Jane Lee sat alone in the white-space in front of her private computer. It was a little too late for dinner, but she had to eat while she listened to the audio recording in her email, sent by the one and only, Suho. He had hurriedly called her to check on her mail before he, himself, turned down his phone and disappeared from the radar. Then again, people like him never kept a fixed number or mobile with him. Still, there must be something important that he wanted her to listen to that he called her so late at night wherever he was now. Jane liked to speculate and guess, but she was a researcher, and she would rather waste her time testing new recruits or experiment on subjects than making unclear assumptions on the content of that recording.

“I don’t think Jung Sera is psychopathic nor is she a sociopath,” He said at some point in the middle of the audio, “I think she suffers from BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). Either way, this mental illness must have developed after she joined the Rebel, so meanwhile, I will try to find more evidences and understand her better. Until next time, Doctor.”

Jane Lee furrowed her eyebrows together as she strike through the sociopath characteristics list on Sera’s profile and wrote down under additional information a new piece of ‘suspected to suffer from borderline personality disorder’. It wasn’t exactly shocking as many of the tortured souls whom suffered from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) consequently developed symptoms of borderline disorder or even multiple personality disorder when they felt a sense of identity crisis. She was a little hesitant at first to pick up the phone and called Kim Doyoung from the communication department to track down Suho’s current location and his contact details as she knew the man disliked being trailed by the Union unless it was absolutely necessary. However, she decided a moment later to gamble with the risk and took on his annoyance because Jung Sera – this test subject – was important.

She had not had the opportunity to do a complete scan through of Sera’s physical and mental capability, but she figured it must be done soon. The girl was a powerful telepath, despite looking like an ordinary female from an average family (which she was, except that her gift was anything but mediocre). The wine glass had been refilled, the cold plate left abandoned at one corner of the table, and she waited as the phone rang a few times before the man himself decided to pick it up. Jane was quite surprised that Suho sounded extremely sick from his voice alone, “Whatever you need me for… I am not in the –”

“Jung Sera. Her personality disorder – how do you know?”

Suho groaned and stretched his back in the airport as he slipped away from the group despite the aching. He had taken on too much last night as a result of his own impatience and arrogance. Had he agreed to work together with Sehun, things would not develop to such extent where Sehun was still deep asleep even after 12 hours. Instead, they both let ego got the best of them and were now suffering. “Her personality seems to develop post-kidnapping. I’m guessing that the Rebel's training has much to do with it. Maybe antisocial disorder as well… She is a little hard to read sometimes. Her personality is always on the edge of things. Reckless, impulsive, fearless and… extremely unpredictable. Not to mention, she always goes on the extreme - like a switch, either she likes you a lot or she doesn't.”

Suho grimaced when the line went silent. He wondered if he should have waited longer to send the email because he was tired and battered, without an ounce of his usual vivacity. Never again, he reminded himself, he would never want to show off his ability in front of a girl ever again. He ruffled his hair and stuffed his phone to the pocket as he walked slowly to the restroom. One of the earphone was hanging off his shoulder and the other one on his left ear. He should have known, judging by these two ugly bags under his eyes, pale and sickly complexion, and aching muscles, that he had yet to recover completely. Suho splashed water directly onto his face, hoping that it would give him at least one tenth of the glow that he usually had. His effort was wasted on the clean water.

“Does she know?” Jane broke off the silence and asked.

“No, she is probably unaware of it,” Suho explained. “Again, I’m telling you, nothing is sure as of yet. This is merely observation and my judgement could be wrong.”

Suho thought that something about Sera seemed a little off the first time they met in the interrogation room. She changed faces as quickly as she changed clothes, and in the beginning, he thought it was just good acting on her part. As times passed, however, he noticed that Sera wasn’t just acting. “Doctor Lee, I do not want you to examine her once we return to the headquarter,” He stated firmly and cleaned the mirror off the water. Those red eyes were staring right back at him with the same greed and cruelty despite the exhaustion. “I would like to investigate a couple more things.”

“Such as?” Jane wondered. She was just as curious about this one specific subject. If only the kidnapping did not happen and Sera successfully joined the Union years ago, Jane was sure that she could have utilised and brainwashed the young girl into obedience instead of dealing with her rebellious streak the way they did now. 

“If I tell you, I’d have to… kill you,” Suho emphasised slowly. There it was again, Jane shuddered, that sadistic personality underneath his superficial politeness, as if killing the Old General’s favourite lackey in the lab was such an easy thing to do. Of course it was easy for someone like Suho to replace Jane, but she would like to think, at least for a second of delusional nostalgia, that he at least, held some kind of kinship with her after so many years of working together. At least Suho knew what his limits were, unlike Sehun, or even Baekhyun. “Still interested in knowing, Doctor Lee? I wouldn’t mind telling you now.”

