Aleph02: Reveille

[verocity]

Title: Aleph 02: Reveille
Author: verocity
Fandom(s): 2PM / Beast / 2AM / SHiNee / Super Junior / Brown-Eyed Girls / SS501
Featuring: so many characters...
Rating: PG-13 for violence and swearing
Genre: Action and Adventure, AU/Canon mix
Summary: In which people are learning how to live together.
Word Count: 10,508

Previous chapters: Prologue | 01

Then and now, then and now.

A time for everything, and everything in its place. But when do we start, where do we begin? Who knows?

The story knows.


~*~

Let's give now a chance.

"Woodongah?" Nichkhun ventured.

"Yeah?"

"Are you doing anything important?"

"I am."

"Hmm," Nichkhun hummed thoughtfully as he watched the back of Wooyoung's silent figure seated by a small pile of stones. He knew by instinct that Wooyoung had his eyes closed throughout their conversation, and a short look at his stillness showed that he had no intention of opening them at all. Nichkhun felt inclined to follow up. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

The silence buzzed loudly, heightening to a point that Nichkhun found deafening.

"We could use your help setting up our new camp," Nichkhun told him. "If you don't come in soon, you might not get any of the good sleeping spots."

"Hmm," Wooyoung answered back, his voice almost snatched away by a passing breeze.

"And you just have that special touch, you know? Of making places homey and comfortable."

"It's an empty house, Khun. And all we have are our cots and bags. There's no point in decorating."

"Still," Nichkhun said. Still. We don't want anyone else to snap. Still. "What are you doing?" he asked, because being roundabout was getting nowhere.

Wooyoung still hadn't moved an inch. "Remembering."

"Remembering what?"

"Who," Wooyoung corrected.

"Ah. Remembering who, then?" Nichkhun amended, his eyes drawn to the stones. A suspicion was forming...

Wooyoung paused, and this time Nichkhun let the silence stretch until Wooyoung found it in him to break it. "Junsu. Chansung. Jaebum-hyung. Even Doojoon and Junhyung. And all our other friends."

"I see. May I ask why?"

"Because somebody has to."

So Nichkhun was right. A small cairn for fallen friends, and that they may meet again in a better place. It was Wooyoung's contribution to the group. I'll let you all keep us alive, it meant in Wooyoungese, and in return I'll carry the burden of stopping to mourn for brothers we may never see again. This way you'll feel less guilty, and you can focus on living.

Wooyoung hadn't done so back when they still lived like cavemen because everyone was busy learning how they fit together, and their environment was removed enough from normalcy to drain their mental fortitude inch by inch. But now that they'd moved to a house with clean water and toiletries, familiarity seeped in like fog under the doorway and sooner or later someone was going to snap. Too many changes in too little time.

But Wooyoung had taken some burden from all their shoulders and bore it as his own. He may not be the strongest, he may not be the most patient, but he was the most enduring.

It was Wooyong's way of taking one for the team.

Nichkhun left him to it. He, like Wooyoung, owed something to this ragged brotherhood, and he wasn't doing anyone a favor by focusing on just one person. Even if Junho didn't say it, Nichkhun knew that their new leader was counting on him and Taec tag-teaming everyone into adjusting properly.

And he would. They would. For the sake of the people that Wooyoung was remembering. For all of them.

~*~

Dongwoon tapped his bared teeth with the tip of his fingernail, the soft clicks punctuating his mental calculations. Junho regarded the length of rope surrounding Jinki in a ragged approximation of a circle while Kikwang drew cartoon squids on the ground. A short distance away, Jinki ("There's no reason to call me by my stage name now, is there?" he earlier said with a self-conscious smile) watched them apprehensively.

Around them, the forest lived on merrily, birds and crickets chirping their late afternoon songs. Every once in a while hints of Taecyeon's bass voice drifted from the cabin just a short walk away from the clearing.

"As far as I can tell, hyung," Dongwoon said eventually, drawing all their attention, "you have a radius of three hundred and fifty eight centimeters. But I'm sure that's not exact."

Kikwang studiously avoided gaping at the 'not exact' part; he succeeded due only to sheer practice of having been around Dongwoon for years.

"Huh," Junho remarked. Jinki just pressed a finger thoughtfully against his cheek.

"If you want to go for precision and accuracy, we should redo the measurement," Dongwoon volunteered.

"There's no pressing need for it," Junho said. Then to Jinki, "So anything that you register as human can't breach this wall?"

"Maybe?" Jinki answered. "I had no chance to test it. And honestly I didn't think it'd still be around after a week. Since... you know. I haven't met anyone else. So I don't know."

They lapsed into contemplative silence, during which Dongwoon muttered numbers under his breath and Kikwang tapped his finger against Jinki's wall in what he hoped was passable Morse code even though he didn't actually know the sequence. Junho had that blank look in his eyes that meant he was looking everywhere at the same time, but most probably he was keeping up with things at their new camp where Yoseob had for once taken on the mantle of cooking.

Jinki didn't know what to make of it. Everyone seemed so adjusted. It's like they all knew their roles and duties to this new group and they were afraid of stepping out of line... but it wasn't the overt kind of fear. Not the kind that came with knowing something dangerous was around. Just the subtle kind, like each person being afraid of offending everybody else, afraid of letting everyone down. Afraid of...

Afraid of making everyone worry about them. Afraid of adding to the pain that each one no doubt still carried but couldn't dwell on. Afraid that if they mess up their delicate balance and dynamics, they might end up like Hyunseung.

And now Jinki arrived, stirring everything up once more. How would he fit in? What could he offer? Would his presence be valuable enough to compensate for new headaches? Should they feel guilty for not feeling guilty that at least some of their respective groups survived when Jinki was left all alone in the world? Would Jinki accept offers of complicated friendship forced at a distance, and would they have the energy to keep it sincere?

Everything was so... precarious. So close to the edge. So delicately overwhelming.

Dongwoon sighed loudly. "Taecyeon-hyung is much better at theories than I am. And he's more mathematically oriented."

"Yes," Junho said patiently. "But right now, he can do more by teaming up with Nichkhun and helping the others keep up with the changes. And Dongwoonie. You learn faster."

"What I'd like to know," Kikwang interrupted, "is how strong this wall is." He pressed a fist hard against the unyielding air. But if a full speed body slam at Rank 4 didn't do much, something as meager as a normal fist press was just a pinprick at an elephant's hide.

They all looked at Jinki, who shrugged helplessly at them. "We could find out, I guess? Kikwang told me he can be pretty strong. But if we do, you'll be careful, right?"

"Very careful, hyung," Kikwang said, smiling brightly.

"I'd rather we don't," Junho offered. "No matter how unexplainable this wall is, there's no denying that it's tied to Jinki-hyung. What if by harming the wall, we harm him as well?"

Kikwang's smile faltered.

