San couldn't take his eyes off Yunho while waiting for him to wake up, even with everyone else around them was freaking out with other problems. He didn't want to be rude, but right now the one thing he needed to be ok, was to know that Yunho was going to be alright.

Visions of the car crash kept swimming in front of his eyes, causing him to tear up and shake his head.

They were lucky to be alive.

"Please, Yunho... Please wake up." He whispered, bringing the older's hand to his lips.

Despite everything, now that he was awake and had eaten a little after Mingi and Hongjoong brought him some food, he was feeling a lot better.  There were still some aches and pains, but nothing he couldn't handle. His body told him he'd experienced worse before.

He knew that part of the reason he was feeling so much better was because of what Yeosang had done. The chip implant in his head was infinitely better than the headband. He hardly noticed it was there, and that was all he could ask for given the situation.

Hours ticked by and he picked up snippets of ideas the others were talking over to try and rescue Jongho.

As much as he hated to say it, if Mercer had Jongho... things were looking pretty bleak. San was willing to bet Mercer would try and take control of Jongho too.

"What are we supposed to do?" Mingi asked from where he was standing in the corner.

"I say we attack him head on. It'll be the thing he expects the least." Hongjoong licked his lips and cocked an eyebrow. "I've got enough firepower."

"I don't know." Seonghwa sighed. "Most of the base is underground, and that's where most of the men are. There's only one entrance in and out."

Silence fell over them until a raspy voice capture their attention. "What will... happen... if we kill Mercer?"

Everyone looked to Yunho and San let out a strangled sob when the older slowly opened his eyes. "You're ok!" It took every ounce of strength San had to not fall in top of Yunho and squeeze him and never let him go.

The others quickly gathered around, with Mingi being closest and looking down at him with concern. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit. How else am I supposed to feel?" The driver's voice was raspy as he spoke, but he somehow managed a tiny smile while looking up at his friend. "Now answer my question."

Seonghwa let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose while scrunching his eyes. "I don't know for sure, but I think a good majority of the Pack would run as soon as my father is gone. Most of them are there because they have no where else to go or they owe some kind of debt. There are a few though who are loyal and are probably vying for my position as next in line. They are going to be the real problem."

"How wide are the hallways?"

"Yun... you need to rest." San leaned forward to run his fingers through the older's hair. "You don't need to worry about this."

A gentle look entered Yunho's eyes and he shook his head. "I will when this is over."

"Yunho-" Mingi started to say, but he was cut off when Yunho started to sit up. Both he and San immediately leaned forward to support him, both making a small sound of protest at his action.

"I'm stronger than I look. Plus, if he has Jongho then we are running out of time. We can't afford to delay, no matter what you guys say." Even though he still looked like he was in pain, Yunho had a look of determination that said not to mess with him. Although he did instantly pale when he was sitting up and his breathing was labored.

Seonghwa studied him for a moment to let him get settled, then glanced at both San and Wooyoung. "It was designed to be an underground warehouse, so most of the hallways are larger than normal. It's only my father's main level that is average. Even the living quarters can be converted to a warehouse if needed."

"And all of this is underground?" Yeosang asked from his chair. Several screens behind him showed views for various sections of forest. He had already sent his trusty drones out to scan the surrounding area for any kind of traps that might be waiting for them while one flew high above the compound to try and get a sub level scan they could use.

"Except for the main entrance, but really that's just the elevator. There are a few large garages where all the pack vehicles are kept as well."

Yunho's eyes narrowed and he stared at one spot on the opposite wall for several minutes. San fidgeted in place, still uneasy with how much he was moving around. But he knew he needed to trust Yunho too, as hard as it was.

"Guys. I have a plan." Yunho looked around the room. "But it's going to take a lot of gear and very precise timing. Yeosang, do you have the layout done yet?"

"Almost." The hacker turned back to his screen.

Seonghwa hurried to his side and leaned over his shoulder with Wooyoung mirroring him on the other side. "Here." Wooyoung pointed at the screen. "This is M-Mercer's room." His hand shook while pointing at the screen.

Just seeing that also made San worry about Wooyoung's sanity in all this. Could he really go back and fight the man who tortured him all these years? And could defeating him give him the closure he needed? San doubted it... but it could be a start.

"And the lab is here." Seonghwa muttered, pointing at a different section. "Those are going to be the two most important places and if I'm being honest, Father could very well take him there... Either that or the holding cells are right next to it."

"So the two big areas we need to hit are in the top ten floors?" Hongjoong asked, walking over to study the scan as well. It was still showing that it was loading, but Yeosang took the hint and zoomed in on the top ten floors.

Seonghwa gasped and nodded. "This is true! Anything below floor ten is all storage and housing, and really if we could seal off or collapse floor seven we'd be set. Father is on six so that's the lowest we'd need to go."

"Can we make everything collapse if we were to get to the very bottom?" Yunho slowly spun around to face the screens.

Seonghwa immediately shook his head. "I like your thought process, but it's too well built. The support structure makes it so that any damage would effect one floor, and that's it. So even if we seal off seven, anything underneath it would survive. Which could be a good thing in the long run, Father has a lot of weapons and other goods down there."

