WOOHYUN

If someone ever told me that Lee Donghae was capable of a reaction, then I would have laughed. And then probably kicked that guy in the .

But that was exactly what happened. 

The moment 'Captain Kang Baekho' was done introducing himself and his guinea pigs, I heard a loud gasp erupt from the crowd. I scoffed. What was so fascinating about a bunch of biological puppets? Well, okay, it was definitely important to note that these men standing infront of me were stronger than any human on the planet. The fact that there was a whole army of them with us was encouraging and my confidence had quietly boosted itself a notch. But when I turned to find the source of the reaction, my eyes popped out.

It was none other than Professor Donghae.

"Y-Y-You...." he stammered and pushed Kairi away to grab Baekho by the face. I sputtered a laugh and caught my team members doing the same. Baekho's comrades however didn't find it funny and were compelled to rise up to protect their 'leader' until Baekho gave them a signal to back off. 

"Yes, Professor?"

"You know me?" Donghae looked mighty happy and never had I seen the scholar of our group throw a smile so wide. I could feel my own jaws hurt and it was when he said the next words did I understand the reason behind his reaction. 

"I have been searching for samples of you everywhere!" he exclaimed. 

"My...." Baekho said, looking wary. "Samples?"

Donghae fervently nodded, a wild look in his eyes. "I have been working on you as my research project ever since rumours of the first batch of INVICTUS went wild!"

"Looks like something else is going wild," L muttered. I chuckled and pumped a fist with him. I caught sight of Kairi and was about to make a witty comment when I saw the look in her eyes. She looked displaced and for a while I thought it was because of Baekho's presence. But it seemed like she had been deranged for a while and the new presence had only deepened some hidden pain, opened up past wounds. Betrayal. That's what I saw in her eyes. I recognized it, for the last time I had seen it was when we had watched Joon lie on national television. 

I quietly walked up behind her and enclosed her in my arms. I did not want to know why she was being like that but one thing was for sure -- I would be with her. I had never been someone to linger on my thoughts. If something crossed my mind, I'd do it. At that moment, I wanted to kiss her head. So I did. When she turned to look at me and gave a passive smile, I bumped my forehead with hers. Why? Because I wanted to. 

"First of all," Leeteuk said, trying hard to pull the awed Donghae away from Robocop. "Let's get into our cars."

"No!" Donghae cried out. 

"You can sit with him," Leeteuk assured. Baekho looked at him and furrowed his eyebrows, a large amount of confusion and fear in his eyes. Nerds trump jocks, I thought. Always. 

"You never told me about INVICTUS," Kairi said. She looked to Donghae and sighed. "Why didn't you mention about INVICTUS?"

"I thought you already knew," Donghae said, alarmed at her words. At that moment, something struck Baekho and his gaze turned wary. I narrowed my eyes, waiting for the grenade to explode. 

"Why would I?" Kairi said, sounding confused. 

Donghae blinked. "I thought it was a sensitive topic so I never brought it up...."

"Donghae," Kairi said, shaking a bit. Her eyes flitted towards Baekho and his team, who had suddenly frozen like statues. "What is it?"

The silence was piercing and for the longest time, the suspense deafened our thoughts. 

"Because you were the first," Donghae whispered, his voice echoing over us. Baekho closed his eyes and shook his head. Kairi broke away from my arms and shivered. 

"First...," she hissed, "what."

Donghae gulped. "You were the first INVICTUS."

                                                                                HOYA

Suddenly, everything made sense.

The way Kairi had reacted to her kidnapping, her defensive mode instantly on alert even though she was just a mere girl faced by seven men with weapons in their hand. The reason why despite Woohyun's monstrous inquiry, her body had remained intact. The miracle of having survived a suicide attempt that should have killed her. The fact that she had picked up on all the combat training and knew foreign languages, as if she had been destined to take revenge on her father. 

