Ignoring Yongguk's absence, I walk away from the others at the table after I finish eating, telling Jongup I will meet him down by the exo-suits. As much as I'm both worried about and frustrated with Yongguk, being away from Mato hasn't changed the fact that I'm in charge of the Matoki present and there's a problem at the border which needs investigating. On top of that, I need to start getting Zelo trained to be Daehyun's partner out in the field, Youngjae and Himchan need to be brought here sooner or later, and with the trouble that seems to be building, we need to get as many of Youngjae's people as we can in from Mato to help build the exo-suits as fast as possible. What's worse, talking with Jongup, it sounds like we will run in to a material shortage for building the suits if we don't find new sources soon; with only enough on hand to complete the two in-progress suits, I need to find a new source for Jongup and fast.

"It doesn't have to come from the mines," he says as he hops down to grab a piece of armour still in need of attaching. "If you can get your hands on other forms of steel, we can re-forge it in BTS for assembly here."

"Good point but how did you know about BTS?"

"Yongguk was telling us about it last night before he – after you fell asleep. He's scared as hell that something bad is going to happen to you, you know?"

"We're all scared something else will happen, what's your point?"

"You just don't get it, do you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jongup and right now it really doesn't matter." He gives me a look and I give him one of my own. "Don't look at me like that – I don't even know what that look is supposed to mean."

"It means you're missing something obvious," Ken pipes up from the seat of the one completed suit, not even looking over at me. "I can't stay too much longer, Jongup; I'm supposed to meet up with Hyuk later for sparring practice."

Fingers flying across the keyboard, his eyes are glued to the screen he has hooked up. Though he acts like a complete dork sometimes, what I have seen him do in the past half hour is amazing. Granted he's had experience with Jongup and Youngjae's creations before, the fact that he has picked up the programming for the suit so quickly is impressive – I smile to myself appreciatively. When the time comes for him to join us, Youngjae will find a good friend in Ken.

"Actually Jongup, I think it would be a good idea for you and the others to get some sparring time in, too. If you know about the possibility of calling on BTS for help, then I also assume that you have heard about the border problems."

Jongup nods as he climbs up onto the exo-suit, the muscles of his bare arms defining themselves as he pulls himself up with ease. Though his stay in the actual mine shafts wasn't long, he always was and still is the strongest of everyone; sometimes I'm not sure if it is that or his complete lack of fear of me that makes him willing to be the one breaking up fights between myself and Yongguk. Settling himself on the shoulder, he sets up the joint and pulls his welding goggles down; he never really seems like he's listening, usually continuing with what he was originally doing without actually saying anything, but he has always paid more attention to what is happening than anyone else. I step back behind the arm of the suit to avoid being blinded by the brilliant flare as he keeps working; all I can see is him perched above me, arc hidden by the shoulder as the glow of electricity flashes across his exposed skin, the light bleaching his tan skin momentarily white with each burst.

"So who's going to be heading out to the border, then?"

"All of you. There is no such thing as safe with what we do, but this is just reconnaissance and that's about as close to safe as we can get. It is a good opportunity to start teaching our baby brother the ropes. Junhong needs to start learning from Daehyun to navigate the tunnels and I know from experience that he has a very hands-on way of picking things up; unless he is walking the tunnels, he is not going to remember anything Daehyun is teaching him."

"And I'm going because…"

"Because with how everything is going, I think it would be best for us to travel in pairs as much as possible. I wish I could be out there instead to let you keep working but I'm out of commission for the next while."

"Ah, yeah." Finished the seam, he pauses to push the goggles up. "How's the healing coming?"

"I'm not dead yet." He gives me a look – he hates when I say things like that. "The pins are coming out in a few days' time but I'm always either hungry or tired because of the shots."

"I'm done," Ken interrupts. "Sorry, but I have to go find Hyuk now. When we're done, should I come back?"

"No, it's okay – I'll see you later. Anyway, I think Yongguk will probably want us to leave tonight but that means we have to find the others to let them know what's going on. Where are they, Bree?"

"No clue, unfortunately. Whoever finds them first, tell them to meet me in the dining hall before dinner starts. I will look for Daehyun and Zelo but I leave finding Yongguk up to you, because as it is I don't think the two of us talking would be a fabulous idea. Ken, hold up a second."

He stops mid-step and turns back around. "What's up?"

