Fun couldn't last forever, which was the downfall of most of the moods in the compound. The attack of the Thames Building loomed ever closer, as did the pressure to be better and faster than they were the day before. It seemed that everyone was working around the clock, even the robots in the cafeteria kitchen. Schedules went out the window, but still, everything still seemed to go off on a regular basis without a hitch.
Dan and Phil especially had almost no time to themselves. They slept in the same room every night and used the same bathroom every day, but they didn't have time to talk about anything besides strategy or really touch each other besides with fists and elbows and knees. They succeeded at the little things: hands brushing when they passed in the hallway or while they brushed their teeth, thighs pressed together at the breakfast table, or stolen kisses before bed. They definitely didn't have time to talk about what they were. Were they a couple, boyfriends? Was it a casual thing, or friends with benefits? No one knew, especially not Dan. What he did know was that it was hard to put your heart and soul into a relationship you cared about when you had a race of people to protect.
Pretty early in the day, PJ called the boys down to the poolroom. He said it was urgent, and that he finally had a breakthrough. The two of them headed down to the basement and through the blue tarp. There were PJ and Chris, waiting expectantly. The former especially looked very excited.
Dan was mostly distracted by the yellow school bus still sitting in the empty pool, and by remembering the first time he saw it. How different things were, how different he was. He snapped his attention back around when Phil asked what was up.
"I've finally finished it," PJ declared, gesturing widely to the bus.
Dan raised a brow. "Was it ever unfinished?" he asked.
PJ sighed as if Dan was simple minded, but the over dramatic eye roll told him that it was all for show. "Everything is ready now, I mean. Remote start, tracking devices, thrusters, weapon systems," he explained, thrusting one of his many tablets into Phil's hands, "Go on, press some buttons."
"Weapon systems?" Phil repeated, his fingers hovering over the screen.
Chris's grin widened. "That was my idea. What kind of vehicle toting superheroes doesn't have its own guns? And, well, it's a school bus, innit? Needs to be intimidating somehow!"
Dan nodded in agreement and Phil tapped something on the tablet. The engines started, and they roared like racecars. The dash inside the cab lit up with multiple colored lights, showing that it wasn't your average vehicle dashboard. "Wicked," Dan muttered.
"Right?" added Chris with a triumphant expression.
Phil tapped the screen again and everything turned off. He handed it back to PJ as he spoke again. "I thought it would be a good idea to drive this into London, as opposed to a bunch of junk cars. The windows are tinted, and it'll fit everyone easily."
"Great idea, that'll be perfect," said Phil, "We'll need the element of surprise."
PJ grinned proudly and Dan nodded. "Well done."
Phil was turning to leave, also singing PJ's praises, but Dan grabbed his arm. He stilled instantly. Dan cleared his throat. "Would either of you like to go on the mission? You're both part of the team, but-"
"Don't worry about it, Dan," Chris said, "You don't have to try and include everyone."
He narrowed his eyes a bit. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Alright, look," PJ said, holding up his hands, "No need to get defensive. What he means is there is a lot of us who don't have offensive powers, so we can't be involved in the mission that's just an attack. And while that's fine," he paused and gave Chris a look, "Some of us do feel left out. But there's not much we can do. At least I'm on mission control."
Dan crossed his arms and looked at Phil. He was looking away pointedly, his hands in his pockets. Dan looked back. "Okay. Well, neither of you answered my question," he said.
"Louise and I will be in headquarters," PJ said.
"And I'll be here, waiting so see how the heroes handle the situation. Because I won't be much help," Chris added, averting his gaze as well.
Dan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine," he muttered, "Good job on the bus, PJ. And to Chris, who probably helped." And he turned and left the room before anyone else could say anything. He heard Phil's footsteps behind him.
They were silent as they walked. After a bit, Phil piped up. "Dan-"
"Did you know they felt that way?" he asked sharply, whirling on his friend.
Phil stopped, his expression slightly pained. "Yes," he said finally.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dan demanded.
The other pursed his lips and looked down. Dan hadn't seen him in a mood like this since he got out of the labs. "I knew you would react badly. And Peej is right," he added quickly when Dan opened his mouth to interrupt, "The attack plan does leave out a lot of the team, and they're frustrated."
Dan threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "What are we supposed to do, Phil? We were born with powers that we can use to hurt people-" he ignored when Phil winced, "-should we need to, and others weren't! Alfie can lift a car and Marcus can read minds. Physical versus mental is not something we can change, and I'm not going to allow people on the mission who can't defend themselves past was Chapman has taught us. It would be suicide and they would just-"
"Get in the way?" Phil offered, as if he himself were reading Dan's mind.
