Ignis 12/?
Title: Ignis/Chapter 12 - "Truth"
Author: kaybee38
Rating: PG
Pairings: friendship!Jonghyun/Onew, Minho/Onew, Taemin/Sulli, eventual!JongKey, broken!Minho/Yuri
Genre: fantasy, sci-fi, character death
Disclaimer: SHINee is owned by SM Entertainment only
Summary: Teneo are humans that live among us that have a genetic mutation that gives them the ability to live on indefinitely. They each have unique abilities and they don't physically age past 25. They all lead double lives since their "gifts" are a secret, some not even realizing that there are others like them. But someone has found a way to kill them. Jonghyun, with the help of a covert society has been secretly trying to warn and protect as many of his kind as he can before it's too late. Onew, Minho, Taemin and Sulli all end up joining forces with him to try to track down the killer before they can strike again. The bonds that grow between them along with their powers might be enough to save them, but the killer is closer to them than they realize.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys. A lot's been going on. I appreciate your patience! This one's longer, cuz I don't think I can post more on this until after Xmas.
Prologue [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
Chapter 12 - "Truth"
Onew woke up in a small room, on an equally small bed, under a scratchy wool blanket. His mouth felt dry and his tongue like sandpaper, as if he’d been chewing on cotton. The smell of old paper, leather and lemon oil invaded his nostrils; there was a faint beeping sound emanating off in the distance. Onew was too disoriented to tell where it was coming from. As he looked around the room, the only source of light came from a banker’s lamp on the surface of a small wooden desk across the room. The green glass lamp shade gave the beige wall behind it a celadon hue as his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness. There was a simple ladder back chair in front of the desk on one side and a tall dark wooden bookcase filled to the brim in the other. Medical books were everywhere: textbooks mostly, on the floor and piled on the desk along the window sill. Even the wall was littered with medical diagrams. Notepads and hardback textbooks also served as a pedestal for the Lifepak machine next in his bed.
Wait. What the?
Onew immediately sat up, head spinning a little from the effort. He recognized the device as the same portable EKG they kept in the ambulance for heart patients. He fumbled with the blankets, trying not to topple off of the bed in the process as he frantically pulled up his t-shirt, revealing strategically placed electrodes on his chest with wires snaking out from them over to the machine. Onew fingered the electrodes, trying to figure out what had happened to him, where the hell he was, or better yet, what day it was, when he heard muffled voices on the other side of the door.
“This was a very bad idea.”
“Everything worked out.”
“You almost got both of them killed.”
“I had no choice.”
“So you gave him a heart attack?!”
Onew recognized the last stage whisper as Taemin’s and another as Jonghyun’s, but the third voice was unfamiliar to him.
“No. I just stopped his heart for a little while.” Jonghyun corrected quietly.
As the day’s thoughts came rushing all back to him. Onew’s eyes widened.
“You took a big risk Jonghyun, I’m inclined to agree with the kid.“
“I kept the flow of blood moving to his brain. I know what I’m doing, trust me.”
“Whatever.”
Taemin was clearly annoyed as he opened the door to the room. The teen stopped cold, his jaw dropping when he saw Onew sitting up in the bed frowning after obviously overhearing their conversation.
“Uncle! You’re awake!” Taemin said loud enough for whoever might be listening to hear. He switched on a light by the door; Onew immediately squinted and threw his forearm over his face to shield his dilated pupils from the overhead light. Jonghyun quickly made his way around Taemin as a tall thin man with short black hair and glasses entered the room behind him, lingering by the door.
He looked at Onew curiously and Jonghyun disapprovingly as the latter grabbed Onew’s wrist. Jonghyun looked at his watch for a few seconds, then at the Lifepak. He grabbed a blood pressure cuff from the side and fastened it to Onew’s arm. He had checked Onew’s vitals every hour for the past 6 hours, subtly adjusting Onew’s pressure and heart rate with his own gifts as needed. Onew shook as the realization of what had happened hit him. He stared at Jonghyun, wide-eyed.
“I was dead?”
“No. I just stopped your heart for about 40 seconds.” The cuff hissed as it deflated, and Jonghyun squinted a the asystolic reading on the display.
