Horizon || ATEEZ Space AU

Chapter 7: Overdrive

Seonghwa isn't usually one for celebrating his victories, and he's already afraid that doing so for the first round has cost him precious practice time.

Pulling the zipper on his snowsuit all the way up, he positions himself as low to the ground as possible. His team takes their places alongside him and the firing begins.

It's already round two and this time they've been dropped right into the action.

There's significant pressure weighing on them to live up to their victory last match, but Seonghwa lets it fuel him into fighting even harder.

"Not so fast, Yeosang," he cautions when the younger boy pops up and fires round after round of stun blasts in quick succession. "We'll never make it down the hill if we don't cover each other. Fire when I'm reloading and vice versa."

Yeosang adjusts on cue and the two of them become a very efficient team, flitting from snowbank to snowbank and giving Team A no chances to take them down.

A fortress is nestled at the bottom of the hill, surrounded by wind blown snow and icy plains that stretch past where Seonghwa can see. With the stalemate broken, both groups are on their way out of the pine woods and down to where the flags are most likely hidden.

"You should head for the lower entrance, it's the closest to you," Jongho's voice informs them through the comm link. He's been stationed at the top of the hill to keep a lookout on the activities of both teams. "But hurry, they're already on their way down."

His message sends Yunho and Mingi hurrying out from under the cover of their snowbank in an attempt to follow Seonghwa and Yeosang, who are halfway down to the fortress.

"Wait, they've stopped!" Jongho warns suddenly. "Yunho, Mingi, they've seen you! Take cover!"

But it's too late.

Just as Yunho pulls Mingi back, trying to slow his momentum, a stun blast comes out from behind the tree-line and strikes Mingi in the leg.

Yunho drags him behind the snow drifts and checks the damage, ducking from the shots aimed at his head. "Are you okay?"

Mingi catches his breath and nods. "I can't- I can't walk on it. It's completely frozen."

"At least the rest of you isn't," Yunho sighs before switching to his radio. "I'm going to need help getting him down there, they're still firing on us."

Seonghwa groans and turns around, Yeosang tagging along behind. At this rate they'll never find the flags.

"I'd make it quick," Jongho cautions them again. "They've turned their backpacks into sleds and they're moving very quickly."

"Can you take any of them out?"

"They're already out of range," he responds, checking his sight and watching the last member enter the fortress.

"Move a bit closer," Seonghwa orders, slinging one of Mingi's arms around his shoulders and helping Yunho bring him down the hill while Yeosang keeps a sharp eye ahead of them.

"I've got them in the north tower," Jongho reports from his new position. "They've blocked my shot but I can see a flag in the room with them. Let's hope it's theirs."

"We'll know very soon if it isn't," Seonghwa mutters.

The four of them enter the fortress and follow directions from Jongho, stationing themselves in a tower opposite where their enemies are.

"I think I can fix the damage," Yeosang pipes up from the floor, where Mingi is laid out low enough that no other shots can reach him while Yeosang digs through his med bag for an anaesthetic reversal agent. Yunho and Seonghwa set up their weapons by the north facing window.