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alicanta77 · 3 years

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Finale: Heaven Descends

pairing: y/n x Jeno

themes: mutant au, angst, fluff

warnings: fighting, violence, death, character death, blood, descriptions of injury, swearing, mind control

words: 16k words

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Finale

tag list: @hiqhkey @soondaengie @lebrookestore @kunrengui-writes @fairyjunn @moonchildrenandflowercrowns @chezzontop @strwbrryhoney @luvdhl

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note: here we are... for some reason i didn’t think this day would ever really come, but, the finale has arrived. i struggled with when to post it and realised that nothing is better than posting it on the one year anniversary of TND. thank you so much to everyone who has read, commented, sent asks about and interacted with this series in any way. i’ve loved this story so much and hearing how you all loved it too was the best feeling in the world. i’m so sad that there are no more chapters left, but all good things come to an end eventually. thank you for sticking with me for a year on this, it’s been a rollercoaster of a story, but it’s one of my favourite things i’ve ever written. without further ado, happy one year anniversary to TND and i hope you enjoy the ending!

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You don’t remember meeting Jeno. There wasn’t this day or moment in your memory where someone brought Jeno to you and introduced the two of you. He had just always been there, subject A7, your roommate since day one. When you had been kids there had been nobody else that would talk to you but him. He seemed to be the only person who wasn’t afraid of you. He used to whisper “I’m like you.” as he made snowflakes dance intricate patterns across his palms. That was the closest you had an earliest memory of him. He made you feel as though you were special instead of strange.

And now he wasn’t by your side anymore, and there was no one around you who would make a rainbow appear in your room when you were crying, or shine the sun on you to warm you when you felt alone. Without Jeno, there was a hole in your heart, as if a part of your soul was separated from you, and you would do anything to get him back.

You didn’t even want to think about what he was being put through back at “The Orb” whether he knew you had left, or whether the boys had ever found out the truth about what happened to Jaemin. You couldn’t help but wonder if they ever believed you.

Chenle’s voice pulled you back to reality, dragging your attention away from Jeno and back towards the plans in front of you. Spread out on the table were various blueprints and floor plans of the lab. There were scribbles dotted all over the pages and words had been crossed out and rewritten, showing how these had been edited multiple times.

“The only members who have been inside the lab and managed to get any data out to us are Ten and Doyoung, and this is what we managed to put together. So far, this is our understanding of the layout of the lab.”

Considering Jaehyun had never been inside the lab himself, the plans were fairly accurate. There were some errors in size and location, but you and Chenle corrected what you could. Even though you had spent your entire life there, it wasn’t a home, you had only had a few places that you could go, meaning that a majority of the building was still a mystery to you.

The plan was to attack the lab first, you didn’t even need to get close to it, all you needed to do was get within range to use your abilities and you could turn it to dust. After that, you would go after “The Orb”, you’d get the boys back, destroy that building too and then disappear into the horizon and never be found again.

You’d been here for hours already, going over all the possible scenarios and plans of attack that you could think of and eventually deciding that that was the best one. It didn’t require you to go back inside the lab, and by destroying the lab first, it wouldn’t be as difficult to take over “The Orb”.

“Alright.” Jaehyun suddenly said as a few seconds of silence fell over your group. He stood up, stretching his back as he did. “I think that’s enough for this morning. Y/n, Chenle, why don’t you go have lunch and then, when you’re done, we’ll drive out and see if we can find that building that collapsed yesterday.”

“Wait-” You said suddenly, stopping where you were and reaching into your pockets, your hands closing around the objects in there. You had been so exhausted yesterday that you hadn’t realised they were still in there when you went to sleep. “I think you should see these.” You turned back to the table and placed the jar of radiation pills and paper on there. “These came from “The Orb”, they said these pills contained radiation and would enhance our abilities and I didn’t see what was on the paper, I’m sorry. I was in a rush and just grabbed what I saw.”

Jaehyun’s hand squeezed your shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t apologise, this is better than nothing.”

While this was happening, Taeil had opened the jar of pills and was studying one of them. He looked up at Jaehyun, a confused look on his face.

“Call for Kun, he’s going to want to see this.” Taeil said and Jaehyun wasted no time, immediately going to look for him. “How often did you take these?”

“Anytime before a training session. It would allow us to do more and give us greater control over our powers. That’s why our powers have been increasing.” You answered cautiously, unsure of what the look on Taeil’s face meant.

“That doesn’t make sense...” Chenle murmured from next to you. “My powers have been increasing but I’ve not taken any of these.”

You stared at him, a million unanswered questions running through both your minds as your head started to spin with all the possibilities as to what this could mean.

“I thought that we could take one before we go to the lab... to give us an advantage...” You mumbled, your words getting lost in the sea of confusion around you.

Jaehyun arrived back, another man following him who you assumed to be Kun. Kun sent you a warm smile before taking place beside Taeil and studying a pill himself. Taeil whispered something to Kun who seemed slightly taken aback by whatever it was. Kun reached into a drawer behind him and brought out a small knife. He proceeded to place the pill on the table and cut it open.

Once he had cut about three quarters of the way through, he picked it up again and flipped it upside down so that the contents came out. A fine white power fell out of the pill, which was a harsh contrast to the green exterior. Kun touched the powder gently, moving his finger around in it before he turned to Taeil and nodded.

“You were right, it’s nothing. Some ground up weak antibiotics would be my guess, something that you could take often but not have any damage from. It’s nothing harmful, and it’s definitely not radiation.” He announced and your jaw dropped.

“Then... how have our powers increased?” You stuttered and Kun scratched his head in thought.

“Chenle, you said you stayed a night in the radioactive city?” Kun asked, his voice lifting slightly as if he’d had an epiphany. Chenle nodded and Kun sighed. “Of course! And let me guess, you drank the water from there and ate food grown the from the ground as well didn’t you?” Chenle nodded again. “Then that’s it. Anything from that city is completely radioactive, it’s why nobody can enter there without special protective gear. At least, nobody except you. The radiation is what causes your power so, by consuming more of it through that food and water, your powers were enhanced. They must have realised that happened and made up this story to give you a reason to try things you would never have tried before.”

An uneasy silence fell across the small group of you at this revelation. While you were relieved that the pill was nothing to worry about, you weren’t really sure how you felt about the whole situation. Instead you pushed it to the side of your mind, that wasn’t what you needed to worry about now.

“What about this?” You asked, lifting up the document you’d grabbed.

Kun took the paper from your hands, his eyes skimming down the page before his grip suddenly tightened.

“What is it?” Jaehyun asked worriedly.

Kun swallowed. “It’s not good.” And he placed the paper down on the table. “These are plans on how it’s possible to access and utilise abnormal abilities without the need for a host body.”

“So... the lab, they can use our powers without us.” You realised and Kun nodded sombrely.

“This would allow them to use any ability that the 8 of you had, so long as they had the DNA of the original subject. The lab would be able to weaponise the powers you have for their own use. It would make them unstoppable.”

“Have they done it already?” You asked quietly, almost monotonous as a terrible thought ran through your head. Kun didn’t respond, only tilted his head as he didn’t quite hear you properly. “Have they done it already?”

Kun’s eyes scanned the page once more and he shook his head. “It’s not listed here, but there’s a lot of information on the “Image Manipulation” ability. My guess would be that was the first one they would try.”

Your heart doubled in speed when he said that. You knew you hadn’t been wrong. The lab had used Renjun’s ability to cover Jaemin’s murder. You had been staring right at the body and you didn’t know.

“They’ve done it already.” You said quietly, the four other boys looking at you. “When I brought the others to where Jaemin’s body was, he had disappeared. Not just him, the chair he was on, even the blood on the floor had gone. They had to have been using Renjun’s ability, it’s the only logical explanation.”

Jaehyun let out a long sigh at your words, the severity of the situation settling in.

“This is a lot more dangerous than any of us realise. If they can already do this, who’s to say what’ll happen when they figure out how to use your ability y/n? Or Jeno’s? They could tear down buildings from miles away. Or what if they figure out Chenle’s and suddenly they’re shifting into other people, like people in our organisation, or maybe even you guys? If they manage this, we wouldn’t be able to trust anyone. Not even each other. When we go to the lab, you can’t be seen. It had to be a quick operation because, if you’re seen, you may end up fighting against your own ability. And I don’t want to see you lose.”

You were silent. Jaehyun’s words terrified you, but they also filled you with a strange sense of calm determination. This was it, you would either destroy the lab, or they would destroy you. It was black and white. There were no more games, no more mind tricks, you had two possible outcomes and it was up to you to choose which one you wanted.

“Burn that.” You said, gesturing towards the paper and Jaehyun immediately nodded. “Nobody can read it. And if they have more information like that at the lab and Orb, then we have a lot of burning to do.”

Jaehyun chuckled at your words, making a small smile itch onto your face.

“Well, this morning had been scary enough.” He declared. “Go and get some food, we’ll be there in a minute and then we can go out to that building.”

