Sehun watches as Chen helps move his legs into position. “You gotta get into a good fighting stance. Just before you’re about to fight, point one knee left or right and the other straight,” his instructor goes back to his place a few feet in front of Sehun. “Bend your knees until you’re level with your fighter’s eyes.”

Sehun nods, doing as he’s told. “Like this?” He asks, looking back at Chen. 

“Yeah. Keep your fist raised so they protect your face. Keep your elbows close to your body.” He instructs, getting into the same position. He looks at the head gear Chen had put on, as well as boxing gloves. He had made Sehun wear them as well; so they don’t get too hurt while they train. He feels stupid. “Always keep an eye on your opponent's fists. But if they have a knife or gun, that should be your focus of attention.”

“Okay, I got it.”

Chen examines his posture closely, helping him correct a few bad angles. When he’s satisfied, he stands behind Sehun. “Now, you should always keep your back away from your enemy,” He says, grabbing Sehun’s arm. He gives him a pat, as if to tell him to relax. “But, if someone tries to grab you from behind, sit down.”

“Sit down?” Sehun asks with confusion. 

“Yeah, try to get your whole body to the floor with as much force as you can. This’ll make it difficult to hold or lift you. If they try to choke you,” Chen gets into position, seeming to replicate a choking motion. He uses his right hand to take Sehun’s arm and rearrange it. “Shove your elbow behind you into his or her collarbone as hard as you can.” He pauses, seeming to let Sehun get used to the position. Once he’s sure the boy has it, he lets him go and gets back in front of him. “You good to learn how to take some punches?”

Sehun nods. “You mean you’re gonna hit me, right?”

“Yeah but,” Chen laughs. “I think you can take it. You’re a tough guy. I mean, especially with what you went through with Zitao.” The boy’s smile falters, which makes Chen frown as well. “Hey, I didn’t mean to bring that up. I uh...I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“No, no,” Sehun clears his throat. “I um...I need to get over it. It’s okay, really.”

Chen smiles again and nods. “Alright. When someone punches your head, move your head toward the punch,” He says. “It might seem stupid but it might make your attacker miss its target, which is probably going to be your eyes or nose. You want to clench your jaw and tighten your neck, and try to absorb it with your forehead,” He approaches Sehun, slowly throwing a punch, gently smacking the boy in the head. “Your forehead is strong, so a punch there will cause you the least damage and hurt the other’s hand the most.”

“Right,” Sehun nods again.

“Okay, now,” His instructor brings his hand toward Sehun’s stomach. “If they go for your stomach, tighten your stomach. Don’t in, though. Try to twist your torso so that the punch lands on your obliques instead. If you want, we can help train your stomach to take punches and blows better. Personally, I’ve taken countless body shots. I’ve been punched so hard and so much in the stomach that it doesn’t really hurt.”

Sehun stares at him. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, you want proof?”

“Kind of,” he admits. “But I’d feel bad hitting you.”

“It’s okay,” Chen shrugs before removing his own shirt. This guy is seriously toned. Nice, tight abs. “I can take this time to teach you how to punch properly. Take off your gloves.”

“What? And punch you bare-fist?” He asks.

“Well, you still have your hand wraps on but it’ll be fine either way.”

Sehun slowly begins to pull off the boxing gloves, setting them on a nearby table. “Okay, I guess. If it’s alright.”

Chen nods. “Don’t worry, you’re not gonna hurt me. Now, what you wanna do when you punch is get the right fist.”

“Right fist?”

“Get into your fighting stance,” He commends, which Sehun does. “You’re gonna wanna tuck your thumb over your middle finger to make a proper fist and avoid injuries,” Sehun does as he’s told again, making sure his fist is in the right place. “Tuck your dominant hand against your chin and raise your free hand. Bend your elbows and lift your dominant hand up to your cheek,” Chen watches as Sehun brings his fists up, as he’s told. “Hold it a few inches from the surface of your skin with your knuckles pointing up and your elbow against your ribs.” He goes over, helping Sehun’s stance once more. He pushes Sehun’s knees slightly. “That'll help generate power and transfer it quickly from your legs to your upper body.”

