CHAPTER 15

"… Teira…"

Krantz was not surprised upon hearing that name – it was the first thing the boy uttered when he woke up in the recovery room. After sparing him a side glance from where he was sitting at the small table, Krantz returned his attention to his daily dose of pills. He swallowed them all without drinking the water that the doctor in the room was so nice to bring him.

The blonde woman, with a nose a tad too long for her face, was about Takeo's age which made her one of the youngest doctors in the Union; she was probably someone's child. (Krantz would have known all about it if he cared.)

The blonde was near the patient's bed spending too much time comparing the charts. She'd check on the papers and then look at the boy. Before Takeo woke up and started calling for his 'sister', the woman had been touching him and for a while Krantz thought nothing of it; scientists touch whatever they want, whenever they want. After spending some time cupped up in a room with her, though, he understood that she was trying her best just to make sure that Takeo was not in any sort of pain.

When Takeo started to stir she backed away as if she was giving him some privacy. Most people would confuse it as an act of fear, but not Krantz. He knew what fear looks like and that was not it.

After the kid mumbled the name once more, Krantz noticed the woman was staring at him expectantly and for some reason that made him turn his head towards the brat.

Takeo was lying motionless in bed, hooked up on infusion. He had a blindfold over his eyes, a proof he came fresh out of surgery. Pretty soon, if not already, the eye protection will be redundant. (A fact Krantz knew the woman was aware of, but still opted to keep it on as long as possible.) Krantz guessed the boy will need to get used to the additional light his eyes will now be able to pick up and the woman wanted to make him feel comfortable in the overly lit hospital room. Krantz could live with that. (Everything was going according to plan now and he could give the brat a short brake.)

"Teira… I want to see Teira…"

"I heard you."

The woman silently fixed the blanket over Takeo's feet throwing quick glances over to Krantz. He respected that she didn't meddle, but was mildly annoyed of her presence in general. If Krantz didn't know better he would have thought Takeo didn't even know she was here. He could hear her, of course, just like he could hear Krantz, even though neither of them exchanged a word since they first entered the room.

The woman was obviously here to wake Takeo up and discharge him. She could have done so hours ago, yet she chose to let him wake up naturally.

Perhaps that was a wise decision. Takeo had a lot of the leftovers of the brainwashing drug in his system, not to mention the sedatives. Being cautious was not stupid.

Then again, the young doctor didn't know about the brainwashing, so maybe she was stupid.

(The brainwashing experiment was decided to be kept a secret. Only those involved and the higher ups knew about it. Krantz decided to brief Hammer and Shark, ordering them not to abuse the knowledge afterwards. The look in their eyes told him he had judged correctly. By simply telling them what had transpired he bought their trust and in a way hinted they were equals, which in turn meant Takeo was not. Needless to say, Shark was now forever loyal to the leader of DA5.)

"… I want to see her."

Takeo's voice was tired and hoarse, but not weak. To a stranger, he came off as someone in control and power, yet to Krantz it was crystal clear the boy sounded exactly like that time when he begged the leader to open the door of the maze.

"You will see her later."

"… When?"

"Later."

Krantz pulled the keys out of the pocket and uncuffed Takeo's right hand. Awake, and with his strength returning, ordinary cuffs couldn't do much to tie him down, but were more than enough while he was sleeping. Sometime after he was brought out of surgery, Takeo started having nightmares that quickly turned into violent tossing and turning.

That was why Krantz was summoned to the room in the first place; he was instructed to restrain him and keep the young doctor company. (The handcuffs were her idea.) Krantz wanted to slug him. As if she had read his mind she had tossed him the handcuffs from the drawer. She didn't have to explain it out loud for Krantz to understand; it was obvious she didn't want Takeo to hurt himself while asleep. The older man could only sneer at that.

"Is she alright?"

"As long as you do as I say, she will be." Krantz freed his other arm and tossed the handcuffs on the table.

Krantz was waiting for a comment, but it never came. If the lack of defiance was indeed the result of the brainwashing, he was truly impressed. Takeo was not a stranger to giving silent treatments, but the absence of a stare – or any kind of movement that sent a clear message of Takeo regarding everyone here as pure scum – was completely out of character.

