Death Drive - Ch. 1
For Vicky Jie...<33
Death Drive
By Audrey
Chapter One
The Way You Are
Death Drive
By Audrey
Chapter One
The Way You Are
--
It was 2:45pm in government headquarters. Jae Joong drummed his fingers on the table. The last member of the Filaments was not yet here. Gathered around a solid mahogany wood table, Jae Joong at one end and Hae Ri on the other, the government official was on the huge overhead screen, all agents, or rather currently nine were ready to start their mission. However, Jae Na was missing. Suddenly a gust of cold air blew in as the door flew open.
"Sorry, I'm late." Jae Na panted pausing to catch her breath.
"Mmm...You're not late...yet." Changmin said to the girl.
"Good, now that you're all here, we can get started." The government official said. "I am Hee Jun, a government official for the South Korean government. As you know, you ten have been summoned here for a top secret mission." He paused. JunSu squinted at the screen. There was something vaguely familiar about this official. It was as if JunSu had seen him somewhere. Brushing this thought aside, he continued to listen to what there was to say.
"First of all, before we continue, please, will the Elements introduce themselves?" Hee Jun asked and nodded towards Jae Joong. Jae Joong complied and stood up.
"Kim Jae Joong. I am also referred to as Hero or Ice. That's all I wish to divulge at the moment." Jae Joong said and sat back down in his comfortable leather chair. YunHo went next.
"Jung YunHo; Known as U-Know or Fire." He too sat back down on Jae Joong's right side. Next to YunHo was a tall, lean, wiry boy who stood up next. He had the most adorable smile, Jae Na observed.
"Shim Changmin. You can also call me as Max or Earth." Changmin said and then sat down.
"Kim JunSu. Xiah. Wind." The next one said.
"Park YooChun. Micky. Water." The last boy said. Hye Rin shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She never thought; not in her wildest dreams; that this would happen. She couldn't let him catch on. Tugging at the hem of her shirt, she pulled it down, covering her black metal studded belt.
"Very good. Now will the Filaments introduce themselves?" Hee Jun instructed. Hae Ri nodded and stood up. She was at the other end of the long desk.
"Sung Hae Ri; Call me Hana or Fate." Hae Ri said then turned to Hye Rin. "You next."
"Kim Hye Rin. Riley or Fantasy." She said eyeing YooChun uncomfortably. Her gaze shifted back to Hee Jun as she sat down.
"Err, I'll go, Yo Jae Na ay kay ay Lee Jae Na. Jenna. Reality." Jae Na tried to break the thick tension in the air.
"Su Eun Ha. Jeri or Time."
"Guess it's just me. Jin Sun Mi. Suna. Destiny." Sun Mi set down her nail file and spoke.
"Hey. If you go out with me, I can say that I have a date with destiny." YooChun joked towards Sun Mi.
"Mmhmm. But as far as I was aware, this was a mission and the number one rule of missions is..." Sun Mi replied.
"Never fall in love." Changmin finished for her whilst nodding.
"Enough, I still must explain the nature of this mission and time is dwindling." Hee Jun commanded, silence filled the room instantly, "The sole purpose of this mission is to send you ten off to New York. We believe that somewhere in the heart of the city, lies the headquarters of a mafia leader named Anh Chil Hyun. However, on the other side of the world, somewhere in Japan or Korea, exact location unknown, lies the headquarters of his business partner, Lee Jun Ki. Exactly what they are doing is unknown but around the time that these two men were reported and a little before that, it seems there has been a huge rate increase in human trafficking. But...what we don't know and need to investigate in is the claim that both Lee Jun Ki and Anh Chil Hyun are not human."
"Wait a minute, Jun Ki and Chil Hyun. I know Jun Ki since apparently his cover up is as a famous actor in the biz also, but Chil Hyun, that name doesn't sound familiar at all." Eun Ha shook her head.
"Perhaps you'd know him better if I told you his stage name." Hee Jun smirked and a picture appeared. Sun Mi gasped.
"No way. This is impossible." Sun Mi refused to believe it.
"Ah, but it is; An Chil Hyun is otherwise known as...KangTa; Former member of the group H.O.T. whom which I used to work with also." Hee Jun smiled sadly, "As I was saying however, it is been claimed that KangTa and Jun Ki are not human. However, we are unable to support this claim until further investigation. I want you first to go and investigate Chil Hyun in New York before returning to Korea and looking into Jun Ki. Because it is harder to traffick humans in America, it would hopefully be easier to find out about Chil Hyun's motives and what we need. Information we have gathered goes as follows, Chil Hyun is the owner of some very famous love hotels in New York."
"Ewww...those still exist?" Hye Rin asked twiddling her fingers.
"Unfortunately, yes. Chil Hyun also has some five star restaurants and exclusive nightclubs. What we would like to know is who is working within these nightclubs and restaurants and whether or not they are the missing people who we are looking for. As for Jun Ki, apparently he also does similar, such as owning some exclusive nightclubs throughout Japan and Korea and quite possibly Hong Kong and mainland China and Taiwan. It is unknown who exactly runs these clubs for Jun Ki while he is 'acting', but we have some suspects. In addition, Jun Ki has been suspected of running a prostitution ring since it is not exactly illegal in Asia. However, this prostitution ring not only employs females, but males as well." Hee Jun sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Ahh...so Jun Ki is gay? Just as I suspected. You owe me ten bucks, YunHo." JunSu grinned.
"No one said he was gay, idiot. It's just that he runs a prostitution ring for males and females; now, what about the suspects whom could be working for Chil Hyun and Jun Ki?" Hae Ri asked.
