MILKY WAY TIME: 4 YEARS AND 8 MONTHS SINCE NAMJOON AND SEHUN WENT MISSING

SEHUN'S TIME: 46 HOURS SINCE HE WENT MISSING

Fuck.

Sehun is a shuddering mess of emotions right now. His adrenaline is spiking. He finally did it. He finally kissed Namjoon. There's a certain wow factor to the very idea of kissing Namjoon. For the longest time, Sehun saw it as a forbidden act. Something that couldn't happen. Why? Why didn't he kiss Namjoon before? Oh yeah. Fear of losing a wonderful friendship despite them being very obviously 1) gay and 2) gay for each other.

Truthfully, Sehun wasn't ready for a relationship until now. Even as an adult, he didn't feel ready. He's had small relationships before, sure, but that didn't mean he was ready. He doesn't have a lot of confidence with his abilities, but he has confidence with his appearance. Over the years he scored many guys, losing his virginity at only sixteen, and his last relationship being when he was a fresh nineteen. The feelings he has for Namjoon never truly went away even during his most recent relationship. Namjoon was always in the back of his mind. His best friend who slowly but surely became more than a friend.

This mission requires them to be focused, but guess what? Sehun's not focused. He's more focused on the strong grip Namjoon has on his hand. Good news: Sehun is controlling his blush. Bad news: no he's not, that was a lie. How is he supposed to focus when-

"Hey Kook?" Jihyun asks, coming up to the front.

Namjoon, Sehun, and Jungkook are leading the way. The other three, Rosalind, Akira, and Jihyun, are in the back. Well, Jihyun was in the back. Now he's walking alongside Executive Jeon Jungkook. Sehun's father.

"What's up Ji Ji?" Jungkook asks with a sly smile.

"Never mind I'm not talking to you-"

"Alright, come here. What can I do for you, Mr. Park?" Jungkook pauses. "Oh wait, that's weird. There's two Park's here and they both look the same age."

"I'm like ten years older than him," Jihyun says, but Jungkook shrugs it off. "I meant to ask how the ship is. She doing okay now?"

"Ah, better than you'd think. The Tokyo is flying smoothly all day every day thanks to Kim Seokjin and grandpa." Jihyun's eyes ask the question they're all thinking. "Yoongi's been doing a lot of repair work recently thanks to his 'amazing' attachment to Jin. They bicker with each other more than they bicker with their own wives at this point. It's starting to get concer-"

'Fweee!'

They jump, Jungkook standing in front of them with his arm out so they don't pass his body. Sehun heaves, staring up at the glowing pyramids. They're glowing brighter now, cloaking them in a sheet of gold. But that's not the only color on Sehun's face. No, a shade of scarlet dances across his skin.

But it's not from the sky.

"Dad?" Sehun asks.

His father turns his head away, Namjoon staring where Sehun is. "I thought I saw something red pass by when you jumped in the water. Your enhancements are back, aren't they?" Namjoon asks.

"They teach you that in school?"

"How could they not? Dad, you almost died," Sehun says, stepping closer. "How the hell are they back? I thought Anya and Sapphire removed them ages ago."

Jungkook eases his shoulders when the pyramids go back to their normal glow. For a moment, Sehun thought they were going to have to fight a literal structure. Thank God they don't. "Stevie's theory is we may be in a parallel world of a sort, and that's how they're coming back. Like I'm in another version of myself or something. I don't know how it works."

"Or maybe it was always there," Sehun whispers. Jungkook tilts his head and raises a brow. "In school they said during the raid of the Martian camp, your eyes were red. How is that possible? Your adrenaline was high, but not as high as it is now. Is it possible that because you were looking for me, your adrenaline spiked so high they came back?"

"It does seem unlikely that the first try at removing enhancements was done flawlessly. So you're saying the solution Anya and Sapphire gave me was temporary, like making it go dormant until I hit a situation where my adrenaline spiked so much they came back?" Sehun nods. "Not a bad idea. We should get out of here soon though, I don't like having these things in me. Makes me think I have a clock again."

