March 23, 2261
Matsue, Japan



Daybreak illuminated the land, casting light upon a pair of massive, ancient factories. One stood in the centre of a small valley, while its twin awkwardly settled on the horizon. Time had not treated either of the buildings well, the shiny metal sheen dulled to a musky gray from the seasons. Large sheets of the metal curled away from the structure, while others hung like flayed skin, coated in rust and grime. Years had passed since the two buildings had last choked out toxic clouds of smoke, their grounds teeming with bustling humans.

Barely visible as their clothing blended against the second factory they were settled on, two figures puffed out clouds as the cold morning air stung their lungs. One was leaning against one of the last smoke stacks to remain standing, folding his arms across his chest. The rusty spot he relaxed against matched the dark maroon of his patchy coat. The sharp contrast to his pale skin made him appear to be glowing against the rays of the morning sun. 

The other sat with his legs dangling off the edge of the roof, thousands of feet above the earth. A morning breeze lightly ruffled his hair and tugged at his silver scarf playfully. Scowling, the man tucked the loose cloth into his jacket before relaxing back against his hands once more.    
 
Unfolding his limbs smoothly, the man strode over to his friend, and looked down at him. Ignoring the deadly drop, he nudged the boy with his foot.

"Rested enough? Will you be ready to go soon?"

Reclining back onto his palms, the boy frowned. "Yeah. I should be able to go. But..." He paused. "...are you sure you have a proper grasp on the vision? Like, you aren't misreading or misunderstanding this one? I mean, we're a long way from home. Just want to be sure."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he set his companion a frosty look. "I have a better grasp on it then before, Sungyeol. I know we're heading in the right direction. Now, would you be so kind as to move your ? We only have so much time-"

"You would know that." He rolled away from the edge, just dodging the kick that was sent his way. He picked himself up and made his way over to the other traveller.

"Come on. Places to go, people to save, asses to be kicked," He held out his arm with a grin. His friend rolled his eyes and gripped it firmly.

"Shut up. Let's go already."

With a crack, they disappeared, leaving the factories to the birds once more.

-v-v-v-   

Tottori, Japan
 

He slammed his fist against the wall as another shooting bolt of pain laced through him. Biting his lip until it bled, he fought the urge to scream and curl into a ball. He would not be weak. That's what they wanted.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor behind him. Whipping his head around, he glared through shaggy locks at the man standing just beyond the bars of his cell.

"Hmmm...Subject X-00345-877, you seem to be taking the injection in stride."

“My...my name is-“He clutched at his sides and started keening as the pain attacked him again.

Ignoring him, the man peered down at the holographic screen on the metal podium in front of the confinement, making occasional humming noises. "Let's see, you nearly managed to keep up to your usual standards on your physical test. Your mental one, not so much, but then again, that was never your strong point." He giggled, taking off his round glasses and wiping them clean on his lab coat as his eyes continued to scan the page. “The injection was administered 3 days ago. Usually our subjects have died around this point if their body doesn’t accept the solution.”

The feeling of his lungs being squeezed caused the subject’s knees to nearly buckle. Panting as the ache slowly began to reside, he fought to get the words out. "Wh...What have y-you done to me? Wh...wha-...what is goin-"

The man in the lab coat fixed his now sparkling glasses back onto his shrewish face, and scowled as Subject X-00345-877 fell to his knees, finally giving into the angry throb lacing through his chest and spine. "Now, now, you know you aren't allowed to be asking questions. Besides, we did exactly what you thought we were going to do. Honestly, 877, your mental tests may be low, but you aren't completely brain dead. Everything we worked for and tried to achieve together as amounted to this test-the ultimate test. To see if you were compatible with the solution. Well, one of them. It's kind of a work in progress."

His eyes fought against his will, trying to roll back into his head. A haze began to settle onto his mind. He knew why he had been taken. But he didn't quite want to acknowledge it. He didn't want to believe he could die at this very moment because of something he couldn't control or even volunteered for.

"Plea...please...help..." He felt himself fall as his mind went black and another pain stabbed at his gut.

