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SearchingTaemin woke up late the next morning, he felt much better now despite still feeling haunted by that nightmare. He sat up and noticed that Kai was pacing around the room quietly.
"What's wrong ?" Taemin asked the other boy.
"I think my mom got worse, she can't remember me." Kai bit his thumbnail as he spoke.
"What ? So suddenly ?" Taemin got up and out of the room.
"Yes, this morning..." Kai followed Taemin.
"Hm...I'm sor-"
"Taemin, there you are, I thought I heard a man's voice earlier, have you seen anyone ?" Iseul looked around the house suspiciously.
"Er...Kai is...he is right here, Iseul." Taemin stepped away so he stood beside Kai.
"Huh ! Don't make such jokes." Iseul glared at him.
"I uh, sorry." Taemin shrugged to Kai, he didn't know what to do.
"Never mind." Kai walked back in to his room.
"Your device was making sound all night." Iseul said annoyed.
"I don't know how you slept through it." Iseul complained.
Taemin leaved the room quietly while Iseul continued talking. He walked up to sad looking Kai who quietly mumbled something about not being able to leave like this. Taemin was just going to say something to him when the radio sounded again. Taemin answered and it was Jonghyun and Dan who took turns yelling at him through the radio. Taemin apologized for not contacting them sooner but they didn't seem to let it go like they usually would, espcially Jonghyun sounded extra stressed out.
"Taemin get the back here immediately." Jonghyun hissed.
"Ok ok, I will but what's wrong ?" Taemin was worried now.
"The damn bast-" Dan began.
"Hssh shut up ! Just come here now or I swear to god Taemin... Jonghyun out." Jonghyun cut Dan off.
"Ok..." Taemin muttered ro himself when the signal was suddenly broken.
"What was that about ?" Kai wondered.
"We have to leave right now." Taemin gathered all his stuff quickly.
"What, I can't leave now !" Kai said.
"Ofcourse you can, it's now or never." Taemin reminded him.
Kai muttered something and glared with anger at Taemin. Then he walked out of the room perhaps trying to get acknowleged by his mother once more. Taemin kept on packing down his stuff. They would have to walk some distance since the nearest bus stop was pretty far away. Taemin took the freedom to pack down some clothes for Kai as well and noticed how few pieces the other had. He could only find one pair of old worn out jeans and a few t-shirts that weren't completely torn. out of all the clothes thrown around the room these were the only usable ones. Taemin sighed, he would have to get the younger some new stuff as soon as he could. Kai came back in to the room, not looking all to happy and muttering something about not being a baby when he realized Taemin had packed his stuff. Taemin tried to radio Jonghyun, Dan, Kenta and even Minho but no one replied so now it was really time to leave. He wanted to know what was going on, something was definetely up. Taemin wondered if maybe they had overstayed their welcome. No they should've been here 4 days so far and they had permission for 5. Had they ship somehow broken down, impossible. Onew and Key knew what they were doing and with the help from Miyoung and Jihoon there was nothing they couldn't fix. God knows how many times Viper had been patched up already, she was a stubborn ship. Taemin then realized someone could be in trouble or be injured and he felt the panic grow inside, what on earth could've happened. Kai noticed how stressed and worried Taemin looked so when he shoved him out the door he didn't object. He cast one last look at his mother and waved to her with teary eyes even though she looked right through him and only said good bye to Taemin. Tomorrow she too would leave the house as Taemin had arranged an earlier moving date for her. Kai looked away and followed Taemin closely with an aching heart.
"Kai hurry a little please." Taemin said annoyed at the other.
"Mhmm..." Kai picked up the pace.
"I'm sorry." Taemin slowed down and sighed.
"Don't be." Kai countinued walking.
"No really, you shouldn't have had to part like that." Taemin grabbed Kai's arm and turned him around.
"I'm fine." Kai stared at the gound and looked anything but fine.
"Kai..." Taemin forcefully pulled the other in to his arms.
"It's just...sad." Kai sobbed in to Taemins shoulder.
"I know, I'm sorry." Taemin looked up to the sky and sighed again.
It looked like it was going to rain. All he could see around them were empty fields. The only comfort he felt in the situation was the sobbing boy in his arms who were clutching his shirt tightly. Taemin enjoyed the warmth of the hug and would've preferred to stop time right there and stay like that, ofcourse reality rarely let you dream for too long. Kai had come to mean too much to Taemin too quickly, he hadn't made a friend this fast in his life time. Usually it would take years, at least months before he trusted someone but it wasn't like that with Kai. He wanted to share himself with him and stay by his side. Taemin inhaled slowly, enjoying the warm smell of Kai. And then reality struck them like lightning as a car came in vision far away on the road and approaching them in a dangerous speed. Taemin let go of Kai who dried his eyes and turned away from him. It was Jonghyun who approached them in the vehicle and he stopped a few metres away and signaled to them to jump in. Taemin took his and Kai's stuff and put it in the back and then he got in the car and pulled Kai in after him.
"Who is this ?" Jonghyun asked looking at Kai in the back view mirror.
"Wha-" Taemin began but lost the rest of the sentence as his shin dropped to the ground.
"Why are you bringing someone so inconveniently, Taemin I swear..." Jonghyun sighed and shook his had as he drove through the fields.
"Taemin why..." Kai looked at Taemin with eyes bigger than oranges.
"I don't- Can you, can you see him ?!" Taemin asked.