(Maybe he'll get back some of the spark when all the drugs leave his system. Maybe not. Time will tell.)

"The doctor will look you up and get you ready for tomorrow," Krantz instructed walking out through the door. "Don't make a fuss."

Takeo lay with his head turned towards the door for a long time after Krantz had shut them. He listened as his heavy footsteps disappeared into the white noise. For a couple of seconds he tried to find the sweet sound of his sister's voice in the hubbub, but ultimately gave up seeing how he was too exhausted to concentrate long enough. He let himself drown in the now ever present buzz of the world that replaced the meaning of silence Takeo had had before the enhancement.

This fatigue was to be expected, wasn't it? After the maze and after the surgery the only thing he could do was go back to sleep and they seemed to be letting him do just that. It meant they were satisfied with him. It meant Teira was indeed safe.

A soft sigh left his dry lips and his head leaned to the other side finding a more comfortable position. There was a hand slightly pressing on his chest, treading carefully to his face. From the sound of her breathing, Takeo could conclude the doctor was close but not too close.

"I'm going to remove the blindfold to check on the healing." She had an unusual calm to her voice; it was a pleasant change because it seemed she didn't want to disturb nor control him. "The sudden light might sting your eyes so keep them closed until I say otherwise."

She worked on his blindfold slowly, which turned out to be unexpectedly mindful of her. The bits of light that got through while she unwound the bandage were enough to prepare him for the full light. It still shook him but at least he didn't show it by recoiling from it. The moment he was left without his protection, she bent over, making somewhat of a shadow before his face. It didn't help much but it was a thought that counted.

This kind of reasoning caught him of guard – a scientist that cared. Takeo must have been way more tired than he first thought to be able to presume such a thing even for a split second.

"Open your eyes."

It didn't just sting. He could feel his pupils rapidly shrinking and when he'd pick up on some movement or shadows, they'd spread and shrink again. The pupils must have resembled the camera lances when they were trying to focus. He, too, was now trying to focus on the doctor's face. The lines and shapes were all there, but the colours were kinda blurry and shiny.

"Follow my finger."

It was hard at first. It was just too bright and there were no contrasts of colours to help him put things into perspective. Nevertheless, he successfully followed her finger and after some time, the shine of the place started to dim down.

The room now looked similar to what he was used to. And the finger was now just a normal finger, moving in the same steady rhythm left and right, up and down, again and again. Moving before the woman's lips. Left-right, up and down. Again and again. Across the lips. Again… And then it stopped. The lips parted and the finger was still hovering nearby.

"Are you al-" She opened her mouth to say something, her brows curled in an obvious worry, but Takeo noticed nothing of that. Before she could finish her sentence, his hand flew towards her face so fast she didn't even see him move. He slapped her hand away with such force she almost stumbled over her own heals, yelping in surprise and pain. Takeo didn't break her hand (she'll only have to deal with a nasty bruise tomorrow), yet at that moment when he hit her, he could have easily ripped her whole arm off.

She looked at him and saw he was looking at her too: eyes tensely locked on her, the blue eating away the black of the pupils the way ice eats away the life when it spreads. She could almost hear the cracking in her bones while the ice in the blue expanded; feel the cold on her cheeks when he exhaled. Her face now looked as cool as his own. Completely blanched. The only proof of him being alive was his chest erratically moving, troubling to breathe. And he was still shaking just like when she first noticed – the shivering being the sole reason why she stopped the examination.

The silence helped Takeo relax and she decided to skip the questions. When he got visibly better, his eyes also changed, the ice melting almost immediately, revealing the soft baby blue. Awestruck, the doctor opened her mouth because she had never seen such a look in a subject. Those eyes couldn't hurt anybody and she was now more than sure that he never meant to hurt her either. His gaze shifted and she could practically hear him debating whether he should apologise or not. (And not because he was afraid the mad scientist would punish him.)

"You'll be fine." The doctor made the choice for him, wanting to ease his suffering. "The eyes are acting normally."

Giving her all to show she was not mad nor angry, she came closer to the bed to fix the infusion Takeo had torn from his arm when he had pushed her away. He let her do her job while lowering himself back on the cushions.

