"You were a mercenary. In the Middle-East."
Shin Yuna wasn't sure if the words sounded more or less unbelievable coming from her lips as they did from Yu Ijin's, but the evidence was all there.
Her silver-haired crush, which she was beginning to realize she actually knew nothing about, shrugged carelessly.
"I had lost my memory, and I needed to survive. As far as I knew, I already was a mercenary, I just didn't remember."
"You were 9!"
Park Yeongchan near yelled from his seat, his disbelief momentarily overriding his fear. Ijin smiled without mirth.
"It's a war-torn place. Villages going to war 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for any number of reasons you can imagine: water, food, money, medicine, grudges. Or sometimes no reason at all. I've seen younger children than me who were already experienced killers."
Himself. The Numbers. 032 was 3 years younger than him, his sister's age, and had carved a bloody path through the Middle-East with the rest of them.
"I'm not proud of what I was. But it is what it is. And once I recovered my memory, I went back home. But some things stick with you."
"Like how to kill people."
Ju Hyeokjin looked like he hadn't meant to say that out loud, but instead of apologizing, he just glared back defiantly at anyone who stared at him.
Ijin was one of them, but his gaze was calm, and searching. Hyeokjin had seen some bad shit in his life. His brother was pulled into an underground fighting ring, and he had broken more than a few bones getting him out. But nothing like this.
"Yes."
That was all Ijin said. Because what else could he say? It wasn't like he needed to convince anyone. They had seen it first-hand.
After a long period of silence, someone sighed. Lee Jaehyung.
"Man... Kim Kisoo and Heejin have no clue how lucky they were, hum?"
Ijin refrained from saying that they did somewhat. He had already scared everyone enough today, no need to get them thinking of all the bad stuff he had done back in South Korea, which they considered safe.
"What do we do now, Ijin?"
His attention snapped back to Koh Sukjoo. Out of everyone here, he was the calmest.
"We wait. There's not much else we can do until the rescue forces arrive."
If they were even coming. Ijin had no doubt South Korea had dispatched someone, but unless they were the Numbers, even special forces would have trouble getting through an entire country's, however small, worth of soldiers.
"Ijin... Can I talk to you?"
He was pulled out of his musings by Yuna tugging on his wrist. With a nod to Sukjoo, he followed her to the partition, and then the bathroom, where they could have some semblance of privacy. Thankfully him and Sukjoo had already moved the bodies to the cargo hold earlier, or it would have been macabre.
Yuna closed the door behind her with a soft click, and both teenagers, one a heiress, the other a killer, stared at each other. Finally, Yuna spoke.
"There's more you aren't telling us."
"There is."
He replied honestly. No one but the Numbers knew the whole story of his life.
Yuna bit her lips.
"That's okay. You obviously have many secrets, and... After today I can see why you kept them. But there's something I need to know."
"Your father."
He had been expecting this. Ijin gently grabbed Yuna's elbows and turned them around. In any other time, Yuna would have been blushing redder than a ripe apple at the physical contact and being together in a cramped bathroom, but right now she just allowed herself to be guided down onto the closed toilet.
"Your father... It was a request."
Yuna stared up at him unblinking, so he carried on.
"I was with a mercenary band at the time. We received a commission to guard and escort a humanitarian group as they built schools, dug wells, and so on. It was standard work. Your father... He kept pestering me."
"Huh?"
Yuna startled, and Ijin grinned at the memory.
"He saw my face once, while I was eating, and how young I was, and then he wouldn't leave me alone. Forcing me to eat more, giving me chocolate, trying to talk to me, asking why I was there - my skin color and features were very distinctive in that area. I mostly ignored him, but he kept coming back."
"Hah. Typical. He couldn't come back to see his daughter, but had the time to play hero for someone he didn't even know."
Ijin figured Yuna didn't mean to sound as bitter as she did, nor to insult him. After waiting for her to calm down, he continued.
"After the commission was over, we left, and I thought I wouldn't see him again. Until a few weeks later, when we heard that the town they had built had been taken over by local militia, and his NGO taken prisoner."
"So you went to rescue him."
Ijin paused.
"I received a request, which I accepted. But when I got to him he was already too weak from the trials they put him through. I did manage to get him to help, but I heard later that he passed. And I already told you the message he left me."
Yuna had her head down now, her shoulders shaking. She was crying, Ijin realized. Hesitantly, he reached out with a hand and touched her head, and she collapsed onto him, clutching his bloody shirt and sobbing.
He stayed in the same position, gently caressing her hair and comforting her, for nearly 15 minutes. Only when Yuna pulled back on her own did he stop.
"Thank you."
"It was a request."
"Not that. For telling me."
