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“Hurricane Kim is expected to reach 155 miles an hour with torrential rains that will only get worse from here. So stay safe, stay indoors. But a reminder: if you’re in an evacuation zone, please relocate to the nearest designated shelter. Stay tuned for further updates here on Jeju News Now.”
Changbin feels the ladder under his feet shake slightly, and after making sure the insulation piece he was nailing into place is secure, he glances down. A pair of big green boba eyes peer up at him from under a mop of curly brown hair. “Hello, baby. What are you doing? Crawling away from mommy?”
Jungwon giggles around a pacifier and pats the ladder again. Changbin pretends to sway dramatically, causing the baby to giggle again. He chuckles, double-checks the insulation is secure, then steps down the ladder. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Changbin bends and scoops the baby up. Thunder crashes outside, but Jungwon doesn’t flinch. He pats Changbin’s chest and points to the shuttered window.
Changbin nods as if Jungwon were holding a conversation with him. “It’s loud, isn’t it? But don’t worry, Uncle Changbin has placed plenty of insulation up to make sure you stay nice and dry.”
Jungwon doesn’t respond with words (he’s only eight months old), but he does blink his large eyes. It’s in moments like these that Changbin is reminded heavily of Jungwon’s mother.
“Changbin? Have you seen Jungwon?”
Speak of the devil.
Minho enters the living room with his phone in one hand, and a concerned look on his face. His face relaxes when he sees Jungwon in Changbin’s arms. “There you are. Were you bothering Uncle Binnie?”
Jungwon giggles at Minho’s teasing tone and makes grabby hands. Minho plucks his child out of Changbin’s arms and hands the younger his phone. “I’m afraid all your hard work is going to go to waste, Binnie-ah. They updated the evacuation zones, and we’re currently in its path.”
Changbin checks the screen, and sure enough, Minho’s correct. He sighs and drags a hand down his face. “Okay. You start packing and I’ll help you after I call Chan-hyung.”
Minho nods and turns to find the diaper bag while murmuring to Jungwon about going to see Daddy. Changbin smiles, then pulls out his phone and dials Chan’s number.
“I’m sorry, the call you’re trying to reach is not available right now. Please try again later.”
Well. They’ll just have to show up to headquarters and hope Chan doesn’t kill him. It’ll be fine.
Chan grimaces at the rain lashing against the windows. Since the rain started earlier this morning, the weather has only gotten worse, driving down so hard visibility has been reduced to zero. Headquarters has also been turned into an evacuation site, which means people are pouring in from all over the island. It’s not ideal, but he supposes that’s what happens when you turn a historic site into a special forces headquarters. His ringing phone interrupts his musings.
“It’s Bang.”
“Commander, this is FBI Special Agent David Kim.”
Chan frowns. FBI? He had no clue the American force was on the island. “Agent Kim, what can I do for you?”
“News of this is still under wraps, but the Bureau recently apprehended a high-level fugitive: Alejandro Vega.”
Chan arches an eyebrow. He’s a little uneasy that a known fugitive was on the island and he wasn’t made aware. “Congratulations. That’s a big catch.”
“Thank you. The problem is he was scheduled to be transported to a temporary holding place on the mainland today, and then flown back to the States the day after. But because of the storm, all places are grounded.”
“Okay. I’m starting to get the feeling, Agent, that this is, uh, a little more than a courtesy call.”
“Unfortunately, our safe house is in an evacuation zone. So, as of right now, 325’s rendition facility is the most secure place to hold Vega until the weather clears.”
Chan blinks at the rain-lashed windows and feels dread trickle down his spine. “Agent Kim, I’m not sure if you heard, but the island officially designated Jejumok Gwana as an emergency evacuation shelter. We’re in the process of accepting up to a couple hundred civilians. I hardly think this is the most appropriate place to hold one of the planet’s most dangerous criminals.”
“Your point is noted, but the decision’s already been made. The order to house Vega comes from the highest level at the Justice Department. We’re en route from the airfield. We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Chan sighs and bangs his head against the wall. “Copy that. We’ll be ready.”
Well, at least Minho and the baby are safely out of harm’s way.
“This,” says FBI Agent Kim in flawless Korean as he pulls up a picture of a rugged, old man, “is Alejandro Vega, head of the Vega drug cartel, and up until three days ago, one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives.”
It had taken Chan an hour to call in his team, minus Changbin who was insulating his house, and Minho who was staying home with the baby. The rest of his team had been scattered around the island helping with the evacuation, so it had taken them a while to all get back. By the time the last member had arrived, Vega was already locked into the rendition facility below the building.
“I can’t believe El Diablo is here.” Mutters Jisung, eyeing the screen. “This guy’s pure evil.”
Felix nods in agreement. “There are parts of Venezuela that believe he made a deal with the Devil, so everyone he kills goes straight to hell.”
“Thanks for that comforting thought, Lix.” Grumbles Hyunjin.
Agent Kim brings their focus back. “Here’s what we know about him. He is responsible for hundreds of deaths; many of them were civilians. These,” the FBI agent brings up a handful of disturbing images, “are some examples of his greatest hits.”
The team is quiet for a moment, then Jisung pipes up. “Exactly why did we bring this garbage into our house? I say let him die in the storm.”
Agent Kim crosses his arms. “Death would be too good for this guy. He’s gonna spend the rest of his life in our least comfortable supermax, and we’re gonna do everything we can to make sure he gets there.”
“Here’s something else he’s known for: he’s broken out of four different prisons.” Adds Felix. “There are some who say he controlled the guards at the last prison with his mind.”
Jisung and Hyunjin snort simultaneously. Seungmin rolls his eyes. “Two of his escapes happened while he was moving. He’s here already, and if he had mind-controlling powers, he would have already used them.”