“Okay,” Sehun nods. “I think I got it.”

“Good. Pivot your back foot and turn your knee inward to initiate the punch. Twist your hips,” He goes behind Sehun, grabbing his hips and helping him twist in the right direction. “Extend your fist and allow your arm to turn inwards,” He guides Sehun’s fist forward. “Alright,” Chen returns to his spot and nods. He prepares him, stretching his arms for a second. “Go on, punch me as hard as you can, right in my stomach. Just the way I taught you.”

“Okay,” Sehun says. He takes a deep breath, returning to the pose he had been taught. Another deep breath before he punches, letting his arm swing as he’s told. He looks at Chen’s reaction after his first contact with the tighten abs. To his surprise, the man barely registers it. “Holy .”

Chen nods and puts his hands on his hips. “You have a good form, kiddo!”

“God, you...that didn’t hurt?!”

“I told you,” He laughs and shrugs. “Stick with me and I’ll toughen you up.” They both look over as the front door opens, Kai entering the warehouse with Amber in tow. “Boss is back.”

“Everyone, gather around!” Kai shouts as he heads for the wooden table. As everyone does gather around in chairs around the table, Amber takes this moment to set her laptop up; linking it up with a TV that Baekhyun and Junmyeon wheel over. When Sehun approaches, Kai quickly pulls an extra chair up for him. Sehun blushes in response, clearing his throat. He pushes the sweat from his hair. Chen made him work out hardcore before their lesson; he doesn’t know why. He mumbles a thank you before sitting with Suho, who looks at them oddly. Amber pulls up a map of the city. “I’m not going to lie,” He begins to say. “The last mission, like the one before it, went to ing .”

“But not completely,” Amber cuts in. “Thanks to the information you two got, we know where Sovereign is staying.”

“Wait, how does he know?” D.O asks.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” Amber responds. “But it turns out, King had him in his files. My guess is that he’s after Sovereign and his men as well.”

Kai stands behind Sehun’s chair, grabbing the back and leaning on it. “Amber found a secret camera King had set up in one of Sovereign's hotel rooms. From Amber’s calculations, they’ll be in the same place at the same time, next month.”

Suho shakes his head. “What does that even mean?”

“It means if we go too, we can take both of them down at the same time,” Amber answers instead.

“Yeah,” Kai agrees. “They’ll be so focused on each other, we can slip in and take them out.”

“It can’t be that simple,” Sehun speaks up. “Sovereign isn’t a stupid guy. He has a lieutenant who is as cruel and masochistic as him.”

Suho looks upset when he says that, reaching over and grabbing his brother’s hand tightly. Kai lets out a sigh and stands beside Amber. “Do you remember anything about the one you saw?”

“Like I said,” the boy sighs. “He’s cold, horrible...he enjoys the torture. His name is Kris.”

“Kris,” Amber nods, putting up some photos on the screen. Sehun looks away when Kris’ scary face shows up. “A Chinese man named Wu Yi Fan but he goes by Kris. He’s Zitao’s number one guy.”

Sehun stares at the map for a moment before speaking up. “It would be stupid to try for it right now,” he says, getting everyone's attention. “I know it’s not my place but...I think we should take him out first.”

The boss hums in thought for a moment, looking at Kris’ face. He slowly nods. “I agree. Now, for when we finally hit the hotel, we’ll have back-up on the roof;  our two best shooters.” Kai motions to Chanyeol and Xiumin. 

Chanyeol pulls over two cases and opens them up. He and Xiumin hold up sniper rifles as if to make a point. “Xiumin and I’ll wait on the opposite building, with these.”

“We won’t miss,” Xiumin giggles. “We never do.”

“Cherry bomb and I’ll be waiting outside, if you do not need me to fight,” Lay offers. "What should we do to prepare while we wait?”