"In Japan, we are suspecting huge celebrities whom have gone quiet in recent years such as Gackt and some of the more private celebrities maybe like Hyde. In China, we have no pinpointed suspects but Alexander Wang LeeHom and Alec Su, perhaps even Energy as suspects. However, in Taiwan we have pinpointed one group that may or may not be involved in the case. Have you ever heard of F4? The recently broke up so it only leads us to suspect them more, however, they could have broken up for other reasons. Finally, in Korea, we are not sure but we currently have Super Junior working as double agents for us in the Korean and U.S. side of the investigation, so far, not much progress has been made. Then, there is Shinhwa. Apparently they claim to be working as double agents for us but we're not totally sure." Hee Jun sighed again. This time he groped around absentmindedly for some aspirin and water.
"Woo. That's many people involved and mainly most of them are celebrities. What are the odds?" YunHo let out a low whistle. "We have some of our work somewhat cut out for us. As long as KangTa doesn't know who exactly we are and whom exactly we're working for...we can pull it off."
"Hmm? What do you mean hyung?" Changmin asked.
"I mean, next week. KangTa and Vanness Wu from F4 have a party celebrating successful sales of their new single, 'Scandal' in New York. During this time, if we are careful, we can find out some important information. See, it's cut out for us." YunHo explained.
"True as it may be, you still must be careful." Hee Jun reminded them.
"Hai; anyways, is there an official time frame for this mission?" Eun Ha asked.
"One week."
"ONE WEEK? YOU EXPECT US TO FIND EVERYTHING IN ONE WEEK?" Eun Ha burst out as if Hee Jun were crazy.
"Not one week to complete the whole mission, but you have one week to set up everything. Word is, KangTa is getting a huge shipment from Jun Ki in one week at the port in New York, so at this time, I expect we will be able to find out WHAT exactly he is, and how this operation works. Other details can be worked out." Hee Jun explained. Eun Ha calmed down a bit.
"That sounds more reasonable. So this time we don't have to go through any name changes or anything?" Jae Na asked.
"No. These are mostly celebrities, even if you did change your name, they'd know who you are, so it's no use."
"True. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's catch the next flight to New York." YooChun said and stood up.
"Sayonara. Have a safe mission." Hee Jun said before disappearing.
"Ha. Yea right; you wish." Jae Joong muttered as he followed the rest of the group out.
--
Meanwhile in the depths of New York in an unknown location, a shadow moved across the floor.
"So they've started huh?"
"Hai, hyung."
"Good. Pretty soon they'll all fall in. Just give it some time."
An intercom cackled to life.
"The Moon is here to speak to you." The intercom buzzed.
"Very well, connect him."
A wide plasma screen turned on and two men could be seen talking to each other.
"It's been done."
"Very good." Fingers drummed on the table, "Now it's all a matter of time..."
Outside the building sirens were whirring.
"Hyung? We have a problem..."
The man shot up. 'Shit. This isn't how it was planned. Someone's been leaking information...but whom?' He raced through the hallways while praying desperately that the police were not going to stop at his place. No. It could not be like this. He watched intently as the red sirens raced through the street. Within seconds, they passed and no one stopped at his building.
'Safe...for now; I wonder if there has been a leak after all? No. They are all loyal; loyal to me and only me.' He thought grimly, 'But still, I can't hide this feeling that something will happen. It is just this sinking feeling from the pit of my stomach that I can't get rid of. Maybe I need a break. However, I cannot. It is too dangerous right now; and with the new shipment coming in next week...not right now.' He turned and entered a room with two huge double oak doors.
"Call the Prince and ask for data information regarding the shipment next week." He instructed the men at the desk.
"Yes sir." They immediately dialed the number to the Prince. Halfway across the world the phone rang.
"Please state your name and ID." An automated voice machine asked. Without bothering to say, anything a number was punched in. "Connecting to Line Four. Please hold."
The phone rang once then twice.
"Hello?" A face appeared on the plasma screen. Seeing the caller, he immediately sat up straighter, "Just a minute, sir. I will connect you to the Prince immediately. Hold on for a moment." Typing and beeping was heard as the Prince appeared on the screen.
"Ahh...long time no see...and I do mean literally." The Prince said smirking.
"Cut the antics. I need data on the next shipment."
"Aww, you're no fun, but oh well, I was going to send it to you anyways..." The Prince shuffled through a stack of papers on his desk, "The shipment should be coming in..."
--
Meanwhile in Seoul International Airport, the ten agents sat awaiting their flight to New York. The intercom slowly cackled to life. Heads turned. Listening to which flight number was being called.
Flight 019A to New York, now boarding. Flight 019A to New York, now boarding. Please proceed to Gate 29. Please proceed to Gate 29.
The ten agents sighed and picked up their carry-ons. Heading towards Gate 29, Hye Rin took one last look at Seoul.
'Well, this is it, time to go thru it all again.' She thought fingering the government badge in her pocket. 'Feel the rush, Hye Rin. Let it last while it can. Pretty soon, it'll be over and we'll have to part again.'
The flight was one consisting of only the ten agents. JunSu figured that Hee Jun probably booked it for them and reserved the whole plane. Though they were the only ones on it, they still had to consider the stewards and flight attendants, and of course, the captain and his crew. Rather than divulging public messages, through speaking, they decided to not talk about the case until reaching New York. Of course, they still found rather interesting ways to pass the time on the plane. Interesting such as...
"Let's play truth or dare." YooChun suggested, "I'm bored and it's an 18 hour flight."
"Fine. I'll play if Jae Joong plays." JunSu agreed.
"I'll play if YunHo & Changmin play." Jae Joong relented. YunHo and Changmin nodded.
"Join us, girls. It's no fun with just boys." YunHo prodded.
"Fine, we'll join." Hae Ri answered for them.
"I'll go first. Truth or Dare, Junnie?" YooChun asked turning to JunSu.
"Ah, I don't feel like going with one of your crazy dares on an airplane so truth." JunSu yawned and stretched lazily.
"Uhmm, but that's no fun! I already know everything there is to know about you." YooChun pouted.
"Then ask one of the girls. After all, we've just met them." JunSu suggested.
