CHAPTER TWO: Metamorphosis

The truck ran out of fuel at the lip of Chuncheon. They found an undamaged car that they could steal, but none of them could figure out how to hotwire it like in the movies. So, they continued on foot. With Sooyoung's bad leg, it was slow going. 

On the third day, they crossed into Seoul. Hyoyeon jogged up to a convenience store. It was emptied out except for spoilt milk and melted ice cream. They shared the last of their water and split the final energy bar. All of them were probably suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, but nobody complained for the sake of team morale. They made it to another team in Mangu-dong, and were driven to Seongnam base.

Taeyeon relaxed as she lay down on the cot. Her headache intensified because of the fluid pressure that Sooyoung talked about.

"When did you hit your head?" The medical officer asked.

"About three days ago, doc. In an explosion. After which I threw up, out. Had blurry vision and slurred speech for a while."

"Symptoms of a fairly severe concussion. You would've recovered faster if you rested, but I guess that wasn't an option."

"You got that right, doc."

"Well, take advantage of your time here to get that rest. You'll be up for active duty in three days," the medical officer said as he hooked Taeyeon up to an IV drip. In the other mobile cots, Sooyoung and Hyoyeon were being treated as well. 

It was finally time to rest. Her head was uncomfortable enough to keep her awake. Taeyeon thought about her squad mates. Soyeon, who entered Sierra with her, had been someone she always did maknae duties with. Bada was the person to go to for yadong magazines. Yoojin was the mother hen of the squad. Shoo was four years older than her, but they had a lot in common and yakked about anything after a few beers. Taeyeon wept for them.

And then she cried for herself. She was alive. She felt alone. 

But she still had Hyoyeon. The only other person who knew what it was like making it to Team Sierra, and being in it, was Hyoyeon. Hyoyeon was like an actual older sister. Taeyeon had sworn her loyalty to Hyoyeon a million times, and now she swore it again. She was going to make sure that Hyoyeon made it out of this war.

As if in a dream, Taeyeon heard voices, but she couldn't wake up. 

"Sir, I'd like to ask you to reconsider this. Dr. Seo predicted the success rate to be 90%, but why not wait for the next round of testing?"

"Now, later, the risk rate will be the same. "

"But she's your daughter, sir."

Taeyeon did not recognize the voices.

"The doctors say that she will never be able to run again," the Father said. "If she pulls through this, she won't just run, she will be the son I never had. Get on with it."

"What about the other two? They only have minor, non-permanent injuries. They will be able to return to the field at full capacity soon."

"The more results the better. Just administer the tests."

"Yes, sir."

When she woke up, her entire body was stiff. Her hands and feet were icy. Her heart was beating like she had been sprinting. It was hard to even turn her head. She blinked. In her peripheral vision, she saw a woman in a lab coat walk up to her.

"Does it hurt anywhere? Blink twice for 'no', thrice for 'yes'," the lab coat woman said to her.

She blinked twice.

"Fascinating. Your heart is twice as strong but pumping four times faster than it should. Don't worry. After this, your red blood cells should be able to transport enough oxygen to match your new body."

The ...?

The lab coat woman left. 

A nurse came and injected something into the IV pack next to her bed, and she lay on her bed, expecting to feel something different. But there was no pain. Slowly, though, her chest calmed down. Her fingers and toes warmed up. Her body was still as stiff as a rock though. 

There was an outburst somewhere else in the room, and people were running.

"Another one's acting up." 

"Doctor, over here!"

"We're losing this one."

She felt nervous with the doctors and nurses in the room rushing around other patients. She didn't seem to be here for her concussion. The patients weren't here for combat injuries either.

A medic paused at her cot. He checked the blood pressure reading.

"This one's getting too high, doc."

"Put her out."

