_____’s eyes are wide open the second the call comes in.

“The murderer of the past three reports has been uncovered. Report to quarters immediately.”

Her hand hits the large radio-like device beside her bed and she sits up; calmly tying her hair up into her signature sleek high pony. The sheets roll off of her to reveal the dark clothing she, as well as the other members, must always be wearing. Even in sleep.

 

Her hands find the familiar bullet proof vest hanging beside her bed. Slipping it on, she doesn’t seem to realize that it fits slightly looser than usual.

 

Things weren’t always this routine. When she first joined the Silent Capture Industry ( S.C.I), her hands would fumble with the guns. Her heart would beat whenever she got a call in the middle of the night,the bulletproof vest felt too heavy for her lean frame. She had been daring to start with, just nervous she would not be able to meet the expectations of her new boss ( she had transferred from an agency in Japan not quite as prestigious.) And of her fellow partner, Minho, who had lately been giving her stress for very different reasons. It was not that she was uncomfortable dealing with murderers and criminals, it was that she was unsure of reaching  the high opinions the entire industry had for her.

They used to whisper and whisper.

 

“Yeah that’s the new girl.”

“Do you think she’s as good as Minho?”

“Probably better.”

 

She chuckles remembering her former short lived worries.

Her work comes easily now.

 

☾ ☽

 

Minho is about to call _____ once his vest is on, but she calls first.

“Minho. You know we’re going to need the serious weapons for this one. He’s murdered-”

“Three, I know,” He cuts in. The sound of her convertible's engine throttling gets him rushing down the stairs of his apartment, and hurrying to zip his boots up. The phone leans between his shoulder and cheek as he fumbles. She’s silent on the other end, knowing he’s not finished speaking.

 

“So what are you thinking, we head to the main weapon warehouse now before reporting to quarters?”

The door slams behind him, and the intricate locks of his loft click into place as he swings his car door open and starts his own engine.

_____ hesitates.

 

“I know we’re supposed to report to quarters first, but it takes about an hour to get to the main weapons. The murderer could be miles from here by then. But he could also be the type that hangs around the scene. I doubt the rest of the crew can handle this criminal by themselves though. I mean Jonghyun is a pretty good puncher, but he’s also pretty good at getting punched. Plus you and I both know he never watches his weapons closely enough.”

 

Minho’s eyes are on the dark street, city lights fly by him as he speeds to the S.C.I building. His mind rolls like the wheels beneath him. Jonghyun did always seem to be taking the hits lately. And that wasn't his job.

“What do you have on you now?”

“Nambu 66, Minebea PM-9,” she answers easily.

He smiles darkly, “ You and your Japanese guns,”

He hears her laugh,“ Well yeah I didn't always live in Seoul. Japanese guns are a better shot anyway.”

 

It’s hard for him to remember those days. That is, the days when he was the only weapon expert. He used to feel worn out from his job; so pressured to full fill every mission by himself.

The day ____ arrived she had looked so determined. He remembered arriving to quarters expecting to have to identify more weapons used in the latest incident. Instead he found a striking girl about his age, with sharp cheekbones and dark eyes.

He had been pleased to know she would be his fellow weapon expert. She used to only be a strange girl that tumbled into his life and took the endless boring days away into her curious eyes, but now she was more than that. _____ was his other half. She was always by his side to fight. She knew the way his mind worked because her’s was its duplicate.

 

The day she strutted into his life as his partner he found purpose in his work. It was only lately that sorting out work and problems concerning ___ had begun to arise.

He did his best to clear his mind of those thoughts.

 

“I’m outside quarters. Forget I even asked,”

Minho can hear her snicker over the phone, and he shakes his head.

 

They both know The Boss will send them to the extreme weapon warehouse anyway.

 

☾ ☽

 

“Jinki we need to go. Now.”

Onew grinds his teeth, “Don’t call me that.”

 

Taemin rolls his eyes as he slips his vest on; throwing Onew’s in his direction. The vest flies across the room and accidentally smacks into his now awakening face.

 

“!” Onew yells, sitting up angrily and rubbing the side of his cheek before pushing it aside and slipping his shirt off,“Jesus these things get heavier every time.”

Taemin is unfazed by his older brother’s attitude and  laughs; a soft and warm sound that fills the tall and open room.

“Will you forgive me if I do your eyeliner for you?”

 

Onew’s deep laugh is much more loud and full hearted, although a bit scratchy at this time of night. His faces Taemin as he reaches into the closet.

“I wish, but we’d better skip the liner and just go. Knowing ____ and Minho, those little prisses,” He tugs a fresh black shirt over his tousled hair, “They’re probably already at quarters,”

“Their skinny asses are there even before The Boss calls in,” Taemin adds, tossing Onew a banana milk  from the fridge. Onew at last tugs the vest on and the brothers hurry into their boots and stab the little white straws into the sweet drinks they always have before a mission. Two dark boys sharing a light drink.

Their eyes meet, and they’re both grinning from excitement as their hands outstretch to wish each other luck.

“Let’s do this,” Their bottles crash against one another.

