Chapter 20: ambush

The stale air within the panelled walls of this particular warehouse, which was a block or two away from the pier, hung with disturbed dust. Shuffling footsteps stumbled through the shrouded building, though no clear body could be seen through the dark.

The chill of darkness had the ability to pierce skin with its needle-like tendrils, but that was not the only reason Jongho's hair had begun to stand on end.

He felt like a cornered alleycat; one that would let its hackles rise along with the fur on the back of its neck when it felt threatened enough to fight. Though his first response was not to hiss and strike but rather, instinctively, to freeze in place.

That same chill crept through the soles of his boots and up through his legs as if a thin layer of ice now held them rooted in place.

His mind, which had been running nearly a mile a minute just moments ago, was also buffering like a frozen computer screen. However, the instinct seeded deep within him made him clench his fists in preparation to strike at a moment's notice.

Through the dust-smelling air, he could feel the waves of warmth that came from the two other familiar bodies that took their places behind him. He knew that Seonghwa and Yunho had drawn closer instinctively as well.

The illuminated sea of eyes around them remained unfazed. And perhaps that was what was most unsettling about them. They didn't blink. They didn't have to.

Jongho had never thought he would come across this many androids in one place in his entire lifetime. (Though to be fair, before all of this, he'd never really expected to run into any  androids.) He was obviously aware of how many must be currently walking the streets, but he had never been outright confronted by so many.

A shred of moonlight flared across his vision, and he squinted and flinched back as the sky opened up above them. A tarp had been pulled back like an old bandage from over the warehouse's open skylight and the light of the nearly full moon washed throughout the building. The sea of eyes changed to a sea of shadowy silhouettes that stood with some figures partially in the light and others still tucked away at the edges. The white light from above shone down like a blinding skylight directly centred over the human trio that stood still back-to-back.

Jongho's limbs moved slowly as if they'd been dragged through thick taffy, but he managed to unhook his radio and shake it furiously. His legs started to warm up again as the numbness began to fade. He was nearly frantic to regain contact with Hongjoong, along with San and Wooyoung, who waited in the gravel yard unaware of what had occurred after the abrupt disconnection.

This was extremely, horrifically bad.

The earlier foreshadowed dread that had crept behind him throughout the day and his shift finally loosened for a moment, just to laugh at his naivety, before it had come back swinging with a full blow to his gut.

The other three were supposed to be their backup, and if they didn't come then . . . Jongho didn't even want to consider the result of a battle between flesh and steel. Or, if something had happened to the other team as well. 

The eldest Elite also smacked his own radio before trying it once more.

"Hongjoong, we're surrounded." Seonghwa's iron voice hid the bite of his anger, but his white-knuckled grip wasn't as easy to conceal. When he'd addressed the auburn-headed performer only a few minutes before, his voice had been warm from their companionship. But now the use of Hongjoong's full name made things feel all the more grave.

Seonghwa made a sound of frustration when no reply came. There wasn't even a momentary crackle of static to show that the radios were still connected.

A sinking, but certain, boulder within his gut told Jongho that their enemies were doing something purposely to not only put out their flashlights but their radios as well. If he remembered correctly, Yeosang had learned about those kinds of things in his computer engineering and technical classes. Electromagnetic connections and such. His best friend liked to explain the lessons to Jongho at the end of the day, but it was always so much to remember that Jongho often couldn't even wrap his head around it let alone keep track of the details. If he'd paid a little more attention. . .

With their lights out, they relied on the moonlight to illuminate the multitude of unfamiliar faces that emerged from the previous darkness. Surrounded on all sides, Jongho cursed colourfully in his own mind. Of course, they had to have been ambushed just when they'd finally begun to let their guard down!

Every unique figure that caged them in had different facial features, but at the same time seemed to have been eerily carved from the same stone. They appeared as human as one could be; however, without emotion, the dead coldness in their eyes was a clear giveaway. Jongho scoffed, he knew better than to think of the Creators' tin copies as anything close to human. Those kinds of mistakes were deadly.

The rows of androids moved in a perfectly symmetrical circle. Their chilling eyes were alight a sharp aqua blue and remained unblinking. It started with a single shift in the back of the crowd of them, and slowly it moved in a wave, parting androids like the Red Sea. Like they were taking a leisurely stroll through a park, two men appeared and walked between the parted bodies, with one only a few steps behind the other.