Ignoring the body in front of him, the man peered closer at the hologram in interest as the subject's vital signs began to spike.

"My! Look at its heart-and those brain waves!" He spoke quietly, his voice trembling with excitement. "I-it must have accepted it-the solution must have worked!" Still, he leaned closed, becoming engrossed in the information flashing across the screen.

Snapping of bones and the sickening pulpy sound of muscles, veins and arteries rearranging made the man look up for a second.

His gaze became transfixed as the body of the subject began to morph, the shoulders broadening, the head becoming broader and fur sprouting from the face and visible skin.

But something was wrong.

It appeared to be working as one arm grew the same fur as the rest of the body's morphing pattern. But the other arm grew a few inches too long, a thin green sheen of scales rippling from bushy shoulder to chipped, yellow claw tip. One bare foot became thick and padded, like a bear's, while the other elegant and golden yellow, like a cat's. The bones tried to match the configuration of the new shift, with one leg being short and stubby, the other long and muscled with large haunches melting into a dainty cat foot. The shifting continued randomly, and the scientist watched in fascination, leaning closer.

The subject's eyes snapped open, too human against the coarse fur that lined his eyes. Anger, pain, fear, sorrow flashed across his gaze before his eyes gained a red and sickly yellowish sheen.

Before the observing man could even move, the creature was pushed up against the bars of his cage, his scaly arm embedded deep within the man's liver. Gasping for air and trying to make sense of what had just happened through the pain, the man feebly tried to stumble away, his lab coat sticking to his side in a new shade of crimson.

Grabbing him clumsily with his other hand's stubby fingers, he moved his face closer to the man's, now towering over his captor. "What have you done to me?!" The subject's voice came out as a growl, his vocal cords not yet fully formed to fit his new figure. 

Dark blood continued to torrent down the man's side, oozing over the pristine white tile and into the cell. As the sticky red clung to his mismatched feet, the thing finally let loose his full rage, yelling even as his hands began to claw the soggy carcass into shreds.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!"

 

-v-v-v-


If it hadn’t been for the slight interruption of another person entering the room, she probably would have won. Probably.

Instead she lay on the ground, the handy work of a sweeping kick to the side of her legs, the older man standing over her, one hand at , the other holding a knife to her sweaty cheek.

“I give, hyung, I give,” She relented reluctantly, relaxing her body in a sign of submission.

“That would make what? 34 wins to your 5?” The man grinned childishly before getting off of her and holding out his hand. Accepting it, she let him pull her to her feet with a scowl on her face.

“I would have beaten you. But somebody decided to distract me.” She whipped her head around to stare at the newcomer, a young pretty boy.

Looking far from intimidated, the boy waved it off, flicking his hair to the side as he smiled at the pair standing in the training grounds.

“Oh pssh, Mei, you can’t blame me. What if hyung really was an enemy, and I was his teammate. You would have been double teamed so badly.”

Growling, she took a step forward, “I should beat your litt-“

Ignoring her, he glanced over at the man standing beside the girl and smiled impishly. “Hyung, it’s Sunggyu on the line. He says they’re in Matsue, heading for Tottori. They had to stop a couple of times for Sungyeol, but aside from that, they’re on schedule. One, maximum two, more teleport cycles are needed before they get there.”

“Excellent,” grabbing a towel from a nearby rack, the man dabbed his brow as he headed for the door. “Tukutz still around?”

“Yep.”

He pulled open the door and turned back, “Perfect. Okay, let’s go see if he can get access to some of the security cameras in the Science Institute in Tottori. While he works on that, Mei go take a shower; I don’t want you to get sick. Sungjong, you come with me. Tukutz may need a couple of extra hands.”

Nodding, the boy trotted after him, as the girl grabbed a towel and headed for the showers.



-v-v-v-

Seoul, South Korea


“Myungsoo, come on, we’re going to be late! The store closes at 6!” A feminine voice echoed from one of the rooms within the apartment.

Looking up from a sketch of a small mouse, the man pushed his glasses into his hair, calling out a reply over his shoulder. “Gimme a second, I’m almost done!” Drawing a few more lines to complete the texture of fur, he pulled back to look at it overall.

