-March 20th, 2015. Paris 10:30.

Finding Baekhyun in the Luxembourg Park wasn’t hard at all, despite it being the biggest park in Paris.

Even though today was the Spring Equinox, the lingering winter draped the scenery in austerity, making the gardens of the Luxembourg Palace look modest, completely opposite to the image Jongin used as reference to teleport them to Paris. The absence of lush, green trees, the lack of colorful flowers and the dark, overcast morning created a gothic ambience around the many statues of animals and people spaced out about the gravel paths. The French Baroque palace stood tall and majestic in front of the gardens. Jongin felt curiosity as to what it would look like inside, since he had never had the chance to visit anything like it during his brief stay in London.

Having walked around the palace first, they saw the massive octagon pond at the center in front of the palace. In its center there was a fountain with statues of children holding up a calix -though due to the cold weather it currently wasn’t working. There weren’t many people sitting in the many available chairs surrounding the pond, which made it easier to spot Baekhyun.

There he sat, on a metal chair with arm rests, sitting slightly slouched forward as he rested his forearms against his denim covered thighs. Sitting in solemn silence with his eyes transfixed on the faint shimmer of the water, Baekhyun seemed to be in deep thought as they made their way to him, looking much more mature and serious than what he remembered. Jongin momentarily wondered how Baekhyun’s black leather jacket was enough to fight off the cold, when he was all bundled up in his woolen coat and the blue scarf Zitao lent him.

It wasn’t until the sound of their shoes on gravel came within Baekhyun’s earshot that he looked up at them, taking only a second to recognize them, and a wide, bright smile spread across his features. He practically sprinted off to bear-hug them, laughing his head off like the maniac he was.

Baekhyun jumped up to wrap his arms around their shoulders, pulling them close and knocking their heads together, nearly making them all fall if Zitao hadn’t reacted fast enough to support Baekhyun’s weight. Between the weight of his backpack and Baekhyun, Jongin was sure he would’ve fallen down if it weren’t for Zitao.

Since Zitao held Baekhyun by the waist, the smaller one managed to twist and wrap his arms and legs around the blond, clinging onto him like a koala and hugging the living lights out of Zitao while crying out absolute nonsense. Meanwhile, Jongin complained, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead where Baekhyun had heabutted him.

“I missed you guys so much,” he beamed as he leaned back and proceeded to plant two loud kisses on both of Zitao’s cheeks. The blond tried to put up a disgusted face but instead ended up laughing and he dropped Baekhyun to the floor.

Jongin knew he was the next victim the exact moment Baekhyun locked eyes on him. “No,” he barely squeaked as the other jumped on him, smacking his lips on either side of his face. “Hyung!” he let out a scandalized whine as he pried the other off.

“It’s normal to greet friends like that here,” Baekhyun waved him off without losing his bright smile. He took a step back to get a good look. “My god you’ve grown,” he said with glistening eyes as he reached forward to hold both their hands. “It’s been too long,” he said with a small quiver in his voice. “How are you feeling, Jongin?”

“B-better,” he felt taken aback from the sudden question, not knowing how Baekhyun knew he had been sick.

“And you, Tao?” he smiled fondly. “How’ve you been?”

The moment Zitao tried to speak Jongin knew he wouldn’t be able to voice out his thoughts, so he let go of Baekhyun’s hand to urge him to comfort the taller one.

Zitao cried again.

They all shed tears.

It took a stroll through the park and a bundle of tissue for everyone to calm down. They kept getting too emotional and suddenly bursting into tears while trying to catch up over the past years -talking about everything and anything they could think of.

“You didn’t choose foster care?” Zitao asked, surprised, but unable to hide a sympathetic smile.

“Nope,” Baekhyun shrugged. “It’s mainly been me and Agent Moon.”

“Your guardian is Moon?” Jongin quickly asked, stopping in his tracks on the path.

“Yeah,” he stopped walking as well, turning back to look at him.

“Why were you in London?” he questioned, remembering that Agent Moon had been in London, and possibly Baekhyun as well.

“London?” Baekhyun tilted his head to the side with genuine confusion. “I never stayed in London, only passed through it,” he explained. “How’d you know?”

“My agent heard that Moon had been spotted in London,” Jongin replied, pulling down his scarf to stop it from muffling his voice.

Baekhyun huffed. “And that guy says he’s a pro,” he shook his head disapprovingly.

“But why-”

“You’ve been to Barcelona, right?” Zitao cut in as he pulled out the folded newspaper from his pocket. “Why didn’t you try to meet me when you were there?” he did nothing to hide his hurt feelings as he let Baekhyun inspect the paper.

“Cuz I wasn’t there,” he replied plainly as he checked the scribbled pages.

“Then how?”

Baekhyun raised his gaze with an amused smirk. He held up the paper and pointed at the scribbled ink. “This isn’t my handwriting, it’s Moon’s. He did a great imitation, though he ed up the h’s and my b’s are more curvy,” he explained. “I’m impressed he actually found the same edition since the news was from about two months ago.”

“What?” They both blabbered confused. Baekhyun chuckled softly.

“Well I had to improvise something since you suddenly appeared in London. I gave Moon my message but I wrote it on a French paper, Le Monde,” he clarified as he folded El Pais paper and searched for the printing date. “Yeah, he did find the same one,” he said as he checked the date.

“Does it- the expedition to the Antarctic I mean, does it have to do with EX’ACT?” Jongin asked.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“So who or what were the 52 passengers?”

“Honestly we’re not sure yet, but we’ve got a good guess,” he admitted. “There’s much more than what this ty article says, but I’ll explain later in a more private setting.” Baekhyun folded the paper again. “I chose this news as an attention bait, but it’s pretty relevant.”

“So…So Agent Moon went to Barcelona and copied your message onto this paper?” Zitao said as he reached for the news. “That’s how he knew our nicknames?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said. “But that was like three days ago.”

“Three days ago? But I just got the news yesterday,” Zitao wondered.

“But how did he know I’d travel to Barcelona?” Jongin asked utterly confounded, feeling his head ache, and not only from the remaining symptoms of his cold.

“Because I asked Lu Han to make you go.” Baekhyun raised his hands before they could bombard him with more questions. “I was supposed to inform you where to go, but you left Seattle before I sent my message. So I had to improvise and got Lu Han to find you in London. Since we had some time, I sent Moon to deliver my message to Zitao, but we didn’t know when you’d get better. So he paid off the receptionist to hand it to you when the time was right.”

“So Lu Han’s in London?” Jongin asked as he pieced the pieces together.

“No, he’s in Edinburgh.”

“But,” Zitao frowned in confusion. “Why bother?”

“What?”

“Why go through all that?” he asked again. “I mean, why didn’t Agent Moon just pick me up and Lu Han could’ve told Jongin to come to Paris instead. Wouldn’t it have been much easier?”

Zitao had a point. Why would Baekhyun bother his agent to travel to Barcelona to send a message instead of just helping Zitao get to Paris? And he could’ve just teleported to Paris and brought along Lu Han as well.

Baekhyun nibbled his lip looking slightly abashed. “Because I wanted you guys to have at least a day to catch up,” he admitted. “You two are going to have so much work to do, so I thought it’d be nice to have a free day.”

“Aww, hyung,” Zitao cooed as he stepped forward to engulf the smaller one in his long arms.

