Resolving Conflict | Ateez Superhero AU

Inside

Three curt knocks echoed inside the hollow house, formerly Alternare's base. No one answered the door.

Outside, the pleasant chirps of birds were interrupted rudely by a harsh bang on the doorframe.

"They must've gone already," said a man. He wasn't the one who slammed the door. He had a calm and collected composure compared to his companion.

"Yea, no sh*t," replied the burly man. He shook his right hand vigorously, trying in vail to get rid of the stinging pain.

The calmer of the two cast a judging glance at his partner and shook his head lightly. Before he could voice his criticism, a ringtone sounded from his shirt pocket.

The burly man stopped shaking his hand and watched apprehensively as the other take the phone call.

"Yes...ok...we'll be back soon." The smaller man tucked away his phone.

"What is it?"

"Three more turned up."

The man frowned. "How about the other four?"

The slim man clicked his tongue. "Gone, like you said." Then he turned around and walked briskly back to their black car.

-

"So what's our plan?" San shrugged to keep his loose backpack straps from slipping off his shoulders.

Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San were standing in front of a generic building. Around 20 stories high, it was built from concrete, the windows stained with dirt and dust accumulated for years, its yellow wallpaper peeling off the front side — it looked so normal that they probably past by a dozen times without noticing it.

But it wasn't a normal building, not anymore.

"Grab Yunho and get out of here?" Wooyoung suggested. It was the first thought that came into his mind since Yunho called them, and he never thought twice about it.

Yeosang glanced at Wooyoung incredulously. Wooyoung didn't get the point.

"What?"

"We're not doing that." Yeosang sounded impatient and annoyed that he had to explain, which was very unlike his usual self. "Am I really the only one who can see the bigger picture?" He looked back and forth between his teammates, saw their blank faces, and continued.

"Yunho called us, which means he's safe. No one's controlling him or anything, unless he was forced to read from a script, which is possible but unlikely. So why can't we join Yunho and give it a try? At least we know, or can assume, that we'll be safe here, like Yunho. Isn't this better than moving away and not knowing when we'll get caught?"

"Oh." Wooyoung said. "I see." The confused expression was gone, but he didn't sound assured or confident at all.

Yeosang sighed and gave up. "Let's just get in."

The trio walked past two guards, pushed opened the front door, and gaped at the view presented to them.

The opulent interior of the building was no match for its mundane exterior. They were standing in the middle of a massive lobby, brightly lit by extravagant chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Under their feet was a square shaped rug in the color of expensive grape wine, trimmed with thin lines of gold, its corners almost stretching all the way to fill the whole floor.

Directly in front of them was a long counter with three receptionists behind it, wearing identical, neat uniforms as they worked on their desktops, oblivious of the new visitors. On both sides of the counter, the lobby extends into two long hallways with which they could only assume led to elevators.