♦ ♦ ♦ Chapter Fourteen ♦ ♦ ♦

Out of all of the EXO members, Baekhyun was, by far, the most exhausted and worn out. Unlike his friends, he wasn't brought up to go through rigorous activities like hand-to-hand combat and battle drills and the like. He envied his friends openly, pouting as he watched them go through training like it was as simple as eating. Even D.O., who was smaller and looked more fragile than him, was sparring with Kris (of all people) with ease and comfort. Baekhyun watched as Kris brought his leg up in a swift motion, planning to kick D.O. on the side, but the smaller male easily jumped up, seemingly afloat for a second, before spinning his entire body and countering Kris' failed kick with a successful one of his own.

Baekhyun let out a sigh, pulling up his knees before resting his elbows over them and squishing his face in annoyance. He really wanted to learn and at least do fair in this thing, but he just wasn't built for it. He felt Chanyeol sit down beside him, and the taller male's presence helped him relax a bit, if not entirely.

"What's up?" Chanyeol had his shirt sleeves pulled up to reveal his toned arms, glistening with sweat and marked with faint bruises. He had been sparring with Sehun a few moments ago until he decided to rest.

"This , Yeol. Seriously." Baekhyun whined, heaving another sigh as he watched D.O. laughing at Kris for losing his balance.

"Training? I think it's great, though. The SHINee sunbaes' disappearance will put a slight hold on HQ's activities, so they gladly offered to use the free time and train us to fight, which is an inevitable situation in our case once we sneak into HQ." Chanyeol eyed him through the corner of his eyes while he chugged down on his water bottle.

"No, no. I mean, training's good, and it's the right thing to do right now, but...this-- I . I'm not made for this. Two minutes into the training and I'm already wheezing like I have a severe case of ing asthma." Baekhyun huffed, frowning as he looked at his own hands.

"That's only natural, Baek. You weren't made for this, so it's only natural."

"...I want to help, okay? I don't want to be a burden anymore."

"Baek--

"My power's already useless as , so I at least want to be useful in the physical fights, but..." Baekhyun trailed off, eyes boring onto his feet.

Beside him, Chanyeol let out a deep sigh before reaching over to Baekhyun. He curled his fingers around Baekhyun's neck and leaned over, planting a soft kiss on his temple and murmuring sweet nothings against his skin. Baekhyun felt his heart flutter at the action, and whined internally at the loss of physical contact as his boyfriend went back to training. Baekhyun noticed that they were about to go to the second phase of their training, which involved sparring with each other while they used their powers while Taemin and Minho supervised. They were the ones with the utmost knowledge on the MAMA stones.

Baekhyun pushed himself off the floor to rejoin his friends when a hand wrapped around his forearm gently, stopping him from walking away. He turned around to see Onew smiling softly at him, and it amazed Baekhyun how such a young man could exude such fatherly vibes.

"Your power is not useless, Baekhyun-ssi." Onew started, and Baekhyun couldn't help but scoff involuntarily, a bitter laugh escaping his lips.

"Easy for you to say."

"Of course, it's easy for me to say. I wouldn't approach you about your problem if I didn't have the same one before." Onew said, a playful tone swimming in his words.

It took Baekhyun two seconds to understand Onew's words. His eyes widened, and Onew grinned at his reaction. "You're infused with the stones, too?"

"Well, we had to try it out before, and as the leader of the team and the research, I held that responsibility. I have the same abilities as you, more or less." Onew let go of Baekhyun, folding his hands behind his back and eyeing Baekhyun with unmasked amusement.

"...I don't know what to say." Baekhyun admitted honestly.

He knew, by the way his friends and the other SHINee members revered Onew, that the man was good at what he did. So he had some slight problems coining his power to someone like Onew. He sometimes labelled his power as 'flashlight', because really, that's all it did. The only time it ever came of use to him was when he woke up in the middle of the night to take a restroom break, or find something which he might have dropped under the bed.

"It's not just a flashlight, Baekhyun-ssi." Onew chuckled, as if reading Baekhyun's thoughts. The younger of the two felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment for harbouring such childish thoughts.

"But...it is...sort of." Baekhyun defended weakly, and Onew shook his head knowingly.

"Come on, I'm going to teach you something." Onew gestured to another side in their training hall (Shinhwa was smart enough to provide their new base space for that), and Baekhyun followed.

