To win any battle, you must fight as if you are already dead. - Miyamoto Musashi

 

April 14 

 

     Yoongi spent the night in the lab, being jolted awake at 6 AM by Taehyung slamming down a wolf carcass that he had found in the woods.

     "What the ?" Yoongi sat up, a sour look upon his puffy morning face.

     "We need something to fill the crate with," Taehyung grabbed a body bag from the cabinet and began to stuff the unfortunate canine inside, "Found him on the trails, figured it would be a nice ' you' to Joy."

     Yoongi rubbed his eyes as he stood, throwing the quilt that someone had laid over him during his slumber aside and stretching, "Everyone awake?"

    "Yeah, Namjoon went out to help Soobin, Jimin is servicing Chimmy, and Jungkook is doing some weird stabbing ritual."

     "And Hobi?"

     "Hobi has been awake all night trying to map out their hideout. Figures there's around twenty-five of the ers there at any given time," Taehyung zipped up the body bag after stuffing the last paw inside and heaved it over his shoulder, walking into the other room to store it into the freezer to make sure it didn't stink up the lab.

     "Twenty-five hybrids is easy, why don't we just raid the damn place now?"

     "Well because the place is practically a fortress," Hobi staggered in, his eyes bloodshot, "Two blind spots on the northside of the building, not sure why. Also, from studying satellite images, there are no windows."

     "No windows?" Yoongi wondered aloud.

     "I don't know if that means anything wicked or not," Hoseok punched up a file on the computer, "I searched for the blueprints online. The architectural firm that designed the place was burnt to the ground, so I only have a partial print of the layout from the company website. The project was supposed to produce several more sites with the same design, but my guess is Cato didn't want anyone to know what the inside of this place looked like."

     "So this might be ground zero?" Taehyung inquired.

     "My guess is yeah," Hoseok surmised, "this is where Cato began his whole devious life's work."

     "How hard could it be to infiltrate?" Yoongi did not have the patience for this.

     "They used a foot of reinforced concrete and ballistic steel to construct the outer layer, which if you do your research is thick enough to stop a bomb," Hoseok responded, "The one and only weakness is the front door passcode system, which Jimin could most likely dismantle, but keep in mind there are exactly two entrances in and out of the place, and that one is guarded the most heavily. The second entrance uses a biometric lock and my bet is only the top four of the food chain get that privilege."

     "So this is going to be a challenge?"

     "No, this is going to be a ing tragedy," Hoseok corrected, "and you better hope at least two of the top four go to Genetica, or you're going to need at least three miracles and a hail mary."

     "Do you always have to be so negative?" Jimin came in, setting Chimmy down.

     "You want me to lie?" Hoseok objected, watching him as he set his laptop on the counter, "This will be the easiest rescue operation in all of existence and we will all laugh at their foolishness."

     Jimin wiped away the 'really ' expression from his face as he sat, "I'd settle for a 'this could work if we really put our minds to it.'"

     "Sure," Hoseok turned back to the monitor, "On a positive note, I think Chimmy can tell us a little bit more about what kind of alarm system they have."

     "So we do a scouting mission later tonight?" Taehyung queried.

     "How far is the range for your CHIM?"

     "I prefer about 400 feet, but since he is half alive I can preprogram some of the layout into his synapses and guide him remotely when we need to."

     "This isn't Genetica, if we get caught, they will kill us-"

     "Then we better not get caught," Jimin smirked. "Chimmy is ready to go, what time you want to do this?"

     "Preferably like 2 AM or thereabouts," Hoseok figured more of them would be asleep at that time and less chance of getting caught.

 

     Jungkook was restless, he felt in his core that Seokjin was not doing well. Whatever Joy did to Seokjin to make him throw up so violently gave him the sinking suspicion that she was trying to awaken Cato within him and he knew how dangerously close Seokjin was to caving in.

     "!" Jungkook yelled out as he plunged the dagger he was wielding into the dummy in front of him, which now resembled swiss cheese with how many times he stabbed it in the last couple of hours. Concentrate, Jeon. You can't defeat your enemy if you can't get into their mind. He closed his eyes and imagined that the dummy was one of the nobles, plowing through as many combat positions as he could remember.

     Yoongi stopped in the doorway, watching the younger perform some exaggerated Capoeira with his pointy blade like he was in some action movie. He shook his head, the kid was good, but all of these fancy maneuvers were useless as far as he was concerned, and that a simple swing to the jugular would take far less time.

     "If you're gonna stand there and watch me, at least train?" Jungkook stopped for a moment to turn to Yoongi, displeased.

     Yoongi shrugged, "Hobi has gathered a lot of intel on the hideout, we're going at 2 to do a little up close and personal."

     "We're going in early?"

