Three

 

The staging room turned out to be a spacious lab, complete with white walls and the distinct over-sterilized scent of a hospital. Guards – all decked out in black, a stark contrast with the white walls – were stationed evenly along every corner. There were also two others guys, dressed in ordinary t-shirts and jeans like the rest of us, who stood off to the side, sandwiched between three of the biggest men in black. One ridiculously tall, with sandy blond hair and piercing eyes, and the other was short in comparison, lips set in a straight line as he made eye contact with Kyungsoo and Jongdae.   Yixing saw me analyzing the room, and leaned in to whisper into my ear. “Don’t even bother trying to find an escape route, Min. It’s not going to work as long as that switch is on.”   Before I had time to reply, I heard the click of a gun, and Yixing leaned back away from me. I saw the tip of a pistol pointed at the back of his neck.   “Anything you have to say to her can be said aloud to the rest of us, kid.”   I made eye contact with Yixing, and he could probably see the fear on my face. Nodding at me reassuringly, he tilted his head towards a red lever jutting out of one of the walls. I bit my lip, understanding his wordless warning. If I tried to escape without my powers, I was just going to end up experiencing a lot of pain.    I watched as his eyes slid across to the two unfamiliar figures, and my eyes followed along again. Then, I remembered what some of the guys had told me when I had first been brought here; they must be Kris and Joonmyun, the ones who were getting too strong for the electrolytes to control and got moved to a separate holding area.   My sense of curiosity heightened, I wondered where they had been stashed for the past weeks, months, or however long we had spent in this place. The tall one’s long fingers surreptitiously tapped out a rhythm on his pant leg, and he subconsciously flipped blond hair out of his eyes nervously every few seconds.   Buzzing. I heard buzzing.      Frowning, I blinked rapidly, trying to untangle the noises that sounded almost like an untuned radio signal.    …almost here...maybe they will...   I realized with a jot that those were not my thoughts. That meant...that meant I was starting to overcome the electrolytes in my system as well, just like the other two.   I focused more across the room, and heard the sound of distinct voices mixed together. Opting for the strongest of the bunch, I blinked again, trying to concentrate to find the source of the voice.   ...said that she....Joonmyun can probably...lever will...make them stop...   It was the tall blond boy, who must be Kris He was looking down at his feet, scuffing the heels of his converse into the linoleum floor. Then, I realized that he was thinking about me.    He even knew what my power was, and I realized with a sinking feeling that Dr Evil and his evil minions must already know too.   I was starting to feel dizzy, and grabbed onto Yixing’s hand lightly for support before focusing back on Kris. Slowly, I began to form whole sentences of thoughts.   ...only way...she’s our only hope to get out of here. It’s ...a whole week since she’s had the drug and she’s gotta be stronger. I just hope she realizes that she-   Kris’s thoughts were suddenly cut off and his head snapped up, catching my eyes. I flinched in surprise, grip tightening around Yixing’s arm. He gave me a worried look, but I ignored him and turned back to Kris. There was a hint of a smile hanging on his lips.   So, you can read my mind, huh?   I gave a slow, almost unnoticeable nod.   Good, I was hoping you would be able to. The mind is always underestimated. Well, that’ll be their mistake when we get the outta here.   I narrowed my eyes at him and threw him a confused look, signaling for him to explain what he meant.   We have a plan. Yeah, Joonmyun and I have an escape plan. Look, I can’t explain everything to you right now because Dr. Evil is on his way down and we don’t have much time. All we need you to do is make sure the guards don’t shoot at us when I switch that lever - even for a few seconds will be good enough. Ca