"And it's not just about strength," Dongwoon added. "Pressure would be more likely to produce results. Concentrating the force of an impact on a small area carries more penetrative power than impacting a large one."

"Want to run at me with a flying fist tackle?" Jinki asked with a cheeky grin.

"When master leader Junho says it'd be okay," Kikwang answered.

Junho frowned thoughtfully at their lack of concern. "You can experiment with traction and lifting. But nothing destructive and nothing above Rank 3."

"Yes, Junho-leader!"

"Sorry, rank what?" Jinki asked.

"Kikwang's ability," Junho said. "He can increase his physical attributes by orders of two. Like at Rank 1 he has the speed and strength of two Kikwangs, Rank 2 he has four, Rank 3 he has eight, Rank 4 has sixteen. It can go on and on."

"Up to Rank 13 by my last count," Kikwang said cheerfully. "I can be pretty fast by then. People won't even see me move!"

Dongwoon whistled, impressed. "That's... 8,192 of you. Right?"

"Not that he's ever had a chance to use it," said Junho. "And we should go back. We still have to build Jinki's tent and Yoseob's starting to go crazy with the spices."

"Thank you for the hospitality," Jinki said with a bow. "I hope I'm not any trouble," he added even if he knew he was. Politeness was needed even during times like these. Or maybe even more.

"Oh, you are," said Junho, the warmth in his voice unmistakable. He believed that the truth shouldn't be hidden from the people who deserved to hear it, even if it was unpleasant. The messenger had as much responsibility in saying the news well as the receiver in hearing it. "But you're worth having around."

~*~

There was a time, back then...

"I am tired," Jonghyun declared the moment his foot touched their apartment floor, and it's a testament to how often he did it that Onew didn't even look up from his music sheets. Jonghyun had no sense of proper behavior at midnight. "I am beyond exhausted. There is no word to suitably encapsulate how tired I am. There is a need for the evolution of language and I, as the discoverer of said need for creating a descriptive word meaning 'tired to the 100th degree,' shall be acknowledged as a genius."

"Needy, whiny, melodramatic, loquacious, and not particularly bright," said Kibum, pushing past Jonghyun with a bag of take-out in his hands. "That will be the definition of 'Jonghyun'."

Jonghyun frowned. "There should be a 'brilliantly musical' in there somewhere."

"I'll agree if you amend it to 'brilliant yet derivative'," Kibum countered. He knocked on the bedroom door and announced, "I have carbonara and chicken kiev." Then to Jinki, "Hyung, I don't want to hear complaints about how they're historically and culturally divergent. Call it European fusion cuisine or something."

"Which is practically what's written at the top of the menu," Jonghyun explained in a conspiratorial whisper as Kibum headed for the kitchen table. "Chez de Premier: Everything European on the Table."

The door opened to reveal a gloriously bed-headed Minho. "Someone's complaining?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Not me," Jinki muttered, still engrossed in trying to resolve a five-part harmony into a single minor triad.

"Your French is atrocious enough to be an insult no matter what you say," was Taemin's drive by snark on his way to the food.

Jonghyun palmed his cheeks and tried to look affronted, but he only succeeded in imitating the Scream painting. The smell of garlic butter and herbs hit the four of them at once. Jinki furrowed his nose and tried not to be distracted. He wasn't successful.

"Can you guys keep it down?" he asked loudly, writing a do-mi-fa sequence, and then a halved la flat in the staff below. Jonghyun's gruff laughter and Kibum's near-explosive reaction to being teased dissonated with the music in his head.

"Jinki-hyung. Food~" Minho called from the table. Taemin shushed him and muttered something that sounded like 'creative chaos' and 'more for us' and maybe 'his waistline's getting too big for his pants, anyway'.

Jinki sighed and gathered his messy pages of music that he hoped somehow would transform into a ballad. "Leave me some for breakfast," he told them (with a small frown at Taemin) and locked himself in the bedroom. He loved his band mates, and there were no other people he'd rather be with, but they can be a bit... intrusive.

Sometimes he just wanted to be alone.

He was a few minutes away from having that wish come true. But from a monkey's paw, not a genie's lamp.

~*~

A few more interesting things happening now.

Life was slowly reclaiming the city.

Not human life, sadly, but life nonetheless.

Kyujong was amazed at how quickly the grass grew. Island parks, small shoots from potted plants where wayward seedlings managed to implant themselves, weeds that crawled on concrete tendril by tendril... he didn't expect to see the city desolate both in shades of gray and tufts of green. But weeds were weeds: these plants were the kind that gardeners ripped from the ground because they would run rampant if let alone. The leveling of buildings was the sign that disaster came; the growth of blight was the sign that disaster stayed.

Life was not always pretty. Nature was not always pretty. Kyujong had learned this long ago. Nature red in tooth and claw, nature green in root and vine, nature sharp in blade and thorn. Sentimentality aside, nature was too big to care about just one person. Or one species. The loss of one life didn't matter; there were millions more to take its place.

This did not bother Kyujong. Or, more aptly, Kyujong did not let this bother him.

The city - or the world - may have been stripped of its people, but the survival of just a few meant the lingering presence of those who built the origins of these ruins. Disaster hadn't won yet.

"Those clouds don't look promising," Gain said, pointing towards the sunset that painted what once was Seoul Metropolitan in flaming palettes of red and orange. Only the green of leaves gave any contrast, and not even much at that.

"I wouldn't worry about that. I've been watching that cloud bank. It's moving towards the west, which is what's giving us this lighting. The weather should be clear tomorrow." Kyujong was a casual expert on a broad variety of subjects, none of which had focus. It was a perk of living with Hyunjoong, whose mind drifted often like a hot-air balloon during a windy summer say. And like its pilot, Kyujong either steered or anchored it depending on what his leader was fixating on at the moment.

Kyujong turned to look for Jokwon, who was trying to draw a rough lay-out of the suburbs on the road using some chalk they found in a collapsed art supplies store.

A great difference in leadership styles. Jokwon was organized, efficient, and focused. Every major decision was carefully planned out to maximize results, every opportunity grabbed and maximized. Whereas Hyunjoong would have tried to look at the bigger picture, would have devoted his mind to analyzing everything at once, leading to a confused bumble of thoughts that only he could understand unless someone expended effort to coax clarity out of it all.

"Kwon thinks we should head downtown," Gain told him.

"Harder to survive there," Kyujong said, playing devil's advocate. "Higher buildings mean more rubble to dig through to find anything useful. And business areas keep fewer food provisions so it's easier to go hungry. Unless we find the remains of a restaurant."

"Or a wholesale supermarket," Gain countered. Jokwon walked up to them with a determined look in his eyes.

Kyujong knew Jokwon did his best to think everything through, but he was just one mind. Ideas needed to be sounded against other minds to see if they were any good. "We can find supplies easily here in the suburbs. Shallower digging. Lighter wreckage. Smaller risk of gas explosions or some other accident."

