WARNING: mentions of torture (?), blood

[ Luna ]

Comforting fingers carded through the sweaty hair that clung to her face. Luna leaned into the warmth that raked across her skin, her own fingers twitching slightly. Energy radiated around her, although it didn't feel as calming as the gentle movements of her sister's hand. She knew it was Hina because of the human energy, tinged with slight discomfort yet content as she combed her twin sister's hair.

"She's awake?" Taeyeon's voice, melodious yet rough like her own energy.

"Mm."

Still too fatigued to open her eyes just yet, Luna mentally felt around the room to observe each and every one of their energies. She didn't realize she was searching for someone's energy in particular until she couldn't locate it. Her eyelids snapped up.

"Onew." The soft mumble barely trickled from her lips before she took a heavy breath. Her lips and throat felt dry. Her eyes shifted around to the others - 1, 2, 4, 4, 5 . . . 13. There's only 13. "Is he on lookout or something?" Even as she asked it, she figured the answer wouldn't be what she hoped for. Everyone looked everywhere but at her. "What happened?"

"Left behind," Bom finally answered. "He and Minho came back for us but . . . we were useless . . . and couldn't help him." A look of contempt for herself crossed her face before she quickly masked it with a tight, blank expression. T.O.P., beside her, grimaced slightly.

"This is stupid!" Taemin raged suddenly, and a gust of wind hit all of their faces. Key quickly hissed at him to shut up, and it was then that Luna realized they were all huddled in a supply room of some sort, tucked within the dimness of dusty crates. They were probably at the lower levels, waiting for the Normals to finish their inspection. "He would have made it if those stupid Normals hadn't shot him."

"He was shot?" Luna gasped, sitting up from Hina's lap. Her head swam for only a few seconds. Her sister calmly wiped the sweat off her palm and leaned back against the crates.

"Poison dart, if I remember correctly," she hummed, although her expression was grim. "I doubt it was a lethal dose, if that makes you feel better. They probably want to take him in for questioning."

That didn't make Luna feel better, because that meant torturing - testing. She shuddered at the memories. Stupid Onew . . . you had to play the heroic figure. But she knew it was something she admired about him, and had she been conscious, she would have joined him. Shakily, she allowed Victoria to help her to her feet as she glanced around the small room. Luna noticed a crate in the corner that had been picked apart with extreme precision, probably the work of Krystal's telekinesis. Wine. Lots of it. Making a mental note of that, she sat on top of one of the sturdy, still-intact boxes.

"Left behind . . . shot. Captured." She shook her head. All this had happened in the time she had been out? "Maybe I shouldn't have done that. If I had been fast enough to react and just push him away instead of hurting them with the electricity blast-"

"That wasn't your fault, Luna," Jonghyun assured her, albeit dejectedly. "It's just - we can't turn this ship around, so we're trying to figure out what to do. We want to save him, too, but America . . . it's a matter of what to do first."

Luna closed her eyes. "How long has it been?"

"Since we left the port? An hour maybe. Close to two," Amber replied.

"Two hours . . . Would he still be asleep? Maybe I can try to tap into some sort of dream manipulation . . . I mean, my mother was a manipulator, so I might have a high chance of making contact with him."

"No way. Mother can't do it so easily with such a long distance, and you know that. That's why she gave you your dream catcher charm," Hina declared. "You're too weak to do anything right now. Plus, we don't even know if he's awake by now." Luna's fists clenched nervously on top of her thighs, eyes glancing over to Key. He raised an eyebrow inquiringly, but her eyes looked down again. She was hesitant, even moreso with what just happened, about her ability to control her powers.

"What? Did I do something?" Key demanded. She shook her head no. "Need something from me?"

"Well - yes. No." His eyes rolled upwards in exasperation. "Well. I was just thinking. Dreams are all in our heads, right? And if he's awake or asleep, your mental powers can still work, and I can contact him in a sense. But that would mean"- Luna shuddered -"tapping into your energy. I don't want to risk it, not now."

"It's fine!" Key insisted almost immediately. He rolled up his sleeve to his elbow as if he were about to get his blood taken. "What do you need to do? You need some energy, right?"

"N-no, it's not just that," Luna stammered, tugging down his sleeve awkwardly. "There's more to that. You're giving me access to your energy, your power. Your head. I'm worried I might tap into your brain and just do what I did to the Normals just before." Key looked a little bit less sure, but he sat beside Luna nonetheless.

"We have all the rest of us here, don't we? If anything, they can help replenish any energy we need. Like a battery, right?" Luna didn't want to interrupt him and say that it wasn't how it worked, but okay. "Onew is our leader, at least to some of us."

"Most of us," Minho interjected.

"He did that for us and got in trouble in the process," T.O.P. reminded her. "We're willing to do anything."

"Excuse me, but at the moment, it is my time to shine? Are you the one giving up your mental condition to an energy manipulator?" Key smacked his lips together. Luna narrowed his eyes at him. "Sorry, sorry; I'm losing focus of what's important."