Jongin couldn’t help but smile too, knowing that Baekhyun went through great lengths just to give them time to catch up and settle their emotions from the reencounter. But the sentiment was bittersweet for there was a member missing.

“What about Lu Han?” Jongin couldn’t wait to ask. Zitao’s brows shot up as he let go of the other, gifting his notorious judgmental gaze to Baekhyun who looked rather serious for once. “He’s in Edinburgh, right? And Moon was seen in London but you said you were just passing by, so you’ve been to Edinburgh.”

“Yes,” he answered without missing a beat.

“Then why isn’t he here with us?” Jongin frowned, rubbing his temple to ease the pain.

“I’m trying to change his mind,” Baekhyun said with a sigh.

“Because of Mama?” Zitao asked, arm still clinging around Baekhyun’s shoulders.

Baekhyun looked up at the other and slowly nodded. “He still holds a grudge against her. I’m afraid they can’t ever be in the same room together without fighting...or worse.”

Jongin didn’t push on further. It was easy to imagine the worst scenario, since it already almost-happened twice.

Baekhyun looked around the nearly empty park. “What about you guys?” he questioned as he hid his hands inside the pockets of his leather jacket. “Do you still hate her?”

Jongin crossed his arms. It was too easy to say yes, but he knew that wasn’t the exact case. There was no absolute answer towards her, only murky grey areas. It was easy to find reasons to hate her, but that couldn’t cover it all.

“I wouldn't say she’s a friend,” he answered first, “but I already came to terms that I have to get along with her, despite my feelings.”

Zitao nodded in agreement. “It’s not like we have a choice anyway,” he added. “We have to work with her to time travel,” he spoke looking straight back at him.

Time travel. The elephant in the room that everyone could clearly see yet none wanted to mention. There was always a little voice present in the back of his mind telling him that the day would soon come, that he and Zitao will have to successfully travel back three years and do whatever has already been done. Relive a moment caught in a time loop.

“Why did we even go back in the first place?” Zitao wondered aloud.

“To help us escape the trials,” Jongin answered with some uncertainty.

Baekhyun shook his head. “That’s just part of it.”

Zitao’s eyes widened, “What do you know?”

Baekhyun gave out a troubled sigh. “Come here a minute,” he said as he led them to the nearest bench and made them sit so he would stand before them. “Listen to me, and listen very carefully,” he said dead serious, lowering his head to level with their gazes. “You’re not going to like the reason why but there is absolutely no choice but to repeat everything the exact way it already played out, or else you up whatever notion of reality we know.”

Jongin gulped hard as he felt his stomach tense uncomfortably.

“Why? What’s the reason?” Zitao spoke for them both.

Baekhyun cautiously looked around the park again, making sure the scarce visitors were far away from them. “We shouldn't discuss this here. But I need you to understand this, it’s really important that you listen to what I say,” he deadpanned. “Even if you don’t want to believe her, please, you guys have to trust and believe in me.”

“Why?” Jongin asked, with some suspicion. Seeing Baekhyun so keen on winning their trust was unsettling, causing him to feel the exact opposite from what the other intended. “You’re working for her right? You’re like Mama’s little errand boy, so why should we believe a word you say?”

Baekhyun looked disappointed by his distrust but he was relentless. “Because I’m trying to make things right,” he said with conviction. “You guys might not have a choice in regards to traveling back to the past, but you have the decision whether to help or not. I had two options: the selfish one, where I could’ve turned my back on everyone; or the selfless one, where I would sacrifice a small part of myself for the greater good,” he explained, his voice confident, his gestures strong and drawing their undivided attention in. “I chose the latter. I’m willing to put all my efforts to make this work, to make this ed up plan work. Because this time,” he paused as he stared at them both, “Because this time, if we fail, someone will die.”

Jongin felt the knot in his stomache ache, his head suddenly felt light and he was most certainly sure that despite all the clothing he wore his skin went ice cold, he could feel the cold shivers running down his spine. When he looked over at Zitao, the blond’s reaction was very different. His prominent eyes darkened as he glared at Baekhyun, crossing his arms defensively across his chest.

He felt the scene before him shift in a fraction of a second.

Zitao wasn’t glaring at Baekhyun anymore, but his eyes held the same severity contrasting his posture that now seemed more relaxed as he rested his elbows on his thighs. Baekhyun had reached up to adjust his neckline where his clothes were obviously crumpled. He looked a little weary but the confidence never wavered from his face.

It was easy enough for Jongin to deduce that Zitao had stopped time to have a private conversation with Baekhyun -a rather threatening one by the looks of Baekhyun’s clothes and posture. Baekhyun had mentioned death and Jongin knew exactly whom was Zitao’s first thought.

“Yifan,” he simply spoke.

“He’ll be fine,” Baekhyun insisted as he slipped his hands back in his jacket to keep protect them from the cold breeze.

Jongin shook his head. “He’s going to worry about me,” he explained. “I’m supposed to visit him this weekend.”

“He won’t,” Baekhyun insisted. “He’ll be busy with his art exposition.”

Jongin knew it was rather stupid to feel surprised that Baekhyun knew about that -since he apparently knew everything.

“It won’t be enough.”

“Trust me. It will,” Baekhyun said with determination. “Come on, let’s go,” he said and began walking towards the path that lead to one of the exits of the park.

“Where?” he asked as he followed.

“Mama’s secret hideout.”

“You gotta be tin’ me,” Zitao exclaimed exasperated.

“Nope.”

They walked through the Parisian streets for around ten minutes in a fast pace, cutting way through some smaller crooked streets rather than go on the open avenue -Jongin felt surprised how he struggled to keep up with Baekhyun’s speed, though he blamed feeling tired and all the thick clothes that kept him protected from the cold. They turned left into a boulevard, and then crossed to the sidewalk across the wide street, heading south. As they neared their destination, Baekhyun slowed his steps.

“So, have you guys ever heard about the catacombs?” he suddenly asked, looking at them over his shoulder.

“Catacombs?” Zitao asked with a scandalized flare. “As in creepy tunnels with skeletons and ?”

Baekhyun stared at Zitao for a long pause. “Yeah, Tao, exactly that. As eloquent as always,” he deadpanned, making Jongin giggle as Zitao flipped him off. “Anyway, people don’t really know of the real extent of the catacombs. There’s only a small section, about five hundred meters, that is open to the public for tourism. But there’s actually more than two hundred kilometers of underground tunnels, mainly in the southern part of Paris.”

“Two hundred kilometers?” Jongin repeated amazed.

“Yep,” he nodded, “Though there are many entrances that have collapsed through the years or that have been blocked out.” He paused as he took a turn to the right. “We’ve got to cross this,” he said as they came to an angled intersection with yet another boulevard -though much smaller than the one they had been walking on.

“There were these groups of ‘cataphiles’ that would dig up manholes to get down there to explore the catacombs,” he spoke again as they walked down the zebra crossing. “But happens, vandalism, weird cults and someone died I think, getting lost and whatnot. Anyway, because of this it was made illegal to venture into the catacombs through unauthorized paths and the police closed all known manholes that the cataphiles used.”

Once they got to the other side, Jongin saw that there was a smaller street connecting the two boulevards. In front of them, on the boulevard that crossed the one they came walking down from, there was a tall white stone gate with ivy vines covering most of it. The wall took the whole extension of the block comprised of the street and the boulevard they were at, as far as he could see. There were many trees inside, so Jongin guessed it could be another park. On the other side of the street, that joined with the previous and much wider boulevard were tall old fashioned commercial buildings.

