It was night.  Deep in the black shadows, Ji Hyo waited.  For what, she didn't know.  But it was better than doing nothing.

It had been 4 days since Suk Jin had confessed that their was a traitor in their midst.  And while it could be that the traitor was another level up, Ji Hyo's instincts were telling her that someone here was the culprit.  

Jong Kook was certainly suspicious.  He was mute, but he'd shown skills that went beyond even Ji Hyo's.  He'd also been acting suspicious.  Ji Hyo had caught him sneaking around at night and he disappeared for hours at a time.  

But while Jong Kook outwardly looked suspicious, there were things that made Ji Hyo pause.  Jae Suk seemed to have complete trust in him.  And Ji Hyo had spent a lot of time with him and never got the vibe that he was a traitor.  And while neither of those things were really evidence of his innocence, Ji Hyo was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  It wasn't that she trusted him.  But she trusted her instincts.  

Besides, she thought, if he really wanted to, he could kill all of us by himself.  She shook off a yawn.  Waiting was boring and she was tired.  But there's a threat out there.  Better to be prepared for it than to be blindsided.  

Another hour passed and other than the occasional noise from a car passing overhead, it was quiet.  Ji Hyo was just about ready to give up when she heard something.  It could have been a drop of water.  Or a gust of wind.  The tunnels echoed everything, making it hard to tell what she was hearing.  But she definitely heard something.  A slight echo.  

She stared into the night, ears straining to catch another sound.  There it was again.  A slightly scratchy noise accompanied the extremely dull thud.  Sounds like something scraping, like a shoe dragging on the ground.  She concentrated, willing the sound to come again, but none came.  Maybe it was nothing.  

She suddenly became very aware of her beating heart.  The sound had spiked her adrenaline and her heart rate was far above normal.  She was so focused on the mysterious sounds that she hadn't realized she'd also been holding her breath.  She slowly let out a deep breath, careful to not make any disturbances.  She was concentrating on her breathing and her heart rate so she didn't sense his presence until too late.  Before she could do anything, He spun her around and clamped an arm over again.  

Her eyes wide, she took in the sight.  Jong Kook was crouched before her, left hand covering .  His right hand was at his mouth, a finger raised to his lips.  The universal "shhhhh" gesture.  

Ji Hyo couldn't believe it.  He'd gotten the drop on her again.  He was enormous but he moved like a cat.  He'd surprised her several times with his stealth and though Ji Hyo swore not to overlook him again, he still shocked her.  But tonight, she could sense his focus was elsewhere.  His hand wasn't actively controlling .  It seemed like he was listening for something.  

Then Ji Hyo heard it.  The echo from down the tunnel.  She glanced at Jong Kook.  His face was taught with concentration.  He was absolutely still.  Ji Hyo turned her attention back to her ears, listening.  The noise came again, and again.  There was a definite echo to it.  Ji Hyo tried to time the sounds with her mind.  It's not regular, like footsteps.  The frequency changes.  Like if someone were running then walking then running again.  Or if they were trying to sneak around, varying their steps.  

As the sounds faded into nothing, they sat there, ears struggling to catch the slightest hint of something.  Without a word, Jong Kook pulled his hand from .  He extricated himself from the little corner they were hiding in and reached out to help Ji Hyo up.  He motioned for her to follow then walked silently down one of the tracks.  

Ji Hyo followed, driven by curiosity.  But after just a few steps, she stepped on a loose pebble or something and heard an audible crunch, earning her another "shhhh" gesture from Jong Kook.  It was then that Ji Hyo realized exactly how little noise he made when moving.  She watched his feet, and even when she saw them touch the ground, there was no audible sound.  She also belatedly realized that he wasn't wearing shoes.  The tunnel was littered with small rocks, loose screws and broken glass, yet he didn't seem to notice or care.  And while Ji Hyo walked in a very jerky, deliberate manner to avoid making noise, he looked fluid, no different than normal.  

Feeling inferior, Ji Hyo studied his feet, trying to figure out how he did it.  His feet were recognizable as feet but that was about it.  Both were swollen to larger than normal size.  His nails were cracked and split.  Several toes appeared to be broken, or improperly set.  His left big toe seemed to be at almost a 45 degree angle turned in from the rest of his foot.  It had to be broken.  Human toes were not meant to be bent in such a way.  The skin was blistered and cracked and there were giant calluses set on his heels.  Yet he didn't seem to be in any pain.  Nor did it seem to impair his movement in any way.  And he was still quieter than her.  Ji Hyo winced as she heard another one of her footsteps make a slight squeak.  