"Exactly. I need you to remember what Onew's mind is like. What he thinks about." Key's eyes dilated slightly as he looked at her, sliding to the side slowly as if he were harboring a juicy secret. Luna decided to ignore it. "I don't want you to focus on tapping into some mind in the distance. I need you to pay attention to Onew's. We can't afford wasting any energy on searching longer than we should." When Luna finished her lecture, Key swallowed and nodded, seemingly more burdened by her instructions. "Relax, too. I don't need you being all tense while I'm prodding through your energy."

"Okay?"

"In all honesty, I've never tried it like this before. They've had me . . . do some things to people, but this is a longshot." Luna blinked in surprise when Hina grabbed her hand.

"I trust that you can do this," Key assured Luna, grabbing her other hand. He closed his eyes, concentrating. The others came in closer, if that was possible in such a cramped space. Their eyes told her, We're here if anything happens. Luna inhaled shakily and closed her eyes as well, sending a mental line from her brain, through her nerves, and down her arm that connected to Key's. She felt him jerk and wondered what it felt like to have someone else's energy flow into yours like that - searching. She logged into his brain quite easily, doing her best to avoid anything personal when she could suddenly sense his thoughts.

Oh. You're here. This is the first time I've been able to sense your thoughts, Luna. Key sounded quite delighted.

Defensive, Luna responded. I can't believe you cried alone while watching a romance comedy drama.

That's not very fair, is it?

Ignoring his yapping (even in thoughts!), Luna reversed the energy flow; it was like she vacuumed his abilities into her brain instead, and a burst of thoughts crowded her head.

Please let this work, please let this work, plea- Chanyeol.

We can't lose Onew. Not when we've gotten this far. Minho.

Come on, Luna, come on! Krystal.

And there were more, everywhere, from the thoughts at the top deck of the cruise ship to the Normal that stood one level above them as he searched another room for Specials. One voice rang louder than the others, because he sat next to her and, too, had this power.

It's difficult, isn't it? Even with her eyes closed, she could sense Key's triumphant smirk. Focus, you told me. On that one person. I am, but I think you can do a better job. Luna gulped, worried about how much energy she would up if she jumped headfirst into this mission of hers. Japan. How far had they floated off from the island? She reminded herself to share the energy flow so that Key would stay conscious, and then she thought about sunshine-like smiles and squinty yet charismatic eyes. She had to find him now, before anything could happen, so she dove in without thinking.

She couldn't explain what was happening. It was like she was going through a tunnel at the speed of light, yet she could sense that she was staying in one place. Other than that, she couldn't tell what was happening to her physically, as if this were an out-of-body experience. She couldn't hear the other thoughts anymore, even Key's - she could only feel the steady flow of his energy into her brain. It must have been because she was so set on finding Onew. It was like her spirit knew exactly where to go, ducking and swerving although she herself wasn't exactly sure what was obstructing her path.

Finally, her vision began to clear and she recognized prison cells. Shuddering, she allowed her spirit to continue floating through the dark corridor, feeling along cold walls for that familiar, soothing pulse of energy. When she sensed it, flowing weekly towards her, she was surprised to find herself in front of a wall. Luna shoved gently, wondering if she could still interact physically with her surroundings as a dream entity. It worked, and the wall rotated. She followed the steps the entryway revealed, down into a room that emitted nothing but bad energy.

"Oh, my-" Luna gagged, slapping a hand to . Onew's hands and feet were tied to the wall, apart, and his head was hanging low. She didn't realize how severe their torture was, but it must have been because he was a stronger Special. If he was distracted by the pain, he couldn't focus on his powers. There was a wall of spikes behind him, and she had no doubts that they had forced him against the wall due to the terrifying amount of blood at his feet. His clothes were dirtied and tatterd, and there was blood and bruises on his face as well. Who knows what else they could have done to him?

Luna's entire body shook; she couldn't stand seeing the happy figure suddenly slumped and beaten. She stumbled forward and put her hands to his cheeks, jerking back when she felt the sticky blood on his skin. Onew twitched, but other than that, he didn't react to her touch.

"Onew," she whispered, and then realizing what she was supposed to do, pressed her hands to his temples this time. She dreaded facing Onew's nightmares instead of his dreams. The torture room darkened, thankfully, and Luna was met with Onew's perfectly untortured body sitting on a roof. She realized it was the roof she had glanced up at when she first arrived at the Special prison. Onew was alone, and looking through the same hole made by the vines. From what little space was revealed, Luna could see the back of herself disappearing through the doors.

Slowly, the Dream Onew turned back around, eyes widening at Luna's presence. Luna practically spasmed in realization.

"Onew. Onew! It's me, it's Luna. We're definitely coming back for you, so please just wait. It doesn't matter how long it takes; America doesn't matter, so please," she almost sobbed. She was talking too fast, frantic, and told herself to calm down. Onew shook his head so slowly; he seemed so peaceful in this dream, hiding from the reality he would have to wake up to.

"How did you . . ." He shook his head again. "No, don't. America. Go. I'm coming."

"What are you even saying? They're killing you, Onew, literally killing you."