"They may sting from time to time in the beginning, but…" She continued with a smile. "You'll get used to it."

Those words might have sounded like a nice pep talk, like a demonstration of friendship and understanding even. To Takeo those were the words that chased away all of his suspicion and cemented his belief – she was just like everybody else here.

He was lucky that the doctor didn't punish him for getting out of line, when she could have done so easily. Takeo had no reason to strike her and he had no idea where the sudden urge to defend himself came from. He had a feeling that she won't tell on him to Krantz and that was enough for her to deserve an apology from him. (Even if she was scum like the rest of them.)

In the end… When Takeo thought about it again before he fell asleep, he was so glad he didn't apologise.

He did nothing wrong.

Tao was standing in the middle of a vast cubical room the members of DA5 used for group training. From what he saw in the recordings he was flashed with in his final muscle training, the practise performed here was completely different from what he was accustomed to. He was nervous, but at the same time he quite liked what he read in the members' files.

They were all older than him, some more than others, but that didn't necessarily mean they were more knowledgeable than him. (Let's be honest, who was?)

That did, however, mean they were more experienced. They could share their smarts. They also came from different parts of the world, which was really exciting. What Tao knew about the world came from the information force feeding, but these guys actually lived outside. For years.

Taking on the world and trying to blend in suddenly wasn't that scary. Forget sharing – they could teach him. He'd do just about anything for that.

And that was probably why he was now staring at his foot that was wildly tapping at the floor while his fingers were fidgeting.

What could he possibly give in return? His new friends could help him, teach him how to live, but would they do that if he just asked them politely? Maybe it was this place messing with him, but something told him that people did nothing for free. That was the whole deal with that 'money' thing, wasn't it? From what he saw the whole planet revolved around it instead around the sun.

"Would they even want to be my friends?" Tao thought while he chewed on his black nails – something he started doing almost immediately upon getting his hands. He tried to stop this 'gross juvenile habit' as Dr Aris had called it once. With a lot of will power and a couple of slaps, he managed to control himself when she was around, but when he was alone his mind was too preoccupied to pay attention to his new fingers.

Such behaviour was also one of the many attributes contributing to his strangeness. No matter how much Tao ignored it, he was a freak even among people who had went through similar things as him.

None of the other four had prosthetic limbs. None of the others had weird chips in their heads. And he was sure none of them spent so much time arguing with their own minds.

All four of them were also unbelievably strong, gifted by amazing abilities. Tao had no super eyesight and hearing, nor was he super-fast by enhanced humans' standards. He still didn't have his own chart, but he was certain he couldn't compete with neither of them in strength. So, all he had was his smarts (if you confuse the information harbouring for smartness) and his electric abilities he was yet to explore.

"Maybe that's enough?" Tao thought. "You need verity in a team, right? I mean all of us are different- Well, ok, I'm the most different, but- But, perhaps that's what makes me special, and that's a good thing. But what if it's not? What if in this case it's bad to be special, to be different? No, Tao, wait, you're a success, she said it herself, so this is how you're supposed to be. This is you, you're fine. I'm fine like this. Yeah… Yeah, I can do a lot. With the info and my 'what if' games, I can do those… And I have this electric thing and the wires, right? That's my weapon, just like knifes are to Shark, just like guns are to Hammer and Takeo and…"

That was another thing. All of those men looked like they could do some serious damage. If nothing else, they all had a lot more muscle on them than Tao. They were soldiers and that's what the Union wanted. Even their names sounded menacing to the ear. (Sharks are big and predatory animals, hammers are heavy and dangerous weapons, both were really cool stuff to be named after. It made Tao wish he had a flashy nickname.)

"… Flashy?" His mind offered out of the blue. "You know, 'cause you were flashed and you can flash others with your smarts and electroshocks…"

Tao face palmed himself with both of his hands, muffling the pitiful whine.

"Ok, ok, shut up, the Leader and Takeo have no nicknames." He thought again. "And they don't need them, their names sound manly, and you- Tao is such a meek name."

"That's it!" Tao spat in anger moving his hands away from his face. "This is insane! You need to stop!"