“Okay, so, this is Boulevard Edgar Quinet,” Baekhyun pronounced fluently as he pointed towards his right, “and this is Emile Richard street,” he pointed to the front, “which is where we’re heading,” he informed and continued to guide the way. “The main entrance is further down the boulevard, but we don’t use it okay? Too many tourists.”

“Main entrance to what?” Zitao asked. “Don’t say catacombs, Baekhyun, or I swear to the freakin’ Buddha I’m taking the next flight back to Mumbai.”

Baekhyun sealed his lips with a playful smirk.

“Baekhyun,” Zitao insisted.

“Chill,” Baekhyun waved him off. “First we’re heading to the cemetery.”

“Excuse me? The what?” he exclaimed.

Jongin could only sigh in disbelief. He had had a hunch ever since Baekhyun started blabbering about the underground tunnels. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Mama’s so called ‘secret hideout’ happened to be underground.

“Montparnasse cemetery,” Baekhyun replied as they reached the green steel-plate gate. “Where the illustrious lay in eternal rest,” he gestured with his hand dramatically like a presenter.

Up close they saw that the tall entrance was flanked by two green steel doors -all three ways to enter were closed. There was a small sign on the middle entrance gate.

“What does it say?” Jongin asked as he pointed at the sign.

“To use the main entrance,” Baekhyun shrugged.

“So it’s closed here?”

“Yep,” he nodded and hid his hands into his jacket, “but this isn’t the gate we need to use. This side leads to the main part of the cemetery, were all the fun and games are. This is gate 3,” he said pointing at the gate. “And that’s gate 2,” he pointed towards the mirroring steel gate at the other side of the street. “We need to get to gate 4 at the end of this street,” he informed and continued to guide them.

“So what’s on this other side?” Jongin asked as they crossed to the opposite sidewalk of the street, continuing south.

“More tombs,” Baekhyun shrugged. “It’s an extension. The cemetery started out as a roundabout and began to grow from there. The main part has lots of sculptures, famous graves, an angel of eternal sleep and an abandoned windmill.”

“A windmill?”

“Yeah, but only the tower remains,” he clarified. “This smaller section is cut off by the street, but it’s still part of the cemetery.”

Just like the previous gate, the entrance had a main steel gate flanked by green doors. Baekhyun walked towards the one on the left. “The security has been rigged,” he said as he unhinged the lock and pushed the door to open. “We don’t even have to knock.”

“What about video surveillance?” Jongin asked concerned as he looked around for any security cameras.

“All tampered with,” he assured. “It’s safe here. Come on.”

They followed close behind, amazed by the diversity of graves and sculptures to regard the departed. Since they had walked to the end of the street there was only one path before them∙ to the right side there were many plots with mausoleums lined up next to each other at the foot of the great white wall. To their left was the rest of the cemetery, filled with paths that branched through the rows of tombs and mausoleums.

“Okay, real simple. You just have to walk this same path, no need to go in further through the many paths to the graves,” Baekhyun explained as he led them down the path with the many mausoleums. “Walk all the way up to the sign,” he pointed at said green sign with white writing.

“What does it say?” Zitao asked. “24th division?”

“Yeah, Midi avenue, 24th division. This is it,” Baekhyun stated.

Passing through the family mausoleums flanking the path, they reached the green sign and, mimicking Baekhyun, stopped in front of it. Behind the sign were two mausoleums: one with olive branches decorating the patinated double doors, and another with torches designed onto the concrete walls that flanked the steel door, which had a circular window at the top.

“And this is what exactly?” Zitao frowned as he crossed his arms before his chest -clearly not liking where the situation was heading.

“An entrance some cataphile made long time ago,” Baekhyun explained as he made his way to the mausoleum with the concrete torches. “Famille Tour: Tour or Tower family,” he pointed at the engraved name at the top of the structure.

“Who were they?” Jongin curiously asked.

“No one worth visiting,” Baekhyun said dryly.

“Are we really going in there?” Zitao asked concerned. “Is Mama really hiding there? Underground? In the freakin’ catacombs?”

“Actually it’s quite suiting,” Baekhyun said as he opened the patinated gate, “She is supposed to be dead anyway.”

“I’m not going,” Zitao backed away.

“Relax, Tao, we’re not going down to the ossuary, just an empty tunnel. I promise you won’t see any skeletons,” Baekhyun assured. “Come on.”

Jongin wasn’t a fan of the idea either. Trespassing in a family burial to enter an abandoned manhole some enthusiastic cataphile left to enter an untrenched part of the catacombs of Paris. He stared at the structure, worn down with age, white concrete smudged and dirtied as years -decades, went by with it unkept. No flowers, gifts or decorations left by anyone who still cared for those who have already departed.

Concrete flames rising from fake torches didn’t evoke a sense of safety at all as he walked through the eerie entrance. Jongin was pressed together with Zitao against the door, which Baekhyun insisted on closing, despite the lack of space in the confines of the mausoleum. Light barely seeped through the dirtied glass of the window, but it was enough to see the interior. There were two tombs stacked one on top of the other against each wall, making what little space could pass for a hallway even smaller. An old vase was placed on a little stand deteriorated through the years -Jongin couldn’t imagine when was the last time the vase could have had flowers. Dust clung on every crease and crevice, they could even see the specks of dust floating in the air and cobweb scattered at every possible corner, possibly as old as the mausoleum itself.

“I don’t like this,” Zitao whined softly as he held onto his sides behind him and hid his face at the back of his neck, as if Jongin was some sort of shield.

“Step back a bit,” Baekhyun instructed as he tried to crouch on the floor.

“There’s no room,” he protested.

“Well I can’t open the hatch if I’m stepping on it,” Baekhyun reasoned with him as he tried to twist around to look at them.

“Okay, okay. I got it.” Jongin made himself intangible.

“Good idea,” Baekhyun said impressed and took the chance to scoot back where Jongin’s legs should be. He proceeded to open the trapdoor on the floor and all they could see was a few stone steps disappearing into a pitch black hole.

Using his light manipulation, Baekhyun shined light out of the tip of his fingers creating a small globe of light between his hands. The ball of light floated in the air, illuminating the whole place. Jongin was amazed that the light didn’t extinguish on its own. He remembered that Baekhyun would project light or laser from his modified fingers but he couldn’t recall him being able to manipulate light into a constant form. He must have learned new tricks.

They followed Baekhyun through the trapdoor, sealing it as soon as Zitao was far enough down the stairs to keep his tall frame completely underground. Jongin felt borderline claustrophobic as he stood inside the confining tunnel, air damp and stale. Ancient stones were stacked into the sides as makeshift walls, covered with dirt and dust. Thankfully the ceiling was high enough that they did not have to crouch. They went down around thirty steps before reaching a tiny hallway that only led forward to the continuation of the stone steps.

“Okay guys, part of the left wall is fake. It is covered up by the same stones so it feels the same, but it’s a thin wall contraption that moves fast.”

“A moving wall?” Jongin asked amused.

“A door,” Zitao deadpanned.

“There’s a small square protruding stone that has the lower left corner chipped off,” Baekhyun described as he directed the ball of light towards the wall. “It’s a bit above my shoulder height, so it’s like your shoulder height. Here,” he placed his hand over said stone. “I need you guys to remember this stone, alright? It’s the way in.”