Chenle and you both nodded, Chenle grabbing your hand and leading you through the passages as you had only been here a night and didn’t know your way around yet. With your dream about Jaemin, and the plans to destroy the lab, you’d almost forgotten about the building collapsing that had scared you half to death yesterday. But the fact that Jaehyun hadn’t, and was still keeping his promise just proved once again to you that these were the right people.

You and Chenle left the room pretty quickly, meaning both of you missed the short conversation that Jaehyun and Taeil had as you went.

“I thought there were no heroes left in this world.” Taeil muttered to his friends, shaking his head in disbelief as you left.

“There aren’t.” Jaehyun said sympathetically, watching you with admiration, unable to imagine how you stand so tall after everything you’d been through. “They’re just kids trying to survive.”

---

The truck pulled to a gentle stop, ending the drive. Johnny had been in the drivers seat, after apparently being dubbed the best driver that the group had. Yuta opened the back of the truck from the inside, before jumping out. Jaehyun followed, before reaching back to offer you a helping hand. You accepted it gratefully, jumping out and landing on the soft grass.

Taeil had stayed behind with Kun to examine the pills and see if they could figure out exactly what they were, leaving Jaehyun, Johnny and Yuta to come with you, and of course, Chenle.

You began walking, having a short walk to the estimated location of the building. Jaehyun explained how they never park their vehicles in plain sight so that they can make a sneaky getaway if they need to.

Yuta and Jaehyun led the way, with you and Chenle following and Johnny bringing up the rear.

“Be honest with me,” Chenle began and you nodded. “Why do you need to see this building so badly?”

You thought for a second. If you were being honest, you weren’t sure why you so desperately needed to see this building, something in you was pushing forwards. You had this overpowering feeling that it was important.

“I don’t know.” You answered truthfully. “Something in my gut is telling me that I need to see it, and after everything I’ve come to trust my gut. But, it also feels like more than that. I don’t just need to see it, I somehow know that whatever we see is going to be important.”

“How is that possible? You don’t exactly have Hyuck’s abilities.”

“But that’s exactly the issue, I don’t. And yet, something Jaemin said to me keeps going round and round in my head. He said ‘our powers live beyond us’. That’s how he managed to speak to me even after he died, he was using his ability to contact me in a way that only he could, in my head. What if this is Hyuck? What if, this feeling is Hyuck telling me to find out? He wouldn’t be able to speak to me in my head because that wasn’t what he could do, he could see the future. What if all he would able to do would be push me in the right direction, to put me on the right path?”

“Y/n...” Chenle sighed gently and you waved him off.

“I know. It’s might not be him but... I owe it to him to check.” You said, giving Chenle a sad smile which he returned.

Chenle knew as well as you did that you would never be able to know if it was Hyuck guiding you, but on the off-chance that it was, you had to listen.

The end of the forest was rapidly approaching, the trees gradually thinning out as the ground passed beneath your feet. The hairs on the back of your neck gradually started to raise as you got closer, and every inch of your body felt like it suddenly began screaming at you, telling you to run for your life, but that feeling kept pushing you forward.

You had to squeeze your hands into fists to stop them shaking, as the remaining trees soon disappeared. You exited into a clearing and fanned out into a short line, all of you staring in utter shock at the destruction in front of you.

The building hadn’t just collapsed, it was completely demolished, as if it had blown up from the inside. Nothing of it was left standing except for a few bricks that once made up the sides of the building. You wouldn’t have been able to even guess what it used to be. Scraps of metal and brick were lying of the ground, all in various odd shaped. Shattered pieces of glass reached right where you were standing. The building felt deserted, yet there was something haunted about it.

You slowly stepped forward and the rest of the boys followed you, all approaching carefully.

“Holy shit...” Yuta murmured his eyes scanning the remains. “What happened here?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen anything like this, not even in other destructed cities. I wouldn’t be able to even guess what caused this.” Jaehyun replied, reaching down to pick up something from under his foot.

“I’m hoping that there wasn’t anyone around when this happened, because there’s no way anyone could survive this.” Johnny said.

Neither you nor Chenle said anything, both too preoccupied with the carnage that lay in front of you.

The boys made to walk forwards again, but the object in Jaehyun’s hand caught your eye. You wordlessly reached for it, taking it from him as he watched your movements. You studied the gold bar, something about it feeling too familiar for you to ignore. You flipped it over and ran your thumb over the inscription, brushing off some of the dust that covered what was written.

“Atmokinesis”

Your breath stopped and you looked up again at the wreckage.

“Oh my god.” You whispered. This couldn’t be true, you would do anything for this not to be true. Your grip on the thin bar tightened as images of the boy with power over the weather flashed through your mind.

“What is it?” Chenle asked, the look on your face setting everyone’s nerves on fire.

“This is it. This is the Orb, the safe haven.”

“Y/n, it can’t be. There’s nothing left here.” Jaehyun tried to reason, arguing with the horrible truth.

“We came from behind so I didn’t recognise the area but... this is it. This is where I left the others. They’re- they might-”

You didn’t manage to finish your sentence, but you didn’t need to. You were all thinking the same thing.

That somewhere, in that wreckage, were the other four boys.

---

“We’re going to need to dig.” Jaehyun said, taking a determined step forwards as the rest of you followed uneasily. “If there’s anyone in there, we’ll find them.”

You surveyed the sight in front of you, knowing that it would take a miracle for anyone to survive whatever had done this to the building. Your feet dragged along the ground as you approached the collapsed building that was beginning to feel like a mass grave. However, no matter how haunting the sight in front of you was, that same feeling as earlier was driving you forwards.

Something flashed in the corner of your eye, a movement so brief that you nearly missed it. Yet you whirled around, nerves suddenly alight and your entire body ready to react in any way you needed to. You were not risking being taken again.

The boys around you noticed your sudden movement. All of them freezing where they stood, their hands resting on the handles of the guns they were carrying.

“I saw something.” You whispered.

Chenle shared a look with Jaehyun, a silent conversation between the two of them before he shifted into a bird and flew. He circled the top of the building a few times, before sharply diving out of sight. A few long seconds of uneasy silence passed before three harsh squawks sounded throughout the clearing.

Chenle reappeared, flying towards you faster than you had ever seen him fly. He shifted back to human before he had even fully landed, stumbling a bit when he hit the ground.

“What is it? Is it the lab?” Yuta asked, his hand firmly on his gun and standing close enough to you that he could grab you and run back to the truck, but Chenle shook his head, his eyes wide, his knees shaking slightly and his face a picture of shock.

“It’s Mark.”

Your jaw dropped and you immediately made to run towards the wreckage but Johnny caught you by the arm.

“Wait.”

“What do you mean ‘wait’? It’s Mark. I can’t wait.” You interrupted his warning, desperate to see your friend in person. You couldn’t bring yourself to say it out-loud, but if Mark had survived, maybe the other boys had, maybe Jeno had. And maybe Mark even knew where he was.

“Just take a second y/n! What if it’s a trap? Don’t forget the lab is still out there. Who’s to say that this isn’t a whole scheme from them to catch the two of you? I’m not telling you to abandon him, I’m just saying be careful. There’s too much at stake for you to run off blindly, even for Mark” Johnny said, his grip on your arm tight enough to hold you in place but not so tight that it hurt.

Your shoulders deflated slightly, knowing he was right. For all you knew, you could be putting yourself, Chenle and even Mark in more danger than you realised by rushing in like that.

“I couldn’t see anyone else. He’s definitely alone.” Chenle said, and your mind began to race.

“Stay close to them, and keep them safe no matter what.” Jaehyun instructed Johnny and Yuta, both of them nodding seriously in response before moving into position.

You began to walk forwards cautiously, each step being carefully calculated at first. And then you saw it again, that flash of something and you couldn’t take it anymore. You broke out into a sudden sprint, running at full speed towards the area you last saw the movement.

You vaguely registered Yuta catching up from behind you, but all you could focus on was seeing one of your friend’s again. If you saw him, the guilt would go away, you wouldn’t feel as though you had abandoned them. Because by leaving them in the Orb, you felt as though you had left them to die.

You turned the corner of the wreckage, seeing the area where you thought Mark would be... and it was empty.

“Mark!” You screamed into the air, Yuta coming to cover your mouth with his hand. Your mind was blurry, as if all logic meant nothing to you and the frustration of him slipping through your fingers was overwhelming you. As far as you were aware, you had lost everything and everyone that you had ever hold dear. As risky and stupid as it was, you couldn’t stop screaming. You had to find him. You had to prove to yourself that they weren’t dead, that this wasn’t over, that it wasn’t all for nothing... that it wasn’t your fault they’re dead. You struggled out of Yuta’s grip, using your ability to keep him off you as you called out again. “Mark!”

Jaehyun rounded the corner, his eyes wide with panic as he stared at you. He opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted.

“Y/n?”

You all froze, your mental grip over Yuta slipping entirely as you stared at on and other.

It was Mark’s voice. It was shaking and hesitant and weak, but it was definitely Mark.

