Too Close
In Search of MeaningHongbin stepped to the side to hide his face from the suits, using Dr. Sin's body as a shield. The doctor looked back at him, confusion written all over his face.
"Is something wrong?" The man asked.
"It's 'them'." Hongbin whispered, as if the suits would hear his voice from all the way down the hall. "Those men in suits, they're the ones who are looking for us."
Dr. Sin looked back over his shoulder, and spotted the two men in suits beginning to make their way down the hall, checking each room one by one. The doctor then glanced to his left, and his eyes lit up when his gaze settled on a wheelchair folded against the wall. He swiftly reached out, and pulled the object away from the wall to hold it out for Hongbin to take.
"Here," Dr. Sin said with a determined expression. "I'll distract them for as long as I can by sending them on a wild goose chase upstairs. Wait until they get in the elevators again, and use this," he gestured to the wheelchair, "to get your friend out."
"But, where will we go?" Hongbin asked, glancing over the doctor's shoulder to see that the suits were almost halfway down the hallway. Dr. Sin dug around in the pockets of his lab coat, and from his left pocket he withdrew a crumpled piece of paper. From his right pocket, he pulled out a few folded bills of money.
Stuffing the paper and money into Hongbin's free hand, he said, "This has Hakyeon's address written on it when I needed to go check on Leo. Use the money to take a bus, or a taxi. Now, walk slowly and as naturally as you can back to your friend's room. Wait until I get them in the elevators."
The doctor gave Hongbin a light shove, signalling for him to go. Not needing to be told twice, Hongbin turned around and unfolded the wheelchair. He crammed the bills and the paper with Hakyeon's address into the pocket of his sweater, and began to stroll down the hall to Hyuk's room. It took all of his willpower not to turn his head around to see where the suits were.
Seeing Hongbin walk down the hall, Dr. Sin turned around and strode his way over to the to men in suits who were approaching the nurses station after checking the last rooms in the opposite hall.
"Can I help you, gentlemen?" Dr. Sin asked with as bright a smile as he could muster.
The taller of the two was the first to respond, "Yes. We are looking for a patient that was brought in here last night with a gunshot wound. He is a fugitive of the law, and we would greatly appreciate your cooperation to help bring him into our custody."
"Oh, of course." Dr. Sin replied, and he waved his hand in a silent gesture for them to follow as he began walking back towards the elevators they had come from. "He was taken to the top floor for an electronystagmography," he said, betting that neither of the two knew that an electronystagmography was a test that looked at eye movements, and had nothing to do with gunshot wounds. "I'll guide you there." Thankfully, the two men followed Dr. Sin to the elevators without a single doubt or suspicion.
Meanwhile, Hongbin had successfully snuck back into Hyuk's room without catching the suits' attention. The younger looked up from his now empty plate where his lunch used to be, and smiled at Hongbin's return.
"That was fast." The younger stated, then cocked his head to the side in wonder when he saw the wheelchair. "What's that for?"
"You." Hongbin replied, wheeling the chair to the bedside. "We're leaving. Now."
"What?" Hyuk furrowed his eyebrows at the cyborg, and when Hongbin took hold of the IV in Hyuk's arm, the younger defiantly jerked his arm back. "Why? What's going on?" Hongbin quickly took hold of Hyuk's arm again, and ignored Hyuk's small yelp of pain as he yanked the IV out.
"There's no time to explain." Hongbin said hurriedly as he threw the blanket off of Hyuk, and scooped the injured man into his arms. Hyuk instinctively wrapped his arms around Hongbin's neck to keep himself from falling, although he was certain that the other wasn't going to drop him. He kept quiet as Hongbin set him down into the wheelchair, but spoke up when he realized something.
"Wait, Hongbin!" Hyuk exclaimed, looking down at the hospital gown he was wearing. "I'm only wearing my underpants underneath this." The cyborg sighed, snatching the blanket off of the bed, and quickly placing it over the younger's lap. He then strolled him to the door, and cracked it open just enough to poke his head through.
"Seriously, Hongbin. What's happening?" Hyuk asked again, watching the cyborg peek out of the room to glance down the hall.
Hongbin looked just in time to catch a glimpse of Dr. Sin entering one of the elevators with the two men in suits. When he was certain that the elevator doors were closed, he swung open the door and pushed Hyuk out of the room.
"They're here." Hongbin finally answered.
"Who?" Hyuk questioned, looking at his surroundings as they rushed down the hallway.