"Hmm. That's a good idea." YooChun turned and scanned the five girls. Hye Rin turned her head away, hoping he would not pick her; too late, "Hye Rin, truth or dare?"
"There's no room for dare on this airplane. Turn it into Twenty Questions or something." Hae Ri said.
"Yea. That's a good idea. I pick Hye Rin. Question one..." YooChun said happily, "Have we met somewhere before? You look familiar."
"We might've. I don't know. I've seen many people in my life." Hye Rin said trying to go around the question and not answering it entirely truthfully.
"Okay then. You ask me something." YooChun announced.
"Uhh...where were you born?" Hye Rin asked though she knew the answer already.
"Huh? What kind of question is that? Oh well. Born and raised in Seoul. Yessiree." YooChun said proudly. Just then, Changmin's Blackberry started beeping.
"Message from Hee Jun." Changmin announced looking at who sent the email. "Want me to read it aloud or summarize it?"
"Read it aloud." Jae Joong instructed. Changmin nodded and began reading from the Blackberry.
"For your convenience, I have decided to split you ten agents up into groups of two to infiltrate different sections of this case. Jae Joong and Hae Ri will be working together on infiltrating location. YooChun and Hye Rin will pose undercover and go looking for a job at either one of the bars or restaurants that KangTa owns. YunHo and Eun Ha, both exceptional dancers, will go looking for work at one of KangTa's nightclubs as dancers. JunSu and Sun Mi will try and tap directly into the core purpose of KangTa's ring. Finally, Changmin and Jae Na will be working from the outside, tapping into data files and bases for me, got that? So get to know each other, it is a long flight, signed Hee Jun." Changmin read aloud from his Blackberry.
"WHAT?! I HAVE TO WORK WITH HIM?!" Hye Rin asked, "It was one thing working with all of you but now I have to work in a two man team alone with him! It's not fair. I want to work by myself." Hye Rin muttered.
"Why won't you work with YooChun? It is a good opportunity to learn some new stuff. Besides, you might find something new." Hae Ri stated.
"Because, Hae Ri, that's the way I am. I do not like working with people. Not since..." Hye Rin trailed off.
'Find something new? What's she talking about?' YooChun wondered. Hye Rin sat at a window seat staring off into the endless sea of clouds mixed with the blue sky. Changmin and Jae Na had already struck up conversation on the quickest strategy to hack into KangTa's database.
"Hold it. Send a reply to Hee Jun, Changmin." Jae Joong instructed, "We don't even know where to start. What is KangTa's organization called? Where exactly in New York do we look? Manhattan? The city? Hudson? He's only given us a very blurry outline."
"That's true hyung. But in the files we received, it's said that we should look in New York City, along SoHo and that area. Moreover, KangTa's organization for now has already been given the undercover name of 'Benihime' because of the amount of bloodshed involved. It also mentions that major clubs that KangTa owns is also named things such as 'Bloodchild', 'Escape', and 'Blood Lust'. It all seems very vamparic to me." Changmin observed and told Jae Joong.
"Benihime, kinda weird. Guess they couldn't think of anything nicer." Hae Ri noticed, "Benihime."
"Yea. Whatever." Replied Jae Joong.
"What's Benihime mean anyways?" YunHo asked.
"Well, according to translations, it means 'Crimson Princess' in Japanese." Eun Ha explained, "While Hana, Hae Ri's undercover name, means 'flower.'
"Got it." YunHo grinned, "So what about your undercover name? I do not really get it. What does the name 'Jeri' have to do with 'Eun Ha'?" YunHo asked.
"Nothing. I just liked the name when I went to the States. Therefore, I decided to use it. Besides, it's cute and chic." EunHa grinned back, "Kinda like U-Know, you know what I mean?" YunHo nodded. He could tell that working with Eun Ha wouldn't be a problem right now.
It was pretty much an eventful plane ride, since Hye Rin didn't really talk much, so YooChun opted to join in on the talk between Hae Ri and Jae Joong.
"Ah, sorry for Hye Rin's attitude, it's just the way she is." Hae Ri apologized to YooChun, "She's always been sort of a loner. Actually, she talks the most to me but that's not saying much since she rarely talks to anyone in the first place." Hae Ri explained.
"The Way You Are. I could write a song for that." YooChun muttered thoughtfully as he started humming out a tune. Jae Joong laughed.
"That's YooChun. Ever the composer, even on missions." Jae Joong grinned as YooChun tapped thoughtfully onto his notebook with a pen.
"I got it! How does this sound hyung?" YooChun paused then looked at his notebook. "Cheo nun e bahn hah ki nim deul eo neol po gi jeon en mil eo seo ji..."
"Hnn. It's a great start, YooChun." Jae Joong complimented. This perked YooChun up some more as he continued scribbling in his notebook. Crossing out words, tapping his pen, pursing his lips. "YooChun is always excited about a new song. Too bad he doesn't have his piano to sound it out."
"I see what you mean." Hae Ri smiled eyeing the four lines of music already in YooChun's book.
"Should I make it in C sharp or maybe...B flat...I dunno. Damn, this is frustrating. I wish I had Emmeline here." YooChun muttered.
"Emmeline?" Hae Ri asked.
"His piano. That's his grand piano. His electric piano at home is named Rosaline." Jae Joong explained.
"Oooh; that sounds nice." Hae Ri replied.
"Yea...sure." Jae Joong muttered settling down into his seat. "We still have got at least another fifteen hours on this flight. I hope he finishes his song soon. No offense to YooChun, but it gets kind of annoying to hear him repeating and humming the same lines of music over in different keys."
Hae Ri shrugged and plugged in her mp3. "So long as we have that much time, I'll catch up on reading." She pulled out a book and proceeded to turn to the spot where she left off.
Meanwhile, on another row, JunSu was speaking with Sun Mi about their part in the mission.