Chan nods in agreement. “Vega is nothing but a sad, old man who’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison. Our concern right now is making sure he remains in custody. How are we looking?”
“Pretty good.” Says Jeongin, while Felix starts pulling up camera images. “We got agents at every key access point on the rendition floor, and the room itself, once closed, is completely sealed.”
Chan nods. “Good. Let’s keep it that way.”
“Is anyone else getting goosebumps?” Jisung’s eyeing the video feed of Vega, who’s staring down the camera. “It’s like he’s staring right into my soul.”
Seungmin shoots Jisung an irritated look. “Would you stop with the bogeyman thing, Jisung? It’s just a guy, on his own, sitting in a box.”
Jisung pouts, but Agent Kim is nodding. “No, he’s right. Vega may not have supernatural powers, but he does have a way of getting ahold of people. I should know. I’ve been chasing him down for ten years. That man cost me everything I cared about.”
“What man? Who are we talking about?”
The entire team whips around to stare at Minho and Changbin who just got off the elevator laden down with baby supplies and one curious baby. The team stare at each other awkwardly, while Chan hurries forward to meet them before they can step into the control room. He’s always happy to see his husband and child, but right now are not ideal circumstances.
“Hey. Minho, what are you doing here?”
Minho raises an eyebrow. “Hi. Hey. I’m doing fine, thanks for asking. Jungwon’s also great. He finds the storm fascinating.”
Chan can’t help the smile that slips onto his face. He wraps an arm around his husband’s waist and pulls him into a brief hug. “Hello, my love. I’m glad to hear you’re okay and that this one,” he tickles under Jungwon’s chin causing the baby to giggle, “is doing good. Fascinated with storms, huh? Maybe he’ll study the weather one day.”
Minho hums and relishes briefly in the arms of his very hot (in multiple ways) husband, before pulling back and depositing the baby into his father’s arms. “We did try to call, Chan-ah.” He says over his shoulder as he walks into the control room. “But the storm knocked out the phone lines-oh, hello.”
Minho blinks at the American agent, then turns to the screen where Felix had hastily hidden all the camera feeds. He narrows his eyes and turns back to the team who all struggle to hide their guilty expressions. “What’s going on? Why do you look like you murdered someone? And who’s this?”
Agent Kim shuffles awkwardly where he’s standing feeling incredibly intimidated by the pretty individual that just walked into the room. “Uh, hi. I’m Agent Kim, FBI. We’re here to contain the fugitive known as Alejandro Vega. We are very grateful to 325 for allowing us to use their rendition facility.”
Chan winces and buries his face in Jungwon’s soft hair. “Your mommy is about to get very angry at me.”
Jungwon waves a tiny fist in agreement.
Minho whips around to glare Chan down. “You allowed a known fugitive to be housed here? During a hurricane while our building is being used as an evacuation point?” He stalks closer until he’s practically nose-to-nose with his husband. “While our child is here?”
Chan feels a flash of irritation at Minho’s assumption. “Hold on. I had no choice about housing Vega. The order came from the MoJ. And I had no clue you were coming with Jungwon. If I had known you both would be here I would have fought the order.” He’s practically seething at the end, but he makes sure to keep a tight lid on his emotions so he doesn’t scare Jungwon. The baby seems to know something is wrong because he’s twisting in Chan’s arms trying to see Minho, one hand reaching out to grab him.
The tension is broken by the lights going out. Everyone startles with multiple members even letting out expletives they normally would never dare let out around Jungwon.The baby himself startles and lets out a cry that doesn’t evolve into sobbing, yet. Minho immediately starts cooing, reaching out to brush a hand through Jungwon’s hair, but not willing to risk trying to take him from his husband’s arms for fear of dropping him.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What the fuck-”
A loud smack echoes in the room. “Ow! Why the hell did you hit me?” Whines Jeongin.
“I was trying to hit Jisung.”
“Stop hitting people.” Comes Seungmin’s voice. “It’s probably just the storm.”
“Yeah, don’t panic.” Says Changbin who’s still standing close to Chan and Minho, and laden down with baby stuff. “Backup generator should come on in a second.”
Sure enough, the lights come back on after a minute. Felix immediately starts pulling up camera feeds, while Hyunjin reaches over Jeongin to smack Jisung. Changbin waddles over to Minho’s office to dump the baby stuff, passing the young couple who are trying to prevent Jungwon from erupting into tears. Jungwon sniffles and reaches out to Minho with teary eyes. Minho coos quietly and takes the baby into his arms.
“Oh, you’re okay. Shhh. You’re okay.” Minho bounces Jungwon lightly. The baby grips onto Minho’s hoodie with one hand while he rubs his eyes with the closed fist of his other. Chan feels his lingering frustration melt away at the sight of his pretty husband comforting their baby. He cautiously walks closer and places a light hand on the small of Minho’s back. He leans over the younger’s shoulder to press a brief kiss on Minho’s cheek.
“I love you, sweetheart. I’m sorry for being sharp with you. It wasn’t my intention to argue with you”
Minho hums then turns around to press a quick kiss to his husband’s lips. “I know. I’m sorry for accusing you of putting our child in danger. I’m also sorry for coming here with Jungwon. I should have kept calling or, or sent Changbin ahead instead of bringing him-”
“Hey, hey.” Chan wraps his arms around Minho’s waist and pulls him close to press a kiss to his forehead. “None of that. I’m glad you’re here, both of you. It’s not ideal, but I’d rather have you two here where I can protect you than at home and in the path of a hurricane.”
