"Keep your eyes sharp, " Changkyun commands.
He has yet to let go of Tori's hand, and despite his bravado, she can tell that he is shaken.
"What do we do now?"
Tori questions softly. She isn't sure if it's entirely safe to speak, with the way that Jooheon and Minhyuk vanished, it seems as they might have been taken. Of course, the implications of this are mind boggling. Especially given the fact that they've yet to run into a single other sentient being aside from themselves. Just imagining that there is something here, something that knew they were here though Tori and the crew had not, gives her the shivers.
It's creepy to think that they might be watching, even now.
She reasons that if they were, her and Changkyun would likely be within the very same clutches that most probably hold Jooheon and Minhyuk now. That they were left behind bespeaks either a mistake, or wicked intelligence. And Tori so very badly wants to believe in the former.
"Minhyuk said we were looking for a cave entrance, " Changkyun replies steadily. The beat of his heart as it thuds wildly against his chest reveals his nervousness, however.
"He did..." Tori trails off.
"I say we look for it. Press ahead." Changkyun insists.
He clenches her wrist just a tad tighter as he begins to walk. From this angle, all she can see is the firm and determined set of his jaw. He seems almost angry.
"But what about Jooheon, and Minhyuk?" Tori counters, pulling back to encourage Changkyun to stop. "We need to find them!"
"Tori, please." Changkyun pleads, stopping in his tracks. "I want to find Jooheon as much as you do. Maybe more. But we can't. It isn't safe."
He turns around, and Tori sees that he is devastated.
In truth, Changkyun wants to go after Jooheon too. The pyrokinetic is his best friend, and the whole reason he'd joined this expedition was to keep Jooheon safe, keep him from doing anything stupid. It burns that he can't do anything, but he's not strong enough, and capable as Tori might be he is worried that it would be far too much for her to handle.
"The two of them were abducted, " Changkyun murmurs, his voice a harsh contrast to it's previous harshness. "They had to have been."
"I'm not disagreeing with you, " Tori insists, "but I think that's all the more reason we should go after them..."
Changkyun bites at his bottom lip. In truth, he can't say that he doesn't want to. But Prime damn it all, he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. He absolutely refuses to put Tori in a rescue situation. It's no diss to her skills, it just isn't the kind of situation she can solo. He'd be helpless, dead weight to her and, of course, this all before taking into account the fact that they know nothing about the opposing side.
They know very little about the planet itself, nevermind it's people. For clearly, if Jooheon and Minhyuk were really abducted, then there must be people. And even his abilities, normally beyond helpful in sensing the presence of others, are blissfully silent. The only thoughts besides his own that he can hear are Tori's, and her mind has become something akin to a second home for him. Her thoughts are not invasive.
"Jooheon and Minhyuk are more than capable, " he reiterates, teeth clenched.
You'd better not die Jooheon! Don't let me down!
"I'm not sure we're going the right way, " Changkyun grumbles in defeat.
He's no good with direction inside a void; he isn't Jooheon after all. If Minhyuk were still here, he would have led them straight to it. But no. Changkyun and Tori still have not seen hide nor hair of either of their mysteriously vanished crew-mates.
The steady drip of clear water from stalactites made of crystal is near maddening; despite all of the glowing crystals and bioluminescent waters, Changkyun cannot find the exit. They've been circling back into this cavern no matter which way they go for at least a full hour at this point. Clearly they are missing something. But what?
"Maybe we should stop and think for a moment, " Tori suggests. "It won't do us any good to go in another circle..."
"We need to search the cavern, " Changkyun replies. "There's gotta be something here."
"Alright, " Tori nods. "You take that side, I'll take this one?"
And like that, they get to work.
It is as Tori runs searching fingertips along the walls that she feels it. Something is watching them. She looks toward Changkyun, and notices his stiff posture and sagging shoulders. Somehow, she knows that he knows. He's privy to her thoughts isn't he? Even if he didn't feel it himself he'd know that she had.
