D.O sat back in his seat with his eyes closed as the medics fussed over him. He had several wounds all over his body and his uniform  was torn and singed, but all his injuries were minor. His opponents hadn’t really been a match for him. They were powerful - yes, the young officer could not deny that - but they did not have the training D.O went through. Defeat was the only result for the pair, which was why D.O could do nothing but face the wrath of his leader, Suho, when he returned empty-handed.

“Please help me understand, D.O-ssi. You defeated them; crushed one and bloodied up the other - but where are they?” Suho paced around the room, arms clasped firmly behind his back in an effort to restrain himself. “How in the world did they escape you in that state?”

They’re hoodlums. They know all the nooks and crannies in the Sanctuary. How else would they have been so successful on their raids? D.O wanted to say, but any word out of him would only be deemed as excuses by the other. He felt too tired to even bother to argue. The energy he’d absorbed from the bolts of lightning that had hit him was finally taking its toll. In the end, he wasn’t truly invincible against that power.

He was snapped back from his train of thought by a curious image embedded on the medic’s neck. He squinted his eyes to get a clearer view of the peculiar shape just above the his collarbone. It seemed like an odd birthmark. But something kept blinking in the medic's pocket, distracting him from his thought process. Ah. This must be the new Head Medic. Tough job.

“Hey. Are you even listening to me? I need all the details, D.O. This is a dent in our reputation - a spot on our clean record. We cannot have that.” The leader of the Trio shook his head, his brows furrowed as he looked down at the boy he considered his brother, but his expression softened as he watched the other wince at the treatment being done on his burns. His voice “I need to report to the Council. Give me something to tell them, at least.”

“Tell them I’m not done yet,” D.O responded with a sigh. “Tell them I let them go. I will hunt them down.” he said it with conviction as he tightened his grip on the chair. “Apparently, it was true that these rebels have evolutions.”

Suho stopped his pacing once more and looked at D.O. “I told you before, we’re not alone. You underestimated them too much and you’re still underestimating them now. Who knows if there are more of them?”

“I doubt that’s possible,” Xiumin supplied from the corner where he sat, playing with a frozen orb in his palm. “Our genes are unique, remember?”

“Well, they’re apparently not as unique as we thought.” D.O huffed, still focusing on the medic’s birthmark to avoid thinking of the burning sensation as they cleaned his wounds. He wondered how it had ended up looking like that - it seemed like a horse’s head with a horn. Could be a tattoo, he brushed the thoughts away and refocused on Suho, who looked deep in thought.

Suho frowned. “I still need to report this,” he said, running a hand through his short black hair.

“Are you going to tell the Council about their abilities?” Xiumin asked, jumping from his corner and approaching the other two.

“I’m bound to do so. I can’t exactly leave out such an important detail. Besides, it would help in explaining how they got away in the end,” Suho replied cautiously, not quite sure of the other’s thoughts on the subject. Xiumin simply shrugged as he went to pat Kyungsoo on the head. Kyungsoo scowled. He was not used to failing. He knew Suho was disappointed in him, but what could he have done?

Suho sighed, rubbing his temples. “I will have to tell them exactly what happened. I will assure them, though, that we will catch those hoodlums. All three of us will go,” he looked into D.O’s eyes, noting that they weren’t as wide as they usually were. “You won’t be punished. But please make sure to learn from this mistake. Don’t take these opponents lightly. Especially now that you’ve seen what they’re capable of.”

A burst of bright light shone in an alleyway at the border between the Northern and Eastern sections of the Sanctuary. Baekhyun ran as fast as his feet could take him, each step accompanied by a resounding splash from the puddles that had formed because of the heavy rain. He was exhausted but he continued to push himself to his limits despite the throbbing pain.  His left arm fell limp, bleeding profusely at his side where one of D.O’s boulders had left a deep gash, while his right hand kept as much pressure to it as he could while running. The rain did a great a job in washing away the droplets of blood, leaving behind no trace of his whereabouts.

Turning a corner, he spotted a familiar lawn and prayed to the gods that they were not busy. He had no one else to turn to. He stumbled over the low fence and ran across the lawn, banging on the door in haste. Almost immediately, the door flew open and he was faced with a man a good head taller than him.

“Baek!” the blonde haired guy exclaimed.

“It’s ch-ch-Chen! H-help him!! P-please!” Baekhyun managed, gasping for breath between each word, his eyes hysterical as he stared up at the towering figure in front of him.