“Like a secret passage?” Jongin asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Baekhyun answered seriously. “The rest of the stairs lead to some other section of the tunnels, while behind this fake wall there’s a lift. The catacombs are about twenty meters underground, that’s like five floors,” he explained. “If anyone happens to find this entrance, they’d just continue down the steps without ever thinking that there’s a hidden passage.”

“Clever.”

Baekhyun pressed the different stone and a section of the wall smoothed backwards and then swiftly to the side, opening the way to the hidden lift. Greatly contrasting the tunnel, the hidden passage was wide enough for them to stand together comfortably. Clearly it had been remodeled with a big sturdy steel elevator in the center and, most importantly, light. The fake wall closed as the doors of the lift opened.

“What should we expect down there?” Jongin asked a little anxiously.

“A laboratory,” Baekhyun answered as he stepped inside.

Jongin felt a chill run down his spine -he didn’t dare move his legs, staying put with Zitao behind him. Baekhyun turned around, holding the doors open as he realized they weren’t following him.

“It doesn’t look like the underground building we grew up in. But,” Baekhyun pressed his lips together in thought, letting out a little hum as he thought his words over. “I know what you guys are feeling,” he said as his eyes roamed over their bodies, “I felt that way too. Anxious, terrified of what could happen to me down there. A laboratory never brings good memories, but I swear it is safe,” he assured. “There’s not much down there, a few sections. A common area, kitchen, dorm rooms, the lab and the security room, that’s basically it.”

“And who’s down there?”

“Now, just Mama, her assistant and the security guy,” Baekhyun replied calmly. “She used to have more staff and these goons for protection, but I made her get rid of them. I asked her to keep just the essential staff and get rid of the rest because I knew it wouldn’t feel safe if there were more of them than us.”

Jongin nodded, feeling a little more at ease.

“You guys have to travel through time and Mama has worked hard researching to make it work and assure your safety,” Baekhyun said in a compelling tone, “Let’s go.”

Zitao gently pushed him to walk, so Jongin knew this had to be the right choice. If Zitao felt they needed Mama’s help then he had no choice but to step into the elevator. Jongin wasn’t sure if it was because of his anxiety but he felt the lift move slowly, making it feel like a long stretch of time to reach the lower floor.

“We’re going to explain everything to you guys, okay?” Baekhyun spoke again. “What really happened at the Antarctic and New Zealand, why you have to time travel, everything. But you have to promise to stay calm and listen to everything first. Don’t do anything foolish.”

“Because we’re not going to like what we hear?” Zitao asked.

“Yeah, you’re going to hate it. You’re going to hate everything about this, but we have no choice,” Baekhyun honestly said. “So please, listen and remain calm.”

The doors opened once they reached the lower floor -Jongin didn’t feel calm at all.

There was another small tunneled path that led to the entrance. It looked very secure, like the door to a bunker. Baekhyun explained that there was a scanner at the left side of the entrance, where they would be recognized and let in. Zitao stood at the scanner and the rigid door unlocked, allowing them to enter the hideout.

The first thing he noticed was concrete, concrete everywhere. The floor, walls and ceiling were all made of concrete, reminding him of Mama’s subterranean laboratory in the underground facility -where the boggers had been hidden and where Kyungsoo had found their clones.

Jongin shook away the memory and took in his surroundings. Just like Baekhyun had described, passing the entrance hall led to the spacious common area, the open kitchen was to the left and further down was the hall that connected to the rooms. At the front-right was a different hall that led to the laboratory.

“See that entrance?” Baekhyun pointed to the far right, right before the hall. “It leads to the security room. It’s where the surveillance footage is at, and Mad Eyes.”

“Mad-what?” Jongin asked, unsure if he heard properly.

“Mad Eyes, he’s the security guy,” Baekhyun chuckled. “If you ever see him you’ll understand the nickname.”

“If we see him?” Zitao asked this time.

“He’s reclusive and doesn’t like people entering his room. I wouldn’t advise you to ever go in there without permission,” Baekhyun explained. “Leave your stuff here for now. Let’s go.”

Baekhyun guided them through the right hallway, explaining that the first door to the right led to what remained of the medical wing. Behind the second door there used to be a section of the lab but Baekhyun had converted it into a pseudo training room. At the end of the hall laid the rest of the laboratory, while the only door at the left of the hallway led to Mama’s office.

They turned left.

Baekhyun knocked just to make their presence known before entering Mama’s office. It wasn’t grand and opulent like the one Jongin remembered from the underground, but rather austere in comparison. There was a settee and grand piano to the left, a bookshelf to the right, and in front of it a big wooden desk with a drawer set to its left. In here the walls were all concrete as well, but the one behind the desk had many images and notes taped onto it. At first glance Jongin recognized a few images that seemed to be of the interior of the underground facility and the fake town from the ground level dome.

“Playing sudoku again?” Baekhyun asked amused as he walked towards her desk.

“You know it helps me think,” Mama replied as she scribbled a few numbers on the booklet before looking up. Her eyes quickly noticed their presence, growing wide in longing and surprise in a way that reminded Jongin of Lu Han’s doe ones. “You’re here,” she spoke fondly as a warm smile graced her features.

Jongin felt his chest tight and warm -she was nothing like the cold hearted clones he had met before. In just a few seconds he saw more emotions and warmth in her presence than the whole time they were trapped in the EXO Trials.

She stood up and walked to the front of her desk, giving them space. She was wearing black pants and a white oversized jumper. She looked just like she did in the confession tape -though much more well rested. He could tell she had aged but she remained as beautiful as ever, her alluring dark eyes giving off an aura of intelligence.

“I’m glad to see you’re alright. Was it too creepy to come down here, Tao?” she asked with concern as she looked at him. Zitao just gave a mute negation with a shake of his head, too astounded to find his voice. “Aren’t you a too bundled up, Jongin? Are you still weary of your fever?”

“I’m fine,” his voice came out weaker than he expected.

“It’s nice to finally meet you boys,” Mama said with a genuine smile.

“How do we know we’re finally meeting the real one?” he sounded harsher than intended, but he didn’t care.

Mama didn’t even flinch at his question nor at his tone. She simply pushed up the sleeve of her left arm.

“I asked the same thing when I first met her,” Baekhyun confessed as he rolled up his own sleeve.

The office suddenly became dim. Baekhyun hovered his hand over his arm and fluorescent specs scattered across his skin. Those little markings that only came to be under certain light, those blemishes that reminded them what they truly were.

When Baekhyun hovered his hand over Mama’s extended arm, there were no markings of any sort.

They kept quiet for they had no way to refute the evidence.

The room brightened and Baekhyun took the moment to move the piano bench in front of the desk.

“We’ve got a lot to talk about. So please, sit,” he instructed.

He felt Zitao hold his wrist and encourage him to sit down with him on the bench, that thankfully was long enough to fit them both. Mama leaned against her desk while Baekhyun asked for the newspaper Zitao kept in his pocket.

“Check it out,” he said with a grin as he handed the paper to her.

Mama gave him a curious look before quickly scanning the paper. “El Pais national news,” she spoke in Spanish. “Moon?” she asked to Baekhyun as she flipped the page. Baekhyun confirmed she was correct. “How efficient,” she mused.

“Are you going to tell us what really happened?”

