The venue was huge. Two rented ballrooms, the flimsy dividing wall tucked away within its closet. Tables were set up, each with a department and calling card. Each person had a title, a position, a place. It was decorated lavishly in gold and crystal, all of the tableware china and silver with alcohol flowing freely into Swarovski stemware. Beautiful swaths of silk and satin curtained from the ceiling, gossamer adding just that most elegant hint of sparkle favoured by the kind of people with this much bloodmoney. The catering staff were all black-tie appropriate and ever-smiling in the crisp, forced way of customer service. Once the food was served and the business began, they would be told to promptly leave - the business was of a delicate nature and even the knowledge of the codewording they would use might cause an international incident. Armed men were on the roof and around the hall, though they were well-concealed. They set up catwalks along the vaulted ceilings, painted gold underneath as to not alert the guests of their prescence. The guards would be striding along that as well, high-powered rifles with military-grade ammunition and scopes at the ready, glinting much more ominously than the chandeliers. 

Kyungsoo watched them from across the street, with their unmarked black vans and SUVs. She had attended only one of these galas, but she was an observer by profession and she remembered and catalogued all of the smallest details. She didn't imagine it would be much different than she recalled; Kim Youngmin was a one-track kind of man, and liked things done the one way he preferred it. She idly wondered what he would think of her plans for the evening, how much they would differ from what he desired. Not that it would change her mind, but she did wonder. It was the nature of a researcher to try and learn as much as possible about how something worked. She was going to have a very pleasant time dissecting him tonight, that was certain. 

Taemin looked over at Amber, who was sitting next to him, nervous and unsure. She looked good in her gown, but it was obvious she was uncomfortable. She wasn't the type for this kind of place. She was the beta shift manager, hadn't even controlled the research in the slightest until after the Module's collapse. Her place was properly Kyungsoo's, the short, severe woman who's stone cold expression had intimidated everyone else present. She had been undaunted by all of the names, the titles, the self-importance. And all of the results he had to present tonight were hers. 

They sat quietly together through much of the actual dinner aspect of the gala, Amber's small talk with another Research Lead being very strained and stunted. She kept looking around, nervously fiddling with her hands and her clutch. He didn't question it. She likely had an issue with crowds and attention after being holed up in the facility for so long. He himself didn't do so well in these events, choosing mostly to mingle with people from his own department and discreetly discuss projects. 

The staff efficiently cleared away their plates, made sure all of their glasses were topped up, then vanished. Visibly armed men entered the room, then, standing guard around the perimeter. That made him feel better - something familiar at least. The lights went down around the tables and the lights on the stage went up. With a round of applause, Director Kim Youngmin walked up on stage. Amber suddenly got the urge to go to the bathroom and quietly scuttled away. 

"Welcome to the annual gathering of the Board of Directors for the crown jewel of KineTech; SM, the Seoul Module. Let us get down to business."

It was kind of mesmerizing, she could admit that to herself. He hadn't been a fighter before this, he'd been a dancer. She could see it in the way he spun around, snapping the man's neck before he was even spotted, jumping across seven feet of open air to land with the quiet grace of a cat and breaking another man's windpipe. He was effortless, but then he'd always been like that before. Beautiful as ever. Now he was just deadly too. Her beautiful Kai. 

"Ready?" Junmyeon whispered into her ear through the headset. Sehun had forgotten she was there, waiting on confirmation. 

"Yeah. We've got the roof." She picked up one of the unweildy silenced rifles, steadied herself a little bit and took aim at one of the guards who had noticed Kai. She only managed to shoot him in the shoulder, but it was enough to mess up his shot and give Kai the time to smash his face off the concrete ballastrade. 

"Okay, good. Baekhyun?"

"Foyer and entryway secure." She replied, a little breathless. She grunted, with a little pop noise. Likely someone's head getting crushed between her thighs. "Yup, got this."

"Jongdae?" 

"Amber removed and secure."

"Minseok?"

"Backstage is ready to go. Yungmin's not noticed his security personnel have vanished just yet, but the window is closing. 

"Sounds good. Jongdae, take up position near the fire exit door with Lay. Baekhyun, you and Chanyeol are going to hold the main door. Minseok, Luhan, hide yourselves but keep an eye out. Take down anyone you haev to to keep yourselves covered, but if you're discovered, go to the catwalks. Tao and I have a spot for you there. Copy?"

"Copy." Kyungsoo answered. "Lines dead unless absolutely necessary."

"Understood." Sehun replied at the same time the other four women did. 

Kai finished kill the last man, immediately returning his attention to her. His smirk was a little devious, a little frightening, but damn gorgeous. The grey-white of his eyes shone like LEDs in the dark of the rooftop, starlike. 

"C'mere, baby." She murmured, opening her arms. Like wind, he was abruptly there, nuzzling into her neck and humming. "You know you're beautiful, don't you?"

