Chapter 03 | FROZEN

"What am I looking for?" 

On the outskirts of the Western Section...

Wherever he was, it was dark. He was indoors, that he could tell even in the extremely dim light. He could feel the space around him was vast, but not vast enough to be outdoors. The boy wasn’t sure how he got there. He had always ended up in familiar places when he jumped. Maybe because I wasn't focused enough this time, he thought.

The teleporter had originally planned to jump to their old cottage, where he usually went after fights with his brother, but the words that they had exchanged that night prevented him from focusing well enough on his destination, deviating him from his course. Instead of finding himself in the cluttered remains of their old home, he had found himself in the cold, dimly lit room he was in at the moment.

Running a hand through his hair, he decided to give the place a chance and explore it a bit - partly because he was curious and partly because he didn’t want to go back and face his brother just yet. They probably wouldn’t even notice that I’m gone, anyway.

Thankfully, it wasn’t completely dark. There was no evident source of light, but there was enough to figure out the dark outlines of the room’s contents. There were tables cluttered all around - all empty and made of metal that was cold to touch.

At one end was what seemed like a control panel. A dead monitor hung above a panel of buttons. All was silent but for the soft murmur of a machine in the distance - perhaps somewhere outside the room.

He half-blindly d his way to the control panel at the end of the dark room. He could barely make an outline of the small monitors that were spread throughout, surrounded by buttons of different sizes.

The tall boy ran his fingers over the buttons, wondering what would happen if he pressed one. Is this a government facility or something? He sensed no danger, though. If this place was being used, there should be security around, or at the very least, some security.

Kai glanced once more at the panel and the monitors, placing a finger on top of a large button in the center. There was a thick layer of dust on it, telling Kai that this place had been abandoned for quite a while already. If it’s abandoned, then pressing this button shouldn’t do anything, right? Kai said, his curiosity over the buttons finally taking over.

Dim lights illuminated the room, and he froze, finger still on the button he had just pressed. Kai blinked and looked around the room as his eyes adjusted to the sudden visual stimulation. His instincts were right, as they usually were. The room was large. He could now clearly see the metal tables.

The nine tables had leather straps attached to them, designed to hold whatever was kept on the tables in place. They weren’t large - probably just the right size to hold small children. They looked like the type of tables in hospital emergency rooms - what are those called again? Ah, stretchers.

On the other end of the room, across the control panel where he stood, was a glass door. Kai withdrew his hand and made his way to it.

The glass felt cold when he reached out to push on it. It didn’t budge. There was a hallway beyond the door, and Kai felt an invisible tug willing him to go down the hallway. It felt like someone was calling him and he couldn’t resist.

Finding no way to manually open the glass door, Kai tensed his muscles as he disappeared with a poof, leaving a puff of black smoke behind, only to reappear in one piece on the other side of the said door. He then rubbed each hand over his arms to ease the uncomfortable chills of traveling through space. It was a habit he had picked up over the years of teleporting. With one last glance at the room he had left, he made his way down the hall.

Left and right, right and left. Kai’s steps seemed so sure that it felt like he’d been there before, like he knew exactly where he was going because he had tread the hall so many times, although nothing he saw in the light of the security bulbs looked familiar. He looked into several rooms with doors slightly ajar, finding that they looked like small bedrooms. He also passed several other closed doors, but his curiosity was not stimulated by any of them, assuming that they were all like the bedrooms he had already seen. He kept walking, and though somewhere in the back of his mind he asked why, the thought was drowned out by the need to keep going.

After walking a short distance, Kai found himself in the middle of what seemed like an intersection, where a large column stood in the middle. The hallway broke into four different directions, including the one where he had come from. Turning to the corridor on his right, the boy continued down the path of curiosity.

He came to a stop after about five minutes of walking. Kai quickly scanned his surroundings. The end of the corridor was in sight, and he had not passed by any doors up until this point. The aura he felt here was much different from the other hallway he had walked through. While that hallway had felt empty and lifeless, Kai sensed a presence here in general, but more precisely through the door he had just stopped at.

The door was steel, and a panel on the wall beside it blinked red. The silent boy reached out to press the button, but stopped midway, hesitating. Why am I doing this? What am I looking for?

He had no idea what was beyond that door. He had no idea what compelled him to come all the way here. Something’s in this room, he thought with finality. And I need to find out what.

