Toxic.

Poisonous.

Lethal.

Fatal.

 

The words filled his mind as his legs moved on their own accord, sprinting for the heavy iron doors. His right shoulder slammed hard into the closed door, pain jolting like electricity through him. His lungs burned as he inhaled, his throat seeming to light on fire as he screamed.

 

His knees buckled and he barely caught himself, hurling his body against the door once more even as the strength seeped from his body.

 

Help!  

He screamed again and then choked, tasting the metallic tang of blood on his tongue. His knees gave out and he hit the ground with a loud thud, his body barely feeling the pain of the impact as his mind blurred.

 

Slamming his fist into the unyielding metal, he yanked himself upright.

 

Open up!

 

He howled, desperation and panic running amok within him. The skin on his knuckles split and blood beaded up to the wounds, dripping down his hand as he pounded repeatedly against the bolted door. He could hear their footsteps now, heavy with intent and the guns they carried, slung across their bodies.

 

There was a loud bang and he screamed once more, his knees folding up beneath him. The world around him spun violently and his stomach churned.

 

A liquid filled dart stuck out of the skin on his neck, the blue fluid quickly draining into his bloodstream as he was surrounded.

 

“Take him.” A gruff voice spoke and that was the last thing he remembered before falling into the void of darkness.

 

 

PATHCODE

 

The entire building shook violently, bits of plaster falling from the perfect walls. Minseok stifled a smile as he heard the heavy iron doors shudder forcefully twice more before a deafening crash filled the room. He cocked an eyebrow, merely shifting his position to toss a handful of green bills onto the table.

 

Jongin looked up from his hand of cards to shoot him a mildly concerned look before deciding that if his hyung was not worried, he should not be either. He flung his poker chips onto the green felt and leaned back in his chair, watching as Jongdae picked up his wine glass, delicate fingers reaching forward to flip open the card lying among the piles of money.

 

Armed men began to swarm the building, big and heavy tranquilizer guns clutched to their chests as they surrounded the poker table. There was a tense silence before the first man who had placed himself right next to Minseok spoke, his voice a low, baritone growl.

 

“Come quietly and we won’t have to use the guns.” 

 

At this, Jongin’s shoulders tensed but Minseok laughed, a cold brittle sound. He swivelled in his chair, turning to regard the man with an amused expression on his face.

 

“You think you can take us even with the guns?” His tone was cool as he twirled a stray poker chip between his fingers.

 

Frost climbed over the plastic and with a squeeze of his hand, the chip cracked into pieces, landing on the money covered table.

 

The man backed up slowly, eyes flickering from Minseok’s face to the broken chip. Minseok cocked his head and turned to look at Jongdae, who took an unassuming sip of his wine, never returning the look. That seemed to be the answer he needed, however, and Minseok snapped his fingers. The floor beneath his feet began to frost over, covered with a thin layer of ice.

 

“Jongin. Let’s go.” There was a puff of black smoke and the air crackled with the smell of ozone before the two men were gone, leaving Jongdae still in his seat, calmly sipping his wine. The armed men glanced around at each other warily before moving behind Jongdae, pointing their guns at the petite man.

 

Jongdae barely gave them a second glance, lifting his wine glass casually, as if he was toasting them before downing the rest of the wine. The red wine tainted his lips, giving them a crimson stain as he leant back in his chair, finally content to look at the men creeping closer and closer towards him.

 

Sighing, he swivelled around, dainty fingers closing around the barrel of the gun pointing towards him. His kittenish lips curled up in a saccharine smile as he spoke, voice as smooth as velvet.

 

“Metal is a great conductor, you know?”

 

The lights in the room exploded with a loud pop and the room was plunged into darkness. Behind his protective glasses, the man’s eyes widened and the air crackled once more the scent of ozone. Thunder rumbled in the distant sky and all the hairs on his arms stood up as lightning flashed, illuminating the figure of the elemental before him.

