"You're hidden under a veil, so I want to get to know you more," 
-B.A.P, SPY

The way she held her head high with her body posture was a sight to see. Even without the extra height from her boots they could tell she was tall. Her hair was coloured a platinum blonde from her roots while her tips were a fiery red and the strands hung loosely over her shoulders. Her silver eyes were accentuated with dark eyeliner. Even with her bodysuit of armour on, they could see the tattoos that lined the back of her neck and ran across the top of her chest.

She stopped in front of their boss and dipped her head down in a bow. The boys stood there in silence as she ducked her head down in respect for them as well. She ran her hand through her hair to fix the messy waves after she had straightened up. The boys, who had their eyes following her every movement, had their attention pulled back when their boss cleared his throat. He gestured towards the girl who was now standing beside him.

“Like all of you here, she was created without a name. Most people know her by her title so unless otherwise introduced, I think she would appreciate it if you guys called her that as well.” Leaving his spot beside her, he walked over to the wide array of firearms and stopped. “She favours submachine guns over the rest but she has been trained to utilize any weaponry.” He then made his way towards a screen on the wall and he typed a few things onto the monitor. Their eyes turned to the side of the wall which had now transformed into a different training environment. Instead of the rock climbing wall, an obstacle course took its place.

“Show them what you're able to do with your abilities.” The boys turned their eyes back to the girl who began making her way towards the other side of the room. Himchan turned to the boss and raised an eyebrow in question. “Is this not just a normal obstacle course?”

The man laughed and pointed towards the screen that showed the control panel of the obstacle course. “Not if the landscape of it changes every few seconds. It would be difficult even for the six of you to process and complete. She was designed to react faster than any Mindless Soldier in the event of a sudden change. On average, it would take you boys at least thirty seconds to reach the flag on the other side.”

“How many seconds does it take her?” Youngjae asked. Their boss pressed his finger onto the screen and a loud buzzer rang throughout the training area.

“Ten seconds.”

They turned their attention back to the girl who was now standing on top of a small platform no larger than the area of her feet. They watched as the supporting pillar underneath it collapsed and she lunged forward to grab onto the overhanging metal wire in front of her. As more debris came falling down from the ceiling, she was making it higher in altitude towards the flag positioned near the top. They observed as she slipped under each object and was able to showcase both her muscular strength and flexibility. The ground beneath her continued to shift and change. She was now running thin on the amount of space she could physically reach.

Daehyun looked up at the timer on the wall that was now nearing the double digits. He shifted his gaze back to the girl who only had about a metre between herself and the flag. His eyes rounded when the bar she was holding onto disappeared and she began to fall. Before her back could slam onto the bars beneath her, she had gripped onto a railing with her other hand. She hoisted herself up and used the scattered railings on the side of the metal wall to regain the height she lost. Just as the timer hit the expected time, her hand reached onto the flag and ripped it off its stand.

The boss held out his hand and she placed the flag onto it when she returned. He turned back to the boys with a smile. “I can tell by the looks of it that you guys probably aren't sold yet. The skill you guys are waiting for is her mind control, am I right?” Youngjae nodded. “We'd be lying if we denied that.”

He had just finished talking when he heard Zelo let out a pained gasp. The five of them turned their heads in alarm to the boy who was now kneeling on the ground with his hands over his ears. Without question, they knew what it was because the familiar sounds rang through their own ears. Almost automatically, the other boys fell to their knees. Their minds clouded with nothing but the thoughts on the pain that ran through their head. It was like a daunting melody that replayed itself over and over again.

“Alright, stop for now.” With the one command, the pain subsided along with the ringing. Their eyes were wide when they looked up at the girl who stood there with her head tilted at them.

“So you really did mess up Zelo's system. How do you expect us to work on a team with someone who can take us all down?” Yongguk pointed a finger towards the girl as he pushed himself off the ground.

“It's because she is the only one who can heal you without the hassle of an administrative reset.” The boss explained as he walked towards the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I had wanted her to come and see Zelo herself after the incident but something else came up.”

“And what use will this serve us when she'll control us along with the other soldiers?” Daehyun shifted his gaze between the girl and the boss. Youngjae turned to him. “She can control who she wants her ability to affect.” The boss smiled and nodded. “I knew you would figure it out. It wasn't too hard to piece it together.”

“Then why did she use it on us when she knew we were non-hostile?” Himchan crossed his arms and turned to the girl. The boss looked at him. “She only recognizes you as a friendly once she's seen you and has registered you into her system. Otherwise, any Mindless Soldier will be put through the same experience.”