He took a deep breath, gathering all his willpower and with bated breath watched the steel door slide open.

“Make sure to check every nook and cranny in this place!” D.O growled at the uniformed men scurrying about the warehouse. He was sleepy and cranky and wanted no more than to find those hoodlums so he could turn in for the day.

Dawn had come by the time Suho returned from reporting to the Council. D.O had become very impatient, pacing around his room, unable to sleep. He wanted, no needed, to find the two that escaped him and tarnished his record. He could almost feel their necks between his hands as he imagined what he would do to them.

With a wave of his hand, the boulders and debris scattered in the parking area were cleared to one side. The Uniforms moved to inspect the now clean areas. D.O watched for footprints and any signs of the direction the thieves headed to escape him. Adrenaline was slowly starting to appease the exhaustion from the previous night's fight once more, but he was still nowhere near top condition.

A few strides away, Xiumin kicked a small piece of debris into the air and froze it midway. The frozen chunk landed perfectly on his outstretched palm, joining the frozen pile accumulating in his left hand. He stared at his sworn brother, who was furiously using all the curse words known to men, and found himself chuckling. The action did not go unnoticed by the younger.

“Yah! Are you helping or not? This may be my fault, but since you’re here, the least you could do is help.” D.O huffed and stomped his feet on the ground creating a low rumble underneath the surface.

“Stop punishing the tectonic plates. If you just calm yourself down, you’ll find the answer.” Xiumin said as he patted both shoulders of the younger one and spun him around to face the warehouse.

The parking lot where they were standing, now cleared of most large debris, was illuminated by the rays from the rising sun. The warehouse, standing smack in the middle of the outpost, which was in turn surrounded by a lot of old buildings, was crowded with uniformed men surveying the scene.  

“Inhale. Exhale. Now look around you, how many exits are there in this area?” Xiumin asked.

“There are three. One gate to the Northwest, then Northeast, and the last south towards the Central area. I’ve scoured all those places before, Xiumin. They didn’t use any of those paths.”

“Well, of course they won’t. These are not regular thieves, D.O, and one of them supposedly controls light. Think out of the box and the possibilities of it all! Now let’s try again. How many exits are there in this area?” Xiumin prodded as he watched D.O’s face scrunch up in thought then light up with a quick burst of enlightenment before settling for a grimace.

The Sanctuary was divided into five sectors; all of which had different classes. The Southern sector was the home of the affluent, always bustling with life; the Eastern sector was home to majority of the Sanctuary's residents and had more people than the Sector could actually hold. The Center was where they were from - home of the Council and the rest of those closely tied with the government. The Western sector was mostly forestry and not a lot of people remained there, aside from those who provided the Center with venison and other types of meat. The Northern sector, where they currently were, did not receive much power supply, as not a lot of people resided there after most agricultural efforts were centralized into selected areas to minimize energy use. The lack in power supply also meant a lack in security and in this case more importantly, light. The battle D.O had the previous night with the two was illuminated only by the random flashes of lightning and the other boy's ability - until both stopped and visibility dropped.

“Those little piece of s.” D.O grumbled.

“Indeed, they are,” Xiumin chuckled, pocketing his frozen tokens and fishing out his phone. He had received a message from Suho. ‘Saw the trail, genius. Bring D.O here.’

D.O sighed and roughed his hair, frustrated. He had definitely underestimated those boys. In his mind, he had categorized them as regular thieves when he knew that they were, in fact, like him. They had abilities - weaker than his, yes, but their 'weak' abilities proved useful in escaping him anyway.

D.O followed Xiumin to an alleyway where three uniformed men awaited their arrival. The small alley, like everywhere else in the area, had been washed clean by the heavy rain from the previous night, but the minute scent of blood could still be smelled in the air by those, like D.O, who were familiar with it.

Suho was waiting at the end of the alley. “D.O, I need you to confirm if these footprints were from the warehouse.” One of the uniformed personnel approached D.O and Xiumin with a vial of dirt.  D.O froze. He had forgotten to bring samples of the dirt back from the warehouse. He side-eyed Suho, who was too busy checking and studying whatever was on his clipboard to notice the wide-eyed boy's hesitation.

“Here, I gathered some of the debris back in the warehouse, you can use that.” Xiumin whispered as he handed the other officer one of the frozen debris he had in his pocket, melting them before they touched the other’s skin. D.O glanced gratefully at the level-headed boy before crouching by the footprints Suho had pointed out.

