Mark stepped through the threshold of his house as quietly as he could, glancing around the house furtively before he entered. The place was dark and quiet—as expected from a normal household at two in the morning—and the only sound in the place was soft snoring that emanated from one of the rooms.

The door closed behind him soundlessly. He sighed quietly, hoisting his slipping backpack up his shoulder and walked into the room. Pulling open the refrigerator door, he grabbed a bottle of water—one of the translucent ones that were made of colored plastic—and switched on the flashlight of his phone before placing the bottle over the light to dim it.

I'm a cool science guy, he thought to himself, smiling proudly as he used the flashlight-bottle contraption to see his way around the living room without making it too bright. Taemin wants me because I'm smart.

The words were partly to give himself a boost after a long day, but also because he was a little bit scared. Coming home after facing evil black-haired women from The Conspirator was tiring and scary in equal parts, and Mark wasn't accustomed to being in situations like these. In his defense, not a lot of people were.

The door creaked behind him.

Mark jumped about three feet high, almost letting loose a high-pitched scream he often heard during horror movies. He whipped around to see the door closed. No, wait. He narrowed his eyes, moving closer despite his reluctance, and realized that the door was open, even if it was just a crack.

He sucked in his breath, feeling his already wild pulse accelerate even further. The night air was calm and cool, but there was already perspiration gathering on his forehead. He wiped the back of his hand against his brow, blinking rapidly to get rid of his drowsiness, and quickly unzipped the bag. Reaching inside, he pulled out the first thing he could get his hands on, which turned out to be a laminated mission report file. He grimaced, rummaging around inside it to look for something else, but his only other options were a smoke bomb and a piece of apple pie wrapped in tinfoil.

Great, he thought feverishly, letting the bag drop to the floor with a soft thunk. What if the evil lady had come to get him? Maybe it was the pale dude Ten had talked about. Mark wondered what kind of powers they might have, or if they would just have liked to finish him the old-fashioned way.

He wanted to call for backup, but his phone was out of money. We need emergency comm devices, he thought, distractedly filing the thought away for later perusal.

Mark would have called out, but his grandmother was asleep, and there was no one else around him who may have been able to help. His neighbor was just as creepy as a supervillain, anyway, and might actually sell him out.

On the verge of crying, Mark walked towards the door, the rolled-up file gripped tightly in his hand. He used the tips of his fingers to pull open the door, only to find the walkway empty. He frowned, straightening, but didn't let his guard down as he moved out into the open.

Something crinkled under his foot.

He lifted his foot, and found himself looking down at a piece of purple chart paper. Slowly, he bent to retrieve it. His knee joints creaked as he got to his feet, stomach turning as he read the contents of the paper.

There, contrasting with the bubbly purple of the paper, a single sentence was written on with glittery ink.

I spy with my little eye, a naughty boy.

|

"You never really told me why the parking lot was burning when you found me," Kai mused aloud as he looked at Taemin, crossing his arms over his chest. "Do I have fire powers?"

Taemin looked up, amused, and slipped off his glasses. "No."

Kai's lower lip jutted out in an unconscious pout. "Are you ever going to tell me? You promised, you know. That's why I joined the program?"

Taeyong raised an eyebrow, amused. "You joined the program because you wanted to know why the parking lot was on fire?"

Kai shrugged. "I mean, there were some noble intentions behind it, too," he said. "I thought we would be famous superhero dudes."

"So noble."

"Are you making fun of me? I really can't tell."

"I don't know him very well, but," Shao spoke up, raising a hand, "I think he is making fun of you. Beat him up, Purple Boy."

"Purple Boy?" Kai echoed, looking confused.

She raised her shoulders slowly, and let them drop. "I don't know what your name is," she said, and pointed to Taemin. "I know he's Lee Taemin." Her index finger now found Baekhyun, who was sitting in a couch, doing his late-night reading. "That's Daehyun...or Baekhyun? I think he's Baekhyun."

"Bingo," Taeyong muttered.