“Where is he?”

“”I-I-I left h-him in the a-alley. I c-couldn’t risk p-people seeing us. Oh god, please h-help him! Kris, he w-was so beat up! I told him not to... not to... but he... m-my arm... I can’t c-carry...” Baekhyun sniffed, the falling tears no longer under his control; the boy Kris pulled in through the door was no longer the happy and mischievous child he'd grown up with. This was a boy battered, beaten and in pain.

It didn't take long for Kris, clad in a black hoodie, to bring back the unconscious body of the younger twin and get him settled in a bed. Both the weather and Baekhyun had finally calmed down, and the boy’s arm hung on a sling, a bandage wrapped around the gash. He adjusted his makeshift arm sling and tentatively stepped closer to the bed.

Baekhyun couldn't help but cringe as he saw the mangled and battered body in front of him. He was thankful that Kris had already changed his younger twin's ripped clothes stained by his blood. Baekhyun stepped closer, pushing on Chen’s forehead to ease the furrow on the younger one's eyebrows. The only assurance he got that Chen was still alive was the irregular rise and fall of the boy’s chest.

Kris stood behind Baekhyun and tapped him lightly on his uninjured arm. Baekhyun turned to face the older boy, but was immediately met with a cold ball of cotton to his busted and bleeding brow. Baekhyun winced, brushing Kris’ hand away. "Oww, that stings, hyung."

"I'm guessing this isn't quite like the pain you felt when you got these injuries in the first place," the elder muttered, pressing another ball of cotton over Baekhyun's cut lip. "Deal with it for now."

Baekhyun sighed, grimacing at the pain radiating throughout his body. He was bruised all over and had lost a lot of blood from the large cut on his arm, but at least he was awake. He wished he could say the same for his twin who was now lying unconscious in Kris' bed.

"What're we gonna do with Chen, hyung?" He knew his brother's injuries were much worse. He wasn't bleeding externally, but the fact that he still wasn't awake after more than an hour showed that his injuries went much deeper.

"I've done all I can for now," Kris replied, finishing with the cuts on Baekhyun's face and turning to face the deeper one on his arm. The stains from the hydrogen peroxide seeped from the cotton balls to the other one's large fingers. "I've also made a call. Help will come soon."

The light-bearer didn't argue, but he didn't relax, either. His brother had been extremely rash during the fight, not really thinking before blasting at D.O with large amounts of energy over and over again. It only left him wide open and vulnerable to more of the enemy's attack. If Baekhyun hadn't been quick enough to pull his twin out of danger - he shuddered at the thought. They had barely gotten deep into one of the underground tunnels they used as an escape route before Chen finally succumbed to unconsciousness. It was only then that Baekhyun realized just how bad his brother's condition really was.

The bruises forming all over his brother's battered body indicated how badly the internal bleeding had progressed. Baekhyun knew he needed medical attention. But their circumstances made it impossible to seek help from the nearby hospitals and he didn't know where else to get that damned medical attention. So, despite having sworn never to drag his childhood friends into their fight, he had sorrowfully run to this house for help.

"What did you do, Baek?" Kris murmured as he cleaned up the used cotton balls, threw them in the kitchen trash, and put the now almost empty first aid kit away. He then proceeded to make a better dressing for the light-bearer's left arm. The taller man looked exhausted; there were dark bags under his eyes, and there was no glint in them like what Baekhyun had gotten used to growing up. Kris looked tough and scary on first look, but Baekhyun could still remember a time when the older boy's eyes had been softer, more inviting.

He still couldn't answer his hyung’s question, though. Telling Kris what they had done would mean getting him involved, and Baekhyun couldn't let that happen. Their world was dangerous, and if the government ever found out that Kris had helped him and Chen, serious consequences would await the older twins. Kris and Chanyeol, who were innocent civilians, should never be dragged into their fight. He cursed the government in his head, but reprimanded himself, too. How could he put his childhood friends' lives in danger?

"Where's Yeol?" Baekhyun asked, trying his best to divert the topic. He really hadn't seen a single glimpse of the bubbly twin ever since entering the house, though. The boy, though years older than him, seemed almost as young as he and Chen whenever they were playing or hanging out together. In fact, one might go as far as saying that mischief was their middle name. He was sure that taller boy would have been hanging around the moment he walked through the door, trying to spread some kind of happy virus despite the circumstances.