He picked up a bit of the dirt on the ground, which had formed a shape of a large shoe. D.O held the dirt from the ground and from Xiumin in both hands, comparing the characteristics of each with one another. He was about to tap into his ability when his eyes focused once more on the footprint in front of him.

"Whoever left these footprints isn't who we're looking for," D.O called. "Besides, we can smell blood but can't see it, meaning the blood was washed away by the rain. This footprint, though, is fresh."

"Are you sure about the footprint, though?" Suho asked, approaching the other two and examining the footprints. "One of them could have come back to remove their tracks."

"And left his footprints? No. Those s apparently knew what they were doing, escaping in the midst of the deluge." D.O smirked before continuing. "Besides, the two I fought against last night weren't that much taller or bigger than us, but judging from this footprint, it belongs to someone much taller."

“You over there! Get me the CCTV footage from that street from the past six hours. Now.” Suho commanded the platoon leader, then turned to his brothers to explain. "The cameras seemed to have stopped working at some point last night, but they started working again six hours ago - right around the time you ended your fight with those boys."

“Aish! I’ll go up the street ahead in case the trail continues there.” D.O said, getting more impatient and not really paying attention to their leader. The wide-eyed boy stomped out of the alley, looking down both directions before heading to the left.

Suho's eyes met with Xiumin's, and he sighed. "I guess we should follow him, then."

"Sir." Suho turned to find himself face to face with his platoon leader. "I think you should take a look at the footage."

The head of the Trio gave a curt nod and gestured for the older officer to lead the way. The balding platoon leader led him to their surveillance van, fully equipped with computers and monitors. He gestured to the largest one in the middle.

"This is the footage the cameras got right after the cameras started working again," he introduced, and the Uniform in front of the computer pressed play.

There wasn't much visible at first. The camera's night vision recording had yet to take effect, but already Suho noted movement in the frame's edge. Two figures emerged from the exit Xiumin had hinted at, one hanging limp by the other's side. The camera's night vision setting then kicked in, but visibility did not improve much due to the curtain of pouring rain. They watched as one of the boys left the unconscious one in a doorway before running off, one hand gripping the opposite arm as he rushed past the camera's range.

"We'll fast forward to around ten minutes later," the platoon leader announced.

Suho nodded and watched as the video skipped forward. The rain had stopped, allowing better visibility. "Stop there," he said. "Zoom in on the boy's face and see if you can enhance it. We might need that image in the future." The Uniform in charge of the computers nodded, pressing some buttons. The group resumed their viewing of the footage within a minute. It wasn’t long before a third man arrived - this time much taller - one that could have fit D.O’s description of the man that had left the footprints in the alley.

Suho and Xiumin exchanged a glance, a small smile on the edges of the frost manipulator’s lips. “Looks like our hot headed brother hasn’t lost his touch after all,” he murmured, watching as the tall man picked up the unconscious boy from the floor where the other had left him, careful not to let the hood covering his face to drop.

Suho quickly gave instructions to the platoon leader, telling him to divide the Uniforms; some were to finish cleaning up at the warehouse, while others would patrol the area for any people with descriptions similar to those they had seen in the CCTV footage.

The water and frost manipulators then turned to exit the alleyway, when they caught sight of their youngest member standing at the end of the alley, arms folded across his chest and foot tapping impatiently on the ground. “Got enough evidence to prove my theory now?” He grunted before stalking off once more.

The Uniforms’ platoon leader shook his head at the hotheadedness of the Trio’s youngest member. The platoon knew D.O felt frustrated. Who wouldn't be? His impeccably perfect score had been tainted and they had an idea of what the repercussions of this deemed failure could be. Someone was finally better than one of the Trio, and the people would soon hear of it.

The Uniforms weren’t fond of the Trio and the authority they lorded over the troops, yet they couldn’t fathom how such a thing as this could have happened. As a tactical specialist, D.O was known for his quick wit and judgement, albeit his random temper flares.

Someone tapped the platoon leader on his shoulder. He looked behind and saw Suho’s ominous eyes glaring at him with a devious smirk on his face.

“Don’t think, just follow,” the leader of the Trio said.

A shiver went up and down the spine of the people within earshot and it sent the platoon leader barking orders at his own men, all the while thinking, screw this. They’re just frustrated that things aren’t going their way.