"No." Mingi said quickly. "I'd feel better if it was all destroyed so that no one has access to it in the future. I'd rather avoid repeating what's already happened to us."

The weight of his words blanketed the room in an uncomfortable silence. The thief had a point. If Mercer had discovered how to travel back in time, there was no saying what other secrets lay hidden deep within the ground.

That just made their mission even more important. And dangerous. One wrong move and everything could be ruined, and there was no way he was going to let someone remember this time. Or maybe they would unlock something even worse.

"What if he's working on the machine again?" San asked, voicing the question they all had to be thinking.

"Then we have even less time." Yunho looked at the rest of their team. "Let's get started."

"Yunho are you su-" Mingi started to say.

"Don't. Don't ask me again. I'm not going to let some silly injury stop us. If I die, then I die. As long as we accomplish our goal."

Tears instantly came to San's eyes at the older's words. That was the last thing he wanted to hear and it broke his heart. He shook his head a little and tried to control his emotions, but it was so hard...

Everyone around them started scrambling about to gathers notebooks and pens and other supplies to start sketching out Yunho's plan. Lists were formed of all the supplies needed and Mingi and Hongjoong hurried off to run inventory and make some calls.

Seonghwa and Wooyoung also ran out to help them. The quicker they could get an idea of what they had and what they needed, the better.

Once they were gone, Yeosang slipped out of his chair and opened a cupboard, then pulled out a bottle of pills and filled a glass with water. "Here, we should start getting these into your system if we are really going to do this. Just some pain killers, but I'm afraid you're going to need them."

Yunho muttered a quick thanks before tossing the pills back and gulping down some water. "How fast should they kick in?"

"They are a strong dose so pretty quickly. Please don't get mad at me, but are you sure about this Yunho? You were in a near fatal car accident, your body is still healing."

"What, am I supposed to sit here and twiddle my thumbs? Those bastards deserve to pay for what they did to us. I'd be more willing to wait if they didn't have Jongho, but I'm not going to let him suffer."

Yeosang's forehead creased with concern, but he also managed a grateful smile. "Alright. Just make sure to keep up with those."

"I will."

San could feel his lower lip wobbling while listening to them converse. Yunho hadn't hardly acknowledged he was there this entire time, nor had he asked for his opinion.

With his spirits lowering every second, San withdrew any contact he had with Yunho and looked down at his lap while trying to collect himself.

Yeosang seemed to notice the new tension because he quickly muttered something about needing to check on his other computers before stepping out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Yunho sighed and finally turned to San. He reached over to gently grab the younger's chin and lifted it up so that they could look at each other. "Hey."

"Hey? Hey?!" San batted his hand away and slipped off the table. He stumbled forward from how weak his legs were at the moment, but quickly straightened up and rounded back on Yunho. "That's all you have to say to me right now? HEY?!"

Yunho's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "San-"

"No! This entire time, you didn't once ask me what I thought or check in with me! Do you value your own life so little? H-How c-can you expect to get anything d-done with a gash in your leg? I d-don't want to lose you!" San was yelling at him by the end with tears streaming down his cheeks. So many emotions welled up inside him and he didn't know how to process them anymore.

The older looked down at his leg and sighed. "I'm sorry. I understand why you are upset with me. But... we've wasted too much time already. The attack on us should have never happened. How did he even get Jongho?"

San glared at him, then turned his head to look at the wall. "He went out for a grocery run and it sounds like he tried to follow some Pack cars. It was a setup."

"And this is why we can't delay..." Yunho leaned forward so he could take one of San's hands, and as much as San wanted to pull it away, he didn't. Just the touch alone was enough to make San melt. "But you'll stay by my side, right? They can't do this without us, Sannie."

San knew he was right... He just wished it didn't have to be like this.

"Come here. Please?" Yunho whispered.

Unable to deny his request, San stepped forward into Yunho's opens arms and immediately nuzzled into his neck. It felt like forever since he'd been able to do this and it had him shedding tears once more. "I was s-s-so scared I'd-d lost you. S-Seeing you up-side down l-like that..."

"Shhh. It's ok. I'm fine, I promise." Yunho's voice was low and soothing. One large hand reached up to rub the back of San's head in a comforting manner. "We are going to get through this. And then you and I are going to be together. We will go wherever you want, do whatever you'd like." Yunho promised. He turned his head to press his lips to San's forehead.

San shivered at his words. He wanted that more than anything. Just the idea made his heart race. But he didn't want to get his hopes up... Not with the battle looming in front of them.

He needed to be strong. For Yunho, and for the others.

And he would do whatever it took to make sure Mercer was defeated. It was time for the 'king' to be dethroned. He was going to pay for everything he had done.

San lifted his head up and let his eyes flick over all the cuts and bruises on Yunho's face and neck before closing the gap between them to seal their promise in a kiss. "We will be together. Always."

"And my plan will work. I'm sure of it." Yunho moved so that their foreheads could be connected and they both closed their eyes. "Never leave my side."

"I won't. I promise."