“Fugitive and all?” Minho’s smile is cheeky. Chan snorts and pinches Minho’s waist lightly. His husband whines, which causes Jungwon to giggle and pat at Chan’s chest.
“Hey, guys? We have a problem.” The concern in Felix’s voice has them all drawing close to the center table. “So, those cameras should be running off backup power, but they’re still down.”
Agent Kim presses a finger against his in-ear. “Park, Lee, a status update on Vega.”
He waits a couple of seconds then nods, “Okay, prisoner is secure.”
“I’ll see if I can restore the cameras from here, but it’s probably going to have to be done from the main server control room,” Felix says, fingers flying over the console. “If Yeosang-hyung was here I would say he could do it, but ATEEZ is stuck on the opposite side of the island.”
“Who says none of us are capable of figuring out how a server room works?” Changbin cracks his knuckles and turns to Chan. “Put me in, coach.”
Chan snorts but nods. “Okay, go. Take Jeongin with you. Let us know what you find.”
The two men nod, then head down to the server control room. Chan runs a hand through his hair. “Alright. I’m going down to rendition while the cameras are down. I want eyes on Vega myself.”
He presses a kiss to Minho’s forehead. “Why don’t you set the baby up in my office? I’ll come check on you a little later.”
Minho rolls his eyes fondly. “I can take care of myself.” He pushes up, gives Chan a swift kiss on the lips, then sashays away.
Chan hurries down to the rendition room followed by Agent Kim. As soon as they see the other American agents Kim is gruffly telling them to open the door. They quickly do so, and the two men rush inside only to see Vega calmly sitting in the metal chair. He raises a cocky eyebrow at the men.
“Trouble with the power?”
Chan glowers at him. “Lock it down.” He leaves the room and calls Changbin. “Bin, did you get those cameras working?
“Negative, hyung. And they’re not going to be up anytime soon. Someone did a real number here. Broke in and cut all the cables to the NVR-”
“I got blood!”
Jeongin’s voice breaks through and Chan stiffens. “What’s going on? Someone talk to me.”
“Commander, we have a man down. It’s a sheriff’s deputy. Looks like he’s been either stabbed or shot. I can’t feel a pulse.” Chan hears rustling on the other end. “And there’s more bad news. His service weapon is missing.”
The team regathers in the command center with Agent Harvey. Felix had briefly gone down to the server room to see if he could fix anything, but he quickly called it impossible and said they’d need to get the entire system replaced after the storm. So, for now, they have no working cameras. Chan is frustrated. He has a wanted fugitive in the same building as his husband and child, and on top of that, there is a murderer on the loose in the building.
Changbin leans against the console. “Given that Vega has broken out of four prisons already, I’d say someone is trying to make it five.”
Hyunjin nods. “Clearly, this guy came in with the evacuees.”
“I agree.” Chan turns to Agent Kim. “I’m gonna need to borrow a couple of your agents to conduct a floor-to-floor search, and help us find this guy.”
Agent Kim nods. “Of course.” He pulls out a walkie-talkie. “Harris, Jones, I need you two up here now. You’re going to help 325 search the building.”
An affirmative comes over the device, and a minute later the two men appear. They figure out the best way to conduct a sweep of the entire building, then 325 go to pull on combat gear. Minho shows up in the changing room while Chan is strapping a bulletproof vest on. He leans against a wall and watches until Chan straightens up.
“I hear you’re conducting a floor-to-floor search of the building for a murderer.”
Chan nods as he checks his firearm. “Someone wreaked havoc in the server room. It looks like they intend to break Vega out. Agent Kim and his team are working with us to find the guy before he can cause any more trouble.”
“What happens if you can’t find him?” The vulnerability in Minho’s voice finally has Chan looking at him. Minho is rigid where he is leaning against the wall, arms crossed with hands gripping the opposite bicep hard enough for his fingers to blanche.
“Hey, hey.” Chan walks over and wraps his husband in a tight hug. “We’ll find him. I won’t let anyone stop until we find him. Jungwon is going to be fine.”
Chan feels Minho nod against his chest. “Okay.” He whispers.
The older man runs a hand through his husband’s freshly blue-dyed hair. “Where’s Jungwon now?”
Minho pulls back slightly to peer up at Chan. “I handed him off to Felix. He insisted he wanted to spend some ‘baby’ time.”
“If we’re not careful, he’s going to steal our baby.” Grumbles Chan good-naturedly.
Minho snorts and rolls eyes, before patting Chan’s bulletproof vest. “I think I can take him. Go find a murderer.”
Chan presses a swift kiss on Minho’s forehead. “Go back to Felix and stay there, okay? I’ll keep you updated.”
Minho raises an eyebrow at the drawn faces of the men who troop back into the control room after an hour of searching. “I’m guessing your search didn’t turn up our perp?”
Chan sighs and leans heavily against the console. “No, not yet, but Kim's guys are still out there looking.”
“I’m not sure where they can look that we already haven’t, but they’re free to try.” Grumbles Jisung as he flops down in a chair. He immediately sits back up and makes grabby hands when Felix walks out of Chan’s office with a sleepy Jungwon. The baby perks up when he notices Jisung and he leans over to reach for him. Felix walks over and deposits Jungwon in Jisung’s arms who coos and starts bouncing him.
Changbin runs a hand through his hair. “This would work a lot better if we had a description of the guy. Anything that we could use to identify him.”
Seungmin taps the table. “The cameras didn’t go out until at least an hour after the last of the evacuees. There are cameras all over this place, which means we probably have him on camera. Can we still get access to the recordings?”
Felix taps at the console and brings up one of the cameras stationed at the public entrance to the grounds. “We still have access to the records, we just can’t record anything new.”