 

Before he could scream, the entire room hummed with electricity and lightning arced through the air, conducted through the metal gun in his hands, the weapon he thought would offer him protection against such mutants, turning against him as it absorbed the full power of the electricity sizzling in the air, sending it straight his body. The heat of a thousand fires seared against his skin as he screamed, his body disintegrating into dust upon contact, leaving only scraps of his bones, charred to oblivion.

 

Jongdae tilted his head, a pout forming on his lips as he surveyed the room around him.

 

‘They’re all no fun now.” He sighed, carefully toeing at the pile of dust nearest to him. Humming softly to himself, he stepped around the little mounds of ash and wandered off towards the fighting room where he was sure there would be more action for him.

 

~

Kyungsoo barely batted an eyelid when the masked man smirked at him, rubbing his hands together maniacally. He thought the man looked rather ridiculous doing so but he held his tongue, content to watch his waddle around his opponent’s, clucking, clearly unimpressed.

 

Baekhyun leant against him, eyes wandering over to one of the masked ladies flouncing over to him with a smile. He was a heart breaker for sure but everyone knew his own belonged to Jongdae. That did not stop him from flirting outrageously, however, as Jongdae indulged him.

 

The door to the room slammed open loudly and Kyungsoo sighed when soldiers poured into the room, tranq guns hugged to their bodies as if they would offer them some sort of protection against them.

 

Really. Couldn’t they have waited a moment longer? He thought, turning lazy eyes to look. His was nearly winning. He tsked softly, glancing at Baekhyun, who was staring over the soldiers’ helmeted heads, eyes glittering with delight.

 

“Dae!” He chirped, straightening up as, as if compelled by some unseen force, the sea of soldiers parted for Jongdae, who looked incredibly dashing in his loose white shirt and leg hugging pants. The light bender bounded over to his boyfriend, tucking himself into Jongdae’s side happily, wine glass still clutched in his hand.

“Having fun?” Jongdae purred, arm going to wrap around Baekhyun’s tiny waist as he inhaled his boyfriend's familiar scent.

 

“We haven’t started.” Kyungsoo snorted, turning his attention to the armed soldiers who had backed away considerably upon Jongdae’s arrival. He smirked lazily and twirled the keys to the fighting cage in his hand, eying the soldiers.

 

“Then what are you waiting for? I’m being generous.” Jongdae’s eyes glittered and Baekhyun groaned softly when the hand around his waist moved to his . Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and surveyed the spread of soldiers as if they were a buffet all laid out for him.

 

“Oh, just get rid of them, Soo.” Jongdae groused when Baekhyun turned to press his nose into the crook of his neck, his free hand going up to grip at Baekhyun’s wrist. The soldiers gawped as the light bender rutted against the elemental’s body and Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose.

 

“You’re insatiable, Baekhyun.” Jongdae laughed, leaning down to press a kiss against Baekhyun’s plush lips, completely ignoring the company around them.

 

“Get a room.” Kyungsoo muttered, stamping his foot into the ground as he did so, a small smirk finding its way up his face as without a warning, the room trembled violently, a quickly widening crack spreading towards the sea of soldiers moving closer towards them.

 

The very ground opened beneath their feet and before they could scream, swallowed them whole, sealing itself together so cleanly that only a faint line of cracked tarmac showed.

 

“I’m just gonna go now.” The earth shaker shook his head as Jongdae pinned Baekhyun against the nearby wall, his eyes shimmering with mischief. Baekhyun answered him with a loud moan as Jongdae descended upon him and Kyungsoo slipped out of the room as quickly as he could. Those two had an unquenchable libido.

 

~

Joonmyun’s face was a mask of concentration as he tipped the jug of gasoline over onto the mountain of bills he stood on. Exo really has too much money to spare. He thought, the scent of the fuel burning his nostrils as he inhaled.

