Expectations: The Guardian of Forever, Part 3
Series Expectations
Adventure Sixteen: The Guardian of Forever, Part 3
Author: Aquariuslover
Pairings: KyuWook, Yunjae, YooSu, WooGyu, Various
Rating: R
Genre: Crossover, Romance, Science Fiction, Adventure,
Length: Chaptered
Beta: tahoeturquoise
Warning: Death, Violence
A/N: This story is inspired by Star Trek and the Kpop community. This is the last adventure I have planned.
Summary: Limitless possibilities.
Prior Adventures
Eunhyuk’s eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp.
Woohyun and Sunggyu barely grabbed him in time to keep him from hitting the deck.
“Crap!” Woohyun exclaimed as they gently laid Eunhyuk on the deck. “Did anyone take the time to actually consider what would happen to Eunhyuk if Junsu really was dead?”
Sunggyu looked up to share a worried glance with Sooyoung before the female lieutenant insisted, “Junsu is not dead.”
“Really? Are you sure? Are you an expert in how these stones work?” the doctor snapped as he examined Eunhyuk’s body.
Sooyoung knelt down beside Sunggyu. “No, I am far from an expert.”
Woohyun pried Eunhyuk’s eyelids apart and examined his pupils. “That’s what I thought.”
Sunggyu, who was crouching on the deck across from the doctor, pointed out, “You didn’t think of it either.”
“Forgive me if have been too busy lying my ass off to everyone!”
“We have all been lying.”
“Yeah…but you haven’t had to lie to Dr. Kim. I swear that man is like a big, old cat ready to pounce on me. Lying to Sungmin is as easy as breathing…that man was born to be fooled, but the imposter inside of Heechul scares the shit out of me,” Woohyun told them as he glanced away from Eunhyuk to look at Sooyoung. “Do you have a medkit in here by any chance?”
“No,” Sooyoung answered. “We can’t access the emergency med station in the corridor outside my quarters either, it will immediately alert sickbay.”
Sunggyu tapped his combadge. “Ensign Jonghyun.”
“…” Jonghyun did not respond.
Sunggyu closed his eyes and a long-suffering look appeared on his face. “Better Than Sex this is Red Velvet.”
“Better Than Sex, here,” came the young ensign’s reply. “How can I help you, Red Velvet?”
“I need a medkit.”
“It’s on its way, Red Velvet,” Jonghyun answered. “Better Than Sex, out.”
Sooyoung smirked. “He was not wrong to suggest we use codenames. They do have their purposes.”
“And yet I remember you protesting the suggestion that yours be Pound,” Sunggyu reminded her.
Her smirk faded away. “I prefer Angel Cake over Pound Cake. It suits me better.”
The medkit appeared and Dr. Nam grabbed it. He pulled out a scanner and sighed when it confirmed what he had already determined. “He just fainted. He’s fine.”
“Good,” Sunggyu said. “Now, wake him up so we can find out where he is.”
Sooyoung concurred, “I agree; time is of the essence.”
“I am the doctor here, and I think we should give him a minute,” Woohyun defiantly told them.
Sooyoung repressed the urge to groan. “Doctor, I presume you are still channeling your animosity toward us?”
Woohyun grimaced, acknowledging the woman had pegged him perfectly. “Ummm…maybe a bit.”
Sunggyu did not bother to repress his growing irritation. “There isn’t anything for you to be jealous of!”
Woohyun’s expression brightened considerably. “Really?”
A flabbergasted Sunggyu slowly reminded the doctor, “The-two-of-us -are-not-in-a-relationship-so-there-is-nothing-to-be-jealous-of!”
Sooyoung nudged Sunggyu with her shoulder and reached out her hand, laying it on Woohyun’s shoulder. “You must know that I would never come between you two. I am totally supportive of your relationship. I personally am very eager for the day he gets a clue.”
Sunggyu just looked at her, aghast at the betrayal.
Woohyun reached up and patted the hand that rested on his shoulder. “I do know that…he’s just so damn frustrating at times.”
“I can totally understand your predicament,” Sooyoung said, sympathizing with the doctor. “I was in…enamored with a man for years…a man who was more machine than most androids.”
“Should I leave, so you two can talk alone?” Sunggyu snapped. “Oh, wait; I can’t because we are trying to return the ship to its rightful captain! You remember him, right?”
“Yes, Acting Lieutenant Sunggyu,” Sooyoung answered curtly, letting go of Woohyun. “We remember him. Dr. Nam is the physician here and we should follow his advice.” She then turned back to Woohyun and asked, “Let’s get back to the topic of the Heechul imposter. I thought you said he was acting less suspicious of you since Sulli awakened.”
“I did say that,” Woohyun conceded. “He’s still sharp as a tack though…just as Ryeowook used to describe him.”
“Yes, I have also noticed this from my limited encounters with him, but his concern for Sulli seems very genuine. My brother has repeatedly remarked on how similar the imposter’s behavior is to the real Heechul in regards to her,” Sooyoung stated, “whereas the imposter inhabiting Commander Leeteuk acts far less like the former commander.
Sunggyu, who was fighting the urge to yank the med kit away from Woohyun and wake Eunhyuk himself, commented, “Heechul’s mind was the least damaged…maybe his memories are easier to access.”
Sooyoung shook her head, disagreeing. “No, the Leeteuk imposter has access to Commander Leeteuk’s memories…it’s like the Heechul imposter can do more…it’s as if he can connect to the real Heechul’s emotions.”
“Or he is simply playing us,” Sunggyu added. “He’s an imposter and the sooner Eunhyuk wakes up so we can confirm our theory that the others are alive, the quicker we can put into action our plan to take back the ship.”
Woohyun grabbed a hypospray from the medkit and muttered, “Hint taken.” The doctor then injected Eunhyuk’s body with it.
Eunhyuk’s eyes flew open and the three of them watched as relief flooded the man’s face and he muttered, “Am…I…back…on…the…shhhip?”
Sunggyu looked down at the other man. “It depends. Tell me your name.”
“Junsu…I don’t…I don’t sound like…myself…I sound like…”
“You sound like Ensign Eunhyuk,” Woohyun finished for him.
“Yes,” a startled Junsu responded.
“Ensign Junsu,” Sooyoung said in a calm voice, while controlling the urge to smile triumphantly at having her theory confirmed. “Ensign Eunhyuk used the soul switching stones to determine if you were still live.”
Junsu blinked and looked up at the beautiful lieutenant. “The pink crystals…the Soul Tri Spheres?”
“Yes,” Sooyoung confirmed. “Did the Guardian transport you somewhere?”
Junsu nodded his head.
“Who else is with you?” Sunggyu asked eagerly.
“The captain, Yoochun…Ryeowook and Kyuhyun…and Jaejoong…and Changmin…Changmin is born. He was born. He’s a baby.”
Sooyoung allowed her relief to be heard as she asked, “Do you know where you are?”
“No…we were on a planet with dinosaurs…but the Guardian transported us away to another place…it’s bad there…I don’t want to go back-” A look of pure horror filled Junsu’s face as he sat up quickly. “If we switched…is Yoochun in my place?”
“Quite possibly…if the stones worked as they should have,” Sooyoung answered.
Junsu was horrified. “Yoochun…in my place…he can’t be there! It’s terrible…it’s darkness and it hurts so bad there.”
Sunggyu reached out and took hold of Junsu’s shoulders, questioning, “What are you talking about?”
“The last switch,” Junsu explained, as he shook all over, terrified by the memory. “I don’t know where I am…I am in this dark room…I am tied up. I can’t move…and my body…I think I have been hurt badly. My whole body hurts when I am there.”
Woohyun grabbed a hypospray and shot a sedative into Junsu. “Junsu, do you know who is hurting you?”
An immediately calmer Junsu replied, “No, I have never seen anyone.”
“You have no idea where you are?” Sooyoung questioned. “The stars aren’t familiar to you?”
“No…no…no…you don’t understand,” Junsu answered. “I am in a dark room. I can’t see anything…I don’t know where the others are either.”
“Eunhyuk will be where Yoochun was…and maybe he is with the others and they know where they are…or perhaps they can see the sky,” Sunggyu suggested hopefully. “He’s a navigator; he might recognize that section of space.”
“Unfortunately, the chances of that happening are extremely small considering the Guardian can send them to a million different realities,” Sooyoung added.
“But if Lieutenant Jung is born…Junsu, does Jaejoong have his telepathic powers back?” Sunggyu asked.
“Yeah…because he saved us on the last planet we were on, but since we switched I haven’t seen anyone…I have to get back there,” Junsu insisted, fighting against the sedative as he stood up on trembling legs. “I can’t leave Yoochun there…It’s too terrible.”
Woohyun got up and placed an arm around Junsu and said softly, “Just calm down…we are trying to think of a way to get you back to the ship.”
Sunggyu was also up and said in a calming voice, “Junsu, we are trying to rescue you all…help us.”
Junsu frantically shook his head. “I can’t stay here. He was hurt…he can’t be in that place. I have to go back. I have to-”
“Junsu!” Woohyun called out in alarm as the ensign swayed on his feet. “Are you alright?”
“I’m not Junsu…I’m Eunhyuk…you were all right…they are all alive” the navigator told them as he adjusted to the present reality.
Sunggyu did not bother to hide his triumphant smile as he declared, “It is time to take back this ship!”
Eunhyuk grinned widely and turned to face Sooyoung. “Yes, but first Jaejoong has something he wants you to do.”
*********************
The darkness was gone.
He adjusted to the light.
The man that was his best friend and the great champion of his soul sat beside him. He stared into the eyes that had always cast a warm light upon him; eyes that were filled with hope and anticipation.
He waited and watched as the eyes grew alarmed and his savior’s posture showed his growing concern. “Eunhyuk?”
“Eunhyuk,” he repeated with the Viscount’s voice. He was slowly grasping what was going on…what had happened.
“No,” came a voice from across the room.
He looked away from Yunho and met Jaejoong’s knowing gaze.
Jaejoong was sitting on a long sofa with a young girl’s head resting on his lap. Jaejoong was staring back at him. “They have switched back…it is Yoochun.”
“Switched,” he asked, confused.
“Eunhyuk used the stones!” Yunho told him; his worry was fading and giving way to his excitement. “They know we aren’t dead.”
Yoochun could not meet Yunho’s gaze so he kept his eyes locked on Jaejoong as a deep fear took root. “I was…I switched with Junsu.”
Jaejoong nodded his head.
Yoochun could only imagine what the telepath saw in his mind.
He didn’t stick around to find out as he got up and fled the room, not sparing either of them a backwards glance or a word of explanation.
He heard Jaejoong yell for Yunho to go after him.
He didn’t wait for Yunho as he sped through the house. The staff looked at him as if he were insane and if he had had time to enjoy the irony of the situation he would have laughed, but he did not.
He rushed though the house, ignoring Yunho’s pleas for him to stop. He pushed the huge doors open and stepped out onto the portico. “Take me home!”
The driver of his carriage was waiting at the front of the house…with carriage and horses ready as if he had prior knowledge the viscount would not be staying long. Yoochun got into the carriage and shouted, “Home! Take me home!”
********************
Siwon stood next to Sungmin in a beautiful garden on the planet Zilax.
Sungmin’s attention was on a long-necked purple animal that ate the blossoms off of the tops of the flowering trees in the garden.
“Does it remind you of an Earth animal?”
“An animal from Earth’s past,” Sungmin answered and the sorrow could be heard in his voice.
“An extinct animal?”
“Yes, the giraffes are long gone from Earth, but although their extinction is one of the great crimes of my people…it was Ryeowook’s fondness for giraffes that makes me both reminiscent and sad.”
“Ah, I remember,” Siwon said understanding. “His notebooks were covered with images of them. I should have known. I did not know they were extinct.”
“The last of the wild ones died out during the third great war,” Sungmin explained. “There is a long list of animals that died out due to humanity’s relentless selfishness over the centuries, but for some reason Ryeowook was always fascinated by giraffes.”
“But you have the whales back.”
Sungmin smiled. “The humpbacks; what magnificent, intelligent creatures they are.”
“I was only a child when I learned of the great Captain Kirk and his legendary crew, and how they went back in time to save the Earth from the powerful probe demanding to speak with whales.”
“It’s one of those grand stories that you can’t possibly imagine to be true, but it is. Captain Kirk…now, he was a great captain,” Sungmin said, full of admiration.
Siwon looked oddly down at Sungmin. “Is he one of your personal heroes?”
“He’s everyone’s hero…or he should be,” Sungmin replied, full of awe. “I’d have followed him back in time to save the whales without a moment’s hesitation.”
“He…does not seem to have much in common with Captain Leeteuk.”
“No,” Sungmin agreed, “not at all; Yunho was much more like Captain Kirk.”