Jaehyun called your name quietly and, when you looked at him, he mouthed a short sentence at you.

“Be careful.”

You nodded slowly at him, before taking a deep breath. You felt yourself coming back to reality as the need to see him for him to be real began to drive your actions.

“Yes Mark, it’s me. Please where are you?” Your voice was breaking and he still wasn’t showing himself. The longer he kept himself hidden, the more worried you were that this wasn’t him. Then his voice came back.

“Which routine was the worst?” He asked.

Your mouth opened and closed without saying anything. You didn’t understand what he meant. The older boys looked on at you helplessly, not knowing what Mark was asking either.

“The lab.” Chenle suddenly whispered to you after a few seconds of panicked silence. “It has to be the routines from the lab!”

Realisation dawned on you as you shouted back your answer confidently.

“2b.”

A blur flew across your eyes and suddenly Mark was there, his arms thrown around you and tears streaming down his face. You gripped onto him tightly, listening to his frantic apologies.

“I’m sorry, I had to be sure, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, I’m sorry, I should never have left you behind.” You cried into his shoulder, holding onto him as if he was your lifeline.

His apologies were unrelenting and he kept shaking his head to your words. His body was trembling like a leaf and it was clear he hadn’t eaten for a few days either. You pulled back, grabbing his face in your hands and wiping the tears from his cheeks.

“There’s someone you need to see.” You said before stepping aside.

When Mark’s gaze landed on Chenle he froze, just as he had done when he thought Chenle was dead. Then, as fast as only Mark could move, he crashed into him, the two boys holding on tight and not letting the other slip away again.

Mark was alive. Mark being alive was a symbol of hope. He was a sign that someone survived, and that it had been possible to escape the destruction.

You noticed Jaehyun, Johnny and Yuta still standing ready, prepared for any danger that may appear. Their hands were resting on their guns and their eyes were darting around, never leaving a part of the landscape untouched for too long. There was not a doubt in your mind that they were ready for anything.

Mark and Chenle eventually pulled away from their tearful reunion, and you took the time to introduce Jaehyun. Together with Chenle, you talked through the real safe haven, the photos they had of Ten and Doyoung around and how they were here to protect you. Mark nodded, taking in all of this information quickly.

You noticed how he stood in between you and Chenle, his eyes darting between the two of you as if he couldn’t believe that both of you were here. Something about it confused you, you couldn’t understand why he would be just as amazed to see you as he was to see Chenle. After all, he had thought Chenle had died.

During all this time, the tears that were steadily streaming down Mark’s face hadn’t let up. They were unrelenting and you were starting to worry.

“Mark?” You asked. “What happened?”

Mark turned to look at you and the look in his eyes made your knees shake. It was a look you had seen before, and one that you really wished you didn’t understand the meaning of. But you did.

“Who?” You asked and Mark’s bottom lip began to tremble, the final part of the question remaining hanging in the air, neither of you needing to say it.

Who died?

“Renjun.” Mark whispered, his voice cracking as the name slipped past his lips.

Your eyes closed slowly, taking in the news that yet another one of your friends had been ripped away from you without a goodbye. You registered Chenle’s quiet sobs from next to you, and felt your lungs begin to close up.

You took a shaky breath, lips tremblings as the first tears slipped past your eyes. You began to shake, the crippling pain of losing someone so close to you taking over your entire being.

You reached out for Chenle, gabbing his hand and giving it a quick squeeze. He squeezed your hand back, silent reminders that you were both still here.

“Mark, how come you came back?” You asked, looking around the wreckage surrounding you.

Mark’s gaze dropped, his eyes focusing on his thumbs as he fiddled with them. “I wanted to dig through it. I wanted to see if I could find anyone else. I’ve been around here since it happened, just hoping that someone would come out after what happened...” he trailed off, and it was only then that you realised, you still had no idea what happened here. You got so preoccupied in the news of Renjun’s death that you forgot about the world you lived in.

Thankfully, Jaehyun stepped forward, asking Mark to explain what happened so you didn’t have to again. Mark looked unsure at Jaehyun, but after an encouraging nod from both you and Chenle, he began to talk.

“We thought that you were dead too. Jimin, he told us y/n was dead. Jeno... he lost his mind. He was screaming and crying and it was raining and the ground started shaking because of his powers and he just-” Mark was rambling, talking so fast that you could barely understand.

“Mark slow down, breath okay, just take it step by step.” Jaehyun said comfortingly and you watched as Mark forced a few deep breaths of air into his lungs. He was shaking, his entire body trembling as he opened his teary eyes and continued speaking. “They separated us. They took Renjun’s body somewhere, Jisung was unconscious and carried out, they dragged me away but even while I was being pulled down the corridor I could still hear Jeno screaming for you.”

Mark paused to collect himself, the tears had begun to fall down his face, tracing the same familiar path along his cheeks that they had been ever since you found him.

“What happened to the building?” You asked, gently prompting Mark to continue talking. Mark looked up.

“Jeno happened. He was so angry, so heartbroken, he thought you were dead. I heard him scream. It echoed through the entire building, and it was as if every speck of earth was screaming with him. I’ve never heard anything like it. The building shook, beams started falling, lights went out and the entire thing began to collapse. The guards holding me let go in panic and I just ran. I ran as fast as I could and I just made it out by the time the building had crashed down. I hid in the trees for hours until I saw movement, I needed to know if anyone else was alive. And they- they took him, they took him back.” Mark was choking on his words, trying to talk through his tears but the poor boy had so much racing through his head it was impossible for him to organise his thoughts even slightly. Each word he said was harder to understand than the last. “He was alive, he was unconscious but he was alive but they took him and I couldn’t- i just watched- there was nothing I could-”

“Whose ‘they’ and who did they take?” Chenle placed his hands on Mark’s shoulders, forcing the older boy to look at him as he finally choked out the words that made your heart stop.

“The lab. They took Jeno back to the lab.”

---

The world was blurry as Jeno tried to adjust his eyes to the harsh light. He could barely remember what happened, all he remembered was Jimin shouting at him and feeling as though he was going to explode.

“Is this all you could bring me?” A voice broke through Jeno’s haze and he blinked slowly a couple of times.

“Well, maybe if you had let us bug the rooms we could have brought more.” A different voice snapped. “That way, we would have known what they were planning and another one wouldn’t have ended up dead.”

“That building was too run down, there was no where to hide them that they wouldn’t be found.” The first voice came back again. “And it was risky to try this experiment without our facilities too. Especially using Image Manipulation to cover the body when the kid with the ability was right there. You’re lucky that it worked.”

Jeno still had no idea where he was, he didn’t know who was speaking or what they were talking about. He tried to look around the room, but everything was spinning and he couldn’t see properly.

“We didn’t have much of a choice. The mutants knew the truth and things were spiralling into chaos so it bought us a bit of time. Besides, the fact that it worked is a good thing, now we can move on to bigger and better things. What happened to this one?”

“Something hit him on the head when the building went down. Nobody really knows what happened exactly and the boss isn’t keen on talking about it.”

“Can you blame him? It’s a bit embarrassing how they escaped. He had six of them in his grasp and all he could get back here was this one.”

“What’s the plan here?”

“We use what we learnt from the experiments on the Mind Control kid and programme them here. Since he’s practically knocked out the serum should take hold quite powerfully.”

Jeno couldn’t understand any of the words that they were saying, but he did understand their reference to Jaemin. If only Jeno had trusted his gut and believed you, then he’d be with you right now. Maybe you wouldn’t be dead, maybe the rest of the boys would be safe. But he didn’t, and now he was lost without you.

A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye and traced its way down his cheek as memories of you flooded his mind. Images of the boys flashed across his mind, the picture of Jaemin’s smile felt like a stab in the heart when Jeno realised he couldn’t remember when he last saw Jaemin smile before he died.

Footsteps approached, and Jeno felt a finger press against his cheek and wipe a tear away. He tried to tilt his head away from whoever it was but he didn’t have the strength. The darkness was trying to take him again and the metal syringe approaching him was the last thing Jeno saw before he blacked out.

---

You stumbled through the debris, looking for any signs that someone else was alive, or any documents that recorded data about any of your abilities. You had all begun rummaging through the debris, clearing openings and looking for anything of interest. Once a part was cleared, Yuta or Johnny came up to douse it in gasoline, the plan being to light this place up when you were done to make sure that there was no evidence of your abilities left.

Once realising that they would need to burn this place, Jaehyun had radioed back to the base and another truck had pulled up with two new faces in it. They were introduced to you as Yangyang and Xiaojun and they had brought many extra tubs of gasoline.

You stood next to a larger brick, and with Jaehyun’s help and your ability, you managed to flip it off the pile it was on, opening up much more for you to study. Together you crouched, digging through the smaller remains that you could lift with your hands and searching together. Mark came over to join you, seeing how large the pile the two of you were working on was. None of you had spoken about it, but you all knew that you were searching for Jisung too.