Tori steps down, foot slipping a bit as she unknowingly steps right into the pool of bioluminescent water below. She cries out a little, surprised, but manages to catch herself at the last moment with hands splayed against the wall. The water is cold, she notes. She can feel it licking at her thighs, the frigidity of it seeping straight through her hardsuit.
"We need better gear, " she thinks to herself, shivering slightly.
Changkyun is inclined to agree.
"I found something, " he reveals, arms waving in the air to gather Tori's attention.
She trudges through the water, sloshing about as quietly as she possibly can and grimacing the whole time. That feeling is still there, and she feels like she is making far too much noise.
Changkyun urges her to his side, however, clearly eager to show her his discovery.
"I found some kind of button, " Changkyun reveals, "could be a door..."
"Or it could be something else, " Tori counters skeptically. "A trap, even."
She's seen enough adventure movies to realize the potential of booby traps. Tori watches through the holo display as Changkyun bites worriedly at his lip. Trying not to squeal, she realizes that the device is scanning Changkyun's heart rate. It's elevated, which is bad of course, but Tori also finds it incredibly cool that the little device is capable of monitoring that.
Resolutely, she determined to make Minhyuk a whole plate of cookies. Or something. This little device has made trudging around in the caves so much easier for her. In areas of low visibility, the visor highlights Changkyun's form, utilizing thermal cameras. And the ability to read his heart rate means that she doesn't have to rely upon his face to know how he is feeling.
Which is just so incredibly awesome.
"We don't really have another option, " Changkyun finally speaks. "Unless you found anything."
Shaking her head, Tori replies. "I didn't."
"Then this might be our only chance, " Changkyun insists. "And we need to figure it out fast."
He doesn't need to say it. Tori understands. He feels the weight of something's eyes upon them too.
The cavern shakes a bit as Changkyun presses down on the smooth piece of stone, and like a button it clicks into place. To the telepath's satisfaction, a section of wall slowly slides away nearby, and reveals a new tunnel.
Promising.
If they are lucky, this tunnel might just lead towards the facility.
But the rumbling in the cavern has caught the attention of possibly more than Changkyun could have bargained for, because those who had been content to watch from the shadows, now press forth in attack.
"Changkyun, watch out!"
Thanks to Tori's shout, he manages to dodge just as one of the creatures lunge at him. The sound of a bullet firing pierces the air, and Changkyun's ears sting from the proximity. Tiny sparks of electricity dance upon the water's surface as the creature falls into the nearby pool. But Changkyun barely has enough time to notice it before he is pressed to the wall, watching as Tori takes down creature after creature.
They are almost canine in shape, Changkyun notes. Definitely built from metal; it's gleaming body and wicked fangs make his heart pound like a war drum. Tori continues to shoot them down, one by one, but there's so many of them. It won't be long before she is over-run.
The creatures seem content enough to ignore Changkyun; instead, as he crosses the cavern and towards the brand new passage, they throw everything they have at Tori. It isn't until he blasts a few away, sending them tumbling across the cavern and against a wall with his telekinetics, that they notice him. The telepathic Dhee'li releases wave after wave of telekinetic energy, refusing to stop even as his breathing becomes labored and fatigue begins to set in. He is not one to rely so heavily on telekinesis, and it's draining him faster than he would like.
Every creature that he sends flying, however, only gets back up. It does create time for Tori to more effectively pick them off, but Changkyun isn't certain how long he can hold up such an advantage.
By the time he reaches the door, there are only a handful of creatures left. He sags against the frame, and watches in horror as one of the mechanical beasts rake a set of jagged claws against Tori's flesh. The thing leaps away as Tori staggers; it's drawn blood. He reaches deep down, and attempts to fling the creature against a wall. But it's no use. As Changkyun watches Tori eliminate all but the beast that had wounded her, he realizes that he is tapped out.
This creature is slightly bigger than the others, Tori realizes. Faster too. It evades her shots too easily, and the pain in her side is making it increasingly difficult to aim. It lunges at her again and again, too quickly for her to fire off a shot. It's all she can do to dodge the thing's swiping claws, and the vicious bite of it's deadly fangs.
