Phoenix | SuperM

32 / Go Without Me

Jisung didn't believe the mission would end up so messy. One minute, he was chowing down cold sandwiches and the next thing he knew, he was running for his life while storing extra snacks in his waistband just in case he got tired or hungry.

He noticed that he accidentally density shifted in and out of the walls. He even sank into the floor from time to time. Those side effects were not new, but they were far more severe.

His suit wasn't helping much. At this point, he was better off running in his underwear.

Jisung finally got outside and leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. He didn't exactly know where he was, but he knew he wasn't in the Science Department anymore.

He had passed numerous sculptures and marble fountains, he went passed galleries and halls filled with paintings, props and instruments and still did not recognise his surroundings. By the time, he passed a display gallery, he was still unaware that he had somehow gotten to the Arts Department.

If one had to be honest, there was a lot going on in Jisung's mind. Artificial superhumans weren't always in touch with reality.

Loud bangs and high pitched shrieks made his feet freeze to the ground. The noises were coming from the doors next to him. Jisung placed his hand on the door and closed his eyes. The material was thick. Maybe too thick for him to shift through. He put his ear on the door, hoping he'd hear something.

"How is this even possible?!" A voice similar to Ten's shrieked.

"I don't know!" That voice was undoubtedly Baekhyun's. "Hyunjin didn't say anything about it!"

Hyunjin. Jisung hadn't heard that name in a while. That was the ghostly spirit who had guided them to the lab. He hoped it didn't put too much strain on the prisoner.

"There are clues on the canvas!" Ten bellowed. The sound of a chair being thrown to a wall ran straight into Jisung's ear with a pang. He was grateful not to be given sensitive hearing as a superpower.

"How were we supposed to know that?!" Baekhyun yelled back. "And also, control your powers! Your psychokinesis has been going off!"

"Do I look like I have control over that?!"

Jisung pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few steps back. With a sharp push, he kicked the doors open and abruptly ended the quarrel between his teammates. He walked into the hall and looked around, particularly interested in the canvas filled with clues. 

"What are you doing here?" Baekhyun asked. "Aren't you supposed to be in the science department with Kai and Yuqi?"

Jisung explained how the corrupted superhumans had realised they were on campus and how Yuqi and Kai went offline. They told Jisung the Oracles were fake. They were in a sticky situation now.

"Well," Ten sighed, looking around the hall. He was exhausted beyond comprehension. "We're fu-"

"Language, child." Baekhyun hissed. "There's a minor here."

"Who are you to call me a child?" Ten raised his voice. "I'm twenty-four years old!"

"Twenty-eight." Baekhyun deadpanned, crossing his arms. "You're still below me."

Ten heartlessly chuckled and mimed the action of rolling up his sleeves. "Try me, bi-"

"Guys!" Jisung bellowed. "This is serious! Two members are missing, we're being tracked down by people who can take away our powers and we've lost contact with the others back at home! Just stop arguing and get your shit together!"

"Language!" Baekhyun gasped, earning a slap to the stomach from Ten.

"What do you mean we've lost contact with the others?" Ten slowly asked, stepping closer to Jisung.

"They haven't answered any of my calls, telepathic transmissions are scrambled and I tried to radio them before I got here. No response whatsoever."

Baekhyun walked around the hall, muttering incoherent words. He combed back his pink hair and let out a small sigh. With a small nod, he returned to Jisung and Ten and clapped his hands. His lips tugged into a devious smile.

"I know what we're going to do."

-

"What if I jam the power box?" Kai asked himself, teleporting from location to location. He decided it was best to look for Yuqi. She was most probably with Jisung.

He stopped to catch his breath and leaned against the wall. He could sense people were near him but he couldn't tell where they were. To make things worse, he didn't know where he ended up. He was so caught up in having better control of his powers, he didn't care where he ended up as long as he was on the ground.

He dropped to squat and let out a low whistle. André probably got every student and teacher out of the Science Department, if not the whole campus. He could only hope the others were okay.

The lights above him violently flickered, giving him a fright. Kai shot up to his feet and sprinted down the hallway in attempt to make it outside. They flickered once more before shutting down completely, leaving him in the hands of darkness.

As he moved to teleport to another location, a group of familiar voices stopped him. "Kai and Yuqi must have gotten some place near here."

Kai barely made out three figures of different sizes. They slowly drew near him, instilling slight fear and a sense of relief. He opened his mouth to call for his teammates but no sound came out.

 "Wait," The three figures stopped. He saw a pair of green eyes staring at him. "Kai's in front of us."

A loud snap echoed around the corridor and the lights turned back on. Kai hissed and shielded his eyes, quietly cursing. When he removed his hand, he saw Baekhyun, Ten and Jisung stand around him. Ten removed his green eyed mask and connected it to his shoulder. 

"That's one out of two."

"Oh my goodness, you're okay." Baekhyun sighed. "Where's Yuqi?"

"She said she was going to look for you." Kai said, looking directly at Jisung. That wasn't good. If she was looking for Jisung, she was still in the Science Department. 

The next few minutes were spent in silence. Baekhyun's mind was filled with doubts and fears. He occasionally muttered words of guilt, saying it was his fault. He blamed himself for not being able to keep his team in one piece. For all they knew, she was most probably-

"Guys, get out of here!" Yuqi's voice rang in their minds, sending shockwaves around their bodies. 

"Yuqi, where are you?!" Baekhyun hissed. "We need to meet up and think of a new plan-"

"This building's gonna blow at any second." Yuqi said. "Get everyone out of here now."

"What? What about you?" Jisung asked, nervously tapping his elbow. Yuqi did not answer. The team sent each other glances of concern. 

"I can't guarantee I'll make it out on time, especially with Seulgi up my ass. Just get out of here. Please."

No other words followed. The team let out heavy sighs, releasing the tension that sat on their shoulders. That didn't mean everything was okay. She was on the other side of the school. There was no way they could get to her altogether.

"Okay," Baekhyun rubbed his temples. "We can send a team to get her out of there. Kai and Jisung-"

"Baek?" Ten interrupted.

"Let me finish." Baekhyun tutted with his eyes still closed. "Kai and Jisung get there as-"

"Baekhyun." Jisung interrupted.

"What?!" The said man snapped. "What is it that's so important you have to interrupt- where is he?"

He stared directly at the place Kai had stood. He was no longer there. "He's gone to her."