"Doesn't matter, we'll bring supplies," Jokwon said, pointing to the luggage they unearthed from one dwelling. "Let's dig up food and bottled water and head straight for the city. Can you use your fire all night long?"

"We'll need to sleep sometime, but sure." Kyujong thought about the city some more, imagining how it would have fared given the wide-spread harrowing. "The roads could be blocked. The wreckage could be too dangerous to climb over. Precariously balanced piles. One wrong step could bury us in tons of concrete."

"I'm sure I can break concrete into powder if I sustain the right frequency and decibel," Gain volunteered, eager to exercise her rarely-used ability. "That would clear a lot of obstacles, wouldn't it?"

Kyujong shook his head. "Two reasons. First: destroying something through vibrations also relies on impact. Your sonic bullets have come a long way, but there'll be more stuff to absorb sound impact in the city. And second: blasting concrete into powder would also agitate the air, meaning you'll suffocate a large area of space with very heavy dust. At the distance you'll need to make your sound bullet matter, you'll be swallowed up as well."

Gain pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"We don't need to climb over anything that looks precarious," Jokwon said. "I think we just need to be in the general area. Then we can set up camp and draw attention to ourselves."

"And you think that's a good idea?" Kyujong asked curiously, wondering if he accidentally hit Jokwon upside the head in the past few hours. But somehow, living with Hyunjoong made him consider this with far more nonchalance than he expected. Even Youngsaeng would have greeted the news with a barely noticeable quick of an eyebrow.

Jokwon just shrugged. "People gravitate towards familiar places. We know more people who live in the city. I figured that if anyone else is alive, they'd go there."

Kyujong looked at Gain.

Gain shrugged in a very familiar manner.

"God forbid you two actually get married," Kyujong groaned. "You pretend to quarrel a lot and disagree about everything, but you're just a couple of enablers, aren't you? Gain, I thought you were more sensible than this. What happened to you? Tell me what you did to the real Gain and I might let you live."

"It's not that bad an idea," Jokwon insisted.

"Have you forgotten that someone tried to kill us just yesterday?" Kyujong said emphatically. "Someone whom we thought was our friend? Someone who, for all intents and purposes, went off the deep end? And you still want to call attention to ourselves?"

"We were able to escape," Jokwon reminded him. "And we only ran because you didn't want to pick a fight with him. Which was a very commendable choice and I gave my whole-hearted support. Remember?"

"We don't actually have to worry about him," Gain offered, drawing the guys' attention. "The city's big enough. And even if he does come along, not even his new Super Junior can protect him from a scream, right? I can disorient him long enough for us to escape as long as he keeps that little kid away."

"See, the fact is he wouldn't; he'll always keep Henry nearby. Are you saying we should risk it?" And that was it, wasn't it? On some level, they all knew how Donghae felt despite his twisted reinterpretation of reality: if there was any member of their own respective groups with them now, they would do anything to make sure that member never left their sight. Donghae was just acting out this protective instinct. His sense of family remained (though bolstered by what, Kyujong didn't know) anchoring him both to his insanity and to his group's youngest.

"For the possibility of finding more people, I say yes," Gain said, answering a far larger question. And that was that.

Kyujong felt it beneath him to heave a disappointed sigh. But he'd been outvoted, fine. He still thought it was a really bad idea, but he didn't have any absolute say in the matter and those two would just go to the city anyway even if Kyujong insisted that they stay put. It really would be best if he just went along to keep them out of trouble.

Just like with Jungmin and Hyungjoon. Just like the old days.

He raised a hand towards the last rays of dying sunlight. A moment of concentration and a surge of power. A deep breath and a mental command. A blast of air and wave of heat. In his palm he held a tongue of flame, bright enough by which to see, hot enough with which to cook.

He knew the flickering of the fire would hide his nostalgia. A trick of the light, because nostalgia was not welcome here. Not yet, anyway, when Gain was studiously not thinking about the families she lost and Jokwon insisted they follow his Rules of Living as an unspoken wish for his friends to somehow miraculously be okay.

"All the supplies we can carry," Jokwon said. He pointed towards a downed grocery store sign, unreadable in the light and layers of dust.

"Can I ask for a favor?" Kyujong asked as they made their way. "If we find the right ingredients, can we have jjampong tonight? Not cupped instant noodles. Real jjampong. Please?"

"Seriously?" Gain asked with an amused smile.

"I miss real dinners," Kyujong explained with a self-deprecating laugh, and Gain started counting out the ingredients they'll need to dig up.

Jokwon narrowed his eyes even as he carefully gripped a slab of cement. "You sound like you're making a request for a last meal."

"Hmm," Kyujong teased, earning him a reproving slap from Gain. Jokwon pushed the remains of a wall away and cheered at the sight of dusty plastic bags. Kyujong raised his hand higher to spread the light and the petit couple rummaged through the debris.

~*~

"So how long have you been on the run?" Donghae asked as he sipped on his mug of hot chocolate. Henry sat quietly beside him while the rest of the Super Junior wandered about or went to sleep for the night. "Henry, it's getting pretty dark."

"Yes, hyung," Henry said dutifully. He reached for the coffee table (a slab of concrete that was just the right thickness) and with a single finger traced curved lines on the surface. Pure white light glowed from the areas his skin touched, showing a word that Changmin didn't understand.

"That's better!" Donghae cheered.

"About a week," Changmin said neutrally, answering Donghae's question. Aide-moi, Henry had written using the English alphabet. But it wasn't actually English. French, then. Or Quebecois at least. Too bad Changmin didn't know the language.

On either side of him, Chansung and Jinwoon stared into their cracked mugs with way too much fascination. Changmin continued speaking, careful not stare at Henry's display of ability. "We hid out in the southern forest until everything calmed. It wasn't hard to tell. When the explosions died down, we ventured back into the city and since then we've been living on whatever we can find."

"It got pretty bad by the end," Donghae agreed ruefully. "We were lucky to have escaped, really. For a while there I thought only Henry and I were the only ones left, but the rest of the guys managed to pull through."

Chansung dissolved into a coughing fit. Jinwoon took it upon himself to rub his best friend's back. Changmin turned his calculating gaze towards Henry, who was sitting perfectly still save for blinking and breathing. "You survived. That's all that matters," Changmin said approvingly to Donghae.

"Yeah. We survived. We don't have fans anymore, but the upside? No strict managers either." Donghae pushed the bowl of marshmallows closer to Changmin. "I'm sorry for your loss, Changmin. But at least you and your friends survived as well. You're welcome to stay with us if you want. I'm sure Ryeowook wouldn't mind cooking for three more people. Right, Wookie?" Henry twitched at the name.

Changmin held his breath as 'Ryeowook' paused from chopping vegetables and turned towards them. The campfire glinted brightly off the metal of its arm. A serrated knife fourteen inches long extended from the center of its palm, covered in what Changmin reminded himself was just spicy kimchi sauce. Still, it was unpleasantly red.