But D.O was far from frustrated. He could feel his heart thumping and excitement was once again pulsing through his veins. What dead end? Not a single bit of dirt escapes the earth master. D.O smirked. He wanted to get his hands on those two hoodlums as soon as possible and having the Uniforms around would only slow him down. Behind him, he could still hear the lazy steps of Xiumin and Suho.

His trained eyes trailed the dirt path leading to a small, two-storey house.

Kris checked Chanyeol's temperature for the third time that morning. Lay had left instructions regarding medications his brother could take to keep the boy’s temperature within normal ranges. They couldn’t afford to raise any suspicions - especially from anyone related to the government, and if Chanyeol was missing any longer, those suspicions could no longer be prevented. Such news would bring only doom to this household.

Despite the fear of being found out, Kris wasn’t completely against his brother developing and mastering his newfound ability, though having such a gift was both a blessing and a curse. The only humans publicly known to have evolved enough to harness such traits were the infamous Trio, who Kris knew had been in the Council’s clutches since they were kids. The reputation of the three had preceded them even back when they were all high school students in the Academy. They were kids not to be messed with, and even more now that they were grown up.

Kris glimpsed at the open doorway leading to the guest room where Baekhyun sat by the sleeping Chen. He didn’t know how he’d ever break the news to his childhood friends either. All their lives, he and Chanyeol had been the “normal” ones and had kept the light and lightning wielders under their wing for safety and protection. They were their secret.

Kris knocked on the open bedroom door to get Baekhyun’s attention. His eyes met the other’s bloodshot ones, revealing how tired the light manipulator was. Kris noticed Chen’s battered clothes on the bed beside the boy’s sleeping form.

“Baek, what are you doing?” He asked. Baekhyun was undressing Chen from the almost-too-large clothes Kris had lent them when they had put Chen’s original clothes in the laundry. “Please don’t think you’re overstaying your welcome.”

“Thank you hyung, but Chen’s safety comes first. We both know the Uniforms will start searching the area anytime soon and if they find us here, you and Yeol hyung will be in danger, too. You can’t be found harboring wanted criminals right now - especially with Yeol hyung’s condition. We’ll just be adding to your problems.”

“You know you’re never a problem to me,” Kris reassured, but the boy merely shrugged. “No, really. Look, Baek, if you go out there, who’s to say you won’t pass by a Uniform anyway?”

“Hyung, I can camouflage myself pretty well.”

“I know that, but what about Chen? Even if you camouflage him as a sleeping person with a different face, they’ll at least be suspicious. If they question you, you'll have to talk. And if D.O's the one questioning you... You can't disguise your voice. Don’t underestimate these guys, Baek.”

“But--”

“No buts, Baekhyun. Now stay here and stop putting Chen in those battered clothes.” Kris said as he walked towards his closet and produced another set of his large clothes. “Here, use this. It’s a bit big but it should be comfortable. You better get changed as well. And take a shower.”

“Yah-- I--” Baekhyun stuttered as Kris dropped the clothes into his arms. He ruffled the younger boy’s hair before heading towards the door once more.

“I'm going out for a bit to get Yeol some meds. You stay here and don’t open the door to anyone.”

Baekhyun could only nod in reply. He was too tired to argue and honestly, he didn’t think he’d even have the energy to bring Chen back to the slums. And if he did have the energy for it, he knew it wasn't exactly the wisest decision to venture out in broad daylight with a comatosed twin brother.

Kris closed the house's front door and checked twice if it was double-locked. Choosing to jog, he quickened his pace towards the pharmacy to decrease the time he was away from his twin and guests. Something in the pit of his stomach warned him not to stay out for too long.

Just as he rounded a corner, a small figure about a head shorter than him walked past him in a hurry, a creepy sort of smile clearly etched on the man's face. Kris couldn’t help but follow the figure with his gaze as he walked, not realizing the stupidity of his action before he crashed into someone. He felt his body topple backwards; his poor hitting the stone pavement with a soft thud.

Man, that hurt, Kris winced as he rubbed his lower back, still on the ground. He expected the person he'd run into to just rush past him as well but oddly enough, a hand hung waiting in front of his face. He blinked up at the owner of the hand, who seemed to be emitting some kind of glow from his purely white skin. He frowned. The young man looked vaguely familiar to him.

