“Kai you better hurry.”

Kyungsoo stomped on the ground again seeing cracks form on the pavement. People fled out of the building screaming and crying. Some to the point where they were hysterical. The ground shook again and he heard a number of windows shatter.

He could feel the Earth shift under him with each movement he made. Why were they taking so long? He hoped they didn’t think it was a real earthquake and took cover. Kyungsoo walked inside the tall building being shoved by people trying to protect themselves. Security cameras… Where are they? He looked at every shop and corner there weren’t any.

He stomped on the ground again the floor tiles immediately cracking and separating. Nothing. Where the hell was the security in this place? He walked towards a small shop and walked behind the counter. He needed to find an emergency button. Didn’t every store have those? The ones that call for help when they’re being robbed.

There was nothing. Kyungsoo groaned feeling his annoyance rise, he never was good at being patient. He stomped again as the floor under him groaned. The marbles. That should tell him what was going on down there.

Before he could pick one from his pocket the floor under him gave out as the ground split in half swallowing him down with it. He felt his body fall as he tried grabbing on to the counter but he was too late. Kyungsoo winced as he fell to the floor underneath him hitting a hard wooden floor as small pieces of what used to be the ceiling fell on top of him,

He should’ve planned that better. He felt his whole body tense as he heard footsteps running towards him. He was stuck. The place was nothing but one long hallway. Kyungsoo groaned quietly as he stood up feeling a searing pain on his left arm. The footsteps sounded closer and he quickly broke into a run forcing his body to go as fast as it could to the end of the hallway.

He really wished he had Kais power right now. Kyungsoo reached the end and turned to his left finding himself in a small circular room lined with monitors on every wall. The footsteps were coming his way. He ducked under a dark brown desk and pulled the chair towards him for better coverage. He held his breath as the people came in the room.

“Check all the cameras. Find what’s responsible for this.”

“Sir, it’s an earthquake”

Kyungsoo held his breath as they checked the monitors. “There! You see that? It’s a boy”

. Kyungsoo turned trying to peer through a small hole of the desk. He couldn’t see what was on the monitor but he could see the two men, they were huge. At least twice his size, both had dark suits ok and looked like they were in their thirties. “Did you..? Did you see that? He stomped on the floor”

“Does that sound familiar?”

“What sir?”

“Exodus”

Kyungsoo heard typing before they both became silent.

“! It’s an escape plan! get everyone to the study floor now!” They both ran out of the room and Kyungsoo gasped for breath and pushed the chair away crawling out of the desk. Exodus? He walked over to the monitors the screens were black except for the security cameras. Where had those been?

Kyungsoo needed to find the guys and get out.

“Project Exodus”

He jumped at the sound and turned his head at the monitors again. This time they weren’t black but displayed an old video with a dark background and old man showing up on the screen. His hair was white and his features were soft, except for one deep scar on his left cheek.

“The new and improved.” The man in the video continued. “Evolution is a slow thing. It takes time, but what if we found a way to speed up the evolution of humans? The evolution of the human brain and physical activity?” His lips curled up slightly making Kyungsoo cringe.

“There is a way. How do I know? What if I were to tell you there were ten human on this Earth right now who’s brain activity has evolved so far beyond our time that they can do things beyond are very imagination? To the point that reincarnation is possible?”

Photos popped up on the screen the first one withered and torn. Kyungsoo couldn’t make it out except for a couple of symbols “It started in the early 1900’s some would like to blame the turn of the century. Others may say it’s a coincidence. Twelve boys were discovered to have extraordinary gifts, powers if you will. Some could bend time others could freeze any item they’d like including humans themselves”

“They weren’t related, some were even born in different countries. Which is where we start Project History, these boys were taken from their families to be studied by the government they were branded a symbol into each of their skin, drained of their energy as well as their life’s. unfortunately.. Test ended up with no results.”

Kyungsoo felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He couldn’t be talking about them. Could he?