“That’s dead Jonghyun.” Onew ran a hand through his hair.
“No. Clinically dead is when the brain stops functioning.” Jonghyun removed the cuff, but not the electrodes.
“Why?”
“New, you’re an EMT, you know why…..oh”. Jonghyun stopped to looked at Onew when he realized what he was referring to.
“I had no choice.”
“You could have given me permanent brain damage!”
“Not at 40 seconds, it’s was safe and....”
“SAFE?! STOPPING SOMEONE’S HEART IS ANYTHING BUT SAFE! YOU PSYCHOTIC...”
Onew’s rant was cut short by the alarm going off on the EKG. Taemin jumped a little as everyone in the room turned towards the machine. Onew pinched the bridge of his nose; he was familiar with the alarm and its meaning. His heart rate had spiked. Taemin rushed to his side, glaring at Jonghyun as he reset the machine.
“Uncle, please calm down so Leader Jonghyun can help you.” Onew looked into his nephew’s big brown eyes as he pleaded with him.
“Help me? Are you serious? He…” Jonghyun glared at him. Onew took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes as Jonghyun put his hand to Onew’s chest, a soft glow emanating from them as he made an effort to get Onew’s heart rate to slow down. But the memories of earlier that day: the frightened look on Jonghyun’s face as he approached him, the horrible shooting pain in his left arm and the fear that shot through him as he struggled to catch his breath and collapsed on the ground; all of it came rushing back to Onew with just that one touch.
“Don’t TOUCH me.” Onew snarled, as his eyes shot open.
Jonghyun pulled away putting both of his hands in the air in surrender. Onew pinched the bridge of his nose again and closed his eyes, but a second later he opened them to glare at Taemin.
“Wait. What did you just call him?” Jonghyun winced at Onew’s question. Before anyone could reply, however, the man with the glasses near the door finally spoke as he crossed his arms.
“Here we go.”
“Why did Taemin call you leader? Where am I?” Onew was incredulous. He was beginning to doubt if he really ever knew Jonghyun at all.
“We are Watchers.” said the man by the door. “Watchers are an ancient order of both normal humans and Valens begun by monks in Italy hundreds of years ago. We exist for the physical and historical protection of the Valens only. We do not interfere in the affairs of the Valens unless requested by one of them directly. I’m one of the leaders in this Sector. My name is Heechul Kim.”
Onew blinked a few times trying to process what was being said to him.
“Hi. I’m Onew.” he finally said with a small wave.
Heechul chuckled at the redundant gesture and walked towards the bed, grabbing the chair from the desk in the corner along the way. He sat down and crossed his legs and arms, peering over his reading glasses at his newest guest.
“Valens is the techincal term for those of you with ‘gifts’ that have indeterminable lifespans, it means "strong or powerful" in Latin. Teneo is how you refer to each other, it roughly translates to mean "to persist, or endure". Jonghyun is a Watcher as well as Leader Valens. Your nephew Taemin,” he gestured to the anxious young man, “as well as Sulli, who I believe you’ve met, are Watchers in our training program.”
Taemin rolled his eyes. Anticipating Onew’s next question, Jonghyun continued for him.
“You are currently on the sofa-bed in my office in the sub-basement of the Library on Central University’s Campus. Also known as Watchers Headquarters....Taemin?”
Taemin looked over at Jonghyun, then at Leader Heechul who nodded in Onew’s direction. Taemin closed his eyes and sighed. As if he had rehearsed it, Taemin let go of his Uncle’s hand and stood to face him, clasping his hands behind his back .
“I know you’re not my Uncle.”
Onew gasped.
“Taemin! Of course I am. What have they...” Onew looked around incredulous, grabbing at the rough blanket with his fists.
“You’re too old....to be my Uncle,” Taemin interrupted. Onew’s face paled. How many people knew? Did they all know?
“...you’re actually Grandpa’s half-brother.”
Onew was stunned. No one in the family knew of his gifts except for his brother Joong-Ki, and he’d died years ago. Even then, not that many people knew that he and Joong-ki were half-brothers (Joong-Ki being his father’s son from a previous marriage). The boys looked so much alike that no one ever questioned it.