"Are you in pain?" Akira asks from the back.

"No, not yet. All I feel is adrenaline. If I start feeling dizzy or lighthearted, take over command immediately. Rosalind, be ready to help Stevie with treating me if it comes to that."

"Right away, sir."

Stevie hangs out above them, scanning over the land, but it's Jihyun who speaks next. "I miss him," Jihyun says, a silence hushing over them. "I miss everything about him, and knowing I wasn't there to help raise his son just..."

When no one speaks, Namjoon does. "Hey, there's still time left, yeah? I'm only eighteen, average lifespan says I have like 150 years til' I die. It's not your fault- wait." They all raise a brow at him. "Holy shit, the self-blame really does run in the family, doesn't it?"

"Ah, I have it too? Must've been hanging out with Commander Park too much, I don't think I ever had it before."

"I didn't either, then my father, who isn't even present, told me not to blame myself," Namjoon replies. Stevie dips his body in agreement. "A lot of times we don't recognize ourselves until someone points it out. But that's not the point. The point is, we still have so much time, Uncle Ji Ji."

"Moment ruined." Even Rosalind laughs at that, the crew chuckling together while pretending that the glowing pyramids are normal. Speaking of Rosalind, the girl freezes, everyone turning to stare at her. "Hey, what's going on?" Jihyun asks, going over to her and inspecting her wound. "Did it reopen? Is it hurting? Infected? Oh God, please not an infection. Did you see something-"

Rosalind places a finger over his lips, shutting him up. Sehun, despite the situation, almost laughs again. Park boys and their ramblings. They really are a family, aren't they?

"Look. I see writing on the side of that pyramid. Not runes - writing."

They follow her finger, Stevie zipping over to the pyramid about thirty feet away. The group is quick to follow, stomping over and splashing on some liquid Sehun prays is water. They approach, Stevie scanning the writing carved on the side of the pyramid. Finally, their first clue. The relief settling in Sehun's core is enough to heal all the pain he's felt the entire time they've been here.

Stevie shuts off the scanner, staying silent for a few beats. Jungkook clears his throat, stepping closer and observing the language. "I've seen a lot of languages as an XO and Intelligence Officer, but none like this. Is it in your databanks, Stevie?" he asks, peeking up at the droid. He remains quiet. "Stevie? I asked you a question."

"It's Tamil," he replies, tilting the cyan lights of his face towards Jungkook. "Commonly known as the oldest language on Earth."

"What...?"

"How the hell is an ancient language on an alien world? Does anyone want to explain that to me?" Akira asks, pointing to it as if that'll give him an answer. No one speaks up. "Fucking hell. Tell me you can decipher it."

"Commander Park didn't program me to know different languages, sir, but I can make out a few words based on my independent studies."

"Independent studies?" Jihyun asks.

"Yes sir, I've been alive many years now. I spent my time scanning through the internet to learn as much as possible in preparation for my mission with Mr. Park." Stevie pointed with one of his lasers at Namjoon. "Languages were not my priority, rather an interest."

Oh great, a droid has interests. A.I. is mostly a thing, but that doesn't make it any less impressive that Jimin programmed something as smart as Stevie. "What words can you make out?" Jungkook asks.

"It's one word. A name." Jungkook leans back on the balls of his feet, motioning for Stevie to continue. He hesitates, then makes a sound Sehun identifies as a sigh. "Ziègla."

"Ziègla? What the hell kind of a name is that?" Akira asks.

"I'm not sure, sir. There's a few other words, but they don't make much sense. I believe these letters are spelling out 'castle'. These ones maybe 'storm'. These ones 'golden'. No coherent sentences I can make out though."

"So is there something named... that here, maybe in a golden castle?" Sehun asks, motioning to the area ahead of them. "Maybe in a storm? I know we don't have the context of the rest of the sentence, but if we combine those words, that's what I got. You?"

He turns to Jungkook, who nods in agreement. "Yeah, I have to agree. It seems like the most likely option. If these things have a language, there's a chance we can communicate. Stevie, memorize the words into your databank and try translating. I know you're no linguistic, but it's worth a try, yeah?"