“Is there any reason we need a few days off work other than to become a team?” Youngjae commented. “I don't see any problem when we have to work with other teams. Why is this one a different case?”

“The few days off is mainly to monitor her. We need to keep tabs on her at all times and since we've never put her on a team, we don't know what to expect.”

Yongguk narrowed his eyes. “So what you're saying is that she isn't stable and is still dangerous? Yet you're putting her together with us?”

“None of you are. There's a reason I put you guys together. Whether you noticed it or not, you all even each other out. Some teams are purely brute force while some are just the technical workers. Your team is the only one that consists of each field. That is why you work efficiently together. Without one member, its always going to be more difficult for the rest of the team.” He pressed something into his earpiece before continuing.

“Your upcoming missions involve the bigger bases and you'll be heading into the storage bases for the soldiers directly. It will be dangerous and significantly more difficult than any other mission because they've rounded up their own forces to keep us off. I want each and every one of you to make it out of this alive. If that can happen by adding one member, why would I not?”

The two men who he had sent away previously returned to the doorway and they watched as the girl her heels to follow them out.

Daehyun raised an eyebrow. “Does she talk?” The boss nodded as he led them towards the doorway. “She should. Although, I don't guarantee that it'll be anytime soon. It's probably a lot more overwhelming for her than it is for the six of you.”

Yongguk nodded in understanding. “We'll do our best, sir.”

“The few days off is for you to get to know one another and be able to spar with each other. I know that you guys aren't the most friendliest group to work with but I had no other choice. I want my strongest soldiers to work together on this one. She's gone to pack up her stuff because she's going to move into your base. I want one of the rooms cleared out for her by the time she arrives this evening. Understand?”

As much as they disliked the idea, they were rational enough to know that this indeed was the smartest choice at the moment. So, without any further objections they returned to their straight line and raised their hands up to their heads.

“Understood, sir.”
 

Yongguk entered in the code to the garage door and the metal chains roared to life as it pulled the door up and over their heads. The lights flickered on in the open area as they walked inside.

“Junhong, go up and rest.” Yongguk pointed towards the staircase and the boy nodded as he followed the leader's order and headed upstairs.

Youngjae was already seated onto one of the chairs and had his laptop pulled out. “You know how the boss said she was created 18 years ago? Doesn't that mean she's younger than all of us? Junhong was created 19 years ago.” The other three turned their heads towards him. Himchan hooked his car keys onto the wall before turning his body to lean his back against it. “She's a real wonder. How many people actually know about her? I doubt we'd go parading around saying we have a Siren on our team.”

“If they were able to create something like that almost two decades ago, I can't imagine what they've created now.” Daehyun commented. “I can bet they're still hunting her down so they can copy her configuration. I can't even wrap my head around the fact that we have her on our side.”

“We don't know for sure if she is. He mentioned she's unstable and still dangerous. She could turn on us at any moment and we would be no match to even hold her down.” Yongguk took a seat. Himchan nodded in agreement. “I'd say we use these days off to really keep an eye on her and see what kind of person she really is. She doesn't seem like a talker.”

“The thing I don't understand is the fact that she has an ability like that. It isn't even a physical ability that's been enhanced. It's her whole mental ability. How were they able to do that?” Jongup whispered. “It's scary to think they have actually advanced so far.”

“She's stronger than all of us are but I can bet she has areas of weakness that the boss knows we can fill in for. We'll have to see how strong she is physically when we spar with her.” Yongguk concluded. He looked around at the boys. “I know this is going to be a real awkward situation for us but if we want to get more things accomplished, I can see this new team going far.”

Daehyun shrugged. “I'm actually kind of excited to meet her.” Jongup nodded. “I think it'll be fascinating to see what she can really do. She probably went through a lot more experimentation than we even remember.”

“I can't find any information about the creation in any of the data bases.” Youngjae frowned. Himchan pushed himself off the wall. “Well, hopefully she can explain to us personally because I doubt they'd put information of her up for us to scavenge and find.” He turned his head towards the darkened hallways on the other side of the room. “If we have to clear out one of the rooms for her, that means we have to go three to a room now.”

“So, who volunteers to willingly move all their stuff into another room?” Yongguk asked. No one raised their hands or spoke up. He let out a sigh. “Okay, that means Himchan and I will move our stuff into one of your rooms.”