One was unnaturally tall, while the other's build seemed strangely familiar. The first man strode with arrogant confidence, a long jacket streaming out behind him, while the other meandered with his hands tucked into his sweatpant pockets. Across the circle from the cornered three, the tall man in a flared doctor's coat paused, and his companion met him there with a simple smirk. It wasn't until they had drawn nearer to the edge of the circle, and the light was finally cast onto their facial features that Jongho was struck with recognition. 

Mark was here.

In a laidback way, the informant swept his gaze over Jongho and his companions, tipping so he was leaning slightly with his hands still hidden in his pockets. He was dressed warmly in both a navy blue crewneck sweatshirt with some name-brand design down the sleeves and a pair of black sweatpants that were tucked into his matching black combat boots. However, nothing irked Jongho more than the mocking grin Mark was wearing on his face.

The informant's mouth was twisted in a Cheshire grin, but one could just see the downward curve at the edges of his lips that betrayed that the grin may not have been entirely genuine. For some reason, Mark wasn't all too pleased that they had Jongho, Seonghwa, and Yunho at their mercy. Maybe because he felt bad for his acquaintanceship with Yunho, or perhaps because he knew that the other three wouldn't be too far away, or maybe even some other unfathomable reason entirely.

Upon their first meeting with the older man, Jongho was quickly aware of the man's nature as a wild card who owed loyalty to nobody. Yet now, he still cursed himself for lowering his guard enough to think that the informant would choose sides so easily.

Of course, Mark would rat them out. Of course, he would send them somewhere and assist in staging an ambush to catch them unawares. It had been foolish to believe even for a moment that someone who sold information for a living wouldn't sell them off to the highest bidder.

Jongho grit his teeth; the bitter taste of some unpleasant emotion coating the top of his tongue. It tasted like a thick substance brushing over the back of his mouth. Like unpleasantly flavoured cough syrup that made his throat burn at the thought of swallowing.

In his shock and anger, he hadn't fully taken in the tall man who now stood next to Mark. Now, he wrenched his gaze from the traitorous informant to size him up. 

The tall man seemed unfazed by the sudden electrical tension that shot from one side of the circle to the other. He barely glanced over the cornered three, as if they weren't even worth noting or worth giving any sort of appraisal. He seemed to live within his own bubble of reality and no force or burning glare from Jongho would be able to knock the stranger free of his overwhelming contempt. The man's hands remained outside of his lab coat pockets, but they didn't even twitch or curl into fists like Mark's fidgeting tended to do.

This man was carved of a different stone it seemed and he looked through the lower circle of his red-rimmed glasses with his chin tilted up. He wore the sort of long, white, flaring lab coat that was usually associated with scientists and doctors. Additionally, the particular way his beady-looking eyes zeroed in on different sparks of information seemed to relay that this man was used to picking things apart. And with the way he began eyeing up the shrunken trio, Jongho didn't really want to think about the man was already picking up. . . or if the man was really considering picking them apart to glance over their inner workings as if they were nothing more than the same androids the Elites were fighting against.

Jongho almost didn't expect the man to grace them with his voice, but the strange timbre of some European accent curled around the edge of his lips. It was just barely noticeable with the pronunciation of sparse words, but it was hard not to ignore when the man made such a flourish about something as simple as speaking.

"Eet was only a matter of time before these clueless rabbits stumbled eento the wrong hedge and eento the jaws of the waiting fox. The natural progression of the vorld has always been about the endless life cycle of predators and their prey, so it is no surprise that some are just . . ." The man sniffs deliberately in their direction, and Jongho thought to pinpoint the accent but wasn't confident he would guess right, "born eenferior to others."

A weighted pause hung in the dust-filled air of the darkened warehouse.

Red hot coals of rage were set alight in the pit of his stomach and sent rivers of burning lava through Jongho's limbs. This man had clearly spent too long around these emotionless tin cans, because the man, while most definitely being a living, breathing human, had lost any empathy he may have harboured before about his own human race.

That degree of arrogance made Jongho want to grind his teeth until they were flat and dig his fingernails into his own palms with enough force to make them bleed.

Jongho was the furthest from pleased when someone tried to place themselves higher than anything or anyone else. So now knowing that some lackey or whatever from the Creators' ranks was like this. . . he had no problem with wanting to knock a little bit of sense into him.

This man knew he had nothing to fear from the three who were still cornered. They were outnumbered nearly fifteen to one, and this man found no issue with reminding them, maybe just to downgrade them once more.

Jongho took some joy in the fact that Mark didn't look too pleased with the comment either, though his face was the only thing that did the talking, tightening up in annoyance.