“Yes,” she immediately replied, placing the paper down on top of her desk. “First you must know that the affiliates EX’ACT had subunits located in Russia, France, South Korea, Australia and China being the main quarters,” she explained with a patient tone. “The subunits of Australia, Russia, France and South Korea have been dismantled and trialed thanks to Chief Park’s efforts and the help he’s been provided. Three Chinese subunits are down, all that is left is the headquarters and a missing subunit.” She paused for a second. “You’ve probably noticed that all these countries, except for Korea are mentioned in the news.”

“And the American vessel,” Zitao pointed out.

Mama nodded. “Go on,” she encouraged him to speak.

“They were the last to be called to help the ships trapped in thick ice, but the vessels managed to break free before the Americans got to them,” Zitao recounted. “They weren’t meant to be there, right?”

“Correct.”

“So they weren’t really stuck in thick ice, right?” Zitao asked.

Mama nodded again. “There was at least one subunit per affiliated country, depending on the terrain's aptness to hide the structures. The one built in Korea was underground for a reason, though the upper dome wasn’t inconspicuous at all,” she continued to explain. “But there used to be a subunit built in the Antarctic, but that had supposedly been abandoned many years ago.”

“But it wasn’t?” Jongin asked,

“We’re not completely sure about what was inside the old facility, but what I do know is that the visit to that zone was meant to be a distraction.” They both fell silent, confused. “The countries that had the least space, other than Korea, were France and Australia. Both countries happen to have research bases in the Antarctic, flanking the area where the old subunit was. These bases aren’t part of EX’ACT, but have been used on their behalf.”

“Oh,” Jongin hummed. “So they went to the Antarctic not for the subunit but for the research bases close by?”

“Sort of,” she said. “When I started working for EX’ACT I was located here in France for intergenetics experimentation. Later on they created the subunit in South Korea that had much more modern and sophisticated equipment, thanks to Kim Chulsoo’s ample contribution,” she rolled her eyes when she mentioned the corrupt politician’s name. “The French research base Dumont d’Urville doesn’t belong to EX’ACT but has a scientist that is tied up with them. Her primary research is on the genome of these little micro-animals called tardigrades that can withstand extreme conditions when they go under a state of cryptobiosis.”

Zitao raised his hands up as he shook his head. “Wait...What?”

Mama chuckled. “Basically these tiny creatures can adopt a physiological state of 0.01% of their normal metabolic activity.”

“They dehydrate into a curled ball called tun, and stay practically in a borderline dead state until rehydrated,” Baekhyun supplied. “It’s like ‘reviving’ them, though they weren’t exactly dead in the first place.”

“Right. What is remarkable about them is their resistance to extreme conditions of temperature, pressure and radiation,” Mama continued enthusiastically. “This scientist’s main focus is on how they manage to protect their vital organs and even their DNA with biomolecules, such as specialized proteins, antioxidants and sugar derivatives, and to apply those specializations to function during normal metabolic activity by genetic recombination and tranation.”

“Basically make them indestructible without needing to turn into a tun,” Baekhyun said as he clasped his hands together.

“Okay, okay...” Jongin nodded as he understood them. “But what do micro-animals have to do with EX’ACT?”

“They want to use her research to mix up the tardigrade’s genome with a human subject to make them more resilient,” she answered without a pause. “An indestructible soldier.”

“,” Zitao gasped. “Is that what they’re up to now?”

“Yes. But thankfully for us they are not even close to what they want,” Baekhyun replied this time.

“The metabolic requirement is too high for these specializations to function in a human being,” she explained further. “It requires a complete modification of metabolic pathways, engineering of adequate enzymes, the supply of necessary effectors for correct transduction of signals and genetic translation to effectively apply the desired effects of the tardigrade’s genome into a functional human.”

Jongin and Zitao stared blankly for a second before turning their attention to Baekhyun, hoping he would explain what Mama just said.

“Like I said, they ain’t close,” Baekhyun shrugged. “Which gives us the chance to take them down before they become ‘indestructible’.

“Holy ,” Zitao sighed.

“Exactly,” Mama concurred.

“At first our threat was Kim Chulsoo. He escaped to North Korea and we fear he’d get EX’ACT to help the North provoke the war he’s been wanting,” Baekhyun explained this time. “But now the threat is what remains of the company. If we take them down, then North Korea wouldn’t be able to collaborate with them and we’ll be able to prevent any war, and any new experiments like the tun-people.” Mama gave Baekhyun a judgmental look, frowning at the nickname he came up with. “Tardi-men?” Baekhyun offered instead, earning a shake in disapproval.

“So we must take down EX’ACT before it’s too late,” Jongin summarized. “Great,” he said sarcastically.

“Okay so, back to the story, the Russians went to the Antarctic to pick up this scientist’s research, right?” Zitao scratched his head as he tried to piece everything together.

“Right. To avoid being obvious, the Russian vessel went to this abandoned zone close to the French research base, faked being stuck in thick ice as an excuse to get the genome samples from the French research vessel that was sent to aid them,” Mama patiently explained. “Going to the abandoned subunit was meant to be a distraction while the real threat was travelling on the French vessel.”

“But why a Russian vessel if Russia doesn’t have any subunits?” he asked again.

“China has the only active subunit,” Mama clarified. “Russia and China are the ones in immediate proximity and they, along with the remaining manpower of the Aussies, have joined forces to make this project work as a last hope against us.”

“It doesn’t say in the news report but all vessels, except the French one, sailed to China soon after they stopped by New Zealand,” Baekhyun disclosed.

“Was it necessary for all of them to meet up in Antarctica?” Jongin asked.

“At first it didn’t make sense to us either, but we suspect that the Antarctic subunit wasn’t completely abandoned,” Mama answered, crossing her arms together. “The agents went to check and the building had been swiped clean, meaning they took whatever assets they’ve kept there.”

“As in equipment and such?”

Baekhyun nodded. “As in equipment and…” he gave a weary glance at Mama, she just tilted her head in a quiet indication to continue. “And an old project of humans with bogger mutations.”

“What?”

“Fifty-two passengers,” Jongin remembered.

“Probably more considering that boggers are sort of like spawnable minions,” Baekhyun commented.

“Are you sure?” Zitao asked, noting their unconfident answer.

“We haven’t seen one to confirm, but it’s the only other ‘monster’ EX’ACT has,” Mama replied.

“But why do you suspect they have human boggers-”

“Hybrids,” Baekhyun cut in.

“Okay, why do you think they have hybrids if you haven’t seen one?” Zitao rephrased.

“Because there have been attacks that resemble those of boggers,” Mama disclosed.

“Attacks?” Jongin frowned in a mixture of confusion and surprise. Suddenly he felt a spur of dread in his chest. “New Zealand,” he gasped, “ went down in New Zealand.”

Both Mama and Baekhyun looked at each other with troubled gazes before they were frozen in time. Jongin frowned confused until he felt Zitao’s hand hold his own. He looked concerned but kept his gaze firm as he looked back at him.

“Jongin, don’t cause a scene, okay?” Zitao spoke slowly, enunciated each word with solemn clarity. “Listen to everything they have to say first, don’t react rashly. And for crying out loud, don’t disappear on us and teleport to ing who-knows-where. We don’t have the time to go looking for you.”

Jongin gulped hard with worry as he realized that Zitao had turned back time because of his inconsiderate reaction. “I ran away? Why?”