Changmin mastered the impulse to throw a knife at the name carved between the cyborg's humanly blank eyes. Chansung was trying to breathe steadily and Jinwoon was one the verge of fainting.

"Your offer is very generous," Changmin conceded with a calculated sip of his chocolate. "Maybe in a few days? We... we want to keep looking around for now. In case we find any evidence of what happened to the others."

Donghae nodded, but his lips twisted into a frown. "Yeah, I get what you mean. But I have good news."

Despite himself, Changmin perked up. What would a crazy guy consider good news? Or was this an introduction for further craziness?

"Jokwon's still alive."

There was a crash, a tinkle of ceramic breaking. Everyone turned to look at Jinwoon, who'd dropped his mug and was staring wide-eyed at Donghae.

"Yeah," Donghae said tactfully, ignoring the damage to his property. After all, it was emotional news. "Him and Gain. But the bad thing is that they're with that bastard Kim Kyujong. From SS501? He's brainwashed them into running their own show and now they're just running around breaking things up. As if the city isn't bad enough as it is."

Changmin forced his hands to relax. He put his mug down on Donghae's makeshift coffee table and unclenched claw-like fingers. "As long as Jokwon's alive. That's what's important."

"We can help you look for them," Donghae volunteered. "Kyujong's a bit hard to handle, but he's definitely no match for Super Junior. Right, Henry?"

"Yes, hyung," Henry said obediently, drawing Changmin's attention once more.

"And Gain's been tricked into thinking his way so she'll resist as well," Donghae continued, pleased at the affirmation. "But I know what you're thinking, Changmin."

Do you? Changmin thought snidely.

"Jokwon. He's family, right? And no effort's too big to get your family back. Right?" Donghae was practically glowing with approval.

"Every effort to get them back," Changmin agreed. "But he's our family. The effort should be ours if it's to mean anything."

"Ah, yes. Of course. I'm sorry for saying those things," Donghae said with a casual bow.

Changmin let the moment pass. Chansung and Jinwoon, both having read the situation properly though not as astutely as their hyung, tensed and got ready to haul themselves out of there at a moment's notice. 'Sungmin' arrived with a plate of sliced rice rolls in its mechanized grip, though it placed the food on the table with the fluid grace of a dancer. Its elbow brushed against Henry, and the youngest flinched away from the contact.

"Henry's been very quiet," Changmin remarked.

"Oh don't mind him. He's just shy! Right, Henry?"

"Yes, hyung."

"And he hasn't been speaking a lot so his Korean probably got rusty. Hey, wait. Changmin, you can speak English, right?" Donghae asked excitedly. Henry's head jerked upwards and he stared intensely, disbelievingly, at Changmin.

"A bit, yes," Changmin answered, calculating the extent of this opportunity. Donghae's notoriety with English was an exaggeration for the camera, and his current state of twisted mental stability meant everything should be kept short so he wouldn't get suspicious. "Is there anything you want to say, Henry?"

Henry's cheeks tensed. He stared intensely right at Changmin's eyes and said a few words. Changmin nodded, gave his most familiar smile and said something back. Donghae watched the proceedings with an amused expression, trying and failing to keep up. Chansung and Jinwoon set their mugs down and watched Changmin for clues about anything.

"It's nice to know that you're taking care of him so well," Changmin eventually said, reverting to Korean. Henry turns his head down to stare at his knees once more.

"He's our youngest!" Donghae said, as if it explained everything. A sudden flash of light caught their attention: a tongue of flame was dying out from 'Siwon's' mouth, and before it a pile of wooden debris was catching fire. 'Hyukjae' set four chunks of cement around the fire, on which 'Kibum' set a pot of water to boil. The warm glow played oddly with the mix of metal and flesh.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? Ryeowook's a fast cook."

"We need to make as much headway as we can at night. We want to reach the apartment complexes by daybreak so we can start searching early." Changmin drained his mug and glared at Jinwoon and Chansung to do the same. Don't provoke the monster, his eyes said. Do everything politely so we can leave without any trouble.

They said their goodbyes soon after. Changmin bowed the full ninety degrees, and Chansung and Jinwoon took that as their cue to do the same. Donghae and Henry bowed back. Changmin insisted that 'Kyuhyun' really didn't have to walk them to the road, and they had a rough idea of where to go anyway. North. Navigate by moon and starlight, always to the north.

They kept their silence for a long time. Jinwoon allowed himself to speak only when the firelight from Donghae's camp was a faint glimmer behind them. "Hyung, what the hell!"

Chansung leaned against a lonely lamp post, heaved, and threw up loudly. The smell of chocolate and bile hit everyone's nose unfiltered.

Changmin waited patiently for Chansung to gather himself once more. "That, my dear dongsaeng, is proof that we should never underestimate people who have an imaginative sense of humor. When Donghae said he believed in aliens, he didn't necessarily mean the comic or cartoonish type."

"He's surrounded by robots!" Chansung gagged dryly from the ground.

"Cyborgs," Changmin corrected. "A robot is a purely mechanical creature. An cyborg is a mix between a human and a robot."

The information took a while to sink in. "Hyung," Jinwoon said, the disbelief in his voice obvious in the way only Jinwoon can express. "You mean. You mean." Chansung looked from one to the other, the implication lost on him.

Changmin nodded. "Those aren't completely Donghae's constructs. He used-"

Jinwoon quickly covered his ears. "Hyung, I don't want to hear it!"

"What?" Chansung asked. He wiped his mouth dry and got back on his feet.

"Sometimes, it's better to live in ignorance, Chansungie," Changmin said sagely, sounding enough like a know-it-all to make Chansung scoff. "Let's get going."

"Poor Henry," Jinwoon moaned. "Poor Henry..."

"Hyung, what did you two talk about?"

Changmin thought carefully about what to say. His and Henry's exchange had been short but meaningful, a few choice words spoken in guarded care. And now Changmin was bound by his own humanity to enact a new duty, to deliver mercy where needed. "How well versed are you in western fairy tales, Chansungie?"

"Nichkhun-hyung liked to talk about them," Chansung said sheepishly.

"But you didn't really listen, did you?"

Chansung shrugged. It was obvious why he didn't.

"Rapunzel," Changmin said, earning him a blank look from both his companions. "It's a western story that isn't very well known. And Henry compared himself to Rapunzel."

"Has he gone crazy as well?" Jinwoon asked. "Why would he talk about fairy tales at a time like this?"

Changmin shook his head. "Because Henry is still very, very sane. And he reached the same conclusion that I did: Donghae would listen for any English words he knew and we had to keep our discussion short to avoid suspicion. So he compared himself to Rapunzel hoping that I would understand. And I did. I do."

"So what does that mean?" Chansung asked.

"It means," Changmin said, suddenly weary, "that he's asking for help. That I have to get him out of there."

