Kris eyed the girl up and down, not hiding the fact he was critiquing her from head to toe. “So we are supposed to let her live with us? Like a babysitter or something?”

“Hey, brother, isn’t babysitter a bit of a harsh word?” Doctor Park tried to soothe the shock which he had created “Sunny is a super cool chick. She will make sure you guys are safe while I am gone.”

“And where are you going?” Luhan asked. They were all sitting around the living room, having regained some of their sanity after they thought they were being attacked by a psycho Doctor Park. Needless to say, the twelve of them were not appreciative of Doctor Park’s prank.

“I have things to take care of. Yo- I can’t just hang out with you guys all day.”

“What are you so busy doing?” Kris raised an eyebrow.

“Look guys, this threat is twofold.” Doctor Park tented his hands, leaning forward in the leather chair he was sitting in “The military of South Korea has a secret unit dedicated to reengineering the red shifting technology. Meanwhile the Tae Yang contingent is going to arrive here soon – and when they do that military unit is going to become their pawns. Think of that. They will infiltrate the government, the military, and all hell will break loose. I need to spend my time making sure that threat doesn’t spread, making sure you guys are targeting only what you have to target while I take care of the other things.”

“And I have had my powers for a while now, so don’t you worry -  I can help you guys if you need assistance in maintaining control over your own abilities.” Sunny was smiling. She certainly was a peppy little thing.

“Just don’t let her drink, trust me on that one.” Doctor Park whispered, trying to stop Sunny from hearing. He failed miserably, a slap on his arm landed by a huffing and puffing Sunny.

“I drink just fine!” The small woman protested.

“That is the problem, she drinks too much.” Doctor Park rubbed his arm, returning to the task at hand “Brothers, you won’t be bored for long. The military unit I talked about is run by a very odd man who has a very visible weak spot. It is kind of amazing that they put him in charge in fact, given his personal problems.”

“Dare I ask what this weak spot is?” Kyungsoo spoke up, feeling a wave of anxiety rush over him.

“He has a male lover, very strange arrangement. His lover isn’t just a nobody, he is a celebrity. Have you guys ever heard of Choi Seung-hyun?”

“The actor?” Suho had seen more than one of his movies, who hadn’t. The guy was practically printing money for movie studios “Isn’t he married?”

“Right, brothers, that is what the man wants you to think. His wife lives with her Mother and the guy hasn’t seen her in months. Seung-hyun has been playing boy toy to a military intelligence director for years.”

“Dayum.” Tao whistled. He would never have seen that coming. Choi Seung-hyun had a spotless reputation, was renowned for charitable works and his loving relationship with his wife. But he had been sleeping with a military officer all along? Appearances really were deceiving.

“If the affair is exposed it is game over for Choi Seung-hyun’s career. It is an angle I think we should explore before we go down a more dangerous path.” Doctor Park suddenly laughed loudly, causing the others to jump at the boisterous display “Man, it is going to be so fun to see you guys figure this one out.”

“I don’t like when you laugh like that.” Kyungsoo scowled.

“I don’t like when you give me dirty looks with your big eyes brother, but I still put up with it. Now think of a plan on how you are going to gather proof of the relationship so you young dudes can graduate to blackmailing. You get him by the balls, tell him his pretty boy is about to be ruined, and he will start talking about all sorts of things – like how we stop whatever sick they have started.”

“Isn’t time of the essence here? I mean, you are just kind of playing with us – I thought we were supposed to be making haste to save the world or something.” Jongdae spoke up, voicing the frustration the others felt.

They were only being told a small piece of the overall story, they could all tell. It wasn’t difficult to know that Doctor Park was holding back details. And now the man decided it would be a hilarious exercise to see if the twelve of them could blackmail a celebrity? Things were not adding up. Not that they ever had, not since they had gone through that damn portal.

“Saving the world needs to be done carefully. If I unleash you guys on the world right now, you will probably blow a bunch of up by accident, attract the police and army, end up dead – and then where does that leave things? Yo, take it easy.”

“I still think he smokes weed.” Chanyeol mumbled. There were a few nods from the other guys as they tried to reason out the strange demeanor of Doctor Park.

