The gala was held at an extravagant hall in the main city.  Lights filled the streets and the sky as people walked up the stairs into the building.  Anyone and everyone with a name was there, enjoying food, booze, and company that was much too expensive for them.  It was a nice temporary luxury that made them forget the poverty in their country that knocked at their door.

Commander Kim Jongin was bored of it all.  He hated seeing their faces, their fake smiles taunting him.  Their pompous laughs were enough to make him nauseous.  

If only someone died.  Then things would get interesting.

He took a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter and downed the contents in one gulp.  Wiping his mouth, he placed the glass back on the tray. The familiar buzz of alcohol made his lips tingle, and he momentarily forgot his woes.

“Commander.”

He turned to see a girl in uniform.  Her face was shaded by the bill of her hat, though she bore a smile that was all too familiar with him.

“Lieutenant?” he guessed.

“Dance with me,” she said softly as she approached him.

He found his body moving to her orders.  They slowly walked towards the dance floor, filled with important guests and officers alike.  He took her by the waist and gently grasped her hand before moving to the beat of the casual waltz.  

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his voice low.  “What are you doing?”

“Warning you,” Ara said.  “I know your past, Commander, and I think we both know what that makes you.”

He tensed.  “If you’re going to say traitor…”

“That’s not the exact word I was thinking of, but fair enough,” she said.  “You were part of a special ops team called EXO. Your last mission with them went awry.”  

“What is this?  Some sort of blackmail?” he chuckled.  “If you wanted to kill me, you missed your chance.”

They continued dancing.  Ara glanced around the room for suspicious glances, but found none.  “There’s trouble,” she said. “Chanyeol’s planning to destroy the North with the Pantheon program.  If we don’t act now, then everything here will be a distant memory.”

He leaned forward, his breath hot on her ear.  “Why should I trust you?” 

She pulled back, studying his expression.  

“Look,” she started.  “I know we’re on different sides, and to each other, we’re just enemies, but if there’s one thing we should have in common, it’s protecting people.”  She lowered her gaze, her hat hiding her face. “He’ll use ROMANs to kill anyone and everyone, including people we love.”

Jongin frowned in thought, his eyes growing dark.  “What makes you think I care about people? You don’t know anything about me or my past.”

Ara found his gaze.  “True, I know nothing of your past, and you could probably care less about what happens in this hell-hole,” she said.  “But you wouldn’t hesitate to help. You yearn for excitement. Something to do.”  She sighed.  “He’ll use you, and even as an obedient soldier, you won’t let him do that.”

He chuckled.  “I assume you have some help if you were able to break in.”  His eyes grazed over the chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings.  “Don’t tell me you seduced one of the guards,” he teased.

“That’s a bit low,” she laughed softly.  “I have Hoseok and some people I trust.” She furrowed her eyebrows.  “And you.”

“Hm,” he hummed.  “You’d trust me?”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“You must be pretty desperate,” he mused.  “You’re incredibly naive, marching in here thinking I was going to help.”

Her gaze was firm and undying.  “I’m only desperate because people have made me desperate,” she said.  “If I could get it done without asking you for help, I would. Without question.”

She saw thoughts whirl behind his dark eyes.  They continued swaying to the beat, dancing in silence.  She began to grow dizzy, twirling without intention. His grip on her hand tightened, his jaw tensing as she looked at him expectantly.  

“What do you need me to do?” he asked, his gaze averted elsewhere.

She fought the