"Though I suppose I cannot blame you," the man in the scientist's coat continued. "You are sticking your noses eento something you do not understand, trying to undermine generations of technological genius all because you are too attached to mortality." The man huffed, taking a few steps to skirt the edge of the circle to leave a wide berth around the center. "Look at this vorld, natural beauty and riches stripped and eendustrialized, humans torn apart by conflict and strife, every fleeting life lost from struggle, pain, and the mere burden of being mortal." The man made a wide gesture, "This vorld, humanity is the one that has brought it to the brink of destruction."

Jongho hated to think of the kernel of truth in the obnoxious scientist's words.

Humans were not a delicate race. They were survivors and destroyers, always finding ways to crawl ahead even when considered underdogs of the wilderness. Truly, at the rate they were going, humans were set to outlive the planet they lived on, all because of their own doing. So in a way, what this man was trying to achieve made a small sliver of sense if you disregarded his entire approach to replacing humans with machines as a magical cure-all-method.

However, the scientist's stance still seemed a little confusing. Was he just an extreme environmentalist or would fewer humans give him a better opportunity to grasp a position of power? Whatever it was, Jongho wasn't even sure how to approach any reasoning with this man.

The man must have noticed the shift in Jongho's expression to something unimpressed and almost apathetic. Though he also could have been reacting to something Yunho or Seonghwa had done, Jongho wasn't about to turn his head away from the scientist to check.

The man's tone tried to change to sound more convincing, like the smooth top layer of cream and honey on a warm autumn drink.

"By rebuilding humanity in a new image, the preenciples of our founder will prevail, thus eenducing order and allowing the chaos of 'mohdern' society to fall away. We need universal order to be able to start again from scratch and reset the clock counting down to the end of our known vorld. Only the Founder is strong eenough and wise eenough to lead the vorld eento a new age!"

Mark still looked disgruntled by the prattling of his older companion, only shifting his weight between his feet and staring holes through either the back of the European scientist's head or his own fingernails.

The slight brush of cloth against his elbow almost made Jongho jerk in surprise and his startled gaze found the side of Seonghwa's steely narrowed eyes and steadfast and unfaltering frown. The obsidian of his darkened stare was more like an ebony pit of the deep, empty pockets of space. Sharpened by the glare of the moonlight in this shadowy environment, they were shades away from utterly wild.

The same blank and charged certainty that Jongho had heard from Seonghwa in the Brig the same night he'd met him now dipped a near octave from his displeasure.

"You talk too much about saving lives by conforming them into a single predestined identity. An identity you've chosen and one you've set as the only right way. But you're completely disregarding history. Of course, we've got a long way to go as a society, but did we not get where we are because of people who branched out and were unique in ideas, ideals, and cultures?" Seonghwa narrowed his eyes further, "Someone once told me, 'It is impossible to make progress without making a change.' Without a chance to make a change, to be colourful and make our world vibrant, we don't have any hope of 'saving us'. Without individuality, life would be grey, dull, and simple because we would all be living the same lives in the same way with the same set of precognitive thoughts."

Jongho almost expected the eldest Elite to falter in his assault, especially as the scientist's facial features tightened with every added sentence in opposition that tumbled from Seonghwa's mouth.

"And isn't there a beauty to being mortal?" Seonghwa surged on, though his voice took on a mournful undertone. "What value would we place on life if we never had to think about it ending?"

The eldest looked as if he wanted to continue, but his ebony glare was clouded now, and his jaw tightened around the words he wanted to form.

Jongho blinked up at the back of the brave man's head, even though his mouth was slack-jawed in surprise at Seonghwa's outburst. (Despite the man being one of the calmest people he'd ever met.) He felt pride welling up within him.

Even though near the end Seonghwa had faltered from his own rising emotion, Jongho had never been more glad to share such an identity as 'human' with the people beside him. Having emotion and merely living was more than the androids the Creators tried to replicate as humans would ever be able to experience.

Jongho almost wanted to applaud, though the rising red in the scientist's ears and the harsh scowl painting his face confirmed that the action would be unwise.

"You continue to be blinded by the unrealistic promises of the world, what a pity." The man nudged his glasses further up his nose, with a note of barely muted anger and distaste. "I don't theenk I need to explain any further to fools who refuse to listen to our Founder's perfect solution. I suppose you will have to fade away with the Old Age." The crease of the man's straight nose made the wrinkles around his eyes even more prominent. His barely contained rage seemed to bubble up beneath his unnaturally pale skin, but his dark eyes didn't change from their dead and bloodshot appearance.