Taking a deep break, he looked around warily. Positive that he was alone, he swallowed and clenched his jaw and slowly lowered one shaking palm onto the drawing. Unsure of what to do next, he wet his lips and closed his eyes hesitantly.

A light began to burn from beyond his eyelids, and he fought hard against curiosity to open them. He had done that once, and it had apparently interrupted whatever the hell was going on. The results had not been pretty.

When warm fur brushed his fingertips and scuffling sounds of panicked paws reached his ears, he allowed himself to open his eyes and look down.

Moving his hand to cup the other, he quickly turned it to reveal what was underneath. Gasping, he stared down in wonder and fear as a tiny brown mouse tried to scuttle up the walls his hands had created. The page that had previously held the drawing of the rodent was blank.

“Sweetie?” The voice was too close, just at the door way. He just managed to cover the mouse, hiding it from sight and sheepishly glancing over, making eye contact with the woman behind him.

“Sorry, Suzy, I just, um, found a mouse and was trying to catch it.”

The girl’s eyes went wide and she covered as she yelped. “Ew! Di-did you catch it?”

He blinked and let a warm smile spread across his features. “Yes, I did. No need to worry, I’m sure he was the only one.” Myungsoo stood, smoothly sliding the mouse into one hand and hiding it behind his back as he moved forward towards his girlfriend.

“You all ready to go?”

Suzy let her hand rest against her chest as she beamed up at him. “Yep! I was just waiting for you!”

Letting his free hand play with her hair, Myungsoo gently kissed her forehead. “How about you go pull the car out front and I’ll get rid of the mouse, hm? I’ll be there in just a minute.”

“Okay, sounds good.” She brushed her lips against his and skipped out of the room humming.

When he was sure she was gone, he brought his hand around and opened it slowly. Staring down at the mouse as it began to flicker it’s ear nervously back and forth, he tried not to shake as he whispered his thoughts out loud fearfully,

“What is going on?”
 

-v-v-v-


Wando, South Korea


“Is it asleep?”

“The readings say it is.”

The pair in the lab coats looked down at their metal clipboard, one taping the holographic screen every once in a while to change the page.

“Its readings did fairly well today. Look at its improvement in its control. Amazing!”

The screen flickered back to the first page, the glowing words just visible in the dark hallway.

Subject: Subject X-00227-342, Lee Howon

A sudden spike in the subject’s heart rate was the only warning they got before the man threw his body at his cell doors, yelling, his eyes wild.

“Let me out, damn you!”

The two scientists stumbled back in shock and fear, before the first recovered and held out metal pole that had hung on the wall previously. The tip lightly hit the man’s chest, but sent him flying backwards into the wall, sparks jumping from his body. Groaning, he held his head, rubbing his temples. He tried to get up but failed, crumbling to the ground.

Raising his nose in the air and turning away from the stench of burnt flesh, the man pushed a button on the wall. A vacuum of air whooshed through the corridor, taking the offensive smell away, and leaving the injured man to hug his aching chest to himself.

“Subject 342, this is your third offense this month. Have another, and we’ll severely punish you.” Turning away, the scientist stormed down the hall, his companion scuttling at his heels.

Pulling himself up as he heard the corridor’s thick steel door shut behind the two, Subject X-00227-342 dragged himself painfully towards the edges of his cell. Reaching a shaking hand through the bars, he gently felt around until he felt a cold metal card. Nudging it closer, while still rubbing his chest with his other hand, he tried to pick it up with his damaged fingernails. It was a difficult process, as they were stubby and ragged from the long hours of him clawing at the walls. Eventually he held it up, using the light from the holographic screen on the podium near his confinement area.

From the ID picture on the card, it belonged to the less bold of the two scientists, the one who had followed the other around like a dog on a leash. The man felt a smirk begin to curl his lips, the closest thing he had to a smile in years. The little metal rectangle was the man’s access card, allowing him to enter the Institute, open the doors that led to the cells, and even open the cages themselves.

He had been waiting for an opportunity like this.