"I know."
When the two of them returned to their seats, Sukjoo glanced at Yuna worriedly. Although, he relaxed when he saw that, despite her red eyes, she was smiling.
"The pilot woke up."
Sukjoo whispered in his ear, and Ijin nodded. Under the watchful gazes of Yuna, Yeongchan, Hyeokjin, Jaehyung, and the rest of his classmates and passengers, he made his way back to the front of the plane.
The co-pilot and sole surviving hijacker was still unconscious and uncomfortably tied up in the same closet where the stewardesses had previously been, but now one of the women was rubbing the back of the plane captain, and holding an ice pack to his cheek.
Both stirred when he got closer, and the captain looked up. He was an older man, nearing his fifties, and the cut lip and bruised cheek were not a great look on him.
"So you are the one who saved us?"
The first thing the pilot seemed to notice about Ijin was his age, because of course it was. But evidently the stewardess had already told him about the teen, because it only gave him a moment's pause before he got up and offered his hand.
"I'm Mah Hyagah. On behalf of all the crew and passengers, thank you."
Hyagah bowed, and Ijin let him. Normally he would have stopped the older man, but for them to get out of here, he needed everyone to obey him, and if him and the captain clashed, it would cause a rift between the passengers.
"I didn't save anyone, simply stopped a bad situation from becoming worse. We are still very much in dire waters."
"Aye, the army outside. This may be my first - and hopefully only - hijacking, but I've heard stories, and this is worse than any of them. Any idea what they want?"
"We know they demanded something from our government. What that is, I don't know. In fact, I don't even know where we are, but I was hoping you could clear that up, seeing as you had to pilot us here."
Hyagah nodded slowly.
"It's an island nation called Rajapura. It's out of normal travel routes 'cause the region is considered dangerous."
"You got that right."
The stewardess snorted, and Ijin glanced at her. It was the older one who had talked to him earlier. When she saw him staring at her, she put forth a hand.
"Seo Seol-Ha, chief stewardess. Sorry about my reaction earlier. You saved us, and I flinched away from you. You didn't deserve that."
Ijin waved her off.
"Don't worry about it, I'm used to it."
The captain and stewardess exchanged looks.
"...You are?"
Ijin sighed.
"I'm a mercenary. Retired."
More glances.
"Not that I don't I don't believe you, as I saw you drag 10 bodies into the cargo hold..."
Seol-Ha shuddered before visibly steeling herself.
"...but how does a school kid like you become a mercenary, and do it long enough to retire?"
There was honest curiosity in her voice, with a twinge of pity. Ijin gave her a dark smile (Hah! See, 005? He wasn't an emotionless robot!).
"By starting very young. Too young. Now, captain, I think I already know the answer, but what are the odds of you turning this plane around and getting us out of here?"
Hyagah shook his head.
"Suicidal at best. We do have enough fuel to get to another island, one where we would hopefully be welcomed, but that's a moot point, because we would never get off the ground. Even if they didn't riddle us full of bullets or shot us clean off the sky with those missiles I'm seeing, they parked their trucks in the runaway. We don't have enough space to take off."
"That's what I thought..."
Ijin's shoulders slumped. He may have been expecting it, but it was still disheartening to hear.
"And what about you, young man? Seol-Ha said you made an announcement about our country sending a rescue team? How much of that was true and how much was just to settle the nerves?"
"Half and half. Before they jammed comms, we managed to get a message out to some people back home, and later the terrorists made their demands, so the military undoubtedly knows where we are, and likely have people closer than those guys expect. But unless they sent a full-on army, they aren't getting past the one right outside the plane."
It was the crewmembers' turn to slump amd sigh. The captain pinched his forehead, hissing when he accidentally touched his wound.
"What do we do now? Can we even do anything other than wait?"
"You can't. Just act normally - well, normal as if they still have control over the plane. Make sure people don't get up unless it's to go to the bathroom, and if possible make them refrain from looking outside. We don't want to tip our hand."
"And what are you gonna be doing them?"
Ijin looked at Hyagah, sizing up the captain. Then he stepped to the side and opened the closet, dragging out the last hijacker.
"I'm going to take him to the cargo hold, and have an honest talk. If anything changes, call me."
...
The sight of Ijin bodily dragging the tied up and unconscious terrorist to the back of the plane, where the entrance to the cargo hold was, wasn't exactly calming to the passengers. It did cement in their minds that the silver-haired teen was to be obeyed, however.
"Thank you. And down you go."
One of the younger stewardesses shakily opened the hatch to the cargo hold, and Ijin pushed the hijacker down ot with his foot. Hopefully the man didn't break his neck.
Eh, not like it would have been a huge loss.