Siwon could not hide his surprise. “But you supported Captain Leeteuk…when he had Commander Jung arrested?”
“Just because I supported Captain Leeteuk does not mean I was against Commander Jung. I did not hand over command of the Expectations to Captain Leeteuk…Commander Jung did.”
“Are you saying you would have supported Commander Jung if he had not handed the Expectations over to Leeteuk?”
“That is exactly what I am saying,” Sungmin answered, letting his disappointment show. “As Chief Security Officer I must support the officer in command of the ship.”
“But you arrested Yunho…you put him in the brig along with Commander Kyuhyun and Commander Yoochun.”
Sungmin avoided eye contact with Siwon. “Yunho was…participating in dangerous talk…once he gave Captain Leeteuk control of the ship…he should have supported him and remained loyal.”
“So you think Captain Leeteuk did nothing to cause Yunho to be unsupportive?”
“No, I am not saying that,” Sungmin admitted and it looked as if saying the words had cost him greatly.
Siwon arched his eyebrows. “This surprises me because it is the widely held consensus on the ship that you have no problem throwing anyone in the brig that speaks against Captain Leeteuk or questions his judgment.”
Sungmin rubbed the back of his neck and admitted, “That is true…to a point…I can not allow a mutiny on my watch, but my security patrols report nothing but peace and calm. I had thought the rather…untimely death of Yunho would have stirred more of a reaction among the crew, honestly.”
“When you say untimely don’t you mean suspicious?”
“No, I do not mean suspicious!” Sungmin exclaimed. “Siwon, you know how I feel towards you, but please do not say such things to anyone else.”
Siwon started walking away from Sungmin. “Why? Would you throw me in the brig?”
Sungmin’s mouth gaped open for a few seconds before he rushed after the other man. “Are you angry with me?”
Siwon stopped and spun around to face the other man, allowing his irritation to be seen. “I have a sacred oath to watch out for you and it disturbs me when you behave in such a disingenuous manner.”
“I am just following orders.”
“Is that all it is?” Siwon asked, trying his best to control his expression and regain his princely calm.
Sungmin studied the other man’s face. “What have you heard?”
“You tell me.”
“It was a long…long time ago,” Sungmin blurted out. “It was over…almost before it began. I didn’t think anyone knew. Who told you?”
“You just did,” Siwon informed the lieutenant. “I had suspected as much due to your unfaltering sense of loyalty towards him.”
Sungmin held up his hands. “My loyalty to him has nothing to do with the fact that we were once lovers.”
“You are foolishly romantic…you would not be able to help yourself from only seeing the best in him.”
“Our past relationship has not even been discussed between us since he regained his lucidity,” Sungmin disagreed. “I respect him, but I am not in love with him.”
“Did you once love him?”
“No, never,” Sungmin explained. “I still loved Kyuhyun back then.”
“Are you sure you are not in love with Leeteuk now? It would explain a lot of your questionable behavior.”
“I am positive. I swear it is not him I love,” Sungmin confessed to the prince. “I think we both know who I love.”
Siwon physically withdrew a few feet and quickly started walking away from the other man. “Please do not make any declarations…not under these circumstances.”
“I love you,” Sungmin called out earnestly as he followed after the prince. “I don’t know when it happened, but I love you.”
“Sungmin…”
Sungmin reached out a hand and grabbed the taller man by the arm to stop him. “I know you don’t love me back.”
Siwon turned to look at Sungmin. “I do not feel comfortable having this conversation…not at this time.”
“I am not a complete idiot. I know you are a good man, and I know you don’t want to hurt me.”
Siwon reached out and covered Sungmin’s hand that was wrapped around his arm. “I don’t want to hurt you, so please let us postpone this discussion.”
Sungmin smiled sadly up at Siwon. “If I was a kinder…a stronger man, I wouldn’t have confessed to you, but I had to tell you. I think you are an extraordinary person and I’m in love with you.”
“You words honor me, but this is not the time or the place to have this discussion.”
“I don’t want you to be honored by my words,” Sungmin stated, refusing to end the discussion. “I want you to feel what I feel…I know it is difficult because I am a man, but I am willing to change that.”
Siwon’s eyes widened and for once the prince was speechless.
“I am willing to become a woman for you. It is a simple procedure and I would be lying if I said the thought had never occurred to me before.”
“No,” Siwon whispered, horrified as he remembered a conversation he had once had with Kangin. “I can not possibly allow you to entertain such thoughts. If I have led you to believe-” Siwon stopped midsentence as Sungmin disappeared without a word of warning.
Siwon looked down to the ground and noticed that Sungmin’s phaser was all that remained of the lieutenant.
****************
Sungmin suddenly found himself aboard the Expectations standing on the transporter platform. Lieutenant Sooyoung and Ensign Jonghyun stood behind the controls and both were looking at him. “What is the meaning of this?”
Lieutenant Sooyoung coolly stepped forward and stated, “Lieutenant Sungmin you are officially being charged with violating Federation directive 17.5 and directive 78.4. You are under arrest.”
Sungmin stared at Lieutenant Sooyoung, completely baffled.
She remained perfectly calm and added, “I personally charge you with breaking code 55 of Star Fleet’s Rules of Behavior.”
“Harassment,” Sungmin gasped in disbelief. “You can’t be serious!”
“Do you deny, lieutenant, that you have violated my privacy on repeated occasions?”
Sungmin stepped forward with his hands stretched out in a nonthreatening manner. “Lieutenant Sooyoung, I am the security chief of this ship; it is my job to know what is going on.”
“Lieutenant Sungmin, you did it for personal reasons, not official.”
“You can not prove it.”
“I can and I will,” Lieutenant Sooyoung evenly told the security chief. “A court of your peers will determine your punishment.”
“Does the captain know about this?”
“The captain is not aboard the ship.”
Sungmin fumed. “So you are doing this without his permission?”
“I assure you the captain will approve of your arrest.”
Sungmin glanced at Ensign Jonghyun and back at Lieutenant Sooyoung and asked with amusement, “So you two are putting me under arrest?”
Sooyoung smiled widely as the door to the transporter room whooshed open and Ensign Kangin along with five other members of security entered. “Lieutenant Sungmin, as the active senior officer currently on board the ship I am officially arresting you, but security will be escorting you to the brig. If you will now excuse me, I have many things that require my immediate attention.”
Sungmin gaped at his security officers in disbelief as Lieutenant Sooyoung exited the transporter room.
“Escort the lieutenant to the brig,” Kangin ordered. The young security officers quickly surrounded Lieutenant Sungmin and motioned him toward the door.
“I can’t believe it…you all have betrayed me,” Lieutenant Sungmin accused as he allowed them to escort him to the brig. “I always treated you fairly and decently.”
“Yep,” Kangin agreed as they walked down the corridor toward the security department. “Kinda like Yunho always treated you fairly and decently.”
Sungmin winced, feeling the sting of Kangin’s words. “I was following orders when I arrested Commander Jung.”
Kangin glowered at Sungmin. “You were a dumbass to follow those orders, and now you have been arrested for being a dumbass.”
*******************
“Sir, the power and all the ship’s controls have been cut off from the bridge,” Ensign Horvejkul informed Lieutenant Yesung, who was currently in command while Captain Leeteuk was on the planet.
Lieutenant Yesung got up from the captain’s chair and turned toward the science station where Ensign Minho sat. “Explain.”
“All power to the ship has been transferred to engineering,” Ensign Minho replied. “Engineering now has control of the ship.”
Yesung looked around the bridge and noticed none of the bridge crew looked particularly surprised or upset by the news. He focused his attention on Ensign Eunhyuk, who appeared more fidgety than usual. “Ensign Eunhyuk, is there a mutiny taking place on board this ship that I am not aware of?”
Eunhyuk turned around and looked directly at Lieutenant Yesung. “Perhaps we should wait for an official announcement, Sir.”
Lieutenant Yesung waved his hand dismissively at Eunhyuk and demanded of the bridge crew, “Who is leading the mutiny?”
“Sir, probably the person in charge of engineering,” Ensign Horvejkul helpfully offered. “Engineering is controlling the ship.”
“Oh,” Lieutenant Yesung responded as he sat back down and tapped his combadge. “Acting Lieutenant Sunggyu, if you are taking over the ship…you can do it from the bridge. I happily surrender it to you.”
“Thank you, Sir,” was Sunggyu’s immediate response.
The bridge crew all stared at Lieutenant Yesung in disbelief.
Lieutenant Yesung shrugged. “I was stripped naked, tied to pole, drugged with a powerful paralytic, and left to be dinner for a swarm bloodsucking spider bats…don’t think I have forgotten who saved my ass.”
**************
Lieutenant Sooyoung entered the emergency transporter room on Deck 18 and announced, “Lieutenant Sungmin is in the brig. We are free to take the battle bridge.”
Acting Lieutenant Sunggyu turned around to greet her. “We don’t need to.”
“We don’t?”
Lieutenant Donghae, who was at the transporter controls, explained, “Lieutenant Yesung has already surrendered the bridge to our acting lieutenant here.”
“Really?” Sooyoung questioned, sounding very pleased.
Donghae grinned at Sunggyu and teased, “We will be calling him captain any day now.”
“No,” Sunggyu denied. “He only surrendered to me because he knows engineering is controlling the ship; he doesn’t know of either of yours’ involvement.”
“I just arrested Lieutenant Sungmin; word of my involvement is probably spreading at warp speed throughout the ship as we speak,” Sooyoung stated. “Where did you two place the imposters?”
Donghae smiled proudly. “Somewhere where they can do no harm.”
Lieutenant Sooyoung looked both curious and worried. “Please elaborate.”
“As you know, Eunhyuk reported that Captain Yunho ordered that they should not be allowed to find whatever they are looking for,” Donghae explained.
“Yes, I would not forget that,” she replied. “Hopefully, Jaejoong’s plan will resolve this issue, but where did you put them?”
Sunggyu continued, “He put them on an iceberg out at sea.”
Lieutenant Sooyoung’s mouth fell open and before she could comment Donghae quickly added, “With survival gear.”
“Excellent choice,” she told him approvingly.
“I am still uneasy,” Sunggyu informed them. “They were able to enter the ship and take over the bodies of Dr. Kim and Commander Leeteuk without the assistance of a transporter…I do not think their mobility is limited like ours.”
“We have had this discussion before,” Sooyoung replied. “We can not be certain when they entered the ship…and if their mobility is not dependent on the ship…then why take it?”
“I wish I knew,” Sunggyu told her, unable to shake his uneasiness.
“I do know,” Donghae said, changing the subject, “that we need to make a ship wide announcement letting the crew know what is going on.”
“Which one of you wants to make it?” Sunggyu asked the lieutenants.
“You are making it,” Sooyoung told the acting lieutenant. “Right after you take your rightful position on the bridge.”
“You are the senior officers,” Sunggyu reminded them. “You both are highly respected.”
“No,” Donghae disagreed. “You are the hero of the day. You control this ship because you control the engineering and security departments.”
Sunggyu protested, “No, we control engineering and security.”
“Modesty is not an attractive quality on you,” Lieutenant Sooyoung said, reprimanding the acting lieutenant.
“No, it isn’t,” Donghae agreed. “Like it or not, you carry the most sway on this ship right now. The fact that you were a mere cadet when we were stranded in this galaxy bears no weight on what is going on now. This is not about seniority.”
Sunggyu’s modesty evaporated. “Agreed; I will take command until the time Captain Jung is returned to us. And my first order is to send Lieutenant Donghae to the brig.”
“The brig?” Lieutenant Donghae asked, startled.
“Yes,” Sunggyu confirmed. “Your involvement in this takeover has been hidden from most of the participants. I need you to appear untarnished in case the imposters do manage to get back on the ship and take control of it.”
“That is a smart move,” the transporter chief said approvingly.
“I would also suggest that you be placed with Lieutenant Sungmin,” Sooyoung advised. “Perhaps you can accidentally clue him into the fact that Prince Siwon assisted us.”
Donghae winced. “Lieutenant, you have a cruel streak.”
“Not normally,” she told him. “But it is in our best interests to keep him off his game.”
“Agreed,” Sunggyu concurred as he tapped his combadge and ordered, “Ensign Kangin, report to the emergency transporter room on Deck 19 and escort Lieutenant Donghae to the brig.”
Kangin replied immediately, “Yes, Sir.”
************************
“I am not amused,” the being controlling Commander Leeteuk declared as he looked out past the edge of the glacier toward the frigid sea.
The being that inhabited Heechul wrapped his arms tightly around his middle. “I will admit to being slightly amused.”
“They craftily plotted against us, I will give them that; but they are greatly misinformed if they think this piece of ice can hold us.”
“Are we leaving already?”