“He’s sick,” Kris replied, and Baekhyun exhaled in relief that the other didn't push his question. He saw the look of resignation in the taller one's eyes as he sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, though.

"Sick?"

"He's had a fever for the past few days. I don't know what brought it on, and I have no idea how to bring it down," Kris glanced at the kitchen door. "I didn't want to bring him to the hospital either. I'm sure you have an idea on what tests they'll do with a case like this."

Baekhyun's eyebrows creased with worry, but he nodded, understanding. If anyone presented with idiopathic abnormalities, that patient would have to undergo a battery of tests listed by the Council. They were so desperate in their search for genetic changes - for evolution - that they turned a blind eye towards the suffering of their own citizens.

What was important to the Council was the discovery of new genes and the progress of their genetic evolution - the answer to the survival of their race. It was one of the reasons why he and Chen had done their best to stay off the radar the past few years.

The Council's intentions were good; the evolutionary process was what the human race needed to survive in the ever-failing ecosystem of Earth, but their means were extremely harsh and irrational, bordering on obsession.

"Anyway, go check on Chen. The medic I called should be here soon. Make sure your twin's still breathing."

Baekhyun nodded and left the kitchen. His brother was in a guest room down the hall, still lying unconscious on the bed. He approached carefully, gazing at the rise and fall of Chen's chest. Baekhyun could hear the younger twin wheeze with every breath he took, and the droplets of perspiration lining his face did nothing to abate his worry. But despite the younger twin’s difficulties, each struggling breath assured him that his brother was strong and was fighting to pull through. Or at least, that was what he was praying for.

The older twin bit his lip, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. "Chen” he whispered, taking the other's good hand in his own. The other arm was mangled after having been crushed by the large debris thrown at him.

"Yah, why'd you have to be so rash this time? You should've waited for me, you know? We could've taken him on together. We could've beaten him if you'd only stopped to think - to remember that I was there -" he stopped, taking in a shaky breath. He gripped Chen’s hand tighter and brought it close to his chest.

"I'm here, ChenChen... but I need my brother.” Baekhyun ducked his head as the tears once again fell freely. Don't leave me.

"His breathing's gotten really weak. His pulse isn't that strong, either."

Baekhyun wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep. He was sitting by a bed, his hand still clutching his brother's when he awoke to the sound of footsteps approaching the room. He shook the sleepiness away and reorganized his thoughts. The room was still dark, which meant the sun hadn't risen yet. He lazily stood up, realizing what was happening: help had finally come.

"Baek, are you up?" Kris murmured as he entered the room, turning a light on.

Baekhyun blinked as his eyes automatically adjusted to the light and focused on the quiet man that followed Kris into the room. The light-bearer felt his heart skip a beat as the "medic" slowly made his way to Chen, unaware of the twin's hostility. His eyes rounded as Baekhyun sprung up and stepped between the newcomer and his brother.

"Yah! What is this, hyung?! Have you betrayed us already?" He growled at Kris. Baekhyun couldn't help but feel double-crossed. He glared at the uniformed medic in front of him. He could clearly see the gleaming emblem of a golden wing pinned on the chest of the other’s chest - a symbol of high position, perhaps even the highest. What is it with council people appearing everywhere all of a sudden?!

Kris stepped forward, his hands held up in front of him, blocking his uniformed companion from the younger man. "Calm down, Baek. He's a friend."

"What?!" Baekhyun was aghast. "Your friend, maybe, but no uniform is a friend of ours." Baekhyun's fists were clenched, light streaming through his fingers.

Kris breathed deeply, taking another step closer. He talked to Baekhyun in a voice the light-bearer was very familiar with. It was the tone he used to soothe him back when they were very young. "Baek, listen to me. Lay here is a healer. He can help Chen."

"Are you gonna turn us over to the Council right after? Why don't you just leave us to die now? Are you gonna patch us up just to have the pleasure of torturing us again?" Baekhyun was starting to hyperventilate and he could feel his pulse quickening. Particles of light were concentrating into his clenched fist.

"Baek. Calm down. Listen to me, will you?" Kris pleaded, trying to catch the other's eye.

"No." Baekhyun glared, stepping back towards the bed. "I'm taking Chen and we're going. We trusted you, Kris."

Kris frowned at the younger man. "Baekhyun!"