“Don't worry about it," a voice from behind the man in front of him said. "My brother bedazzles everyone. No need to be shy about it.” It took a while for Kris to process what the one with the huge forehead was saying. He looked quite disinterested as he played with what looked like a crystal as he stood behind his companion.

Kris reluctantly grabbed onto the hand offered to him and stood to his full height. He was surprised to note how he towered over the two.

Dang! This guy must be made of rock if I was so easily knocked down by walking into him. Kris opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word of thanks, the two walked leisurely past him and continued on in the direction the other small person had gone.

Shaking his head, he decided to mind his own business and continued on his way to the pharmacy.

“These are all government prescribed medications, boy, are you sure this prescription is legitimate?” The old pharmacist at the shop asked, eyebrow raised at the prescription Kris handed him.

“Look, do you want me to call our doctor or what?” Kris responded, hoping the old man would not push his questions further.

“Okay, okay! Nevermind. Those doctors are so grumpy anyways,” the pharmacist grumbled and walked back into his room of supplies.

Kris had to make an effort to keep his chuckle to himself. Lay was anything but grumpy. The Head Healer was the calmest person he had ever met. Whatever went on at the back of the healer’s mind, though, he was never sure. But despite the mystery of the man’s mind, he counted on Lay and trusted him a lot.

Kris handed his identification card to the pharmacist, who quickly scanned it before handing it along with the meds back to the tall boy. Kris bowed and took off, an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was off, but he couldn't figure out exactly what. He quickened his pace and as he turned the corner onto their street, a sudden burst of enlightenment overcame him.

That face. Suho. He had bumped into the previous Student Council President of the Academy. The Head of the Trio. .

Kris sprinted the remaining 400 meters to his house as if his life depended on it. But it wasn't his life in danger - yet. Baek. Chen. Yeol. The prospect of losing his twin and friends to the evolution-obsessed government was not something he could handle. Especially not now, when the younger twins were vulnerable and his own brother manifesting inhuman abilities.

A huge wave of dread washed over his body as he saw the once double-locked door smashed open from the outside. The remains of the mahogany door was hauled across his front lawn - bits and pieces of it in splinters spread around its wake. Once inside the kitchen, Kris saw the shadow of an intruder walking in looking as if he had just examined the entire backyard. It was Suho.

“We’re from the Military, under the special forces.” Suho informed him, inclining his head towards the gleaming pin settled on his left , as if it were enough explanation for their sudden appearance. The angelic smile Kris had seen when the other offered a helping hand had changed into something cynical, irking the much taller boy.

“I know.”

The Trio had forced themselves into his home - no warrant, no questions. Kris was pissed. But there wasn't much he could do against these intruders. What he needed to do was to ensure the safety of the three boys with supernatural skills in his care. His eyebrows came together into a deep set frown, his glare directed at the shorter man in front of him.

Suho was surprised by the sudden hostility he was receiving. Normally, people would bow before the Trio, their fear letting the three get away with anything and everything - even if it included bringing down a house without warrant nor warning - just so they could accomplish their goal. He pulled his chin up and returned the disrespectful stare with a glare of his own. No one challenged the Trio.

The stare down between the two seemed to last a few lifetimes, though in reality only a few seconds elapsed before the eldest of the Trio announced his presence with a cough, breaking their focus.

“We believe you have two fugitives -” Xiumin started, but was cut-off by the loud stomping of the third member of the Trio as he burst past the kitchen towards the hallway leading to the right wing where Kris’ room was located. Kris’ eyes widened and he hurried after the earth manipulator.

“Yah!” Suho shouted at Kris, but the other had already left the room. He followed the two and stopped as he saw his friend kick open a door at the end of the hall with a bang.

Without much of a glance inside the room, Kris jumped in front of the small officer in an attempt to block the other's view of the people in the room.

“Move.” D.O growled. He felt his anger resurfacing. He didn’t want to hurt innocent civilians, but if this giant continued to  stand between him and his prey, well... He was taught to show no mercy.

Kris didn't budge. “No. Where the hell is your warrant?! You've trespassed onto private property and you’ve even managed to destroy three of my doors. This may be the Eastern sec-” Kris’ argument was cut short by a loud gasp from inside the room.

D.O squinted his eyes and decided that enough was enough. His patience was draining rapidly and he didn't want to deal with another foolish human. Grabbing the tall man's right arm, he effortlessly flipped Kris and sidestepped his fallen body into the room.