“Okay.” Hyunjin places his palms on the table and leans against them. “We can comb through all the camera feeds, but we still don’t know who to look for.”
Minho tilts his head. “Could we run all the evacuees through face recognition software? See if anyone with a crime record pops up?”
Agent Kim nods slowly. “It’ll take time, but it could work.”
“Use every available device to run the trace.” Says Chan as Felix starts running the program. “Let’s see if we can cut the time in half.”
Everybody scatters, grabbing iPads and laptops to start running the trace. Meanwhile, Agent Kim's team continues to sweep the building, watching the evacuees, and all possible points of access while the hurricane continues to tear apart the world outside. It’s a tense half-hour spent hunched over devices combing through video footage of hundreds of people until Jeongin shoots up.
“I found something!”
He hurries over to the main console and brings the footage up on the main screen. Everyone gathers around to see a still capture of a young man in black-framed glasses and a blue jacket side-by-side with a photo from the NIS of the same man.
“Sergio Diaz. He’s a soldier for the cartel.” Felix reads.
“And he entered the building over four hours ago with a group of evacuees.” Adds Seungmin, noting the time stamp.
“Alright, good work Jeongin. At least we know who we’re looking for.” Chan turns to Felix, “Send that photo to Agent Kim and have him distribute it to the rest of his team.”
Felix nods. “Done.”
“Hold on.” Changbin’s squinting at the screen. He swapped with Jisung earlier, so now he has Jungwon in his arms who’s poking at the man’s many tattoos. “According to the NIS' information, this guy’s a soldier for the Cervantes organization. That’s a rival cartel.”
Hyunjin tilts his head. “Why would one of Vega’s enemies want to bust him out? Unless…”
Chan leans heavily on his hands. His voice is cold when he speaks. “This guy’s not here to bust him out. He’s here to kill him. Get me, Agent Kim, now.”
Jisung finds an officer to run down and find Agent Kim. The man hurries into the office a couple of minutes later. “Your officer told me you discovered the man responsible for the murder.”
Minho tilts his head, eyes narrowed. “We discovered that a soldier from a rival cartel is somewhere in the building. Care to explain?”
Agent Kim splutters. “Agent Lee-”
“No. You came to us for help. And we can’t help unless you tell us what’s going on.”
The American agent sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Okay. Okay. Vega agreed to turn state’s evidence against his rivals. He was on his way to the mainland to meet with American DOJ lawyers.”
Seungmin taps the console. “That would explain the assassination attempt. Guys like Vega have enough information to put away a lot of high-level criminals.”
Hyunjin nods. “It also explains the urgency to do it before he gets on that plane.”
Agent Kim sighs. “We weren’t supposed to tell anyone, even you, because-”
“-because you’re trying to prevent this exact thing from happening.” Chan sticks his tongue in his cheek. “Look, you had your orders. And honestly, I feel a little better babysitting this scumbag knowing that he’s gonna help you put away a whole bunch of people just like him.”
“Now all we have to do is keep him alive.” Mutters Jisung.
Minho’s inelegant snort shows exactly what he thinks about that. Chan shoots him a look, but Minho only raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him. Then, the lights go out again. The hurricane seems to grow harsher with the lack of any natural or artificial light. Jungwon whines as the trees outside lash against the walls and windows. Chan feels Minho brush by him as he carefully navigates around the group to get to the baby.
“Something’s not right.” Seungmin pipes up. “The backup generators should have kicked in by now as they did a couple of hours ago.”
Chan pinches the bridge of his nose and groans. “What are the chances that the generators are just delayed?”
“If I was a betting man, zero.” Says Jisung. “I would also bet that if we went into the electrical room, we would find a similar hack job to the one done in the server room.”
Chan nods. “I agree. We need to lock down the lobby and sequester all the evacuees. Make sure the assassin’s not hiding down there somewhere with them.”
“We need to be careful too.” Adds Changbin. “The lack of light will make it difficult to navigate and the evacuees more jumpy.”
“Go floor to floor again, but with more men and cautiously-”
“What do you mean, he’s not answering?” Agent Kim interrupts Chan’s orders. “Find him.”
He hangs up. “Shit.”
“What was that about?” Asks Hyunjin with a raised eyebrow.
“Mercer. He’s not at his post and no one can find him.”
Changbin frowns. “Where was he stationed?”
“Near the loading bay, where we first came in.”
Minho’s frown is barely seen in the low phone light Felix pulled out. “Isn’t that right under rendition?”
“Shit!” Chan curses as he bolts for the lower level, followed by Agent Kim, Changbin, and Jisung.
“Open that door now!” Agent Kim shouts at the guards who startle, but quickly do as they’re told.
As soon as the steel door is opened, smoke comes billowing out, stalling everyone. Chan and Agent Kim dive into the room and immediately start coughing. They struggle to see where Vega is slumped over in his chair. They work together to unlock Vega’s manacles and drag the man out. As soon as the three of them are clear, Changbin and Jisung shut the door.
“Set him down now.” At some point, Seungmin had made his way down to the lower level. Chan and Kim set Vega down and Seungmin crouches to feel for a pulse.
“There’s a pulse. It’s weak, but there. Let’s get him up.”
Changbin and Chan work together to get the barely conscious Vega to his feet.
“What’s our move?” Jisung asks. “We can’t leave him sitting out here. He’s completely exposed.”
“And we can’t put him back in rendition.” Points out Changbin. “We have to find another secure location.”
“Let’s take him up to the command center and lock him in one of your offices.” Says Agent Kim. “From there, we have clear fields of vision to all access points.”
Chan feels dread trickle down his spine. Minho and their child are currently in the command center along with the rest of his team. Putting Vega in the same room would put them all in danger.