     "I wish," Yoongi tittered, "more like Jimin and Chimmy are going to do their thing so we have more to go by."

     Jungkook repositioned the dagger, stabbing the dummy, "Noted."

     Yoongi struggled with his thoughts, he cleared his throat and went over to sit at the weight bench, contemplating doing some reps to calm his nerves. Jungkook stopped once again to watch the pale vampire kick at the worn padding and then plop down.

     "I hope you know tomorrow is not a competition," Jungkook started and Yoongi stared up at him with hooded eyes, "It doesn't matter who gets to him first, as long as we get him out of there."

     Yoongi smirked, "Hardly think you're going to let me get all the glory."

     "No glory to be had-"

     "You're jealous and competitive, two things that do not go with this 'let the best man win' scenario you're peddling."

     "I just want him safe," Jungkook felt like he could cry. Not being near his husband weakened him, and coupled with the thoughts of what they were doing to him, he was just barely keeping it together, hence why he was training in the first place. An occupied mind thinks less.

     "I do too," Yoongi agreed.

     "Then like I said, no glory to be had," Jungkook plunged his dagger into the dummy's face and then grabbed his towel from the bench, eyeing Yoongi as he plodded out.

     Yoongi laughed to himself, sure kid.

 

     Joy peered through the barred doorway of her torture chamber, motioning to Yeonjun who was sitting outside, flicking through a magazine.

     "Not going well?" Yeonjun asked, smirking.

     "It's going as about as well as I expected, which is not at all," Joy frowned, "They weren't joking about his fortitude."

     "So what're ya gonna do?" Yeonjun threw the magazine aside and stood, joining her at the bars.

     "Unravel his core," She smiled sweetly, severely contradicting the devious remark.

     "Any word from Agnes?" 

     "No contact. It seems Yoongi hasn't been home and she can't do it around people, especially since Beomgyu can see her too."

     "So no clue what their plans are?"

     "I am to assume they would have done their homework on this place, so the only smart option is Genetica, but the not knowing is killing me," Joy shrugged, "If they are somehow foolish enough to try to break him out of here, Grendel will take care of it."

     "I still think it's creepy Cato kept that... thing, alive," Yeonjun shuddered.

     "That thing is your brother and you would do well to remember that."

     "He is a monster..."

      "And that is exactly his worth," Joy tsk-tsked, "That which cannot be tamed does not require the parameters of morality."

     "Which reminds me, we've lost two humans to him this month alone and no one wants to feed him."

     "His play area is almost complete and then no one has to worry about that anymore," Joy took a deep breath, changing the subject, "I fear Seokjin's only buttons are Yoongi and Jungkook, I really need to dig deep on this one."

     "What about your secret weapon?" Yeonjun suggested, "One dearly departed family member."

     Joy laughed, "I mean you do have a point... maybe I've been going about this all wrong, maybe anger is the key."

      Joy her heels and strutted back over to the chair where Seokjin was hunched over. She nudged the chair with her foot and Seokjin peered up at her through furrowed brows, teeth bared.

     "Someone is grumpy," Joy pulled her chair up and sat.

     "Why are you here?"

     "Why indeed, I am sure by now you're missing your husband."

     Seokjin jolted the chair, Joy only laughed.

     "Naughty boy," Joy pushed Seokjin's hair from his eyes, he flinched, "Imagine if your father could see you now-"

     " you," Seokjin seethed.

     "No, I think you're more concerned about what type of person you are in your mother's eyes," Joy bit her lip with excitement, "What kind of man has her wayward son blossomed into?"

     "If you're here to torture me, just get on with it!" Seokjin spat, hanging his head once more.

     "One of my many talents is reuniting people with their loved ones, recently passed or slightly more decomposed, not really a concern in my line of work."

     Seokjin jerked his head up, confusion creasing his brow, "What are you talking about?"

     Joy grinned, "I think my compassion is often overlooked, wouldn't you say Yeonjun?"

     Yeonjun gave a nod through the bars.

     "I must admit, this little surprise was planned for much later and for a far more different reason," Joy smiled at Yeonjun, "but Yeonjun used his brain for once."

     "Hey," Yeonjun complained.

     "No, really," Seokjin mocked, "Do babble on."

     "Think how different your life would have been with two loving parents by your side," Joy stood, gliding over to stand behind Seokjin, placing her hands on his shoulders, "Birthday parties, family dinners," She leaned down to whisper into his ear, "telling mommy about your latest crush."

     Seokjin squirmed against the shackles that tethered him to the chair. Joy circled around him, breathing in the rage that poured from him.

     "I can make that happen for you," Joy stopped in front of him, staring down at the blackened eyes staring up at her, smiling to her heart's content.

     "Your little ploy here isn't working," Seokjin grumbled.

