T h e   I n s t i t u t e

Chapter Eleven

The first thing Ryeowook became conscious of was the pounding in his head though that was entirely typical after a special agents’ night out. He didn’t want to open his eyes for fear that it might make the headache worse but his senses told him opening his eyes would be a good idea. So, slowly, he blinked at his surroundings until they came into focus. He looked across at a grotty, blank wall and the equally filthy floor spreading out around him. It was still dark but a shaft of moonlight was coming in from a window high up on the wall behind him. Ryeowook sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking around once again.

Where was he?

He tried to think back a few hours but, frighteningly, he couldn’t remember anything since swaying on the dance floor with Yesung keeping him steady. He had no idea where he was or how he’d got there and that wasn’t a pleasant thought. The room he was in was small, the size of a police interview room though there was no table. It was bare and he’d been sleeping on the cold floor. Ryeowook steadily got up, wincing at his throbbing head and the churning of his stomach. He stood up on tiptoes to peer out of the window that he now saw was barred. Was this a prison cell? Nothing outside looked familiar but the building he was in looked to be in a business park near a stretch of countryside. He might not even be in Seoul anymore.

Ryeowook paced the room back and forth, back and forth. He could feel his breath getting shorter as panic began to settle into his body; adrenalin pumping through his veins and a cold sweat seeping across his back. Amidst reminding himself that crying wouldn’t solve anything, he went over possible escape plans. He could conjure a hurricane but blasting the wall might kill him instead of save him. Rain was useless; snow was useless; sun, thunder, hail… He cried out in frustration, his voice breaking over a choked back sob. Now really wasn’t the time to start blubbering like a baby but what else could he do?

All of sudden he heard a noise coming from outside of the room. He backed up against the far wall and readied himself to attack if necessary. There was a click of a lock and the door began to grind open. Ryeowook held his breath. When the door had fully swung open into the the room, a dark shadow appeared in its frame. Whoever it was stood there for several moments while Ryeowook said a prayer and hoped he wasn’t going to die. The tall presence then began to step forward on black boots. When his face came into the light, Ryeowook gasped and knew the end was near.

‘Kim Ryeowook, I believe.’ His voice was smooth and deep. Ryeowook didn’t say anything, he could hardly move out of fear. He watched the other’s ethereal, pale blue eyes look him up and down with a taunting menace glimmering in them. ‘My name is Yunho. I’m here to ask a favour of you.’

Before he could stop himself, Ryeowook scoffed. ‘I’m not doing anything for you.’

Heechul, Yesung and Henry got out of the vehicle and made the short journey over to where the team of regular agents were grouping in front of the entrance. The curators of the Vaults were gathered there also along with several security guards and Master Gong’s second in command, Captain Ok. The special agents joined them but were greeted with grave faces and terse words. The conversations were running in low tones and with a great number of curses flying around aimed at anyone and everyone.

‘What’s the status report Captain?’ Heechul sidled up to the agent with a wink and a sarcastic salute.

‘Not now Heechul.’

‘Only trying to lighten the mood, Taec.’ Heechul pouted. ‘What is happening anyway?’ Taecyeon sighed. He flicked his eyes around at the others congregated in front of the vaults then pulled Heechul to the side. Yesung and Henry followed.

‘There’s no sign of forced entry whatsoever and all of the high security vaults are completely intact.’

‘But the alarm must have gone off for something.’ Yesung interrupted.

‘Obviously we’re going to need you to go in and figure out what’s been taken. The thing is… we have no security footage, the tapes are completely blank from last night and they’re still not running.’

‘Well whoever did this was probably trying to cover their tracks – it’s nothing new.’ Heechul tried to reason although he knew nothing about this was going to have a logical explanation.

‘That’s not all.’ Taecyeon frowned. ‘The security guards on duty last night are missing.’ The special agents widened their eyes in shock. ‘Master Gong is starting to point fingers but it’s just getting the curators riled up and that’s the last thing we need. Luckily he’s not here to actually start an argument.’

‘Do you think it was the security guards?’ Henry asked.

‘Honestly, I don’t know. Right now we just need more information so I’d get going if I were you.’