“We can’t put Vega in the command center.” Jisung protests. “It’ll put us all in danger.”
“There are no other options.” Agent Kim motions for his agents to take hold of Vega. “We’re putting him in command.” He brings a walkie-talkie up to his mouth. “Harris, secure the building and report to higher. Let’s go,”
The Americans leave, dragging Vega with them. Chan runs both hands through his hair. Shit. Minho was not going to be happy.
“What the fuck , Chan?” Minho stalks over the second Chan steps foot in the command center, Jungwon nestled in his arms blinking sleepily. Someone had managed to drag up the large lamps they keep in the basement precisely for blackouts, so all of Minho's anger could be seen brightly.
“Minho-”
“You brought a fugitive into the command center where our child is. Are you insane? I can’t believe you thought this was a smart decision.”
Minho is angry, that much is obvious, but underneath the anger is naked fear. Chan carefully cups his husband’s face, Jungwon’s soft breaths fanning lightly on the back of Chan’s hand. “Baby, I know you’re scared. I am too, but I had no choice. Agent Kim declared what his intentions were and I was in no position to refuse him. I’m also angry that he’s putting Jungwon and the team in jeopardy, but I had no choice short of kicking them out into a hurricane.”
“At least they would only be putting themselves in danger,” Minho mutters as he leans into Chan’s chest. The 325 commander drops his hands to curl around his husband’s waist.
“What are you teaching our child? Hmm?” Chan presses a kiss to Minho’s forehead, then drops one to the top of Jungwon’s head.
“Everything he needs to be successful.”
Chan snorts. Their moment is interrupted by Agent Kim coming out of Changbin’s office, trailed by the man himself. Minho’s eyes narrow at the American agent, his displeasure clear.
“I’m going to go try and put Jungwon back down.” He murmurs.
Chan squeezes the younger’s waist before letting go. “Put on a bulletproof vest, please.”
Minho nods, then disappears into Chan’s office. The 325 leader walks over and leans against the computer console where the rest of his team along with Agent Kim and two of his agents are gathered. “Kim, let me ask you a question. How did Diaz know to infiltrate Jejumok Gwana?”
Kim frowns. “He’s probably been tracking us for a while. Waiting for his opportunity to strike.”
Seungmin catches on to Chan’s line of questioning. “But he knew exactly which room in this building we were holding Vega. How could he have known that?”
Kim stiffens. “You think we have a mole?”
Changbin crosses his arms. “You know your team?”
“As well as anyone can. All of them have the highest possible clearance-”
A smattering of distant gunshots and screams interrupts them. The American agents rush for the elevator followed by most of 325. Minho rushes out of Chan’s office dressed in bulletproof clothing. “Chan!”
The 325 leader grabs his husband. “Stay here. Barricade the stairwell doors. I’ll stop the elevator doors as soon as we get down and leave Jisung here. And Minho,” Chan's grip tightens around Minho’s arms, “kill Vega if you have to.”
His husband’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Your life, our child’s life, all of us is worth more than whatever that criminal can testify to in court. Promise me.”
“Chan-”
The 325 leader cups Minho’s face. “Promise me.”
“I promise.”
Chan kisses Minho hard before reluctantly leaving him. The 325 leader catches up to the rest of his team at the elevators. “Jisung, stay here. Barricade the doors after we leave.”
Jisung nods and steps back. The rest of them enter the elevator and head down to the lower floor. The doors open to absolute chaos. Civilians are running around screaming, flood lamps are lying on the floor, and the American agents and the local police officers are trying to reclaim peace. Another gunshot hasn’t been heard since the first couple of shots, making it harder for 325 to figure out where they were coming from. They spread out amongst the crowd, trying to spot their assassin, but it’s hard to identify him amongst the hundreds of people sheltering here from the hurricane. Chan’s about to recall his team when another burst of gunshots erupts overhead. One of Kim's agents collapses to the floor and panic infuses the room. Someone returns fire and Chan pushes his way through the crowd to reach the other side of the entrance hall.
He finds Hyunjin and Kim returning fire with their assassin down one of the hallways stacked with crates of water and food provisions. Neither of them has a good shot at Diaz. Hyunjin fires another shot then stills. There’s no answering shot. Kim lowers his gun. “Where does this hallway lead?”
“To an emergency exit and a back staircase-” Hyunjin trails off, his eyes widening. “Oh, shit.”
“Minho.”
Chan barrels through the hallway and crashes through the staircase door. Hyunjin and Agent Kim scramble to follow him. Chan nearly trips up the stairs in his rush to get to the upper floor, his thoughts focused on getting to his family. The doors Jisung should have barricaded are blown open. Despite Chan’s fear for his family’s safety, he’s not stupid. He presses his back to the wall beside the door and waits until Hyunjin and Agent Kim are pressed against the wall on the other side. Chan cautiously enters the back hallway to the 325 floor, keeping his back pressed to the wall as he moves slowly. Hyunjin and Kim bring up the rear, watching Chan’s back.
They make it to the hallway that leads to the main room without any setbacks. Chan pokes his head around the corner and spots the double doors closed. He cautiously moves towards the doors, then knocks on the glass. A round of bullets shooting through the door answers him. Hyunjin and Kim throw themselves to the ground, while Chan presses himself to the wall.
“Jisung? Minho?” Chan calls on a whim.
Silence. Then, “Chan-hyung?”
Chan breathes out a huge sigh of relief. “Jisung. I’m outside the door with Hyunjin and Agent Kim. Don’t shoot us, yeah?”
“Give me a second.” Calls Jisung. “We barricaded the doors.”