"But that means you have to go back!" Jinwoon protested. "Hyung, you saw how crazy Donghae is. You can't go back there!"

"Why can't I?"

"Because you're our hyung!" Jinwoon said shrilly. "You're not his. You're our hyung and we need you!"

Jinwoon saw Chansung gaping at him, surprised more by the message than by the outburst itself.

"Aren't you being a little too selfish, Jinwoon?" Changmin rebuked softly and Jinwoon immediately felt guilty. "Right now, Henry is in a hell much worse than anything you and Chansung have been through. Are you saying I should leave him there?"

Jinwoon held his head in his hands out of embarrassment and frustration.

"I'm not going to leave you alone," Changmin said. "We'll look for Jokwon and Gain first. Then we'll look for a safe place for you to stay in while I go back for Henry."

"And Kyujong?" Chansung asked.

"I don't know. Just because Donghae's crazy and he thinks Kyujong's crazy doesn't necessarily negate his validity." Changmin reached behind him and whipped his hand to the front. A small balanced axe flew from his fingertips and embedded deep into a nearby fallen lamppost. "You saw how dangerous Donghae's cyborgs are, but he still said Kyujong's 'a bit hard to handle'. Maybe that means Kyujong has his own abilities. And If Kyujong's any crazier than Donghae... I'll deal with him."

Jinwoon flinched at the implication. Chansung just looked sorrowful. "I... Hyung. Kyujong's a person. He's not one of those things."

"I know," Changmin said briskly. He didn't let his discomfort show. He'd done it only once before, and only because the target then had snapped under al the pressures of training... but it was something he hoped he'd never get used to.

But that was then. The questions now were different: would he have to do it again? And if he does, who would he have to kill?

His discarded throwing axe turned to thin air when they got out of range.

~*~

Their first dinner indoors was as rambunctious as Junho expected.

Wooyoung had returned from his mysterious afternoon excursion less high-strung than he'd been all week. Then he immediately started searching through all the cabin's closets and cupboards. He emerged minutes later with an armload of curtains and immediately started changing the ones already in place. Not that it changed much since the previous owners' tastes (as Junho thought of the people who used to live here) were pretty bland. Still, it gave Wooyoung something to do, something with which to bleed his restlessness. When they called him for dinner, he swept into the kitchen, grabbed his bowl from the table, and flounced out with the same determined look on his face as whenever he deemed the dorm in need of cleaning.

As Dongwoon was otherwise occupied since earlier in the afternoon, Yoseob took it upon himself to cook citing that he had the most background, and by background he meant his family owned a restaurant so there. He sharpened the knives, scrubbed the pots and plates clean, plucked the vegetables and spices he recognized from the nearby garden, and set up a small cooking pyre in the backyard. It didn't matter that all he knew how to cook was jjigae: they had fresh vegetables and actual home-fermented kimchi, and that would do wonders for the taste. Maybe he went a bit overboard with the leeks, and maybe the peppers were still a bit raw, but he didn't mind and he doubted if the others would.

Dongwoon and Taecyeon put their limited engineering skills together to draw plans for Jinki's tent. After multiple drawings and crossings-out they handed the blueprint over to Kikwang, who built it in the front yard under Dongwoon's supervision using lengths of rope, wooden poles carved from fallen logs, extra sheets that Wooyoung deemed unusable indoors, and some old tarpaulin they found in the basement. They added their cots and a couple of pillows, which Jinki accepted graciously. He carried a flat rock over and set it up as a table just beside the tent flap. Yoseob brought him his dinner tray and a pitcher of water, and Jinki had to go away so Yoseob could set it on the table. Wooyoung followed soon, insisting that he work his magic on Jinki's tent as well and Jinki said he'd let him in the morning. But Wooyoung surprised him by not leaving, by eating dinner by the doorstep so Jinki would have company. They haven't resolved his wall issue yet, but irrationally he believed it grew smaller or softer over the span of the past few hours. Or at least he hoped it did.

Taecyeon, after helping with the tent design, alternated between helping Wooyoung redecorate (from which he was shooed away repeatedly) and helping Yoseob set their dinner table (from which he was shooed away again, but more politely). It was then agreed that Taec could do the clean up instead and he accepted. He opted for cataloguing their miscellaneous inventory and discovered that they'd have to be stingy on lighting candles since the previous owners didn't have much of a supply. He wanted to take a quick bath before dinner, but since he had to draw water from the well and carry the bucket into the bathroom, he figured he could bathe tomorrow instead when there was natural light.

On the other hand, Nichkhun was focused on Hyunseung, who had walked unassisted with them when they left the cave. The moment they found the cabin, though, Hyunseung went straight for the bedroom and flopped on the bed. He hadn't moved since. Nichkhun had taken himself to literally watching this particular dongsaeng all the time, trusting his subconscious to pick up clues about Hyunseung's behavior. When Yoseob brought them their trays, Hyunseung roused himself and ate mechanically, not caring if Nichkhun was watching him over his own meal. Yoseob left them alone even if every inch of his body screamed that he should take care of his hyung. There were some things that only miracle workers like Nichkhun could do. In the end, Yoseob sought out Kikwang and they ate their dinner in the kitchen, joined later by Taecyeon and their combined voices were loud enough for everyone to hear.

And over all of them Junho watched. He didn't care for now that his radius was drastically smaller. He needed this. He needed the reassurance that everyone was okay, that no one had snapped because he insisted on keeping them cooped up for so long, needed the reminder that they were still people who needed other people. He'd watch over them throughout the night, taking in details with preternatural eyes, feeling normal for the first time in days.

It was just as well. A surprise was in store for him deeper that night.

~*~

"I don't see why we have to carry our luggage by ourselves," Jokwon huffed as he reoriented the luggage so it would roll along on its heavily abused wheels. Although if there was anything to learn from the past hour, it was that one of the wheels would detach again in the next five minutes and even Kyujong had only so much patience.

"Hard work keeps us grounded," Kyujong said simply. He hefted his backpack, causing the various cans and bottles in it to jingle merrily. His fire-bearing hand was raised high to illuminate as much of the way as possible, but there was barely any change in the landscape since they started walking, save for the marked increase in debris meaning they were at the edge of what was once Seoul's thriving downtown.

"Hard work right after dinner is going to make me sick," Jokwon snapped.

"Yeobo, it's been an hour! A bit of walking after meals is good for digestion."

"This is not a 'bit of walking'," Jokwon insisted. "This is exercise, and exercise after a meal is bad for your health. Kyujong. Hyung. Don't be stingy."

"My powers are not meant to be your personal chauffer," Kyujong retorted, although he had to agree (partially, at least) with Jokwon's complaints: even an hour after dinner, he could still feel the onset of a food coma just beyond the reach of his conscious control, and his stomach wasn't used to digesting all this food after a week of stingy meals.