     "You're not even giving it a chance-"

     "What do you think raising skeletons is going to do?" Seokjin interrupted, shaking his head, "You want to awaken my dark side with my parent's remains?"

     "I guess in theory it doesn't seem much like a threat," Joy gave Yeonjun a nod and he hurried off away from the door, "Practical application would be more convincing."

     "Now you're just boring me."

     "Resurrected entities sometimes have a distorted view on reality, especially when you keep them in stasis," Joy explained, "Sadly, the longer they're dead, the more warped they become-"

     "I think the only one warped here is you-"

     "I am not crazy, Seokjin!" Joy stamped her foot down, raising her voice, "Mind your tongue."

     Seokjin smirked as he turned his head, she has some baggage.

     "People need to respect what I can do-"

     "So what tragic thing happened for you to become... this?"

     Joy shook her head, "I was liberated, there is nothing tragic about that."

     The bars clanked open and they both glared over as Yeonjun entered, releasing the chains he held in his hands. He moved aside, turning toward the bars. The clanking of the chains brushing the floor getting closer and closer...

     ...Seokjin's world came to a halt.

     Behind Yeonjun as if in slow motion, stumbled in a young woman; white bandages haphazardly wrapped from her head to her ankles, bared feet imprinting the floor below with bloody prints as she shuffled in. Ashes flaked off her charred body as she came to a stop like she was awaiting orders on what to do next.

     "Now this is going to be a great moment, Seokjin," Joy squealed.

     Seokjin stared wide-eyed as another entity staggered in behind her, the black ooze that dripped from his neck speckled the concrete below with each step he took. The familiar neck wound that his husband had inflicted upon the man a few short years earlier. Yoosun. "No-"

      Joy walked over, taking Amari's arm and leading her over to stand in front of her son, holding out her hand as Yoosun took it and joined them. She removed the shackles and made them clasp hands with each other as she posed them in front of Seokjin.

     Seokjin shook his head, blinking at the sight, trying to purge himself of this monstrous vision.

     "You must be so happy to see them together again?"

      "What have you done?"

      "Do you not appreciate the magnitude of this? Your parents are together again-"

      "This is wrong," Seokjin pulled at the chains, "You've gone too far-"

      "Do you not like my gift?" Joy pouted.

      "This is an atrocity," Seokjin closed his eyes and turned away, "Take them away."

      "You are going to hurt their feelings," Joy shook her head, "Oh what's that, Amari?"

     Joy leaned into Amari, pretending that Amari was speaking words to her. Seokjin peered over when the silence became too unbearable, wondering what she was up to.

     "Amari, of course, your son is happy to see you," Joy winked at Seokjin.

     "Why are you doing this?" Seokjin was overcome seeing his mother there in such a state, her charred skin now staining the wraps a dark red as ooze seemed to melt off of her in some macabre display.

     "I do realize this must be hard to stomach, seeing them as they died. Resurrection is not always pretty, Seokjin," Joy straightened up, "But they still have feelings-"

     "Take them away," Seokjin repeated, straining against the shackles, unable to stomach this a second longer.

      The horrific weeping sound that came from his mother's corpse stopped time in its tracks. The other-worldly echoes of her voice, just as he remembered it that fateful day, crying out for Jacker to have mercy on her family, turning into the reverberated wails that came from the fire as she burned to death... it all came back. He covered his ears, though try as he might, the sounds just grew louder.

     "Oh, dear now you've gone and done it-"

     "Seokjinnnnn," Amari wailed out.

     Seokjin turned in an instant, wrenching against the shackles, snapping them from the wall. Joy retreated, alarmed as the chains clinked to the floor.

     "Get the serum," She screeched and Yeonjun ran over to the table, grabbing a syringe from the medical bag that lay in the middle. He struggled with the bottle as he filled the syringe. Joy backed away, shielding herself behind Amari and Yoosun, whispering an incantation as the two of them stood firm.

     Seokjin snapped the leg shackle, turning to his right foot as he attempted to pull that one free. Yeonjun darted forward, plunging the syringe into his neck, but before he could expel the liquid, Seokjin knocked him on his , ripping the needle from his flesh and throwing it across the room.

     "Watch out," Yeonjun yelled as Seokjin tore the last shackle from the base and made a beeline for Joy.

     "Impetum tueri!" She ordered and Yoosun charged, colliding with Seokjin as Amari limped forward, out her son's name. Seokjin wrestled with his father for a short while before sending him to the floor with a thump. Amari gnashed her teeth, revealing long werewolf fangs that protruded out against her charcoaled lips. Seokjin growled, shaking the room as he backed up, confused. She lunged forward, baring claws that even in death were precision weapons capable of gutting a man in seconds.

     "Impetum tueri!" Joy repeated, holding her hands up, commanding Amari to attack.

