“You’re going back home.”

Ara furrowed her eyebrows.  Here she was, standing in Taehyung’s office after a morning of light sparring with Yoongi.  She had tried to make herself forget about the previous night’s rage against the officer in charge of her, but there were moments that kept seeping through.  

“What do you mean?”

Taehyung stood up from behind his desk.  He adjusted his cuffs as he walked around the desk.  “It’s exactly what it sounds like. You’re going back home,” he said.  He slid a manilla folder across the desk. “This folder contains your brief mission.  Maybe your last one. I’m sure you remember, since it’s the first job we gave you when you came.”

Of course they wouldn’t let you go back empty handed, she thought as she opened the folder.  

“Find a way to infiltrate the South.  We need information on the rest of the ROMAN program.”

“You trust me?” she questioned, amused.

Taehyung frowned.  “You’re the only person we can trust.”

“Why not send Yoongi?  They’ll give him a nice warm welcome,” she scoffed.

“Because he’s been gone too long.  They’ll think something’s suspicious,” the officer replied.  “Besides, the South decided to pay a pretty handsome price for you.”  He crossed his arms. “Should you get any bright ideas, night mode is something you’ll have to get used to.”

Ara put the folder down.  “They paid…?”

Taehyung snorted.  “They seemed pretty desperate to get you back.”

“So when do I leave?”

“Tonight,” he answered.  “Hoseok and I will you to the border.  There, I believe your captain will greet you with open arms.”

“Sure sounds comforting…”

“It should,” Taehyung answered.  “I’ll be checking in with you at the border every now and then.  Failure to do so --”

“You should refrain from making empty threats so often.  They lose their effect after a while,” she interrupted.

He chuckled, a smirk playing at his lips.  “It’s how I function. I can’t help it.”

“Like how you couldn’t help but comfort me last night?”

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.  “Miss Jeon, I don’t know if you know this, but Northern soldiers are trained differently.  We adapt to different situations at hand, especially when things might be going haywire,” he explained.  “Whatever I said to you, maybe I meant. Maybe I didn’t at all.”

Ara looked away, grumbling.  “And to think, I thought you were actually a bit human.”

There was a flicker of something in his eye before he got up and opened the door for her.  His eyes were glistening. “I’ll be by to pick you up at the lab.”

She smirked.  “Oh, cheer up.  You’ll be seeing me around, remember?”

“Just get out of my office.”

With a shrug she left, leaving Taehyung with his head down.  He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. The young officer was infuriating, but something about her was intriguing.  The way her eyes burned with hope painted her with a certain naivety. They never died, even during the previous night.

“I don’t give a flying that we’re on the same team!” she shouted.  Rage clenched her chest. “You don’t know half of what I’ve been dealing with ever since Mars captured me!  And nothing can ever be the same again!” She pushed him back. “I don’t need your fake pity!” She smacked his chest.  “You’re deceptive!” She hit him again, this time weaker as sobs wracked her body. “You’re a liar!”

She sunk to her knees and covered her face with her cold hands.  “And I’m a monster…”

“Tch…”  He walked back to his desk and ran his fingers over her file.  Along with her profile came the profiles of her parents, their pictures crossed out like a checklist.

He felt the pistol resting in his holster grow heavier.  He remembered the fateful night, as if it w