"Junhong and Hyuk get along quite well, yes?" He nods. "Since Junhong doesn't have anything specific to do at this point, how likely would it be that he would be tagging along with Hyuk?"

"Uh… That depends. How much trouble does he tend to start?"

"He's a little ."

"They're probably together. Follow me. If he isn't in our office, then he'll be in the training area."

I agree and wave to Jongup. Ken walks ahead, leading me up the stairs towards the offices. The only one I've ever been to is Hakyeon's so I don't know where we're supposed to be going but there are not many, surprisingly enough. With the number of people residing in this base and how much effort it must take to manage everyone, I'm legitimately surprised to find there's so little management. Ken almost laughs when I ask him about why that is.

"Everyone knows what we're working towards and we do our best to help each other so every section in here sort of functions on its own with very little management, though we have a system set up for when it's needed. For example, the mechanics have a leader for each specific project, the mechanics' leaders talk to the people who manage the hangar space, those guys talk to me, and then I talk to N. Ultimately, everything goes through N which keeps him pretty damn busy a lot of the time. It's why you'll rarely see him taking his own ROVIXX out on a mission."

I nod slowly. I recognise this set up – it's how our entire world works. Leader dearest, the man who calls himself an emperor of this world, has his counsel, the counsel has major officials or district leaders, and the major officials have leaders for the prefectures, and then there's us. Sort of. Essentially what comes next is the general population. We of the -disturbing persuasion tend to sit outside of the system – that is, when there aren't efforts being made to sabotage government efforts from the inside. As we walk, Ken explains more of what goes on in the offices. I never really had a chance to sit down with any of the guys from VIXX before our little get together and, aside from the little fiasco at the breakfast table, I haven't had the chance to since. Leo and Hyuk are apparently not only partners out on the battlefield, but their specialties as tacticians complement one another which prompted them to move in to the same office with Ken.

Swinging the door open, I see Leo standing with Taylor in front of a map of the world. With one arm wrapped around her waist and holding her tightly, she seems to have fallen against him with one hand on his chest.

"Very nice, guys. Thanks. This is my office, too. Any idea where Hyuk and Zelo are?"

Neither says anything, Leo simply shaking his head as Taylor stares at us still apparently stunned at our bursting into the room without knocking. I shrug and turn to leave, planning on continuing my search for my baby brother when Taylor suddenly speaks up.

"I need to talk to Bree." Ken and Leo both pause to look at her, unsure. "Alone."

"Why?" I ask, not knowing what could be going on that she needs to talk to an outsider without any authority.

Ken shrugs, not particularly caring as he saunters away. Leo isn't as quick to leave though, instead looking down at her for the two of them to have whispered conversation; kissing her quickly on the lips, he releases her from his hold and walks out silently. As he closes the door behind him, I turn to smile at Taylor – there's something vaguely familiar about the way they act and it makes me happy. Noticing Taylor is facing me, I return her gaze, neither of us saying anything until she coughs awkwardly.

"Uh…"

"You are close like I am with my family. Maybe even more so, like Yongguk and myself. Yet you hide it like it is something to be ashamed of. You have without any apparent purpose and you are afraid of others knowing this, even though it is likely the others have ual partners as well. I don't understand…"

The look she gives me is one of utter confusion, her eyebrows scrunched up. Whatever thoughts are going through her head are quickly let go however.

"Did you tell the others about me and Leo?" she asks, fidgeting.

"Umm… I would not say tell. I just asked N if he gave you orders."

"Orders. What?"

"To get pregnant."

Taylor visibly stiffens. "…No."

"Why?"

"Why no? Why would you even ask that? Who would order that to begin with?" Her voice is rising in pitch and volume, apparently horrified. Has she really heard nothing from Daehyun of how life works back in Mato?

"But… in Mato that's the only time people are allowed to have ." I can't help but look at her oddly. This woman is weird.

"What the hell are you talking about? Daehyun never mentioned that."

"That doesn't surprise me. Daehyun's "death" was arranged only a year after he began receiving them – he is not bound by the same rules as we are. Or were."

"Rules?" Curiosity creeps in to her voice.

I shrug dismissively. "In Mato, once someone reaches their eighteenth year, they begin receiving orders from the government to create children."

"…Create."