“We need to stock up,” Kai begins. “Xiumin and Chen, get on those deliveries. I’ll send the coordinates via text message. D.O and Chanyeol, I want you two to teach Sehun everything you know; Do NOT let anyone near him.” Sehun glances up, briefly meeting his eye. The two of them nod but D.O gives him a tight but reassuring smile. “Baekhyun, Suho...you two already know what to do.”

“Our specialty,” Suho chuckles as he crosses his arms. When Sehun looks at him in confusion, he explains. “Baekhyun and I specialize in uhh…”

“Oh...explosive, right?” Sehun answers for him. 

“I wanted to be in charge of explosives: Chanyeol grumbles and Suho shakes his head.

“No way! The last time we put you in charge of them, you blew up Lay’s old car!”

“Thanks for that,” Lay sighs sadly.

“I said I was sorry!” Chanyeol whines.

The driver takes a deep, calming breath. “Rest in peace, Black Stallion...”

When the meeting ends and the others go their separate ways to stock up and prepare, D.O and Chanyeol appear at Sehun’s side. D.O puts a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” He says. When instructed, Sehun stands and follows D.O and Chanyeol out the back door and down the shallow stairs. “Kai told me the state he found you in and how he had to carry you back..”

“When you were uh…” Chanyeol clears his throat. “Tortured.”

“Oh,” Sehun begins to nervously fiddle with his hand wrappings.

“I inspected the door and figured out how you managed to escape,” D.O leads him over to the training area behind the warehouse. “Not many people in your position would think to use a knife to open a lock,” he stops and turns, putting both of his hands on the younger boy’s shoulder; despite being shorter. “You did well.”

“Thanks,” Sehun blushes, bashful at the compliment. It’s a huge deal to him whenever D.O compliments him; being the hardest one to impress.

The big-eyed member pulls a sheathed knife from inside his jacket. He takes it and hands it to Sehun. “This is a Gerber Silver Trident,” D.O explains. “Always carry this on you. I do NOT want a repeat of last time.”

“I’m sorry…” Sehun looks down shamefully. D.O shakes his head quickly.

“No, I’m not angry at you,” He quickly explains. “You’re family now, Sehun. That means if someone hurts you, they hurt the rest of us.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nods in agreement. “Through you, he basically tortured us all."

Sehun stares at the blade, unsure what to feel. “I want you to be ready next time,” He looks up at D.O as he speaks. “That means paying attention to your surroundings better.”

“Which,” Chanyeol lets out a disappointed sigh. “We didn’t cover it before...I guess we didn’t anticipate Sovereign.” 

D.O  grabs his own knife from his belt and spins it in his hand before catching it firmly by the handle. He turns and stabs a picture of King, pinning it up on a nearby tree. “But we’ll be ready this time.”

“It’s time for him to be scared,” Chanyeol smirks. He pulls out a small suitcase and sets it on some stacked boxes. “We don’t expect you to never get hurt again, but we want to make damn sure you’re as prepared as you can be.” He opens it, revealing two guns inside. Sehun comes when beckoned, watching as Chanyeol takes the gun from Sehun’s belt and hands it to D.O. “You’ll carry two guns now. 

“Is that really nec-”

“Yes,” Chanyeol interrupts. “You’re fast from what we’ve seen,” He explains as he takes both guns from their case. He turns over to the small range, pointing both of them. His right hand is pointed and the other is in a low but ready position. Without blinking, he shoots once and then twice with the other gun, easily making his mark.

“Wow,” Sehun watches in awe.

“You don’t use both guns at the same time,” He explains. “That’d be impossible...but a second gun CAN save your life; if you lose your main weapon or you have no time to reload.”

“Mostly the ones who mainly participate in fights carry two guns,” D.O explains further. “And if we need someone to fight, like Lay, we always have spares.”

Sehun nods as Chanyeol hands the two pistols to him. “I think I got it.”

