Chapter Text
They're so close. They're so close to being done. They're so close to winning this.
Wooyoung is tinkering with the innermost cogs of their newest invention as Yunho checks the code on the holographic screen, again and again. He reads over every line because this is their only shot. One mistake—one wrong line of code or one spring out of place and their plans of awakening the inhabitants of World Z will implode in their faces.
"Are you guys done yet?" Hongjoong says through the radio, followed by an intelligible string of static. He sounds out of breath, like he hasn't stopped running once this entire time. Yunho's hand hovers over the hologram, switching to the cameras they'd overridden in some of the more unnoticeable parts of the city. The slums. That's where Hongjoong was, tucked into an alley out of sight of the approaching officers looking for him.
"Almost." He says into the comms, because Wooyoung isn't finished and he can only pretend to keep himself busy for so long before that feeling of helplessness starts to eat him alive. He's checked the code so many times it stopped making any sense at all. "Wooyoung is tightening the last of the screws." His hands switch to the other cameras they'd gotten access to, spotting another set of officers approaching Hongjoongs position. "On your right," he says. "Get out of the alley."
Hongjoong does as Yunho says without hesitation, ducking into an empty street trashed with all sorts of junk people like them could have good uses for. He mutters a curse under his breath as he hurries down a street opposite. "Fucking hell, tell him to hurry the fuck up. Is he trying to kill us?"
"Fuck you, asshole, I told you it wasn't a good idea to put us on a timer but did you listen to me? No!" Wooyoung sits at the table a few feet away from Yunho's, just to the left. Their space is clattered with all kinds of junk, a variety of computers and wires and holograms spread out in front of them, rescued from the slums and repurposed by the two tech geeks.
The blue glow of the display in front of Wooyoung focuses on the Disposal Site where Seonghwa and San are providing a distraction. This way, the guardians can't set their sights on the rest of them.
The blue glare of the hologram makes Wooyoungs scowl look softer. More sad than anything else.
He knows Wooyoung is worried. About this mission, about Hongjoong, though he does a shit job of showing it. About San, most of all. He knows their fight runs rampant on his mind.
"I'll go." San had said, once they were discussing their roles and teams. The way he said it, with determination and finality, made it clear that such a thing was not negotiable. Not like any of them wanted to take his place, anyway. It was practically suicide.
"What?" Wooyoungs head snapped to him with so much force it had inadvertently drawn every single persons attention. "What are you talking about? You can't go—they'll kill you!"
The name didn't leave very much to the imagination. The Disposal Site was a place the government put rebels and the awakened. It was where they were all gruesomely disposed of. They'd all heard the horror stories. No one ever dared to step foot in that place. Not even the Black Pirates.
Sans mind was already made up and in instances like this, not even Wooyoung would be able to change it. He begged and he shed tears. He showed them all the most vulnerable parts of himself but to no avail. San went regardless, followed by Seonghwa who, with pitying eyes, had promised Wooyoung to do everything in his power to keep San safe.
"Yeosang is closer to you than I am." Hongjoong says through the comms, running past another squad car. More would show up the longer they take. Wooyoung really does have to hurry. "Give it to him once you're done."
"What are you going to do?" Hongjoong was the type to deviate from the plan whenever some brilliantly stupid idea came to him. Yunho can tell just from the tone of his voice and this is one such moment.
Silence greets him on the other end of the line.
"Captain?" Yunho tries again. When he doesn't get a response he tries: "Hongjoong."
"A little media coverage never hurt anybody."
Wooyoung groans from where he's still tinkering with the device, turning his screwdriver to point at Yunho. "Please, for the love of god, tell him not to do anything stupid."
Yunho recites Wooyoungs words and Hongjoong chuckles. He can practically see that wicked grin split across his face. "No promises."
Once Hongjoongs words are nothing but static on the line, Yunho turns his mic off and makes quick work of pulling up the location of the other members. He finds that Yeosang isn't too far away from Hongjoong, using graffiti to spread their message across walls and garage doors. He isn't hard to miss, with his mess of black and green hair. It's loud and messy and nothing at all like Yeosangs personality but they needed to draw attention away from Yunho and Wooyoung and the best way to do that was to be as loud as possible.