     Amari swiped at Seokjin, he dodged the first two attacks, but the third made contact as she slashed his face with a fury. He grabbed his cheek and backed up, locking his sights on the witch behind her. Yeonjun scrambled to grab the syringe from across the room, he nabbed it and once again lunged forward, only to be thrown to the floor, knocking him unconscious. 

     "Joy," Seokjin bellowed, evading his mother's attacks as he pinned Joy to the wall, wrapping his fingers around and crushing her larynx. 

     She clawed at his hands, but he did not falter, tightening the grip as her face turned purple, seconds away from death.

     "Seokjin!" a voice croaked from the door as Zane leaped forth, a clone of himself expelling from his body and entering Seokjin, jolting him with electrical pulses, zapping him to his knees as his body writhed with excruciating pain. He threw his head back, screaming out as the bolts covered his body, and then laid him out in a heap on the floor. His eyes slowly closed as the clone exited and returned to Zane.

 

     "I am not so sure it's a good idea Jungkook goes tonight," Yoongi pointed out as he perused the drug cabinet, "We can't afford to jeopardize this mission with a premature rescue-" 

     Taehyung rushed into the lab, balancing an unconscious Jungkook in his arms, "Clear a space, quick."

     "What the hell happened now?" Yoongi turned to him.

     Hoseok cleared the exam table so that the younger could lay him down.

     "What happened?" Hoseok asked as he felt for a pulse.

     "He just collapsed in the kitchen," Taehyung loosened Jungkook's collar.

     Hoseok checked his pupils, noticing the brilliant blue staring up at him, "He's in pre-transformation, did something happen?"

     Taehyung shook his head, "No, he just grabbed his head and then fell to the floor."

     "Seokjin?" Yoongi thought aloud.

     Jungkook's eyes shot open as he took a loud intake of breath, Hoseok and Taehyung backed up, startled.

     "Impetum tueri," Jungkook chanted, "Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri!"

     Hoseok and Taehyung exchanged glances.

     "Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri..."

     "Attack to protect?" Hoseok questioned.

     "It's a necromancy spell," Taehyung recalled the book he had thumbed through earlier had a list of common necromancy spells and 'Impetum tueri' was one of the protection spells, "They use it on their resurrects if they're in danger of attack."

     "Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri..."

     "Seokjin attacked Joy?" Yoongi questioned.

     "Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri..."

      "Something must have happened," Hoseok said with confidence.

      "Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri..."

     "Can you quiet him down?" Yoongi rubbed his temples with his thumbs. Jungkook's voice drilled right through him, attaching itself to his last nerve.

      "Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri, Impetum tueri..."

     Hoseok held his hand over Jungkook's face and chanted, "Somnus."

     Jungkook fell into a sleep post-haste and the lab became quiet once again.

     "What the hell is going on?"

 

     Zane and Yeonjun set Seokjin back in the chair.

     "We need stronger shackles," Yeonjun wiped his mouth, annoyed.

     Zane slapped Yeonjun across the face, "Your incompetence could have gotten her killed."

     Yeonjun doubled over, cradling his face as he peered up at him, a trail of blood dripping from his nose, "I-I'm sorry."

     "And you," Zane turned to Joy, eyeing Yoosun and Amari who were slumped against the wall in the corner, dead once again, "Your tactics here are bordering on insanity, you're lucky you're still standing."

     Joy huffed, "We need him on our side-"

     "You think he would turn against his pack, against Jungkook?" Zane reprimanded, "It's going to take more than a whisper from Cato to open his dark side."

      "I just thought that-"

     "He isn't here for you to toy with," Zane interrupted her, "Do your job and guard him."

     "What is the point of us having him here then?" Joy objected, "The goal here is to kill them all."

     "Cato wants him alive long enough to do a soul transfer."

     "Since when?" She probed.

     "Since he decided it so," Zane turned to Yeonjun, "fetch a new set of shackles, not this cheap stuff-"

     "You want the stuff that holds Grendel?"

     "What part of not an ordinary hybrid did you not get?" Zane stressed. Yeonjun bowed his head, embarrassed, and sped off. Zane turned back to Joy, "Do something useful with your time."

     "Are we forgetting the objective here?"

     "We get Cato, he goes free, that was the deal."

     "This is stupid, we have an opportunity to do some real harm," Joy preached, "How can you just let it go to waste?"

     "I let you co-lead this project because you have proved to me you're capable of using your brain," Zane declared, "Don't make me regret that."

     "Zane..."

     "Clean up your mess," Zane motioned towards Seokjin's parents, "I'll be in my chambers, come find me when you're done," he took Joy's chin and pulled her in, hovering close to her lips before taking a whiff of her scent, "and do take a shower."

     He let go and strode off.