A scrambling is heard behind the doors before they’re opened revealing Jisung with an assault rifle strapped to his back. Behind him is Minho with what seems to be their entire artillery strapped to his person.
Chan sighs, relieved. “Minho.”
The 325 leader hurries forward and wraps his arms around his husband’s waist. “Are you okay? Jungwon-”
“We’re both fine, but Chan, Vega’s gone.”
“What?” Agent Kim's tone is accusing as he gets a little too close to Minho for Chan’s comfort. “How can he be gone? I thought you two were here to watch him?”
The 325 leader pulls his husband back from the American agent and narrows his eyes. “Watch it, Kim. I told them to put their lives above this scumbag’s if necessary.”
Kim grits his teeth. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Commander Bang. All those people who Vega could help us put behind bars will walk free if we don’t find him before the assassin. Can you live with that?”
Minho places a hand against Chan’s chest before the older man can say anything rash. Jisung also jumps into the conversation. “We need to find Vega. We should call the team back up here to divide the building into sections.”
Kim's eyes slide off Chan’s and onto Jisung. “Commander Han’s right. I’ll alert the team that Vega’s making a run for it.”
Kim reaches for his walkie-talkie. “Don’t.” Minho’s voice is sharp. “Someone on your team sold us out. The only advantage we have right now is that the mole doesn’t know we’re on to him.”
Hyunjin nods. “Hyung’s right. The mole must have been in contact with our assassin. So how do we flush him out?”
“Vega.” Everyone looks at Chan. “We find Vega, we find the assassin and our mole.”
Minho hums quietly as he rocks Jungwon side to side on the balcony overlooking the main entrance hall. The eight-month-old is wide awake and looking around curiously with his large green boba eyes. Minho is still surprised that Jungwon doesn’t seem to mind the storm raging outside or even the multiple gunshots he must have heard. He didn’t even wake up to the gunshots earlier, but instead because he was hungry. Now, having been fed, all Jungwon wanted to do was crawl around and play. Jungwon twisted in Minho’s arms, one of his hands was wrapped up in his mother’s long hair and he tugged it as he tried to bend backwards.
“What are you doing, baby, hmm?”
Minho untangles Jungwon’s fingers from his hair, ignoring the baby’s whine. He starts to pace the length of the balcony, idly gazing down at the civilians. Chan had told him to take Jungwon out for some much-needed exercise after he refused to stop whining for the other parent when placed in the opposite parent’s arms. Jungwon wiggles in Minho’s arms vigorously wanting to get down and crawl around. Minho shifts him around to get a firmer grip.
“Sorry, baby. No crawling around on the dirty floor.”
Jungwon whines again and looks up at his mother with a small pout. Minho can’t help but laugh; he didn’t know babies could pout. Chan would find this hilarious. As Minho continues pacing the balcony, he doesn’t notice the stares of multiple people down below.
“Is that Agent Lee? He’s pretty.” A young woman whispers to the slightly older woman standing next to her.
“And unavailable.” The woman whispers back. “He’s married to Commander Bang. I think that child he’s holding is theirs.”
The two women continue to quietly gossip, unaware that the man behind them is taking in every word. He looks up at the balcony. Agent Lee was pointing out one of the police officers to the small child in his arms. The women got something right, Agent Lee is very pretty.
And currently completely alone with a very vulnerable child.
“Let me take him off your hands for a minute, Minho-yah. You can go to the bathroom, find a drink, or eat a snack. You’ll feel better.”
Minho sighs. He knows Taeyong is right, but he doesn’t like the idea of parting from Jungwon while an assassin is still in the building. Taeyong smiles as if he knows the thoughts running through the younger’s head.
“It’ll only be for a few minutes, then you can go back to cuddling your cute baby.”
Minho finally concedes and hands Jungwon over who’s happy to go with the older officer. Taeyong coos at the baby and bounces him while he walks away with a comment about going to find Haechan. Minho makes quick work of going to the bathroom and then heads toward the small kitchenette kept on the ground floor for the use of employees. Coffee is absolutely a necessity right now. Minho rounds the corner then stops and whips out his service weapon but he knows it’s no use. The assassin they’ve been looking for-Diaz-is calmly holding a gun to Haechan’s temple. The teenager is frozen in the man’s hold and clearly scared, but is holding it together.
“Agent Lee, I think you know it’s pointless to have that gun raised, so why don’t you put it down on the floor and kick it away.”
Minho grits his teeth, but does as asked. Diaz smiles creepily. “Good boy. Now put these on.” He throws over a pair of handcuffs. Minho puts them on, mind racing to figure a way out of this situation. He draws a blank.
Diaz walks closer, making sure to keep the gun pointed at the kid. “Now, Agent Lee, are you going to be submissive or is something unpleasant going to have to happen to the child?”
Minho can’t suppress the shiver those words cause. Similar words to ones that were said to him in a very different situation years ago. He can’t bring himself to vocalize his answer, so he nods once.
“Good choice.” He releases Haechan and pushes the child away. The teenager doesn’t waste any time. He bolts down the hallway in the direction of the main entrance hall. Diaz watches him go.
“Kid’s fast. Pity it isn’t going to do anything to help you.” Diaz grabs Minho by the elbow and starts dragging him in the direction of the stairs.
“This isn’t going to end well for you.” Minho hisses as he nearly trips up the stairs.
Diaz laughs coldly. “I think this is going to end exactly how I want it to; with Vega dead. And you are going to help me achieve that.”
“My team doesn’t like being blackmailed.”
“Nobody likes being blackmailed. But I don’t think Commander Bang is going to risk his husband’s life for a criminal. Not if he wants to make another adorable baby with you.” Diaz spins around abruptly and pulls Minho close. “No, I think he’s going to do exactly what I say.”
