friends."

"We're not hurting any of you."

"Then why did you bring us here like this," he argued. "If you meant well, why didn't you just ask us about our powers? Maybe we would have come willingly." Hyuna breaks their eye contact, a subtle admittance of guilt. Dongwoo wants to believe there's a chance he could get through to her. That she hasn't been completely brainwashed by her father. "Look, I don't know what your father plans to do with my blood or with my friends, but this isn't right. You can't lock us up like this just to do whatever you're trying to do."

Hyuna stays silent for a long while. She doesn't seem any closer to agreeing with Dongwoo. He reaches out again for her. This time she avoids him, taking a couple steps back. "You should get some rest," she says. Her voice has lost all warmth, her tone serious and indifferent. She seems like a completely different person. Admittedly, though, Dongwoo realizes that what he's learned about Hyuna up until he woke up here is probably a lie. As he starts to think she's just going to leave without saying anything else, she turns around at the door. "I'm sure it's hard to right now, but once you hear my father's vision I hope you'll see the bigger picture."

Dongwoo really wants to believe her; he wishes it was that easy. But the fact that she thinks using him for his powers and experimenting on him and his friends is necessary makes it impossible.

---

Sungyeol watches the woman leave the room. She hadn't spoken a word to him as she hooked him up to a couple of machines and made sure he was completely restrained on the table. And Sungyeol had kept quiet as well. The stony look on her face easily deterred any thought of communication.

He doesn't think she's the person who wanted him in this place, but he suspects she might be the one who brought him here. His memory of the night is hazy. He remembers having dinner with Howon and walking with him afterwards. (The other man had seemed so close to admitting his feelings. In his current situation, Sungyeol hasn't decided if it's better that he hadn't.) Shortly after that is where his brain goes blank. He has no recollection of how his walk with Howon ended. He's ruled out being forcefully taken as he had woken up in an empty room entirely unharmed. He wouldn't have intentionally walked into this place, but maybe he didn't have a choice.

Sungyeol's eyes drift away from the door to the machines now monitoring him. There's one for his heartbeat and another attached to his temples, most likely tracking his brain activity. He has enough common sense to know that this means they plan to experiment on him. His hands clench into fists as panic washes over him. This must be what Sungjong's vision was meant to warn them about. Whoever had been looking for them wants to study them and use them like lab rats. He doesn't see how he can be of any use when he doesn't have any powers, though. But maybe his captors don't know he's powerless. Or maybe they do and they have other plans for him. All Sungyeol has are questions and maybes and it's as frustrating as it is scary.

He hopes the others aren't in the same position as him. There's a chance Howon might be since he was with Sungyeol, but he doesn't know about the rest of them. Along with Howon, Sungyeol is the most worried about Woohyun. His friend is as powerless as he is and more connected to this than he is. He hopes the other won't end up like him and he hopes if he's safe, that he'll stay that way. Knowing Woohyun, though, Sungyeol knows he won't just sit back and do nothing. He won't let his lack of superhuman abilities keep him from finding Sungyeol.

When the door slides open again, Sungyeol expects the same woman. Instead a middle-aged man enters the room. There's something familiar about his face, but what really catches Sungyeol's eye is the white lab coat the man has on over his suit. He's seen enough movies to know that if you're tied to a table and someone in a lab coat shows up, it's not going to end well. He tries to hide his growing fear as the man walks closer to him.

"It's nice to finally meet you," the man says when he reaches Sungyeol. He has a warm smile on his face as if he isn't holding someone against their will and planning on using him as a test subject. It makes Sungyeol's skin crawl. He would almost feel better if the other was more intimidating like the woman before him. It's so much more unnerving when the man looks so happy and normal. "Forgive me for the, uh, accommodations. It’s for your own safety. I tried to make this as pleasant as possible, but this is a place of science, after all. And science isn't always pleasant."

Sungyeol has a few choice words for him, but he doesn't want to die any faster than he probably already will.

"Ah, where are my manners? I'm Dr. Moon. I believe we'll get to know each other better while you're here, although I know quite a bit about you already, Sungyeol." It's not all that surprising that this man—this so-called doctor—knows anything about him, but Sungyeol can't help wondering what exactly he knows and how he got that information. "You must want to know why I brought you here. Especially since you don't seem to have any gifts."

"It's not that hard to guess," Sungyeol blurts before he can stop himself. He tugs at the restraints around his wrists. "And being tied to a table helps. I'm a lab rat, right? You're going to torture me and call it an experiment. Or test me to see if I'll magically develop superpowers."

Dr. Moon's smile grows. "I must admit I thought you only looked smart," he says, slowly moving to the other side of Sungyeol where the machines are still monitoring him. He turns his back to Sungyeol and continues talking. "You are onto something, but I’m afraid you're mistaken. That’s not exactly the full extent of my plans. I don’t intend to hurt you. I’m going to help you. Doesn’t everyone grow up wishing they could do the impossible? That they could do something truly incredible and feel special? I'm sure you did. And I hope to make that dream a reality."

As the doctor turns around, Sungyeol spots a small syringe in his hand. It seems to be filled with a dark liquid. "What's that for?" Sungyeol feels close to throwing up, but also like his heart and stomach are lodged in his throat. The fear of what might happen to him pales in comparison to being moments away from actually finding out. He's good at putting up a front, but on the inside Sungyeol is very much a coward.

"Your friends have been very helpful," Dr. Moon replies.

Though it doesn't quite answer Sungyeol's current question, it does answer the earlier one he'd wondered to himself. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how many of his friends have been taken or what's been done to them. And he doesn't think he wants to know. He feels bad enough already. "If you've gotten what you need from them, you should let them go now," he says, trying to keep his voice from shaking. It's probably too late to save himself, but he can at least try to save the others.

The man ignores him. He sets the syringe on the table next to Sungyeol and pulls a long rubber tube from his coat pocket. Tying the tube tightly around Sungyeol's bicep, the doctor then slaps lightly on his forearm until his veins become prominent. It's not until he picks up the syringe again that Sungyeol starts struggling. He twists and thrashes as best as he can under the restraints, his breathing erratic. He's almost completely sure that he's about to be injected with blood, his friends' blood most likely. From everything he'd learned about biology, Sungyeol doubts this will give him superpowers. That’s not how those things work. Which means he's probably going to die.

He stops futilely trying to break free when Dr. Moon's grip bites into his arm. Despite his age, he still seems to have a good amount of strength. Sungyeol reluctantly goes still, the pain in his arm an obvious warning. He has no choice but to watch as the needle breaks the skin and the unknown contents of the syringe goes directly into his veins.

There's a burning sensation that starts at the injection site and slowly spreads as the liquid travels further into his body. Sungyeol squeezes his eyes shut in anticipation of pain. It doesn't come. Instead, an odd warmth settles over him. Dr. Moon is still standing above him when he opens his eyes. His face becomes blurry as Sungyeol blinks up at him. It becomes harder to make the other out the more he tries to focus on him. The last thing Sungyeol hears is Dr. Moon’s calm voice telling him to relax.