“H-How did you know that?”
“Grandpa told me. He used to tell me bedtime stories about a magical boy named Jinki who used to time travel. Then right before he died, he told me you and Jinki were the same person. He told me that your gifts were real Uncle." Taemin's face lit up with pride. "He made me promise not to tell anyone but the Watchers.”
“Doctor Lee was the oldest Watcher I know and one of my mentors.” Heechul stated solemnly.
“My brother was a...”
“He was a Watcher, yes.” Heechul finished. Onew looked like he'd been slapped.
“Was there anyone else?” Onew swallowed hard, “Since you seem to know so much about me…was there anyone else in my family like me?” Onew placed his hand on his heart for emphasis as well as to silently check to see if it was still beating.
Jonghyun shook his head.
“Not as far as we know. In your bloodline, you are the only Valens of record.”
Heechul cleared his throat and looked away from Onew then.
It was all too overwhelming. In one day Onew had found out that his best friend and partner wasn't who he thought he was, but at the same time found out that there were others in this world with "gifts" like his own. His mind had almost been erased, his heart had been stopped on purpose and started again, and his brother had been a memebr of one of the oldest secret organizations that he'd ever heard of. What pulled at his heart were the "whys". Why were the Watchers protecting him? Why did Jonghyun reveal himself to him now? Why hadn't his brother told him that there were others like him? Why did he suffer through his long life alone? Nothing was as it seemed and tears were streaming down Onew's face as he quietly laid back down facing the wall trying to proces it all.
He didn't know what to believe anymore.
---------------------------------------------
Earlier that evening:
When Minho woke up he was disoriented, which he was pretty much used to. Being blindfolded and restrained, however...that part was new.
He was in a moving vehicle, an SUV judging from the suspension. And he could sense two other people in the truck with him from the back seat. As he cleared his throat, he heard a familiar voice, on his right.
“Hey handsome.”
Minho groaned.
“I’m really sorry that we had to do all of this, but it was necessary for your safety.”
“My safety? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Minho squirmed in the leather seat and wished he could rub the dull ache in his chest.
“Really. I’ll explain everything, but I need you to trust me.”
“Take the blindfold off.” He could feel Jonghyun bristle at the statement.
“If you want me to trust you, you’ve got to trust me. Take it off.” Jonghyun thought long and hard for a moment about the myriad of ways that he could restrain Minho if he had too.
“I know what you’re thinking, you won’t have to restrain me if you trust me.”
Two seconds later, the blindfold was pulled from Minho’s eyes. Ironically, it didn’t do much good: night had fallen, and the only thing Minho could make out were the lights on the dashboard, the shape of Jonghyun sitting next to him, and a panel separating them from the driver. The view from the window revealed that the SUV was speeding along on a dark road.
Untie me.
Minho knew if he could telepathically control Jonghyun, he could convince the driver to stop the vehicle and get away. Jonghyun heard Minho’s thoughts and felt his hands twitch, but fought the urge as he recognized it.
“Nope. Nice try." Jonghyun tried to sound more confident than he really was. "I met you halfway, now just listen to what I have to say.”
Hands curled into fists, Jonghyun looked out the window at the passing shadows of trees and dimly stars in the night sky, clearing his thoughts, wishing, hoping that he was really doing the right thing.
“Fine.” Minho released his hold on Jonghyun’s mind so that he could relax. Once Jonghyun’s breathing evened out a bit Jonghyun continued.
“I am a healer, a Teneo.” Jonghyun began. Minho’s head whipped towards Jonghyun. It had been over 50 years since he heard that term. To this day, he still couldn’t be sure if the man he first heard it from was speaking the truth.
“…and so are you.”
Jonghyun looked back at Minho in the darkness, the lights from passing lamp posts along the road being the only illumination of the taller man’s face.
“Think about it Minho. You know it’s true.” Jonghyun closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to that afternoon’s events, knowing that Minho wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to read his thoughts.
“I can only hear your thoughts this way, I can’t really see what you see without touching you.” Minho turned his back towards Jonghyun so that he could untie him. Jonghyun stared at Minho’s back in the darkness for a moment before slowly, nervously, untying his slim wrists.