Tao made a sudden turn and started marching across the room. For the first time in forever, he was brought by a new face (a new doctor) to a new room where he was supposed to meet the only four people on this planet he could call his friends and family. People who could understand him and truly care for him and what was he doing? Due to his overthinking, in just five minutes he managed to insult the only thing it was still truly his.

He wasn't sure when and how he got his name, but he knew Dr Aris was not the one who named him. Tao survived. Somehow, from somewhere, Tao was the only thing that survived this place and that woman. He was so proud of that fact, repeating many a time he will stay Tao no matter what. And he did. He will, because that was the point, wasn't it? He just had to be himself and others will understand because they were him. They were different, but in their essence they were the same. Tao should just be Tao.

"And before you ask for the hundredth time who Tao is, I'll tell you I don't care in the slightest; you know why? Because in less than a minute, four other people will be in this room and from this day on we will be together forever and I will be speaking to them, not to you!" Tao whispered to himself while walking in circles. "I'll get rid of you just like I'll get rid of that woman! I'm gonna be sane, I'm gonna be Tao and I'm gonna be free and happy and not alone."

True to his words in less than a minute the bulky doors opened with a hiss and there they were.

Shark and Hammer entered the room chatting casually about something. Actually, Shark was the one talking in low voice while Hammer was grinning to something that appeared to be an inside joke. Tao couldn't help but smile because chatting and sharing inside jokes was the most normal thing he saw in this institute so far, and just being in the same space with those two made Tao feel more sane than ever.

Tao squirmed impatiently wondering whether he should greet them or let them make the first contact. Soon enough those two turned their attention to the new kid and Tao felt small under their gaze.

"H- Hi…" His voice betrayed him. It was embarrassing to show how frail and scared he was, but what was done was done.

"Ah… Right, it was today, wasn't it?" Fairly, Shark was unimpressed by Tao's introduction. "You're that guy Krantz mentioned was finally finished."

"O-oh, yeah, that's- That's me, I guess," Tao smiled sloppily. When nobody said anything after that Tao scratched his neck and opened his mouth. "I'm Tao. I'll be a part of DA5… But you probably already know that. Um, I have to say I'm really happy to meet you in person. I- I read a lot about you… You guys are amazing. Hope I can be useful to you."

Well, they didn't burst out laughing and they didn't send him to hell so that was a good start.

"Read about us? What, did they show ya our records or somethin'?" Shark was now closer to him, tilting his head to the side a little in a failed attempt to see Tao's entire face. The black bangs were more than successful in concealing the most character revealing feature of the human.

"Correct! They showed me the footage of your spars too," Tao said more relaxed. "You guys are awesome. I mean, the precision with which you stab your targets is mind blowing, Shark. I know you're not a surgeon, but honestly, you could have fooled me. And you, Hammer, you always get up no matter what hits you. It's like you don't even care enough to escape danger. Kinda scary if you ask me."

He was rambling. It wasn't so bad, though, he was earnestly praising them. Additionally, it should be easier this way for them to decide to like him. Hammer, of course, didn't change his expression. The shorter man still looked as uninterested as ever, but Shark straightened up, his brows raising in somewhat of a surprise. With all eyes on Tao, acknowledging his presence now more than before, he felt he should say more. He knew he shouldn't since blabbering was the exact opposite of chit chat, but the pressure was killing him.

"You lot also have great potential for working together, with Shark taking the front and Hammer covering for him or even clearing up the path. Um, Takeo would be good at that too, maybe even better; he has a better score, after all. On the other hand, Hammer is faster when it comes to execution even though Takeo has speed. In the end, the bombs make greater damage, so maybe Hammer should clear the area or create distractions and Takeo should provide cover while Shark does his thing. Providing cover takes longer and Hammer gets bored quickly so it's better that way." Tao blurted out glancing over to Hammer who was, just like Shark, patiently and seriously listening to him. When Tao addressed Hammer's inability to stay focused on the task for too long, Hammer gave a weak smile that didn't convey too much. His eyes, though, said more than Tao could understand at that moment.

Unbeknown to the youngest in the room, Hammer was enjoying himself. Tao was unexpectedly an interesting individual.

"What the hell…" Shark said in a strange tone.