Climbing down the steps, Ijin found that, somewhat unfortunately, his prisoner was not just still alive, but waking up.
"#×@/S*&=!"
Landing on a pile of his dead comrades' bodies may have softened his fall, but it most definitely did not endear Ijin to him.
The hijacker trashed around, swearing up a storm through his gag, until Ijin kicked him in the ribs.
Grabbing the huffing man by the hair, Ijin dragged him off the bodies, and threw him roughly on the floor. Then he crouched next to the hijacker, grabbing his hand.
"Three things are going to happen. One: you are going to speak Korean. Two: you are going to answer all my questions truthfully. And three: I'm going to break a finger every time you disobey either of my first instructions. And just to make sure you understand..."
CRACK!
"Gwaf!"
Fingers were particularly full of nerve endings. They had to be, since they required delicate muscle control to perform any number of tasks, from holding chopsticks to writing and throwing a ball.
It also meant they were some of the most painful regions in the body to hurt. And breaking a finger? Especially in such a violent way as bending it backwards until it snapped?
That was painful.
"Now, do we have an understanding?"
The hijacker glared at him, and Ijin sighed. Soldiers. They were tough to break.
But they all broke in the end.
...
Nearly 90 minutes later, Ijin climbed out of the cargo hold, leaving behind ten bodies and a sobbing mess of a man.
In the hijacker's defense, he held out pretty well. Ijin had run out of fingers, and moved on to ribs. While not as painful as the digits, the fear of one of them perforating his lungs and dying choking on his own blood had finally got him to talk.
And what a talk it was. A coup, bold political maneuvers, blackmail, and, to top it all off, a mysterious woman who had seemingly gained General Tabik's ears in a mere few days.
Unfortunately, not much of it was helpful to getting Ijin and the rest out of this mess.
As he walked back to the front of the plane to meet the captain again, he considered what to do.
Waiting was an option, although not one he was fond of. The Rajapuran army outside would eventually check in on the hijackers, or the 24 hours would run out, and when that happened, finding out that Ijin had killed nearly all of them would only enrage them more.
Plus, with all the explosive ordinance they had outside, it wasn't like the enemy needed anyone inside the plane either. Just point one of the missiles at it, and they would serve the role of hostages just as well as if they still had guns aimed at their heads.
No, he needed to take the initiative. And to do that, he needed to get out of the plane. The question was, what to do once he was out there?
Killing all the enemies, no matter how tempting, wasn't really a feasible option. If he had the rest of the Numbers and the option to set an ambush and prepare the terrain, maybe. But alone and on unknown territory? Not really. Not to mention the 600 soldiers outside were part of Rajapura's regular army, not militia, so they would be well trained, and with plenty of back-up around.
He needed targets. Where to hit and who to kill that would cause the most chaos and opportunities for him to exploit.
"Captain. Do you know anything about this airfield's layout?"
Hyagah tilted his head at Ijin.
"Not particularly, but I can make some good guesses. A lot of structures will be in the same spot no matter what airport you are in the world. Why?"
Ijin glanced out one of the windows, then sat down and crossed his legs. He gestured with his head towards the spot in front of him.
"Let's have a talk."
....
An hour later, Ijin roughly had a plan. Not one anyone would like, but a plan nonetheless. So he called Mah Hyagah, Seo Seol-Ha, Koh Sukjoo, and Shin Yuna to the back of the plane for a private talk.
"Standing here like sitting ducks won't do us any good. We need some way of talking to our people back home, and whoever they sent to rescue us. Hopefully they will already be on the ground."
"How do you propose we do that? You said it yourself, phones are jammed, and the satellite phone would get picked up by them."
Seol-Ha grimaced, although it was more towards their whole situation than Ijin. The teenager, on the other hand, nodded.
"Hm. Which is why I'm going to disable their radar, and the jammer too if I can."
"How are you gonna do that?"
Hyagah asked, but it was Yuna who answered, sighing.
"He's going to go out. Aren't you, Ijin?"
The others stirred, and Ijin nodded again.
"It's the only way."
"I'm going with you."
That was Sukjoo, not Yuna. As afraid as she was, and as badly as she wanted to stay by Ijin's side, she knew she would only be a burden.
But Ijin shook his head in denial. He was going alone.
"No. You need to stay here and protect Yuna. You are her bodyguard, that's your job."
"It's yours too, Ijin! And working on getting us out of here is protecting her!"
"Koh Sukjoo."
The black-haired bodyguard, who had been sucking in a breath to continue persuading Ijin, started. It wasn't just the fact Ijin used his full name, but how cold his voice had suddenly become.