This time, Taeyeon woke up loose-limbed. Her uniform had been laundered and she was brought to the restroom. Everything would have seemed normal except she seemed stronger. When she showered, her muscles felt hard instead of firm. In the changing area, she completed fifteen Aztec pushups easily. Taeyeon stared at her hands. Until thirty seconds ago, that had been a personal goal. Whatever those tests had done, this was awesome. 

Hyoyeon always tried to get Taeyeon to take steroids to increase her testosterone levels, but she always declined because it seemed unnatural. Maybe she should have listened to Hyoyeon.

Taeyeon wore her uniform and reported to a debriefing room. Sooyoung and another soldier were there with the lab coat woman and a commanding officer. From his insignia and name tag, he was Major Lee. Taeyeon saluted.

"At ease, Corporal."

The major gestured at the lab coat woman. "Choi Sooyoung, Kim Taeyeon, Im Yoona, this is Dr. Seo Juhyun. She's Korea's most brilliant geneticist and she spearheaded the R&D program, Project Chimera. I'll let Dr. Seo explain."

"As you may have noticed, your bodies are different now," Dr. Seo said. Her face was pallid and she had dark eyebags. Taeyeon thought the doctor could use a hug. "I recently developed a set of enhancement serums that alters the chemical and physical composition of your bodies. You probably know about human growth hormones and VO2 max. The serums increase those and more. The details are complex but basically you're stronger, faster and more durable. The only thing I couldn't figure out was stamina calibration, so you have to work on that yourself. You're the first humans to be tested, so I can't be certain about the side effects."

"And what that means is that you three are now special ops, Team Firefly. Primary objectives will be to initiate breaches and takebacks. And you will report directly to me. Your team captain is Second Lieutenant Choi. Team Firefly will activate next Thursday at one-eight-thirty. Choi, make sure that you and your team are in optimum physical shape by then. Emphasize stamina. Got it, soldiers?"

"Yes, sir."

Major Lee remained grim. "There is something else that you three should know. Do not take your role in this enhancement program lightly. When we ask for your status, you will give it immediately. When we require physical checkups, you will comply ASAP. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"The reason for this is that the genetic technology is cutting edge. As Dr. Seo said, you were part of our first human test group. There were ten of you. Six were men, but it seems that those with high levels of testosterone did not react well to the increase that the serum provided."

"What happened to them, sir?" Sooyoung asked.

Taeyeon was doing math in her head. If there were ten, and six were men, but only three women were present... Higher testosterone levels... No, no, no.

"The six men are dead. There was another woman, Staff Sergeant Kim from your squad, Choi. She survived."

Taeyeon's inner Taeng whooped.

"We transferred her to a medical facility in Daejeon. Unfortunately, her body did not react well to the serum. She has been discharged from service with honors."

"Sir," Taeyeon said. "Staff Sergeant Kim was my squad leader. May I know what happened to her?"

Major Lee held her gaze. Taeyeon did not like how sombre he looked. Major Lee said, "Dr. Seo, I believe you would provide a better explanation."

"Hyoyeon-ssi's nervous system and musculatory system broke down," Dr. Seo said. "Her condition is not dissimilar to late stage cerebral palsy. I will be doing my best to come up with a cure. It is my personal top priority, I promise you that."

Taeyeon looked at Im Yoona, who was saddened, and Sooyoung, who looked horrified. Major Lee and Dr Seo remained composed, except for that damn regret in their eyes. They probably had days to get to grips with what they had done. 

"Project Chimera has been discontinued because the success rate was so low," Major Lee said. "We won't be conducting such tests on our soldiers like this again."

"I truly am sorry for what happened to Hyoyeon-ssi," Dr. Seo said.

Taeyeon wasn't sure if she would shoot Dr. Seo if she had her Beretta. It would be best if she left the room soon. Hyoyeon would have wanted her to do that. Taeyeon bowed stiffly and requested to leave. She backed out of the room. The door swung close and she took off. 

A/N: Wow thanks for the response for last chapter. The comments/upvotes/subscriptions were really helpful. Let me know what you thought about this one! And... yep Jessica's coming soon:)