Once Yunho's sure neither of them are in any particular danger he moves on, zooming in on the cameras they'd hacked in the Disposal Site that show Seonghwa and San singing and dancing. They slip through the guardians hands and work together to keep them busy. Neither seem to be injured beyond a few light scratches here and there. That's a miracle in and of itself.
He pulls up all the images side by side, reluctant to check in on Mingi and Jongho's team. The lounge was the only place Yunho couldn't access the cameras through, unable to get past the security, but they had audio and that would have to be enough.
He raises the volume once he realizes they're speaking, turning the dial so its loud enough that Wooyoung can hear it too.
"…Black Pirates…" an unfamiliar voice filters through the static. "Nuisance but easy…get rid of…not to worry…"
Yunho feels his stomach climb up to his throat. He hears Mingi laugh and his anxiety quells, just a little. It's that fake sort of laugh. To Yunho, who has known Mingi the longest, it sounds forced but he supposes it doesn't matter if the commanders they are meeting with won't be able to tell the difference. Jongho carries the conversation when Mingi drops it, saying one thing or another about underestimating ones enemies.
Not even a second passes before they hear a gunshot. Then another, in quick succession. The sound of water. Sprinklers? The shattering of glass. There's shouts and screams and the resounding sound of gunshots. Too many to count. Then, a loud resounding boom.
Wooyoung is standing behind him now, though Yunho hadn't heard his footsteps or noticed his presence until right then. He's watching the screen just as intently as Yunho, though there is nothing to see.
"Team 2, come in."
Yunho doesn't realize he's holding his breath until Mingi's voice cuts through the static. "We're fine." He says, and Yunho watches the monitor so it shows the footage outside of the lounge where the getaway car is parked. Except, now it isn't parked perfectly like it was before. Now the front of it is inside the wall of the building, the rubble of the broken wall scattered around the hood of the car. "Connect me to the Captain."
"Holy shit," Wooyoung whispers beside him, watching the wreck that used to be their only form of transportation. Yunho wordlessly agrees. The front doesn't look too compact. It might still be able to run without blowing up anyone sitting inside. Probably. Hopefully. If after all they've been through this is what decidedly takes Mingi's life Yunho will be so mad he'll kill himself just to haunt and scold Mingi for the rest of eternity in the afterlife.
Yunho does as he's asked, shoving aside such unhelpful thoughts. "Connected."
He barely notices when Wooyoung leaves his side to get back to working on the device, hands moving faster now that the first team has accomplished the mission they'd been given.
"Team 2 here, the Commanders have both been disposed of," a rustle of fabric. A click of a gun. The revving of an engine. "Permission to return to base, Captain?"
"Permission granted." Hongjoong says from the other side, breathless. "Are you both alright?"
"Fine," Jongho replies. "But the car took a hit."
"What—"
"Finished." Wooyoung interrupts the line, putting an end to their conversation before it has even begun. "Yeosang, where are you?"
"Elmwood street." Yeosang replies. He's breathless too and when Yunho glances at the live footage of the alleyways he finds Yeosang is also running from the cops. "Be there in five."
"Fuck," Hongjoong curses, and the sirens are loud enough that Yunho can hear them on the other side of the line. "I have to go. You all know what to do. Yeosang, I'll be waiting for you at the meeting sight. Don't get caught—that goes for all of you."
A chorus of agreement comes through the line before they all fall silent once more. Yunho wills his heart to keep beating at a steady pace.
Yeosang, as promised, arrives not long after. He bursts in, red faced and panting. "Finished?"
Wooyoung nods, handing him their completed invention. It's round and small enough to fit in a pocket. Blue and made of the scrap metal they've been hoarding. It's their pride and joy. Yunho and Wooyoung spent endless mornings and nights working on that thing in the hopes that it will finally give them the upper hand they need against Strictland and it's brainwashed citizens.
Yeosang thanks them with a nod before disappearing out the door.
Once he sits back down, Yunho opens the comms once more. "Team 4, how are you doing?"
"How do you think?" Seonghwa mutters, struggling to hold his own against the many cloaked figures that attempt to drag him away. it seems San is having much the same problem.