And his eyes. Sukjoo had seen a gaze like that before, when Yuna and Ijin's sister were kidnapped. And then when Ijin asked him to track that white-haired, foreign guy. But he had never had it directed at him.
"My codename in the Middle-East was Mercenary Jin. I spent 10 years in that god-forsaken stretch of soil. During that time, I have carried out all kinds of operations. Do you know what my specialty was?"
Sukjoo gulped, and shook his head mutely. Ijin's gaze swept over the others, who unwillingly flinched back.
"Infiltration. And elimination. In other words, getting into a place, and killing my target."
His gaze softened some as he looked back to Sukjoo, pointedly avoiding Yuna's eyes.
"I know... This is not the Yu Ijin you are used to... Or that you thought you knew. But in many ways, this is the real me. Because even if you count the time before I lost my memory, I would still be a fighter for longer than I was a civilian. This is what I know. So trust me."
There was silence for a long moment, Hyagah and Seol-Ha wisely choosing to stay out of the three teenagers' discussion.
Just as Yuna was about to speak again, she saw Ijin tense, a gun appearing like magic in his hands, which prompted Sukjoo to draw his own pistol.
"What's wrong?"
"Someone's moving in the cargo hold. Their steps are too heavy to be the prisoner."
The others could hear it now too, the hatch to the space below rattling slightly as someone tried to open it from the other side.
"Yuna, captain, ma'am, behind us."
Ijin whispered as he and Sukjoo aimed their guns at the hatch. The seconds felt like an eternity for the tense civilians.
Finally, the lock clicked open, and the hatch was lifted just a little. Enough for someone to peek through, if not for Sukjoo suddenly grabbing it and jerking it wide open, while Ijin's hand shot out and dragged the intruder by the collar of his military vest.
"Woah!"
The person yelped in surprise, but was quick to bat aside Ijin's pistol hand, which had been shoved in his face.
Not that that would have done him much good, considering who he was up against, but it bought enough time for two pairs of eyes to lock on each other and widen in surprise.
"Ijin!?"
"Major?"
There on the ground, and with a hand this close to shoving a knife in Ijin's ribs, was none other than South Korea Special Forces officer, Major Kang Hamchan.
The two stared at each other, blinking in surprise. Then Ijin let go of his vest, and Major Kang sat up straighter, gaze quickly sweeping past the other people present, before focusing on the silver-haired teen.
"What are you doing here, Major?"
"I came to rescue you."
"Alone?"
"Only way to sneak past all the hostiles outside and climb in through the wheel."
Ijin paused. Huh. That was how he had been planning on getting out.
"And the rest of your team?"
"Waiting half a click out of the airfield with our new allies."
Ijin blinked. Allies?
Major Kang must have seen the confusion in his face, because he dug into his pocket and pulled out an earpiece and a radio, which he threw to Ijin.
"Here. They said to give that to you."
Curiously, Ijin put the first device into his ear, then clicked a button on the radio.
Bzzt!
"Yu Ijin here. Who am I speaking to?"
Bzzt!
"001."
Ijin's eyes widened. He would recognize that voice anywhere.
Bzzt!
"002."
Major Kang, Sukjoo, Yuna, and the others stared at him as the short exchange went on. Other than the major, who also had received an earpiece, they could only hear Ijin's side of the conversation. What did the number 2 mean?
Bzzt!
"What are you doing here?"
Bzzt!
"Don't get a big head, 001! We ain't here for you!"
Ijin ignored 004's crassness with practiced ease.
Bzzt!
"Who is we?"
Bzzt!
"Everyone. Good to hear from you, 001. We knew a dozen half-baked terrorists couldn't keep you down."
Bzzt!
"006. And I'm guessing 032, 005, 008, 016, and 018 as well?"
Bzzt!
"Hey, 001!"
Bzzt!
"001."
Bzzt!
"Glad you are safe, 001."
Bzzt!
"..."
Bzzt!
"Here, 001."
The voices of his old comrades flooded through the radio, and Ijin gave an astonished smile. But he also didn't forget what 004 said.
Bzzt!
"What's the situation, 002?"
It took a few seconds for his former second-in-command to answer.
Bzzt!
"Tch! We are hunting 003. We have still to get eyes on, but we confirmed she helped General Tabik with his coup, and is currently in the palace with him. 006 and 018 are on stand-by for infiltration. 016 is on overwatch of the airfield. Myself, 004, 008, and 005 are in ambush positions and prepped for fast movement. 032 found the South Korean force and made contact with them. Their commander knew you."
Clear, concise, and without a shred of emotion other than the initial annoyance. This really was 002.
Ijin, meanwhile, was thinking hard of what he had been told. His mind had gone back to the clinical coldness he used when he was in the middle of an operation.
