By the time I wake up, Zelo is gone and for a moment I think Yongguk is too, but when I realize I can't feel my left leg I look down to see that my leg is being used for a pillow. Sitting up is still difficult and though not impossible, I complain enough in doing so that Yongguk wakes up.

"You're awake?"

"Didn't you already ask that? Yes, I'm awake."

"I'm going to chalk that sass up to pain and let it go. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got stepped on by that exo-suit. I cannot actually feel my leg though, so I'm not sure whether or not that's a plus."

"Ah… sorry about that," he tells me, scratching the back of his head and feeling awkward.

I roll over on my side and push myself up carefully. Yongguk gets out of his chair and helps me up but practically leaps back when the blanket slips away and I'm left in undergarments. Pulling the blankets up off the bed, I cocoon myself with one hand peeking out and stand up. I'm still a little dizzy but taking small steps makes it easier as I make my way to the door. The steel floor is warmer than expected and I'm grateful. None of my clothes, including my boots, are in sight and I'm not the kind of person willing to wait for something I don't always consider a priority. I march straight out the door leaving Yongguk in a panic and screaming for me to put clothes on, unintentionally catching the attention of many of the workers in the immediate vicinity. They all seem like nice people. Very helpful. I only need to ask one woman the way to N's office and I'm already headed in the right direction, and she's kind enough to call ahead to let him know I'm coming up.

The massive windows looking out over the hangar almost seem miles away as I look all the way up from where I stand. Technically this base is only two floors, but being built inside a hollowed out mountain, the floors themselves aren't exactly small. Suddenly, I see a silver head of hair look out and I wave up at N. His jaw drops and he points at me in surprise before gesturing frantically for me to get out of the hangar to come see him.

"Bree, what are you wearing?!" N sounds panicked as I enter his office.

"The blankets and whatever I woke up in."

"No, I mean what the hell? Why would you walk around like that?"

I know what he's talking about but I don't understand why he's making such a big deal out of it. In Mato, as much as it isn't common for people to walk around half-, no one really cares if you do, either. N pulls the blankets away and throws them aside before he pulls off the long sweater he's wearing, leaving him in a skin-tight black tee. Ever mindful of my injuries and the pins sticking out of my arm, he adjusts it with a smile. I can't help but feel especially grateful for his kindness. I also can't help but look around once he steps back. Back in Mato, my office is a walled-off dead end made of hard stone, scattered with cold steel and poorly lit with a swiftly aging lighting system. Here in the VIXX base everything is made of steel, smooth and clean-looking with light that makes me think of the outdoors from when I was a child. A pang of nostalgia hits me in the chest and I scowl to myself.

"What's wrong?" he asks me as he places a hand on my shoulder, a look of concern marring his usually happy expression.

I'm suddenly jolted out of my thoughts and I shake my head. "It's nothing really. I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Mato. When I was a child." He says nothing but tilts his head to the side as if asking me to continue. "It's bright in here. The air is clean. There's room for everyone to move around. I was still pretty young when it was decided that I'd be in the mines, something about physical strength and personality, but no one is ever given the chance to even adjust; the day you're put down there is the last day you see wide open space for the rest of your life."

 There is silence between us as N studies my face before walking over to his desk and sitting back in his chair, his eyes fixed thoughtfully the screen standing on the far corner to his right. Flat, massive and lacking the frequency controller, his comm.-link is obviously better technology than the box I had in my possession back in Mato.

"Bree, what if you could give that back to them all? What if you didn't have to stay here forever either?"

"I can't do anything for them from here."

"No, but you can do something for me." I look at him strangely. "The others and I have been talking about it ever since you and I met in Mato; if you're willing to take on the responsibility, we believe your efforts would help with the rebellion as a whole."

I'm speechless.

"N, I –"

"You don't have to answer me now, but want you to think hard about this."

I open my mouth to tell him I would be willing, but there's a knock on the door. Without waiting for N's approval, the door swings open to reveal Hongbin standing in the doorway with a box in one hand and a scowl on his face.

"You were supposed to stay in that room. How am I supposed to get you back to healthy if I can't even find you? Sit down so…" He looks me up and down. "Why are you wearing N's sweater?"

"He put it on me because I wasn't wearing anything."

Hongbin looks at me with mild surprise before looking over at N. "That was fast."

The look he receives in return is something like a non-verbal nag before N turns away. "Come sit up on the desk and try to relax; I can give you pain-killers after the shots. Yongguk should be here with them soon."

Sure enough, as he's filling the syringes and laying them on the table, Yongguk comes in with a bottle of pills in his hand. His chest is heaving and his normally squared shoulders are slouching as he tries to catch his breath. He looks at me with a sense of relief before looking me up and down as well; the expression that settles on his face then is something of a mix between worry, anger, and confusion. Regardless of what's going on in his head, he walks over and places the bottle beside all the syringes.

"I see you managed to find your way up to the office just fine, though you seem as though you're more comfortable now that you can actually use your arms."

"N was nice enough to help me put it on," I replied with a nod.