Baekhyun stopped. Kris rarely raised his voice. "Chen needs treatment, Baek. He's unconscious. He's mangled. Don't make him suffer just because of your pride."

But it's not pride, Kris. Baekhyun thought. It's our lives that are at stake.

"Lay's not going to harm you. If you don't trust him, trust me. Please, Baek. For Chen." Kris' voice was soft once again.

The light bearer took in a shaky breath. Kris was right. The priority now was his brother's survival. He looked at the uniformed man once more. He stood by the door, seemingly staring into space. He looked calm, peaceful even, despite Baekhyun's outbursts - almost as if he hadn't heard them at all. And if Kris trusted this man - Kris, whom he'd grown up knowing - then he was worth the benefit of doubt.

"His injuries are internal," Baekhyun began, still skeptical, but now addressing the healer. "How are you going to treat him without any instruments?"

Kris relaxed and pulled the healer forward, his hand on the other’s shoulder. “You’ll see,” he smiled gently at the wary twin.

Lay stepped closer to Chen and allowed both his hands to hover over the other’s unconscious form. Baekhyun, still on high alert in case something went wrong, watched as the healer closed his eyes, the calm look never leaving his face. Gradually, the medic’s palms emanated a bluish glow. Lay’s hand paused over the unconscious boy’s mangled arm.

Baekhyun couldn’t properly explain what he saw. It wasn’t like his power where a pure white light would flash either softly or powerfully depending on what he wanted. Here, it was as if the light wasn’t something to be seen with the eyes - the glow was a certain warmth - of hope, of life.

Baekhyun and Kris watched as the glow spread throughout Chen’s arm, which looked less and less injured as the seconds ticked by. In less than a minute, Lay’s hand had moved over to Chen’s chest, the glow now settling over his broken ribs and bruised abdomen.

“His breathing. Kris, I think he’s getting better.” True enough, his younger brother’s breathing seemed slightly better to Baek’s ears. The wheezes were gone, but seeing the furrow in his brow made Baekhyun feel like the boy was still in pain.

“He’s in good hands,” was all Kris said.

Minutes passed and Lay’s hand still hovered over the same area, his brows coming closer to one another. Baekhyun wondered if that meant his brother’s injuries really were much worse than he’d thought.

With his brother getting better every minute, Baekhyun felt free to let his mind wander. This quiet man's ability crossed his mind. It must be an evolution, too. We’re encountering more of them lately.

Baekhyun had always believed there were other people with evolutions. After all, he and his brother had them. Fear of the government and what they would do to people with evolutions was what held them back from revealing themselves to society and mingling with them. Kris and Chanyeol's mother had warned them of the dangers of this when they were younger.

"Lay? What's wrong?" Kris asked. The peaceful man had a frown on his face. It was like he was struggling. Kris hadn't seen Lay use his healing power very often, but he had never seen the boy look so troubled while doing so.

The glow around Chen's abdomen grew and seemed to envelope him, and Kris saw beads of sweat appear on Lay's brow. Lay's outstretched arm stiffened like he was pushing against something, and he stepped closer to the bed as if he needed to push harder.

After what seemed like forever, the glow receded and Lay stepped back, swooning a bit. Kris rushed forward to support him before he fell.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Lay answered, his voice as soft as his expression. "His injuries were very... Complicated."

"Is he better now?" Baekhyun asked.

Lay nodded. "You'll just have to give him time to rest. He’ll be conscious soon.”

Baekhyun exhaled deeply and took his place beside the bed once more. Kris made sure that he was okay before leaving the room, motioning for Lay to follow him.

Once the two were out of the room, Baekhyun took a good look at his brother. Chen's breathing was now regular and he didn't appear to be in distress anymore. The bruises that were easily visible just moments ago were now nothing but faint discolorations of healing cells. Baekhyun breathed freely for the first time that night. No matter how much he loathed the uniforms, he knew he was indebted to that medic. He felt foolish for doubting his own childhood friend. Looking at his own left arm, he wondered if it would be too much to abuse the kindness of the man with the blue light.

“Something weird’s going on with Yeol,” Kris whispered once the two were in the hallway. Seeing the healer’s curious eyes, he continued. “He’s burning up. I mean, his temperature’s really high, and it’s still climbing. He says he’s okay, but last I checked his temp this afternoon, it was already 45 degrees.”