"So how do you propose we directly get to the core?" JunSu asked.
"Seriously, I have no idea. It's the first time Hee Jun has given me such a big part." Sun Mi said. "Usually, I'm stuck with background work like escaping and stuff. Then again, I'm a girly girl. I don't like playing dirty if I don't have to." Sun Mi said whilst putting on a clear coat of nail polish.
"Yea. I can see that." JunSu muttered.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" Sun Mi asked absentmindedly.
"Huh? No. Anyways, I was thinking of..." JunSu explained his plan half-wondering if Sun Mi was actually listening.
Finally, this left Changmin and Jae Na. The brains of the group. No one really could decipher what they were doing but from the look of furrowed brows and intense concentration, it seemed to be important.
The next few hours passed by in a whirl. All too soon, they had landed in the JFK International Airport in New York City.
"Ayah; It feels good to move around after sitting for so long." JunSu commented as he stretched his arms. It was mid March in New York and the weather was still quite cool for the time being. There were still hints of snow on the ground now, but most of it had melted due to the hot sunshine at the moment.
"I didn't get to finish my song though." YooChun said sadly, as he put his notebook away.
"Give it a rest for awhile, Chun. You've been working on it for at least ten hours straight." Jae Joong yawned as he snatched a piece of his luggage from the carousel.
"Was anyone supposed to meet us here?" YunHo asked rubbing at his eyes sleepily. "Damn time change."
"Ugh. I hate jet lag. I dunno. Didn't get any messages saying so." Eun Ha muttered.
"No, hyung. We're just supposed to go to some apartment they leased out for us in the city." Changmin reminded YunHo, "Then we're supposed to start on our separate missions."
"What? No catch up sleep or something?" Sun Mi asked.
"Nah. Work first. Sleep later. Since its late afternoon already, after we settle into the apartment, we'll go check out the first club. Hye Rin and YooChun will keep an eye on that one. Bloodlust, I believe, isn't too far from the apartment when I last checked." Hae Ri said.
"Unh. Sure. Whatever." Hye Rin replied not really paying much attention.
"So what about the others?" Jae Na asked.
"YunHo and Eun Ha will go for Escape. According to Changmin's research, Bloodlust and Escape are the two MAJOR nightclubs that KangTa owns. Bloodchild is just a minor, member's only, exclusive one. I guess it's more of a celeb hangout." Hae Ri explained.
"Got it." Eun Ha noted, "So YunHo and I will go looking for work as dancers while YooChun and Hye Rin go looking for work."
"What kind of work?" Hye Rin demanded.
"I dunno."
"Well, Hye Rin, listen to me. I know you're not going to like it but...you have to use your body. Remember, your body is a tool in this mission. You may be forced to commit to acts that don't seem right to you but...please, just try your best." Hae Ri asked quietly.
"So in other words, I'm now a bloody fucking prostitute." Hye Rin muttered. Hae Ri nodded. "Great. Just fucking great. Does that mean YooChun's a manwhore?"
"WHAT? I am not a whore. Nor will I be one." YooChun protested.
"Chun. Remember what Hae Ri just said. Use your body." Jae Joong reminded him.
"Hnn. Yes, hyung. Use my body. Hye Rin and I will go check it out tonite and go looking for work." YooChun muttered reluctantly.
"Good. Now let's move out of this airport." Changmin said, "I'm hungry."
Jae Joong laughed as he hailed a cab. Viva New York.
--
The apartment wasn't that special. It wasn't anything to be proud of most of all. It was a rundown one at the edge of New York's crime area.
"I can practically hear the gunshots in my bedroom." Eun Ha grumbled, "I don't like it here."
"Well, we'll have to deal with it for now." Sun Mi said reluctantly, setting down her luggage. "I get dibs on that room." She pointed to the one closest to the door.
"Sure. Whatev. That means JunSu is rooming with you." Hae Ri shrugged her shoulders. "I'll take the one next to it with Joong."
"Then Jae Na and I will take the one over there. Looks like there's cable outlets in that one for internet access." Changmin pointed to the third one.
"This one's kinda bigger; it'll make do for dancing and whatever crap we hafta practice. C'mon Eun Ha." YunHo dragged her into the fourth one.
"Guess that leaves this one for us." YooChun thumbed towards the last one. It was the smallest one of them all.
"Mehh, not like I'll be around here much anyways." Hye Rin said unpacking.
"Why are you so damn stubborn and cold?" YooChun asked out of the blue.
"Because it's the way I am. Okay? If you don't like it, then fine. But you'll have to deal until you can complain to Hee Jun, because I don't give a damn about what you think." Hye Rin said coldly. "I'm done unpacking. I'll be back." Hye Rin stalked out of the room.
"Fuck. Someone's on permanent PMS." YooChun muttered setting down his notebook. "Can't believe I have to work with her for who knows how long."
--
Meanwhile back in the middle of it all, the Prince had placed another call to someone.
"Just a word to say that...apparently they've arrived." Came the voice of the Prince through a speakerphone. A man on the other side drummed his fingers.
'Very well.' He thought, 'Let's see who makes the first move.'
"Hyung. I have some one here inquiring for a job." A new voice was heard. The man turned around.
"Well, let's grant them an interview, shall we, HeeChul?" The man said. His voice was cold and smooth. It was like polished metal.
"Yes, hyung." HeeChul replied and backed out. Desperately thinking to himself, 'Damn, the government's sent in more agents. This could either be a real help or a real danger. Ah well. Wonder who it is. She never showed me her face.' HeeChul thought as he went back to his office. There inside was a woman about nineteen years old.
"The boss said he's willing to give you an interview." HeeChul said.
"Thanks. By the way...my name's Riley. You look familiar...I think we have some things in common...don't we...HeeChul?" The woman asked smirking.
HeeChul's thoughtful face turned into a grin. "Long time no see. How've you been? Let's go out somewhere...for a more personal interview."
