His head was throbbing and all he heard were muffled screams as if he was underwater and loud 'whooshing' sounds overhead. Baekhyun opened his eyes slowly only for them to widen at the chaos he saw; many people were running around screaming, some standing in one place no knowing what to do as they stared up to the sky at the big flying ships that were dropping black round object that destroyed the ground around them, bombs Baekhyun thought. He saw houses turned to rubble where they once peacefully stood and fire catching at any random thing, Baekhyun felt the hard pavement underneath his back as he recalled what had happened.

Baekhyun pushes himself up, clutching at his still throbbing head only to come away with a bloody hand, "" he muttered. Looking around him he saw everyone else lying discarded against the ground, some still unconscious but a few already groaning to life. The conman eyed the lean detective who lay disheveled a few foot away from him, leaning over to one side with his backed turned to the smaller. This is bad, Baekhyun thought to himself, really bad. Suddenly he felt a presence looming over him, someone's shadow spraying out in front of him under the golden glow of the setting sun and Baekhyun looks up only to recoil from the sight. A glaring red eye stared down at him, an abnormality Baekhyun has never seen and if he was honest, a bit unnerving. All he could do was stare and only then did he realize that there was only one, there was nothing on the other side just a gory looking scar.

"Get up, hurry" the deep voice of the person standing over him urged. He leaned down to wrap a big hand around Baekhyun's arm hoisting him up into a standing position, the smaller still in a state of shock and uncertainty but the black over drafting hood now replaced by and outright cloak was hard to mistaken. 

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun questioned. The other male was already by the lean detective's side helping him up swiftly before he turned back, the lone glaring and unnerving red eye was back to being hidden.

"Help me" he said simply his cloak like hood swishing as he moved. He picked up another, Xiumin, before moving to a next, "we have to go". 

Baekhyun didn't know what to do so he just helped, getting those who were disoriented to their feet. Baekhyun didn't know why he was doing this as he could easily escape and run away on his own seeing as everything in the city was going to . People were still running, some pushing past him with no courtesy; he heard screams of kids who couldn't find their parents and the bombs were still causing the ground to shake. He looked to his right, detective Sehun's house wasn't far from the police department so they were all still fairly near the downtown scene. 

He looked back at the tall cloaked male, the way he moved was smooth and airy. Baekhyun walked over to where Lay, Suho, Xiumin and Sehun stood beside the dark man trying to gather themselves.

"What the hell is going on!? " Chen exclaimed from behind Baekhyun where everyone else stood. 

"I have no idea" Sehun shook his head turning to ask if the department Chief was okay, even Leeteuk as they walked over to the younger detective, his partner already there. 

"I'm telling you, this is the mullet demons coming to claim us for that dreadful era" Kai stated with a scrunch if his face, coming to stand beside Baekhyun who felt like his brain could melt from the males annoying ignorance. "We are all pretty sure that's not it, Kai" the conman stated. 

"Seriously, everything's on fire and those ships?!" Chen's head snapped skyward and so did everyone else noticing that the four ships were now in a square like formation.

"Is everyone just playing dumb in this moment or is this your nature?" the owl eyed guy spoke up, his voice deep like Chanyeol's but instead of a undertone of husk his was smooth and soft. "It is obviously those that have been causing you lot turmoil this whole time" the short male shook his head as in disbelief at their lack of comprehension.

"Thank you, Kyungsoo. At least I can always count on you" Chanyeol spoke up with a smile that Baekhyun fleetingly found charming before it dropped into a frown. "Now follow me, this isn't the worst of what's coming. We need somewhere to hide out and think this through" he proposed.

"Wait wait, what?" Sehun voiced looking at the male "do you know something about this? And where exactly have you been this whole time? You just disappeared" he eyed the cloaked man who turned his head in his direction. He just stood there looking at the detective before he moved passed, heading in the opposite direction of the chaos, screaming and explosions. 