***

“I just love post it notes- don’t you!” Sunny was truly a ball of sunshine, unless she was angry that is. Kris had made the woman mad when he told her she dressed like a peasant and her fury was kind of scary to witness. She had dressed the much taller man down with a few choice swear words being going back to being her bright self.

Post it notes were stuck all over the wall with suggestions like “Kidnap Choi Seung-hyun.” Or “Have Luhan lift Seung-hyun’s up when he is in the middle of doing the horizontal whickety whack with that army dude”.

“We need to really think about this.” Suho crossed his arms, eyeing all of the suggestions “We can’t just bust in and catch them in the act.”

“Why not?” Baekhyun thought it was a great idea.

“You are such a moron.” Sehun shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“I know you are but what am I.” Baekhyun mocked.

“Shut up, both of you. “ Suho gave Baekhyun and Sehun the evil eye “What if we did this- keep a lookout on his house, follow him, and when he is with his boyfriend Tao stops time.”

“Me?” Tao looked a bit alarmed. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of being the center of their plan.

“Yeah. And then you need to go in and snap some pictures. Unfreeze time once you are out of there. Then Jongin-“Suho pointed at the fugitive who snapped to attention suddenly “You can teleport into the house and confront him with the evidence. That way we can get past all of the security he likely has and catch him by surprise at the same time.”

“What about me babe?” Kris looked a bit put out that Suho’s plan did not mention him.

“Did you seriously just call Suho babe?” Tao laughed sarcastically “And you yell at me and Sehun for-“ Tao mentally checked himself and stopped before he said making out or kissing or ing or...

“Ya! We are not taking each other’s pants off every chance we get!” Kris shouted, the difference was clear in his mind.

“Okay- everyone in favor of the plan raise your hand.” Suho was not about to be sidetracked with the Haung brothers arguing over who took whose pants off and if it was okay to do so.

Hands jutted up, including Sunny’s.

“I think it is a great plan.” She confirmed her thoughts on the matter “You are very smart Suho.”

“Thanks.” Suho blushed slightly at the complement “Alright. Then we have our plan. Get ready to do some spying.”

***

Minseok and Luhan were elected for the first surveillance shift. Luhan pulled the piece of paper from his pocket, unfolding the crumpled mess to look at the address once again. Chanyeol had found it online, which was just one more frustration Luhan felt when it came to the entire debacle. Doctor Park had left them without so much as a clue as to where to find the actor, who his lover was, or anything else that would make their task easier. The doctor had left with a “Keep it cool brothers” and a complete and total lack of interest in the job he had given them.

“It is so weird to think we are going to see a celebrity’s house.” Minseok stared out of the window of the taxi cab, watching pedestrians mill about the upscale shopping district.

“We just need to keep a low profile.” Luhan was nervous about the mission. He wasn’t exactly a surveillance expert or anything.

“What time did Chanyeol say Seung-hyun would be home?” Minseok checked his new watch, which was really Luhan’s old watch. He had been so fascinated with the feel of it around his wrist Luhan had given up and just told him to keep it.

“According to his crazy stalker fans he should be home around one.” That was one in the morning, not the afternoon. The sun was already setting and they were heading out early just in case. According the fan sites Choi Seung-hyun had filming out of town until late but he almost always returned home, no matter how late into the night his schedule went.

“What do we do if he visits…” Minseok didn’t have to explain who he was referring to, it was the military officer that they were waiting for.

“I kind of doubt it, don’t you? They probably meet up somewhere.” Luhan pulled the borrowed cell phone from his pocket, checking again to make sure Tao’s number was saved. He had to call the others if they saw anything of importance. Then it hit him.

“I never called my Mom!” Luhan groaned, quickly dialing the number. She answered after several rings, which wasn’t really a surprise since the number he was calling on was foreign to her.

“Yeah, it is a borrowed phone, mine died. Sorry to worry you. I am going to spend the night at a friends house.”

“No, it is not a girl.”

“So, I will probably be home tomorrow, if not I will call.”

“Yep everything is fine. Just hanging out with a friend I met at that Doctors.”

“Uh huh, I will. Yeah, Minseok is here too.”

“Okay, bye.”

“She totally bought it.” Luhan looked proud of himself.

“She is probably just happy to hear you have a friend that can be seen.” Minseok .

“Yah! You are real. Just look at your…realness!” Luhan protested.