--
End Chapter One
--
Death Drive
By Audrey
Chapter One
The Way You Are
Death Drive
By Audrey
Chapter One
The Way You Are
--
It was 2:45pm in government headquarters. Jae Joong drummed his fingers on the table. The last member of the Filaments was not yet here. Gathered around a solid mahogany wood table, Jae Joong at one end and Hae Ri on the other, the government official was on the huge overhead screen, all agents, or rather currently nine were ready to start their mission. However, Jae Na was missing. Suddenly a gust of cold air blew in as the door flew open.
"Sorry, I'm late." Jae Na panted pausing to catch her breath.
"Mmm...You're not late...yet." Changmin said to the girl.
"Good, now that you're all here, we can get started." The government official said. "I am Hee Jun, a government official for the South Korean government. As you know, you ten have been summoned here for a top secret mission." He paused. JunSu squinted at the screen. There was something vaguely familiar about this official. It was as if JunSu had seen him somewhere. Brushing this thought aside, he continued to listen to what there was to say.
"First of all, before we continue, please, will the Elements introduce themselves?" Hee Jun asked and nodded towards Jae Joong. Jae Joong complied and stood up.
"Kim Jae Joong. I am also referred to as Hero or Ice. That's all I wish to divulge at the moment." Jae Joong said and sat back down in his comfortable leather chair. YunHo went next.
"Jung YunHo; Known as U-Know or Fire." He too sat back down on Jae Joong's right side. Next to YunHo was a tall, lean, wiry boy who stood up next. He had the most adorable smile, Jae Na observed.
"Shim Changmin. You can also call me as Max or Earth." Changmin said and then sat down.
"Kim JunSu. Xiah. Wind." The next one said.
"Park YooChun. Micky. Water." The last boy said. Hye Rin shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She never thought; not in her wildest dreams; that this would happen. She couldn't let him catch on. Tugging at the hem of her shirt, she pulled it down, covering her black metal studded belt.
"Very good. Now will the Filaments introduce themselves?" Hee Jun instructed. Hae Ri nodded and stood up. She was at the other end of the long desk.
"Sung Hae Ri; Call me Hana or Fate." Hae Ri said then turned to Hye Rin. "You next."
"Kim Hye Rin. Riley or Fantasy." She said eyeing YooChun uncomfortably. Her gaze shifted back to Hee Jun as she sat down.
"Err, I'll go, Yo Jae Na ay kay ay Lee Jae Na. Jenna. Reality." Jae Na tried to break the thick tension in the air.
"Su Eun Ha. Jeri or Time."
"Guess it's just me. Jin Sun Mi. Suna. Destiny." Sun Mi set down her nail file and spoke.
"Hey. If you go out with me, I can say that I have a date with destiny." YooChun joked towards Sun Mi.
"Mmhmm. But as far as I was aware, this was a mission and the number one rule of missions is..." Sun Mi replied.
"Never fall in love." Changmin finished for her whilst nodding.
"Enough, I still must explain the nature of this mission and time is dwindling." Hee Jun commanded, silence filled the room instantly, "The sole purpose of this mission is to send you ten off to New York. We believe that somewhere in the heart of the city, lies the headquarters of a mafia leader named Anh Chil Hyun. However, on the other side of the world, somewhere in Japan or Korea, exact location unknown, lies the headquarters of his business partner, Lee Jun Ki. Exactly what they are doing is unknown but around the time that these two men were reported and a little before that, it seems there has been a huge rate increase in human trafficking. But...what we don't know and need to investigate in is the claim that both Lee Jun Ki and Anh Chil Hyun are not human."
"Wait a minute, Jun Ki and Chil Hyun. I know Jun Ki since apparently his cover up is as a famous actor in the biz also, but Chil Hyun, that name doesn't sound familiar at all." Eun Ha shook her head.
"Perhaps you'd know him better if I told you his stage name." Hee Jun smirked and a picture appeared. Sun Mi gasped.
"No way. This is impossible." Sun Mi refused to believe it.
"Ah, but it is; An Chil Hyun is otherwise known as...KangTa; Former member of the group H.O.T. whom which I used to work with also." Hee Jun smiled sadly, "As I was saying however, it is been claimed that KangTa and Jun Ki are not human. However, we are unable to support this claim until further investigation. I want you first to go and investigate Chil Hyun in New York before returning to Korea and looking into Jun Ki. Because it is harder to traffick humans in America, it would hopefully be easier to find out about Chil Hyun's motives and what we need. Information we have gathered goes as follows, Chil Hyun is the owner of some very famous love hotels in New York."
"Ewww...those still exist?" Hye Rin asked twiddling her fingers.
"Unfortunately, yes. Chil Hyun also has some five star restaurants and exclusive nightclubs. What we would like to know is who is working within these nightclubs and restaurants and whether or not they are the missing people who we are looking for. As for Jun Ki, apparently he also does similar, such as owning some exclusive nightclubs throughout Japan and Korea and quite possibly Hong Kong and mainland China and Taiwan. It is unknown who exactly runs these clubs for Jun Ki while he is 'acting', but we have some suspects. In addition, Jun Ki has been suspected of running a prostitution ring since it is not exactly illegal in Asia. However, this prostitution ring not only employs females, but males as well." Hee Jun sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Ahh...so Jun Ki is gay? Just as I suspected. You owe me ten bucks, YunHo." JunSu grinned.
"No one said he was gay, idiot. It's just that he runs a prostitution ring for males and females; now, what about the suspects whom could be working for Chil Hyun and Jun Ki?" Hae Ri asked.