 

As calm as he looked on the outside, Joonmyun adored destruction. Not chaos, no. Just the gratifying feeling of seeing something combust from his own hands. He supposed that was why he adored Chanyeol so much.

 

Chanyeol was the living embodiment of fire with his bright red hair and unpredictable temper. His fires sparked with his mood and he could be your best friend, or your worst enemy.

 

Joonmyun was his exact opposite, cool, calm and collected all the time, even in the face of danger. It was what was expected of him, as a leader and he grew so weary of it sometimes that he would go down into the cavern that they had set aside for him and burn.

 

He would destroy things for the sake of his sanity and Chanyeol would be there, goading him on, a big warm presence that held him after he was finished and drained of all emotions.

 

Joonymun stuck a hand into his pocket and blinked. He could have sworn he had stuck a box of matches into his pocket before retreating to the cavern but they were nowhere to be found. He could feel his blood pressure rising, the stress of the past weeks crashing down upon him as he rummaged through his pockets, searching for the one thing that would keep him sane.

 

“Looking for this?” A deep baritone rang out from the door of the cavern, which had opened without Joonmyun’s notice; he had been so caught up in his search. The light from the outside caught a lock of fiery red hair before the door was closed behind him and the fire wielder walked towards his leader, a smile wrought his handsome face.

 

Between his long, slender fingers was Joonmyun’s missing match box.

 

Joonmyun exhaled with relief and nodded, taking a step in Chanyeol’s direction. A playful smile crossed his boyfriend’s face and he slipped the match box back into his pocket, wrapping his long arms around the leader.

 

“Chanyeol, please.” Joonmyun could feel his heart rate accelerating as he tried to turn around, to reach for the match box hidden in Chanyeol’s pocket but the giant’s lanky limbs kept him in check.

 

“Why do you need those when you have me?” A flicker of flame lit up the darkness and Joonymun caught his breath, eyes fixated on the flames dancing between Chanyeol’s fingers.

 

“More!” He urged, his boyfriend releasing him with a smirk. The fire grew bigger and hotter, its center burning white.

 

“You ready?” Chanyeol laughed at Joonmyun’s eager expression and the water bender flicked his wrist, a shield of water enveloping them both. He nodded furiously and Chanyeol flung the fireball forward, dead center of the mountain of cash Joonmyun had made.

 

The gasoline caught immediately, spreading orange blue flames all throughout the pile.

 

“Make it bigger!” Joonmyun laughed as the warmth of the fire touched his face. He clapped his hands together in delight as the flames turned whiter and whiter, until it was nearly too blinding to look at.

 

There was a loud bang as Chanyeol made the mountain combust, grey ashes raining down upon them, kept out only by Joonmyun’s water shield. Even through the water, they could feel the heat of the flames fill the whole room.

 

“Good?” Chanyeol asked, smiling as Joonmyun cuddled into his arms, a satisfied smile on his face. His boyfriend had just opened his mouth to answer when the door slammed open and soldiers poured into the cavern, wearing bulletproof vests and carrying their tranquilizers.

 

Joonmyun tensed but before he could react, the man moving closer and closer to them spontaneously combusted, his body going up in flames and lighting up the room. His companions looked horrified as they shifted around, unsure of whether to run or shoot.

 

Chanyeol’s arms were strong around him and he could feel the steady beat of his heart against his back. That alone gave Joonmyun the courage as he shut his eyes, reaching his powers out towards all of water that was coming towards him. He could do this. 

 

Later, after all the men had been disposed of, Joonmyun poured himself a glass of wine and went up to one of the bedrooms to enjoy himself and Chanyeol, all his stress having been worked out of him.

 

~

Jongin loved watching Sehun work. There was a fluidity and grace to him as he danced around the room, his winds like sharp invisible knives slashing deep, careless cuts past the bulletproof vests like a hot knife through butter. He would help but Sehun had it all under control as with a final flourish, he slit the throat of the man closest to him and the blood that bubbled out from the wound froze before it could drip onto the plush carpet.