“No, not yet,” Leeteuk replied, turning around to survey the iceberg. “An Earthling randomly chose this place of all the places on the planet to strand us.”
“You think it might be here?”
“I can’t discount the possibility. Once I ascertain if…” Leeteuk paused, tilted his head and went completely still.
Heechul shivered as he felt a powerful presence on the planet.
The moment of silence passed and Leeteuk whispered, “What have they done?”
Heechul looked up at the sky. “Jaejoong must be back…he must have contacted the Elders…this attempt at revenge was never meant to be.”
Leeteuk swung around to glare at the other man. “Who are you? Are you my ageless friend…or is the Earthling back in control of his body?”
The other man took a step backwards, taken aback by the accusation. “I am your friend! The Earthling has no power over me!”
“I think the Earthling that you reside in has been exerting himself quite frequently, actually. I fear we gravely underestimated him.”
“We did not! I have merely been playing a role.”
“No; you have empathy! You saved the trader when you should have let him die! The healer has great influence over you!”
“No!” the being inside of Heechul denied. “I explained my reasons to you…I have no empathy…if I did…if I did have empathy I would not be in this predicament to begin with!”
The other man stepped closer and stared him in the eyes. “If that is true, you will support me in this next venture…I will have revenge.”
“Of course I will support you!”
“We will see; but I warn you, I will change the entirety of time if it is a means to my revenge.”
*************
Sungmin stopped his pacing and asked, “You too?” as Lieutenant Donghae was placed in the cell with him.
“Him too,” Ensign Kangin said, answering for Donghae. “All the mutinous pets are being kept together.”
“Mutinous is a strong word,” Sungmin said, warning the older man. “You are the one committing mutiny. Stop now, before it is too late.”
Kangin turned and walked away, while all the time laughing as if Sungmin had said the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life.
“Do you have any idea what is going on?” Donghae asked Sungmin as he leaned against the wall while Sungmin resumed pacing.
“All I know is that Lieutenant Sooyoung ordered my arrest.”
“For what reason?”
“For most of the same things Commander Jung had accused me of already…and harassment.”
“Harassment?”
Sungmin visibly winced and confessed, “I hate to admit it, but she might have had grounds…if she had not been plotting a mutiny at the time.”
“So it would appear that Lieutenant Sooyoung is in on it.”
“Do you know who is leading it? I find it very doubtful that she could get enough people behind her to lead a mutiny. She might be the only woman on board…but she doesn’t wield that kind of influence.”
Donghae appeared to be concentrating as he explained, “I am not sure of all the players. The main transporter room was being watched by security. I went to the emergency transporter room but Ensign…I mean Acting Lieutenant Sunggyu apprehended me there.”
“Sunggyu,” Sungmin said with a groan. “That explains why my whole department turned on me.”
Donghae just looked questioningly at the former security chief.
“Most of them were cadets with him. He was a star at the academy…you know how we worship our stars at the academy.”
“It does make sense…he would have the necessary sway needed.”
“Once he got Kangin on his side, I never had a chance.”
“He would have engineering behind him, too,” Donghae commented. “I could tell the entire engineering department was growing more and more disenchanted with the captain.”
Sungmin nodded his head and reluctantly admitted, “It’s because he put Commander Ji-Hoon in charge of engineering. I have total respect for the captain but that department was run by Commander Yoochun-they would not tolerate a fool bossing them around. When I heard about Ji-Hoon being put in charge…I could just imagine Yoochun rolling around in his grave.”
“Commander Yoochun doesn’t have a grave and neither do Yunho, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, Junsu, or Jaejoong,” Donghae reminded the engineer. “Their microscopic remains are just floating in space…remnants of a dead world.”
Sungmin closed his eyes and turned his head. “I don’t like thinking about that.”
Donghae studied Sungmin for a moment before asking, “So how did they get you?”
“I was on the planet with Siwon…having a very important conversation at the time, when I was beamed back to the ship without warning.”
“I thought you and Siwon were no longer together.”
“We weren’t…aren’t, but surprisingly he…” Sungmin paused before continuing. “He asked me to take a stroll with him on the planet.” His pacing slowed.
“That was convenient timing for them,” Donghae replied, pushing the imaginary knife deeper into Sungmin’s back.
Sungmin paled and looked sick. “Wasn’t it, though?” He came to a stop next to Donghae.
Sunggyu’s voice could be heard all over the ship as his announcement played, sparing Donghae from having to respond to Sungmin.
“This is Acting Lieutenant Kim Sunggyu of the U.S.S Expectations. I have temporarily taken command of the ship, until the time Captain Jung can be returned to his rightful position as captain. Irrefutable evidence has come to light proving Captain Jung and the others assumed dead are in fact alive. We have also been able to ascertain Commander Leeteuk, Dr. Kim Heechul, and the late Commander Ji-Hoon are/were being controlled by alien beings. I have made all the evidence available to all crew members, please draw your own conclusions; but make no mistake, I am in control of this ship until the time Captain Jung is returned to it. If you are unable to assist us with our rescue mission I ask that you limit yourself to your quarters or the recreational areas of this ship. If anyone attempts to hamper our efforts to rescue Captain Jung and the others they will be dealt with swiftly and then relocated to the brig.”
Sungmin, who had stopped breathing half way through Sunggyu’s announcement gasped and looked pleadingly at the other man. “Do you…Donghae, do you believe it? Could they be alive?”
Donghae slowly nodded his head.
The security chief lost his footing and leaned against the wall to prevent himself from falling to the deck. The blinders he had been wearing fell away and he asked in a voice mixed with hope and horror, “Kyuhyun…Ryeowook, Junsu, Yoochun…they…could be alive. Yunho was right…he was right.”
Donghae said nothing as he watched Sungmin…his friend come to terms with what was actually happening and what he had allowed to happen.
“What have I done?” Sungmin asked as he slid down to the deck.
*******************
“Sir, we are receiving a message…from the Warlord Hangeng,” Ensign Eunhyuk told Lieutenant Sunggyu, who sat in the center of the bridge in the captain’s chair.
Sunggyu quickly glanced back at Lieutenant Sooyoung, who was manning the science station. “It appears they got your message.”
Lieutenant Sooyoung stepped down from the back of the bridge. “We will now see if Jaejoong’s plan worked.”
Lieutenant Sunggyu ordered, “Let’s see what they have to say, Ensign Eunhyuk.”
The display at the front of the bridge immediately showed the beautiful image of the Joong Victoria. She smiled at Sunggyu and stated, “Why you tricky little human, I am impressed. Look at how far you have moved up in the universe since last we met.”
“Only temporarily I assure you.”
A very handsome man came into view as he stood beside Victoria and he told the acting lieutenant, “If you were a Warlord you would take the ship and never give it back.”
“Sir, I am just a Star Fleet officer.”
“Shame,” the man told Sunggyu, but his gaze landed on Sooyoung. “A man must take every opportunity that is offered him…or so some believe, but I do admire loyalty.”
“As do I, Lord Hangeng, and my loyalty has always been to the Federation and Star Fleet,” Sooyoung replied unflinchingly.
“Yes, Sooyoung your loyalty is not in doubt…nor was it ever,” Victoria told the other woman. “For the mercy Prince Jaejoong and Captain Yunho showed me and my mate…after our regrettable actions on Kanzi, I have done as you asked of me. The object in question has been removed from the planet by the Elders of Joong.”
Lieutenant Sooyoung rewarded her former captors with a smile. “Thank you…we couldn’t contact Joong ourselves.”
“No,” Victoria agreed. “Only the Joong are allowed to contact my home world or permitted entrance through the Guardians.”
“We mere mortals are not worthy,” the warlord told his mate while looking lovingly upon her.
Victoria smiled back at her mate and then back to crew of the Expectations. “We will take our leave now.”
Sunggyu nodded his head in acknowledgement and ordered, “Expectations out.”
The display at the front of the bridge went black. Sunggyu looked up at Sooyoung and said, “I wonder…”
“You wonder what?” Sooyoung asked.
“If we could go to Joong?” Sunggyu asked. “The Guardian transports us…I wonder if we could go to the Joong home world?”
Eunhyuk turned around in his seat and told the acting lieutenant, “Sir, I highly doubt it is trip you would remember even if you did manage to make it there.”
Sunggyu laughed. “Yes, you are probably correct. I highly doubt they would let us remember it.”
“I could always visit and tell you about it,” Sooyoung teased. “Then I could have a whole planet of Joongs irritated at me for having the audacity to have a closed mind.”
“Perhaps,” Lieutenant Sunggyu agreed. “Now, I think it is time we leave this planet. We have been here much too long. Set a course for the Vallian sector, Ensign Eunhyuk.”
“Yes, Sir,” Eunhyuk answered, eager to move the ship forward and closer towards the rescue of his best friend.
“Not so fast,” the voice of Commander Leeteuk ordered as he appeared at the front of the bridge with Heechul standing next to him. “I have a parting gift for you first.”
Sunggyu along with the rest of the bridge watched as the imposter took out a decorative dagger and drove it into the deck of the bridge.
A perplexed Sunggyu got up from his chair and carefully approached the beings. “Surely you know a weapon of that type can not harm this ship.”
The imposter dramatically rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You primitives of Earth, you have no idea what anything can do in this day and time…you don’t even know what age it is for that matter. How can a mere necklace control a telepathic being? How can this dagger destroy this ship? How can I destroy suns?”
Sunggyu remained calm. “Then tell me…how can you do these things?”
Leeteuk grinned, causing a chill to run down Sunggyu’s spine. “Because the Gods made them work. Yes, I said Gods, you little primitive creatures. Gods made them work…before they lost themselves to the great nothingness that is ambivalence. “You think you are so advanced…you think there is no room for Gods in your science.”
The lights dimmed.
“Some beings are incredibly advanced and they would be viewed as Gods by lesser developed species…the Q Continuum for example,” Sunggyu explained as his eyes darted around the bridge as warning lights started flashing.
“The Q Continuum is full of moody drama queens…if only they were who I was talking about…hell, I would have been a great Q.”
Suddenly red alerts started sounding all over the ship. Sooyoung quickly made it back to her science station.
“What have you done?” Lieutenant Sunggyu demanded.
Leeteuk smiled down at the dagger in his hand. “I couldn’t have done it without your help. I need to thank you for being clever enough to help me get this. Without you I’d never have been able to obtain it.”
Sunggyu stared at the dagger in alarm.
“This is what your friend the spider was protecting…from the likes of me. You don’t know how many others had tried and failed to acquire it. Thank you, so much.”
Sunggyu glared at the imposter. “You are not welcome.”
“Lieutenant,” Sooyoung warned from behind Sunggyu at her science station. “The ship…appears to be slowly deteriorating and before the scanners failed they did show the sun the planet Zilax is orbiting is indeed about to explode.”
“The planet?” Sunggyu questioned.
“It will not be able to withstand the radiation and the heat…all life on the planet will be dead in seconds.”
Sunggyu cast his gaze between the two imposters and then settled it on the Leeteuk imposter. “What do you want? If you want the ship back then I will gladly hand it over to you. There is no need for anyone to die. I will do whatever you want!”
“What I want, I can’t have, thanks to you meddling in matters that don’t concern you!” Leeteuk hissed. “Earthling, I am not sure how you got the Elders to intervene without the prince’s influence.”
Heechul smiled at Sunggyu. “He is formidable. I did warn you.”
“He will be dead along with all the rest of them,” Leeteuk replied coldly. “They will all pay.”
“You can have the ship back, please just stop this-” Sunggyu abruptly stopped as Leeteuk and Heechul disappeared. Sunggyu didn’t miss a second before he tapped his combadge and called, “Henry…tell me you have tons of power at your disposal.”
“Yes…and I am also an Andorian Belly Dancer in my spare time! What did you do to the ship?” came the immediate reply of the engineering prodigy. “I have no power at all!”
“We need to beam as many people off the planet as we can and get the ship away from that sun before it explodes!”
“I wasn’t lying when I said I have no power! I can’t transport a fly at this time or move the ship an inch!”
“Can you eject the warp core?”
“No, nothing! Nothing is working! What happened?”
“Leeteuk did it…we are all going to die along with an entire planet if we don’t think of something fast.”
“It would take a miracle,” Ensign Henry explained, “nothing less than a miracle.”
“Then get to working on one,” Sunggyu replied, ending the link with engineering and motioned with his hands toward the display. “Show me the sun.”
The display at the front of the bridge immediately showed the sun that was on the verge of exploding.
Sooyoung announced in a somber voice, “The dagger was…I don’t know what it was but it has rendered the ship useless-dying. I estimate we have less than 15 minutes of life support left.”
Sunggyu hit his badge and called, “Docking Bay, are the shuttles affected? Can we use them to escape?”