Mark had said that Jisung was unconscious when Jeno blew up the building, but they had been separated so there was no way of knowing if he had woken up or not.

You continued digging, finding a piece of paper which you briefly read before handing to Jaehyun. On it contained details of your increased power with your ability over your time at the lab. Jaehyun read it before pulling out a lighter and setting the edge of it on fire.

Your hands stopped moving as you watched the data go up in flames, the white paper curling and turning to black as it was consumed by the fire. With each sheet that was burnt, you felt less scared, because with each sheet that was burnt, you were taking away the data from the lab.

Jaehyun dropped the paper before it burnt his fingers, allowing the small amount that was left to drift to the ground. You watched it until it burnt out completely, leaving no trace of what it once was.

You turned your attention back to the pile in front of you when Mark nudged your elbow with his. You hummed in question but he just did it again.

“Dude, look.” He said, pointing towards a smaller pile to your left.

It looked like a lot of bricks and remains of bricks piled up on top of each other, forming an uneven top. You were about to ask him what was so special about it, when it suddenly moved.

You almost jumped out of your skin, flinching so hard that Jaehyun himself almost jumped slightly and turned to look at where the two of you were staring.

The movement happened again and, in sync, all three of you started to run towards it. Jaehyun called over the others to help and, as soon as you reached it you fell to your knees and started to dig.

Jaehyun, Yuta, Xiaojun and Yangyang stood around you, keeping their hands on their weapons just in case. Johnny helped you dig, his strength becoming very useful for some of the larger bits of debris. Together you pulled it apart, using your ability to remove anything that you couldn’t lift with your arms.

You ended up digging further than any human could withstand and, the further you went the more you were praying to stumble upon Jisung. Surely he was the only person who could survive being this far down and under so much weight.

With your help, Johnny moves a particularly large piece of rock, revealing a small space. It was barely big enough to fit a person in it, but somehow, a metal pole had gotten stuck vertically, reinforced by two large bricks on either side of it and that had created a chamber under the debris where no bricks landed.

And there, lying in it, was a person.

“Is that...” Johnny whispered, his voice trailing off and you swallowed before answering.

“It’s Jisung.”

Your jaw was open as you stared in shock. His legs were folded uncomfortable underneath him, as if he had just collapsed back onto them. He was thinner than you remember, and his eyes were shut, but his body was stirring and you could hear slight groans coming from the injured boy. He was alive.

“We need to get him out of there fast so Mark can heal him.” Chenle commanded, immediately trying to figure out a way to save him. “Y/n, you’re going to need to make sure no more bricks fall in, there’s no way he could dodge them in that state. Everything seems to be precariously balanced so be ready. The rest of us are going to try and move these so that we can either get him out of there, or get enough room for Mark to get down there.”

You all nodded and you altered your stance so that you were stood firmly on both your feet. You loosened your knees and took a deep breath.

Jisung’s eyes opened slowly, looking up with despair at the top, and squinting when he wasn’t greeted with the brick ceiling that he previously had been. Instead, he saw the faces of his friends looking down on him and calling out.

“Don’t move, we’re going to get you out!” Mark shouted down, and Jisung just closed his eyes again, letting his head rest.

He shot you a worried look and you all knew you had to act fast.

Xiaojun and Yangyang moved to help as well. Together everyone began by moving the surrounding bricks to create space and working their way down from there. They were working as fast as they could but you all had to be very careful, one wrong move could cause a brick to fall on Jisung.

Chenle and Johnny picked up a larger brick, carrying it between them, but the movement cause a small avalanche of bricks to go tumbling down towards Jisung. Your hands shot out, fingers closing slightly as you caught them.

The bricks hung in mid air, one dangerously close to Jisung’s face. You screwed your eyes shut, forcing any intrusive thoughts out of your head before opening your eyes again and lifting the bricks out of the gap. You flung them to the side, relief flooding through you as you were saved from disaster.

The boys were staring at you, impressed by your display of power and you shifted slightly on your feet at the attention. You weren’t used to using your ability like that in front of people.

By removing that larger rock and the smaller ones that followed, there were a few makeshift stairs that could get Jisung out.

Jaehyun went down them, testing how steady they were. You used your ability again to keep them solid, helping his balance as he reached down for Jisung. You watched as Jaehyun grabbed Jisung’s arm and placed it over his shoulder, before wrapping another arm around his waist.

Jisung’s head rolled back as he was picked up into a standing position but he seemed to pull himself together somehow. Jaehyun said something quietly to him that you couldn’t hear but together, they managed to get Jisung back up to the top. As soon as he was in arms reach Johnny got another arm underneath him and pulled him out completely. They lay him down on the floor and Mark fell next to him, placing his hands on Jisung’s chest and doing his best to heal him.

You watched breathlessly as some colour started to come back to his face, and his expression changed from one of pain to relaxed. You reached forwards and lightly brushed some of his fringe out of his face, tears welling your eyes when you looked down at him. Mark’s healing was working and with every second Jisung seemed to be getting better.

"That’s all I can do.” Mark murmured, pulling his hands away. Jisung’s eyes were still closed, making it look as though he was sleeping. “I don’t think I can wake him up, that has to happen by himself.”

“That’s okay, we can put him in a bed when we get back to the base.” Jaehyun said, approaching you from behind. “For now, let’s get him into a truck and then we can get the hell out of here.”

You nodded, standing up and looking over your shoulder at the wreckage that used to be the Orb. Looking at it now you wouldn’t be able to tell that a building like that once stood there, but you knew. And you would never forget it.

Mark and Chenle went with Jisung into the truck, but you stayed back for a second. The smell of gasoline was getting over powering, and Johnny, Xiaojun and Yuta were throwing the last bits of it over the huge pile. They emptied their tubs and you watched as they came back to the vans.

“Do you want to do it?” Jaehyun asked, and you looked to your right to see him offering you his lighter.

You thought about it, how satisfying it would be to send this hell hole up in flames, but you shook your head.

“I’ve got bigger fish to fry.” You said and Jaehyun smiled, knowing exactly what you meant.

If you were going to destroy any building, it would be the lab.

He flicked his wrist, throwing the small flame onto the wreckage and you both watched as a wall of fire materialised. Whatever was left of the Orb wouldn’t be around much longer. The fire warmed your face and you watched the flames consume the sight in front of you. You closed your eyes, basking in the heat it gave you before turning around and walking away, leaving the Orb behind for good.

---

The second you had arrived back, Mark and Jisung had been whisked off to the infirmary for the same check up you had gone through when you arrived. they hadn’t been there for long, Mark’s speed kicking in and healing him faster and his abilities had brought Jisung back from the brink of death. They had been given food and water and as much as you all wanted to rest, you knew that you had something to finish.

If the lab ever went back to the site of the Orb and found it burnt to the ground, there’s no way of telling what they’d do. You had to break as soon as you could.

Jaehyun looked around your group, at the four of you and the painful gaps where your missing friends should be. He sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor for half a second before looking up at Jisung and Mark.

“You two should stay here. You’re not fully healed and I don’t want to put you in danger.” He said but both Jisung and Mark looked at him as if he was mad.

“There’s no way we’re sitting here.” Mark said, and Jisung nodded. “Y/n and Chenle are going and we can let them go alone. Plus, our friend is stuck in there and we can’t just sit around here and wait for someone to break him out.”

Jaehyun smiled, shaking his head as he chuckled. He felt that sense of deja vu and couldn’t help but remember the way you and Chenle refused to step down. If there was one thing about the four of you, you would never back away from doing what’s right.

“Then let’s get him back.”

---

You wanted to leave immediately, but you couldn’t.

Jaehyun had explained that the lab is in the middle of nowhere, there are no trees to hide in or give any kind of cover for miles. And there’s no way to hide without them spotting you. You had to arrive at night, it would give you a chance to get closer under the cover of darkness.

The four of you were sat together, just on the edge of the base, perched on odd bricks that were lying around. There was a strange feeling in the air, as if you could feel something was coming. You were telling them about your dream, how you spoke to Jaemin one last time.

“We can’t go there out of revenge. Fighting fuelled with hatred isn’t going to help. Yes, obviously we all hate the lab and it will be part of the reason that we’re fighting, but it’s like Jaemin said, our revenge will come with destroying the lab. But our goal is to get Jeno out.”

The boys nodded, all silently agreeing. Mark let out a deep breath, his mind focusing on Jaemin’s words about how your powers live beyond you.

“I guess not even the gods know what to do with us when we die.” He mused and a silence fell over the group, his words resonating with all of you. You hadn’t thought about what would happen to you after you died, but having spoken to Jaemin, and felt Hyuck, you didn’t think you’d just disappear without trace, there’s something about all of you that beyond this world.

“I’m not sure I believe in a god.” You admitted, keeping your eyes on the horizon. “After all we’ve been put through I”m supposed to believe that there’s something out there watching over me? I just can’t really find it in me to believe in anything.”

“I believe in something.” Chenle said and you tore your eyes away from the view to look at him.

