Feathers And Carnations Chapter Twenty-two

*TW violence

Minho winced at the sudden sharp pain that shot through his head. His eyes briefly flickered open but quickly closed again as the light of the room was too bright.

“Oh, here he comes,” Hyeon’s cruel voice sang out.

Minho’s senses slowly came into focus, and he almost wondered if he was dead. His body felt like it was made of bricks, if bricks could feel pain that is, and his mind was hazy. His throat was parched, his stomach hollow. He forced his eyes open to see Hyeon sitting in a rolling chair in front of him, Jaya standing behind him with a set of guards.

“ML-32 has joined the world of the living,” Hyeon hummed, which made Minho wonder why he seemed so happy.

Jaya scoffed. “So you say.” She stepped forward and knelt at Minho’s side. “You say you want this machine kept alive and yet you deprive it of its basic needs and come complaining to me when it seems to be dying.” She began checking Minho over.

Minho still couldn’t make sense of where he was, but he could fill in the blanks pretty easily. He was probably chained here for days enduring whatever torture Hyeon was putting him through. As much as he hated being in this state, he was grateful to be unconscious and therefore unaware of what was being done to him the whole time.

“If you want ML-32 to stay alive, I’m going to have to take him to my infirmary for a few days. If he doesn’t get treatment now, he’ll be dead or on the way to death within twenty-four hours.”

Hyeon sighed. “I do have plans for it, and having it die would ruin them. Do what you must.”

Jaya got to her feet and turned to the guards. “I need this machine cleaned up and then taken to my office. I will not have a dirty patient in my area.”

Minho found himself wanting to protest. The bracelet Jisung gave him would be taken away, but he couldn’t bring his voice to work. Instead, he closed his eyes and let the guards unlock him and drag him away.

He blacked out a few times through the process of being roughly bathed and dressed, and he became aware once again when he was laid down in the familiar infirmary. He immediately checked his wrist, and his heart crumbled as he felt the empty space Jisung’s gift had left behind. The white jumpsuit they’d changed him into brought a flood of memories to the surface, choking him.

Was it all a dream? Is Jisung really gone and I just fabricated everything to cope?

Minho dropped his head back on the bed, squeezing his eyes closed and taking a deep breath. He was not going to let panic and desperation take over. He had to have a clear head when Jisung came to get him.

Minutes passed. A door opened. 

Something light suddenly dropped onto his chest. “Don’t bother thanking me.”

Minho gently grabbed Jisung’s bracelet from where Jaya had dropped it, willing himself not to cry in relief. He slipped it on, hiding it under the metal cuff of the chains holding him to the bed. “How long have I been in Hyeon’s office?”

“A little over a week.”

He released a short, humorless laugh. “Holy shit.”

“You stopped breathing for a short amount of time, so I’m a bit impressed that you’re even awake right now.” Jaya circled the bed preparing things as she spoke.

Minho closed his eyes and let Jaya do her thing. He definitely felt like he was on the brink of death, so for once he was grateful to be under her care. “Did you help Jisung escape?” he asked after a few minutes.

“I opened a pathway for him, that was all.”

His lips twitched. “Thank you.”

“Do you really care for him so deeply?” The question wasn’t condescending, but quiet and genuine.

“The world could burn away but I’d be happy as long as he is with me, alive, healthy, and happy.”

Jaya cracked a smile. “How sickeningly sweet.”

Minho weakly chuckled. “I can’t argue with that.”

“Shall I catch you up on a few things before I put you to sleep for a while?”

Minho was ready to pass out right there, but his need to know about Jisung was stronger. “Yes, please.”

Jaya glanced at the door before speaking. “Last night Nightfield found and released what was left of a group called Iregray. I believe they plan on moving in on Solswor within the next few days, if they aren’t already doing that.”

It took a moment for Minho’s mind to catch up. He struggled to remember everything. “Wait, Solswor. They’re working with Hyeon after all?”

“Hyeon is enjoying having another arm, they’re very obedient. They’ll be the first ones to be taken into the programs if Hyeon succeeds in this insane mission.”

What a bunch of dumbasses. Minho smiled. “I knew Jisung wouldn’t let me down. Solswor is no match for him.”

Jaya shook her head. “As great as that faith is, I wouldn’t be so sure. Hyeon is willing to use every resource he has.”

“Doesn’t matter. My Jisung is more powerful than you think.”

“If I could, I would help you out of here. Unfortunately, Hyeon won’t let you out of his sight.”