The Numbers were here for 003, which made sense. It would have been impossible for all of them to reunite and launch a rescue operation for him in such a short time, considering they were usually spread out all around the globe.
But 003... What was she doing now? He had never been able to understand her, or even look past her mask, when they worked together, but since finding out about her betrayal, her actions just made less and less sense.
A coup on some Southeast Asian island nation? What did she benefit from that? And did she target their plane on purpose because she knew he was in it?
Bzzt!
"What do we know of her intentions? Was I the target from the beginning?"
Bzzt!
"Not much, and negative. Hijacking the plane was all Tabik, you were just unlucky. As for what she wants... It's 003."
Bzzt!
"That bitch is crazy."
None of them could argue with that. Ijin scowled.
Bzzt!
"002. What's mission priority?"
Bzzt!
"What do you think?"
Right. The fact they had revealed themselves to Major Kang and even helped him get to the plane, as well as concentrating their forces around the airfield meant they had given up on 003.
Bzzt!
"Roger that. I will discuss with the major and get in contact. 016, keep providing overwatch. Warn me if anything changes. The others, hold your positions."
Taking command came naturally, like it had many times before. Not even all their disagreements and the history between Ijin and 002 could make the Numbers forget one thing: 001 is 001.
Bzzt!
"Received."
Bzzt!
"We will hold for now. But don't make a mess of this, or we will leave you behind, 001."
002's words didn't affect him at all.
Bzzt!
"I know. And 006, 018? Your priority is your safety, but if you have a shot at 003, take it."
He could almost hear their savage grins over the radio.
Bzzt!
"Got it."
Bzzt!
"You bet."
003 had already wasted all their chances with them. Ijin wouldn't put his family in danger for a traitor.
Bzzt!
"001 out."
Letting go of the radio, Ijin turned to the others. Hyagah, Seol-Ha, Sukjoo, and Yuna had only heard his side of the exchange, so they didn't have much of a clue of what was happening. Major Kang, on the other hand...
"Who are they, Ijin? One of them showed up out of nowhere, and we almost shot him. But he knew things about you, and about your time as..."
Major Kang trailed off, realizing the others might not know about Ijin's past. The pile of bodies in the cargo hold contradicted that, but he didn't want to make any assumptions and screw over Ijin.
"His time as a mercenary."
Yuna spoke up, however, and the major turned to her.
"Yeah. I guess he had to tell you, hum? Well, anyway, I am Major Kang Hamchan of the South Korean Special Forces. I'm also a friend of Ijin. And you must be Jiyeh's younger cousin, Shin Yuna. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yuna started, wondering how the man knew the other SW heiress, but brushed it off.
"Likewise, major. But you were saying..."
"Ah, right! Who are they, Ijin? The boy who came to us was even younger than you, but he moved as well as any soldier."
Ijin had to think on that. Telling them about the Numbers was out of the question. That was the kind of knowledge people died for. In the end, he settled on...
"They are family."
They stared at him, but the teenager didn't elaborate. Major Kang pinched his brows.
"Alright. At least they are for sure on our side. I still had some doubts, but thought the gamble was worth it. The situation inside the plane?"
"All hostiles accounted for and eliminated or subdued. The passengers have been collaborating, but we are still very much in danger. It is only a matter of time before someone from their side notices something. What are our resources?"
"Two full squads of spec ops, for a total of 28 men, including me. They are in hiding but ready to move on my command. And also your... Friends, however many of them there are. Finally, we have an aircraft carrier just outside Rajapura's waters. Worse comes to worst, we can have fighters overhead in 30 minutes."
Well, that certainly was better than just the handful of weapons and two able fighters they had before. Not ideal in any way, but better.
"Extraction plan?"
"To be decided. Our orders were to infiltrate and scout the situation, and not to act unless the hostages' lives were threatened. We didn't expect this many enemies, however."
Ijin nodded thoughtfully. Quantity became a quality on itself once it reached a big enough number.
"Can you contact the outside?"
"I have a closed circuit with my men, and a satellite phone with a secure line that should hopefully be undetected by their interception."
Another card in their hands. Suddenly things weren't looking so grim anymore.
"That's good. Sukjoo, think you can keep a hold on things here?"
"Yes. But what are you going to do?"
For an answer, Ijin checked his pistols and made sure his blades were fastened to his belt. Then he threw one of the assault rifles over his shoulder.
"Major Kang and I will be exiting the plane and rejoining our reinforcements outside. Once there, I will proceed with the initial plan of taking control of their communications. We will work out the rest on the way. You just need to keep everyone here playing the hostages."