It wasn’t hard to find Vega. When Chan had recalled 325 to the control room, Felix had asked if anyone had checked the garage because if he was a major member of the cartel who had flipped on his competition he would head straight for the outside. Changbin and Jisung hurried down to the garage and came back ten minutes later with Vega in tow, demanding a clean-up on aisle four for one dead mole. After securing Vega in the office, the team sans Minho-who had taken Jungwon down to the main hall for some fresher air-gathered around the computer console.
“So, how do we catch an assassin?”
Jeongin’s question is met with silence. Jisung tilts his head. “Why don’t we use Vega as bait? It’s the only sure way we have of finding the assassin.”
Kim grimaces. “As much as I don’t like putting him at risk, it’s our only option. The question now is how are we going to do that without giving away that it’s an ambush?”
Seungmin leans forward and pulls up an architectural map of the Jejumok Gwana property. “Maybe if we use one of the outer buildings as a temporary holding cell?”
Everyone leans over the map and starts throwing out ideas or pointing at possible ambush points. “If we set up Jisung and maybe Minho-hyung on the roof here,” Seungmin points to a building on the map, “they would have optimal sight for full coverage of-”
The doors burst open and their assassin casually walks in, one arm wrapped around Minho’s waist and the other pointing a gun to his head. The members of 325 instantly draw their weapons to point at the man, but they all know it’s too late. Chan feels the blood drain from his face at the sight of his husband with a gun pressed against his temple. He doesn’t know where Jungwon is, but can only hope the baby is safe.
“We all know this show is pointless, gentlemen, so lower those weapons unless you want to see what the inside of Agent Lee’s pretty head looks like.”
Everyone lowers their weapon and places it on the floor. Diaz smirks. “Here’s how this is going to work. You are going to bring me Vega in the next couple of minutes or Agent Lee is going to die. Simple really.”
“No. Absolutely not. The United States doesn’t negotiate with terrorists.” Agent Kim's words are harsh and cold.
Diaz smiles cruelly. “I thought you would say that, Agent Kim. Luckily, we’re not in America. We’re in South Korea which means it’s Commander Bang’s decision on whether or not to save his husband’s life.”
Kim rounds on Chan. “Commander Bang-”
“Shut up, Harvey.” Changbin’s harsh voice cuts through the American agent’s protests. “This isn’t your call.”
Chan doesn’t have to think this one through. Even if it might cause strife between Korea and America, Chan is going to always choose his husband. “Bring Vega.”
Jisung disappears alongside Jeongin to fetch the criminal. Kim wisely keeps his mouth shut, but he sends a scorching glare Chan’s way. The 325 leader ignores him and keeps his eyes fixed on Minho. His husband looks pissed at being used as a hostage once again, but Chan can see the fear hidden in his eyes. Minho’s been taken as a hostage before, but something about this circumstance makes it different from all the other times. Maybe it’s how old Jungwon is or that they’ve barely been married for over a year. It doesn’t matter. If Minho dies, a part of Chan will die with him. Chan can’t live in a world without Minho. He loves Jungwon dearly and is constantly grateful Minho agreed to carry the baby to term. However, just like how he was asked when Minho had to go into emergency surgery to bring Jungwon into the world if it’s a choice between Minho and anyone else, Chan will always pick Minho.
His thoughts are cut short by Jisung and Jeongin coming back with Vega. Diaz smirks. “Good. Now, Agent Kim, kill him.”
Everyone stares. Diaz raises an eyebrow. “I know some of you find English difficult, but I think my words were pretty clear. If you don’t want Commander Bang to lose his very pretty husband, Agent Kim, you will kill Vega.”
Chan drags his eyes from Minho and onto Kim who’s shaking his head. “You’re asking me to choose between a wanted fugitive who could put more people like him away or a singular agent-”
“An agent who has a family, Agent Kim, an eight-month-old.” Seungmin’s voice is cold. “Do you really want his death on your conscience?”
Kim grits his teeth at the question but doesn’t say anything. “I’ll kill him.” Chan offers.
Diaz tightens his grip on Minho and presses the muzzle of the gun tight enough against Minho’s temple that it causes him to wince. “No, no. We all know you wouldn’t hesitate to kill Vega, then turn and kill me. Agent Kim needs to kill him, it’s only right considering he’s been chasing Vega for some time.” Diaz meets Kim's eyes. “Kill Vega or I will shoot Agent Lee right now.”
Kim's hands tighten around the computer console. “I’ll need to grab my service weapon from the floor.”
Chan’s actually surprised that Kim is going through with this and by the looks on his team members’ faces so are they. Diaz waves his gun in a ‘go ahead’ gesture. Kim slowly crouches down, grabs his gun, then slowly straightens back up. “I hope you know that you aren’t getting out of here alive.”
Diaz smirks. “As long as I have this pretty one within my grasp, you can’t touch me.”
Chan glares at the assassin who only grims smarmily. Diaz adjusts his grip so his arm lays low across Minho’s hips, hand gripping his hip in a tight hold. Minho squirms slightly but goes still when Diaz presses his gun to the underside of the younger’s chin, forcing Minho to tilt his head to the side and meet Diaz’s eyes. “Now, now, stop squirming unless you want to never see that adorable child of yours again.”
Minho glares defiantly back but doesn’t move. “You know, I can see why Commander Bang fell for you. Anyone would want to try and tame that fiery personality of yours. I guess Commander Bang managed to get there first.”
