July 4, 2337

Everything went wrong.  Or maybe it went right.  We won but we lost so much more.

It was the first time I had ever seen the Commander in person.  Even as I had been guarding him for a few weeks now, I still have never seen him come into work and if he ever leaves he never did so during my shift.  It was odd seeing the man up close.  I had expected the Commander to be larger than life, powerful beyond belief, more intimidating.  Now that I saw him, it was as if I were staring at an older version of Minseok; legendary, but soft.  I could see how Mr. Jung would be running things behind the scenes.

Jongdae and I were sitting on either side of him, staring out the windows at the people who had come out of their homes and shops to watch the procession.  Four limousines and twice as many vans with black tinted windows driving down the streets screamed trouble.  I could tell what they were thinking.  The Commander was on the move and it meant something big and that meant chaos.

But the looks on their faces were different this time, hopeful almost.  I wondered if that had anything to do with the Resistance.  I remember that Chanyeol had once mentioned they were working on gaining the people's support.

We were halfway there when it happened.  The car stopped and we looked out to see a tank standing in the middle of an intersection, the road blocked by at least fourty individuals, including those that Jongdae and I knew as coworkers back at Headquarters.  We were the lead car, which meant the Council and their bodyguards were directly behind us.  I signaled to Jongdae to which he responded with a nod.

"Think we can take them?" Jongdae asked, peering through the window.

The driver was having a panic attack in the front seat after finally figuring out what was going on.  I first focused my attention on him, as I loaded up my gun with bullets, realizing I probably should have done it before we started moving.

"Breathe, dude.  In and out.  In and out.  I promise that me and Jongdae are going to get you out of here," I told the guy.

"Are we?" Jongdae asked.  "It's sixty versus two."

I clicked the safety off the gun and then turned to the Commander.  "Sir, the best course of action would be to stay in the car and wait until Jongdae and I can cut a clear path to your destination."

"The other option would be to go out and surrender," Jongdae put in.  I glared at him because deep down we both knew that wasn't really an option.  The Commander had to sign that treaty or it would be death for all of us.

"What about negotiation?  The Council likes to deliberate and if I buy us time the two of you can come up with a plan that involves no one getting hurt," the Commander suggested.

"Yes, but what are you going to offer them?  They want to annilihate the human race," I pointed out.  "With all due respect, sir, you're going to follow my instructions and stay in the car while Jongdae and I do our jobs."

"I can't believe you just spoke to my uncle like that," Minseok laughed, breathlessly.  

I snorted and then frowned.  Now that he'd spoken, I noticed he'd been very silent, as if he'd switched off his commlink the whole time.  He was breathing heavily, out of breath and a thought seized me, freezing me in place.

"Minseok, you're not dying on me, are you?" I asked in a small voice.

"What? No, not at all," he answered.  "Stay focused, Hyunae."

I exhaled.  I gave Jongdae a nod because he'd been concerned when I'd spoken to Minseok.  We proceeded with the rough plan that Jongdae and I had been discussing for the past week but now we weren't exactly sure if it would work well.  The enemy had brought a tank, after all.  That alone made me rethink the plan.

"Jongdae, they haven't fired the tank yet," I pointed out.

"There's not much accuracy with a tank.  They might be waiting for us to get out and then fire which means only the right people die and they get off with as less casualties as possible," Jongdae said, giving a voice to what I'd been thinking.  I glanced at the driver shaking in the front seat, staring at the tank.

"Okay, dude," I said, touching his shoulder lightly.  "Change of plans.  We're all getting out.  When we do, you stick to me like glue, got it?  Jongdae, you take the Commander," I instructed.  "You two will head for the apartment building on the right.  Me and the driver will go for the medical clinic on the left.  Sir, I'm going to need your jacket."

The Commander handed over his jacket, giving me an appreciative look, one that he might have once given my parents for saving his life and that motivated me even more.  I shoved the jacket onto my companion and then signaled to Jongdae that we go.  I pushed the door open and with my hand firmly gripping on to the driver's I ran.  We were fired upon but nothing hit us.  Unconsciously, I had created an impenetrable barrier of ice around us, allowing us to slow our pace.  The driver was in full panic mode and if I didn't get him to shelter, he was going to have a meltdown in the middle of war and that wouldn't be the slightest bit pretty.

I stopped once we were inside.  The clinic was empty.  Patients and doctors must have fled at the sight of a tank coming down the road.  I turned to the driver and gripped his shoulders, forcing him to look at me and listen.

"Find the basement.  Anything underground as possible.  There are tunnels all across the city.  Find them and get out of here."  I repeated myself a few times before releasing him and going back to the door.  

I peeked out the window.  The firing had stopped b