It was Jisung who asked him what it was and you were not quite expecting the answer he gave.

“Tomorrow.” Chenle revealed. He looked around at your confused faces and laughed out loud. “It was something I thought of when I got out of the lab the second time. When I was in there, I kept telling myself: tomorrow I’ll get out, tomorrow I’ll get out, tomorrow I’ll get out. Eventually, tomorrow came and I got out. No matter what happens, no matter how things turn out, or how much is burnt to the ground, the sun will always rise and tomorrow will come.”

You smiled at him, his words making a lot more sense than you were expecting.

“Tomorrow never dies...” You murmured and Chenle nodded.

The four of you looked around at each other, taking in what you were fighting for. It was in that moment that everything felt real, the harsh reality of what you were about to do came crashing down on you and you were filled with this unexplainable feeling of dread. But even with that, it couldn’t take away what you felt for these boys, nothing could compare to the hell you had been put through together and you wouldn’t stop at anything to make sure that they never felt that hell again. You would fight for them. You would fight for Jeno.

You would fight to reach tomorrow.

Then, Jaehyun arrived, his face serious and you already knew what he was going to say before he did.

“It’s time.”

---

You geared up, pulling on the dark, protective gear and grabbing a helmet. Only Chenle took a gun because he was the only one who knew how to use it. But you didn’t mind, you had your ability. Jimin had called you a weapon, and he was about to see just how lethal you could be.

You walked out to the trucks together, the four of you getting in the same one at your request. You climbed in, sitting next to Mark and facing Chenle and Jisung. You weren’t sure who was driving you, but you were pretty sure it was Johnny.

The truck soon pulled away, all of you leaning slightly to the side with the movement and the atmosphere grew tenser. All of your nerves were starting to set in as you headed towards the lab.

“One way or another, things are going to end tonight, aren’t they?” Jisung asked quietly.

“Yeah... this will all be over soon.” Mark replied.

The silence settled back over you, much heavier than before due to the hidden meaning behind Mark’s words. You all knew that it being over meant one of two things, at the end of the night, you would either be free... or dead.

“Whatever happens...” Chenle paused, swallowing slightly and you prepared yourself for some motivation speech about dying for what you believed in, but that didn’t come. “Whatever happens, I love you guys.”

---

The majority of the rest of the journey was in silence, all of you getting lost in your own thoughts as you drove towards the battleground. You lost track of time, spending the journey with your mind consumed by thoughts of Jeno, what happened to him, what they were doing, if he was alive. You could barely stand to focus on the last thought, the possibility of not seeing him again was enough to make you well up with tears on the spot.

You leaned slightly towards the front of the truck as you pulled to a stop. A second of tense silence lay over you as you realised you were here. You were back at the lab. This was it.

Then the back door opened, Johnny face greeting you as he offered you a hand out. You accepted his help, your eyes adjusting to the light out. There were lights inside the truck so you hadn’t noticed how it had become completely dark out while you were travelling.

“Where’s the lab from here?” Mark asked, and Johnny silently pointed over your shoulder.

You all turned around, looking behind you and there it was. The long building that you had spent most of your life in, dimly lit from the few bright windows that showed you where some people were.

“You see that room over there, the only lit with a slightly silver light?” Chenle asked you, pointing towards the far corner of the building and you nodded. “That’s the Rose Room.”

Your jaw dropped open as you stared at it. “I can’t believe we thought we were underground this whole time.” You mumbled, unable to wrap your head around how they had you so completely fooled.

“The windows used to be covered.” Jaehyun explain, coming up next to you. “They didn’t want anyone passing by to see what they were doing and Doyoung used to say that their theory was if you couldn’t see the outside world, you’d forget about it.”

“Well that part worked.” Jisung said making you chuckle sadly. You really had forgotten that there was a life outside of the torture inflicted on you in there, and it scared you to think of how long you could have bee stuck in there if Ten and Doyoung hadn’t broken you out.

“We need to walk from here. They would hear the trucks.” Jaehyun called back to everyone. You turned to look, seeing how almost everyone from the base had come. As much as the extra men comforted you, you didn’t like the idea of how many people were risking their lives for you. This should be your battle, no one should be involved who doesn’t need to be. You felt a hand on your shoulder, looking to see Jaehyun staring at you as if he could read your thoughts. “Everyone is here because they want to be.” He reassured you quietly. “It’s like I told you, everyone here has lost someone to the lab, and they have to something to fight for, just like you.”

He didn’t wait for your response before beginning to walk off, leaving you to follow him wordlessly. By moving on foot and wearing such dark clothes, you were very hard to spot. The lab wasn’t well lit either, and the most security they had were some guards patrolling the premises.

“Did anyone else think there would be more guards around?” Mark whispered to the rest of you.

“They’re probably waiting for us.” Chenle said bluntly and you shivered at that thought.

“Well that’s comforting.”

The plan was to slip into the patrol and walk around until you had an opening to go inside. It sounded simple, but Taeil had reassured you that simple would be better, and it was what you had to do once you were inside that would be the difficult part.

Mark noticed the nod from Jaehyun and slipped his helmet on. He then sped off, running circles around the lab from a distance to find an empty space. He soon disappeared from your sight, lost in a blur of dark uniforms. Chenle shifted into a bug, using his ability to get closer and the rest of you were left with walking.

Jaehyun had staggered the timings of when the group was going to join the patrol, as a sudden extra 13 guards would draw suspicion, meaning it was only you, Jaehyun, Jisung and Yuta going first. Jaehyun and Yuta would go with Mark and Jisung to find a way to let the rest of the group in, and you and Chenle would go to find Jeno.

The gaps between the guards were large, making it easy to blend in with the patrol when you reached them. All of you had to was look around a bit and slightly tilt your chin upwards in response to other greetings from guards. It seemed as though none of them thought anything was out of the ordinary. You wished you could be relieved but you knew that was only the easiest part. Things were about to get much harder. Now you need to break inside.

Your heart was in your throat as you approached the front of the building.

“Shift change!” A voice shouted, and you tried not to panic.

This was your chance. You told yourself just to follow what the others were doing and not to draw attention to yourself. You noticed the guards forming pairs and you walked at the same speed towards the lines, falling next to another guards and keeping your gaze forwards.

A small nudge on your shoulder drew your attention and you looked up, immediately recognising Jisung physique and you instantly relaxed.

“Mark and Chenle are behind us, with Jaehyun and Yuta behind them.” His voice appeared in your ear, almost making you jump. You had forgotten that Kun had installed a communication device in them, allowing you to talk to each other.

You showed no signs or response, but Jisung knew you heard. You follow as the guards in front of you begin moving and you all head inside the lab. The sight of the lobby made you want to run for the hills. You hadn’t gotten a good look at it the first time around as you had been preoccupied with escaping, and even now you didn’t let yourself look, you kept your eyes straight ahead and focused on where you needed to go.

Next came Chenle’s voice.

“Does anyone else think this seems-”

“Don’t say it.” Mark cut him off. “Don’t say it seems too easy. Nothing so far has been easy, literally nothing. For once can we please just let it be easy?”

You turned a corner and almost stumbled at what you saw in front of you. The guards in front of you drew to a stop, you and Jisung doing the same. You couldn’t tear your eyes off the figure in front of you, afraid of what would happen if you lost sight of them.

Jung Jimin.

Mark’s heavy sigh echoed in your ears. “Yeah, it was too easy.”

The guards didn’t stay put for long, splitting off into groups and going in different directions. You took this opportunity to head off on your individual missions.

“Chenle, y/n, you go and search for Jeno, the rest of us will see if we can find another way in.” Jaehyun said.

You felt a tap on your arm, and looked up to see Chenle. Your helmets weren’t completely opaque, so you could see his eyes if you were close enough. The other four disappeared down the corridors, leaving just you and Chenle to try and find your way.

“Where do we start?” Chenle asked and you looked down one corridor that felt all too familiar.

“I’m thinking we start with his room?” You suggest and Chenle nodded.

You set off down the corridor, trying your hardest not to run, you knew that all that would do would be bring unwanted attention to yourselves. You weren’t wearing the same as the other guards so it was vital that nobody looked at you for too long.

You reached the room you and Jeno used to share, trying to the door and finding it unlocked.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Chenle murmured.

“Neither.” You admitted. “But it’s Jeno, I have to find him, no matter what.” You pushed away your fears, you knew that Jeno would willing travel into the deepest and darkest parts of hell for you, and you would do the same for him in a heartbeat. You opened the door, and you were more expecting to find a trap than you were to find Jeno, but instead you were met with something that was almost worse.

An empty room.

You walked inside, checking the beds to see if they’d been slept in. Chenle went to the bathroom, but you both up empty handed.

“He’s not here.” Chenle said.

“He never was.” You sigh, the beds hadn’t been slept in, the bathroom was spotless and there was no signs of life anywhere. “Come on, let’s go.”

Together you and Chenle searched almost the entire facility. The Rose Room was empty, the labs were empty, in fact, it was hard to find any sign of life anywhere. With every step that you took you were getting more worried and nervous at how empty the building was.