Chan tightens his fists and resists the urge to do something reckless like trying to punch Diaz. The assassin sees the movement and smirks. He turns his head and whispers loudly in Minho’s ear. “I don’t think your husband likes that I’m touching you. To be fair, if I had a pretty husband like you, I would want to keep you away from everyone else. I would have locked you away and kept you barefoot and pregnant, popping out adorable children and waiting eagerly at home for my-”
Changbin and Jisung both grab onto Chan as he makes an aborted movement towards the assassin. Diaz chuckles low and presses his cheek against Minho’s who flinches away then stills as he’s reminded of the presence of the gun against his opposite temple. Chan is ready to throw all caution to the wind and tackle the man when a gun gets fired and both Diaz and Minho fall to the floor. Hyunjin and Jeongin rush to kick the gun away from Diaz and restrain him. Neither member is particularly gentle as they wrench Diaz’s injured arm back to handcuff him. Changbin and Jisung immediately release Chan when they see the two men fall, which is prudent when Chan immediately scrambles to get to his husband.
“Minho!” Chan’s knees crack on the hardwood flooring as he falls next to his husband. He helps the younger sit up and then wraps him in a tight hug, one hand wrapped possessively around Minho’s waist and the other on the back of his head, tangled in the younger’s hair. Minho starts to shake in his hold, hands coming up to grip Chan’s tac vest.
“Chan…”
Minho’s voice is watery. Chan pulls back and cups the side of the younger’s face to brush away his tears. “You’re okay. You’re okay.” Minho’s shaky hands come up to grasp Chan’s wrist. Chan leans forward to rest his forehead against Minho’s. “You’re okay, baby.”
“I guess it’s lucky that we arrived when we did.” Chan looks up to see Hongjoong walking down the hallway followed by the other members of his team. Walking with them is Haechan and Taeyong who’s carrying a mildly confused-looking Jungwon. The baby is twisting around in the officer’s arms as if he’s trying to look for something.
Felix comes over with a key for the handcuffs and the second they’re off, Minho scrambles up and out of Chan’s arms to hurry towards Taeyong. When Jungwon notices Minho, he squeals and reaches for him. Minho gathers the baby into his arms and presses a kiss to the top of his head. Jungwon giggles and tangles one hand in Minho’s long hair. Chan watches his husband reunite with their child, then turns to where Hyunjin and Jeongin have pulled Diaz to his knees. He smirks when he looks up to see Chan standing before him.
“What are you going to do, hmm? Torture me? I think Agent Kim will have something to say about-”
Bang!
Everyone jumps and turns to look at Chan lowering a gun from where he just shot Diaz in the head. Kim steps forward, mouth opening to say something when Changbin slaps a restraining hand on his chest causing the agent to wince. “Don’t. Just don’t.”
Chan hands the gun off to Seungmin, then walks over to wrap his arms around Minho’s waist. He bends down to press a kiss to Jungwon’s head, then places another one on Minho’s. “I don’t know if anyone’s noticed, but the hurricane has died down. So, I will be taking my husband and child home. I trust you can take care of things here.”
Jisung nods and salutes. “You got it, boss.”
Chan turns to guide Minho towards the elevator. He stops next to Hongjoong and clasps his hand. “Thank you, Hongjoong. If you hadn’t shown up…”
Hongjoong shakes his head and reaches up to squeeze Chan’s shoulder. “We just happened to be at the right place at the right time. You really have the kid to thank.” He nods at Haechan. “He’s the one who came and grabbed us.”
Chan turns to see Haechan amusing San and Yunho with some sort of story. He makes a mental note to take the kid out for lunch or something. Seonghwa smiles at Chan. “Go home, hyung. We’ll take care of everything here.”
The damage to the house is minimal. Most of it is contained in the backyard where their patio furniture and various plants have been thrown about. Chan gets to work putting their backyard somewhat back in order while Minho heads upstairs to finally put Jungwon down for a much-needed nap. When Chan finishes, he heads upstairs and enters the dark nursery to find Minho looking down at the crib with one hand on the railing. He walks over and stands beside Minho to wrap an arm around his waist then slowly, gently brings the younger into a back hug. Over time, Chan has gotten Minho slowly used to receiving back hugs again. It’s been a slow process-as has everything involving rewiring Minho’s trauma-and every time Minho tenses, Chan silently curses his ex-fiance.
Minho leans back in Chan’s hold and sighs quietly. Chan nuzzles the side of his husband’s face and then joins him in looking down at their baby. He can’t help the thoughts racing through his head about how he could have lost the love of his life all because they work a dangerous job. Chan tightens his grip. It’s not the first time those thoughts have gone through his head. It ticked up when he found out Minho was pregnant, then nearly tripled when Jungwon was born. He hasn’t brought up his fears to Minho yet because he knows his husband loves his job and throughout his pregnancy and recovery he lamented at having to stay home even though he loved Jungwon. Chan doesn’t have the heart to take away something his husband loves, especially since he’s lost so much.
“Chan?” The man in question shakes his head slightly then turns his head to look at his husband. Minho looks at him with large green boba eyes, the exact same ones their son has. “We’re going to be okay.”
Chan smiles and pecks his husband’s cheek before capturing his lips in a deep kiss. The older man turns Minho around to press him gently against the side of the crib and continues to kiss him. Minho wraps his arms around Chan’s shoulders and presses close. This is Chan’s favorite activity, kissing his beautiful husband while the baby they made sleeps nearby-”
“Mama.”
Chan and Minho swiftly break apart to stare down at Jungwon who has not only managed to say his first word but has also pulled himself up to stand using the bars of his crib. He blinks up at his parents with the green eyes he shares with his mother. Minho huffs out a laugh and leans against Chan’s chest while the older man reaches down to stroke Jungwon’s cheek with a stupidly large grin on his face.
There’s no place he’d rather be.