Zitao gave a sad look before hugging him as best as he could, given that their hands were intertwined between them. “Just let them explain everything first, okay? Just listen, I’ll be holding your hand the whole time.”

Jongin didn’t want Zitao to restart time -he felt an uncomfortable twist in his stomach as dread crawled down his spine. What could have been so bad to make him run off?

As soon as Zitao leaned away from the half embrace, time returned to its normal pace.

Baekhyun looked away with the same worried gaze, though he didn’t fidget with his hands like he normally did whenever he was anxious or uncomfortable. It seemed as if Mama was going to speak, but Baekhyun’s keen eyes caught their joined hands and he ended up taking the lead.

“Do you know that Central of NIS is down?” Baekhyun asked instead.

“Yes, I heard from my agent that they shut down because of some internal problem,” he replied with what he remembered. “A rat.”

“Yeah. A rat by the name of James Maxwell, popularly known as Agent Maxwell,” Baekhyun looked at them as he spoke, his expression unmoving and serious.

“What? Agent Maxwell?” Jongin said surprised. “He’s the traitor?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun confirmed without hesitation. “We don’t know if he had always been a spy for EX’ACT or if he switched sides. What we do know is that he gave information to the company and created a computer virus potent enough to completely screw up the whole database of the NIS.”

“Wait a minute,” Jongin shook his head as he tried to make sense and remember the conversation between his agent and foster father. “Agent Maxwell is gone. Is he with EX’ACT or is he…”

“He’s not dead,” Baekhyun answered the unspoken question. “Or at least we haven’t heard if he died. We know that he bailed before he could get caught and it’s most likely that he’s working with the enemy.”

“I remember Agent Maxwell gave off a weird vibe, but I never thought he’d be this bad,” Zitao commented, seemingly much more relaxed than himself.

“Sehun was very skeptical of him,” Jongin recalled, “But Lu Han didn’t find anything suspicious about him.”

“Yeah, well, because of Maxwell some locations were disclosed,” Baekhyun continued but then stopped talking as he struggled to figure what to say next. “One attack has been reported in Mexico-”

“Chanyeol,” Jongin choked out and then covered his mouth to keep any strange noises from coming out. He shouldn’t have just left him there, he should’ve gone to check on Chanyeol first before moving to London, damn it.

“He’s alright,” Baekhyun quickly revealed. “He's alright and his foster family too.”

“Where is he? I can go find him,” Jongin spoke quickly, wanting to waste no more time.

“Relax, Agent Moon went to pick him up. He’ll be safe with him,” Baekhyun said calmly. “Chanyeol isn’t the one we should be worrying about right now.”

“What do you mean?” Jongin felt his heart drop like a stone. If Chanyeol being attacked by hybrid boggers wasn’t reason enough to be worried then he greatly feared for what Baekhyun had to say next.

“There was a member residing in New Zealand.”

“Was?” Jongin stressed and Zitao squeezed his hand a little tighter -whether as a sign of warning or comfort, he’d never know.

“His location was attacked by the hybrids the vessels brought from the Antarctic. Agent Cha was his guardian, but he and his team died,” Baekhyun spoke with caution. Baekhyun took a step forward biting his lip as he stared at him with sympathy. “They kidnapped him, Jongin. We don’t know where Kyungsoo is.”

Jongin felt the room spin as his heart hammered against his chest -he needed to get out of there. He needed to find Kyungsoo.

“Don’t,” Zitao warned as he held onto him to keep him in place.

“They’ve got Kyungsoo,” Jongin repeated with a tensed throat. “, Tao, they have Kyungsoo!” he cried out, standing up just to move because he couldn’t bear staying seated.

“And we’re going to find him,” Baekhyun assured as he stepped in to hold onto his shoulders. “Look at me, Jongin,” he ordered and Jongin whimpered as he complied, staring back into Baekhyun’s unwavering eyes. “We’ve got a plan to find Kyungsoo, okay? We’re going to save him and we’re going to end the company once and for all.”

Jongin took in shaky breaths as he tried to calm himself down. He closed his eyes and fisted his hands trying to keep his body from trembling with fear. His heart had him aching with each broken beat, berating him for not finding Kyungsoo faster. If he hadn’t wasted so much time looking in the same country he was living in, if he hadn’t spent all those days searching all over Canada after he had already found Yifan, then maybe he could’ve moved faster and would’ve been able to find Kyungsoo before this happened.

“Jongin, you need to calm down,” he heard Mama’s soothing voice right in front of him. “Don’t cry darling, we will find him.”

“I failed him,” Jongin lamented.

“It’s not your fault, dear,” she delicately held his face with her warm hands and gently caressed the tears away. “It’s not your fault.”

He opened his eyes, expecting to see her passive face and cold eyes but instead he saw something completely different. Her eyes were wide with worry and glossy with tears threatening to fall. She looked brokenhearted seeing him cry like this -she looked like a mother who truly cared for him and that just made his heart hurt even more.

“It is,” he couldn’t keep himself from crying. “He, he asked me to, to find him. He needed m-me to find him. I failed.”

“You’re wrong darling. Don’t you see?” she said with a soft smile. “You may not have known about his whereabouts but the Agency always knew where Kyungsoo was. Do you understand what this means?” He faintly shook his head. “You can’t search for something that isn’t lost, Jongin. You didn’t fail to find him, for he wasn’t lost.”

“But, but now-”

“Now he is lost, which means you haven’t failed your task but merely started it,” she assured as a tear finally rolled down her cheek. “Now it’s time to find Kyungsoo.”

“H-how?”

Mama hesitated, looking into his eyes before replying. “You’re not going to like it. But it’s the best plan we’ve got.”

“Sit,” Zitao softly said, pulling him down to sit beside him on the piano bench.

Mama wiped the few tears that escaped while Baekhyun moved to stand next to her. He held onto her upper arm in a gesture of concern, to which she quietly replied with a nod.

“Do you remember that I explained that active clones share and build memories with their deactivated clones?” Mama asked with caution. “We have to activate Kyungsoo’s clone to find out where he is.”

Jongin felt the blood drain from his face. “You have his clone?” he barely managed to find his voice.

“Yes.”

“The emergency extraction,” he recalled, feeling the knot in his stomach twist.

Mama shook her head. “There was no such thing as an emergency extraction plan. The facility was meant to stay underground, meaning that if any problem surged there would be no way out and the existence of the trials would remain a secret buried forever,” Mama carefully explained while attempting to remain calm. “It was you.”

“Me?”

“This is why I said you weren’t going to like the reason why you travel to the past,” Baekhyun said instead, wrapping his arms around his own body as he spoke. “You go back in time to help save Kyungsoo’s clone from the underground facility.”

Jongin felt his whole world crumble because of Baekhyun’s words.

“Ensure the past to save our future.”

March 20th, 2015. Edinburgh 15:25.

After checking his map for the nth time, Sehun finally found the street of the address he was given, Windmill Walk.

He found the house with the corresponding number, a beautiful two-story home, white with tall long windows and brick-red roof.

His heart was madly pounding against his chest with every step he took. He knew; he could feel it in his gut.

Lu Han was there, in this house.

Sehun didn’t bother with ringing the bell and instead used a small draft of wind to push himself up and jump over the high gate covered in ivy vines. He went around the garden, finding a picture window door right behind the patio furniture.

He tried twisting the knob before even thinking of knocking, not even considering for a second that he was trespassing in a private domicile as the door opened with a welcoming ease.