Seonghwa raised his head, signalling that he had no intention to lose. Jongho shifted his gaze away from the Elites' steadfast eldest hyung, feeling his own back straighten up subconsciously. Standing here for the first moment since they had been cornered, Jongho felt suddenly empowered. His legs became rooted beneath him, no longer in fear, but in resolve. 

The outraged foreign scientist looked as if he was about to start trembling from how tightly he had clenched his hands into pale fists. Jongho's sudden confidence faltered when the man's hands suddenly unclenched and a sudden calm seemed to wash over him. There was a different look in the man's eyes now. It was as if he had been struck by a memory he'd nearly forgotten or as if he'd found the key to tearing them down in one fell swoop. The scientist spoke over his shoulder, raising a calculating hand to push his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Model 27-8EL, do you still have the package I eentrusted to you?"

An android that was standing at the man's immediate left took a half step forward. "Affirmative, sir."

"Bring eet to me."

The android seamlessly opened a panel on its right arm, reaching carefully in to remove a strange thin, metallic circlet. It had a miniature screen at what looked like the front but no other buttons. In a way, it seemed to resemble a crown. A slimy feeling of uneasiness started to build up in Jongho's throat.

The tall foreign man let an almost crazed grin creep up his face and that one movement alone sent spiders crawling across Jongho's back. He could tell that Seonghwa also had begun to feel more cautious because of the man's reaction. The eldest Elite even took a small step back to cover Yunho. It was impressive that Seonghwa instinctively went to protect their gentle giant, but it did look a little funny for Yunho's tall form to suddenly be tucked behind his hyung's.

The foreign scientist, with gentle hands, accepted the mysterious circlet and held it in front of him with one hand. With a single beckoning finger in the cornered trio's direction, the man spoke with a sense of finality. "If you are too stubborn to listen, there are different ways to convince you."

There was only a second to prepare before a swarm of expressionless androids closed in on Jongho, Yunho, and Seonghwa. The eldest Elite instinctively tried to block them from reaching his companions, stepping forward with his hands curled into fists at his side. However, it seemed that the robots' goal had never been the younger companions in the first place. The two nearest the front reached out and grabbed ahold of Seonghwa's wrists. Yanking the man forward, the rest shoved their way into the growing gap between the three humans. Jongho and Yunho were left blocked behind four tall, bulky androids -- like seriously, were they modelled after bodybuilders? -- while Seonghwa had his arms wrestled behind his back by titanium hands. Seonghwa cursed loudly, swinging his legs out to kick one of the androids in the stomach area. The robot barely flinched, stepping back only a single step as if he'd been expecting the hit and throwing out a punch of his own into the Elite's gut that left the mortal man winded. 

Seonghwa gasped to regain his breath and stumbled when they started to drag him closer to where Mark and the foreign scientist stood waiting. But even while he was subdued, Seonghwa's fighting spirit had yet to be quenched. 

The eldest Elite dug his heels into the ground, shifting his weight further back so the androids would have to adjust their hold. When their grip loosened, Seonghwa swung both of his arms up and out to break free. Another android quickly snapped its hand back out to seize Seonghwa's forearm. Instead of panicking, with lightning-quick reflexes, Seonghwa tugged the android back towards himself and put his shoulder underneath the android's off-balance form. With precision, the Elite both lifted and twisted in smooth harmony, throwing the attacker back over his shoulder as if it weighed next to nothing. 

Jongho nearly gaped wide enough to swallow a swarm of flies. He knew that the Elites had taken defence classes, as Wooyoung had mentioned before, but Seonghwa's skill level felt unreal. If Jongho had blinked, he would have missed how quickly Seonghwa was able to twist the situation in his favour. Had this man really only taken fighting classes for Wonderland, or had he been fighting for his whole life? He was a natural force to be reckoned with.

Seonghwa had barely a second to straighten up before the second android, which he had previously kicked in the gut, was joined by two more. The posse of three moved in an eerie Siamese way as if they shared the same body, striking together as if each was a head of Cerberus. The eldest Elite was soon restrained with one android holding each arm, while the third rushed behind him to put him in a harsh rear chokehold. 

Seonghwa grit his teeth in pain, and Jongho subconsciously tried to shove forward to help. Reality came crashing back to him when the androids that were blocking the two of them hit him across the face and shoved him back into Yunho's chest. Yunho caught him effortlessly, continuing to stand with his feet rooted in place. Jongho lifted a hand to the stinging sensation from his nose; his fingers came away bloody. Thankfully they didn't break his nose, but he was sure that they could have. 