"Tell me he's lying," Kairi said. She marched to Baekho and punched him on his arm. A few gasps rang out, but Baekho looked like he might as well have been by a feather. "He doesn't know a thing. You don't know a thing."

Kairi's head snapped towards Donghae and he didn't look away. My eyes grazed over her and when she found me, I simply sighed. 

"At least you know you won't die easily," I said. Suddenly a hand shot out at my neck and cries of alarm surrounded me as I found myself on my back, Woohyun's furious expression hovering above me. 

"You think this is funny?" he hissed. I pursed my lips and pushed him off, just in time for Yoona and L to grab him before he could launch at me again. 

"I don't believe you," Kairi said, her words sounding like they were a continuation of a larger argument, an eternal conversation. "Donghae, it's not possible."

"But it is," Donghae said. "When the first DNA model came out, the General offered you. You were only three---"

A harsh cry erupting from her lips, Kairi covered her ears and in short spells, began wailing. Her cries were rhythmic, like they were flowing out to a chaotic soundtrack, music that could probably be hell's anthem. Suddenly she stood up and before any of us could take a breath, she was on top of Baekho. 

Baekho was faster and in one swift blow, threw her away. Woohyun roared but it seemed like L had figured out what was going on before any of us had. 

"He's showing us," he said. "Hold back and watch. It's better if you understand too."

All of us moved back and watched as Kairi propelled herself towards Baekho, a spin-kick on his head and a right cross to his jaw. I watched her tearful face let out a cry as she threw herself on him. She looked hypnotized, her eyes glazed with no sign of tension in her moves. It was inherent, I realized and let a silent breakdown occur inside me. 

I shook my head and made myself watch as Baekho grabbed Kairi, aiming to crash her to the ground. I instantly froze and watched in horror as he began lowering her body to the tar. The consequences were reversed however when moments before the crash, Kairi flew off his hold and with gravity as her leverage, pulled him beneath her. 

Kairi began coughing and gasping, her hand clenched into a fist, ready to hit him again. Baekho looked up at her, apology rampant in his eyes. It was not his fault of course, but hiding the truth from Kairi was the equivalent of a lie. 

"Now do you believe it?" Baekho murmured. Another cry rang out and suddenly, Lay appeared, placing two fingers on her neck. Kairi collapsed and Woohyun ran to her. 

"What did you--"

"That was a very dramatic first meeting," Lay commented, a composed look on his face, "but we need to get going. We cannot afford to be driving in Paragon during the day."

"So you're the monks," another blonde guy from Baekho's side said. He sounded rhetoric, almost to the point of judgemental but Lay gave a small smile and lifted Kairi in his arms.

"I think it'd be better," he said to Woohyun, "if she rides with a few not-so-familiar faces." He then looked towards Baekho and said, "I would suggest four members of your team, me and Luhan along with Nicole---"

"Me?" Nicole stammered, straightening her back. 

"---to assist Kairi until we reach the headquarters. She would be at least be a little mentally relieved when once she gets out of the car."

Woohyun and I both seemed to share the unwelcome feeling of being outcasted, that too when the concerned was Kairi. But as he threw one last glance at her peaceful face, he relented and walked towards the giant Hummer. Dongwoo and Sungyeol patted his back and for once, he didn't even push them away. 

I waited until Kairi was on board. Baekho let me know the names of the people from his team who would be with her. He assured me that Zico --- the blonde guy who had called Lay a monk ---, Niel, Taemin and JR would take care of Kairi and not stress her. Nicole's presence in the car was majority of the reason why I could breathe again and even Lay, who I had just met, seemed like the perfect guy to put off Kairi's temper into a black hole. 

I heard a scuffle behind me and saw Donghae catch Krystal as she fainted. I lifted her off and with a quick nod at him and Baekho, said, "You two better explain why the did the General shoot chemicals into his only daughter."

                                                                               BAEKHO

Jiyong was one of my good friends. Really.