He swallowed in his breath out of pure anxiety. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for roughly two years and ten months and he sure as hell wasn’t going to wait one second longer.

Ignoring the frenzy in his heart and the twist of anticipation in his gut, Sehun stepped inside the house. He kept his steps cautious as he made his way towards the open living room.

What he saw wasn’t at all what he had expected.

Two young Caucasian boys were sitting on the white carpeted floor, staring absentmindedly towards the ceiling. Above their heads, toys were floating in the air. They didn’t give Sehun a shred of recognition as their attention was solely on the levitating objects.

Judging their relatively calm behavior, Sehun wondered if floating objects was a common occurrence in the household.

When the toys faltered to the floor, the little kids looked up at him for a mere second before their gaze drifted past him. Their attention was on something behind him.

“Joshua, Daniel, go to your rooms,” he heard him speak in English.

The kids silently obliged, getting up off the floor and leaving the room without sparing a second glance at Sehun, walking past him and towards the voice behind him.

Sehun felt his hands tremble as he dared to turn around. His breath was taken away by the sight before him. There he stood at the entrance of the hall; the reason his heart fought to live and his mind begged for solace.

He wore an oversized knitted white sweater, two lines of argyle patterns in black and red across the chest and shoulders, it made his upper frame look wider than his hips. Simple dark navy jeans and house slippers. Dark brown silky hair that made his honey chocolate eyes stand out and skin looking softer and more angelic than he could ever dream of.

Lu Han looked just as mesmerizing as ever and Sehun could only stare, enchanted by his ethereal presence.

“Sehun,” he called out but didn't sound surprised. “Did Baekhyun tell you I was here?” Sehun could only nod in response, unable to find his voice. “That bastard,” Lu Han muttered annoyed. He sighed, brushing his hair back, “You’re not supposed to be here,” he said with a conflicted tone and Sehun felt the knot in his gut twist painfully. “You’re supposed to meet Baek, not me.”

“Don't,” he barely managed to speak. He pressed his lips together to suppress his hurt and frustration. He had traveled too damn long to just be told to leave. “Don’t send me away when I just got here,” he spoke firmly while balling his hands into fists to anchor himself.

“Sehun-”

“Please.”

Wide doe eyes stared back with fondness and curiosity as he stepped forward first, whilst Sehun’s legs felt like jelly and kept him planted in spot. No words needed to be spoken; no thoughts needed to be projected for they understood each other with just their gazes. One appeared more confident than the other, but only because Sehun knew to let Lu Han take the initiative. The only way to guard himself from being rejected and pushed away was for him to let Lu Han feel in control.

Sehun couldn’t fathom how mesmerizing he was, how beautiful he’s always been. Now his features had grown sharper projecting a mature aura, but the smoothness of his skin, the pucker of his rosy lips and the light of his gaze remained as beautiful as always. God, he couldn’t stop staring.

It wasn’t until Lu Han was just a step away that Sehun realized how much he had outgrown the other. His height casted over Lu Han in a foreign way that alerted him of how long it had been since they had been in the same space together. Too long, too damn long.

A slight frown creased his forehead as Lu Han had to look up to meet his eyes. ‘Not fair,’ his silky voice spoke clear in his mind. ‘Why are you so much taller?’

Sehun couldn’t help but let out a choked chuckle. He couldn’t keep a straight face any longer. A smile broke through his lips as tears streamed down his face. He saw a second of surprise in Lu Han’s eyes as he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the other’s shoulders to bring their bodies closer. He felt Lu Han’s arms circle around his waist, returning the embrace.

Sehun hid his face against the crook of Lu Han’s neck, keeping as silent as possible as waves of emotion shook his body to the core. He felt Lu Han tighten his grip as he tried to keep hold of Sehun’s trembling body.

It was too much to handle. Sehun’s chest felt searing hot, the pieces of his heart being brazed back together in the closeness of the other. He reveled in the pain, each fiber of his muscles aching as he quivered with every shaky breath, his skin sparking under Lu Han's touches, overwhelming his senses. He hated how alive his body felt, how much he needed this, how much he needed Lu Han’s presence. He hated it because he should have never had to go through such a breakdown in the first place. He never should have been separated from him, it wasn’t fair.

He couldn’t help himself from slowly and surely becoming an emotional wreck with just an embrace. It was too much. The waiting, the longing, the lonesome nights and the grieving of a heartbreak had finally come to an end, and he couldn’t help but feel like he was breaking all over again.

He felt Lu Han struggle in his embrace.

“It’s not fair,” Lu Han spoke in a soft yet broken voice as he pushed back to be able to look at him properly.

Sehun felt his heart sink when he saw the struggle in Lu Han’s darkening eyes. He was visibly struggling to keep control of his abilities while Sehun had readily succumbed in his arms.

Was this it? Was this what they were meant to be? A broken pair unable to keep their mind and heart intact whenever they saw each other?

Sehun let go for a moment, harshly trying to wipe his face and regain some composure. Lu Han was slipping away in the darkness of his powers and he needed him right now. Sehun reached forward to gently hold Lu Han’s face with his hands and moved his thumbs soothingly against his temples -the way he had done many times before. Lu Han shut his eyes tight and weakly held onto Sehun’s hands.

“Look at me,” he spoke with a hoarse voice. “I got you, Lu. Look at me.”

Cautiously Lu Han opened his eyes. His doe eyes were slightly hazed with darkness, not enough to completely lose him, but Sehun needed to act fast before Lu Han slipped away into a fit.

“It’s not fair,” Lu Han complained again in an aching voice.

“Shh,” he urgently shushed him. “Focus on me, just focus on me.”

Sehun did his best to cut through the turmoil that was overtaking him, and cleared his mind by thinking of the most peaceful feeling he knew. He thought about an open field, gazing up into the sky and watching the cotton clouds pass by. He thought about the wind, the cool spring breeze grazing his skin with the utmost care. He thought about the tranquility of the breeze.

He watched as the darkness of Lu Han’s eyes faded and soon enough he felt Lu Han relax. He even felt his own anxiety settle. A moment of tranquility as they found an ounce of composure.

“What happened?” he asked with concern as he tried to search within slightly hazed eyes.

He could see conflict in Lu Han’s troubled gaze. His answer wasn't simple nor kind, that much he could tell. But somehow Sehun already had an idea of what was tormenting his beloved.

Lu Han pulled his left hand down, away from his face, and guided him to rest his palm against his chest. Sehun felt heat rush to his face as he felt the strong beats of Lu Han’s heart against his hand -but the pain and struggle remained in the other’s obscure doe eyes.

“When the emotion is too strong,” Lu Han whispered, “I lose my mind.”

With those few words reality finally drew into Sehun’s mind, intrusive and unrelenting, like a knife piercing through his back.

It was obvious. It had always been obvious but back then he was too young, too stupid and too naive to realize how selfish he had been to his beloved.

Now he finally understood that it was the emotional side of Lu Han that overpowered him. Those strong emotions that once scared him weren't the same for Lu Han, for his abilities acted up whenever he felt too much.

The first time Lu Han had encountered a bogger or whenever he had felt rage or distress, Lu Han’s abilities would act up and cause him to have a fit. That much Sehun knew too well already, but he never had considered the mere thought that love -or any emotion akin to love, could cause such terrifying effects. Love was a strong emotion, yes, but wasn’t love meant to be kind? Not to Lu Han apparently.