Dan swallowed. "Without a nicer way to put it, yes. You, me, Alfie, Carrie, Caspar, even Troye. Those are the kind of people who can go into combat. PJ, Chris, Zoe, while they are all important members of the team, their powers won't help them in the field. And it's not my fault, or yours, or Louise's, or whoever it is that they're blaming," he finished.
"Then we need to find something for them to do," Phil said, his voice firmer than Dan had ever heard it, "PJ can build the gadgets, yes. But Chris is bored, so are Emma, and Charlie. The same thing every day would drive anyone crazy."
Dan looked away and ran a hand over his face. On top of planning the invasion, getting in shape, learning to fight, and keeping the heat under control (although now that was like second nature), he hadn't been thinking about those who had their own abilities down but were not being sent on the mission. That alone was a very confusing thought. "I don't know what to do," he admitted, turning back to Phil, "I thought you and I had everything down. Everything was going according to plan. And now we have bored teammates to deal with?"
"It's fair of them to think that way, Dan," said Phil, his tone resilient.
"I understand that. But we're not running a spy agency here, or really running anything that comes with an influx of assignments. We're trying to survive and come out of hiding. We're trying to keep the government from experimenting on children. And we are on our way to doing that permanently," he retorted, with a little more attitude than he intended to use.
Phil pinched the bridge of his nose, and then started to walk again. Dan followed, and if smoke could come out of his ears like it did his lungs it probably would be. "You have a good point," Phil said finally as he walked, "But I just hate the idea that there are some of our own that don't understand, you know? We're trying our best, like you said, but I'm really afraid that's not good enough. If this mission goes well... we could have something monumental on our hands."
Honestly, Dan hadn't done much thinking past the attack. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, if we get some rights and proper treatment and end the experiments, then we have a small army of mutants to take care of. Plus, there will probably an exodus of them from all over the country. Do you know about the Americans?" he said, turning to question him.
Dan shook his head. The only thing he knew about the American mutants is that they were held in much higher regard than their British counterparts, and that was coming from the prime minister. Phil continued. "They work strategically with homeland threats, but they run themselves. They must work closely with the FBI or whatever to get their missions, or they wouldn't know anything about it. They call themselves the Trifecta; a trio leads them. Louise and I have been meaning to give them a call... maybe they'll have some insight for us."
Shrugging, Dan put his hands in his pockets. "Maybe we should just survive the next few days before asking another country for advice," he said.
"I brought that point up with her, because I knew it would overwhelm you," said Phil, who reached over and placed his hand on Dan's shoulder, "Don't worry, alright? Everything will be okay."
Dan looked up, cracking a smile, and his frustration was forgotten. "Shouldn't I be consoling you?" he teased. Phil looked confused and Dan put on a pouty face, just for emphasis. "We're trying our best, but maybe that's not good enough," he repeated.
Phil's cheeks colored. "Shut up," he muttered and nearly tripped over a step.
Dan caught his elbow. "Your best is good enough, Phil," he told the other seriously.
Once again smiling at each other, Dan and Phil continued up the stairs to the first floor. They were about to keep going, but the amount of people loitering in the first floor hallway was peculiar enough to make them stop. They wandered over and Dan studied the trainees walking slowly, stalling to look through the gym doors on their right side and then look quickly away. It was like they were all waiting for something.
Dan approached the closest person, a blonde guy in a white t-shirt. Jack Howard. "Hey," he said, but was careful not to touch him to get his attention, "What's going on?"
Jack looked over and gave them an easy smile. "There's some yelling to be heard from the gym there. I have a feeling we're all waiting here to see what comes out," he replied, "And hello, by the way."
"How are you doing?" Phil asked, stepping closer to Dan's side.
"Better," said Jack with a nod, "Louise and I sit down almost every day trying to find me some help. One day she'll make a discovery."
Dan looked puzzled. "Why do you need to discover your help?"
Jack looked down and folded his arms behind his back. "I'm kind of useless, at the moment," he said, but explained as if he didn't mind at all, "My senses are dialed to eleven, including touch. If someone shakes my hand too hard it could seriously hurt. And while I don't bruise any easier than, say, a teenage girl with anemia, my pain receptors still fire off the charts. While I can deal with wearing clothes and blankets, that's just mild, something like a punch would probably knock me out with how much pain it would cause."
Dan chewed his lip. He couldn't have imagined how much pain Jack went through with MI5, even during the rescue. There had been shoving involved. He tilted his head. "So, does that mean you have super hearing? So you know what's going on here, don't you?" he mused, nodding towards the gym entrance.
Jack just smirked. "Wait for it..."
And then the door burst open, because Jim Chapman had shoved it. And he sure looked angry. So angry, in fact, that he didn't take notice to the other students hanging around. "I don't know what you want from me," he growled, turning on his heel to face the door.