Surprisingly, even in a chokehold with his air restricted, Seonghwa didn't waste a moment to panic. Instead, he swept his foot behind the rear android's leg and thrust his elbow backwards to pull away from one of the grips on his arm. With his free arm, he squeezed into the hold around his neck to create a space to breathe before he twisted free and tripped the android over his leg. For the second time, Seonghwa sent an android to the floor. 

Jongho held his nose to hopefully stop the blood, blinking in awe. He glanced over at the foreign scientist through the row of bodies that were blocking them from Seonghwa. Jongho's breath hitched in surprise when he noticed that the arrogant scientist was unfazed even when Seonghwa had yet to be restrained. The only noticeable sign of his irritation was the furrowing of his arched eyebrows, but nonetheless, the man was entirely confident that Seonghwa was fighting a losing battle. 

A shout of raw pain echoed through the warehouse. Jongho's eyes shot back towards where he had last seen Seonghwa holding his own and found the man hunched with an android pinning an arm behind his back. 

"Wh-what happened?" Jongho's voice was almost a whisper. Fear rippled through him. 

He felt the quiet rumble of Yunho's voice against his back. "They must've dislocated his shoulder." Jongho then felt the older man's hands begin to quiver from where they had been grasping his shoulders. He'd barely heard Yunho's response, the man had breathed the words, but when it clicked he turned to face Seonghwa again. 

The once seemingly formidable man clenched his teeth again as if trying to restrain himself from crying out. Seonghwa began to huff and gasp as well, and with the stuttering of his breathing, his body was no doubt transitioning to shock. The android who had ripped his shoulder from the socket didn't even pause and pulled the injured arm further behind Seonghwa's back, causing him even more pain at the horrible angle. 

The mocking laughter of the foreign scientist broke through the pounding of Jongho's ears. "A pathetic attempt to delay the eenevitable," the man said.

The android forced Seonghwa to take a knee, and even in the throes of pain, the man tried to resist. The eldest Elite's breathing was staggered and his eyes switched between squinting shut and blinking excessively. The tall scientist hummed in satisfaction at the sight and moved to take a step forward. 

Mark grasped the man's elbow, halting him in place. 

"Dr. Giu, you know what will happen if you interfere with Beomseok-ssi's plan. He'll have your head served on a silver platter. We have them with us, let us simply leave before there is a chance for the rest of them to show up." Jongho had to strain to hear Mark's hushed words. For the first time, despite the overconfident front Mark had built up, the informant seemed uncertain, and maybe genuinely afraid. 

The towering man dropped his arm away from Mark with disdain. He wiped the arm against his coat as if he'd come in contact with something dirty. "Don't act like you haven't broken code before. He isn't the boss of me, he only remains with us as long as he is proven useful; just like you. In a way, I'm helping him by ridding him of these annoying pests."

Mark's eyes flashed with a darker emotion, and he opened his mouth to seemingly protest. Dr. Giu gave him no time to respond as he had already begun to stride forward. There was a peculiar gleam in the scientist's eyes as he approached Seonghwa's hunched form. It was a look of someone filled with glee as they conducted a grand experiment, or whose eyes sparkled when finally given the chance to test out a new toy. 

Dr. Giu raised the headband in front of Seonghwa, admiring both the technological handiwork and the handiwork his minions' had done on the eldest Elite. The android who had injured Seonghwa's shoulder and who was currently holding him down used his second hand to grasp a fistful of Seonghwa's hair. The robot then lifted the Elite's head mercilessly even when the man grimaced in pain. 

Jongho's eyes widened more than he thought possible. The fear of whatever this scientist planned to do to Seonghwa raced through him on every track of his nervous system. He tried once more to take a step forward, but this time Yunho was the one who stopped him. Jongho turned to look up at the blue-haired man in surprise. Yunho kept his gaze facing Seonghwa and Dr. Giu, but Jongho finally noticed how his pupils trembled. The man's eyes quivered nearly in time with his shaking hands that were still on Jongho's shoulders. However, Jongho still wasn't sure if it was from anger or fear. 

Jongho glanced from Seonghwa to Yunho and back again. Seonghwa was in critical danger, but it seemed like Yunho was facing some demons of his own.

Dr. Giu only cared about the new test subject in front of him. "After many failed attempts, the best of our organization came up with this prototype." Dr. Giu raised the strange electronic headband with cool fascination. "If it works properly then I will be able to erase memories as far back as I want. Of course, since it's a prototype I've never had a chance to see if it works." The scientist adjusted his red-rimmed glasses with dark eyes. "Well, until now."