“I’ll be okay.” Despite his words, Minho knew that wasn’t true. He could already feel parts of him breaking, unlikely to recover. No matter how much Hyeon tried to keep Minho on the brink of death, he would fail. Minho would gladly welcome the cold embrace of death knowing Jisung was free and fighting. He only wished to see his love’s face one more time.

⧫⧫⧫

Jisung’s leg was beginning to cramp, and he sat back and shook it in hopes of relieving the pressure that gathered from sitting in one spot for so long.

“I see you wiggling around, calm down before you accidentally trip a sensor,” Seungmin scolded through his earpiece.

“Shut up, Mr. Cripple. At least you’re sitting in a comfortable care instead of crouching on a rooftop.”

“That’s mean. Besides, I’m weak, not crippled. Educate yourself, Jisung.”

“Well Hyunjin checked when we were here the other day, there are no sensors of any kind up here, therefore I can stretch out a cramp as I see fit.”

Chan interrupted the conversation as he pinged Jisung’s earpiece. “How are we lookin’, Han?”

Jisung closed off Seungmin’s connection as he carefully slid forward and raised his night vision binoculars. “Looks like some of the watchmen are getting antsy. I’d say they’re close to changing shifts.”

“Any changes?”

Jisung scanned the grounds. “Someone must have gone on a bathroom break because there’s now three guys posted at the side gate on the North side.”

“I’ll let Jeongin know. Tell me the moment you spot Ju-won.”

“Copy.” Jisung was on the rooftop of Solswor’s annex across the way from the main mansion for nearly an hour now, and it wasn’t until he found a prime position that Nightfield could start moving in. Hyunjin was on top of the main building with one of Minho’s guys, ready to take the upper floors for the ambush.

According to Ju-won, Solswor was set to have a gathering to discuss orders Chimera had passed down, and most of their men were going to be present tonight. So here they were, ready to accomplish something they’d never tried to accomplish before.

To say Jisung felt unsure about this was a bit of an understatement. Taking over an entire mafia unit was not something he thought Nightfield would ever think about, let alone attempt. Yes, they had Minho’s forces added to their ranks, but one at the moment that was all they had. One group Chan allied with backed out of the mission at the last minute while another one was unlikely to show up, so if Chimera showed its face, they were in trouble.

Jisung went on high alert as the main doors of the mansion opened and Ju-won stepped out. While he spoke to one of the guards stationed on the steps, he held up three fingers behind his back.

“Ju-won’s ready, but he just signaled that security has been tripled. Be advised.”

Ju-won vanished back inside, and Jisung watched the grounds like a hawk as Nightfield prepared to move. A minute later, the guards began rotating.

Jisung switched to all open communication on his earpiece. “Shift change, let’s move.”

“Northern unit moving in,” Jeongin’s voice came through.

“West, hold position,” Chan instructed. “Skyfall, move in.”

Jisung watched the two figures of Hyunjin and his partner move across the rooftop of the mansion and drop down to a large balcony on the far side. “Skyfall, you’ve got four goons headed your way,” he warned.

“Eagle Eyes, status on the annex.”

Jisung checked the device Felix had sent with him. It was connected to the security network of the annex, designed to lock Solswor out of their own security. The annex held the central system, so once they had control of that, Seungmin would be able to lock the estate down as he saw fit. “Seventy-three percent.”

“Keep us updated. East is moving in.”

Jisung grabbed the sniper Changbin had suggested he try and moved to a small rise in the roof where he laid on his stomach and set the firearm up. He flexed his hands a few times, still trying to get used to the stretch of the fresh scars marring his skin, before settling into position.

Chan wanted to avoid a shoot-out as much as possible, so it was Jisung’s job to take down any members of Solswor that could potentially warn the rest of them inside. This was a lockdown.

From his position, Jisung could see Jeongin’s team moving in and he quickly set sights on the guards stationed at the entrance closest to them. After taking careful aim, he slowly released a breath and pulled the trigger. One man went down. He shifted his aim and took the other guard down before he could register what was happening.

The device next to him beeped. “Seungmin, we’re at one hundred percent.”

“Good. Flip that green switch and then the red switch. We’ll take care of it from there.”

Jisung did as told when Hyunjin’s voice crackled through his earpiece loudly. “We just took down a guy marked with Chimera’s emblem. I think they have machines here, he was a tough one.”

Jisung cursed under his breath. “Was the mark red or blue?”

“Blue. If they have their spies here, I’m sure they have war machines here too.”