“You're already exceptional,” D.O smiles fondly. “I imagine with extended training from Chanyeol, Chen, and I, you’ll be very deadly.”

“Thanks, D.O.” He should be uncomfortable with that kind of compliment. But after his father and what Zitao did to him, he doesn’t care anymore.

His new mentor nods and takes a step back. “Kai wants you safe, As safe as someone in our line of work can be, at least.” Sehun turns toward the range, stopping when he thinks back on a few nights ago. He rubs his cheeks, becoming shy as he remembers the kiss. “Chanyeol and I have to prepare but we want you to stay and practice. You’ll do well.” Without another word, they turn, leaving him in peace.

“Amber,” They both greet before continuing on their way. 

“Hey, kiddo.” Sehun turns and smiles at her as she nervously approaches him. “Are you um...are you okay?” she sighs. “You've been through, like, a ton.”

“I...I don't know,” He shrugs. “I mean...for once, I know what I want and need to do. I have a clear path set for me.”

“I’m gonna be honest; I feel like complete , Sehun.”

“Why?”

Amber looks at him oddly. “What do you mean...why? I got you kidnapped a-and tortured!”

Sehun shakes his head. “You didn’t though. You had no idea Sovereign’s men were there. None of us even knew about him until he took me.”

“Y-Yeah but…” She lets out a frustrated sigh, messing up her blonde hair. “Krystal and everyone else said so but…god, it’s my jam to know and be aware. But I looked away for a second and didn’t see those come up on you. N-next thing I know, you’re…”

“Knocked down.”

“I saw you being dragged a-and I ran out, as fast as I could b-but-”

“Amber,” Sehun interrupts, setting his guns down. When she looks up, her eyes glisten on the verge of tears. He puts his hands on her shoulders. “No one blames you, okay? Because of what Zitao did to me, I’m stronger now. And because of you, we know where they both are.” 

“That’s not worth what you went through…”

Sehun stares at her and takes a deep breath. “You were there, weren’t you?”

“W-what?”

“When Kai and the others found me…”

Amber smiles weakly, obvious tiredness in her eyes. “Yeah. Kai tried to hide you b-but I saw you. It...it was horrible. You had so much blood on you, so many cuts. But they all stopped me from raiding the place with them; I stayed in the car.”

“Krystal says you with guns.”

“Yeahh,” She grins sheepishly. “Krystal helped with the raid instead.”

Sehun raises a brow. “What?”

Aber shrugs and stuffs her hands into her pockets. “Krystal used to be part of an all-girls gang before Sovereign killed them all.”

“By...himself?”

“No, with Kris,” she explains. “Krystal didn’t tell us about him because she thought he was back in China. But she was the leader of those girls...so she felt like she failed them. Losing them one by one before being tortured by him herself. Sovereign’s...really vicious.” Sehun nods in agreement. He got to know that very well while in that ing basement. He still has nightmares, of course; the Chinese leader staring down at him with a sinister grin. “You can’t be scared of him.”

“That’s kind of hard,” He admits quietly.

It’s Amber’s turn to grab Sehun’s shoulders. “I know, Sehun! If anyone knows what he’s capable of, it’s Krystal and you. She was with him for two months before she escaped and she still had nightmares,” she shakes her head. “Trust me, I don’t blame you for fearing him.” 

“Krystal knows a lot about him?”

“Yeah,” Amber lets her hands swing back to her side. He thinks her big sweater to be endearing. “She says she wants to help take him down. That’s why she’s gonna join the fight.”

Sehun nods, looking at the floor. He bites his lip as he thinks back on his time down there. He remembers the jacket and wrist tattoo. “Tao had a wolf tattoo on his wrist, as well on the back of his jacket.”

“According to Krystal, It’s their gang’s symbol,” She explains. “I think in parts of China, wolves symbolize bad luck.”

“Fitting…”

Amber puts her hands on her hips. “Amber puts her hands on his hips. “You have to give him credit though. It’s a well-thought-out kinda deal.” She stares at Sehun’s guns before snapping her fingers, causing him to flinch. “Oh right!”