Kris felt his breath punched out of his lungs once his back hit the cold hard tiles of the hallway. His vision reeled, but he could still barely make out D.O's figure frozen by the door.

“D.O,” a calm voice called. By now Kris was in enough pain that he didn’t even care that he was again in the same hallway as Suho. He just wanted them gone.

As if the heavens were listening to Kris’ prayers, the earth manipulator shot him a wide-eyed glare before slamming his foot into the fallen man's stomach one last time. Kris coughed up blood and struggled to breathe, bracing himself for another hit, but the officer had already had enough and had stomped his way down the hallway and out of the house.

Suho gave Kris one last lingering look - a look attempting to put the civilian in his place, far below himself, the Leader of the Trio, the most revered and feared team in the Sanctuary’s military. Satisfied that he had gotten his message of superiority across, Suho followed his sworn brother’s steps down the hallway and out the broken front door.

Only the eldest remained in the hall, watching Kris with slight amusement visible on his face. “We’ll send you a medic,” he said, eyes drifting over a small package that had fallen out of Kris’ back pocket. With a raised eyebrow and soft snicker, the last of the Trio left the house leaving behind nothing but broken doors and an overwhelming silence..

Kris grabbed hold of his room’s door frame to hoist himself up, risking a glance inside his room. Chen still lay unconscious, his breathing soft and steady - an obvious contrast to his brother’s hyperventilation. Baekhyun lay right beside his twin, wet hair stuck to his forehead, and his forearm draped across his eyes as an attempt to hide his face, though the redness of his skin was still obvious in the parts of his face that were visible.

Well. I’m not sure if I want an explanation for what I just saw - what D.O saw. Damn this.

It was dark. The door had sealed itself shut the instant Kai entered the room. The only break in the darkness was the soft blue glow that came from a pod at the center of the room. Kai carefully stepped closer, his eyes fixed on what seemed to be the only thing in the room.

It was the pod itself that was glowing. Several tubes flowed into it, and a soft mist covered whatever was inside from view. Kai reached out to touch the glass of the pod but immediately drew his hand back. It was beyond cold - beyond freezing, even. He rubbed his hands together and blew warmth onto them, circling the pod, careful not to step too close.

The white mist covered almost the entire pod, but Kai was sure something was inside. What he saw when he reached the far end of the pod only confirmed his suspicions yet surprised him at the same time. Are those feet I see? He looked more closely, stepping towards the pod, still making sure he didn’t touch it. Sure enough, a pair of bare feet were visible through the mist inside.

Kai immediately circled the pod once more, this time more aware of what he was searching for: a button, a switch, a lever - anything that would open the berth. Someone was inside of it, and something was compelling him to open it and let that person out. Why, he didn’t know. He just knew that inside the berth was not where this person was supposed to be.

The curious boy lost his chance to wonder about the strange urge to open the berth as he found the buttons he was looking for. A square pad at one end of the berth showed three buttons of different colors; black, blue and red.

He held the pad in his hands and squinted at the words written above the buttons. Cryogenic Preservation, it said. Kai glanced back to the figure inside the berth. That means... This person is alive, right? Just frozen, he suddenly wished he'd paid more attention to the science books their guardian had given him to read.

'When faced with three choices, remember this moment. Blue shall bring her back to life and Red shall be her doom. Remember this well, little boy, for the fate of humankind rests on her future - and the choice that you will make.'

The words came rushing back to Kai, words he didn't consciously know he'd heard. They came from a time he'd purposely buried deep within his memories - back to the night his mother died. The fight he'd had with his twin was much worse than usual, and it sickened him to see everyone taking the adopted kid's side. So he teleported away. He was always grateful for his power and how it allowed him to run away. But that night when he ran away, time stilled. He stilled and couldn't leave. Time came to a stop and a hooded man approached him, speaking those words..

The moment was short if it even really happened. Kai had forgotten all about it in the several years that passed. He wondered if this was what the hooded man in his memory was talking about. After all, I am remembering it now, of all times. That’s got to mean something.

“Blue,” the boy whispered, moving his thumb to press the button. Before he could press it though, another thought stopped him. What if I’m not supposed to press the blue button? What if I’m supposed to press the red one? He racked his mind and sought more of the conversation - perhaps the hooded man had told him whether to bring the person back to life or to their doom. None surfaced his consciousness, though, and Kai looked at the berth once more.The mist had moved, and in the dim blue light, he saw the person inside.