‘Yes Captain.’ Heechul flirted again and this time Taecyeon smiled. He then beckoned for one of the regular agents to come over to them and the girl gave them the computer tablet that Master Chen had mentioned along with some other equipment. After being given the all clear, Yesung led the way into the vaults.

Security procedures were, of course, still in place which meant having to pass through full body scans and a highly thorough pat down that threw personal boundaries right out the window. It was much like going through an airport terminal despite the only luggage they carried came down to an arsenal of creative weaponry. Once they were clear, however, they were free and alone in an enormous museum of extremely rare, valuable and sometimes magical objects.

‘Should we split up?’ Yesung suggested.

‘This isn’t Scooby Doo.’ Heechul snapped. ‘Let’s just work our way around the place quickly. Henry, are you still here?’ Yesung looked up from the tablet he’d been messing with and noticed the apparent absence of the youngest.

‘Right behind you.’ Henry conceded. All at once, Heechul twisted down into the form of a black cat and Yesung suddenly felt irrationally exposed. His eyes returned to the tablet and noticed it had located itself and was now showing a four-dimensional projection of the exact area they were in with information hovering over any exhibits.

‘We might not have to go around every single thing.’ Yesung said. ‘The tablet is showing me that everything’s in its proper place in here.’ He caught himself smiling at the cool piece of technology and had to reassure himself that he definitely wasn’t as big a nerd as Kyuhyun, so it was ok. He heard a huff from below him and looked down at Heechul’s feline glare. He rolled his eyes and they set off moving through the rest of the building.

The three of them went through room after room where grand exhibits and displays stood. Yesung’s jaw dropped at some of the astounding items the vaults were home to. There was a room built to look like a black cave that was filled with Norn stones which gave the cave its light source. Unsurprisingly there were never-ending displays of rare weapons like The Phoenix Blade and the once thought to be lost Godkiller. There were Nega-bands and Quantum bands, lifeless Sentinels and hundreds upon hundreds of rare gems. Even the formidable Darkhold rested on a podium with a single spotlight illuminating the ancient tome.

As they entered a hallway lined with pieces of art created using vibranium, Heechul abruptly transformed from cat form back to catsuit. He had the beginnings of a scowl creeping onto his face and Yesung decided the best course of action would be to not say anything and keep moving. Henry didn’t come back into view; whenever you were on a mission with him it was always a mystery as to whether he was actually still there. He seemed to turn up at the right moments though so Yesung wouldn’t question him on it.

‘Have you even been checking the tablet?’ Heechul suddenly asked.

‘I can actually do my job, believe it or not.’ The teleporter replied. Silence returned. There was definitely a scowl on Heechul’s face now. He must have something he wanted to say if he was back in human form but of course, if it was anything to do with his feelings then they’d be wandering around without speaking for some time unless Yesung started talking first. ‘Are you still mad at me because of what I said before?’ He prompted.

‘What do you think.’ Heechul retorted.

‘You know I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you had feelings for Hankyung.’

‘Good because I don’t.’ The reply was far too quick. Yesung suppressed a smirk. ‘Why did you think I did in the first place?’ He pondered for a moment.

‘I don’t really know. I suppose you just seem like you have a good time when he’s around. You smile more.’ He admitted. Heechul faltered his footsteps but kept moving. He didn’t say anything, kept his eyes straight ahead and then eventually shifted back to a cat. Yesung did smirk this time. He’d had his suspicions about where Heechul’s heart lay since Ryeowook had talked about it but now he could see it for his own eyes. Yet it was strange to see Heechul like this and that felt melancholy. He supposed the last time he could remember Heechul smiling so much was when Jay- The tablet beeped.

‘What was that?’ Henry’s voice spoke from the ether .

‘It’s the tablet. It’s found something.’ Yesung stopped walking to examine the images he was being given. They were in a room filled with rocks and natural artefacts on the first floor. Unexpectedly, Heechul shot forwards, transfiguring into a young Belgian Malinois as he went. He started sniffing the ground, following some kind of snaking trail. Yesung bemusedly followed him but then noticed that the tablet had discovered what was missing. ‘The Blue Moonstone...

