- seventeen -

They all looked at the woman, varying emotions.

She scanned each boy separately, almost as if she was trying to intimidate them.

But Mark wasn't having it, not when it concerned his boys.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we unfortunately have no idea who you are," he said, trying to sound for the most part polite.

She smiled, and straightened her stance, bringing her hands in front of her, clasping them together.

"Well, young man, I am the head of the Inside, and I think we have some," she paused, "things to discuss."

The boys looked at her, and back to Mark, anxiety written on their faces.

Mark looked at the woman.

"Would you like to clarify what that exactly is?" 

"Come with me," she said, turning slowly on her heel, beckoning the boys to follow.

To say they felt threatened was an understatement. They didn't know what was going to happen.

Mark looked at Donghyuck, his light brown hair messed up from the running, but eyes still bright and he returned the older's look with a confident nod of his head, and grabbed his hand.

Mark squeezed the younger's hand in response, and looked at everyone else.

Chenle was holding Jisung's hand, who seemed to be comforting the older.

Jeno was standing there, hair still white, but slowly and surely turning back to the black, eyes wide and scared.

Renjun stood behind the group, distancing himself. He didn't know if he could pull up in the ranks yet, he hadn't even been introduced to everyone. But by the look Chenle sent him, they were in this, together.

Jaemin stood beside Jeno, still a little shook up from being in that room, and the dawning that Jeno was a Defect. Jaemin wasn't upset that Jeno was a Defect, as some things in the past kind of seemed to appear and give an answer as to why some actions had happened, but he was a little upset that the older hadn't of told him sooner.

They were best friends after all, weren't they?

Jaemin seemed to notice Renjun's distancing, and mistook it as fright.

He silently went back to the older, and gently took his hand, causing the older to look up at him and show him a worried face.

Mark took over, letting go of Donghyuck's hand and facing them all.

"All right guys, I won't let anything happen to any of you. Let's follow the lady."

Everyone looked at each other, and slowly nodded.

They all faced where the woman was standing at the end of the hall, looking at them patiently.

Her calmness sent chills down Mark's spine, but he let it be.

They each collectively made their way behind the woman, and was led into a large conference room. There was a large circular table surrounded by almost endless chairs.

The woman directed them to sit.

The all sat together, the woman at the podium in front of them.

"Hello students," she began, "my name is Abigail Carthwright, and I am the head of the Inside Committee."

"I have you all here for multiple reasons. We have project Delta," she paused, casting her gaze on Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun, "and project Kkum we are working on, with your assistance."

Mark looked at the woman, a confused look on his face.

"Then what is project Triangle?"

The woman smiled, but went to explain.

"It is not read as the shape name, Mark Lee, but the scientific name. Delta," she emphasized.

"And what exactly are we these projects?" Renjun's small voice sounded through the hall, causing the room to suddenly be silent.

Renjun could feel it. The air dense as everyone's eyes were on him, the silent but sharp turn of their heads all too clear. But he wanted, no, needed answers. He was not used to this drama of the Inside, and he wasn't going to start.

His gaze was firm, under the stares, as he looked at the older woman, his brain going quick. She smiled at him.

"00-00-01." 

The name made them all shiver, the coolness spreading down their spines and through the rest of their bodies.

Renjun knew why.

"It's a pleasure to see you," she paused, "again."

Renjun gritted his teeth as the others whipped their heads at him again.

"Abigail, don't start with those formalities. You know how it went last time we met," Renjun warned, tone surprisingly calm.

"We talked about that project, and you agreed to go through with it. That was your choice."

"Yeah," he scoffed at her, "but here in the Inside we don't have a choice, we have orders. Who am I to refuse?"

Renjun was sure the others were confused at this point.

About a year and half ago, Renjun had met this woman, claiming to be the head of the Inside project, and proposed a solution for another project, asking Renjun for his help. He, figuratively, knew everything about the topic it dealt with, but not the project.

That's when Renjun's condition had began to worsen. 

Because of that proposed project.

It was to help regulate and learn how to stop Defects from changing. A suppressant of sorts, and Renjun, being a person of little to no contact, did what was told of him.

But he didn't know that they'd be taking his body for the project.

They started off slow, just taking a small amount of his blood, trying to study how he was able to have a M.C.M., but then when they found that blood wasn't the reason, they started taking more, against Renjun's consent.

They started taking his bone marrow, taking some of white blood cells, which was why he was so easily ill, and giving Renjun medicine to study him.

He wasn't supposed to be the lab rat, rather the poor Defects that they had up their sleeve.

Ever since about five months ago, he called it off. He finally used his voice, and cancelled.

Ms. Carthwright was furious.

He continued to glare slightly at the woman, as she gave him a condescending look.

"You knew it was wrong, yet you still suckered me into it. That's on you," he said, the conversation closing into just the two.

The rest of the boys felt the air thicken with the director and Renjun. 

This was a new side of the boy, surprising most.

"And that's why the project failed."

There was a long silence, until someone decided to end it.

"Um, so how does this have to do with any of us?"

Everyone looked at Donghyuck.