"Yes, well now it has to come off all over again. Come here." Though careful of my injuries, Yongguk is far more unceremonious about pulling it off and wrapping the blanket around me. "I know the sweater is probably more comfortable but this will make it easier for the shots. You can have it back after."

I open my mouth to say something else when the edge of the blanket is pulled away from my neck and a thick needle stabs into my collar bone; the proper words that were supposed to come out are replaced with a shout of pain and a stream of profanities. Without missing a beat, Yongguk takes my left hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I, on the other hand, immediately attempt to crush his fingers. Each injection in turn is equally as painful as the last and by the time Hongbin is done I'm back to feeling just as awful as when I'd woken up in the middle of the night. I swallow a couple of pain-killers before I try leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees but the pressure it puts on my collar bone and shoulder blade is painful enough to make me swear and sit back up. My grip is gently pried from around Yongguk's fingers as he pulls me forward to rest against his solid chest, waiting for the pills to kick in.

"Let me know when you're okay to move again," he tells me as I let my eyes close. "I'll help you get the sweater back on."

N clears his throat and I let out a loud, frustrated groan. "Sorry, but I do need to continue talking with you about the state of things."

"State of things?"

"The representatives in the districts have been panicking lately. There have been more and more incidents of government works being deliberately sabotaged, of information leaks, and of their own people just up and disappearing. When there was open rebellion before, these kinds of things were either rare or far less public; even after the government's twelve greatest weapons disappeared, before the decimation in VIXX, rebellion was not so active in so many places. The man that calls himself an emperor is getting nervous. You can tell by how many Rats are being dispatched by his council and by how the council was willing to make such a scene in their attempts to catch you two."

Yongguk helps me stand up to face N. "We figured as much. Our communications system in the mines may be a piece, but we are aware of the things that have been going on."

"Then you're well aware that within the rebellion there are men and women who unite and lead those willing to rebel in multiple districts." I nod slowly. "All of us, Rain, Ji Yong, Chae Rin, Jea, Soo Hyun, and myself, have been discussing finding another person to help us lead for some time. I brought your name to the table when you saved Ravi and Taylor from falling, and after some debate it was agreed to present you with the offer."

Yongguk's hand weighs heavily on my shoulder and I look over at him, my brows knit with uncertainty.

"I should take time to think about this. A decision like this will affect my family as much as it will affect me, and as much as it is my call to make, I wouldn't deserve the opportunity if I didn't consider the others."

"That's very diplomatic of you." N hands me his sweater from the desk which Yongguk takes. "I'm supposed to speak with them tomorrow night; I think it would be best if you tell us your decision at that point."

I nod determinedly. "See you tomorrow, then."

"See you."

The door swings slowly closed behind us and Yongguk is walking swiftly ahead of me, his boots landing heavily on the steel.

"Hey, wait up. I need that sweater."

Stopping so abruptly that I almost run in to him, Yongguk turns around and looks me up and down; he looks less than impressed as he glances down at the sweater balled up in his hand. Without even a word he goes back to stomping down the stairs and towards the medical ward. Running after him as best I can, I start trying to get the piece of clothing away from him. The pain-killers have kicked in and I'm not feeling any pain, but I haven't eaten so far today and I can feel my stomach starting to growl; I want to eat, and I want to eat now.

"Yongguk!" He doesn't stop and I'm chasing him down as he makes his way across the open floor. "Hey!"

The door hits the wall and bounces back, almost shutting again except for me putting my hand out to stop it. As I turn the corner in to the room, he has thrown the sweater on the bed and is sorting through a box of unfamiliar clothing with his back to me. I give Yongguk a look and make my way over to the bed but before I can grab the piece of clothing, it is snatched away.

"What is your major malfunction?"

"You can't just walk around in a sweater, Bree. You'll get sick. The mines may have been confining but close walls also meant that you could warm up quick."

He holds up a pair of heavy black cotton pants and a grey long-sleeved shirt.

"Where did you get these?"

"A few of the people around the hangar put together some of their extra clothes for us. Once we can get out to one of the other districts, we will get some of our own but for now…" He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment. "Here, I'll help you get dressed then you need to get something to eat. I can see it on your face that you're starving and you need to keep your strength up for your body to heal up properly."

Yongguk gives pause, his gaze shifting to the corner of the room and clearing his throat as I drop the blanket and kick it aside; I take the pants from his hand and put them on, taking extra care to not over extend anything by accident.

"Shirt?"

"Here. I'll help."

The shirt is thankfully a button-up with loose sleeves, making it easy to slip over the pins in my arm. My hands hang still at my sides as Yongguk steps in close; I study his down-turned face, his eyebrows furrowed as his long fingers slowly do up the buttons. As he takes his time I find myself becoming distracted again, my eyes attracted to the sharp lines of his jaw and throat, leading down in a graceful slope. His shirt is a button up as well, though he doesn't have them all closed and I can see where the lines of his throat lead to his deep collar bones. I can't help wanting to reach out and touch him. All too soon he finishes, straightening the shirt on me as he looks me in the eye, one corner of his mouth pulled up in to a crooked little smile.

"Come on. You really should eat before you pass out from your next set of shots."