“W-what?”

“Luhan!” Amber smacks her forehead. “I totally forgot!”

“Luhan? What does he-”

“He’s one of Sovereign’s lieutenants. Kind of like how Lay and D.O are Kai’s.”

Sehun furrows his brows. “Lay’s a lieutenant?!”

“Yeah, D.O is the one that usually fights though.”

“Lay’s our driver,” Sehun says and she nods.

“Well, Tao has two as well. Kris is one of them and the other is Luhan; that damn hacker!”

“I heard about him b-but…” Sehun becomes nervous. Even if he’s a hacker, won’t he be as horrible as Kris? 

“Come on!” Amber motions before running back into the warehouse. After grabbing his new guns and knife, he quickly follows. “Kai!” Her voice echoes through the almost empty headquarters. Kai looks up from his map spread out on the table, narrowing his eyes when he sees Sehun behind her. 

“I thought you were told to practice.”

“My fault,” Amber shrugs before slamming her head down on the table. Kai jumps a bit, giving her a frustrated look. Sehun almost laughs at how dramatic she is. “I’m a complete idiot.”

“What? No, you’re not,” Kai huffs as if it’s the stupidest thing he’s ever heard.

“I forgot about Luhan!” 

“You’re right,” The leader groans. “You’re an idiot.”

Amber shrugs. “Fair enough but when you mentioned him to me, I looked into him a bit and asked Krystal.” Sehun sits beside Kai, watching as the hacker pulls her laptop out and opens it up. She clicks a button, quickly bringing up a photo of a boy. He’s quite pretty and actually innocent-looking; kind of like Xiumin. He doesn’t seem like the type to be in a gang. “Luhan!” She pats her screen. “This little is always hidden somewhere but Kris is always, ALWAYS near Sovereign. ALWAYS!” 

“Always?”

“ALWAYS!” She shouts. “Luhan is from China and he was recruited about two years when he dropped out of college. They knew each other during their childhood, so, loyalty is obvious. But um...I couldn’t find anything on Kris…”

“Everyone take a shot every time Am says ALWAYS,” Krystal jokes as she walks ahead of D.O, both coming from downstairs. Both of them wear bloody gloves, causing Sehun to narrow his eyes. “Luckily for you guys, Kris and I are...more acquainted than I want to be. “

D.O nods as they both begin to take their gloves off and toss them in the trash. He shows her to the sink, where they rinse their hands. “And we may know where Luhan is.”

“Might?” Kai scowls.

“Sovereign has him moved every two months,” Krystal explains. “It’s almost the end of the second month, so we have to move fast to snatch him.” She heads over to the table, standing beside Amber. She leans over, pointing to a location on the map. “In a few days, at four in the morning, Luhan will be transported from here.” Kai frowns.

“That’s...where we found Sehun.”

“What?” Sehun looks it over carefully. 

“He probably thinks it’s safe,” Amber shrugs. “After EXO raided it, why would they raid it again?”

“Usually Sovereign is present for these transports but not this time. But that means extra protection for his cockroach.”

Kai slowly grins. “Finally, a of good luck.” 

“We’re going after him, right?” D.O asks and the boss grabs his gun.

“You bet your ing we are,” Kai growls. “He helped capture one of our boys. Thanks to that, Sehun was tortured slowly and without mercy. He dies. Very slowly.”

Sehun looks up into Kai’s eyes, seeing the rage inside. The leader’s image begins to change. From this ruthless torturer to a man who loves and protects his own family fiercely. He’d take a bullet for any of them at any time and never regret it. If it means the others would live, he’d die for them in an instance. Sehun respects that and he respects him. Kai looks down, staring back into his eyes for a long moment. “They all die,” He whispers. “Especially Zitao.”

“I…I want to kill him myself,” Sehun whispers angrily as he begins to shake. But he slowly begins to calm down when Kai touches his face with surprising gentleness. 

“Then...he’s yours.”