Reaching throw the bars gingerly, he slid it through the card reader. A low buzz and several clicks later, and the door swung open. As if in a dream, the man slowly stepped out of his confinement, his eyes darting about for the first sign of danger.

He relaxed after a few minutes as no bells rang or lights flashed warningly. Instead of bolting for the nearest air duct, Subject X-00227-342 raised his hands in front of his face and stared at them. A warm pulsing feeling throbbed at his veins. The cage had restricted him in more ways than one. With a quick flex of his fingers, a burst of flames appeared and began to wind itself around his hand gently.

“Finally...,” He whispered, a smile creeping onto his lips as his eyes remained glazed over with the crazed look. “Let’s see how much I’ve truly improved...”    


-v-v-v-


Gyeonggi, South Korea

 

The boy watched the chaos unfold on the holograph screen in fascination, his mouth hanging open.

“Dongwoo, what have I told you about watching that kind of news on the TV?” His mother tsked as she entering the room.

“Mom, what’s going on?” He pointed as he looked at her with confusion, clearly not hearing her.

Frowning, she moved closer as her son turned up the sound.

“-millions of dollars were spent on this Institute when it was built in 2185. Used for the Scientific good of humanity, it is one of many scattered across the globe. Unfortunately it appears as if its legacy is drawing to a close. An explosion rocked the foundations of this building about an hour ago, demolishing half of it. The flames are too strong for the firefighters and the building is growing increasingly unsteady making it dangerous for people to enter. An unknown number of victims are still trapped within however. Though officials have yet to release a statement, many believe to be the result of a terrorist attack, or even an S4S1-“

Dongwoo blinked as the screen disappeared, turning around look at his mother. She held the remote in a firm grip, even though her face was ashen.    
 
Silence settled over the room, before it was interrupted by the sound of claws clicking against the ground. A small fuzzy puppy ran over to the boy, who gently drew him onto his lap and began to run a hand through his fur.

“Mom...”

She inhaled deeply, letting her arm drop and placing the remote back onto the table. “Yes?”

“Was he talking about the S4S16s? The new mutants?” He didn’t seem to notice his mother tensing up. “Why does everyone hate them? Is this why? Is it because of the war? Are they like aliens?”

The rush of questions stunned the woman for a second before she chuckled. “Dongwoo you ask so many questions; you sound like a child, and yet you’re 19.” Settling onto the ground beside him and petting the dog, she relaxed back against the sofa and sighed.

“Yes, he was talking about…about the S4S16s. But Honey,” She met her son’s eyes, her gaze focused. “Never call them that. Or treat them oddly. They’re normal people…just a little more special. Alright? Promise me.”

Dongwoo gazed at her with wide eyes while nodding his head earnestly. “Yes mom, I promise.”

Laughing quietly despite her initial soberness, the woman slowly stood up and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Good, you better keep that promise.”

“I will, mom!”


-v-v-v-

Wando, South Korea

The sound of explosions shook the air, nearly knocking Sunggyu off his feet. He stumbled back as a wave of heat slammed into him, the fiery destruction nearly 100 feet away. Large flames the evening sky and the sound of glass shattering and screams split the air.

“No…no, this wasn’t supposed to happen!” He shook his head, his eyes widening in horror. “NO!” He screamed, falling to his knees as the ground rumbled in reply. Half the institute in front of him had collapsed already, caving in on itself and its inhabitants. Cries for help continued to be heard despite the roaring flames and piercing sirens while firemen tried helplessly to put out the flame.

“NO!” Grabbing his hair in his hands, Sunggyu yelled until his throat throbbed in pain and his head felt like it was going to split.

It took him a few minutes to realise there was a hand resting on his shoulder. “Hyung…hyung, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do now.” Sungyeol leaned over to speak softly to the older boy, while he attempted to brace the body he held against his right side.

“Sungyeol…I’ve failed…again,” tears streaked down his face, and the other boy looked away as the lump in his throat grew.

“Sunggyu, we saved one. We saved one of us, and that’s better than nothing. But we have to get him back to Tablo, fast. He doesn’t look okay…and us staying here isn’t going to change anything.”