Henry flashed back into view just as Yesung dematerialised with a crack. He reappeared in a whoosh of black smoke just in front of a plinth that should have been proudly presenting one of the rarest stones in existence. But the platform was bare. The glass casing all around it was perfectly intact, the spotlights still shone on the space where a bright cerulean rock would have sat were it not for the fact that it was missing. No, not missing. Taken. Heechul suddenly barked.

‘What is it?’ Yesung span around and the redhead was back to a human.

‘There’s blood on the floor.’ He said bluntly.

‘Blood?’ Henry’s eyebrows shot up.

‘Yes. It’s dried but there’s a few drops over here and then more over in that direction. Looks like a very sporadic trail.’ Heechul explained, gesturing to areas of blood stained floor he must have discovered as a dog. Yesung was about to respond when, without warning, Master Chen’s voice filtered into his ears from the com-link.

‘Where are you up to?’ The man implored.

‘We’ve actually just discovered what’s been taken.’ Yesung replied.

‘Good work. What are we looking at then?’

‘It’s the Blue Moonstone. It’s gone.’ Heechul answered. He had a peculiar look on his face.

‘The Blue Moonstone?’ Master Chen repeated incredulously. ‘Shisus… Alright. Anything else to report?’

‘Heechul’s found dried blood on the floor which looks to be leading off somewhere.’ Yesung could see that the shifter was still trying to sniff something out despite having returned to human form.

‘I see.’ Master Chen went on. ‘Follow that trail and examine the entire area. I want a full report as soon as you leave that place.’ The line crackled and their leader had gone. Apparently, so had Henry for he’d vanished once again.

‘I can smell something.’ Heechul murmured.

‘Like what?’

‘Something… spicy.’ He was inhaling the air around him rather amusedly but Yesung refrained from laughing. He took a whiff himself.

‘All I’m getting is sweaty must.’ He said in a jokey tone but Heechul promptly froze. ‘What?’

‘Nothing.’ The shifter jolted back to normal and Yesung frowned. He didn’t get a chance to inquire further before Henry became visible once again with a serious look on his face.

‘There’s a lot of black aura swirling around the podium and across the room which I think is going in the same direction as the blood stains.’ He said gravely.

‘What do black auras usually imply?’ Yesung asked, unfamiliar with Henry’s invisible world.

‘Death.’ The youngest uttered. Yesung swallowed thickly. This mission was becoming more and more strange and he didn’t like where it was heading at all. 

‘Death auras. Blood stains. What next?’ He tried to lighten the mood but inevitably failed.

‘We should keep moving.’ Henry suggested and so they did.

The trail wove out of the room and through several corridors heading towards one of the main staircases. They went down it, back onto the ground floor and across one large hall until they realised they were back at the main entrance once again. Yesung frowned for a second time, trying to connect the pieces of this foreboding puzzle but he was afraid once everything was connected, he wouldn’t like the picture. He glanced at Heechul and noticed that the other boy had gone white as a sheet.

‘Heechul, are you ok?’ He asked.

‘I’m fine.’

‘You’re shaking.’ Yesung looked down at Heechul’s trembling hands. Henry materialised, sensing something was wrong.

‘Must be a side effect of that antidote I took to stop me being drunk. I’m fine.’ Heechul assured though he was hardly convincing.

‘You sure?’ Yesung raised an eyebrow.

‘Yes. Now come on. We’ve obviously reached the end of our investigation.’ He purposefully strode out of the vaults and hurried down the steps back down onto the gravel path where the congregation were all stood just as they’d left them. Taecyeon looked over with surprise when he noticed they had returned and went to meet them.

‘Are you done? What’s the situation?’ He queried with some level of urgency. Yesung threw up a hand to shield his eyes against the early morning sun that was now fully peeking over the eastern horizon.

‘The Blue Moonstone has been taken and we’ve found a trail of blood leading out of the building from where it should be. Henry also says that there’s an aura of death in the air along the same trail.’ He reported. Taecyeon nodded and immediately began relaying the information into his own com-link and commanding orders loudly to the other regular agents in the area. The whole place burst into a frenzy of movement with Yesung, Henry and a swaying Heechul in the middle of it all.