But just a few minutes back I was bombarded with a clueless team which consists of a loony professor, an unconscious (but hot) chick, a powerful Invictus with no idea of her identity (she is also my childhood friend and a crucial member of this plan), wild boyfriend of said Invictus and a bunch of 4D monks who didn't look like they wouldn't even want to slice anyone's hair. 

Overall, a not so bright prospect.

L was driving the Durango and so far, so good. Sitting shotgun was Yoona and drooping against her was Krystal. The passenger seat was occupied by a tall guy named Kris who accompanied us after hearing Hoya's demand. Apparently he too knew less but his passive expression could have only fooled a human, not me. Sitting next to him was a bright looking guy called Chen and then there was me, Hoya and Donghae. Amber was at the back, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.

"From the top," Hoya said. Kris and Chen, who had been exchanging observations in Mandarin, quietened down and shifted their attention to me. I took a deep breath and turned to Donghae. He swallowed and closed his eyes. Here we go.

"INVICTUS was a project that was built alongside the economy blueprint of Paragon," he stated and I was surprised by his voice. It reminded me of why I still hated university lectures and administrative conferences but for once, I figured that I would hear a guy talking about something he was genuinely interested in-- not just something he was paid to do. 

"The experts of every field," Donghae said, meekly nodding at himself, "weren't really surprised when the idea of INVICTUS began floating about. If a state had to be economically strong, it had to be militarily strong too. At the time they called it ACHILLES and the name kept changing -- HERCULES, AJAX, PERSEUS...."

"Helen of Troy..." L murmured. Yoona shot him a look then helplessly rolled her eyes. 

"....and these were actually, not indecisive minds." Donghae paused. "These were ways of hiding the intent of the project. INVICTUS in Latin, means 'invincible' or 'someone who hasn't been conquered'. When that name was given, we realized how true the whole idea was to its namesake."

"So are we talking androids?" Chen asked, giving me a wary look. I furrowed my eyebrows and opened my mouth to defend my manhood when Donghae spoke for me. 

"No. Well, not now of course. But in the beginning, there had been attempts to make robots designed to look and function as humans but be superior in strength and intelligence. However, a particular scientist came up with an idea more brilliant. He came up with simplest theory to give power to this new project -- the human DNA.

"Each human has 23 pairs of chromosomes and as we have seen in all science fiction movies, a 24th pair could mean superiority in any category. It could be an extra limb, or maybe in useful ways, amazing reflexes. The scientist proposed that if the human DNA could multiply it's own DNA, like aually produce another pair of chromosome, then there would be no side effects. Problems always occur when foreign objects are inserted or given in wrong dosages. But years and years of practice have shown that drinking one's own urine or even another's human urine doesn't create problems. So why should DNA?"

"Did you have to mention urine?" Amber muttered and groaned. Hoya winced a bit and Chen shifted a little. L and Yoona were intently listening while Kris was as poker faced as the former.

"Sorry," Donghae apologized quietly. He went back to professor mode and continued. "The main point is, this scientist was suggesting what stem cell research had always been saying. Humans could save themselves. All they had to do, was save a piece of themselves."

"A prototype was created first," Donghae said, holding out his hands to form an image while he spoke. "This prototype was like a kitchen experiment, a trial-and-error recipe. The head scientist was cautious and when confident, presented it to the General, who had been closely supervising the process."

Donghae suddenly flinched and took a deep breath. I knew what was coming and did the same. Hoya looked at the two of us and narrowed his eyes. "What?" he hissed.

"It's important to note," Donghae said, looking flummoxed even though he was the one saying it, "that the General's wife was pregnant at the time. She was in her second trimester and unfortunately, was not doing so well. We didn't know much but basically, if the child was born, then it would be a miracle."

Hoya slowly nodded in understanding and the professor received his cue to continue. 

"Okay, " he breathed. "So, where were we.... Yes. The General. The General's nature... well we all know by now. He could risk anyone's life for Paragon's success. It is said that the INVICTUS project was the induction to the creation of Paragon and it cemented the idea of the system that exists today."