The man silently stared at the wreckage, two twin tracks trailing from his eyes through the dust on his face to his jawline. Sungyeol wasn’t sure of what to do: his hyung looked so broken, and he didn’t want to disturb his mourning; they both knew they were going to have to leave in a matter of minutes and wouldn’t be able to help anyone. The investigators would be coming around looking for suspicious people, and they couldn’t chance being discovered. The young man leaning against him was growing fainter with each passing moment, his breaths shallow, and his face gray. Usually Sunggyu took control of the situation no matter what, but he did nothing as Sungyeol grew more and more anxious.

The boy glanced to his left and inhaled sharply, moving to jostle the older boy, “ Hyung, we have to go! The cops are coming this way.” Sure enough, the men in uniforms were making their way through the rubble towards the three teenagers.

Gritting his teeth when he didn’t receive a response, Sungyeol grabbed Sunggyu’s arm in a tight grit and closed his eyes. Focusing hard, he pulled the stranger closer while he echoed the action in his mind, tugging a handful of invisible strings together. Thinking of home, he took a deep breath and let go. A loud snap bit at his ears and the world spun for a moment before it shifted back into place. Gasping for breath, he opened his eyes as the air grew comfortably warm and the sound of a friendly, crackling fire could be heard.

He was standing in an immense library, books going up several floors worth of space. A fire burned carefully in it hearth behind him, and a large dining table stretched out before him, covered in papers and various dishes. Matching oak chairs were arranged in different areas, some tucked neatly against the table, while others were sitting a few feet away, crookedly. A long, green oriental carpet brushed against the thin soles of his worn boots. Relaxing his shoulders, he let the disoriented Sunggyu slip from his grasp, before recalling at the last second he had an additional passenger. Just managing to catch the man before he hit the carpet, the welcoming voice of his friend echoed across the room.

“Yeollie!” Sungjong ran across the room, his face worried. “Where’s hyun-“ He cut himself off as he noticed the man panting near Sungyeol’s feet. “Is…is he okay?” He slowed down to a jog before stopping before them, reaching out one hand to the older boy.

“He’s fine, just in shock. I need your help.” Moving away from the fireplace, the teleporter headed towards the table. With one sweeping motion with his arm, he sent dishes, books and papers flying, freeing up enough space to pull the stranger onto the table.

“I think he’s in shock, but not the normal kind,” Sungyeol glanced over at Sunggyu, whose face was slowly gaining more color, before turning back to Sungjong. “Can you fix him up? Until he’s stable, then we can just take him to our infirmary.”

Nodding, a spark of determination glowing in his eyes, the younger boy turned to his patient and held his hands out over the body, furrowing his brow. A moment later, a glow appeared around his fingertips, a soft humming settling over the air soothingly.

Tablo appeared next to him, two more men beside him. One, who Sungyeol recognised as Mithra, moved to help Sunggyu up, who appeared to have recovered from his breakdown, though he looked years older for it. The other, Tukutz, stood next to Sungjong and let a hand rest on his shoulder. Only from experience did Sungyeol know he was giving the younger boy energy; a good thing too, because Sungjong was going to need it.

“Sungyeol, what happened?” Blinking, he turned to Tablo and opened his mouth. He almost couldn’t seem to process everything that had happened today. 

It had all started going wrong when Tablo had called them up on their phones. They had been waiting outside of Tottori’s Science Institute for a few hours before Sunggyu gave him the go ahead to initiate the break in. Using Sunggyu’s ability, they managed to enter with little to no notice. He could remember exactly where they had gone: the 3^rd wing, on the 5^th floor, down to the 11^th corridor, and it was supposed to be cell #2015. But, when they had gotten to the 5^th floor, the 11^th corridor was in the wrong place according to Sunggyu. Suddenly his phone had ringed, and Tablo was on the line. He told them that they had gone to the wrong place: the Institute had already been blown up by the mutant. The pair had freaked out, thinking maybe at first they were stuck in a burning building. They had run down to the corridor and opened the door. A rather gristly sight was before them; the whole hallway was spotless except for the area in front of the one occupied cell. Meaty chunks of gore splattered the floors and walls, and only the tattered remains of clothing hinting at the idea of it once being a person. Sungyeol had thrown up at the smell and sight, clutching his phone close, while Sunggyu cautiously approached the cell. He had found the man lying unconscious and mostly , his arms slick with blood that was not his own.