 

They now feel ready for the long night ahead of them.

 

☾ ☽

 

Jonghyun stares groggily at his own reflection.

Against the darkness of his apartment, his silver white hair glows like moonlace from an old fable. He blinks his burning eyes and stares at the bruises covering his jawline from the last mission; discolored and shifting.They were yellowing now, reminding him of forgotten golden apples that had hit the ground too roughly. He can’t help but think that all of the colors look strange and out of place against his tanned skin.

 

Usually ____ and Minho cover the combat, but there were always situations where Jonghyun must step in to cover Taemin and Onew. Whether it was the criminal setting traps, or, although rare, ___ and Minho being injured, he somehow managed to always get stuck in the middle of fights. All of the members were of course required to have at least 2 years of training in taekwondo, but ____ and Minho’s skills reached far past his own in combat and weapons. That wasn’t his specialty in the slightest; all he had was one hell of a bad temper and the nasty will to punch.

His eyes close as he takes three deep breaths. 1,2,3.

 

And then his eyes fly open.

 

Jonghyun has turned to a different mode as he quickly switches off the light in his bedroom then moves to click the small remote that causes thick steel shades to descend and cover the large windows of his apartment

.

His heavy door slams behind him as he clicks one last button without  bothering to turn around.

The front door clicks into place just as he has.

 

His head tilts up to look at the full moon, only slightly releasing the tension in his neck from sleeping on it  uncomfortably .The stars scattered in the ominous, cloudy sky seem to be sending him a message he can’t decipher.

 

He shakes his head in frustration as he lowers himself into his convertible.

The full moon makes people crazy.

                                                       

☾ ☽

 

Jonghyun walks with his usual authoritative saunter to the stretching skyscraper. It had become a strange kind of home to him. The dark glass windows reflect the night sky, and the scene puts himself at peace for a moment.

The large front doors are only used for clients, so Jonghyun makes his way to the side door used by workers. He unhooks a small, tooth-filled key from his belt and slides it into the opening on the slim metal door.  It’s not so much of a door as a key hole that reveals itself as a door once opened. He tugs the door edge slowly and closes the door quickly. If it is opened any other way, an alarm will sound.

 

When he turns around, a very small, silver room awaits him. His feet make solid tapping noises as he walks up to the wall parallel from the door, following through with the usual steps of the scanner his right palm, and then his S.C.I licence.The familiarity of adrenaline is slowly awakening and spreading from his slender fingers to his relaxed toes.

 

An enormous room appears before him;completely white, furniture included. His crews’ workspace; their home. Although a noisy one lately.

To the right,   ___ and Minho make their usual cups of green tea over at the food counter.

 

“Hey Jjong.Want some tea?” Minho asks alertly, despite the obvious lack of sleep he’s had.

“Ugh yes please,” Jonghyun groans tiredly as he settles onto the colorless couch and makes small talk with ____. Minho carefully pours the hot water and Jonghyun can’t help but think to himself, Minho is always so precise about everything, even pouring tea. Unlike me.

“Jonghyun. ”

Jonghyun shakes his head and runs his fingers through his short hair, realizing Minho had been trying to get his attention. It’s strange that you can be looking straight at someone but not really seeing them in the present.

“Yeah? What?” he recovers, accepting the white cup of tea from Minho.

“I was wondering if you had any idea how long this assignment is going to take,”

“Well I’m hoping it’ll only take tonight, but we can’t be sure. This guy has to be pretty smart to be able to get away from the police three times before they called us."

“But I thought The Boss only uncovered  the criminal tonight?” ____ questions.

Jonghyun sets his cup down and turns to her, making yet another transition within himself: The leader with the answers.

“He did, but the police were called first to see if they could handle it. They ran into the criminal three times but never caught him,” ___ raises an eyebrow at this, and Jjong shrugs “I don’t ing know. But. Anyway. Now they’re hoping we can find him and put an end to all of the this guy has been causing.” Jonghyun suddenly takes in the seemingly quiet room buzzing with machinery, realizing the lack of members in the room.

 

“Why the hell are Onew and Tae-?”

Taemin suddenly bursts into the room with a smirking Onew slowly following. Taemin runs up to Jonghyun and settles into a steep bow before him, his eyes closed tightly, as if awaiting a whipping. Onew, bored, scratches his left elbow and lazily blows a stray piece of hair out of his eyes.

 

Jonghyun eyes the two and raises an eyebrow

“Onew?”

Onew removes his soft glance on Taemin and instead glares at Jonghyun.

“What? Are you going to yell at me for another ten minutes about how I’m the oldest in the crew and shouldn’t be the weak link? Because you can shut the up, I already know.”

 

Taemin rises from his bow and silently tangles his hand in his brother’s.

“Onew.”

Onew eyes Taemin from the side, suddenly pushing away from him.

“Whatever, let’s just start the case.”

Taemin releases a sigh of relief, happy to get back to the criminal at hand, but Minho speaks up; not ready to let it go.

“Onew just because your dad runs this place, doesn’t mean you can do whatever the hell you want. Taemin doesn’t act like a whiny little teenager having his dad as his boss and he’s younger-”

“.off.” Onew breaths angrily.

