Inequality

Chapter 25 – If We Had Time

The group was silent until they heard footsteps and Luhan snapped, “Who's there?”

“Woah hyung, calm down,” Tao replied. He was accompanied by Xiumin, Kris, and Lay and the dui zhang responded, “We rushed over because that idiot,” Kris pointed at Xiumin, “was wondering why Chen got all out of control and was worried that innocent bystanders would get hurt.”

“It was a reasonable concern!” Xiumin retorted. He glanced around and he asked, “Why do you guys all seem so depressed though?”

Everyone glanced at Dongjun and he said, “You guys can fill them in. I need to rest. My vision is starting to blur again.”

Dongjun started to stand up, but he stumbled and Jungkook moved to support him and the older boy sighed before gratefully leaning against the younger. Jungkook glanced over to V who immediately rushed to his hyung's side.

Luhan waited until they brought Dongjun away and he sighed, “Sit down, it's a long story.”

*****

Kris let out a heavy breath and he mumbled, “It's a dead lock.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and he asked, “Akari doesn't know?”

“No,” Chen responded, “Dongjun doesn't want her to know.”

“But why?” Tao almost demanded. He looked so flustered and his thoughts were jumbled, “If we.. No, if she doesn't find out... or if she doesn't... I don't..”

Tao paused and he looked at his hyungs desperately, “It's not fair for Akari! She's already going through so much, and you know how she feels about losing people.”

The young male looked down and he said, “It's not fair to any of them. They all deserve peace, why are they still being plagued by their past even until now?”

Everyone remained silent and V softly replied from where he was standing a ways off, “Because the past is a part of us no matter what.”

V turned away to face Jungkook and the younger male shook his head and he said, “Don't do it V.”

“But Kookie...”

“I want to too, you know?” Jungkook looked down miserably and he said, “But we can't do anything. We gave him our word.”

Jungkook's fist were balled up and he clenched them and he bit down on his bottom lip and he whispered, “I don't see a good ending in this hyung.”

“Don't say that!” V argued back. He had his hands on Jungkook's shoulders and he said, “We have to stay strong, for hyung's and noona's sake. They didn't know what happiness or hope was until they met us remember? We're the reason why they didn't give up on escape. We-”

“We couldn't even save them from Clovis! And look what happened to L hyung!” Jungkook answered back. V flinched and he mumbled, “L hyung was...”

“He's changed... we promised him we'd help him escape too, but don't you see what happened the moment you escaped hyung? No,” Jungkook paused and he grumbled, “It all started when noona got out. L hyung felt so betrayed, it only took Clovis a few words and L changed. L switched over.. Myungsoo hyung left us.”

They fell silent and after a while of standing there and watching their Exo hyungs discuss the situation, Jungkook spoke up, “If only we had time.”

“To do what?”

“Overthrow the system.”

Jungkook looked determined and he said, “We need to find a way. And maybe, just maybe, with the Exo hyungs, we can be a force to reckon with. Maybe,” he looked at V hopefully, “Maybe we can get them to save Dongjun hyung, I mean, if they're the ones that did it to him, then wouldn't they-”

“They won't, Jungkook.”

Jungkook's hope flew out the window almost immediately, and the sparkle in his eyes dulled and he agreed, “So it is hopeless.”

“Chen hyung... may be our only hope to keeping Akari noona alive.”

Jungkook glanced at the older male with the black fluffy hair and he sighed, “They want to overthrow Clovis don't they?”

V nodded and he said, “If we're talking about war efficiency...”

They glanced at each other and Jungkook pushed the older male forward and said, “You're doing it.”

“Damn it.”

*****

“An attack on their faculties?” the Exo members chorused in united confusion.

Jungkook and V nodded and they glanced at each other and V said, “Clovis cares the most about his facilities. Especially the ones that produce the best and strongest, or the ones that are developing or advancing the fastest in technology. There's only one that exists so far.”