You closed the door to the last lab, turning around desperately when it, like every one before, was empty. You were starting to panic, worried that maybe you would never find him. Maybe you couldn’t find him because there wasn’t a body to find? Maybe he wasn’t here at all?

Chenle came towards you, placing both his hands on your shoulders.

“Y/n, calm down. We’ll find him.” He reassured you.

“I don’t knew where else to look.” You said.

Chenle sighed, not sure what part of the facility was left either. Suddenly his head shot up, an idea hitting him full force.

“The training room. That’s the only place we haven’t checked.”

That had to be it. There wasn’t another door for you to check and if he wasn’t there you were sure you were going to go insane. You start off at a run but Chenle catches your arm. You groan out loud, setting off at a slower pace, the journey feeling longer than it ever had before.

The door came into sight and, even though you should suddenly want to run, you both froze. The door was open.

“This may be stupid of us.” Chenle said and you nodded.

“Yeah, it’s probably a trap.” You said bluntly. “But if it is I’ll... I don’t know what I’ll do actually. All I know is, if there’s a chance Jeno’s there, I have to go in.”

You heard Chenle sigh, knowing that there was no way you wouldn’t go in. You approached the door, shifting your posture to mimic those of the guards and went inside.

You nearly cried with relief when you saw Jeno standing in the middle of the room.

He was facing away from you but it was him, you would know him anywhere.

There was a new corner that you couldn’t look behind, you and Chenle began to walk towards Jeno. When you reached close enough, you looked around the corner, nearly tripping over your own feet at the new set up. There were around ten doctors, all of them studying the equipment that faced away fromJeno, meaning they hadn’t seen you or Chenle yet.

Chenle nudged you but you ignored him, you couldn’t turn back now that Jeno was so close to you. With luck you may be able to drag him out before they noticed you were here.

You stepped forwards quietly, each step taking you closer to the boy you loved. You finally reached him, stretching out your hand to grab his arm lightly. You twisted him around so that he was facing you, and even though he moved with you, something about it felt off. It was spinning a doll, it was only effort from you, he didn’t move to see who was spinning him.

“Jeno?” You whispered, looking into his eyes. “It’s me.”

“Something’s wrong.” Chenle said, the two of you staring at your friend who hadn’t yet clocked that someone was standing in front of him. “It’s like he’s looking straight through us.”

Jeno looked like he was in a daze, you weren’t sure he even knew where he was. And you had no idea how to wake him up. You shook him lightly, whispering his name again but got no response.

Chenle tugged your arm harshly, and you whirled around, almost ready to shout at him when you saw the screens he was pointing at. The diagrams of a brain that decorated the screens gave you a deep uneasy feeling. Various areas of the brain were lit up in yellow and the doctors were pointing at them and making notes.

It was at this moment that one of them turned around.

They paused where they stood, tilting their head as they took the two of you in.

“Is something wrong?” He called out and you had no idea how to respond.

“We were sent to guard the subject.” Chenle replied, lowering his voice slightly so they wouldn’t recognise it immediately.

This caught the attention of the rest of the doctors who turned around to see what the commotion was. They began to mutter between themselves, clearly confused as to what you were doing here and why they didn’t know guards were being sent.

The one in the middle began to approach the two of you, his eyes narrowing as he got closer.

“When did you get this?” He asked, pulling at the sleeve of your uniform before smirking. “This uniform hasn’t been used in months.”

You grimaced under your helmet as the other doctors began to crowd around you two, knowing that it would take a miracle for you not to be figure out.

But a miracle was something that you didn’t have.

One doctor reached up and pulled the helmet straight off Chenle’s head. A few of them laughed to themselves at the sight of him, where as the rest turned towards you, wondering who lay under the other helmet.

“Ahhhh, some of our subjects... it took you long enough to find your way back.” The doctor in the middle said before turning to the woman to his right. “Tell Jimin they’re here.”

She took off at a run, jogging out of the open door and making her way down the corridor. You knew your time was running out and there wasn’t a doubt in your mind that as soon as Jimin heard you were here, he would come for you.

“Put him in sequence 2b.”

The doctors looked around nervously at those words, one of them finally speaking up and saying “We’re not sure he’s ready for that.”

“Just do it!” The first doctor shouted.

The rest of them scrambled back to their positions, rapidly hitting buttons on the screens in front of them as the beeping from the computers filled the room. You and Chenle shared a nervous look, neither of you knowing what was about to happen. The doctors still didn’t know that you were there, but one of them began to reach for your helmet, ready to unmask you. You screwed your eyes shut, ready to be caught when a strangled yell came from behind you.

You spun around, looking at Jeno. He’d started moving, his body was twitching, his head tilting violently and he shook it a couple of times. Another shout of pain left his lips and you moved forward instinctively. And then, he stopped. Suddenly, all his moves ceased and he turned catatonic, only his head scanning the room until his eyes focused on the two of you.

You didn’t notice the doctors behind you slowly backing away from you, all you could focus on was the way that Jeno was approaching you and Chenle. He moved slowly, but like every move was painfully calculated, like the way a predator stalks its prey and the image sent shivers down your spine.

Chenle shoved you to the side, causing you to start circling Jeno as Chenle moved in the opposite direction, splitting the two of you up. None of the doctors seemed to move, it was as if they didn’t want to catch you, they just wanted to watch what was about to unfurl. Neither you nor Chenle knew what Jeno was doing but you didn’t think it was anything. In fact, for the first time in your life, you found yourself scared of him and what he was going to do.

Jeno’s gaze as focused on you and it took everything you had not to crumble. All you wanted to do was run to him, to hug him tight and promise that you’re never leaving again, but, right now, you didn’t think that he would catch you if you did.

Chenle started to approach from behind, taking the moment where Jeno was distracted to get close enough to touch him. He placed a hand on Jeno’s should, only lightly, but Jeno moved as fast as lightning. He spun around, grabbed Chenle by the wrist and flipped him over, making Chenle land harshly on his back. Without wasting a second Jeno attacked again, this time using his elbow to punch Chenle’s stomach.

You heard the crack from all the way across the room. Chenle had definitely broken a rib. Jeno lifted himself up again, as if he was preparing to drop a second time and you threw your hands up, using your ability to pull him away. You pulled Jeno’s hands off Chenle, sliding his across the floor as well to put physical distance between the two.

“Chenle! Find the others! Tell them what happened, tell them Jimin knows we’re here!” You shouted, and Chenle nodded, quickly shrinking into a fly and disappearing.

Jeno stood to his full height and slowly turned on you. He stared you down, as if a silent challenge had been given after you used your powers, and Jeno just picked up the gauntlet.

His arms flew out, hitting you with a gust of wind so powerful that it sent you crashing back into the wall behind you. You landed on your knees, catching your breath quickly before standing up again.

God, that had hurt. You had never been more grateful to be wearing a helmet, otherwise that would have knocked you straight out.

For a second the two of you just stared each other, and then he began to run. He ran at you, and you did the same, not wanting to be cornered against a wall by him.

“Jeno!” You shouted, desperate for him to hear your voice. “Jeno!”

The doctors watched from the sidelines as you dodges his erratic movements. Jeno was throwing punches left and right and there was no cohesiveness to his movements. You were pushing back his arms, not wanting to hurt him, but Jeno didn’t seem to have that voice telling him not to cause you pain. It was as if something had possessed him.

Jeno spun around, completely taking you by surprise and soon you found yourself being held in a tight headlock. Jeno was trying to get his arm further around your neck, but your helmet was in the way. You struggled in his grip but you couldn’t escape him. He pulled you upright, getting both hands on either side of your head and yanking your helmet off forcefully. And you stood there, once again just staring into his eyes, only this time, he was staring back at yours.

For a second, everything paused, the anger and aggression melted out of his eyes and he looked like your old Jeno. He blinked once and tilted his head slightly, as if he had forgotten what he had meant to be doing. Had you done it? Had you reached him through whatever frenzy he was in?

“Jeno?” You whispered, about to reach up to touch his face.

He stepped back with one foot, lifting one arm up. You were too busy focusing on his to notice the punch that was swinging towards you. His fist painfully connected with your temple, the force fo the blow knocking you off your feet completely. You stumbled away from him, dizzy and confused.

“What have you done to him?” You shouted at the doctors.

“An enhanced serum. We used the base formula from the serum we used on you and, using research gathered from Jaemin, added an element of mind control to it. Do you understand what I’m saying y/n?” The main doctor replied, the pride and glee in his voice completely unmasked.

“He has no idea what he’s doing.” You realised, a sarcastic clap coming from the doctor as the dreaded reality dawned on you.

“He doesn’t recognise you. It also helps that Jeno thinks you’re dead, it made it much easier to break him.” Your heart stopped at those words and you looked into the eyes of the boy you loved. The boy who held you and promised he’d never hurt you, promised he’d always protect you. He had no idea who you were anymore. “I wonder how our little Jeno will feel when we pull him out of the serum just long enough to see that, not only are you alive, but you’re now dying because of him.”