‘I have to say, I admire your determination.’ The monster chuckled. Ryeowook ground his teeth against the desire to bite back a remark but he refused to give the Elf the satisfaction. ‘I didn’t think, looking at you, that you’d be any trouble but here we are. You, me and my knives.’ Yunho sighed mockingly. ‘I’m going to give you another chance. It’s entirely up to you whether you keep your fingers or not.’ Ryeowook swallowed the bile rising in his throat. ‘Show me your powers.’

It wasn’t hard keeping his gift under wraps, the hard part was the agonising wait from when Yunho gave his demand to when he started playing with sharp things. Ryeowook closed his eyes this time and tried to reach a state of peace. If he could meditate his way through the torture, perhaps the pain could be dulled for the time being. He counted exactly sixty seconds before he heard the swish of a dagger being tossed about the air. But then there came a different noise. The door to his prison cell was being opened. He opened his eyes just as it slammed shut again and he realised Yunho had left. He must have gotten bored… for now.

His breath came out in short bursts when he released the air he’d apparently been holding onto. No restraints had been put in place to keep him strapped to the Elf’s tormenting table and so he slipped off its harshly flat metal surface onto the floor which was equally as unyielding. The comfort of a warm bed and a soft blanket seemed like a distant dream now and yet he’d not been kept more than a full day. Oh how he hoped he wouldn’t be there forever.

What could they possibly want with him? The Elf wanted to see his powers but that just begged the question why. Atmokinesis was elemental and diverse but it just didn’t make any sense as to why the Dark Elves would need it.  It was sinister. Who knows what they were up to. The shock that they really were back for revenge hadn’t properly sunken in yet but Ryeowook knew it would hit him at some point and probably at the most inconvenient time. No matter what though, he couldn’t let Yunho win. He needed to do this for The Institute, for his friends… for Yesung.

A nurse was flurrying over to them the second the smoke cleared and the smell of bile reached Yesung’s nostrils; the only thing keeping him from letting go of the other boy was the fact that if he did, Heechul would most likely collapse. They were guided to a hospital bed where he placed the shifter down as best he could and felt relief slide over him at having the responsibility taken off him. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Heechul’s wellbeing, he did – to an extent – it was just that the stink of vomit was making him feel queasy as well.

‘What happened to him?’ The nurse asked.

‘We were on a mission and he just suddenly started going very pale. He said it was probably a side effect of that KL-F6 drug that stops you being drunk.’ Yesung explained, consciously making an effort not to breathe through his nose if it would stop the stench reaching it. He was happy to notice that an orderly was meandering over, albeit reluctantly, with a mop and bucket.

‘I told Master Chen that drug was unstable.’ The nurse grumbled. ‘I’ll give him a check over and see what the problem is though I’ll probably keep him under observation for a while if the symptoms persist. Unless there’s anything else, you’re free to go.’

‘Thank you. You might want to expect some visitors however. I expect Kangin will come barging down here as soon as I tell him.’ Yesung replied in a jokey tone.

He didn’t waste time sticking around; Heechul wouldn’t have cared had he been slightly more conscious. He teleported up to the sleeping quarters and it was there that he was hit with two sudden realisations. The first being that he was exhausted now that inebriation and adrenaline had worn off. The second – where was Ryeowook? Part of him wanted to march straight to Master Chen’s office and demand to know if Wookie had been found. A more persistent side of him insisted that Ryeowook was likely safe and sound so sleeping would be absolutely justifiable.

The hallways were mostly empty when he eventually traipsed down them. He really hoped someone was in the café to appreciate how much effort he’d put in to actually get dressed and brush his teeth despite feeling like he could lay down and hibernate until next spring. Chances were, however, that everyone else had only just woken up as well. As he rounded the corner and headed through the café doors, he was proved entirely correct.

‘Mornin’.’ He greeted and promptly yawned.

‘Afternoon.’ Leeteuk retorted. He was the only one that looked awake, the rest were a messy pile of zombies. Kangin took a seat beside him on the sofa only then realising that he needed a cup of coffee as soon as his touched the cushion. He groaned in frustration.

‘Coffee?’ His eyes shot up at ZhouMi sat across the table with a coffee pot in hand.

‘Marry me.’ Kangin replied. Leeteuk whacked him with a newspaper and ZhouMi chuckled. He poured the wolf a strong mug, handing it over with a smile. Kangin had never been more in love with a drink until that moment and he protected his precious like it was the One Ring.

