The Hostages

The room was deathly quiet, save for their shaky breathing. The picture of Taeyeon lay on the desk, the ugly message taunting them.

“Do you think she's…” Victoria couldn't finish, covering her mouth with her hand. Suho took a deep breath. “Well, the message says is, not was. That must mean she's still alive.”

“Or at least she was when this picture was taken,” Taeyong mumbled. “Who's to say how long they waited to send it? She could've died days ago!”

“Calm down, Taeyong,” Onew whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Doing something like this means the kidnapper is getting impatient. He wouldn't wait to send proof of that.”

Victoria nodded. “Onew’s right,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “What do we do now?”

“We have to tell the others,” Irene said, speaking for the first time.

“We can't show them this!” Taeyong exclaimed. “They'll freak out!”

“Tiffany and the others deserve to know what's happened to her!” Irene said stubbornly. “We can't keep this to ourselves!”

“She's right,” Suho said decidedly.

“What?” the others exclaimed.

“We can't keep this to ourselves,” Suho continued, “but it's not our decision to tell the others. We have to reseal the envelope and get it to the CEO. Then we can see what he does with it.”

“And if he doesn't tell them?” Irene demanded.

“What good will it do to worry them?” Victoria interjected. “We're barely keeping the peace as it is. It won't help Taeyeon or us to make things worse.”

They all considered this for a moment. “I don't like it,” Onew said finally, “but I agree. We won't tell them.”

“But we still know about it. What do we do?” Taeyong asked.

“There's not much we can do stuck up here,” Victoria mused.

“Then it's obvious," Irene murmured. "We have to get off this floor."

Taeyong snorted. “There's no way any of us are getting out of here. There's too much security.”

“She may have a point,” Suho said, his mind churning. “Tomorrow's the press conference, right? The CEO will address the reporters and release an official update. Maybe we can take advantage of the distraction.”

Onew shook his head. “Even if we could get off this floor, we'd be missed almost instantly.”

“Only one of us needs to go,” Irene pressed.

“But who? Which of us wouldn't be missed?” Onew countered. “It's too risky.”

“Why do we even need to leave?” Victoria asked. “What would we hope to gain?”

“Someone has to go down to the CEO’s office and poke around!” Irene said, a hint of excitement in her voice. “We’re bound to find something in there!”

“Oh sure, because it’s so easy to just waltz into a CEO’s office and go through his stuff,” Taeyong said sarcastically.

“Most of his staff will be in the conference room for the update,” Irene retorted. “Someone can slip down through the stairwell, have a look around and be back before it’s over.”

“That still doesn’t clear up who would go,” Onew reminded her. “It would have to be someone trustworthy and mature enough to not freak out.”

“Someone old enough to understand the consequences,” Taeyong mused.

“Someone capable of sneaking around without getting caught,” Victoria added.

“And someone who won’t tell the others,” Irene said emphatically.

Suho looked up. “I think I know who to ask,” he whispered.


******


Chanyeol hugged his knees closer to his chest. This cell was much smaller than the other one, but the ceiling was incredibly high, soaring up dozens of feet. He’d tried to see where it ended, but staring at it too long made him dizzy.

Someone threw a bucket of water on him and he jumped, shivering as the icy rivulets streamed down his back. “What was that for?!” he yelled, swiping his dripping hair out of his eyes. There was no response, only receding footsteps. Chanyeol shivered again as the water ran toward an invisible drain in the middle of the floor. Maybe it’s their way of giving me a bath, he thought, pulling his wet jacket tighter around his body. It seemed quiet at first, but Chanyeol discovered he could hear faint noises coming from somewhere high above him. He looked up at the impossible ceiling again. That must be where they are, he realized. Up there, way above us.

Another deluge soaked him, this one colder than the first. Chanyeol gasped, his teeth chattering as the water ran for the drain again. He felt pieces of something in his shirt and he shook it out awkwardly. Ice cubes? Chanyeol wondered disbelievingly, watching the fragments collect on the floor. That’s just insulting.

He blew on his fingers as he looked up at the noises again. I wonder what they’re doing up there. He stood up stiffly, shuddering as droplets ran down his skin, and craned his neck, listening intently. It sounds like they’re underground too. How deep is this mountain?

There was another drenching, most of it hitting him square in the face. The freezing water burned his eyes and skin, making him cry out. “Why are you doing this?!” he yelled, rubbing his stinging face. “Just tell me why!”