"Chanyeol? Do you?" Sehun once again asked. Everyone else watched, somehow knowing what was coming but stayed where they were although Baekhyun saw movement in the corner of his vision and looked over to see Lay walking by them all and going over to stand by the taller male. 

"It's not Chanyeol, it's Pheonix. And he's your eighth 'OT8' criminal" the surgeon stated with his arms crossed, gaze steely.

"You knew?" Sehun asked the doctor who shrugged in return "I'm sure you already had an inclination yourself".

"Look" Chanyeol or rather 'Pheonix' started, his frown not leaving his lips which somehow made Baekhyun more on edge than any of the players flirting. "I know more than you guys think. And I'm telling you, this is cakewalk" he gestured to the ships briefly, "soon this city and maybe others are going to become a slaughter house".

Pheonix turned around and began walking with Lay, both having a small talk as they get further and further. Baekhyun sees those beside him moving to go after them, Chen playfully giving punches to the air as he hops from side to side, Kyungsoo silently walking along with Xiumin, Kai and Suho not far behind. 

"You said you wanted us to 'work together' " Suho exaggerated with air quotes as he walked backwards staring at the three officials but mostly the Chief, "don't tell me you all are backing out now" he turned and continued walking. 

Baekhyun still stood in his spot looking back down the street and around at the mess, he was someone that did everything on his own, he didn't need anyone else to look after and as he looked behind him he wondered if he should just slip away and fend for himself, after all this was his sole opportunity to do so. He didn't notice that Sehun, Leeteuk and the Chief along with the scatter of policeman had already started walking behind the lot. 

"Hey! Sweet lips!" Baekhyun turned around at the ridiculous nickname to see Chanyeol, the smaller deciding that the name flowed and suited the male better, standing there with his hands cupped around his mouth and everyone standing with him looking back at the conman; the taller waved him over "Let's go!".

Without another glance behind him Baekhyun found his feet moving him closer to the group of people you wouldn't ever think to put together. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stick around a little longer, Baekhyun thought now entering a jogging movement, slowing down as he reaches everyone. Feeling a hand on his shoulder he looked at the Chief who smiled a knowing smile as if he knew what Baekhyun had been thinking before they continued on their way with the chaos and madness going on around them; they had to stop this, they had to find a way and fast. 

---------------------

"Take the children and hurry to the ground!" Alecai yelled as everything unfolded. He watched as adults took the kids in a huddle to the platform edges letting the older ones jump first as the younger ones were carried via piggyback. He looked up towards the sky, the ships now out of viewpoint from where they were. 

Alecai had just returned from informing their boss of what Pheonix had told him but what he didn't expect was a while later for there to be ground rattling rumbles and the picture of the ships he's seen so many of his kin work on at the camp flying over head. Now those who were left that weren't mothers and nurses are gearing up in their cloaks and combat attire, wielding their preferred weapons as their tree house like home burns from a suspiciously accurate drop of a bomb, catching many who decided to be at the bars that morning.  

"It's starting" Alecai breathed out feeling the weight of his weapon on his hip, an intricately designed sword that weighed more than the average man. His father had given it to him all those years ago when the only thing he had to protect was himself, now he had a whole community under his belt. 

"No duh, Sherlock" came a voice from beside him. Alecai turned his head to see his daughter, Joy. " I knew it wasn't a good idea to share that information" she turned from the hussle of people to look at him. It was a rare moment you ever saw her in a cloak, looking like the assassin she was supposed to be; in that moment before she pulled the hood over head, Alecai could only think of her mother who she resembled so seamlessly.

Joy tucks her two daggers in either sheath on her hip and looks at her intimidating father standing amongst a burning fortress. "Look around dad, they had no intention of keeping us safe just because we wore a badge of ownership" Joy stated fanning her hand over head at the rapidly burning shacks and trees above. "I know my words have never meant anything to you but it's now or never; it's either we save our people or send them to their deaths". 