Kris saw the frown etch onto Lay’s brows. “He should be delirious by now - if he’s still alive.”

“That’s the thing. He’s still as energetic as ever,” Kris answered, his brows also creased with worry. “He even keeps asking for ice cream, but when I give it to him, it just melts almost immediately in his hands.”

“Let me check on him and see what’s wrong. My ability won’t be able to help much if it’s a naturally-occurring condition, but I’ll be able to tell what’s going on nonetheless.”

Kris understood. Lay’s abilities were limited to physical injuries. It was basically how his abilities remained unknown to the Council despite his being a medic in their employ. Kris knew that Lay was aware of the government’s actions on those who had evolutions, and he admired the other’s bravery in daring to enter their radar. Perhaps it was the other’s passion in helping others.

Chanyeol’s room was at the end of the hall on the second floor. Kris expected him to be asleep, so he didn’t bother knocking. Just as he was going to open the door, though, they heard a rustling from inside, followed by Chanyeol’s deep voice cursing panickedly. The two quickly rushed through the door, only to see Chanyeol struggling with a fire in his hands.

“Yeol? What are you doing playing with fire? Let go of that!” Kris demanded.

“Kris! I don’t - I don’t know what’s happening! It just - it appeared, and then - then it’s like this - I don’t know what to do!”

Kris took a deep breath to steady himself. “Let go of whatever that is, Yeol. The fire extinguisher’s just outside in the hallway. I’ll grab it and put the fire out right away. Just let go so you don’t get burnt.”

Chanyeol stopped panicking and turned to face his twin, eyes wide in fright.

“There’s nothing to let go of, Kris.”

He held out his hands and sure enough, his hands were empty but for the ball of flames that rose from it. “I’m the one on fire.”

~end of Chapter 2~

AUTHOR's NOTES (and shameless promotion)

maiesta: yo! okay! ha~ annyeonghaseyo everybody! everybody~ every everybody! *jamming to SHINee’s everybody because Luhan and Tao did Onew’s wheel dance (is that what it’s called? O_O)* seldi??? seldi-ah!! eodisseo???

*croooo-croooooo-croooo*

maiesta: where is that girl? =))) yeorobeun!! EXO is now up against Justin Bieber, One Direction, etc on MTV EMA!!! OTL i expected them to win against momoiro though, because fangirls vote like crazy.. however, Beliebers and Directioners are craycray fandoms too… but just the fact that EXO’s getting their name out there is already enough!! Competing alongside the top 10 is an honor already and i’m just so happy they’ve made it this far! ^_^ but still... let's vote ok? 100times per day... HAHAHA!!

seldi: 난 여깄어.. I'm here! How was chapter 2, guys? I think we did a LOT of revision for this one. We just weren't as satisfied as we are with the other chappies. Haha~ Note to maiesta: I think the dance is called the 'propeller dance'? (maiesta: oh!! right!! XD) And yes! Vote for EXO, guys!

maiesta: yay~ you’re here! HA! After writing that chapter, we revised it. And now while re-reading it before posting, we revised it again! LOLzzz. there’s just so many things we wanted to show and describe without giving too much information that could spoil you guys~~ *dramatic sigh*

seldi: Right, so feel free to share your thoughts on the story so far below - we'd be glad to know what you think of what's happening...

maiesta: comment juseyoooo~~~~ <3

seldi: That's it for now, I guess! Please vote for EXO, comment (and subscribe if you like).. And take note of maiesta's ever loyal promotions below:

EXO Showtime!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqxDmTsoFyY

maiesta: ahihihii.. my feels for that upcoming variety show!! i can just imagine all the laughs... XDD HAHA! Kris updated his weibo…… i cryyyyyyyy~~~~ TT_TT see below:

131101 Kris updates his Weibo

"No separating, no abandoning, we are each other’s leaning shoulder, promise to wait for each other until we are there, be together with you till old every second and minute, each and everyone of you, fan qin qin* (heart) thank you"

*凡亲亲 Fan2 qin1 qin1, Kris is referring to his own fans. ‘fan’ is Kris’s Chinese name and ‘qin’ is a cordial way of addressing someone as their family when placed as a suffix, can be taken as a shortened form of 亲戚 (relative). 
Translation by: http://exo-c-trans.tumblr.com/

maiesta: ok! done! wait for our next update~! ^_^ ah~ saranghaeyo!