"In Japan, we are suspecting huge celebrities whom have gone quiet in recent years such as Gackt and some of the more private celebrities maybe like Hyde. In China, we have no pinpointed suspects but Alexander Wang LeeHom and Alec Su, perhaps even Energy as suspects. However, in Taiwan we have pinpointed one group that may or may not be involved in the case. Have you ever heard of F4? The recently broke up so it only leads us to suspect them more, however, they could have broken up for other reasons. Finally, in Korea, we are not sure but we currently have Super Junior working as double agents for us in the Korean and U.S. side of the investigation, so far, not much progress has been made. Then, there is Shinhwa. Apparently they claim to be working as double agents for us but we're not totally sure." Hee Jun sighed again. This time he groped around absentmindedly for some aspirin and water.
"Woo. That's many people involved and mainly most of them are celebrities. What are the odds?" YunHo let out a low whistle. "We have some of our work somewhat cut out for us. As long as KangTa doesn't know who exactly we are and whom exactly we're working for...we can pull it off."
"Hmm? What do you mean hyung?" Changmin asked.
"I mean, next week. KangTa and Vanness Wu from F4 have a party celebrating successful sales of their new single, 'Scandal' in New York. During this time, if we are careful, we can find out some important information. See, it's cut out for us." YunHo explained.
"True as it may be, you still must be careful." Hee Jun reminded them.
"Hai; anyways, is there an official time frame for this mission?" Eun Ha asked.
"One week."
"ONE WEEK? YOU EXPECT US TO FIND EVERYTHING IN ONE WEEK?" Eun Ha burst out as if Hee Jun were crazy.
"Not one week to complete the whole mission, but you have one week to set up everything. Word is, KangTa is getting a huge shipment from Jun Ki in one week at the port in New York, so at this time, I expect we will be able to find out WHAT exactly he is, and how this operation works. Other details can be worked out." Hee Jun explained. Eun Ha calmed down a bit.
"That sounds more reasonable. So this time we don't have to go through any name changes or anything?" Jae Na asked.
"No. These are mostly celebrities, even if you did change your name, they'd know who you are, so it's no use."
"True. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's catch the next flight to New York." YooChun said and stood up.
"Sayonara. Have a safe mission." Hee Jun said before disappearing.
"Ha. Yea right; you wish." Jae Joong muttered as he followed the rest of the group out.
--
Meanwhile in the depths of New York in an unknown location, a shadow moved across the floor.
"So they've started huh?"
"Hai, hyung."
"Good. Pretty soon they'll all fall in. Just give it some time."
An intercom cackled to life.
"The Moon is here to speak to you." The intercom buzzed.
"Very well, connect him."
A wide plasma screen turned on and two men could be seen talking to each other.
"It's been done."
"Very good." Fingers drummed on the table, "Now it's all a matter of time..."
Outside the building sirens were whirring.
"Hyung? We have a problem..."
The man shot up. 'Shit. This isn't how it was planned. Someone's been leaking information...but whom?' He raced through the hallways while praying desperately that the police were not going to stop at his place. No. It could not be like this. He watched intently as the red sirens raced through the street. Within seconds, they passed and no one stopped at his building.
'Safe...for now; I wonder if there has been a leak after all? No. They are all loyal; loyal to me and only me.' He thought grimly, 'But still, I can't hide this feeling that something will happen. It is just this sinking feeling from the pit of my stomach that I can't get rid of. Maybe I need a break. However, I cannot. It is too dangerous right now; and with the new shipment coming in next week...not right now.' He turned and entered a room with two huge double oak doors.
"Call the Prince and ask for data information regarding the shipment next week." He instructed the men at the desk.
"Yes sir." They immediately dialed the number to the Prince. Halfway across the world the phone rang.
"Please state your name and ID." An automated voice machine asked. Without bothering to say, anything a number was punched in. "Connecting to Line Four. Please hold."
The phone rang once then twice.
"Hello?" A face appeared on the plasma screen. Seeing the caller, he immediately sat up straighter, "Just a minute, sir. I will connect you to the Prince immediately. Hold on for a moment." Typing and beeping was heard as the Prince appeared on the screen.
"Ahh...long time no see...and I do mean literally." The Prince said smirking.
"Cut the antics. I need data on the next shipment."
"Aww, you're no fun, but oh well, I was going to send it to you anyways..." The Prince shuffled through a stack of papers on his desk, "The shipment should be coming in..."
--
Meanwhile in Seoul International Airport, the ten agents sat awaiting their flight to New York. The intercom slowly cackled to life. Heads turned. Listening to which flight number was being called.
Flight 019A to New York, now boarding. Flight 019A to New York, now boarding. Please proceed to Gate 29. Please proceed to Gate 29.
The ten agents sighed and picked up their carry-ons. Heading towards Gate 29, Hye Rin took one last look at Seoul.
'Well, this is it, time to go thru it all again.' She thought fingering the government badge in her pocket. 'Feel the rush, Hye Rin. Let it last while it can. Pretty soon, it'll be over and we'll have to part again.'
The flight was one consisting of only the ten agents. JunSu figured that Hee Jun probably booked it for them and reserved the whole plane. Though they were the only ones on it, they still had to consider the stewards and flight attendants, and of course, the captain and his crew. Rather than divulging public messages, through speaking, they decided to not talk about the case until reaching New York. Of course, they still found rather interesting ways to pass the time on the plane. Interesting such as...
"Let's play truth or dare." YooChun suggested, "I'm bored and it's an 18 hour flight."
"Fine. I'll play if Jae Joong plays." JunSu agreed.
"I'll play if YunHo & Changmin play." Jae Joong relented. YunHo and Changmin nodded.
"Join us, girls. It's no fun with just boys." YunHo prodded.
"Fine, we'll join." Hae Ri answered for them.
"I'll go first. Truth or Dare, Junnie?" YooChun asked turning to JunSu.
"Ah, I don't feel like going with one of your crazy dares on an airplane so truth." JunSu yawned and stretched lazily.
"Uhmm, but that's no fun! I already know everything there is to know about you." YooChun pouted.
"Then ask one of the girls. After all, we've just met them." JunSu suggested.