"When they want two people with desirable genetics to create children, the people of Mato receive official orders; two people are placed together for a set period of time that is deemed sufficient for the female to become pregnant. Orders resulting in pregnancy are considered successful. I don't know how often it is the same person, or if it ever is. All I know is that no matter how much two people may want to be together in the same way without orders, acting on it is an immediate death sentence if they get caught."

"I… had no idea. If you don't mind me asking, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well… Do you… How many times have your orders been successful?"

I cringe at the question. Remembering what happened there, although it did turn out for the best, is definitely not my favourite memory. I would take another memory of a kitchen fight over that one. "Ah. Haaa… My story is a little bit different. I never received any orders…"

"That's good!"

"Instead the government decided I was a potential problem for them and did not want even the remote chance of me reproducing."

"What?! Oh my god!"

"Someone saved my . You seem to have forgotten that the government can control almost everything if they want to."

"But they can't control who you love."

"I don't know that I really believe it exists. Not in Mato anyways. Back home, it's not uncommon to become attached to one or two people; it's a mutual feeling and the people involved treat each other so differently from how they treat others. Partners. That is what they're called, and sometimes partners are incredibly selfish and jealous about sharing the other if someone else is involved. I mean once in a while you even hear stories of people who have given their lives for their partners and that's some serious dedication right there, but from the tales of other districts that Daehyun comes back with… there is more to it. More than the people of Mato can ever have and it is accepted as being normal and okay."

"That's… wow. Then Daehyun…"

"Daehyun what? Did he do something stupid again? I'll kill him, that ."

"No, no, no! He didn't do anything wrong! Not intentionally."

"What did he do?"

"Umm… Remember how he got hit in the face? That was right before he walked out on me getting stitches."

"So?"

"Well…"

"Sooo…?"

"…" The silence that ensues is laden with unspoken worries. I can't help but wonder what secrets a girl so kind could possibly be hiding that they burden her so much.

"Taylor, if there is one thing I hate more than subtleties, it is when people start to tell me something and then just stop."

"Daehyun and I slept together in VIXX!"

"I sleep with Daehyun all the time when he is not out."

"It's not the same! God!"

"…I don't get it."

"!"

"But you said sleeping."

"That's not the point. We had and when I was hurt he just walked away without even looking back."

I raise an eyebrow. "Was Leo there?"

"Well, yeah. Leo was the one who punched him right before Hongbin yelled at everyone to get out."

"Like I said, even though he grew up in Mato, he doesn't have the same mindset as a lot of other people back home. He has had the opportunity to form relationships with people in a way that no one in Mato does. The fact that you were emotionally and physically present after having had has probably left him somewhat attached to you. Aside from specifically being told to leave, he probably didn't like Leo being there."

"How is it you're this smart but still socially… impeded all at the same time?"

"Excuse me?" I ask, not sure what she's getting at.

"Yongguk," she deadpans.

"Why the hell does everyone keep talking about him?"

"You give me a headache," she groans, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to go now. Bye!"

Taylor leaves without another word and I'm left somewhat confused. I honestly don't understand what it is about Yongguk that makes people keep bringing him up, and I can't help but feel like it has something to do with his foul mood as of late. Shrugging again, I turn around and exit the room. I still have to find Zelo and Daehyun. Wandering back towards the stairs, I look in Hakyeon's office to see him staring at some papers.

"What do?" I ask.

"Looking over some of the notes I took from a previous meeting. It has to do with Mato actually, so I'd like to ask you something: if the rebellion was discovered, how easy would it be for you evacuate the Matoki to another district?"

"Realistically, almost impossible at this point. There are few to no open rabbit holes available for immediate use in the event of a mass exodus."

"But there are collapsed rabbit holes… There was talk after you and the others were discovered and we figure that given how many there are, it would probably make the most sense to start clearing out rabbit holes to use as emergency exits. Leo has been looking at maps recently and he is supposed to plan out which to clear and in what order."

"Sounds good. Have you contacted Youngjae yet? With both Yongguk and I gone, he's next in charge."

"No, I was planning on talking with you about the whole thing tonight actually. I thought maybe you'd like to be the one to contact them – they're probably worried about you."

I smile at his consideration and thank him, leaving him in his office, though not before he yells at me to go get my next set of shots soon. The remembrance that I need my next shots soon makes me want to cringe – only a couple days more before the pins are out and I'm down to one set a day. All the cuts and scrapes that I had are nothing but bright red lines along my skin, bound to fade. As I make my way down the stairs, I run into Jongup again. His goggles are pushed up on his head, making little pieces and strands of hair stick up in different directions.