Taking his pulse and noticing his other injuries and scars, Sunggyu had taken the man from his cell, only pausing to download the file from the active podium in front of the cage. It was only till he was a few feet in front of Sungyeol when they realised Tablo was still trying to tell them something. It turns out they were in the completely wrong building. And the wrong State.

The Institute from Sunggyu’s vision as actually one in Wando, South Korea; he had seen kanji and after Tablo had translated it originally, it had mention the Tottori Institute, in Japan, hence why they had gone there. But their simple mistake had cost hundreds of lives, both human and mutant. Shocked, they had teleported several times to male it over to Wando’s Institute of Science without breaks, minutes after it had met its destruction.

After he had finished telling Tablo the story, the older man had moved over to Sunggyu, who wordlessly handed him his phone. Taking it, the man flipped it over and pulled out its memory drive, a small cylinder, and gave the device back to its owner.

“We better find out who we picked up instead. If what you said is true, he could be dangerous.” He sent a warning look over to Mithra, who stepped closer to the unconscious boy. Pulling a small, flat box from his pocket, Tablo flipped it open and tapped out a code on its blank pad. Inserting the cylinder in its side, a holographic screen appeared over it, flickering with data. Narrowing his eyes at it, the man reached out and selected a line. It glowed once before vanishing; a picture of the boy appeared and a screen full of information on him; the exact data from the Institute.

Holding the holographic box closer to the body so the picture was next to the boy’s face, Tablo let out a low hum. Sungyeol and Sungjong exchanged a look as Tukutz seemed to read their mind.

“What’s his name?” He asked his voice quiet against the stifling atmosphere. 

Tapping the screen to enlarge the picture, the man answered,

“Nam Woohyun.”

A_A_A_A_A_A_A


How was that? Better than the original? This was supposed to be the intro chapter, several years before the story, giving a brief taster of the members and Mei (she was the first to meet them, and has known them for years, so I thought it’d be appropriate to throw her in here.)

Anywhos! This story line is similar yet completely different compared to Black Hole Sun. It has enough similarities that I kept the Black Hole Sun part in the title (BHS), but it’s new, hence “New Beginnings”. Yep. I’m creative. >>”

As an art student with a little too much free time, I started drawing character designs for each of the members (I have Sunggyu, Sungyeol, and Woohyun), as well as settings for South Korea in 2264, the slums of >insert future place they’re going to here<, a rough timeline of 2000-2264 (including all important space happenings, inventions, wars, etc) and new creatures that exist (if mutants can exist, why not ed up animals as well? I mean, we’re already having a head start on animal experimentation. By 2264, there’s bound to be a couple of new species out there.)

I’ll upload them to my DeviantArt and link you all to it when I get the chance :3

Oh, and yes, I plan on using the same characters from the original story (Mei, Francesca, Soojung, Ji Ae, Sanghee, Sofia, Jinri and Tae Joong). If you designed one of the characters and don’t feel comfortable with me using them again in this story, with its new plot line, settings and character design, please feel free to message me privately and I’ll put in a substitute :) I promise I won’t be offended, and I apologize to anyone of you providers if you feel offended for me using your character twice.

I would also like to apologize to all my original Black Hole Sun readers-I’m sorry I cut it off so close to the end of the story-I may go back to it, but with my University homework, social life, this new story, family things, and whatnot, I may not get a lot of time. (However, it’s in a more relaxed style of writing, so if I don’t want to write as elaborately as I will –try- for New Beginnings, I’ll probably just type up a chapter for BHS then.)

Anywhos, to all my new readers and old readers, thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoyed it.

And thanks to all my new/old commenters and subscribers in advance! I love feedback, and I’ll answer any questions you may have-I was pretty good at that in Black Hole Sun (until the later chapters, were it kinda got wonky >>”)



WhosThere13