‘So I suppose the mission went well last night then seeing as we weren’t called out.’ Leeteuk began saying, directing his speech to Henry.

‘You could say that.’ The youngest replied. ‘We know what’s gone missing but it’s just raised even more questions.’

‘What’s been taken then?’ Kangin interjected.

‘The Blue Moonstone.’

‘What?’ Kyuhyun and Kibum’s heads both jerked up at the same time.

‘The Blue Moonstone.’ Henry repeated. He and the majority of the group raised baffled eyebrows at the demon and the telepath. They had serious expressions on their faces and were exchanging dreaded looks of disbelief.

‘The Blue Moonstone is one of the rarest and most powerful stones in the universe. I didn’t even know it actually existed let alone sat in the Adamantium Vaults.’ Kibum said anxiously.

‘What’s the big deal though? There’s plenty of rare stones in that place.’ Kangin groused.

‘The big deal? What’s the big deal?’ Kyuhyun snapped. ‘You of all people should consider this a big deal.’

‘It controls the moon.’ Kibum stated.

‘What?’ Leeteuk’s jaw dropped. Kangin’s eyes widened as far as they would go. Something could control the moon. The moon. That wasn’t supposed to happen, that really wasn’t supposed to happen. If someone tried to take charge of the moon, what the hell was going to happen to him?

‘It can control any moon technically but since we live on Earth, I think we know which one we’re going to need to keep an eye on.’ Kyuhyun was muttering.

‘I take it this was the work of the Elves.’ Leeteuk questioned Henry.

‘Well we don’t know for definite but it seems likely.’ The Dark Elves had control of the moon. Kangin could feel his heart racing out of his chest.

‘I need to do some research.’ Kibum suddenly announced and quickly got up from his seat, leaving the café before anyone could say another word. There then fell a palpable silence over the whole group as they mulled over the new information. On paper, having the moon at your command didn’t sound like the most evil thing but once they had chance to really think about it…

‘Kangin, are you alright?’ Leeteuk asked softly.

‘Umm… no. I’m err,’ Kangin got up from the sofa. ‘I need to… I’m going to see if Heechul’s awake.’ He flustered over his words and nearly tripped trying to get away from the table.

‘Wait!’ Henry called. ‘Yesung took Heechul to the medical bay, he looked really ill.’ Kangin halted in a stupor, trying to process what he’d been told whilst simultaneously not wanting to accept it.

‘.’ He whispered. Without waiting for any more bad news, he turned his back on the special agents and lumbered out of the café.

It was a short walk down to the medical unit. There were plenty of people milling about down there in comparison to the quiet main hallways and Kangin had to weave his way through them to reach the sick bay where he knew Yesung would have gone earlier. It was easy enough to push aside fears concerning the Moonstone now that he had something else to deal with but everything had hit him at once, all he wanted was a lie down; maybe the nurses would accommodate him.

‘Ah, Yesung told me you’d be down here soon enough.’ Kangin swung his attention around the woman now approaching him and nodded at her words.

‘Where’s Heechul?’ He asked, cutting right to the chase.

‘Over here. His condition’s stable and he looks to be doing fine but he’s still asleep at the moment.’ The nurse led Kangin to a bed and the wolf looked over at his oldest friend with worry. Heechul was ghostly white and far too still to be considered normal. As Kangin sat down in the chair beside him, he took note of the dark purple circles under the shifter’s eyes and the crease in his forehead where his brow furrowed slightly. He reached out and took hold of Heechul’s left hand which trembled uncontrollably.

‘What happened to him?’ Kangin murmured regardless of whether the nurse was still there or not.

‘Yesung told me he took KL-F6 but I don’t believe it was a bad reaction to it.’ She told him. ‘From what I can tell, it looks to me like he had a panic attack.’ Kangin turned his head to look at her but did not let go of Heechul’s hand. She seemed to sense that he had a million questions and amicably pulled over another chair to sit next to him. ‘I know about his nightmares.’

‘Yeah… Eugene usually helps him with those.’