"Our plans are underway. Just hold on for a little longer."
"Don't worry about us." Sans voice carries louder than Seonghwa's does. He sounds exhausted. Looks exhausted too, from what Yunho can see of him on the screen. "We've got this handled."
"If you need backup—"
San doesn't even let him finish. "No backup." He says, just as a punch is thrown his way. He dodges, swiftly tackling the hooded figure just in time to dodge another blow from some other hooded figure. Yunho knows San is only saying that because he knows they're the only two that can come to their aid and he's not going to put Wooyoung in danger. Not even if it'll cost him his own life.
"Alright," he hears Wooyoung say. He doesn't do a good job of hiding his bitter tone. "Good luck."
"Yunho," Yeosang says through the comms, interrupting their conversation. "Connect me to everyone."
Yunho does as he's told. "Connected."
"Team 3 in position." Yeosang is tucked away in an alley not too far away from Hongjoong who is being restrained by two officers. Yunho has to remind himself to that this is all part of the plan. It doesn't matter if he's caught if they manage to get the device working in time.
"Team 4 in position." Seonghwa grunts, strained. One glance at the cameras show he's being overpowered by three Guardians at once. San is very much in the same position, not too far away. Still, their providing a better distraction than Yunho expected, luring many such Guardians to the Disposal Site far away from the rest of them.
Yunho hears the click of a door behind them and tenses immediately. He knows who it is even without turning to look; sees Mingi's reflection staring back at him in the hologram. Jongho follows him inside before locking the door shut. "Team 2 in position." His voice carries.
"Team 1?"
Yunho starts initiating the download as Wooyoung takes care of the more technical side of things, making sure all the parts are activated. "Team 1 in position."
It's all eyes on Hongjoong now. Yunho zooms in on the screen displaying him, and the smaller screen that shows he's on the news, with the captions warning the citizens of the Black Pirates appearance in the lounge Jongho and Mingi ransacked just moments ago.
He feels more than sees the others gather around him, watching intently as Hongjoong laughs where he's being pressed up against the hood of a car. Then he reaches a hand into a pocket and sticks the device they gave to Yeosang to the side of the car. Yunho keeps his eye on the loading screen in the corner.
97%.
"I just want you all to know," Wooyoung starts, "that if this doesn't work and we all die—"
"We're not gonna die." Jongho interrupts.
"—working with you all was a pleasure. You're the bestest friends I could've ever ask for."
98%.
Yunho's eyes catch on Mingi. He wants to apologize, if this is the last moment he will see him. He wants to tell Mingi how special he is to him; how he's so very sorry for going against his wishes and doing the opposite of what he was told. How he's sorry for lying straight to his face. "Mingi—"
"I won't forgive you." Mingi interrupts, refusing to let Yunho so much as speak. His eyes are cold and Yunho cannot bear to look at them so he looks down at Mingi's hands insteads, bloodied and trembling at his side. "You haven't earned my forgiveness. Maybe you never will."
Yunho's lips curl into a bitter smile. "You wouldn't forgive me even at the end of the world?"
"Not even then," Mingi says, his voice is cold but his eyes—his eyes tell Yunho everything he needs to know. Despite the indifference, there is a softness in his gaze that has only ever been directed at Yunho. "Not even now."
"I think you're lying." He whispers. "You care too much about me to start hating me now, after all these years."
Mingi grits his teeth but says nothing. He knows Yunho's right. They both do.
99%.
"Hate and forgiveness are two different things." Jongho pipes up. "Don't be an idiot. If this is the last time we're alive, don't you want your last words to be more affectionate?"
Mingi scoffs, sparing Yunho a furtive glance. "No, I don't think I do."
"Well I do." Wooyoung interrupts. "And I want you idiots to know that I love you, regardless of what happens next."
Yunho doesn't have to look to know they've reached 100%. There is one singular beep, alone in the terse silence and in the next second, a blue shockwave trembles the ground beneath their feet; running down Yunho's spine. He knows he's not the only one that feels it when his gaze locks with the others and not even a split second later a wave of pain crashes over him before he blinks and is easily enveloped by the cold arms of the black abyss.