Alecai looks around feeling a daunting concave of feelings seeing the decades old home he's ever known and have grown to help expand, burn. He frowns to himself and turns to leave; not wanting to admit that maybe he did mess up, before Joy shouts. "Mom was a fool!" the intimidating man stoped in his tracks to turn around, "what did you say?" his voice low, a warning. "We both loved her but she was a fool, dad. To think she can handle all those men on her own but like me!" Joy jabbed a finger into her chest "she was only trying to prove herself to you". A piece of a Hut from above crashes behind Joy but she doesn't flinch and only focuses on addressing her father. 

"She had told me so much of how you protected her always, she was greatful for someone like you and even though I was too young then to understand, I do now. She used to ramble to me about how, even though she loved you for protecting us, you were keeping her from being who she really was just like you are doing to me. You never listened and in the end you lost her" Joy felt her eyes water but held them back, it wasn't the time. 

"Joy" Alecai said lowly just as another stray piece of their destroyed home fell and smashed through the landing they standed on.

"Do you want to lose me too, dad? Because I'd do anything to show you that even if I'm a scavenger, I'm just as good an assassin as the rest, it was never about me not wearing my hood or because my personality was too outgoing and eccentric" Joy continued " it was because I couldn't become what you wanted me to be like what you made of Pheonix" Joy lectured. 

More pieces from above fell and took away parts of the platforms in its path along with the one they were standing on, as more things we're being set on fire. "Joy, we have to go, now" Alecai stated his instincts itching to kick in seeing her losing her footing. 

Suddenly he hears shouts and screams from the depths below, accompanied by gun shots. Alecai whipped his head over the side from where he stood, his heart hammering. A scream pierces the air and as Alecai looks back over to Joy the place where she stood is obstructed by more falling pieces and she starts falling. Alecai was quick on his feet as he went and took a hold of her hand to which she held on tightly, her hood having fell away and her worried green eyes staring back at him. Below them was a scarily high fall without any support, straight to the ground between wide parted trees.

"Give me your other hand" Alecai extended his right still hearing the screaming and gunshots below. Joy reached for it, "dad, we have to go help them" the intimidating male started to heave her up just as her eyes opened with surprise and fear. 

"Look out!" she shouted just as something hard and burning hits Alecai in the back and his surroundings sending both falling through the destroyed platform. Alecai ignored the pain in his back and quickly turned him and Joy midair so that he was underneath and she was above. "Dad, what are we going to do?" Joy questioned frantically, staring at the void below them. Alecai looked around to see how he could prevent then from falling to their deaths, his sword wouldn't be able to reach any of the tree's trunks to lodge it into and slow their progression. 

Just then he felt something hard twist and coil around the both of them, constricting their arms and bodies. "Looks like you got yourself into a predicament there, Alecai" a gruff voice speaks and both Joy and Alecai move their heads as they stop falling to see Ezen clinging to a tree trunk with a knife lodged in the bark and his free arm pulling at his whip like weapon. 

"You were right, uncle. We do look cool" the old males nephew spoke up, in the same position as his uncle holding the family steady in midair.

"Now let's get you down" Ezen nods to his nephew and they both start swinging the two, although the momentum of it makes their lodged knifes move inch by inch. As they swing them Alecai sees a tree branch get closer and closer, so as the two relatives retract their weapon Alecai reaches out to roughly grap onto the familiar object, Joy following suit.

They watch as Ezen and his nephew, Genze, swing their whips around the same tree branch and swing themselves over. Without another word they descend down the big tree to the green ridden floor of the forest only to come upon a horror scene. Joy gasped as they lay eyes on the bloody dirt and abandoned bodies. 

"What happened" Alecai boomed. 

"They ambushed us, as soon as we set foot on the ground they fired. We all fought back but some were just not lucky" Ezen shook his head as he saw some kids bodies lying lifeless along with their mothers and some of their fighters. "The ones we did manage to help escape went south to Lancor" Ezen continued "I sent along all the remaining fighters with the other council members and kin".