"Um, well, you know, Hammer is also fine, but he should do what's more fun for him." Tao added quickly. "You're good at hand to hand combat, Shark, but you tend to leave your left side open, and, well, when you're up against Takeo you kinda stop protecting yourself all together, so maybe it's better if he's not near you. And since he's a sniper he can be far away and still watch out for your blind spots." Tao sucked the air in his lungs as if he was not breathing till now. It gave him a moment to construct his next sentence. "I mean, this is all just guess work. None of us were on a real mission together yet, so we don't really know how we would work as a team. And I'm not a leader so it doesn't matter what I say. I just wanted you to know, if you ever wanna try working together in practise. You haven't really done that so far. Even when you'd go after the leader or Takeo you wouldn't look out for each other weaknesses, so… yeah… Just a thought."

There was a moment of silence before Shark made a face like he ate something that was years out of date.

"Jesus fucking Christ, you don't stop, do you?"

"Ah- ha, ha, ha…" Tao could only scratch his sweaty nape while being judged.

"You got all that bullshit from a footage?"

"Well…"

"It is bullshit!" Shark shouted. "Left side my ass! And did you just imply I lose my cool in front of that motherfucking Chink?!"

"Correct," Tao blinked. "It's mutual, though."

"You little…" Shark made a step forward, violence clearly written on his snarling face. He would have jumped on Tao if Hammer hadn't put his hand in front of the tall man. Shark did stop at this intrusion, yet his anger was not pacified.

"Kid's right," Hammer said completely unfazed by the situation. "Your left is open."

"What?" Shark gawked at him.

"I've noticed it too," Hammer continued taking his hand away, knowing Shark won't go and attack after he confirms a fact that was obviously not meant as an insult. "And you're loud, especially with Takeo. He has super hearing, Shark."

Shark tsked and turned his head back to Tao who stood there frozen.

"You little fucker, shoving our weaknesses into our faces. What was that stupid laugh before, ha? You better not be laughing at us." Shark tucked his head down his hair falling across his pale long face.

At that split second when his supposed comrade targeted him with all the bloodlust he could muster, Tao drew a blank. He could only stare, staying still like a statue, not making a sound. He couldn't tell whether he was scared or just shocked. Perhaps it was a combination of both, yet it was still very different from the fear he was exposed to till now.

Unlike with Dr Aris, the danger was of another kind and in the face of it, he was not left defenceless. However, the instant when Shark reached out for him, Tao completely forgot he now had a certain set of skills. As if the whole concept of being able to protect himself from harm and even fight back was foreign to him.

It took Shark's sharp voice to snap him out of his stupor.

"… No." Tao waved his head. "Having a small weakness doesn't make you less awesome… Besides, it's not really a weakness, I mean, we're all successes- Among the favourites. We're all good enough to go outside. In that case, not being perfect or special doesn't matter. There's five of us- There's a reason for there being five of us; there has to be. We're a team of five, that's how she made us, that's how we're supposed to be, so we're fine being like this. I bet that when we're together, there will be no room left for weakness."

Tao swallowed hard. It was starting to feel awkward sharing the space with the two. Why couldn't they be more talkative? Perhaps the silence was so overwhelming because of their judging stares, because of their eyes that were constantly assessing him. Tao could see it – the way their opinion of him changed. He didn't know what it was, he was only certain it was shifting with every word he utters. Was that a bad or a good thing?

He needed to know and there was no way to find out.

Then Shark bowed his head a little, the curly strands of long hair constricting his small eyes. His lips formed a stern line as if wanting to say something but opting not to which was out of character.

"… No?" Tao cursed his inability to silently endure whatever was happening right now. "Ok, but, honestly, those are not weaknesses. Compered to me, you're…"

"Stop," Shark said suddenly in a strict, yet almost calm voice. It wasn't like that because Shark wanted to make Tao feel comfortable. His voice was calm because it was clear who was in charge of whatever happens next. It made Tao indeed stop talking.

"Krantz talked about you once or twice in a not so friendly tone. Never payed much attention to it. I'm uninformed. You're the pet project, right? What does that actually mean?" Hammer asked.