Seonghwa, seemingly barely hearing him through his suffering, blinked open an eye to size up the man in front of him. He must've realized what the man was insinuating but, in his current position, he was unable to fight back. The eldest Elite tried to lean away from the scientist, but the android's grip on his head held him steadfast. 

"By re-wiring brain waves, this eenvention will be able to alter memories." Dr. Giu was speaking directly to Seonghwa now. "Imagine how your pitiful companions will feel when you no longer remember them. How easy it is as they become strangers to you. When you no longer sympathize with the weak, only then will you begin to see the truth." The scientist hummed in delight. 

The eldest Elite released rasping breaths, but the spark of rebellion in his eyes shone once more. "Like . . . hell," Seonghwa grit out, "I . . . will!" 

Dr. Giu paused in silence for a moment, before breaking into high-pitched laughter. He was utterly amused by what he viewed as Seonghwa's last weak attempt to play brave. 

"Enough talk." Dr. Giu's voice dropped. He carried a new air of seriousness now, almost at the drop of a hat. He had had his share of amusement from these pathetic interlopers, but now his patience was drawing thin. Jongho guessed he must have grown tired of the continuous back and forth and was finally making a move. "I gave you your chance to choose the right way, but like fools, you must be guided instead." 

Jongho watched on with wide eyes as Dr. Giu began to lower the headband towards the crest of Seonghwa's head. That same pounding fear echoed through his head like a deafening heartbeat. Inch by inch, Dr. Giu's pale hands lowered the circlet and Seonghwa could only look up at him with fire in his eyes. 

With hopelessness swelling within him, Jongho shut his eyes, unable to watch any longer. 

A series of muffled shots rippled through the air. 

His eyes shot open once more and he jerked his head around with surprise. Robots surrounding the group, but mostly on the side opposite of Dr. Giu and Mark, began to fall to the ground like flies. Some sparked once and lay still, others staggered as if trying to recover but still met the floor. The remaining unaffected androids reacted to the commotion like a swarm of worker ants protecting their queen: forming a wall between the unknown attackers and Dr. Giu. 

The foreign scientist was forced to pause, retracting the circlet from Seonghwa's head. The man sized up the situation, taking a few steps away from Seonghwa to hide among the ranks of titanium bodies. Mark glanced once at the kneeling Elite with an unreadable gaze before quickly shuffling over to Dr. Giu with a crew of three android bodyguards surrounding him. 

In Seonghwa's pained state, he was still able to turn his head towards the source of the shots. His eyes remained fixed on whatever he saw and, with a stuttered breath, he cracked a relieved smile while cradling his injured shoulder.

Jongho followed the eldest Elite's gaze with hope beginning to blossom within him.

Like a band of knights in shining armour, their backup had arrived. 

Hongjoong stood at the edge of the moonlight with his head held high. The frame of the light set around his shoulders and gave him an eerie, sinister outline. In his raised hand, the glint of a clean handgun reflected the light like a menacing star. The muffled cracks must have been shots as Hongjoong, with pinpoint accuracy, took down nearly six androids each in a matter of seconds. An air meant for intimidation seemed to radiate off him. With his second hand tucked by the thumb into the pocket of his dark jeans, he carried a silent message with his eyes: surrender now. 

Both Wooyoung and San joined him, with one at either side of their fearless Elite leader. San also had a small handgun of his own, but he cradled it with both hands folded together instead of Hongjoong's leisurely one-handed grip. Wooyoung opted for his bare hands, but that didn't mean he was out of place. The dark shadow that passed over his eyes was almost bored. Jongho even felt a shiver pass over him when Wooyoung glared through his lashes at the androids surrounding them. 

Hongjoong kept his gun trained forward, and San raised his own to match him. There was a slight hesitance to the pink-ette's movements, unlike Hongjoong who seemed as if he was handling an extension of his own arm. All of their attention was trained on Mark and Dr. Giu. (However, there was a small moment where Hongjoong let his gaze sweep over their infiltration team, sizing up their condition.) 

There was a moment of tense silence. Jongho could almost feel the fumes that were no doubt erupting from Dr. Giu's ears. After a few moments, Hongjoong spoke first, chasing his words with a lofty smirk. 

"You were right," Hongjoong announced. His smirk dropped into a scowl. A click echoed from his gun hand. "I've heard enough of your talk."  

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 extended a/n in comments ------> 

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