“Your Mom doesn’t know that though.” Minseok reminded him “She thinks I am your imaginary friend, remember?”

“Are you guys on drugs or something?” The cab driver, who had remained silent so far during the ride suddenly spoke up “I mean, not to eavesdrop but do you guys need to go to the hospital or something?”

“No!” Luhan and Minseok answered in unison, deciding their conversation was best dropped lest the cabbie deliver them to the nearest hospital or police station.

***

“So you are from that planet or...” Chanyeol was busy finishing a bag of chips, questioning Sunny in between stuffing his mouth full of the delicious salty snack.

“Yeah, like you guys. I mean, I only found out about it after meeting Doctor Park when I was a little girl.”

“But you don’t have a friend or anything – I mean, you never had an imaginary friend.” Chanyeol asked in between chews.

“No. But I bet it would be fun to have one!” Sunny laughed.

“Not really. He was mine.” Chanyeol motioned to where Baekhyun was sitting playing video games with Sehun and cursing up a storm as the younger man dominated the game.

“He seems like a good friend though. I was adopted and the only kid at that. It was kind of lonely.” Sunny looked a bit sad as she thought back to her childhood.

“But you can shapeshift! That is so cool. You could turn into the president and give a speech of something.”

“Ha. Not really. It doesn’t last that long, only few minutes at the most if I try really hard.”

“That . Hey, what is Doctor Park’s power?” Chanyeol thought back to the veiled comments when they were on the planet, Ryohei or Se ho – one of them saying they would never believe what Doctor Park could do.

“Just like I said. He can form memories, erase them, change them.” Sunny seemed to think this was completely okay. Chanyeol on the other hand was scared less, dropping the nearly empty chip bag, crumbs falling out of his mouth.

“You have to be kidding. Hey- guys!” Chanyeol shouted loud enough to get everyone’s attention. They were all hanging around the large game room, sharing anxiety over the fact two of them were off watching the enemy. “Doctor Park can change memories!”

“Seriously?” Yixing looked alarmed. Jongdae had thought he was sleeping on the small settee but he perked up with Chanyeol’s announcement “Then is any of this real?”

“He would never use his powers to hurt you or fool you.” Sunny tried to reassure them “Doctor Park cares about all of you.”

“How can we know that?” Jongdae wasn’t so sure. What he was sure of was the fact that they had little choice but to listen to the man because he seemed to be the lesser of two evils- if the guys with guns they saw in the courtroom were anything to judge by.

“You don’t. You just have to trust him.”

Jongdae wasn’t sure he liked that answer.

***

“Those girls are so scary.” Luhan looked on at the small gang of girls gathered at the front gates of Choi Seung-hyun’s house. They were his most dedicated fans, or so they touted themselves as. Luhan had been too afraid to get anywhere near them so he took up a spot half a block away, sitting at a small, modernistic table outside a convenience store. This neighborhood certainly took itself seriously – even the convenience store tables were fashionable.

“They certainly like the guy that is for sure.” Minseok sipped his coffee “How did I exist without knowing how amazing coffee is?”

“Because you had me to keep you entertained.” Luhan winked.

“You are so cheesy.” Minseok rolled his eyes “So I am guessing we are going to see him come home and that is it. It isn’t like his boyfriend would come to his front door.”

“Yeah, it is kind of pointless, isn’t it?” Luhan stirred his own coffee. He liked a heavy dose of cream in his Americano, rendering the drink into a thick and sweet concoction.

“Dang!” Minseok pushed the paper coffee cup away from him, suddenly cringing.

“Is everything okay?” Luhan looked his friend up and down, concerned.

“I think I just froze it by accident.” Minseok looked sheepish.

“Well, iced coffee is good too. You should try it.” Luhan pushed the coffee back towards Minseok “Hey, at this rate you may only be able to drink iced coffee.”

“Ha, very funny.” Minseok sipped the drink nonetheless, “Mmm. This is tasty.”

“See, told you.” Luhan watched as Minseok down the cold coffee. He had to admit that Minseok looked adorable when he drank coffee, his eyes lighting up and his cheeks flushed. He had to admit Minseok looked adorable doing pretty much everything, other than the times he looked downright hot. He had to admit- Luhan decided it was probably time to stop staring at his friend.

***

“Hyungs, you guys are both on the news!” Sehun pointed at the television, then to Jongin and Chanyeol.

