ateez - in his mind

eighteen

On the helicopter, five sat on one side, the other four on opposite side. There was an uncomfortable silence, two policemen standing on the sides without seats. No one was sure if they were able to talk. The only sound that was heard was Changbin's quiet crying.

San, who sat directly across from him, wanted to console him in some way, but wasn't sure how. He knew that he was close with Hyunjin, but hearing his thoughts told him a different story. It made much more sense why the two of them seemed to fight for one another.

You really love him, don't you? Changbin lifted his head when he heard San. At first, he believed that San was talking out loud until he remembered the telepathy powers. It was embarrassing to him that San could know everything about him and his feelings without even trying.

Yeah. He doesn't know.

San wanted to tell him that yes, Hyunjin was just as in love with him, but he didn't feel it was his place. Instead, he decided that reassuring him was the best idea.

Hyunjin will be okay. He has those warriors to protect him. He's safe.

---

When Hyunjin finally came to his senses and realized that the helicopter was truly gone, he fell to his knees in anguish. His face went blank, tears no longer falling. The shock he felt was too overwhelming for tears.

Yeonjun slowly walked over to where Hyunjin knelt as he tried to think of a way to console him. He wasn't sure how Hyunjin was going to react, the apprehension showing on his face. Once Yeonjun was standing next to him, he tentatively placed his hand on Hyunjin's shoulder. Hyunjin flinched slightly but didn't deny Yeonjun's attempt at support.

"I'm not getting him back, am I?" Hyunjin whispered. The other four awkwardly stood back, making sure to check that the policemen they fought were no longer a threat. Offering one another condolence wasn't something they were used to, so Yeonjun making the attempt was a big deal in their eyes. Yeonjun gave him a sad smile.

"We're going to try," he said, now crouching down to by eye level with Hyunjin.

"Yeah! We're going to go get them back!" Kai excitedly yelled. Soobin nudged him in the side lightly, his excitement happening at not the greatest time. However, his smile still remained.

"Really? How?" Hyunjin asked, bringing his hand to his cheek which had a decent sized cut from fighting the policemen. Taehyun now stepped forward so that he faced Hyunjin.

"That's for us to figure out. We need you to go back to Caelum in the meantime," he explained, as calm as usual. Hyunjin quickly stood up in surprise and anger.

"What? I can't leave you guys to fight on your own!" Hyunjin exclaimed. Taehyun looked down, understanding how Hyunjin felt. He knew that Hyunjin wouldn't be on board with the idea of leaving, but he just wanted Hyunjin to be safe.

"Hyunjin, I understand that you don't want to leave them behind. But we can still protect you now. We can guarantee your safety at this moment, and I believe that we should take advantage of that," Taehyun attempted to explain. Hyunjin didn't want to agree, but it was like he had no choice. He had zero chance against the military forces that were looking for him, so why was this such a tough decision? He lowered his head and thought meticulously about his decision. But after a few minutes of thinking, he shamefully nodded his head, agreeing to leave Earth and his friends behind.

"It's for the best, Hyunjin. We'll get them back," Beomgyu said reassuringly, even though Hyunjin refused to lift his head. Yeonjun gave Beomgyu a quick glance before walking over to where Hyunjin stood.

"I'll be right back," he said. When he grabbed Hyunjin by the hand, their visions began to blur and glow. The other four stepped back slightly as they watched them. When they could finally see clearly once more, they were greeted by the bright, glowing world of Caelum.

---

Since there were no windows to look out of on the helicopter, the nine boys had no idea where they landed. The two guards remained in their places when the back wall opened up to make a path to the ground. They instructed the friends to exit, and when they did, their first sight was the giant mountain that had been scheduled to erupt.

"So that's the-"

"No talking!" One of the guards interrupted Hongjoong as they walked towards the giant pillar-like mountain. The nine boys were all confused as to why the guards were bringing them towards the mountain. However, once they got closer, they saw that there was a man made entrance to go inside.

In the mountain was a small military base, and every once in awhile the boys could feel the ground shaking, as though it really was going to erupt. They were placed in a bleak gray room with nothing but chairs for them to sit on. Left alone, with no idea what was happening around them.

The silence was awkward, nobody knew if they were allowed to talk at this point. Eventually, after a very long twenty minutes, one guard came in asking for them one-by-one for questioning. It didn't last too long since no one had much information besides the lack of an eruption, and they were back to waiting in the gray room.

"Do you think they're going to kill us?" Mingi asked out of the blue. Everyone turned to him, wondering if anyone outside of the room happened to hear him speak. Mingi looked tired, his eyes focused on some spot on the opposite side of the room. He sounded hopeless. No one was arriving so they figured it was safe enough to talk.

"I don't think so, if they wanted to, they would've done it back when they first found us," Jongho explained. "Since we don't have much information they'll probably just let us go."

"I sure hope so," Wooyoung added with a slight smile on his face. Not even thirty seconds later, the door burst open and a new guard walked inside. He was older, his face clearly showing that he had seen a lot in his lifetime. His white-streaked brown hair was styled to perfection, slicked back as smooth as could be.

"Come with me, now," his stern voice spoke. The nine boys were so intimidated that they couldn't help but wordlessly follow the man.

The path they took was like a maze, growing more confusing with each turn. They wondered how anyone could live in a place like this with all of its tunnels in the mountain. No glimpse of the sun. After what felt like hundreds of different tunnels, they reached what looked like a control room. There were other guards, tapping away at different buttons, pulling different levers. The old man turned to them.

"We apologize to you for having reached this point," he said. "But we see no other way to protect the Earth from ultimate destruction." The ground shook beneath their feet, and none of the friends understood what he meant. Of course, apart from San who stood in the far back.

He's going to kill us.

---

A/N: One more chapter and the epilogue left! Both will be posted tomorrow!!  ( ^◡^)