Himchan lifted up his hand. “Hold up, why do I have to move my stuff out? I feel like it should be the youngest members who need to give up their rooms.” He put his hand down and frowned. “Actually, can't we just clear out one of the storage rooms for her?”

“I second that. I don't want to move my stuff.” Youngjae nodded. Jongup shook his head. “Guys, we can't just force her to sleep in a storage room. I'll move my stuff if I have to.” The boys stayed silent for a few moments before Yongguk spoke up again.

“I'm perfectly fine moving my stuff since I have little to move. I mean, if you want you can room with her, Himchan.”

Almost immediately, Himchan spoke up, “Oh hell no, I am not rooming with a chick. I'll go pack my stuff. I'm moving in with the troublemakers and yes, I mean Daehyun and Youngjae.” Yongguk stood up as well. “Okay, so then I'll go with the other two. You guys go clear out some room so we can move our bed frame and mattresses in.”

Youngjae closed his laptop and tucked it under his arm. “Man, if he rooms with us he's going to nag us even more.” Daehyun nudged his shoulder as if telling him to speak quieter because the older boy was still within ear reach. Youngjae let out a huff and walked up the stairs after the two oldest towards his own room while Daehyun followed behind him.

Jongup watched as the other boys climbed up the stairs. Instead of going up right away, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed one of the metal cups and filled it with water. Holding the cup in one hand, he used the other to turn off the lights and walked up the stairs towards his room with Zelo. He pushed open the door to see the younger boy asleep. His power cable was plugged in, meaning he was in resting mode. He walked over and put the cup down onto the table beside the bed.

Not wanting to disturb the boy's sleep, he went ahead to cleaning out his side of the room first.
 

With the advancements in the world's technology field, there really was no need for the use of different appliances. With a simple input into the computer, any meal could be prepared and cooked to one's taste. Any type of object could easily be digitally printed and synthesized into a three-dimensional object through the use of a few machines. With new inventions advertised by every major company, consumers fell victim to the growing power the corporations obtained because with every device bought or used, they were able to collect information. In which that power was then transferred to the government that owned the corporations.

Even so, this particular team did not wish for such luxuries. With some of the tasks at hand for them, it was always going to be more efficient to use some of the technological inventions. Although, there were still some aspects of their life that they could revert back to the old ways. They claimed that little things like this was able to remind them that they were indeed still human and that they did not need to entirely depend on technology to function.

Which was why they were now sitting at the kitchen table debating who's turn it was to wash the dishes of tonight's dinner.

They had finished preparing the room a little over an hour ago and was now seated with their dirty kitchen utensils in front of them. They did not fancy cooking and none of the members in the team had the skill to either which was why they always ate preserved frozen foods instead. That means the only thing they really had to clean was the utensils they used.

“Technically speaking, today it would be my turn but we missed yesterday's cleaning and that was Daehyun's turn. It should be his turn today since he didn't do it yesterday.” Youngjae explained. Daehyun frowned. “Yeah, but then that would mess up the order.” The other boy shrugged. “It's still your turn, though.”

“Really? We're doing this again?” Yongguk sighed. Himchan pushed his chair back and stood up. “I'm just going to let you two figure it out while I go take a shower.”

Yongguk turned to look at Jongup and Zelo who sat there in silence, looking at the two members argue back and forth. He gave them an eye signal and the two of them quietly got up to leave after their leader. Yongguk turned to look back at the two boys glaring at each other. “You two better decide who's going to clean that soon.”

The older of the two threw his hands up in annoyance. “Yoo Youngjae, you punk. We established that the person will do the dishes on their day and you can't just mess that system up.” Youngjae rolled his eyes. “We never added in what exceptions would be made if we missed a day because that hasn't happened before. I say we make it now and that it should follow the order of team members rather than the days of the week.”

Daehyun had just opened his mouth in rebuttal when a buzzer sounded through the speakers of the entire garage. He looked up and raised an eyebrow. “What is that?” Youngjae stood up and walked up to one of the monitors on the wall of the kitchen. His eyes rounded. “It's our doorbell. That's a sound I haven't heard in years.” Daehyun walked up behind him to peer over his shoulder. “Wait, does that mean she's here?”

Zelo poked his head into the kitchen. “Yongguk hyung says to gather in the main room while he brings her in.” Daehyun and Youngjae shared a look before they both filed out of the room. Jongup also came down the stairs and found a seat within the chairs and cushions. They waited together with anticipation when Yongguk walked into the smaller garage to pull up the gate.