"Ofcourse I can see him you idiot, and I'm not up for playing games." Jonghyun hissed.
"Uh I'm, I'm-" Kai stuttered.
"He's a very experienced pilot ! Best here, yep." Taemin lied.
"Taemin what the-" Kai got cut off bý Taemin's hand covering his mouth.
"You said we could use another pilot right and Minho wanted to find someone too." Taemin said trying to think of something convincing to say.
"Hm yeah, but I don't know if now is really the time for that." Jonghyun sighed.
"What ? Why ?" Taemin asked.
And then Jonghyun finally told him what was up. Sara, Star and Miyoung were missing ever since they went to the research hospital and Minho and Kenta had been denied access to the gate, meaning they could not search for them. The police had plain stated that they had never even been there but Kenta and Tatsuya who had accompanied them there had seen them go ínside with their own eyes. Tatsuya, who had caused a commotion had been arrested and Minho and Kenta had been forced to go back to Viper where they were currentlý gathering everyone.
"Oh god no, they'll never let them go." Kai whined in the back.
"What did you say ?!" Jonghyun asked angrily.
"Kai is that where..." Taemin stopped when the other held his head and screamed suddenly.
"Kai what's wrong, get it together." Taemin tried to hold down Kai as best as he could so he wouldn't harm himself because he was totally out of control.
"They'll never let go, they'll make you..." Kai panted and covered his ears and pulled up his legs under him.
"Taemin what the is he-"
"I don't know ! I've never seen him like this ! Kai calm down !" Taemin pulled Kai closer and the younger immediately clasped onto him.
They didn't mangage to get anything more out of Kai, the other desperatly held on to Taemin as if he would die if he let go. Taemin banned Jonghyun from asking anything more and the other went silent for now. Taemin hadn't realized Kai could've been thus traumatized even though he knew he didn't like to talk about his hospital days, but this was different. It was like he had remembered something terrible, too terrible to process. Taemin rocked the still trembling boy by his side in his arms. He desperatly wanted to help him but he didin't know what to say or do. He remembered having nightmares as a kid, about the Green Thunder's Holiday. There had been nothing anyone else could do for him to calm down and he felt like this was the same situation. He was just happy that at least Kai seemed to have calmed down a little when he held him. They finally reached the ship's location after what felt like forever and was met by an angry Minho.
"Where the hell were you ?" Minho hissed.
"I'm sorry..." Taemin swallowed and carefully coaxed Kai out of the car.
Kai was still pale as a ghost and Jonghyun looked at him with worry. It looked as if he wanted to sa something but if he did than he held back because he just turned to Minho and excused himself for being late with bringing Taemin. Minho however took no notice to Kai much to Jonghyun and Taemin's surprise but it soon became clear to both Taemin and Kai that he couldn't see him. For Taemin that was very conveinient. Minho might've asked him to simply leave in a situation like this.
"So what are we going to do, captain." Asked Haru.
"We have to get Tatsuya out of jail somehow to begin with and they won't let us pay bail..." Minho rubbed his shin.
"I can fix that if we just locate the others first." Haru said confidently.
"We're not blowing anything up, Haru." Kenta said and gave him a stern look,
"Ok, vice captain..." Haru replied.
"But we really have to find out if they're kidnapped and held hostage at the hospital." Jonghyun said.
"Research hospital, not the regular one." Kenta corrected hím.
"Doesn't matter, they work together." Kai shrugged.
"They work together anyhow." Taemin repeated so everyrone could hear.
"How do you know so much ? You didn't go there did you ?" Minho glared at him.
"No no no, hell I'd stay away if they gave me a million V$." Taemin held up hi hands in defense.
"Hm...Anything else you want to tell us ?" Kenta asked.
"Seems like they do some less ethic suff over there, oh and they ones who oppose disseaper..." Taemin said.
"How the hell do you know that ?!" Dan shouted.
"I talked to some people." Taemin shrugged innocently again.
"You mean like talking to yourself, Taemin I'd like to meet these people." Dan said suspiciocly.
"Yes me too, where can I find them and will they help us, introduce us Taemin." Minho said.
"Uhm...that might be difficult..." Taemin stared at Kai and then at Jonghyun, hoping they would help him out.
"I met one of them but I'm afraid they're too scared to help." Jonghyun lied.
"What do you mean 'too scared' ?!" Onew shouted.
"What are they doing to Sara, Star and Miyoung !" Iris cried.
"Their family was murdered..." Taemin sighed.
"OMG we have to get them out now." Dan said and looked at Minho.
"Is this sure, it was the government, at the hospital ?" Minho asked Jonghyun and Taemin.
"Yes and maybe they did more than kill them." Jonghyun said seriously.
Kai shivered next to Taemin and Taemin lay his arm around his shoulders and assured him everyting would be ok. The truth though was that Taemin was terrified, three people of their crew had been kidnapped, one was in jail and for all they knew he might be kidnapped too. And they had absolutely no plan ! Not only was this situation already bad but Kai was there too. Taemin didn't want to ask him any more about the hospital but he knew he had to if he wanted to find his other friends. So Taemin asked Kai and Kai told him all he knew, or at least all he could remember, which honestly wasn't much. But he did remember a back entry to the lower sections that nobody use and suggested they try there. However Taemin wished he could keep Kai as far away from there as possible. If they killed doctors for allowing their patients to live than what would they do with someone who knew possibly all of their secrets ? Taemin would rather not find out the answer to that question...
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