Super

49. an incomplete team

A heavy silence hung over the group when they met the next day, after they had recovered (mostly) from the injuries they'd suffered.

There had been murmurs of conversation—clarifications and exchanges of stories from all sides, and many unsuccessful attempts at trying to piece together an explanation for them. They were all suffering a severe blow, to the team spirit and to their self-esteem, after such a spectacular failure, and everyone was moody and grim. Mark tried his best to keep them afloat, but two factors kept him from being able to help.

The first was the notable absence of Baekhyun. The man had disappeared into the lab to test the samples Mark had brought back from the building, and hadn't returned yet. The team awaited his entrance with growing anxiety that seemed to churn like a living thing, adding to the tsunami of emotions that was already threatening to pull them under.

The second was Shao.

Mark jumped in his seat as he heard the door slamming shut behind him with a bang. He turned, craning his head to see Baekhyun finally enter the meeting room pulling off his latex gloves, the safety goggles hanging around his neck.

"Sorry I'm late to the party," he said with a bright smile that indicated he hadn't picked up on the atmosphere of the room yet. Despite that, he looked high-strung, a brittle tinge to his smile and his constantly flitting eyes. He took a seat at the head of the table, between Taeyong and Taemin, and the others watched him silently. Then he looked up, noting the deafening silence, and his smile drooped. "Did something happen?"

Taeyong snorted, the sound like a gunshot in the silence. He had been draped over the swivel chair, legs crossed and elbow propped onto the table. He rolled his eyes now, unfolding himself and looking away. Mark frowned. Taeyong had always been sardonic—biting, even, but this time his behavior was more rebellious, almost insouciant.

"Nothing." Mark hurried to speak up before he could say anything to upset the general mood even more. "We've just been waiting for the toxicology reports."

"Ah, right, of course," Baekhyun muttered, and reached into the deep pockets of his lab coat, pulling out a wad of folded-up papers. He looked a little lost—they all did, but he seemed more absent than confused. His orange hair was mussed, and there were noticeable bags under his eyes, which made Mark even more upset than he already was. "It's not exactly a toxicology report, but I ran some basic tests on the liquid from the two syringes Mark found. It took some time, but—"

"Baekhyun," Taemin interrupted gently. The blond had been even more withdrawn than usual, and Mark noticed Ten shooting him concerned glances every now and then. A lot had changed in the past twenty-four hours, drastically so, but it had happened in a way that it felt like the change had been around since forever. "Just tell us."

Baekhyun carded a hand through his hair, and nodded, looking troubled. He stared at the papers hesitantly for a few seconds before withdrawing his hand and putting them away. Pulling his eyes away from the tabletop with some difficulty, he faced the team with sad eyes. "It's bad."

No one spoke. Baekhyun sighed, and continued.

"You might not know this, but superpowers are the result of a gene," he said. "They can't be developed on their own. The genes are dormant in most people, but the liquid contains—" He broke off, biting his lip. "In layman terms, it awakens the dormant gene in people if they're injected with it."

"So it gives normal people superpowers," Kai said, then shook his head. "Um, honestly, that doesn't seem like a major threat or anything—unless you're considering the whole ethical angle, but still—"

"That's not it," Baekhyun said tiredly, cutting him off. "We have to assume they're picking people at random, judging from the pattern of the disappearances, and injecting them. But the thing is, the effect isn't permanent." He looked at Taeyong. "You saw what happens when the effect wears off, with Seonghwa. I could be wrong, but from what I've seen, it doesn't end well."