Then a woman walked out after him, looking equally as furious. "How about a little recognition? You don't even look at me when I walk by you in the hallway!" she exclaimed, gesturing wildly with one arm.
Jim pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tanya-"
"No!" cried Tanya Burr, holding up her hand between them, "No more of your excuses! You spent all that time in the lab getting me to trust you, to like you, and now it's like I don't exist. I'm done with your... your..." She paused, shaking her head as she searched for words. "Emotional constipation! You either care for me or you don't!"
Jim looked irritated, but he also looked like she had him and he knew it. Dan pursed his lips, knowing he was inappropriately excited by this but damn; they didn't get drama like this around here.
The former agent spoke up again. "It's a little complicated, Tan," he muttered, looking down at the tile floor.
Tanya scoffed, running a hand through her auburn hair. "Oh no, mister big strong government agent can't handle real feelings so he's just going to shove them aside. He can't stand knowing that someone else knows his secrets. I am not a mission, Jim!" she shouted, and that seemed to sting as Jim flinched as if she had hit him, "Talk to me when you figure yourself out, because I'm done with the games."
And then she was stomping towards the staircase, and Dan figured out that he was still standing in front of it. He grabbed Phil's arm and yanked him out of the way, allowing Tanya to storm by and up the steps. The boys exchanged a look before they glanced Jim's way. All he did was glower at the onlookers, and then march the other way. Once it was over, everyone started to disperse, but Jack just let out a content sigh.
"Glad that's over," he said, "That's been brewing ever since Tanya woke up. I think she might be suffering from Stockholm syndrome." Dan and Phil must have looked as confused as they felt, because Jack explained. "Chapman was one of the agents who was around when they did experiments on us. He always looked uncomfortable, but sometimes he couldn't even watch when they did something to Tanya. He spent a lot of time talking to her in the meantime. I always thought it was because she was the only woman in his assignment and he felt bad, but... I guess not."
Phil blinked. "Wow."
"This may sound rude but I live for this," Dan said, grasping Phil's arm in excitement. This was like a soap opera within their own walls, and it sort of relieved a bit of his stress to watch someone else's problems, even if that didn't really make sense to anyone but him.
Jack just shook his head. "It is rather dramatic. I should probably go talk to Tanya, if she hasn't blended into the wall already," he said and excused himself, following in Tanya's footsteps up the stairs.
Dan and Phil turned to each other. "Well, today's been eventful," said the latter, running his hand over his face.
Dan nodded, frowning. Something that Tanya shouted at Jim sort of stuck in his head. "Do you think we're emotionally constipated, Phil?"
He raised a brow. "I'm not even sure what that means, to be honest," he replied.
"Well, like, we're keeping things bottled inside. Because we're busy, you know?" Dan said.
"You think we're not talking enough," Phil stated, a small smile growing on his face.
Dan shrugged sheepishly. "Maybe. We spend most of our time together, but it's not like we're ever really alone," he explained, "And when we are alone at night, we're too exhausted."
Phil sighed and nodded. "I don't know what we can do about that. It's funny, we're top authority yet we can't really control everything, can we?" he muttered.
Dan shook his head in agreement. He looked down at where Phil had his hands in his pockets, a dark tablet held loosely in between his arm and his hip. No messages, no calls. It seemed they had that very moment free. And instead of practicing, Dan suddenly had a better idea.
"Come on," he said, grasping Phil's elbow, "I have something to show you."
Phil followed without question, and Dan led him past the gymnasium to the main staircase. Down they went to the basement, to where Dan first found himself in the facility, and down towards the music room. He opened the door and showed Phil inside; Dan glad the place didn't quite smell like dust anymore. He had taken it upon himself to dust every now and then to try and encourage the recruits to use it more.
"What's this?" Phil asked.
Dan just gave him a smile and pulled up a chair next to the piano bench. Dan sat down. "Take a look through those drawers," he said, nodding to the filing cabinets on the far wall, "Find some music you like."
Phil smiled and went over to open one of the cabinets, digging into the books of sheet music. "I didn't know you played, Dan," he commented.
"I guess it's never come up. It's quiet, I spend a lot of alone time here," he responded breezily.
Phil nodded and pulled out a sheet of music. Dan craned his head to try and see it, but he couldn't read the title until it was placed in front of him. Phil sat down in the chair as he read, "The Phantom of the Opera?"
"Yeah," Phil replied, "It's a great musical. This duet is so romantic!"
Dan gave him a look. "I'm a piano player, not a singer."
"I'm neither of those things, but I still love this song," the other said with a hopeful smile.
