[UNIT:EXO] Gambit

CHAPTER I

The sounds of ambient music and the distant traffic noises of the busy night streets are the only things that fill the space of the cafe. Well, that is except for the occasional clinking of dishes being returned to their respective places. Tao doesn't really mind and just keeps on staring out the window as he sips on his americano every now and then, his eyes focused on the flickering lamp post on one side of the dark street but his mind completely somewhere else.

"We haven't heard from them yet," He hears Xiumin say, momentarily slipping him out of his trance. Tao takes a big sip of his coffee as he remembers why he's been brooding here at the cafe, pretending to be relaxed when in fact, he's been feeling uneasy since this afternoon. He could tell Xiumin is feeling the same since he's taken the unusual task to wipe the dishes at least three times ever since the cafe closed.

"You've been sitting there for two hours," Xiumin points out when Tao doesn't answer.

"You've already wiped that plate five times," he rebuts. Xiumin sighs.

"What's wrong? You're not usually like this." he finally puts down the plate and leans on the counter to focus on Tao, expecting him to answer. He's curious about what's bothering him so much since it's very unlike him to sit in once place for hours, unconsciously bobbing his feet while in deep thought.

The man in question takes his time to sip from his coffee while still staring at the window, but after a few seconds he finally answers.

"Something just feels off." He turns to Xiumin and pauses, as if trying to come up with the right words on how to explain it. "It's like we're still missing something. I thought two weeks would be enough for me to figure out everything, but for some reason I feel like I'm still missing a large piece."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, kid. Even the NIS had difficulty dealing with RedSnow themselves. They wouldn't have given us this mission if they could figure out exactly how RedSnow does the shit they do." Xiumin shakes his head. "Even the units before us took months before actually grasping tangible information."

"Yeah, which is why I want to figure this out faster so we don't have to suffer months before becoming like the other units. Injured or in the worst case, die." Tao says sarcastically. "And Baek's team is out there doing exactly that; risking their lives looking for something they're not even sure they'll find, because I can't give them a 100% assurance."

"Like I said, it will take us time to figure everything out." Xiumin's tone shifts into a light scolding as he finally puts down the dish he's been wiping. "You're not alone in this Tao. You're not the only one to blame if things go wrong because we have our own decisions in this. We all know that our job is risky and we're always playing with danger. It just so happens that RedSnow seems to be an extremely well-funded criminal organization disguised as a squeaky clean logistics company, so they're a bit more difficult to handle than the other ones we've dealt before."

"Even so, I should be the one out there. At least I'll be the one to deal with the consequence in case something happens." Tao mutters begrudgingly, tipping his cup to finish the rest of his americano. Despite of the dark joke, Xiumin chuckles to himself as he finally figures out what's Tao's deal. He's still upset that Kris hasn't allowed him to go in a mission yet. It's been two weeks since they've started with the RedSnow case and Xiumin knows Tao well enough to understand that he hates waiting and not doing anything, and two weeks is definitely pushing his limits already.

Even worse, their first tasks are to gather intel on RedSnow, but Tao's not the one assigned to do it despite of being the unit's strategist. If there's anything Tao loves the most, it's to be the first one to know and figure out things. It's his pride and glory, like it's the sole thing that feeds his ego and keeps it healthy.