After SHINee offered their help to EXO and Shinhwa, the days went by smooth and unhindered. They had expected it, seeing as SHINee was the only team left aware of Hyunjung's plans, it would be days, probably even weeks, before the woman made a move again. After all, it was never easier to move when you're alone. So SHINee used the free time to train EXO for fights, giving them tips and whatnot. Taemin and Minho, who had taken over the research after Key left, knew more about the stones' properties than anyone else. They supervised over their hoobaes' training when it came to their abilities. Nobody said it aloud, but the added information and help was a big thing.

Originally, they had thought that the stone only gave them one power, but upon Taemin and Minho's supervision, new sub-abilities, for lack of a better term, made their existence known to the boys.

D.O. had originally thought that his power was just strength, but with Minho's instructions, he was soon able to control the earth itself, pulling slabs of rock out of the ground so that it would jut out of the surface awkwardly. Xiumin, too, found that not only can he freeze water, but practically everything, too, if he just put his mind to it. Everything had a little water content, so Xiumin just needed to focus on that small percentage. Kai could literally blend with the shadows and mask himself in darkness. Luhan could read minds along with his telekinesis, so he was the best in sparring as he could predict his opponent's moves. Tao could control a certain object's timeline, so if he wanted to speed up his own movements, he could. Lay, despite his initial horror at first, soon warmed up to his sub-ability, which was inflicting pain. Or rather, it was like he had an internal database of the wounds he had once healed, so he could, metaphorically speaking, refer to his database and inflict a certain pain on his opponent.

Of course, this took a greater toll on each of their bodies, but as the days passed and their training dragged on, they soon got used to their abilities. Soon, they were like a part of their own being. Their abilities weren't the only thing that changed over the days that they spent training together. With each day that passed, the members of SHINee gradually let their guard and inhibitions down, and so did EXO. Soon, SHINee's uniforms, pins and badges, signs of their loyalty to the HQ, were soon thrown aside in favour of casual clothes that EXO gladly offered. Bonds formed over mutual goals strengthened, and they had no qualms calling each other friends anymore. It wouldn't be an understatement to say that sometimes they forgot that they were preparing for a battle.

During their second week of training, using their powers was as easy as breathing for them. Luhan oftentimes found himself making fun of Sehun by lifting his things just when the younger was about to reach for it. Sehun, in turn, would entrap Luhan in a whirlwind, messing up his air and tipping him off balance. Baekhyun, too, had considerable improvement over the days he spent with Onew. True to the older male's words, their power wasn't just a 'flashflight'. After long hours of practice, Baekhyun could 'solidify' the beams of light from his hands, emitting something that was like a laser.

Simply put, after days of training with SHINee and Shinhwa, they were all ready to fight back.

Baekhyun suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, feeling lighter than usual, which he quickly assumed was because finally, he was getting a hang of his 'light', allowing him to let go of the idea that he was a burden. He sat up in the dark, looking at his hands and letting a faint glow illuminate the room.

That's when he saw, or rather, when he didn't see Chanyeol.

The space beside him that was supposed to have a drooling or snoring Chanyeol was bare. Panic seeped through every inch of Baekhyun's being, his lit hands furiously pressing over the pillow and Chanyeol's spot. It was still a little warm. Without a second thought, Baekhyun slid off the bed and threw the door open. It was still dark, considering that it was just two in the morning. The door clanged against the wall, the loud sound resonating throughout the steel-plated hallways of their hideout. Soon enough, the occupants of the other rooms were peeking out, either looking annoyed, groggy or just plain lost. Baekhyun ignored them as he searched every nook and cranny of the hideout.

Logically speaking, it was a little weird of Baekhyun to panic over not seeing Chanyeol in bed. Logically speaking, Chanyeol could have only taken a restroom break, hence the still warm sheets and pillow. But logic was out of the equation when it came to their lives. Baekhyun was panicking because he remembered Luhan's words the night before, after they had all finished dinner. Luhan had telekinesis, and he could read minds, and albeit not a strong ability of his and just a little perk, his hunches and gut feelings somehow always had a higher chance of being true (proven true during their training days).

"Hey, uhm, Baekhyunnie...take care of Chanyeol, will you?" Luhan had said, and Baekhyun had only laughed at him, saying that of course he'd take care of Chanyeol. He only wished that he took extra note of how Luhan seemed really on edge and nervous.

Suho was the first one to fully step out of the room, feeling a migraine coming on as he watched Baekhyun flit around the place with a sense of panic. He caught him by the arm and held him in place. Baekhyun was growing pale by the second, the absence of Chanyeol's warmth disabling him to think slowly and properly.