 

“Don’t want to dirty our carpet.” Minseok winked at Jongin from where he was seated in a gilded chair admiring Sehun’s work.

 

“You’ve got more control now.” He said to Sehun as the youngest turned to him with a proud smile, sweat dripping from his forehead.  A gust of cool breeze blew through the room and the sweat dried almost instantly.

 

Sehun smiled triumphantly at Jongin and the latter could not help his proud laugh as he beckoned to his boyfriend.

 

Minseok’s smile slipped as he watched Sehun settle himself into Jongin’s lap, his mind flitting for an instant to the lover he had lost to the bastard who had sent all these men into their home. Luhan was gone, taken into a high security facility that they could not break into along with Yifan and Zitao.

 

Kim Youngmin was a fool if he did not think they would hone their skills over the years, training themselves to be the very best they could be. He was a fool to think that he could just waltz in and take as many EXO members as he wished.

 

Now that he had failed however, Minseok was sure that he would try again, with more men and better technology and as it stood, their home was destroyed. They would have to move soon. Minseok shifted in his seat, averting his eyes as Jongin tugged Sehun down for a passionate kiss, hands moving all over his partner’s body.

 

He was just about to stand when an alarm began to ring.

 

Attention, EXO. Colorado is under attack. I repeat. Colorado is under attack. 

 

~

Yixing very much preferred to be alone with his thoughts rather than participate in the rowdy partying that his brothers liked to get up to. That was not to say he did not participate, oh no. Just sometimes, he liked to climb to the roof and let the wind ruffle his hair while he thought.

 

He had noticed the armed soldiers swarming their home from above and had idly wondered if he should warn his brothers.

 

Nah, he decided, settling back against the stone. He had faith in them. They would take care of themselves. They had not trained all these years for nothing after all. Let them show Kim Youngmin what they were made of.

 

The door to the roof burst open and he startled, annoyed to be jolted out of his thoughts. Before the bullet could even leave the gun, Yixing’s hand had shot out and grabbed the man’s exposed wrist with an inhuman speed. With a single thought, the skin clutched between his fingers blistered and turned black as the cells began to die.

 

The man wailed in terror as his entire body began to wither like a plant in a desert. His weapon fell to the floor and he crumpled up like old parchment. Yixing wrinkled his nose and dusted off his hands. He disliked dealing with dead bodies but with Kim Youngmin, they all had no choice.

 

He was just about to return to his daydreaming when the alarm sounded.

 

Attention, EXO. Colorado is under attack. I repeat. Colorado is under attack. 

 

Casting one last glance up at the darkened sky, he leapt off the roof, breaking into a run as he felt the connection between all of them begin to stir, Joonmyun calling them to a central location.

 

“The great fool!” Chanyeol was seething when Yixing stepped into the least destroyed room of their home. His fingers were smoking, burning finger shaped brands into the wood as he glared around the room.

 

“What’s he done now?” Yixing asked mildly as he stepped around a fired up Chanyeol and wandered over to Baekhyun and Jongdae, both looking similarly dishevelled.

 

Baekhyun bit his lips, moving closer into Jongdae’s side as his boyfriend growled.

 

“Gone and declared war on the world, the idiot. Reports are already coming in about army tanks approaching the state on all sides and one of them have already fired twice. “

 

Yixing’s face paled.

 

“Any air space invasion?” He asked quietly and Sehun stepped in, the playful smile on his face gone.

 

“Edinburgh. They’ve flown into Scotland’s airspace and are not moving. They’re threatening to drop bombs.”

 

“We’ll need Sehun there. There are others, spread out all around the world. We need to get to them as soon as possible to protect the people. Also, Soo. There’s news about Zitao.” Joonmyun’s tone was severe even as he looked at his friend with kind eyes.

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened and he gripped the table so hard his knuckles turned white.