No wonder Lu Han kept pushing him away.

“I’m sorry,” Sehun faintly said, but Lu Han just shook his head. There was no fault in this.

They heard the urgent whistle of a boiling kettle.

Lu Han led the way through the house into the kitchen and turned off the gas stove with his telekinesis. He had Sehun sit down at the kitchen table while he swiftly served two cups of tea.

“Earl Grey,” he spoked in English as he set the teacup in front of him.

“Thanks,” Sehun said softly as he watched Lu Han sit opposite to him. “You like sudoku?” he asked as he pointed at the open booklet set next to Lu Han’s spot.

“Yeah,” Lu Han smiled softly. “It helps me clear my mind.”

“Is this your foster home?”

“No, I never had a foster family. I preferred to be on my own,” he replied as he rested his chin against his hand. “This is the house of a neuroscientist that worked with Mama. He’s trying to help me.”

Sehun frowned with worry. “Help you with what?”

Lu Han scratched his neck as he let out a sigh. “It turns out that the electrochemical pathway in the brain linked to intense emotions is the same for...” he hesitated a second, “It’s the same for intense emotions of opposite effects. Meaning that when I get too emotional my brain confuses the emotion with hate and that makes me lose control of my abilities,” he explained as best he could, even though he seemed uncomfortable talking about it. “Baekhyun thinks I can learn to change my mind and stop losing control whenever I feel anything too extreme.”

“He’s trying to change your mind?”

“He’s trying to fix me,” Lu Han corrected. “Non-invasively,” he quickly added.

Sehun remained silent for a good whole minute, staring at Lu Han who kept his gaze down on the teacup.

What Lu Han had just said confirmed what he had suspected. Lu Han had always struggled with keeping his abilities in check knowing his emotions directly influenced his control, but he thought that he had helped Lu Han achieve better control over his abilities. Sehun thought that Lu Han was better and didn’t need him anymore to pacify himself and maintain control.

Clearly the issue remained as it was intrinsically linked to his biology.

“This scientist, he worked with Mama before?” Sehun worried if Lu Han was safe in the house of some other scientist like Mama.

Lu Han nodded before looking up at him. “He’s one of the scientists that helped create our abilities for the trials. And the memory ,” he waved his hand dismissively at the mention of memories.

Sehun pressed his lips together as he nodded in understanding. He wrapped his hands around the warm ceramic cup. “And those were his kids? Are they telekinetic too?”

He chuckled. “Yes and no. They are his kids but they aren't telekinetic. They’re just normal kids.”

“But the toys? You did that?”

Lu Han shrugged. “Dr. Murdock is out for the day and I’m supposed to look after those rascals. I like scaring them, that way they don't dare disobey me,” he said with a sly smirk.

Sehun laughed, shaking his head as if to disagree with his tactics even though he found it amusing.

“How did you get here?” Lu Han asked as he fiddled with his teacup.

“I, um, I traveled within a gale,” he confessed. “Once I heard you were here in Edinburgh I just had to come. I couldn’t stay stuck in Argentina, so I used a windstorm to cross the Atlantic.”

Lu Han looked at him with a conflicted gaze. “You did all that just to come see me?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you realize how dangerous that could’ve been?”

“It wasn’t,” Sehun frowned, not liking Lu Han’s berating tone.

“It was,” he deadpanned. “It was reckless of you.”

Sehun huffed annoyed. “Why are you so pissed about it?”

“Because Baekhyun used me as an excuse to get to you and that pisses me off,” Lu Han fisted his hand on top of the table. “I told him I didn’t want to influence your decision into joining the group.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sehun scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I would’ve done the same to get back with the members, with or without knowing you were here.”

Lu Han remained quiet, looking rather regretful of what he had said.

Sehun gulped hard, feeling an uncomfortable pressure building in the back of his throat. “You’re not glad to see me.”

“It’s not that,” Lu Han quickly denied. “It’s just that…you shouldn’t be here. You being here just makes things more difficult.”

“How?” Sehun’s frown deepened.

Lu Han didn’t answer. He let the silence fall upon them as he stared at his now cold tea.

“I don’t really know what Baekhyun and Mama are planning,” Lu Han suddenly said.

“What?”

“Baekhyun visited me a month ago and asked for my help,” he began to explain, “He needed me to use my abilities to sabotage the NIS so you could move freely without the agents guarding you the whole time. We also made sure to have some sort of backup plan in case went wrong, but it’s all too vague.” He paused as he let out a sigh. “He didn’t have a whole plan figured out at that time but he had some ideas that could work.” Lu Han looked up at him with concern, “I need you to find out what they’re planning.”

“Why? What about you? Can’t you just come with me too?” Sehun quickly asked, trying to understand what the hell Lu Han was talking about. “If you come with me, you could also look into Mama’s mind and figure out what they’re up to,” he suggested, trying to get Lu Han to change his plans.

He shook his head, “I can't join the group yet. I still have another task to do. You have to do it”

“But why me?” Sehun asked concerned.

“Because I told Baekhyun to try to help you get over me.”

“You what?” Sehun exclaimed, completely bewildered by the turn of events.

“It’s the perfect excuse to get you close to him,” he clarified.

“What the are you talking about?”

“Because of this Baekhyun will be more invested in spending time with you, don’t you get it?” Lu Han tried to explain. “He’s got his plans memorized as chess plays and I have no idea what they mean or who is which piece. The only way to understand is to get Baek to explain himself. So you have to get close to Baekhyun. Win his trust and try to find out what else he’s planning,” he insisted.

“No, no. I don’t want to do this,” Sehun furiously shook his head as he felt conflicted with what Lu Han was asking of him.

“You have to, Sehun,” Lu Han insisted relentlessly. “Find out what he’s planning and if something seems wrong, if you fear that you guys might get into trouble and need help, you tell me.” He ripped out a page of his sudoku booklet and wrote down a strip of numbers. “Memorize this number. Use Baek’s cellphone and text me. Only texts, no calls. And only for emergencies,” he stressed. “Don’t try contacting me if it’s not an emergency, are we clear?”

Sehun stared at the piece of paper that Lu Han shoved into his hand. He didn’t want it, he didn’t want any of it. Sehun felt his eyes glisten from utter frustration, annoyed that Lu Han wasn’t giving him a choice.

“I’m not going to spy on him,” he stressed as he crumpled the paper in his hand. “I’m not doing this.”

“Sehun, look at me,” Lu Han said in a cold tone that surprised him. He looked up into those doe eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to resort to this.”

Sehun was about to ask what he meant but suddenly Lu Han’s pupils went wide, making his irises so thin that it looked like his eyes were black. Sehun couldn’t look away from those deep dark orbs, enchanted by the vast nothingness inside them.

“You will find out what Baekhyun’s planning. Get close to him and gain his trust so he will tell you what the real scheme is,” Lu Han instructed, his voice impossible to ignore. “Memorize this number in case you need help. Only texts. Forget we spoke today, say you saw me but I didn’t let you in the house. Leave this house and stay in Edinburgh. Minseok will find you.”

Sehun felt something snap in his head. Without understanding why, he picked up the crumpled piece of paper and stood up from his seat. He thought he saw someone crying as he left the kitchen but he didn’t turn around to check. All he knew was that he had an undeniable urge to leave the house and walk away to some place calm and quiet.

Some place calm and quiet to pacify the inexplicable pain in his heart.