Before the Fall

Chapter Fifty-Seven - Sneaky Kitties

Jin

Namjoon had ordered us all to be ready to leave by nightfall. I wanted to question his rapid decision but I knew where it was coming from.

I had watched him suffer and grow stronger, all in preparation for destroying Li and bringing Aster back. I heard the cries from his room when he thought no one was around. I heard him pacing at night, unable to sleep because of nightmares and worry.

Jimin had tried to help him sleep, giving him pills, herbal teas, various fabled remedies of our people, but nothing had helped. Namjoon would eventually be so frustrated trying to sleep and not being able to, that he would shift and run off into the forest alone, worrying the youngest officers and causing them to stalk him from afar to make sure he didn't hurt himself somehow.

He wasn't crazy or distraught. He was anxious, worried, impatient. He maintained control when he needed to, but even I could see how it was all wearing him down little by little.

I was called into his office after Jungkook had broken into the servers of H-Corp. It was the happiest and most excited expression I had seen on Namjoon's face in weeks. He had a newfound energy about him that I knew could only come from knowing that his reunification with Aster was just around the corner.

"I hear we're leaving for the US tonight?" I entered the office quietly but soon was caught up in Namjoon's excitement.

"Yes. We need to. There's no time to waste now, hyung." I watched my friend, General, and brother race around his office gathering up important things he might need, like his gun and ammo. He kept quite the stash in his office.

"Do you really think this is a wise move?" I asked, watching as he grabbed several pairs of fatigues from his armoire.

He stopped moving and I saw his shoulders lift and sink with a heavy sigh.

"Hyung, he's changing her. I can't come up with any good reason for us to delay our attack any longer. Every day she's with him is another day I'm closer to losing her for good. He's messing with her mind for sure. I don't even know if we can overcome whatever damage he's done to her."

"I understand. The men are ready anyway. We've just been waiting on your signal."

That was a partially true statement. Taehyung's leg was fully healed now, so that was no longer holding us back, but leaving behind the survivors to fend for themselves had been a large worry. Some of our subordinates had volunteered to stay behind and hold down the fort, so to speak. We had them fairly well stocked on weapons and ammunition so there was no need to worry about them not being able to hold their own should Li decide to attempt to wipe them out while we were away.

We had been waiting, more or less, for Jungkook to give us visuals on the situation at H-Corp before making our move. He had, and was delivering schematics of the buildings to Hoseok and Yoongi so they could develop an infiltration plan. They would work on it on the plane and hopefully we would have a plan of attack ready when we landed in the States.

I glanced at Namjoon and I felt apprehensive. I prayed that Aster wouldn't be so far gone that we couldn't help her. That might possibly be the worst thing that could happen.

* * *

Yoongi

Hoseok and I had been pouring over the layout of H-Corp since we took off. Jungkook had also given us what security info he had been able to dig up before he was kicked out of the system due to a slow, but effective, security block. That meant that Li could potentially know we were coming.