The voice of the man in charge of the docking bay crew immediately replied, “No, Sir…it’s like they are decaying before my eyes. The same with the escape pods.”
Eunhyuk focused on the angry sun that was about to explode and take the planet and all of them with it. “We are so fucked.”
***********************
Yoochun was out of the carriage before it had come to a complete stop.
Unlike the Duke’s residence, only one man greeted him at the entrance to the stately manor…his valet.
Yoochun spared him a quick glance and then commanded, “Take me to him.”
“Yes, My Lord,” the valet answered as he led Yoochun through the Viscount’s residence…the residence which was strangely empty. He only caught sight of one other servant…a fat maid that avoided direct eye contact with him but cowered as he passed by her.
The valet led him to the library where he moved a bookcase aside and stepped into a secret passageway. Yoochun followed until they came to a door with many locks on it. Yoochun waited as the valet unlocked each one of them.
He followed the other man down a hidden staircase to a cold, dark basement.
The chill and the smell of the room assaulted his senses.
Yoochun froze on the staircase and ordered, “Light!”
The valet quickly complied as he lit the lanterns stationed on the basement walls. “My Lord, I cleaned him for you.”
Light filled the room and Yoochun stood still as his eyes locked on a man hanging from the wall with both his arms bound by ropes. The man was young with a lean body and dirty blond hair. The man’s body had been terribly tortured; parts of his skin had been flayed away.
Something cracked inside of Yoochun’s soul as the tortured man became recognizable to him as Junsu.
“Young Sir,” the valet called out. “The master has arrived.”
The bound man moaned, but did not open his eyes.
Yoochun pried his eyes away from Junsu and looked around the room.
There was a table in the middle of the room that had restraints…he knew that table.
He had been on that table.
Knives of all sizes were also situated on the table.
Wooden and iron devices that could only exist for the purposes of torture were also in the room.
His eyes locked on an iron cage in the corner of the room…a cage with a dead woman inside it.
The valet noticed his master looking at the decaying corpse. “Sir, the stench is getting very foul…can we not part with her yet? Perhaps, we could acquire another?”
Yoochun glanced away from the cage and slowly descended down the stairs…carefully placing each foot in front of him.
He made it to the bottom of the stairs, walked to the table, and picked up a large knife with a shiny blade.
The valet smiled crookedly, showing a gap between his teeth that Yoochun had not noticed before and walked up to Yoochun with his hands clasped behind his back “Sir, should I take my leave?”
Yoochun felt the darkness he had been fighting against his whole life swell up and overtake him as he smiled back at the valet. “Yes, you should take your leave.”
The valet did not see the knife coming; the sharp knife that slit across his throat nearly slicing his head off.
Blood spurted out, spraying the room as the man collapsed to the floor and then it ceased as the valet’s heart stopped pumping.
The darkness gave way to horror and anguish as Yoochun stumbled toward the bound man.
“Junsu,” Yoochun cried out as he used the same knife to cut away the ropes holding the other man up. “Junsu…Junsu, wake up.”
Junsu’s eyes fluttered open as his arms were freed; his knees buckled, and he began to fall.
Yoochun caught him and slowly lowered the both of them to the floor, while angling Junsu so he was facing the wall and not the horrors in the room. “Junsu…Junsu,” Yoochun repeated as he clung to the other man desperately.
“Yoochun…” the younger man whispered.
“Yes,” Yoochun cried out in relief. “Yes, you are going to be…I’m going to get you out of here.”
“I was on the ship.”
“I know,” Yoochun answered. “Eunhyuk used the stones to find us.”
Junsu was sobbing uncontrollably and with stiff and sore arms he hugged Yoochun. “He did.”
“He did…they know we are alive.”
“I didn’t want you to be here.”
“No, I had to be here…so I could find you.”
“You saved me.”
Yoochun’s eyes were locked on the body of the man he had just murdered. “No…Eunhyuk saved you.”
“No, he didn’t…you did…thank you…you saved me. I was so wrong…wrong…”
“About what?”
“About you…I was so wrong about you…I am sorry…I don’t want to wait for another lifetime to be with you.”
Yoochun’s eyes widened and he internally froze.
“Don’t you see…we have this life,” Junsu explained, tightening his hold on the other man. “We can be together, now.”
Words that would have once filled him with great joy terrorized him. Yoochun shoved Junsu away with a force fueled by his overwhelming desire to protect the younger man at all costs.
Yoochun climbed to his feet and stumbled away from Junsu, desperate to get far away from the younger man but he fell back down when unsteady legs refused to hold him up. He crawled away from Junsu, trying his best to ignore the other man’s pleas for him to come back.
Yoochun only stopped his attempt to put distance between them when he was overcome with nausea; on his hands and knees, he vomited all over the floor of the basement.
**********************
The light of the dying sun filled Ten Forward.
Sulli stood pressed up against the window, imaging she could feel the heat of the fiery giant as it fought against extinction.
The computer had stopped yelling out its warning of immediate disaster. All the communication systems were down. The once pristine white walls of the ship were starting to crack.
“Sulli,” Woohyun blurted out as he rushed into Ten Forward with Kangin at his side. The lifts were not working and they had climbed up the Jefferies Tubes to reach her. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I am fine.”
“You need to be in sickbay.”
“Doctor, will sickbay protect me…protect any of us?” Sulli asked as she looked down at the planet Zilax that was now devoid of life.
Woohyun closed his eyes and confessed, “No.” It had only been out of habit and instinct that he had searched out his missing patient.
“If I am going to die…I need to die here,” she told them, not turning around. “This is where he’d want me to be.”
“He?” Woohyun asked, confused.
“Changmin,” Kangin answered as he slowly approached the young woman. “I will never forget the first time I saw them together. Once Changmin knew Sulli was on the ship…it was like nothing else mattered to him.”
At the sound of Kangin’s voice Sulli turned around to face her friend. It felt like centuries ago since she had been stranded with Kangin…before the Warlord Hangeng had come and stolen her away to a world of torment and misery…but Changmin had some how made it better. She remembered the first time she saw Changmin on the ship. “I woke up from a nightmare to find a beautiful angel right before my eyes.”
“He was an emotional mess back then,” Kangin said, stopping before he reached her. “I was babysitting him that day and I thought he was going to drive Jaejoong crazy. You had a very calming affect on him.”
Tears glided down her cheeks as she reached up and traced her lips with her fingertips. “I had forgotten how to smile.”
Kangin grinned. “And he hardly knew how.”
“He saved me…I wasn’t sad or afraid when he was with me.”
“You saved each other,” Kangin gently reminded her.
Woohyun stayed in the background not intruding on their moment. He knew the story of how Sulli had saved Changmin on Belara, but that had all occurred before he had joined the Expectations…before he had met Sunggyu. Sunggyu, who he would have loved to see one last time, but he knew that even if he started climbing now he could not reach the bridge in time. The ship was falling apart around them. The air was cold and he knew the oxygen supply would soon be depleted.
Sulli wrung her hands and told Kangin, “He isn’t here to save me now.”
“No, he isn’t,” came the unwelcome voice of the Leeteuk imposter as he appeared behind Sulli and quickly wrapped his arm around her neck, immobilizing her. “But I would rather not take any chances when it comes to him.”
The Heechul imposter stood quietly at the Leeteuk impostor’s side.
“Let her go!” Kangin yelled and rushed toward the imposters but quickly stopped when Leeteuk showed the dagger in his other hand. Before the communications system had gone down Sunggyu had sent out a warning, explaining everything to the crew.
“You know what this dagger did to the ship…can you imagine what it will do to the flesh of a human?”
The Heechul imposter’s eyes widened in alarm, and he did not hide his disapproval. “You don’t mean to…it is madness! Utter madness!”
“Did you think I meant to take her with us?” Leeteuk asked, showing his amusement at the other being’s wrong assumption.
“Yes!” Heechul imposter yelled back at the other one. “Of course I thought you meant to take her with us!”
“Then you thought wrong! The last strike of the Ferro Interficere is for her! I am going to end this before it ever begins!” the Leeteuk imposter replied as he raised the dagger up. “I’d rather never have existed at all than to continue to exist like this!”
Woohyun and Kangin watched helplessly as the imposter brought the dagger down toward the girl…but it never reached her. At the last moment Heechul pushed Sulli away and took the blade in her place.
The Leeteuk impostor had tried to stop when he realized what was happening, but it had all happened too quickly and he had not had the time to pull back completely…and even the smallest cut from the dagger guaranteed death.
They all watched in stunned silence as the being that had been Heechul collapsed to the deck with the dagger shallowly imbedded in his chest.
Kangin was the first to act. He grabbed the Leeteuk imposter, threw him against the window and vowed, “You make one move, and I swear my last living act will be to end you.”
Sulli screamed and fell to her knees beside the doctor that had always been kind to her, whether in his madness, sanity, or possession. “Heechul,” she begged taking his hand. “Heechul…no…no.”
Woohyun rushed to Heechul’s other side.
Kangin kept his eyes on the being possessing Commander Leeteuk, but he spoke to his old friend. “Doc…was that you? I know that was you…you beat that fucker, didn’t you? If anyone could, it would be you.”
Sulli looked imploringly at Woohyun as she felt the ice cold hand in hers. “Is…is he…he’s so cold…is he dead?”
Woohyun, who had his hand pressed against Heechul’s neck, nodded his head. “He’s gone.”
“Doc…no,” Kangin whispered in disbelief.
“The dagger…it’s not like anything I have ever seen,” Woohyun helplessly tried to explain. “Heechul’s body is…it’s like he’s been dead for hours.”
Kangin yelled at the imposter, “He might be dead…but he beat you and your evil crony. You lost!”
“No, I didn’t you idiot! You all are dead,” Leeteuk answered, his gaze transfixed on Heechul. “The only question left is if the sun or the ship will be the means of your doom.”
“Well, you are coming with us,” Kangin told the imposter. “Asshole!”
Leeteuk’s eyes were still on Heechul as he smiled. “I truly hope so…of course I highly doubt it, but one can hope.”
“You are suicidal?” Woohyun asked, looking up to stare at the imposter. “You want to die?”
“Oh, yes,” Leeteuk answered. “For over a millennium, now.”
Sulli, whose eyes had not left Heechul, gasped as the dagger started glowing blue. “What is happening?”
They all watched as the blue glow of the dagger spread out coating Heechul’s body in the same blue glow.
The Leeteuk imposter slowly climbed to his feet. “It worked for him…it worked…but…but…”
“What worked?” Kangin demanded, walking protectively closer to Heechul’s body. “What is happening to his body?”
“How is…the Earthling…the healer was able to accomplish…it’s finally over for him,” a stunned Leeteuk explained before vanishing.
“What the fuck?” Kangin exclaimed after the imposter disappeared.
Woohyun looked at the space where the Leeteuk imposter had been, “All of this needless…needless death just because they wanted to die. They did all of this so they could die…”
“But why?” Kangin asked, dropping to his knees beside Sulli. He did not bother to wipe away the tears that ran down his cheeks.
“I can’t be sure, but when the imposter inside of Ji-Hoon was trying to blow up the ship…he talked of being free of his suffering and of a great nothingness…I think they thought dying would end their torment,” Woohyun explained.
“Forgive me if…if I can’t be happy for them.”
“Of course, not…I just think living must have been hell for them, but it is still no excuse for what they did,” Woohyun responded as he started feeling the effects of the lack of oxygen in the air.
Sulli shivered and ran a hand through Heechul’s hair, unbothered by the blue glow. “I hope this one found peace…he was so much like Heechul…I really do think Heechul was still there…my sweet fairy godmother.”
Kangin managed a small smile. “He did dote on you, kid…and I really…I really do think he won in the end.”
Woohyun rubbed his arms as the cold started penetrating through his uniform. “I never knew him before…before the incident that took his sanity, but even in madness he was remarkably sane.”
Kangin wiped away the tears from his face. “When he…before we got stranded here he was the best Earth had to offer…and that is saying a lot.”
“Yes, Earth is full of amazing humans,” Woohyun agreed.
“Yeah…and I have been blessed…I have known a lot of great men…Yunho; I hope he knows how hard we tried…how hard we tried,” Kangin added with a trembling jaw.
Tears glided down Sulli’s face as she reached out, took Kangin’s hand and squeezed it. “He knows…he knows.”
A loud roar filled the ship, sounding as if it was being torn in half.
Kangin squeezed Sulli’s hand back. “I think this life is about to come to an end…I think I will embrace the belief that our soul goes on...in a different reality…and I will see my friends again.”
Woohyun closed his eyes and felt the bitter sting of regret. “Me too…and in that life, may love conquer all.”
Sulli gazed at Woohyun sadly and then looked back down at Heechul; her eyes widened and she gasped, “The blue glow…I just noticed…it’s the color of Changmin’s Joong eyes.”