     Joy picked up the broken shackle at her feet, glaring at the door,  Seokjin, and his whole pack. She heaved the chain against the wall, watching as it bounced off, clinking against the floor. I will make you pay if it takes everything I am to do so.

 

     Taehyung walked into the lab, handing a cup of tea to Jungkook as the younger sat up, rubbing his temple.

     "Feeling better?" Taehyung pulled up a stool.

     "What happened?" Jungkook took a sip of the tea.

     Taehyung sat, "Kinda hoping you'd remember."

     Jungkook shook his head, trying to recall what he felt earlier in the kitchen, "I don't know."

     "Hobi said your eyes were blue, they think Seokjin might have transformed-"

     "," Jungkook pushed the teacup aside and stood, an urgency in his tone, "What time is it?".

     "2:15-"

     "AM?"

     "Yeah-"

     "What about the mission, I thought we were leaving at 2?"

     "They went without you-"

     "What?" Jungkook fumed, "They left without me?"

     "You were out cold, they couldn't wait," Taehyung explained, "And no one thought it was a good idea for you to go-"

      "Excuse me? Who thought it was a bad idea?"

     "Hoseok and Yoon-"

     "That motherer," Jungkook stomped from the room.

     Taehyung caught up with him in the kitchen, watching as Jungkook slammed a pan down on the stove and threw open the refrigerator, inching the whole appliance off-center. He grabbed the hamburger from the shelf and kicked the door shut.

     "Woh, it's just to scout the place out for tomorrow!"

     "He's ing afraid I would go in and rescue him tonight."

     "I mean he does have a point, you're not in your right mind as far as Seokjin is concerned," Taehyung leaned against the counter, "We make one wrong move and it could be catastrophic-"

     "And who is to say we can trust Yoongi not to bust down the door?"

     "Yoongi didn't go-"

     "Then where the is he?"

     "He and Beomgyu fell asleep in the library," Taehyung revealed, "He didn't trust himself either."

     

      Jimin carefully knelt down at the side of the road, taking out the CHIM case and setting Chimmy loose. He ran back over to the van where Hoseok was parked several feet up the road. He punched up Chimmy's view on the laptop as Hoseok joined him, taking a seat and popping open a Pepsi.

     "It might take a good ten minutes for him to make it there-"

     "What kind of battery life does this thing have?" Hoseok took a sip of his soda and then set it down in front of him.

     "Basically a really small solar-charged cell phone battery, so with minimum use, around nine hours," Jimin explained, adjusting the screen so he could sit back and watch as Chimmy scurried along the blacktop, "Him being alive helps a lot."

      "Demetrius helped you with this?"

     "He helped me find the engineers, technology is a beautiful thing," Jimin grinned, "Hand me one."

     Hoseok handed him a soda from the cooler next to him. Jimin popped it open, taking a glance at his watch.

     "Going in through the roof?"

     Jimin nodded, "Figure it would be the least likely way for him to be spotted. If the blueprints are right, I should be able to locate the alarm system pretty easily."

     "I'm curious what the blind spots are hiding."

     "Guess we'll have to take a peek."

 

     Thirteen minutes later, Chimmy was perched on the ledge of the roof, his little antenna wiggling in the breeze, awaiting confirmation to access the ventilation system. Hoseok nibbled at his nails, anxiously staring at the screen as Chimmy moved along the gravel ballast to the steaming pop vent and squeezed himself inside.

     Jimin slipped on a headset and pulled up the blueprints on his second monitor, "Here we go."

     "Good luck, Chimmy," Hoseok took a deep breath, cracking his knuckles.

     Jimin was able to locate the control room and hack into the system to disarm the alarm. He rerouted the sensors to pick up only movement from the biometric locked door being breached, clearing the other door to be opened at will.

     "Can't you just program the fingerprint lock to match one of our own?"

     "Yeah, if I had in-person access to their alarm system and was able to scan one of our fingers."

     "Word."

     "I'll do a quick sweep, try to map out more of the area," Jimin punched in another command and Chimmy was off, slipping out of the control room and scurrying along the hallway ceiling. Jimin leaned into the screen, noticing a guard standing at a door - the first of three situated along the south wall - just staring through some metal bars. He had Chimmy dip down so he could read the little placard glued to the steel, "Subject 24?"

     "Subject 24?" Hoseok repeated.

     "I don't think Seokjin is their only prisoner," Jimin studied the screen, eyeing the guard as he kicked the door.

     "Can Chimmy see into it?" Hoseok leaned closer too.

     "Yeah," Jimin input the command, and Chimmy inched closer, waiting for the guard to stop banging on it.

    "Get up you piece of ," The guard taunted, backing up when whatever was inside made contact with the door, shaking the whole thing, "Ooh, big scary man."

