a/n: HAPPY 7TH ANNIVERSARY TO BTS!!!!
This chapter was supposed to be a 'special' one but I don't know how interesting it is unfortunately so I apologise for that.
Hope you're all staying safe
[ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 ]
Taehyung was in trouble again.
All the six boys knew that they had to be careful in public; Mediheal Laboratory had never given up on their endless search to drag the boys back to that dreaded hellhole. However, the urge grew unbearable especially when the house that they were staying in didn't even have a tv. Taehyung was used to a life far from luxury but he enjoyed watching television and was rather miffed that he hadn't been able to watch his favourite animal documentaries.
They'd only been in Busan for a week and Taehyung already hated it. He knew he should probably try to appreciate the city more, especially since it was both Jungkook's and Jimin's place of birth but, frankly, he was drowning in boredom. If he had to spend another day locked in that house, he was going to go insane.
However when he had snuck out from the house, he hadn't expected to be spotted.
It was a simple mistake, they'd all done it at some point when their control over their enhancement would accidentally slip. He hadn't meant to duplicate in front of the convenience store woman but the damage was done now. She'd instantly screamed at him and called the police about an alien monster and Taehyung realised he had to scamper pretty quickly.
Mediheal Laboratory had scouts all over the country and they could intercept phone calls with the snap of their fingers. If they hadn't realised that the boys had been lying low in Busan, they did now.
Taehyung hastily walked back to the house, checking his surroundings and slipped into the secret den. He hoped that he could avoid confrontation with the other boys about his selfish decision to go outside but apparently fate wasn't on his side today. Sat on the sofa, sending him pointed glares, were five peeved looking boys.
"Damn it," Taehyung cursed as he strolled in the room, flinched and shifted his eyes to the ceiling
"Damn it indeed. Taehyung you know better than to sneak out without telling us. You could have been caught and, by the sounds of it, you nearly were," Jin scolded, coming up to him and examining him for injuries. Jin was definitely the mother hen of the group and never really got angry, just exasperated. He was the oldest and often felt that it was his duty and obligation to care for the younger boys.
Namjoon was the next to speak. "I've been listening in on their radio signals and you seem to have thrown them off our tracks but they've sent troops. We need to leave today."
Even though he recognised that he was being scolded, Taehyung wanted to cheer in happiness. He truly had hated this house with a passion.
"Oi, don't look so smug. We were all worried about you," Jin chastised him, hitting him lightly in the shoulder. Taehyung shifted awkwardly and felt a blush rise up to his cheeks as he realised he'd been caught red handed. However no one had liked this place. He was doing them a favour.
Namjoon coughed awkwardly and stood up from his seat, glasses and radio in hand. "We'll leave at 10, be ready." With a hesitant nod, he shifted out of the room.
Namjoon was the 'leader' of the gang of escapees, even though he'd protested otherwise. The job couldn't go to anyone else; Namjoon was the brains to the band of runaways and absolutely essential to their survival. Without his quick-witted decisions, they wouldn't be in their fortunate position.
Jimin stood up next and wrapped Taehyung into a hug. "Jin's right, Taetae. What if you'd been caught? What if you'd been like Jungk-"
Jimin paused, his whole body freezing in realisation. Jungkook had been captured a little more than a year ago and his absence was keenly felt within the group. Even though they didn't talk about him much, they still wanted to do anything and everything they could to save him. Although with all the problems avoiding the scouts, they'd come up empty handed.
When they first escaped, a scientist called Bang Si-hyuk helped them fit back into civilisation again. He gave them money, comfort and love. He was their second father. Then, he left without reasoning. His goodbye was very brief and, for a long while, the boys had been left to fend for themselves. Without his constant help, they had to become more independent and prepared for any slip ups. Unfortunately this meant that Jungkook's rescue was often shoved under the mat, even though it wounded the boys to admit so.
Jimin shook his head and started over, even though the pain of talking about Jungkook shone through his sorrowful look. "What you did was very irresponsible. Yoongi, tell him that he was very naughty."
Taehyung scowled and pouted at Jimin's choice of words; he wasn't a child.