Suddenly, he stopped and held up a fist.  Ji Hyo stopped behind him and quickly scanned the darkness in front of them.  Nothing.  Visibility is ty down here with no light.  Then she heard it.  It sounded like rushing air.  It cut out intermittently.  Ji Hyo strained to listen, but couldn't figure out what it was.  It sounds familiar too!  I know what this is....it's....it's... The word wouldn't come.  Ji Hyo tamped down on her rising frustration and refocused on the sound.  Whispers.  Someone is down there.  Whispering.  

She tapped Jong Kook on the back and when he turned back to look at her, she pointed at her open mouth.  He nodded an affirmative and turned back.  A part of Ji Hyo wanted to smack him for showing so little acknowledgement of her observation but another part of her quickly overruled that impulse.  Her curiosity.  Carefully, she took another step forward till she was even with Jong Kook.  She still couldn't make out any words and was about to take another step but he grabbed her wrist to stop her.  She turned to look at him.  His eyes were focused further down in the tunnel, too deep into the blackness to actually be seeing anything but he was still, focusing on something.  

Without a word, he tugged at her arm until she looked at him.  He pointed back where they had come.  She shook her head.  I'm not going back.  He shook his head back and gestured again back the way they came.  She glared at him and then swung her arm forcibly, causing him to release his grasp.  She pointed further into the tunnel, towards where the sounds were coming from.  

He waved his hands at her, telling her no.  Ji Hyo was frustrated.  She couldn't hear the voices clearly enough.  They had to move forward.  She took another step forward and Jong Kook again grabbed her arm and pulled her back.  Before she could make another move, he yanked on her arm, hard, pulling her forcefully back.  

Ji Hyo was enraged now.  The need for silence was the only reason she went along with it.  But still, she was a professional.  She was a trained assassin.  Who was he to give her orders and make her do things his way.  A few meters down the tunnel, they came across a wider section.  Jong Kook pulled her to the far left and then motioned for her to sit still and be quiet.  

Looking around, it was a good hiding place.  The tunnels were dark, sporadically lit and so in the shadows they would be very hard to see.  From their vantage point however, they could see out into the tunnel.  Their peripheral vision was limited by their position but given the acoustic properties of the tunnel, that shouldn't be a problem.  They would hear anybody trying to sneak up on them.  Behind them was a maintenance door.  It was locked.  This section of the tunnel was where workers could come down without interrupting the trains.  That's why the tunnel widened at this point.  It was a much better observation point than just standing in the middle of the tracks.

But I still can't hear anything.  Ji Hyo tamped down her rising frustration.  Sneaking around, spying was a necessary part of the job, but Ji Hyo didn't much care for it.  Especially when they were so close.  But to blow it all now would be foolish.  So she concentrated on her breathing, and tried to get to her calm place.  In through your nose, out through your mouth.  Just like the monk said.  She breathed, finding her center.  

The voices faded away and the tunnel was silent once again.  Ji Hyo waited, senses straining for something but was coming up blank.  She took a quick look at Jong Kook.  He was still and focused, but on what, Ji Hyo couldn't tell.  

Footsteps.  Coming back towards them.  Ji Hyo resisted the urge to shrink back further into the shadows.  Human eyes are drawn to movement and she didn't want to attract any extra suspicion.  She waited with anticipation as the steps drew closer.  A shadow formed on the opposite wall, just a shade darker than the wall itself.  Ji Hyo held her breath.  Any second, the mysterious walker would be revealed.  

---------------------------------------------------

Joong Ki.  The name bounced around in Ji Hyo's head.  Joong Ki's the spy.  She'd seen him walking back down the tunnel.  She'd heard the whispers.  But she still couldn't believe it.  Innocent Joong Ki.  Naive Joong Ki.  Little boy Joong Ki.  The boy she'd beaten badly in order to keep her distance from.  The passionate youth who'd followed her everywhere, trying to make her feel like part of the team, explaining everything.  She watched as he moved a box with Haha.  All those things I saw...was it all a lie?

What she knew was driving her crazy.  What she didn't know was just as dangerous.  What have you stumbled into?  The problems were beyond her.  In the past, she just followed orders. She would report and wait for her superiors to make a decision.  Usually, it involved utilizing her skills.  Sometimes, they were merciful.  But in all those cases, it wasn't her call.  She sighed and rubbed her temples, thinking hard about her next move.  

Jae Suk saw Ji Hyo walking towards him.  Her pace was quick, shoulders square and her eyes were fixed on him.  She had something to say to him.  He slowed down as she reached him so they could reorient and walk together.  "Do you have something to say, Ms. Song?"

Ji Hyo matched his pace.  "Could we talk in private, sir?" she asked.  The "sir" surprised him.  By default, he was the leader of this little group, but he'd never really felt like a leader who deserved the title, "sir."  It wasn't like they all had ranks.  Their group was informal, with no need for ranks or insignias.  He was the leader because he'd started the group but he saw the others as his equals. He gestured towards a room and followed Ji Hyo in.  

