AN: Here is chapter one of Long Lost! I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I will enjoy writing it! If you liked it, please leave a review. I will try to update whenever I can, though since the chapters will be longer than Cold, it probably won't be every day. I'm sorry that the other OCs didn't get much screen time this chapter, they will have most of the spotlight the next chapter. I just needed to do a bit more setup, y'know? Credits for each original character are at the bottom, please check out everyone who donated a character to this story! Thanks!

The flight to New York had taken about thirteen hours. Jun-Seo had flown in the cheapest seat he could find, and had made sure to hide his appearance best as possible once he'd got past security. He had considered ditching his regular phone for safety, but he wanted some sort of tie to his regular life. He knew he would be on thin ice with his manager for this, but family came first. Even if his hiatus was sudden, he knew that his manager couldn't just replace him with another. Ki-Soo and Han-Jae, the other members of Echo, wouldn't accept it either. If their manager called and started shouting at him, Jun-Seo hoped he'd be able to work things out over the phone. The young idol did have a way with his voice.

As he got off the plane with his one carry on bag, Jun-Seo's joints felt stiff, especially his wings. He wanted to stretch them, but knew better than to reveal his secret in an airport. Customs didn't take too long. Though they had been born in the United States, he and his siblings didn't have citizenship. Just one of few downsides of being brought up in a fucked up lab.

Jun-Seo heard his phone buzz with another message. She looked at it and saw texts from his bandmates, and a few from his manager as well as many missed calls from while he'd been on the plane. He sighed, and shut it off, running a hand through his dyed mint green hair. He glanced around, then realized that Dr. Ackerman hadn't given him a place to meet. All she'd said was New York. He realized she hadn't specified the city, and mentally smacked himself for not asking enough questions. He reached for his flip phone, before he realized again that Dr. Ackerman had probably called on a throwaway phone.

"Damnit..." He mumbled, heading past baggage claim and towards the exit. He figured she would call him again, and decided to at least go somewhere that wasn't a crowded airport. However, as he headed for the cab line, someone walked up to him.

"Jun-Seo?!" It was a young woman, in her late teens or very early twenties, "Are you Jun-Seo, from Echo?"

Jun-Seo hesitated. He should have expected this, even without all his stage makeup. Evenso, he hadn't been fully prepared. He was so focused on his old family, that he hadn't been thinking about how he would be recognised.

"Yes, I am." He tried to smile, despite his stress, "Are you a fan?"

"Yes! I'm Kayla Woods. I love you guys' music," The young woman said, "Can I get an autograph? Are your bandmates here too?" She held up a sketchbook opened to a blank page and held out a micron pen.

"Sure. And... They're not. I came to New York for a family emergency," Jun-Seo said as he signed the page, "Do you live in the city?"

"I just got back from vacation. Do you need help finding where you're going?" Kayla took back the sketch book after he had signed it. She smiled brightly, "I'm a student at NYU, so I know Manhattan pretty well."

Jun-Seo hesitated. He didn't know where he was supposed to go, and while he didn't want to be rude to Kayla, he also wasn't sure when Dr. Ackerman would call again. He also knew his career was already on thin ice. Running off in the middle of everything, and going on an unexplained hiatus was definitely breaking the rules.

"Ah, thank you for the offer, but... I really should get going," He said finally, "It was good to meet you, I really appreciate that you enjoy our music."

"Okay." Kayla looked a little disappointed, "Well, it was great meeting you. Thank you for the signature!" She smiled again and headed off. Jun-Seo nodded and began to head towards the taxi line outside.

He knew he was risking his career. The rules he had to follow had been strict, and even though Echo was one of the biggest names, he still knew that management could show him the door.

As Jun-Seo got in the taxi, he asked the driver to take him to Grand Central station. Maybe he'd be able to gather his thoughts there. However, not five minutes into the drive went by before his phone began ringing. Not the flip phone, it was his regular phone. He saw Han-Jae's name appear and answered.

"Yeoboseyo," He said as he picked up the phone, switching to Korean.

"Dude, where are you?" Han-Jae sounded stressed.

"I already told everyone. Family emergency in the states," Jun-Seo said, "Look, I can smooth things over with management if I have to, just... Tell them to call me later, I'll be back when I can."

"This isn't like you at all. What happened?" Han-Jae asked, "And how long are you gonna be there?"

"I don't know. It's... Just some stuff I have to take care of. I'd rather not talk about it."

"This is gonna be a nightmare..." Han-Jae mumbled. Some talking was heard in the background on the other end that Jun-Seo couldn't hear, "Look man, can you just get back soon? I know we just finished a tour, but... Well, you know how these things can go."

"I'll handle it. The managers love me."

"Not after this. What's gotten into you?"

"I'll talk to them, okay? I'll keep you and Ki-Soo updated as much as I can."

There was silence for several minutes. Han-Jae seemed to be trying to remain calm. He had always been a bit more on the neurotic side.

"Fine. Just... You'll be back within a few weeks, right?" His voice sounded hopeful.

"I don't know," Jun-Seo said after a few moments, "I'll be back when I'm back."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"

"Calm down, I've got this," Jun-Seo said, running his hand through his hair again, "Look, I'll call them. Okay?"

"Please come back soon," Han-Jae said after a few moments of silence, "We all know how it is with this sort of thing."