Youngjae counted the heads. “Where's Himchan?” Daehyun looked at him with a roll of his eyes. “If you were listening, he said he went to shower while we figured out who-” He paused and his eyes rounded. “, we haven't done the dishes. They're going to kill us. We're going to get in trouble.” Youngjae looked between him and the kitchen frantically. “Do you think we can do it real quick before he brings her in?”

“I suggest you guys do it later and hope we don't hit you for it.” A voice called out from the stairs. They looked up and Youngjae let out a nervous chuckle. “Weren't you in the shower?” Himchan came down and wrung his arm around the boy's neck and Youngjae yelped in pain. “Yeah, and that was five minutes ago.” Himchan looked at Daehyun. “He's right. I'll say it right now that you should be the one doing the dishes.”

“Of course everybody sides with the genius. That's just bull.” Daehyun tossed the pillow off his lap and Jongup caught it before it hit the floor. Youngjae pried Himchan's arms off. “Why did you attack me if he's the one at fault?” Himchan shrugged and went to sit beside Jongup. “You were part of the problem and you were closer.”

All five pairs of eyes turned towards the door when the handle turned. Yongguk walked in and he looked up at them. “She's here.” He stepped aside and they finally caught a glimpse of her when she walked in behind him with a backpack and another bag in her hand. She was still in the same uniform although they took note that she now had her hair tied up.

It wasn't like they were seeing her for the first time but the setting and circumstances were entirely different from when they first saw her.

Yongguk turned to her and gestured towards one of the empty chairs. She carried her bag over and took a seat while Yongguk sat down beside Daehyun. As the leader, it was like an unspoken rule he had to be the one to speak up first. “I think it'd be best to start off with introductions. I can start off, unless you'd like to.”

“There's no need. I know all your names.” She spoke up. Yongguk raised an eyebrow in interest because he hadn't expected her to actually reply. The other boys had their eyes wide in fascination. Just like her title implied, she did indeed have a captivating voice. In contrast to her shy demeanour, her voice was confident and strong. They were taken aback when the glint in her eyes changed and she straightened up to sit taller.

Rather, it would have been more of a surprise if she did have a shy personality because the way she expressed herself externally showed nothing but confidence and strength. Perhaps they were too focused on the aspect of getting a new team member to fully notice her. Now that she was sitting in front of them, it was a lot easier for them to see. She was a beautiful lady. The style she gave off was fierce. Her posture was always kept tall and straight. With the makeup she had on and the numerous piercings that lined her ears, she really gave off a different feel from all the girls they had previously been introduced to. Even when she had stood beside Yongguk, she was able to reach the height of his eyes.

“Bang Yongguk and Kim Himchan, created 25 years ago. Jung Daehyun, created 22 years ago. Yoo Youngjae, 21 years ago. Moon Jongup, created 20 years ago and Choi Junhong, created 19 years ago. I've also been informed that he goes by Zelo instead.”

Himchan looked at her. “Did they make you read our profiles?” She turned to him and nodded. “In fact, they did. I also read about your creation and abilities.” He let out a small whistle at her response. “And yet we know next to nothing about you.”

Her lips curved up into a small, amused smirk. “Well, what would you like to know?”

Youngjae leaned forward. “Your creation. Why is your creation so different from Zelo's when the difference between you two is only a year? I don't know if they wiped your memory or not but ours are fuzzy about how we became their lab rats.”

“All I know is that they wanted the war to happen sooner than planned so the resistance would be unprepared. I was the only one who survived from my batch through the drugs and augmentations. They haven't been able to progress any farther than Zelo's model because they've lost all data for mine. If anything, they're behind schedule.” She replied.

“And how do we know you're not just some spy they strategically sent out to us?” Daehyun questioned. She shrugged and let out laugh. “You don't. I don't know much about you guys either. I've only been instructed that we have to be able to get along and work as a team. As a team, there should be a mutual trust between all the members.”

Yongguk held out a hand. “I mean, if you don't do anything that would make us question your loyalty, there will be no problem from our side.” She took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Likewise, leader.”

Her eyes danced around the faces before she stopped at Zelo. He blinked at her in confusion when she pursed her lips into a thin line with her eyebrows furrowed. “I was going to go and see if you were okay but I was held back with another task at hand. My apologies for what happened.” The boy waved his hand in dismissal. “It's alright. Don't worry about it.”

“I feel like I should explain to you what a Siren really is. Would you guys like that?” She waited for their nods of approval.