     The guard cackled as he walked off, turning the corner out of sight. Jimin had Chimmy sneak through the bars, crawling up to the ceiling as the creature went to sit back down, picking up the rest of the raw chicken it was eating and tearing off a piece of its flesh.

     "What the hell is that?!" Hoseok exclaimed, his face contorted into horror.

     "Are you on drugs? That's a minotaur."

     "That's not a minotaur," Hoseok asserted, "I know what a minotaur looks like, that ain't it-"

     "It's a hybrid, one of the failures," Jimin clarified, "Harley said they kept some of the mistakes in cages to study them."

     "Mistakes?" Hoseok was disgusted, "Those are living creatures that deserve to have a ing normal life."

     "I won't argue that," Jimin huffed, "We'll free them when this is all over."

     "Yeah, if they haven't reverted to primitive ways, I imagine this whole thing has done a number on their psyche."

     "Time to see the off-limits stuff."

     "And locate Seokjin if you can," Hoseok reminded.

 

      Jungkook stared at his cell phone lying on the library table as he sat in the darkened room with Beomgyu's mumbling breaking up the silence.

      Yoongi hadn't stirred since the minute Jungkook crossed the threshold, not quite sure that the younger wouldn't murder him for suggesting he stay home while Hoseok and Jimin carried out the scouting mission. He couldn't sleep, not a wink. He just glared at the ceiling since they left, convincing himself at least twenty-seven times not to take one of the bikes and follow after.

     "It's not going to ring just by staring at it," Yoongi sat up, rubbing his eyes.

     "What else am I supposed to do?" Jungkook didn't fancy a lecture about the etiquette of 'What to do when your husband's been abducted', especially from Yoongi.

     Yoongi slid into a chair, taking out his own cell phone and checking it. No messages. "No distress calls, it's a positive sign."

     "Do you have to be here right now?" Jungkook shook his head as he walked to the window, looking up at the mottled sky. Every last cloud was fighting for front row seats to cover the moon's light, like she was a rock star and they were the paparazzi.

     "Yeah, I do," Yoongi set his phone down. This was driving him just as crazy, Hoseok and Jimin were close enough to break Seokjin out and all he could think of was how easy that would be to accomplish.

     Both of their phones buzzed and Jungkook rushed over to grab his phone as Yoongi opened the message. It was a still of Seokjin tethered to the wall, staring into the eyes of Chimmy's camera.

     "Seokjin!" Yoongi and Jungkook called out in unison.

     "He knows we know-" Yoongi held his hand to his heart, feeling slightly better than before.

      Jungkook couldn't hold it in, he began to sob into his hand as his phone dropped with a thunk on the table. Seokjin was alive, even though he knew that in his soul, seeing him staring back at him murdered his heart. Jungkook just wanted him back in his arms.

     "He's okay, why are you crying-"

     "Leave him be," Beomgyu leaped off the sill and joined Jungkook, laying his hand on his shoulder, "If you had emotions, you'd understand."

     Yoongi was offended, kind of. He wasn't going to resort to telling his brother off in the library, Jungkook probably was feeling a great deal of relief and he could understand that. Yoongi had just learned to control his emotions better, he wasn't sure if he despised or envied Jungkook's ability to show how he felt at any given second.

 

     "It's just ahead, the dark spot on the scan," Hoseok pointed to the blueprint and Jimin nodded.

     "That is one fortified door," Jimin practically gasped as the scene came into sight on his monitor, "what the hell are they storing in there?"

    "That is the mystery of the century," Hoseok got a chill, "Is there a way in?"

     "There is always a way in," Jimin navigated Chimmy to the floor, squeezing through the sliver of space underneath the door.

     The room was... "Dark," Hoseok observed. Unsettlingly dark. Ghouls waiting to nab you in the night dark.

     Jimin had Chimmy inch towards the front of the room, which seemed to be inhabited by an even stranger mist that appeared out of nowhere. He could bet that if he were in the room himself, he would be freezing by now.

     "Is that plant life?"

     "Maybe they have a chimera of their own-"

     Before Jimin could finish his sentence, something had grabbed a hold of Chimmy and he no longer could operate it. The mist began to clear around a horrifying pale face coming into view and both of them jumped back from the screen.

     "He's got Chimmy!" Hoseok shrieked and Jimin scrambled back to his keyboard, typing in some keystrokes, but it was too late. All they could see was the darkness inside its mouth as it took a bite, crunching down into Chimmy's body as his little legs flailed.

     The screen turned to static.

     "No, no... Chimmy!" Jimin yelled, smacking the keyboard with his fists. Chimmy was gone, gobbled up by the foul creature.

     ", does that mean they know we're here?" Hoseok jumped up and peered out the front window, scouring the surroundings.

     "," Jimin pushed away his laptop, checking his other screen to see if there was anything swarming the van, not a of movement to be seen, "No, I don't think so."