“What is it?” He whispered and the others held their breaths, hoping.

 

“He got out. Somehow. He’s in Barcelona, and he’s safe. He’s asking that none of us go to him as he’s trying to lay low at the moment.” There was a collective cheer at the little sliver of good news.

 

Joonmyun allowed himself a tiny smile but the severity of the situation made the smile vanish almost as quickly as it had arrived.

 

“But we need to split up. Our base is destroyed, thanks to his soldiers and he waging a bloody war on the world. This will be a lot of work on Jongin, but we need to be distributed throughout the map. Now, I need Kyungsoo out to Colorado as soon as this meeting adjoins to defend it from the tanks that are surrounding it, Sehun out to Edinburgh immediately after…”

~

 

~

 

Sehun winced and blinked his eyes rapidly as tears welled up in them from the brightness of the sun. He would never be able to get used to how Jongin could travel through shadows like it was nothing. A hand squeezed at his waist and he turned to his boyfriend, who had a concerned look on his face.

 

“You okay?” Jongin knew that he should be going off. Joonmyun had tasked him with moving the rest of the members all around the world before heading to Egypt but he could not resist staying a little longer with Sehun.

 

Sehun sent him a reassuring smile, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips. Jongin’s eyes widened and as Sehun pulled away, he yanked him back, pressing their lips together properly before he could protest.

 

“Be safe.” He whispered, feeling Sehun’s lashes flutter against his as he opened his eyes.

 

“I will. You be careful. Don’t over exert yourself. Do Yixing hyung last so he can help you.” Sehun instructed, forcing his voice to remain steady and clinical as he pulled away from his boyfriend. Jongin squeezed his hand once more before vanishing in a puff of smoke, leaving the air reeking of ozone.

 

Sehun wrinkled his nose and stepped back, out of reach of the noxious black smoke, turning on his heel and walking towards the nearest hotel. Joonmyun hyung was so going to pay him back for this.

 

~

 

“Jesus, Jongin!” Joonmyun yelped, a hand clutched over his heart when the teleporter appeared right behind him, his clothes smoking slightly. Yixing looked up from where he was studying an atlas and stifled a smile.

 

Even in dire situations, the two maknaes adored making jokes and he appreciated them for lifting the sometimes, oppressing atmosphere.

 

Jongin grinned cheekily and moved over to Chanyeol’s side.

 

“Where to, hyung?” He asked. Joonmyun reached up and Chanyeol bent to press a kiss against his forehead.

 

“Arizona. Please be careful.” The leader’s eyes softened as his boyfriend pulled him closer for a deeper kiss. The other members tactfully turned away, their eyes practically burning holes into the tactic maps and plans as they fought the urge to look up.

 

“You, too.” Chanyeol inhaled deeply, loosening his hold on Joonmyun’s waist.

 

Joonmyun smoothed down his shirt and turned forcefully around to study the map he had spread out across the table as with a soft puff, both Jongin and Chanyeol disappeared. Back to business. He thought, glaring back down at the old withered map.

 

~

The young man shuddered when a long low moan echoed through the air, agony tainting every vowel of the voice. The wavering connection in his mind flickered and he shrank in even more on himself as his friend’s pain bled freely over to him.

 

“No more. No more.” He whispered, as tears slid down his face. Another agonized howl ripped through the silence and he plugged his fingers into his ears, trembling and shaking. His tears dripped onto the concrete floor by his feet as he heard his friend scream out, pain lancing through their bound minds.

 

“Yifan, stop it!” He screamed aloud as alarms blared and he could hear the hurried running footsteps of the guards rushing to subdue the powerful dragon. He could see Yifan in his mind’s eye, in half his dragon form, strapped down to a metal table, his scales slowly being scraped from his body. He could see the dragon thrashing, screaming and howling almost animalistic in his terror.

 

They will come for us. They will. Our friends, our brothers would never abandon us here. Luhan repeated to himself as the wall before him slid open and a soldier stepped inside, holding a tranquilizer gun out in front of him.