Now – as in: after he deliberately and casually mentioned his threat. Jane looked at the crumpled paper that she held so tightly as a manifestation of her fear and anger mashed in together. She had to know by now that none of the Twelve – now Thirteen with the girl – was normal in the head. At least in Jane’s opinion, none of them knew how to interact properly like a real, social human. She did not let her thoughts lingered further because she knew exactly who had ed them up. The Union. And the world, as well. People ruined them, and they got their revenge by working with the Union.

“No,” Jane responded mildly. She had forgotten why she tended to avoid Suho of all people. Had forgotten how his politeness could turn to a weapon at times. She then discovered that both her palms were sweaty despite the low temperature in the room. But Jane wasn’t weak-willed. She decided to calm down and talked in a strangely polite, almost distant manner. “Just report to me about Sera's movement if possible, and obtain more details for my research. Could you help me on that, Suho?”

“I won't promise you anything, Doctor Lee,” Suho smiled and dried his hands with the machine. The call was hung up about a few seconds after. Yawn. The Union could be so fussy at times. But at least for now, he had more time to rest while they flew over to New Mexico.

* * *

“Is Sehun awake yet?”

I yawned and stretched out my head to talk to Suho. Sehun had been unconscious after Suho fainted by his loss of energy. The two had exhausted themselves so much that they slept like dead logs for sixteen hours straight. Suho woke up after, but Sehun was still deep asleep in the cabin. Baekhyun, the boy with catlike eyes and odd-coloured hair, looked up from the novel he was reading and stared at me silently. His eyes were so strange-looking, but compelling. When he blinked, the slits had turned to normal humane pupils. He let out a lazy smirk and rested his chin against his hands, “Boy won’t be awake for a few more hours. Isn’t it your fault that he is now unconscious?”

“How is it my fault?” I felt incredulous by his sudden accusation. Sure, I had come back with Sehun, Suho and Luhan, looking like zombies as Baekhyun and Kai welcomed us in the airport. They flew us over with a private jet. Money truly did wonders to this world. Even the interior of the plane was far superior than the ones I saw in movies and dramas. Baekhyun chuckled lightly, but his voice had this deep bass that sounded very crisp and clean, “Clearly, if you hadn’t run away, nothing would have happened.”

I stared at him. Like really stared at him – and not in the ogling kind. His eyes were turning to slits as he provocatively stared back, waiting for my counterattack the way I did to Kris. But after that mind link was established yesterday night, I was too terrified to even consider talking back rudely, just in case it triggered something – anything at all – that would anger me again. My emotion was running high because of the pre-menstruation syndrome and our current situation. “Well, I’m sorry for what happened last night – it was unexpected, but I wasn’t aware that I’m not allowed to go out at all. You told me that I could have my freedom as long as I comply with the missions and the duty given. I don’t think I have breached any rules by going to visit my friend in Rio.”

“I think, Sera, what Baekhyun is trying to say here is –“ Kai cut in when he saw Baekhyun opening his mouth. He wanted to prevent the older man from making a remark that would further drive the distance between all of us. Kai might be loud and boorish, sometimes crass and annoying, but deep down, everyone knew that Kai had a genuine heart – despite his bad timing and inappropriate remark sometimes. “It doesn’t really matter whether or not you are running away, nor the Rebel attacking us, we just don’t want you to do things alone. We are used to fights and violence whenever we go out, so it is inevitable that we would be tracked down and targeted outside of headquarters. That’s why we don’t go out as often, and even if we do, we are more likely to go in pairs.”

I held back laughter as I listened to Kai’s adorable attempt at making amends. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes showed rare concern that I saw from one person to another. Baekhyun had long given up on explaining and stared at objects instead. He looked absentminded as always, but I knew he was listening. I didn’t understand much of what was happening. After all, I was only a stranger to the twelve of them. I had just arrived, and I almost destroyed their headquarter, too. I ran away and they chased me halfway across the world. I was rude to them, and yet they never really picked a fight with me. It wasn’t exactly a warm, friendly atmosphere, but they were very patient with me. I didn’t understand. Was this all worth it?

“So it would be better to go out in groups next time, Sera,” Kai said earnestly. I swore if eyes could twinkle – and I meant shone brightly like the stars in the sky, his would have. I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head at him, “Okay.” Suho mimicked my expression and asked teasingly, “Okay? Really?” I looked at him and suddenly found myself smiling a little at the silliness of these men. “Well, next time I’ll try… not to be so short-sighted and thoughtless anymore.”

Luhan smiled, and my heart skipped a little when he did that while looking at me. It felt more like adoration that stemmed from how good looking he was – although all twelve of them were dashing in their own ways – rather than old-school crushes or the likes. It was only later on, when Kai went to wake Sehun up twenty minutes before the plane landed, and everyone else was either in the toilet or preparing their own luggage in the overhead compartment, that I understood what the smile was meant for. He approached me and said with a mild tone in a hushed whisper, “I think it’s good to see you cooperating for once.”

“And what is it exactly that you’re implying here?” I looked up with a frown.