Ten and Lucas were sitting on a longer couch, watching the show. Well, at least Ten was. Lucas seemed utterly absorbed in going through all the issues of the conspiracy theory magazine that Mark had said he read, and was doing it with too much zest for it to look like a job. Kai sat back, judging him silently.

Shao frowned, letting her arm drop as she swiveled to face Taeyong. "Why do you hate me so much?" she demanded. "What did I ever do to you?"

"What, do you want a gold star for your efforts?"

"No, but you don't have to comment on everything I do—"

"Shao, don't be too offended," Baekhyun cut in, giving Taeyong a stern look. "He's that way with everyone. He'll warm up to you in no time."

Taeyong snorted, putting his arms behind his head, closing his eyes and leaning back into his chair. "Sure."

"Aren't you supposed to be at home right now, anyway?" Baekhyun asked, frowning slightly. "Won't your brother be alone?"

"He's having a sleepover at his friend's," the blue-haired man said, kicking his legs up onto the table and crossing them at the ankles. "And I'll have to be back here in the morning, anyway. I don't want to waste money on gas, and there's only a few hours until morning."

Kai raised his eyebrows. He hadn't taken Taeyong to be a family guy, especially given his salty attitude towards the other members. There was a bit of warmth in him, though, and he had noticed. Though it could just be Mark.

"I can't believe you have a brother," Ten muttered. Taeyong ignored him.

Just then, the doors were thrown open, and a terrified Mark stepped through them. The other sat up abruptly as he walked in, holding a tiny piece of paper in his shaking hands.

Kai frowned. "Is that...purple chart paper?"

"I can't go back to my house," Mark started off, eyes wide and frightened as he stood in the center of the room. "I found this outside when I got home." He thrust out the paper. Baekhyun took it, frowning as he scanned the contents.

"What happened?" Taeyong asked, watching the boy as he collapsed onto a seat next to him.

"Is that a ransom note?" Shao asked.

Taeyong glared at her. "Please, not now."

"What did I do wrong now? It was a genuine question!"

"'I spy with my little eye, a naughty boy'," Baekhyun read aloud, then lowered the paper. "What is this?"

"I think it might be from Irene," Mark answered, visibly upset. Kai noticed that his hands were shaking, even though Mark had clasped them together and pressed them between his knees. "Baekhyun, please, I don't want to go back home. Can't I stay with you?"

"Well—" Baekhyun started, looking a little taken aback. "You know you're always welcome here, Mark, but—"

"Why purple chart paper, though?" Kai mumbled.

"It's not even that big of a deal," Lucas said, not even looking up from The Conspirator Issue #13. "She won't do anything to you. If she had wanted to hurt you, she would have done it already."

"Not her," Taemin said grimly, resting his elbows against his knees and leaning forward. "She enjoys her theatrics."

"If she already knows where he lives, won't she know this location, either?" Ten asked, crossing his legs. "And how do you know so much about her?"

"That's not helping," Mark said in a small voice, still jittery.

Taeyong's forehead creased. "Quiet down, all of you," he muttered, and looked at Mark. "Don't you have any family in the city?"

Mark shook his head. "I live with my grandma," he said. "I thought that if—that if I, like, didn't go home, they would leave her alone. But now..."

"I'd take you in, Mark, but I practically live in the lab," Baekhyun said, looking concerned. "I wouldn't like to leave you alone."

"I can live in the lab, too," Mark said. "Anywhere."

"Hey, doesn't Taeyong have a little bro?" Shao spoke up, looking smug. "If he's around Mark's age, they should be cool living together. Even if he's not, it would be a great arrangement, right?"

"My apartment is tiny!" Taeyong exclaimed. "Taemin, why can't you shift him into one of your high-security buildings?"

"Aw, but Mark would be lonely and scared." Shao grinned. "Are you really going to leave him alone?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Kai raised both his eyebrows, glancing between the two. He felt more entertained than afraid now.

Baekhyun glanced at Mark. "Mark, are you okay with this?"

The boy looked at Taeyong nervously. "Well," he started, "no, but if Taeyong has a problem with it—"

"It's settled, then," Shao said, smirking. "Have fun, you two."