As soon as the door closed, Ji Hyo began to speak.  "Sir, I think Joong Ki's the spy."  She watched his face, but his expression didn't change.  Either he already knew, or he was very good at hiding his emotions.  She watched for telltale physiological signs or stress, like flushed skin, or an elevated heart rate, but he seemed calm and collected.  "Alright" he said, sitting down.  He leaned back for a moment then sat straight and fixed her with a stare.  "Continue" he said.  

Ji Hyo explained, keeping her eye on him.  "Last night, I followed him into the tunnels. He met someone there. He snuck back."  Jae Suk leaned back and crossed his fingers.  "And that makes him a spy, Miss Song?"  "No" Ji Hyo allowed, "But it is very suspicious."  "I see" said Jae Suk.  He leaned forward.  "And what does Jong Kook have to say about this?"

Ji Hyo was taken aback.  How did he know?  But she kept her face composed and didn't let her surprise show.  "I don't know what he thinks, sir" she said.  "Well," said Jae Suk, looking at her intently, "I think you'll be interested to know that Jong Kook has the opposite opinion about what you two saw last night."  "Sir" said Ji Hyo, feeling defensive "you can't know what Jong Kook thinks; he can't speak."  "Jae Suk held up a piece of paper.  "But he can still write" he said.  The realization dawned on Ji Hyo and she felt her face blush with embarrassment.  Of course.  How could you forget that!  She bowed her head.  "Excuse me sir" she said, tone apologetic and ashamed.  "I didn't think that through."  

Jae Suk waved off her apology with one hand.  "Miss Song, I do still value your opinions, even if they are sometimes premature" he said.  "And I appreciate your concern over our apparent security leak" he continued.  "But I do want to remind you of two things.  One, we're not sure the leak is coming from our end.  And two, I know you saw Joong Ki go out last night but that's not nearly as important as who he saw that night.  Until you have proof, Joong Ki is still a valuable member of this team and as such I will trust him until given reason to do otherwise.  This person he met in the tunnel, however..." Jae Suk's eyes shined with suggestion and Ji Hyo knew what she had to do.  Even with words unspoken between them, she'd seen that look enough times to know that there were instructions beyond a simple suggestion. 

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Suk Jin was tired.  Tired of being a captive.  Tired of being afraid.  Tired of living not knowing who was after him or when they would be coming.  Tired of war.  He was a scientist.  He worked in labs, discovering secrets of the universe, trying to make life better for the billions of other people on earth.  He was not a soldier.  He wasn't spy.  He was just another person, maybe smarter than most but just a regular person. But war had taken that from him.  Now, he was alone, a prisoner trapped by people he didn't know.  They said he could trust them but then again, that's what they all said.  He was tired of it all.  He just wanted it to be over.

Outside, Ji Hyo counted.  12, 11, 10...Sweat beaded up on her forehead, dripping down to the floor.  She concentrated on her breathing.  The pain shooting up her arm dissipated as she focused on breathing and counting.  4, 3, 2, 1. Finished, she placed her free hand back on the ground to stabilize herself and gracefully transitioned from a one handed handstand to sitting on the floor.  Then she slowly returned to her previous position, switching arms.  Balanced completely on her left hand, she started counting again.  60, 59, 58, 57...

"What are you doing?" an innocent voice interrupted her focus and she wavered in the air, fighting to maintain her balance.  She swiveled her head but the speaker was behind her.  Still, she could tell that it was Gary.  She refocused on balancing, breathing, and counting, deciding to ignore him for the time being.  

Undeterred, Gary just walked around her and squatted right in front of her face.  They stared at each other for a moment, before he he yelled, "Yah" right in her face.  

Rattled by his verbal assault, Ji Hyo fell over, while Gary fell back laughing.  He leaned back and rocked forward, face contorted to mimic the panic of someone falling when he realized he was looking at the sole of a shoe.  Ji Hyo's shoe.  She'd recovered from her fall and swung her leg in a kick that stopped right in front of his face.  The laughter died in his throat.  It wasn't really funny anymore.  He inched his face back and looked around her shoe.  

"Yah" she screeched right back at him, twitching her foot.  He fell back, instinctively backing away in case she kicked for real.  He closed his eyes, bracing for the kick but instead heard the slight clap of footsteps walking away.  Opening his eyes, he saw Ji Hyo walking away.  "Hey wait" he called out to her, scrambling to his feet.  "Come on I'm sorry, it was just a joke" he said, chasing after her. 

As he chased after her, he didn't notice the shadowy figure that slipped into the room where they were keeping Suk Jin.

Suk Jin heard the door open. The line of light from the slightly open door momentarily blinded his eyes.  Then it was gone.  The door closed, and the room was pitch black.  But now, Suk Jin could sense something.  He could hear the slightly ragged breathing of another person.  Someone else was in the room.