~1:21~

"Y/N can we talk about this for a moment?"

"You knew, didn't you?" you ask, whipping around to look at him.

Jimin sighs, running a hand through his hair. "So what if I did? Doesn't change the fact that-"

"You know what it does change? My best friend is dying, but instead of spending every second with him, I'm up in the sky dicking around with you! What will I tell Jungkook when I show up with hickies on my neck? What will I tell him when he asks about the mission?" You shake your head in disbelief. "Just... stop, Jimin. You're the CEO of making things worse."

Without another word, you burst into Chaeyoung's office. Of course she has a meeting with someone, but you don't care. "You lying, backstabbing little bitch," you say. The man she's meeting with stands from his seat, his jaw dropping.

"What? What happened?" she asks, fake concern in her eyes.

"Don't pretend!" you yell as Jimin walks in behind you.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

You scoff. "Bullshit!" The man in the room backs up, preparing to observe. You wish you knew who he was, but at this point you can't bring yourself to care. "You set me up! That 'Martian Scout' didn't exist! It was an Earth ship you sent up there to test my loyalty!"

"And you passed. Congratulations."

"My best friend is dying and this is what you want me to do? Prove my loyalty while my literal lover is on his death bed?"

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but if I'm working with the daughter of a Martian war hero, I need to know I can trust her."

"No wonder why you asked for me, no wonder why it was still there after a day, no wonder why you didn't just open fire..." You sigh, piecing it all together. "You don't trust me, even after all the threats you've made to me?" She goes pale.

"Threats? You're threatening her?" the man asks, looking between you and Chaeyoung. She mouths 'don't', but of course you do.

"She put a chip inside Jimin's head, threatened that if I don't do what she says she'd blow his head open," you blatantly say. Yeah right, what's she gonna do now?

"Is this true, Chaeyoung?"

"Heavens no! Those were outlawed years ago! You see why I tried to test her loyalty? Because she's had a bad feeling about me from the beginning. She wouldn't let Jimin come meet me, she stormed into my office claiming I 'did something to him', she thinks I did something to Jungkook now too! I think her jealousy is becoming too much!"

The man observes her, making you scared. Damn, she sounds convincing. She made that all up right on the spot, almost as if she saw it coming. She knew you wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut. "Alright, well, just in case, I'd like to run a brain scan on Jimin."

"You're not touching me!" Jimin says, backing up.

"You're getting that scan whether you like it or not," the man explains.

"Jimin?" Chaeyoung asks.

"Yes?"

"Close the door." He does, making Chaeyoung clear her throat. "Jose, can I ask you something?" He looks at her and raises a brow. "Who do you trust more? Jimin and I, or this no one from Ganymede?"

"She's not a no one, she's-"

"I give up." Within the blink of an eye, a gunshot sounds off in the room, and the man falls over. You jump back in horror, watching as Chaeyoung places the pistol back in her drawer and presses a button on her table. "Come into my office, I need a pest removed." The door in the corner of her office opens, and out scurries a bunch of men in lab coats. "How good are you at editing?" she asks the closest one.

"Pretty good."

"Edit the footage. Make it look like he tried to shoot me."

"Yes ma'am, that may take a while."

"Do it. I'll make a public statement later. Hopefully the rest of Jimin's little crew will have something useful for me soon," Chaeyoung says.

"Yes ma'am."

Without another word, the scientists get to work with cleaning the area, making you sick. "You're a fucking monster! How could you just... do that?!" you shout.

"I'm telling you right here and right now, no one can help you. Either they won't believe you, or they'll end up in the ground like that one. Got it?" If you get a group of people, maybe that can work. "And if you think of going to more than one person, I'll kill myself as I've said before."

"You're so sick!" you say, almost throwing up at the thought.

"Even more reason to do what I say."

"You say you're doing this because you want revenge, but what is it now? You tore Jimin and I apart, you destroyed me emotionally, and now my best friend is dying sooner because of you! When does it end? Please Chaeyoung, tell me. When is it enough for you? This isn't revenge! This is being a psychopath! You're letting all your childhood trauma out on me!" She doesn't reply, she only glares at you.

"Newsflash! I was abused every fucking day of my life! If anyone understands the pain of having awful parents and no friends it's me! And guess what, Chae? I only had one person to help me through that. My sister, Jasmine. And guess who killed her?" You scoff. "Alice. Stop being such a hypocrite and admit you're doing this to lash out! You just want someone else to feel your pain for once, you want someone to understand! Chae, I understood long before you chipped my boyfriend. I know the pain of feeling so alone that you-"

"No you don't!" she interrupts, banging her hands on her desk. You take a shaky step back, fear filling your eyes. She tears up, squeezing her eyes shut. "No. You don't..." You want to fight, but you can't. You're frozen. "Take her out of here, Jimin."