Joy whipped around at her father. "We have to find Pheonix. If he's right and he's teamed up with those criminals and the police department then we also have to help them. Like I said dad it's now or never, we can't be pawns anymore that's not what our people are. We cooperated and look where it got us, a destroyed home and our kin killed!" Joy said, upset. Her dads head lowered to look at those lying lifeless. There were some of the men in black they've come to be familiar with but not enough. 

"This isn't the time to make decisions on you're own anymore, you always hold Pheonix and I and pretty much our whole community at arms length but we're a family, we will all understand if you ask us for help" Joy stated, knowing her father was probably thinking on what he should do and not what they all should do.

"She's right, Leader" Genze said sending a smile Joys way "but we might need to go back to the camp".

"What?!" Joy exclaimed "did you not see what they did? Were you not listening to me?".

The boy nodded but still addressed her father, Ezen standing off to the side, arms crossed and velvety hood drawn, for an old man who retired he was still fit and good in action. "I was but what we noticed is not one of our kin they took was in the pack, assuming that they would've used such strong assassins for their benefit " he stated. "My uncle and I believe their locked up at the camp" Genze informed before Ezen lifted his head, his hood swaying "they might be meaning to execute them all". Joy felt her jaw clenching.

Alecai was silent as he thought things through. "I'm going to need your guys' help" he said and Joy looked at him with surprise although a smile played its way to her lips. "They wouldn't leave that place unguarded and I'm sure that man is still there seeing over things. We will need all the back up we can get and that means finding my son, but before that, I know someone with a group of her own despite her lone wolf ways" Alecai informed. 

"Dad, you don't mean-" , "yes" Alecai interrupted Joy. "She's our best bet at the moment for solid backup before we can go after Pheonix. The city streets are likely now crawling with the rebellion, slaughtering and taking out innocents. I know where she and her team are hiding out but we have to hurry, time isn't on our hands" Alecai turns and starts speeding off to the right and into the trees. 

"Let's go. There's nothing left here for us" Ezen said before following suit. Joy looks up only to see a charred heap of nothing inbetween black burned tree'qs, her eyes widened with stilled tears.

"We can do this, Joy. I'm sure your dad and brother know what their doing, let's do our part too" Genze said, slightly and bit shakily taking her hand and squeezing it offering a soft smile before letting go. 

"Yeah, but I always feel like the odd one out and that their years ahead of me" Joy said with a sigh, thinking about how Pheonix is off making his mark and her father was already getting into action. Genze only chuckled, "you got your dad to admit he needs help and that day outside the meeting room you got your brother to understand that he doesn't have to be two sides of one person because he's both" he stated leaving out the part that the reason he saw that was because had hid himself near the side of the Hut holding flowers he had built courage to pick for her and if Joy wanted answers on how he knew that, she didn't ask. "It seems to me like you're the one pushing them forward. Now it's time to show them who you are".

Genze runs into the bushes a blur of movement pulling a smiling Joy behind him. They soon caught up with the two older males, all if them hurrying and racing against time.

"Sir, everything's going as planned" one of his many companions of the rebellion informed him as he sat back relaxed against his chair in the dim warehouse. "The assassins were ambushed, some perished but others got away. Their hideout no longer stans, Should I send some of our own after them?". 

The male in the chair shook his head and chuckled low until it grew in octaves and turned into a boisterous, humourless laugh. He listened to the yelling and shouting coming from out the big metal doors as he rounded up the assassins he had took prisoner to help him and his people work on their weapons, although he knew they were putting up a fight. "The rebellion is starting" he stated as he lowered his head to look at the picture he held, "isn't that right mom and dad? I'm finishing your work, aren't I?".

His eyes scan down the picture and a frown comes to his features and he throws aside the cigarette he had been nursing. "Except we still have a problem, an obstacle. How rude" he turns the picture a bit and starts tearing out a section, throwing it to the ground and lifted up what was left over as the piece drifted into an oil puddle.  "That's better, that's how it should've been". He held the picture up, reminiscing, before crushing it in one hand.

The male looks at the one man standing off to the right, "inform my right hands that I have a separate task for them" he addresses "tell them I want a certain group of criminals brought back here" the male smirked menacingly. 