“There is no other meaning to it. We just want you well, Sera. Please remember that,” was his ambiguous and well-intended reply to my question. I didn’t have too much time to ponder over it as a new mission would soon await us in New Mexico, in an old, abandoned airport in the suburban area.

* * *

I guess these elite government did have a flair for mystery and gore. The six of us were supposed to watch over a political talk between China and Mexico on their alliance for territorial battle in the international court. The representative parties of both countries – two soldiers of the highest ranked – appeared along with one other assistant for each. Ten of us cramped up in that torn down place with no electricity nor high-tech devices. Suho was supposed to lead the conversation while the rest of us listened. He lied down a geographical map of this continent. My eyes narrowed instantly.

“Is it necessary to have the meeting here instead of the military compound?” I whispered to Kai, and he stepped closer to reply, “They don’t trust each other enough to do so. And besides, there would be trackers and spies everywhere in the city. The more run down the place is, the better it is for us, or at least, that’s what they told us.”

We both straightened our backs and looked to the front. Suho had begun talking, pointing at the map, “Here to here, I know there is a half-built hundred-miles-trail for trains until the nineties. Stations are placed every ten miles, and are still in use even though no trains actually run the track anymore. My suggestion would be to use this as the method of transport and the train as the place of the negotiation. Our group will split up four to two, and spread rumours that the treaty was to be held in a private ship. That would serve as the distraction and buy us at least an hour or two.”

“And where would we come in?” One of the General, a burly looking man with dark brown skin and thick eyebrows, questioned. He folded his arms in front of his chest and stood at least a head and a half taller than Suho was. This General was respectful and polite throughout the conversation – the perk of being an elite member of the Union, I guess. Suho seemed unfazed by the admiration from the General and responded appropriately, “The train will consist of five compartments. We will fill one of them, and you’ll guard the rest. As to which one, that will be a secret for the three of us when the day arrives, because who knows, maybe one of us here is a spy.”

But instead of looking at me like I expected them to, Suho was staring straight at the soldiers and their lieutenants. He had suspected at least one of them to be a traitor to either other countries or the Rebel. After all, information was a weapon of destruction and it came at an expensive price. I held back the mocking scowl. It seemed that everyone had conveniently forgotten my ability to read minds. I concentrated on all four of them and started working my way through the complexity of their mental capacity.

The skills of mind-reading was a little different from compulsion. It came to me more naturally as it was the very first component that I acquired as a part of this ability. The brain was the most fascinating part of us, as well as the most complicated and delicate. One touch and it would break. One word and it could crumble. It was fragile, but at the same time, it was not. Our strength came from the mind. Our weakness was also created by the mind. All that made us humane was taught by the brain.

Some of the information I extorted was highly confidential and could have sold for an infinitely high number in a bidding. I saw flashes of images and knew that they had had dealings with the Rebel once or twice. I also came to know that there existed the dark market of web and technology and one of the General was selling off his country on an occasional basis. I smiled and probed deeper into their minds. I skimmed through things that involved private humane matters, like bedroom affairs and drugs, because it wasn’t in my interest to know of such.

Now, there was an interesting piece of information I obtained from both countries. A frown quickly replaced the stiff smile I had on the entire time for the business matter. There was an underlying threat behind this mission, and as time passed, it would turn to a ticking bomb. I contemplated on the best way of telling Suho what I found out, but now was not the right time to do so. These soldiers must stay blissfully ignorant of the fact that I knew much of what they knew. This mission involved high-profile clients and high-risk task. Either we did it or we failed. Completely.

I calmed down at the thought and stole a glance at someone. Anyone who even bothered to look at me at this moment. It just so happened that Baekhyun was looking my way. He blinked at me with clear, alerted eyes and I furrowed my eyebrows in dissatisfaction and gestured him to come closer to me. He took his time to move and stood next to me, and we both exchanged looks before I pursed my lips thin and mouthed to him, “Closer. Half a step behind me.”

Suho continued explaining, “I want soldiers placed into every stations, and at least one group of air force ready nearby in a spot no one else could see. Meanwhile, send some marine soldiers to the lake area and make sure that you guard the ship safely. We have to make an impression that we are doing this to secure the location, at least an hour after the train starts moving. Tell the presidents that the first hour is the most critical time for the negotiation to commence should an unexpected occurrence happens on the day itself.”

The Generals thought it over as I extended my hand to grab onto Baekhyun’s. He looked a little lost but didn’t resist much and let me ran my fingers over his palm. Sehun looked positively frozen at the moment, and even Luhan was a little bit distracted. All of them stole curious glances at me but pretended that nothing happened as the talk continued. I bit my lips and wrote slowly with my fingers, hoping that Baekhyun, or at least, whoever saw it, would know what I was trying to convey.

Sehun saw.

It was a trap.

A/N: I made a major correction because of lack of research. She does NOT suffer from BIPOLAR, but BORDERLINE personality disorder. Sorry for that.