Adventure Sixteen: The Guardian of Forever, Part 3
Author: Aquariuslover
Pairings: KyuWook, Yunjae, YooSu, WooGyu, Various
Rating: R
Genre: Crossover, Romance, Science Fiction, Adventure,
Length: Chaptered
Beta: tahoeturquoise
Warning: Death, Violence
A/N: This story is inspired by Star Trek and the Kpop community. This is the last adventure I have planned.
Summary: Limitless possibilities.
Prior Adventures
Eunhyuk’s eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp.
Woohyun and Sunggyu barely grabbed him in time to keep him from hitting the deck.
“Crap!” Woohyun exclaimed as they gently laid Eunhyuk on the deck. “Did anyone take the time to actually consider what would happen to Eunhyuk if Junsu really was dead?”
Sunggyu looked up to share a worried glance with Sooyoung before the female lieutenant insisted, “Junsu is not dead.”
“Really? Are you sure? Are you an expert in how these stones work?” the doctor snapped as he examined Eunhyuk’s body.
Sooyoung knelt down beside Sunggyu. “No, I am far from an expert.”
Woohyun pried Eunhyuk’s eyelids apart and examined his pupils. “That’s what I thought.”
Sunggyu, who was crouching on the deck across from the doctor, pointed out, “You didn’t think of it either.”
“Forgive me if have been too busy lying my ass off to everyone!”
“We have all been lying.”
“Yeah…but you haven’t had to lie to Dr. Kim. I swear that man is like a big, old cat ready to pounce on me. Lying to Sungmin is as easy as breathing…that man was born to be fooled, but the imposter inside of Heechul scares the shit out of me,” Woohyun told them as he glanced away from Eunhyuk to look at Sooyoung. “Do you have a medkit in here by any chance?”
“No,” Sooyoung answered. “We can’t access the emergency med station in the corridor outside my quarters either, it will immediately alert sickbay.”
Sunggyu tapped his combadge. “Ensign Jonghyun.”
“…” Jonghyun did not respond.
Sunggyu closed his eyes and a long-suffering look appeared on his face. “Better Than Sex this is Red Velvet.”
“Better Than Sex, here,” came the young ensign’s reply. “How can I help you, Red Velvet?”
“I need a medkit.”
“It’s on its way, Red Velvet,” Jonghyun answered. “Better Than Sex, out.”
Sooyoung smirked. “He was not wrong to suggest we use codenames. They do have their purposes.”
“And yet I remember you protesting the suggestion that yours be Pound,” Sunggyu reminded her.
Her smirk faded away. “I prefer Angel Cake over Pound Cake. It suits me better.”
The medkit appeared and Dr. Nam grabbed it. He pulled out a scanner and sighed when it confirmed what he had already determined. “He just fainted. He’s fine.”
“Good,” Sunggyu said. “Now, wake him up so we can find out where he is.”
Sooyoung concurred, “I agree; time is of the essence.”
“I am the doctor here, and I think we should give him a minute,” Woohyun defiantly told them.
Sooyoung repressed the urge to groan. “Doctor, I presume you are still channeling your animosity toward us?”
Woohyun grimaced, acknowledging the woman had pegged him perfectly. “Ummm…maybe a bit.”
Sunggyu did not bother to repress his growing irritation. “There isn’t anything for you to be jealous of!”
Woohyun’s expression brightened considerably. “Really?”
A flabbergasted Sunggyu slowly reminded the doctor, “The-two-of-us -are-not-in-a-relationship-so-there-is-nothing-to-be-jealous-of!”
Sooyoung nudged Sunggyu with her shoulder and reached out her hand, laying it on Woohyun’s shoulder. “You must know that I would never come between you two. I am totally supportive of your relationship. I personally am very eager for the day he gets a clue.”
Sunggyu just looked at her, aghast at the betrayal.
Woohyun reached up and patted the hand that rested on his shoulder. “I do know that…he’s just so damn frustrating at times.”
“I can totally understand your predicament,” Sooyoung said, sympathizing with the doctor. “I was in…enamored with a man for years…a man who was more machine than most androids.”
“Should I leave, so you two can talk alone?” Sunggyu snapped. “Oh, wait; I can’t because we are trying to return the ship to its rightful captain! You remember him, right?”
“Yes, Acting Lieutenant Sunggyu,” Sooyoung answered curtly, letting go of Woohyun. “We remember him. Dr. Nam is the physician here and we should follow his advice.” She then turned back to Woohyun and asked, “Let’s get back to the topic of the Heechul imposter. I thought you said he was acting less suspicious of you since Sulli awakened.”
“I did say that,” Woohyun conceded. “He’s still sharp as a tack though…just as Ryeowook used to describe him.”
“Yes, I have also noticed this from my limited encounters with him, but his concern for Sulli seems very genuine. My brother has repeatedly remarked on how similar the imposter’s behavior is to the real Heechul in regards to her,” Sooyoung stated, “whereas the imposter inhabiting Commander Leeteuk acts far less like the former commander.
Sunggyu, who was fighting the urge to yank the med kit away from Woohyun and wake Eunhyuk himself, commented, “Heechul’s mind was the least damaged…maybe his memories are easier to access.”
Sooyoung shook her head, disagreeing. “No, the Leeteuk imposter has access to Commander Leeteuk’s memories…it’s like the Heechul imposter can do more…it’s as if he can connect to the real Heechul’s emotions.”
“Or he is simply playing us,” Sunggyu added. “He’s an imposter and the sooner Eunhyuk wakes up so we can confirm our theory that the others are alive, the quicker we can put into action our plan to take back the ship.”
Woohyun grabbed a hypospray from the medkit and muttered, “Hint taken.” The doctor then injected Eunhyuk’s body with it.
Eunhyuk’s eyes flew open and the three of them watched as relief flooded the man’s face and he muttered, “Am…I…back…on…the…shhhip?”
Sunggyu looked down at the other man. “It depends. Tell me your name.”
“Junsu…I don’t…I don’t sound like…myself…I sound like…”
“You sound like Ensign Eunhyuk,” Woohyun finished for him.
“Yes,” a startled Junsu responded.
“Ensign Junsu,” Sooyoung said in a calm voice, while controlling the urge to smile triumphantly at having her theory confirmed. “Ensign Eunhyuk used the soul switching stones to determine if you were still live.”
Junsu blinked and looked up at the beautiful lieutenant. “The pink crystals…the Soul Tri Spheres?”
“Yes,” Sooyoung confirmed. “Did the Guardian transport you somewhere?”
Junsu nodded his head.
“Who else is with you?” Sunggyu asked eagerly.
“The captain, Yoochun…Ryeowook and Kyuhyun…and Jaejoong…and Changmin…Changmin is born. He was born. He’s a baby.”
Sooyoung allowed her relief to be heard as she asked, “Do you know where you are?”
“No…we were on a planet with dinosaurs…but the Guardian transported us away to another place…it’s bad there…I don’t want to go back-” A look of pure horror filled Junsu’s face as he sat up quickly. “If we switched…is Yoochun in my place?”
“Quite possibly…if the stones worked as they should have,” Sooyoung answered.
Junsu was horrified. “Yoochun…in my place…he can’t be there! It’s terrible…it’s darkness and it hurts so bad there.”
Sunggyu reached out and took hold of Junsu’s shoulders, questioning, “What are you talking about?”
“The last switch,” Junsu explained, as he shook all over, terrified by the memory. “I don’t know where I am…I am in this dark room…I am tied up. I can’t move…and my body…I think I have been hurt badly. My whole body hurts when I am there.”
Woohyun grabbed a hypospray and shot a sedative into Junsu. “Junsu, do you know who is hurting you?”
An immediately calmer Junsu replied, “No, I have never seen anyone.”
“You have no idea where you are?” Sooyoung questioned. “The stars aren’t familiar to you?”
“No…no…no…you don’t understand,” Junsu answered. “I am in a dark room. I can’t see anything…I don’t know where the others are either.”
“Eunhyuk will be where Yoochun was…and maybe he is with the others and they know where they are…or perhaps they can see the sky,” Sunggyu suggested hopefully. “He’s a navigator; he might recognize that section of space.”
“Unfortunately, the chances of that happening are extremely small considering the Guardian can send them to a million different realities,” Sooyoung added.
“But if Lieutenant Jung is born…Junsu, does Jaejoong have his telepathic powers back?” Sunggyu asked.
“Yeah…because he saved us on the last planet we were on, but since we switched I haven’t seen anyone…I have to get back there,” Junsu insisted, fighting against the sedative as he stood up on trembling legs. “I can’t leave Yoochun there…It’s too terrible.”
Woohyun got up and placed an arm around Junsu and said softly, “Just calm down…we are trying to think of a way to get you back to the ship.”
Sunggyu was also up and said in a calming voice, “Junsu, we are trying to rescue you all…help us.”
Junsu frantically shook his head. “I can’t stay here. He was hurt…he can’t be in that place. I have to go back. I have to-”
“Junsu!” Woohyun called out in alarm as the ensign swayed on his feet. “Are you alright?”
“I’m not Junsu…I’m Eunhyuk…you were all right…they are all alive” the navigator told them as he adjusted to the present reality.
Sunggyu did not bother to hide his triumphant smile as he declared, “It is time to take back this ship!”
Eunhyuk grinned widely and turned to face Sooyoung. “Yes, but first Jaejoong has something he wants you to do.”
*********************
The darkness was gone.
He adjusted to the light.
The man that was his best friend and the great champion of his soul sat beside him. He stared into the eyes that had always cast a warm light upon him; eyes that were filled with hope and anticipation.
He waited and watched as the eyes grew alarmed and his savior’s posture showed his growing concern. “Eunhyuk?”
“Eunhyuk,” he repeated with the Viscount’s voice. He was slowly grasping what was going on…what had happened.
“No,” came a voice from across the room.
He looked away from Yunho and met Jaejoong’s knowing gaze.
Jaejoong was sitting on a long sofa with a young girl’s head resting on his lap. Jaejoong was staring back at him. “They have switched back…it is Yoochun.”
“Switched,” he asked, confused.
“Eunhyuk used the stones!” Yunho told him; his worry was fading and giving way to his excitement. “They know we aren’t dead.”
Yoochun could not meet Yunho’s gaze so he kept his eyes locked on Jaejoong as a deep fear took root. “I was…I switched with Junsu.”
Jaejoong nodded his head.
Yoochun could only imagine what the telepath saw in his mind.
He didn’t stick around to find out as he got up and fled the room, not sparing either of them a backwards glance or a word of explanation.
He heard Jaejoong yell for Yunho to go after him.
He didn’t wait for Yunho as he sped through the house. The staff looked at him as if he were insane and if he had had time to enjoy the irony of the situation he would have laughed, but he did not.
He rushed though the house, ignoring Yunho’s pleas for him to stop. He pushed the huge doors open and stepped out onto the portico. “Take me home!”
The driver of his carriage was waiting at the front of the house…with carriage and horses ready as if he had prior knowledge the viscount would not be staying long. Yoochun got into the carriage and shouted, “Home! Take me home!”
********************
Siwon stood next to Sungmin in a beautiful garden on the planet Zilax.
Sungmin’s attention was on a long-necked purple animal that ate the blossoms off of the tops of the flowering trees in the garden.
“Does it remind you of an Earth animal?”
“An animal from Earth’s past,” Sungmin answered and the sorrow could be heard in his voice.
“An extinct animal?”
“Yes, the giraffes are long gone from Earth, but although their extinction is one of the great crimes of my people…it was Ryeowook’s fondness for giraffes that makes me both reminiscent and sad.”
“Ah, I remember,” Siwon said understanding. “His notebooks were covered with images of them. I should have known. I did not know they were extinct.”
“The last of the wild ones died out during the third great war,” Sungmin explained. “There is a long list of animals that died out due to humanity’s relentless selfishness over the centuries, but for some reason Ryeowook was always fascinated by giraffes.”
“But you have the whales back.”
Sungmin smiled. “The humpbacks; what magnificent, intelligent creatures they are.”
“I was only a child when I learned of the great Captain Kirk and his legendary crew, and how they went back in time to save the Earth from the powerful probe demanding to speak with whales.”
“It’s one of those grand stories that you can’t possibly imagine to be true, but it is. Captain Kirk…now, he was a great captain,” Sungmin said, full of admiration.
Siwon looked oddly down at Sungmin. “Is he one of your personal heroes?”
“He’s everyone’s hero…or he should be,” Sungmin replied, full of awe. “I’d have followed him back in time to save the whales without a moment’s hesitation.”
“He…does not seem to have much in common with Captain Leeteuk.”
“No,” Sungmin agreed, “not at all; Yunho was much more like Captain Kirk.”