 

~

“How are things over there?” Joonmyun murmured into the phone, bowing his head in thanks as the shopkeeper handed him his baguette. He took a bite of the crispy, warm bread as he stepped out of the bakery, wincing at the roar of a fighter jet flying overhead.

 

More and more troops were assembling outside of cities. Cities that he had dispatched the members to. Kim Youngmin had wasted no time in scrambling to secure territories. Joonmyun bit off another chunk of his baguette as Yixing talked, his soft lilting voice a comfort to hear.

 

“They are more centered around Europe. Things here are quiet, the troops only move occasionally. I can handle things here.” The water bender sighed.

 

“What about that other thing? Are they close by?” He lowered his voice to a whisper, asking the obvious even though he could feel it himself.

 

“No… Not here. I don’t believe they are even on this continent.” Yixing sounded so dejected that Joonmyun could resist no longer.

 

“They aren’t. Because they’re here. Somewhere in France.” He murmured lowly, a smile spreading across his face as he said his words. Yixing gasped, his delight obvious even when he was on the other side of the world.

 

“You…”

 

“I can feel them. Baekhyun can too. But I feel them more strongly. They’re so close, so close now.” The excitement that filtered through the water bender was infectious and he could practically hear Yixing’s smile through the phone as he crossed the road, deftly dropping the crumbs of his baguette into the trash can.

 

“You’re looking for them?” Joonmyun nodded even though he knew that the healer would not see him. He wrapped an arm around his stomach as a cold breeze ruffled his hair, icy raindrops beginning to fall from the sky.

 

“I can’t resist it. They’re so close that our connection sings.” He mumbled, turning out of the busy city and onto a small, beaten path leading into a thicket of trees.  Their bond tingled and the hum grew so loud that he could barely hear Yixing’s suddenly tense voice.

 

“Don’t go yet, Myun. Wait for Jongin. Or someone else to go with you.” Yixing’s tone was worried.

 

“Don’t worry, I’m just looking. They’re so close by that I just wanted to pinpoint their location.” Joonmyun replied as he turned his head to survey his surroundings.

 

In the clearing just past the trees was sat a large squat cottage and a large concrete tank that must have been a pool in the summertime. The entire place reeked of abandonment and Joonmyun wondered briefly if it was the summer home of some rich family in France before tuning in to the sudden vibration of their mental connection.

 

“Joonmyun. Are you still there? You’ve gone quiet.” On the other side of the line, Yixing shifted nervously.

 

Joonmyun grimaced. His friends were close by, and he could feel them. The air pulsated with power, power that did not belong to him.

 

“I’ll call you back, Xing.” He said distractedly, pressing the end call button, sliding his phone into his back pocket. As if he had sensed something wrong, Yixing cried out in protest.

 

“No, Myun don’t!” But the line had already cut.

 

Joonmyun stepped through the wide open doors of the cottage, the high bay windows letting in enough sunlight that he had no reservations. There was nothing in the place that could indicate an entrance elsewhere and his connection with Luhan and Yifan remained constant, humming strongly in his ears. He felt his phone vibrate once in his pocket as he walked out of the cottage, the telepathic link between him and his friends kicking up a notch the moment he moved towards the concrete pool.

 

The tank was deep, maybe about two metres deep and level straight across. Joonmyun climbed down the rusty ladder, a bubble of water rising up to catch him and depositing him neatly at the bottom of the tank. The singing in his ears roared, frequency intensifying in his mind until he was dizzy from it, deaf to anything else.

 

Yep, definitely here. He thought as he leaned back against the concrete wall. He inhaled sharply as a wave of nausea swept over him and the roaring shook his body violently. His knees buckled and he crumpled onto the floor, darkness clouding his vision.

 

Joonmyun? A soft, all too familiar voice calling his name was the last thing he heard before everything went black.