She was beautiful. The girl in the berth was young, probably not much older than Kai himself. She had pale skin and long dark hair that fell around her arms. A mask covered the bottom half of her face, keeping and nose from sight. Her eyebrows were scrunched together a bit, her eyes forcibly closed, as if a nightmare had invaded her mind in its frozen state.

Kai's thumb moved over the buttons in his hand, coming to a stop at his choice. The fate of humankind rests on her future. The words echoed in his mind once more, and sure of his choice now, he applied pressure with his thumb. Your future should exist so that the fate of humankind can be decided.

The machine whirred, and the glass surface of the pod moved, opening the berth. Kai reached out and pulled the mask off the girl's face, revealing her full lips and sharp nose. He waited, unsure of whether she really was alive or not. Is that it? She's not even breathing. Panic rushed through him as he wondered if he had pressed the wrong button. He looked around frantically, searching for another button, but found none.

"Are you alive?" The boy whispered, unsure of whether to hope for an answer or not.

Silence was the only response, though, and the teleporter stepped back, glancing around the room for any clue of what to do next. There was nothing, though, and the boy wondered whether he should leave. The hooded man's words came to him once more. Blue shall bring her back to life...

She doesn't seem any more alive than five minutes ago, though, Kai thought. The boy began to tread around the room once more, his eyes peeled for anything blue, when a force suddenly knocked him into the room’s metallic wall.

"What the-?" Kai grunted and slid to the floor, his vision swimming. Something had pushed him - but he didn’t see what. The impact had slammed the air out of his lungs and he gasped, dropping to his knees. His eyes immediately snapped to the berth, but the girl inside remained immobile. The sensation of having no air in his lungs shot through his chest again, and the boy felt himself become weaker and weaker. Kai looked around, wondering if someone from the government had found him and was punishing him for being in the room, but there was no one else inside. No one but himself, and the girl in the berth.

I need to go. Even forming a single coherent thought was a struggle for the young man. He tried to stand, but it was as if he no longer had muscles in his legs. Kai struggled to take breath after breath yet each second that ticked by only made him weaker. There was no pain - none at all. But every useless breath gave him more than enough agony. He felt like he was drowning in the atmosphere.

His vision began to dim but he did not miss the image of his body's transformation. The skin on his arms had turned dry and wrinkly, while the bones on his fingers were already showing through the patches of skin left. His feet - he could no longer see them, but he was sure that bone was all that was left. Am I... dying?

His thoughts were cut short as a bloodcurdling scream rang throughout the room, and in his dithe the last thing he saw was the silhouette of a girl sitting upright in the berth - and he plunged into the depths of darkness.

~end of Chapter three~

AUTHOR's NOTES

seldi: Aaaand, we’re back!

maiesta: hi... It's so hard to use iPad...

seldi: This chapter was written almost a couple months ago, but we only got to edit and post it now because LIFE HAPPENED.

maiesta: uhmmm... I loved writing D.O's scene... Haha..

seldi: You mean, BaekChen’s scene. Or their IMPLIED SCENE.

maiesta: huh? What implied scene?! THAT's for the next chapter!! LOLzzzzz... You spoiler!!! =))))))

seldi: It’s in this chapter. I just read it. (See? Proof that it’s been a while since we wrote this. >_<)

maiesta: omgeee.. You're right.. (Wow, it's been so long since i last read this O.O)  Hahaha!! I wrote SEVERAL versions for that scene!!! But this version was the best.. Don't worry, everything will be revealed in due time.. XD

seldi: anyhow, how’d you guys find the chapter? Were questions answered? Or did we confuse you more? Please tell us what you think!
… there’s also the matter of Baozi being in a love line with a KID. Because they both look like kids. And I just can’t take it anymore! >.<

maiesta: What? Wait! Baozi in love? Ooooh! You're talking about Jin's MV for Gone.. Minseok-ah~~~ T_T

seldi: and I am OUT! I mean, I’m done. I have to go back and wallow in my PCD over Infinite’s One Great Step. And the feels from VIXX’s Only U. Sometimes it being multifandom. HAHA

maiesta: while here i am voting for exo nonstop on mtvema.. XD *crossing fingers but not expecting too much* if they win on sunday, then yay! But if not, it's a well deserved nomination.. :) sooo til next update!! Comments are welcome~ kamsahamnida! ^^