The man in black obeys, leaving the seated male alone. He leaned over the handle of his chair and looked at the soaked piece of ripped picture, leaning his head against folded arms. "Looks like we'll finally see each other after all these years" another chuckle leaves him "too bad it'll be of me killing you, isn't that right brother?". 

"So you're an assassin and your kind have been helping this man complete a rebellion?" Baekhyun voiced in disbelief. 

Chanyeol nodded his head, his hood swishing, the image of what was underneath still giving Baekhyun chills, even if he only had a glimpse. "Albeit against our will but yes, if we didn't help they would assassinate our community and their group of men come in thousands to our hundreds which half were taken for their benefit" Chanyeol informed. 

Sehun couldn't believe his ears. He had no clue the scale of this was so big, bigger than a sereal killer. There was an actual army of people who wanted to take out this city and possibly many others. "This is kind of badass" Chen voiced up with a grin on his face. 

They were all sitting in Chanyeol's apartment he had bought to stay in the city although they now knew it wasn't because he moved here to be a policeman and follow in Sehun's footsteps. Baekhyun stared at the overly mysterious man that despite having told us an insight to his life was still guarded and looked unapproachable although Baekhyun was surprisingly kind of warming up to him. He must've caught the smaller staring because Chanyeol sent him a knowing smile to which Baekhyun just rolled his eyes. 

"Take off your hood" Baekhyun stated abruptly which surprised everyone to which they looked back at the taller, in silent, guarded anticipation.

"Baekhyun" Lay started to warn but the smaller shook his head as he sat on the kitchen table, only Kyungsoo looked unphased. 

"I do not think it is something you all want to see" the owl eyed boy offered up but Baekhyun shook his head again "this guy is a two way spy. If he shows us what he looks like assuming no one but his family has seen it, it'll give us a sense of trust" the smaller stated.

"Short stuff has a point" Kai agreed earning a glare from Baekhyun himself at the teasing name.

"He does. If we are going to work together we might as well know that none of us will backstab each other" Xiumin folded his arms. 

Chanyeol sighed and brought his hand up to the fabric, Sehun and everyone unconsciously leaned a little more forward. He gripped the ends and pulled it back and looked at the room of people, everyone but Kyungsoo gasped and even though Baekhyun saw it moments before, without the hood it was even more eerie.  His hair was long and his bangs slightly covered his eyes but the gory scar and one intense red eye stills told out. But that wasn't really what Baekhyun was focused on this time around because despite all that the assassin was a really good looking male. His face were soft but prominent with a smooth jawline and those plush lips that was always tipped into a familiar, flirty smirk added to his cuteness.

"Woah" Kai said to which Chen nodded along. Chanyeol turned around and brushed aside his hair to reveal a bluish tattoo against his skin "This is our sign of loyalty and ownership, which doesn't mean much since my people are neither of those things to this rebellion" he turned back around and readorned his hood, shrouding himself back in mystery and folding his arms. 

"Dude, what happened to your eyes" Chen asked still looking on in wonder. 

Chanyeol sighed again looking uncomfortable, something Baekhyun has never seen on the male, clearly not wanting to talk about it and Baekhyun was oddly ready to punch the over excited male and tell him to mind his business when the taller opened his mouth. "One was burnt badly in a fire at an orphanage I stayed at and the other was damaged as well by a stray board, blinding me" Chanyeol stated darkly. "Lay made me a new one, although the colour came out more red than brown" the taller slightly turned to the surgeon who rubbed his neck sheepishly. 

Baekhyun racked his brain as he took in Chanyeol's words, vaguely remembering a similar story gracing the news all those years ago when he first started conning people out their money as a kid. 10 boys had been registered into the orphanage but only 9 and their house mother were found in the ashes, Baekhyun looked over at the tall assassin who stood straight with his mouth drawn into a thin line; the smaller wondered if Chanyeol could be the tenth one.