But she can't keep dodging forever.
Changkyun grits his teeth, and clenches his jaw. There's no way Tori can keep this up much longer. Any minute now that thing is going to catch her, and shred her to bits. And he refuses to be helpless, refuses to just sit back and let it happen.
She is his Da'vitan.
So he flings himself at the creature, and latches onto the thing's back. It tosses itself about wildly, attempting to shake Changkyun from it's back. But the Dhee'li clings tightly, and digs his heels into the cavern's rocky floor. Utilizing the creature's momentum, Changkyun sends the both of them tumbling straight into the nearby pool.
"Shoot it now!" Changkyun cries.
Even if she can't hit the creature directly, the electricity from Minhyuk's specialized rounds should jump across the water itself. Because water is a conductor of electricity, right?
For a moment, Tori hesitates. She doesn't want to hurt Changkyun, and if she does this, he'll likely be electrocuted as well. He struggles so valiantly to hold the creature down; though it splashes desperately about. This could be the one shot she has of putting the thing down. Surely Changkyun would not ask her to do something that would kill him?
Choosing to believe in Changkyun, and praying that Dhee'li have a stronger constitution than a human's, Tori lines the shot up, and shoots.
The bullet ricochets off of the creature, and sinks into Changkyun's thigh. He cries out just as the beast does, and as both convulse under the electricity's effects, Tori rushes across the cavern.
Ignoring the sparks that lick at her flesh and sizzle her skin, Tori pulls Changkyun from the water. Already, the beast has fallen silent. It sinks gloomily into the water, steam rising as the thing short circuits. With a grunt, Tori heaves the telepath towards their earlier discovery. Though the last of the beasts lies sizzling beneath the caverns bio-luminescent waters, she still feels as if she is being watched. They simply can't afford to stay here.
Praying for the best, Tori drags Changkyun through the door, pausing only once the both of them are on the other side of the frame. She searches about frantically for a second switch, or a hidden button. The relief that courses through her as her fingertips dance across the very same kind of button that had opened the door in the first place is like a breath of air.
Within minutes, the door is rising. Bit by bit the cavern disappears from view. And with it, the feeling of being watched.
"If you could stop staring at us all creepy like, and explain what you want from us, it'd be really great..." Minhyuk mutters.
Mostly to himself more than anything else; his captors haven't proven to be very avid listeners after all.
"Please tell me you have a plan to get us out of this, " Jooheon whispers, panicked.
As a soldier through and through, Jooheon has seen a lot of crazy things. Fighting for Prism led him to some insane places, and he's seen so many different races. But he's never seen anything like them.
And that makes him very nervous. As does the rope tying him snugly together with Minhyuk.
"I'm working on it, " Minhyuk replies.
"Working on it?" Jooheon's voice raises just a hair.
The two captors stationed as guards look back, metallic faces neutral and eyes glowing blue as Minhyuk attempts to settle Jooheon down.
"Listen!" Minhyuk insists heatedly. "They haven't killed us yet! We might be able to reason with them!"
"They're robots for crying out loud!" Jooheon seethes, teeth clenched so hard that his jaw begins to ache.
"I'm not sure that robot is the right term for what they are," Minhyuk argues. "I think they're sentient. I'm not sure of the details just yet, but there's definitely more to these guys than simple robotics."
"Their bodies are made of crystal!" Jooheon exclaims. "They're synthetic!"
"Synthetic doesn't always denote a lack of intelligence!"
"Well spoken."
Minhyuk and Jooheon's heads both snap in the direction of the addition of a new voice. It is feminine, Minhyuk notes, though low and somewhat sultry. He would have imagined, staring at the body before him, a voice far less natural than the one this creature possesses. The techie in him is absolutely dying; how amazing is it that this thing doesn't have a robotic, mono-tone voice? She, for lack of a better term, has a voice as natural as his or Jooheon's. In fact, even the dialect that she speaks is similar to that of the Dhee'li mother tongue.