******


“This is totally insane,” Xiumin whispered. “But awesome.”

Suho rolled his eyes. “Focus, Xiu,” he whispered back. “Do you remember the plan?”

“Once the CEO is in the conference room, you and Onew will distract the guards while Irene helps me get to the stairwell. I’ll go up to the top floor and break into the CEO’s office, where I’ll have no more than five minutes to look around before I have to come back.”

Suho nodded. “We’ll be in the conference, so once Irene gets you going-”

“I’m on my own,” Xiumin finished. “I’ve got it, I’ve got it.”

They peeked around the corner again. Dozens of idols were already congregating in the hallway outside the conference room where the reporters awaited the CEO. Onew stood on the edge of the group, arms folded casually as he chatted with Luna. Suho caught sight of Irene already in position near the door. “Okay, let’s join the others,” he said, stepping around the corner smoothly. They approached the group, staying on the fringes as they circled closer to Irene. “If everyone remembers seeing you now, they’ll assume you were here the whole time,” Suho whispered, adjusting his hat. Xiumin nodded, giving a wave of acknowledgement to Sehun and Taeyong. Sehun started coming over, but Taeyong grabbed his arm and began talking to him quickly. The elevator dinged and the CEO stepped out, surrounded by his staff. They all began filing into the room behind him and Suho clapped Xiumin on the back. “Good luck,” he whispered, joining the throng.

Xiumin slipped away and down the hall to Irene. “Hurry,” she whispered, leading him to the door. She pushed on the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. “It’s locked!” Xiumin groaned. Irene put a finger to her lips and pulled a bobby pin out of her hair. “I’ve got this,” she whispered, sliding the pin into the lock. After several seconds of jimmying she gave it a firm twist and the door popped open.

“How did you-”

“Just go!” she hissed, shoving him into the stairwell. Xiumin pulled his hood up and began his long trek up the stairs. He worked out all the time, but by the time he made it to the top floor his calves were burning horribly. He wiped his forehead and cracked open the stairwell door. The hallway was deserted, so he slid out, careful to keep the door from slamming behind him. So far so good, he thought, creeping down the hallway.

The CEO’s office was at the opposite end of the hall, past the elevators and several other offices. Xiumin walked quickly, trying to remain casual in case anyone saw him. His stomach was in knots as he approached the office. I can't tell if anyone's in there, he realized. What if I get caught?

After a moment of indecision he had an idea. He opened the door softly, then dropped to his hands and knees and crawled into the room. He hid behind a chair for several seconds, listening intently. When no one spoke, he carefully peeked around the chair. Empty, he thought, sighing with relief. He got up and closed the door before taking a look around.

It was a beautiful office, with gleaming wood inlays and large windows overlooking the city. A stately desk sat near the windows, complete with a nameplate and an expensive chair. Xiumin went over to it immediately. I wish I knew what I was looking for, he thought, sifting through the pile of folders and papers on the desk. It was all disappointingly normal, so he started going through the drawers. When that failed to turn up results he went to the filing cabinets. Maybe Suho was wrong, he thought, picking through files. Maybe the CEO isn't hiding anything.

The door handle clicked and Xiumin dove behind the desk. Are they back already?! he thought, alarmed. Footsteps approached the desk and he held his breath. Someone shuffled the papers around for a minute, then took a folder before leaving the room again. The door closed and Xiumin exhaled loudly. That was too close, he thought, climbing out from behind the desk. He was going to go back to the cabinet when something on the desk caught his eye. They shifted his computer pad, he realized. Something was sticking out from under the pad and Xiumin pulled it out carefully. It was a plain file with several sheets of paper inside. Xiumin opened it carefully and scanned the first page. This looks like an employee file, he thought. But why is it hidden under the others?

He checked his watch. The conference will be over soon. I've gotta hurry. He pulled his phone out and snapped pictures of the sheets before sliding the file back into its hiding place. After making sure everything was the way he found it, he crept out of the office and back toward the stairwell.


******


Suho checked his watch again. Xiumin should be back by now, he thought worriedly. The door opened and Suho perked up, only to be disappointed as an aide entered the room. Where is he?

The door opened again and Xiumin slid into the room as unobtrusively as possible. Suho's heart leapt into his throat as he tried to make eye contact with him. Xiumin saw him and gave him a single nod. It took all of Suho's skill to keep his composure. He found something! He actually found something!

Notes