Baekhyun ran as quickly and quietly as he could back to his room, breathing hard as he slammed the door shut. He couldn’t believe everything he’d just heard. Chanyeol? Infiltration? A wave of anger came over him. Chanyeol was just pretending the whole time?

“What crawled up your ?” Baekhyun looked up to see Jongdae frowning at him, wide-eyed. He plastered a smile on his face, silently fuming. “I was just uh, running from the guards. Messed up the shared practice range again.” Chanyeol has been ing with us the whole time, he wanted to scream, but the rational side of him knew he couldn’t risk ousting Junmyeon and Chanyeol. Not when they were apparently very close to completing their mission.

Jongdae stared at him a little longer before walking away, unsuspecting of anything. “We have to see the Commander in 10 minutes. Don’t be late, yeah?” Baekhyun waved him off, crawling onto his bed and kicking his shoes off. He couldn’t believe his ing ears. Chanyeol had been lying to him the entire time and acting like he didn’t know anything. Omitting the truth was as good as lying in Baekhyun’s eyes. So Chanyeol knew that he killed his own sister? He was only working for Talon under Junmyeon’s orders? He wasn’t brainwashed by Talon at all? Everything Baekhyun had done, risking his life to bring Chanyeol back, was for naught?

He couldn’t decide who he was angrier at, Junmyeon or Chanyeol. Chanyeol was his lover. His lover for nearly six years, and he hid such a big secret from Baekhyun. Granted, it was a highly classified mission, but the fact that he didn’t even tell Baekhyun that he was actually on a mission and not taken by Talon against his will was what disappointed Baekhyun. He couldn’t even have mentioned that? Couldn’t even have whispered “I’m fine” at any chance he got? He was seething before, but now that he had the time to sit and think, he was just disappointed.

He felt so stupid, thinking that Chanyeol didn’t know the cause of his sister’s death. He felt so stupid, thinking that Talon had brainwashed Chanyeol. He felt so stupid, being out of the loop with this mission. And then he felt like an for bringing up the accident instead of asking Chanyeol how he was doing. Why couldn’t he just shut his mouth?

He couldn’t accept that he wasn’t in the mission. He couldn’t accept that Chanyeol was risking his life alone to save humanity while he was just doing patrols with a group of equally trained agents. And because he couldn’t, he decided that he was going to help, whether they liked it or not. All they had to do was take Talon down, right? It was probably already confirmed that Talon was helping the Null Sector omnics… but Talon wouldn’t go down without a fight. He sighed, shaking his head. This would have to wait a little longer. He grabbed his coat, leaving for the Commander’s office.

—

“Glad all of you are here. As you may know, the Null Sector has received some modifications. They’re a lot more brutal now, so please watch out for yourself and each other. We suspect that Talon has something to do with it, but we don’t have any solid proof at the moment- What’s so funny, Cadet Byun?” Junmyeon paused, frowning. Everyone turned to look at Baekhyun expectantly, but he shook his head and waved the Commander on. “Nothing, please continue,” he urged, wiping the grin off his face.

“As I was saying: we’re working on that. Hopefully, we get more evidence and the goddamn police will stop being such cowards,” he added under his breath, sighing. “Anyway, I need reports on yesterday’s mission. Please send them in by tonight. Cadet Byun, please stay behind. The rest of you are dismissed,” he said, looking through the paperwork on his desk. The others left quietly, Jongdae sending Baekhyun a quizzical look, to which Baekhyun just shrugged at.

Junmyeon coughed awkwardly, looking back up at Baekhyun when everyone had left. “What is it?” Baekhyun asked tiredly. Junmyeon gazed at him, pondering what to say. “I’m not quite sure how to say this…” he trailed off, eyeing the seemingly uninterested Baekhyun, who merely picked at his fingernails, unsmiling. “It’s about Chanyeol.” The cadet perked up at that, subtly sitting upright. “Ah, now I have your attention,” the commander commented, toying with his pen.

“Shut up,” Baekhyun mumbled, flushing. “What is it?”

Junmyeon sighed for the nth time that day. “Chanyeol didn’t want me to tell you but I really feel like you should know; the guilt is eating me alive. I’ve sent him to Talon as a double agent.” Baekhyun scoffed, glaring at his higher up. “You think I should know? You just want me to join him on that stupid mission. I already know about your plan. You’re ing insane, I tell you. I can’t believe you did this to him, to us,” he replied angrily, “what are you even trying to do here? Chanyeol could be killed! Is he someone you’re willing to sacrifice just like that? Are all of us your pawns?”

Junmyeon looked surprised, his lips parted as Baekhyun launched into his angry monologue. “Please calm down, Baekhyunnie,” he soothed, picking his words carefully. “All of you know the risks of joining Overwatch. Of course you’re not pawns—you are all brave soldiers who are willingly fighting for peace. You already know of the possible threats, so I must say, I am quite appalled that you think of me that way.”

Junmyeon stood up, walking towards a shelf of his classified files. “I’m deploying you and Chanyeol on a new mission. It’s dangerous, of course, but it could help us significantly,” Junmyeon started, tossing a file on the table. Baekhyun curiously reached for it, opening the file to see an unfamiliar face. He stared at Junmyeon, who clicked his tongue in annoyance. Just thinking about the man irritated him. “This is Kim Jongin. He’s an arms smuggler, and definitely affiliated with Talon,” the commander said. Baekhyun whistled lowly, flipping through the file. “He’s one handsome man,” he replied, smirking.

“A pity a face like his belongs to an ,” Junmyeon grunted, going back to his seat. “I want the two of you to join me in capturing him in his home in Venice.”

“You… what?” To say that Baekhyun was shocked was an understatement. The commander himself on a mission to capture someone as lowly as this Talon affiliate? “I will be with you on the mission. I haven’t told Chanyeol about this, but I will when I meet him tomorrow. We will leave for Venice in two days. You don’t have to bring much—it’s just a touch and go. Just getting our answers and leaving.”

“Why?” Junmyeon looked up from his papers, pushing his glasses up. “What do you mean, ‘why’, Baekhyun?” Baekhyun closed the case file, sitting forward. “Why do you want to interrogate him so badly? What did he do to you? Why are you going on this mission as well? You haven’t gone on missions since…” Baekhyun came to a halt, realising what this was about. “...since she died.” Junmyeon’s eyes hardened with anger, his frown apparent.

“I need answers that only he can give me. He was responsible for our attack in Oslo six years ago, and he was responsible for the infiltration as well. Many unfortunate things have happened to us over the years, and he had something to do with every single one. It’s time to strike back. Plus, he’s Talon’s only arms dealer. He’s definitely the one in charge of Null Sector’s modifications,” Junmyeon replied. Baekhyun opened his mouth to retaliate, but Junmyeon slammed his file close, standing up. “Don’t worry about it, this is not just for my personal vendetta. We need to show Talon that we’re not afraid to fight back. I will brief you again on the plane to Venice. Please get all the rest you can get. And please, do not contact Chanyeol before then. You can see him in two days and once the mission is over, I will give the two of you a day to… reconnect. You’re dismissed.” Junmyeon started to walk away from Baekhyun, who stood from his seat quickly, stopping his superior. “Nothing you do will bring her back,” he sai