"Yes ma'am," Jimin replies, grabbing your elbow and pulling you away. You don't bother fighting back; you let him drag you out of the office. What now? What do you do now? You tried so hard only to fail again. What's even the point?

As soon as the door closes behind you, Jimin lets you go and prepares to go back inside when you clear your throat. He sighs, then turns around. You meet his eyes, shaking your head. "I know her. I understand her. I can at least see where she's coming from and I can predict her moves... but you?" You pause for a moment "Who are you?" you whisper, tears blurring your vision. He staggers back, confused by the question.

"H-Huh?" he asks, furrowing his brows.

"Who are you?" you repeat. Who is he? What is his goal? Why is he an ass to your friends all of a sudden? You know it's the chip, but does he really have to be so harsh? You blink back your tears and sigh. "I hate you."

~The Next Day || 10:03~

Seulgi clicks through the last file, sighing to herself. Yoongi is pacing around the room, Hoseok sitting next to her and trying to help. "Do you think she'll care if we take a break to visit our dying friend?" Seulgi asks, closing the tab.

"Yeah, yeah she will. She'll beat me up again," Yoongi says. Yoongi has seen better days, that's for sure. His face is still swollen from Chaeyoung, and Seulgi feels really bad. She got hit once and fell over. How weak does that make her?

One thing's for sure: they underestimated Chaeyoung. She beat Yoongi in a fist fight. Yoongi. The man from Kepler. The one who has intelligence enhancements. How in the living fuck did she beat him? Seulgi wants to know everything about her backstory but knows there's not much she'll be able to find out. Even if she asks the leader, she doubts Chae will tell her anything. At least nothing important.

"Have any of you found anything yet?" Seulgi asks.

"Not really, though there is this one guy. He's a secretary in the weapons department. I can't find much background on him," Hoseok says, furrowing his brows as he looks at his screen.

"Name?"

"Enzo Chantelle."

"Chantelle? Never heard of that last name. French?" Hoseok shrugs. "Maybe we can try the Martian databases?" Seulgi asks.

"That will take a while to hack into, especially without being traced," Yoongi says, stroking his chin with his long fingers.

"I doubt they would keep his name the same if he's a spy," Hoseok says, and Seulgi shrugs.

"Maybe not the first, but maybe the last. I mean getting into the Martian databases could work out for us anyway. She told us to find something. Let's find something so she doesn't hurt Jimin."

"Are we getting paid for this?" Yoongi asks.

"I highly doubt it, does she seem like the type to pay us when she could threaten us instead?"

"Fair enough," Yoongi replies, giving Seulgi a small frown.

"Wait, I found something," Hoseok says.

"Huh?"

"Vixen. Vixen Auclair. Janitor." Yoongi heads over, sitting next to Seulgi as Hoseok extends his screen. "Joined last week, but not only that, she just arrived on Earth last week too. As soon as she landed, the first thing she did was get the janitor job."

"What's her background?" Seul asks.

"I can't find it. I need to find what flight she came in on. I'll have to hack into the airline statistics."

"Alright, go for it. While you do that I'll look at Chantelle," Yoongi says.

"What do you want me to do?" Seulgi asks. Hoseok and Yoongi share a look, then, sigh.

"Probably the riskiest part," Yoongi says.

"Oh boy. What is it?" Seulgi asks, but she's scared of the answer.

Yoongi sighs. "Follow her."

"You want me to follow Vixen?"

"Tell Chaeyoung about our suspicions and get her to hire you as a janitor. Hide in plain side, wear wigs and extra makeup to make yourself look different. Get you a whole cover story," Yoongi says.

She nods. "Alright, Adira Vermont. That'll be my name."

"Adira, damn girl," Hoseok says with a low whistle. "I'd take you home."

"Hoseok!"

He laughs. "Alright Adira, go get ready."

After only ten minutes, Seulgi comes out of the bathroom wearing a full face of makeup. Artists, they have some skill, don't they? She doesn't look crazy different, but different enough that she won't be recognized by Martians. "Does anyone have any wigs?" she asks with a small smile. Using the power of contour and a lot of blending, she managed to make her cheekbones and nose more defined. If she tied her hair up and hid it behind a hood, she might even look like a boy on first look. She's fine with that, as long as she looks different.