If what you’re telling me is true, you have nothing to worry about. Minho reassured Jonghyun telelpathically.
Minho rubbed his aching wrists and then reached across the car slowly, as if letting a wild animal get used to his scent. He tentatively placed his hand along the back of Jonghyun’s neck, his long fingers resting gently around his collar bone.
“This might feel a little...weird.”
Jonghyun inhaled sharply as his mind was instantly thrown back to the earlier afternoon: How Onew had stopped time, how he had pinned Minho to the door, how scared Onew had looked and ultimately how he had stopped Onew’s heart. He then saw various images of himself: at his own desk pouring over medical books, talking with Heechul and working with Onew on a patient in the ambulance, all playing like a film out of sequence in his head. The sounds of the truck came roaring back into his ears suddenly, and when he opened his eyes to darkness again, Minho’s hands were back in his own lap.
“So you stopped Onew’s heart on purpose to get to me.” Minho asked Jonghyun as the vehicle continued on in darkness.
“Y-yes..” Jonghyun had a hand over his chest and was breathing heavily. “That was quite a rush there.”
”I wasn’t going to hurt him. That would have meant hurting myself.” Minho continued. Noting the lack of any pain in his hand, he looked at it for any signs of the wound he sustained when the key dug into his hand earlier.
"I know."
“You healed me.” Minho peered at Jonghyun in the darkness, and could make out the glint in his eyes reflected by a bit of moonlight streaming in through the tinted window.
“Just your hand. Actually, as I predicted, the rest you did yourself. Your body began to recover the moment we removed Onew from your presence.”
Minho could feel the smirk on Jonghyun’s face. The truck ran over a bump in the road and Minho grabbed the door handle to steady himself for a moment. He contemplated his earlier plan, but what he had seen in Jonghyun’s mind made him curious. Curious enough to stay.
“So you figured that out too.” Minho finally said.
“I had an idea from the ambulance, but I couldn’t confirm it until you woke up just now.” Jonghyun rubbed the back of his neck both out of nervousness and wonder at Minho’s abilities. .”…To be honest, it’s rare to meet a Teneo with multiples gifts like yourself.”
“And Onew is...” Minho put a hand to his mouth in contemplation as he mused at the thought of the nervous, gentle man that he had in a headlock earlier that day. If he ever saw him again, he vowed to apologize.
“Yes. Onew has a gift as well. He can manipulate time.”
“Manipulate?”
“Speed it up, slow it down, go back in time, jump forward through it, he can even appear to freeze time and make adjustments within that space. I believe he calls it a ‘rift’.” Jonghyun drummed his fingers on the glass of the window as the city skyline came into view.
“I see.” So that’s why I didn’t sense them.
“So where are we going?” Minho said turning his attention out the window as well, trying to see if he was in familiar surroundings.
“Watcher’s District Headquarters.”
"And you're a Watcher as well." Minho was beginning to find this all very interesting.
"Yes. We are a ...." Jonghyun began to explain, forgetting that the man next to him had just read his mind moments earlier.
"I know who they are." Minho interrupted. I still don’t understand why you guys couldn’t just talk to me instead of jumping me.. ” Jonghyun turned to face Minho then, gesticulating in frustration, straining against the seatbelt, wagging a finger in Minho’s face.
“YOU ran from us! Besides I had to act fast, and I didn’t want to risk you erasing Onew’s memories. Or mine for that matter.”
Minho hid his smile at the shorter man’s anctics behind the back of his hand for a moment as he kept himself from laughing out loud.
“Why me? What do I have to do with all of this?” Minho asked curiously.
Jonghyun thought for a moment before he answered.
“I told you before, we’re Teneo...but...we’re being targeted Minho.”
Jonghyun looked into Minho’s eyes, completely serious, hoping that he really could trust him.
“And you’re in danger.”
_______________
A/N:A BIG thank you to stjoan4eva and kinnosuikazura for being my Beta Divas on this (when I was going out of my mind), as well as folkin_up_again who lent me her expertise as an EMT to 'splain some medical terms, equipment and such. And a big hug to ellie_eunnie for all of her encouragement and support. (Unnie loves you too!)
Happy KwanzHanukMas!