"Hmm. That's a good idea." YooChun turned and scanned the five girls. Hye Rin turned her head away, hoping he would not pick her; too late, "Hye Rin, truth or dare?"
"There's no room for dare on this airplane. Turn it into Twenty Questions or something." Hae Ri said.
"Yea. That's a good idea. I pick Hye Rin. Question one..." YooChun said happily, "Have we met somewhere before? You look familiar."
"We might've. I don't know. I've seen many people in my life." Hye Rin said trying to go around the question and not answering it entirely truthfully.
"Okay then. You ask me something." YooChun announced.
"Uhh...where were you born?" Hye Rin asked though she knew the answer already.
"Huh? What kind of question is that? Oh well. Born and raised in Seoul. Yessiree." YooChun said proudly. Just then, Changmin's Blackberry started beeping.
"Message from Hee Jun." Changmin announced looking at who sent the email. "Want me to read it aloud or summarize it?"
"Read it aloud." Jae Joong instructed. Changmin nodded and began reading from the Blackberry.
"For your convenience, I have decided to split you ten agents up into groups of two to infiltrate different sections of this case. Jae Joong and Hae Ri will be working together on infiltrating location. YooChun and Hye Rin will pose undercover and go looking for a job at either one of the bars or restaurants that KangTa owns. YunHo and Eun Ha, both exceptional dancers, will go looking for work at one of KangTa's nightclubs as dancers. JunSu and Sun Mi will try and tap directly into the core purpose of KangTa's ring. Finally, Changmin and Jae Na will be working from the outside, tapping into data files and bases for me, got that? So get to know each other, it is a long flight, signed Hee Jun." Changmin read aloud from his Blackberry.
"WHAT?! I HAVE TO WORK WITH HIM?!" Hye Rin asked, "It was one thing working with all of you but now I have to work in a two man team alone with him! It's not fair. I want to work by myself." Hye Rin muttered.
"Why won't you work with YooChun? It is a good opportunity to learn some new stuff. Besides, you might find something new." Hae Ri stated.
"Because, Hae Ri, that's the way I am. I do not like working with people. Not since..." Hye Rin trailed off.
'Find something new? What's she talking about?' YooChun wondered. Hye Rin sat at a window seat staring off into the endless sea of clouds mixed with the blue sky. Changmin and Jae Na had already struck up conversation on the quickest strategy to hack into KangTa's database.
"Hold it. Send a reply to Hee Jun, Changmin." Jae Joong instructed, "We don't even know where to start. What is KangTa's organization called? Where exactly in New York do we look? Manhattan? The city? Hudson? He's only given us a very blurry outline."
"That's true hyung. But in the files we received, it's said that we should look in New York City, along SoHo and that area. Moreover, KangTa's organization for now has already been given the undercover name of 'Benihime' because of the amount of bloodshed involved. It also mentions that major clubs that KangTa owns is also named things such as 'Bloodchild', 'Escape', and 'Blood Lust'. It all seems very vamparic to me." Changmin observed and told Jae Joong.
"Benihime, kinda weird. Guess they couldn't think of anything nicer." Hae Ri noticed, "Benihime."
"Yea. Whatever." Replied Jae Joong.
"What's Benihime mean anyways?" YunHo asked.
"Well, according to translations, it means 'Crimson Princess' in Japanese." Eun Ha explained, "While Hana, Hae Ri's undercover name, means 'flower.'
"Got it." YunHo grinned, "So what about your undercover name? I do not really get it. What does the name 'Jeri' have to do with 'Eun Ha'?" YunHo asked.
"Nothing. I just liked the name when I went to the States. Therefore, I decided to use it. Besides, it's cute and chic." EunHa grinned back, "Kinda like U-Know, you know what I mean?" YunHo nodded. He could tell that working with Eun Ha wouldn't be a problem right now.
It was pretty much an eventful plane ride, since Hye Rin didn't really talk much, so YooChun opted to join in on the talk between Hae Ri and Jae Joong.
"Ah, sorry for Hye Rin's attitude, it's just the way she is." Hae Ri apologized to YooChun, "She's always been sort of a loner. Actually, she talks the most to me but that's not saying much since she rarely talks to anyone in the first place." Hae Ri explained.
"The Way You Are. I could write a song for that." YooChun muttered thoughtfully as he started humming out a tune. Jae Joong laughed.
"That's YooChun. Ever the composer, even on missions." Jae Joong grinned as YooChun tapped thoughtfully onto his notebook with a pen.
"I got it! How does this sound hyung?" YooChun paused then looked at his notebook. "Cheo nun e bahn hah ki nim deul eo neol po gi jeon en mil eo seo ji..."
"Hnn. It's a great start, YooChun." Jae Joong complimented. This perked YooChun up some more as he continued scribbling in his notebook. Crossing out words, tapping his pen, pursing his lips. "YooChun is always excited about a new song. Too bad he doesn't have his piano to sound it out."
"I see what you mean." Hae Ri smiled eyeing the four lines of music already in YooChun's book.
"Should I make it in C sharp or maybe...B flat...I dunno. Damn, this is frustrating. I wish I had Emmeline here." YooChun muttered.
"Emmeline?" Hae Ri asked.
"His piano. That's his grand piano. His electric piano at home is named Rosaline." Jae Joong explained.
"Oooh; that sounds nice." Hae Ri replied.
"Yea...sure." Jae Joong muttered settling down into his seat. "We still have got at least another fifteen hours on this flight. I hope he finishes his song soon. No offense to YooChun, but it gets kind of annoying to hear him repeating and humming the same lines of music over in different keys."
Hae Ri shrugged and plugged in her mp3. "So long as we have that much time, I'll catch up on reading." She pulled out a book and proceeded to turn to the spot where she left off.
Meanwhile, on another row, JunSu was speaking with Sun Mi about their part in the mission.
"So how do you propose we directly get to the core?" JunSu asked.