‘I know. She’s been treating him since he came here.’ Kangin nonchalantly took a glance at the nurse’s name tag – it was only fair if she knew his name. It read Kim Dasom. ‘He’s obviously been going through posttraumatic stress for a very long time now. Has he ever had a panic attack before?’

‘Yes, he got them quite a bit in the first few years when we moved here but then they started to go away. I thought he was getting better until his nightmares got worse the other week.’

‘They got worse? Do you know why?’ Dasom inquired.

‘It’s the Dark Elves.’ Kangin said frankly. He knew that everything always came back to Heechul’s experience with the Elves as a child. Witnessing the murder of his family, fleeing from his home and watching it burn down to the ground as an orphan with nowhere to go.

‘So while he was on the mission last night he must have been reminded of his traumatic experience in some way and that gave him a panic attack.’ Dasom reasoned out.

‘The Blue Moonstone has been taken and everyone suspects it was the Elves but I don’t think that would be enough to panic him so much.’ Kangin’s head hurt trying to figure it out. A voice in the back of his mind piped up, one that he had quieted long ago. He’d always had a hunch that Heechul had seen something… terrible that night his family was killed. It was a hunch Kibum had shared with him but instead of disregarding it, the psychic had read Heechul’s thoughts in search of the memory. Kangin had never asked if Kibum had found anything – he’d never wanted to know – until now.

Was it wrong to pry into Heechul’s past like that? To know the things he’d worked endlessly to suppress and try to forget. But what if it was important? If Heechul had had a panic attack because of something that happened at the Adamantium Vaults, perhaps it was related somehow to a traumatic memory that would unlock the answers they needed in order to retrieve the Blue Moonstone or, better yet, get the upper hand on the Dark Elves.

He scarcely had time to take a look at his injuries in the light before he heard the menacing sound of footsteps approaching the door. It creaked opened noisily and Yunho’s big black boots stepped inside. He began pacing a circle around Ryeowook, hands behind his back, features schooled to a sarcastically innocent expression. Ryeowook clamped his jaw and tried  to maintain an unaffected appearance, resolving to staring straight ahead instead of watching the predator stalk his domain.

‘Do you think they’re looking for you?’ Yunho mused aloud. Ryeowook stayed silent. ‘Do you think they’re running around trying to find you?’ It was just another torture tactic, nothing more. ‘You’ve been gone for so long now, where could you have gone?’ He stopped pacing. ‘Do you think they’ve started missing you?’ The elf leaned forwards until his face was glaring right into Ryeowook’s. ‘I. Wouldn’t. Bet on it.’ He smirked and straightened up again.

‘You see, that’s the thing about The Institute. They welcome all these specially gifted children, train them up to their full potentials and put them in teams. You think you have some sort of family don’t you?’ His laugh was venomous. ‘It’s time you realised how unimportant you are. Good old Chen has you thinking that this is all remarkable work, it’s momentous! Well, no. Actually, it’s not. You see you’re just a statistic. Another one of his minions in that great big monster fighting factory. As soon as you’re gone, he’ll just replace you with a newer model.’

‘So let me ask you.’ Now Yunho knelt down so he could face Ryeowook at eye level as he continued his tirade in a slighter softer, threatening tone. ‘What’s the point in being a good little soldier and keeping your talents to yourself when all you have to do is show me one magic trick and you can go down in the history books?’ He got up and backed away. ‘Think about it while you eat. My king wants you alive and alive you shall stay.’

Yunho went to the door and widened it so another person could enter the room before he left. The stranger was carrying a tray on which there was some kind of rice dish along with cutlery and a glass of water; this was apparently a five star prison. The tray was put down in front of Ryeowook on the floor and he swallowed away the saliva that had gathered at seeing food. But then, by chance, he looked up at the person who had brought it to him and he gasped.

‘Jay?!’ 

shisus christ

I love to be merciless with cliffhangers mwahahaha

*ehem*

anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter even though things are starting to get quite serious now 

I have found that writing in between doing coursework seems to be a healthy process as I get to take a breather for a while and write instead of getting stressed over a drawing so with any luck I'll be able to keep up this system - fingers crossed

if any of you are comic book nerds like me you may get some of the references in the vaults ;) 

I will try and update again as soon as I can but in the meantime, let's dance out to 2PM 

~JC