"You look sick man, you would've been an action figure I wanted when I was younger" Chen spoke up randomly and Kai nodded "I still want to ride his " he said and everyone groaned but Chanyeol smirked, seemingly coming back to life.

"We should get to the matter at hand now" Suho spoke up pushing off from where he leaned against a wall. The Chief agreed, "everything is going to crap out there and you're our only lead to this so called 'rebellion' ".

"What does the leader look like?" Suho asked but Chanyeol frowned and shrugged, "that's the thing only my father and those that had been taken has ever seen him, I tried to go with him when I went back but he shut me down" Suho groaned at that. 

"Wait, you still know where they reside, right?" Kyungsoo asked. " Yeah, like where their base is?" Xiumin added. 

"Guys!" Jeonho voiced from where he stood by the window out in the hall, "I think things are getting worse" his face looked like absolute horror and everyone looked at each other before huddling around him to look outside. 

Down on the street people were ducking into places, some still running not knowing where to go only to fall face first into the pavement, red pooling around them. Suddenly loud turrets of shots sound out and screaming citizens come running around the corner banging on already locked doors. The crew watched as most dropped dead from fired bullets by a group of men in black holding shot guns. 

"It's them" Kyungsoo said and everyone looked at him, "the men who I saw running around that day the apartments downtown caught fire".

"We got to do something now, people are dying!" Leeteuk exclaimed,  Sehun's eyes were skidding across the floor, thinking hard and as they stood there more shots sounded. "This has to be the most gunshots I heard in one place, even the casino club wasn't this bad" Chen said "And I caused most of them". 

"Okay guys right now Chanyeol is the only one dressed for this scene and Leeteuk and his police officers. All of us are easy targets" Sehun spoke. 

"Right, we need gear and weapons but all of those are back at the department" Baekhyun frowned at the realization. "What do we do?" he looked at everyone. 

"We also can't go about this on our own, I know their size and we are miniscule in comparison we'd get wiped fast. We need more people" Chanyeol stated. 

"Chen come with me" Suho grabbed a hold of the youngers arm dragging him to the door "wait what?! To where?" he voiced. Suho turned around and smiled a smile none of them had seen before, it was borderlines evil. "The casino is still running and I'm sure there are a lot of dopes hiding out in there. I need you to cause havoc one more time" Chen's smile soon mirrored the CEO and they were out the apartment quickly but not before Chanyeol shouted, "meet us at the outskirts of the forests!" then the door swung closed.

Chanyeol looked over at the cat like male knowing he has something to say that'll stir him. "Xiumin, I know where your misfit crew is hiding out but it leads to the heart of the chaos" Chanyeol informed and the man's eyes brightened and with no hesitation, said, "Take me!". 

"Okay so here's the basic plan! Since Suho already took Chen, those to work together; Chanyeol, Xiumin, Baekhyun And I will take to getting the dealer's men and possibly some of mine if they're still around" Kai started gesturing animatedly at each member. "Then; Chief, Sehun and his partner, the officers, Kyungsoo and Lay will go to the department and round up as many as they can along with gear for everyone and weapons" the pretty male continued "and like Chanyeol here said, we meet-up at the outskirts of the forest where he'll lead us to the camp" Kai finished and looked up to which everyone was staring at him in shock. 

He stood straighter and folded his arms, bottom lip pushed out slightly into a pout then coiled into a smirk. "What? I can be a top sometimes too" he gestured to Baekhyun, "ask him, he loved it".

Chanyeol frowned at the bronze skinned male, "What?" his voice was deep and hard, Baekhyun looked at him; why was he mad? The male seemed like he would enjoy something like that. Kai patted Chanyeol's arm. "Don't worry stud, he's all yours. He's not my type, too dramatic".

Baekhyun frowned then and started to walk forward with closed fists before Xiumin stopped him, "it's a good plan so let's go and do it before anything else gets worse" Kyungsoo said and everyone nodded. 

"This guy wants to attack us with an army" Sehun started before he set is hard eyes on everyone in the room "fine, let's play by his cards".