"You look great, honey. I'm sure we can get a convincing wig at some shop."

Seulgi takes a moment, then looks in the mirror. "I guess I do look good. You think Chaeyoung will like our plan?"

"Us going to her to tell her how we're helping Earth? I think she'll love it," Yoongi says with a sneer, shaking his head. For some reason, he seems the most upset about this: about Jimin being taken. Seulgi's not sure why, and it pains her.

"Yoongi," she mutters, peering at him. He sighs and reluctantly looks back.

"What?"

"I know Jimin being taken is stressful, but we can save him, you know that, right? We always save each other, that's how we work."

"I know."

"Then... why?" Seulgi asks.

Yoongi stops his pacing, letting out a breath. "He's my best friend." Hoseok and Seulgi's eyes widen. That was not what she was expecting. "I... I miss him," he says, taking a step back and tearing up. Oh no, Yoongi's tearing up. Seulgi rushes into action, coming forward and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Yoongi. Let it out. We're all here for you. Always."

"I know, I just don't know what to do. Why him? He's the kindest guy out there. He doesn't deserve this. And now with Jungkook, things are even worse. How are we supposed to keep going?" Yoongi asks.

Seulgi closes her eyes for a moment. "I don't know."

"How can we save the two of them?"

"I don't know." Yoongi makes the first move, stepping forward and hugging her. Seulgi sniffles, nodding into the hug and accepting it. "It's okay, Yoons. It's okay," she whispers, closing her eyes. He cries, breaking down in front of her while Hoseok watches. Clearly he's in just as much pain, but no one has the strength to verbally say it. The three words that will break everyone's hearts as soon as they even think them...

They miss Jimin.

~12:00~

"How long?" Tae asks in a murmur.

"Based on our graphs, nine days."

He cries instantly, throwing his hand over his mouth. "H-How does it go from three weeks to nine days? How?"

"His enhancements are speeding up somehow. Honestly, it might be less. Nine days at most." Tae manages to nod, closing his eyes and processing the doctor's words. Nine days. Jungkook has nine days left to live at most.

How in the hell is Tae supposed to process that? The love of his life is about to die, and there's nothing he can do about it. Y/N is waiting inside the room, mostly because she was scared to hear it for herself. Tae can't blame her. Jungkook is slowly dying and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Taehyung isn't sure how to react, so he doesn't. Without another word, he heads back into the room, closing the door behind him.

Y/N turns to look at him, tears dried on her face. "Oh no..."

"Nine days," Tae whispers.

"Nine... days? We have nine days left? And he's not even awake?!"

Taehyung sucks in a breath. "Nine days."

Y/N places her hands on her head. "Fucking... fuck," she whispers, unsure if she should scream or cry or be quiet or all three. Taehyung goes deeper inside the room, sitting next to Y/N and staring at Jungkook's unmoving body.

The machines he's hooked onto are keeping him alive, but he's still not awake. What if he drifts to sleep and doesn't wake up at all? What if they don't get to say goodbye? That thought terrifies him. At the very least, he wants to see one last bunny smile. Just one more. Taehyung closes his eyes, thinking about everything. How is he supposed to handle all this?

Y/N wraps an arm around him, bringing him close. Taehyung cries at the action, returning her action and holding her. The two softly cry together, unsure of where to go. "What happened?" Baekhyun asks, trotting into the room. He's holding a small plastic carrier, three hot drinks in it. Taehyung smiles. A hot chocolate is exactly what he needs right about now.

"We just found out Jungkook has nine days left," Y/N says.

"Oh no," Baekhyun whispers, coming over and taking the third and last chair propped up on the side of Jungkook's bed. Taehyung grabs Y/N's drink and hands it to her, and she eagerly takes it. The three of them haven't left Jungkook's side. Taehyung is amazed that Baekhyun hasn't left, but he's grateful. He knows that Jungkook is grateful too, even if he doesn't know it yet.

"What do we do at the end of the nine days?" Baekhyun asks.

"Seulgi takes over more than she already has. Jimin isn't ours anymore, so I'm thinking we discreetly make her the Captain," Tae says.

Y/N and Baekhyun glance at Taehyung. "How so?" Baekhyun asks.

Taehyung shrugs. "Like, in title he'll still be Captain, but not in spirit. If we're together and he makes a plan we don't like, we listen to Seulgi instead. She's the better leader right now. She... she has our best interest at heart."