Sukjoo and Yuna, and especially the captain and stewardess looked between Ijin and Major Kang. Now that they had an actual soldier here, they weren't sure who they should listen to.
But the major just nodded along to Ijin's orders like it was the sanest thing in the world. Ever since he first met Ijin back in the Middle-East, and then later was rescued again by him, he had already acknowledged the younger man was much more capable than him.
"Okay. And Ijin... Be careful."
The silver-haired teen nodded, then smiled gently at Yuna, who seemed to be sending the same message with her eyes. And just like that, he disappeared down the steps to the cargo hold.
"I'll keep an eye on him. But you should trust him. Ijin's a cautious kid. He won't do anything he isn't certain of."
Major Kang said before following Ijin down, and closing the hatch behind him, leaving four people to stare blankly at the spot they had been.
"Thank you, major."
...
Bzzt!
"016, we are coming out. Guide us."
Bzzt!
"Roger that, 001. Hold for now. There's a patrol passing by."
Standing over the left rear wheel of the airplane, Ijin could see the asphalt below. While they waited for 016's signal, he felt Major Kang's hand on his shoulder.
"It must be hard having to be back in this position after all you did to leave this life behind, Ijin."
The Number shook his head.
"Not nearly as much as it should."
"Hm. I'm sure everything will turn out okay."
At that, Ijin had to turn his head and raise an eyebrow to the major, who grinned sheepishly. Really, that wasn't the kind of thing a soldier said.
"Sorry, just trying to light up the mood."
Bzzt!
"10 seconds. Drop and go left. Take cover behind the first truck."
Both men tensed in preparation.
"Those friends of yours. How reliable are they?"
Bzzt!
"5 seconds."
"Equal to me, or better. We were trained the same."
Bzzt!
"3... 2... 1... Now!"
Ijin went first, bending his knees to absorb the fall and land as silently as possible. He then immediately followed 016's directions, running while crouched through 20 meters of open ground and ducking behind the military truck. Major Kang was right behind him.
Bzzt!
"Your objective is the building 150 meters in front of you. The path is mostly clear, but there are roving patrols, and the missile carrier is a blind spot."
Neither men acknowledged the transmission out loud, but both had heard it. Lifting the rifle in front of him, Ijin carefully inched towards the back end of the truck, then laid down to peek under it.
There were a lot of soldiers. Dressed in black, with bulletproof vests, and all armed with automatic weapons, pistols, blades, and even explosives. It was a proper army, and a well-funded one.
Somewhat complacent too. They rightfully believed that their presence and numbers would stop any of the hostages in the plane from trying something, so most of their attention was directed away from it, in case of an attempted rescue by someone.
Being on the lookout for a large force, however, caused them to miss the details. Such as Major Kang sneaking in alone, or two shadowy figures sneaking out.
Bzzt!
"Move."
Bzzt!
"Halt."
Bzzt!
"Move."
Bzzt!
"Hold."
Bzzt!
"Wait... Move."
It took the two men nearly 10 minutes to traverse the 150 meters to the building, but 016's precise instructions ensured that no Rajapuran soldier saw hide nor hair of them.
Bzzt!
"You are on your own now, 001, but as long as you stick to the buildings and be careful, you should be home free."
Bzzt!
"Understood. Keep overwatch."
Another radio click was all the answer 016 gave.
Ijin let Major Kang take the lead now, and the man led him around a couple of the airport buildings, before finally ending up in a stretch of open ground with tall grass and a fence. A fence which already had a hole in it from when the major came in.
From there, it was a matter of 20 minutes for them to trek the 500 meters until where the South Korean team was waiting. A signal from Major Kang to make sure they didn't get shot, and Ijin watched 27 heads rise from the grass and behind trees.
"Welcome back, major. You were successful."
One of the soldiers, a captain, raised a hand in greeting, his gaze focused on Ijin. The high-schooler, on the other hand, had given the soldiers a once-over, and was now looking up and away from them.
"032."
"Heya, 001. Good to see ya again."
A short figure dropped down from a tree, his distinctive white hair covered by a dark hood. His whole outfit was black, unlike the greens of the soldiers' camo.
032 lightly punched Ijin's arm, and the older teen patted his shoulder. Then 032 was handing him actual tactical gear, which Ijin eagerly used to replace the haphazard holsters he had taken from the hijackers.
TA-TWACK!
He racked the slide of the rifle with far too much experience, putting all the soldiers on edge. If only some of them had been ones Ijin knew, but those were two entirely different squads.
"You can come out."
The South Koreans frowned, wondering who Ijin was talking to, before hearing the ruffling of vegetation and snapping into formation.