“Keep alert, I’ll pass on the word.” Jisung moved back to his sniper, forcing his now shaking hands to steady. He prayed this would go well, but he was prepared for every outcome. “Chan, we’ve got Chimera here. Unknown numbers so far.”

“All units, watch your six.”

Jisung rolled to his feet and lifted his binoculars to scan the perimeter. Concern rippled through him when he saw a large SUV parked on the far South side of the estate, just barely in view. “Uh, Seungmin, how far did you park?”

“Around a mile away, why?”

“Shit.” Jisung switched over to Chan. “We’ve got an unidentified vehicle on the South side. There’s no movement, but I don’t trust it.”

“Keep an eye on it, we’re not out of it yet.”

Jisung continued scanning the estate, hoping to spot anything that might be a threat to the operation. When nothing else stood out, he looked back at the SUV. From what he could see, no one was inside, but that only made him more cautious. 

He hated being so afraid of Chimera, hated how his body wanted to panic at the mere thought of Hyeon. He was in the middle of a mission, he needed to focus.

“Eagle Eyes, we need cover,” Felix requested.

Jisung moved his sniper and repositioned himself to cover the Southern team as they closed in. He shot down three guards before shifting positions again. “East?”

“Stand by.”

“We’ve got movement back here,” Changbin suddenly cut in.

“You’re clear to proceed with caution,” Seungmin assured.

Jisung had the lowest visibility on the West team, so he was grateful that Seungmin was able to keep tabs on them. As he trained his scope on the main entrance to the mansion, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, warning him of something wrong.

“East is closing in, cover us Eagle Eyes.”

“Hold your-” Jisung abruptly stopped as the entire estate went dark. “What the hell?” He raised his head just in time to catch a glimpse of movement over his shoulder.

Jisung rolled to his feet, drawing his handgun in the same move and narrowly avoiding the shadowy attack. A figure kicked the gun from his hand and spun to his right, knife flashing in their hand.

Jisung lunged left, avoiding the blade and drawing his own tucked in his boot.

“Han, what’s going on?” Chan’s voice demanded.

The figure dodged Jisung’s attack and knocked his knife from his hand.

The pops of nearby gunfire shattered the quiet night. Raised voices flooded Jisung’s earpiece.

The attacker danced around Jisung, trying to find any opening they could. Jisung was light on his feet as he avoided their every move until he finally spotted an opening.

As he anticipated, the figure dove forward in an attempt to land a hit and Jisung let them. At the last moment he threw his arm up, blocking their arm, and twisted, wrenching the person’s arm awkwardly. Their knife clattered to the roof, and Jisung wrestled them down.

They struggled as he pinned them completely and locked his arms around their neck. Straining against the attacker’s strength, Jisung finally jerked to the side violently, breaking their neck.

Panting ever so slightly, Jisung dropped the body and lifted the figure’s shirt with the toe of his boot, revealing a dark blue mark on their lower back. “Figures.”

He quickly turned his attention back to his earpiece, trying to make sense of what was going on. More gunshots rang out in the night. Chan was ordering Changbin’s unit to back up Felix’s unit while ordering Jeongin to move in faster. Jisung dropped down to his sniper, pivoting to face South once again.

“South, do you need cover?” He could only see Felix’s team hiding from gunfire amongst the cars in the parking area, but the threat itself was out of sight.

“Han, what the hell is going on?” Chan questioned.

“My position has been compromised, Chimera is definitely here.”

“Damn it. Clear the entrance, we’re going in.”

“Yes sir.” Jisung felt like he needed to clone himself to be of any help right now as he took aim on the front doors. The guards were rushing around like headless chickens, trying to figure out what to do. Though it was difficult, Jisung managed to take a few of them down just as he spotted Chan’s figure emerging from the shadows.

“The whole place is in an uproar, we move now or never!” Hyunjin warned.

Jisung switched to Seungmin. “Can you get the power back up?”

“Working on it.”

“Lock everything down as soon as you do.” Jisung was the only one with eyes on the estate at the moment, and he felt the weight of that as he grabbed his binoculars once again. He raised them to his eyes just in time to see Chimera uniforms closing from the East.

“East, on your six!”

Jisung reloaded his sniper, cursing colorfully in a few languages as he fumbled with the cartridge. The moment it was loaded, he shot down the two men fronting the enemy’s unit. The rest ducked for cover. Half of Chan’s team flooded into the mansion while the rest took position on the wide steps of the entrance. He could see more of Chimera’s uniforms mobilizing, and he made a decision for Chan.

“Hyunjin, cover Chan now! Break a damn window if you have to!”