Siwon could not hide his surprise. “But you supported Captain Leeteuk…when he had Commander Jung arrested?”
“Just because I supported Captain Leeteuk does not mean I was against Commander Jung. I did not hand over command of the Expectations to Captain Leeteuk…Commander Jung did.”
“Are you saying you would have supported Commander Jung if he had not handed the Expectations over to Leeteuk?”
“That is exactly what I am saying,” Sungmin answered, letting his disappointment show. “As Chief Security Officer I must support the officer in command of the ship.”
“But you arrested Yunho…you put him in the brig along with Commander Kyuhyun and Commander Yoochun.”
Sungmin avoided eye contact with Siwon. “Yunho was…participating in dangerous talk…once he gave Captain Leeteuk control of the ship…he should have supported him and remained loyal.”
“So you think Captain Leeteuk did nothing to cause Yunho to be unsupportive?”
“No, I am not saying that,” Sungmin admitted and it looked as if saying the words had cost him greatly.
Siwon arched his eyebrows. “This surprises me because it is the widely held consensus on the ship that you have no problem throwing anyone in the brig that speaks against Captain Leeteuk or questions his judgment.”
Sungmin rubbed the back of his neck and admitted, “That is true…to a point…I can not allow a mutiny on my watch, but my security patrols report nothing but peace and calm. I had thought the rather…untimely death of Yunho would have stirred more of a reaction among the crew, honestly.”
“When you say untimely don’t you mean suspicious?”
“No, I do not mean suspicious!” Sungmin exclaimed. “Siwon, you know how I feel towards you, but please do not say such things to anyone else.”
Siwon started walking away from Sungmin. “Why? Would you throw me in the brig?”
Sungmin’s mouth gaped open for a few seconds before he rushed after the other man. “Are you angry with me?”
Siwon stopped and spun around to face the other man, allowing his irritation to be seen. “I have a sacred oath to watch out for you and it disturbs me when you behave in such a disingenuous manner.”
“I am just following orders.”
“Is that all it is?” Siwon asked, trying his best to control his expression and regain his princely calm.
Sungmin studied the other man’s face. “What have you heard?”
“You tell me.”
“It was a long…long time ago,” Sungmin blurted out. “It was over…almost before it began. I didn’t think anyone knew. Who told you?”
“You just did,” Siwon informed the lieutenant. “I had suspected as much due to your unfaltering sense of loyalty towards him.”
Sungmin held up his hands. “My loyalty to him has nothing to do with the fact that we were once lovers.”
“You are foolishly romantic…you would not be able to help yourself from only seeing the best in him.”
“Our past relationship has not even been discussed between us since he regained his lucidity,” Sungmin disagreed. “I respect him, but I am not in love with him.”
“Did you once love him?”
“No, never,” Sungmin explained. “I still loved Kyuhyun back then.”
“Are you sure you are not in love with Leeteuk now? It would explain a lot of your questionable behavior.”
“I am positive. I swear it is not him I love,” Sungmin confessed to the prince. “I think we both know who I love.”
Siwon physically withdrew a few feet and quickly started walking away from the other man. “Please do not make any declarations…not under these circumstances.”
“I love you,” Sungmin called out earnestly as he followed after the prince. “I don’t know when it happened, but I love you.”
“Sungmin…”
Sungmin reached out a hand and grabbed the taller man by the arm to stop him. “I know you don’t love me back.”
Siwon turned to look at Sungmin. “I do not feel comfortable having this conversation…not at this time.”
“I am not a complete idiot. I know you are a good man, and I know you don’t want to hurt me.”
Siwon reached out and covered Sungmin’s hand that was wrapped around his arm. “I don’t want to hurt you, so please let us postpone this discussion.”
Sungmin smiled sadly up at Siwon. “If I was a kinder…a stronger man, I wouldn’t have confessed to you, but I had to tell you. I think you are an extraordinary person and I’m in love with you.”
“You words honor me, but this is not the time or the place to have this discussion.”
“I don’t want you to be honored by my words,” Sungmin stated, refusing to end the discussion. “I want you to feel what I feel…I know it is difficult because I am a man, but I am willing to change that.”
Siwon’s eyes widened and for once the prince was speechless.
“I am willing to become a woman for you. It is a simple procedure and I would be lying if I said the thought had never occurred to me before.”
“No,” Siwon whispered, horrified as he remembered a conversation he had once had with Kangin. “I can not possibly allow you to entertain such thoughts. If I have led you to believe-” Siwon stopped midsentence as Sungmin disappeared without a word of warning.
Siwon looked down to the ground and noticed that Sungmin’s phaser was all that remained of the lieutenant.
****************
Sungmin suddenly found himself aboard the Expectations standing on the transporter platform. Lieutenant Sooyoung and Ensign Jonghyun stood behind the controls and both were looking at him. “What is the meaning of this?”
Lieutenant Sooyoung coolly stepped forward and stated, “Lieutenant Sungmin you are officially being charged with violating Federation directive 17.5 and directive 78.4. You are under arrest.”
Sungmin stared at Lieutenant Sooyoung, completely baffled.
She remained perfectly calm and added, “I personally charge you with breaking code 55 of Star Fleet’s Rules of Behavior.”
“Harassment,” Sungmin gasped in disbelief. “You can’t be serious!”
“Do you deny, lieutenant, that you have violated my privacy on repeated occasions?”
Sungmin stepped forward with his hands stretched out in a nonthreatening manner. “Lieutenant Sooyoung, I am the security chief of this ship; it is my job to know what is going on.”
“Lieutenant Sungmin, you did it for personal reasons, not official.”
“You can not prove it.”
“I can and I will,” Lieutenant Sooyoung evenly told the security chief. “A court of your peers will determine your punishment.”
“Does the captain know about this?”
“The captain is not aboard the ship.”
Sungmin fumed. “So you are doing this without his permission?”
“I assure you the captain will approve of your arrest.”
Sungmin glanced at Ensign Jonghyun and back at Lieutenant Sooyoung and asked with amusement, “So you two are putting me under arrest?”
Sooyoung smiled widely as the door to the transporter room whooshed open and Ensign Kangin along with five other members of security entered. “Lieutenant Sungmin, as the active senior officer currently on board the ship I am officially arresting you, but security will be escorting you to the brig. If you will now excuse me, I have many things that require my immediate attention.”
Sungmin gaped at his security officers in disbelief as Lieutenant Sooyoung exited the transporter room.
“Escort the lieutenant to the brig,” Kangin ordered. The young security officers quickly surrounded Lieutenant Sungmin and motioned him toward the door.
“I can’t believe it…you all have betrayed me,” Lieutenant Sungmin accused as he allowed them to escort him to the brig. “I always treated you fairly and decently.”
“Yep,” Kangin agreed as they walked down the corridor toward the security department. “Kinda like Yunho always treated you fairly and decently.”
Sungmin winced, feeling the sting of Kangin’s words. “I was following orders when I arrested Commander Jung.”
Kangin glowered at Sungmin. “You were a dumbass to follow those orders, and now you have been arrested for being a dumbass.”
*******************
“Sir, the power and all the ship’s controls have been cut off from the bridge,” Ensign Horvejkul informed Lieutenant Yesung, who was currently in command while Captain Leeteuk was on the planet.
Lieutenant Yesung got up from the captain’s chair and turned toward the science station where Ensign Minho sat. “Explain.”
“All power to the ship has been transferred to engineering,” Ensign Minho replied. “Engineering now has control of the ship.”
Yesung looked around the bridge and noticed none of the bridge crew looked particularly surprised or upset by the news. He focused his attention on Ensign Eunhyuk, who appeared more fidgety than usual. “Ensign Eunhyuk, is there a mutiny taking place on board this ship that I am not aware of?”
Eunhyuk turned around and looked directly at Lieutenant Yesung. “Perhaps we should wait for an official announcement, Sir.”
Lieutenant Yesung waved his hand dismissively at Eunhyuk and demanded of the bridge crew, “Who is leading the mutiny?”
“Sir, probably the person in charge of engineering,” Ensign Horvejkul helpfully offered. “Engineering is controlling the ship.”
“Oh,” Lieutenant Yesung responded as he sat back down and tapped his combadge. “Acting Lieutenant Sunggyu, if you are taking over the ship…you can do it from the bridge. I happily surrender it to you.”
“Thank you, Sir,” was Sunggyu’s immediate response.
The bridge crew all stared at Lieutenant Yesung in disbelief.
Lieutenant Yesung shrugged. “I was stripped naked, tied to pole, drugged with a powerful paralytic, and left to be dinner for a swarm bloodsucking spider bats…don’t think I have forgotten who saved my ass.”
**************
Lieutenant Sooyoung entered the emergency transporter room on Deck 18 and announced, “Lieutenant Sungmin is in the brig. We are free to take the battle bridge.”
Acting Lieutenant Sunggyu turned around to greet her. “We don’t need to.”
“We don’t?”
Lieutenant Donghae, who was at the transporter controls, explained, “Lieutenant Yesung has already surrendered the bridge to our acting lieutenant here.”
“Really?” Sooyoung questioned, sounding very pleased.
Donghae grinned at Sunggyu and teased, “We will be calling him captain any day now.”
“No,” Sunggyu denied. “He only surrendered to me because he knows engineering is controlling the ship; he doesn’t know of either of yours’ involvement.”
“I just arrested Lieutenant Sungmin; word of my involvement is probably spreading at warp speed throughout the ship as we speak,” Sooyoung stated. “Where did you two place the imposters?”
Donghae smiled proudly. “Somewhere where they can do no harm.”
Lieutenant Sooyoung looked both curious and worried. “Please elaborate.”
“As you know, Eunhyuk reported that Captain Yunho ordered that they should not be allowed to find whatever they are looking for,” Donghae explained.
“Yes, I would not forget that,” she replied. “Hopefully, Jaejoong’s plan will resolve this issue, but where did you put them?”
Sunggyu continued, “He put them on an iceberg out at sea.”
Lieutenant Sooyoung’s mouth fell open and before she could comment Donghae quickly added, “With survival gear.”
“Excellent choice,” she told him approvingly.
“I am still uneasy,” Sunggyu informed them. “They were able to enter the ship and take over the bodies of Dr. Kim and Commander Leeteuk without the assistance of a transporter…I do not think their mobility is limited like ours.”
“We have had this discussion before,” Sooyoung replied. “We can not be certain when they entered the ship…and if their mobility is not dependent on the ship…then why take it?”
“I wish I knew,” Sunggyu told her, unable to shake his uneasiness.
“I do know,” Donghae said, changing the subject, “that we need to make a ship wide announcement letting the crew know what is going on.”
“Which one of you wants to make it?” Sunggyu asked the lieutenants.
“You are making it,” Sooyoung told the acting lieutenant. “Right after you take your rightful position on the bridge.”
“You are the senior officers,” Sunggyu reminded them. “You both are highly respected.”
“No,” Donghae disagreed. “You are the hero of the day. You control this ship because you control the engineering and security departments.”
Sunggyu protested, “No, we control engineering and security.”
“Modesty is not an attractive quality on you,” Lieutenant Sooyoung said, reprimanding the acting lieutenant.
“No, it isn’t,” Donghae agreed. “Like it or not, you carry the most sway on this ship right now. The fact that you were a mere cadet when we were stranded in this galaxy bears no weight on what is going on now. This is not about seniority.”
Sunggyu’s modesty evaporated. “Agreed; I will take command until the time Captain Jung is returned to us. And my first order is to send Lieutenant Donghae to the brig.”
“The brig?” Lieutenant Donghae asked, startled.
“Yes,” Sunggyu confirmed. “Your involvement in this takeover has been hidden from most of the participants. I need you to appear untarnished in case the imposters do manage to get back on the ship and take control of it.”
“That is a smart move,” the transporter chief said approvingly.
“I would also suggest that you be placed with Lieutenant Sungmin,” Sooyoung advised. “Perhaps you can accidentally clue him into the fact that Prince Siwon assisted us.”
Donghae winced. “Lieutenant, you have a cruel streak.”
“Not normally,” she told him. “But it is in our best interests to keep him off his game.”
“Agreed,” Sunggyu concurred as he tapped his combadge and ordered, “Ensign Kangin, report to the emergency transporter room on Deck 19 and escort Lieutenant Donghae to the brig.”
Kangin replied immediately, “Yes, Sir.”
************************
“I am not amused,” the being controlling Commander Leeteuk declared as he looked out past the edge of the glacier toward the frigid sea.
The being that inhabited Heechul wrapped his arms tightly around his middle. “I will admit to being slightly amused.”
“They craftily plotted against us, I will give them that; but they are greatly misinformed if they think this piece of ice can hold us.”
“Are we leaving already?”