Around them, 4 figures came out, weapons slung across their chests, and their hands up in a sign of peace. Like 032, and now Ijin, they were all clad in black military clothes, with caps, hoods, and bandanas or masks obscuring or straight up hiding their faces.
Ijin stared straight at 002. It hadn't been that long since they saw each other last, but like always, it was a toss up on whether they would help or kill each other.
002 seemed to decide on the former today. He lowered his arms and approached Ijin, his expression inscrutable.
"How many terrorists were there inside the plane?"
"Eleven. 4 in the back, 2 in the middle, another 4 in front, and the co-pilot."
"You've gotten better."
Ijin shrugged. Then he turned to the other Numbers.
"004. 005. 008."
The first glared belligerently at Ijin, while spinning a knife he had gotten from god-knows-where, while the only female of the group nodded coldly. The giant of a man that was 008 patted Ijin's shoulder with enough force to throw a lesser man to the ground.
"So you are the ones on the radio? I am Major Kang Hamchan."
Ijin could see the Numbers put Major Kang on edge. Good. It was a sign his instincts were working. Anyone who didn't feel pressured by the Numbers was either a civilian or stupid.
The South Korean soldiers seemed to be a mix of both. Although, some of it could probably be attributed to being in the middle of enemy territory.
"Yeah? What is it to you?"
Of course, 004 wouldn't be 004 if he didn't taunt them, causing some of the soldiers' hackles to rise. That only got the more psychopathic member of the Numbers to bare his teeth under his bandana.
"Wanna have a go, huh? Korean spec ops... You guys won't do much for me, but maybe I can get warmed up for the army out there."
"004."
Until 002 shut him up with just a word. His quelling gaze also worked on the South Korean soldiers. He may not be in their chain of command, but they recognized a leader when they saw one.
And said leader, after a searching moment, lowered his head ever-so-slightly, but in a decidedly deferential manner to Ijin.
The former assassin accepted the subtle handing over of leadership. His hand went to his radio.
Bzzt!
"006, 018, report."
Bzzt!
"We are still holding. There's a fuckton of soldiers around and inside the palace. And 003's people. If we want to get to her, it's gonna be bloody."
"Hm."
Ijin muttered thoughtfully. 002 had already signaled he would follow Ijin's lead, so 003 wasn't a priority anymore-- But damn it to all hell if he didn't want to get her.
And maybe, he could. While also finding a way to get out of the country. Kill not just two, but three or four birds with one stone.
He turned to Major Kang.
"Major, may I assume command of this operation?"
It wasn't really a request. While the Numbers were rational enough to work together with the South Korean soldiers, and even go along with their orders if they were the right ones, there would always be some hesitation, which could prove fatal.
What they needed was a unified chain of commands. And if Ijin was on top of the Numbers', that obviously meant he had to be at the top, period.
Major Kang didn't know all that. But he remembered Ijin saying the Numbers were all equal or better than him.
Once again, he decided to trust his young friend.
"On your word, Ijin."
The silver-haired teen nodded. And while he could see some disgruntled looks from the South Korean soldiers when Major Kang stepped aside, the chilling gaze he gave them as he tied a bandana around the lower half of his face, and put on a black cap, reminded them that, teenager or not, the person in front of them had already killed 10 Rajapuran soldiers today.
"My codename is 001. Starting now, we will initiate the rescue operation for the 224 civilians being held hostage in the airplane. Our general directives will be to clear the runway and secure a safe path for take off. To achieve so, we will split into two teams."
Ijin gestured to his sides.
"Major Kang will lead the Korean team to take over the control tower of the airfield. 008 and 032 will accompany you, while 016 will be providing sniper cover. 008, 032, you will defer to Major Kang. Your main objective is to deactivate the cellphone jammer, radars, and anything that might be used against us once we are in the air. Can you do it, 032?"
The look of disdain the younger teen directed at him was answer enough.
"Major Kang, you are to try to keep it quiet for as long as you possibly can. The later they find out we are here, the better our preparations and the higher our chances. Copy?"
"Yes, sir."
Major Kang snapped a salute.
"When you do get exposed, your primary objective you shift to buying time, while your secondary target is the destruction of the anti-aircraft missiles in the field."
Bzzt!
"008, 016, your priorities are inverted. While Major Kang is distracting them, you scrap the AA."
"Got it."
Bzzt!
"Roger that."
"002, 004, 005, you are with me. We will regroup with 006 and 018 and infiltrate the palace. Primary target is General Tabik Srendra, alive and mostly unharmed, to be used as a deterrent in our extraction. Secondary target is 003. Immediate termination."
The Numbers nodded, happy with their role, even 004. There was no time to build trust and teamwork between the two groups, and this way the Numbers could mostly do what they were trained to do, without having to worry about babysitting the spec ops soldiers.
