Jungkook woke up on his bunk, and for some reason, he felt dead already.  He got up with the rest of the members, who washed and dressed themselves silently, as if they were accepting their fate already.  Jungkook stared into his reflection and sighed.

The moment finally came.

He sat cleaning his pistol and organizing the medical kit when Taehyung sat down next to him.  He handed him a cookie, and Jungkook gave him a weird look.

“Come on, I got some from one of the other captains,” Taehyung said.

Jungkook took the cookie and laughed.  “Which one?  Yong Guk?”

“Nah, I got it from Chanyeol,” Taehyung replied with a smile.

Namjoon walked over, and the smile on Taehyung’s face slowly darkened.  Jungkook continued organizing his medical kit, ignoring the tension.  The two said their apologies, but they never really, fully forgave each other for their argument the day before.

“We’re heading out,” Namjoon informed them.

“Um, yes, Captain,” Jungkook said, awkwardly getting up and following the group out the tent.  Taehyung followed closely behind.

Jungkook looked to his right and saw soldiers gathered outside the general’s tent, some looking infuriated while others were worried.  He sighed and shook his head, thinking these were some of the men that they would be fighting with that day.  He turned away when he nearly crashed into Chanyeol.

“Oh, hey, Jeon,” Chanyeol greeted.  He pointed at Jungkook’s cookie.  “I see Taehyung gave it to you.”

“Yes,” Jungkook said.  “Thank you.”

The taller grinned.  “No problem.”  His gaze shifted to the crowd, and it darkened.  “I’m guessing you haven’t heard the news?”

“What news?” Namjoon asked as he walked over.  

Chanyeol looked down.  “SHINee was kidnapped.”

“What?” Taehyung gasped.  “But how?  They’re our best team --”

“I know.  This is a shock to everyone,” Chanyeol said, his voice low.  “Rumor has it the general’s going to pull something big.  They’re still alive, but boy, is he going to have to do something to save his reputation!”

“Reputation!” Jungkook exclaimed.  “That’s five innocent lives!”

The captain nodded and sighed.  “So we’re holding off the charge for now.  There’s nothing we can do.”

“Captain Park!”

They turned to see Baekhyun walking over with a grumpy frown on his face.  He had a trail of soldiers yelling after him, throwing all sorts of angry threats at his back.  He stopped and glared up at Chanyeol, who seemed like a redwood tree standing tall above him.

“Yes?” Chanyeol said.

“First of all, get rid of the mob!” Baekhyun hissed.  He turned to the team.  “Secondly, we need to talk.  Now.”

Darkness threatens the petals of life

Trying to poison it with a bit of strife

The rose, faithful, refuses to accept

In the deep recesses, its heart is kept

“You’re having us do what?” Namjoon asked, his eyes narrowed.

Baekhyun sighed as he leaned on his desk.  “You’re our only hope.  Our other teams aren’t built for this kind of work.  They’re all too big,” he said.  “We need you to rescue them.”

“But that’s worse than charging!” Jimin exclaimed.  “Even if we get through, it’s going to be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  We just don’t have their camps mapped out accurately at all!”

“I know it may not seem like much of a plan, but it’s our only hope of saving their lives,” Baekhyun reasoned with a defeated sigh.

Jungkook stared at his boots, his mind whirling.  The thought of slipping unknowingly into enemy territory frightened him to no end, but guaranteeing the lives of five other soldiers was a bit much to ask.  In some crazy way, it was possible, but he refused to think that way.

“So will you do it?” Baekhyun asked.

The team all thought before slowly nodding.  Namjoon nodded and saluted.

“Okay,” Baekhyun said.  “You’ll leave tonight, that way you’re not easily spotted.  It should be enough time for you to reach the camp before sunrise.”  He pointed at his map.  “If not, there’s a ravine here where you can stop and camp.”

The team nodded, slowly starting to wonder what they were going to be up to.

Time heals as it breaks

The one in love will do whatever it takes

To make things right again

The language of love is now foreign

Jungkook had his bag over his shoulders.  It weighed him down into the earth with every step behind his team as they trekked up the grassy hill.  The cold air of the night burned his lungs.  He couldn’t see anything in front of him, except for the white bandanas the members tied to their arms.

They stopped at a large tree, just before they would enter the enemy lines.  Taehyung let Jungkook rest against his shoulder.

“Okay, we’ll get going soon,” Namjoon whispered.  “No words beyond this point.  You all know the plan.”

The members nodded, and adjusted their things before setting off again with careful steps.  Jungkook could hear nothing but his own heartbeat and the blood rushing through his ears.  The silent echo of the fields was eerie and deafening to Jungkook.  A cold breeze brushed against his cheeks, and he shivered.

They approached some soft firelight, and they could hear some laughing as they came closer.  There was no visible gate; their camps were wide open without a single concern.  Jungkook nearly scoffed at how careless these merciless men were.

Namjoon signaled from the front of the group, and the group split into two, with Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok on one team and Jungkook, Taehyung, Jimin, and Jin on the other.

Jin checked behind him to make sure everyone was there before continuing on around the opposite side of the camp.  As the sun began to break over the horizon, the soldiers took their bandanas off and proceeded to put their face masks on.  Jungkook found himself struggling for breath, but he felt comforted as Taehyung touched his hand as they walked some more.

Jin stopped and nodded towards the small team.  They crouched down in the bushes and scanned the camp.

Most of the men were sleeping in their tents, but the other half were gathered around a dying campfire, laughing and drinking a bit too much.  From across the camp, they could see Namjoon and his small team peeking over the shrubs.

A flash of red caught Jungkook’s eye, and he touched Jin’s shoulder and pointed.