“The one in Seoul.” Lay responded. The two younger males nodded and Lay said, “If we get rid of that facility, we pretty much stop all progress in the rest of the facilities across the globe.”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow and asked, “How'd you know?”

“We had an escapee from that facility, his name was Howon.”

The two males cringed and they mumbled, “Our hyung.”

“So he was one of you guys, he spoke about Akari and Dongjun, and that's how we knew of them. He told us everything about the facilities and his dreams of overthrowing the system. And how he felt regretful to his team mates for his personality and especially to their leader... I think his name was Sunggyu, for not being able to protect Akari better like they had all swore to do.” Lay explained, he looked between the two and asked, “What do you want us to do?”

Jungkook and V exchanged glances again and V stated, “We want you to help us invade and destroy that facility.”

“But how?”

“Time control,” Jungkook answered and made eye contact with Tao, “and destructive abilities.”

He glanced at Xiumin and Chen and he said, “These three will be the key. In addition to V and Akari noona, then we have a good team.”

“When do we attack?”

“As soon as possible,” V responded. He looked down and he said, “We don't have time.”

“Let me ask you two something,” Kris said after a moment of silence. The two looked up and he continued, “Why are you doing this?”

“We... We can't do anything else for hyung or noona... and Dongjun hyung knows he can't do much anymore either. Although he doesn't like showing it, he's already starting to become crippled. It's slow, but the signs are already showing, although it's mostly just eyesight as of the moment,” Jungkook answered.

“Jungkook,” Chen softly called out. The youngest out of the group of males looked at his hyung in return and Chen asked, “V told us you caught the attention of Clovis, and you have the ability to manipulate memories,” he paused and he sighed, “I don't mean to sound rude, but you're hiding another ability aren't you?”

Jungkook didn't make retaliate in any way as he looked at the older male and he nodded and he stood up before standing a ways back and immediately, the familiar flash of light that V and Akari had produced appeared once more and after the light died down, the familiar wings that Akari adorned was on Jungkook's back as well, or at least one side. The other side was black, completely black feathered wings and he said, “They correlate with my memories, both of them come from the people that impacted me the most.”

He stared at his wings fondly as they wrapped around him gently and he the metallic side first and he softly mumbled, “Akari noona.”

He turned to the other side and he said, “And the hyungs from my group.”

His wings spread open again and he quickly closed them, as they burst into particles of light, disappearing. His hyungs looked at him in awe and V asked, “But how did you get them?”

“Memory manipulation,” Jungkook smiled. He looked like a boy that had just been praised for doing something amazing and he said, “I finally managed to work out how to use it in physical combat.”

“Wait, so isn't it kind of like absorption?” V asked with wary eyes. He looked at his dongsaeng in concern and Jungkook tilted his head and said, “That never occurred to me... but...”

He thought about it and he said, “No, because I can't really use the ability unless I have a part of that person within me.”

“Blood,” Luhan commented. Jungkook nodded and he said, “And I had to have seen how they've used it before. So if they have a hidden skill with their power that I've never seen, I can't use it.”

Tao had a strange smile and he said, “You know, it reminds me of these comics I've found scattered across our town.”

“Comics? What's that?” V and Jungkook asked. Kris sighed as he felt they were deviating from their original topic, but they supposed it was okay since they were about to have a change in their peaceful lives.

The dui zhang looked away and sighed. War huh? Although we've been speaking about initiating it this entire time, are we really ready for that?

A/N: Hello Lovelies! :D Here's another update for you guys before I go MIA. I know a lot of people are sad/frustrated with me that I keep dropping hitns that people are going to die but... it's life, especially life in war. There may or may not be a happy ending (to be honest this story is one of the hardest ones for me to write because I don't know myself how it'll end), but I'll do my best to make their deaths not as painful/heart wrenching. (: Anyways, thanks for always supporting me and giving me encouragement when I need it although you guys don't really know that. AFF is my safe haven, and it's a place where I enjoy losing myself. Because reality and my life is currently a roller coaster.