“As you may already know, so far, there has only been one female Siren. The tattoos you see that cover my body, it was because of the experiments. Some are from the drugs that never left my system and some are from electrical shocks they inflicted.”

Youngjae let out a hum. “Do they hurt? Or are they just scars now?” She ran her fingers along one side of her arm. “They shouldn’t.”

“What about your abilities? How come there's mental enhancements such as your mind control?” He asked. She leaned back in the chair. “I wouldn't exactly call it mind control.” She paused for a moment as if trying to collect her thoughts on how to explain it for them.

“I sing. I sing songs of pain for enemies and songs of healing for those that need it. That is how my ability works. Some people think it is mind control because they're hearing it in their heads but really, it's just my voice they hear. I can lure, I can freeze, and I can cripple with my voice but I can't exactly control their movements.” She observed how they sat there in silence to process all the new information. She waited to see if they had any further questions.

“That is the general idea of my ability. I want to apologize for the mix up that night because our paths were never supposed to cross. I've only ever heard about your team from the boss but to see you guys in person, that's a whole different story. Not many people know about my existence and I assume the boss has already instructed that it be kept that way.”

“I mean, I don't think it would be a wise idea to parade around and announce that we now have a Siren on our team.” Daehyun commented. She smiled at his tone. “No, it wouldn't.”

“We have your room set up for you upstairs. If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to tell us. We just finished eating dinner but if you haven't eaten yet, there's food in the fridge.” Himchan pointed first towards the second floor and then into the kitchen. She sent him a grateful smile and stood up. “Could you show me to my room? I think I'll unpack first before getting something in my stomach.” He nodded and led the way for her.

“She seems really nice,” Daehyun whispered once the two of them rounded the corner upstairs. Yongguk nodded. “I think we'll get along just fine.” Youngjae looked up at the stairs in thought. “Do you think she'll find me weird if I give her a list of questions I'd like answered?”

“Anybody would,” Yongguk replied. He looked at the boy. “Take it slow. I'm sure she doesn't want to feel like she's being interrogated.” Youngjae slumped back into his seat. “Okay, okay. I got it.”

“There's a lot I want to ask too but I think it's best to give it some time. Give her some time to get used to us, and we'll take some time getting used to how she works.” Yongguk advised. Youngjae blew air into his cheeks. “Yeah, but this is the first time we've met someone like this. It was already a wonder getting to know Junhong but now we have someone like her? There's just so much I could learn that it's killing me with curiosity.” Yongguk chuckled. “I know. Give it some time.”

Daehyun suddenly got up, and the rest of the boys looked up at him. He nodded towards the basement. “I'm going to go down and train for a bit. Anyone want to join?” Jongup raised a hand and followed behind him. Zelo stood up but then paused to look at their leader. He waited for Yongguk to respond. The older of the two let out a soft sigh. “If you're going to train, just take it lightly until you feel fully recovered.” With a grin plastered on his face, Zelo jogged down to follow behind the other two.

“I'll go spare with them so they have even numbers.” Youngjae announced. Yongguk watched him disappear down the stairs before he decided to check up on Himchan and the girl. He walked down to the room he previously occupied. Himchan had just walked out at the same time and they stopped short before they could bump into one another. Yongguk peered behind him. “Everything going alright?” The other nodded and jabbed a finger back. “She's fascinated at the size of the room she has. What are the little ones up to?”

“Training. I think we should go join them while she sorts herself out. Hey,” Yongguk called out. The girl turned her head to look at him. “Feel free to roam around the place and get accustomed to everything. This room is the only room with a private bathroom. We assumed you would want your privacy so we arranged it as such.” She nodded as a response and turned her head to look at the washroom.

“If you need anything, just call us from the monitor. It's wired all around the place so at least one of us will get the message. We'll be in the basement if you need anything.” He continued. She turned back to the two boys standing by the door and locked eyes with Yongguk.

“I'll keep that in mind. Thank you.” 

author's note ✍

I'm loving all of your comments! Keep them coming because it's fun to see what you guys think about each chapter. To be honest, I really wanted to make this chapter longer but it was around 5000 words already, so I decided to end it short and just start a new chapter instead.

Thanks so much for the support and love! It really means so much, I don't know if you guys know but I'm so thankful and grateful for each and every subscriber/comment/upvote. 

Not to mention, B.A.P's gotten their second win with 'Young, Wild & Free'! I'm so proud of them. 

See you in the next chapter!

15/12/09