"You wouldn't make it in time if they were." Onew smiled softly, humorlessly. "I won't wait for you. You wait for me. I'm coming to America." And despite the absurdity of this promise, he soundes so sure - and this was Onew. So Luna believed him. Onew's smile softened even more, this time as if he were appreciating something, and Luna realized that it was him simply looking at her. The vines that surrounded the rooftop suddenly seemed to turn black and thorny in those few seconds, lashing out like whips to wrap around Onew's still body.

Luna reached forward to tear them off, but she realized this was just his dream, his nightmare-turned-dream, and they must have been torturing him again. "No, no, no," she gasped, truly sobbing now. The dream glitched, and in the distance was the sound of Onew's agonized screams. The Dream Onew who was not screaming sighed, glancing down at his body where the thorns he should have been able to control tore into his skin. "Onew!" 

And with him, she was back into her own reality.

[ Onew ]

"What are your plans for America, mutant?" A harsh blow to his cheek. Onew was glad he had studied Japanese as well as the other languages he'd managed to learn.

Onew couldn't tell apart the Normals anymore. They were all dirty good-for-nothings, even though he was the one splattered in blood and dirt. He could barely hear their voices over his own cries of pain. Once in a while, they would stop to demand answers; or maybe they just got tired of battering him for so long. He was vaguely aware of the disgusting sensation of blood all over him, and he was overall numb to the searing pain they dealt upon him now.

He spat out a mouthful of the iron-tasting fluid. "America," he coughed. "Bring me to America." His arms trembled against their restrains.

"And why would we do that?" This man didn't wear a mask like the others; he must have been important. He must have had connections.

"The Specials. All of them. They'll follow me there. If . . . if you spare me," he coughed, "I'll lead you to them."

The man threw back his head, laughing. "As if I would believe you. How would they even know that we're taking you to America?"

Onew looked up at the tyrant through his sweaty bangs, a leer of bloody teeth pulling his lips upward. "The child of those two Specials. The energy manipulator. You must know of her." He watched how a screen of interest pulled over the man's gray irises. The man reached up and tugged at his tie, a similar smirk gracing his aged features. "You know she is one of us. She's so powerful, no one can even comprehend. She's going to find out and tell the others. Somehow. When that happens, you'll take me to America."

"And why else would you need to go to America, besides luring those creatures?" the human hissed, still suspicious but more or less convinced.

"You will give me ransom for helping capturing her!" Onew spat, his blood staining the man's suit. He reeled back in disgust. "You will promise me a stable life in the Americas. And in return, you get all those powerful Specials played right into your hands, all you bastard scientists and officials." Onew laughed, sounding manic.

The man leaned back, holding a hand up to the Normals who stood waiting for his word. His smirk widened as he thought. "Indeed. That does sound promising. Keep in mind that we'll have something planned so that you can never betray us - or if you do, it will mean your and your friends' deaths."

"Friends that left me behind to this?" Onew chuckled.

"I suppose that's what friends are for. Watch yourself, mutant. Let's see if what you say is true. Now, I have an important meeting to attend and a suit that needs washing."

Onew waited for the sound of their footsteps to fade away before he let his head fall, groaning. Crap, he was so bad at lying. He had made that plan up at the last second, and he didn't know how to follow up. He kept his head low, thinking about how he could possibly pull this off without letting anyone else be hurt or killed. He didn't know how long it was until he felt the soft brushing against his face.

"The wall was open when we came here, sir!"

"Check if he's escaped! Now!"

Distant voices. Onew stared at Luna, taking in her presence, even if it was a dream. The familiar pain of those damned spikes pierced him along with the thorns of his imagination, and he willed himself to stay strong when he heard Luna shout his name.

"Damn bastard! Who came in here?!" It was him again, except he had changed into a clean suit.

Onew laughed out loud, bringing his act back up as he winced against the sharp points of the torture device.

"I told you, I told you, I told you she would find me somehow. That crazy Level Infinity Special . . . or some like that." He was pulled away from the spikes after he spoke.

"So she came. How?" The official sounded almost scared of her, and Onew laughed again.

"Who even knows? I relayed the message; they'll be there. She knows my energy, and she knows where to find me - so take me to America!" He tried to sound as hysterical as possible. Pyschotic.

"Unbelievable . . ." The man looked Onew up and down and then turned to the Normal closest to him. "Prepare the private jet . . . and power-binding devices. We can't risk anything with these monsters. Schedule another meeting with the Americans as soon as possible."

His words became background noise to Onew as his eyes closed, still weary from blood loss. Now that everything was set in motion, he would have to pull through. He hoped the others would be able to as well.

[ AUTHOR'S NOTE ]

Hello, 'tis I, the sin
I missed my Onew-baby's birthday so this A/N will consist of his precious face only

CHRISTMAS YASSSSS I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

OR WHATEVER YOU MAY/MAY NOT CELEBRATE

This morning noontime, I woke up and just got the laptop

My writer's block was GONE

I was typing like a madman and I was interrupted around Onew's POV

But it was for food, so it was ok

AGH IT FEELS SO BEAUTIFUL 

IT'S 3K WORDS OF POOR BABY ONEW'S TORTURE

I didn't know if anyone would be uncomfortable with mentions of those things so

I put a warning but

Hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter! Love you all! Thanks for reading!