"Yeah. I know. See ya soon," Jun-Seo said, before hanging up. He knew that this would be stressful. He loved singing and dancing, and performing, but his family came first, even if the management didn't like it. He knew he had to call the managers. He hoped that his voice would work over the phone as well. He had a way of getting people to listen to him when he sang, but he didn't like to use it unless he had to. He knew his voice could be a little dangerous, and he didn't want to abuse his power.

Just as he was about to call his manager, the other phone rang, the sound only he could hear stinging his ears. He put his regular phone away, then answered the flip phone.

"Dr. Ackerman?" He answered in English.

"Are you in New York?" Her voice was calm, but the edge was still there.

"Yeah, but I gotta call my manager. Han-Jae was-"

"Ditch your other phone."

"I need to call my manager."

"Do it, then get rid of it. You could be tracked through it," Dr. Ackerman sighed, "Everyone's already here. We're meeting outside Central Park Zoo. Get there as soon as possible."

"Right. See you soon," Jun-Seo said, "Goodbye."

Jun-Seo got out of the cab after he paid for the ride. He put up the hood of his jacket again. He'd had a talk with his manager, who had gotten angry at first, but he'd managed to talk him down. He'd also copied down all the phone numbers he'd want to use, if he needed to use a pay phone at some point to contact anyone from his old life. Once he was out on the street, he looked at his usual phone and sighed. It was time to ditch it. He sighed, shut it off, then dropped it in the storm drain.

"No going back now," He mumbled, before going to find the map. It had been nine years since he'd left the states, though he had been back on two separate occasions for concerts. He'd left the first time to go to South Korea when he was ten years old.

As he looked at the map, Jun-Seo was able to locate the entrance of the zoo. He began to head off in that direction, keeping his head down and still carrying the duffle bag that carried the belongings that he'd been able to bring. Most of his favorite things were back in Seoul. He hadn't even been able to say goodbye to his adoptive mother. It made his heart hurt, since she had been the only person who he'd been able to confide everything in. In a world he didn't know, she'd taught him everything he'd needed to know before he'd gone to be a normal kid. As normal as he could be, anyway.

The zoo wasn't far ahead. Jun-Seo could see a group of six people standing by the entrance. They were talking to each other. Nine years had been a long time. They could all be different people now. He'd been shy and distant when he was young, and now look at him. He was performing for crowds, and people asked for his autograph. He wondered how the others had changed. He didn't know where any of them had been sent. Dr. Ackerman had sent everyone far from the others, in hopes that they'd be safe apart. And then... She was bringing them back together. Jun-Seo would be lying if he said he hadn't thought about them. He would be lying if he said he never wanted to see them again. But not under these circumstances.

As Jun-Seo approached he was able to see them. They all looked older, different from when they had been separated. But he could still recognise each of them. He pulled back his hood as he approached and felt a genuine smile coming to his face. He was so practiced at faking a smile for the cameras, real ones didn't always come that easily. He wasn't related to them by blood, but they were his family.

Dr. Ackerman stood with them. The others were talking amongst themselves, but their former caretaker looked as she heard Jun-Seo's footsteps. She didn't look much older than the day Jun-Seo had last seen her. Her hair was the same black, her bifocals the same circular frames, and her clothes the same prim and proper style, though he knew she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty.

"Dr. Ackerman," Jun-Seo spoke as he got closer. The older woman looked at him. She didn't seem surprised by his appearance, but she did raise a dark eyebrow as he approached, "Everyone..." Jun-Seo looked at the others, who had also looked over. He saw their faces, and though they all looked different, he could recognise each of them perfectly.

"Siren?" A dark skinned buff boy who was a few inches taller than Jun-Seo spoke up. Aby stared his former brother, almost confused, "Is that really you? You look so different."

"All of us look different, it's called puberty," Said a girl with almost black hair in a braided bun and tan skin. Bezel wore the same bright colors as she had before, "That said, I didn't expect ya to look like a scene kid, Siren."

"More like a bishonen," Said the other girl. She looked of Japanese descent, though Jun-Seo recognised Crow's icey blue eyes. She had grown up so much from the six years old she'd been when they'd last seen each other, "... Or whatever it's called."

"I'm... Not a bishonen," Jun-Seo said, shifting a little. He had so much he wanted to say to all of them, but unfortunately couldn't find the words. He looked them over again.

"You look a lot like that K-pop idol... One of those dudes from Echo...?" The tallest male there. Oracle, or Black as he'd decided he preferred to be called, almost looked like an adult. His dark hair was in an undercut and his green eyes looked over Jun-Seo, "Did you become a fanboy?"

"Not really," Jun-Seo said, somehow finding it a little difficult to explain.

"It's been so long, though," Said a male only slightly shorter than the one with green eyes. He had light tan skin and short black hair. Piper now had a tattoo of shark teeth was visible near the hem of his sleeve, "You still sing?"

"About that..." Jun-Seo shifted a little. He looked among his siblings, trying to figure out how to say it.

"We don't have any more time to stand around," Said Dr. Ackerman, cutting in, "You'll all have time to catch up later. For now, we need to go somewhere a little more private so we can discuss why you're all here. Besides, you all could use a good meal. It's just a short walk from here. We will talk there."

~Credits~

Siren / Tae Jun-Seo - 1nk (me)

Aby (Absorb Man) / Carter Hayes - Kunnaki

Bezel / Sofia Alcázar - POMForever

Crow / Kaname Akira - gamergirl101

Black (Oracle) / Johan Erikson -LanceOtter

Piper / Hiva Sevele (Hahona Matau) - Pixelfun20