“It isn’t much, but at least we have a roof over our heads till Kai can teleport us out of here.”

Baekhyun dumped his bag in the corner of the motel room, already beginning to strip the heavy NIS combat gear. Since it wasn’t like Baekhyun had actually driven all the way to Sokcho—he’d disguised himself as an NIS agent since Seoul, dyeing his blonde hair black and all—they didn’t have any way of actually going back. Public transport was out of the option; there was no way they would just walk into NIS’ open arms.

“Yeah, okay! We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Krystal spoke into the phone. She ended the call, looking up to meet the six anticipating faces. “The illusionist said she took out the bullet and roughly stitched up the wound, so now Amber is sleeping. Chanyeol still hasn’t woken up.”

Suho nodded with a long sigh, the tension finally bleeding out of his shoulders. “That’s good. Considering it took about two to three hours before Sehun and my powers came back, we should be able to get out of here within the next hour.”

Krystal heaved a sigh of relief. She pulled off the heavy bulletproof vest and made a beeline for the single bed in the tiny motel room. It was as hard as a block of wood, but she didn’t think she could get any more comfortable.

“I think it’s time for some explanations,” Suho then said, a decisively commanding tone to his voice. “First, Baekhyun, where have you been? And how did you find us?”

Baekhyun sat down on the plastic chair by the study table. “After Chanyeol and I escaped, we got separated in the woods by lingering men from the Facility. I don’t know what happened to Yeol, but I got lucky and managed to get onto a freight train into Seoul. I’ve been searching for Chanyeol ever since, without much luck.

“Then Kai got out, and the NIS got involved, and that was when things got a little rowdier. If it wasn’t for the whole fiasco at the university, I doubt I would even have heard about it. So, logically, I began to tail Agent Lee.”

“Wait,” Krystal stopped him. “You managed to tail Agent Lee since the university? But… how? Surely that fox of a woman must’ve sniffed you out.”

Baekhyun shot her a charming grin at that, but it was Sehun who replied with his lazy drawl, “Baekhyun is the master of disguises. He’s the one that keeps us undercover on missions.”

“Like when you were the barista at the café!”

“Exactly, doll,” Baekhyun winked. “I do have to apologise for lying, though. I was eavesdropping. Imagine my surprise when you walked in with Agent Lee. The first time I saw you was when Agent Lee ‘saved’ you from these brutes—”

“Hey!”

“—though I have to be honest. You were pretty intriguing. A girl that’s actually been around the people I’m searching for. But I thought you were done with them, so I didn’t change my target over to you.”

Baekhyun then heaved an exaggerated sigh.

“In hindsight, I should’ve followed you around instead. I’d be reunited with these es way sooner.”

“In hindsight,” Chen glared at him, having been the owner of the indignant shout at Baekhyun’s insults, “I’m glad you stayed on Agent Lee’s trail instead. How else would you have saved our asses this time?”

“Ah, yes, I saved your asses. Can you say that again, louder?”

“Shut up, this is just one time—”

“Why you ungrateful little...”

Krystal rolled her eyes as the two boys began to bicker, hurling insults that had no hostile meaning behind them. A dip in the bed made her turn her head curiously. She was met with Kai’s dark eyes.

Pulling herself up to a sitting position, her eyes raked over his bruised face. She could feel the sadness and worry weigh above her like a cloud. Her fingers brushed the dried blood just under the cut on his lips.

“Are you okay?” he asked her lowly, voice flowing through her ears like melting chocolate.

“Why are you asking me that?! You’re the one that’s all beaten up.”

Kai took in the worry reflected in her eyes. He felt his own narrow as he recalled Agent Lee’s words. “Never mind that. There’s… something I have to ask you. The agent said that you called them,” his expression was pained. “Did you?”

The clearing of a throat had them both looking up in surprise, and Krystal dropped her hand from his face. Sehun was giving her a cheeky grin. “Whatever you guys are discussing there, please include the rest of us, too!”

Expecting Krystal and Kai to be blushing and fumbling with their words, Sehun unconsciously stood a little straighter at the hardened expressions on their faces.

“I should probably explain myself,” Krystal began. “Agent Lee was telling the truth—I was the one who called the NIS.”

-

“Ugh… My head…”

Hands immediately went to steady him as he tried to sit up. “Take deep breaths,” a female voice flitted into his ears. He followed the advice, breathing in and letting it out a few times to clear his head. When he finally felt his head stopped spinning, he opened his eyes.

Thankfully, the room was rather dark. His eyes had long since adjusted to darkness, so a scan of the unfamiliar room told him the curtains were drawn. The room was larger than anything he’d ever stayed in—lush interior, marbled floors, even the bed he was on was at least a queen.

“How are you feeling?”

He turned to his right, meeting a concerned gaze. She looked vastly different from what he was used to. Her hair had been taken out of its usual long ponytail, lying in gentle waves around her face. Her face was completely rid of any makeup.

“Luna… Where are we? What… what’s going on?”

“We made it out,” she smiled. “We escaped from the Arena.”

He could feel a relieved smile of his own blooming across his face—

A sharp pain pierced his head then, and he clutched it with a loud groan.

“Chanyeol! What’s wrong?!”

The memory of a recent illusion flashed through his mind.

“Oppa!”

Chanyeol’s eyes flew open. “I… I had a sister…”

“You… you remember your sister?”

A gust of wind blew in through the open window, causing the curtain to flutter. Rays of sunlight burst into the room.

“I… I was there. I was watching her memory,” he breathed, eyes wide in horror. “I was kidnapped by the Facility.”

He threw the quilt cover off him in a hurry, sliding his long legs over to stand. Luna was there immediately to steady him as he stood up. “What you are doing?!”

“I need to—I need to go look for her, Luna. I need to find my sister!”

“No, wait, you don’t even know where you are!”

“It doesn’t matter! I need to go. I need to go to her!”

“Chanyeol, wait!”

Ignoring her words, he pulled himself away from her grip on her arms. His vision was tunnelled to the door. “I’m going to find Sunyoung—”

“Oppa!”

Chanyeol froze.

Her cry seemed to echo around the large bedroom. He slowly turned to look at her. He took her expression in, feeling his own heart crack at the tears that glistened in her eyes. She blinked, and a tear tipped over the edge of her eye and slid down her cheek.

“Did you… just…”

She swallowed around the lump in . “Oppa… It’s me… I’m—I’m Sunyoung.”

Chanyeol took a heavy step closer. His large hands shakily came up to cup her face, trying to take in her features.

“...Sunyoungie…?”

Luna nodded, tears now flowing freely down her small face. “I—I showed you my memory when you were unconscious.”

“Sunyoung…” he breathed, pulling her into his arms. He could feel her crying into the shreds he called a shirt. “You’re… you’re really my sister?”

“I missed you so much, oppa.”

He tightened his arms around her. “My sister…” A thought occurring to him, he pushed her away gently, holding her by the should