"Worth a try," Stevie repeats, scanning them one last time. "Sir, I have a concern I'd like to raise." Jungkook doesn't stop him. "If there's intelligent life here, we could be the discoverers of a new alien tribe. The first intelligent lifeforms we've ever met."

Jungkook goes still, the others noticing and staring at him. "I saw intelligent life," he murmurs, placing a hand on the side of his head. "In the Ring, I saw intelligent life. I... talked to it." Jungkook brings his eyes to Namjoon, who stays where he is with his shoulders tensed. "It took the face of Kim Namjoon and spoke to me, saying that the highest in power of their kind can read minds. They can see into them and predict our movements. See our thoughts. It's how that thing knew English. I don't know all the details, it's been so long. I got infected, that was the main memory I took out of that." Jungkook pauses to chuckle, but there's no humor in it. "I still have the scar."

"Is it possible life is here? That higher-up? Could that be this Ziègla thing?" Rosalind asks, but before anyone can get an answer, there's a flash. The pyramids shake, the tops of them glowing once more. There's a few groans, Rosalind getting in front of Jihyun and Sehun. "Those pyramids seem like volcanos. They're causing the ground to shake. We shouldn't be around when they go off."

"You don't have to tell me twice, get me the fuck out of here!" Akira calls back, Stevie buzzing ahead to scout the biome.

Just like that, they pick up their pace. Rosalind's holding up okay, her locks flying in the wind. Sehun's surprised she hasn't lost all her hair from the dangerous environments. Those fish creatures almost chomped off Sehun's face if it weren't for his father showing up.

They keep running and running, the minutes ticking by and hitting Sehun in the gut with each one. He misses his siblings and Taehyung desperately. Hell, he misses the Park family. The Min's. The Jung's. It goes on and on; he misses every family he's grown to feel is his own. But the only way he'll get back to them is if he keeps going.

"Rosa, Jihyun, on the rear! Akira, up here with me, kids stay in the middle!" Jungkook commands, the group obeying right away.

Sehun heaves with Namjoon, the two not holding hands for once, his stamina keeping up thanks to his experience with dancing. Namjoon starts to slump, overcome with exhaustion, but Sehun keeps him going. He gives Joon's shoulders little nudges to help him moving.

All of a sudden, the ground shakes so hard the entire crew goes flying, falling to the dirt and grunting. Sehun grips the surface, his ears ringing from the impact. That's a concussion. A bad one, probably. Namjoon places a hand on Sehun's shoulder, helping him up, but he's quick to fall again.

"No time! Let's go, the pyramid is opening!" Jungkook yells, helping a limping Akira. Namjoon picks Sehun up only to realize that Jihyun got knocked unconscious.

"Go! I have him!" Rosalind says, picking the man up.

Sehun stalls for a moment upon seeing that. Jihyun's as light as his brother, but that doesn't make it any less impressive. Sehun turns his head away from the sight. Namjoon guides him through the area, following Jungkook and the limping Akira. Rosalind is holding up well, her injury popping open, but there's no time to argue. The ground is still quaking. They don't have time to shout out new orders.

Stevie flies back to Rosalind's side and sprays more on her, but it ends up falling off within seconds. "Don't waste it, wait until we're out," she says, Stevie agreeing and flying above them to keep a bird's eye view. Sehun rests his head in the crook of Namjoon's neck, accepting his warmth and comfort even though that isn't his intention. His intention is to get them out of there without dying. But Sehun finds comfort in it, and he doesn't know why.

"I think I see another biome up ahead," Akira says, but his tone of voice doesn't bode well. Sehun attempts to calm his nerves, but with a shaking ground and glowing pyramids, it's hard to do that.

They pass more pyramids, all of them glowing as if they found something. Or maybe someone. Are they that thing? The thought has him shivering with the ground, Namjoon stumbling because of the force of the shakes.