"Let the higher class be perfect and the rest suffer in vain?" Hoya remarked. 

Donghae nodded. "Exactly. Let the richer ones, the ones who are symbols of the good life, who are living the good life, come together and create epitomes in every sphere. Let there be no chance for melodrama, no say for the heart. Everything ruled by the left side of the mind, the rational side, the logistical side.

"When the prototype was complete and presented to the General, the latter was ecstatic and wanted to see the consequences of the experiment right away. He had complete faith in the scientist, even though the latter was pretty much expecting a defect. All he needed was a small sample of the said human, the first guinea pig. That's when fate played it's game.

"You see, the General's wife was going through her second pregnancy. The first had led to a miscarriage and she was being ultra-careful with her second baby. But they didn't realize that it was not circumstances that was preventing them a child. The mother wasn't strong enough. The baby was unpredictably born in the early months of the third trimester and the General lost both his wife and his child.

"At the time of the delivery, the scientist was present. He noticed how the baby wasn't exactly dead, but also did not have much time left. He caught sight of the umbilical cord and thought out loud the future implementation of having every baby's umbilical cord frozen and preserved for later. If the army ever ran out of people, then they could always inject a young kid with himself and have him trained. But the moment the scientist said that out loud, the Pandora's Box had been opened.

"The General, in a desperate attempt to save his daughter, wanted her to be the first trial for INVICTUS. He reasoned that there was nothing to lose, that the worst case was her death which was as is hanging around the corner. The scientist had no choice but to relent and Kairi Lee became the first to be tried upon. 

"The idea of INVICTUS of course is not just the human's own DNA. If that was it, then anyone else could become powerful. There is a complex series of chemical combinations plus the DNA that collaborate to create this superhuman and like all good things, this too takes time. Within three hours of the dosage, Kairi's heart sprung to life and she looked like any other normal human. The General was alarmed but happy and INVICTUS was announced to be successful."

Donghae took a deep breath and sighed. "That's all I know. I don't know what his story is."

I shrugged. "It's the same, though I wasn't just injected by chance."

Hoya, who was still reeling in shock at Kairi's possible non-existence, shook his head and looked at me. "As in?"

"As in," I said, "INVICTUS became more ambitious. They couldn't go around giving super powers to anyone. A few humans who weren't as productive as expected were killed off and the idea of scouting came about. They began scouting for individuals with aptitudes higher than others in specific areas. I was ranked in the top five in the state for kendo but alongside that, I was also good in academics and well...." I waved at my face.

Hoya furrowed his eyebrows and imitated me. "What's that?"

"Well!" I waved at my face again. When I didn't receive a response, I laughed. "My looks!"

Everyone scoffed, the loudest snort coming from the driver. From my peripheral glance I saw Kris smirk and I wondered how he would have turned around had he been injected too. He seemed to have caught my train of thought for he threw a glare and I raised my hands in peace. 

"I wonder how Kairi's taking all of this," Chen pondered out loud. The mood dampened instantly and the kid didn't even apologize. Krystal began stirring and finally, she awoke. She looked around the car in curiosity and when her eyes fell on mine, I smiled. She flushed and turned to face ahead. 

"Lay and Nicole are with her," Yoona said, brushing her hand through Krystal's knotted hair. "She'll be fine."

"Zico, Niel, Taemin and JR are with her too," I joked. No one seemed to find it funny and I mentally cussed. 

The least Jiyong could do was bring in a group with a sense of humour.

"So wait," Hoya said. "Why didn't you ever tell us? That she was one of them?"

Donghae blinked. "I thought you already knew. I thought that's why you got her with you."

The whole car groaned. L looked like he wanted to burn a hole in Donghae's face through the rearview mirror while Amber lightly slapped him on the back of his head, muttering, "Idiot."

"Woohyun better not know you said that," Hoya warned. I nodded. At least I agreed with them on something.