A flurry of gunshots echoed somewhere from inside the mansion, making Jisung’s heart stop. He couldn’t see anything that was happening inside, and the outside was already a mess.

“Hyunjin?”

“I’m on it, Jeongin and Ju-won have Solswor locked in.”

Jisung immediately contacted Jeongin. “Break Solswor down, we need backup NOW.”

“Ju-won is negotiating, I’m on my way to help.”

Jisung felt a rush of relief when he saw Hyunjin make it outside near the edge of Chimera’s force and take a few uniforms down. Jisung was back to his sniper now, shooting every threat he could see.

Something flashed to the Southwest, and then a thunderous explosion shook the air. Jisung bolted upright, the air leaving his lungs as he faced the huge plume of smoke that billowed across the estate.

“Felix, Changbin, do you copy?”

Static.

Jisung was on his feet, grabbing his fallen gun as he ran across the rooftop. He skidded to a halt as he saw several SUVs swerve up the long drive of the estate. No, there can’t be more. We’re outnumbered. He kept running.

As he reached the edge of the annex, he nearly cried at the sight of who was getting out of the SUVs. Madsins, the freshly formed mafia group, was here. They decided to show up after all.

“Madsins is requesting access,” Seungmin said, his voice holding the relief Jisung was feeling.

“Grant access,” Chan confirmed.

Jisung closed off the open communication for a moment once he heard Madsins’ don speak out. He left only two channels open as he began climbing down from the rooftop. “Felix, Changbin, do you read me?”

Once again, there was only static.

Jisung’s heart was in his throat, his mind replaying the massive explosion that happened. If he lost anyone else, if Chimera had taken anyone else… no, he didn’t want to think about it. “They’re alive and well, they’re alive and well,” he whispered over and over.

Shouts and gunshots were loud in the air, and the clouds of smoke lingering from the explosion made the quiet estate feel like a war zone.

When Jisung’s feet touched solid ground at last, he had to steady himself against the building at the small wave of dizziness washing through his head. Not now. He was running before the feeling faded completely, but he didn’t care, calling for Felix and Changbin over and over, hoping and praying for a response.

The power of the estate flickered on, flooding the grounds with light and briefly blinding everyone. Jisung squinted past the light, rounding the back of the annex. He nearly ran into a member of Nightfield as she ran past him, limping slightly.

“Keep moving!” Felix’s voice rang out.

Going from scared to relieved over and over again is not good for my fragile heart. Jisung stood to the side, allowing the Southern unit to run past him until Felix reached him.

The underboss was limping as well, and the side of his head was shining with blood, but he was fine otherwise. He rushed over to Jisung. “They’ve blocked our exit.”

“Madsins showed up, keep going and you’ll reach backup. Have you seen Changbin?”

“His guys were right across from mine, but the explosion scattered us. I only saw some of the West but I have no idea where they went.”

Jisung just knew he was having a heart attack right now. He moved to search for his friend, but Felix caught his arm.

“You’ll only find fire and Chimera, it’s a dead end that way. We need to regroup.”

Jisung could never disobey his underboss. “Yes sir.”

Together they fled the destroyed grounds, keeping low to avoid catching a stray bullet from the intense shootout that was still happening. Felix stumbled, and Jisung automatically supported him with his body.

“These guys from Chimera are literally insane.“

Jisung snorted. “Tell me about it.”

“I can see why Minho had to make so many preparations before going against them.”

Jisung’s earpiece beeped, and he reopened communication with Chan. “All units take cover, we’ve got a chain reaction.”

Jisung glanced at Felix. “Chain reaction.”

A chain reaction: a way to eradicate the rest of the enemy with a set of explosions. Madsins brings fire power, holy shit.

Jisung and Felix huddled down against a side door of the annex, shielding one another as a countdown rang in Jisung’s ear. The air went still and then abruptly shattered and burned. The ground rumbled as fire and smoke paved a destructive path.

Then silence.

Jisung’s ears rang in the piercing quiet that followed.

“All units sound off,” Chan ordered quietly.

Jisung was first to respond. “South and Eagle Eyes are accounted for.”

All but one reported back. Jisung held his breath.

Then Seungmin’s voice joined in. “Changbin is gone.”

————————– Oooooo

Now before yall freak out on me, it’s okay, Binnie isn’t dead. I like creating misery for characters and readers like an evil author, but I don’t like misery THAT much lol. 

Also this chapter totally feels like I just played an intense round of call of duty XD. Thanks for reading. \^u^/