“No, not yet,” Leeteuk replied, turning around to survey the iceberg. “An Earthling randomly chose this place of all the places on the planet to strand us.”
“You think it might be here?”
“I can’t discount the possibility. Once I ascertain if…” Leeteuk paused, tilted his head and went completely still.
Heechul shivered as he felt a powerful presence on the planet.
The moment of silence passed and Leeteuk whispered, “What have they done?”
Heechul looked up at the sky. “Jaejoong must be back…he must have contacted the Elders…this attempt at revenge was never meant to be.”
Leeteuk swung around to glare at the other man. “Who are you? Are you my ageless friend…or is the Earthling back in control of his body?”
The other man took a step backwards, taken aback by the accusation. “I am your friend! The Earthling has no power over me!”
“I think the Earthling that you reside in has been exerting himself quite frequently, actually. I fear we gravely underestimated him.”
“We did not! I have merely been playing a role.”
“No; you have empathy! You saved the trader when you should have let him die! The healer has great influence over you!”
“No!” the being inside of Heechul denied. “I explained my reasons to you…I have no empathy…if I did…if I did have empathy I would not be in this predicament to begin with!”
The other man stepped closer and stared him in the eyes. “If that is true, you will support me in this next venture…I will have revenge.”
“Of course I will support you!”
“We will see; but I warn you, I will change the entirety of time if it is a means to my revenge.”
*************
Sungmin stopped his pacing and asked, “You too?” as Lieutenant Donghae was placed in the cell with him.
“Him too,” Ensign Kangin said, answering for Donghae. “All the mutinous pets are being kept together.”
“Mutinous is a strong word,” Sungmin said, warning the older man. “You are the one committing mutiny. Stop now, before it is too late.”
Kangin turned and walked away, while all the time laughing as if Sungmin had said the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life.
“Do you have any idea what is going on?” Donghae asked Sungmin as he leaned against the wall while Sungmin resumed pacing.
“All I know is that Lieutenant Sooyoung ordered my arrest.”
“For what reason?”
“For most of the same things Commander Jung had accused me of already…and harassment.”
“Harassment?”
Sungmin visibly winced and confessed, “I hate to admit it, but she might have had grounds…if she had not been plotting a mutiny at the time.”
“So it would appear that Lieutenant Sooyoung is in on it.”
“Do you know who is leading it? I find it very doubtful that she could get enough people behind her to lead a mutiny. She might be the only woman on board…but she doesn’t wield that kind of influence.”
Donghae appeared to be concentrating as he explained, “I am not sure of all the players. The main transporter room was being watched by security. I went to the emergency transporter room but Ensign…I mean Acting Lieutenant Sunggyu apprehended me there.”
“Sunggyu,” Sungmin said with a groan. “That explains why my whole department turned on me.”
Donghae just looked questioningly at the former security chief.
“Most of them were cadets with him. He was a star at the academy…you know how we worship our stars at the academy.”
“It does make sense…he would have the necessary sway needed.”
“Once he got Kangin on his side, I never had a chance.”
“He would have engineering behind him, too,” Donghae commented. “I could tell the entire engineering department was growing more and more disenchanted with the captain.”
Sungmin nodded his head and reluctantly admitted, “It’s because he put Commander Ji-Hoon in charge of engineering. I have total respect for the captain but that department was run by Commander Yoochun-they would not tolerate a fool bossing them around. When I heard about Ji-Hoon being put in charge…I could just imagine Yoochun rolling around in his grave.”
“Commander Yoochun doesn’t have a grave and neither do Yunho, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, Junsu, or Jaejoong,” Donghae reminded the engineer. “Their microscopic remains are just floating in space…remnants of a dead world.”
Sungmin closed his eyes and turned his head. “I don’t like thinking about that.”
Donghae studied Sungmin for a moment before asking, “So how did they get you?”
“I was on the planet with Siwon…having a very important conversation at the time, when I was beamed back to the ship without warning.”
“I thought you and Siwon were no longer together.”
“We weren’t…aren’t, but surprisingly he…” Sungmin paused before continuing. “He asked me to take a stroll with him on the planet.” His pacing slowed.
“That was convenient timing for them,” Donghae replied, pushing the imaginary knife deeper into Sungmin’s back.
Sungmin paled and looked sick. “Wasn’t it, though?” He came to a stop next to Donghae.
Sunggyu’s voice could be heard all over the ship as his announcement played, sparing Donghae from having to respond to Sungmin.
“This is Acting Lieutenant Kim Sunggyu of the U.S.S Expectations. I have temporarily taken command of the ship, until the time Captain Jung can be returned to his rightful position as captain. Irrefutable evidence has come to light proving Captain Jung and the others assumed dead are in fact alive. We have also been able to ascertain Commander Leeteuk, Dr. Kim Heechul, and the late Commander Ji-Hoon are/were being controlled by alien beings. I have made all the evidence available to all crew members, please draw your own conclusions; but make no mistake, I am in control of this ship until the time Captain Jung is returned to it. If you are unable to assist us with our rescue mission I ask that you limit yourself to your quarters or the recreational areas of this ship. If anyone attempts to hamper our efforts to rescue Captain Jung and the others they will be dealt with swiftly and then relocated to the brig.”
Sungmin, who had stopped breathing half way through Sunggyu’s announcement gasped and looked pleadingly at the other man. “Do you…Donghae, do you believe it? Could they be alive?”
Donghae slowly nodded his head.
The security chief lost his footing and leaned against the wall to prevent himself from falling to the deck. The blinders he had been wearing fell away and he asked in a voice mixed with hope and horror, “Kyuhyun…Ryeowook, Junsu, Yoochun…they…could be alive. Yunho was right…he was right.”
Donghae said nothing as he watched Sungmin…his friend come to terms with what was actually happening and what he had allowed to happen.
“What have I done?” Sungmin asked as he slid down to the deck.
*******************
“Sir, we are receiving a message…from the Warlord Hangeng,” Ensign Eunhyuk told Lieutenant Sunggyu, who sat in the center of the bridge in the captain’s chair.
Sunggyu quickly glanced back at Lieutenant Sooyoung, who was manning the science station. “It appears they got your message.”
Lieutenant Sooyoung stepped down from the back of the bridge. “We will now see if Jaejoong’s plan worked.”
Lieutenant Sunggyu ordered, “Let’s see what they have to say, Ensign Eunhyuk.”
The display at the front of the bridge immediately showed the beautiful image of the Joong Victoria. She smiled at Sunggyu and stated, “Why you tricky little human, I am impressed. Look at how far you have moved up in the universe since last we met.”
“Only temporarily I assure you.”
A very handsome man came into view as he stood beside Victoria and he told the acting lieutenant, “If you were a Warlord you would take the ship and never give it back.”
“Sir, I am just a Star Fleet officer.”
“Shame,” the man told Sunggyu, but his gaze landed on Sooyoung. “A man must take every opportunity that is offered him…or so some believe, but I do admire loyalty.”
“As do I, Lord Hangeng, and my loyalty has always been to the Federation and Star Fleet,” Sooyoung replied unflinchingly.
“Yes, Sooyoung your loyalty is not in doubt…nor was it ever,” Victoria told the other woman. “For the mercy Prince Jaejoong and Captain Yunho showed me and my mate…after our regrettable actions on Kanzi, I have done as you asked of me. The object in question has been removed from the planet by the Elders of Joong.”
Lieutenant Sooyoung rewarded her former captors with a smile. “Thank you…we couldn’t contact Joong ourselves.”
“No,” Victoria agreed. “Only the Joong are allowed to contact my home world or permitted entrance through the Guardians.”
“We mere mortals are not worthy,” the warlord told his mate while looking lovingly upon her.
Victoria smiled back at her mate and then back to crew of the Expectations. “We will take our leave now.”
Sunggyu nodded his head in acknowledgement and ordered, “Expectations out.”
The display at the front of the bridge went black. Sunggyu looked up at Sooyoung and said, “I wonder…”
“You wonder what?” Sooyoung asked.
“If we could go to Joong?” Sunggyu asked. “The Guardian transports us…I wonder if we could go to the Joong home world?”
Eunhyuk turned around in his seat and told the acting lieutenant, “Sir, I highly doubt it is trip you would remember even if you did manage to make it there.”
Sunggyu laughed. “Yes, you are probably correct. I highly doubt they would let us remember it.”
“I could always visit and tell you about it,” Sooyoung teased. “Then I could have a whole planet of Joongs irritated at me for having the audacity to have a closed mind.”
“Perhaps,” Lieutenant Sunggyu agreed. “Now, I think it is time we leave this planet. We have been here much too long. Set a course for the Vallian sector, Ensign Eunhyuk.”
“Yes, Sir,” Eunhyuk answered, eager to move the ship forward and closer towards the rescue of his best friend.
“Not so fast,” the voice of Commander Leeteuk ordered as he appeared at the front of the bridge with Heechul standing next to him. “I have a parting gift for you first.”
Sunggyu along with the rest of the bridge watched as the imposter took out a decorative dagger and drove it into the deck of the bridge.
A perplexed Sunggyu got up from his chair and carefully approached the beings. “Surely you know a weapon of that type can not harm this ship.”
The imposter dramatically rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You primitives of Earth, you have no idea what anything can do in this day and time…you don’t even know what age it is for that matter. How can a mere necklace control a telepathic being? How can this dagger destroy this ship? How can I destroy suns?”
Sunggyu remained calm. “Then tell me…how can you do these things?”
Leeteuk grinned, causing a chill to run down Sunggyu’s spine. “Because the Gods made them work. Yes, I said Gods, you little primitive creatures. Gods made them work…before they lost themselves to the great nothingness that is ambivalence. “You think you are so advanced…you think there is no room for Gods in your science.”
The lights dimmed.
“Some beings are incredibly advanced and they would be viewed as Gods by lesser developed species…the Q Continuum for example,” Sunggyu explained as his eyes darted around the bridge as warning lights started flashing.
“The Q Continuum is full of moody drama queens…if only they were who I was talking about…hell, I would have been a great Q.”
Suddenly red alerts started sounding all over the ship. Sooyoung quickly made it back to her science station.
“What have you done?” Lieutenant Sunggyu demanded.
Leeteuk smiled down at the dagger in his hand. “I couldn’t have done it without your help. I need to thank you for being clever enough to help me get this. Without you I’d never have been able to obtain it.”
Sunggyu stared at the dagger in alarm.
“This is what your friend the spider was protecting…from the likes of me. You don’t know how many others had tried and failed to acquire it. Thank you, so much.”
Sunggyu glared at the imposter. “You are not welcome.”
“Lieutenant,” Sooyoung warned from behind Sunggyu at her science station. “The ship…appears to be slowly deteriorating and before the scanners failed they did show the sun the planet Zilax is orbiting is indeed about to explode.”
“The planet?” Sunggyu questioned.
“It will not be able to withstand the radiation and the heat…all life on the planet will be dead in seconds.”
Sunggyu cast his gaze between the two imposters and then settled it on the Leeteuk imposter. “What do you want? If you want the ship back then I will gladly hand it over to you. There is no need for anyone to die. I will do whatever you want!”
“What I want, I can’t have, thanks to you meddling in matters that don’t concern you!” Leeteuk hissed. “Earthling, I am not sure how you got the Elders to intervene without the prince’s influence.”
Heechul smiled at Sunggyu. “He is formidable. I did warn you.”
“He will be dead along with all the rest of them,” Leeteuk replied coldly. “They will all pay.”
“You can have the ship back, please just stop this-” Sunggyu abruptly stopped as Leeteuk and Heechul disappeared. Sunggyu didn’t miss a second before he tapped his combadge and called, “Henry…tell me you have tons of power at your disposal.”
“Yes…and I am also an Andorian Belly Dancer in my spare time! What did you do to the ship?” came the immediate reply of the engineering prodigy. “I have no power at all!”
“We need to beam as many people off the planet as we can and get the ship away from that sun before it explodes!”
“I wasn’t lying when I said I have no power! I can’t transport a fly at this time or move the ship an inch!”
“Can you eject the warp core?”
“No, nothing! Nothing is working! What happened?”
“Leeteuk did it…we are all going to die along with an entire planet if we don’t think of something fast.”
“It would take a miracle,” Ensign Henry explained, “nothing less than a miracle.”
“Then get to working on one,” Sunggyu replied, ending the link with engineering and motioned with his hands toward the display. “Show me the sun.”
The display at the front of the bridge immediately showed the sun that was on the verge of exploding.
Sooyoung announced in a somber voice, “The dagger was…I don’t know what it was but it has rendered the ship useless-dying. I estimate we have less than 15 minutes of life support left.”
Sunggyu hit his badge and called, “Docking Bay, are the shuttles affected? Can we use them to escape?”