"Seriously, I have no idea. It's the first time Hee Jun has given me such a big part." Sun Mi said. "Usually, I'm stuck with background work like escaping and stuff. Then again, I'm a girly girl. I don't like playing dirty if I don't have to." Sun Mi said whilst putting on a clear coat of nail polish.
"Yea. I can see that." JunSu muttered.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" Sun Mi asked absentmindedly.
"Huh? No. Anyways, I was thinking of..." JunSu explained his plan half-wondering if Sun Mi was actually listening.
Finally, this left Changmin and Jae Na. The brains of the group. No one really could decipher what they were doing but from the look of furrowed brows and intense concentration, it seemed to be important.
The next few hours passed by in a whirl. All too soon, they had landed in the JFK International Airport in New York City.
"Ayah; It feels good to move around after sitting for so long." JunSu commented as he stretched his arms. It was mid March in New York and the weather was still quite cool for the time being. There were still hints of snow on the ground now, but most of it had melted due to the hot sunshine at the moment.
"I didn't get to finish my song though." YooChun said sadly, as he put his notebook away.
"Give it a rest for awhile, Chun. You've been working on it for at least ten hours straight." Jae Joong yawned as he snatched a piece of his luggage from the carousel.
"Was anyone supposed to meet us here?" YunHo asked rubbing at his eyes sleepily. "Damn time change."
"Ugh. I hate jet lag. I dunno. Didn't get any messages saying so." Eun Ha muttered.
"No, hyung. We're just supposed to go to some apartment they leased out for us in the city." Changmin reminded YunHo, "Then we're supposed to start on our separate missions."
"What? No catch up sleep or something?" Sun Mi asked.
"Nah. Work first. Sleep later. Since its late afternoon already, after we settle into the apartment, we'll go check out the first club. Hye Rin and YooChun will keep an eye on that one. Bloodlust, I believe, isn't too far from the apartment when I last checked." Hae Ri said.
"Unh. Sure. Whatever." Hye Rin replied not really paying much attention.
"So what about the others?" Jae Na asked.
"YunHo and Eun Ha will go for Escape. According to Changmin's research, Bloodlust and Escape are the two MAJOR nightclubs that KangTa owns. Bloodchild is just a minor, member's only, exclusive one. I guess it's more of a celeb hangout." Hae Ri explained.
"Got it." Eun Ha noted, "So YunHo and I will go looking for work as dancers while YooChun and Hye Rin go looking for work."
"What kind of work?" Hye Rin demanded.
"I dunno."
"Well, Hye Rin, listen to me. I know you're not going to like it but...you have to use your body. Remember, your body is a tool in this mission. You may be forced to commit to acts that don't seem right to you but...please, just try your best." Hae Ri asked quietly.
"So in other words, I'm now a bloody fucking prostitute." Hye Rin muttered. Hae Ri nodded. "Great. Just fucking great. Does that mean YooChun's a manwhore?"
"WHAT? I am not a whore. Nor will I be one." YooChun protested.
"Chun. Remember what Hae Ri just said. Use your body." Jae Joong reminded him.
"Hnn. Yes, hyung. Use my body. Hye Rin and I will go check it out tonite and go looking for work." YooChun muttered reluctantly.
"Good. Now let's move out of this airport." Changmin said, "I'm hungry."
Jae Joong laughed as he hailed a cab. Viva New York.
--
The apartment wasn't that special. It wasn't anything to be proud of most of all. It was a rundown one at the edge of New York's crime area.
"I can practically hear the gunshots in my bedroom." Eun Ha grumbled, "I don't like it here."
"Well, we'll have to deal with it for now." Sun Mi said reluctantly, setting down her luggage. "I get dibs on that room." She pointed to the one closest to the door.
"Sure. Whatev. That means JunSu is rooming with you." Hae Ri shrugged her shoulders. "I'll take the one next to it with Joong."
"Then Jae Na and I will take the one over there. Looks like there's cable outlets in that one for internet access." Changmin pointed to the third one.
"This one's kinda bigger; it'll make do for dancing and whatever crap we hafta practice. C'mon Eun Ha." YunHo dragged her into the fourth one.
"Guess that leaves this one for us." YooChun thumbed towards the last one. It was the smallest one of them all.
"Mehh, not like I'll be around here much anyways." Hye Rin said unpacking.
"Why are you so damn stubborn and cold?" YooChun asked out of the blue.
"Because it's the way I am. Okay? If you don't like it, then fine. But you'll have to deal until you can complain to Hee Jun, because I don't give a damn about what you think." Hye Rin said coldly. "I'm done unpacking. I'll be back." Hye Rin stalked out of the room.
"Fuck. Someone's on permanent PMS." YooChun muttered setting down his notebook. "Can't believe I have to work with her for who knows how long."
--
Meanwhile back in the middle of it all, the Prince had placed another call to someone.
"Just a word to say that...apparently they've arrived." Came the voice of the Prince through a speakerphone. A man on the other side drummed his fingers.
'Very well.' He thought, 'Let's see who makes the first move.'
"Hyung. I have some one here inquiring for a job." A new voice was heard. The man turned around.
"Well, let's grant them an interview, shall we, HeeChul?" The man said. His voice was cold and smooth. It was like polished metal.
"Yes, hyung." HeeChul replied and backed out. Desperately thinking to himself, 'Damn, the government's sent in more agents. This could either be a real help or a real danger. Ah well. Wonder who it is. She never showed me her face.' HeeChul thought as he went back to his office. There inside was a woman about nineteen years old.
"The boss said he's willing to give you an interview." HeeChul said.
"Thanks. By the way...my name's Riley. You look familiar...I think we have some things in common...don't we...HeeChul?" The woman asked smirking.
HeeChul's thoughtful face turned into a grin. "Long time no see. How've you been? Let's go out somewhere...for a more personal interview."
--
End Chapter One
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