New Jimin doesn't have their best interest at heart. That's the sad truth. Taehyung doesn't really want to think about it, but they kind of have to. Of course this is all happening while his husband is in the hospital. Of course it is. When else would it occur? The fact that it's happening at all is scary to be honest. Taehyung's barely processing Jungkook let alone Jimin. How is he going to cope with losing both? Well, he's going to find out soon. Nine days. That's it. Nine days.

"We don't have much time to figure this out. We have to find a way to remove the chip and soon," Y/N whispers.

"I don't know if there's a way," Tae starts, but Y/N shakes him off.

"If she can put it in, she can take it out. We need to remove that chip and not just so I can get some sanity back. Jungkook is dying and Jimin isn't here to be by his side. Imagine if we free him after Jungkook's gone? He's already not going to forgive himself for slapping me, what about this? He'll be depressed for the rest of his life. He'll be a completely different person, even more than he is now."

Tae softly sighs. Well, she's got a point. The last thing anyone needs is for Jimin to be freed just to shut down again. If Jimin gets freed, they'll need their Captain. They need their Captain all the time, but especially in times of war. Jimin's the one keeping them going, after all. And if he ever doesn't, then it falls to Jungkook and he's, well...

As if mentally connected, all three of them peer at Jungkook in-sync. The boy appears peaceful despite his cold sweat and pale skin. The doctors are always around the corner, only a shout away. This is their most important patient right now. How can he not be? Jungkook has the strangest condition they've ever seen. It could be worse, they could be on Kepler or something, but thanks to Jimin, that's gone.

Tae's heart goes still. Jimin. Why does his mind always circle back to him? Tae audibly sighs. Actually, he knows exactly why. Jimin is literally his best friend. If Tae didn't know Jungkook was choosing Jimin, Tae would have chosen Jimin to be his best man. That man has always shown him kindness, has always supported him, has always offered witty jokes to make Tae smile. God how he misses him. Tae wishes the Captain was here right now...

"Tae?" Y/N asks.

Tae peeks back at her slumped posture. Obviously this can't be easy for her either. It's crazy how both her and him are in the same situation. How unlucky is that? They're both in the process of losing their lover and their best friend. Jesus, what has the world come to? "What is it?" he whisper asks, meeting her sad eyes.

"When does the pain end?"

~16:22~

"Jimin, can you hand that to me please?" He does, giving it to Chaeyoung. "Thanks," she dryly replies, taking the screwdriver and fixing the back of her comm. There, fully operational again. For some reason it was giving her a lot of trouble today. So much has gone wrong in the course of this whole journey for her, but what is she going to do about it other than try her best? She sighs, placing the screwdriver down and placing a hand on her head.

Earlier today, Kang Seulgi stopped by with a completely different appearance asking for a job as a janitor. Naturally, Chaeyoung was confused as hell. Why does she want a job when she already has one? But soon enough Chae learned it was to keep an eye on a potential Martian spy. Chaeyoung granted Seulgi access to all the janitor closets and private areas they might go. The faster they find any spies, the better it is for the war. Regardless, Chae keeps burying her head in her hands and doesn't talk.

Jimin doesn't comment, clearly not sure what to say. She can't blame him, if she were in his shoes, she wouldn't know what to say either. After a few moments, she looks at him again. Jimin stares at her, blinking and gazing at her with so much love. It terrifies her. Is this how he looked at Y/N? She can't help but frown at the thought. Of course Chae's beyond pissed at the girl for what she did, even if it makes her hypocritical. All she cares about is Alice, and that got taken from her. But that doesn't mean she doesn't feel bad about taking Jimin.

Upon observing him and looking into him even more, Chaeyoung determined that Jimin's more than just a good guy. He's one of the best. Saving lives without hesitation, pushing through despite his emotional pain, caring so fiercely for his friends he'll sacrifice his life for them. All of these traits show how selfless he is. Yet she took that from him. He's not in control anymore. Y/N's right: the person sitting in front of her isn't Jimin. It's an impostor.

"Hey Jimin?" she asks.

"Yes princess?"

Her eye twitches at the name. "Do you miss her?"

He knits his brows. "Huh?"

"Y/N. Do you ever miss her? And please be honest."

Almost immediately, he shakes his head. "No, I don't." Great, that wasn't the answer she was hoping for. She wanted to see some of the old Jimin still in there. The point was to suppress his emotions and make him obedient to her, but she wasn't expecting his personality to alter. She thought he'd still have the same flare that made Jimin, well, Jimin. Looks like she was wrong.

"Are you sure?" she asks, leaning closer.