"This is one of our worst decisions to date," Jokwon said miserably. "Even if it's mine."

"May I point out that your wife is barely even complaining?"

Jokwon pouted. "She's only carrying spare clothes. Those aren't heavy at all."

Strength and endurance and the difference between the two, Kyujong thought, escaping into self-analysis to drown out Jokwon's whining and his own stomach's warnings that if they didn't stop moving soon there will be a mess to clean up.

"Can you even see how much muscle I lack?" Gain almost shrieked in disbelief, earning another pout from Kwon. She was gearing up for another tirade when darkness drenched them as suddenly as a blanket over their eyes.

"Hyung!" Jokwon nagged, but a calloused hand covered his mouth and he was just thankful that Kyujong remembered to use his non-flaming hand because ouch.

"There's firelight up there," Kyujong whispered. Jokwon looked up to the peak of a dune and saw a flickering glow of yellow.

Gain dropped her knapsack and started breathing deeply. Aiming was harder in the dark and her night vision had yet to develop since they traveled by Kyujong's firelight, and their proximity meant she couldn't use her wide-range blasts without the risk of hitting Kwon or Kyujong.

"Kyujongie," Gain whispered.

"I know," Kyujong answered, his voice edged with adrenaline. There was a new figure beside him, another Kyujong identical to the original save for one thing: his skin, never particularly smooth even for an idol, reflected polished silver in the moonlight.

~*~

"Hyung," Chansung said nervously, eyeing the throwing knife that materialized in Changmin's hands.

"Take cover. Don't come out until I tell you to," Changmin commanded as he watched the patch of darkness that moments earlier had been lit with a bright torch. People hiding in the darkness were never a good thing, and torches didn't just die out in the blink of an eye. It was unreasonable to assume that 'Siwon' was Donghae's only fire-capable cyborg.

Jinwoon nodded quietly. He emptied his cup of ramyeon in one large gulp and stuffed all their exposed supplies in his bag. Chansung, who'd only just started on his second, carefully followed Jinwoon downhill to hide behind a protruding wall.

Changmin stared at the darkness and set his noodles on the floor. He cursed himself for not being on guard, for not letting his dongsaeng cook their meals so he could preserve his night vision.

A sound reached his ears, barely loud enough to be a whisper. Metal scraping against cement.

That's it, then.

Changmin threw his knife with the accuracy of practice. The clink of metal impacting against metal was his cue.

Right. If the cyborgs couldn't be pierced, maybe blunt force would do the trick. He opened the rift and summoned a battle hammer taller than he was and charge down from the top of the mound, with a growl from his throat in place of a battle cry.

~*~

Kyujong flinched as something sharp and fast hit the metal of his clone's forehead and bounced off harmlessly into the night. "Hide!" he yelled, diving out of sight.

Gain and Jokwon dropped their bags and leapt out of the way. Jokwon crawled to hide behind a fallen billboard while Gain crouched low to the ground and readied her throat in case an opening presented itself.

The sound of footsteps reached them quickly. Kyujong couldn't see the details, but what little he registered in the weak light was enough to work with. His clone jumped to the side and rolled with the momentum just in time to avoid the earth-shattering crunch of something large and heavy hitting the ground. The clone didn't have to worry about bruises and scrapes since its special metal was hard to hurt... but whoever was attacking them looked entirely capable of doing so.

Kyujong's clone darted closer to their attacker to deal damage close-up, but the attacker dropped its hammer and drew a pair of axes out of fucking nowhere and swung them so violently that the impact sparked brightly and Kyujong's clone reeled back due to the transferred inertia.

The axes fell to the ground. The attacker raised its hands and, with a ripple in the air, produced a chain whip weighted with a curved blade at the end.

The intention was obvious: inflicting actual damage would take too much effort, but binding would work just fine.

Kyujong had enough self-control to avoid cursing and giving away his position. Their attacker didn't move like those wraiths from a week ago. Those things had all been frail and fragile, but still dangerous with their daggers and numbers and loose gray robes that made it hard to tell where the body actually was. That, and just one stab from their dagger and the person just... vanished.

But this one... Kyujong was sure this attacker was human. Obviously with some special abilities, like him and Gain. But he moved human. Breathed human. Even dressed human. Human enough to make Kyujong hesitate about enacting violence.

His clone kept its distance and the assailant whirled the weighted end of his chain in large arcs, aiming to tangle more than to slash. The attacker stepped closer and turned sideways, shifting his weight and modifying his stance for the new weapon. The moonlight played with his profile, and in just the right light-

A shrill humming built quickly to Kyujong's right. The figure didn't even take a microsecond of hesitation; it simply dove out of the way, letting the sonic bullet sail by but catching everyone within the aural shockwave and leaving a high-pitched ringing in their ears.

Kyujong's clone leapt, hoping to maximize the distraction... but the figure twisted and rolled beneath Kyujong's clone, slung the weighted end of his chain at an arc and caught the clone in a loop. He let his momentum push him to his feet and made complicated swinging movements in the air, tangling the metal clone's legs in more tight layers of chain, turning it into an effective bind. Kyujong focused his mind on creating a second clone, one with more offensive abilities.

Gain screamed again, but the figure jumped nimbly out of the way. That much was expected.

What followed next wasn't.

"Gain! It's me, Lee Changmin. Your brother-in-law."

Kyujong froze. The rising thrum in the air died out.

"Hyung?!"

"Jokwonie, come out where I can see you."

"Kwonie! It could be a trap!" Kyujong yelled.

"Maybe you're not crazy after all, Kim Kyujong," Changmin said under his breath.

"Let go of my clone and then we'll talk."

Changmin snorted derisively. "I'm not crazy either, you know."

"Oppa, where did you come from?"

"It's rude to hide from a guest. Let's talk out in the open."

That was enough time for Kyujong. The air around him blurred and sparked as he gathered energy to form another clone. Another Kyujong - this one wreathed completely in red flame - sprung from the ground and blasted Changmin with a stream of fire.

The light threw Changmin's features in sharp contrast before he materialized a shield as large as he was. The flame licked it harmlessly. "You have talent, Kyujong, but you should know I'm holding back much more than you are. So let's not waste time and energy in a fight you'll eventually lose."

"That's Changmin-oppa, alright," Gain said, rising from behind a pile of rocks. She dusted her pants clean and made for Changmin, but before she got closer Jokwon reached him first and pulled his hyung in for a tight hug.

Changmin dematerialized all his weapons, leaving him in plain view so Gain could come closer with a hug of her own.

Kyujong could have chosen to dissolve his metal clone then since Changmin (if he was Changmin and this was still a fight) would already have won by taking in two hostages. But as much as he kept his fire clone for light, he also kept his metal clone for whatever advantage it could provide.

A minute passed with the only change being Jokwon's wetter breathing. Changmin let them both go, though 'pushed them away' was more apt for Kwon's case.