     "We should still go, better not push our luck," Hoseok stressed and Jimin nodded.

     Jimin closed his laptop, bummed, "It just ate him-"

     Hoseok slid into the driver's seat, "What the was it?"

     "I don't know," Jimin sighed, joining him. He slumped into the passenger seat, and fastened his seatbelt, "I've never seen anything like it."

     "I bet Taehyung knows," Hoseok started the van, checking the mirrors. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but it did nothing to calm his nerves.

 

     Jimin threw his knapsack down on the library table and thumped down, joining the rest of them.

     "It ate Chimmy?" Taehyung picked up the empty container and peered inside.

     "What ate Chimmy?" Yoongi asked, joining them.

     "This," Jimin opened his laptop, bringing up a video. The face came into view and he paused it.

     "What the is that?" Jungkook looked on in horror.

     "I don't know, but they have it hidden in the blocked-out area," Jimin massaged the back of his neck, trying to relieve just an ounce of the tension that had settled in.

     "The whole place is a prison of questionable creatures," Hoseok informed, "They're keeping their brothers and sisters, the ones that weren't so lucky with the genetics pool, locked up."

     "Good news is, I fixed their alarm system," Jimin smirked, "We should have a lot less to worry about now-"

     "Yeah, I hope so," Jungkook closed his eyes, Hang in there, Seokjin.

     "Also there is a roof hatch, so we have another option-"

     Namjoon stumbled in, nearly dropping the tubes he was carrying as he grabbed onto the table and let them roll down his arms to the surface.

     Yoongi took one of the tubes in his hand, "What's this?"

     "Genetica," Namjoon opened the second tube and took out the large document inside, sprawling out the blueprints onto the tabletop, "The grounds more specifically."

     "Flight set?"

     "Flight set and cleared. Jimin, Hoseok, and I will be heading out at nine."

     Jungkook and Yoongi glanced at each other as Taehyung threw his arms around them both, "and the three of us will take care of Seokjin-"

     "Joy and Zane booked two flights under aliases earlier today for themselves and five other passengers, so I am not sure who all is going to be left behind," Jimin informed them.

     "We'll know as soon as they board the flight," Taehyung piped in, "Got eyes on the airport."

     "Only seven of them?" Yoongi tittered, "that's a ing insult."

     "It doesn't mean they won't have allies in Iceland already set up," Namjoon figured, "It's going to be dangerous. We actually have to break in and time everything to make it look like we have freed Cato, and then get out without injury once they realize they've been duped."

     "I don't know which is worse, breaking into Genetica or breaking into the Nobles' compound," Hoseok frowned.

     "We have magic, they don't," Namjoon thought for a moment, "I hope."

      "So let's talk strategy," Jimin glared at the blueprints, "Don't need any more fatalities."

     "RIP Chimmy," Hoseok bowed his head, "He was a good... cockroach?"

     "Mechabug," Jungkook grinned.

     

     It was nearing eight in the morning when Jimin strutted into the lab. He set a case onto the cold steel of the lab table, smiling at Taehyung and Hoseok as their attention was now on him and the titanium receptacle he had set down.

      "Why do you look so cocky?" Hoseok set his balm mixture back into the cabinet and joined Jimin.

     "I just saw Demetrius," Jimin pushed the case towards Hoseok and hopped up on the table, pleased with himself, "Got us a new toy."

     "Chimmy 2.0?" Taehyung joined Hoseok, staring down at it, eyes widened.

     "Chimmy 2.0 is in the works, but this will be so much more helpful," Jimin popped the latch and the hinged top squeaked open revealing two instruments that looked like something out of a Star Wars movie.

     "Lightsabers?" Hoseok questioned.

     "Not a lightsaber," Jimin pondered for a moment, "Although, if modified the right way, could be a possibility."

     "Nope, even better than a lightsaber," Taehyung pulled one of them out, practically drooling, "How in the hell did he get his hands on one of these? These are military secrets."

     "What does it do?" Hoseok queried, staring in wonderment at the mysterious silver-colored gadget.

     Jimin took the other tool into his hand, "Laser cutting tool, for you know... cutting through tough materials, like maybe a fortified building or two."

     Hoseok was astounded, a fit of rapture washed over him, "This cuts through concrete and steel?"

     "This thing will cut through anything you need it to," Jimin smirked, handing it to him.

     "I am just glad Demetrius is on our side," Taehyung set the laser back.

     "One for each team," Jimin pulled out a manual, "I already tested it."

     "I nominate Jungkook as your second, he needs a purpose to keep his mind on task," Taehyung suggested.

 

     T-minus two hours before team one was to board the seaplane and be on their way. Jungkook was pacing the floors in the foyer, praying to Dagma to let everything go off without a hitch. He watched as Namjoon handed his suitcase off to Jimin, who carried it and his own out to the car.