"We're almost there, but I don't understand what this is," Jungkook says. Sehun chooses not to look.

"Wait, hang on. Sehun, can you stand?" Namjoon asks.

Namjoon tries setting him down, Sehun able to stand okay, but he's still a little dizzy. He gives Namjoon a nod, and the younger rushes off to the nearest pyramid. "Park Namjoon! Where the fuck are you going, young man!" Jungkook shouts, but Namjoon only goes up to the nearest one and slips inside.

"I'm on it!" Sehun yells, sprinting after him.

"Sehun!" Jungkook's voice calls, but Sehun's already running after Namjoon. The Park goes through a small crack that acts as a doorway, Sehun stopping a few feet away. He stares at the tight space and lets out a breath, Jungkook approaching. "I'll handle it. Get the others to the new biome, okay?"

"No, dad. I feel something," he says. "I feel like I need to go in."

"Don't do anything rash. Come on, we don't have time for this!"

At Jungkook's words, his panic subsides to favor logic. Sehun can't go through there even if he wanted to. He's too afraid of that small opening. As if the mountain biome didn't teach him that. So, he allows his father to go. But, before he can, Namjoon pops back out, panting and holding an object in his hand. It almost looks like... a stylus?

"Namjoon, what the fuck?!" Jungkook asks.

"Come on!" Joon interrupts, pulling the other two away.

Jungkook, grunting and groaning with his enhancements glowing, doesn't press any more than he has. Sehun is the same way. The stylus Namjoon is holding seems ancient; it has runes carved on the sides of it, a dark color coating its base, and a tip that's covered in what appears to be a clear crystal. Under the lighting of the pyramids, the tip almost looks golden. And that's when it happens: the tip starts glowing too. It glows a gold that Namjoon doesn't seem fazed by.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Jungkook demands as they sprint to the others.

"I don't know, I just saw the pyramid and something called me there. I went in, saw a tiny room with this on a podium in the middle of it, and took it. I didn't really have time to look at what it was," Namjoon replies just as they return to Akira, Rosalind, and the unconscious Jihyun.

The pyramids almost seem to be lashing out against something. Sehun prays it isn't them. He pants as they stop in front of... a cliff? No, wait. The sky?!

Sehun halts, the others on the tips of their toes. Jihyun groans, Rosalind sighing at the sound. Jihyun holds his head, regaining his consciousness. But that's not the most important part. The next biome is in air?

Sehun rubs his eyes, seeing how the ground isn't there anymore. It's like the sky is both above and below them, flying stones floating there. He swallows the fear he has, eyeing the flat surfaces that are large enough to support around three people, maybe four.

Jihyun regains his composure, hopping out of Rosalind's arms and rubbing his head. Rosalind inspects him as quickly as she can, eyeing the bruise forming on his head. Damn, he has it worse than Sehun. Poor guy. Regardless, Sehun grabs Namjoon's free hand, Jungkook standing in front of them while Stevie scans the area.

Every single crewmember is frozen. Giant rocks floating in endless sky, limited visibility, Namjoon randomly disappearing to grab a fucking stylus, and glowing pyramids behind them. It's been about two days since they've arrived, and so far, things are looking like shit. Beyond that, actually. Jungkook showing up and Sehun's kiss with Namjoon are about the only two good things that's happened so far. That and finding Jihyun after eighteen years. Good for Jimin that his brother is still alive, but that won't matter unless they get back in one piece.

The pyramids keep vibrating and glowing, their bodies shuddering from the impact of the ground trying to throw them again. Sehun gulps, Namjoon keeping his body close. His vision is fading in and out, mostly from surprise rather than the concussion. It's to the rate where Namjoon and Jungkook can't comfort him. He has to figure this out himself. And that's the most terrifying thing.

Jungkook clicks his tongue, resting his hands on his hips and chuckling as if the whole situation is one big joke. Then, he lets out a breath that's almost certainly forced and turns to the crew.

"Well... shit."

~~~
A/N: Okay, that's all the already written chapters! Now I can start writing new chaps. Stay tuned for more!