"Keep your crying in check," Changmin chided. "You know how much Jinwoon hates seeing you like this."

"Hyung!"

"I'll take you to them in a minute," Changmin assured him. He turned to look at Kyujong, who was still standing a short distance away flanked by the fiery version of himself. "I'm guessing you're the reason why you three survived the invasion?"

Kyujong's eyes narrowed. "If you know anything about that, you'd better start talking."

"Keep that anger," Changmin told him in tones of approval. "If that is what's keeping you sane, then make sure you don't let it go until you find a healthier fixation. Let's go, I'll explain everything back at camp. And keep your clones around. Anyone who survived the invasion means they can fight, and we don't know how far madness can reach."

Somehow, Kyujong heard the message beneath the words of foreboding. "You met Donghae, didn't you?"

Changmin paused for a fraction of a second too long. "Yes."

Kwon gasped. Gain grabbed Changmin by the arms, her sharp nails digging almost painfully. "Henry. Is he... still himself?"

Changmin led the way back up their mound before he answered. "Counting you, he's asked for help from two people and so far none have come back for him. That's too much hope and despair for one person to keep. Specially given what he's probably seen."

"You're going back for him," Jokwon asked, hopeful.

"Yes. But I'll need help. Donghae's too protective of him, and those cyborgs will make a stealth extraction mission impossible. Our best chance is to subdue Donghae so Henry can escape."

"I'm in," Kyujong said automatically.

Changmin grinned. "That's what I was counting on."

But you're not thinking of Henry, aren't you? Changmin didn't ask out loud as he watched Kyujong's steely expression. You're more worried about Donghae. You want to see for yourself if he's really beyond any help you can give. "Let's rest tonight and think about Donghae tomorrow. We won't have to worry about accidentally hurting Henry if it's brighter."

Changmin put his musings aside for another time. He called for Jinwoon and Chansung, who emerged from their hiding places and suffocated Jokwon and Gain in their bear-like hugs.

~*~

As established earlier on, old habits are hard to break.

"Dongwoon, Taecyeon and I are leaving at dawn tomorrow," Nichkhun announced to the group at large. "The question is who else will be coming with us."

"So basically, we're dividing into subgroups?" Yoseob asked. "Huh. Times like these you need someone from Super Junior."

Everyone lapsed into thoughtful silence.

"More like SNSD, given our number," Dongwoon said.

"Legs," Wooyoung pointed out and everyone shrugged.

For Jinki's sake, the meeting was held around a campfire outdoors. Jinki sat comfortably just outside his tent, isolated by distance but not truly alone, accompanied where it mattered by seven other idols sitting on the ground. Nichkhun was able to scavenge a half-used notebook and a dull pencil from the bedroom, and now he was drawing a line in the middle of a page. "So who else wants to go to the city?"

"I'm staying here," Yoseob said. "After Nichkhun-hyung, I'm the best qualified to look after Hyunseung's well-being."

Nichkhun wrote two names in the column opposite his.

Wooyoung tossed a pebble into the fire. "I'm staying as well." And when he felt an explanation was expected of him, he added, "I'm neither scientific nor mathematical. I'm not physically strong or particularly enduring. What would be the point of me being there?"

"Moral support?" Taecyeon asked with half a grin, which Wooyoung greeted with a sardonic smile.

"So Wooyoung stays," Nichkhun interrupted before banter broke out. "So it's up to Junho, Kikwang, and Jinki."

"Our three superheroes," Dongwoon said warmly. Junho flushed, but kept his remarks to himself.

The three of them looked at each other, trying to figure out how to best put their abilities to use.

"Junho should stay," said Kikwang before Junho could get a word in otherwise. "He's too valuable to risk, and the whole point of his thing is that he doesn't have to be there when something happens."

"I need to be there to warn you about danger," Junho said tersely.

"Which is why I should go instead," Kikwang finished. "No offense, Junho, you're awesome and all, but I'm the better choice if something needs to be done. And if you're here, you can hide back in the cave if you see any danger approaching so we don't have to worry about you guys being defenseless."

"He has a point," Taecyeon said neutrally, eliciting cheers of 'There's a first time for everything!' from Yoseob. "I'd rather keep my fearless leader out of danger. It's all a matter of trust, isn't it?"

"That's if there's still any danger at all," Dongwoon said.

Junho carefully failed to acknowledge him. There was no need to alarm everyone yet, not when he wasn't sure what was going on beyond his field of vision. And Kikwang really did know how to handle danger.

"Jinki?" Nichkhun asked, and Jinki looked thoughtful.

"I've been around the city," he volunteered. "So I can point out where to dig for supplies and stuff."

"I vote that you stay," Wooyoung countered. "You, Taec, Khun, and Dongwoon are our academic minds and three out of four are already going. We need to keep some of that resource with us in case something happens here that calls for a brainiac to solve."

Everyone conceded, with Taecyeon looking mildly put out that he didn't think of that before.

"That can't be your real reason, Woodongie," Khun said even as he wrote Jinki's name in the right column. "That's practical, yes, but you're more practical than that. What is it?"

Wooyoung huffed. "You want practical? Fine. If we do end up hiding out again, we have no way of moving the boulder without Kikwang. But Jinki can block the cave entrance just by sitting there. Happy?"

Everyone glanced at Jinki, embarrassed that he was just relegated to being a human tent flap, but he just smiled and said, "Hey, as long as I get to be of use, I'm not complaining."

"So that settles it." Nichkhun tore the page out of his notebook and finalized everything. "Junho, Yoseob, Wooyoung, Hyunseung, and Jinki will stay here. Taecyeon, Dongwoon, Kikwang, and I will go on an information hunt slash supplies run. We should be in the city by noon if we leave at dawn."

"Meeting over?" Yoseob asked, then with a sigh added, "Time to try my special brand of tough love on Hyunseung-hyung, then. Come on, Kwangie." Kikwang beamed like a puppy and followed Yoseob in.

"I have wall decors to put up and mysterious errands to run," Wooyoung said simply as he followed Yoseob inside. He turned on his heel before the last step and said, "If you guys go for a walk, keep your eyes open for pinecones."

Nichkhun nodded at the remaining group. "All we need now is a library to target. Junho?"

"That'll be a tough search," Junho said. He vigorously rubbed his hands together and threw his mind in the direction of the city. "But I'm the man for the job."

"Any particular things we should read up on?" Nichkhun asked the others.

"Therapy for PTSD," Dongwoon said immediately, which Nichkhun wrote down.

"A cookbook for the urban lifestyle," Taec said. Everyone looked at him. "What? Good food can make or break group morale."

"You're not the best option for that," Nichkhun retorted drily.

"I don't mind, hyung," Dongwoon said, seeing the obvious.

Jinki raised a hand and waited for Nichkhun to acknowledge him. "Wilderness survival wouldn't be a bad idea, I think. And an illustrated guide to edible botany."

