Doom, Death, and Destruction (A Tale of Superpowered BTS)

Chapter Thirty

  The phone rang in the back of the room, silenced by a loud boombox, the tattered speakers convulsed, vibrating with heavy music as the ignorant male spun around the room. Each move came from locked joints and shacking limbs. Hoseok pulled his dirty cap lower on his face as he clapped his hands together and spun on his heels, his final finish resulting with him dropping close to the ground in a low flip. Clicking his tongue the young man stood up smirking at all the hands that were clapping on his back, all the voices hollering in approval. He was loving his freedom, his moments to peruse life. He when he danced he could almost feel the scars disappearing off his body, his number that once decided him as an experiment had been redesigned to be apart of an snaking tattoo that shot its way around his arm like lightening. He was a new man, he was Jhope, a stage name his dance crew had come up with. As shown by the elegant tattoo of the word hope that had been etched along his growing tattoo sleeve when he was drunk, he was growing attached to his two new friends.

  "Jay! That was great man!" Jongdae clapped on Hoseok's back with bright laughter, the smell of peppermint wafted off of the jubilant boy.

  "I know." Hoseok smiled weakly at his friend. He had started letting loose around them, six months was a long time. Half a year, maybe that was enough proof he would never go back to the lab.

  "I'm the one that designed it." Howon's bushy eyebrows drew up as he looked between the two boys. He was the leader of the group, the one that drew them all together. Hoseok had been lazing around in the boring junk store Taehyung had dropped him in when the college boy had demanded Hoseok join his team. Six months later Hoseok had surpassed his impromptu dance teachers expectations and became his coleader.

  "No, you're the one that napped through it." Hoseok laughed and smacked his palm against Howon's chest, smiling when the other boy jokingly jumped at him before shrugging not retorting. Howon didn't always need words to portray himself, and that was greatly appreciated, it meant he didn't pry like Jongdae who couldn't seem to go a minute with silence.

  "This calls for barbeque!" Jongdae lifted his arms and screamed out a musical note in excitement. His singing talent deafened Hoseok sometimes, but it was worth it to be in front of someone who truly was joyful. Hoseok's 'hope' as they called it was just a way to pretend he was okay, a way to pretend his past never happened.

  "We will win the competition next month." Howon smiled, his plump lips pulling into a pleased arc. "You're almost done composing the background music?" He looked over at Jongdae affirming they truly were prepared.

  "Believe in him, he's young but he isn't a fool." Hoseok slung his arm, around Howon's shoulder and walked with him to the door, ignoring his phone in the back of the room.

  "So, who is buying tonight?" Jongdae opened the door out of the studio, ignoring their comments with trained ease. The young student had a large group of friends and was used to being teased, sometimes he got back when it happened, usually, but he was ready to get fed and free food came from happy friends.

  "I vote Howon!" Hoseok laughed and put his dancing cap on Howon's head grinning at the blank face he received.

  "Hoseok!" A simple call of a name stopped Hoseok in his tracks. Instantly the young man had a twisted face, one of fear, anger, bloodlust. All that was wiped away when Jungkook leapt into Hoseok's chest, eyes red and chest heaving. "Help me."

  "How can we help?" Jongdae, the ever kind and selfless man was instantly at Jungkook's side staring in concern.

  "I don't want your help." Jungkook spat, his eyes were wild as he stared at the normal human, he was scared to let anyone help him. He couldn't ruin another life, not after what had happened to the one person he had trusted.

"Breathe." Hoseok held Jungkooks face, his thumbs rubbed into the younger boys cheeks softly as he pulled the meta's attention to him. "What's happened?"

  "They found us." Jungkook's voice wobbled as tears fell down his cheeks, only to be wiped away by his older friend. "SeokJin found me, they took him down in front of me. I heard them, Yunghee's dead, they're going to kill all of us." Hoseok's jaw clenched as his eyes darkened.

  "No, they won't." His voice rang through the late night, making his friends shudder at the unfamiliar male infront of them. The Jay they knew, that wielded hope like most teens wielded their phones has disappeared into the truth of Hoseok. A scarred and hurt man that would fight to the death for his friends. "It was good to meet you two. I hope you live good lives, I have to go. If all goes well, you won't see me again." Hoseok sighed heavily as he scanned the roads, already scared for his life.

  "What's going on, are you like a special agent?" Jongdae gaped as he stepped back from Hoseok, not from fear, but in complete and utter ridiculous nerdy admiration.

  "If things go badly, he will be." Jungkook scowled at Jongdae, acting as if the older boys words were a personal insult. His irritation melted away into fear as a black van pulled onto the road they were on.

  "I'm sorry. You two hold my respect." Hoseok eyed them sadly before he kicked Jongdae in the stomach and shoved Howon into the wall, pushing Jungkook further along the road, away from the van. He was scared they would be hurt, he had to hurt them instead of the company, he didn't want them to be used against him, for them to be tortured if he didn't follow the company. He watched as his friends hit the cement wall. "Go, Jungkook, go!" Hoseok's body shuddered with stress when the sound of screeching tires filled his ears. The dread weighed on him, yet he still tried to move his feet. He felt a pinch in his muscles and he stumbled, trying to run even as his vision dimmed. His tongue weighed in his mouth when he tried to yell at Jungkook, instead he watched as the younger mutant hit the cement. It didn't take long for Hoseok's eyes to roll as his senses darkened.