"Suits. You know, the guys with the guns from last night." Hongbin stopped in front of the elevators, and rapidly punched the down arrow multiple times as if that was going to hurry the machine up.
"Oh, God..." Hyuk's face went pale, and Hongbin felt bad for having to put him through this.
"Don't worry, Hyukkie." Hongbin said, and the elevator dinged. "I'll take care of you."
The elevator doors opened, and Hongbin plowed through the group of people that exited, getting Hyuk and himself in the lift within seconds. He merely shrugged off the hateful glares he recieved from the passengers he shoved aside, and pressed the button for the ground floor. During the ride down, Hongbin took out the slip of paper Dr. Sin handed to him, and memorized the address by using his photographic memory, one of the perks of having a super computer built into his brain.
Feeling the elevator jerk to a halt, Hongbin looked up thinking they had reached the ground level, but was disappointed when he saw that they had stopped at the second floor to let other passengers off. He cursed the people in his head, even though he knew they weren't delaying him on purpose. Anxiety getting the best of him, he punched the button for the ground floor again.
"Hongbin, calm down." Hyuk whispered, tugging on one of Hongbin's sleeves to get his attention.
"I can't!" Hongbin hissed back, but immediately quieted down when he saw the other people in the lift staring at him. The elevator doors closed again, and a couple minutes later they were finally on the floor they wanted. Before the doors were completely open, Hongbin wheeled Hyuk out, and turned toward the main entrance doors of the hospital. However, he only took a few steps before freezing in place.
Just outside the glass doors, Hongbin could see the small parking lot where people could quickly park their cars in an emergency. But, what made him freeze was the sight of the two black SUV's parked right in front of the main entrance doors.
"." Hongbin growled to himself, and he desperately looked around for another way out. His eyes locked onto a sign that pointed the way to the parking ramp, and he instantly changed course to follow the sign's directions.
The signs he followed led him down a narrow hallway, at the end of which was another glass door leading into the concrete parking ramp. When they reached the door, Hongbin stepped in front of the wheelchair to press the handicap button that opened the door automatically.
"Hongbin." He heard Hyuk gasp behind him.
Hongbin turned around, and saw that Hyuk was looking over his shoulder to see the end of the hall they had just come from. The cyborg's eyes widened when he saw the two suits that had rounded the corner, and now had their sights locked on them as they marched down the corridor.
In a panic, Hongbin grabbed hold of the handles on the wheelchair, and pushed it forward as fast as he could through the doorway. The wheelchair scraped against the automatic door that was only halfway open, but Hongbin ignored it and turned hard to the left to race down the ramp.
They were going so fast, thanks to Hongbin's machine legs, that Hyuk was gripping onto the armrests of the wheelchair to keep himself from falling off. At the bottom of the ramp, Hongbin could see the exit to the city street. Outside, there was a three way intersection with a one-way street going to his right, and an adjacent two-way street directly across from the exit.
Feeling hope rise within him, Hongbin urged his legs to move faster. He heard the sound of feet running far behind him, but he kept his eyes locked on the exit before them.
Almost there. Just a little further! Hongbin chanted to himself for motivation.
However, he glanced over his shoulder when he heard one of their pursuers mutter something that sent chills down his spine.
"Mode change: Cadence."
Suddenly, there was a loud boom, and he felt something slam into his back with enough force to send him flying forward, toppling the wheelchair over in the process. He grunted as his body slammed into the concrete floor, and pain shot up his back and side from the impact. But he ignored the pain, and rolled onto his stomach to look for Hyuk.
He spotted the younger fifteen feet away from him, lying next to the wheelchair that was now on its side. When he saw Hyuk wincing and struggling to get up, a mixture of rage and concern boiled in Hongbin's blood.
"Hyukkie, are you okay?" He called out quickly, all too aware of the danger approaching them.
Hyuk groaned, and replied in a strained voice, "Yeah. I think so."
"Aw, did I hurt the cripple?" A mocking voice echoed from up the parking ramp.
Hongbin turned his head, and glared at the suit walking towards them with three others following behind.
"Kyuhyun." Hongbin growled.
With a smirk the suit replied, "Long time, no see, Binnie. Miss me?" The heels of the other cyborg's polished shoes clicked on the concrete floor as the man stopped to stand in between Hyuk and Hongbin.
"Not at all, but I can tell you missed me." Hongbin answered with a grunt as he pushed himself up onto his knees. He winced at the ache in his back, but the pain had mostly faded away by now. "What are you doing here, Kyuhyun? Shouldn't you be out searching for the more desirable subje
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