"We think alike," Taec said, practically wafting with approval. "Great minds and all that."

"I doubt his mind is as depraved a place as yours. Any useful suggestions, Taec?"

Taecyeon expressed his discontent at the things Khun (misguidedly) prioritized. "Biometrics and applied human anatomy for Kikwang's powers. Astral projection and out-of-body experiences for Junho's."

"And for mine, hyung?" Jinki asked hopefully.

"Hmm. Force-field theory, I guess? Which should fall under particle physics? I'm not sure, but I can make headway with just one book."

"How about communication engineering and theory?" asked Dongwoon. "I mean, we can communicate to Junho-hyung from afar by writing stuff down for him to read. But we still haven't figured out any way for him to send messages to us."

"Huh," Taecyeon said, impressed and not minding this time that he'd just been outshone. "And now that our brilliant magnae has mentioned it, basic electrical engineering should be useful if we can also find an electronics supplies shop. Set up some solar panels, maybe a domestic windmill..."

Nichkhun nodded vigorously and added more notes.

"Junho?" Jinki asked, his quiet concern overriding Taec's natural volume.

Everyone looked at their leader, who had stopped breathing and had gone pale even in the orange glow of the campfire. His hands were clenched so tightly that Nichkhun was afraid he'd cut his own palms with his fingernails.

"Is it... them?" Taecyeon asked, all traces of joviality exchanged for the readiness to act. Jinki shuddered at the thought; Nichkhun could only guess at what he'd seen and been through while the rest of them were hiding out in the cave, safe from dangers and nightmares and things that lurked in the dark.

Junho breathed again, ragged and shallow, and through gritted teeth said a name that made Nichkhun drop his notebook in shock. "Chansung. He's still alive."

Taecyeon grabbed his own ankles to stop himself from running to Junho and descending into hysteria. Nichkhun, ever level-headed, ran a comforting hand down Junho's back.

"He's with other people," Junho whispered, his eyes focused on a vision that no one else can see.

Dongwoon froze completely. Jinki looked sorrowfully at the fire.

"2AM. And Gain-nuna. And Kyujong-hyung. They're all together."

"Doojoon-hyu-" Dongwoon began at the same time Nichkhun said "Juns-", but Taecyeon's strangled voice still drowned them both out.

"Seulong," Taecyeon managed to growl despite a throat too tense to even breathe. "Is he-"

The question brought Junho back to them, if only by a bit. "Hyung..."

But at times like these, words matter less than the language of the body itself. The way Junho drew inwards, the drop in his voice's energy... it was enough for Taecyeon. Enough for everyone. They welcomed the sudden silence to recover from the disorientation that only unfulfilled hope can provide.

"I see. I'll... I guess I'll spread the good news, then." Taecyeon unfolded his long legs and sauntered unsteadily back inside.

"Draw a map," said Dongwoon, forcing himself to detach from the disappointment, knowing what was going to happen in the next few seconds. "Landmarks. Estimate the distance. Approximate the terrain. So Kikwang-hyung can find them quickly."

Junho nodded, surprised to be the one receiving commands after a week of making the decisions. He grabbed Nichkhun's notebook and pencil from the ground and started drawing fervently.

"We can look for them tomorrow," Nichkhun said.

"I think tonight would be better," Jinki said, surfacing from his reverie. "Chances are they'll wander out of Junho's field of vision in the night. If Kikwang moves at Rank 7, he can easily reach them in minutes."

"And Kikwang-hyung can return to escort us to the city. We can meet up with them in the morning," Dongwoon said, picking up Jinki's train of thought with great effort. "Hyung, a rendezvous point-"

"You need me," Kikwang said, terse and excited, appearing in a blur before them carrying a small windstorm.

Junho tore off the page and thrust it into Kikwang's hand. "Tell them to meet up at the War Memorial. Then come back here."

"Got it." And Kikwang was gone again before the others even realized what had happened.

A pattering of hurried footsteps from inside the house. "More company tomorrow?" Yoseob asked, breathless.

Nichkhun didn't respond, his mind slowing down again at the thought of Chansung, Chansung, Chansung. Dongwoon fared no better and only managed to nod dumbly, but his mind was paralyzed for a completely different reason.

"Six," said Jinki, the only one who managed to stay on top of the situation, his eyes crinkling with a smile that cracked at the edges. "Better make a feast for lunch."

"I'll plan the menu right away," Yoseob said brilliantly. Taecyeon had told them that neither Doojoon nor Junhyung were among those whom Junho spotted, but that didn't bother him. Right now, the fact that there were other people out there mattered more. Because if there were other survivors wandering around it meant all hope was not yet lost and Doojoon can still scold him for enabling Kikwang in his craziness and Junhyung can still pull Hyunseung out from whatever world he locked himself into.

Taecyeon joined them less than a minute later. "Let's stay out of Wooyoung's way for a while," he whispered loudly. "Believe me, you don't want to get caught in his cleaning frenzy when he heard the news."

"As if Chansung will mind the dirt," Nichkhun remarked, managing some humor.

Jinki smiled with all of them. He was happy for 2PM, he really was. But he figured that, given what he'd been through, he could be forgiven the bitter envy that seared his mind or the way he was sure his wall grew harder and took up bigger space. Of course, someday he'd have to tell them what happened to SHiNee... but not tonight.

Let tonight be all about good news.

~*~

A last look, a final glance, at what happened then, a few years before.

Two bottles of soju, three liters of orange juice, and half a bottle of tonic. There was a pleasant buzz going on, and it would have been impressive had it not been for, again, two bottles of soju.

Doojoon raised his glass and downed the shot with a wince. Junhyung smirked and refilled it.

"Drink yours, assface," Doojoon grumbled. "Or I'll post pictures."

Junhyung's smirk froze. "What pictures."

"The one from breakfast three days ago," Doojoon said, passably steady. "When you didn't notice that Kikwang's little pink hearts were stuck to your forehead."

Junhyung frowned and drained his glass. "He didn't mean it."

"It was still cute," Doojoon slurred.

Junhyung shrugged and tried not to see double when Doojoon filled his glass. "They were for you anyway. He was feeling guilty."

Doojoon quirked an eyebrow. "For?"

"For thinking that he should have been the leader," Junhyung said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh." Doojoon frowned at the effort of thinking. "He said that?"

"Did he have to?" Junhyung hiccupped. He drank his shot out of turn to stave off the worst.

"Wait. You're saying. That you actually understand Kikwang?!" Doojoon drank to cope with the impossibility.

"A little empathy goes a long way," Junhyung said sagely, pouring another round.

"Screw empathy. More like you're a fuckin' empath."

Junhyung just smirked and took his shot.

[TBC]

Author's Notes: So... based on how I planned the rest of the story out, Aleph will officially have 5 chapters, plus the prologue and the epilogue. We're 2/5ths of the way done :D