~~

  Hoseok woke up with a dry mouth, and aching wrists. He could feel the metal of the chair digging into his skin keeping him in place. His eyes burned when he forced them open, he could see the white walls around him and the faceless men staring at him with their masks pulled over their faces to leave a black abyss where an expression should have been His lips curled into a smile and he tilted his head as he chuckled wearily. "Hello boys, how have you been? Partying while I was gone?"

  "None of them know you, Member One." One of the guards stepped forwards, speaking with a soothing voice. Hoseok sighed and shook his body as if relaxing himself. He smiled at the leader of the group and raised his eyebrows to show a façade of enraptured peace. The leader cleared their throat, disconcerted with his actions before continuing. "We took care to ensure everyone at this facility had not yet encountered you, or your fellow members. As you are aware this facility is to train you and your fellow subjects to become a revolutionary force, one to enact peace and assist the world in its process to becoming a better place."

  "A better place? Why Leader! That almost doesn't sound like propaganda! Good job!" Hoseok trilled out his words smirking, he watched the leaders hand waiting for the slap. His jaw flexed as he stared at the leader with narrowed eyes, not used to the lack of violence.
 
  "You have the chance to make an impact on the world, Member One, a good impact. Despite your faults, we will be able to use you to bring change. Your loyalty lies with Nexus, you will be trained to utilize your abilities beneficially, for everyone's good. Your group will be assigned a handler, they will be the leader and you will treat them with respect. Everyday you will undergo training to work to your strengths and the role assigned to you." The leader of the soldiers continued speaking, their hands fastened behind their back as they spoke, forcing their back uncomfortably straight as they stared Hoseok down. "You will be joining the rest of your team in their training, you will do everything with them, your life is theirs, theirs is yours, and overall, your lives belong to Nexus." Hoseok felt his lips twisting in disgust at what he was hearing he was done being controlled by the company, his life was more than just one of a toy soldier. "We are in the process of acquiring the rest of the Members, but it will not take long. Are you ready to meet your fellow Members, Mr. Jung." Hoseok felt a chill rush through his body when the leader spoke Hoseok's last name, he was being acknowledged and a human and that itself terrified him, he was never acknowledged he was always One.

  "I'm always ready," Hoseok sang with a flippant smile, "but are you?" He laughed as the metal clasps clicked off, giving him free reign of his body. "I'm rather electrifying after all." He snapped his fingers and frowned when electricity didn't jolt its way through his body, frizzing its way through his nerves.

  "You'll find we don't require you abilities at this point of time in your training, we have an inhibitor at work to keep your focus on the training at hand Member One, your abilities will be released when we have brought you to the proper point of your training." Hoseok felt the nauseating roll of fear roll through his body leaving his mind spun and his fingers clenched as his only hope of getting out disappeared. He wasn't clever enough to find a way out without fighting, and he wasn't strong without his abilities, he was hopeless. "You would find it wise to accompany me to the gym." The toneless words of the guard leader set Hoseok's chin in the air and a clever smile etching its way onto the young mutants lips.

  "You want me to be wise? Well, that’s a first isn't it? But due to our reunion, I'll go with it, like every good pet." Hoseok ran his hand through his hair, his teeth clenching behind his close-lipped smile. Like he promised he followed the man through the white halls. His sneaker clad feet squeaked on the linoleum floors they lead him across. Every hall looked the same, none had any means of distinguishing from the next, he wasn't sure he had truly been lead anywhere until a door was forced open to reveal a large threatening gym. The ceiling rose far too high, rope was tangled at the tops threatening a climb in the future. The only things sitting inside were blue mats that already contained three other people. Instantly Hoseok recognized the first three. Jungkook, Taehyung, and Yoongi were standing on the mats staring at him, the final was a man he had never seen before, all threatening like the rest of the guards.

  "You're late, meet us on the map." The man spoke up, his voice was grating to Hoseok's ears and it took the mutants full strength to not snap a shot of electricity at the man, not that he had control over his abilities anymore. Hoseok, however, really did not wish to think upon his recent weakness. "You will address me by Captain. I don't care what anyone else says, I am your captain and I will be leading you filth through your training, is that clear Member One?" Captain spoke with his inherent gasping voice as Hoseok slowly walked to the mats.

  "Sure, Captain," Hoseok mimicked the man's voice as he bowed dramatically to the stranger. He barely had time to step back before a fist had slammed into his stomach, every knuckle dug into his stomach, he could barely breathe when he hit the ground, hitting the tough ground instead of the mat.

  "You will not be anything but serious." The Captain leaned down over Hoseok, close enough that the smell of rancid protein powder filled Hoseok's nose. "Now stand up, and take the beating. I don't hit men on their knees." Hoseok scoffed and looked at the man in disbelief, he was not going to stand up just to be hit again, that wasn't going to happen. He looked at the others with hardened eyes. He could see bruises on Yoongi's pale skin, and tears over Jungkook's hands. They were weary, and most definitely hurt by the man. Jungkook fearfully shook his head at Hoseok, wanting his friend to listen to the Captain, to not risk more hurt, but Hoseok was fuming.

  "Seems to me like you don't discriminate. I thought only cowards hurt the innocent, or do the rules make exceptions for bullies like you." Hoseok hissed, flashing his teeth as he put his hand to his stomach. He didn't get a chance to see the Captain's face before the man's foot was forcing its way onto Hoseok's face, his jaw clacked together from the force before his head slammed against the ground. He wasn't liking the looks of training so far.