     "Namjoon-"

     "Hm?" Namjoon checked his wallet for his ID and made sure his passport was in his pocket.

     "This will work, right?" Jungkook felt an unusual amount of nervousness attack him at once, hoping that everyone would arrive home safe. He couldn't lose Seokjin like this, not to the nobles.

     Namjoon gave Jungkook a nod as he rested his hand on the younger's shoulder and squeezed, "This will work, it has to."

     Hoseok thumped down the stairs, setting his suitcase on the tile and pushing it towards the door with his foot, where it rolled to a stop as Jimin walked back in.

     "We're ready," Jimin grabbed Hoseok's bag and fist-bumped Taehyung.

     "Stay safe," Taehyung nodded to his brother, watching as he and Hoseok headed out to the car.

     "Stick to the plan and don't hesitate, these aren't good people, do what you have to," Namjoon gave a reassuring nod and Jungkook nodded back.

     "Be careful," Jungkook leaned against the railing and took a deep breath as Namjoon walked out, shutting the door behind him.

     Taehyung wrapped his arm around Jungkook, "We are going to get Seokjin out, I promise you."

     "What makes you so suddenly confident?" Yoongi asked, walking around the corner, sipping a blood bag.

     "Because confidence gets good results," Taehyung shot him a stern 'STFU' expression, tilting his head towards Jungkook.     

 

     The weather-beaten seaplane bobbed in the water, the breeze driving the waves that lapped at the fiberglass pontoons as Namjoon and Hoseok loaded the crate onto the plane. Soobin and Jimin stood off to the side, arms filled with supplies.

     "It's a ten-hour flight to the Southern Peninsula with the refuels, another fifteen minutes to Genetica once we land," Soobin told Jimin, "We have two vans ready to go-"

     "The decoy has the same license plate?" Jimin inquired, shifting his weight so he didn't drop anything.

     "Called in a favor," Soobin nodded, "Delivery logos stenciled to the side, everything is good to go."

     "What about the driver?"

     "Your cabby retired from taxiing a few months ago, so he knows the roads."

     "Perfect," Namjoon called back, "I appreciate your help, Soobin."

     Soobin smiled, "I owe you my life."

     Hoseok walked back to the van, checking to make sure everything was loaded into the plane.

     "We should be getting there two hours before Genetica opens, if all goes well, we'll be in and out with minimal bloodshed," Namjoon informed.

     Soobin climbed into the cockpit and slid on his headpiece.

     Namjoon and Jimin climbed in as Hoseok ran over to join them, closing the door and latching it.

     "Buckle up, takeoffs are a little rough," Soobin instructed, starting the engine.

     Hoseok buckled himself in, clutching his stomach feeling seasick from the slight rocking of the vessel, "I feel like I'm about to throw up-"

     "We haven't even gotten in the air," Jimin laughed.

     "Barf bags are under the seat," Soobin yelled back over the sound of the engine, "Please don't throw up in here, I just had her detailed."

     Jimin slipped on his headset, followed by Namjoon.

     Hoseok reached down to search for the barf bag, patting under the seat, feeling nothing but a wad of chewed gum. He pulled his hand out, nose scrunched at the thought of someone's spit on his fingers, "Yeah, someone needs to be fired then."

     Jimin and Namjoon watched on as Hoseok dislodged the rubbery stuff from his fingers, his disgust growing by the second.

     "You examine dead bodies and you're grossed out by old gum?"

     "The human mouth contains at least twenty billion bacterial germs at any given moment," Hoseok enlightened, sticking the gum back.

     Jimin gave a snicker as he leaned back.

     Hoseok leaned over to try to get a better look, feeling the rumbling in his tummy intensify. He shot back up, alarmed, "Ohh, that wasn't good."

     Namjoon held out the barf bag he nabbed from his own seat, "Take mine-"

     "On second thought, I think I am going to sleep this one off," Hoseok rubbed his stomach as he closed his eyes and whispered a sleep spell, passing out a second later.

     "Is he going to be okay?" Soobin asked over the headset and Jimin just shook his head.

     "He's never okay," Jimin took a deep breath, grabbing his laptop from his bag.

     "Once we're in the air, you can turn your devices back on," Soobin began to accelerate, turning the yoke to line up his line of ascent, "Snacks are in the cooler to your side."

     Jimin peered over at the small blue cooler, then to Namjoon who had already grabbed a bag of nuts.

    "We'll alert team two thirty minutes before we land," Namjoon opened the bag and popped a nut into his mouth, "Give them time to get there."

     "I'll text Taehyung as soon as we're in the air that all is well."

      "Gears up, flaps down," Soobin said aloud, then gave them a quick glance, "Going full power, hold on to your asses."

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