The doctor began to chuckle to himself, turning away from you once more but you weren’t finished with him. “What happens after that?”

“Well, since we no longer need you kids in order to access your powers, we’ll probably kill him?” He said casually, as if he was just throwing an everyday suggestion out there.

Your gaze shot back to Jeno who was just standing watching you, completely unaware of the high stakes. You had to break him out of this, no matter the cost.

You began to approach him, calling out his name. Something had stopped him when he saw your face, so you thought your best chance was to show him that you were alive. If he recognised you, you could reach him.

“Jeno, it’s me.” You said, closing the distance between you with every step. “It’s me, I’m alive.”

Jeno began to walk towards you as well, keeping the same aggression that he’d had this entire time and you knew he wasn’t hearing you. As soon as he got close enough, he threw another punch, but this one you were ready for.

You ducked his movements, wildly moving your body from side to side as Jeno tried to land a hit on you somewhere. Neither of you had any experience with fighting so it was Jeno swinging blindly at you and you attempting to dodge them. You couldn’t bring yourself to punch back, you couldn’t hurt him.

Panic was rising in you though, you knew how strong Jeno was and if he landed one punch you that could be it. And if he was using his ability as well, you didn’t stand a chance. Jeno had no self control, he didn’t know it was you he was fighting against, and all he wanted to do was what he was conditioned to.

He lunged forwards, grabbing you by the arm and swung you around, sending you crashing into a small medical table that was set up close to where Jeno had been initially standing.

The corner went into your stomach, making you groan as you landed on your knees. You pulled your legs underneath you, knowing you had to stand before Jeno got to you, but you were too slow. He kicked your feet out, knocking you back to the ground again.

You landed face down, and Jeno wasted no time in flipping you over to your back. You were barely breathing as it was, exhausted from the fighting and the injuries you had sustained.

Jeno was standing over you, so close that your foreheads were almost touching. You could see the beads of sweat on his forehead as his eyes focused on yours with a deadly gaze.

His hands held yours to the ground, stopping you from moving as you felt as though you couldn’t breathe. It was as if the air in your lungs had been pulled out and you couldn’t get any more in. Jeno was suffocating you using his ability.

You tried to speak, only managing a strangled sound, but you tried again.

“It’s okay.” You managed to choke out a whisper. “It’s okay, I love you.”

Some air slipped back in your lungs. Not much, but enough to keep you from passing out. Jeno blinked at you and you realised that he had heard, something had broken through to him. Just like when he had seen your face. Some part of him was hearing this and you needed that part to listen.

So you said it again. “It’s okay, I love you. I love you, I’m here. It’s me. It’s okay, I love you.” You repeated over and over again.

Jeno’s head twitched to the side slightly, and he broke eye contact. His face screwed up in pain and his hands loosened their grip on your wrists.

You reached up with a hand to grab his chin and force him to look at you.

“I’m here.”

Jeno was breathing heavily, as if the effort that the fight had taken had just caught up to him. His bottom lip began to tremble and he tilted his head again as he looked at you, the anger that was once in his eyes was no longer there and instead replaced with a deep sadness.

“Y/n?” He whispered, and you nodded, watching as his eyes began to fill up with tears at the realisation that you were alive and right in front of him.

He slowly looked over his shoulder, taking in the doctors watching and clicking quickly that something was wrong. He sent you the smallest nod which you immediately understood and began to mouth a countdown.

"One, two three.”

Jeno helped you up and, in sync you two of you unleashed your powers in a joint scream that sent all the doctors flying into the wall behind them. They collapsed to the ground, not a single one of them trying to get up afterwards.

Jeno turned back to you, lifting up his hands to hold your face as he gazed into your eyes with such fondness that you found tears blurring your vision.

“You’re here?” He asked and you nodded again, the tears finally spilling over as he pulled you into the tightest hug you had ever felt.

His arms wrapped around your waist and he buried his head into your neck as he began to sob. He pulled away, just to pull you back in and kiss you.

The rest of world faded away and you forgot why you were there, the only thing you could feel was Jeno and the indescribable feeling of finally being back together. It was as if you had found that part of you that had been torn out of your heart when you were forced to leave him behind. Now that you had him back, safe and sound, you felt whole again.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” He whispered, both of you still with your eyes closed, just being in each other’s presence.

However the peace didn’t last long, as a loud crash from outside made you jump. You looked up at him in panic, remembering what you were doing and suddenly realised just how much danger you were in.

“Well you better believe it, because we’re not safe yet.” You grabbed Jeno by the hand and began to pull him away, explaining briefly what your plan was and how you were going to shut down the lab forever.

You turned the corner and stumbled, almost running into someone. You threw your hands up, ready to fight, only to find Chenle there.

“Chenle?” Jeno gasped, his eyes wide and Chenle nodded.

“I’ll explain later. Come on, we’ve got to go now!” He started off at a run, the two of you immediately following.

You sprinted through the lab, seeing how the previously empty building was now a picture of pure chaos. Guards and doctors were fighting against Jaehyun’s men everywhere you looked. Every room you passed had been ransacked and wrecked, each lab was being torn apart, and all the bedrooms had been pulled to shreds.

You ran past the Rose Room, only getting a second to look in and it too was carnage. Bottles that once hung on the walls had been shattered, the liquid that was once contained in them was pouring out and the shards of glass decorated the floor and the roses had been torn out by their roots. Everything it used to be meant nothing now.

This building used to be all you knew, and now you’re watching it being torn to shreds.

Chenle led you down the corridor, straight into yours and Jeno’s old room where the rest of the boys were waiting. Jisung barricaded you in and you all looked at each other, an unusual moment of quiet in the destruction around you.

Mark wordlessly approached you, using his abilities to heal the wounds inflicted from your earlier fight as Jeno watched guiltily. You reached back to grab his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and sending him a smile.

“How are you feeling?” Mark asks Jeno, using his abilities on him too.

“Weird.” Jeno answered honestly. “I feel like I just woke up from a really long sleep.”

Mark nodded, the rest of you looking around uneasily as the final question hung heavily in the air.

“Okay, we can’t keep putting this off. We couldn’t make a decision before we left so we need to make one now.” Chenle said, taking control of the situation, knowing you had limited time. “It’s not like we have forever to decide so, our goal was to save Jeno. That was what the four of us came here for, if we want, Jaehyun and the rets of the group can finish this for us and we can run. If we leave now, we know we’ll live. There’s already a plan in motion for us to escape and go somewhere safe. They’d give us new lives, we’d be fine.”

“But would we be okay not knowing if the lab is really gone?” Mark asked, proposing a counter argument.

“We’d be far away from it. And Jaehyun’s group would move us if they ever thought we were in danger.” Chenle shot back, Jisung piping up to support him.

“Maybe we should just think about us. Haven’t we been through enough?”

Something about that statement didn’t sit right with you, and it was that uneasy feeling at the thought of running away that meant you knew what you had to do.

“But this isn’t just about us. It’s about everyone. Everyone the lab has ever hurt. We’ve been living in a bubble thinking that we were the only ones affected by their tests but we weren’t. There are people far and wide who suffered at their hands and this is about them too. It’s about the three hundred thousand children who didn’t survive the radiation exposure, and it’s about their families. It’s about our families, who thought they were helping end a war, and instead lost their children, and then their lives. It’s about Doyoung and Ten, the first people to care for us, who gave everything for us and are the reason that we’re standing where we are now. It’s about Jaehyun, Taeil, Johnny, Yuta, Kun and everyone else back there who are currently fighting for our survival. And it’s about Hyuck. It’s about Jaemin. It’s about Renjun. Who the lab murdered in cold blood for the sake of their ‘research’. They’ll never stop. Not unless we stop them. I’m tired of running, it’s time we fought back. It’s time we showed them just what they created.”

You finished your speech, standing firm on your point. You wouldn’t blame the boys if they wanted to run, you’d all suffered enough, but you couldn’t just run anymore, you had to finish this.

“I have to admit...” Jeno said from beside you. “I’d like some revenge.”

“We’ve come this far, I’m not turning back now.” Mark agreed and Jisung nodded too.

“You’re right, I’d rather die fighting the lab than die running from them.”

Chenle smiled at you, bowing his head slightly towards you and he agreed to fight with you.

“We’re with you y/n. Until the end.”

You took a deep breath, feeling the strength from your boys around you and even in the dire circumstances, you grinned.

“Let’s show them what we can do.”

---

The facility passed you in a blur as the five of you raced to find Jaehyun. You knew he would be at the heart of the battle, and therefore would need your help the most.

You didn’t waste time on the guards you passed, using your ability to keep them out of your way until you got where you needed to go. You turned another corner, expecting to find Jaehyun and instead skidded to a stop when you found yourself face to face with Jimin.

He saw the five of you and grinned, the same sociopathic grin that you saw in your nightmares. He was holing a gun in his left hand, raising it slowly so that it was aimed at your head. And you knew that if he took a shot, this time, he wouldn’t miss.