Dan smiled back and turned to the piano. He played Phil's song choice, without the words, but tried to fill in the notes anyway to make it sound like it would on stage. Halfway through the song, Phil scooted just a bit closer to lay his head on Dan's shoulder. Dan's heart leapt, and he was so distracted he missed a key. He stopped playing and Phil lifted his head.
"What?" he asked.
"I, er," Dan cleared his throat, "I messed up."
"Oh. I didn't even notice," said Phil. Dan looked at his lap and Phil reached over to grasp one of the hands still sitting on the piano keys. "You play really well," he added.
Dan blushed, and as Phil leaned over to kiss his cheek, Dan was about to say something in reply. The kiss landed right on his upper lip. They both jumped apart, surprised by the contact, but then they smiled and leaned back in. It was nice, to just sit and kiss. Still, through the sliding lips and pressing tongues and knocking teeth, there was still a little nagging voice in the back of Dan's head. He wished he could incinerate it but it was giving him even more anxiety than he already had, and this was not something he wanted to be anxious about.
"What are we?" Dan blurted before he could stop himself, after pulling away.
Phil's brow creased. "What do you mean?"
Dan sighed. "I mean, what are we? We've kissed quite a few times by now, and I made you a promise that we would be a team. Now we're a duo, yes, but are we, like, together? You know, together together?"
He looked down, and his hair fell in front of his eyes so Dan couldn't make out his expression. He waited anxiously. Phil raised his hand. "I think we should be b-"
The door slammed open, cutting off Phil's statement. It was Zoe, and she was red in the face and panting, but besides that she also looked horrified. Dan and Phil exchanged a look. "What is it?" the former asked worriedly, previous anxiety forgotten.
Zoe sucked in a breath before she spoke. "Louise has the news on in the office and... it's terrible, come on!" she said, waving for them to follow her. Without asking any more questions they jogged after her and all the way up to the office.
As they walked in, Louise waved them over. "You need to see this," she said.
"What is it?" said Phil, sounding a little exasperated.
Louise reached forward and turned up the volume on her computer. There was a video paused on the screen. As soon as Dan and Phil were gathered around, she pressed play.
The video was of a woman in the back of a press van. The words that scrolled at the bottom of the screen told them her name was Melissa Potter. She was a reporter. "After several nights of strange attacks all around the city, London is currently under siege. A number of wolf-like beings are loose in the city center and along the Thames River, terrorizing infrastructure and citizens alike. The conditions are currently so dangerous we are forced to stay inside the news van- ah!" The camera shuttered and the reporter clung to the sides of the van, as if it were being knocked around. In one of the windows, something brown and furry appeared. Something with claws.
Dan's heart lurched. "Oh my god."
"The agents," Phil said breathlessly, "Dan's blood..."
"Precisely," Louise added as she turned off the feed, "Dan's blood did something to force a mutation that increased animalistic tendencies. The fur, teeth, and claws... I think those are on purpose."
Both Dan and Phil snapped their heads in her direction. "What?" they chorused.
Louise sighed. "I was on call with Marzia, who studied your blood, and she said there was no way that it could have made these people practically werewolves. However, there was a possibility that it would make them act like it. That must have been what happened. These agents no longer have any idea who they are."
Phil sucked his teeth and Dan said, "So, what? MI5 let a bunch of test tube werewolves out to destroy London?"
"That, or internet speculation says they escaped and the other agents can't possibly catch them," Zoe chimed in, her fingers flying over the screen of a tablet, "I'm talking to Felix right now. I'll let you know when he finds the real reason."
Dan made a noise of frustration similar to a growl, and Phil reached over to squeeze his arm. "They had to know this would happen," the taller one said, "The people who are born with mutations have problems controlling them, how did anyone expect some regular guys to do it?"
"We have to stop them before someone dies," Dan said firmly, "Because if that happens and we did nothing to stop it, it happened because of us."
Louise nodded. "What do you want to do?"
"Get on the PA and call in the first and second tiers of the team. Get the vehicles warmed up. We're going to London," Phil supplied. Everyone but Louise was on their feet, while she doled out comm devices to the three others in the room. The PA system was lit up beside her, ready to be used.
Dan nodded along in agreement. "Add that they should come dressed. Everyone except the recruits have something to wear, right?" he said.
"Correct," Louise replied.
"Excellent."
Phil turned. "Zoe-"
"On it," she said, and jogged forward for the staircase. As the one with the tablet, she was in charge of contacting PJ, wherever he was. She also had the direct line to Felix, who was probably the only one who could get all the information about the situation. Former agents or not, these things were dangerous and if currently bipedal MI5 agents couldn't subdue them then they needed help. Rights or no, loss of life would not be on their hands.
AN: This chapter didn't turn out as good as I hoped... eh.