"… Uh… Um, I'm not sure." His fidgeting fingers came to view and he put a conscience effort into getting them apart. Not having any better idea he put his hands on his hips. Tao wondered whether he should tell them how Dr Aris would say he was the 'only one like this in the entire Union', but in the end decided not to. He himself didn't understand what that means anymore… Or what it meant. (Did he ever understand it?)

"How long was she making you?" Hammer asked flatly.

"… I think it's about two… Three years? I don't remember it well." For some reason he couldn't look them in the eyes, even though somewhere in his mind he knew they couldn't see his expression because of the hair. Did Dr Aris do him a favour by choosing such a hairstyle for him? He wanted to slap himself for even thinking it.

Shark hummed while Hammer peered through him like a knife. Unconsciously, Tao's hand ended up on the nape of his neck where it once again began scratching at the cold skin. The questions were uncomfortable and Tao was desperately hoping he was not acting weird. Answering was only fair; since he read all about them, they too had the right for the similar information.

"So, apart from being a smart-ass, what can ya do?"

This was an easier one.

"I've been through enhancement just like you. According to your records I don't think I have as much raw strength." Tao's hand wandered off to his scalp. His fingers crowded over an old scar, immediately finding it. "They've been feeding me all sorts of information, teaching me many languages and… I can call them computer skills. I'm… I'm good at technological stuff… Also, I kinda get science and all that…" Tao brushed his hair once more and then finally managed to get his arms back on his hips. "Our Leader will probably give you my record when he arrives. Where is he anyway?"

"He'll be here shortly," said Hammer. "I do recall Krantz saying something about hacking and what not."

"So, you're a nerd," Shark huffed with a smirk. "Sure look like one. The fuck are you even wearing?"

Tao blinked in a momentary confusion. He couldn't really determine whether what Dr Aris had given him was acceptable or not, but it was his first clothes that weren't designed for doctors' comfort. He could still remember the joy of seeing his reflection in the mirror for the first time.

At his final muscle training, Dr Aris brought a mirror and allowed him to play with it for ten minutes. Obviously, she just wanted him to praise her and thank her – which he did – but for Tao finding out how his face really looked like was of existential importance.

A lot of nice things have been happening to him lately. He got his arms, he got new clothes, he got to see his face and he got to meet new people. Being aware of everything he had to go through just to get here didn't diminish the happiness he felt.

He was happy looking like this.

"Dr Aris picked it out for me."

"You ever say no to that woman?" Shark was leering at him.

"I like it," Tao decided. There was finality in his words; the pure resolve was gushing out of his every pore and those two noticed. It fired up something inside them, their reactions changing again. Tao realised that even though he still wanted to be accepted, he didn't ponder over whether their expressions were good or not.

"Bah!" Shark barked not out of annoyance. With his lips curling in a smile he looked more entertained than anything else. "You got something more than brains, kid? That bitch might have been drooling over your babbling, but if ya wanna impress Krantz you're gonna hafta do a lot of less talking and a lot of more destroying. And I mean with your fists, Sherlock, not with silly mind tricks. So, you got anything to show us or are we done here?"

"Done?" All of a sudden Tao's body stiffened, his senses were overloaded by the emptiness of the room.

"Tao." A smile spread across Shark's face. It was caught in a tense twitch, somewhere between pain and exultation. Lips revealed sharp teeth that glowed ominously on the neon light. "Ya know what happens to nerds?"

In a blink of an eye Shark was inches away from Tao's stunned face, and before he could even think to move, Shark seized him by the neck. The older man forcibly bumped him into the wall and hissed: "They get bullied."

Slightly panicking, Tao grabbed the hand that was strangling him, but failed to detach it from himself. Shark laughed loudly at that miserable attempt of fighting back. He snatched the boy's fingers and pulled hard. He shoved Tao's head into the wall again and then forced it down, locking it beneath his elbow. Tao pushed with his free hand, but he couldn't escape Shark's tight hold. Having trouble breathing only added to the helplessness Tao felt.

And then Tao realised – he was sad and hurt, because, obviously, his new friends hated him and he couldn't really understand why. It scared him not knowing and it frightened him not being sure how to change that. And then the fear became real when Shark bent his trapped hand in an unnatural way. He heard his arm make a strange noise when Shark pushed against its socket.