“Finally, all five of you in one place. I’m not letting you go.”

The guards around him heard his words and immediately reacted by running towards you and overpowering you. You were outnumbered and you barely had time to register the amount of them before you were being forced to kneel on the floor with your arms restricted. If you couldn’t move your arms you couldn’t use your ability.

“You’re not getting away this time.” He whispered, placing the cool tip of the barrel against your forehead.

Jeno shook hard against the men holding him down, all of the boys shouting out while you stared Jimin down in silence.

“Hey, guess what?” You said quietly, Jimin leaning down to listen to what he thought would be your last words. “You can’t control us. Nothing can.” You revealed.

Jimin leant back slowly as his hand moved the gun away from your face, taken aback by the confidence in your words and for the first time, you saw utter fear in his eyes. He always knew that he was nothing compared to you, but now you knew it too, and that made you far more dangerous than you had ever been.

He seemed to shock himself back into reality as he lunged forwards, grabbing you out of the hands of the guards around and trying to angle the gun for your neck. You pushed against him, throwing the guards backwards quickly with you ability.

Jeno got free the fastest, letting out a shout as he threw them off him and running to try and pull Jimin away from you. Chenle shifted and ran to help as well and it was in the midst of this chaos that you manage to land a punch on Jimin’s shoulder. The shoulder that had a deep wound cause by the bullet you hit him with a few days prior.

Jimin stumbled backwards with a howl of pain and Jeno wasted no time. He grabbed Jimin by the hair and slammed his head hard against the wall. You all looked at Jeno in surprise, until Mark spoke.

“Well thank god somebody finally did that.”

Jisung huffed in agreement, all of you relieved that one of you finally got that knockout punch that you had all been craving. He reached down and grabbed a pair of handcuffs from a fallen guard, cuffing Jimin to a close by pole, rendering him unable to move if he woke up.

It was down the next corridor that the majority of the fighting was. You saw Jaehyun at the other end and noticed your group all getting overpowered. They were outnumbered and the guards’ weapons were much more deadly.

If the five of you hadn’t joined the fight they would have lost.

You made your way down the corridor, taking out every guard in sight as you did. You guided your hands through the air, becoming with the atmosphere around you and using it to help enhance your skills.

The air around you moved with Jeno. He wasn’t just controlling the weather, he was the weather. Lightning shot off him any time a guard got too close to one of you, he was blinding certain doctors with light and flipping people around with ease.

Nothing could stop Jisung. He barrelled through groups of people, nobody being able to slow him down even the slightest. He could pick someone up and throw them halfway down the corridor.

Mark was a blur, appearing for only a second before running off again. He only paused to kneel next to an injured member of your group and heal them before he ran again. His speed allowed him to be tripping up guards left and right.

Chenle was like a tidal wave. He switched between animal after animal. He would go from a human, to a bear to attack, to a fly to dodge their movements, to a hawk to attack from another angle. There was no way of telling what he would do next.

Alone, you were powerful, but together, you were unstoppable.

And the lab was finally starting to realise that. You fought your way down that corridor, obliterating anyone and anything in your path. More guards flooded the corridor, but it didn’t matter how many people came, they were no match for the five of you.

The amount of people for you to fight against gradually got smaller and smaller until you were standing in the corridor, breathless, surrounded by guards on the floor.

There was no one left to fight.

There was no one left to fight... that meant... you had won.

It was over.

You stared at the guards at your feet, the amount of people collapsed on the floor of this corridor was overwhelming. And yet, you felt lighter than you ever thought was possible.

You felt as though you were in a daze as Jaehyun turned to you and said something vaguely along the lines of going outside and waiting there while they clear this out.

Jeno’s hand slipped into yours again as you helped guide each other out of the lab. You walked the route you’d walked a thousand times before, passing your old room as you did.

You stopped outside, pushing open the door to see where it had all began.

You had lived in this room together for years, training with each other, comforting each other, going through hell with each other, and now you were going to leave it all behind.

You weren’t going to miss it, but some strange part of you was nervous to destroy the lab. Even though it had been torture and put you through hell, it was still all you had ever known, and deleting that from existence wasn’t a task that you took lightly.

The other boys caught up with you as you were looking into your old room. Chenle squeezed your shoulder, a silent sign to leave it behind and move on to better things.

The doors were open and waiting for you, almost welcoming you into a new world.

You trekked back up to where the trucks had been parked, standing on a hill and looking down over the facility. It didn’t feel real that it was finally over.

Time passed in a blur, you weren’t sure how long it had been when Jaehyun finally left the building, being the final person to do so.

That meant that there was only one thing left to do, tear it down.

You stood looking down at it, and Jaehyun reached you at last.

“Everyone has been evacuated.” He told you and you nodded, never taking your eyes off the building in front of you.

“Y/n, would you like to do the honours?” Chenle asked and you nodded, knowing he was asking you to tear it to shreds.

You turn to Jeno in question but he already understands before you ask it, holing out a hand and shaking his head.

“Once was quite enough for me. You do it.”

You stepped forwards, the wind blowing your hair back at the final minutes of the night passed by.

“Y/n, you know Jimin’s in there right?” Jaehyun asked, not wanting you to do anything you would regret.

“A captain always goes down with his ship.” You murmured, not seeing how the other four boys nodded solemnly behind you.

They all understood that, if the lab was going to die, then Jimin had to die with it. The lab was more than just a building, it was him and all he did, and all he knew. As long as Jimin was alive, you would never be free.

You took a deep breath, focusing your ability before slowly lifting your hands. You called on the power from the earth, the sky, the sea and the stars, taking energy from every atom around you and pouring it into your power. Your eyes began to glow, just like they had when you’d escaped the first time. The gold colour radiated from your body as you lifted off the ground.

The building began to shake, a deep rumble emitting from it as the very foundations of it were ripped apart. The windows blew out, the ceiling caved in and then, all at once, with a scream, it erupted.

Jeno threw up a quick wind shield, keeping the flying debris away from the survivors, and once the dust had settled, where the lab once stood, there was just a deep crater.

Jimin had told you that you would never be remembered. However, it was be him who would become a nameless face, lost in history and never to be thought of again.

You gradually floated back down, Jeno catching you arm to help ground you and bring you back to earth.

You sensed movement behind you, but you kept looking at the spot where the lab used to stand, unable to peel your eyes away from it just yet.

“You did it.” Jaehyun said quietly. “You’re free.”

You nodded slowly, the feeling still sinking in as he continued to talk.

“We’re going to take everyone back to base. However, because of the survivors from the battle, we’re going to have to make a few trips meaning-”

“We’ll stay behind.” You cut him off, not ready to leave this spot just yet, and Jaehyun moved back to give the five of you some space.

The first sign of light began to show as the trucks pulled away, leaving you with the memory of what used to stand here. You couldn’t help but wonder if you would ever come back. If you would stand on this hill in five, ten, fifty years time and look down at that crater and remember what you went through. Or, if you would leave this hill and never come back. You guessed, only time will tell.

“We’re free?” Jisung suddenly asked, making you turn around and smile at him.

“Yeah...” Mark answered. “We’re free. No more running, no more hiding, no more of any of it ever again.”

You grinned at them, tears filling your eyes at the fact that it was all over. You never had to fight anymore, you could just live in peace for the rest of your life.

You moved in close together, wrapping your arms around each other for a group hug. It was the second group hug you had ever shared and you couldn’t help but compare it to the first one that took place in Hyuck’s childhood home. And how you could feel how the group was smaller now.

You all pulled away, wiping tears off your faces and chuckling at each other.

“What happens now?” Chenle asked, and just like in the lab, the boys looked at you.

But even with everyone looking at you, you turned to look back at the lab.

“Now... we move on.” You breathed.

And as you watched the sun come up over the horizon you realised, it was a new day. Not only that, it was a new life. You silently decided in that moment that you wouldn’t retell the story of your battles over and over again, choosing instead to keep them to yourself and those who fought them with you, and hoping that nobody would ever have to know the violence it took to have the luxury to be gentle.

The sun’s beams casted golden shadows across your face, lighting your whole body in the warmth it spread. Jeno came up from behind you, stepping into the sunlight and wrapping an arm around your shoulder. You turned slightly, curling up into him as you both watched the day break.

It was over. You didn’t have to run anymore, you didn’t have to fight for anything, you just got live day after day after day as calm, and as peacefully as you’d always wanted. And, there were lots of things you wanted to do. You wanted a home, one with a garden that you could spend time taking care of, you wanted to spend time with your friends and the boy you loved, you wanted to make some happier memories, you wanted to wake up in the morning and lie in for hours, you wanted to finally drag yourself out of bed and find Jeno waiting for you with a smile and a cup of coffee. You wanted to start your life. But right now, you just wanted to watch the sun rise.

It was officially tomorrow. And, finally, after all you’d been through, you had something that you believed in.

Tomorrow never dies.

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