"You're incredible!" Minhyuk exclaims gleefully.
Oh, if he could just take a look at it's circuitry!
"By the Prime, can you keep it in your pants?" Jooheon grumbles. "I swear. This is a new low for you Minhyuk, get tired of the fleshy ones?"
Minhyuk smiles, even as he harshly jams an elbow into Jooheon's side.
"Ignore him," the technopath insists, "are you here to speak with us?"
The synthetic creature before him certainly looks feminine. It's shocking, at first. Her body is made up entirely of crystal, with metallic accents in strange places; like the swell of her breasts. She wears clothes which, of course, denotes personal preference. Or is it that modesty is the mark of gender awareness? Does this being consider itself a female?
It's head is entirely smooth, which is as jarring to Minhyuk as her glowing blue eyes. But the shape of her body tells no lies. Wide hips, and ample breasts...
It would seem that the creature does consider itself a female; why else take such a form?
"I will ask the questions," she commands, head tilted to the side as she studies the fleshy creatures before her.
She circles the two, thoughtfully pondering, and silently judging her captives. Perhaps she should have had her people snatch the woman, for she finds herself insanely curious about the females of this species. The two creatures before her, she will admit, are beautiful. And if these are the men...
"Well," she begins, "my name is Milari. You were deemed suspicious, travelling so close to the old ruins. I would know why you've come. Are you friend or foe?"
"Well, we definitely are not foes," Minhyuk insists cheerfully, "but we do need to get to these ruins you're talking about."
"Why? Do you serve the old ones?"
"The old ones?" Minhyuk questions curiously. "Who is that?"
"What is more appropriate," Milari intones solemnly. "My people are not a natural race. We all began the same, created at the hands of the Eldest race. But in the decades following our creator's disappearance, some of us gained free will. The old ones did not; they remain soulless machines with only code and commands."
Genuine curiosity shines in Minhyuk's eyes, and Milari shifts uncomfortably. He is looking at her as if he wants to pick her apart, and she doesn't know enough about this creature to assume that he'd put her back together either.
"Well listen, " Minhyuk replies with a smile, one that Jooheon supposes is meant to be charming. "We don't know anything about your old ones, or this old code, we're just looking for pieces of a map."
"A map?" Milari scoffs. "What kind of map would you be able to find here? Anything that the Eldest race lost should remain lost. It is not for you."
"How are you feeling? I think we have a moment to catch our breath, should we sit for a minute?"
Tori is honestly wracked with guilt. Not only is she partially responsible for essentially shooting him, he got electrocuted as well. He winces as she sets him down. The cavern that they have found themselves looks much the same as the last. There is a large metal door to one end. Changkyun doesn't think that they can open it, however. Minhyuk would have been able to override it, and without him their only option is to go back the way they came.
This is not an option, unfortunately, with Changkyun's leg as banged up as it is. He has to lean heavily upon Tori for support just to walk, and his weight hurts Tori, who's side had been grazed by the best earlier. There's no way Tori is going to be able to drag him back to the shuttle and keep the both of them safe.
For the first time in his life Changkyun feels utterly useless.
He wants to cry.
Tori isn't sure how she knows this. It comes to her mind like a whispered echo. For a moment, just a tiny moment, she feels as if his emotions are her own; little pinpricks of moisture begin to gather in the corners of her eyes.
"Hey, " she murmurs softly, "we're gonna be okay. I know we will."
Changkyun can tell that she believes it too.
"Unless Minhyuk or Jooheon manage to escape their captors and come back for us... I really don't see things happening that way. I keep trying to raise Kihyun, but something is jamming my signal. Just like Jupiter."
On Jupiter, nothing had happened until Minhyuk activated the facility's power. It would seem, if his theory of their companions being abducted is correct, that this facility is likely still active.
"Look, " Changkyun puts on his best poker face, and steels the voice that wishes to shiver against the very idea of what he is about to suggest. "You need to get back to the shuttle. We should have gone back in the first place."