The voice of the man in charge of the docking bay crew immediately replied, “No, Sir…it’s like they are decaying before my eyes. The same with the escape pods.”
Eunhyuk focused on the angry sun that was about to explode and take the planet and all of them with it. “We are so fucked.”
***********************
Yoochun was out of the carriage before it had come to a complete stop.
Unlike the Duke’s residence, only one man greeted him at the entrance to the stately manor…his valet.
Yoochun spared him a quick glance and then commanded, “Take me to him.”
“Yes, My Lord,” the valet answered as he led Yoochun through the Viscount’s residence…the residence which was strangely empty. He only caught sight of one other servant…a fat maid that avoided direct eye contact with him but cowered as he passed by her.
The valet led him to the library where he moved a bookcase aside and stepped into a secret passageway. Yoochun followed until they came to a door with many locks on it. Yoochun waited as the valet unlocked each one of them.
He followed the other man down a hidden staircase to a cold, dark basement.
The chill and the smell of the room assaulted his senses.
Yoochun froze on the staircase and ordered, “Light!”
The valet quickly complied as he lit the lanterns stationed on the basement walls. “My Lord, I cleaned him for you.”
Light filled the room and Yoochun stood still as his eyes locked on a man hanging from the wall with both his arms bound by ropes. The man was young with a lean body and dirty blond hair. The man’s body had been terribly tortured; parts of his skin had been flayed away.
Something cracked inside of Yoochun’s soul as the tortured man became recognizable to him as Junsu.
“Young Sir,” the valet called out. “The master has arrived.”
The bound man moaned, but did not open his eyes.
Yoochun pried his eyes away from Junsu and looked around the room.
There was a table in the middle of the room that had restraints…he knew that table.
He had been on that table.
Knives of all sizes were also situated on the table.
Wooden and iron devices that could only exist for the purposes of torture were also in the room.
His eyes locked on an iron cage in the corner of the room…a cage with a dead woman inside it.
The valet noticed his master looking at the decaying corpse. “Sir, the stench is getting very foul…can we not part with her yet? Perhaps, we could acquire another?”
Yoochun glanced away from the cage and slowly descended down the stairs…carefully placing each foot in front of him.
He made it to the bottom of the stairs, walked to the table, and picked up a large knife with a shiny blade.
The valet smiled crookedly, showing a gap between his teeth that Yoochun had not noticed before and walked up to Yoochun with his hands clasped behind his back “Sir, should I take my leave?”
Yoochun felt the darkness he had been fighting against his whole life swell up and overtake him as he smiled back at the valet. “Yes, you should take your leave.”
The valet did not see the knife coming; the sharp knife that slit across his throat nearly slicing his head off.
Blood spurted out, spraying the room as the man collapsed to the floor and then it ceased as the valet’s heart stopped pumping.
The darkness gave way to horror and anguish as Yoochun stumbled toward the bound man.
“Junsu,” Yoochun cried out as he used the same knife to cut away the ropes holding the other man up. “Junsu…Junsu, wake up.”
Junsu’s eyes fluttered open as his arms were freed; his knees buckled, and he began to fall.
Yoochun caught him and slowly lowered the both of them to the floor, while angling Junsu so he was facing the wall and not the horrors in the room. “Junsu…Junsu,” Yoochun repeated as he clung to the other man desperately.
“Yoochun…” the younger man whispered.
“Yes,” Yoochun cried out in relief. “Yes, you are going to be…I’m going to get you out of here.”
“I was on the ship.”
“I know,” Yoochun answered. “Eunhyuk used the stones to find us.”
Junsu was sobbing uncontrollably and with stiff and sore arms he hugged Yoochun. “He did.”
“He did…they know we are alive.”
“I didn’t want you to be here.”
“No, I had to be here…so I could find you.”
“You saved me.”
Yoochun’s eyes were locked on the body of the man he had just murdered. “No…Eunhyuk saved you.”
“No, he didn’t…you did…thank you…you saved me. I was so wrong…wrong…”
“About what?”
“About you…I was so wrong about you…I am sorry…I don’t want to wait for another lifetime to be with you.”
Yoochun’s eyes widened and he internally froze.
“Don’t you see…we have this life,” Junsu explained, tightening his hold on the other man. “We can be together, now.”
Words that would have once filled him with great joy terrorized him. Yoochun shoved Junsu away with a force fueled by his overwhelming desire to protect the younger man at all costs.
Yoochun climbed to his feet and stumbled away from Junsu, desperate to get far away from the younger man but he fell back down when unsteady legs refused to hold him up. He crawled away from Junsu, trying his best to ignore the other man’s pleas for him to come back.
Yoochun only stopped his attempt to put distance between them when he was overcome with nausea; on his hands and knees, he vomited all over the floor of the basement.
**********************
The light of the dying sun filled Ten Forward.
Sulli stood pressed up against the window, imaging she could feel the heat of the fiery giant as it fought against extinction.
The computer had stopped yelling out its warning of immediate disaster. All the communication systems were down. The once pristine white walls of the ship were starting to crack.
“Sulli,” Woohyun blurted out as he rushed into Ten Forward with Kangin at his side. The lifts were not working and they had climbed up the Jefferies Tubes to reach her. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I am fine.”
“You need to be in sickbay.”
“Doctor, will sickbay protect me…protect any of us?” Sulli asked as she looked down at the planet Zilax that was now devoid of life.
Woohyun closed his eyes and confessed, “No.” It had only been out of habit and instinct that he had searched out his missing patient.
“If I am going to die…I need to die here,” she told them, not turning around. “This is where he’d want me to be.”
“He?” Woohyun asked, confused.
“Changmin,” Kangin answered as he slowly approached the young woman. “I will never forget the first time I saw them together. Once Changmin knew Sulli was on the ship…it was like nothing else mattered to him.”
At the sound of Kangin’s voice Sulli turned around to face her friend. It felt like centuries ago since she had been stranded with Kangin…before the Warlord Hangeng had come and stolen her away to a world of torment and misery…but Changmin had some how made it better. She remembered the first time she saw Changmin on the ship. “I woke up from a nightmare to find a beautiful angel right before my eyes.”
“He was an emotional mess back then,” Kangin said, stopping before he reached her. “I was babysitting him that day and I thought he was going to drive Jaejoong crazy. You had a very calming affect on him.”
Tears glided down her cheeks as she reached up and traced her lips with her fingertips. “I had forgotten how to smile.”
Kangin grinned. “And he hardly knew how.”
“He saved me…I wasn’t sad or afraid when he was with me.”
“You saved each other,” Kangin gently reminded her.
Woohyun stayed in the background not intruding on their moment. He knew the story of how Sulli had saved Changmin on Belara, but that had all occurred before he had joined the Expectations…before he had met Sunggyu. Sunggyu, who he would have loved to see one last time, but he knew that even if he started climbing now he could not reach the bridge in time. The ship was falling apart around them. The air was cold and he knew the oxygen supply would soon be depleted.
Sulli wrung her hands and told Kangin, “He isn’t here to save me now.”
“No, he isn’t,” came the unwelcome voice of the Leeteuk imposter as he appeared behind Sulli and quickly wrapped his arm around her neck, immobilizing her. “But I would rather not take any chances when it comes to him.”
The Heechul imposter stood quietly at the Leeteuk impostor’s side.
“Let her go!” Kangin yelled and rushed toward the imposters but quickly stopped when Leeteuk showed the dagger in his other hand. Before the communications system had gone down Sunggyu had sent out a warning, explaining everything to the crew.
“You know what this dagger did to the ship…can you imagine what it will do to the flesh of a human?”
The Heechul imposter’s eyes widened in alarm, and he did not hide his disapproval. “You don’t mean to…it is madness! Utter madness!”
“Did you think I meant to take her with us?” Leeteuk asked, showing his amusement at the other being’s wrong assumption.
“Yes!” Heechul imposter yelled back at the other one. “Of course I thought you meant to take her with us!”
“Then you thought wrong! The last strike of the Ferro Interficere is for her! I am going to end this before it ever begins!” the Leeteuk imposter replied as he raised the dagger up. “I’d rather never have existed at all than to continue to exist like this!”
Woohyun and Kangin watched helplessly as the imposter brought the dagger down toward the girl…but it never reached her. At the last moment Heechul pushed Sulli away and took the blade in her place.
The Leeteuk impostor had tried to stop when he realized what was happening, but it had all happened too quickly and he had not had the time to pull back completely…and even the smallest cut from the dagger guaranteed death.
They all watched in stunned silence as the being that had been Heechul collapsed to the deck with the dagger shallowly imbedded in his chest.
Kangin was the first to act. He grabbed the Leeteuk imposter, threw him against the window and vowed, “You make one move, and I swear my last living act will be to end you.”
Sulli screamed and fell to her knees beside the doctor that had always been kind to her, whether in his madness, sanity, or possession. “Heechul,” she begged taking his hand. “Heechul…no…no.”
Woohyun rushed to Heechul’s other side.
Kangin kept his eyes on the being possessing Commander Leeteuk, but he spoke to his old friend. “Doc…was that you? I know that was you…you beat that fucker, didn’t you? If anyone could, it would be you.”
Sulli looked imploringly at Woohyun as she felt the ice cold hand in hers. “Is…is he…he’s so cold…is he dead?”
Woohyun, who had his hand pressed against Heechul’s neck, nodded his head. “He’s gone.”
“Doc…no,” Kangin whispered in disbelief.
“The dagger…it’s not like anything I have ever seen,” Woohyun helplessly tried to explain. “Heechul’s body is…it’s like he’s been dead for hours.”
Kangin yelled at the imposter, “He might be dead…but he beat you and your evil crony. You lost!”
“No, I didn’t you idiot! You all are dead,” Leeteuk answered, his gaze transfixed on Heechul. “The only question left is if the sun or the ship will be the means of your doom.”
“Well, you are coming with us,” Kangin told the imposter. “Asshole!”
Leeteuk’s eyes were still on Heechul as he smiled. “I truly hope so…of course I highly doubt it, but one can hope.”
“You are suicidal?” Woohyun asked, looking up to stare at the imposter. “You want to die?”
“Oh, yes,” Leeteuk answered. “For over a millennium, now.”
Sulli, whose eyes had not left Heechul, gasped as the dagger started glowing blue. “What is happening?”
They all watched as the blue glow of the dagger spread out coating Heechul’s body in the same blue glow.
The Leeteuk imposter slowly climbed to his feet. “It worked for him…it worked…but…but…”
“What worked?” Kangin demanded, walking protectively closer to Heechul’s body. “What is happening to his body?”
“How is…the Earthling…the healer was able to accomplish…it’s finally over for him,” a stunned Leeteuk explained before vanishing.
“What the fuck?” Kangin exclaimed after the imposter disappeared.
Woohyun looked at the space where the Leeteuk imposter had been, “All of this needless…needless death just because they wanted to die. They did all of this so they could die…”
“But why?” Kangin asked, dropping to his knees beside Sulli. He did not bother to wipe away the tears that ran down his cheeks.
“I can’t be sure, but when the imposter inside of Ji-Hoon was trying to blow up the ship…he talked of being free of his suffering and of a great nothingness…I think they thought dying would end their torment,” Woohyun explained.
“Forgive me if…if I can’t be happy for them.”
“Of course, not…I just think living must have been hell for them, but it is still no excuse for what they did,” Woohyun responded as he started feeling the effects of the lack of oxygen in the air.
Sulli shivered and ran a hand through Heechul’s hair, unbothered by the blue glow. “I hope this one found peace…he was so much like Heechul…I really do think Heechul was still there…my sweet fairy godmother.”
Kangin managed a small smile. “He did dote on you, kid…and I really…I really do think he won in the end.”
Woohyun rubbed his arms as the cold started penetrating through his uniform. “I never knew him before…before the incident that took his sanity, but even in madness he was remarkably sane.”
Kangin wiped away the tears from his face. “When he…before we got stranded here he was the best Earth had to offer…and that is saying a lot.”
“Yes, Earth is full of amazing humans,” Woohyun agreed.
“Yeah…and I have been blessed…I have known a lot of great men…Yunho; I hope he knows how hard we tried…how hard we tried,” Kangin added with a trembling jaw.
Tears glided down Sulli’s face as she reached out, took Kangin’s hand and squeezed it. “He knows…he knows.”
A loud roar filled the ship, sounding as if it was being torn in half.
Kangin squeezed Sulli’s hand back. “I think this life is about to come to an end…I think I will embrace the belief that our soul goes on...in a different reality…and I will see my friends again.”
Woohyun closed his eyes and felt the bitter sting of regret. “Me too…and in that life, may love conquer all.”
Sulli gazed at Woohyun sadly and then looked back down at Heechul; her eyes widened and she gasped, “The blue glow…I just noticed…it’s the color of Changmin’s Joong eyes.”