Horizon || ATEEZ Space AU

Chapter 6: Error: Communication Failure

San's entire arm is numb when he opens his eyes to see the ceiling of the medical bay. Wooyoung's head pops into his vision and Yunho's appears a moment later.

"What's... going on?" San slurs, and the two heads look at each other, concerned.

"You were drugged and brought here after you fell," Wooyoung explains slowly. "You don't remember?"

As he's speaking, the memories return. He had been thrown through a window, his arm had been throbbing with pain, and Wooyoung had injected him with a sedative to numb him. Now he was here to recover and he still didn't know if—

"Did we win?"

Wooyoung avoids his eyes and so San looks over to see Hongjoong sitting up in the bed next to his while a nurse bandages a minor burn on his shoulder. He flinches at the contact, but it doesn't show on his face, deep thought etched into his features instead.

"I'm sorry," he finally says, turning to face San. "We lost."

"I didn't mean to throw you out the window," Yunho mutters nervously, bringing San's attention back over to him. "It was just hard to breathe or see what I was doing—"

San places a hand on Yunho's arm. "Don't be sorry," he insists. "None of us can change what happened, it is what it is."

A thought that San himself will have to come to terms with some time before the next round of Dome training.

"You did your best, San," Hongjoong encourages with a small smile. "I shouldn't have underestimated Seong—"

Just as he's about to say his name, Seonghwa suddenly appears in the doorway and everything goes quiet.

"Everyone alright?" He asks, still standing in the doorway, and when the nurse answers affirmatively he approaches Yunho.

"Mingi and Jongho offered their room for our team to hang out and eat snacks," Seonghwa informs him. "You can join us if you'd like."

Yunho squeezes San's hand once before grabbing his things to leave. He must have been there waiting for him to wake up for a while, San realises. But alas, he's been invited to a celebratory party and San, naturally, has not.

"Who shot him?" San asks a strangely quiet Wooyoung, indicating Hongjoong, before Wooyoung coughs and tosses his head in Seonghwa's direction. "Oh, I see."

They wait until their rivals have left to discuss a course of action.

"We really should get practicing, shouldn't we?" San sighs, ready to get out of bed. He's already cost them precious time, and he's determined not to be the weak link of Team A.

"No, hang on, you're still recovering!" Wooyoung protests, pushing him back down. "Heal first, practice later. That goes for you too, Hongjoong."

Hongjoong rolls his eyes from his position, already halfway out of the bed, before pulling up his wristband and accessing class materials. He might as well get some homework done while he's down. "It's just a burn, it'll be healed in thirty minutes tops," he grumbles, silently thanking IPF's world class medical technology. "But if you get the chance, Wooyoung, would you find Junyoung and see how he is? I've heard stun freeze can be a bit disorienting."

Wooyoung nods and heads for the door, hesitating while his hand hovers above the opening switch.

"You know, we don't blame you," he tells Hongjoong, turning to face him. "None of us knew they'd play dirty."

"I don't blame you two either," Hongjoong responds, jaw set. "But we're going to have to think faster next time if that's how it's going to be."

San lays back on the pillows and watches Wooyoung leave.