They gathered around the television, the nightly news broadcast a few minutes in, the reporter stating:

“A convicted murdered, Kim Jongin, escaped from prison this morning. His disappearance is believed to be connected to the escape of a man, one Park Chanyeol, from the Southern Seoul District Sanitarium yesterday. There is video evidence that Park Chanyeol aided in the escape of the fugitive.”

“What in the fresh hell?!” Chanyeol watched as grainy security camera footage showed him knocking out two guards outside the prison bus, grabbing Jongin and proceeding to make a run for it.

“We never even met before we went through the portal!” Kyungsoo shook his head “Who made this?!”

The report continued:

“The two men are considered extremely dangerous. If you encounter either of them please call the emergency number and report their whereabouts. Do not approach them as they may be armed and dangerous.”

“Great, this is great.” Jongin ran his hand through his hair, shutting his eyes tightly in frustration “I thought Doctor Park took care of this.” He couldn’t help it, he looked over at Sunny suspiciously.

“Hey…I thought so too. Just don’t panic. I am sure there is a rational explanation for it.” Sunny tried to reassure them. It didn’t work.

***

Luhan and Minseok finished their coffee, they decided their late night surveillance required they refill their cups. Luhan volunteered to make the trip inside to refill their caffeinated beverages, leaving Minseok to watch – just in case Choi Seung-hyun arrived home earlier than expected.

When Luhan exited the store he found that Minseok was not alone. A man was sitting at the table, conversing with Minseok. Luhan cleared his throat, more than a little apprehensive at the stranger who was talking his friend’s ear off.

“Oh, hey. Luhan this is..” Minseok clearly did not know the man’s name.

“Cha Sun Woo, but everyone calls me Baro. Nice to meet you” The man stood up and extended his hand to Luhan.

Luhan thought he looked friendly enough. His hair was cut in an awkward mop top hairstyle, his nose a bit crooked, and his eyes wide and kind. He looked utterly normal “Nice to meet you…Baro.”

“Sorry, I just kind of sat down. I had a rock in my shoe and needed to get it out.” Baro pointed at his sneaker “And then I started talking to Minseok here about football and well...”

Luhan sat down, Baro doing the same. Apparently the newcomer was not about to leave.

“So do you live around here?” Luhan asked, still suspicious.

“Here?! No!” Baro laughed “I could never afford to live here. Look at the houses, I mean…you would have to be a celebrity or something. Do you guys live around here?”

“No! Just..um…we were just shopping and kind of got wrapped up in talking and drinking coffee.” Luhan lied.

“Ah, yeah, this neighborhood will do that to you.” Baro looked up the street, not hiding the fact he was observing the gaggle of girls gathered near the gate of Choi Seung-hyun’s house.

“Do you know who lives there?” Minseok asked casually, trying not to seem too interested.

“Sure.” Baro returned his attention to Minseok, making eye contact, “And so do you.”

Luhan and Minseok didn’t have time to fully let Baro’s words sink in before they both felt the world starting to spin. Luhan felt his muscles tense, then everything became a blur.

“You guys should know better. No – Doctor Park should know better.” Baro sighed heavily, the last thing either man heard before everything went dark.

_______________________________________

a/n- I owe all of you guys a big ole sorry for not updating for almost a month :( I got wrapped up in writing a longer Xiuhan fic for a fic exchange on top of finishing up my MBA – oh, and that comeback. I mean…that takes time too…all the fangirling keke. The degree is now finished (yay!) and the Xiuhan fic is 90% complete which means I hath returned to this story. The fangirling will continue, but hey, that kind of involves this story any way.

And we have an appearance from T.O.P. (Choi Seung-hyun) and Baro! So what is going on?! Who is T.O.P. shacking up with and why is Baro making people slip into unconsciousness?! I could tell you...but that would defeat the cliffhanger *hides head*

Thank you for subscribing, commenting and voting! Thank you too if you are just reading, I really appreciate it. I will reiterate the fact this story is going to be a long one. Hopefully I will get back on an updating schedule so this lengthy story will be told in a timely manner. Until next time - LC

PS- The scene is coming, when the time is right ^^ Judging by the comments the first one will be…drumroll please…Xiuhan! I promise I will add it when it makes sense for the story. If you s can wait that is….