He nodded. "Like you."

Jongdae was leaning against the fire exit, a perfect view of what was to come. Lay stood behind her, close but not touching. He had on sunglasses, but even then, it didn't completely cover the luminesecent green of his eyes. Some of the people close to them kept sending them strange looks, but she pretended they were supposed to be there adn the guests didn't make a fuss. Lay was quiet and calm as normal, idly watching the proceeding with little care.

No one noticed the little body of Kyungsoo move in the darkness of the stage as a brief intro video for Project: Exhume's progress report played. They didn't even notice her when Taemin walked onto the stage and began a well-rehearsed speech. They noticed her when her low, monotone voice broke over the silent theatre. 

"That's not how I remember it."

The surprise was spectacular. Taemin's eyes blew wide and he paled instantly, like he'd seen a ghost. In many ways, she supposed, he had. 

She walked out calmly. Her clothes were new (stolen) and she was clean. The ultimate scare was how benignly mundane she appeared, like she'd just walked out fo her house to go grocery shopping. Everyone on the stage and in the audience knew that she wasn't that kind of woman, but that only added to the creeping sensation fo dread. 

"K-Kyungsoo?" He stuttered in shock. 

"Hello, Taemin." She responded, dreadfully unreadable. "I'm glad you came."

He fumbled all over himself. "Wh-Why would I not?"

"SHINee left, so I wasn't sure you would still be welcome here. I am very happy to see you again. We parted so bitterly last time. It was unfortunate that circumstances were what they were."

He blinked at her, hope coming to his face for a second. "Um, I'm glad you think that way."

"It's not going to go down the same way this time, I'm afraid." She continued, pulling the magnum pistol from her jeans. "This time, I am the one with the gun."

He immediately raised his hands in surrender, the guests going silent and still. only the Directors themselves stood, Youngmin in particular the first to be vocal. 

"Why can't you just die when you're supposed to?" He yelled angrily. 

Kyungsoo swivelled her head to stare him down, face incredibly neutral. "I'm not very good at following instructions. Unfortunate as it is, I'm taking your shooting me as a notification of my severance. I've simply come to settle outstanding debts." And she shot Taemin in the head. 

The abruptness of the action elicited shocked and horrified gasps from the audience before, from the blackness behind her on the stage, two blue glowing eyes appeared. Kris slunk into the light, tall and daunting and fierce. That made Youngmin re-evaluate his position. 

"You brought the experiment here." He muttered, aghast.

She looked up at Kris like a museum exhibit she had failed to notice. "Oh, him? Yes, I suppose so. I thought you were referring to the other one."

"The other one?"

"On the memorandem, does it not say the next order of business after EXO is VIXX?"

Youngmin had no room to speak past the robotic fist through his chest. Ravi pulled it out with a gratuitous snarl, parts of his robotic replacement skeleton peering out past the synthetic skin. The other five cyborgs glinted dimly inside the ballroom, standing seven feet tall apiece with unnaturally beautiful faces and dangerous eyes. 

"Gentlemen, I will leave the decision up to you. Would you rather execute the people in this room, or shall we?" She asked, tone conversational. 

"We'll do it." N replied, eyes narrowed, ready for vengeance. 

She nodded, turning away with a small wave. "Have fun."

Jongdae shook herself when they were a few blocks away and all had met up again. "That was the most hardcore thing I think I've ever seen you do."

"You weren't there to see her goad people into shooting her." Baekhyun muttered. Chanyeol rumbled a laugh. 

"Yeah, that was pretty scary." Sehun agreed, petting Kai's hair from where his head was resting on her shoulder. 

"Are you scared of me now?" Kyungsoo queried. 

"I mean, a little bit." Jongdae replied. 

"Good. I'm a frightening person." She turned and continued walking down the street to the restaurant that they had planned to go to after the gala. 

" yeah you are."

Kris smirked, long legs catching up with her in a stride or two. Lay kissed Jongdae's cheek, chastely taking her hand and tugging her along. 

"I'm hungry." Tao moaned. 

"Yes, yes." Junmyeon soothed. "We're going now, I promise."

Sehun and Kai started up conversation with Minseok and Luhan about what they were going to order. Only Baekhyun and Chanyeol stalled, looking back at the deceptively calm facade of the hotel where the massacre was taking place. 

Baekhyun looked up and met the amber eyes of Chanyeol. He looked back down at her, as though he could sense her thinking. She cupped his cheeks. "I hope they make her suffer like she did when she told her father to take me."

"I didn't want her." Chanyeol rumbled, nuzzling into her palm. "I was always yours."

"You guys coming or what?" Luhan called back. 

Baekhyun closed her eyes and pulled herself together, smiling when she turned back to the group. "Yup. C'mon, Yeollie."

He slung an arm over her shoulders and all twelve of them vanished into the night.