"Major, I recommend you let 032 take the lead in infiltration. Silent takedowns are one of his specialties."
Major Kang eyed the diminute teenager skeptically, but nodded.
"Good luck, Ijin- No, 001."
The silver-haired killer grimaced under his bandana, but his eyes only displayed cool confidence.
"Same to you."
Ijin raised a fist, then pointed two fingers.
"Move out."
...
The palace was a full 3 kilometers away from the airfield. Still entirely too close in Ijin's expert opinion, but then again, this was his first time in Rajapura, so who knows what their circumstances were like.
What that meant, however, was that while the four Numbers were still making their way to their objective, Major Kang's group had already reached the airfield fence again.
The soldiers crossed it two at a time, sprinting the short distance to the closest building, which just so happened to be the main terminal, and where their target, the control tower, was located.
Determined by 032, their entry point was a window that led into a storage room. It was locked, but the hacker disabled the alarms and picked the latch in all of 40 seconds.
He was the first through, getting an impulse from 008. Softly crouching once inside, he quickly swept the room.
"Clear."
In short order, a full 28 soldiers and 2 Numbers were crammed in the storage room. Tactically inadvisable, but better than out in the open.
"I need an internet port. We find that, and I can tap into their security system. We will see what they see."
032 said, while hoisting his rifle over his back and pulling put a wickedly sharp knife. Before Major Kang could ask what he was doing, the young man pressed his ear to the door and closed his eyes.
Knowing he was listening in for enemies, the soldiers held their breath, least they interrupted him. A short while later, 032 opened his eyes again.
"Clear. If this is like any other military airport that I've been to, either of the rooms to our left or right should have what I need."
What could he say, soldiers needed their internet. Gambling and porn were pretty much the only two things that interested them while off duty, and while dice and cards may provide the former, there were only so many times you could jack off to the same magazine before it got creepy.
Without missing a beat, 032 opened the door and stepped out. 008, despite his huge frame, was right behind him, and both moved so quietly Major Kang wouldn't have known they were there if he wasn't seeing them with his own eyes.
Not 5 meters down the corridor they walked out into, there was another door, this one with a small plaque on it. 032 couldn't read what it said, but it looked promising.
Pressing his ear to the door, he listened. His sensitive hearing picked breathing inside, and he raised a closed fist to 008, before putting up one finger and wiggling it.
At least one hostile inside, possibly more.
His fellow Number nodded, and lightly grasped the door handle. At a nod from 032, he pulled down and threw the door open.
What happened next was a blur from Major Kang's point of view. Most of his line of sight was obstructed by 008, so all the saw was 032 diving in, followed by a muffled yelp and the distinctive sound of a blade piercing flesh.
Then 008 was inside, and he followed right behind with a dozen of his men, while the others stayed in the storage room. Two angles of attack were better than one.
What greeted him was a small office, where an officer - a lieutenant, by the stripes on his pauldron - was choking on his own blood.
032, sheathing his knife, nonchalantly pushed the dying man aside and sat on his chair. While 008 confirmed the kill - via stepping on the lieutenants face until he stopped moving - 032 pulled out a computer from his pack and got to work.
Major Kang stared at the teen and suppressed a shudder. Seeing Ijin slaughter his opponents back in the Middle-East had been chilling, but watching someone even younger kill so off-handedly was just disturbing.
"Are all of you this terrifying?"
032 snorted, and 008 chuckled deeply behind his mask, the burnt flesh on the left side of his face making it look like just half of it was moving.
"Not at all. Compared to the others, we are downright tame. Except 018. He's just apathetic. Now, shush. I'm almost in."
For the next minutes, the only sound in the office was 032 typing away. Until, finally, the Number whispered triumphantly.
"Got it! I'm in the system... Huh."
"How many?"
008's rumbling voice was surprisingly contained as he leaned over 032's shoulders.
"Counting, hold on... Okay, listen up! We got 52 tangos inside the building. We can just make our way to the tower, but the bodies will get found eventually. So, here is what I propose: kill them all."
Major Kang shouldn't have been surprised. He really shouldn't.
"We are supposed to keep this quiet."
"It will be quiet if there's no one else left to raise the alarm."
The major and the soldiers in the office stared at 032 in disbelief. Then they looked at 008, who shrugged.
Dragging his hand through his face, Major Kang sighed.
"Ijin owes me a lot of explanations when we are home. But we have to get there first... I'm assuming you will guide us through this?"
"Yup! Just let me tap into your comms, and I'll be your very own Skynet."
Major Kang sighed again, feeling like he was going to regret this.
"Let's hope it ends better than the movies did."