"I ran into Zelo while I was looking for Yongguk –"

"Did you find Yongguk?"

"No, I'm still looking. I think he might be moping in our room. What I was going to tell you is I found Zelo while I was running around. I passed the message on. Any idea where Daehyun is?"

"I have an idea…" I mumble, wandering off. After everything that has happened recently, Daehyun is sulking at the very least and without his best friend here to talk with, he's probably as close to him as he can get.

Standing at the door to the Mato tunnel, I put my hands on the handle and sigh. As much freedom as being "dead" has granted my little brother, everyone living like him knows how much of a burden it can be. Even while we were still in Mato, there were rules specifically for people like him that he had to follow: don't be out in the mines during the day; if you come back during the day, you're confined to my office; if you have no choice but to go out, disguises must be worn and you must head to the Shelter – coming back to my office is out of the question. Though he doesn't remember things as clearly as some of us, the loss of his parents still takes its toll on him even now. Memories like that are why making friends in Mato is so important, why people begin to form families of their own. When all of the friends he had made outside of our family were suddenly cut off, it was devastating but he kept that goofy grin on his face because he still had his family to support him. Keeping this in mind I slide the door open as quietly as possible.

"Hey, little brother," I whisper. "Would you like to tell me why you're hiding in the dark like a ghost?"

He doesn't answer me and it prompts me to sit down and lean against him, my head resting on his shoulder. Daehyun isn't usually quiet unless he's really bothered, otherwise he acts like a goof and keeps going like nothing went wrong. As much as I love when he's doing his best to be strong I know him well enough to realize that when he's gone to the extent of hiding himself, I better sit my down and wait for him to start talking.

"I doubt you'd understand – everyone likes having you around here." His voice grumbles from out of the darkness. I can't see him yet, my eyes still adjusting, but I know he's sitting curled up with his arms around his shins, his chin resting on his knees.

"That's not true and you know it. Yes, everyone was upset when Taylor got hurt but if it had been you who had gotten hurt under the watch of one of them, all of our family would have reacted the same way. Actually, the fact that you just up and left when she was still hurt kind of stung her. The way she was acting, the fact that you and her had really meant something to her." When he doesn't say anything, I keep going. "Daehyun, I know things are different for you, too. You have lived without the rules of Mato so I know your perception of things and the way you interact with outsiders is not the same way you behave with me or the others. You are not just pissed because Leo punched you, or because the others got angry with you. Why are you sulking this much?"

He mumbled an answer against his arm.

"What?"

"My stomach feels weird when I think about how I walked out and I don't know how to fix it. You said it meant something but now she's paying so much attention to Leo… I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"When you are ready, you do what she is best at. You try to talk. About something. Anything. And when the time is right, apologise and explain." Again he doesn't answer but a sigh and his shoulder slouching under my head tells me he knows I'm right. "I should go now, if you will be okay on your own. I need to see if I can get in touch with Youngjae back in Mato. Oh. Before I forget, I need to talk to all of you in the dining hall tonight before dinner."

I grab him by the head affectionately and kiss his hair, ruffling it up with one hand before letting myself back through the door. I'm making my way up the stairs to Hakyeon's office when I hear the door to the tunnel slide open. He'll be fine, he always is, it's just that sometimes he needs a bit of a push in the right direction. When I reach Hakyeon's office, he is looking over some papers and I knock on the frame to get his attention.

"I see you found your papers?"

"Yes, thankfully. If I had to ask Leo, he'd look at me like I'm an idiot."

"He already does that."

"Correction: he already does that to everyone."

"Ah… Yeah, that's true. By the way, I wanted to let you know that I'm sending my team out to the border and they'll probably be leaving tonight. I'm meeting with them before dinner for final confirmation as to what's happening but I wanted to check in with you – ask if there's anything about the borders they should know?"

"Just to be damn careful. If Daehyun's going with them, it should be fine. You're sending them all? I thought only one exo-suit is finished."

"Two, but technically they're not; when I went down there earlier Ken was still working on it. I can't wait to see it when it's finished."

Hakyeon stares at me a moment before smiling. "I can show you something similar."

"Really?!" I can feel my eyes widen and his smile turns into a grin.

"Yeah, come on."