"Baekhyun, what's wrong? You look sick." Suho said, his voice loud in the silence of the night. Baekhyun swallowed nervously before glancing at Suho helplessly.

"Ch-Chanyeol's not here...! L-Luhan, he...he said th-that--

Suddenly, the loud roar of a truck's engine revved from up above them, the tires screeching against the ground. They all looked up in surprise, feeling the tremor of their ceiling reverberate through their walls. Luhan was the first one to react.

"Oh my God." He breathed out in horror from his doorway, eyes on the ceiling while Sehun stood beside him, an arm wrapped around his middle.

"What?" Kris snapped, feeling the urgency of the unclear situation.

"They have Chanyeol." He answered shakily, and Baekhyun broke free from Suho's hold, quiet as he dashed to the entrance.

"Wait! Stop!" Onew, whose room was nearer to the entrance, quickly stepped out and blocked Baekhyun's pathway. Taemin also joined in, taking Baekhyun's arm in his iron grip.

"Let go! They have Chanyeol! Let me ing go!" Baekhyun screeched, thrashing around wildly. Taemin finally took the matter into his own hands, pressing his index finger sharply behind Baekhyun's neck.

The smaller male suddenly stopped moving, and he slumped down into Taemin's arms, unconscious. D.O. made a move to say something, but Onew held up a hand.

"It's okay, he just passed out. We need to talk this over, but Baekhyun needs to calm down first." He said, closing the door to his room with a silent click.

"You knocked Baekhyun out! What the hell?" Chen blurted out, eyes wide in panic.

"He wasn't thinking straight!" Taemin defended himself, and Suho finally nodded his head.

"The sunbaes only did the right thing, albeit a little unorthodox. Baekhyun was letting his emotions get the be--

"Of course he would! That's his boyfriend they took, gramps!" Chen snapped back. Suho was about to say something but Luhan cut him off.

"I-I heard Chanyeol. His thoughts, I mean. He was conscious when they took him, but then it suddenly out. I don't know if he's unconscious or he just suddenly got too far, but either way, they took him." His voice was quiet and scared. Sehun wrapped an arm around him.

"...who was it? Who took him?" Kai asked, and Luhan shook his head.

"Of course, it's HQ. Who else?" Minwoo, who had been wordlessly watching the scene unfold, finally spoke up.

"But I didn't hear anyone else aside from Chanyeol." Luhan reasoned, and Ae-In, the little girl hiding behind Onew, spoke up, her eyes shining blue in the dark. Something about the glow was dim, and it gave off the impression that she, too, was scared.

"It's my kind. My kind took the nice oppa." She whispered, and Onew suddenly cursed under his breath. They all looked at him.

"It's the robots. Damn that woman. She's using her AI army."

Chanyeol opened his eyes, his body feeling weak and drained. His knees hurt from having kneeled for an eternity, and his arms felt numb from having been held up by chains. Nobody tortured him, thank God, but nobody came into the room that he was in. Nobody talked to him, nobody provoked him, nobody fed him. Nothing. He could've burned through the chains holding him, but he felt weak, like the tiniest use of energy would make him pass out. He had tried moving his hands at one point, but something inside the iron shackle that wrapped around his wrist stabbed him. He felt something painful rushing through his veins, then a wave of fatigue and nausea overcame him. Great, he thought, the chains are programmed to inject me with sedative if I move. ing great.

Trying to keep still, he thought back to how he had gotten himself into this mess. He had woken up in the middle of the night to take a restroom break. He could even remember the ghost of a peaceful smile on Baekhyun's face that night. He was proud of his boyfriend for finally getting the hang of things. He could feel Baekhyun's joy at finally being able to tell himself that he 'belonged', though everyone knew that Baekhyun was already welcome in the group even before that.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, a blunt force had thwacked his head from behind. He fell forward, and something caught him. Chanyeol had fought to remain conscious, but everything was dark, except for the pair of glowing blue eyes staring at him, analyzing him. Whoever had thwacked him proceeded to take him out of the hideout, successfully kidnapping him. He was also partially aware of a little girl cowering in a corner, hands pressed to as big blue glowing eyes watched in horror. Ae-In, he thinks.

Before he could continue recalling the events, the door, at long last, opened, and in strolled Ko Hyunjung like she was on a leisurely walk in the park with her pet poodle. Chanyeol felt his face contort in hate.

"Hello, Park Chanyeol. I have an offer to make."

_{A/N: I know you have a lot of questions because this story is getting so effed up with each chapter, so feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them in the next chapter's A/N (if they can't be stated in the story). :)}