Yoongi, however, groaned from the opposite couch, his body sprawled across the entire object as if it belonged to him and no one else. He also looked as though he'd only just woken up from a nap. "I don't care. Taehyung can do what he wants."
With that, he flipped over onto his side so that his back faced away from Jimin and let out a obnoxious yawn. If any other boy had been so rude, they would have been severely chided but this was Yoongi and, in all honesty, the boys had given up with teaching him manners. He would forever be insufferable.
"Okay fine. Hoseok hyung, what do you think of Tae's behaviour?" Jimin asked, with a raised eyebrow and a threatening look that screamed 'you better tell me what I want to hear'.
"You were very irresponsible," Hoseok replied whilst attempting to look intimidating but failing drastically. Similarly to Jin, Hoseok wasn't very good at scolding. He didn't like negative emotions; they conflicted with his bubbly personality far too much for his liking.
All Jimin could do was sigh.
~
The boys piled into the van, Jin in the drivers seat and Namjoon in shotgun. In the back, the boys sat in a big huddle with Yoongi consistently complaining that Taehyung was elbowing him in the side.
"I can't help it! Do you want me to hold my arms above my head?" He held his arms up for emphasis and Yoongi nodded.
"That would be convenient."
Jimin, sat on the other side of Yoongi, elbowed him in frustration. Their incessant squabbling was become a nuisance and they hadn't been travelling for more for ten minutes.
"Watch it midget," Yoongi growled in warning to which Jimin rolled his eyes. Even though Jimin was the closest to Yoongi, they were still teenage boys and bickering was inevitable.
Namjoon, who had been concentrated on his radio, shushed them. "Be quiet, I'm getting a signal."
The arguing didn't cease and Namjoon moaned in frustration, lifting the equipment up to his ear to try and understand the words that were being transmitted. Noticing Namjoon's distress, Jin hit the roof of the car. "Everyone, be quiet."
The car fell silent as the crackle of the radio became the noise of interest.
"Captain? This is Dr Choi speaking, are you online?"
The boys flashed each other worried glances and Hoseok gulped in the backseat. They'd all had the pleasure to meet the Captain and, if he was getting involved in the search, they would have to be ten times more careful. No one wanted to face him.
"Yes Miss."
The radio went static for a couple of seconds before the audio returned and the woman's voice, presumably Dr Choi's, spoke again. "How is your search proceeding?"
"Not very well unfortunately, Test Subject 317 is slippery but we'll get them eventually, don't you worry Miss."
Taehyung sniggered in the background. The Captain had tried so hard to catch the boy and had never succeeded. It was an admirable achievement.
"I hope you realise how essential these experiments are to our proceedings with Test Subject 312."
The boys heads all snapped up, even Yoongi's eyes widened in interest. If something was happening to Jungkook, they had to know.
"Of course Miss. Are your plans going well?"
Thank goodness for the Captain. That question would allow them more insight to these 'proceedings'.
"Extraordinary. Soon enough, we may not even need to the other experiments to find Test Subject 312's vulnerability. She's doing a perfect job at uprooting weakness from the boy, even if she doesn't realise it. If we continue at this rate, Test Subject 312 will be a warrior under your command in no time."
There was a muffled response and the radio began to emit a hissing noise. With a sigh, Namjoon reached forwards and turned off the device plunging the boys into a heavy silence.
Yoongi was the first to speak. "What the fuck was that?"
"What are they doing to Jungkookie? What do they mean by weakness? Jungkook would never bow down to them!" Jimin argued in a state of blind panic.
"Maybe he cant help it, Jungkook's always been a softhearted fool." Yoongi responded, his voice soft with sympathy. Even the prickly and uptight boy had a soft spot for their youngest and although his words were harsh, he meant them with love. Sometimes he wished he could be as accepting and loving as Jungkook.
"She mentioned a girl. Maybe she's the reason that he's becoming 'weak', so to speak." Jin piped, also feeling deeply saddened by the new situation.
Namjoon's eyebrows knitted together as his mind whirred with endless ideas. "This is it, we need to Jungkook out and soon."
...