"N-no! Wait! My arm's not…!" Tao yelled in pure terror.

"You should really learn to shut up!" Shark growled and then suddenly yelped when strong electric current shook his body. The blast was so powerful that it blew him away.

"Ow, mother fucker!" Shark cursed while the strands of his hair still floated in the electrical residue. That was one hell of a strong attack the kid had produced. He looked over to Tao, whose hand was still sparking. The boy was panting and Shark wondered how his eyes looked beneath those bangs.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about," Sharks said in amusement.

Tao slowly wrapped his arms around his chest and sat down with his knees up – a childish and unconscious way of protection. There was still some vicious glow coming from his black fingernails, and beside the sizzling, Shark could hear the way the boy stared at him. There was fear in him, no doubt about it, but there was no fragility.

"We can work with this," Shark said and, as if he agreed, Hammer walked over to Tao who surprisingly didn't flinch in sight of such a big guy towering over him.

"This is different from Dr Aris," Hammer explained. "You now have four more enemies."

Tao's body seemed to relax to those words. One would think by the looks of him that he'll lay down in foetus position and sob. This behaviour, though, was smart. The kid was missing more than a couple of screws, but maybe he had a good head no his shoulders, after all. It was certainly a plus in Shark's book.

"DA5 is a team, but Tao, Shark, Krantz, Takeo and Hammer are not, so you better choose what you say to their faces because it will be used against you," Hammer continued. "Also, DA5 has no weakness. If there is an oversight you can say it and you should say it. You're good at it, so just like me, you should do what you're good at. Think about how you'll address the issue, though. Krantz is not as lenient as Shark and I. Your future depends on his satisfaction and he'll be content if he can use you. That being said, Tao also does not have a weakness. It would tarnish the DA5's name and we don't want that.

"We want someone who can be trusted to do their job."

Tao was still for a moment and then he nodded.

This was not hate, Tao realised. This was them teaching him the rules. They were sharing their wisdom and experience just as he wanted. And he didn't really do anything to deserve such kindness.

Tao will have to think carefully about the rules. At first glance they looked simple enough to follow, yet there were things that he probably won't like. That didn't matter much in the end. It might be making his heart ache, but when did it ever matter? Rules were rules, and if he plays by the book, he will be happy one day. He just needs to be patient as he always was.

And sacrificial.

He's going to have to sacrifice Tao for this, isn't he?

"Let's not waste more time," Shark stood up and cracked his knuckles. "Come at me!"

But, maybe – just maybe – these two were blowing it out of proportion? Sure, from what he'd seen, the Leader didn't look as a most forgiving person. Still, if Tao performed well at his job, perhaps he won't mind Tao being Tao. Or at least he'd let it slide if he acted out from time to time. Tao himself knew he'd have to work on his awkwardness and his rowdiness in order to sound more like regular humans from CCTVs. If he toned it down a little then maybe the other members of DA5 would even like Tao. They weren't friends now, but people rarely became friends right off the bat. They will be forever together and forever is a long time.

They could learn to like each other. They could potentially become a family.

Maybe… He won't have to sacrifice Tao. Not all of him and not for good.

Tao held on to this last glimmer of hope because… He really couldn't imagine himself ever being happy if he forsook himself. Was seeing the world and being among people worth casting aside his personality?

If the answer was 'yes' then does that mean that the most sacred thing to him was unnecessary for experiencing life? Can a faceless man feel everything he longed to feel? Was freedom guaranteed this way? If pets are obedient and remarkable they could be let out to play, right?

Was he living a lie believing a human's identity mattered? Or maybe that was just him…?

For a moment he forgot he wasn't technically a human. He didn't really have a human identity… Or any other, because… Honestly? Who was Tao anyway?

And what if the answer was 'no'? What if having a life was not worth killing yourself?

"That doesn't even make sense…" Tao thought while he dodged Shark's attack for the umpteenth time this morning. They were at it for five hours straight and Tao's mind and body started to tire of it all. It was a different kind of fatigue from what he underwent in his other trainings.

But if life was not worth it then why did he had to endure it all? Why was he still ready to endure?

In the end, maybe being what he called Tao was not so important.