“Project two. Wolf mutation. The exact same boys were later found around the 1930’s. All with the same gifts, looks and brands marked on their skin. Again they were taken from their families and put through a series of tests. This time they wanted to see if there was some way to transfer that gene or mutation they have into other living creatures with a possible result of letting other humans evolve as quickly as they did.” The man picked up a file and read through it silently

“Project failed as tests subjects became violent and ended up gathering traits from the wolves themselves. Resulting in having to be eliminated. 1952 project labyrinth the biggest turn of this whole project-”

“-all 12 test subject were this time hunted down and forced into a government built labyrinth or maze that consisted of only dead ends. With no possible way out. The experiment was to study their way of thinking. To get more knowledge on their brain activity and how different it was from ours. In a short period of four months we got results we never though we’d find out-”

“-They had figured out a way to communicate and find each other and the dead ends with marbles caught from one of our old projects. Not only that but they had been able to create them during a complete solar eclipse, something about it enhanced their powers and minds. To make things short a terrible tragedy happened during one of the studies and they escaped-”

There was a long pause as he held up two marbles in his hand “all but two. Studies on them were continued until their bodies gave out. We didn’t find the rest until a couple months later, sadly they fought back which also ended in being terminated. The one with the power of light caused too much attention and they had to disguise it as Ufo sightings” he laughed and shook his head.

“It’s amazing what people will believe. They were found again in 1990 the first of them born which is were Exodus comes in. This time we let them grow, live their lives as they please with us always watching. We watched as their powers grew stronger but always with a defect.” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter.

“Then we will take them. One by one if possible. With a syrum we’ve created that stops their abilities for an hour we would be able to test them with no complications. Bringing back the wolf mutation project this time we will transfer their blood cells onto humans. Since test subjects were able to mature and grow this time their brain activity would be at its peak making the transfer easier. Project Exodus is one step closer for us to finally speed up human evolution”

Kyungsoo couldn’t move. He was too shocked to keep hearing what the old man was saying. Reincarnation? Twelve? Experimentation? He couldn’t remember any of it. He was glad he didn’t. The marbles in his pocket suddenly felt heavy. Why had they come to him? Why did he have them? A sudden feeling of Deja vi rose and he quickly backed away from the monitors. He didn’t have time to be thinking of this. He still had to help them escape.

Kyungsoo walked out of the room slowly and faced the long hallway again. He couldn’t hear any voices. Now was his chance. He broke into a sprint running to the far end jumping over the pile of concrete that had fallen from his mini earthquake. He reached another room and ran across it not bothering to look around him. He reached the door on the far end and found himself staring at a narrow and dark staircase. The steps going down into complete darkness to the point that he couldn’t make out what was at the bottom.

He sighed and quickly walked down them trying not make his footsteps echo against the hollow space. He reached the bottom and there was nothing. Just a dark room and a door. The door was wooden with metal hinges that looked rusted. He couldn’t hear anything from the other side. He opened the door and jumped. “Kyungsoo.”

Four men faced him. Including the one from the video. His face looked older and new wrinkles had formed on his forehead, the same grin that gave him chills plastered on the mans face. “Inject him” The man beside him quickly grabbed Kyungsoo’s arm pulled it. A sharp burning pain filled shoulder and he bit down in his tongue from yelling.

A small needle was forced into his wrist as green liquid went into his body. He couldn’t pull away. The only focus being on the searing pain in his shoulder. “I was wondering when we were going to see you.” They pulled him inside the room and he winced. Unlike the hallway and the staircase the room was bright and scorching hot. Sweat quickly forming on the back of his neck.

“It is exactly 45 degrees in Celsius, or 113 degrees Fahrenheit. It could go hotter if we want it to though.” Kyungsoo pulled his arm away from the man and tried to ignore the pain that came with it. “Notice anyone familiar?” The old man muttered.

Kyungsoo squinted his eyes trying to get a better view of the room, there was nothing except two figures lying in the corner. “Who…” He muttered before recognizing them. “! Suho! Xiumin!” He ran towards their lying bodies kneeling down. “Guys! Guys! Wake up!” They weren’t responding Kyungsoo looked at Suhos still body his lips chapped and bleeding.

He turned to look at Xiumin his skin dry. They were past being dehydrated they had no water in their system left to sweat. He leaned against Suhos mouth and heard short rapid breathing. Still alive, but who knew for how long.

“Please! They have heat ! They could die from this. Stop!” Kyungsoo turned to look at the old man but he was gone. He stood up running to the door and slamming on it. “Let them out!” No answer. He was quickly sweating through his shirt and the heat made it hard to see. “This isn’t testing! This is torture! You’re going to lose them!”  

He pounded on the door as hard and as long as he could wishing his gift would come back to him. He couldn’t feel anything not even the Earth this time. He felt alone. “Please..” He begged one last time as he fell to floor. He was so thirsty. He felt nauseous and weak as the heat starting getting to him as well. Black dots formed his vision as his eyelids became heavier.

Kyungsoo stared at Suho and Xiumin wishing he could’ve done more to help them.