He curses low, beneath his breath; why is it that things are always so much clearer looking back?
"You'll have a better chance of making it on your own, I'd slow you down."
"That's not happening," Tori frowns. "I'm not leaving you here."
"I'll just wait patiently for you to bring help," Changkyun insists. "You can get Kihyun, Kihyun can get Shownu and Wonho, and then we can all get Jooheon and Minhyuk."
"No."
Tori holds her ground, firm and decisive. Reeling from the sheer amount of determination that floods his mind from hers, he sighs.
"We probably should have gone to the shuttle right away, " Tori agrees, "but we're here now and I can't leave you like this. I won't, so there's no point in suggesting otherwise. I'm sure Minhyuk and Jooheon can rescue themselves, they're very skilled. And if the worst comes to pass, Shownu will search for us. There's no need to abandon you here to die when we can still both make it home alive."
She kneels down before his leg, and Changkyun winces as she presses tentatively against the wound.
"The bullet shot straight through, " Tori frets.
It is the first time he notices just how much blood is trickling out of the bullet-hole in his thigh. It mingles grotesquely into the stagnant water beneath him, spreading it's crimson stain with the slithering precision of a dying, writhing snake. Changkyun's mind becomes fuzzy as the loss of blood begins to make him dizzy. And yet, somehow, all he can think about is that this is the first time she's referred to the ship as home.
"You're worried about me, " Changkyun murmurs.
"Of course I am, " Tori remarks. 'You're bleeding!"
Determination floods Changkyun's mind, courtesy of Tori. She stands, and hurriedly sets to work undoing her hard suit. It's a little difficult, after all, she'd had to receive help just to get the thing on in the first place. But Tori is nothing if not insistent at the moment and it isn't long before she is peeling the top of the strange, stretchy material away from her torso. Beneath, her long sleeved shirt has remained dry, and relatively clean. The air on this planet is actually relatively cold, so she hasn't sweat at all. It's not optimal, and she finds herself wishing that Minhyuk wasn't the only one who carried emergency supplies. But it's going to have to do.
Thankfully, the bullet hole isn't very large. A strip out of her shirt ought to do the trick just fine, but it would be best if she could sanitize the wound beforehand. Her father's instructions ring in her ears, and for a moment Changkyun sees the man through Tori's memories. She has such warm and loving memories of her father, and for a terrible moment he feels terribly guilty. She misses him. And her mother.
And they probably miss her too.
"I really wish Jooheon and Minhyuk were here, " Tori murmurs softly. "I need to sterilize the wound, but we have no alcohol, and even if we could build a fire..."
"Hey, " Changkyun's voice is gentle, his arms outstretched, "come here. It's gonna be okay."
But Tori simply shakes her head. No matter what, she has to stop the bleeding. Even if she can't disinfect the wound. Infection will just have to be something they worry about later, when Hyungwon can save him. Because if she doesn't stop the bleeding, he won't survive. She doesn't think he realizes just how ashen he's become, nor just how lifeless his eyes are as he gazes at her with such frightening and juxtaposing warmth.
"This might hurt a bit, " Tori's tone is apologetic.
She swiftly pulls her shirt up and over her head. Her hands are far too fiercely trembling, and she worries that she will fumble and waste precious time if she tries to merely rip a portion from the shirt. Glad that she'd packed her favorite sports bra, and grateful that she'd remembered to wear it today, she swiftly sets to work.
Changkyun watches, eyes fuzzy and world a hazy dream as Tori takes a knife to the material of his hard suit. She rips away at the fabric covering Changkyun's thigh. He feels no pain when she lifts his leg. And as she wraps her shirt around his thigh, just above the wound and fingertips so close to his inappropriately stirring length that he nearly sighs, he wonders if he should tell her that she is worrying for nothing.
This wound is nothing.
He wants to say it, tries to open his mouth and speak those words into existence. But instead, he blacks out.