Homosaurus

37

Jaebeom felt drowsy as he came to. His vision was blurred and dim, but slowly coming back as he fully woke up. It felt like his brain was submerged in water, it took a few minutes to pull himself together.

He finally realized he was in an unfamiliar place, as the walls were a dull gray illuminated by fluorescent lights. He squinted as he sat up, a sharp headache hitting him. He groaned, clutching his head, though amid the pain he was finally able to properly survey his surroundings.

The first thing he saw was bars. He was on an uncomfortable mat laid on the floor, and that's all there was. He could tell this wasn't a typical cell, as it was out in the open with no one else around aside from the guard at the security desk just across the room. He couldn't tell where he was-- all he could remember was hearing Youngjae yelling for him.

His own throat was sore from overuse. His joints ached here and there, probably from the struggle he put up before passing out. He groaned as he slowly stood to his feet, stumbling and staggering while finding his balance.

He squinted against the fluorescent lights, shuffling over to the bars. He stuck his face between two of the cold metal rods, focusing his gaze on the guard scrolling away on his phone.

"Hello?" He yelled, his voice cracking halfway through. He cleared his throat, trying again with a much sturdier tone. "Hey! Where am I?"

The guard glanced up at him for just a moment before turning away. "Our holding facility."

"Huh? So like... a jail?"

"No. Your case was handled quietly. Some private agents brought you in."

Private agents. No wonder everything happened so fast, professionals were sent after them to take care of things quickly and quietly, obviously funded by the company. Yet he still had no idea where he was being held, which meant he had even less of an idea as to where Youngjae was, and that put him on edge.

"But... where am I?" He asked again, wishing the guard would get off his phone and at least pretend to care a little.

"You don't recognize your own workplace?" The latter replied.

"What...?" Jaebeom frowned, taking a step back. He glanced around the place, wondering if this was really part of the company. He doesn't remember this area, not in the office building or the lab. Obviously, there was more to the company than even he knows about. 

"Now that you're up, I have to bring you to another room where you'll be asked a few questions." The guard finally put his phone down, standing up and reaching for the keys to the cell.

"Wha- no! Explain what the hell is going on first! And where is my hybrid!?"

The guard unlocked the door, tightly gripping Jaebeom's arm. "He's subdued. Resting well. Needed a lot of tranqs to put him down."

"P-Put him down?" Jaebeom repeated while attempting to tug his arm out of the guard's grip. He didn't know what 'put him down' meant, but it didn't sound good at all.  "Y-You didn't give him a dangerous amount, did you!?"

"Shush."

Jaebeom was quite literally dragged down a white hallway, screaming for Youngjae the entire time. The guard was bigger and stronger than him, of course, trained to handle troublesome people, and Jaebeom wasn't exactly the type to keep himself in the best of the best kind of shape.

He was guided to a small room with just two chairs and a table, like a break room but with nothing in it. He was forced to sit down, and he wanted to fight back but knew it would probably end in a bloody nose. The metal door slammed shut, leaving Jaebeom in the small dull room. He couldn't keep still, Youngjae was on his mind and he couldn't find any peace until he was reunited with him and sure that he was unharmed.