"I don't feel anything for her. I actually love taunting the crew. You should see the look on their faces. You'd love it. The heartbreak in their eyes? It's hilarious." Chaeyoung's heart drops hearing Jimin say that. These are the same people the real Jimin would easily lay down his life for. Yet here he is laughing at their heartbreak. What kind of monster did she create? The answer is herself.

However, she can't bring herself to undo any of this madness. Not yet. The picture of Alice is still on her desk, the war is still going on. She needs the crew. Signed to the military or not, the crew always finds a way to get what they want. Chae has no doubts they'll find a way to get out of the military service if they had to. She may be the leader of Earth, but combating a crew of nine is not exactly in her interest right now.

"Are you okay?" he asks, also leaning forward.

"Yeah, fine. Leading Earth isn't exactly easy."

"I'm sure. Can I kiss it better?"

She bites back her cringe. "No. I have work to do, you should probably go."

He's confused to say the least. "You've done work around me before, why do I need to go now?"

"This is more private work. I'd prefer to do it alone. Can you go to the mansion tomorrow and see the progress of the crew?"

"Sure," he says, slowly.

"Alright, then you're dismissed," she replies, bringing up her display of holograms. The screens fly around her face, several newsfeeds playing as she tries to determine what step to take next. Being the leader was hard enough before war, but now? Everything is different. She doesn't have the time to handle her personal problems right now. Earth is more important than her.

"I don't want to go yet, can't I just sit here and like twiddle with my thumbs?" he asks.

She mentally groans but externally forces a smile. "I said no, Jimin. Now go. Don't make me tell you again."

"Are you bringing a guy in, is that it?"

"Jimin, no-"

"I told you, let me show you that you don't need them. You have me. I guarantee I'm bigger than them anyway-"

"Jimin!" she sharply interrupts. He finally shuts up, staring at her with curiosity in his brown eyes. She shakily sighs, containing her anger. "I said no. Now go and let me do my work in peace, please. There's no guy, there's no meetings, there's no one coming to my office. I just have a lot on my plate and want to be alone right now. Leave me alone. It's not a difficult task."

Jimin blinks, shocked by her sudden demeanor. "Fine," he replies, setting his jaw before standing.

Chaeyoung feels bad but doesn't speak as he treks away. She watches him open the door and leave, harshly shutting it. "Boys," she says with a huff, pressing on the hologram that's in front of her. Mars hasn't made any huge moves yet, but they're staying close. She wants this to be over. She wants a 'yes' or 'no' on war. So, tomorrow she'll have a press conference and pretty much publicly out Mars. With the added pressure, maybe she'll finally hear something from them.

With one last sigh, she swipes the holograms away and decides to take a moment to think. Her eyes find Alice's portrait. Is it worth it? Is all of this worth it? No, she needs to stay determined. If she keeps wavering in and out, then what's the point? What would be the point of ever making the choice to begin with? She groans, placing her head in her hands again. This is too stressful for her. What is she going to do? Normally stress doesn't bother her, (she grew up with enough it) but this? This is insane to her and she's not sure why.

Chaeyoung stands, strolling over to her window and looking out it. Yeah, she misses Jimin a little bit, but she's selfish for doing so. Her entire life feels selfish. She's begged for a better one. Funny how the most powerful person in the solar system hates her life. Hates almost everything and everyone. She loves no one. Nothing. How can someone live like that? She places her hand on the window, peering at the street and sighing. The windows are one-way, so they can't see her, but she can see all her people trotting down the sidewalk.

Some are alone, some are carrying groceries, some are with children and partners. All have different lives. Different stories. This is why she's still fighting. To protect these people. Protect someone who may be like Alice. Protect someone that may be like Chaeyoung. So, with a deep breath, she turns on her heel and sits back down again. She's definitely more determined than before, bringing up several new screens and reading over them in a focused manner. Tomorrow is the press conference. She can do it. She can do this.

Just a little bit longer, then the war will be over and everything will be okay.

~~~

A/N: I just want to clarify something: I'm not including Chaeyoung povs to make you feel bad for her or anything like that. No. No not even in the slightest I fucking hate this bitch with all my heart and I'm the one writing her. She hurt Jiminie. I'm including them for two reasons. 1) To give you a better understanding of why she's dangerous and what she's doing (pretty much how she affects the plot) and 2) to get a better understanding of her side. Of course I don't feel bad for her, I doubt anyone does, but the key is somewhat understanding her, not feeling bad for her. She had a different way of growing up and has the tragic flaw of not being able to contain her anger and pain. That's mostly what I'm trying to display, so I hope that got across! I swear I'm not trying to guilt trip you into "liking" her cause nooooo she's the main villain please continue disliking her...