____chuckles beside Minho and takes a gulp of her tea.

“Minho just lay off. Jesus.”

“Prisses,” Onew spits. Taemin sighs.

___sets her cup down, “I’m trying to help you if you haven’t noticed.”

“Yeah help by looking good in front of him,” He rolls his eyes.

___ and Minho both immediately cover their expressions with their cups in unison. Embarrassment doesn’t suite the weapon experts very well.

As Onew glares down at Minho, Jonghyun downs his last sip of tea, before rising and slowly stretching his arms above his head.

“Well you guys just get cheerier every case, don’t you?”

No one speaks up.

He takes another moment to release the tension in his neck from his restless sleeping habits, moving it from side to side and cracking his knuckles loudly.

 

“Alright enough with this sassy let’s call The Boss in."

 

☾ ☽

 

His slicked back dark hair and sleek shoes entering the room signals the team to sit up straighter, clear their minds of other thoughts not concerned with work, and put their focus to the information awaiting them.

 

The boss wastes no time starting up the big screen, his body guards in step with him.

At the snap of his rough fingers, the room darkens. The once white room now blanketed in black.

 

He settles into a steady pace back in forth in front of them. The face of a man who looks to be in his early twenties engulfs the large screen covering the entire wall of headquarters.

His sharp cheekbones and dark,almond shaped eyes juxtapose the mischievous and playful look upon his lips.

 

No. Jjong thinks to himself. Didn’t I used to go to school with him?

 

“Kim Kibum, 22, known by Key to his friends and family. That is,” The boss turns towards them, with a smirk,

“If he has any friends after all of the trouble he’s been causing,”

 

None of the members laugh, as they are soaking in the information of their new case. Jonghyun especially.

 

I think I did. Kibum. Key. Jjong bites his lip in concentration of his reminiscing.

The boss goes on,

“Three murders, not yet classified as first degree or manslaughter. That’s your job, Taemin, as you already know,” he says without a glance backwards.

 

Taemin and Onew both appear to be much more focussed versions of themselves than earlier that night. Onew is no longer draping his arms over his brother, but sitting up straight, and glancing forward, scanning over the screen, memorizing the face of Kim Kibum. The black hair styled in a way that looks deliberate; a man who holds himself above others, sticks in his mind.

 

Taemin’s chin is tilted upwards, his fingers tapping on his knee, as his mind is a mess of ideas and possibilities of how this Key could have gotten away three times, and scared off the police. He looks normal enough, but Taemin has never judged by appearances.

“Affirmed,” Taemin answers.

The boss nods at his sons, pleased.

 

His fingers snap a second time and the slide changes. An image of a lively, beautiful women with dark hair holding the hand of a young girl, about twelve, appears. The women looks calm, content, beside her daughter with similar features. Protective.

 

Jjong shifts uncomfortably in his seat. That girl looks familiar too.

 

“Kim Ara, Key’s mother, Kim Hyori, his younger sister. Hyori was reported missing five years ago, but no trace of her was ever found. No records of whether she is still alive have been kept. Ara is a resident of Seoul Social Care Centers; a mad house in other words. Diagnosed with schizophrenia. Father: Kim Jo: dead. Kim Jonghyun, I expect you to keep this in mind when talking with the criminal, I suspect one, if not all, of these troubled family members are weak spots for him.”

 

Jonghyun nods.

 

The boss' fingers snap yet again to shift the slide, but Jjong’s mind is on the face of the little girl. Hyori. A quick memory of the girl kicking off her shoes on his doorstep before entering his house flashes in front of his eyes.

 

He shakes his head. He’ll have to sort out these memories later. This information on Kim Kibum won’t come twice.

 

Three photos side by side appear now. All women.

“The first murder: Cha byung hee. 34. Unemployed. Married to Park soo joon. Murder type: Unknown. Body found at the fish market right outside of the city limits.

 

Second murder: Do eun sung. 27. Known e. Single. Murder type: Unknown. Body found outside Machra Bar on Eighth Street.

 

Third murder: Chaen Soo young. 24. Unemployed. Single. Murder type: Unknown. Body found in the far left wing hallway of Kairin high school.

 

There is no known connection between the victims, aside from the fact that they are all female. Taemin, you’ll of course be on inspecting the scenes. Jinki,” Onew cringes at the sound of his birth name,

“You’ll need to access the security codes to gain entrance to the murder scenes.”

 

The two nod.

 

“Good.” The boss snaps his fingers one last time and the lights come on once again, the screen flashing off. The light of the room does nothing to change the dark and focussed expressions of the members.

 

The boss turns to look at the team.

 

“ ____, Minho, due to the criminal having three charged murders, and not the usual one, you’ll both need to make a stop at the main weapon warehouse,”

 

Minho nudges ____ and she smiles knowingly. Of course, they both knew this already.

“Are you all in understanding of the jobs you must carry out for this case?”

“ Yes, sir,” They answer in unison.

 

The Boss simply nods before strutting out of the building, his body guards hurrying to catch up with his quick pace.