At the moment… The best option was to observe and learn. He was smart so he could easily play the part they wanted him to. Being their version of Tao was the price for acceptance and help. It was only fair, right? And when he's finally let out from the cage into the wild he could still be truly free. He could have everything he wanted.

Tao's not gonna die from being a little trapped.

"This is good, I'll be good. I can do it." Tao kept repeating it in his head even when their mighty leader honoured them with his presence.

"I can follow the rules. It's simple, you see?"

Even though he took a lot of damage from Shark and Hammer, Tao was ready for the leader to measure his strength. With every hit, Tao found it more difficult to stand up and not yield to one of his voices begging him to plead mercy. With every laugh from the audience it was getting harder to like his new comrades; harder to want to be liked by them. Despite the occasional insults, Tao never once failed to stand up when the leader ordered him to.

"You're different from Dr Aris, yes? Well, if I managed to satisfy her, I'll most certainly blew away your expectations. They seem pretty low anyway."

Being looked down upon sparked something in Tao. The other DA5 were strong, that was true, but none of them had to go through what he had. Tao was powerful too. In his own way, he was the only one like this and his fellow members started to notice.

The prejudice of the leader was obvious, yet as the long evening went on, in his stern gaze the acceptance was forming. The one sided battle took whole night to finish and at the end there was silence.

"You'll keep me… You're going to take me away from here…"

"In six hours, the five of us will have our first joined practise." Krantz said in a low voice, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You're going to analyse the tapes of our former spars and come up with a strategy. I hear you have a big brain."

"I've already analysed it, sir," Tao panted while he stood on trembling legs. "If you give me a computer, I can have it typed out for you in fifteen minutes."

Shark and Hammer looked at each other, probably surprised hearing someone addressing Krantz with such reverence. Then again, after all they've seen today from that boy… It was downright creepy to display such docile behaviour, yet oddly refreshing. Eagerness to please and lack of malice shouldn't work in DA5, but here was this kid, his position fitting him like a glove. They only knew him for a day and they were already convinced that he was not a nuisance. He was, in fact, someone you should want to have by your side.

That didn't mean Shark and Hammer will ever stop making fun of him for being a geek. However, it did mean they could count on him to watch their backs even if he was weaker than the rest and – if anything was important in the DA5 – it was trust.

They could hate each other, but, as Hammer said, on the field they were a team.

Tao could live with that. It was disappointing they couldn't and won't be friends. None of the DA5 were humans, just like Tao wasn't, so maybe they didn't know how to create a bond such as friendship even if they wanted to. Maybe being a team that respects and trusts one another in a certain way was the closest thing to a family Tao will ever have.

To be a family was a childish dream and nothing more; it was clear to him now. And being completely himself and getting freedom was never a realistic option. You can't have both.

"You'll give me a new life… You'll give me a life."

"If you can get it ready in ten, I'll give you your computer."

"Ten minutes it is, sir," Tao nodded and Krantz tilted his head in acknowledgement.

That's how Tao became a member of the elite group of five.

Author's note – chapter 15

Shark and Hammer never really had anything against Tao in the comic. They were calling him names for being a computer freak and never really saw the benefits of being one, but they never hated him. Shark said so himself. I believe that every single one of DA5 understood (albeit rarely showing it) that Tao was a valuable member and therefore could tolerate him, especially since Tao was behaving.

I'm also convinced Shark knew about the fake sister. In chapter 111, when Takeo had drinks with the kids, Shark showed up and opened his foul mouth. Takeo was like Never… speak about my little sister, ever again and Shark was like Right~ I'm not allowed to talk about your sister. You could say that Shark was an ass and kept on goading him, but whenever I see that freaky smile on his face I can't escape the feeling that there was more to it. It screams to me HE KNOWS, he knows SOMETHING. And I wouldn't be surprised if the fake sister was somewhat of an inside joke for those jerks.

So, about the name Teira… I found people referring to the fake sister as Teira and as Taira. Taira is a Japanese name while Teira isn't as far as I know. I chose to go with Teira, because… reasons.

Thank you for reading, guys! Tell me how you're liking Krantz, Shark and Hammer so far! See ya!